<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2013-10-03</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Corinne Vieracker</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Checklist: x *Add TEMPHEAD, change DATE, validate x *Review over structure: FRONT,BODY, BACK, DIV or rarely GROUP x *Add DIV TYPEs, make sure that @types makes sense as a navigational aide, and work in the context of the whole text, validate x *Survey book for troublesome formats of all kinds, including lists, illustrations, tables, music, math, end-notes, quasi-tabular arrangments, and marginalia. x *Proof title page(s) x *Examine marginalia. Is it all best tagged as NOTE? x *Observe divtop and divbottom material marking beginnings and ends of divisions, check that they are correctly tagged as HEAD, HEADNOTE, CLOSER, OPENER, ARGUMENT, EPIGRAPH, SIGNED, DATELINE, BYLINE, etc. x *Check for GAPs x *Check PB placement and completeness, ensure sequence of N="" x *Check ^, oe, ampersand ab, italic I / J, _Initals, space between &amp;c., --, LB, # x *Check for illustrations and correct usage of FIGURE. Add FIGDESCs if necessary. x *Check q; startq endq Q x *If appropriate, check for yoghs. x *If appropriate, check for Latin problems, e.g. oe and ae digraphs x *If appropriate, check for abbreviation and brevigraph problems. x *If appropriate, check for units of measure, symbols (alchemical, astronomical, etc.) and the like. x *Correct illegibles from proofsheet x *Check illegible page, para, line, span, word, dollar signs x *Final validate Corrected [ ] illegible groups out of [ ]. Converted [ ] illegible groups to GAP DESC="illegible". DONE</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B08852">
<STC T="W">C6763A</STC>
<STC T="C">R174372</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">[ocm]69648576</BIBNO>
<VID>184889</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<PB REF="1">
<P>
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2" MS="y"> <HI>Mount Sion: OR, The</HI> Priviledge <HI>and</HI> Practice <HI>OF THE SAINTS.</HI></P>
<P>Opened <HI>and</HI> Applied</P>
<P><HI>By that faithful Di&s;pen&s;er of the My&s;teries of Chri&s;t,</HI> WALTER CRADOCK, <HI>late Preacher at</HI> Alha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">ws the Great <HI>in</HI> London.</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Heb.</HI> 12. 22.</BIBL>
<P>But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the City of the living God, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P></Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Gal.</HI> 4. 26.</BIBL>
<P>But Jeru&s;alem which is above is free, which is the Mother of us all.</P></Q>
<P>CAMBRIDGE: <HI>Printed by</HI> M. J. 1673.</P>
<PB REF="3">
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="3">
<HEAD>To the Reader.</HEAD>
<P>THe&s;e Sermons being exactly penned from the Authors own mouth, are now brought to publick view, though when he preach|ed them, had not the lea&s;t thought to &s;uffer them to be Printed: but &s;ince they were thus prepared to come abroad into the world, the pious Author finding &s;o much of the &s;weetne&s;s of Chri&s;t in viewing of them, could not turn his back upon them.</P>
<P>As for this godly Author, his worth and excellency is &s;o eminently known, it would be vanity in me to &s;peak any thing in relation to his prai&s;e: let this, and other of his own works prai&s;e him. Yet thus much I &s;hall &s;ay, That I do verily believe, that he preached the&s;e choyce Lectures from the bo&s;ome of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; that the&s;e things were the very experiments of his own &s;oul, and the lively actings of the Spirit of God within him. What he hath &s;een and heard, he hath declared, that we might have fellow&s;hip with him, who&s;e <HI>fellow&s;hip is with the Ea|ther and the Son,</HI> 1 Joh. 1. 3. and therein &s;hall our joy be full.</P>
<P>The&s;e Sermons are not clothed with humane Art, quaint expre&s;&s;ions, eloquent Speculations, but choo&s;e ra|ther to come forth in the nakedne&s;s of truth, not with <HI>the enticing words of mans wi&s;dome, but in the demon&s;tration of the Spirit, and of power.</HI> Here is nothing to fill thy head with barren notions, fruitle&s;s opinions, or meer &s;peculations; but here is that to fill thy heart with the glory of God, the life of Chri&s;t, and light of his Spirit.</P>
<P>I &s;hall in a few words hint out what thou &s;halt finde in the&s;e en&s;uing Di&s;cour&s;es.</P>
<P N="1"><PB REF="4"> 1. Mans fle&s;hly righteou&s;ne&s;s is the great Idol of the world, every one is ready to fall down unto it, and call it ble&s;&s;ed. This is Antichri&s;t coming forth in the ha|bit of Chri&s;t, being arrayed and decked with gold, precious &s;tones, and pearls, whereby the Nations are deceived; but when we know the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the Lord, we &s;hall ca&s;t away our own righteou&s;ne&s;s, and (as the Prophet &s;peaks) &s;ay unto i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">, <HI>Get ye hence,</HI> I&s;a. 30. 22.</P>
<P N="2">2. Formality is in no le&s;s e&s;teem among us then the former. What is the Religion of mo&s;t people but a meer form, without any life or power at all? A&s;trono|mers tell us, that the upper Planets have their <HI>Stations,</HI> and <HI>Retrogradations,</HI> as well as their direct <HI>Motions.</HI> So 'tis with mo&s;t in their Religion, &s;ometimes they move forwards, &s;ometimes backward, &s;ometimes &s;tand at a &s;tay, and thus they tread alwayes in one circle or round, turning like a door upon the hinges, but never from off the place where they were. As for mo&s;t mens hearing, praying, fa&s;ting, what is it, but as a task, performed &s;o coldly, that there is no principle of divine life in it? and thus they go on, but are never at their journeys end. Men commonly u&s;e what they &s;hould enjoy, and enjoy that they &s;hould u&s;e; they will u&s;e the Lord whom they &s;hould enjoy, and they will enjoy their duties and performances, that they &s;hould onely u&s;e: thus they &s;tarve their &s;ouls by formality in Religion.</P>
<P N="3">3. The third thing we may take notice of, is the righ|teou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t commended to us, before the righte|ou&s;ne&s;s of <HI>Adam.</HI> Mo&s;t of the worlds righteou&s;ne&s;s proceeds from the principles of the old <HI>Adam,</HI> which is corrupt and fle&s;hly; what is this but to be born of <HI>I&s;hmael</HI> the &s;on of the bond-woman, to come unto <HI>Mount Sinai in Arabia,</HI> viz. the Covenant of Works? but <HI>Jeru&s;alem which is above is free,</HI> which is the Mother of all the fir&s;t-born of God, <HI>viz.</HI> the Covenant of Grace. Vain man thinks to climb to heaven by his own righte|ou&s;ne&s;s, when alas! it is but of the fir&s;t <HI>Adam,</HI> natural,
<PB REF="4"> weak, and fle&s;hly. All the wi&s;dome, knowledge, in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 span">+tion of man, as Tongues, Arts, and Sciences; as Philo+&s;ophy, Logick, Rhetorick, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> all the&s;e are but to re|pair tho&s;e reliques of the fir&s;t <HI>Adams</HI> corrupted princi|ples of rea&s;on and under&s;tanding: therefore if we go to patch up a righteou&s;ne&s;s of the&s;e, we do but build what the Lord will have de&s;troyed. But that which is able to re&s;tore us, is an e&s;tabli&s;hment of the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t upon our hearts, by the participation of the di|vine Nature. Chri&s;t performs all righteou&s;ne&s;s for his Saints, and then works all righteou&s;ne&s;s in them. The divine Will of God is righteou&s;ne&s;s, now Chri&s;t is that divine Will, brought forth in a Saint, working after the Lords own plea&s;ure. The Civil Law doth account Ele|phants and Camels to have the nature of wilde Bea&s;ts, though they do the work of tame bea&s;ts: So <HI>Adams</HI> righteou&s;ne&s;s commends not to God, we are onely <HI>accepted in the beloved,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>or ingratiated through that</HI> beloved. The divine trea&s;ures of righte|ou&s;ne&s;s are fir&s;t in Chri&s;t, and by our union with him we come to enjoy them by way of participation.</P>
<P N="4">4. Sub&s;tantial and reall Holine&s;s &s;et out to be farre more excellent then all empty Forms, or meer Profe&s;|&s;ions. Holine&s;s is God, &s;tamped and printed upon the &s;oul; 'tis <HI>Chri&s;t formed</HI> in the heart; 'tis the very image, frame and di&s;po&s;ition of the holy Spirit within us.</P>
<P>The Philo&s;opher could &s;ay, <GAP DESC="foreign">, That God was but an empty name without vertue: &s;o are all our profe&s;&s;ions of Chri&s;t without holine&s;s, that being the very marrow and quinte&s;&s;ence of all Religion. Holine&s;s is &s;omething of God in us, it proceeds from him, it lives in him; God can no more be &s;eparated from it, then the beams from the Sun. Holine&s;s is hap|pine&s;s, and the more of it we have, the more we have of the life and image of God upon us. Holine&s;s is no|thing but our conformity to God, and our being like him, to be as he is. Holine&s;s is the new frame, the new
<PB REF="5"> creation, the worman&s;hip of the Lord in our hearts; it is the Lord building and &s;etting up his own Temple, Ta|bernacle, and new <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> within us, filling of us with his own glory, writing his name in our foreheads, by imprinting his own divine image upon us. Oh what happine&s;s, what &s;weet delight, and harmony of heart, what Soul-mu&s;ick, and &s;piritual joy is there in having our &s;oul wrapt up in the divine life, light, and beauty of the Lords holine&s;s.</P>
<P N="5">5. Thou ha&s;t a di&s;covery of the inability of mans carnal principles or rea&s;on to judge of &s;piritual things, or the things of God: every truth is di&s;covered by principles of light &s;uitable to it &s;elf.</P>
<P>Hence it is that the Apo&s;tle tells us of <GAP DESC="foreign">, an <HI>animate, &s;en&s;uall,</HI> or <HI>naturall man;</HI> and of <GAP DESC="foreign">, a &s;piritual man, one enlightned by the Spirit of God. Now the natural man is not able to judge of things above the principles of Nature.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tle tells us, <HI>No man knows the things of a man, but the &s;pirit of man which is in him,</HI> 1 Cor. 2. 11.</P>
<P>The things of man are all created things, man is therefore &s;aid to be, as it were <GAP DESC="foreign">, a <HI>little world,</HI> or an Epitome or Compendium wherein all crea|ted things are de&s;cribed, as in a Map or &s;hort Abridge|ment. Now the principle of rea&s;on in mans heart is able to &s;earch out the hidden things of nature. But this large principle of man is too narrow to &s;earch into the things of the Spirit: &s;o &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2. 11, 12, 14, 15. <HI>The things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. The Spirit &s;earcheth the deep things of God.</HI> And again he &s;aith, <HI>The wi&s;dome of the Spirit is but fooli&s;hne&s;s to the naturall man.</HI> And why &s;o? becau&s;e &s;aith he, <HI>Spiritual things are spiritually di&s;cerned;</HI> that is, they are to be under&s;tood in a &s;piritual &s;en&s;e, to which, mans carnal rea&s;on cannot reach. But now &s;aith he, <HI>the &s;pirituall man di&s;cerneth all things;</HI> &s;o that di|vine things are onely known by the Spirit; 'tis the
<PB REF="5"> Spirit of all Truth that leads into all Truth.</P>
<P>Then 'tis not all Maximes and Rules, 'tis not Sy<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 span">|gi&s;tical Rea&s;onings and Di&s;putes, 'tis not Books an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> Treati&s;es, 'tis not all Sy&s;tems and Bodies of Divinity, that can reveal the &s;ecret my&s;teries of Truth, but it is the work of the Spirit; for the my&s;tery of Chri&s;t is not meerly letter and form without, but a quickning Spirit within us. Yet</P>
<P N="6">6. We are taught, that there is a mo&s;t profound &s;pi|ritual rea&s;oning in godline&s;s; and that it is the highe&s;t act of the minde, which is the highe&s;t faculty of the &s;oul. The minde of a Saint is Gods Throne, and the motions of the minde, or the rea&s;onings thereof, is no|thing but Chri&s;t &s;waying the &s;oul according to his good plea&s;ure.</P>
<P>It's true, that rea&s;on as 'tis in man, is a mo&s;t imper|fect and weak light, and falls &s;hort of the light of God, being depraved, and mixt with much darkne&s;s, and &s;o is un&s;uitable to judge divine things: but rea&s;on con&s;i|dered in its height and excellency, is no other then Je|&s;us Chri&s;t and the Spirit: then &s;o much as rea&s;on hath of the light of God, &s;o much it hath of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Then the mo&s;t excellent, the mo&s;t &s;upreme, and the &s;ublime&s;t rea&s;on is in godline&s;s, becau&s;e in it is the greate&s;t clearne&s;s, certainty, and light. The Apo&s;tle calls it <HI>Demon&s;tration;</HI> now divine rea&s;on is demon&s;tra|tion, which is an evidencing of things by the cleare&s;t, &s;ure&s;t, and mo&s;t irre&s;i&s;tible light that can be. Now Chri&s;t is this &s;piritual rea&s;on, for &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>that which manife&s;ts is light,</HI> Eph. 5. 13. And what is that light but Chri&s;t and his Spirit?</P>
<P>Thus <HI>I</HI> have given thee a ta&s;te of things, to &s;et an edge to thy appetite, that thou maye&s;t make a fuller meal of Divine Dainties by reading the en&s;uing Trea|ti&s;e, where thou ha&s;t a Table richly &s;pread. Now if thou art one of Chri&s;ts Friends, then come and <HI>eat of this honey, and drink of this wine, yea eat and drink</HI>
<PB REF="6"> <HI>abundantly, O beloved.</HI> Here thou maye&s;t eat, and not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 span">et; here thou maye&s;t drink, and not be drunken: the more thou eare&s;t, the &s;tronger will thy appetite be; and the more thou drinke&s;t, the more wilt thou thir&s;t, and yet with the greate&s;t &s;aturation and content.</P>
<P>To conclude, Thou maye&s;t finde much of Chri&s;t in this Book; but &s;ee whether thou can&s;t finde much of him al&s;o in thine own heart. Now that the&s;e things, which are here written with Paper and Ink, may be written upon the Table of thy &s;oul by the finger of the Spirit, is the prayer of him, who is</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Thine in the Service of Chri&s;t, <HI>John Robotham.</HI></SIGNED>
<DATELINE><DATE><HI>Octob.</HI> 24. 1650.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 N="1" TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="6">
<HEAD>SERMON I.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Rom. 8. 4.</BIBL>
<Q>That the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the fle&s;h, but after the Spirit.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>THe main drift of the Apo&s;tle in this Epi&s;tle, is to hold forth <HI>Ju&s;ti|fication by Faith,</HI> or by <HI>Free|grace,</HI> without the <HI>works</HI> of the <HI>Law.</HI> And in <HI>Chap.</HI> 7. the Apo&s;tle doth an|&s;wer an Objection: for they might &s;ay, What then &s;hall we do with the <HI>Law,</HI> if it cannot <HI>ju&s;tifie</HI> us? There the Apo&s;tle tells us, that though the <HI>Law</HI> cannot <HI>ju&s;tifie</HI> us, yet there are many ble&s;&s;ed u&s;es, both for <HI>Sinners</HI> and <HI>Saints</HI> to make of the <HI>Law:</HI> of which I &s;hall not now &s;peak.</P>
<P>Now in this eighth Chapter the Apo&s;tle draws this conclu&s;ion from what he had &s;aid before: <HI>There is therefore</HI> (from what I have &s;aid) it is evident that there is <HI>no condemna|tion,</HI>
<PB N="2" REF="7"> there is no <HI>damnation,</HI> there is no <HI>danger</HI> of Hell <HI>to them which are in Chri&s;t Je&s;us.</HI> Now he opens who tho&s;e are; he &s;aith they are tho&s;e <HI>who walk not after the fle&s;h, but after the Spirit.</HI> And he gives a rea&s;on of it in <HI>ver.</HI> 2. why there is no damnation to tho&s;e people: <HI>For the law of the Spirit of life in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, hath made us free from the law of &s;in and of death.</HI> Now he amplifies that in <HI>ver.</HI> 3. <HI>For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the fle&s;h, God &s;ending his own Son in the likene&s;s of &s;inful fle&s;h, and for &s;in, condemned &s;in in the fle&s;h.</HI> As if he &s;hould have &s;aid; Thus it comes about that we are now <HI>free</HI> from the <HI>law,</HI> and that there is no <HI>damnation</HI> to us, becau&s;e &s;aith he, that God hath &s;ent his Son in the likene&s;s of &s;inful fle&s;h, like one of us; and he hath <HI>ful|filled</HI> the <HI>law</HI> of God, and condemned &s;in; therefore there is no <HI>&s;in</HI> to <HI>condemn</HI> us, nor no jot of the <HI>law</HI> that is not <HI>fulfilled:</HI> there|fore we are ju&s;t, and righteous, and clear. <HI>There is no condemnation to them that are in Chri&s;t Je&s;us:</HI> for God hath &s;ent his Son to condemn &s;in, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Now in the fourth Ver&s;e it is more parti|cularly expre&s;&s;ed; <HI>That the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the fle&s;h, but after the Spirit.</HI></P>
<P>I &s;hall not orderly go over, to &s;hew the
<PB N="3" REF="7"> Coherence di&s;tinctly, as I might; but briefly as I can, come to tho&s;e Le&s;&s;ons that the Lord is to teach us.</P>
<Q><HI>That the Righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law might be fulfilled in us,</HI> &amp;c.</Q>
<P>There are in the words two things.</P>
<P>Here is a great <HI>Priviledge</HI> as any can be, to have the <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> of the <HI>law</HI> fulfilled in us.</P>
<P>And here are &s;econdly the parties that have the benefit of this Priviledge, <HI>Tho&s;e that walk not after the fle&s;h, but after the Spirit.</HI></P>
<P>Concerning the <HI>Priviledge,</HI> to under&s;tand the words a little. <HI>That the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law might be fulfilled in us:</HI> That the <HI>law</HI> might be fully <HI>&s;atisfied</HI> in point of <HI>righteou&s;|ne&s;s;</HI> that the <HI>law</HI> might have &s;uch a righte|ou&s;ne&s;s, which indeed the law requires, that it might have a <HI>full,</HI> and compleat righteou&s;|ne&s;s in us. So that briefly the&s;e are the Le&s;|&s;ons which I &s;hall open from hence, which I de&s;ire that our &s;ouls may feed upon.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that</P>
<Q>The law requires of every man a righte|ou&s;ne&s;s to fulfill it.</Q>
<P>Or, that</P>
<Q>Every man is bound to get him a righte|ou&s;ne&s;s to fulfil the law of God.</Q>
<P><HI>Every</HI> man is bound to <HI>fulfill</HI> the <HI>law</HI> of God. That is one thing.</P>
<PB N="4" REF="8">
<P> The &s;econd Le&s;&s;on will be this, that</P>
<Q>The law is perfectly fulfilled or &s;atisfied in all true Believers.</Q>
<P>And thirdly, that</P>
<Q><HI>All tho&s;e that are true Believers</HI> (or that have the&s;e Priviledges) <HI>they are tho&s;e that walk not according to the fle&s;h, but according to the Spirit.</HI></Q>
<P>The&s;e are the three Le&s;&s;ons I &s;hall &s;peak of. I &s;ay fir&s;t,</P>
<Q><P><HI>The law requireth a righteou&s;ne&s;s from every man, to fulfill it.</HI> Or</P>
<P><HI>Every man is bound to fulfill the law of God.</HI></P></Q>
<P>That is the fir&s;t thing. The grounds of that are the&s;e: I &s;hall but touch them.</P>
<P><HI>Rea&s;.</HI> 1. Becau&s;e that <HI>God</HI> made man, man was his <HI>creature,</HI> and the Lord was his <HI>Sove|raign:</HI> and when God made all Creatures, you know he made <HI>laws</HI> for them; he made a <HI>law</HI> for the <HI>Sun,</HI> and <HI>Moon,</HI> and <HI>Stars,</HI> &amp;c. and every thing goes according to the <HI>law</HI> that God determined for it. Now when God made man, (who was but his Creature, though he were a more excellent Creature) he made a <HI>law</HI> for him, this ble&s;&s;ed <HI>law</HI> of God which is in his Book here, the <HI>Covenant of Works,</HI> as it was &s;ometimes called: there|fore as all other Creatures were bound to go in their cour&s;e, and keep their peculiar <HI>laws</HI>
<PB N="5" REF="8"> that God laid on them, &s;o man al&s;o was bound to keep the <HI>law</HI> of God that God made for him.</P>
<P><HI>Rea&s;.</HI> 2. Another thing is this, that be&s;ides the Soveraignty of God, that might impo&s;e a law upon him there was &s;econdly a <HI>Compact</HI> between God &amp; man, and &s;o there was a kind of <HI>bargain:</HI> for God laid that law upon man, and <HI>Adam</HI> as a <HI>publick per&s;on</HI> he undertook to keep that law by a <HI>contract</HI> or <HI>bargain.</HI> If God (as it were) had had no right before to lay it on him, yet now man undertook it, by way of <HI>bargain</HI> to keep the law of God. <HI>Adam</HI> fir&s;t did it, and might have done it: and afterwards the people of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> profe&s;s to do it; <HI>All the&s;e words we will do:</HI> we will keep them. That is another Rea&s;on whereby it appears, that <HI>every</HI> man and woman in the world is bound to <HI>fulfill</HI> the <HI>law</HI> of God.</P>
<P><HI>Rea&s;.</HI> 3. Another thing is this, if you con|&s;ider what there is that might <HI>free</HI> a man from <HI>keeping</HI> a <HI>law</HI> that is laid upon him, you &s;hall &s;ee that there are none of tho&s;e things that can help him in this. As</P>
<P>Fir&s;t of all, our <HI>Laws</HI> many times are <HI>Re|pealed;</HI> and that Law that a man was bound to keep a few years ago, he is bound to pro|te&s;t again&s;t now; as the <HI>Service-book,</HI> the <HI>Common-Prayer,</HI> &amp;c. there is that penalty now for <HI>u&s;ing</HI> it, as there was for <HI>not</HI> u&s;ing it
<PB N="6" REF="9"> a few years &s;ince. Now it is not &s;o with the law of God; <HI>Heaven and earth &s;hall pa&s;s a|way, but one jot or tittle of the law &s;hall not pa&s;s.</HI> That law is an eternal law, there is no repealing of it.</P>
<P>Then &s;econdly, you know <HI>Judges</HI> and <HI>Law|givers</HI> among men may be <HI>corrupted,</HI> and <HI>bribed,</HI> and may be brought to <HI>di&s;pen&s;e</HI> with their <HI>own</HI> Laws, nay &s;ometimes to go <HI>again&s;t</HI> their own <HI>laws:</HI> but God is a ju&s;t God, and when his own Son, the Son of his love, did take upon him to be born <HI>under the law,</HI> and to be a <HI>Surety</HI> for man, he endured the &s;mart of the <HI>law,</HI> and was dealt with as if he had been another.</P>
<P>Then thirdly, there is no <HI>eva&s;ion,</HI> or <HI>e&s;ca|ping:</HI> among men there is. If a man break the Law, and go into <HI>another Country,</HI> he is clear, and <HI>free:</HI> but here is no <HI>e&s;caping,</HI> one cannot go away. <HI>Whither &s;hall I go from thy pre&s;ence,</HI> &s;aith <HI>David,</HI> P&s;al. 139. <HI>where &s;hall I hide my &s;elf from thee?</HI> A man can go no where but the law of God will be on him. So that <HI>every</HI> man and woman in the world are &s;till <HI>bound</HI> to <HI>fulfill</HI> the <HI>whole</HI> law of God, or to get a <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> a <HI>perfect</HI> righteou&s;|ne&s;s to <HI>&s;atisfie</HI> the law of God.</P>
<P>Now there are but three wayes in the world to fulfill the law of God.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Either a man mu&s;t do it in his <HI>own</HI>
<PB N="7" REF="9"> <HI>per&s;on,</HI> as mo&s;t men do (be&s;ides <HI>Papi&s;ts)</HI> more or le&s;s, they will go and do their <HI>be&s;t,</HI> and do the <HI>good,</HI> leave the <HI>evil,</HI> and perform <HI>du|ties;</HI> and they think by their doing to keep the law.</P>
<P>Or el&s;e &s;econdly, by <HI>&s;uffering,</HI> that is, part|ly in <HI>this</HI> world, and afterwards in <HI>Hell:</HI> for that is the bu&s;ine&s;s of <HI>Hell,</HI> for <HI>Hell</HI> is no|thing but the place where people are <HI>fulfilling</HI> the law of God. What doth <HI>Cain,</HI> and other wretches do in Hell? They are <HI>paying</HI> the <HI>debt, fulfilling</HI> the law of God to <HI>eternity</HI> by <HI>&s;uffering,</HI> becau&s;e they did not fulfill it by <HI>do|ing</HI> while they were here. That is the rea&s;on that they are in Hell for <HI>ever,</HI> becau&s;e they can <HI>never</HI> pay the <HI>debt,</HI> therefore they mu&s;t abide there for <HI>ever:</HI> for if it could be &s;up|po&s;ed that they could give a compleat <HI>righte|ou&s;ne&s;s</HI> that might <HI>&s;atisfie</HI> the law, they &s;hould &s;tay in Pri&s;on no longer, they &s;hould be in Hell no more.</P>
<P>Then thirdly, there is another glorious way, that is, in <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t:</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t he hath <HI>kept</HI> the <HI>law,</HI> and <HI>perfectly</HI> fulfilled it; now a man by <HI>believing</HI> in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and by being <HI>united</HI> to him, and <HI>married</HI> to him, that in his <HI>own</HI> per&s;on hath <HI>fulfilled</HI> the law, being married to him, what&s;oever he hath is yours, and what&s;oever <HI>he</HI> hath done, it is as if it had been done by <HI>you;</HI> all &s;hall be <HI>im|puted</HI>
<PB N="8" REF="10"> to you, and &s;o the law of God may be <HI>fulfilled</HI> in <HI>you</HI> perfectly, and you &s;hall never go to <HI>Hell,</HI> and have nothing to do or to &s;uf|fer in that kinde. This being premi&s;ed briefly; the U&s;e of this may be twofold.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 1. To &s;hew you what a <HI>vain</HI> and <HI>fooli&s;h</HI> thing it is for a man to go about to <HI>keep</HI> the <HI>law</HI> of God in his <HI>own</HI> &s;trength, or in his <HI>own</HI> per&s;on: for you to think to <HI>&s;ave</HI> your <HI>Souls,</HI> or to <HI>fulfill</HI> the <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> of the <HI>law</HI> by your own doings. Beloved, it is a great matter to bring poor <HI>&s;inners</HI> to be <HI>awakened</HI> to <HI>&s;ee</HI> their &s;ins, or to break off their cour&s;e in &s;in: for there are many <HI>Drunkards,</HI> and <HI>Swearers,</HI> and <HI>jeerers</HI> of Religion, and <HI>Pro|phaners</HI> of the Lords day, that &s;it as <HI>&s;ots</HI> all the year, and are never <HI>awakened:</HI> but gene|rally when men are <HI>awakened</HI> out of their <HI>&s;ins,</HI> this is the <HI>re&s;olution</HI> of all mankinde, of every man, none excepted, unle&s;s God have mercy on him; he is ready to &s;ay, I &s;ee I am in a <HI>damnable</HI> way, and th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">s cour&s;e will bring me to <HI>Hell,</HI> by the grace of God I wil turn over a new leaf, and now I will hear <HI>Sermons,</HI> I was wont to <HI>jeer</HI> at them, and I will get me a <HI>Practice of Piety,</HI> or &s;ome other good Book &amp; I will have <HI>prayers</HI> in my hou&s;e, and I will be <HI>drunk</HI> no more, and <HI>&s;wear</HI> no more; I will be a new man, I will <HI>avoid</HI> that which is <HI>evil,</HI> &amp; <HI>do</HI> that which is <HI>good.</HI> And mark it, this is more <HI>natural</HI> to
<PB N="9" REF="10"> man then &s;in: it is more natural to man to be <HI>righteous</HI> then to be <HI>&s;infull;</HI> becau&s;e he was righteous <HI>before</HI> he was &s;inful. The liquor that is put <HI>fir&s;t</HI> into a ve&s;&s;el, the ve&s;&s;el keeps the <HI>ta&s;te</HI> of that longer then of any that is put into it afterwards. Now God at <HI>fir&s;t</HI> made man <HI>righteous,</HI> and man is more apt to fall to that kinde of righteou&s;ne&s;s, then to any &s;in. And this is the great <HI>mi&s;ery</HI> of people, every one in &s;ome fa&s;hion or other, this is his <HI>bu&s;ine&s;s</HI> he goes about, to fulfill the law of God in his <HI>own</HI> per&s;on: and there you &s;hall have one <HI>praying,</HI> and another <HI>crying,</HI> and an|other keeping &s;o many <HI>fa&s;ts,</HI> and dayes of <HI>humiliation</HI> upon humiliation; and the end of all is, if men had eyes to &s;ee it, his endeavour is to <HI>fulfill</HI> the <HI>law</HI> of God; he endeavours to <HI>&s;crape,</HI> and to get up a <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> to <HI>pay</HI> the <HI>law</HI> of God.</P>
<P>You cannot conceive, and comprehend how &s;ubject you and I are to this mi&s;ery; and how this is in your very bones (as it were) and I fear truly it is the greate&s;t part of your <HI>Religion,</HI> and the mo&s;t of your <HI>Profe&s;&s;ion,</HI> is nothing but to endeavour to get a <HI>righteou&s;|ne&s;s</HI> to <HI>fulfill</HI> the <HI>law</HI> of God, though &s;ome do it in a <HI>clo&s;er,</HI> finer way then others.</P>
<P>Now I be&s;eech you con&s;ider this word, lay down this throughly in your hearts, that it is a <HI>vain</HI> thing &s;o to do; and who would go
<PB N="10" REF="11"> about a vain thing, a thing that he &s;hall never bring to <HI>perfection?</HI> For it is not every <HI>paltry</HI> righteou&s;ne&s;s that can <HI>fulfill</HI> the law of God. It is not ten thou&s;and <HI>fa&s;tings</HI> that can fulfill the law of God; it is not <HI>praying</HI> in your family three times a day that can fulfill the law. I &s;peak not again&s;t the&s;e things in their right way and cour&s;e: but all will not do in this re&s;pect; for if you fail but <HI>once,</HI> if you mi&s;s but one farthing you are gone, if you have but <HI>one</HI> bad <HI>thought</HI> in all your life, you are lo&s;t. Therefore I would have you de|&s;pair of getting by your own <HI>doing,</HI> and <HI>&s;uf|fering,</HI> any righteou&s;ne&s;s to <HI>fulfill</HI> the law of God, never go about it. No wi&s;e man will go and build a <HI>Ca&s;tle</HI> in the <HI>Aire.</HI> It is rea|&s;on, and argument enough in any <HI>naturall</HI> bu&s;ine&s;s to make a man de&s;i&s;t, to tell him it is a <HI>vain</HI> thing, it is a work that will never come to <HI>perfection,</HI> therefore de&s;i&s;t, and give over, and think of &s;ome other cour&s;e. Why &s;hould we not prevail in <HI>&s;piritual</HI> things, as well as in <HI>natural?</HI> Let every man lay down this for a certain truth, for a certain con|clu&s;ion in his Soul, That I were as good be a <HI>&s;inner,</HI> as a <HI>righteous</HI> man in my <HI>own</HI> per&s;on, in re&s;pect of <HI>fulfilling</HI> the law, I am &s;ure I &s;hall never do it; but as a Snow-ball, the more it is rolled, the bigger it grows: &s;o the more you go on, and endeavour to get
<PB N="11" REF="11"> a <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> to fulfill the law, the <HI>farther</HI> off you will be: for (as I &s;aid) if you fail but <HI>once,</HI> you are guilty of all.</P>
<P>And as you cannot reach it by doing, &s;o not by &s;uffering; for what men have mi&s;t in <HI>doing,</HI> they &s;hall be <HI>&s;uffering</HI> to all eternity in Hell: but the <HI>law</HI> is &s;o <HI>holy,</HI> and <HI>God</HI> is &s;o <HI>glorious</HI> who&s;e law you have broken, that when you have &s;uffered <HI>millions,</HI> yet the <HI>debt</HI> will be &s;till unpaid. Therefore who would be &s;o <HI>mad</HI> (as <HI>Paul</HI> calls the <HI>Galatians</HI> mad Galatians; <HI>Who hath bewitched you?)</HI> it is a kinde of <HI>madne&s;s</HI> for any man to attempt in his <HI>own</HI> per&s;on, by <HI>doing</HI> or <HI>&s;uffering</HI> to <HI>fulfill</HI> the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the <HI>law,</HI> or to <HI>ju&s;tifie,</HI> and <HI>&s;ave</HI> his <HI>Soul.</HI></P>
<P>You will &s;ay, We grant it is true, and therefore the <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> are much to blame, that labour to be <HI>ju&s;tified</HI> by their works. They are &s;o, and &s;o are many <HI>others</HI> much to blame be&s;ides them; and <HI>ble&s;&s;ed</HI> is that man or wo|man among you, who&s;oever it be, that doth not in &s;ome mea&s;ure in his <HI>own</HI> per&s;on endea|vour to make up his <HI>own</HI> righteou&s;ne&s;s. It is a thing that &s;ticks nearer to you then you are aware of: though it may be at &s;ometimes you &s;ee <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and <HI>ju&s;tification</HI> by him clearly, yet at other times you know how many <HI>pangs,</HI> and how many &s;ecret <HI>glances</HI> we have at our <HI>ju&s;tification</HI> by our <HI>own</HI> works: take notice
<PB N="12" REF="12"> of the <HI>vanity</HI> of this. That is one word.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 2. Me-thinks this &s;hould move you above all things in the world if it were con&s;i|dered, and oh that the Lord would be plea&s;ed yet to open your eyes while it is called to day! I &s;ay, this &s;hould be one of the greate&s;t <HI>motives</HI> in the world to <HI>come</HI> to <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> to <HI>get</HI> into Chri&s;t, to <HI>receive</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and in <HI>him</HI> (as I &s;hall &s;hew after) you &s;hall have a <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> that hath <HI>fulfilled</HI> the <HI>law.</HI> Let every man &s;ay, I &s;ee here is <HI>law</HI> that God hath laid upon me, I am &s;ubject to it, and this law mu&s;t be <HI>fulfilled,</HI> there is no help for it, <HI>every</HI> man is bound to it, he mu&s;t have a <HI>righ|teou&s;ne&s;s</HI> to &s;atisfie the <HI>law,</HI> Heaven and earth &s;hall pa&s;s away, rather then that &s;hall not be. Now there are but three wayes to fulfill it; Either in mine <HI>own</HI> per&s;on here; or to <HI>&s;uffer</HI> for ever in Hell; or el&s;e to <HI>believe</HI> in, and <HI>re|ceive</HI> another that may do it for me. Now we neither our by <HI>doing</HI> or <HI>&s;uffering</HI> can get &s;uch a <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> that is clear: therefore there is but <HI>one</HI> way, that is, in <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> there is a <HI>perfect</HI> righteou&s;ne&s;s in him, he hath <HI>ful|filled</HI> the <HI>law;</HI> get into him, and be <HI>one</HI> with him, and then we &s;hall be able to &s;ay perfect|ly with <HI>Paul, That the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law might be fulfilled in us that believe,</HI> and are in Je&s;us Chri&s;t. There is but that <HI>one</HI> way: now when there is but <HI>one</HI> way, me-thinks
<PB N="13" REF="12"> there needs no <HI>deliberation,</HI> or <HI>con&s;ultation.</HI> In worldly things, when there are <HI>divers</HI> wayes and cour&s;es that a man may take, he will <HI>con&s;ult</HI> with his friends, <HI>which</HI> to take, <HI>this,</HI> or <HI>that,</HI> or the <HI>other;</HI> but when there is but <HI>one</HI> way, there needs no <HI>con&s;ultation.</HI> So if there were <HI>two,</HI> or <HI>three,</HI> or <HI>many</HI> wayes to <HI>Heaven,</HI> we might <HI>con&s;ult</HI> which way to take: if there were as many wayes as you imagine, and make in your own heads; if <HI>Antinomi|ani&s;m</HI> were the onely way, or <HI>Presbyterians,</HI> or <HI>Independents</HI> were the onely way, men might <HI>demurre:</HI> but in Gods language there is but <HI>one</HI> way, and that is <HI>the Way, the Truth, and the Life:</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t is the <HI>way,</HI> go out of that, and you <HI>wander</HI> for ever, he is the onely <HI>&s;acrifice,</HI> mi&s;s that, and there is <HI>no more &s;acrifice for &s;in.</HI> There is but this <HI>one thing nece&s;&s;ary;</HI> there is no other way in the world but Je&s;us Chri&s;t, there is <HI>no other name under heaven by which you can be &s;aved.</HI></P>
<P>Therefore we &s;hould do in our condition ju&s;t as a man that were fallen into a great <HI>pit,</HI> that were full of <HI>&s;tones,</HI> and <HI>&s;nakes,</HI> and <HI>&s;er|pents,</HI> and <HI>fire,</HI> and all that we can imagine to be terrible and mi&s;erable, and there comes a man and ca&s;ts a <HI>Rope</HI> into this great deep <HI>pit;</HI> you need not per&s;wade the man to lay <HI>hold</HI> of it, he would pre&s;ently <HI>catch</HI> at it as &s;oon as it comes. Why &s;o? Becau&s;e he
<PB N="14" REF="13"> knows he is in a <HI>mi&s;erable</HI> ca&s;e, and there is no <HI>other</HI> way to help him but that. We are fallen into &s;uch a <HI>pit,</HI> where there are <HI>&s;nakes,</HI> and <HI>&s;corpions,</HI> and <HI>&s;erpents,</HI> and <HI>fire;</HI> the <HI>&s;ting</HI> of <HI>&s;in,</HI> the <HI>cur&s;e</HI> of the <HI>law,</HI> the <HI>wrath</HI> of <HI>God,</HI> we are in the paws of the <HI>Devil,</HI> we are in a manner in <HI>Hell</HI> already; and God hath &s;ent his <HI>S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">n</HI> Chri&s;t, and hath put <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> in him, and he hath let down this <HI>Rope,</HI> that poor &s;inking mi&s;erable Creatures might lay <HI>hold</HI> on it. Therefore what &s;hall I &s;ay to you but this? I be&s;eech you &s;tand not <HI>trifling,</HI> and <HI>dallying,</HI> and <HI>whining,</HI> and go to this Preacher, and &s;ay, <HI>what</HI> &s;hall I do Sir? and to that Chri&s;tian, <HI>what</HI> cour&s;e &s;hall I take? as though there were <HI>many</HI> wayes, and you had choice of things. What &s;houlde&s;t thou do, but <HI>&s;tudy</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t throughly, and roundly, make a <HI>work</HI> of it, or el&s;e thou wilt be <HI>damned.</HI> There is no <HI>other way</HI> left, there is no <HI>other means</HI> to be had; God will not abate <HI>one</HI> farthing token, the <HI>law</HI> mu&s;t be <HI>&s;a|tisfied:</HI> as the people of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> in <HI>Egypt</HI> when they made <HI>brick,</HI> they mu&s;t bring in &s;uch a <HI>number;</HI> &s;o the law mu&s;t be perfectly <HI>&s;atisfi|ed,</HI> and thou art not able to do it by <HI>doing</HI> here, or by <HI>&s;uffering</HI> in Hell: therefore what &s;hall I do? <HI>Receive</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>&s;tudy</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t; and <HI>re&s;ign</HI> thy &s;elf wholly up to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and &s;tand not trifling, and dallying,
<PB N="15" REF="13"> till thou go to the <HI>Devil</HI> in Hell, as many do. If there were twenty wayes to Heaven, God might &s;ay, I wonder not that yonder people &s;tand <HI>mu&s;ing,</HI> and <HI>con&s;ulting</HI> a twelve-month together; but when there is but <HI>one</HI> way, and yet people &s;tand moping, it is that that an|gers God.</P>
<P>Therefore remember that in <HI>Zeph.</HI> 2. 1. <HI>Gather your &s;elves together before the decree bring forth: before the day pa&s;s as the chaff,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Seek ye the Lord,</HI> &amp;c. Gather your &s;elves together: He doth not mean in <HI>Com|panies,</HI> as you u&s;e to meet in the <HI>Guild-Hall;</HI> but the meaning is, when he &s;aith <HI>Gather your &s;elves together,</HI> that man is a <HI>worried</HI> creature, a <HI>&s;hattered</HI> thing, as <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;aith, <HI>The eyes of a wi&s;e man are in his head, but the eyes of a fool are over the world.</HI> There are abundance of men that have their <HI>under&s;tand|ings</HI> go in the world <HI>this</HI> way, and <HI>that</HI> way; but <HI>gather your &s;elves</HI> together: How? To <HI>get</HI> into Chri&s;t: you hear that there is <HI>no Righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> but his will &s;erve the turn, ga|ther your &s;elves to <HI>&s;tudy</HI> Chri&s;t, to <HI>obey</HI> Chri&s;t, to <HI>receive</HI> Chri&s;t, to <HI>love</HI> Chri&s;t, and to <HI>re&s;ign</HI> your &s;elves to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, in whom there is a perfect <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI> That is one Le&s;&s;on you &s;hould de&s;ire the Lord to teach you hence.</P>
<PB N="16" REF="14">
<P> The next Le&s;&s;on is this, that</P>
<Q>The Righteou&s;ne&s;s of the Law is fulfilled in all true Believers.</Q>
<P>Saith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>That the law might be fulfilled in us. In us;</HI> we are not to under|&s;tand it <HI>per&s;onally,</HI> as though any <HI>Saint,</HI> though it were <HI>Abraham</HI> him&s;elf, were able in his own <HI>per&s;on</HI> to fulfill the <HI>law;</HI> but the meaning of it is, in re&s;pect of the <HI>union</HI> that we have with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who is our <HI>Hu&s;|band,</HI> and our <HI>Head.</HI> The law is perfectly <HI>fulfilled</HI> by <HI>him,</HI> therefore it is perfectly <HI>ful|filled</HI> by <HI>me,</HI> becau&s;e I am <HI>united</HI> to him. The law is not perfectly <HI>fulfilled</HI> by me, becau&s;e I do <HI>more good,</HI> or do <HI>le&s;s evil</HI> then another, but onely the law is <HI>fulfilled,</HI> and hath rea&s;on to be <HI>&s;atisfied,</HI> becau&s;e I am <HI>married</HI> to one that hath done it, and that perfectly.</P>
<P>Now you &s;hall &s;ee divers Scriptures that hold it forth ble&s;&s;edly. As tho&s;e phra&s;es in <HI>Galat.</HI> 2. the latter end, where it is &s;aid we are dead to the law: <HI>I through the law am dead to the law; I am crucified with Chri&s;t. I am dead to the law:</HI> What is the meaning of that? That is, I am <HI>dead</HI> to the <HI>law,</HI> as it is a <HI>Cove|nant</HI> of works; the law hath no more to do with me, then the <HI>Laws</HI> of <HI>men</HI> have to do with a man that is in debt when he is <HI>dead,</HI> when he is <HI>dead</HI> he is <HI>free</HI> from it. So the law is <HI>paid</HI> by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, it is fully <HI>&s;atisfied,</HI> I
<PB N="17" REF="14"> owe not one farthing, or farthing worth to the Law: <HI>I am dead to the law.</HI> And &s;o in <HI>Rom.</HI> 7. you know, how by the compari&s;on of a man and his wife, we are &s;aid to be dead to the law of God. The meaning is not as though the <HI>&s;ub&s;tance</HI> and matter of the law were not <HI>eternal,</HI> and a rule for all Saints, doubtle&s;s it is in the <HI>New</HI> Te&s;tament as well as in the <HI>Old:</HI> but the law as it is a <HI>Contract,</HI> a <HI>Bond,</HI> a <HI>Bargain,</HI> as it is a <HI>Covenant of works</HI> between God and us, it is <HI>perfectly</HI> fulfilled by Chri&s;t, and we are <HI>dead</HI> to it, we are <HI>free</HI> from it, or <HI>delivered</HI> from it. And that is the rea&s;on that in <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. it is &s;aid, in <HI>Mount Sion we are come to the Spirits of ju&s;t men made perfect;</HI> that is, not of <HI>ju&s;t</HI> men <HI>per&s;onally,</HI> ju&s;t in their dealings, though that follow in a &s;ort: but the meaning is, that every Saint that is in Je&s;us Chri&s;t is perfectly a <HI>ju&s;t</HI> man, or a <HI>ju&s;t</HI> woman, by rea&s;on of their <HI>marriage</HI> with Je|&s;us Chri&s;t, who hath obtained a perfect <HI>righ|teou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> or <HI>ju&s;tice</HI> for them. So in <HI>Rom.</HI> 3. you have there al&s;o a ble&s;&s;ed place, where the Apo&s;tle &s;aith we are &s;aved, not onely by the <HI>mercy</HI> of God, but by his <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI> There|fore it is three times repeated, <HI>we are &s;aved by the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God;</HI> and again, <HI>by the righ|teou&s;ne&s;s;</HI> and again in <HI>ver.</HI> 26. the third time, <HI>to declare, I &s;ay, at this time his righteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI> What is the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God? that is,
<PB N="18" REF="15"> &s;aith he, that <HI>he is ju&s;t, and a ju&s;tifier of them that believe in Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> It is <HI>ju&s;t,</HI> and <HI>righ|teous</HI> with God to <HI>&s;ave</HI> his people that <HI>believe</HI> in Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Why &s;o? Becau&s;e Je&s;us Chri&s;t hath <HI>fulfilled</HI> to a tittle all the law of God for them.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 1. I &s;hall give you but one word of U&s;e, and leave the Rea&s;ons, and the further enlarging of it till the Afternoon. And the word that I de&s;ire to make known to you from the Lord is this, To in&s;truct and help you a little to under&s;tand where your <HI>righte|ou&s;ne&s;s</HI> doth lye, or upon what your <HI>ju&s;tifica|tion</HI> is built. For this is the <HI>mi&s;ery,</HI> the gene|ral <HI>mi&s;ery</HI> of mo&s;t Chri&s;tians, that they <HI>mi&s;lay</HI> their <HI>ju&s;tification:</HI> they do lay it partly upon <HI>faith,</HI> and partly upon their <HI>&s;anctification</HI> and <HI>holine&s;s;</HI> and that is the rea&s;on that when a poor &s;oul, it may be, is <HI>tempted</HI> to &s;ome <HI>&s;in,</HI> and hath &s;ome &s;trong <HI>lu&s;t,</HI> he lo&s;eth his faith, and his a&s;&s;urance, and his peace of con&s;cience, becau&s;e he grounds his <HI>Saint&s;hip,</HI> and his <HI>ju|&s;tification</HI> upon his <HI>holine&s;s.</HI> Now Beloved, this is it that I would de&s;ire the Lord to bring you and me to, to know that I am a <HI>ju&s;t</HI> man onely by the <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> that is in <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> that the law is <HI>perfectly fulfilled</HI> for <HI>me</HI> by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and not <HI>partly</HI> by <HI>him,</HI> and <HI>partly</HI> by <HI>me,</HI> but onely and perfectly by him, and I am called <HI>ju&s;t,</HI> but onely <HI>as,</HI> or <HI>becau&s;e</HI> I am <HI>united</HI>
<PB N="19" REF="15"> to him that hath gotten a perfect <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> for me.</P>
<P>Then let me build my <HI>Ju&s;tification</HI> upon that <HI>onely,</HI> and not upon what I am; not upon my <HI>temper,</HI> or upon my <HI>graces,</HI> or my <HI>gifts,</HI> or the like: take heed of that; but let it be built wholly upon <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> his <HI>death</HI> and <HI>re&s;ur|rection. He was delivered for our offences, and ro&s;e again for our ju&s;tification.</HI> Let us build up|on that, that we may come to this tem|per, once to have our <HI>ju&s;tification</HI> in a <HI>&s;tock</HI> clearly in Je&s;us Chri&s;ts hands, that when we do <HI>good</HI> we may not imagine that we are a jot the more <HI>ju&s;tified,</HI> or when we <HI>fall</HI> or <HI>fail</HI> in good, we may not conceive that we are a jot le&s;s <HI>ju&s;tified</HI> then before, that though one day we have our hearts <HI>inlarged</HI> to do good, and to do more good in <HI>one</HI> day then it may be we did in a <HI>moneth</HI> before, yet this goes not to the <HI>&s;tock</HI> of my <HI>ju&s;tification,</HI> I am not one jot the more <HI>ju&s;tified:</HI> and &s;ometimes God leaves the <HI>fle&s;h,</HI> and the <HI>remnants of &s;in</HI> that <HI>foil</HI> us, and I will <HI>mourn</HI> for it, and be <HI>humbled</HI> for it, as a <HI>tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion</HI> again&s;t my <HI>father,</HI> but I am not a jot more <HI>unju&s;tified</HI> then I was before in the &s;ight of God, in regard of the <HI>Covenant</HI> of <HI>works</HI> that Chri&s;t hath <HI>fulfilled.</HI> So thus I would have you do as your Merchants and Trade&s;men in your City, you have a certain <HI>Stock,</HI> that you lock, it may be, in an iron
<PB N="20" REF="16"> Che&s;t, and that &s;tock is the <HI>quick</HI> as you call it, and you have be&s;ides &s;o many <HI>pounds,</HI> or &s;o many <HI>hundreds</HI> that you turn and wind about through all the year, as you have occa&s;ion; but from the <HI>&s;tock,</HI> the <HI>quick,</HI> you will not lay any thing out of that, you will not <HI>touch</HI> that, but lay out in <HI>expences,</HI> and winde and turn the re&s;t. Ju&s;t &s;o I would have it with you, that &s;eeing <HI>ju&s;tification</HI> is <HI>onely</HI> built on Chri&s;t, and I have the <HI>word of faith</HI> to certifie me of it, and the <HI>Spirit</HI> of faith to &s;hew it me within, I would not have my <HI>good</HI> or <HI>evil</HI> to be an <HI>in|gredient</HI> into that, but leave that as a <HI>&s;tock</HI> clearly in the hands of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Or as we &s;ee a maid or woman that <HI>&s;pins,</HI> &s;he holds one hand <HI>&s;teady,</HI> and turns about the wheel with the <HI>other:</HI> &s;o our <HI>ju&s;tification</HI> we &s;hould hold it <HI>&s;teady,</HI> for it is not built at all upon <HI>any</HI> thing that is in <HI>us,</HI> but let us turn and winde the re&s;t, that is, <HI>Sanctification,</HI> we mu&s;t <HI>&s;trive</HI> again&s;t &s;in, and <HI>mourn</HI> for it, but leave <HI>ju&s;tifi|cation</HI> wholly to Chri&s;t, for it is not built on <HI>me,</HI> but is onely by the <HI>death</HI> and <HI>re&s;urrection</HI> of Chri&s;t. Therefore as Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>Luk.</HI> 18. when we have done all the good we can, <HI>&s;ay we are unprofitable &s;ervants;</HI> I have not got|ten one <HI>farthing</HI> to day, nor in all my life to help to <HI>fulfill</HI> the law of God, or to help to my <HI>ju&s;tification,</HI> that is onely in the hands of Chri&s;t, that is my <HI>quick,</HI> my <HI>ca&s;h,</HI> my <HI>&s;tock,</HI>
