God in the Law, in as far as ye have judged your felves under Sin and Wrath, now believe Me in the Gospel, that brings a Ranfom from Wrath, and a Remedy for Sin. Tis this very Unbelief, that is the Original of the World's Perishing, Unbelief of the Law, ye do not confider ye are under the Condemnation of it, ye do not believe that ye have not yet fled to Jefus Chrift to escape; and these two keep Souls in a deep Sleep, till Judgment awake them. go out of your felves daily into his Fulness, to endeavour new Discoveries of your own Naughtiness, and his Grace, this is the new and great Commandment of the Gospel, the Obedience of it is the most effential Part of a chriftian Walk. Now again, to know that ye do believe,and to discern your. Intereft in Chrift, this is but a Matter of Comfort, and of the fecond Concernment: Therefore, I fay, when ever ye cannot be clear in this, ye fhould be always exercifed in the firft. For 'tis that we are firft called to, and if Souls were more exercifed that Way, in the Confideration and Belief of the very general Truths and Promises of the Gospel, I doubt not, but the Light of thefe would clear up their particular Intereft in due Time; these Things ye ought to have done, and not to leave the other undone. It is ftill faf But unto every one of you, I would give this Direction, let not Examination of what you are, hinder you from that which is your chief Duty, and his chief Commandment, to believe in him. I know many Christians are puzled in the Matter of their Intereft, and always wavering, because they are more taken up with that which is but a Matter of Com-eft to wave fuch a Question of Intereft, fort and Joy, than that which is his great- when 'tis plunging, because it puts you off eft Honour and Glory. I fay, to confider your fpecial Duty, and its Satan's Intent in the precious Promifes, to believe the Ex-it. It were better if ye do question, precellency and Vertue of Jefus Chrift, and fently to believe and abide in him, till it love him in your Souls, and delight in him, were put out of Queftion. is the weightieft Matter of the Gospel; to SERMON IV. Verfe 1. That walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. CH HRIST is made to us of God, there is not a greater Argument to holy both Righteoufnefs and Sanctificati- walking than this, there is no Condemon: And therefore, thefe who are in nation for you, neither is there a great Chrift, do not only escape Condemna-er Evidence of a Soul escaped Condemna. tion, but they walk according to the Spi- tion, than walking according to the Spirit, and not according to the Fleb. rit. We have fpoken fomething in ge Thefe two are the Sum of the Gofpei, neral of the Evidence that may be had of a Man's a Man's State, from his walking, and the Spirit's working in him; we would now fpeak of the Conjunction of these two, and the Influence that that Privilege hath on this Duty, and fomething of the Na ture of this Defcription, who walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. 6. That which is born of the Fleb is Flefb, and this Chap. Ver. 8. here a Defcription of natural Men, they that are in the Flefb. Because Flesh is the predominant Part that hath captivate a Man's Reafon and Will. Nay, not only the groffer Corruptions in a Man, that have their Ufe and Seat in his Flea and Body, are under that Name, but take the whole Nature of Man, that which is moft excellent in him, his Soul and Spirit, his Light and Understanding, the most refined Principles of his Converfation, all thefe are now but Flefb: Nay, not only fuch natural Gifts, and Illuminations, but even the Light of the Gofpel, and Law of. God, that fomeway enters his Soul, chang eth the Nature and Name, its all but Darknefs and Flefb in him, because the Flesh hath a Dominion over all that, the Clouds and Vapours that arifeth from the Flesh, bemifts and obfcures all thefe, the Corruptions of the Soul is moft ftrengthned in this Sort, and most vented here: Sin's become connatural to the Flesh, and fo a Man by the Flesh, is enfnared and fubjected to Sin. Chrift comprehends all our Prerogatives and Endowments under. this, John i. 13. born not of Flefb and Blood: And Matth. xvi. 17. Fleft and Blood bath not revealed thefe Things to thee. Even all the Outwards of Religion, and all the common Privileges of Chriftians may be called fo: What hath Abraham found according to the Fleth? Rom. iv. 1. Phil. iii. 3. Which im In the Creation of Man, Man was-compofed of Soul and Body, there was a right Order, and Subordination of these, fuitable to their Nature, in his Soul he reached Angels above, in his Budy he was like the Bearts below; and this Part, his Fleth, was a Servant to the Soul, that was acted and affected according to the Defires and Motives of the Soul. Now Sin entring, as it hath defaced all the Beauty of the Creation, as it hath misplaced Man, and driven him out from that due Line of Subordination to God his Maker, (for he would have been equal to God,) fo it hath perverted this beautiful Order in Men, and turned it just contrary, hath made the Servant to ride on Horfes, and the Prince to walk on Foot. This is the juft Punishment of our firft Sin. Adam's Soul was placed by Creation under the fole Command of its Creator, above all the Creatures, and his own Senfes, but in one Sin, he proudly exalted himself above God, and lamentably fubjected himself below his Senfes, by hear. kening to their Perfwalion, he jaw it was good, and tafted it, and it was fweet, and fo he ate of it. What a ftrange Way was this? To be like God, he made himself unlike himself, liker the miferable Beafts. Now I fay, this is the deferved Punish-ports so much, that all those outward Pri ment of Man, his Soul that was a free Prince, is made a Bond-flave to the Lufts of his Flesh; Flesh hath gotten the Throne, and keeps it, and lords over the whole Man. Now therefore it is, that the