<PB N="21" REF="16"> and when thou <HI>faile&s;t,</HI> and &s;ee&s;t <HI>lu&s;ts,</HI> and <HI>pride,</HI> and <HI>wantonne&s;s</HI> ari&s;e in thee, &s;ay, this hath no influence to hinder my <HI>ju&s;tification,</HI> it is no in|gredient into that, that is built upon another thing, it is wholly in <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and his <HI>righteou&s;|ne&s;s;</HI> he hath <HI>fulfilled</HI> the law, and I am <HI>ju&s;t</HI> by <HI>marriage,</HI> and by <HI>union</HI> with him. There|fore I will go and take my &s;ins, and <HI>mourn</HI> for them, &amp; de&s;ire God to <HI>clean&s;e</HI> me from them, but I mu&s;t hold the <HI>quick</HI> &s;till, hold <HI>ju&s;tifica|tion</HI> untouched, and un&s;haken, and unmove|able in the hands of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. I &s;hall leave the inlargement of this and other things till the Afternoon.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="2" TYPE="sermon">
<HEAD>SERMON II.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Rom. 8. 4.</BIBL>
<Q>That the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law might be ful|filled in us, who walk not after the fle&s;h, but after the Spirit.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>THere are three Le&s;&s;ons that we &s;hould learn from the&s;e words. The fir&s;t is implied, <HI>That the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law mu&s;t be fulfilled.</HI> Or, <HI>Every man is bound to fulfill the law of God.</HI> That we have already done with.</P>
<PB N="22" REF="17">
<P> Secondly, <HI>That the Law of God is perfectly fulfilled in all true Believers.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>That true Believers are they who walk not after the fle&s;h, but after the Spirit.</HI></P>
<P>We made &s;ome entrance upon the &s;econd, <HI>That the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law is fulfilled in all true believers.</HI></P>
<P>I &s;pake a little of this, and &s;hall adde &s;ome|thing further to what I &s;aid, if God will.</P>
<Q>The righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law is fulfilled in every true believer.</Q>
<P>Not per&s;onally, as I told you: for there is <HI>no</HI> Saint, no not <HI>Abraham</HI> him&s;elf that can &s;ay, <HI>the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law is fulfilled in me,</HI> that is, <HI>per&s;onally;</HI> that I have walked &s;o the law is <HI>&s;atisfied</HI> by my walking. But the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law is fulfilled in us, not <HI>per&s;onally,</HI> but in us by rea&s;on that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and <HI>we</HI> are <HI>one,</HI> and he is made righteou&s;ne&s;s to us, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 30. <HI>He is made of God to us, wi&s;dome, righteou&s;|ne&s;s, &s;anctification, and redemption:</HI> then what|&s;oever Chri&s;t is, or hath, it is ours. There|fore &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>The righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law is fulfilled in us.</HI> He doth not &s;ay, it is ful|filled <HI>in Chri&s;t,</HI> though that be true, but he takes the boldne&s;s to &s;ay, it is fulfilled in <HI>us,</HI> by virtue of our <HI>union</HI> with Je&s;us Chri&s;t. So in every true Saint or believer, the <HI>righteou&s;|ne&s;s</HI> of the law through Chri&s;t is perfectly <HI>fulfilled.</HI> The <HI>weake&s;t</HI> Saint, if he be a <HI>true</HI>
<PB N="23" REF="17"> Saint, he hath <HI>perfectly</HI> fulfilled the law of God, he hath perfectly &s;atisfied every <HI>demand</HI> that the law can make, he hath perfectly paid every peny-worth of debt that he oweth to the law: the weake&s;t Saint, it may be a <HI>poor</HI> Saint that men can &s;ee nothing but corruption in all the <HI>day,</HI> and all the <HI>week,</HI> and all the <HI>year</HI> long almo&s;t, yet that man, if he be a <HI>true</HI> Saint, though he be weak, hath <HI>perfectly</HI> in Chri&s;t kept the law of God, and is a ju&s;t man, and the law of God cannot come upon him, nor the <HI>Sergeant</HI> the Devil to arre&s;t him for one peny or farthing, becau&s;e he can &s;ay as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith here, <HI>The righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law is fulfilled in us.</HI> Therefore that is the rea&s;on, as I told you, that <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>I am dead to the law,</HI> that is, I am as <HI>free</HI> from the law as a man that is <HI>dead:</HI> when a man is dead, the law goes no further on him. So it is &s;aid, we are <HI>delivered</HI> from the law, and <HI>freed</HI> from the law: and that is the rea&s;on al&s;o that the Apo|&s;tle three times in one Chapter puts our &s;al|vation upon the <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> of God; he faith not by the <HI>mercy</HI> of God, though that be true, there is infinite mercy, but &s;aith he, that <HI>God might declare his righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> in Chri&s;t to &s;ave us. It is a <HI>merciful</HI> thing for God to give us Chri&s;t, and to give us <HI>hearts</HI> to know that Chri&s;t, and to believe in that Chri&s;t, it is infi|nite mercy: but now that we are in Chri&s;t,
<PB N="24" REF="18"> and united in him, as there was mercy, &s;o it is <HI>righteous,</HI> and ju&s;t with God to &s;ave us, be|cau&s;e we are <HI>righteous</HI> per&s;ons. Mi&s;take me not, I &s;ay every poor Saint <HI>through</HI> Chri&s;t is a righteous per&s;on, a ju&s;t man: I &s;ay in and through Chri&s;t, he hath taken away all our &s;ins, and forgiven all our <HI>iniquities, Colo&s;&s;.</HI> 2. So that when God &s;aves believers, he doth not onely <HI>&s;ave</HI> them out of <HI>mercy,</HI> but out of <HI>righ|teou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> he can do no otherwi&s;e: therefore it is three times over, <HI>his righteou&s;ne&s;s, his righteou&s;ne&s;s, his righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> Rom. 3. And that is a ble&s;&s;ed word in <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. <HI>Ye are come to the &s;pirits of ju&s;t men made perfect.</HI> I do not conceive that it is &s;poken of the &s;pirits of men in <HI>heaven,</HI> as many do; and no wonder they mi&s;take, for I did &s;o for many years. That place it looks &s;o like <HI>heaven,</HI> that I took it for heaven it &s;elf; <HI>Ye are come unto mount Sion, to the general a&s;&s;embly, and Church of the fir&s;t|born, and to the &s;pirits of ju&s;t men made perfect.</HI> A man would think it were heaven it &s;elf; it is called <HI>heaven,</HI> but it is nothing in the world but the glorious e&s;tate of the Saints in Je&s;us Chri&s;t under the New-Te&s;tament, as you may &s;ee afterwards.</P>
<P>Therefore, as Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>let this word &s;ink into your hearts,</HI> that if thou be a right be|liever, thou art perfectly <HI>ju&s;t</HI> and righteous through Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as if thou had&s;t never
<PB N="25" REF="18"> &s;inned again&s;t the law of God: not by thy <HI>own</HI> righteou&s;ne&s;s, but by the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. For what can be &s;aid more? faith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>The righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law is fulfilled.</HI> He doth not &s;ay we have a piece of it, but it is <HI>fulfilled,</HI> that is, to an <HI>Iota</HI> or tittle; the law cannot &s;ay, <HI>Black is thine eye,</HI> becau&s;e Chri&s;t hath paid and done all that it can de|mand.</P>
<P>Now to give you a word or two of the grounds or Rea&s;ons, to help you to believe this truth, to &s;hew you how it comes about. It comes about three wayes, I mean it will be clear to you three wayes, if you con&s;ider three things.</P>
<P><HI>Rea&s;.</HI> 1. Fir&s;t, You mu&s;t con&s;ider that Je&s;us Chri&s;t, which is our Surety, he was &s;ent of the Father, out of his love as a publick per&s;on to fulfil the law of God, by <HI>doing</HI> and <HI>&s;uffering</HI> as a publick per&s;on. There is much comfort in that. Beloved, you can never throughly under&s;tand your ju&s;tification, unle&s;s you &s;tudy the fir&s;t <HI>Adam,</HI> what kinde of per&s;on <HI>Adam</HI> was, as you may &s;ee in <HI>Rom.</HI> 5. Now the Lord Je&s;us, he came a publick per&s;on, and <HI>he was delivered for our offences,</HI> as it is &s;aid, <HI>Rom.</HI> 4. 25. he did die for our &s;ins. That's one thing.</P>
<P><HI>Rea&s;.</HI> 2. Now the &s;econd thing that demon|&s;trates this to us, is, be&s;ides his <HI>dying</HI> as a publick per&s;on, there is a <HI>union</HI> made between every
<PB N="26" REF="19"> poor believer and Chri&s;t, as really as between Chri&s;t and his Father. Indeed it is called in Scripture a <HI>Marriage,</HI> becau&s;e as in a Mar|riage all the wealth of the Husband is the Wives, it becomes hers, and &s;he hath a right to it after Marriage; &s;o all that is in Chri&s;t becomes ours by this <HI>union.</HI> But it is a more real union, a <HI>clo&s;er</HI> union by far then that of Marriage; it is compared to the union be|tween the Members and the Head: now by this union, that you may reade of in <HI>Joh.</HI> 17. all that is <HI>ours</HI> becomes Chri&s;ts, and all that is <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> becomes ours. There are two things.</P>
<P><HI>Rea&s;.</HI> 3. Then thirdly, we finde that God the Father, to whom the debt was owing, and who&s;e law this was that we mu&s;t &s;atisfie, he acknowledgeth <HI>&s;atisfaction.</HI> And what can we have more? God the Father acknowledgeth that his Son hath &s;atisfied the law, and there|fore we are freed. Now he doth acknow|ledge it three wayes.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, You &s;hall have it <HI>Mat.</HI> 17. compared with 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. for <HI>Peter</HI> is much in it, <HI>We fol|low not devi&s;ed fables,</HI> but we come to &s;peak of the voice in the Mount, <HI>This is my beloved Son.</HI> As if he had &s;aid, This is one main piece of the Go&s;pel, we heard a voice when we were with our Ma&s;ter in the Mount, &s;aying, <HI>This is my beloved Son, in whom my &s;oul is well plea&s;ed.</HI> That for his per&s;on.</P>
<PB N="27" REF="19">
<P> Then a &s;econd thing that did &s;hew that he was <HI>&s;atisfied,</HI> was by &s;uffering Je&s;us Chri&s;t after he was <HI>arre&s;ted,</HI> and in <HI>pri&s;on</HI> for our debt (for Chri&s;t was in pri&s;on for our debt; he was arre&s;ted, and that according to law, he was brought into pri&s;on, and all our Suits were clapped on his back, all our <HI>Executions</HI> and <HI>Outlaries</HI> were laid on his &s;houlders, and then the Father let him out of pri&s;on being our Surety: if he had not paid our debt, he had not come out of pri&s;on, but) now the Fa|ther lets him out, that is, the Father &s;uffered him to <HI>ri&s;e</HI> from the dead. Therefore we find that our ju&s;tification is laid more upon the <HI>re|&s;urrection</HI> of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, then upon his <HI>death,</HI> as we &s;ee in <HI>Rom.</HI> 4. 25. <HI>Who was delivered for our offences, and rai&s;ed again for our ju&s;tifica|tion;</HI> that is, he did die for our &s;ins, and was rai&s;ed again for our ju&s;tification. And in <HI>Rom.</HI> 8. <HI>He that &s;pared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how &s;hall he not with him give us all things? Who is he that condemneth? it is Chri&s;t that died, yea rather that is ri&s;en a|gain, who is even at the right hand of God, who al&s;o maketh interce&s;&s;ion for us:</HI> that is, his dy|ing for us did &s;atisfie the law, but that did not <HI>ju&s;tifie</HI> us, untill we &s;ee that he was <HI>ri&s;en</HI> again; and then we &s;ee that all the debt is paid, becau&s;e our Surety is gotten out of pri|&s;on. Therefore ju&s;tification (I mean the know|ledge
<PB N="28" REF="20"> of it at lea&s;t) principally ari&s;eth from Chri&s;ts <HI>re&s;urrection.</HI> Now when I &s;ee Chri&s;t is <HI>ri&s;en,</HI> and gone abroad, he is gone out of the grave, and gone to heaven, I know that the law is fulfilled, and the Father is &s;atisfied, and the Sergeant the Devil hath nothing to arre&s;t me for, all is &s;atisfied, all is clear.</P>
<P>Thirdly, and la&s;tly, I know God the Father is <HI>&s;atisfied;</HI> for the law it is God the Fathers <HI>Writ</HI> that he had again&s;t us: and now we &s;ee that all is paid, not onely becau&s;e our Surety is got out of pri&s;on, (for &s;o a man may do that hath not paid a debt) but becau&s;e when he was out of pri&s;on, he <HI>a&s;cended</HI> to his Fa|ther; and the Father made him &s;it at the <HI>right hand of God in the glory of Maje&s;ty on high,</HI> and he hath given him power and authority to <HI>rule</HI> the world till the day of Judgement. Now in that the Father hath given the Son that <HI>honour</HI> and re&s;pect in heaven, as to come and &s;it at his <HI>right hand,</HI> we may &s;ee it was not a <HI>breaking</HI> of pri&s;on, but a real paying of the debt, and a fulfilling the law, before he could come there. This may give a little light how the <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law is fulfilled in us through Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Now the u&s;e of it I named in the morning, I was not able to expre&s;s it, neither can I now fully utter it, I be&s;eech you con&s;ider the more of it.</P>
<PB N="29" REF="20">
<P> <HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 1. The fir&s;t U&s;e we may make of it is this, that you &s;hould learn from what I have &s;aid, where your <HI>ju&s;tification</HI> doth lye, your ju&s;tification doth not lye, or is not built upon any thing that is in you, or that is done by you, or that you may hope to do hereafter; you are not ju&s;tified by your own <HI>per&s;onal good,</HI> or unju&s;tified by your own <HI>per&s;onal evils,</HI> you are not one jot the more ju&s;t when you have done all the good you can in the world, and you are not one jot the le&s;s ju&s;t when you have committed all the weakne&s;&s;es, and fallen into all the frailties that a Saint can fall into, becau&s;e your ju&s;tification is built onely upon Chri&s;t, and upon what he did, and &s;uffered. My ju&s;tification is built upon the death of Chri&s;t, and his re&s;urrection, he hath fulfilled the law, &amp; he hath paid the debt, and he is out of pri&s;on &amp; the Father is &s;atisfied: here is my ju&s;tification; and I believing this, I am happy.</P>
<P>Now you &s;hall finde that you lay a great part of your ju&s;tification upon &s;omething in your <HI>&s;elves,</HI> therefore when you are enlarged in <HI>good,</HI> then you think you are more ju&s;tified, and when you fall into <HI>&s;in,</HI> you think you are more unju&s;t then you were before, and you look &s;trangely upon God. Now the Lord hath put it out of our hands. <HI>Adam</HI> &s;hould have been ju&s;tified by that that was in <HI>him,</HI> and that &s;hould have been <HI>done</HI> by him: but ble&s;|&s;ed
<PB N="30" REF="21"> be God, he would not tru&s;t us with that good any more, but hath put all in the hands of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and there is the whole foun|dation of our ju&s;tification. Therefore it is not for a Chri&s;tian to come, and &s;ay, Sir, I fear I am no childe of God, I fear I &s;hall prove an hypocrite: why &s;o? becau&s;e I finde &s;o much &s;in, and &s;o many lu&s;ts in me. It is very well that you finde and feel &s;in, and that you mourn for, and &s;trive again&s;t &s;in, but that therefore you &s;hould think there is a <HI>flaw</HI> in your ju&s;ti|fication, that you &s;hould make any good that is in you a <HI>prop</HI> to &s;upport your ju&s;tification, or any evil in you a thing that might <HI>crack</HI> your ju&s;tification, this is Popery. My ju&s;tifi|cation depends not on this, that I am ju&s;tified the more when I am &s;trong, or le&s;s ju&s;tified when I am weak; but whether I be weak or &s;trong, whether I do much or little for God, whether I give thanks, or be humbled, &s;eeing Chri&s;t is <HI>dead,</HI> and <HI>ri&s;en</HI> again, I am ju&s;tified, that is &s;till intire, becau&s;e it is not built upon <HI>me,</HI> but wholly upon the death and re&s;urre|ction of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>In <HI>Rom.</HI> 4. <HI>Abraham</HI> is laid down as a pat|tern of believing, <HI>Abraham</HI> had the word of faith, <HI>So &s;hall thy &s;eed be,</HI> and without <HI>hope,</HI> or rea&s;on, or any thing he believed; that is, he ca&s;t him&s;elf on that word: &s;o it is &s;aid he was <HI>ju&s;tified without works.</HI> What a &s;trange thing
<PB N="31" REF="21"> is that? for it is impo&s;&s;ible there &s;hould be true faith, but that all <HI>good works</HI> &s;hould in &s;ome mea&s;ure follow after: but if we &s;peak properly, and look to the thing as it is in it &s;elf, how a man is ju&s;tified, he is ju&s;tified whol|ly <HI>without</HI> works. <HI>Abraham</HI> did many good things, he offered his &s;on <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> and he re|lieved his Kin&s;man when he was in mi&s;ery, and did teach his Family, and relieved the King of <HI>Sodom,</HI> he did many good works; though the&s;e good works did ju&s;tifie his faith to the world, that they knew he was a believer by it, and he him&s;elf did know it by it, yet never a one of the&s;e were an ingredient into the ju|&s;tification of his per&s;on, that was by the righ|teou&s;ne&s;s of God <HI>without</HI> works.</P>
<P>We mu&s;t get good works after. This is the rule of the word, <HI>Charge them that believe to maintain good works;</HI> that is, after they be|lieve, charge them to avoid the evil, and do the good, and to abound. But for the point of ju&s;tification, which is the main thing for your Soul and mine to feed on, that is built on another foundation, upon the <HI>grave</HI> of Chri&s;t, and upon the <HI>death</HI> of Chri&s;t. Therefore you &s;hall finde tho&s;e &s;peeches of the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul,</HI> when he &s;peaks of this glorious condition, he &s;peaks alway of his union with Chri&s;t; <HI>I am crucified with Chri&s;t,</HI> and <HI>I am buried <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> Chri&s;t,</HI> and <HI>I am dead, but Chri&s;t lives in me&punc;</HI></P>
<PB N="32" REF="22">
<P> Learn this le&s;&s;on that you may come to this: for if you had learned it &s;piritually, when you had done the mo&s;t for God, if you could do ten times more then <HI>Abraham,</HI> or <HI>Paul,</HI> and yet <HI>Paul</HI> preached from <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> to <HI>Illyri|cum,</HI> yet then thou woulde&s;t &s;ay, <HI>I am an un|profitable &s;ervant;</HI> there is not one grain that I have done that is an ingredient into the death and re&s;urrection of Chri&s;t, to help to make me a ju&s;t man, or to procure the favour and love of God. And when you had done <HI>evil,</HI> and it may be failed in carele&s;ne&s;s, and com|mitted &s;in; O what a glorious thing were it to go home, and fall upon thy knees, and &s;ay, Lord, I have &s;inned grievou&s;ly, but yet I am not one jot the <HI>le&s;s ju&s;t</HI> before thee, becau&s;e my ju&s;tice, and my righteou&s;ne&s;s is not de|pending upon my &s;inning, or my un&s;inning, upon my holine&s;s, or my unholine&s;s, but upon Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Then you would finde by experience your hearts <HI>melt</HI> in pieces, you would be able to look upon &s;in in the va&s;tne&s;s, and unkindne&s;s of it again&s;t a dear Father; then you would &s;ee your &s;elves the vile&s;t objects, you would not &s;o think or &s;peak of any man in the world as of your &s;elves, even for the lea&s;t frailty. For then the love of God, as oyl working with iron, would pre&s;s your hearts; then you &s;hall know, and not before; what it is to be
<PB N="33" REF="22"> truly humbled, and then you &s;hall have power to reform; then you would be able to &s;ay, My &s;oul is truly humbled, I can mourn for &s;in till I am weary of weeping; then you will be able, though you make not tho&s;e covenants and re&s;olutions, there will be &s;uch an impre&s;&s;ion upon the &s;oul, that you cannot chu&s;e but mourn, and loath your &s;elves, and avoid the occa&s;ions of &s;in, &s;eeing your &s;elves ju&s;t men in Je&s;us Chri&s;t: for when a man &s;ees him&s;elf unju&s;t, he can never mourn kindly for &s;in, if he &s;ee God on <HI>Sinai</HI> as a Judge, there will be but untoward mourning for &s;in. But when a man &s;ees the coa&s;t clear, then he can &s;ay, I have been the greate&s;t &s;inner in <HI>London;</HI> there is never a childe of God that hath walked more barrenly then I have done, and yet through Chri&s;t I am as ju&s;t in Gods &s;ight as any man in <HI>London;</HI> I am Gods childe, but I am an unhappy gracele&s;s childe: then a man can call him&s;elf fool, and be angry with him&s;elf, and weep bit|terly.</P>
<P>Now u&s;ually when you mourn for &s;in, you think there is a <HI>crack</HI> in your ju&s;tification, and &s;o many &s;ins as you have committed, there are &s;o many <HI>flaws</HI> in your ju&s;tification, and &s;o many faintings of faith in the favour of God; and therefore when you pray to God, and are hum|bled for &s;in, it is your manner, and it was mine mo&s;t of my dayes, onely to dawb up the flaws of ju&s;tification; and you pray the Lord to par|don
<PB N="34" REF="23"> &s;uch a &s;in, and now you &s;ee God is wrath with you, and you are like to be ca&s;t off, and your hearts begin to be hard, and you have &s;ad thoughts of God ari&s;ing in you, and unquiet and horrour in your &s;ouls, and you are far e|nough from true &s;orrow all this while. It is im|po&s;&s;ible there &s;hould be true &s;orrow, when you keep a coile, and confe&s;s your &s;ins, and wrangle it out with God, and you will confe&s;s your &s;ins to day, and think to make God amends to mor|row: and &s;o as a man &s;tops <HI>chinks</HI> in a wall, we think to dawb up the flaws and cracks of ju&s;tifi|cation this way. Whereas we &s;hould look on ju|&s;tification as a thing intire in the hands of Chri&s;t, that we have nothing to do in, but it is in Chri&s;t altogether founded on his death and re&s;urre|ction, and all the title that we have in it is onely by <HI>faith;</HI> as <HI>Rom.</HI> 10. &s;heweth, <HI>The righteou&s;ne&s;s of faith &s;aith on this wi&s;e,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>The word is nigh thee.</HI> There is our title and tenure; I have no|thing to do for my ju&s;tification, but Chri&s;t hath fulfilled the law, and he did die, and ri&s;e, and <HI>&s;itteth at the right hand of God;</HI> and I endeavour to believe it, that is, to con&s;ent that it is &s;o, and prai&s;e his name, and live to him all the dayes of my life: O here is the life of Chri&s;tianity.</P>
<P>I have &s;een people quarrel with them&s;elves, and complain, O I have a hard heart, and I de&s;ire the Preachers to pray for me; and when you have fallen into <HI>weakne&s;s,</HI> you will go and confe&s;s
<PB N="35" REF="23"> your &s;ins, and &s;trive to break your hearts, and mourn for your worldline&s;s, and your pride, and frowardne&s;s, and yet it will not do, but your hearts grow harder then they were before: and whereas when you have committed a &s;in to day, you think to go and reform to morrow, and to turn over a new leaf, to morrow you will be wor&s;e then to day; becau&s;e you think to make God amends, he leaves you to your &s;elves, and you grow wor&s;e. The rea&s;on is this, becau&s;e in &s;ome &s;ort, even to this day, you mix &s;anctifica|tion with ju&s;tification. Now I know it, I &s;peak what I know, could you leave your ju&s;tification alone in the hands of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and look on it (as I &s;aid) as Ca&s;h in the cupboard, not to be touched; and as long as Chri&s;t is righteous, &s;ay <HI>I am righteous,</HI> behold your &s;elves alway as ju&s;t men and women, that in Je&s;us Chri&s;t have fulfil|led the law of God, and then you will finde your hearts inclined to any good thing; then would your hearts break and &s;hatter to pieces, when you have done the lea&s;t evil again&s;t God; then you would know what true &s;orrow, and what true repentance is, and not before; then you would know tho&s;e things that now you know not, nor cannot know. Therefore labour to learn that le&s;&s;on, it is one of the greate&s;t My&s;te|ries in the world; and that is the rea&s;on that carnal people carp at the&s;e things. What greater My&s;tery then for me being a ju&s;t and righteous
<PB N="36" REF="24"> man through Chri&s;t, yet to be &s;o &s;inful, that I can &s;ay there is none more &s;inful, and yet I am as righteous as <HI>Abraham,</HI> or <HI>Paul;</HI> in re&s;pect of the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t, I have as large a &s;hare as <HI>Abraham,</HI> or <HI>Paul,</HI> and yet I am full of &s;in. A Chri&s;tian knows this, and he knows how it is &s;o. Well, that is one le&s;&s;on, con&s;ider of it, that you may know where to plant your ju&s;tifi|cation, upon the death and re&s;urrection of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. The Lord teach it to you and me.</P>
<P>Secondly, if <HI>the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law be ful|filled in all that are believers through Je&s;us Chri&s;t;</HI> Then, all you that are Saints, all you that believe in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, labour to &s;ee the glorious con|dition that you are in; that you may be able to reflect upon your &s;elves, not according to what you are out of Chri&s;t, but what you are con&s;i|dered to be as <HI>Members</HI> of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as <HI>united</HI> to Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Therefore you &s;hall have <HI>Paul</HI> (and it doth me good to &s;ee his &s;pirit) he never reckons him&s;elf as in him&s;elf, but as in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>I can do all things, I can want, and I can abound,</HI> I can do this, and that, and all in Chri&s;t: So, I mu&s;t never conceive of God out of Chri&s;t, nor of my &s;elf out of Chri&s;t, I mu&s;t never con|ceive of my &s;elf and Chri&s;t as <HI>two;</HI> but I &s;hould endeavour clearly and con&s;tantly, that what&s;o|ever good there is in Chri&s;t, it is mine, as if it were in mine own per&s;on. And &s;o we &s;hould have our &s;pirits rai&s;ed above the temptations of
<PB N="37" REF="24"> the world, and above the afflictions of the world, and above corruptions.</P>
<P>It is a pitiful thing to &s;ee poor Profe&s;&s;ors, there is not one of many, but they are ordinarily be|low temptations, and they lye under burdens, and are below their &s;ins: nay, there are many Profe&s;&s;ors that are more &s;ad and drooping then carnal people. Surely this was not the way of tho&s;e Saints that we reade of in the New Te&s;ta|ment, they had glorious &s;pirits; how do you think el&s;e they could go to the <HI>Stocks,</HI> and to <HI>Pri&s;ons,</HI> and from one <HI>Compter</HI> to another, and have their &s;pirits &s;o rai&s;ed, and yet &s;ometimes were to die the next morning for ought they knew? Your &s;pirits will never be heightned and rai&s;ed to live the life of <HI>Paul,</HI> by beholding any thing that is in you per&s;onally in your po&s;&s;e&s;&s;i|on, but what you are by relation, and marriage to Chri&s;t. <HI>Reckon your &s;elves dead with Chri&s;t;</HI> and &s;o conceive, I am a ju&s;t man, I was bound once to the law of God, a terrible law, and there are thou&s;ands in Hell paying the debt, and can|not pay it, and yet I have paid every farthing, and the law cannot ask me more. I have offered a perfect righteou&s;ne&s;s, and I am now &s;itting at Gods right hand in Heaven, by my union with Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>This is the life of faith, that we may be able to triumph over all the&s;e things below, from our ju&s;tification, as <HI>Paul</HI> doth, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8. <HI>It is God that</HI>
<PB N="38" REF="25"> <HI>ju&s;tifieth, and who &s;hall condemn? Who &s;hall &s;epa|rate us from the love of God in Chri&s;t Je&s;us? &s;hall tribulation, or di&s;tre&s;s, or famine, or nakedne&s;s, or peril, or &s;word? Nay, in all the&s;e things we are more then conquerors through Chri&s;t that loved us.</HI> Indeed tribulation, and hunger, and famine, they are &s;ad things, but the&s;e are the lea&s;t troubles of a Chri&s;tian, the&s;e outward mi&s;eries. Over the&s;e we are <HI>more then Conquerors,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Paul,</HI> I can tie my right hand at my back; and with my left hand beat all the&s;e back; I can beat them with a <HI>finger.</HI> Nay, I &s;ay more, <HI>Neither death nor life,</HI> that is more, <HI>nor Angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things pre&s;ent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, &s;hall be able to &s;e|parate us from the love of God which is in Chri&s;t Je&s;us our Lord.</HI> See there how he dares all the Enemies to come upon the Stage, and tramples them under feet. As in <HI>Malachi</HI> it is &s;aid, that in the time of the Go&s;pel they &s;hall tread their ene|mies as <HI>a&s;hes</HI> under their feet. So there is a place al&s;o in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15. <HI>Death is &s;wallowed up in victory.</HI> As if he had &s;aid, You that have received Je&s;us Chri&s;t, I will tell you news, <HI>Death is &s;wallowed up in victory. O Death where is thy &s;ting? O Grave where is thy victory?</HI> He jeers the grave, and death, and triumphs over them: <HI>O death where is thy &s;ting?</HI> thou thoughte&s;t to overcome me, but where is thy &s;ting? <HI>The &s;ting of death is &s;in, and the &s;trength of &s;in is the law; but thanks</HI>
<PB N="39" REF="25"> <HI>be unto God, who hath given us victory through Je|&s;us Chri&s;t our Lord.</HI> He doth not &s;ay which <HI>will</HI> give us victory when we are dead, and then we &s;hall be perfect in Heaven; it is true, then we &s;hall be more perfect: but he &s;aith, which <HI>hath</HI> given us victory for the pre&s;ent, I have already over come Hell, and Death, and the Devil: for all hangs on the <HI>law;</HI> the law is Gods Writ, and the Devil is Gods Sergeant that executes that Writ, and Hell is the Pri&s;on. Therefore if the law be &s;atisfied, if the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law be fulfilled, Death and Hell, and the Devil have nothing to do with me. So in <HI>Rom.</HI> 4. 25. <HI>Who was delivered for our offences, and was rai&s;ed for our ju&s;tification.</HI> And then it follows, <HI>Chap.</HI> 5. 1. <HI>Being ju&s;tified by faith we have peace with God.</HI> See where the Apo&s;tle layes ju&s;tification; <HI>And we glory in tribulation, knowing that it worketh patience,</HI> &amp;c. We rejoice in tribulation and af|fliction: Why? becau&s;e we are <HI>ju&s;tified</HI> by Chri&s;ts death and re&s;urrection. O what kinde of &s;pirits &s;hould we have? How full of joy and comfort &s;hould we be in the greate&s;t tribulation? How &s;hould we tread all this world under our feet, the evils of this world, and the comforts of the world? How &s;hould we in&s;ult and tri|umph over the Devil, and over Death and Hell, for all their power (as I &s;aid) is from the law, and if the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law be fulfilled, then all our enemies are &s;ubdued, and all is clear, Hea|ven
<PB N="40" REF="26"> is open, and God is mine, and the favour of God is to me.</P>
<P>For know this, that there is no natural inbred hatred in God to his creature; there is nothing that keeps the creature from the full enjoyment of God, but the law not being &s;atisfied. God made a law, and we made the breach of it, and there falls out the di&s;tance between the Crea|tures and God, whether Men or Devils. Now then, if I can &s;ay, though I be a &s;inful man, yet Je&s;us Chri&s;t hath fulfilled the law, the law hath a full righteou&s;ne&s;s to a farthing, then I know I am one with God, he is wholly for me, and I for him, and all the enemies of my Salvation are conquered.</P>
<P>Now if the Lord would open your eyes to under&s;tand the <HI>hope of your calling,</HI> the glorious condition you are brought into, you would not walk &s;o weakly, and poorly, and &s;adly, and de|jectedly, that every thing &s;hould ca&s;t you down, but you would go on, and trample all the world under your feet; we &s;hould be above men, and Devils, and the world, and every thing, if we did but under&s;tand to what a glorious e&s;tate God hath called us in this world, through Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Therefore a man reflecting upon his ju|&s;tification, as he may look upon him&s;elf, and ac|count him&s;elf <HI>&s;omething,</HI> &s;o he may account Death, and Hell, and all &s;ubdued, and he may ac|count that the law cannot demand a farthing of
<PB N="41" REF="26"> him: That whereas the breach of the law kept us from communion with God, that being taken away, we are as righteous as if we had never fallen. O glorious condition! There <HI>Paul, Eph.</HI> 1. he prayes that they might <HI>know the riches and hope of their calling;</HI> that is, that they might un|der&s;tand what this glorious calling is, that God hath called us to. That is a &s;econd Le&s;&s;on we &s;hould learn hence:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, &s;eeing the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law is fulfilled in us, we &s;hould learn how to build our Ju&s;tification aright, how to lay the foundation of it.</P>
<P>And &s;econdly, we &s;hould endeavour to get our <HI>&s;pirits rai&s;ed</HI> like people that are freed from the law.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 3. Thirdly, (and there I &s;hall end for this time) being freely and fully ju&s;tified by the grace of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, this &s;hould follow to any one that under&s;tands it, that therefore we &s;hould &s;tu|dy and learn to <HI>conform</HI> our &s;elves in our hearts and lives, out of love to the will of God. There comes in holine&s;s, and there it comes in amain, and never before; all before is nothing but bungling, but then it comes rightly. We &s;hould I &s;ay conform our &s;elves to the Example, and to the Rule of Je&s;us Chri&s;t in his Go&s;pel. And that you may under&s;tand that, you mu&s;t know that every man in this world hath a rule to walk by. And there are but three great <HI>Rules,</HI> and all
<PB N="42" REF="27"> men do, and mu&s;t conform to one of the&s;e three: for there is no man that doth an action but it is in reference to a Rule.</P>
<P N="1">1. Now you have one Rule in 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 14. <HI>As obedient children, not fa&s;hioning your &s;elves accord|ing to the lu&s;ts of your former ignorance:</HI> which &s;hews that once they did conform them&s;elves, they did fa&s;hion them&s;elves unto their lu&s;ts; but &s;aith he, now God hath ju&s;tified you, you mu&s;t not conform your &s;elves to your lu&s;ts. Mo&s;t of mankinde make their lu&s;ts their rule, which the Prophet calls in Scripture to do <HI>that which is right in their own eyes:</HI> to do what is their <HI>minde,</HI> what they like in their own minde; and as that worthy Dr. <HI>Pre&s;ton</HI> &s;aith, they think when they are in their beds, what place they &s;hall go to, and where they &s;hall &s;pend their time, and when they are up, they do <HI>that which is right in their own eyes,</HI> what they have a lu&s;t to; when they have a lu&s;t to be drunk, they will be drunk; when they have a lu&s;t to be <HI>filthy,</HI> they will be filthy; when they have a lu&s;t to be <HI>idle,</HI> or a lu&s;t to be <HI>malicious</HI> again&s;t their neighbours, they will be &s;o. So that the &s;tirrings of their lu&s;ts are their rule, and their whole life is nothing but a tran&s;|forming them from one lu&s;t another. Saith <HI>Pe|ter,</HI> you mu&s;t not do &s;o, but <HI>as obedient children,</HI> if God have ju&s;tified you, if Chri&s;t have fulfilled the law perfectly for you, that you dare Sin, and Hell, and Satan, and tread all under feet, doth it
<PB N="43" REF="27"> become you to fa&s;hion your hearts and lives to your lu&s;ts? Is that a good rule? no, you mu&s;t not do &s;o.</P>
<P N="2">2. Another Rule is this world, <HI>Rom.</HI> 12. 2. <HI>Be not conformed to this world.</HI> It is the Copy of ma|ny men, the Looking-gla&s;s that they dre&s;s them|&s;elves by every day; how to &s;quare it in the world, how to keep their port with their Neigh|bours, and Gentlemen they conver&s;e with, and with great men that have command of them, and with their fellow-Officers, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And &s;o wo|men, how they may go brave as their Neigh|bours do, and get credit in their eyes. So mo&s;t people, their main Rule is, they care not whe|ther it plea&s;e God, and conform them to his Son at all, &s;o they can keep corre&s;pondency with the world: now you mu&s;t not do &s;o, for they are yet in their &s;ins, poor wretches; therefore let them conform to their lu&s;ts, and they that are of the world, let them conform to it: but</P>
<P N="3">3. Since God hath redeemed you from the wicked world by the blood of his Son, and hath brought you to this condition, and be&s;towed glorious and un&s;peakable Priviledges on you, you &s;hould conform your &s;elves to the <HI>Image</HI> and <HI>Example</HI> of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and to the <HI>Rules</HI> of Je&s;us Chri&s;t in the New Te&s;tament, in all your actions and wayes.</P>
<P>You cannot write without looking on your Copie, the be&s;t Saint cannot write one line with|out
<PB N="44" REF="28"> viewing and looking on his <HI>Copy</HI> for every letter. For all your actions, you are to have two things in your eye, that you may do the action right, and carry your &s;elves right.</P>
<P N="1">1. Either eye Je&s;us Chri&s;t and his <HI>Example,</HI> how would Chri&s;t have done if he had been here? what did Chri&s;t do in the like ca&s;e in the Go&s;pel? So by eying that there will be a power, as in <HI>Jacobs</HI> &s;heep by beholding the <HI>rods,</HI> the Spirit of God will convey a power looking upon the picture that is before us, that is, <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> to transform us into his likene&s;s. Or</P>
<P N="2">2. Think of the <HI>Rules</HI> of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the Rules of the New Te&s;tament, this ble&s;&s;ed Word. Have frequent recour&s;e to the Spiritual Rules of the New Te&s;tament, that &s;hould be your <HI>Copy.</HI> When any ca&s;e comes, follow not your lu&s;ts, and act not according to the <HI>wi&s;dome of the fle&s;h,</HI> to &s;ay this or that I will do, but con&s;ider what is your Rule, you walk <HI>by another Rule.</HI> What have I to do what &s;uch a man, and &s;uch a man doth; but what is <HI>my</HI> Rule? how mu&s;t I carry my &s;elf? As for in&s;tance; when you come among people that rejoice for any mercy, what is the Rule? <HI>Rejoice with them that rejoice, and weep with them that weep.</HI> It may be a man hath received great unkindne&s;s, and is wrong'd by him that he hath been mo&s;t kinde to of all the men of the world, and yet he proves mo&s;t ungrateful; if a man &s;hould go to <HI>fle&s;h and blood,</HI> he would hate and
<PB N="45" REF="28"> abhor him, and not indure him; man in his be&s;t naturals would not bear it, he would not bear ungratefulne&s;s and wrong, but labour to re|quite it: But what is the Rule? <HI>The Lord is good to the wicked and unthankeful;</HI> therefore <HI>Lend freely, looking for nothing again.</HI> Pre&s;ently, God will bring a Spiritual Rule to your minde, and God will give you power to do it. And &s;o, &s;up|po&s;e a man &s;hould charge and challenge you with a debt, and would you pay &s;uch a debt, you perhaps know no &s;uch thing, and are per&s;waded of the contrary. What now? You know what mo&s;t men think, I will never pay him, I were a fool if I &s;hould give away my e&s;tate, and be a beggar when I have done: but what is the rule? <HI>If thine enemy &s;ue thee at the law, and take away thy cloke, give him thy coat al&s;o.</HI> A Chri&s;tian comes to this law, he <HI>con&s;ults not with fle&s;h and blood</HI> when a ca&s;e comes, but he thinks what is the rule in this ca&s;e? But all the mi&s;ery is, you will be fingering with ju&s;tification, which you &s;hould leave alone upon Chri&s;ts death and refurrection, you &s;hould be working out your <HI>holine&s;s</HI> every day, that &s;hould be your way, God will bring it in. So when a woman is putting on her clothes, and making her fine clothes, and thinks to be as fine as her neighbours, &s;he &s;hould think, but what is <HI>my Rule?</HI> Not to conform my &s;elf to o|thers in <HI>embroidered hair,</HI> and fine <HI>apparel,</HI> and <HI>gold,</HI> but <HI>with the ornament of a meek &s;pirit.</HI> So
<PB N="46" REF="29"> you have the New Te&s;tament full: for every ca&s;e there is &s;omething that will direct and lead you, that thereby you may conform to Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>I give you but general in&s;tances, if God open your eyes to &s;ee your glorious condition in the New Te&s;tament, you mu&s;t re&s;olve on this, to walk according to the <HI>copy</HI> and the rules of it; that in any ca&s;e you may ask, What is my rule as I am a Chri&s;tian, as I am a free man, one with God, that I may walk by it?</P>
<P>Now I exhort you to this, becau&s;e if a thou|&s;and Devils &s;hould preach in &s;tead of men, and tell you what the Torments of Hell are, all would not be &s;o great a motive by half to walk <HI>holily,</HI> as to tell you that <HI>the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law is fulfilled by Chri&s;t,</HI> that you are righteous, and ju&s;t, and all your &s;ins are done away by Chri&s;t. Therefore, O love him, and live to him, comform to your <HI>copy.</HI> Let your Neighbours conform to their <HI>copy,</HI> to the World, and others conform to their lu&s;ts (as too many do) but do you conform to Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Think, what would Chri&s;t do if he had my opportunity? what would he have taken in hand? And whatever occa&s;ion you have with God or man, ask, What is my rule in the New Te&s;tament? and conform to that. Ble&s;&s;ed is the man or woman to whom God gives a heart &s;o to do. There remains one word more of this, and the third Le&s;&s;on, which is the principal thing, the <HI>de&s;cription</HI> of tho&s;e per|&s;ons
<PB N="47" REF="29"> that have this Priviledge; <HI>They walk not ac|cording to the fle&s;h, but according to the Spirit.</HI> But becau&s;e the time is gone, and my &s;trength al&s;o, I &s;hall leave that till God give another opportu|nity.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="3" TYPE="sermon">
<HEAD>SERMON III.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Rom. 8. 4.</BIBL>
<Q>That the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law might be ful|filled in us, who walk not after the fle&s;h, but after the Spirit.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>THere were three Le&s;&s;ons that we may learn from the&s;e words. The fir&s;t is im|plied, namely, <HI>That the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law mu&s;t be fulfilled by every man.</HI> Or, <HI>Every man is bound to fulfill the law of God.</HI> And</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>That the Law of God is perfectly ful|filled in all true Believers.</HI> And</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>That true Believers are they who walk not after the fle&s;h, but after the Spirit.</HI></P>
<P>We were the la&s;t time upon the &s;econd: we have proved it, and opened the Point, and have made &s;ome u&s;e of it.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that from hence we may learn where our ju&s;tification lieth, and whereon it is built, not upon any thing <HI>in us,</HI> or done <HI>by us,</HI> but only
<PB N="48" REF="30"> upon the death and re&s;urrection of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Secondly, hence all that are Saints, all that believe in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;hould labour to &s;ee the glorious condition they are in by Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Thirdly, we &s;hould learn (being ju&s;tified <HI>freely</HI> and <HI>fully</HI> by the grace of Je&s;us Chri&s;t) to con|form our &s;elves in our hearts and lives to the <HI>Example</HI> of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and to his <HI>Rules</HI> in the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 4. I &s;hall adde but one word more from this Le&s;&s;on; that is, that &s;eeing <HI>the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law is fulfilled in them that believe,</HI> you may hence &s;ee, that none are further from <HI>Antino|miani&s;m,</HI> then tho&s;e that are true believers, tho&s;e that are godly Saints. You have a great &s;tir con|cerning <HI>Antinomians,</HI> what they &s;hould be: it is one that is <HI>again&s;t the law,</HI> that is the &s;ignifica|tion of the Greek word. Now the que&s;tion is, Who is mo&s;t <HI>again&s;t the law of God?</HI> I do not deny but there are &s;ome, and they may be called <HI>Antinomians</HI> (though we &s;hould not mi&s;call peo|ple) yet they de&s;erve it. But now a Saint that is in Chri&s;t he is not an <HI>Antinomian,</HI> he is not <HI>a|gain&s;t the law,</HI> becau&s;e he hath &s;atisfied the law: Every man mu&s;t pay the law, and they that would fulfill the law with their own righteou&s;|ne&s;s, they do the law wrong; they that do mo&s;t here, and they that &s;uffer mo&s;t in Hell, they can never &s;atisfie the law. But a Chri&s;tian hath &s;ati&s;|fied the law, becau&s;e he hath given it a perfect
<PB N="49" REF="30"> righteou&s;ne&s;s. Now if a man &s;hould owe Ten thou&s;and pounds, and he had but Fifty &s;hillings a year coming in, and it may be one year he payes ten &s;hillings, another year he payes a Noble, and another year three pence, yet he payes as well as he can. But now &s;uppo&s;e there come a <HI>Surety,</HI> and he payes the whole Ten thou&s;and pound, and he &s;aith to the Creditor, You &s;hall be paid no more by <HI>three pences,</HI> but you &s;hall receive the whole &s;um; what do you think? is not that bet|ter? So there are none that &s;atisfie the law &s;o roundly, and fulfil it &s;o perfectly, as he that re|linqui&s;heth all that is in him, and layes hold on Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and in him payes God to a farthing. Therefore when <HI>Paul</HI> is proving &s;trongly that we are <HI>ju&s;tified by Chri&s;t,</HI> and not by the law, &s;aith he, <HI>We take not away the law, but we e&s;ta|bli&s;h the law.</HI> This is a better way of fulfilling the law, then any other. All the damned men in Hell, and all the Phari&s;ees on Earth cannot &s;atisfie the law, &s;o well as one poor &s;inner that believes in Je&s;us Chri&s;t. And &s;o for matter of practice, a man that believes in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, he walks more <HI>&s;trictly</HI> then any Phari&s;ee can; for he looks not only what is lawful, but what is convenient, he walks by a more &s;ublime excellent rule. A Phari&s;ee looks only what is lawful, and what is not lawful, but a Chri&s;tian he looks what is ex|act and expedient. Take any man that knows what it is to be ju&s;tified by Chri&s;t, and that man
<PB N="50" REF="31"> goes a thou&s;and-fold further then another, for a man that would be &s;aved by his own fulfilling of the law, if he cannot come up to the law, he will bring the law down to him. As a man that hath a heavy burthen, if it be too heavy for him, he will ca&s;t off &s;ome of it: &s;o when a man goes about to keep the law, and findes it too heavy for him, he will throw away &s;ome, and cut out a part, and make a carnal gro&s;s law, and endea|vour to keep that. Now a man that is ju&s;tified by Chri&s;t, he knows that the law mu&s;t be &s;atisfi|ed, and &s;o he takes it in the pure&s;t &s;pirituality, and goes to Chri&s;t Je&s;us, and he hath &s;atisfied all. So much briefly for the &s;econd Le&s;&s;on.</P>
<P>Now I &s;hall enter a little upon the third, as far as the Lord &s;hall give &s;trength and time. Tho&s;e that believe, and have this great Priviledge which is the foundation of all others, to have the law <HI>perfectly</HI> fulfilled for them in Chri&s;t, they are here de&s;cribed to be &s;uch as <HI>walk not according to the fle&s;h, but according to the Spirit.</HI> So in the third place take this Doctrine or Le&s;&s;on;</P>
<Q>Doct. 3. <HI>That they, and they onely that walk not according to the fle&s;h, but according to the Spi|rit, are partakers of this Priviledge, to have the benefit of the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t to ful|fill the law of God for them.</HI></Q>
<P>I &s;ay <HI>they,</HI> and <HI>they onely</HI> have it, for it excludes all other. The Scripture doth not onely &s;et it down po&s;itively, as it &s;aith, <HI>Go, baptize all nations</HI>
<PB N="51" REF="31"> <HI>in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Gho&s;t;</HI> therefore we may conclude thence that we may baptize tho&s;e that are <HI>di&s;ciples:</HI> but from that place to gather this Doctrine, That <HI>they,</HI> and <HI>they onely</HI> are to be baptized, cannot be right; but here I &s;ay, it is <HI>they,</HI> and <HI>they onely.</HI> Why &s;o? becau&s;e we &s;ee after, <HI>tho&s;e that walk ac|cording to the fle&s;h &s;hall die,</HI> the <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law</HI> is not fulfilled for them, for then they &s;hould never die, nor be damned: they that <HI>walk after the Spirit,</HI> and <HI>they onely</HI> have this Priviledge. Now the main bu&s;ine&s;s that I &s;hall endeavour at this time, will be onely to open to you the&s;e two words.</P>
<P>What i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> is to <HI>walk.</HI></P>
<P>And what is meant by <HI>fle&s;h,</HI> and what by <HI>Spirit.</HI></P>
<P>For if we under&s;tand what it is to <HI>walk ac|cording to the fle&s;h,</HI> we &s;hall ea&s;ily under&s;tand what it is to <HI>walk according to the Spirit.</HI></P>
<P>Concerning the former word, to <HI>walk,</HI> I &s;hall &s;ay but little, becau&s;e you under&s;tand it. To <HI>walk</HI> is a general word in this place, it is of a great extent, and comprehends a mans whole cour&s;e, and way, and practice. A man who goes, or conver&s;eth, who&s;e cour&s;e and way is according to the <HI>fle&s;h,</HI> (what&s;oever that fle&s;h is, as we &s;hall &s;ee afterwards) &s;uch a man <HI>walks.</HI> Therefore it is oft &s;et down in Scripture by &s;everal expre&s;&s;i|ons; <HI>They that are after the law,</HI> and <HI>they of the conci&s;ion,</HI> &amp;c. Put what words you will &s;o they
<PB N="52" REF="32"> be general enough, they who&s;e thoughts, and words, and cour&s;es are that way, they are they that are &s;aid to <HI>walk.</HI> There are three words in the Original for <HI>walking,</HI> and of tho&s;e three, the word here is of the <HI>large&s;t extent.</HI> To <HI>walk ac|cording to the fle&s;h,</HI> what is the meaning of that? I &s;hall be a little larger in opening of this, I will not trouble you with the various acceptations of the word <HI>fle&s;h.</HI> You know there is a literal &s;en&s;e of it, and by a <HI>Synecdoche</HI> it is put for the whole per&s;on, <HI>Soul</HI> and <HI>Body,</HI> and there is a <HI>Metonymi|call</HI> acceptatoin of <HI>fle&s;h, I will give them a heart of fle&s;h;</HI> it is called <HI>fle&s;h</HI> for &s;oftne&s;s: and there is a <HI>Metaphorical</HI> acceptation of <HI>fle&s;h,</HI> a borrow|ed kinde of &s;peech; and &s;o it is to be under&s;tood in this place. Now to open this to you, I &s;hall &s;hew you,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t, in <HI>general</HI>
<LIST>
<ITEM>what is meant by <HI>fle&s;h.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, <HI>particularly</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>By <HI>fle&s;h</HI> therefore in general, you are to un|der&s;tand in this place and the like, <HI>every thing,</HI> let it be what it will be, that is <HI>again&s;t Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> or his <HI>Spirit,</HI> or his <HI>Wor&s;hip,</HI> or any thing el&s;e that belongs to it, any thing that is not of faith, or of Chri&s;t, is it <HI>fle&s;h</HI> in general. Let me &s;peak more plainly, Any thing that is of <HI>Old Adam</HI> is fle&s;h, whether it be good or evil, and any thing that is of and from the <HI>New Adam,</HI> that is <HI>Spi|rit.</HI> Now you know we receive two things from <HI>Old Adam;</HI> &s;ome natural, moral <HI>good,</HI> &s;ome re|liques
<PB N="53" REF="32"> of that that he had the fulne&s;s of; and we receive <HI>evil,</HI> when he was corrupted. Now both the&s;e, take them in the large&s;t extent, they are both called <HI>fle&s;h</HI> in Scripture, what&s;oever is of, or comes from <HI>Old Adam,</HI> is called fle&s;h, therefore fle&s;h in many places in the New Te&s;tament it is the very &s;ame with the <HI>old man,</HI> and you have them taken promi&s;cuou&s;ly, <HI>Our old man is cruci|fied,</HI> Rom. 6. And in another place, <HI>Tho&s;e that are Chri&s;ts have crucified the fle&s;h,</HI> not onely the corruption or evil, that <HI>Original &s;in</HI> (as we &s;ay) that is <HI>within us,</HI> but what&s;oever of the image of the old man is <HI>upon us;</HI> what&s;oever we have had, whether it be good or evil, from the <HI>old man.</HI> And indeed in the New Te&s;tament it is more fre|quently taken for the moral good of <HI>Old Adam,</HI> then the evil, though it be taken for both yet I &s;ay mo&s;t frequently the good of <HI>Old Adam,</HI> e|&s;pecially the wi&s;dom of <HI>Old Adam; The wi&s;dom of the fle&s;h is enmity to God,</HI> Rom. 8. as in the <HI>New Adam</HI> the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the <HI>wi&s;dom</HI> of the holy Gho&s;t is a mo&s;t excellent piece, &s;o the wi&s;dome of <HI>Old Adam</HI> is the unhappie&s;t, and mo&s;t mi&s;erable thing of all.</P>
<P>That you may under&s;tand this, you mu&s;t con|ceive that all the principles of this world, I mean of all Mankinde, all their motions and actions do wholly &s;pring and flow from two roots, two principles; as the Heathen Philo&s;ophers &s;aid in another &s;en&s;e, they held that all this world did
<PB N="54" REF="33"> ri&s;e from <HI>two Beginnings,</HI> from <HI>two Beings,</HI> from <HI>two Principles;</HI> there was one good and another evil, that &s;et all things on work: &s;o all things in every man in this world, the principles, and motions, and actions, and thoughts, and inclina|tions, and wi&s;dome, and rea&s;oning, and doing, what&s;oever is within or without man, &s;prings from one of the&s;e two roots; that is, it is either from <HI>Old Adam,</HI> (<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> mean not nature in you but) it flows from <HI>Adam</HI> that was once in Paradi&s;e, or el&s;e from the <HI>New Adam</HI> Chri&s;t Je&s;us: for there were but two men that ever in the world were publick per&s;ons, that were the Fountain of the principles and proceedings of Mankinde; <HI>Adam</HI> in Paradi&s;e, natural <HI>Adam,</HI> and the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the Spiritual <HI>Adam.</HI> All Mankinde was made after the Image of the fir&s;t <HI>Adam: We have born the image of the earthly Adam,</HI> 1 Cor. 15. and indeed all the Saints &s;hall bear the image of the heavenly <HI>Adam</HI> too, hereafter at the lea&s;t.</P>
<P>Now both the&s;e <HI>Adams</HI> are as two Springs in a hill, conveying their &s;treams to two rivers; they are &s;prings from whence ari&s;e all the thoughts, and imaginations, and actions, and proceedings, all the wi&s;dome and righteou&s;ne&s;s, what&s;oever is in us, it &s;prings either from the <HI>&s;econd Adam,</HI> the Lord Je&s;us planted in the Soul, or el&s;e it flows from <HI>Old Adam,</HI> from natural <HI>Adam</HI> that is in us: therefore they are called
<PB N="55" REF="33"> the roots; the Lord Je&s;us is called <HI>the root of Je&s;&s;e.</HI> Why &s;o? becau&s;e all the new Creation, all the work of grace, all the principles, &amp; thoughts and actions of a Saint, &s;o far as they are of grace, they ri&s;e from the <HI>New Adam</HI> the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Therefore, I &s;ay, to under&s;tand this a little in general, before I go further. A man that <HI>walks according to the fle&s;h,</HI> who is he? A man that walks according to any thing of <HI>Old Adam,</HI> whether it be good or evil. And u&s;ually in the New Te&s;tament it is taken for the good, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. there <HI>fle&s;h</HI> is taken for the <HI>good</HI> of <HI>Old Adam,</HI> when a man walks according to the wi&s;|dome of <HI>Adam,</HI> according to natural wi&s;dome, and according to the righteou&s;ne&s;s of <HI>Old A|dam</HI> that is done by us; or when we walk ac|cording to the &s;ins, and lu&s;ts, and corruptions of <HI>Adam;</HI> for both are put together, and all makes but fle&s;h, and whole fle&s;h &s;trives again&s;t whole Spirit. Now I &s;ay, take it in a general &s;en&s;e, to <HI>walk after the fle&s;h,</HI> is not onely to walk &s;infully, and carnally, but when a man walks, though devoutly and righteou&s;ly in the eye of the world, yet if it be after the principles of <HI>Old Adam,</HI> if he do not walk by a principle planted in him from the <HI>New Adam,</HI> the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, all this is but fle&s;h.</P>
<P>Now then for a man to <HI>walk according to the Spirit;</HI> What is that? All his principles &s;pring from the root of <HI>Je&s;&s;e,</HI> from the Spirit of the
<PB N="56" REF="34"> Lord Je&s;us; all his actions are upon another ground. Now, I &s;ay, all the principles and acti|ons of every man and woman in the world, &s;prings from one of the&s;e: therefore it is con|venient and nece&s;&s;ary that you con&s;ider how the two <HI>Adams</HI> are the two Springs of all Mankinde, the two pillars (as it were) upon which God hath laid all Mankinde, and all that is done in the world, and tho&s;e that walk after the one, walk after the fle&s;h, and tho&s;e that are after the other walk after the Spirit. So much in gene|rall.</P>
<P>Now more particularly, by <HI>walking after the fle&s;h,</HI> in this place, there are three things meant.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t thing meant by <HI>walking after the fle&s;h,</HI> according as mo&s;t of our godly and learned tran&s;late it, is when a man walks according to the dictates and &s;ugge&s;tions of corrupt nature. So fle&s;h is taken for Original &s;in, that is, that corruption of nature that is prone to every evil, and that is an enemy to all good. So a man that <HI>walks according to the fle&s;h,</HI> is when the cour&s;e and bent of a mans &s;oul and life goes after &s;in, though he do &s;ome good &s;ometimes, yet when his cour&s;e is that way, that is, his continuedne&s;s and contentedne&s;s is after &s;in, this is to <HI>walk after the fle&s;h.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, when it is his <HI>continued</HI> cour&s;e: for <HI>walk|ing</HI> is not a &s;tep, or a leap, or a &s;tride, but walk|ing is a thing of <HI>many paces.</HI> So it is called <HI>a go|ing</HI>
<PB N="57" REF="34"> <HI>from iniquity to iniquity,</HI> Rom. 6.</P>
<P>And then there is in walking <HI>contentedne&s;s,</HI> and <HI>&s;weetne&s;s:</HI> a man is not &s;aid to walk when he is tired, or when he goes in danger, but walking it plea&s;ant to all, young and old. So when he &s;aith they that <HI>walk according to the fle&s;h,</HI> that is, not onely when men are overtaken by lu&s;ts and &s;in, but people that in their ordinary cour&s;e go with a great deal of contentment in evil wayes.</P>
<P>But, though this be true, that this is compre|hended in <HI>walking after the fle&s;h,</HI> yet this is very lame, and &s;hort, of the full and whole meaning of this place. I &s;ay it is not the main nor chief meaning of this place, it is not primarily, not principally meant: this is a truth, and it will follow as a nece&s;&s;ary con&s;equence, as I &s;hall &s;hew anon, and I doubt not but the Apo&s;tle means it, when he &s;aith, <HI>We walk not according to the fle&s;h,</HI> becau&s;e in <HI>Rom.</HI> 6. he takes a great deal of pains in that point; but I think this is not the chief meaning. My Rea&s;ons are the&s;e.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, becau&s;e I finde that the very &s;cope of this learned Epi&s;tle is <HI>different,</HI> if not almo&s;t <HI>con|trary</HI> to this, his &s;cope is not to quarrel with them for want of doing good works, and for walking in &s;inful works, but the &s;cope of it is, to beat them off from their own works, and to bring them to Chri&s;t, and therefore he &s;aith, <HI>A|braham was ju&s;tified without works;</HI> he all along di&s;parageth their works as they did them. There|fore
<PB N="58" REF="35"> I think he doth not go &s;o far from his text, or from his &s;cope, as to make this the main bu|&s;ine&s;s, their &s;anctification or holine&s;s, the not walking in evil, or the walking in good works.</P>
<P>Secondly, this cannot be the chief &s;cope of the place; becau&s;e if you take the&s;e words, <HI>They that walk after the fle&s;h,</HI> in this &s;en&s;e, that is, tho&s;e that follow &s;inful cour&s;es, if you take them &s;o, that none but &s;uch as walk <HI>holily</HI> have a right to Je&s;us Chri&s;t and his righteou&s;ne&s;s: Or if you take them in this &s;en&s;e, that they onely that walk in a holy life can come to know that they have the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t fulfilling the law for them, neither of the&s;e can hold.</P>
<P N="1">1. For the fir&s;t, that <HI>no</HI> man can have to do with Chri&s;t or his righteou&s;ne&s;s, but that man that <HI>walks according to the Spirit,</HI> that walks in a holy way, and not in &s;inful cour&s;es, this is con|trary to the &s;tream of the Go&s;pel. Why? Be|cau&s;e the Go&s;pel all along offers Chri&s;t to <HI>&s;in|ners,</HI> to the <HI>chief of &s;inners,</HI> to <HI>aliens,</HI> and to the <HI>ungodly.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Then again if this were &s;o, &s;anctification &s;hould be before ju&s;tification, a man mu&s;t be <HI>holy</HI> before he &s;hould be <HI>ju&s;tified.</HI></P>
<P>As for the latter &s;en&s;e, to wit, that the Apo|&s;tle &s;hould mean this, that no man can know any other way that the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t did belong to him, but onely by not walking after the fle&s;h, or by walking after the Spirit; this
<PB N="59" REF="35"> cannot be neither: for however we may know a little in a way of &s;en&s;e by our walking, yet the main way to know our ju&s;tification, is the &s;ame way that we come by ju&s;tification; for, <HI>Faith is the evidence of things not &s;een.</HI> The main evidence whereby I know I am ju&s;tified, is becau&s;e the <HI>word of faith</HI> &s;aith &s;o, the <HI>word</HI> tells me, and <HI>faith</HI> evidenceth it: that faith that I believe by, it &s;hews me that I believe. Therefore though I be incon|&s;tant in my way of grace, that to &s;en&s;e &s;hews me a little, yet it doth not &s;olely, and chiefly, and pri|marily. So that this is the &s;ub&s;tance of it, that that <HI>&s;en&s;e</HI> which godly reverend men give of this place, it is <HI>true,</HI> but it is not <HI>all,</HI> nor the fir&s;t, and the chief part of the meaning of it.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>fle&s;h</HI> in the Scriptures, and &s;o here and in divers other places, it may be under&s;tood concerning the <HI>Priviledges,</HI> tho&s;e various <HI>Prero|gatives</HI> and <HI>Priviledges</HI> that the people of God, the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> had in a natural, fle&s;hly way, from generation to generation. Being born of &s;uch Parents, of &s;uch <HI>Tribes,</HI> they had &s;uch privi|ledges belonging to them, they had the <HI>Oracles, and the Covenants, and the Tables,</HI> &amp;c. and this is called <HI>fle&s;h:</HI> and I doubt not but the Apo&s;tle had this in his eye. Saith he, <HI>The righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law is fulfilled in us that walk not after the fle&s;h:</HI> As if he had &s;aid, Do not think becau&s;e you are of the <HI>&s;eed of Abraham,</HI> or becau&s;e you have the <HI>Covenants,</HI> and <HI>Circumci&s;ion,</HI> and that you are
<PB N="60" REF="36"> born of &s;uch Parents, that therefore you &s;hall the &s;ooner have this priviledge to have the <HI>law fulfilled,</HI> take heed of that, for now it &s;prings from another root, and it comes now in a Spi|ritual, and not in a fle&s;hly way as it did before: for they had their mercies generally in the Old Te&s;tament according to the <HI>fle&s;h,</HI> that is, by ge|neration, <HI>I&s;aac</HI> as he was <HI>Abrahams</HI> Son, and <HI>Jacob</HI> his Son, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> but now it is in a <HI>&s;piritual</HI> way.</P>
<P>Now that fle&s;h is &s;o taken in Scripture, I will give you that one place, in <HI>Phil.</HI> 3. 4. <HI>Though I might al&s;o have confidence in the fle&s;h,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Paul, If any man thinketh that he hath whereof he might tru&s;t in the fle&s;h, I more.</HI> What doth he mean by fle&s;h here? He tells you, <HI>Circumci&s;ed the eighth day, of the &s;tock of I&s;rael, of the Tribe of Benja|min, an Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law a Phari&s;ee; concerning zeal, per&s;ecuting the Church; touching the righteou&s;ne&s;s which is in the law, blamele&s;s.</HI> As if he had &s;aid, I had all the priviledges, if any man might boa&s;t in the fle&s;h, I might, I am <HI>an Hebrew of the Hebrews,</HI> a Gen|tleman of the be&s;t de&s;cent, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> So in 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11. 18. <HI>Seeing that many glory after the fle&s;h, I will glory al&s;o, ye &s;uffer fools gladly. Wherein any is bold, I am bold al&s;o. Are they Hebrews? &s;o am I. Are they I&s;raelites? &s;o am I. Are they the &s;eed of Abraham? &s;o am I.</HI> They had priviledges being <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> more then other people, and this is cal|led fle&s;h. So I am confident that the Apo&s;tle had
<PB N="61" REF="36"> this in his eye, in a &s;pecial manner, when he &s;aith, <HI>They that walk not according to the fle&s;h.</HI> And you &s;hall finde that they attributed all priviledges to them becau&s;e they were <HI>I&s;raelites:</HI> as you &s;ee in <HI>Mat.</HI> 3. &s;ay they, <HI>We are the children of Abraham;</HI> Saith <HI>John Bapti&s;t, Ye are a generation of Vipers.</HI> And &s;o in <HI>Joh.</HI> 8. &s;ay they, <HI>We are free men, we are the &s;ons of Abraham,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>Ye are of your father the Devil.</HI> See, the Go&s;pel takes away that fle&s;hline&s;s, and puts all in another &s;tream, and cour&s;e, and way. The Apo&s;tle aims at that here, when he &s;aith, <HI>Tho&s;e that walk not according to the fle&s;h.</HI> As if he had &s;aid, You &s;hall never have this righteou&s;ne&s;s to &s;atisfie the law the &s;ooner becau&s;e you are the Sons of <HI>Abraham,</HI> no more then if you were <HI>Scythians</HI> or <HI>Barbarians.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, and la&s;tly, the main and chief mean|ing of this place is this, though the other be in|cluded, when the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>Tho&s;e that walk not according to the fle&s;h, but according to the Spi|rit.</HI> By fle&s;h, here the Apo&s;tle means walking according to the <HI>old Covenant,</HI> according to the Covenant of Works in the way of the law: and by Spirit, is meant walking in the way of <HI>faith,</HI> or in the way of the Go&s;pel, or in the way of Chri&s;t. There be divers expre&s;&s;ions in Scripture that help us to under&s;tand it, as <HI>Rom.</HI> 4. 14. it is called, <HI>They that are of the law,</HI> that is, tho&s;e that walk according to the law. In <HI>Gal.</HI> 3. there are two or three phra&s;es, <HI>Received ye the Spirit</HI>
<PB N="62" REF="37"> <HI>by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?</HI> The walking according to the Spirit is <HI>the hearing of faith;</HI> and it is twice there, <HI>they that are of faith, they that are of faith.</HI> To <HI>be of faith,</HI> and to <HI>walk according to the Spirit,</HI> is the &s;ame; to be of the law, or of circumci&s;ion, is to walk accord|ing to the fle&s;h. In <HI>Rom.</HI> 10. 5. <HI>The righteou&s;ne&s;s which is of the law &s;aith on this wi&s;e.</HI> The <HI>righte|ou&s;ne&s;s</HI> of the law, that is, the <HI>way</HI> of the law: that Scripture &s;ets out the way of tho&s;e that walk according to the <HI>Covenant of Works;</HI> now the way of the law is the &s;ame as <HI>walking after the fle&s;h:</HI> and faith he, <HI>The righteou&s;ne&s;s of faith &s;aith on this wi&s;e;</HI> that is, the grace of the Go|&s;pel, or the way of faith. So the meaning is this, we hear of a glorious priviledge that the <HI>righte|ou&s;ne&s;s of the law is fulfilled in us,</HI> and there is no man in the world can get it by his own works, or in reference to the Covenant of works, no not <HI>Abraham</HI> him&s;elf, but it is meerly by Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Therefore if any of you think to have this <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s fulfilled in him,</HI> and go in the old way, to <HI>Mount Sinai,</HI> to the <HI>Covenant of Works,</HI> he is deceived, he &s;hall never have it, but by <HI>walking according to the Spirit:</HI> no man can enjoy this priviledge by a Covenant of works, by their own doing, by &s;eeking to fulfil the law of God by their own righteou&s;ne&s;s, but they <HI>that walk after the Spirit:</HI> as if he had &s;aid, Do not mi&s;take me, it is a great priviledge to have the
<PB N="63" REF="37"> law fulfilled for you, but it is not by your own &s;trictne&s;s and zeal: and though &s;ome of you go further then others, yet none of you can attain the fulfilling of the law that way; for <HI>all are come &s;hort,</HI> Rom. 3. But it is tho&s;e that walk after the Spirit, that is, tho&s;e that &s;eek it in a way of faith in another, not in them&s;elves, tho&s;e that &s;eek it according to the principles and directions of the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>Now, becau&s;e I know this Expo&s;itions is har&s;h to many of you, (though I exclude not the o|ther) therefore I &s;hall endeavour to &s;hew you three things.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, I will prove clearly out of the Scri|ptures that this is the meaning.</P>
<P>Secondly, I will give you a Rea&s;on why that is the chief meaning.</P>
<P>Thirdly, I &s;hall give you a few Rea&s;ons why the Apo&s;tle &s;aith that they that walk according to the Covenant of works, walk according to the fle&s;h, and they that go according to the way of faith, walk according to the Spirit.</P>
<P>Concerning the fir&s;t, that fle&s;h is often taken clearly in this &s;en&s;e, I will give you &s;ome places of Scripture: <HI>Gal.</HI> 3. 3. <HI>This I would learn of you, Received you the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye &s;o fooli&s;h, that having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect in the Fle&s;h?</HI> We &s;ee in <HI>Chap.</HI> 1. they are called to the grace of Chri&s;t through the Go&s;pel,
<PB N="64" REF="38"> <HI>Go&s;pel principles</HI> were rightly and &s;avingly pra|cti&s;ed among them, and after there came &s;ome among them that perverted them; and &s;aith he, <HI>Are ye &s;o fooli&s;h, that having begun in the Spirit,</HI> and have had <HI>Chri&s;t crucified among you,</HI> that <HI>now you will be made perfect by the fle&s;h?</HI> that now you will go and &s;eek ju&s;tification by your <HI>own works,</HI> and go about to keep the law, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Another place is in <HI>Phil.</HI> 3. 4. <HI>Though I might al&s;o have confidence in the fle&s;h,</HI> and then he &s;peaks of the priviledges of an <HI>I&s;raelite:</HI> and if you look further, <HI>ver.</HI> 7. <HI>I count all the&s;e lo&s;s that I may win Chri&s;t, and be found in him, not having mine own righteou&s;ne&s;s which is of the law, but that which is of the faith of Chri&s;t.</HI> So by the fle&s;h he means <HI>the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law,</HI> which he throws away for the <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s which is of faith.</HI></P>
<P>Take another place, <HI>Rom.</HI> 10. 5. compared with <HI>Rom.</HI> 6. 14. &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Sin &s;hall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace.</HI> When you were under the law, and walked after the fle&s;h, &s;in had dominion over you, and you obeyed it. Here is a parallel place: for &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>When you were in the fle&s;h, the motions of &s;in by the law did work in your members.</HI> When you were in the fle&s;h, that is, when you were <HI>under the law,</HI> then the <HI>motions of &s;in did work:</HI> but now <HI>&s;in &s;hall not have dominion over you, becau&s;e you are not under the law;</HI> you are
<PB N="65" REF="38"> not in the fle&s;h, you do not walk according to the fle&s;h. And that I &s;uppo&s;e is the meaning of that Scripture, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2. 10. <HI>The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly, and to re&s;erve the wicked to be puni&s;hed; but chiefly tho&s;e that walk after the fle&s;h, in the lu&s;ts of uncleanne&s;s.</HI> Now if you take walking after the fle&s;h for &s;inful wayes, it would be the &s;ame as if he had &s;aid, There are divers people that walk wickedly, but chiefly they that walk after the fle&s;h; for all people naturally walk after the fle&s;h: but the&s;e were a peculiar people that the Lord would bring judgements on; and they walked according to the fle&s;h. Who were they? They were mo&s;t of them <HI>Jews,</HI> they were <HI>Adams</HI> &s;ons, that walked in the old Cove|venant, chiefly they that walk according to the fle&s;h; that is the meaning of it, or el&s;e he would not have &s;aid <HI>according</HI> to the fle&s;h: for every man naturally walks according to the fle&s;h.</P>
<P>So in this Text, <HI>Who walk not according to the fle&s;h, but according to the Spirit;</HI> and in <HI>ver.</HI> 8. of this Chapter, <HI>They that are in the fle&s;h cannot plea&s;e God.</HI> Now I &s;hall open that by another Scripture, <HI>Heb.</HI> 11. 5. where it &s;aid that <HI>Enoch plea&s;ed God.</HI> We reade of <HI>Enoch,</HI> Gen. 5. 24. that he <HI>walked with God;</HI> he walked not according to the fle&s;h: now &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Without faith it is impo&s;&s;ible to plea&s;e God;</HI> now he that walks in the fle&s;h <HI>cannot plea&s;e God.</HI> Why &s;o? He that goes not in the way of faith by Je&s;us
<PB N="66" REF="39"> Chri&s;t, he cannot plea&s;e God. By <HI>believing</HI> I plea&s;e God, by walking in the obedience of faith to God, I and my works plea&s;e God. Now to plea&s;e, implies one was offended before: all my <HI>doing</HI> cannot plea&s;e God, but my <HI>believing,</HI> pre|&s;enting to God a perfect righteou&s;ne&s;s by faith, plea&s;eth God, and then all my works are accept|ed. There are two words for it in the Original; one &s;ignifies to plea&s;e one that hath been offend|ed; another is, <HI>plea&s;ingne&s;s</HI> with one that hath <HI>not</HI> offended: as my childe plea&s;eth me though he have not offended me; but the other is to be plea&s;ed with one that was an Enemy before, one that was again&s;t me, that is now received to fa|vour. So I have told you briefly &s;ome Scriptures to &s;hew you that the fle&s;h is taken in this &s;en&s;e.</P>
<P>Now the main Rea&s;on of it, why I believe this to be the <HI>chief</HI> meaning of it, is becau&s;e that I &s;ee clearly that this is the chief drift and &s;cope of this Epi&s;tle, and if I may &s;peak without di&s;pa|ragement, there is nothing more methodically laid down; and this is &s;poken to bring them from the <HI>way of works</HI> to the <HI>way of faith.</HI> But I ha&s;ten.</P>
<P>Why doth the holy Gho&s;t call walking after the Covenant of Works, and after the law, walk|ing after the fle&s;h, and the other walking after the Spirit?</P>
<P>The Rea&s;on is, Becau&s;e there is &s;o great affini|ty and nearne&s;s between walking <HI>legally,</HI> and
<PB N="67" REF="39"> walking <HI>&s;infully,</HI> that they are promi&s;cuou&s;ly in Scripture taken one for another. For let a man walk, and endeavour, and do his be&s;t, according to the Law, and not by the Go&s;pel, he &s;hall be &s;ure to walk &s;infully and carnally; there is no help for it. If he be <HI>under the law,</HI> &s;in will have dominion over him: and if he go after the fle&s;h, the motions of the fle&s;h will bring forth <HI>fruit unto death.</HI> Sin and the law are (as it were) of &s;o near a kin, that the law makes &s;in more &s;inful, and the more a man &s;trives to keep the law, the more he &s;ins. The Apo&s;tle brought it &s;o near, that people were ready to &s;peak non-&s;en&s;e, that the law was &s;in. He prevents the objection, <HI>Is the law &s;in?</HI> O no, faith he, <HI>&s;in is the tran&s;gre&s;|&s;ion of the law.</HI> So that a man that walks accord|ing to the law, and not according to the way of the Go&s;pel, in &s;pight of his heart he &s;hall walk according to the fle&s;h, that is, according to the lu&s;ts of nature, he can never walk holily, let him do what he can.</P>
<P>A &s;econd Rea&s;on why it is called fle&s;h, is in al|lu&s;ion to the two Sons of <HI>Abraham;</HI> as we &s;ee in <HI>Gal.</HI> 4. 21. The Apo&s;tle there, &s;peaking of the&s;e two Covenants, he &s;aith, <HI>Abraham had two &s;ons, the one by a bond-maid, the other by a free woman: but he who was of the bond-woman was born after the fle&s;h, but he of the free woman was by promi&s;e, which things are an allegory</HI> (or a compari&s;on) <HI>for the&s;e are the two Covenants, the one from mount</HI>
<PB N="68" REF="40"> <HI>Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar, for this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and an|&s;wereth to Jeru&s;alem which now is, and is in bon|dage with her children: but Jeru&s;alem which is a|bove is free, which is the mother of us all.</HI> He is proving that the old Covenant was to be done away, <HI>Agar</HI> was to be thrown out with her chil|dren. He proves that tho&s;e two Sons of <HI>Abra|ham, I&s;hmael</HI> and <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> were types of the two Covenants that God made with mankinde, the <HI>Covenant of Works,</HI> and the <HI>Covenant of Grace.</HI> Now the Covenant of Works he compares to <HI>I&s;hmael,</HI> that was born after the fle&s;h, as other children were, <HI>Abraham</HI> went in to <HI>Hagar,</HI> and &s;he conceived, and bare a childe as other wo|men: but <HI>I&s;aac</HI> was not born after the fle&s;h, all fle&s;hly wayes could not produce <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> he was a childe of <HI>Promi&s;e,</HI> and the Spirit of God breath|ing in the promi&s;e, and working mightily in <HI>A|braham</HI> and <HI>Sarah, I&s;aac</HI> was produced. This is an Allegory, there is a great My&s;terie that you think not of, when you reade of <HI>I&s;hmael</HI> and <HI>I&s;aac.</HI> By <HI>I&s;hmael</HI> is meant the Covenant of Works, and the principles of it, and the practi|tioners of it, and they walk according to the fle&s;h, as <HI>I&s;hmael</HI> did: and by <HI>I&s;aac</HI> is meant the Covenant of Grace; and tho&s;e that go that way are children of the promi&s;e, as <HI>I&s;aac</HI> was. So God hath &s;et this Compari&s;on, and I conceive the Apo&s;tle alludes to it, and calls it a <HI>walking</HI>
<PB N="69" REF="40"> <HI>according to the fle&s;h.</HI> As if he had &s;aid, Thou &s;halt never have this righteou&s;ne&s;s by walking in the way of thy father <HI>I&s;hmael,</HI> by Mount <HI>Sinai</HI> in <HI>Arabia,</HI> by walking in the law to turn away the wrath of God; but if thou wilt get this righteou&s;ne&s;s, thou mu&s;t walk according to the Spirit, thou mu&s;t get the Spirit, and be a childe of promi&s;e.</P>
<P>The third and la&s;t Rea&s;on that I &s;hall give, why it is called <HI>walking according to the Fle&s;h,</HI> is becau&s;e of weakne&s;s: for fle&s;h is put for weak|ne&s;s, as the Scripture &s;aith, <HI>They are Fle&s;h, and not Spirit,</HI> that is, they are poor weak things: &s;o, tho&s;e that walk in that way, in the way of the law, they are weak creatures; there is nothing but wi&s;hing, and woulding, and covenanting, and promi&s;ing, and prote&s;ting, and vexing, and fret|ting, but there is no &s;trength. Now one Saint that is truly planted in Chri&s;t, and the Go&s;pel hath truly taken place in his heart, he hath more &s;trength then five hundred of the other. Saith <HI>Paul, I can do all things,</HI> I can want, and I can abound, I can go to pri&s;on freely, I can <HI>rejoyce with them that rejoyce, and mourn with them that mourn.</HI> Becau&s;e the &s;ame Spirit that dwells in Chri&s;t, and works effectually, the &s;ame Spirit dwells in us, and works in us. Therefore that is the meaning of it, They that <HI>walk</HI> after the fle&s;h, that is, they that go after the law, they are weak, they tug, and are never the nearer Heaven; and
<PB N="70" REF="41"> if they &s;hould live a thou&s;and years they would be no better, but wi&s;hers, and woulders, and &s;ay I have a good de&s;ire to do as the Preacher &s;aith, but I have no power.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> Let me conclude with one word of U&s;e, from all this that hath been &s;aid, which I hope you will con&s;ider of. From this Doctrine thus opened, you may hence &s;ee the &s;aying of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t verified, and made good, that <HI>few &s;hall enter into the kingdome of Heaven.</HI> Doubt|le&s;s <HI>Paul</HI> did not look on &s;inners and Saints as we do: we account every Profe&s;&s;or, let his principles be what they will, either from the fir&s;t or &s;econd <HI>Adam;</HI> if he begin to leave &s;in, and to perform duties, we account him a good man. But when the Lord comes to judge, he will look further, and examine us, and will (I fear) finde abundance that &s;hall never enter into the king|dome of Heaven, even of tho&s;e that follow <HI>good old Adam,</HI> I mean there are abundance of Pro|fe&s;&s;ors, that have left corrupt <HI>Adam</HI> in his gro&s;s|ne&s;s, and follow good old <HI>Adam</HI> that is a &s;prig from that; they will ab&s;tain from &s;ins, and they will perform duties, and they will do no wrong, and all is but <HI>old Adam</HI> &s;till.</P>
<P>Therefore you that are Profe&s;&s;ors, look to your &s;elves for the Lords &s;ake, I am mi&s;taken if there be not many hundreds of us that will be found the Sons of <HI>I&s;hmael</HI> at the la&s;t day; many that make a great Profe&s;&s;ion, and many that
<PB N="17" REF="41"> make a greater Profe&s;&s;ion then others, that are hone&s;t &s;piritual Saints before the world, before men: for when a man goes to keep the law, every light that comes into his &s;oul intends his re&s;olution, every thing intends it in that cour&s;e he is in; and he may go to the highe&s;t, and be the greate&s;t Profe&s;&s;or, and be ready for all du|ties, and yet be found a &s;tranger to Je&s;us Chri&s;t: therefore look to your &s;elves.</P>
<P>I remember Mr. <HI>Bolton</HI> that ble&s;&s;ed man, he divides the World for the <HI>fewne&s;s</HI> of them that &s;hall be &s;aved; &s;aith he, the greate&s;t part of the World, two, or three parts of it are mo&s;t intire <HI>Heathens:</HI> In <HI>Europe</HI> here we have the mo&s;t part <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> and but a few that are <HI>Prote&s;tants;</HI> and among tho&s;e parts there are few that <HI>profe&s;s</HI> Re|ligion; and among tho&s;e that profe&s;s Religion, there are very few that do it in truth: as ano|ther godly man &s;aith; take a multitude of Pro|fe&s;&s;ors, that have been bred under the law, that have been bred on <HI>Mount Sinai,</HI> take a Congre|gation of &s;uch Profe&s;&s;ors (as there be many &s;uch in <HI>England)</HI> and let the Go&s;pel come and be Preached rightly among them, to tran&s;late them, let a Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel come and &s;ay there is <HI>no damnation to them that are in Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> and you are <HI>ju&s;tified freely,</HI> and Chri&s;t hath <HI>ful|filled the law,</HI> and all is clear; whereas before there were fears le&s;t they were not righteous, and they did work hard, now let a man labour
<PB N="72" REF="42"> to draw them to the Go&s;pel, and to plant Chri&s;t and the principles of Chri&s;t in their hearts, and I fear that there is not one in ten but will mi&s;|carry in the <HI>removing,</HI> as you finde it often with your Trees when you remove and tran&s;plant them. I &s;ay abundance of tho&s;e Profe&s;&s;ors will come to nothing; for when the fear of Hell and damnation is gone from their Con&s;cience, when the Whip is gone, they will <HI>turn the grace of God into wantonne&s;s.</HI> Nay, &s;ome will turn down-right enemies, and per&s;ecutors of the Go&s;pel, as the Phari&s;ees; and of tho&s;e that would come in, in all probability, in removing and tran&s;lating them from the law to the Go&s;pel, there is not one in ten but would <HI>turn the grace of God into wanton|ne&s;s,</HI> and there goes all their Religion. The way to Heaven is <HI>narrow,</HI> our Lord Chri&s;t &s;aith, and I think it will be found far more narrow then we conceive of it.</P>
<P>Therefore as another godly man &s;aith, we are exceedingly mi&s;taken in judging of Profe&s;|&s;ors, we look upon them, and tho&s;e that begin to amend from their &s;ins, we call them <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors.</HI> But this is the true way of judging, that there are but <HI>two Roots</HI> in the world, the <HI>Old Adam,</HI> and the <HI>New Adam;</HI> there are but <HI>two Cove|nants, Sinai,</HI> and <HI>Jeru&s;alem;</HI> there are but <HI>two</HI> wayes of walking, After the fle&s;h, and after the Spirit, after the Law, and after the Go&s;pel. Now I judge him to be a Saint, and a Believer, and
<PB N="73" REF="42"> God calls and owns him as a Saint, though he be weak, and be not &s;o glorious in the eye of the world, as many formal Profe&s;&s;ors, yet if I &s;ee any principles of the Go&s;pel in him, if there be a little of Chri&s;t in him in power, though it be but in a little mea&s;ure, and he can pray but a little, and he cannot keep Fa&s;ting dayes, and dayes of Humiliation &s;o plau&s;ibly (as many that make a trade of it in this City) yet if that prayer, and repeating, and reading, and hearing, or preaching, or what&s;oever it be, if it flow from the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as a natural man knows natural things, &s;o one Saint knows another, the <HI>Spirit of God knows the things of God.</HI></P>
<P>It is true, we all of us have a great deal of fle&s;h, and there is &s;omewhat of <HI>good old Adam,</HI> as well as of <HI>corrupted Adam;</HI> but &s;urely we ought not to conceive him to be a Saint, let him be never &s;o glorious in the eye of the world, and in the performance of duties, if there be not &s;omewhat of Chri&s;t in him. You may &s;ee a poor de&s;picable creature, and &s;ee a great deal of Chri&s;t in him; and on the other &s;ide, you may &s;ee great Profe&s;&s;ors that are <HI>Ringleaders</HI> of others, and yet there is not one jot of Chri&s;t in them, but all is <HI>Old Adam,</HI> &s;crewed up in his brave parts, and all is but fle&s;h a little more refined; and he that is fle&s;h, and all that is fle&s;h, <HI>cannot inherit the kingdome of God.</HI></P>
<P>Look to your &s;elves &s;eriou&s;ly, e&s;pecially you
<PB N="74" REF="43"> that are mo&s;t eminent, that think be&s;t of your &s;elves, that are ancient Profe&s;&s;ors, unle&s;s you look to your &s;elves, you may take a great deal of pains, and when all comes to all, after all your praying, and fa&s;ting, and repeating, and preach|ing, you may be found to be nothing in the world but men that walk according to the fle&s;h, that is, according to the refined and well educa|ted principles of <HI>Old Adam,</HI> you may be <HI>I&s;hmaels,</HI> and be built upon <HI>Mount Sinai</HI> when all is done.</P>
<P>Therefore I &s;ay we may hence learn to judge rightly of per&s;ons, who are Saints, and who are not, who are the children of God, and who are not. For in mo&s;t things we do not judge right|ly, we do not judge as God judgeth. We u&s;ual|ly judge of men and things, according to natural wi&s;dome, or according to &s;ome di&s;tinctions and definitions that we have of things, in that <HI>natu|ral divinity</HI> we have. As for in&s;tance: If a man leave his drunkenne&s;s and whoredome, and come up to &s;ome kinde of holine&s;s in his life, in ap|pearance, if he come to hear Sermons, and re|peat them, and pray a little in his Family, that man we call a Saint, a godly man, and it may be he may be &s;o, and it may be not &s;o. Now the way that God judgeth of all men, is as they are children either of the <HI>Old,</HI> or of the <HI>New Adam,</HI> and not according to &s;uch a proportion of &s;trict|ne&s;s in their lives: for the Phari&s;ees went be|yond many weak Profe&s;&s;ors, in common righte|ou&s;ne&s;s.</P>
<PB N="75" REF="43">
<P> And this &s;hould be a main ground of our communion, and fellow&s;hip, and delight in o|thers, whether in Churches or otherwi&s;e. It &s;hould not be grounded on this, If &s;uch a man be of my opinion in &s;uch things, if he agree with me, he is for me; and another that agrees with another, he is for him. The&s;e kinde of Commu|nions will prove nothing but Faction in the end. But the true Communion is, when Saints toge|ther keep Fellow&s;hip, Church-fellow&s;hip or o|ther, upon Spiritual grounds; that is, when Chri&s;t in <HI>his</HI> Soul, and Chri&s;t in <HI>mine</HI> clo&s;e toge|ther: this is the main ground that makes Com|munion and Fellow&s;hip, what&s;oever comes in be&s;ides that is additional, but if there be a Com|munion of people without this, I &s;ay it will prove but Faction, but walking according to the fle&s;h.</P>
<P>I &s;hould &s;hew now what cour&s;e we &s;hould take to bring our &s;elves to Spiritual walking.</P>
<P>And &s;econdly, what they &s;hould do that God hath brought up in &s;ome mea&s;ure to this condi|tion. But I leave that till God give another op|portunity.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="4" TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="76" REF="44">
<HEAD>SERMON IV.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Rom. 8. 4.</BIBL>
<Q>That the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law might be ful|filled in us, who walk not after the fle&s;h, but after the Spirit.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>THere were three Le&s;&s;ons that the Lord did teach us from the&s;e words. The fir&s;t is implied in the beginning of the Ver&s;e; <HI>That every man is bound to get him a righteou&s;ne&s;s to ful|fill the law of God.</HI> And</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>That all tho&s;e that rightly believe in Chri&s;t have in them a righteou&s;ne&s;s perfectly to ful|full it.</HI> And</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>That tho&s;e that thus believe, and have this great priviledge (for it is the foundation of all others) they are known or de&s;cribed by this, They walk not after the fle&s;h, but after the Spirit.</HI></P>
<P>The two former I have fini&s;hed, I entred upon the third the la&s;t day; I opened it at large, and proved it to you, and came to make one U&s;e of it.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 1. That from hence we may learn how to judge of <HI>per&s;ons,</HI> how to judge of tho&s;e that are Saints, and tho&s;e that are not Saints, not ac|cording to &s;ome kinde of holine&s;s they may come up to, but according to the principles they
<PB N="77" REF="44"> walk by, either as they walk according to the fle&s;h, or according to the Spirit. For I told you there be divers Profe&s;&s;ors among us, that it may be are eminent in the eye of the world, before men, yet when all comes to all, their fa&s;ting, and praying, and preaching, and repeating, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> will be found to be nothing in the world but a walk|ing according to the fle&s;h, that is, according to the refined, well educated principles of <HI>Old A|dam.</HI> But I &s;hall go on a little further.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 2. Therefore in the next place, the Que|&s;tion will be; <HI>How &s;hall I know whether I walk according to the fle&s;h, or according to the Spirit? How &s;hall I know whether I be one of tho&s;e that walk according to the Spirit?</HI></P>
<P>I will onely give you a few Expre&s;&s;ions of it; (I will not &s;ay <HI>&s;igns,</HI> for it may be you could not all bear that word) and the&s;e expre&s;&s;ions are mo&s;t of them laid down in this Chapter, and hereabout: whereby you may have a gue&s;s of it, whether you be the men that walk according to the Spirit, or no.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, you &s;hall finde in <HI>Rom.</HI> 6. that tho&s;e that are <HI>under grace,</HI> or that walk according to the Spirit, &s;in is de&s;troyed in them, they are <HI>dead to &s;in, and alive to righteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI> And there are ma|ny expre&s;&s;ions of the &s;ame thing in divers phra|&s;es; as in <HI>ver.</HI> 6. <HI>Knowing this, that our old man is crucified, that the body of &s;in might be de&s;troyed, that henceforth we &s;hould not &s;erve &s;in.</HI> If thou
<PB N="78" REF="45"> be a man that <HI>walke&s;t according to the Spirit,</HI> thou can&s;t &s;ay <HI>the body of &s;in is de&s;troyed,</HI> and thou do&s;t not &s;erve &s;in. Then it is &s;aid in <HI>ver.</HI> 11. that tho&s;e that are under grace, they are <HI>dead indeed to &s;in, and alive to God:</HI> that is another expre&s;&s;ion. And in <HI>ver.</HI> 12. <HI>Sin &s;hall not reign in their mortal bodies, that they &s;hould obey it in the lu&s;ts thereof.</HI> And in <HI>ver.</HI> 13. <HI>Yield not your members as in&s;tru|ments of unrighteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI> And in <HI>ver.</HI> 14. <HI>Sin &s;hall not have dominion over them.</HI> So, there are divers expre&s;&s;ions of one and the &s;ame thing. Now from all (for I cannot open them particularly, how much is held forth in each of the&s;e expre&s;|&s;ions, but to help thee to &s;ee a little the &s;tate of thy Soul) I would gather the&s;e three things from all the&s;e expre&s;&s;ions; there is I &s;ay meant by them the&s;e three things.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t thing is this, That tho&s;e that walk according to grace, and according to the Spirit, <HI>&s;in is dead in them;</HI> that is, they are dead in re|&s;pect of the guilt of &s;in, they do &s;ee and under|&s;tand in &s;ome mea&s;ure, that Je&s;us Chri&s;t by his death hath aboli&s;hed, and de&s;troyed, and done away all their &s;ins, in re&s;pect of the guilt of them; they are not under the law in that re|&s;pect. They &s;ee that there is a full righteou&s;ne&s;s in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that hath &s;atisfied the law, and &s;o their &s;ins are done away, that they &s;hall never condemn them. This is one thing.</P>
<P>Now a man that walks according to the fle&s;h,
<PB N="79" REF="45"> he &s;ees not that, neither can &s;ee it; for the&s;e things are &s;piritual. Now take a man that walks according to the fle&s;h, that is, according to the mo&s;t refined principles of <HI>Old Adam,</HI> and he al|way carries guilt upon his Con&s;cience, he will alway be as a man that is rolling of a Snow-ball, the more he goes on in his &s;ervice, the more guilt and horrour. But a man that walks ac|cording to the Spirit, let him be weak or &s;trong, he &s;ees this in &s;ome mea&s;ure (and probably for the mo&s;t part) that his &s;ins are done away, and that there is no condemnation to him, becau&s;e he is in Chri&s;t, and believes in him: therefore as it is <HI>Rom.</HI> 5. 7. <HI>He that is dead is freed from &s;in,</HI> or ju&s;tified from &s;in. That is one thing.</P>
<P>Secondly, in all the&s;e phra&s;es this is held forth to us (as I under&s;tand) that a believer being planted into Chri&s;t (for &s;o he looks upon him|&s;elf) and ingrafted and united to Chri&s;t, in re|&s;pect of the power of &s;in he accounts it as <HI>dead;</HI> that is, when he &s;ees any &s;in &s;tirring in him, he con&s;iders, I am one with Chri&s;t, I am planted with him in his death and re&s;urrection, and this &s;in was condemned when Chri&s;t was condemn|ed, and as &s;ure as Chri&s;t did die, this &s;in mu&s;t die; therefore he looks upon all his &s;ins and lu&s;ts, as things that are ga&s;ping for life, as things that are ready to die, and that will &s;urely die, as &s;urely as Chri&s;t did die.</P>
<P>Another man that walks according to the law,
<PB N="80" REF="46"> when he &s;ees &s;in in him, and findes lu&s;ts to ri&s;e in his &s;oul, he &s;aith as <HI>David</HI> in another ca&s;e, <HI>Surely I &s;hall one day fall by the hand of Saul;</HI> Surely I &s;hall prove an Hypocrite one time or other, this &s;in will break my neck, and &s;o he is di&s;couraged, and his heart is hardened. But a man that is under grace, that walks according to the Go&s;pel, let &s;in be never &s;o &s;trong and preva|lent, he looks on it as a condemned thing, he can triumph over it when it is &s;tronge&s;t, and can &s;ay, I know thou mu&s;t be laid in the grave with Je&s;us Chri&s;t; he reckons him&s;elf dead to &s;in. That is another thing.</P>
<P>Thirdly, and la&s;tly, from all the&s;e expre&s;&s;ions here in <HI>Rom.</HI> 6. we gather this, That &s;urely all tho&s;e that are under grace, or that <HI>walk accord|ing to the Spirit,</HI> in &s;ome eminent way are more holy, and more freed from &s;in then once they were, and then all tho&s;e are that walk under the law, in &s;ome eminent way I &s;ay they are more holy, though I do not &s;ay there is no &s;in in them, for then we &s;hould <HI>lie,</HI> as <HI>John</HI> &s;aith, but certain|ly there is a power in their &s;ouls again&s;t &s;in, that is exceedingly tran&s;cendent in re&s;pect of the be&s;t moral men, in re&s;pect of the exacte&s;t men in the world, that walk according to the law: what el&s;e is the meaning of all this? <HI>Ye are dead to &s;in,</HI> and <HI>Sin &s;hall not reign and have dominion over you,</HI> and you &s;hall <HI>not yield your members as in&s;truments to &s;in?</HI> Shall we turn all this into &s;peculation?
<PB N="81" REF="46"> No certainly, there is &s;ome eminent reall holi|ne&s;s and power again&s;t &s;in that they had not be|fore; therefore &s;aith he, <HI>What plea&s;ure had you in tho&s;e things whereof ye are now a&s;hamed?</HI> tho&s;e &s;ins that you committed before, you are now a&s;hamed of them.</P>
<P>And let me look a little upon my own &s;oul, or appeal to you; Take any man or woman that under&s;tands what it is to be under the law, what it is to walk according to the Covenant of works and according to the fle&s;h, and what covenants, and re&s;olutions, and promi&s;es, and fa&s;tings he had, and let him look upon him&s;elf, what he is now &s;ince he hath known a little of Chri&s;t, and hath known that he is a ju&s;tified per&s;on, and that he is dead to the law, and the like; I appeal to you, whether you do not feel a &s;trange power in your &s;ouls, killing and &s;ubduing &s;in, that you never imagined before, or almo&s;t hoped to have. There are &s;ome Saints that I know, that when they came to know a little of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, they have found a power to &s;ubdue their &s;ins, that they did not hope for in their other condition, they were &s;o &s;trong; it is an eminent power. A poor Saint that &s;ees another tugging, and &s;tri|ving, and wra&s;tling, and bu&s;tling with his cor|ruptions, he knows that there is a &s;weet power in his &s;oul that pulls down the highe&s;t and proude&s;t imaginations. As a godly man &s;aith, There is as much difference between a man tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="82" REF="47"> walks after the fle&s;h, according to the law, and he that walks according to the Spirit, as between a man that is in a great Lyter, or in a great Boat, that is fa&s;t upon the Sand, and there are it may be a dozen or twenty men tugging and &s;triving to get it off, and yet it &s;ticks: and ano|ther man that is in a Boat upon the water, and needs onely to hoi&s;t &s;ail, and &s;it down and it is gone, he goes with wind and tide. So a man that walks according to grace, he can go as a childe, and &s;peak loving and plain words to his Father, and get power over his &s;ins, that all the howl|ing, and roaring, and crying of another a whole year together cannot do. It is &s;o, and all you that know what grace is, know it. That is one thing: therefore con&s;ider this, if thou walk ac|cording to the Spirit, thou art <HI>dead to &s;in;</HI> that is, in re&s;pect of the condemnation and guilt of it, thou heare&s;t that Chri&s;t hath fulfilled the law, and that &s;in is done away.</P>
<P>And &s;econdly, in re&s;pect of the power of it; thou can&s;t look upon it as a dying, ga&s;ping thing that mu&s;t die, and thou can&s;t tread on it through the death of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Thirdly, thou finde&s;t no lu&s;t &s;o &s;trong in thy &s;oul, but thou can&s;t ordinarily bring it down; thou can&s;t bring it to the obedience of Je&s;us Chri&s;t: another man may throw his cap at his &s;ins, and be wi&s;hing and woulding all the year long, but there are &s;trong lu&s;ts in his &s;oul
<PB N="83" REF="47"> that will not out. Therefore &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, when you walked according to the law, <HI>the mo|tions of &s;in brought forth fruit unto death:</HI> in|evitably it will be &s;o.</P>
<P>Then further you &s;hall find the fruits of walk|ing according to the Spirit: I will but name them to you, and wi&s;h you to con&s;ider of them. You have many &s;et down in this 8th to the <HI>Romans.</HI></P>
<P>When a man walks <HI>according to the Spirit,</HI> you &s;hall &s;ee this is one fruit of it. <HI>A Spirit of Ado|ption, whereby we cry Abba, Father. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God: for ye have not received the &s;pirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father.</HI> That is one fruit of it, as &s;oon as a man comes to walk <HI>according to the Spirit,</HI> he hath not a &s;pirit of bondage any more: What is that? It is nothing but this, a temper of &s;oul like a &s;lave, ju&s;t as you may conceive of a man that is taken Pri&s;oner in <HI>Turkie,</HI> what temper he is of, he is glad of a Cru&s;t of bread, and he fears whipping and beat|ing, and (it may be) killing; &s;uch is the temper of a mans &s;oul in a &s;pirit of bondage: when one is in &s;uch a temper that he is alwayes in fear of being whipped and &s;courged, and he hath hard thoughts of God, and he fears that he &s;hall prove an hypocrite, and the like. Now &s;aith the Apo&s;tle we have not that &s;pirit, but we have <HI>the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Fa|ther;</HI>
<PB N="84" REF="48"> that is, there is a &s;weet temper, &s;uch as is in a loving childe to his dear Father, there is a boldne&s;s, a love, and delight, and rejoycing, and a &s;weetne&s;s, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> This is one fruit of it, there|fore as far as thou art under horrour, and mo|ping, and howling, and crying, thou come&s;t &s;hort of walking according to the Spirit; for thy &s;oul would be alway full of &s;weetne&s;s, in the greate&s;t affliction, if there were a Spirit of A|doption, and under the wor&s;t &s;ins thou doe&s;t commit, though there would be &s;orrow, yet thou woulde&s;t be full of &s;weetne&s;s and joy. That is one thing.</P>
<P>Again, another fruit and con&s;equent of it, is that the <HI>Spirit of God bears witne&s;s with our Spi|rits, that we are the children of God.</HI> If thou wilt be led by the Spirit, and walk after the Spirit, the Spirit of God will <HI>witne&s;s with thy &s;pirit</HI> that thou art the childe of God. What is that? the meaning of it is this (as I under&s;tand) the Spirit of God will <HI>rai&s;e up my &s;pirit</HI> to be able to &s;ee and know that I am the childe of God, for the <HI>&s;pirit of a man</HI> knows the natural things of a man, and no more; but the <HI>Spirit of God wit|ne&s;&s;eth with my &s;pirit, that I am the childe of God;</HI> that is, he rai&s;eth up my &s;pirit, whereby I may &s;ee and know that I am the childe of God; that as before by my own &s;pirit I was able to know whether I were poor or rich, whether I were &s;ick or well, whether I were beloved or hated:
<PB N="85" REF="48"> &s;o now my &s;pirit is rai&s;ed up by the Spirit of God, I am able to reflect upon my &s;elf &s;piritually, and look upon my &s;elf as beloved, and cho&s;en, and holy, and called, and ju&s;tified, and this is a &s;piritual way.</P>
<P>Thirdly, here is another expre&s;&s;ion of it, and that is, an <HI>earne&s;t hope,</HI> or <HI>expectation of the glory that is to be revealed.</HI> I finde, and ob&s;erve little of that to be in Profe&s;&s;ors, and I have oft marvelled at it, and the rea&s;on is, Becau&s;e they have not the Spirit of Adoption, and walk not fully ac|cording to the Spirit, therefore they are not filled with tho&s;e expectations, and tho&s;e earne&s;t de&s;ires, that the Saints were ordinarily in the Primitive times. Saith the Apo&s;tle in this Cha|pter, <HI>The creature groaneth, and de&s;ires to be de|livered: and not onely they, but we our &s;elves which have the fir&s;t-fruits of the Spirit, we groan within our &s;elves, waiting for the Adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.</HI> The meaning is, there is no man knows what that glory is that is to be revealed, nor no man what it is to look for it, and expect it. The word in the Original is (as one &s;aith) as a woman looks for deliverance when her pains are on her: Oh! &s;he would fain be delivered; or as a man in Pri&s;on that looks for his Friend out of a window, he puts out his head and looks, but he cannot get out, though he fain would. Such an <HI>earne&s;t</HI> hope, and expectation, and de&s;ire there is in the Saints that
<PB N="86" REF="49"> walk according to the Spirit, to &s;ee Je&s;us Chri&s;t come, and to enjoy that glory that is to be re|vealed.</P>
<P>There are many more expre&s;&s;ions there, that are the fruits of it; as the &s;pirit of <HI>&s;upplication,</HI> ver. 26. and there is al&s;o a <HI>triumphing</HI> over all our &s;piritual enemies, <HI>ver.</HI> 31. <HI>What &s;hall we &s;ay</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>God be with us, who can be again&s;t us? &amp;c,</HI> And then there is an ab&s;olute dependance upon God for all things; <HI>He that &s;pared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how &s;hall he not with him give us all things?</HI> And then there is al&s;o a patient &s;uffering of all afflictions: &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>ver.</HI> 18. <HI>I reckon that the &s;ufferings of this pre&s;ent time, are not worthy to be compared with the glory that &s;hall be revealed.</HI> And then there is la&s;tly, an ab&s;olute eternal union with Je|&s;us Chri&s;t, in re&s;pect of his love, <HI>I am per&s;wa|ded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor prin|cipalities, nor any thing &s;hall ever be able to &s;epa|rate us from the love of God which is in Chri&s;t Je|&s;us our Lord.</HI> The&s;e are the expre&s;&s;ions of the fruits of the Spirit of God in the Soul, when men walk according to the Spirit, when they walk according to grace. Take a man that walks according to the fle&s;h, or according to the law, you &s;hall finde none of the&s;e kinde of things in his &s;oul. So much concerning that U&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 3. In the next place, as this Doctrine is a <HI>Touch&s;tone,</HI> whereby you may try and judge of
<PB N="87" REF="49"> mens per&s;ons; &s;o hereby al&s;o you may try your <HI>&s;ervices</HI> and <HI>actions.</HI> I &s;ay this is a rule whereby you may come to know what your &s;ervices are, what worth is in them. For as they onely are Saints, who walk according to the Spirit (let the world judge how they will) and tho&s;e that walk carnally, according to the fle&s;h, according to the law, are not Saints: &s;o I &s;ay tho&s;e actions or &s;ervices of ours, that proceed from the &s;pirit of God, they are only plea&s;ing to God, and tho&s;e that proceed from the fle&s;h, from <HI>Old Adam,</HI> they are not plea&s;ing to him. Now I &s;ay, by this we may try our &s;ervices and actions, as well as our per&s;ons; for there is the &s;ame rea&s;on for both, in all my actions, all that I expect from them, is that they be plea&s;ing to God: that is the end of all that we do; for they cannot ju&s;ti|fie us that is done already, or if it be not they cannot do it, but all is to be plea&s;ing to God. Now then the main Rule by which I am to judge of my actions, it is this, not to judge of them according as they are plau&s;ible to men, or ac|cording as they have affection or enlargement in them (as we call it) but we are to judge of our actions chiefly (if not principally) by the prin|ciple that they flow from, if it be the weake&s;t and meane&s;t action, if it be the lea&s;t &s;igh, or prayer, if it proceed from the <HI>New Adam,</HI> the Lord Je&s;us, it is &s;weet and plea&s;ing to God, it is an acceptable &s;acrifice. But if it be the mo&s;t glo|rious
<PB N="88" REF="50"> thing in the world, if it proceed from <HI>Old Adam,</HI> not only from <HI>&s;inful Adam,</HI> but from <HI>na|turall Adam,</HI> as he is called the <HI>naturall man,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15. I &s;ay that that ri&s;eth from natural wi&s;dome, and invention, and under&s;tanding, and memory, <HI>&amp;c</HI> it is but fle&s;h, and <HI>what&s;oever is born of fle&s;h is fle&s;h,</HI> and as we &s;ay, <HI>Pepper is Pep|per,</HI> that is, it is dear; &s;o <HI>fle&s;h is fle&s;h,</HI> that is, it is a filthy abominable thing to God: as it is in this Chapter, <HI>They that walk according to the fle&s;h cannot plea&s;e God;</HI> So that that is born of the fle&s;h, that &s;ervice that ari&s;eth from the fle&s;h, that is done from the fle&s;h, cannot plea&s;e God.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="question">
<HEAD>Que&s;t.</HEAD>
<P><HI>But you will &s;ay,</HI> Cannot the actions that proceed from the principles of natural <HI>Adam</HI> be plea&s;ing to God?&mdash;Every man knows that of <HI>corrupt Adam</HI> cannot; but cannot that of <HI>natu|ral Adam?</HI> As a man may pray meerly by a natu|rall wit, and bravely to plea&s;e man, and to plea&s;e him&s;elf, and he may Preach by a natural wit, and do other Exerci&s;es, and do them finely, cannot they be plea&s;ing to God?</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>An&s;w.</HEAD>
<P>No, this is a certain rule, that there is nothing that comes from fle&s;h, from a principle of <HI>Old Adam,</HI> whether it be naturally good or evil, there is nothing whether from <HI>pure Adam,</HI> or from <HI>corrupt Adam,</HI> that is plea&s;ing to God.</P>
<P>The rea&s;on is this, Becau&s;e, as it is <HI>Gen.</HI> 3. 5. that when <HI>Adam</HI> &s;inned again&s;t God, you know his puni&s;hment was that he &s;hould die: he was
<PB N="89" REF="50"> not to eat, or touch the forbidden fruit, le&s;t he &s;hould die. Now when <HI>Adam</HI> eat of that fruit, you know the Cur&s;e came upon him: and in re|ference to this you &s;hall finde tho&s;e phra&s;es in this Epi&s;tle, <HI>Who&s;oever walks according to the fle&s;h &s;hall die;</HI> who&s;oever walks as <HI>Old Adam,</HI> is in the &s;tate of the old Cur&s;e, <HI>He &s;hall die:</HI> and, <HI>O mi&s;erable man, who &s;hall deliver me from this body of death.</HI> He calls it a <HI>body of death,</HI> alluding to the main Cur&s;e of <HI>Old Adam,</HI> which was that he &s;hould die.</P>
<P>Now when the Lord &s;aid that <HI>Adam</HI> &s;hould die for &s;in, conceive not that the meaning is one|ly, that he &s;hould die per&s;onally, that his per&s;on now &s;hould be &s;ubject to the wrath of God, to damnation of &s;oul and body for ever in Hell; that is not the onely meaning of it: it is true, he fell under that, but the meaning is this al&s;o, that whole <HI>Adam, Adam</HI> as thou art a publick per&s;on thou &s;halt die; that whereas I made and appointed thee to be the Spring and Foundation of all Mankinde, and every man in the world is to have thy Image on him, and I have filled thee with righteou&s;ne&s;s, and wi&s;dome, and good things, that may tend much to thy happine&s;s; and thy po&s;terity, that thou maye&s;t derive a prin|ciple to them to be like thee in good, and to be plea&s;ing to me. But when <HI>Adam</HI> &s;inned, now &s;aith God, thou &s;halt die, I made thee a happy Creature, and put abundance of excel|lencies
<PB N="90" REF="51"> in thee for thy &s;elf, and thy po&s;terity, as a publick per&s;on; but now thou ha&s;t &s;inned, and extingui&s;hed all that good: Now I will bla&s;t them all, thy wi&s;dome, and thy righteou&s;ne&s;s, thy &s;oul, and thy body, thy very being, <HI>Adam</HI> &s;hall die. Thy per&s;on as thou art a private man, and as thou art a publick man, &s;oul and body, fle&s;h and bone, all that is in thee, and all that comes from thee, &s;hall die. This is that great Cur&s;e that God laid on him, a Cur&s;e of a great extent.</P>
<P>Therefore I &s;ay, what&s;oever now ari&s;eth from the &s;ons of <HI>Adam,</HI> that &s;prings from <HI>Old Adam,</HI> be it good or evil, it is condemned to die, it mu&s;t die, it cannot plea&s;e God. As <HI>Adam</HI> when he had eaten the forbidden fruit, the Lord &s;et an Angel with a Sword to keep the Garden, that he &s;hould come in no more. Ju&s;t &s;o now &s;ince <HI>A|dams</HI> fall, the Lord hath &s;et a Sword as it were to keep men from all the Principles of <HI>Adam,</HI> that tho&s;e things &s;hall never plea&s;e God any more. Or I may &s;ay of it as <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> &s;peaks of <HI>Jericho,</HI> when he had pulled down and de&s;troyed it, <HI>Cur&s;ed be the man that buildeth this City any more.</HI> So when God pulled down <HI>Adam</HI> for &s;in, the Lord laid that Cur&s;e upon him, that he &s;hould never be a ble&s;&s;ing that way any more, God would never look on him, or any thing that &s;hould come from him any more; God would bethink him&s;elf of <HI>another way,</HI> but that way
<PB N="91" REF="51"> he would not meddle with. But now this is our fault, we are &s;till going to build <HI>Jericho</HI> again; we are every man more apt to righteou&s;ne&s;s then to &s;in, &s;uch a righteou&s;ne&s;s as it is; we are apt to go and build up the ruines of <HI>Old Adam,</HI> when we go about the &s;ervice of God, and to do any thing for him: Or as the people of <HI>I&s;rael, Deut.</HI> 1. God bids them <HI>Ari&s;e, and go into Canaan,</HI> and then they would not; but by and by they would go, and then God tells them they &s;hould never go: So the time was that we might have gone the way of <HI>Old Adam,</HI> when God made him righteous; if we had continued &s;o, it had been well, and the more we had endeavoured to be righteous that way, the more ble&s;&s;ed we had been. But now we are fallen, and God hath cur&s;ed <HI>Adam</HI> to die: now any one that goes that way is cur&s;ed, that goes about to repair tho&s;e old ruines; no, &s;aith God, do not now anger me in &s;eeking to be holy in that way as <HI>Old Adam</HI> was: We mu&s;t labour now to go a new way, and get the <HI>New Adam</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t into our &s;ouls.</P>
<P>This is the rea&s;on why (as it is clear in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15.) men mu&s;t die, why godly men mu&s;t die as well as the wicked, <HI>It is appointed to all men to die.</HI> Why &s;o? The rea&s;on is this, Becau&s;e God in Pa|radi&s;e condemned <HI>old Adam</HI> wholly to die; there|fore <HI>Fle&s;h and blood cannot inherit the kingdome of God,</HI> no piece of <HI>old Adam:</HI> therefore he being
<PB N="92" REF="52"> a publick per&s;on, and we in him, that Cur&s;e mu&s;t be fulfilled, and we mu&s;t die. All that belongs to <HI>old Adam</HI> mu&s;t die one time or other, <HI>Nolens volens.</HI> Therefore as we bear the Image of <HI>old Adam,</HI> though we have &s;ome beginnings of <HI>new Adam,</HI> yet becau&s;e we have the di&s;po&s;ition of <HI>old Adam</HI> (I &s;peak not of &s;in, but) of <HI>natural Adam,</HI> we are earthly as <HI>Adam</HI> was; therefore we mu&s;t lay down this fle&s;h and body, becau&s;e of that great Cur&s;e in Paradi&s;e, that <HI>Adam</HI> &s;hould die, and all that are of him.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="question">
<HEAD>Que&s;t.</HEAD>
<P><HI>But you will &s;ay,</HI> Why then doth not corruption (that is a part of <HI>old Adam)</HI> die in the wicked in Hell? You &s;ay whole <HI>Adam,</HI> corrupt <HI>Adam,</HI> and natural <HI>Adam</HI> mu&s;t die? Now the wic|ked in Hell, they have &s;in and corruption world without end; for <HI>Cain</HI> is a Murtherer, and <HI>Judas</HI> is a Traytor to this time.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>An&s;w.</HEAD>
<P>It is true, that corrupt <HI>Adam</HI> in the Saints mu&s;t die; but that comes not by the cur&s;e, but it is by Chri&s;t, and is a ble&s;&s;ing; and that corrupt <HI>Adam,</HI> &s;inful <HI>Adam,</HI> lives for ever in them in Hell, it is a part of the Cur&s;e; for, to live in &s;in, is to die properly. Now in that we &s;hall have this fle&s;h and blood di&s;&s;olved, and &s;hall have natural wi&s;dome and the like all da&s;hed out, therein we are common with them, that is of the Cur&s;e, though God after (by an after-game, as we may &s;peak with reverence) turned it to a ble&s;&s;ing. But for the dying of corruption in us,
<PB N="93" REF="52"> that is the ble&s;&s;ing of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and no cur&s;e. It is a cur&s;e, to live in &s;in; therefore though <HI>Adam</HI> be wholly to dye, yet the wicked continue in &s;in, World without end, even in <HI>Hell.</HI> I mean there are the &s;ins of the <HI>heart</HI> at the lea&s;t. And in tho&s;e places of the New Te&s;tament I conceive the holy Gho&s;t alludes to this, as that in <HI>Rom.</HI> 8. <HI>They that walk after the fle&s;h &s;hall dye:</HI> Why doth he not &s;ay the plague of God &s;hall come on them, but they &s;hall dye? It is as if he had &s;aid, doe you not remember that God threatened a cur&s;e in Paradi&s;e to <HI>fle&s;h,</HI> and he that walks after that &s;hall dye; for God hath &s;aid, <HI>Fle&s;h,</HI> and <HI>Adam</HI> &s;hall dye. And &s;o <HI>Rom.</HI> 7. <HI>Who &s;hall deliver me from this body of death?</HI> that is, from this <HI>body</HI> that God hath <HI>condemned</HI> to dye. Therefore I &s;ay what&s;oever &s;pirngs in us, and comes from us, from old <HI>Adam,</HI> it is a dead thing, that God cur&s;ed even in paradice, and therfore cannot be acceptable to him.</P>
<P>Take the be&s;t piece of old <HI>Adam,</HI> and offer it to God, and it is as that &s;trange fire that <HI>Nadab</HI> and <HI>Abihu</HI> offered, it cannot plea&s;e God. Let me give you one chief in&s;tance that makes my heart bleed when I think of it. That thing that you call <HI>Divinity,</HI> or tho&s;e that you call <HI>Divines,</HI> they are good words of them&s;elves; for <HI>John</HI> is cal|led the <HI>Divine:</HI> but that which you call <HI>Divini|ty,</HI> which is the great Idol of the World, it is nothing but old <HI>Adam,</HI> a kind of <HI>godline&s;s</HI> learn|ed
<PB N="94" REF="53"> in a naturall way, a man learned after the old <HI>Adam</HI> as we learn Logick, or other things in the Univer&s;ities; and &s;uch a one comes and &s;catters this among people, and this you call Divinity, and he is a Divine, and yet this is abominable to God. And that is the rea&s;on why there are many Divines that preach excellently, and yet God cur&s;eth it, Why? It is old <HI>Adams</HI> wi&s;edome, and invention, and brave parts, but God cur&s;eth the &s;oule; he cur&s;eth that Fig tree that it &s;hall bring forth no more.</P>
<P>O Beloved that we would not &s;uffer our &s;elves as Children (I had almo&s;t &s;aid as fooles) to be carried on <HI>wheeling</HI> in a Profe&s;&s;ion of Religion, and to think it enough to carry it plau&s;ibly in duties, in ob&s;erving Fa&s;t-dayes, and dayes of Humiliation, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> But that thou and I may be content to let all the Profe&s;&s;ors in the Town to go before us that way, let them be more gal|lant Profe&s;&s;ors in outward performances in all they do: let it be thy care and mine to glean the Spirit of God after them; let people &s;ay there is &s;uch a man made &s;uch a brave piece of work, and &s;uch a man prayed excellent well, and prayed &s;o long; let us pa&s;s by the&s;e things, and if I can do a little from the Spirit of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; and if God will frame my heart from the Lord Chri&s;t, and his Spirit, to &s;peak a few words to my Father, this is all I care for. And &s;o for o|ther things.</P>
<PB N="95" REF="53">
<P> Therefore I be&s;eech you, let this &s;ink into you. That makes you proud, that you cannot rule your hearts, but you are lifted up with pride, when you have done duties, it is becau&s;e every fine thing you do from old <HI>Adam</HI> makes you proud, you take all in the bulk, and con&s;ider not whence you do things, you con&s;ider not how much of the old <HI>Adam</HI> or of the new there is in your Prayers and duties. Therefore, let this be an univer&s;al, eternal rule, to know the worth of all your &s;ervices and actions by, what&s;oever is of the fle&s;h is fle&s;h, and what&s;oever of my Preaching, and of your praying, and lending, and giving, and of your publick actions, if it be not from a Spiritual Principle, from Je&s;us Chri&s;t, according to the Go&s;pel planted in you, it is of old <HI>Adam,</HI> and it is condemned: labour to leave that.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 4. I &s;hall conclude with one word more, and that is this, That this being &s;o, that this is to walk according to the Spirit; Then we &s;hould long very much for the fulfilling of tho&s;e Pro|phe&s;ies and Promi&s;es that God hath made unto us concerning the <HI>latter</HI> times. There is no Saint almo&s;t now, that I know, but expects glo|rious times, onely one Saint thinks that the glo|ry of the Saints &s;hall be in this thing, and ano|ther in that thing, but every Saint expects con|tinually the fulfilling of tho&s;e Prophe&s;ies and Promi&s;es &s;et down in the latter end of the <HI>Reve|lations,</HI>
<PB N="96" REF="54"> and they are glorious ones, what&s;oever the meaning of them is, and I think the chief thing there promi&s;ed which &s;hall be the height of our happine&s;s, that the <HI>New Jeru&s;alem &s;hall come down from heaven,</HI> mi&s;take me not, though it be a con&s;equent, yet it is not chiefly and pro|perly &s;uch a way of <HI>Government,</HI> this, or that, or the other way, though it be true that Go|vernment will follow upon it, yet if the meaning of it were onely to Reform our Churches, (though that were a ble&s;&s;ing) or that Chri&s;t &s;hould come, and reign here <HI>temporally,</HI> and give us Inheritances, and Riches, and the like, truly a Saint would not long much for the&s;e things. But <HI>the New Jeru&s;alem &s;hall come down from heaven,</HI> and abundance of ble&s;&s;ings that &s;hall go along with it. What is that? The mean|ing of it is, we &s;hall have the light of the Go|&s;pel clearly revealed unto us, and we &s;hall have Go&s;pel-principles fully put into our &s;ouls, which by <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> by <HI>Babylon,</HI> we have been &s;ednced of the&s;e thirteen or fourteen hundred years. For that was the mi&s;chief of Antichri&s;t, he hath kept us all his reign under the Old Te&s;tament with Altars, and Sacrifices, and Prie&s;ts, and I know not what: every thing ju&s;t as they u&s;ed under <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and we are not wholly gone out of Antichri&s;t yet. But the Lord will &s;end a light into our hearts, to know the truth in the power and to &s;quare our hearts to it. For that is <HI>New</HI>
<PB N="97" REF="54"> <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> if you compare it with <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. where the holy <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> the heavenly <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> is clearly oppo&s;ite to <HI>Mount Sinai:</HI> So compare it with <HI>Gal.</HI> 4. he tells us that <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> which is above is the mother of us all; that is, the Cove|nant of grace, and the principles thereof in the &s;ouls of men. Therefore I wi&s;h that the Lord would &s;et your hearts and mine longing after that, that we may have more of the &s;pirit of the Go&s;pel, and of the Principles of the New Te&s;ta|ment in us; and then for matter of Government of Churches, tho&s;e things would follow. For to &s;et up Government and Di&s;cipline before this comes into the &s;oule, truely it is to build Ca&s;tles in the ayre; for let a man take us, and frame us in the Independent, or Presbyterian way, in what way he will, unle&s;&s;e the Principles of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> in the Go&s;pel be &s;piritually planted, it will be a fle&s;hly Independent, and a fle&s;hly Presby|terian &s;ervice. Therefore labour chiefly for that, and pray the Lord to fulfil that, and then your Government what&s;oever it &s;hall be God will reveale it more fully. People are now generally going to build and order Churches, and I know not what, unle&s;&s;e the &s;pirit (of the New Te&s;ta|ment) govern in the New Te&s;tament, it is a vain thing; for if we have our former fle&s;hly hearts, that walke according to the law, and according to the fle&s;h, all the Government in the World will never doe us good, becau&s;e God hath cur&s;ed
<PB N="98" REF="55"> fle&s;h, and it will never be regulated, and brought to good.</P>
<P>And this al&s;o &s;hould move us exceedingly to long for the comming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t to glory, for his comming to us, or our comming to him, and the rea&s;on of that you &s;hall have in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15. 49. a glorious word that hath dwelt much in my thoughts. I told you the rea&s;on why every man mu&s;t dye a naturall death, becau&s;e of that ab&s;olute grand cur&s;e that <HI>Adam</HI> did fall in as a publick per&s;on, and we being from him we mu&s;t dye. Now here is the comfort of it; a ble&s;&s;ed word it is, <HI>As we have born the image of the earthly, &s;o we &s;hall bear al&s;o the image of the heaven|ly;</HI> that is, when the redemption of our bodies comes, at the day of Chri&s;t, then as we have <HI>borne the Image of the earthly, &s;o we &s;hall bear the Image of the heavenly.</HI> We have born hitherto, and do beare the Image of naturall <HI>Adam,</HI> we are all his Sons and his Daughters, ju&s;t like him in our wi&s;dom and under&s;tandings, and bodies, and &s;oules, poore earthly creatures, naturall, frail creatures we are, and by that cur&s;e that was layd upon him we mu&s;t all dye, and lay downe the&s;e earthly Tabernacles, the&s;e earthly creatures mu&s;t be di&s;&s;olved: <HI>As we have born the Image of the earthly,</HI> not only as we have born the Image of old <HI>Adam,</HI> &s;in and wickedne&s;&s;e, and pride, and frowardne&s;&s;e; &s;o now we &s;hall bear
<PB N="99" REF="55"> the Image of the new, not only in re&s;pect of grace, and holine&s;&s;e, and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, that if I be in him all tho&s;e corruptions of nature &s;hall out, and I &s;hall have a new nature. That is true, but that is not all; but as I wholly beare the Image and &s;hape of old <HI>Adam,</HI> his body, and &s;oule, and &s;en&s;es, and all tho&s;e mu&s;t dye; &s;o when the&s;e bodies &s;hall be rai&s;ed, we &s;hall as ab&s;olutely, and largely beare the Image of the new <HI>Adam</HI> the Lord Je&s;us in our body &amp; &s;en&s;es, and all our whole man, &s;oule and body, in re&s;pect of &s;ub&s;tance as well as quality; we &s;hall bear the Image of the &s;econd <HI>Adam</HI> as lively and in as large an extent as ever wee bore the I|mage of the earthly <HI>Adam.</HI> Therefore that is a great comfort; I will tell you why, becau&s;e it is not onely the &s;infulne&s;&s;e of a Chri&s;tian that trou|bles him, but his earthine&s;&s;e, &s;o many di&s;tempers, and troubles, that it is a mi&s;ery, the &s;pirit is willing but the fle&s;h is weake, there is &s;o much weakne&s;&s;e, and earthine&s;&s;e, and frailty, &s;omtimes a mans heart is right for God, yet his head akes, or his <HI>&s;tomack</HI> is full of wind, or he is weary, and wants &s;leep, there is &s;ome frailty or other. This is all earthly <HI>Adam;</HI> all this &s;hall be gone, and this kind of body and &s;oul &s;hall be altered and changed to the Image of the ble&s;&s;ed &s;econd <HI>Adam,</HI> we &s;hall put off our earthine&s;s as well as our &s;infulne&s;s, and have his ble&s;&s;ed compleat image.</P>
<PB N="100" REF="56">
<P> Now how glorious that &s;hall be, as you never &s;aw the fir&s;t <HI>Adam,</HI> but onely by hear-&s;ay, and by reading the word of God, &s;o you have not &s;een the &s;econd <HI>Adam,</HI> but you may partly know by the manife&s;tation of his glory on earth, you have heard much of his glory, <HI>We &s;aw his glory as of the only begotten Son of God;</HI> we &s;hall then &s;ee him, Phil. 3. 19. <HI>Our conver&s;ation is in Heaven, from whence we look for the Saviour, the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who &s;hall change our vile bodies:</HI> He meanes vile, not onely in re&s;pect of &s;infulne&s;s, but of du&s;tine&s;s, of earthyne&s;s and weakne&s;s; <HI>that they may be like his glorious body, according to his mighty working whereby he is able to &s;ubdue all things to him&s;elfe;</HI> that is, according to his u&s;uall manner of working he can doe what he will in Heaven and Earth. We cannot conceive what an image we &s;hall have upon our bodies and &s;ouls, but according to <HI>his wi&s;dome and mighty power whereby he is able to &s;ubdue all things,</HI> he will do it.</P>
<P>Therefore let me tell you this, I finde few or none that have tho&s;e lively expectations in the&s;e times of that glory that is to be revealed, that the Saints of old had. See how they &s;peak of it; <HI>What manner of love is this, that we &s;hould be cal|led the Sons of God? but yet it doth not appear what we &s;hall be, for we &s;hall be like him:</HI> and, <HI>Gird up the loyns of your mindes, be &s;ober and watch for the glory that &s;hall be revealed.</HI> The Saints
<PB N="101" REF="56"> heretofore, more then half their hearts were in Heaven beforehand: that is the meaning of that, <HI>Our conver&s;ation is in heaven.</HI> Ju&s;t as you &s;ee men that go a long journey, or as you &s;ee people that have been plundered, that are returning to their own homes, their conver&s;ation is there half a year before; their hearts and their thoughts are there, and they wi&s;h they were there, and are thinking what they will do, and what they will be, when they come there. So, <HI>Our con|ver&s;ation is in heaven,</HI> the Saints do &s;o long after the glory that is to be revealed in the day of A|doption and Redemption of our bodies, that the mo&s;t part of them is there already. Now we do not con&s;ider of this, becau&s;e the <HI>New Jeru|&s;alem</HI> is not yet come into our hearts; we have not that Go&s;pel-temper and frame of &s;pirit that the Saints had before.</P>
<P>That which remains, is a little to &s;hew you what your duty is that the Lord hath brought up to <HI>walk according to the Spirit.</HI></P>
<P>And two or three words I have to &s;hew you how you &s;hould every one endeavour to attain to it, or to attain it more and more. But I &s;hall leave that till the Afternoon.</P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="5" TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="102" REF="57">
<HEAD>SERMON V.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Rom. 8. 4.</BIBL>
<Q>That the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law might be ful|filled in us, who walk not after the fle&s;h, but after the Spirit.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>IT is the foundation of all our happine&s;s, to have the <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law fulfilled in us;</HI> for thereby we are exempted from all mi&s;ery, freed from all our enemies, and thereby we are made capable to enjoy all happine&s;s and ble&s;&s;ed|ne&s;s: for all the mi&s;ery that man &s;uffers here and hereafter, is becau&s;e he hath not a righte|ou&s;ne&s;s to fulfil the law. And therefore what|&s;oever man, or woman it is, that the <HI>Lord</HI> hath be&s;towed this great priviledge upon, they mu&s;t needs be in a ble&s;&s;ed condition.</P>
<P>Now that we may know whether we are of that number, the Apo&s;tle tells us that they that have this priviledge, they <HI>walk not according to the fle&s;h but according to the Spirit;</HI> which was the la&s;t thing I was upon. I told you what was meant by walking after the fle&s;h, and what by walking after the Spirit, I gave the Rea&s;ons of it, and made two or three U&s;es.</P>
<P>There are two things remain, which I &s;hall
<PB N="103" REF="57"> endeavour to &s;peak of at this time.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 4. of <HI>Exhortation.</HI> Fir&s;t, you that have received the Spirit of God, and in &s;ome mea&s;ure do walk according to the Spirit, &amp; not according to the fle&s;h, that the <HI>New Jeru&s;alem</HI> from Hea|ven is in &s;ome mea&s;ure come into your hearts, I will give you a few Exhortations from the Lord how you &s;hould carry your &s;elves. That is the fir&s;t thing I &s;hall do, and that &s;hall be in four or five &s;hort words.</P>
<P N="1">1. The fir&s;t is this, that the Lord having cal|led you to this glorious free e&s;tate, to this free condition, that you would take heed of <HI>turning the grace of God into wantonne&s;s,</HI> as many do. And by that I mean but two things.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. That you would take heed of <HI>u&s;ing your liberty as an occa&s;ion to the fle&s;h.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Of u&s;ing your liberty &s;o, as to give offence to your Brethren, or indeed to any.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>I &s;ay fir&s;t, beware of <HI>u&s;ing your liberty for an occa&s;ion to the fle&s;h:</HI> That you &s;hall have <HI>Gal.</HI> 5. 13. <HI>For brethren</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>you have been called to liberty, only u&s;e not your liberty for an oc|ca&s;ion to the fle&s;h; but by love &s;erve one another.</HI> The Apo&s;tle &s;hews them in that Epi&s;tle the glo|rious condition and e&s;tate that they were in through grace; and here in this Ver&s;e there are two things that he tells them, the one is implied (it is worth ob&s;erving) <HI>ye are called to liberty;</HI> that is, there is a freedome, there is a liberty in
<PB N="104" REF="58"> the Go&s;pel in divers things, that did &s;eem to be &s;inful when ye were under the law, or el&s;e what &s;en&s;e can you make of this, <HI>Ye are called to li|berty, onely u&s;e not your liberty for an occa&s;ion to the fle&s;h?</HI> For we finde that the people under the law, either they made the law &s;tricter, or loo&s;er then it was. And there is no man in the world that walks according to the law, but he makes many laws to him&s;elf, that Chri&s;t hath not made. Now when the Go&s;pel comes in clearly, all tho&s;e laws that you made of your own head, vani&s;h. <HI>Ye are called to liberty;</HI> that is, you &s;ee more freedome, you are not bound to every thing that before you were. Before you mu&s;t not <HI>&s;mile,</HI> it was a &s;in if you &s;eemed to laugh, or &s;mile, and a hundred &s;uch things: Now <HI>you are called to li|berty but u&s;e it not as an occa&s;ion for the fle&s;h;</HI> that is, take not occa&s;ion from your liberty to live more &s;infully; to &s;ay you are made free, and others are tyed by the law, and therefore you will live more carele&s;ly, and loo&s;ely, and &s;in|fully: take heed, and beware of that. There were &s;ome it &s;eems, I am &s;ure there are &s;ome now, that all the liberty and freedome they hear of from the Go&s;pel, or by getting off from the law, it is nothing in the world but that they may go on more in &s;in, and enjoy their lu&s;ts more freely: this is to pervert the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>And what the end of the&s;e people &s;hall be, you may &s;ee in 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. and in the Epi&s;tle of
<PB N="105" REF="58"> <HI>Jude,</HI> they are <HI>appointed to damnation;</HI> and <HI>their damnation &s;lumbereth and &s;leepeth not;</HI> that is, they are going on amain, they are going fa&s;ter towards Hell then any Drunkard or Whore|monger. A Malefactor never goeth &s;o fa&s;t to death, as the&s;e do to de&s;truction; when all the knowledge of liberty that they have, is onely to give occa&s;ion to provide more for their lu&s;ts then before. Let us con&s;ider and take heed of that.</P>
<P N="2">2. Another thing is, &s;eeing you have liberty by walking according to the Spirit <HI>(for where the Spirit is there is freedome,</HI> that is certain) u&s;e it not for the offence of your Brethren. As &s;ome there are that when they hear they are free, are ready to &s;ay, I care not what all the world &s;ay, I know this is not a &s;in, and therefore I will do it. Beloved, that is far from walking worthy according to the Go&s;pel: <HI>I became all things</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Paul) to all men, that I might win &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">me;</HI> I am <HI>under the law to them that are under the law, and without law to them that are without law.</HI> I became all things to all men, that I might gain &s;ome: &s;o we mu&s;t <HI>not plea&s;e our &s;elves, but one an|other for edification,</HI> Rom. 15. and <HI>conde&s;cend to men of low &s;ort,</HI> Rom 12. <HI>Who is weak</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>and I am not weak?</HI> If thou &s;ee a man under the law, fumbling and wallowing upon <HI>Mount Sinai,</HI> without the knowledge of the Go|&s;pel, de&s;pi&s;e him not, and &s;ay, He is a Legalli&s;t,
<PB N="106" REF="59"> and what have we to do with him? but endea|vour to frame thy heart, and thy language, and carriage &s;o &s;uitable to him, that thou maye&s;t win upon him, and &s;o with others. This is the lan|guage of the Go&s;pel, and the true way of the Spirit of God; when a man knows his free|dome, and yet he <HI>becomes all things to all men,</HI> that he may do them good. There is one word, that I think is the word and will of God, and I de|&s;ire that thou maye&s;t take it &s;o, and carry it with thee.</P>
<P N="2">2. A &s;econd thing that I advi&s;e you to that are Spiritual, that the Lord hath revealed a little of the Go&s;pel to, it is this, that you would en|deavour to walk humbly: O walk humbly. Why &s;o? I will tell you why, becau&s;e a man when he is under the law, he &s;hall be twenty years &s;triving for a little knowledge or grace, and &s;hall hardly get them: but as &s;oon as ever a man comes rightly to Chri&s;t, and to know him, then there is &s;uch a flood of grace, and &s;uch <HI>abundance of revelations,</HI> (it is the Scriptures word) there is &s;uch abundance of manife&s;tations of God, and of the Image of God, when they begin to come in, that it is a hard thing then to keep the &s;oul down, for Spiritual things when they come in rightly, when the flood-gates are open, they come in as waves one upon the neck of another. For Spiritual Go&s;pel-truths multi|ply in the Soul a thou&s;and-fold, one le&s;&s;on from
<PB N="107" REF="59"> another, and one Scripture opens another, and then there is no end, and then it is hard to keep the &s;oul humble. Therefore in 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12. when <HI>Paul</HI> was wrapt into the third Heavens, becau&s;e of the <HI>abundance of revelations</HI> that he had &s;een, (for he had &s;een and heard things that he could not utter, and &s;peak to others) he was ready to be proud, to be lifted up, and le&s;t he &s;hould be &s;o, God <HI>&s;ent a me&s;&s;enger of Satan to buffet him.</HI> It implies, it was a hard thing for <HI>Paul</HI> the Apo|&s;tle when abundance of revelations came into his &s;oul, not to be lifted up. And this &s;poils &s;ome hone&s;t hearts; I hope they are &s;o, and that God will bring them home, that having been kept bare of food, as &s;ome Souldiers that went to relieve <HI>Gloce&s;ter,</HI> when they came home to the City, they killed them&s;elves with eating full and good food: &s;o when poor &s;ouls have gone upon the bare Mountains of <HI>Sinai,</HI> and then have come to the Pa&s;tures of righteou&s;ne&s;s, they go &s;o greedily, and are &s;o taken, that if God be not wonderful merciful, they will be undone by being lifted up. Therefore beware of this, learn from <HI>Paul</HI>'s example to &s;eek to the Lord to keep your hearts humble.</P>
<P N="3">3. A third thing is this, Endeavour to walk &s;imply, I mean, to keep to the &s;implicity of the Go&s;pel. The Go&s;pel, though there be glorious My&s;teries in it to feed the &s;oul, yet notwith&s;tand|ing it is a plain, &s;imple thing. Now here the De|vil
<PB N="108" REF="60"> endeavours to undo &s;ouls; as it is ordinary in this City, when men come once to under|&s;tand a little of the Go&s;pel, and to ta&s;te the &s;weetne&s;s of it, the Devil &s;crews them up to &s;ublimare all Religion into Notions, to cleave a hair, and Religion will be all in <HI>Idea</HI>'s, and con|ceits of the Nature of God, and of the Crea|ture: whereas the Go&s;pel is a plain thing. <HI>Paul</HI> de&s;ired to know the <HI>death of Chri&s;t, and the power of his re&s;urrection:</HI> and <HI>Paul</HI> teacheth Servants how to obey their Ma&s;ters, and Ma&s;ters how to carry them&s;elves to their Servants, and Wives to their Husbands, and &s;uch &s;imple plain things. Now the&s;e are accounted nothing: and that is the rea&s;on that many among us, they do more and more lo&s;e the Word of God, unle&s;s it be about &s;ome &s;ublime Notions. If a Mini&s;ter be upon &s;uch Points, &s;ome high <HI>Idea</HI>'s (for they feed upon &s;uch) that is worth the while; but if a Mini&s;ter &s;peak of things that concern their Calling, or their Sex and Condition, that is plain, it hath no ta&s;te in it, no more then the white of an Egge. It is a hard thing to keep to the &s;impli|city of the Go&s;pel. As the Devil tempted our fir&s;t Parents, God gave <HI>Adam</HI> and <HI>Eve</HI> &s;ufficient knowledge to do his will, and they had &s;ufficient Natural knowledge, for they named all the Crea|tures, yet notwith&s;tanding &s;he mu&s;t needs go from the &s;implicity of Gods will, and be curi|ous, and &s;he mu&s;t know <HI>good and evil,</HI> there was
<PB N="109" REF="60"> the di&s;tinction, <HI>good,</HI> and <HI>evil;</HI> thought &s;he, what kinde of good and evil: &s;he goes to this &s;ublime conceit, and &s;o was lo&s;t. Now &s;aith <HI>Paul, I am afraid of you, le&s;t the Devil &s;hould beguile you</HI> &s;o.</P>
<P>I am loth to offend you, for I had rather win you, or el&s;e I could in&s;tance in twenty or forty conceits and di&s;tinctions of things, <HI>Idea</HI>'s, that are above the &s;implicity of the Go&s;pel, and that is enough to make us leave them, becau&s;e they are above the &s;implicity of the Go&s;pel, and the excellency of the Go&s;pel is not in tho&s;e <HI>Idea</HI>'s, but in knowing the power of plain things, as the death of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Every man in <HI>Jeru|&s;alem</HI> knew the death of Chri&s;t; but to know the power of that death, keep clo&s;e to the &s;im|plicity of the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P N="4">4. Another thing is this, you that have known a little of the Spirit of God, and have inlarged hearts, and enlightned eyes, Let not God re&s;t till thou find the comfort, and power of what thou knowe&s;t: O we know, that the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law by Chri&s;t is fulfilled in us, and the like: but we have not the full comfort of &s;uch a truth, and many others. We know Chri&s;t hath paid our debt, and that we are one with him, as he is one with the Father; but we have not the power, and the comfort of the&s;e things.</P>
<P>Beloved, for thy comfort, know that <HI>Paul</HI> in a &s;ort was in thy condition. Phil. 3. <HI>Not as though</HI>
<PB N="110" REF="61"> <HI>I had attained or apprehended,</HI> but I would appre|hend him of whom I am apprehended, and I would know the vertue of his death, and the power of his Re&s;urrection. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aw &s;omething that he did not fully apprehend, but he would feele more of the power of the Go&s;pel, &s;pirituall truths, and if he &s;aw that he wanted, much more we.</P>
<P>Oh, do not content your &s;elves to have an old, frozen knowledge of Go&s;pell truthes, whereby you are able to prove that men are legalli&s;ts, and that men are under <HI>Mount Sinai;</HI> and yet have cold, and frozen hearts, cold truths without life: therefore thinke of minding God of this.</P>
<P N="5">5. Then la&s;tly, labour to take heed that you be not by any means bewitched &s;o as to fall back from that little light in the Go&s;pell that you have received, it is an ea&s;ie thing &s;o to doe. I doe believe, (and it is my comfort, and will be when I am farr from this place) that the Lord hath enlightened divers of you to know the Go&s;pel, to know Je&s;us Chri&s;t a little clearer. Now I know not what the Lord may doe for you: but I &s;ay it is wonderous ea&s;ie, you may under one quarter of a years fle&s;hly preaching, lo&s;e that that you have been under two or three yeares Preaching a getting. I have knowne, after a quarter of a years building up of my &s;oule in the knowledg of Chri&s;t, and the &s;etling
<PB N="111" REF="61"> of my faith, and a&s;&s;urance, I have heard one Sermon that hath routed and da&s;ht all that work in my &s;oule.</P>
<P>Therefore I be&s;eech you beware, faith is a ten|der thing; e&s;pecially the light we have, that is but very weak, and very tender, therefore &s;aith <HI>Paul, Who hath bewitched you, you fooli&s;h Gala|tians, before whom Je&s;us Chri&s;t hath been lively painted?</HI> as the word &s;ignifies; Chri&s;t was drawn lively before the <HI>Galatians,</HI> and yet they did fall. If <HI>Paul</HI> that was an Apo&s;tle, and had the &s;pirit of God in &s;uch a mea&s;ure, laying open the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t, and yet his people did go back to <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and to <HI>Sinai,</HI> the Lord help and up|hold us. Therefore <HI>&s;tand fa&s;t in your liberty in Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> This is all in &s;hort I have to &s;ay to you for that. I hope you will lay up the&s;e words.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 5. Now I have a few words of <HI>Advice</HI> and <HI>Coun&s;el</HI> to tho&s;e poor &s;ouls that do yet in a great mea&s;ure <HI>walk according to the fle&s;h,</HI> in one fa&s;hion or other. Their Religion is a fle&s;hly Re|ligion, from <HI>Old Adam,</HI> and according to the law, in a great mea&s;ure. Now the Que&s;tion is, <HI>What &s;hall they do that they may be &s;piritual Chri|&s;tians, that they may walk according to the Spi|rit?</HI></P>
<P>I will onely name a few things.</P>
<P N="1">1. The fir&s;t is this, I would de&s;ire you to en|deavour to &s;tudy much the difference between
<PB N="112" REF="62"> the <HI>two Te&s;taments,</HI> the New and the Old: I mean not the <HI>two Books,</HI> but the <HI>two Te&s;taments</HI> that we reade of <HI>Heb.</HI> 8. and <HI>Heb.</HI> 9. whereof the one is faulty, and the other is excellent; the one is done away, the other remains. Study the dif|ference between them, for thereby you &s;ay the foundation of your Go&s;pel-happine&s;s: for there is the mi&s;ery of many Profe&s;&s;ors, and will be their mi&s;ery if they &s;hould live a thou&s;and years, they jumble both Te&s;taments, without know|ledge and di&s;tinction, and &s;o they will never be better.</P>
<P N="2">2. Another thing that I would exhort you to, is this, to prize the Spirit of Chri&s;t more then you do. There is nothing in the Go&s;pel but it is a My&s;terie, you cannot know it but by the Spi|rit; and there is no duty in the Go&s;pel to be done, that can be done but by the power of the Spirit. We may do many things in the law by the &s;trength of <HI>Old Adam,</HI> in the Go&s;pel we can do nothing but the Spirit is all.</P>
<P>And that is the rea&s;on I think (for I &s;peak ac|cording to the grace given me) why people now are left &s;o bare, and poor, and confu&s;ed, and know not which way to go, or what to do, they do not prize the Spirit of God.</P>
<P>Many men extoll Learning mightily, and it is accounted almo&s;t Here&s;ie to commend the Spirit of God. There are many men, I, and many Profe&s;&s;ors, that do not love to hear a man in a
<PB N="113" REF="62"> few mode&s;t words to commend the Spirit of God; but all mu&s;t be by &s;tudy, and reading, and learning, and for the Spirit of God it is a plain meer Cypher, and there is an end. But my life on it (if I had a hundred I would &s;ay &s;o) they &s;hall be beholden to the Spirit of God, and ex|toll him before they be taught &s;piritually; they &s;hall be willing to lay down all their Learning (as I have &s;een a learned godly man of late) even with the Plow-boy.</P>
<P>I do not &s;ay, but that Learning is good for &s;ome u&s;es, and God may ble&s;s it to help a man to expre&s;s what he knows the better: but as I told you, <HI>Adam</HI> mu&s;t die, he cannot by it come to know one jot of the &s;piritual meaning of God in the Go&s;pel, or one jot of power or a&s;&s;urance to be happy, or to do any thing for God; to|wards this, all Learning is not worth a &s;traw: therefore labour to extol the Spirit. And if any of you have a minde to learning, go on, I di&s;|courage you not from it; Learning is a thing in another element: take pains and diligence to be learned; it is good to do &s;o. But if thou wilt be a Go&s;pel Chri&s;tian, thou mu&s;t thank the Spi|rit of God for all. Saith <HI>Paul</HI> for all his learn|ing, <HI>I am not &s;ufficient to &s;peak a good word,</HI> and he was a learned man, that <HI>Fe&s;tus</HI> &s;aid, <HI>Much learning had made him mad. Beza</HI> in his Com|ment upon 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11. where the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>Are they Hebrews? &s;o am I? Are they Jews? &s;o</HI>
<PB N="114" REF="63"> <HI>am I.</HI> Saith he, I never read in any Latine on Greek Author, &s;o much eloquence and elegancy of &s;peech, as <HI>Paul</HI> hath there; and yet he pro|fe&s;&s;eth he could not <HI>think a good thought</HI> (for all he was learned &s;o much) much le&s;s do a good work.</P>
<P>As long as thou keepe&s;t the Spirit an <HI>underling,</HI> as a cypher, as many of the Clergie and learned men, they extol Learning to the Heavens, and many of them upon purpo&s;e to de&s;pight the Spi|rit of God; as long as they do &s;o, they &s;hall never know the will of God: <HI>We are not debtors to the fle&s;h,</HI> but we mu&s;t be <HI>debtors to the Spirit,</HI> if we will have one true thought of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. O prai&s;e the Spirit, and prize the Spirit! If you have any thought of Chri&s;t, thank the Spirit; if you have any glimp&s;e of him in your &s;ouls worth any thing, prai&s;e the Spirit.</P>
<P>That is the rea&s;on that the Saints in the Book of God, &s;peak not of the Spirit of God with|out &s;ome &s;pecial Epithite of Commendation; <HI>Guide me by thy HOLY Spirit;</HI> and &s;aith ano|ther, <HI>thy BLESSED Spirit;</HI> and <HI>thy GRA|CIO&V;S Spirit;</HI> and <HI>the Spirit of GRACE,</HI> faith another: They never &s;peak of it without &s;ome word that &s;hewed their love to it, and high e&s;teem of it. When the Lord &s;hall come, and his Spirit &s;hall be advanced in the hearts of men, we &s;hall have glorious times, and never before that, and tho&s;e times will come. I remember
<PB N="115" REF="63"> <HI>Calvin</HI> on tho&s;e Prophe&s;ies in <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> and <HI>Joel, The S&V;N &s;hall be darkened, and the MOON &s;hall be turned into blood in that day;</HI> Saith he, the meaning is, all the <HI>excellency</HI> that a man natu|rally hath, his Learning and Endowments, in the dayes of the Go&s;pel, when the Spirit &s;hall come with his light, when God &s;hall exalt the Spirit, <HI>The Sun &s;hall be turned into darkne&s;s, and the Moon into blood:</HI> Men &s;hall not &s;o much e|&s;teem Learning from Books, but learned and great men, and Scholars &s;hall come to one <HI>Cla&s;|&s;is,</HI> and one <HI>Rank</HI> and <HI>Form</HI> with &s;imple people, all waiting on God by his Word through the Spirit. A man can take his Boy from School that hath his Latine and Greek, and &s;end him to the Univer&s;ity, and he a&s;&s;ures him&s;elf that he &s;hall be as good a Mini&s;ter as his other Son, that (it may be) hath &s;erved the Spirit &s;even years: this is our way, and a hundred more, whereby we ba&s;ely &s;light, and di&s;dain the Spirit of God, and do not <HI>honour him,</HI> and therefore he <HI>will not ho|nour us.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. If ever you will be true Go&s;pel-Saints, you mu&s;t &s;uffer your &s;elves to be <HI>led by the Spirit of God.</HI> That phra&s;e you finde oft in <HI>Rom.</HI> 8. <HI>Gal.</HI> 5. <HI>If you live in the Spirit, Walk in the Spirit, Be led by the Spirit.</HI> We are not complementary, to commend the Spirit of God, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> but give it &s;cope to lead us. You mu&s;t heed more what the Spirit of God &s;aith to you, and what he works
<PB N="116" REF="64"> on you. If there come a place of Scripture in your minde, hear and con&s;ider whether the Spi|rit of God hath not put it in thy minde, and would have thee &s;tudy it, and would have thee compare Scriptures. And when thou come&s;t to do any action what&s;oever, not &s;o much to advi&s;e with this man, or that man, but what &s;aith the Spirit (I mean according to the light of the Scri|ptures) hearken to that more then what all the world &s;aith. Therefore I have known &s;ome men that in their whole lives have often m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t the will of God in circum&s;tantial things u&s;ually, it may be for a year, or two, or three, and they have mi&s;t it again in another thing, and in another thing: and when they have examined how this comes about, they can &s;ay, If they had hearkned to the Spirit, they had not done &s;o, but they hearkned to men, and &s;o went again&s;t the di|ctates of the Spirit in their Con&s;cience, they would hear what this man &s;aid, and what the other man did: But now the Spirit will &s;ay to them, You &s;ee I would have &s;hewed you the right way, but you would not give me &s;cope, but made a cypher of me. And for my one particu|lar, I do not yet &s;ee how I &s;hould ever have mi&s;t the will of God &s;ince I knew him, if I had heark|ned to the Spirit of God, if I had but ob&s;erved &s;o much light as the Spirit had put into my heart. Now we ballance the Spirit with this mans ex|ample, and with the other mans opinion, and &s;o
<PB N="117" REF="64"> come home by <HI>Weeping Cro&s;s.</HI> Therefore give &s;cope to the Spirit, I mean not again&s;t the Word, or above the Word, but &s;till I mean the Spirit of God working according to the Scriptures, and no otherwi&s;e.</P>
<P N="4">4. Another thing, and a &s;pecial one is, I wi&s;h you for the My&s;teries of the Go&s;pel to &s;tudy the Scriptures in the &s;implicity of them, without the glo&s;&s;es of men: for a man in extremity mu&s;t do that that a man that is not in extremity would not do. We have brought our &s;elves in &s;uch &s;la|very to men, that we mu&s;t take that cour&s;e that another &s;ober man &s;hould not; I mean thus, when ever we go to look for any truth of God, for the will of God, we have notions in our mindes beforehand, according to the times and places we live in. As concerning Bapti&s;m, what need I go to the Scriptures? &s;aith one, we have it in &s;uch and &s;uch mens Writings? and &s;o we fore&s;tall the will of God, that we are blinded, and cannot &s;ee it.</P>
<P>Therefore if you will &s;ee the will of God, I wi&s;h you (for a while) to look on the naked Scriptures. And for my part I know but three u&s;es to be made of other Books.</P>
<P N="1">1. As fir&s;t there is this u&s;e of Books, you have Books that will read the Scriptures in divers lan|guages, and &s;hew the Originall, and open the tongues; now when I &s;ee a word in Engli&s;h, and doubt of the meaning of it, then I will go to the
<PB N="118" REF="65"> Greek or Hebrew, as God hath endowed me with knowledge.</P>
<P N="2">2. Then there is another u&s;e of Books, when I reade one &s;ingle Scripture, it may be I have a Book that will point out halfe a dozen Scriptures to open one Scripture by.</P>
<P N="3">3. And it may be I have &s;ome Books that take &s;ome Scripture, and pre&s;&s;e it upon my &s;oule, as Doctor <HI>Pre&s;tons,</HI> and other godly Books. But to take Books, and &s;ay, <HI>Jerome</HI> thinks this, and <HI>Au&s;tin</HI> that, and fill our heads with notions, they blind us that we cannot &s;ee the will of God.</P>
<P>Therefore in reading of the Scriptures there &s;hould be this difference, from our reading of other Books, I mean in re&s;pect of age. When we are Children, and young, we u&s;e not Spect|acles; it may be at twenty, or thirty, or fourty yeares old, we can reade without Spectacles; but when we come tofifty, or &s;ixty, then we can &s;ee nothing but through Spectacles. It &s;hould be ju&s;t contrary with us, when we are <HI>Chri|&s;tians.</HI> When we are young we u&s;ually never read the word of God but through the Spect|acles of mens glo&s;&s;es; but when we are older Chri&s;tians and &s;tronger Saints, we &s;hould learne to read better without Spectacles; we &s;hould daily make le&s;&s;e u&s;e of Mens Books, and more of Gods Book. That whereas before a man tur|ned over twenty Authors upon a point: Now he can go humbly to God with his Bible, and
<PB N="119" REF="65"> without Spectacles he can &s;ee what the will of God is. Therefore lay a&s;ide Spectacles &s;ometimes and only take the &s;pirit of God, and compare Scripture with Scripture, that you may come to know the mind of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Shall I name one thing more? If you would come to be &s;pirituall, Go&s;pel-Saints, you mu&s;t be born again; you mu&s;t be born from above. A <HI>Go&s;pell profe&s;sion</HI> is <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> from above, and there are none that can come into <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> that is from above, but tho&s;e that are borne from above. Therefore marke our Saviours rea&s;oning <HI>Jehn</HI> 3. <HI>Nicodemus</HI> asks Chri&s;t which was the way to Heaven? And he tells him, <HI>Verily thou mu&s;t be born again,</HI> or thou mu&s;t be <HI>born from a|bove,</HI> or el&s;e thou can&s;t not &s;ee it; <HI>Nicodemus</HI> wonders why he mu&s;t be <HI>born from above,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>Shall I go into my Mothers belly, &amp;c.</HI> Saith Chri&s;t, marvell not, wonder not; why &s;hould he not wonder at &s;uch a &s;trange &s;peech? Here is the rea&s;on, <HI>That which is born of fle&s;h is fle&s;h;</HI> therefore think it not &s;trange that I &s;ay thou mu&s;t be <HI>born again.</HI> So I &s;ay, what&s;oever you do by the power of nature, by your own wi&s;edome, by your <HI>own righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> or your own &s;trength, all comes but to this, but to <HI>fle&s;h,</HI> and <HI>what&s;oever comes of fle&s;h is fle&s;h:</HI> fle&s;h cannot bring out the &s;pirit no more then a <HI>thorn</HI> can bring out <HI>grapes,</HI> as Chri&s;t &s;peaks. Therefore wonder not that thou mu&s;t be born from above, that is, thou
<PB N="120" REF="66"> mu&s;t have the Lord from above to beget thee again. You have every one been born once, you mu&s;t be born once more, you mu&s;t have a new creation in you: the Lord mu&s;t create new, &s;trange properties, and di&s;po&s;itions, that no fle&s;h, and blood is able to comprehend.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, take the coun&s;ell of the Holy Gho&s;t, and that is in <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1. 16. As Paul prayed for them, &s;o do thou pray for thy &s;elf, and there is all the rea&s;on in the world that thou &s;houlde&s;t; <HI>I cea&s;e not</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my Prayers, that the God of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the Father of glory would give to you the &s;pirit of wi&s;dome and revelation in the knowledge of him. Pray</HI> for the &s;pirit of wi&s;edome and revelation in the knowledge of Chri&s;t. Slight not the&s;e words, becau&s;e &s;ome wicked men abu&s;e them, and others reproach them; but becau&s;e Paul &s;aith &s;o, pray that the Lord would give the &s;pirit of wi&s;dome and revelation. So much con|cerning the Directions I had to give you.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 6. There is one word of <HI>Information,</HI> and with that I will conclude. From what I have &s;aid before concerning the <HI>fle&s;h</HI> and the <HI>Spi|rit,</HI> learn this In&s;truction more, hence to &s;ee what is the true ground of all Per&s;ecutions, nay even of all the Divi&s;ions that are among us; men may pretend what they will, and deceive them&s;elves, but all the &s;trife and per&s;ecution in the world is meerly between the <HI>Fle&s;h</HI> and the
<PB N="121" REF="66"> <HI>Spirit,</HI> between the <HI>Old</HI> and the <HI>New Adam.</HI> There are two Princes in this World, and the&s;e are contrary the one to the other; <HI>The fle&s;h lu&s;teth again&s;t the Spirit: Old Adam</HI> &s;eeks to get up, the <HI>New Adam</HI> will have him down. There|fore you &s;hall have the&s;e two in every Town, in one Church, in one Family, in one Soul, and where&s;oever they are, <HI>the fle&s;h lu&s;teth again&s;t the Spirit, and the Spirit again&s;t the fle&s;h, and the&s;e two are contrary.</HI> Are contrary, what is that? that is, there is no true contrariety be|tween any things in the world, but between the <HI>Old Adam</HI> and the <HI>New;</HI> between the fle&s;h and the Spirit. Now by <HI>Fle&s;h</HI> I mean not onely cor|ruption, but whole fle&s;h, fle&s;hly wi&s;dome. The wi&s;dome of the <HI>Old Adam</HI> is enmity again&s;t the <HI>New;</HI> the righteou&s;ne&s;s of <HI>Old Adam</HI> is quite contrary to the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the <HI>New:</HI> this is the cau&s;e of per&s;ecution.</P>
<P>Let people pretend what they will, you &s;hall &s;ee godly men per&s;ecuted, you may &s;ee Chri&s;t in their Souls as clearly as the Sun, and people keep a coyle about <HI>Independency</HI> and <HI>Presbytery,</HI> but the truth is, it is <HI>Old Adam</HI> in tho&s;e that per&s;e|cute, and the <HI>New Adam</HI> in the other, a man with one eye may &s;ee it. There are many pre|tences, but all the &s;trife is between the <HI>Old A|dam</HI> and the <HI>New.</HI> For (to give a little illu&s;tra|tion) take Go&s;pel godly Saints that have the Spirit of God in them, they agree well enough,
<PB N="122" REF="67"> they will not &s;trive, &s;ometimes they may differ a little, but for the generality they live well e|nough together; nay, take &s;ome Go&s;pel Saints that are filled with the Spirit of God, and the knowledge of Je&s;us Chri&s;t (in the&s;e times, and in this City which is the Centre of all Divi&s;ion) and they cannot atte&s;t divi&s;ions, they cannot make a Party, and give railing for railing, and &s;trife for &s;trife; they cannot but <HI>love their ene|mies,</HI> and <HI>ble&s;s them that bla&s;pheme them.</HI> As <HI>James</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Whence come all wars?</HI> You think they come from your zeal for <HI>your Way,</HI> and yours for <HI>your Way,</HI> but it is <HI>from your lu&s;ts: The fle&s;h lu&s;teth again&s;t the &s;pirit, and the &s;pirit again&s;t the fle&s;h;</HI> it is from <HI>Old Adam.</HI></P>
<P>And I was going to &s;ay, but I will but name it. This is the cau&s;e al&s;o of the weakne&s;s gene|rally that is among you. It is not wickedne&s;s that troubles a Saint, but weakne&s;s; it is not po&s;itive ills, but weakne&s;s. And whence is this weakne&s;s? becau&s;e he <HI>walks after the fle&s;h:</HI> the Spirit is powerful, but the fle&s;h is weak. As the Scripture faith, <HI>Their hor&s;es are fle&s;h and not &s;pirit:</HI> &s;o I may &s;ay, Your Prayers are fle&s;h and not &s;pi|rit, and it may be my Preaching, and it may be our endeavours to re&s;i&s;t &s;in. But as far as they are fle&s;h they are weak enough: but where the Spirit is, there is power; <HI>I can do all things,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Paul;</HI> I can <HI>preach the Go&s;pel from Jeru&s;alem to Illyricum;</HI> and <HI>I &s;hall come to you in the fulne&s;s</HI>
<PB N="123" REF="67"> <HI>of Chri&s;t.</HI> A man would think he had been mad, but it was the &s;trength of his &s;pirit. A poor weak Chri&s;tian he doth nothing but wi&s;h, and would, and confe&s;&s;eth his &s;ins to day, and falls into it again to morrow, and then confe&s;&s;eth again; and, <HI>When will it once be, O Jeru&s;alem?</HI> but the Go&s;pel is <HI>the power of God to &s;alvation,</HI> and all the principles of it are powerful, and all the precepts of it have a power through the &s;pi|rit for a man to keep and ob&s;erve them.</P>
<P>Men talk that the learning of Chri&s;t, and the knowledge of the Go&s;pel is to make men loo&s;e and licentious. It is true, carnal vain hearts, the better any thing is, the wor&s;e they be; but a&s;|&s;ure your &s;elves, concerning true Saints it is fal&s;e: for the onely way to be lively, and lu&s;ty, and fruitful in good, is to know Chri&s;t more ac|cording to the Go&s;pel. Let men plea&s;e them|&s;elves, and &s;ay &s;o as long as they will, they &s;hall be but poor old barren creatures: you will be wi&s;hing, but you &s;hall never overcome your &s;ins. I have known &s;ome Saints, that by the know|ledge of Je&s;us Chri&s;t have had power to &s;ubdue tho&s;e &s;ins, and to bring them under, that before they never &s;o much as hoped to bring under in this world; yet the power of Chri&s;t hath brought them under, when all their Fa&s;tings and Humiliations would never do it, when they were in that way, without the clear knowledge of Chri&s;t; but when they have come to Chri&s;t they
<PB N="124" REF="68"> have found it done. In 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3. you &s;hall finde there, men that were carnal, men that were as <HI>dogs that returned to their vomit,</HI> yet the <HI>common knowledge</HI> of Je&s;us Chri&s;t did make them clean from <HI>the pollutions of the world,</HI> and did give them power again&s;t their &s;ins, what then will the <HI>&s;piritual effectual knowledge</HI> of Chri&s;t do? Therefore never entertain any prejudice again&s;t Chri&s;t, or again&s;t his Go&s;pel, or again&s;t his Spi|rit, and his Wayes, for if there be any power in this world, it is there: all the re&s;t is but a flouri&s;h, but a &s;hew of mortification, when the heart is as full of lu&s;ts, as a Toad is of poy&s;on, There is no true mortification or holine&s;s, but what comes from Chri&s;t and his holy Spirit.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="6" TYPE="sermon">
<HEAD>SERMON VI.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Rom. 8. 5.</BIBL>
<Q>For they that are after the fle&s;h, do minde the things of the fle&s;h: but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>IN the former Ver&s;e you remember how I &s;hewed you that there was a great priviledge to all true Beleevers, which indeed is the chiefe of all Priviledge, for it is the inlet of all mercies, and the principall deliverance from all evills. It
<PB N="125" REF="68"> is contained in the beginning of Ver&s;e 4. <HI>That the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law might be fulfilled in us.</HI> In the latter end of the Ver&s;e I &s;hewed the per&s;on more largely de&s;cribed, to whom this priviledge doth belong; that is, <HI>Not tho&s;e that walk after the fle&s;h,</HI> but tho&s;e <HI>that walk after the &s;pirit.</HI> And I have as God enabled me opened the meaning of that to you, what it was to walk after the Fle&s;h, and what to walk after the &s;pirit.</P>
<P>Now the Apo&s;tle in this fifth Ver&s;e goes for|ward a little more particularly to di&s;cover tho&s;e that have a right to this priviledge, by drawing one thing from another. The main was, <HI>They walk not after the fle&s;h, but after the &s;pirit.</HI> I, but that is a generall word, and how &s;hall we know that? Saith he, you &s;hall know that al&s;o by this, <HI>They that are after the fle&s;h do mind fle&s;hly things, and they that are after the &s;pirit do minde &s;pirituall things:</HI> You &s;hall know whether you have the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law fulfilled in you, if you <HI>walk not after the fle&s;h but after the &s;pirit.</HI> And you &s;hall know that al&s;o by your minding, by the frame of your mindes; if you walk after the fle&s;h you will <HI>mind fle&s;hly things,</HI> if you walk after the &s;pirit you will mind &s;pirituall things. And then he goes on to prove that al&s;o; as we &s;ee oft in Scri|pture, as in 1 <HI>John</HI> 5. where one thing is made the mark of another by a gradation; there are five or &s;ix things, and one thing proves another, <HI>we know that we are the children of God</HI>
<PB N="126" REF="69"> <HI>if we keep his Commandements;</HI> and we know we keep his Commandements by another thing, and we know that by another thing. So that I &s;ay the Scope of the Apo&s;tle is to cleare unto the Saints their right &amp; title to this great priviledge, and al&s;o withall, to convince tho&s;e that are carnal that they are without it, and to &s;hew them their great mi&s;erie in being &s;o; for you &s;hall &s;ee after, how as he di&s;covers them, &s;o al&s;o he &s;hews their mi&s;ery, he &s;aith they <HI>are enmity to God,</HI> and <HI>they that walk after the fle&s;h mu&s;t dye, &amp;c.</HI> Now that we may go on breifly to handle this a little to you; you may take the Doctrine as it lyes here in the words: (for I will not, nor need not frame it otherwi&s;e)</P>
<Q>Doct. <HI>That tho&s;e that are after the fle&s;h, do minde the things of the fle&s;h.</HI></Q>
<P>Only remember what I &s;aid before, for it is of great concernment; for that great priviledge depends upon this: if you have the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law fulfilled in you, you mu&s;t be tho&s;e that walk according to the &s;pirit, and not accor|ding to the fle&s;h: And then would you know that? &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Tho&s;e that are after the fle&s;h do minde the things of the fle&s;h, and tho&s;e that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit:</HI> &s;o let that be the Doctrine or Le&s;&s;on.</P>
<P>I will give you but two &s;hort words to prove this to you, and then to open it as God &s;hall help us.</P>
<PB N="127" REF="69">
<P> <HI>Rea&s;.</HI> 1. The fir&s;t thing to prove it is this, that it mu&s;t be &s;o, becau&s;e every thing in the world, in all the Creation of God, doth act according to the nature of its <HI>principle</HI> from whence it flows. As <HI>James</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Jam.</HI> 3. 11, 12. <HI>Doth a fountain &s;end forth from the &s;ame place &s;weet water and bitter? Can a figtree (my Brethren) bear olive-berries, or can a Vine bear figs?</HI> You know that a Fig-tree bears Figs, and a Vine-tree bears Grapes, and an Apple-tree bears Apples, and a Pear-tree Pears, and every Tree, and every thing will work according to its principle. <HI>Make the tree good</HI> (&s;aith Chri&s;t) <HI>and then the fruit will be good;</HI> &s;uch as the tree is, &s;uch will be the fruit; &s;uch as the fountain is, &s;uch will be the &s;tream: and when a mans principles, the frame of his heart is nothing but fle&s;h, then of nece&s;&s;ity his actions mu&s;t be fle&s;hly, his affections mu&s;t be fle&s;hly. If he have a fle&s;hly minde, he mu&s;t have a fle&s;hly will, a fle&s;hly love, fle&s;hly hatred, a fle&s;hly life, fle&s;hly prayers, fle&s;hly Sacraments, fle&s;hly every thing: for every thing mu&s;t be ac|cording to its principle. So, on the other &s;ide, where the principle is &s;piritual, there a man will minde &s;piritual things, he will love &s;piritual things, he will do &s;piritual things, he will de|light in &s;pirituall things. That is one Rea&s;on of it.</P>
<P><HI>Rea&s;.</HI> 2. And the &s;econd is this (for I will give you but the&s;e two, becau&s;e the chief thing that
<PB N="128" REF="70"> I intend at this time is the opening of it) fle&s;hly carnal men that are after the fle&s;h, they mu&s;t minde fle&s;hly things, becau&s;e they know not &s;piritual things, they under&s;tand not &s;piritual things: Or if you will (and it may be that word hath &s;omething more in it) 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2. they <HI>per|ceive not &s;piritual things,</HI> they do not <HI>ken</HI> and perceive them. Now you know that a man mindes not (I mean look upon it as the acting of the under&s;tanding) a man cannot minde, but what he knows; a man cannot think of things he knows not. That is the rea&s;on to prove that poor ignorant people &s;peak an untruth, and de|ceive them&s;elves, when they &s;ay, we remember God, we minde God, where&s;oever we are, and yet they know not God; for God is not minded but when he is known. As in that place of the <HI>Corinthians, A natural man cannot perceive the things of the &s;pirit;</HI> he doth not know Je&s;us Chri&s;t, therefore he cannot minde him; he doth not know the things of the &s;pirit of God, there|fore he cannot &s;et his heart upon them; <HI>With|out knowledge the minde cannot be good;</HI> that is, till a man have a &s;tock of knowledge of things, he can never act his under&s;tanding and minde about it. There are two &s;hort Rea&s;ons why tho&s;e that are carnal and fle&s;hly, tho&s;e that are after the fle&s;h, they minde the things of the fle&s;h, and they minde nothing el&s;e, nor cannot; and tho&s;e that are after the &s;pirit, minde the things
<PB N="129" REF="70"> of the &s;pirit, becau&s;e they know them, they un|der&s;tand them, and under&s;tanding them, they cannot choo&s;e, as <HI>David</HI> &s;aith, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 1. but <HI>exer|ci&s;e them&s;elves in them day and night:</HI> they exer|ci&s;e their thoughts and affections, and all in them.</P>
<P>Now for the opening of it unto you, here are three que&s;tions.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>What is meant by being after the fle&s;h?</HI></P>
<P>And &s;econdly, <HI>What is meant by the things of the fle&s;h, and the things of the Spirit?</HI> I will put them both together, for the one will open the other.</P>
<P>And thirdly, <HI>What is meant by minding the things of the fle&s;h, and by minding the things of the Spirit?</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, by <HI>being after the fle&s;h,</HI> it is in effect the &s;ame that I told you before, to walk after the fle&s;h; therefore if you have not forgotten that, you will ea&s;ily under&s;tand this. But yet to make it clearer, you mu&s;t under&s;tand, that a man is &s;aid to be after the fle&s;h, or carnal, for &s;o they reade it in Latine, <HI>Qui carnalis, &amp;c.</HI> Men are &s;aid to be carnal, or after the fle&s;h three wayes.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t is when a man is a true Saint, but hath but a little mea&s;ure of grace, and hath much corruption, much fle&s;h. It plea&s;eth the holy Gho&s;t many times to denominate &s;uch a man by the greate&s;t part that is in him, which is fle&s;h, and &s;o to call him <HI>Carnal;</HI> as in <HI>Rom.</HI> 7. &s;aith
<PB N="130" REF="71"> <HI>Paul,</HI> &s;peaking how &s;piritual the law is, but &s;aith he, <HI>I am carnal, &s;old under &s;in;</HI> &s;old to &s;in: not that there was <HI>no grace</HI> in <HI>Paul,</HI> but that there was &s;uch abundance of corruption, at lea&s;t in his feeling. So in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3. <HI>Are ye not carnal?</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Paul)</HI> have ye not <HI>need of milk?</HI> are ye not <HI>babes?</HI> When I hear there are &s;uch <HI>divi&s;ions,</HI> that &s;ome are for <HI>Paul,</HI> and &s;ome for <HI>Apollos,</HI> and &s;ome for <HI>Cephas, Are ye not carnal?</HI> are ye not after the fle&s;h? that is, Is there not a world of corruption in you? doth not corruption rule and bear &s;way, over that little grace that is in you? So in <HI>Gal.</HI> 6. 1. <HI>If any man be overtaken with &s;in, you that are &s;piritual re&s;tore &s;uch a one;</HI> that is, as if he had &s;aid, There are &s;ome carnal, and they cannot keep them&s;elves from being <HI>overtaken</HI> frequently with &s;in, and much le&s;s can &s;uch <HI>re&s;tore others;</HI> but a &s;piritual man, one that the &s;pirit hath prevailed in &s;ome mea&s;ure over the fle&s;h, in keeping him from the foils and falls that weak men fall into, and making him able in &s;ome mea&s;ure to rai&s;e and heal others. Now &s;o we are not to under&s;tand it here in this place, when he &s;aith, <HI>They that are after the fle&s;h.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, a man may be &s;aid to be after the Fle&s;h, or to be carnall. A man that is a true Saint may be called carnall, when he doth &s;ome one action that may in a &s;ence be wholy carnall. For a Saint may do an action that he, nor none about him may perceive any thing but carnallity
<PB N="131" REF="71"> in. As in <HI>Mat.</HI> 16. 23. Compared with <HI>Mark</HI> 8. 32. There you &s;hall &s;ee a godly Saint, <HI>Peter</HI> by name, when his Ma&s;ter was Preaching to him, what he &s;hould &s;uffer at <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> and how he &s;hould be put to death, and the like: <HI>Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, &s;aying, Be it far from the Lord; this &s;hall not be unto thee.</HI> This was a Fle&s;hly &s;peech, a meer carnall &s;peech. Chri&s;t was going to <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> to die for <HI>Peter,</HI> and for other poore &s;inners, and <HI>Peter</HI> takes him a&s;ide, and rebukes his Ma&s;ter, and tells him it &s;hould not be &s;o, <HI>Far be it from thee.</HI> Chri&s;t takes him, ahd tells him, <HI>Get thee behind me Sa|tan, thou art an offence to mee: for thou &s;avoure&s;t not the things of God, but the things of men.</HI> Thou &s;peake&s;t as a carnall fle&s;hly man, thou ha&s;t no ta&s;t of &s;pirituall things. If thou didde&s;t looke on it &s;piritually, thou woulde&s;t rejoyce, and pray the Lord to help thee to &s;uffer in that temptation with thy Ma&s;ter, or to make a &s;piritual u&s;e of it, but thou art carnall, and &s;avoure&s;t of Fle&s;h. Now when the Apo&s;tle &s;ayeth here, <HI>They that are afeer the Fle&s;h, do mind the things of the Fle&s;h,</HI> he doth not properly mean that neither.</P>
<P>But thirdly and la&s;tly, a man is &s;aid to be after the fle&s;h, when he is in his pure naturals; when he is meerly carnal, when he is wholly fle&s;h, when he is de&s;titute of the &s;pirit of God: when men are &s;o fle&s;h and fle&s;hly in their principles and actions, that there is nothing of the Spirit
<PB N="132" REF="72"> of God in them. So it is principally to be taken here. Though for the former two I may &s;ay this, that as far as a Saint, either in the mea&s;ure of his graces, or in his actions, is fle&s;hly, he mindes fle&s;hly things; but a man that is wholly fle&s;hly, wholly mindes fle&s;hly things. And &s;o much concerning the fir&s;t Que&s;tion.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing is, <HI>What is meant here by the things of the fle&s;h, and by the things of the &s;pirit?</HI> If you remember what I have told you of fle&s;h before, you will under&s;tand much what is meant by the things of the fle&s;h. I told you <HI>Fle&s;h</HI> was <HI>Old Adam,</HI> both in his good, and in his evil, <HI>pure Adam,</HI> and <HI>corrupt Adam,</HI> and every thing that came from him, or every thing that leads to him, that was <HI>Fle&s;h.</HI> So the things of the fle&s;h are the&s;e things, and all opportunities belonging to them in general.</P>
<P>But, that you may under&s;tand it a little better, I will &s;hew you what the holy Gho&s;t calls the&s;e <HI>things of the fle&s;h,</HI> and the <HI>things of the &s;pirit,</HI> that &s;o by the Scriptures you may under&s;tand Scriptures. We will put them both together, the one will open the other to you. In 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2. 11. there you &s;hall &s;ee the things of the fle&s;h are called the things of a man: <HI>For what man knoweth the things of a man, &s;ave the &s;pirit of a man which is in him.</HI> The <HI>things of a man:</HI> The <HI>things of the fle&s;h</HI> are the <HI>things of a man,</HI> that is, proper to a man as man. Therefore <HI>Mark</HI> 8.
<PB N="133" REF="72"> 32. they are called, <HI>The things that be of men.</HI> The things of the fle&s;h are called the things that men deal about, the things that men as men na|turally deal about, and look after, the things of men. But the things of <HI>the Spirit of God,</HI> in that 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2. you have divers expre&s;&s;ions of them: <HI>ver.</HI> 9. they are the things that <HI>Eye hath not &s;een, nor ear heard, nor hath entred into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love him.</HI> What are the&s;e things? the&s;e glorious things that no carnal man hath ever &s;een or heard, or under&s;tood any thing of them, that <HI>God hath prepared for them that love him?</HI> They are, as we &s;ee there afterwards, clearly the <HI>things of the Spirit of God.</HI> They are called <HI>the deep things of God,</HI> ver. 10. they are deep, becau&s;e no carnal man can reach them; and in <HI>ver.</HI> 11. they are called <HI>the things of God;</HI> and in <HI>ver.</HI> 12. <HI>The things that are freely given to us of God.</HI> And in <HI>ver.</HI> 14. they are called the <HI>the things of the Spirit of God; The things of the Spirit of God are fooli&s;hne&s;s to him.</HI> In 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4. <HI>ult.</HI> there you &s;hall have both the&s;e things de|&s;cribed: for in that we &s;hall have a little light from that de&s;cription of it; the things of the fle&s;h are called there the <HI>things that are &s;een,</HI> and the things of the Spirit are called the <HI>things that are not &s;een;</HI> the one are &s;aid to be temporal, and the other eternal. The things of the fle&s;h are temporal things that may be &s;een, that is, not
<PB N="134" REF="73"> &s;o much &s;een with the eyes of the body, but he means that a man, every carnal man may per|ceive and under&s;tand them. All the things of <HI>Old Adam,</HI> a meer natural man is able to com|prehend them, but the other things are things that are not &s;een; that is, that <HI>eye hath not &s;een, nor ear heard, nor hath entred into the heart of man.</HI> Therefore Chri&s;t in <HI>Mat.</HI> 11. 25. &s;aith, <HI>I thank thee, O heavenly Father, that thou ha&s;t hid the&s;e things from the wi&s;e and prudent, and ha&s;t revealed them to babes.</HI> What were the&s;e things? the things of the &s;pirit of God, they are the things that are hid from the wi&s;e and prudent of the world, they are not po&s;&s;ible to be &s;een of them, but God reveals them to the <HI>lea&s;t babe</HI> of his own kingdome. In <HI>Colo&s;&s;.</HI> 3. 1, 2. you have another de&s;cription: for you may put the&s;e together, and &s;o the better under&s;tand them. In <HI>ver.</HI> 2. the things of the fle&s;h are called <HI>things on earth,</HI> and the things of the Spirit are called <HI>the things that are above.</HI> The <HI>things of the fle&s;h</HI> are the things that are <HI>beneath,</HI> as it were, things on the earth; that is, though in <HI>Old Adam</HI> there be many excellent things, (you mu&s;t not conceive <HI>Earth</HI> here in a gro&s;s &s;en&s;e) there is fine refined wi&s;dome, and under&s;tanding, and prudence, which the &s;pirit of God u&s;ually &s;lights and de|&s;pi&s;eth; <HI>Where is the wi&s;e and the di&s;puter, &amp;c.</HI> notwith&s;tanding, all <HI>Old Adam</HI> is but earthly; all the &s;pirituality, as it were, of <HI>Old Adam,</HI> are
<PB N="135" REF="73"> but <HI>things on the earth.</HI> It is no wonder they are called things of the Earth, when the Doctrine and Preaching of <HI>John Bapti&s;t</HI> he him&s;elf calls it Earthly; <HI>I am from the earth,</HI> I &s;peak earthly; He is from <HI>above,</HI> he &s;peaks heavenly and &s;piri|tually. It was earthly in compari&s;on of Chri&s;t, though there was &s;ome Go&s;pel in it. Much more earthly is all the devotion and Religion, and what is be&s;t in fle&s;hly man, that hath nothing in him but <HI>Old Adam.</HI></P>
<P>In <HI>Phil.</HI> 3. 7. there is another large de&s;crip|tion of the&s;e things. The things of the fle&s;h there, they are tho&s;e things that <HI>Paul</HI> once accounted gaine to him, and tho&s;e things that <HI>Paul</HI> now accounted lo&s;&s;e to him, &s;ee there what tho&s;e things are, tho&s;e excellent fine things, the things of the fle&s;h; a man while he is in the fle&s;h, ac|counts them gaine, a great gaine to him; he lives by his wit, and his wi&s;edome, and it is a mighty gaine to him to increa&s;e, and build up <HI>old Adam</HI> in him. But when a man comes to &s;pirituall things, he accounts all the&s;e things lo&s;s: <HI>I account them lo&s;s,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Paul.</HI> Now the things of the &s;pirit, were tho&s;e things that <HI>Paul</HI> de&s;ired to win, and to gain; in the ver&s;es following, <HI>That I may gain Chri&s;t and his righteou&s;ne&s;s;</HI> and a little further, you &s;hall &s;ee <HI>Paul</HI> calls the things of the fle&s;h the <HI>things behinde,</HI> and the things of the Spirit the <HI>things before.</HI> And in <HI>ver.</HI> 19. the things of the fle&s;h he calls them earthly things.
<PB N="136" REF="74"> <HI>They minde earthly things;</HI> and &s;o by contraries, the other things are heavenly. I cannot open every particular expre&s;&s;ion, onely I would point out the de&s;criptions to you, as the Holy Gho&s;t layes them down. In 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5. there the things of the fle&s;h are called <HI>old things,</HI> and the things of the Spirit are called <HI>new things:</HI> for &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>We know no man after the fle&s;h, yea though we have known Chri&s;t after the fle&s;h, yet know we him &s;o no more: therefore if any man be in Chri&s;t he is a new creature, old things are pa&s;&s;ed away:</HI> all the things of the Fle&s;h are old things, the things of the Spirit of God are new things. Therefore in the <HI>Acts,</HI> the <HI>Athenians</HI> de&s;ired to know the <HI>new</HI> &s;trange <HI>doctrine</HI> that <HI>Paul</HI> brought.</P>
<P>What was this <HI>new doctrine?</HI></P>
<P>Onely the things concerning the Spirit of God, the other things are <HI>old things, Gal.</HI> 2. 18. there the things of the fle&s;h are de&s;cribed to be the things that <HI>Paul</HI> de&s;troyed, and the things of the Spirit the things that <HI>Paul</HI> &s;ought to build up. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7. 32, 33. the things of the fle&s;h are called <HI>the things of the world,</HI> but the things of the Spirit are called there <HI>the things of the Lord; The married cares for the things of the world, but the unmarried for the things of the Lord.</HI> Phil. 2. 23. the things of the fle&s;h are called <HI>our own things,</HI> and the things of the Spirit are called <HI>the things of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> Saith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>I</HI>
<PB N="137" REF="74"> <HI>have no man like minded, who will naturally care for your &s;tate:</HI> Mark that expre&s;&s;ion, it is well worth ob&s;erving in the&s;e &s;elf-&s;eeking times. We may well &s;ay &s;o now, if <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aid &s;o then, <HI>I have no man like minded, who will naturally care for your e&s;tate.</HI> A man can hardly finde a Profe&s;&s;or in a multitude, that will naturally and freely care for the &s;tate of others of the Saints: for, &s;aith he, <HI>All &s;eek their own, and not the things that are Je&s;us Chri&s;ts:</HI> all &s;eek their own things, the things that make for old <HI>Adam,</HI> that make for the Fle&s;h, and for mans &s;elf. <HI>Joh.</HI> 6. 27. the things of the Fle&s;h are called <HI>meat that peri&s;heth,</HI> and the things of the Spirit <HI>meat that endureth to everla&s;ting life. Luke</HI> 10. 41. they are called <HI>many things,</HI> and the things of the Spirit are called <HI>one thing; Martha, Martha, thou art cumbred about many things:</HI> for indeed there are many di&s;tracting bu&s;ine&s;&s;es in the things of the world; therefore in <HI>Mat.</HI> 13. when the &s;eed was &s;own among thorns, it is &s;aid, <HI>the deceitfulne&s;s of riches and plea&s;ures, and the lu&s;ts of other things;</HI> who knows how many, it may be a <HI>thou&s;and, two thou&s;and</HI> other things; the things of the Fle&s;h are endle&s;s, but the things of the Spirit are called <HI>one thing;</HI> the ruinous building of old <HI>Adam</HI> is going into a thou&s;and pieces, but there is but one Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and in the things of Je&s;us Chri&s;t there is a greater union then in the things of the Fle&s;h, and old <HI>Adam.</HI> In <HI>Luke</HI> 19. they
<PB N="138" REF="75"> are called <HI>the things of trouble,</HI> and the things of the Spirit <HI>the things that belong to our peace: O that thou had&s;t known in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace!</HI> In <HI>Jer.</HI> 2. 8. they are cal|led things that do <HI>not profit, vain things,</HI> and the things of the Spirit in <HI>Phil.</HI> 1. 10. they are called <HI>excellent things; That ye may be able to know the things that are excellent,</HI> that is, the things of the Spirit of God. And to conclude this, <HI>Phil.</HI> 4. 8. &s;peaking of the things of the Spirit, &s;aith he, <HI>What&s;oever things are true, what&s;oever things are ju&s;t, what&s;oever things are hone&s;t, what&s;oever things are pure, what&s;oever things are lovely, what|&s;oever things are of good report, the&s;e things do.</HI> The&s;e are the things of the Spirit of God. Then <HI>impure</HI> things, <HI>di&s;hone&s;t</HI> things, <HI>di&s;honourable</HI> things, <HI>unju&s;t</HI> things, <HI>unlovely</HI> things, the&s;e are things of the fle&s;h.</P>
<P>Thus much in general, according to the de|&s;cription of the things of the Fle&s;h in Scri|pture.</P>
<P>But now in particular, I will &s;um up the things of the Fle&s;h, or of old <HI>Adam</HI> (one or other of which fle&s;hly men do wholly minde) to the&s;e three Heads.</P>
<P N="1">1. The fir&s;t is to <HI>e&s;tabli&s;h their own righteou&s;|ne&s;s</HI> by the law, to procure to them&s;elves <HI>ju&s;tifi|cation by their works.</HI> This is the Ma&s;ter-piece of old <HI>Adam:</HI> for I told you, that man is more prone to this then to &s;in, though he be prone to
<PB N="139" REF="75"> that al&s;o; and old <HI>Adam</HI> works &s;tronger to|wards his righteou&s;ne&s;s (&s;uch as it is) in a for|bidden way, then to &s;in. Therefore it is &s;aid, <HI>Rom.</HI> 10. 3. <HI>They being ignorant of Gods righteou&s;|ne&s;s, went about to e&s;tabli&s;h their own righteou&s;|ne&s;s:</HI> He &s;peaks there of the <HI>Jews.</HI> The word in the Original is, they went to make it <HI>&s;tand;</HI> ju&s;t as a <HI>tottered hou&s;e</HI> that every bla&s;t is ready to throw down, and it mu&s;t be underpropped on this &s;ide, and on that &s;ide to keep it up: &s;o every fle&s;hly man in the world, this is half his work, to make the <HI>Babel</HI> of his own righteou&s;|ne&s;s to &s;tand; he is alway piecing and patching, and doing &s;ome good work, he is wi&s;hing and woulding, or in &s;ome fa&s;hion or other to make up a good e&s;tate again&s;t the latter day. There|fore that was the que&s;tion, <HI>Acts</HI> 2. and <HI>Luke</HI> 3. and it is the grand que&s;tion of all mankinde, <HI>What &s;hall we do to be &s;aved?</HI> and we &s;ee when they came to Chri&s;t, it was alway with this, <HI>Ma&s;ter, what &s;hall I do to be &s;aved?</HI> As if he had &s;aid, I know it mu&s;t be by doing, and I am willing to go about it to frame &s;ome kinde of righteou&s;ne&s;s or other: Therefore in <HI>Joh.</HI> 6. &s;ay they, <HI>What &s;hall we do to work the works of eter|nall life?</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>This is the work of God to believe;</HI> he takes them off.</P>
<P>Now this is one thing whereby you may know what it is to be a fle&s;hly man, and to <HI>minde fle&s;hly things,</HI> when people minde, and ca&s;t projects
<PB N="140" REF="76"> and wayes to procure righteou&s;ne&s;s to them|&s;elves, or ju&s;tification to their &s;ouls, any other way, then onely by the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Men may be as it were drunk &s;ometimes, and minde neither Heaven nor Hell; but there is no fle&s;hly carnal man, when he is his own man, but he thinks there is &s;ome good work or other that he mu&s;t do, either giving, or lending, or build|ing an Alms-hou&s;e, or giving to the poor, or &s;omewhat to get him a righteou&s;ne&s;s: But re|member, thou art a carnal man, and all thy minding, and all thy thoughts this way, are but according to the fle&s;h, and tho&s;e that are after the fle&s;h mu&s;t die. It was the fir&s;t and the great|e&s;t Cur&s;e that ever was in the world, when God &s;aid to old <HI>Adam,</HI> he mu&s;t die: it is a general rule, all old <HI>Adam</HI> mu&s;t die, either thou mu&s;t get that piece of old <HI>Adam</HI> that is in thee to die, or thou &s;halt die with it, one of the two.</P>
<P N="2">2. Then another thing that is called the things of the Fle&s;h, it is <HI>Carnal Priviledges,</HI> either men that are fle&s;hly minde their ju&s;tifica|tion out of Chri&s;t, or el&s;e their Carnal Privi|ledges. I told you before that tho&s;e are called <HI>Fle&s;h:</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>If any might,</HI> I may <HI>glory in the fle&s;h.</HI> What is that? <HI>I am an Hebrew of the Hebrews,</HI> &amp;c. and &s;o the <HI>Jews</HI> in <HI>Mat.</HI> 3. <HI>Joh.</HI> 8. and 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11. they were apt, as to &s;ta|bli&s;h their own righteou&s;ne&s;s, &s;o to glory in their priviledges, <HI>We are the children of Abra|ham,</HI>
<PB N="141" REF="76"> <HI>we were never &s;laves</HI> or <HI>&s;ervants.</HI> We have not their priviledges to glory in, yet this is a main piece of old <HI>Adam,</HI> a great part of the <HI>things of the fle&s;h,</HI> outward priviledges, let them be Church-priviledges, or what you will: when people rejoyce, and minde and contemplate out|ward priviledges, and do not regard the inward power, nor what is in, and through and by them, this is but fle&s;h.</P>
<P>I fear you will not <HI>bear with me,</HI> you will <HI>ac|count me your enemy for telling you the truth:</HI> but I am per&s;waded there are many among us that talk of Churches, and Government, and Ordi|nances, and Priviledges, and yet all is but fle&s;h, and you cannot well judge of them by their &s;trictne&s;s in it; for fle&s;h will go as &s;trictly in its way as the Spirit: but it is to be feared, that divers build of it, and glory in it, and it is a great part of their Religion: I warn you in love to look to it, and if tho&s;e Priviledges were taken away, as Chri&s;t took away the priviledge of being the <HI>children of Abraham</HI> from the <HI>Jews,</HI> &s;uch people would be poor carnal people. Take heed of it, and <HI>let him that glories, glory in the Lord.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. Thirdly, and la&s;tly, the things of the fle&s;h (for all old <HI>Adam</HI> is included in the&s;e three things) that fle&s;hly men minde, is to <HI>fulfill their lu&s;ts,</HI> which are many; <HI>to make provi&s;ion for the fle&s;h,</HI> Rom. 13. that is, to be ca&s;ting how to feed
<PB N="142" REF="77"> one lu&s;t or other. Now if you would know what tho&s;e lu&s;ts are in particular, (though in a &s;ort it be general) you have it in 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 2. 16. &s;aith he, <HI>All that is in the world, is the lu&s;t of the fle&s;h, the lu&s;t of the eye, and the pride of life.</HI> The&s;e are the lu&s;ts of the world; all the lu&s;ts in the world may be reduced it &s;eems to tho&s;e three heads: &s;o I &s;ay, the&s;e are the fle&s;hly things that all carnall people minde; all their thoughts throughout the year, every one runs either in <HI>&s;tabli&s;hing their own righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> or in <HI>glorying,</HI> and contemplating their outward priviledges, or in projecting for the fulfilling of &s;ome lu&s;t or other: thus they &s;pend their whole life, the&s;e are the things of the fle&s;h that carnall men minde.</P>
<P>Now the other, <HI>the things of the Spirit,</HI> that are contrary to the&s;e, you may comprehend them all in the&s;e words; that is,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. They are either the things of <HI>Faith.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Or el&s;e their <HI>Hope</HI> and <HI>Happine&s;s</HI> in Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Or el&s;e their <HI>Obedience</HI> to the will of Chri&s;t.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>All the things of the Spirit are comprehended in the&s;e three.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the things of <HI>Faith.</HI> They minde the <HI>things of the Spirit;</HI> that is, they alway minde and &s;tudy how to believe in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and how to lay firmer and righter hold of him, how they may know him more di&s;tinctly, and hold
<PB N="143" REF="77"> him more firmly, and get fuller a&s;&s;urance, this is their work.</P>
<P N="2">2. Or they are exerci&s;ed about the things of <HI>Hope;</HI> that is, they are contemplating and re|joycing in their <HI>Happine&s;s</HI> by Chri&s;t, how their per&s;ons are ju&s;tified, and their &s;ins pardoned, and the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law fulfilled in them, and all in Heaven and Earth be&s;towed on them. As <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Phil.</HI> 3. this is our Religion, we glory in the fle&s;h as if not, but <HI>we rejoyce in Je|&s;us, and have no confidence in the fle&s;h,</HI> but <HI>we re|joyce in Je&s;us,</HI> that is, in all the happine&s;s we have in Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P N="3">3. Or thirdly and la&s;tly, the <HI>things of the Spi|rit</HI> are the will of God, or the Commands of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; they alway &s;tudy how they may obey, and <HI>fulfill the good, and acceptable, and per|fect will of God.</HI> So that a Saint, if he be &s;piri|tual, he is alway either acting his <HI>Faith,</HI> and in|crea&s;ing, and &s;trengthning that; or he is con|templating his <HI>Happine&s;s</HI> in Je&s;us Chri&s;t; or &s;tu|dying which way to <HI>glorifie</HI> God, to know what part of the will of God he knows not, and to &s;tudy what part of the will of God he knows and remembers, this is his exerci&s;e. And let this &s;uffice to &s;hew what <HI>the things of the fle&s;h,</HI> and what <HI>the things of the Spirit</HI> are.</P>
<P>Now the third que&s;tion briefly is, <HI>What is meant by the minding of the things of the Fle&s;h, and the things of the Spirit?</HI></P>
<P N="1"><PB N="144" REF="78"> 1. You mu&s;t under &s;tand, fir&s;t, that the mean|ing is not, as though a man might not think up|on fle&s;hly things: for a &s;piritual Saint oft thinks upon fle&s;hly things in a &s;piritual manner, as to con&s;ider his &s;ins, to bewail, and to mourn for them; and he may minde earthly worldly things, to <HI>provide things hone&s;t,</HI> to provide for his Fami|ly, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith: he may think of his bu&s;ine&s;s. Therefore the Holy Gho&s;t here doth not u&s;e the word <HI>[Froune&s;is]</HI> but <HI>[Frounena]; [Froune&s;is]</HI> &s;ignifies <HI>prudence,</HI> or <HI>di&s;cretion,</HI> or <HI>providence</HI> in bu&s;ine&s;s: he doth not u&s;e that, le&s;t we &s;hould think that the Holy Gho&s;t forbids to <HI>provide,</HI> to be <HI>mindful,</HI> and <HI>careful</HI> of worldly bu&s;ine&s;s, but <HI>[Frounena]</HI> that &s;ignifies a further thing, as I &s;hall &s;hew pre&s;ently.</P>
<P N="2">2. Now then you mu&s;t under&s;tand this al&s;o, that when the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, they <HI>minde the things of the fle&s;h,</HI> the word doth not onely &s;ignifie the under&s;tanding, but it &s;ignifies all the affections al&s;o. I could give you divers places of Scripture where this word is &s;et downe to expre&s;&s;e the working of any affection in the &s;oul. Therefore the meaning is not only of the mind that &s;tudies, but his affections, his will, the way of his delight, his joy is in earthly things; his care is after fle&s;hly things.</P>
<P>But in particular, there are the&s;e four or five things implied in the word, when they are &s;aid to <HI>mind the things of the fle&s;h.</HI></P>
<PB N="145" REF="78">
<P> The fir&s;t is that the very care of his heart (as I told you before) is Fle&s;hly, and carnall. A Chri&s;tian hath outward worldly things in an outward room, and Je&s;us Chri&s;t next his heart. There is (&s;aith one godly man) a clo&s;et in the heart of a Saint, only to entertaine Je&s;us Chri&s;t; which the Scripture calls the &s;pirit frequently: <HI>I wor&s;hip God in my &s;pirit, Rom.</HI> 1. And in 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5. <HI>That ye may be &s;anctified in your &s;pirit.</HI> That is, in the very coare, and quinte&s;&s;ence of the &s;oul.</P>
<P>Now a godly man may have many hurries of wordly things, and lu&s;ts cro&s;s and come through, but the coar of his heart is for God, and for Ho|line&s;s. Therefore &s;aith <HI>Paul, Rom.</HI> 7. <HI>I &s;erve the law of the fle&s;h with my members, and the law of Chri&s;t with my mind.</HI> That is, inwardly, with the care of my heart: I &s;hewed the meaning of that word before, I &s;hall not now go further in that.</P>
<P>Secondly, a man is &s;aid to minde wordly things when a man not only thinks of worldly, and fle&s;hly things, but &s;avours of worldly and Fle&s;hly things: therefore the &s;ame word <HI>[Frounena]</HI> that is here minding, is oft read to &s;avour. As in the Speech of Chri&s;t to <HI>Peter, thou &s;avoure&s;t the things of the world,</HI> thou ha&s;t a &s;mack of it, thou ha&s;t a reli&s;h of carnall things. So then to mind fle&s;hly things, is when a man not only thinks of them, and con&s;iders them but when a man finds mo&s;t joy, and ra&s;t and delight in &s;uch kind of things. But a Fle&s;hly man about
<PB N="144" REF="79">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="145" REF="79">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="146" REF="80"> worldly or carnal, or if you will about &s;inful bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: O there he is as a fi&s;h in the water, there he is his own man, he is well, but put him about any &s;pirituall thing, let him come to learne a little for his &s;oul; or let his Neighbour come to teach him, and admoni&s;h, and reprove him, he is upon thornes then, he hath no ta&s;t of it at all: now if thou be a fle&s;hly man thou minde&s;t fle&s;hly things, that is, thou doe&s;t not only in thy under&s;tanding con&s;ider of them, but thy &s;oul reli&s;heth them; there thou art thy owne man, when thou art in the midde&s;t of the world, and the fle&s;h, and earth, and hell: therefore look to thy &s;elf.</P>
<P>Thirdly, to mind fle&s;hly things, is when the &s;treame, the main of the &s;oul goes upon fle&s;hly, earthly, carnall things; when the things of God are but by bu&s;ine&s;&s;e to a man. It is no &s;o in a &s;pirituall man, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7. <HI>He u&s;eth the world as if he u&s;ed it not,</HI> he mindes little of the world, as little as may be, but the main &s;tream of his &s;oul is upon Je&s;us Chri&s;t, there he <HI>exerci&s;eth him&s;elf day and night,</HI> as <HI>David</HI> &s;peaks.</P>
<P>Fourthly, when a man doth &s;tudy and plod continually upon worldly things, upon fle&s;hly carnal things. When a man takes <HI>care,</HI> for &s;o the word is u&s;ed oft in Scripture, as it is u&s;ed <HI>Rom.</HI> 14. 6. <HI>If any man doth ob&s;erve a day,</HI> or care for a day, <HI>Curare diem,</HI> as we reade it in the Latine, if one <HI>ob&s;erve</HI> it, and another will
<PB N="147" REF="80"> not, or will not regard it. When a man <HI>ob&s;erves</HI> and regards, and takes care, and &s;tudies, and plods for earthly fle&s;hly things, this is to minde Fle&s;hly things. Therefore in <HI>Phil.</HI> 4. 7. &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>I am glad that your care is renewed to|wards me:</HI> &s;aith <HI>Beza,</HI> It is more then care, there is a kinde of &s;ollicitude, it is <HI>addicere ani|mam,</HI> it is a word that &s;ignifies when a man <HI>ad|dicts</HI> him, when he is <HI>given wholly</HI> to a thing; when a man is addicted, and gives his minde wholly to the world, to fulfill his lu&s;ts, or to enjoy his plea&s;ures, this is to minde Fle&s;hly things.</P>
<P>Then Fifthly, and la&s;tly, it is when a man doth judge of things according to the Fle&s;h: <HI>Non e&s;t cogitare, &amp;c.</HI> To minde, is not onely to <HI>think</HI> of it, but to <HI>judge of things.</HI> As you have it 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5. <HI>I judge no man according to the fle&s;h.</HI> If Chri&s;t Je&s;us were here again, I would not look on him according to the fle&s;h. Now when he &s;aith, <HI>They minde the things of the fle&s;h,</HI> this is the meaning of it, that is, they judge of things in an earthly Fle&s;hly way, they judge of the worth of things by the <HI>fle&s;hline&s;s,</HI> not by the <HI>&s;piritualne&s;s</HI> of them. A godly man doth not &s;o, all that he accounts of in the world are <HI>the things of God,</HI> and of the <HI>Spirit;</HI> were it not for that, this world would be a Hell to him: and he judgeth of every man as he hath the Spi|rit of God, he accounts of him as without that,
<PB N="148" REF="81"> not worth any thing; a carnal man judgeth of things carnally, as they are fle&s;hly and carnal, and as old <HI>Adam</HI> is &s;et up: &s;o he judgeth by carnal arguments of &s;piritual things. Thus I have as briefly as I could, opened the meaning of it. I will onely at this time name one U&s;e, and leave the re&s;t till God give another oppor|tunity.</P>
<P>You have heard what it is to be <HI>after the fle&s;h,</HI> and what <HI>the things of the fle&s;h,</HI> and <HI>the things of the Spirit</HI> are; and what it is to <HI>minde the things of the fle&s;h,</HI> and <HI>the things of the Spirit:</HI> for we may judge of the one by the other.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 1. Now the Le&s;&s;on, or the U&s;e (as we call it) is this: Hence we may learn and &s;ee what the rea&s;on is, why divers people notwith|&s;tanding all the means u&s;ed, even among us in this place, and in other places, why they can|not come to under&s;tand any thing of Heavenly things&punc; of <HI>&s;piritual things.</HI> What is the rea&s;on? Becau&s;e they minde them not: and why do they not minde them? Becau&s;e they are <HI>fle&s;hly.</HI> I have wondred oft times, and I do believe in my Con&s;cience, that had I been here but a Twelve|moneth, and had taken any Natural thing under Heaven, had I read a Lecture of <HI>Philo&s;ophy,</HI> or of <HI>Logick,</HI> or any thing in your <HI>Trades,</HI> or <HI>State-bu&s;ine&s;s,</HI> there are none either great or &s;mall, but could have given &s;ome account what the man had &s;aid: and yet there are &s;ome among
<PB N="149" REF="81"> you, that though we have been &s;peaking to you as the Lord hath enabled us, almo&s;t the&s;e two years, yet you are as ignorant, and as unknow|ing in any thing that hath been &s;aid, as if you had been a&s;leep&punc; or had been in your graves all this while. It is a wonderful thing that no word &s;hould &s;tick, nothing in the world of all that hath been &s;aid.</P>
<P>If we &s;hould ask &s;ome among us, do you re|member any one pa&s;&s;age, or any one thing, that the Preacher hath &s;poken of the&s;e two yeares? they remember not one word. What is the rea&s;on? You did not mind it: that is the meaning of that word, <HI>Seeing they &s;ee not, and hearing they heare not;</HI> that was the plague upon that people in <HI>I&s;aiah.</HI> When a mans minde is ta|ken up with other things, a man may ride by the door, and one may &s;ay, did you &s;ee &s;uch a man? he came by your eye; I &s;aw him not, &s;aith he, <HI>&s;eeing he &s;aw not;</HI> his eye was on him, but his mind was not, he was thinking &s;eriou&s;ly &s;omthing el&s;e; &s;o, hearing, they heare not. Many times a man heares a &s;ound, and is neare enough, yet hearing he heares not, &s;o it is with many among us, the Lord pitty them, my heart is ready to bur&s;t every day more and more, to con&s;ider, and think of it; <HI>hearing</HI> they <HI>hear not</HI> all the year long, there is not one notion or <HI>Exhortation</HI> from the Word that &s;ticks on their &s;ouls; the rea&s;on is, they minde not, they <HI>minde</HI>
<PB N="150" REF="82"> <HI>the things of the fle&s;h,</HI> they are feeding &s;ome lu&s;t, they are providing for &s;ome fancy, or when they are be&s;t they are contemplating to &s;et up a way of <HI>Ju&s;tification by works,</HI> and all becau&s;e they minde not the&s;e things. Therefore &s;aith the Lord, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 1. <HI>Hear O Heavens, and give ear O Earth,</HI> I may well &s;ay &s;o of divers among us, <HI>Hear O Heavens, and give ear O Earth, for the Lord hath &s;poken, I have nouri&s;hed, and brought up Children, and they have rebelled again&s;t me. The Ox knoweth his owner, and the A&s;s his ma&s;ters crib, but I&s;rael doth not know, my people doth not con&s;ider. Hear O Heavens, and give ear O Earth:</HI> As if he had &s;aid, I expect that Heaven &s;hould <HI>hear,</HI> and that Earth &s;hould <HI>hear,</HI> as &s;oon as this people, and yet there is nothing further from hearing then <HI>Heaven,</HI> and nothing duller then the <HI>Earth,</HI> and yet the Prophet would Preach to <HI>Heaven</HI> and <HI>Earth,</HI> before he would to this dull people: and &s;aith he, The <HI>Ox</HI> and the <HI>A&s;s know their owners, but my people have not known me.</HI> Why? <HI>They do not con&s;ider,</HI> they do not <HI>minde.</HI> So, you do not <HI>minde</HI> what we &s;pake be|fore; that, you that are <HI>Drunkards,</HI> and <HI>Whore|mongers,</HI> and <HI>Swearers,</HI> that wa&s;te your <HI>E&s;tates,</HI> and <HI>Souls,</HI> and <HI>Bodies</HI> in the &s;ervice of the Devil, that you are under the Cur&s;e of God, and mu&s;t peri&s;h, that there is nothing that you do that is plea&s;ing to God, till you be born again: did you ever <HI>minde</HI> the&s;e things, and lay them to
<PB N="151" REF="82"> <HI>heart?</HI> Did you ever &s;ay, Yonder man &s;peaks really, and tells us the truth? But you go home when Sermon is done, and &s;ay, There was a great Company, a <HI>Throng,</HI> and he Preached a little too long, and we mu&s;t go to him again after dinner, and thus you <HI>minde</HI> not; the Lord Je&s;us pity you: that is the rea&s;on that you are ignorant, and will be world without end, becau&s;e you <HI>minde not &s;piritual things</HI></P>
<P>And this is the rea&s;on al&s;o, why you have carnal people that care no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> for the <HI>Ordinances</HI> of God, they care not to u&s;e tho&s;e means of grace, that the poor Saints do; why, they <HI>minde not &s;piritual things,</HI> they are like <HI>Gallio,</HI> he <HI>cared not for tho&s;e things,</HI> he was bu&s;ie about <HI>natural things.</HI> It was likely he was a wi&s;e&punc; judicious man, but <HI>he cared not for the&s;e things.</HI> So, to hear Ser|mons, or Di&s;cour&s;es, or Conference of thy Neighbours, or at thy Table of <HI>&s;piritual things,</HI> thou art like <HI>Gallio,</HI> thou care&s;t not for them, and therefore thou re&s;pecte&s;t them not.</P>
<P>Therefore de&s;ire the Lord to put his law in thy mind. O the maine mi&s;ery of a man is in his minde, the man is nothing but his mind in a manner; the maine happine&s;s of a man is in his minde, if the law of God be there. There|fore, before ever thou can&s;t have thy heart good, or thy wi&s;hes or Prayers good, thou mu&s;t get a good mind, de&s;ire God to put his law in thy minde, for there is the fir&s;t and main work.</P>
<PB N="152" REF="83">
<P> So al&s;o for the poore Saint; this is the rea&s;on why the people of God are &s;o weaned from the world; tho&s;e that are &s;pirituall Chri&s;tians, you can ea&s;ily cozen and cheat them, and take away all from them, and they bear it very well: Why &s;o? they mind not earthly things, fle&s;hly things. Let the <HI>Devill</HI> come with all the policie, and power of Hell to cheat them in &s;pirituall things, to take away their peace, and crack their communion with God, they will &s;ee, &amp; be wi&s;e, and re&s;i&s;t; but come and cheat them in worldly things, poor creatures they are quiet, and part with them: as it is the manner of many of you that are rotten Profe&s;&s;ors, and Self-&s;eekers, you make it a trade to abu&s;e them, but they are quiet, they minde &s;piritual things. As a Cut-pur&s;e that comes into your &s;hop, and a man mindes other things, he may ea&s;ily &s;teal: &s;o the poor Saints are made poor and &s;uffering, becau&s;e they minde God, and heavenly things; or el&s;e I tell you, if their mindes were not im|ployed el&s;where, a Saint could be as cunning, and as wi&s;e, and worldly as thou: but thou maye&s;t ea&s;ily &s;teal any thing from him, and cheat and cozen him, becau&s;e his minde is upon other things, it is upon Heaven, and tho&s;e ble&s;&s;ed things. Therefore learn that one thing, learn to under&s;tand that the main of thy happine&s;s or mi&s;ery is in thy minde; beg of the Lord to give thee a <HI>good minde,</HI> to <HI>write his law in thy minde;</HI>
<PB N="153" REF="83"> <HI>Without knowledge the minde is not good.</HI> There|fore when the Lord gave the people of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> up, it is &s;aid the mi&s;ery came upon their <HI>mindes: blindne&s;s of heart is hapned to I&s;rael;</HI> that i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">; <HI>blindne&s;s of minde,</HI> there was the main: and there is the excellency of the Saints. When <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aw nothing but fle&s;h, yet he rejoyced in God in the <HI>law of his minde:</HI> therefore look on it as the fountain of all good and evil; if thy minde be fle&s;hly and carnall, thou wilt <HI>minde fle&s;hly things, and love fle&s;hly things,</HI> and <HI>walke fle&s;hly,</HI> but if the Lord &s;anctifie thy mind, the Lord will give thee &s;anctified <HI>affections.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="7" TYPE="sermon">
<HEAD>SERMON VII.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Rom. 8. 5.</BIBL>
<Q>For they that are after the fle&s;h, do minde the things of the fle&s;h: but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>IN the former Ver&s;e I told you the Apo&s;tle holds forth unto us a great Priviledge, the greate&s;t that I know that a man can have, <HI>That the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the law might be fulfilled in us;</HI> for it doth protect a man from all evils: for all evil is founded upon this, that a man hath not a righteou&s;ne&s;s to fulfil the law. And he that
<PB N="154" REF="84"> hath this priviledge, it doth lead him to the en|joyment of all good: for if a man hath a righ|teou&s;ne&s;s to fulfil the law, then there is nothing that can keep the Creature from a full enjoyment of his Creator.</P>
<P>Now this Priviledge being &s;o great, the Apo|&s;tle &s;hews us who they are that are partakers of it, who have the actual enjoyment of it; for the wor&s;t fle&s;hly carnal man may come to be a partaker: but he &s;hews who are for the <HI>pre|&s;ent,</HI> and &s;aith he, they are <HI>tho&s;e that walk not after the fle&s;h but after the Spirit.</HI> That is a &s;ure way to know and di&s;tingui&s;h them, but it is a <HI>general</HI> way; and therefore the Apo&s;tle draws down &s;ome <HI>particulars</HI> from this <HI>general,</HI> that are more known, and ea&s;ie to be di&s;cerned. As in 1 <HI>John</HI> 5. 1. you &s;hall &s;ee there the &s;ame kinde of rea&s;oning, &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Who&s;oever be|lieveth that Je&s;us is Chri&s;t, is born of God</HI> How &s;hall we know <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> we do believe? <HI>Every one that loveth him that begat loveth him al&s;o that is begotten of him.</HI> How &s;hall we know that we <HI>love God?</HI> We <HI>love</HI> them that are <HI>begotten of God.</HI> How &s;hall we know that we love them that are <HI>born of God?</HI> If we <HI>love God, and keep his Com|mandments.</HI> And how &s;hall we know that we <HI>keep his Commandments?</HI> They <HI>are not grievous:</HI> and &s;o he goes from a more general, to a more particular thing. So the Apo&s;tle in this place, after he had given a general, he comes more
<PB N="155" REF="84"> particularly to &s;hew it: <HI>They that are after the fle&s;h do minde the things of the fle&s;h, but they that are after the Spirit do minde the things of the Spi|rit.</HI> As if he had &s;aid, If you do not know whe|ther you walk <HI>in the fle&s;h,</HI> or <HI>in the Spirit,</HI> I will &s;hew you, I will in&s;tance in one thing, I will pitch upon the be&s;t thing that is in a natural man, and that is his <HI>minde;</HI> I will in&s;tance but in that: for you may know the Lion by his Paw. you may know the man by his minde, for he that is fle&s;hly, <HI>mindes fle&s;hly things.</HI> As if he had &s;aid, If the minde of a man (which is his be&s;t thing) be altogether about fle&s;hly things, then his <HI>Will</HI> is &s;o, and his Affections and Actions are &s;o: and if the <HI>minde</HI> of a man be upon &s;piritual things, then his Will is &s;o, his Affections, his Actions, his whole life is &s;o. This is the drift and &s;cope of the Apo&s;tle. Now the Le&s;&s;on we had in hand the la&s;t time from the words, it was as I told you the &s;ame with the Text here;</P>
<Q>That tho&s;e that are after, or walk after the fle&s;h, they do minde fle&s;hly things, and tho&s;e that are after the Spirit, do minde &s;piritual things.</Q>
<P>I gave you two Rea&s;ons of it.</P>
<P>I opened it by an&s;wering three Que&s;tions.</P>
<P>I came to make &s;ome U&s;e of it, and fini&s;hed onely one, which was, to &s;ee the rea&s;on why carnal fle&s;hly people do know &s;o little of <HI>the things of God,</HI> though they have &s;o much means,
<PB N="156" REF="85"> and Ordinances, and have time to enjoy them, and have ears to hear, and Books to reade, and yet they know nothing of &s;piritual things, the rea&s;on is, becau&s;e <HI>they minde them not.</HI> But I &s;hall now proceed.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 2. Another word is this, from this way and method of rea&s;oning that the Apo&s;tle u&s;eth here, you may learn this, That the main and chief mi&s;ery of a fle&s;hly carnal man, is the fle&s;h|line&s;s of his minde. As the chief happine&s;s of a Chri&s;tian, the choice&s;t piece that is in a Chri|&s;tian, is the &s;piritualne&s;s of his minde; &s;o the wor&s;t piece in a carnal man is the fle&s;hline&s;s of his minde. Therefore the Apo&s;tle doth pitch upon the wor&s;t piece to demon&s;trate the re&s;t, <HI>He that is after the fle&s;h mindes fle&s;hly things.</HI> As if he had &s;aid, You may ea&s;ily gue&s;s at the re&s;t, if the <HI>minde</HI> be naught. You are wonderfully mi&s;|taken when you &s;ee a little of your mi&s;ery, you complain, Oh, I have a <HI>weak memory,</HI> when I am hearing &s;piritual things I think they are written upon my heart, but I pre&s;ently forget it, and I am pa&s;&s;ionate, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and that is all my fault. Oh but here is the root, thou ha&s;t a <HI>fle&s;hly minde,</HI> and therefore there are <HI>fle&s;hly thoughts,</HI> and <HI>fle&s;hly actions,</HI> all proceed from that.</P>
<P>The minde of a man is either the chiefe&s;t Seat for Je&s;us Chri&s;t, or the cheife&s;t Throne for the Devil. If Chri&s;t be in thee, there is his Throne in thy minde; and if Satan, the Prince of dark|ne&s;s
<PB N="157" REF="85"> be in thee, there is his Palace. Therefore you &s;hall reade in <HI>Luke</HI> 12. Chri&s;t throws out the <HI>&s;trong man, the armed man.</HI> Now what is the royal &s;eat that the Devil hath in a man? compare that with 2 <HI>Cor</HI> 10. You &s;hall &s;ee there, it is the Imaginations of the minde, the rea&s;onings of the minde (of which, God willing, I &s;hall &s;peak more after) for as the <HI>minde</HI> is the <HI>chiefe&s;t faculty</HI> of the &s;oul, &s;o the rea&s;onings of the the minde are the cheife&s;t acts of the minde. Now the &s;trong holds of Satan mu&s;t be thrown downe, and be brought into captivitie to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, every thought of them. <HI>If thine eye be &s;ingle,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>the whole body is full of light, but if thine be evil, the whole body&punc; &s;hall be full of darkne&s;s.</HI> You know that if the eye have light in it, the hands have light to work, and the feet have light to go, and a man knows where h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">s, what he is doing, and whither he is going, but if the eye be dark the whole body is darkne&s;s. Ju&s;t &s;o, if the eye of the minde have &s;piritual light in it, then the whole man hath light, then all the whole man hath light, then the will hath light, and the affections, and the actions, all have light, but if the eye be dark, if the minde be dark, the whole body is full of darkne&s;s. If the Coachman (as a godly man &s;aith) be blinde, then you know where the coach mu&s;t be. The minde is to the &s;oul and body of a man, as a Coachman is to the Coach and Hor&s;es, he guides
<PB N="158" REF="86"> them, and if he be blind, or mad, or drunk, then all goes out of order.</P>
<P>Therefore you &s;hall finde that when God in Scripture doth expre&s;s the height of the mi&s;ery of people, he &s;ets it out by &s;ome mi&s;ery that is upon their mindes; and when the Holy Gho&s;t would &s;et out the height of what God doth for Chri&s;tians, he &s;ets it forth by &s;omething that he doth upon their minds. As you have it in <HI>Rom.</HI> 11. 7. <HI>What then? I&s;rael hath not obtained that which he &s;eeketh for, but the election hath obtained it, and the re&s;t were blinded.</HI> To be <HI>blinde,</HI> or to be <HI>without judgement</HI> (in the Scriptures language) is to be a <HI>Reprobate.</HI> Therefore when the Holy Gho&s;t &s;peaks of <HI>Reprobates,</HI> he takes a word that is the &s;ame in the Original, and <HI>Reprobate</HI> is the wor&s;t word that is in the Scripture: for it is far wor&s;e to &s;ay a man is a <HI>Reprobate,</HI> then to &s;ay he is a wicked man, or a cur&s;ed man; for he that is in a cur&s;ed condition for the pre&s;ent, may be in a ble&s;&s;ed: but, &s;aith he, <HI>The election hath obtained it, and the re&s;t were blinded.</HI></P>
<P>So, on the other &s;ide, when God will &s;hew the <HI>chief happine&s;s</HI> of a man, he &s;ets it forth by &s;ome good he doth to the minde. As in <HI>Heb.</HI> 8. <HI>I will put my law in their hearts, and write it in their mindes.</HI> And if it be &s;aid, What &s;hall we do with our wills, and affections, and actions? O &s;aith God, if I be plea&s;ed to put my law through|ly in their mindes, their affections and actions
<PB N="159" REF="86"> cannot go ami&s;s: and &s;o poor <HI>Paul,</HI> when he was &s;trugling with corruptions, <HI>Rom.</HI> 7. he ends all w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">h <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">his, <HI>I thank God through Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> that <HI>though I &s;erve the law of &s;in in my members,</HI> yet my <HI>minde is whole</HI> and <HI>entire</HI> for all this. So that is the chiefe&s;t happine&s;s of a Chri&s;tian to have his minde &s;anctified, and of all mi&s;eries this is the wor&s;t, to have a carnal un&s;anctified minde.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="question">
<HEAD>Que&s;t.</HEAD>
<P><HI>But it may be you will &s;ay,</HI> What is the mi&s;ery of a fle&s;hly minde?</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>An&s;w.</HEAD>
<P>Give me leave in a few &s;hort words to &s;et it out unto you, I will tell you what the Scri|pture &s;aith of a carnal minde, and I de&s;ire you to con&s;ider of it, and O that God would help us to come out of our formality, that we may think of the&s;e things, and con&s;ider, Doth not the Mini&s;ter &s;peak of me, and am not I the man? Now there are the&s;e expre&s;&s;ions of a carnall minde.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t, the Scripture &s;aith the minde is <HI>blinde.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, that it is <HI>vain.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Thirdly, that it is <HI>rotten.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Fourthly, that it is <HI>polluted.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Fifthly, that it is <HI>reprobate.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Sixthly, that it is <HI>proud.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Let me open the&s;e a little.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, it is <HI>blinde,</HI> that is, it is <HI>darkne&s;s,</HI> that is the word in <HI>Eph.</HI> 5. 8. <HI>For ye were &s;ometimes darkne&s;s,</HI> you were not onely <HI>dark</HI> but <HI>darkne&s;s</HI>
<PB N="160" REF="87"> it &s;elf. There is not the lea&s;t &s;park of &s;piritual light in thee, if thou be yet in the fle&s;h, if thy minde be fle&s;hly.</P>
<P>Secondly, it is <HI>vain.</HI> What is that? The <HI>Gen|tiles</HI> that walked in <HI>the vanity of their mindes, they became vain in their imaginations.</HI></P>
<P>What is a <HI>vain minde?</HI></P>
<P><HI>Vain</HI> &s;ignifies <HI>empty</HI> in Scripture, as <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;aith, <HI>I &s;aw all things under the Sun that they were vain;</HI> that is, they are <HI>empty,</HI> they have no good in them. So if thou be a carnal man, thy minde is vain, that is, it is <HI>empty</HI> of all good; there are none of tho&s;e &s;weet Meditations, and Contemplations, and Con&s;iderations of &s;piritual things, it is quite <HI>empty.</HI> Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>Thou &s;halt not call thy brother Racha,</HI> that is, <HI>empty,</HI> but thou maye&s;t &s;ay &s;o of thy <HI>minde,</HI> thou maye&s;t &s;ay, I have an <HI>empty minde,</HI> a minde that is <HI>Racha,</HI> that is, <HI>empty.</HI> Therefore &s;aith <HI>Solomon, The words of the wi&s;e are as choice &s;ilver, but the heart of the wicked is little worth:</HI> as one godly man faith, his very heart is not worth a half-peny; &s;o I may &s;ay of all thy thoughts, that are yet in the fle&s;h, all thy thoughts through the year are not worth one <HI>farthing.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, they are <HI>rotten,</HI> or <HI>corrupt, Eph.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>What is the meaning of that?</P>
<P>I &s;hall it may be &s;peak more of it by and by, but for the pre&s;ent, it is <HI>rotten,</HI> that is, it is not onely <HI>empty of good,</HI> but <HI>full of putrifaction,</HI> it is
<PB N="161" REF="87"> full of &s;uper&s;titious thoughts, full of evil ima|ginations, that are abominable to God, and that not thy minde, and make it wor&s;e and wor&s;e, and make it &s;tink before the Lord. <HI>The plowing of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,</HI> the nearer you come to his heart, the more abominable.</P>
<P N="4">4. It is <HI>polluted:</HI> thy minde being carnal, eve|ry lawful thing, every indifferent thing, makes thy minde fouler and fouler.</P>
<P N="5">5. And take heed, take heed poor &s;oul, after all this, that thy minde prove not to be a <HI>repro|bate minde:</HI> you &s;hall have the word in <HI>Rom</HI> 1. 28. you may finde in that Chapter that the peo|ple had a little <HI>natural knowledge of God,</HI> but <HI>they did not know him as God, but became vain in their imagination;</HI> they did not delight to keep the knowledge of God, they were &s;orry that they knew &s;o much of God, becau&s;e they could not follow their lu&s;ts &s;o freely. Well, what &s;aith the Apo&s;tle? <HI>As they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ver to a reprobate minde,</HI> &amp;c. a minde <HI>void of judgement,</HI> as it is in your Margin, becau&s;e they had a little know|ledge and regarded it not. God gave them up to a <HI>reprobate minde,</HI> a minde <HI>void of judgement;</HI> that is, &s;uch a minde as never &s;hould have the knowledge of God any more; you &s;hall know no more, you are troubled that you have a little knowledge of God; &s;aith God, I will take
<PB N="162" REF="88"> away your judgement, and you &s;hall know no more.</P>
<P N="6">6. And then there is a thing wor&s;e then this, and that you will think were very &s;trange; it is not &s;trange to &s;ay, there is one thing in the minde that is wor&s;e then to be <HI>Reprobate,</HI> and yet thus it is; the word is in <HI>Colo&s;&s;.</HI> 2. 18. it is called <HI>a proud minde.</HI></P>
<P>What is that?</P>
<P>That is, notwith&s;tanding all the mi&s;ery of thy minde (and &s;o by con&s;equence of thy whole man) as it is <HI>blinde,</HI> and <HI>vain,</HI> and <HI>rotten,</HI> and <HI>polluted,</HI> and it may be <HI>reprobate,</HI> (I fear it, I fear it) yet notwith&s;tanding thou ha&s;t a <HI>proud minde.</HI> What is that? If thou compare it with <HI>Ezek.</HI> 28. 2. <HI>Thou ha&s;t &s;et thy heart as the heart of God;</HI> there is no carnal man, but he thinks he is as God, he thinks he knoweth all things: that a man which is a mad man, that is wilde and hath no knowledge, yet notwith&s;tanding that he &s;hould conceive that he is wi&s;e as God, as full of knowledge as God is in a manner; and there|fore you &s;hall &s;ee in that place, <HI>ver.</HI> 9. &s;aith the Lord, <HI>Wilt thou yet &s;ay before him that &s;layeth thee, I am God?</HI> Not that men &s;ay &s;o with their tongues, but in their hearts, that they are wi&s;e as God. As there is many a poor carnal man that thinks he is grave and wi&s;e, that he knows as much as all the Preachers in <HI>London</HI> can teach him, and yet he is <HI>rotten,</HI> and <HI>blinde,</HI> and <HI>pol|luted,</HI>
<PB N="163" REF="88"> and it may be <HI>reprobate</HI> too. And there|fore learn this Le&s;&s;on, that if thou art a fle&s;hly man, thy great mi&s;ery lyes in thy minde; and therefore do not complain &s;o much of the &s;treams as the fountain: go to God, and de&s;ire him to <HI>write his law in thy minde;</HI> de&s;ire God, not onely to change thy <HI>memory,</HI> but to give thee a <HI>new minde,</HI> and a <HI>new heart.</HI></P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 3. And from this may follow another word, that is, you may hence learn, you that are but yet &s;imple and ignorant, never conceive that thy heart is <HI>good</HI> when thy <HI>life is naught,</HI> when thy <HI>words are naught,</HI> and when thy <HI>thoughts are naught,</HI> never &s;ay that thy <HI>minde</HI> is good, or thy heart is good. For I told thee, thy minde is the fountain of all thy actions, of all thy affections. And therefore do not &s;ay, Sir, though I can talk but little, and though I &s;wear, and be drunk &s;ometimes, yet I have a <HI>good minde</HI> to God; I &s;ay that cannot be, for if the Tree be naught, the fruit cannot be good. If I &s;ee a few &s;parks at the top of the Chimney, I am &s;ure there is a greater fine within; if wickedne&s;s be in thy tongue, there is a trea&s;ure of wickedne&s;s in thy heart. If a man hath nothing but ba&s;e|ne&s;s, and wickedne&s;s, and &s;infulne&s;s in his life and conver&s;ation, I will never believe that that man hath a good heart, for if the heart were holy, it would make the whole man holy, and if the minde be naught, it is impo&s;&s;ible but
<PB N="164" REF="89"> that the man &s;hould be &s;o too.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 4. Another word you may learn from hence (if you will give me leave to &s;hew my judgement. For I &s;peak again&s;t no man; but thew what God by his grace hath &s;hewed to me) as I conceive that it is not the will of God that we &s;hould conceive that <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t did die equal|ly for all men, and redeem all men.</HI> To &s;ay nothing of other Scriptures; for it is a great controver|&s;ie, and divers godly men do doubt of it from this Scripture, If we &s;ay that Chri&s;t did die for all men equally, or alike, for tho&s;e that &s;hall be damned, and tho&s;e that &s;hall be &s;aved. Then it may be asked, who makes the difference? How comes it to pa&s;s that he died for all, &s;eeing there are but &s;ome &s;aved? You will an&s;wer, that &s;ome beleive, and &s;ome do not. Then how is it that &s;ome do beleive, and &s;ome do not? Surely if Chri&s;t died for all men alike, then it mu&s;t follow that &s;urely &s;ome men have power to beleive and &s;ome have not. But this Scripture &s;aith plainlie, that the mind of a carnall man, his be&s;t part is open enmity to God, it is contrary to God: And the Scripture &s;aith, that we are <HI>dead in &s;ins,</HI> therefore a carnall man cannot do any thing that is &s;pirituall, a man that is dead, is altogether fle&s;hly, he cannot believe, or receive Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Therefore I &s;ay, the Lord Chri&s;t he gives faith; it is he that <HI>gives repentance</HI> unto <HI>I&s;rael;</HI> and Chri&s;t Je&s;us he hath Purcha&s;ed it,
<PB N="165" REF="89"> (con&s;ider of that) as Chri&s;t Je&s;us hath Purcha&s;ed Salvation for the &s;oul, &s;o he hath purcha&s;ed Faith for us, to lay hold upon that Salvation. And therefore be&s;ides all other inconveniences in that doctrine (as I have told you before) in my apprehen&s;ion there is abundance of <HI>pride</HI> in it, that we cannot be content to <HI>take Salvation</HI> on Gods terms: &s;o that it &s;ets up a power in man, that if Chri&s;t died for all alike, then this makes the difference, that one man believes, and another doth not, and then a man hath power in him&s;elf to believe: whereas this Scripture &s;aith, that naturally we have <HI>fle&s;hly mindes,</HI> and can <HI>minde</HI> nothing but <HI>fle&s;hly things.</HI></P>
<P>Therefore let us extoll God, and go to him, and de&s;ire him to work on us, and acknowledge that naturally we are blinde and dead, and can do nothing.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 5. Then la&s;tly, let me &s;hut up this point (for I &s;hall omit &s;omewhat more that I had to &s;ay of it) Every one of you con&s;ider your own &s;ouls, whether you be <HI>fle&s;hly minded</HI> people or no, whether you minde the things of the fle&s;h. If you be, I have a word, a cold word from the Lord to you; I &s;ay, if you <HI>minde fle&s;hly things,</HI> (con&s;idr of it) the Lord &s;aith you mu&s;t die, <HI>They that walk after the fle&s;h mu&s;t die,</HI> whether you be <HI>profane</HI> people (as that is the ordinary di&s;tin|ction) people that live in gro&s;s &s;ins, or whether you be <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors</HI> of godline&s;s, that <HI>minde earthly</HI>
<PB N="166" REF="90"> <HI>things,</HI> as many Profe&s;&s;ors do, you are in a ter|rible condition. For you &s;hall finde in <HI>Phil.</HI> 2. even in <HI>Pauls</HI> time, faith he, <HI>I have no man like minded, who will naturally care for your e&s;tate, for all &s;eek their own. All;</HI> what <HI>all</HI> is th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">s? He doth no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;peak to carnal men, for he wrote to the <HI>Philippians,</HI> that were good people, but he &s;aw among them abundance of Profe&s;&s;ors that did <HI>&s;eek their own,</HI> as where will you have a Pro|fe&s;&s;or that doth <HI>naturally care for the things of Je&s;us Chri&s;t?</HI> that is, as you &s;ee a loving Mo|ther cares for her Childe naturally, that you need not force her to it: &s;o where is there a man that naturally doth &s;eek the good of the <HI>People of God,</HI> and how he may advance the <HI>Name of God&punc;</HI> and relieve the poor Saints, and the like? to do it naturally and freely? <HI>For all &s;eek their own,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Paul;</HI> that is, we can &s;hew you Profe&s;&s;ors enough in every <HI>Pari&s;h,</HI> in every <HI>Congregation,</HI> in every <HI>Regiment,</HI> in every <HI>Com|pany,</HI> that <HI>&s;eek them&s;elves,</HI> there are but few that are otherwi&s;e, there are but few that natu|rally <HI>&s;eek the things of God.</HI> And that you may &s;ee what a fearful thing it is, (that you may look to i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">) you &s;hall &s;ee in <HI>Chap</HI> 3. 18. <HI>For many walk of whom I have told you often&punc; and now tell you weeping:</HI> and &s;o in 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12. Beloved, I do not reade that <HI>Paul</HI> did write <HI>weeping</HI> to the Church about any thing but about this, and what was it he wept for? <HI>They are enemies to the Cro&s;s of</HI>
<PB N="167" REF="90"> <HI>Chri&s;t;</HI> they were not profane men, but Pro|fe&s;&s;ors; <HI>Who&s;e end is de&s;truction, who minde earthly things, who&s;e Belly is their god.</HI> Who are they who <HI>minde earthly things, who&s;e Belly is their god?</HI> They did not fall down on their knees, and wor&s;hip their <HI>Belly;</HI> but they were &s;uch as did take more care and pains for their Belly, and did ri&s;e earlier to look after the things of this life, then after the glory of God; and <HI>their end is de&s;truction,</HI> notwith&s;tanding all their Profe&s;&s;ion: and you &s;hall know them by this, <HI>they minde earthly things. But our conver&s;ation is in heaven, from whence we look for the Saviour,</HI> &amp;c. There|fore to conclude, this is my meaning, that all that are Profe&s;&s;ors in this <HI>&s;elf-&s;eeking age,</HI> where|in one may go with <HI>a Candle</HI> (as the Prophet &s;aith) <HI>through Jeru&s;alem;</HI> a man may go with a Candle from <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter</HI> to the <HI>Tower,</HI> to look for a man that naturally <HI>minds the things of God,</HI> and the People of God, and the Honour of God, and the like. And if they be &s;o &s;carce, I be&s;eech you con&s;ider what a fearfull thing it is; and how the Holy Gho&s;t &s;ets it out here, that <HI>their end is de&s;truction,</HI> and <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaks of it <HI>weeping.</HI> Therefore let it be thy work now to look to thy <HI>minde,</HI> though thou profe&s;s to be a Saint, whe|ther it be natural for thee to care for thy &s;elf, but to do for God but <HI>now</HI> and <HI>then;</HI> and it may be after many per&s;wa&s;ions thou maye&s;t be brought to do &s;omething for God, and for the
<PB N="168" REF="91"> people of God: but it is natural to thee to look to thy <HI>&s;elf,</HI> and to thine own <HI>honour,</HI> and thy own <HI>place</HI> and <HI>preferment,</HI> &amp;c. The Lord help thee to look to this.</P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="8" TYPE="sermon">
<HEAD>SERMON VIII.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Rom. 8. 5.</BIBL>
<Q>For they that are after the fle&s;h, do minde the things of the fle&s;h: but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>I Have &s;poken of the&s;e words in generall, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ow I will according to the &s;trength that God &s;hall give me, &s;peake of them a little in particular, that &s;eeing tho&s;e that enjoy this great priviledge to have the <HI>law fulfilled in them,</HI> are tho&s;e that <HI>walk not after the fle&s;h, but after the Spirit.</HI></P>
<P>That we may find, whether we walk after the fle&s;h. or after the &s;pirit, I would urge it a little further, and that according to the Apo&s;tles method: he pitcheth upon the minde, and the minde not &s;imply con&s;idered but as it is acting, and &s;etting forth the minde, in <HI>minding:</HI> there|fore as he takes the chiefe&s;t facultie to judge the re&s;t by, &s;o I will take the chiefe&s;t act in that
<PB N="169" REF="91"> faculty, that &s;o you may judge of the re&s;t by that one, and &s;o keep to the Apo&s;tles me|thod.</P>
<P>Now the chiefe&s;t act of the minde (doubtle&s;s) is the <HI>rea&s;oning</HI> part of the minde There are many acts in the minde; as, it <HI>under&s;tands,</HI> it <HI>thinks,</HI> it <HI>imagines,</HI> but e&s;pecially the <HI>rea&s;oning part:</HI> it belongs to the minde to rea&s;on concern|ing things, and <HI>Rea&s;on</HI> is the chiefe&s;t part, and is called and accounted by Scholars&punc; the chiefe&s;t part of man; and therefore they &s;ay that man is a rea&s;onable creature. Now I &s;ay, if we will finde ou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> by the Scriptures what we are, whe|ther we be <HI>according to the fle&s;h,</HI> or <HI>according to the Spirit</HI> (for there is the hinge of it) we mu&s;t examine it by the <HI>minde;</HI> and not by the minde &s;imply, as it is a <HI>faculty,</HI> but the minde acting, and exerci&s;ing: and if we &s;peak of the <HI>exerci&s;e,</HI> let us take the rea&s;oning part of it, that is the be&s;t part, for of all the acts of the minde, the rea&s;oning is the &s;tronge&s;t, and that that mo&s;t im|mediately flows from the Under&s;tanding: there|fore if the rea&s;oning of the Soul be carnal, the whole Soul is &s;o, and if the rea&s;oning of it be &s;pi|ritual, the whole Soul is &s;piritual: that was one thing that did move me to pitch upon that, it being the chiefe&s;t.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides I finde that the Apo&s;tle in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5. 16. he di&s;tingui&s;heth tho&s;e that walk according to the fle&s;h, from tho&s;e that walk according to the
<PB N="170" REF="92"> Spirit, by the <HI>rea&s;oning part;</HI> for &s;aith he, <HI>Hence|forth know we no man after the fle&s;h, yea though we have known Chri&s;t after the fle&s;h, yet now hence|forth know we him no more.</HI> We do not, &s;aith he, henceforth walk according to the fle&s;h; and we know it by our knowledge, we do know things, not according to the fle&s;h, but according to the Spirit; if Chri&s;t him&s;elf were here, we would not look upon him with a fle&s;hly eye. What this knowledge is, you may &s;ee in the ver&s;es before: <HI>For the love of Chri&s;t con&s;traineth us, becau&s;e we thus judge,</HI> we thus rea&s;on, <HI>that if one died for all, then were all dead, and that he died for all, that they which live, &s;hould not henceforth live unto them&s;elves, but unto him which died for them, and ro&s;e again.</HI> We know, &s;aith he, that we are &s;pi|ritual, and not fle&s;hly, by our <HI>judging</HI> of things, by our <HI>rea&s;oning</HI> of things; for thus we <HI>judge,</HI> or thus we <HI>rea&s;on,</HI> that if <HI>one died for all,</HI> that is, did die for all, then &s;urely we all are dead. And we rea&s;on further, that if one man did die for us, and we are &s;uffered to live, we &s;hould im|ploy our life, not for our &s;elves, but for him that died for us. This kinde of rea&s;oning we have that walk after the Spirit, and not after the fle&s;h, therefore I will pitch upon that. And the rather, becau&s;e the Lord hath been plea&s;ed, for ends be&s;t known to him, to keep that in my minde, and to &s;ix it &s;o on my thoughts, that I could not pa&s;s it by, and I u&s;ually judge in
<PB N="171" REF="92"> &s;uch ca&s;es that God doth often do it for your &s;akes.</P>
<P>And therefore according to this Method, we &s;hall ob&s;erve this Doctrine; or this Le&s;|&s;on:</P>
<Q><P>Doct <HI>That tho&s;e that are according to the fle&s;h, or that walk according to the fle&s;h, are &s;wayed and guided by fle&s;hly rea&s;onings, and tho&s;e that are according to the Spirit, are &s;wayed and ruled by &s;pirituall rea&s;onings.</HI></P>
<P><HI>True Go&s;pel Believers are ruled and &s;wayed with &s;pirituall rea&s;onings&punc; and all carnal, fle&s;hly men are ruled by carnal, fle&s;hly rea&s;onings.</HI></P></Q>
<P>For &s;uch as the mind is, &s;o is the whole man, and if your rea&s;oning be right, then I dare &s;ay, that all the acts of the minde are right: for that is the chiefe&s;t, you may judge of all the acts of your minde by your rea&s;oning: and therefore we cull out that for the triall of the re&s;t. I &s;ay carnal men are &s;wayed and led with fle&s;hly rea|&s;onings, and &s;piritual men with &s;piritual rea&s;on|ings&punc; And this is the mo&s;t di&s;tingui&s;hing Cha|racter that I know in the Book of God, between a Chri&s;tian and another m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">n&punc;</P>
<P>And as the Lord pre&s;ents it unto me, I &s;hall a little open unto you the&s;e terms, <HI>Rea&s;oning, Spiritual rea&s;oning,</HI> and <HI>Fle&s;hly rea&s;oning.</HI> That you may under&s;tand the&s;e, you mu&s;t conceive that there are three &s;orts of <HI>mindes</HI> in the world, and therefore there be three &s;orts of <HI>rea&s;on|ings:</HI>
<PB N="172" REF="93"> for our rea&s;onings are according as the minde is.</P>
<P>There is fir&s;t a <HI>corrupt minde,</HI> as you have it <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 4. <HI>The old man that is corrupt,</HI> that is (to &s;peak in your language, or according to your thoughts) a &s;inful minde, a minde that is exer|ci&s;ed about &s;inful things: when a mans minde is an evil one, &s;imply evil.</P>
<P>Secondly, there is a <HI>natural minde,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2. at the latter end, it is called there the <HI>natural man:</HI> where I would have you ob&s;erve by the <HI>by,</HI> that the <HI>minde</HI> is called the <HI>man</HI> there, the natural <HI>man,</HI> that is, the natural <HI>minde: The na|tural man knoweth not the things of God;</HI> that is, the <HI>natural minde,</HI> for a <HI>man</HI> is denominated by his excellente&s;t part, which is his <HI>minde,</HI> as I told you before.</P>
<P>And thirdly, there is al&s;o the <HI>&s;piritual minde,</HI> which is called there the <HI>&s;piritual man: The &s;pi|ritual man judgeth all things;</HI> that is, the <HI>&s;piri|tual minde</HI> judgeth all things, for it is the minde properly that doth judge, and the man is &s;aid to judge, becau&s;e he hath the minde, or the minde is in the man. According to the&s;e three &s;orts of mindes, flow forth three &s;orts of rea|&s;onings.</P>
<P N="1">1. One is, <HI>corrupt rea&s;oning,</HI> and that is, when men do rea&s;on meerly &s;infully, according to that in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15. the Apo&s;tle u&s;eth their car|nal phra&s;e, <HI>Let us eat and drink, for to morrow</HI>
<PB N="173" REF="93"> <HI>we &s;hall die.</HI> Now here was a kinde of rea&s;on|ing in this, here was an Argument, to morrow we expect to die, that is, &s;hortly, therefore let us eat and drink, and feed our lu&s;ts, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Here was a rea&s;oning, but it was <HI>corrupt.</HI> And &s;o in <HI>Mat.</HI> 21. when they had killed the Servants that came to gather the rents, now &s;ay they, <HI>the heir is come, come let us kill, and then the Land will be ours.</HI> Here was rea&s;oning, but it was corrupt rea&s;oning. So in <HI>Luke</HI> 9. 44. there the Di&s;ciples did rea&s;on <HI>who &s;hould be greate&s;t in the kingdome of God:</HI> there are &s;uch rea&s;onings in our hearts: for man is called a <HI>rational man;</HI> and though &s;ome men be called <HI>unrea&s;onable men</HI> (as I &s;hall &s;hew by and by) yet there is no man but hath rea&s;onings in him, either <HI>corrupt,</HI> or <HI>natural,</HI> or <HI>&s;piritual.</HI> There is no act that a man doth, but there is &s;uch a nimblene&s;s in the under&s;tanding, that it pre&s;ently draws &s;ome Arguments and Rea&s;on for it: a man never doth any thing, but he hath &s;ome kinde of rea&s;on for it, be it what it will be.</P>
<P>Secondly, there is a <HI>natural rea&s;oning,</HI> and that we oft finde in the Scriptures, as in <HI>Mark</HI> 3. 6. Chri&s;t had there told a <HI>Leper,</HI> that he had forgiven him his &s;ins, the Scribes &s;itting there, rea&s;on in their hearts, <HI>Why doth this man &s;peak bla&s;phemy? who can forgive &s;ins but God?</HI> This was not properly <HI>corrupt rea&s;oning,</HI> but <HI>true rea|&s;oning; Who can forgive &s;ins but God?</HI> This
<PB N="174" REF="94"> man forgives &s;ins, therefore it is bla&s;phemy: they rea&s;oned right and true, &s;o far as natural light could go, but here is the difference between natural and &s;piritual light, natural light comes too &s;hort, they did not &s;ee that he was God. <HI>None can forgive &s;ins but God,</HI> but they &s;aw him not to be God. This was <HI>natural</HI> rea&s;oning. Why? becau&s;e it was true according to their principle, had he been but a meer man they had rea&s;oned very well: but it was natural, becau&s;e it was lame, and low, and did not ri&s;e up &s;o high as to &s;ee that that man was God, and could for|give &s;ins. So <HI>Peters</HI> rea&s;oning was rather na|tural then corrupt: <HI>Ma&s;ter &s;pare thy &s;elf;</HI> it was natural, and not corrupt rea&s;oning, becau&s;e it is good for a Servant to give good coun&s;el to his Ma&s;ter. But this was but natural; becau&s;e though it were hone&s;t, in a natural way, yet it was lame, it wanted a principle that was &s;piritual, to &s;ee that it was needful and nece&s;&s;ary that Chri&s;t &s;hould die (according to the Coun&s;el of God) rather then that all the Elect &s;hould pe|ri&s;h.</P>
<P>Thirdly, there are &s;pirituall rea&s;onings. As there is a &s;pirituall minde; &s;o I &s;ay there are &s;pirituall rea&s;onings in all godline&s;s. For all godline&s;s, and every peice of it (as I &s;hall &s;hew) is carried upon rea&s;on, only it is &s;piritual rea&s;on. Look upon the whole bulk of godline&s;s, you may divide it into three parts. It con&s;i&s;ts,</P>
<LIST>
<PB N="175" REF="94">
<ITEM>Either in <HI>believing,</HI> and <HI>doing.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>or in obedience and <HI>doing.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Or in <HI>&s;uffering,</HI> and <HI>doing.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>All a Chri&s;tians life is &s;pent, either in believing, or in doing, or in &s;uffering. Now in all the&s;e three you &s;hall &s;ee in Scripture that a Saint doth not all the&s;e hand over head, as being led by a fancie of them, but clearly upon rea&s;on, and the be&s;t rea&s;on in the World, as I &s;hall &s;hew you anon.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, for <HI>beleiving,</HI> look to <HI>Abraham,</HI> who is our patterne, our coppie. In <HI>Heb.</HI> 11. 19. <HI>By faith Abraham when he was tried, offered up I&s;aac, and he that had received the promi&s;es offered up his only begotton &s;on: of whom it was &s;aid, that in I&s;aac &s;hall thy &s;eed be called, accounting that God was able to rai&s;e him up from the dead,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Ac|counting,</HI> or as the Greek word is, rea&s;oning that <HI>God was able to ray&s;e him from the dead, from whence he received him in a figure.</HI> It is &s;aid that by faith <HI>Abraham</HI> offered I&s;aac, his only &s;on, he that had received the promi&s;e, God had made the promi&s;e to <HI>I&s;aac; In I&s;aac &s;hall thy &s;eed be called. I&s;aac</HI> was his &s;on, and a &s;on that he had in &s;trong way, by an ancient Woman, and his only &s;on, and a &s;on of whom the Me&s;&s;ias &s;hould come. Now there mu&s;t be a great deale of rea&s;on to per&s;wade &s;uch a godly Father to kill &s;uch a hopefull child, to put him to death, to whom God had given the promi&s;e of all
<PB N="176" REF="95"> ble&s;&s;ings, to all Nations. Surely there mu&s;t be a great deale of rea&s;oning before he could be per&s;waded to do this, and yet he did <HI>rea&s;on</HI> that God was <HI>able to rai&s;e him from the dead.</HI> This word rea&s;oning in the Greek is a word taken from Arithmeti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ians, that take two or three &s;ums, and put them together, and tell you this is the re&s;ult of them: &s;o he did rea&s;on, this is my &s;on, and all my hopes lie in him; and I received him when I was as a dead man, and for me to go and kill him, will da&s;h all the hopes of my &s;alvation. But on the other &s;ide, &s;piritual rea&s;on comes in, and &s;aith, that God that gave him me in a figure from the dead, that is, as it were from a dead woman, and when I was an old man, that God is able of his a&s;hes, when I have killed him, and burned him, to rai&s;e him up again, and therefore I will go and &s;acrifice him; and thence it is that the Holy Gho&s;t &s;aith, that <HI>God rai&s;ed him from the dead.</HI></P>
<P>Beloved, there is nothing that &s;eems to be more <HI>without rea&s;on</HI> then faith, and in faith there is nothing &s;eems to be more without rea&s;on, then for a man to go and kill his Son, his only Son, and yet he rea&s;oned, it is &s;aid. And &s;o in <HI>Romans</HI> 4. He looked not upon fle&s;h and bloud, but rea&s;oned from the promi&s;e, <HI>&s;o &s;hall thy &s;eed be,</HI> What was that? God called him out in a clear night, and &s;hewed him the &s;tars in the firmament, and &s;aid, <HI>&s;o &s;hall thy &s;eed be,</HI> and he
<PB N="177" REF="95"> rea&s;oned, and &s;taggered not, but looked upon God as one that was able to bring it to pa&s;s, and therefore it is &s;aid, in hope, above hope, he believed.</P>
<P>What &s;hall I &s;peake of <HI>Mo&s;es?</HI> You have it in that Chapter, they &s;ay, old men are twice Children, but <HI>Mo&s;es being forty yeares old, refu&s;ed to be called the Son of Pharaohs daughter:</HI> &s;ome might think what a madne&s;s this was? the text gives the rea&s;on, he <HI>rea&s;oned,</HI> or he <HI>E&s;teemed the reproach of Chri&s;t greater riches then the trea|&s;ures in Egypt;</HI> that is, he rea&s;oned thus, here I am in great honour, I may be called the Son of the Kings Daughter, and here I have hunting and hawking, and riches, &amp;c. and yonder are the poore people of God making brick, and there they have burthens laid upon them every day, and are &s;ighing, and groaning, and making &s;pirituall prayers, and &s;aith he, the ble&s;&s;ing of God is there, and the&s;e riches are but for a time, and there are the riches that are abiding, and ble&s;&s;ed, and therefore &s;aith the text, <HI>He cho&s;e rather to &s;uffer affliction with the people of God, then to enjoy the plea&s;ures of &s;in for a &s;ea&s;on.</HI> Thus you &s;ee in the&s;e in&s;tances that Faith goes all upon rea&s;on, upon &s;piritual rea&s;on.</P>
<P N="2">2. And &s;o for <HI>doing;</HI> for obedience, as it re|fers to <HI>doing,</HI> I will give you that one place, that I had even now, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5. 14. &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>We thus judge,</HI> or we thus <HI>rea&s;on, that if one died</HI>
<PB N="178" REF="96"> <HI>for all, then were all dead.</HI> And further, this is another Conclu&s;ion, <HI>He died for all, that they which live, &s;hould not henceforth live to them&s;elves, but to him which died for them, and ro&s;e again.</HI> There is no act of obedience that a Saint under the Go&s;pel doth, but it proceeds from Go&s;pel Spiritual rea&s;on: Chri&s;t died, God reveals this in the Scripture to me, and he &s;eals this to my &s;oul, that he died for me when I was the verie&s;t enemy in the world; why then there is all the rea&s;on in the world, he dying for me, that I &s;hould live to him, and &s;erve him all the dayes of my life; he redeemed me, and paid a ran&s;ome for me, there is all the rea&s;on in the world that I &s;hould live to him: you mu&s;t not think that the people of God take &s;o much pains to deny them&s;elves, and to be carried on in &s;uch hard and rough wayes, but that they are carried on in a way of &s;piritual rea&s;oning.</P>
<P N="3">3. And then for <HI>&s;uffering,</HI> which is another part of a Chri&s;tians life; you &s;hall reade in <HI>Rom.</HI> 8. 18. <HI>If we be children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joynt-heirs with Chri&s;t, if &s;o be that we &s;uffer with him, that we may be al&s;o glorified together. For I reckon that the &s;ufferings of this pre&s;ent time, are not worthy of the glory that &s;hall be re|vealed in us. Reckon,</HI> or <HI>I reckon,</HI> for it is the &s;ame word in the Greek, that is, he did put the two &s;ums together, as one learned Expo&s;itor &s;aith, he put all the &s;ufferings on the one &s;ide as
<PB N="179" REF="96"> light things, as &s;hort things, and the Priviledges of the Saints on the other, that we are <HI>&s;ons,</HI> and <HI>heirs,</HI> and <HI>coheirs</HI> with Chri&s;t, and that if we &s;uffer with him, we &s;hall be glorified with him; and &s;o after all his rea&s;oning, he &s;aw it was bet|ter to under go &s;ufferings with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, con|&s;idering the gain and the lo&s;s, putting them both together in the Ballance, and therefore he re|&s;olved to &s;uffer any thing that God &s;hould lay on him. So if we compare this place with 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4. 16. <HI>For this cau&s;e</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>we faint not, but though our outward man peri&s;h, yet the inward man is renewed day by day: for our light afflictions which are but for a moment, work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.</HI> We have abundance of afflictions, as it is known to you <HI>Corinthians,</HI> as he &s;aith before, <HI>We are afflicted on every &s;ide,</HI> there was a great deal of affliction, and yet notwith&s;tanding he did not faint, he was able to go on, and &s;uffer: Why &s;o? Not phanta&s;tically, or ra&s;hly, as many a carnal man may do, for it is not &s;o with a Saint, he will choo&s;e di&s;honour when he may have honour, but it is upon good rea&s;on, I will tell you why; becau&s;e <HI>though the outward man peri&s;h, yet the inward man is renewed day by day:</HI> and therefore &s;aith he, <HI>our light afflictions which are but for a moment, they work to us an exceeding eternal weight of glory.</HI> As if he had &s;aid, the afflictions which are now on me, how|ever
<PB N="180" REF="97"> you may conceive them to be great, yet in the Scales of &s;piritual rea&s;on, I &s;ee they are but light, and little in compari&s;on of what the wic|ked &s;hall &s;uffer, and what I have de&s;erved; and it is but for a moment, it is but for a time, and it doth work an <HI>exceeding,</HI> exce&s;&s;ive <HI>weight of glory,</HI> and therefore I have all the rea&s;on in the world to &s;uffer afflictions: for, if the outward man &s;uffer, the inward man gets by it; and if it be <HI>light,</HI> there is a <HI>weight</HI> of glory; and if it be for a <HI>moment,</HI> there is an <HI>eternal weight of glory.</HI> And &s;aith he, <HI>We do not look at things that are &s;een, for they are temporal, but at things that are not &s;een, which are eternal.</HI> We look at things in a &s;piritual way; and thus, &s;aith he, I ble&s;s God I do not faint. And thus we have opened the Le&s;&s;on to you, that they that walk according to the fle&s;h are led by <HI>carnal rea&s;ons,</HI> and they that walk according to the Spirit, are ruled by <HI>&s;piritual rea&s;ons.</HI></P>
<P>Now before I come to prove the Doctrine unto you, to make way for it, becau&s;e in my apprehen&s;ion it is a &s;piritual thing (as I &s;hall &s;hew you hereafter:) There is nothing that I know in this ble&s;&s;ed Book, that may help you in a clearer way to di&s;cover your e&s;tates to you in a &s;piritual way, for &s;uch as the <HI>man</HI> is, &s;uch is his <HI>minde,</HI> and &s;uch as his <HI>actions</HI> are, &s;uch is his <HI>minde,</HI> and we may better under&s;tand the <HI>acts</HI> then the <HI>minde,</HI> and we may better under|&s;tand
<PB N="181" REF="97"> <HI>both,</HI> then the <HI>man.</HI> And therefore that you may under&s;tand this, I will lay down three things before-hand, before I come to prove the Doctrine, or to apply it.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t is this, there is in all godline&s;s, in every part of it, excellent rea&s;ons, there is the pure&s;t, &s;ublime&s;t, excellente&s;t rea&s;on in godline&s;s, Beloved, I may &s;ay, and &s;ay truly of godline&s;s in a &s;pirituall &s;ence, whatever you may &s;ay of <HI>Logick</HI> in a naturall way. <HI>Logick</HI> is the art of rer&s;oning, that is the definition of it, it is the right of rea&s;oning, &s;o godline&s;s is the right art of &s;pirituall rea&s;oning. There is not one dram of right &s;pirituall rea&s;oning but in a godly people: and there is not one act in godly people but it is carried on upon the pure&s;t, and &s;ublime&s;t and excellente&s;t rea&s;oning that is; it is &s;uch a kind of rea&s;on, that the Apo&s;tle calls it demon|&s;tration, that is the &s;ure&s;t rea&s;oning in naturall <HI>Logick.</HI> Now in that you have other kind of rea&s;oning, as conjectures, and probabilities; and other topicks; but godly rea&s;oning is demon|&s;tration, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith. And therefore in 2 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 3. 2. Wicked men that have not faith, they are &s;aid to be unrea&s;onable men; he is a wicked man that hath not faith, let him be never &s;o hone&s;t, or civill, yet in Gods language, if he have not faith he is a wicked man; <HI>Paul</HI> prayes that he may be <HI>delivered from unrea&s;onable men,</HI> from ab&s;urd men as you have it the margin.
<PB N="182" REF="98"> Now what is it to be ab&s;urd? you &s;ay when a man carries him&s;elf illfavouredly, that is ab&s;urd; properly then when a man rea&s;ons not rightly, it is ab&s;urd, as to draw wrong conclu&s;ions from premi&s;es; as to &s;ay &s;uch a Towne is garri&s;oned by the King, therefore <HI>London</HI> hath the plague, this is ab&s;urd. Now all the actions and doings of wicked men, they are ab&s;urd, there is no more hold of them, then of a rope of &s;and. A wicked man may have naturall rea&s;on, and corrupt rea&s;on enough, but he is an unrea&s;onable man, he hath no &s;pirituall rea&s;on.</P>
<P>And hence it is that godly men, &s;pirituall men are &s;o con&s;tant in their Spirits, and in their wayes; indeed they are not ab&s;olutely con&s;tant becau&s;e they are godly but in part. As you may &s;ee in natural things, the difference between a man that is at full age, and hath rea&s;on, and a Child that is not come up to rea&s;on, as the Scripture &s;aith, <HI>Be not as little children, to&s;&s;ed to and fro.</HI> Now what is the rea&s;on that a Child is &s;o incon&s;tant; he will love a thing to day, and have it to bed with him, and to morrow he will ca&s;t it in the dirt? it is becau&s;e his actions are carryed by fancie, and he hath not rea&s;on to rule and &s;way him. Now you know a man doth not do, and undo things like a Child. See what difference there is in a naturall way, between a man at full age, and a Child at three or foure yeares old; &s;o much, and more difference there
<PB N="183" REF="98"> is between a godly, &s;pirituall man, and a naturall man: and that is the rea&s;on, that when a godly man, hears a natural man di&s;cour&s;e, &amp; &s;ay he will do this, and that, he will go to the Wars, and he will take this, and that Garri&s;on, he &s;miles at it, becau&s;e he knowes, he will not be con&s;tant. Take men all along in the&s;e Wars&punc; for &s;ome yeares pa&s;t, whether they were Commanders or others, you &s;hall &s;ee how many brave re&s;olute men both went; forth, and were here in the Par|liament at home, and where are they now? But now take a godly man, either in the Army or el&s;where, and you cannot &s;ay of him, he was &s;o, becau&s;e he is &s;o; becau&s;e he hath &s;ome rea|&s;on to carry him along, that the other hath not; he went for the glory of God, and the re&s;pect of that continues with him, the other went out for a &s;hew, for a bla&s;t, and &s;o are turned about with every wind like a Weather-cock, and all this for want of &s;piritual rea&s;on.</P>
<P>Moreover, it appears by this, why the Saints that are godly and &s;piritual are &s;o comfortable, even in the wor&s;t condition, and why other men are &s;o apt to be dejected. Take a Saint, and put him into any condition, and he knows how to <HI>rejoyce in the Lord.</HI> Take a <HI>Paul,</HI> or a <HI>Silas,</HI> and put them in Pri&s;on, and let them be to be hang|ed to morrow, and yet they can rejoice and &s;ing, they can <HI>rejoice in tribulation,</HI> as well as in pro&s;perity, but now men that have not faith,
<PB N="184" REF="99"> that are not &s;piritual, though they laugh loud &s;ometimes when they are in pro&s;perity, yet when affliction comes they are down again; and this comes from hence, not becau&s;e godly men are mad-men, that they can rejoice in Chains as men in <HI>Bedlam</HI> do, but it is from <HI>&s;piritual rea&s;on|ing.</HI> When they are in affliction, they can rea|&s;on; I am now in much &s;hame and poverty, but I know that they are in Chri&s;t, all &s;hall turn to their good; they are Chri&s;ts, and all is for their &s;alvation. And thus they will draw from the Scriptures, by the help of the Spirit of God, &s;uch kind of Arguments as will draw them up, and fill them with joy, even in the wor&s;t condition, which becau&s;e the others have not, they are up and down, though their laughter be louder, as <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;aith, yet it is but as <HI>the crackling of thorns,</HI> that end in &s;moke, and &s;mo|ther, and a&s;hes. Oh, the godly are endued with a great deal of &s;piritual rea&s;oning.</P>
<P>And hence it was, becau&s;e there is &s;o much rea&s;on in godline&s;s, that the Doctrine of the Go&s;pel of Je&s;us Chri&s;t by a few Fi&s;her-men, and contemptible men, without any force of Arms, without any Sword drawn, they have been able to break the great Emperour of the World, and to plant Religion over a great part of the world. It is true, there is no natural rea&s;on in it in the world, that a hundred, or half a hundred &s;hould go forth, and tell a &s;tory of a man that was a
<PB N="185" REF="99"> <HI>Garpenters Son,</HI> a poor man that was at la&s;t <HI>hang|ed upon a Tree</HI> by the <HI>Jews,</HI> and buried in a Grave; and for a company of poor men that had no Oratory in the world, to go and tell peo|ple, that by this man is &s;alvation, and that they mu&s;t believe in him, and that they had no power in them&s;elves to do it; and that if they did be|lieve in him, they mu&s;t deny them&s;elves, and fa|ther, and mother, and lands, and life, and then they &s;hould have a <HI>Reward,</HI> they knew not where nor whence, hereafter in Heaven, but nothing in this world; which there was no natural Rea|&s;on to per&s;wade them to, and there was no Sword to command them; for their Commi&s;|&s;ion was onely to tell men, that if they <HI>believed, they &s;hould be &s;aved,</HI> and if they did <HI>not believe,</HI> they mu&s;t <HI>be damned,</HI> and yet we &s;ee the Go&s;pel hath prevailed in many Kingdoms of the world, more or le&s;s. Now when <HI>Mahomet</HI> came, he comes as a great man, and when he was asked, How will you prove your Religion to be true? He takes a Sword, and &s;aith, <HI>By this:</HI> Such is the Doctrine of the <HI>Turks</HI> and <HI>Per&s;ians;</HI> but the Doctrine of the Go&s;pel came not &s;o.</P>
<P>Now you mu&s;t not conceive that the Go&s;pel works like a <HI>Charm,</HI> that it works upon men like mad-men; but hence it comes to pa&s;s, that though there be no <HI>natural rea&s;on</HI> in it, nor the <HI>wi&s;dome of men,</HI> yet they &s;peak <HI>in demon&s;tration of the Spirit;</HI> they &s;peak <HI>the wi&s;dome of God to</HI>
<PB N="186" REF="100"> <HI>them that are perfect.</HI> There is &s;piritual rea&s;on in every piece of that Doctrine that is able to &s;atisfie a man; and were there not &s;tronger rea|&s;on then any is in the world, men would never yield to it. Thus I have given you a few hints, to &s;hew you that there is abundance of profound rea&s;on in godline&s;s.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides, when we &s;ee that godly men are &s;o <HI>meek,</HI> &s;o <HI>gentle,</HI> &s;o <HI>ea&s;ie to be intreated:</HI> Whence is this? From the &s;trength of <HI>&s;piritual rea&s;on</HI> that is in them. As it is in natural things, you know <HI>women are the weaker ve&s;&s;els,</HI> the Scripture &s;aith &s;o, and they are more apt to be <HI>froward</HI> then men. Why &s;o? becau&s;e there is not &s;uch &s;trength of rea&s;on in them. Now men that are at full age, and have &s;trength of rea&s;on, they will bear unkindne&s;&s;es, <HI>it is the glory of a man to pa&s;s by an offence;</HI> it is the wi&s;dome of a man to pa&s;s by an injury. Now as it is in natural things between a man at full age and a childe, &s;uch a difference there is between godly &s;piritual men, and natural men; mo&s;t natural men are fro|ward, and peevi&s;h, and very ungentle, and hard|ly to be intreated; but the godly, as far as they are godly, as far as they have the <HI>wi&s;dome that is from above,</HI> they are made <HI>gentle, and ea&s;ie to be intreated;</HI> becau&s;e they have &s;piritual rea&s;on. As for in&s;tance, &s;uppo&s;e a man offer another a great deal of unkindne&s;s, and &s;peak very ill of him; natural rea&s;on would &s;ay, Why &s;hould he
<PB N="187" REF="100"> do this? or why &s;hould I bear it? But &s;piritual rea&s;on comes in, and &s;aith, <HI>When they cur&s;e, do you ble&s;s,</HI> and the Scripture teacheth me, that <HI>Chri&s;t loved me when I was an enemy,</HI> and &s;o &s;hould I do to others. There is nothing that may provoke a godly man, but if he hath the u&s;e of <HI>&s;piritual rea&s;on,</HI> he may keep his heart meek and calm as may be. Now you mu&s;t not think that the Saints are flocks or &s;tones, for a Saint hath as much apprehen&s;ion as a natural man hath; but he hath <HI>&s;piritual rea&s;on,</HI> that he can &s;hape the wrong done him in a &s;piritual Mould, and &s;o carry him&s;elf meekly and qui|etly.</P>
<P>Moreover, there is rea&s;on in godline&s;s, and hence it is that the godly in times of Confu&s;ion they can &s;ee their way in the midde&s;t of the mi&s;t, when all others are at a lo&s;s, and know not which way to go: a godly man can by <HI>&s;piritual rea&s;on</HI> &s;eek out his way, as there is a full in&s;tance in the&s;e Times; all carnal men are at a lo&s;s, and think that all Religion is gone into <HI>confu&s;ion,</HI> and one Governour is gone, and another come, and one man is of <HI>this opinion,</HI> and another of <HI>ano|ther;</HI> the whole World, even tho&s;e that are meer <HI>Spectators,</HI> they know not which way to go, yet now the Saints that are &s;piritual, they can &s;erve God as fully and as &s;weetly as ever. Why &s;o? becau&s;e though the others are at a lo&s;s, yet they have their eyes in their heads, and can &s;ee their way.</P>
<PB N="188" REF="101">
<P> And hence it is, by this <HI>&s;piritual rea&s;oning,</HI> that the view and contemplation of their lives pa&s;t is &s;o &s;weet to them, and afforde them &s;o much comfort, as far as it was <HI>Religious,</HI> whereas they remember their &s;inful actions with &s;hame, and natural actions with &s;orrow: when we come to be men, we cannot endure to think of our car|riage when we were Children, as making little Hou&s;es of &s;traws, and of clay, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> When a man comes to be a man, he rejoiceth more that he hath gotten &s;uch a Hou&s;e, and purcha&s;ed &s;uch Land, and he rejoiceth in his Wife and Children. There is more plea&s;ure in the remembrance of a rational act, then of a fanta&s;tical, though when we were Children there was more plea&s;ure in a fanta&s;tical act then in a rational, as a Childe hath more plea&s;ure and will to make Pyes of Clay, then a man hath to purcha&s;e a Hou&s;e and Land. So look to your lives pa&s;t, you &s;hall &s;ee abun|dance of corrupt acts, that you are a&s;hamed of; <HI>What profit had you</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>in tho&s;e things whereof you are now a&s;hamed?</HI> you are a&s;hamed to think of your <HI>drunkenne&s;s,</HI> and <HI>co|zening,</HI> &amp;c. and you look upon natural acts with &s;orrow; but look upon any &s;piritual godly act, what you have done for Chri&s;t or the Saints, the comfort of them is as much at the pre&s;ent as when you fir&s;t did them, and that is a &s;ign that they were &s;piritual, otherwi&s;e the comfort of them would vani&s;h away. Tho&s;e things that
<PB N="189" REF="101"> we do out of rea&s;on, have a more <HI>la&s;ting &s;weet|ne&s;s</HI> and comfort then tho&s;e that we do out of lu&s;t: that is the rea&s;on that if a man did a thing for God, though it were forty years ago, yet the &s;weetne&s;s of it is fre&s;h now, it is not &s;o in natural or corrupt actions, you befool your &s;elves in the one, and blame your &s;elves in the other; but &s;piritual actions, you rejoyce in them.</P>
<P>Again, from this it appears that there is rea|&s;on in godline&s;s, becau&s;e godly men are not caught with chaff, they are not caught with lu&s;ts as natural men are: you know little Children, how you may catch them with a <HI>Baby;</HI> or a <HI>Top</HI> and a <HI>Scourge,</HI> all the year about, you may feed their fancy by bringing them &s;ome new Toy home, but a man of forty years old you cannot plea&s;e him with a <HI>Baby,</HI> or with a Hor&s;e of wood, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Such is the difference between a na|tural man, and a &s;piritual man, you may plea&s;e a natural man, and catch him with a good Of|fice, or &s;ome &s;uch thing, but take a through, full grown &s;piritual man (as we have, ble&s;&s;ed be God, &s;ome in&s;tances in the <HI>Army,</HI> and in the <HI>Parliament</HI> and <HI>City)</HI> you offer him chaff when you offer him the&s;e things, when you would tempt him to leave God, and to embrace the World. That <HI>German Bea&s;t,</HI> as it is &s;aid of <HI>Lu|ther, will not be caught with Gold,</HI> &s;uch a man will not be catched with a Bribe; a Saint can
<PB N="190" REF="102"> out-rea&s;on all &s;uch lu&s;ts, he &s;ees they are but <HI>the plea&s;ures of &s;in for a &s;ea&s;on.</HI> Thus it appears to you that in godline&s;s there is a great deal of rea&s;on.</P>
<P>Now let me adde this before I go further, there is the <HI>profounde&s;t</HI> and mo&s;t excellent rea|&s;on and rea&s;oning that can be in godline&s;s, and I will demon&s;trate it to you in three things. That there is <HI>Rea&s;on,</HI> you have heard: Now I &s;hall &s;hew you that there is the <HI>profounde&s;t</HI> and the <HI>be&s;t Rea&s;on,</HI> and that there is no rea&s;on to be compared to it.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Becau&s;e that in godline&s;s there is a <HI>light</HI> put into the Soul, whence a man may rea&s;on: for man cannot rea&s;on without <HI>light</HI> put into the minde. That is the rea&s;on why a Hor&s;e cannot <HI>rea&s;on,</HI> becau&s;e there is no <HI>light</HI> in him, Under&s;tanding to deduct one thing from ano|ther. Now the light we have in natural things is very uncertain, and dim and dark, by rea&s;on of <HI>Adams</HI> &s;in, you &s;ee in natural things how imperfect Arts are, as <HI>Phy&s;ick, &amp;c.</HI> Why? be|cau&s;e the principles are few, we gather &s;ome things from Herbs, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> the principles are not clear, but &s;uch men have tried &s;uch and &s;uch Conclu&s;ions, and &s;o they make up an Argument, but this is but dim.</P>
<P>Secondly, There are in Nature but dark and <HI>confu&s;ed Principles;</HI> for Rea&s;on is a deducting of one thing from another: Rea&s;on is a dividing,
<PB N="191" REF="102"> as if you &s;hould &s;ee the River <HI>Nilus,</HI> they draw the River from the main Channel to a le&s;|&s;er, and from that to another: So <HI>Rea&s;on</HI> is nothing but the drawing forth of the light that is in a man, to this or that u&s;e, according as there &s;hall be occa&s;ion. Now in Nature we have but <HI>dark principles,</HI> and therefore we cannot draw things certainly: but in godline&s;s, there are &s;uch principles, that every thing in the Go|&s;pel is called clear <HI>demon&s;tration.</HI> Demon&s;tration, that is, when a man &s;ets forth a thing, when he proves a thing e&s;&s;entially, and infallibly: de|mon&s;trations are infallible, if they be truly and clearly drawn. So then the meaning of it is, that all the principles of the Go&s;pel they are clear, and plain, they are demon&s;trations infal|lible to a &s;piritual minde: a carnal man may doubt of them, but <HI>we &s;peak wi&s;dome to them that are perfect.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, and la&s;tly, the <HI>faculty</HI> of the Soul whereby we do apprehend this light, and in which we retain the&s;e <HI>principles,</HI> it is a great deal more excellent. I &s;ay the <HI>faculty,</HI> that is the <HI>&s;pi|ritual minde:</HI> for I told you before, there were three mindes. This <HI>&s;piritual minde</HI> is nothing el&s;e but the <HI>new Creature:</HI> there is in a Chri&s;tian the old creature and the new creature; and the Scripture ordinarily calls it the <HI>old man,</HI> and the <HI>new man.</HI></P>
<P>What is the <HI>new man?</HI></P>
<PB N="192" REF="103">
<P> Nothing in the world, but God puts as it were a <HI>new under&s;tanding</HI> in him; that is, he puts a <HI>new light</HI> in his under&s;tanding, and frames his under&s;tanding to be capable of that new light: for the minde we have naturally cannot receive &s;piritual things. Therefore it is not onely a new quality, there is &s;omething more, or el&s;e God would not call it the <HI>new man,</HI> but the new quality, which he doth no where in Scripture: the Lord frames in the Soul a capability, a facul|ty to apprehend and rea&s;on upon Spirituall things; and this is called the <HI>new man,</HI> and this comes from Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and his holy Spirit, and is upon the growing hand more and more.</P>
<P>Now the other faculty, the <HI>natural faculty,</HI> is corrupt with lu&s;ts: <HI>The old man is corrupt.</HI> And when I &s;ay the <HI>old man,</HI> you mu&s;t take the natural man, as well as the &s;inful man. <HI>The old is corrupt;</HI> what is that? he is corrupt, that is, he is <HI>rotten.</HI> How comes he to be <HI>rotten?</HI> He is corrupt by rea&s;on of the lu&s;ts of it: as it is with Timber, it would continue a long time, if it have not rain come upon it, but if rain falls on it, it makes it decay: &s;o the natural minde, the natural faculty in <HI>Adam</HI> before he &s;inned, was a great deal more clear, and therefore <HI>Adam</HI> was a better <HI>Naturali&s;t</HI> then any man, then all the men in the world; <HI>Adam</HI> was a better <HI>Naviga|tor,</HI> a better <HI>Phy&s;ician,</HI> a better any thing. But as &s;in ra&s;ed the law of God out of mans heart,
<PB N="193" REF="103"> &s;o &s;in begun to rot and corrupt the natural excellencies of man, as his minde, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and that right rea&s;on that <HI>Adam</HI> had before his Fall: you &s;ee how he did name all the Crea|tures, and what wi&s;dome he had, but after his Fall, &s;in had not been long in him, but he was more corrupt. As you &s;ee in a hou&s;e where there is a hole in the Thatch, if the rain come in but two or three dayes, the Timber will not be much rotted, but in time it will &s;poil: &s;o we &s;ee after, when &s;in came to increa&s;e more in the dayes of <HI>Cain,</HI> man was more tainted; and yet &s;urely, then Natural knowledge was more excellent then now it is, for you &s;ee what Inventions they had, <HI>Gen.</HI> 4. of <HI>Mu&s;ick,</HI> and <HI>Building,</HI> and <HI>Tents,</HI> and many things that they invented in Arts.</P>
<P>But you will &s;ay, <HI>It is an ea&s;ie thing to make Tents and Organs.</HI></P>
<P>It is an ea&s;ie thing to perfect a thing that hath been Five thou&s;and years finding out, but were you now to finde out the thing, it were not ea&s;ie. Now I &s;ay that &s;in doth not, and ru&s;t the Nature of man more and more; and as &s;in gets head more, &s;o more and more it will rot the Faculties of man: but the faculty we have in the <HI>new man,</HI> it is new, it was ne|ver tainted, never any drop came into it to corrupt it: for when God creates the <HI>new crea|ture,</HI> he makes it a more excellent piece then he
<PB N="194" REF="104"> did the old; and this grows more and more: and therefore &s;eeing there is clearer light, and excellenter principles, and a profounder facul|ty, there mu&s;t needs be a more ble&s;&s;ed and glorious way of rea&s;oning in a &s;piritual way, then in a Natural way. I had thought to have gone over the other two things premi&s;ed; but the time is pa&s;t, and therefore I will onely now conclude this with one or two &s;hort words of U&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 1. And fir&s;t of all, I will here in love admoni&s;h you that are the people of God, to take heed of that devi&s;e of Satan whereby he would per&s;wade the Saints that there is no rea&s;on in godline&s;s. Rea&s;on is a word that is much prejudiced among Profe&s;&s;ors; and if a man &s;peak of <HI>Rea&s;on,</HI> they are ready to flight it, and &s;ay, <HI>Shew me Scripture;</HI> as if &s;ound Spiritual Rea&s;on, and the Scripture, were con|trary one to another: they are ready to &s;ay, What do you talk to me of Rea&s;on, &s;hew me a Text for it. It is true, we mu&s;t not talk of carnal, corrupt Rea&s;on, that is abominable, nor of Natural Rea&s;on, that is too &s;hort; but we may and mu&s;t, in any thing belong|ing to godline&s;&s;e, take in Spirituall Rea&s;on, and if it hold not with Spirituall Rea&s;on, do not admit of it, let it be what Opinion it will.</P>
<P>Mo&s;t of your wanderings and mi&s;takes do
<PB N="195" REF="104"> ari&s;e from want of ob&s;erving &s;pirituall rea&s;on: we reject rea&s;on, and go and take a place of Scripture, and &s;o hand over head go along, and not deduct things, as <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Abraham</HI> did. But beware of this, for there is nothing in godline&s;s but thou maye&s;t find &s;ound rea&s;on in it; there is no ab&s;urdity in godline&s;s; ab&s;urdity belongs to wicked men that have not faith. Take heed of rejecting all kind of rea&s;on in godline&s;s; reject carnall rea&s;on, and expect godline&s;s to be above naturall rea&s;on, but if there be not &s;pi|ritual rea&s;on in what thou do&s;t, it is not of God.</P>
<P>Secondly, it is a word of exhortation, or invitation to you that are carnall, that you would come in and receive Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that you would imbrace Chri&s;t, and godline&s;s by him.</P>
<P>Why &s;o?</P>
<P>Becau&s;e there is nothing in nature that may take with man, but there is that in a more excellent way in grace, if men had grace to heed it. You know what takes with men in nature ordinarily, mo&s;t of mankinde are weak, and come not up &s;o high as to action, and con|templation; but you know what takes with them, <HI>Riches, and honour,</HI> &amp;c. Now the &s;cripture tells us in Chri&s;t we &s;hall inherit all the&s;e things: &s;ome affect liberty, here is that al&s;o, <HI>If the Son make you free, you &s;hall be free indeed.</HI> And what|&s;oever man can fancie, &s;aith Chri&s;t, come and <HI>buy of me Gold, and Rayment, and Milk, and</HI>
<PB N="196" REF="105"> <HI>Honey, and Kingdomes, and Crowns,</HI> and what|&s;oever the nature of man is capable of. But there are &s;ome that feed not upon &s;en&s;uall things, and to tell them of plea&s;ures, and Ho|nour, and Riches by Chri&s;t, doth not &s;o much take them: but thou art it may be an intel|lectuall man, that &s;tudie&s;t the contemplation of things that belong to the under&s;tanding, if thou wilt come to Chri&s;t thou &s;halt find &s;uch matter for thy under&s;tanding to work on, rationall things that thou wa&s;t never acquainted with before. There are &s;ome men if you &s;hould give them all the contentments in world, yet if they had not rationall companie, and Books &s;uitable to their under&s;tanding, you could never content them: for indeed that is a greater delight by far which is &s;uitable to the under|&s;tanding, then that which fits the fancy; and therefore when that is fa&s;tned on, the other will be gone. As a child, when he is child, he loves tops, and trifles, and the like, but when he comes to be a man he &s;lights them. So a man that loves riches, and profit, &amp;c. in a natural way, if he come to &s;tudie the arts, he will &s;light riches. So if ever you will draw the man to godline&s;s, you mu&s;t give him &s;omthing that will delight him, delight his intellectualls. Now I &s;ay there is that in godline&s;s, which all that is in humane Books, is not to be compared to it, it is but folly in compari&s;on. I will in&s;tance
<PB N="197" REF="105"> in one place, <HI>Prov.</HI> 8. 10, 11, 12. Where <HI>wi&s;dome doth cry out in the &s;treets;</HI> The meaning is, <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> who is called <HI>Wi&s;dome,</HI> is inviting poor &s;inners to come to him, <HI>Receive my In|&s;truction,</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>and not &s;ilver, and knowledge rather then choyce Gold. Solomon,</HI> or any wi&s;e man would prefer in&s;truction before gold and &s;ilver. <HI>For wi&s;dome is better then Rubies, and all things that may be de&s;ired are not to be com|pared to it.</HI> The&s;e are &s;en&s;ual things, what is there more in a <HI>Ruby</HI> then a <HI>Pebble,</HI> but onely the fancy. Now <HI>Wi&s;dome is better then Rubies:</HI> And would&s;t thou know where to have this Wi&s;dome? <HI>I wi&s;dome dwell with prudence,</HI> or <HI>with &s;ubtilty,</HI> as &s;ome reade it, <HI>and finde out knowledge of witty inventions:</HI> there are not in all the world &s;uch <HI>witty inventions</HI> as there are in godline&s;s.</P>
<P>A Chri&s;tian findes out more <HI>witty inventions</HI> in a &s;piritual way in a day, then a hundred na|tural men do in all their life time. And inven|tions in a &s;piritual way, are far more taking with a man, then tho&s;e in a natural way; <HI>Come to me, and I will give thee knowledge of witty inventions,</HI> &s;uch matter for thy invention to work on, as thou never had&s;t before, I will di&s;cover &s;uch as &s;hall &s;atisfie thee. I have known one once, that was ready to be di&s;tract|ed, becau&s;e he could &s;ee nothing in the world that could &s;atisfie his under&s;tanding, he &s;aw all
<PB N="198" REF="106"> the world was but a Whirlpool of <HI>vanity and vexation;</HI> and ju&s;t as he was going to turn mad, God let the manife&s;tation of Je&s;us Chri&s;t into his Soul, and that &s;atisfied his under&s;tand|ing, there was a fit &s;ubject, there was all the choyce rea&s;onings in the world to work on; there was enough to &s;atisfie his Will, and to keep him in his wits, and to make him comfort|able and joyful, or el&s;e he was confident he &s;hould have been di&s;tracted.</P>
<P>For in natural things there is a little comfort, but alwayes man looks upon the back of it, he looks behinde it, and &s;aith, What &s;hall I do when this is gone?</P>
<P>Now when Je&s;us Chri&s;t comes in, he &s;atisfies the &s;oul; a man looks not behinde Chri&s;ts back, to &s;ay, What &s;hall I do when Chri&s;t is gone? but he, and he onely is enough to &s;atisfie a man: therefore art thou a man given to con|templation, and &s;tudy Arts, be advi&s;ed by Je|&s;us Chri&s;t, this is the way to finde out <HI>rare in|ventions,</HI> to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and &s;tudy the deep things of the Go&s;pel, and there thou &s;halt finde out <HI>witty inventions,</HI> and devices world without end.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 3. One word more, and I have done. La&s;tly, hence it doth follow clearly, that godly men that are truly godly and &s;piritual, I do not &s;ay every paltry hollow-hearted Profe&s;&s;or, but a godly &s;piritual man, is the wi&s;e&s;t man. Why
<PB N="199" REF="106"> &s;o? becau&s;e he hath the mo&s;t excellent and pro|found rea&s;on, he hath a ma&s;s of rationality, that the world knows not of. We may &s;ay of a godly man, as the Heathen &s;aid of a Learned man, <HI>A Learned man hath four eyes, and the Vulgar hath but two;</HI> &s;o a godly man hath three eyes, and a naturall man hath but two, and &s;carce that: a natural man can rea&s;on things, but it is with a corrupt, or natural eye; but a Saint can rea&s;on with a &s;piritual eye. Natural men have but a little dark light in natural things, but a &s;piritual man can rea&s;on in natural things, and in &s;piritual too: <HI>Wi&s;dome is ju&s;tified of her children.</HI> If a Plow-man &s;hould come to <HI>Ox|ford,</HI> and hear their Di&s;putes in <HI>Logick</HI> or <HI>Ma|thematicks,</HI> he under&s;tands not the terms, and would think that they were mad, yet <HI>wi&s;dome is ju&s;tified of her children;</HI> they that know what tho&s;e <HI>Arts</HI> are, they will &s;ay they di&s;puted very well. So the world condemns godline&s;s, and thinks that godly men are mad men; but <HI>Wi&s;|dome is ju&s;tified of her children.</HI> You call it <HI>fooli&s;h|ne&s;s;</HI> &s;aith <HI>Paul,</HI> but <HI>we &s;peak wi&s;dome to tho&s;e that be perfect.</HI> And therefore you &s;hall have the godly u&s;ually when they are de&s;cribed in Scri|pture, they are called <HI>wi&s;e men,</HI> as it is often in the <HI>Proverbs,</HI> the wi&s;e man and the Fool are put in oppo&s;ition, the one to the other; the wi&s;e man is the godly man, and the foole is the &s;infull man, let him be as wi&s;e as he will be: &amp; excellent
<PB N="200" REF="107"> is that word, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2. 15. methinks it is a word that &s;hould take with us, <HI>He that is &s;pi|rituall, judgeth all things, yet he him&s;elf is judged of no man.</HI> What is the meaning of that? that is, put a &s;piritual godly man, with any natural man in the world, let him be never &s;o wi&s;e, he is able to &s;ee through the naturall man, and to know his principles, by which he goes all along, and the end he aimes at, and what he is like to do, but the naturall man is not able to judge of his principles. As you &s;ee he that hath a darke Lanthorne he can &s;ee every body as he goes, but no body &s;eeth him; and that is the rea&s;on that naturall men do &s;o little good in their places becau&s;e they cannot di&s;cern other men. We have &s;een brave men imployed about actions and de&s;igns, but they cannot judge &s;piritually, and therefore they do not pro&s;per; Why? becau&s;e &s;ome flatterer comes, and cheats them; they want their dark lanthorn, a godly man is able to &s;ee through a naturall man, and to &s;ee his principles and ends, and as a wi&s;e man, will fetch it out. He can judge of things naturally and corruptly, becau&s;e he hath been &s;o him&s;elf, and he knowes how to judge &s;piritually, which the other cannot do. That is the rea&s;on that a godly man in a Committee, or a few in the Army or Parliament, they can tell how farre their principles will carry them towards God, or any good work, therefore I would to God
<PB N="201" REF="107"> this poore Kingdome would be wi&s;e at la&s;t, that if there be any bu&s;ine&s;s that requires wi&s;edome, either in Parliament, or Army, or Committee, or Citty, that they would put in godly men; they have their dark Lanthorns, they can &s;ee through things, and will not be taken with chaff as others may: you &s;ee how God hath pro&s;pered and ble&s;&s;ed them, and how they have continued con&s;tant. Therefore I &s;ay henceforth let us not in any place or bu&s;ine&s;s look &s;o much to our kindred, or neighbours, or carnall relations, but that God would teach us to choo&s;e godly men in all places, they are the only wi&s;e man, and can judge of all others, and are judged of none; if we do not thus, I feare we may repent it when it is too late.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="9" TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="202" REF="108">
<HEAD>SERMON IX.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Rom. 8. 5.</BIBL>
<Q>For they that are after the fle&s;h, do minde the things of the fle&s;h: but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>YOu know the la&s;t Point we named to you from the&s;e words, was this,</P>
<Q>That true Go&s;pel Believers are ruled and &s;way|ed with Spirituall rea&s;on, and all carnall fle&s;hly men are ruled by carnall fle&s;hly rea|&s;on.</Q>
<P>I opened it to you. I told you there are three <HI>mindes</HI> &s;poken of in Scripture. And as there are three mindes, &s;o there are three &s;orts of acts, or rea&s;oning:</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Corrupt
<LIST>
<ITEM>Rea&s;oning.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>Natural</ITEM>
<ITEM>Spiritual</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>I premi&s;ed three things, before I could come to prove the Doctrine.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t was this, That there is <HI>excellent rea|&s;on in all godline&s;s;</HI> there is <HI>rea&s;on,</HI> and the <HI>be&s;t rea&s;on,</HI> as I &s;hewed you at large, and made two or three U&s;es of it.</P>
<P>Now to go forward a little. The &s;econd
<PB N="203" REF="108"> thing briefly that I mu&s;t premi&s;e, before I prove this Le&s;&s;on, it is this:</P>
<Q>The rea&s;onings of the Soul, are the highe&s;t and excellente&s;t acts of the minde.</Q>
<P>As the Minde or Under&s;tanding is the highe&s;t faculty of the Soul; &s;o the rea&s;onings of the minde are the mo&s;t excellent, and mo&s;t imme|diate acts of the minde. The Minde is Chri&s;ts or the Devils chief Throne. If Chri&s;t be in the Soul, he keeps his Palace in the Minde; if the Devil be in the Soul, he keeps his Gari&s;on in the Minde. So the rea&s;onings of the minde are the chief &s;trength of the minde, the im|mediate flowings of the minde. The whole acts of the Soul are like the <HI>New River;</HI> it comes to <HI>London,</HI> and then you have Conduits to receive it, and tho&s;e &s;end it to Wooden Pipes, and tho&s;e &s;end it to Leaden Pipes, and &s;o to your Kitchins and Cellars: So the Soul, the Minde is as the <HI>New River,</HI> the rea&s;oning of the Soul, that is the Conduit that receives it fir&s;t; from the rea&s;oning it comes to the Will, and Affections, and then it goes out into the Actions: &s;o the rea&s;onings of the minde are the fir&s;t, and chiefe&s;t, and &s;upreme part of all the actions thereof. Therefore if the minde be naught, the whole Soul is naught; if the rea&s;onings be naught, the whole &s;oul and life is naught al&s;o. But becau&s;e I would pa&s;s from that, the U&s;e of it in a word is this: that</P>
<PB N="204" REF="109">
<P> Hence we &s;ee the rea&s;on, why the wi&s;e&s;t men, the mo&s;t rationall men, are u&s;ually the wor&s;t men; becau&s;e they have more &s;trength of Rea&s;on then other men: the Rea&s;on being corrupt and naught, the &s;tronger that rea&s;on is, the wor&s;e the man is. Therefore if I have a childe or a friend that is a wicked man, if he be not made a good man, I wi&s;h he may ne|ver be very rational or rea&s;onable, becau&s;e the &s;tronger his Rea&s;on is, being corrupt, the more ill he is in his will and affections, when men are mad with rea&s;on: many of the Vulgar are <HI>mad without rea&s;on,</HI> they will hate a thing upon hear-&s;ay, O &s;uch a one is an <HI>Independent,</HI> and this, and that, but when men are mad <HI>with rea&s;on,</HI> when they have wicked rea&s;on, they are mad to purpo&s;e, they are mad <HI>with a ven|geance,</HI> as we &s;ay.</P>
<P>And that is the rea&s;on that the Apo&s;tle &s;aith that the Lord hath not <HI>cho&s;en many wi&s;e, nor many Noble,</HI> but <HI>&s;imple people,</HI> and <HI>&s;imple things,</HI> God doth not ordinarily do it. As now in the Army fighting abroad, u&s;ually they do not take great, &s;trong <HI>Garri&s;ons,</HI> but little pettie ones are taken to and again, daily. So, <HI>Not many wi&s;e men are called;</HI> God takes &s;ome &s;trong Gari&s;ons: for it is a &s;trong Gari&s;on of the Devil, when a great learned man is with|out the Spirit of God; it is like <HI>Port&s;mouth,</HI> &amp;c. fortified &s;trongly, God may take away the wea|pons
<PB N="205" REF="109"> of the Devil, and the principal Ordnance he hath, is Carnal Rea&s;oning, but God doth it not ordinarily.</P>
<P>It was a Saying of a godly man, and a ra|tional one too, he &s;hook his head and &s;aid, <HI>I wi&s;h many times in the year, that I were de|prived of this Rea&s;on that is in me, that I might be wholly without Rea&s;on, that there might be li|berty for faith to work.</HI> He meant that natu|rall rea&s;on comes, and hinders faith, and cro&s;|&s;eth &s;piritual rea&s;on.</P>
<P>Rea&s;on is &s;o trouble&s;ome, if it be carnal, and natural, and un&s;anctified, that the more any man hath of it, the more enemy he is to God. Therefore, O that God would unbewitch, and undeceive you, and all the people of <HI>England,</HI> that you would not make men your guides, as they are indued with Learning or Rea&s;on, but the Spirit of God. Go to any Pari&s;h, or Town, or place, and talk with any man about Heavenly things, and ask him why he doth <HI>think thus?</HI> He will &s;ay, we have a Learned Doctor in the Pari&s;h, and he &s;aith &s;o, and he doth &s;o. The Lord hath &s;aid that our <HI>Sun &s;hall be turned into darkne&s;s, and our Moon into blood;</HI> that is, all the&s;e glorious natural things &s;hall be da&s;hed in the <HI>la&s;t times,</HI> and God will <HI>exalt his Spirit, I&s;a.</HI> 59. 21. &s;ince God hath promi&s;ed it, let us expect it: ob&s;erve what man in the Pari&s;h hath mo&s;t of the Spirit of God, and of &s;pirituall
<PB N="206" REF="110"> Rea&s;on, and hear him, and be advi&s;ed by him, and &s;ay of your great Doctors and learned men, If God be not in them by his Spirit, the more Learning, and the more Rea&s;on they have, the more enemies they are to God, and there|fore I will have nothing to do with them. There you have two things.</P>
<P>The third thing I &s;hall premi&s;e, is, That the rea&s;onings of the minde are the chief di&s;tingui&s;h|ing Character of a man, by which principally above all things one is di&s;tingui&s;hed from an|other, good men from bad: for the Apo&s;tle doth not rea&s;on here, from a <HI>known</HI> thing, to a <HI>darker;</HI> for he rea&s;ons from the minde, and the acts of it, as if he had &s;aid, That is the chiefe&s;t main way, whereby to know the <HI>whole man,</HI> whether he be fle&s;hly or Spi|ritual.</P>
<P>In natural things, the more e&s;&s;ential the dif|ference is, the more certain and &s;ure it is, and rationality is e&s;&s;ential to a man, you may di|&s;tingui&s;h a man from a bea&s;t otherwi&s;e; a man hath but two Legs, and &s;o may be di&s;tingui&s;h|ed from a Hor&s;e, that hath four; but this is not &s;o certain a Character: but when you &s;ay man is rational, that di&s;tingui&s;heth him from all Birds and Bea&s;ts. So there are many things in godline&s;s that you may partly know a Chri&s;tian by, by his Works, and Affections, and Actions, and by his Company and Carri|age,
<PB N="207" REF="110"> you may know him a little from another man, but the&s;e things are outward and exter|nall; but his <HI>Rea&s;on</HI> is e&s;&s;ential to him, you may know him above all the&s;e by his rea&s;oning in his &s;oul, that is the mo&s;t e&s;&s;ential thing to a Chri&s;tian, as Rea&s;on in it &s;elf con&s;idered is mo&s;t e&s;&s;ential to a man.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider this, for this is a thing by which you may under&s;tand clearly, what you are made of, and what you are. There is nothing in godline&s;s but an Hypocrite and a wicked man may come up to it, unle&s;s it be this, to be car|ried on by <HI>&s;piritual rea&s;on.</HI> As for in&s;tance: a wicked man may know God, he may have a great deal of knowledge of godline&s;s, and (to our eyes) of the &s;piritual e&s;tate of godline&s;s, <HI>Heb.</HI> 6. He may be enlightened, he may di&s;|cour&s;e well, and Preach excellently, and Pray &s;piritually; he may have much knowledge, and all the Saints in the Countrey may account him con&s;tantly a chief Profe&s;&s;or, and a mo&s;t excellent Chri&s;tian; nay, he may love all good things in a &s;ort, or for the mo&s;t part: a na|tural man that is but commonly wrought on by the Spirit of God, he may love Prayer, and Hearing, and Reading, and giving to the poor, and other good works, he may love and delight in it, as <HI>Herod</HI> did to hear <HI>John</HI> &s;peak, he may love it for &s;ome carnal circum&s;tances about it, and though he love it, yet all runs upon the
<PB N="208" REF="111"> wheel of carnal rea&s;on. As for in&s;tance, I love very much to give to the poor, becau&s;e the pride of my heart will be much &s;atisfied in it. I would be held an eminent Profe&s;&s;or, and I invite Saints to my Hou&s;e, and I quarrel with them if they come not, but it is to hold out my Vain-glory, not out of &s;piritual love in my Soul. So there is no piece of godline&s;s, but it may be clothed with &s;uch Circum&s;tances, that a natural man may love it, an Hypocrite may do every thing in godline&s;s, and be an Hypocrite when he hath done.</P>
<P>But here is the difference, a Saint loves good, and that flows from <HI>&s;piritual rea&s;on,</HI> and he doth good from &s;piritual rea&s;on. As for in&s;tance; I do not give to the poor to keep corre&s;pondence, and to be well thought of, and becau&s;e I would be accounted &s;uch a Pro|fe&s;&s;or; no, but I do it from &s;piritual rea&s;on|ing, Chri&s;t loved me, and therefore I will love my Brother. So what&s;oever a Saint doth, &s;pi|ritual rea&s;on draws him: and this is the mo&s;t e&s;&s;ential Character that di&s;tingui&s;heth an Hy|pocrite from a true Chri&s;tian. It is not loving, or knowing, or doing of good, but it is the wheel that it goes on, whether it be &s;piritual or carnal rea&s;oning.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="question">
<HEAD>Que&s;t.</HEAD>
<P>But may not a good man do &s;ome actions from natural or corrupt rea&s;oning? how is that then a &s;ure Character?</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="answer">
<PB N="209" REF="111">
<HEAD>An&s;w.</HEAD>
<P>A good man may do an action from carnal rea&s;oning; but a carnal man can never do good from &s;piritual rea&s;oning as that &s;peech <HI>Pe|ter</HI> in advi&s;ing of Chri&s;t not to go to <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> it was partly natural, and partly corrupt rea&s;oning: but that you may &s;e this clearly notwith&s;tanding this, you may di&s;cern him hereby, that</P>
<P>In the <HI>fir&s;t</HI> place, a Chri&s;tian is moved by &s;piritual rea&s;on, and in the <HI>&s;econd</HI> place, he may be moved by natural rea&s;on: as &s;uppo&s;e there be a good <HI>Mini&s;ter</HI> that is full of grace; that de&s;ires to do good, and yet he and his fami|ly is ready to &s;tarve; the fir&s;t thing that he ble&s;|&s;eth God for, is, that he hath opportunity to teach Chri&s;t to the &s;ouls of poor people; that is the fir&s;t, but next he &s;aith, and ble&s;&s;ed be God that there is a way to &s;upport my family; na|tural rea&s;on is tyed to &s;pritual, as the little boat is to the Ship.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Secondly,</HI> though a Saint may be carried to an action with corrupt rea&s;on (that he pays dear for) yet the whole cour&s;e of the life and actions of a Chri&s;tian flow from &s;piritual rea|&s;oning. O! that the Lord would give you to examine your &s;elves, by this. It is not by what thou accounte&s;t of or what thou e&s;teeme&s;t or love&s;t, but what moves thee? what is the wheel that &s;ets thee on work? Is it a &s;piritual mind, that gives &s;piritual arguments, that moves thee all the day to good, towards God or man? I de|&s;ire that you would carry this with you, this
<PB N="208" REF="112">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="209" REF="112">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="320" REF="113"> is rhe e&s;&s;ential difference between an <HI>hypocrite</HI> and a <HI>Chri&s;tian.</HI> Ask when thou doe&s;t an action, not how much thou doe&s;t, or what men conceive of it? though it be but a &s;mall action, as &s;up|po&s;e thou art a maid that art &s;weeping the hou&s;e, or any &s;uch mean thing, ask, why do I this? what moves me? what is the main &s;pring? is it that my Ma&s;ter or Mi&s;tri&s;s may not chide me? this is natural rea&s;oning, but thou &s;houlde&s;t &s;ay, I do it that I may obey Chri&s;t, he hath called me and hath redeemed me to live to him: and &s;o it may be, a man may do thee an ill turne, and thou woulde&s;t not do him a mi&s;chief again, it is a good re&s;olution: but why doe&s;t thou not do it? it is not becau&s;e thou art a&s;hamed or afraid to do it? But if there be a little &s;pring with|in to think, Chri&s;t <HI>loved me when I was wicked,</HI> and <HI>therefore I will love him,</HI> O this is excellent.</P>
<P>The next thing that I &s;hould come to &s;hew you is, how it comes to pa&s;s that Chri&s;tians that are right, are &s;wayed and ruled by <HI>&s;piritual rea|&s;onings,</HI> all their life. I &s;hall not have time now but mu&s;t wait on God till he give another op|portunity, only I &s;hall conclude with two &s;hort U&s;es.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 1. Fir&s;t hence you may &s;ee; by this rule you have a <HI>Standard</HI> by you to try how much Grace and how much Corruption there is yet in your &s;ouls; this is the perfecte&s;t Standard that I know. Take it by a day, or a week, or
<PB N="211" REF="113"> an hour, or an action, &s;ee how much in that action, of day, or hour, or week, thou art carried clearly upon <HI>&s;piritual rea&s;oning;</HI> &s;o much of godline&s;s, &s;o much of true pure grace there is.</P>
<P>Look into thy life and actions, good or evil, that is not a jot matter, &s;o much of thy life as is carried upon <HI>&s;piritual rea&s;onings,</HI> &s;o much godline&s;s there is: It is not how much thou fa&s;te&s;t or praye&s;t, or the like, but how much thou art carried by <HI>&s;piritual rea&s;oning.</HI> As in <HI>Egypt</HI> they have a Pillar, and figures upon it, and when <HI>Nilus</HI> flows up, they know by tho&s;e figures how farr the River ri&s;eth higher or lower, and accordingly they &s;et their rates on things, and accordingly things will be dearer or cheap|er. Or as by your weather-gla&s;&s;es, you know whether it will be rain or fair weather. So this Rule would be a <HI>weather-gla&s;s,</HI> a <HI>Grace-gla&s;s,</HI> and a <HI>fle&s;h-gla&s;s,</HI> that is if thou lay up this in thy &s;oul, hereby thou maye&s;t know the ebbings and flowings of thy &s;oul, whether thou walk better this week then before. It may be Lu&s;t may drive a man to a good thing, but to go to <HI>&s;piritual rationallity,</HI> that is the e&s;&s;ence of a Chri&s;tian, as the other <HI>rationallity</HI> is the e&s;&s;ence of a man. Hereby thou maye&s;t know whi|ther thou be nearer to God this week, then thou wert the week before, or whether thou be further from him.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 2. The other le&s;&s;on, and a &s;pecial
<PB N="212" REF="114"> le&s;&s;on for you to remember from what I have told you concerning &s;piritual rea&s;oning, is this, hence learn why wi&s;e men &s;o oft mi&s;s the will of God, it is a ble&s;&s;ed le&s;&s;on, why do we &s;ee godly men many times mi&s;s the will of God, and are quite out in matters of judgement and action, and yet are holy and godly men: It is not be|cau&s;e they rea&s;on not rightly concerning &s;uch things, but becau&s;e the rea&s;on whereby they rea&s;on it is more carnal then &s;piritual. As for in&s;tance, I could name a Book that was written about the <HI>Common Prayer,</HI> not long ago, a Book of admirable rea&s;on, full of rationality, and by a godly man too, and yet he mi&s;t the will of God in it. How came it? Not becau&s;e he did not rea&s;on rightly, but becau&s;e the rea&s;on he rea&s;oned by was natural and not &s;piritual. And &s;o among Mini&s;ters, they rea&s;on things through|ly and rightly, and draw deductions from them, but here they mi&s;s, they look not what rea&s;on they rea&s;on by; it may be it is natural rea&s;on, and that may lead to naturals, but it cannot to &s;pirituals.</P>
<P>This is a rare rule for Chri&s;tians, when thou art rea&s;oning, and thy thoughts are bu&s;ie about a ca&s;e, and thou deducte&s;t one thing from another; but ask thy &s;elf, I rea&s;on, but what is this rea&s;on I rea&s;on by? is it carnal or &s;piritual? as men that weigh gold or other things, they fir&s;t heave up the &s;cales to &s;ee if they be right; we do not
<PB N="213" REF="114"> do &s;o, and therefore we ordinarily mi&s;s in this. As when a man is in anger, he thinks he never &s;peaks better rea&s;on than then; he &s;peaks po|werfully, and he thinks every word is Go&s;pel, and every word is rea&s;on, but it is corrupt rea|&s;on, and &s;o it appears to him next day. Now any lu&s;t may tran&s;port a man &s;o, let a lu&s;t &s;et na|tural rea&s;on on work, and a man will rea&s;on bravely and rightly; but he doth not take up the Scales before, and &s;ay, I judge right, but what is it that <HI>I</HI> judge by? A man may &s;ay he can judge well of the colour of Cloth by the light of a dark Shop, but is that light right? a man &s;hould examine that. And &s;o in the Synod and other places we &s;hould &s;ee that the rea&s;on that we judge things by, be &s;piritual, but we take any rea&s;on, and if it prove natural rea&s;on, we &s;hall have things go naturally, but if it be not &s;piritu|al rea&s;on we go by, we &s;hall never attain to judg of &s;piritual things.</P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="10" TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="214" REF="115">
<HEAD>SERMON. X.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Rom. 8. 5.</BIBL>
<Q>For they that are after the fle&s;h do minde the things of the fle&s;h, but they that are after the &s;pirit, the things of the &s;pirit.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>BEloved, I would willingly end what I had to &s;ay to this Text at this time, and I doubt not but by Gods a&s;&s;i|&s;tance I &s;hall do it, and therefore I would but only lead you a little, becau&s;e we were driven to break off abruptly that you may under&s;tand which way we have been going, when the Lord hath been teaching us hitherto from the&s;e words.</P>
<P>I told you, the Apo&s;tle in the <HI>4^t^h. ver&s;e</HI> had laid down a great priviledge, and then he &s;hews who are the partakers of this priviledge; <HI>They that walk after the &s;pirit, and not after the fle&s;h;</HI> but this is but general, and therefore he &s;hews it more particularly, by the be&s;t part of the man, the minde.</P>
<P>Beloved, I have &s;poken a little in general con|cerning the minde, and to follow the Apo&s;tles
<PB N="215" REF="115"> method, I have culd out the chief things in the minde, that is the rea&s;oning of the minde, from whence I have taught you this Le&s;&s;on.</P>
<Q>That, <HI>tho&s;e that are fle&s;hly, they are led and &s;wayed with fle&s;hly rea&s;oning, and tho&s;e that are &s;piritual, they are led and &s;wayed by &s;pi|ritual rea&s;oning.</HI></Q>
<P>My end is to di&s;cover to you, whether you have this priviledge or no, and therefore in the Apo&s;tles method, I would bolt it out as far as I could. I told you man is a rational creature, and no man doth any action, but there is &s;ome rea|&s;oning about it, and though the action be never &s;o &s;uddain, yet the mind is &s;o quick, that it hath &s;ome kind of rea&s;oning or other.</P>
<P>Now for the Explication, I told you there was three minds, carnal, corrupt and &s;piritual; and from tho&s;e three minds, flowed three rea|&s;onings, corrupt, natural and &s;piritual.</P>
<P>Now for the further pro&s;ecuting of it, I told you there were three things I had to premi&s;e before hand, before I came to prove it.</P>
<P>One is, that there is the be&s;t rea&s;on in the world in godline&s;s and religion; godline&s;s hath in it all along, the excellente&s;t, the be&s;t, the pro|fonnde&s;t rea&s;on that can be, this I proved at large: godline&s;s is not as &s;ome carnal people account it, a vain, giddy thing, but goes all upon rea&s;on, it is the act of rea&s;oning, as they
<PB N="216" REF="116"> &s;ay of Logick, and not like our natural Logick from probabilities and the like; but it is all upon demon&s;tration: that's one thing I opened to you, and we had divers u&s;es then, with which I will not now trouble you.</P>
<P>Now the &s;econd thing I was to premi&s;e, was this,</P>
<P><HI>That the rea&s;oning of the &s;oul, it is the highe&s;t act of the minde.</HI></P>
<P>As I told you the minde is the highe&s;t faculty in the &s;oul: &s;o the rea&s;oning is the fir&s;t, and &s;tronge&s;t, and mo&s;t immediate act of the mind, and therefore as the minde is the chiefe&s;t &s;eat of Chri&s;t, if he dwell there, or the chiefe&s;t garri&s;on of the Devil if he dwell there; &s;o the rea&s;on|ings of the &s;oul are the chiefe&s;t weapons of the minde, becau&s;e I told you that the&s;e they do come immediately from it.</P>
<P>The third thing was, that the rea&s;oning is the chief character of a man as rea&s;on in a man, con|&s;idered in a natural way, is the mo&s;t proper way of di&s;tingui&s;hing of him from other things, be|cau&s;e it is mo&s;t e&s;&s;ential to him; for you cannot di&s;tingui&s;h a man &s;o properly from a hor&s;e be|cau&s;e he hath two legs, and that a hor&s;e hath four but by his e&s;&s;ence he is a rational creature, and therefore I told you a man may know good ex|cellently, a man may love good and godline&s;s, and a man may do good, and &s;uffer for good and yet be an Hypocrite, yet be a carnal man. Why?
<PB N="217" REF="116"> Becau&s;e he may do good, and love good, and &s;uffer for good, and all out of carnal rea&s;oning, he may love the good becau&s;e of &s;ome fine cir|cum&s;tantial things.</P>
<P>And therefore I concluded la&s;t day with two words of u&s;e, but I mu&s;t endeavour to make good my promi&s;e. Now the la&s;t thing is, how it comes to pa&s;s, for I have as in reference to the Doctrine you heard, <HI>That &s;piritual men are &s;wayed with &s;piritual rea&s;ons.</HI> How comes it to pa&s;s that they are enabled &s;o to rea&s;on, and to be &s;o guided by &s;uch Rea&s;ons.</P>
<P>Beloved, in general, certainly it is only by the &s;ame &s;pirit of God, for I mu&s;t advance the &s;pi|rit &s;till; not in oppo&s;ition to the Scriptures, mi&s;|take me not, for the &s;pirit takes of the things of Chri&s;t, and in the Scriptures, &s;heweth you them; but it is the &s;pirits teaching you: And therefore it is &s;aid, they are after the &s;pirit that do minde &s;piritual things, becau&s;e it is the &s;pirit that doth work them to mind &s;piritual things, ye would never mind &s;piritual things el&s;e. All the learn|ing in the World, and all the wit in the World, will never teach a man to make one &s;in|cere Argument to do good or draw him from evil.</P>
<P>But you will &s;ay, how doth the Spirit do this?</P>
<P>Beloved, I told you heretofore, that I do not approve of tho&s;e that do endeavour
<PB N="218" REF="117"> to &s;hew you too particularly and disbia&s;tly, how the &s;pirit of God works in the &s;oul, as many men have done, and many a godly man, but they have lo&s;t much time, and have puzelled the &s;ouls of poor people, for thou knowe&s;t not how a child is formed in the wombe, how his eye is made, and how his no&s;e is made. And how are we able to di&s;cover how the Spirit of God works grace in the &s;oul, which ordinarily is done that he doth this fir&s;t, and then that, and will not do this until he hath done that, which hath brought forth a deal of curio&s;ity and need|le&s;s di&s;tinctions troubling the people of God.</P>
<P>But I will give you &s;ome particulars how he doth it. The wayes whereby he doth, without curio&s;ity, not &s;aying he doth this fir&s;t, or that fir&s;t.</P>
<P>He doth it by a Creation, by &s;piritual Crea|tion, he doth make a Creation in the &s;oul, which is called the new man.</P>
<P>Thou that art there now &s;itting in a Pew, that Creature, that old Creature cannot reach the &s;pirit of God. It cannot be mended, for we have hearts of &s;tone, that will not be cobled nor mended, but taken out wholly: our natures are &s;o naught that they cannot be mended; but God comes, and by his holy &s;pirit makes a new Creature in the &s;oul:</P>
<P>As man is &s;aid to be a man, and hath not his denomination from the gro&s;&s;er part, as his Legs,
<PB N="219" REF="117"> or the like; but from the more noble part, his &s;oul, and his minde, for where as in one place it is &s;aid, <HI>What will it avail a man to get the World and lo&s;e his Soul;</HI> in another it is <HI>lo&s;e him&s;elf,</HI> So as my &s;oul is my &s;elf: So there is an old man not according to outward age, but according to the inward. Now he makes thee a new Crea|ture, not new Legs and Hands, but new minde, new affections, and new powers in thy &s;oul.</P>
<P>Now mo&s;t people &s;ay, that the Lord doth in|fu&s;e new qualities into ths &s;oul, that whereas thou ha&s;t an under&s;tanding and it is rotten, and all is full of bad qualities, thou &s;halt have new qualities, thou &s;halt have an under&s;tanding that will minde heavenly things.</P>
<P>Beloved, that is true, but I very much doubt whether there be not &s;omething more, becau&s;e the Lord calls it a man, and we never read in the Scripture where he will work new qualities, but a new man: we are created a new creature. Now that is the way, and therefore if ever thou wilt be a &s;piritual man, thou mu&s;t have the Lord to make thee a new Creature. Now the Saints heretofore (pray under&s;tand me) did not look upon things as we do, we have had &s;o many fal&s;e di&s;tinctions, and &s;ubdi&s;tinctions: we have not the &s;ame notions and di&s;tinctions they had. They alwayes looked upon the in|ward man or the new Creature: Now we look without, &s;aith <HI>Paul, my inward man gaineth</HI>
<PB N="220" REF="118"> dayly. If any man be in Chri&s;t he is a new crea|ture.</P>
<P>Beloved, that ye may under&s;tand this, bear with me a little, I do finde in the Scripture that a man is made a Saint, made &s;piritual and holy two wayes.</P>
<P>One is by renewing a man to that which he was in old <HI>Adam</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, by creating things in him that were never there before. And we have the&s;e two ex|pre&s;&s;ions in Scripture: <HI>Be renewed in the &s;pirit of your mind, and created unto good works:</HI> So that a Saint he is made up unto that condition two wayes; either God hath renewed in him tho&s;e things he had in <HI>Adam,</HI> or el&s;e God hath created in him that which was never there be|fore: As for in&s;tance, God revealeth in him &s;o|briety and continuance, and the like: the&s;e things were in Adam, and now when a man is made a Saint, they are renewed only upon a new foundation. And withal the Lord creates &s;ome|thing that was never in <HI>Adam;</HI> as for in&s;tance, he creates faith there, that is, <HI>the faith of the Go|&s;pel,</HI> There was a faith in <HI>Adam</HI> without doubt; but that faith of the Go&s;pel, to believe in ano|ther, to renounce his own righteou&s;ne&s;s, this was not in <HI>Adam,</HI> becau&s;e it was point-blank contra|ry to his own condition, for he was to have righ|teou&s;ne&s;s in him&s;elf, and to renounce it was con|trary to his condition: Now God creates &s;uch a faith in us.</P>
<PB N="221" REF="118">
<P> And Beloved, there is another thing and it may be there are many things more: I have had many thoughts of it with &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion to the godly and wi&s;e, I think that Go&s;pel good|ne&s;s is a piece of the New man, which was not in <HI>Adam;</HI> as to do good to Enemies, to love them that hate us, to give drink to a thir&s;ty Ene|my; When one is wicked and ungodly, and doth deal de&s;pightfully with us, as Chri&s;t &s;aith; then to do him good, and ble&s;s when he cur&s;eth, and pray for him that injureth us: Beloved, this is Go&s;pel-goodne&s;s; I have had many thoughts of it, had I time to prove that this Go&s;pel good|ne&s;s is a piece of the New creature that was not in old <HI>Adam.</HI></P>
<P>There was goodne&s;s in <HI>Adam,</HI> but not this; as for in&s;tance, there are divers things we finde a|mong Profe&s;&s;ors that in the la&s;t day will be found to be nothing but the old <HI>Adam,</HI> but <HI>I&s;h|maels</HI> that are humbled to the height, and ye &s;hall &s;ee in them a great deal of diligence in Gods &s;ervice, but where will you finde a Profe&s;|&s;or, one of 500. and I &s;peak with the lea&s;t, that you may clearly reade Go&s;pel-goodne&s;s in him; that you may &s;ay, yonder is a man, that if you cur&s;e him he will love you, and if you do him hurt, and that de&s;pitefully, he will pray for you. It is an ea&s;ie thing to kindle a brand that hath been once lighted, to do that which <HI>Adam</HI> did, but to do this is a higher matter.</P>
<PB N="222" REF="119">
<P> As man was created after the Image of God: &s;o the Creatures (in a &s;ort) were created after the image of man: now as in Creatures, in a Dog there is love and the like: But where is there a creature, that if you do him mi&s;chief, will not endeavour to do you the like again, or at lea&s;t wi&s;e run away.</P>
<P>But where is a piece in the old Creation that doth love his Enemies. And whereas it is &s;aid, <HI>Adam was created after the Image of God,</HI> and God loves his Enemies: I an&s;wer, God then in that Covenant was not in a di&s;po&s;ition to love his Enemies, but to hate his Enemies and &s;in|ners, and cur&s;e them, and damn them; but now in Je&s;us Chri&s;t he loves his Enemies, and there|fore according to his minde he revealed to <HI>A|dam,</HI> it was not &s;o; and many other rea&s;ons I had, but this I pre&s;ent to you with &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion, I do not &s;peak curio&s;ities, but I finde and &s;ee ve|ry little of this, &s;carcely any; there was a can|did goodne&s;s in the Primitive Church, which is not now to be, which is not now to be found; now nothing but biting, and tearing, and de|vouring one another, well there is one word, he doth it by a &s;pirittal Creation.</P>
<P>Then Secondly, he brings the &s;oul to this way of &s;piritual rea&s;oning, by &s;piritual illumination, he created faculties before, and now he ca&s;teth in Light as he did in the <HI>old Creation;</HI> you know he made Heaven and Earth in the lump, and
<PB N="223" REF="119"> then &s;aid <HI>Let there be Light.</HI></P>
<P>Now that is the rea&s;on when the Go&s;pel is preached, and there is the &s;pirit of God going with the Word, and thou art dark and can&s;t not receive this light; the new Creature is not fra|med in thee, if thou ha&s;t no eyes thou can&s;t not &s;ee, and if a man have eyes he cannot &s;ee in a dark room. Now when the new man is made then the Lord &s;ends in light, and it is not every light, for there are many Lights, a blinde man (as it were) an Hypocrite hath them; but it is a powerful Light that God puts in, for we do finde that there is a kinde of Light in Hypo|crites, but yet there is no power in them, there is not Light to bring them to &s;uch kinde of rea|&s;oning as will bring them to any good or from any evil, they will talk of Drunkenne&s;s and Whoredome, and the like but have not power to bring them off from any of the&s;e things: in|deed a Saint may be overcome of his Lu&s;ts <HI>that war in his members, but there is a Law in his minde,</HI> that is <HI>there is a Light that is like unto a Law that hath power in it, that he &s;eeth Chri&s;t do|ing them away.</HI> I am &s;orry I have not time to open this unto you further but remember it.</P>
<P>Thirdly, the Lord will do it by &s;ugge&s;tion, that is, the &s;pirit of God puts light into the &s;oul, he puts a mea&s;ure of light to dwell in every new creature, and that powerfully. But becau&s;e the way of the &s;aints are &s;o dark in this World
<PB N="224" REF="120"> and thorow &s;o much difficulty, the &s;pirit of God prompts a Saint alwayes when he is at a lo&s;s. As among Schollars, we &s;hall &s;ee &s;ometimes a man is almo&s;t born down, and then another giveth him an Argument or Di&s;tinction to help him, and then he carries it: and &s;o the fle&s;h hath rea|&s;on and arguments as we are going along, and now though there be a mea&s;ure of light, a &s;tock of light dwelling in us, yet we are nonplu&s;&s;ed by the fle&s;h, and then the &s;pirit of God &s;ugge|&s;teth &s;omewhat to us, and we are carried thorow as you have it in, <HI>Mat.</HI> 20. <HI>When you are brought before Governours, it is not you that &s;peak but the &s;pirit of God that prompteth you.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, the &s;pirit doth it by conviction, that is another way, we have it, <HI>Joh.</HI> 16. &s;aith Chri&s;t, when I go I will &s;end my &s;pirit, and my &s;pirit &s;hall convince the World of &s;in; reprove you have it, <HI>he &s;hall convince the World of &s;in of righteou&s;ne&s;s and Judgement.</HI> The word &s;ignifies, when he &s;aith the &s;pirit will convince, that is, by way of Argument, the meaning is, that in every carnal mans heart there are arguments again&s;t faith, and for his own de&s;truction and &s;trong ones too. And when we preach to you, ye bring rea&s;on again&s;t rea&s;on, and &s;o go away un|convinced unconverted; but the &s;pirit will convince you, that is, he will bring &s;uch &s;trong arguments (as <HI>Doctor PRESTON</HI> &s;aith) from Heaven, that will convince you.</P>
<PB N="225" REF="120">
<P> As when a &s;tronger man cometh, he di&s;armeth the other: as before we thought godline&s;s no|thing but <HI>Here&s;ie</HI> and <HI>Puritani&s;m,</HI> and the like; but now the <HI>Spirit convinceth</HI> you, you &s;ee this is the onely way, and out of this way I &s;hall ne|ver &s;ee God, and the like.</P>
<P N="5">5. Another way I find the &s;pirit doth it by, is, commemoration, by minding us of what we have heard, of &s;omthing we have known before; it it is our remembrancer. Therefore &s;aith Chri&s;t, I will &s;end <HI>my Spirit,</HI> and <HI>he &s;hall bring to your remembrance</HI> what you have heard, not that you &s;hall remember a <HI>whole Sermon</HI> and <HI>Repeat</HI> it every word; but thus it is, he will either &s;ugge&s;t thoughts we never had before, or bring to our remembrance a word we have heard of &s;uch a preacher, in &s;uch a place, or read in &s;uch a place, or thought in &s;uch a walke, or the like: and &s;o &s;etteth on, and carrieth on the worke.</P>
<P N="6">6. And he doth it by <HI>con&s;olation,</HI> he is the Com|forter, the con&s;olation of the &s;pirit. Beloved, this is certaine, that ye know trouble of minde exceedingly hinders the acts of rea&s;on. That is the rea&s;on men are mad, becau&s;e &s;ome fumes ri&s;e up in the braine and trouble the minde, that they cannot rea&s;on, but are mad. Beloved our <HI>troubles of minde, and &s;oule,</HI> they are like fumes that come up into the braine and di&s;tract us. A &s;pirituall man is many times, as it were,
<PB N="226" REF="121"> a di&s;tracted man; there are &s;o many &s;umes, &s;uch horrour and guilt, that he is almo&s;t &s;tark mad; he can talke of naturall things, but in &s;pirituall things he is as it were mad; the Chaine of &s;pirituall rea&s;on is broken, and now the &s;pirit is the Comforter, and he quiets the the &s;pirits: and when a man is in a quiet temper, the di&s;ea&s;e is gone and the rea&s;on comes into the minde, and as the Philo&s;opher &s;aid, ye know in naturall things, a man can rea&s;on when he is not troubled, &s;o it is in the &s;piritual.</P>
<P N="7">7. Another way is by <HI>Sanctification,</HI> by the Spirit, he is the Spirit of Sanctification, it makes the &s;oul holy, it takes away lu&s;t and &s;in from the &s;oul. This I finde in <HI>Mat.</HI> 6. 22, 23. I would open that place, but cannot, therefore pray con&s;ider: &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>The light of the body is the eye; if therefore thy eye be &s;ingle, thy whole body &s;hall be full of light.</HI> He doth oppo&s;e &s;in|glene&s;s unto evil; <HI>if thine eye be &s;ingle,</HI> that is, if thy eye be purged from all guile, that there is no &s;in there, not when a man hath <HI>one eye</HI> to God, and the other to &s;in, to the world; but if <HI>thy eye be evil,</HI> that is &s;inful, then <HI>thy whole body is full of darkne&s;s.</HI> Therefore <HI>ble&s;&s;ed are the pure in heart, for they &s;hall &s;ee God.</HI></P>
<P N="8">8. Well, la&s;tly, there is another way, there are divers more, but I will name but one more: and that is, The Spirit of God doth <HI>teach</HI> the Saints thus to rea&s;on, by exerci&s;ing, that is, help|eth
<PB N="227" REF="121"> them to exerci&s;e and improve that light that they have. There is a little light, natural light, and there is a kinde of &s;piritual light that an hy|pocrite hath; but the Spirit of God doth not help him to improve that light, and therefore that light dieth, he blows not up the fire: you know men come to rea&s;on by rea&s;oning, and exerci&s;e of rea&s;on makes men rational, I mean makes them know how to rea&s;on. Now hypo|crites do not thus, as you may &s;ee <HI>Rom.</HI> 1. there they <HI>knew</HI> God, and <HI>becau&s;e they glorified him not as God, they became vain in their imaginations,</HI> or in their rea&s;onings, as it is in the Original, <HI>God gave them up to a reprobate minde,</HI> becau&s;e they glorified not God.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> Beloved I have three or foure u&s;es but I feare I &s;hall not reach them all, I am overloath to tire you and my &s;elf. Therefore I will con|clude with one word, and that is this: That from hence, from this that hath been &s;aid, you may &s;ee what is the Fountain of all good|ne&s;s, and of all evil in the &s;oul.</P>
<P N="1">1. Of all <HI>good,</HI> as I have at large lookt upon it, but can but touch. Take any <HI>good,</HI> and you &s;hall &s;ee it is carried on by &s;piritual rea&s;oning; as take Faith, <HI>Abraham rea&s;oned,</HI> He that gave him a Son at a hundred years old, could rai&s;e him up again. Take your <HI>Con&s;olation,</HI> it comes out by &s;piritual rea&s;oning; take <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Silas,</HI> they were in pri&s;on, and ready to be brought
<PB N="228" REF="122"> out the next day to die, now one would think they were mad there to &s;ing, but they did it up|on &s;piritual rea&s;ons, for they accounted them|&s;elves ble&s;&s;ed to &s;uffer for Chri&s;t, and if they die they &s;hall then be with Chri&s;t,&mdash;for hating of evil, you &s;hall &s;ee whence is it as <HI>pul|ling out the right eye,</HI> or <HI>cutting off the right hand;</HI> that is, one would think, a mo&s;t unrea&s;onable thing: but Chri&s;t giveth a rea&s;on for it. <HI>It is better to go into Heaven, it is better to enter into life halt or maimed, rather then having two hands, or two feet to be ca&s;t into everla&s;ting fire.</HI> So a Saint can rea&s;on &s;piritually, and thus he loves the Saints, and hates &s;in, and denieth him&s;elfe, and performeth every dutie, he &s;o rea&s;oneth that it is the ble&s;&s;ed will of God he &s;hould do it.</P>
<P N="2">2. And &s;o for evill; whence comes &s;in? from vanity of the minde: whence comes per&s;ecution? <HI>they think they do God good &s;ervice:</HI> there is rea|&s;on, it is a good thing to &s;uppre&s;s the&s;e Schi&s;ma|ticks, &s;ay &s;ome, and to have Conformity, and be all of one minde, and to bani&s;h them and let them all go: whence is this? it is either from corrupt or natural rea&s;on. And &s;o when men hear the Word of God, and forget it, they like it well, as a man doth that &s;ees his face in a gla&s;s, but they go away and forget it; and whence is it? why <HI>James</HI> tells you, <HI>Deceive not your &s;elves.</HI> Deceiving your &s;elves; the word in the Original is, by <HI>fal&s;e rea&s;onings.</HI> A man
<PB N="229" REF="122"> hears the Word, and thinks &s;urely I am in this evil condition, and I am out of the way, and I mu&s;t look after Chri&s;t, and the like: but after|wards comes <HI>natural rea&s;on,</HI> &s;aying, the&s;e are but <HI>new denies,</HI> and what is become of our fathers, and the like? Beloved, all good is carried into the &s;oul upon the wings of &s;piritual rea&s;on, and all evil upon natural and corrupt rea&s;on: and therefore I conclude all, be&s;eeching you that you would &s;tudy and endeavour to get up your &s;ouls and your conver&s;ations accordingly to be &s;wayed and carried on by a <HI>&s;piritual minde,</HI> by <HI>&s;piritual rea&s;oning,</HI> for here we &s;peak of your Con&s;ciences, not of your lives &s;o much, as of your hearts and mindes. And that you may &s;o do, take the Motive which follows in the Text, which I did purpo&s;e, had God given me &s;trength and time, to open: but take it in the gro&s;s.</P>
<P><HI>For to be carnally minded is death, but to be &s;pi|ritually minded is life and peace.</HI></P>
<P>Be per&s;waded to go home and pray the Lord to create this in you, yea and enlighten you; <HI>For to be carnally minded is death, but to be &s;piri|tually minded is life and peace.</HI></P>
<P>Two things I have here to &s;ay; <HI>To be car|nally minded is death,</HI> you mu&s;t expound it by the other that opo&s;eth it; its contrary to life and peace, it is death and trouble, and the other is life and peace. Death and trouble, if thou wilt be a carnal man, and go on &s;o, there is nothing
<PB N="230" REF="123"> in all thy cour&s;e but death and trouble; that is there is death at the end of it. Remember that the end of thy Journey is death. Remember as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>Phil.</HI> 3. <HI>They minde earthly things,</HI> and I write <HI>weeping, that their end is de|&s;truction.</HI> It is a fine thing to be carried all our life long, from one carnal thing to another, and provide for my <HI>Honour,</HI> and <HI>Wealth,</HI> and <HI>Prefer|ment,</HI> and the like, and do this and that good action upon carnal rea&s;ons, and with a carnal eye; but God hath put a &s;ad end to it, it is <HI>Death.</HI></P>
<P>And now the other it is <HI>Life,</HI> eternal life; though it be rough for me every day to di&s;pute with my carnal heart, and not onely carry on good, but deny my &s;elf in good, upon &s;piritual rea&s;on, this is a warfare, but the end is <HI>life,</HI> and it is <HI>peace</HI> too.</P>
<P>This is a hard work you will &s;ay, and there|fore we will take the ea&s;ie&s;t and &s;malle&s;t work.</P>
<P>Beloved, I &s;ay there is more ea&s;e, and &s;weet|ne&s;s, and contentedne&s;s, in going on in the wayes of God <HI>&s;piritually,</HI> upon <HI>&s;piritual rea&s;ons,</HI> an hundred-fold, then in the other; for the other will be rough, and God hath ca&s;t it &s;o, God hath put a <HI>Cur&s;e</HI> upon all <HI>Old Adam,</HI> he cur&s;eth it with <HI>death,</HI> and therefore he mu&s;t die that walks carnally: and that is the rea&s;on all your <HI>natural thoughts</HI> and <HI>actions</HI> are &s;o bitter; God hath cur&s;ed them, they mu&s;t die, and now all the
<PB N="231" REF="123"> wayes of <HI>Holine&s;s</HI> have enough to induce thee to endeavour to walk holily: as one &s;aith, The <HI>gleanings</HI> of the Saints, are better then the <HI>har|ve&s;t</HI> of the wicked men, if there were no <HI>Hell</HI> nor <HI>Heaven</HI> hereafter, but onely the wicked to have the <HI>plea&s;ures of &s;in</HI> here, and the Saints to have the <HI>Con&s;olations of the Spirit</HI> dwelling in them, it is more an hundred-fold; the one is nothing but <HI>crackling of thorns under a pot,</HI> and the end is <HI>&s;moke</HI> and <HI>&s;tink;</HI> and the other is <HI>&s;weet</HI> here, and in the end <HI>ble&s;&s;ed eternally:</HI> if it were not, &s;uppo&s;e though the way to <HI>Heaven</HI> be <HI>bitter</HI> here, yet it is <HI>&s;weet</HI> in the <HI>end;</HI> and the way of the <HI>world &s;weet</HI> here, and <HI>bitter</HI> in the end, yet you &s;hould choo&s;e <HI>Holine&s;s:</HI> as a Phi|lo&s;opher &s;aid, If a man were to take a <HI>bitter</HI> and <HI>&s;weet</HI> thing, which were he be&s;t to take fir&s;t? &s;aith he, to take the <HI>&s;owre,</HI> or the <HI>evil</HI> fir&s;t; and the <HI>&s;weet,</HI> for the hope of the good to come, will <HI>&s;weeten</HI> the pre&s;ent evil: but when a man hath the <HI>good</HI> fir&s;t, the fear of the <HI>evil</HI> to come will marre all; but therefore &s;eeing there is a <HI>reward</HI> in the way <HI>in Holine&s;s,</HI> as well as in the end <HI>for Holine&s;s,</HI> it &s;hould move us to labour after Holine&s;s.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