whole Man unregenerate, is called Flesh, as if he had no immortal Spirit, John iii. vileges, many Illuminations, and Refor it come, even the Spirit to fubdue it, and cft it of the Houfe. Thus the Image of God in Man is defaced: Nay, the very Image and Nature of Man, as Man, Spoiled; the firft Creation, Sin hath marr'd, and diforder'd it. Now, when this fecund Creation, or Regeneration comes, the Creature is made new, and formed again by the powerful Spirit of Jefus Chrift, this Change is made, Fleth is put out of the Throne, as an Ufurper, the Spirit and Soul of a Man, is put in a Throne above it; but is placed accord ing to its due Order, under a holy and fpiritual Law of God., And thus Jefus Chrift is the Repairer of the Breaches, and Restorer of the ancient Paths, and old Waftes to dwell in. Now, the Soul hath a new Rule established to act according to, and new Principles to act from. He whofe Course of Walking was after the corrupt Dictates and Commands of his fleshly Affections, and was of no higher Strain, than his own, Sparks of Nature, and acquired Light would lead him to, now he hath a new Rule established the Spirit. fpeaking in the Word to him, and point ing out the Way to him: And there is a new Principle, that, Spirit leading him in all Truth, and quickning him to walk in it: Now this is the Soul's perfect Liberty, to be from under the Dominion of Sin, and Lufts, and thus the Son makes free indeed, by the free Spirit: The Son was made a Servant, that we might be made free, no more Servants of Sin in the Luft's thereof: And the Spirit of the Lord, where he comes, there is Liberty, there the Spirit and reafonable Soul of a Man is elcvated into its first native Dignity there the bale Flesh is dethroned, and made to ferve the Spirit and Soul in a Man. Chrift is indeed the greateft Friend of Men, as they are Men, Sin made us Beafts, Chrift makes us Men. Unbelievers are 1 •N? " -1 unreasonable Men, og brutish, yea, in a manner Beafts; this is an ordinary Compellation in Scripture, Faith makes a Man reasonable, it gives the fiving and fanctified Ufe of Reason; 'tis a Shame for any Man to be a Slave to his Lufts and Paffions, 'tis the Character of a Beaft upon him, he that is led by Senses and Affections, is degenerated from humane Nature; and yet fuch are all out of Chrift, Sin reigns in them, and Fleth reigns, and the Principles of Light and Reafon within are captivated, incarcerated within a Cor ner of their Minds. We fee the generally received Truths among Men, that God is, that he is boly, and just, and good, that Haven and Hell is, thele are altogether ineffectual, and have no Influence on Mens Converfations, no more than, if they were not known, even because the Truth is detained in Unrighte oufnefs, the Corruptions of Mens Fleth are fo rank, that they overgrow all this Seed of Truth, and choaks it, as the Thorns did, the Seed, Matth. xv. 4. Now, for you, who are called of Jefus Chrift, O know what ye are called unto. Tis a Liberty indeed, a Privilege indeed, ye are no more Debtors to the Flesh; Chrift hath loofed that Obligation of Servitude to it. O let it be a Shame unto you, who are Chriftians, to walk To any more, to be entangled any more in that Yoke of Bondage. He that ruleth his Spirit, is greater than the mighty, than be that taketh a City. Thus we are called to be more than Conquerours; others when they conquer the World, they are Slave's to their own Lufts, but let it be far from you to be fo, ye ought to conquer your felf, which is more than to conquer the World, tis not only unbefeeming a ChriÏan, to an, to be led with Paffions and Lufts, but tis below a Man, if Men were not now 0་་ ་་་ T ,!།-, through 1.ot deceive your felves! there is no Room. through sin below D.a.ts. I belzech yoU afpire unto, and hold faft the Liberty Chrift hath obtained to you, be not fathi oned any more according to former Lufts, know, ye are Men, that ye have reafon able and inmortal Spirits in you, why will ye then walk as Beafts? Understand O brutih, and ye Fools, when will ye be wife? But I lay more, know, ye are Chriftians, and this is more than to be a Man, 'tis to be a divine Man, one Partaker of the Divine Nature, and who is to walk accordingly. Chriftians are called to a new Manner of Walking, and this Walking is a Fruit that comes out of the Root of Faith, whereby they are implanted in Chrift: You fee thefe agree well together, thefe who are in Chrift, walk not after the Flefh, &c. Walking after the Flesh, is the common Walk of the World, who are without God and without Chrift; But Chrift gives no Latitude to fuch a Walk; this is a new Nature to be in Chrift, and therefore, it must have new Operations, to walk after the Spirit. While we look upon the Conversations of the most Part of Men, they may be a Commentary to expound this Part of the Words, what it is to walk after the Flefb. The Works of the Flefb (faith the Apoftle to Gal. Y. 19.) are manifeft; and indeed they are manifeft, because written in great Let-ly will lead you ftraight into this Pit of ters on the Out-side of many in the vifible Church, that who runs may read them: Do burread that Catalogue in Paul, and then come and fee them in Congregations. It is not fo doubtful and fubtile a Matter, to know that many are yet without the Verge of Chrift Jefus, without the City of Refuge, you may fee their Mark on their Brow. Is not Drunkenness, which is fo frequent, a palpable Evidence of this? Your Envyings, Revilings, Wrath, Strife, Sediti ons, Fornications, and fuch like: Oh, do Darkness. Be called off this Way, from following your blind Lufts, and rather fuffer them to be crucified; be avenged on them for your two Eyes that they have put out, and their treacherous Dealing to you, in leading you to Destruction the high Way. Come in to Chrift Jefus, and ye fhall get a new Guide of the Way, the Spirit, that fall lead you in all Truth, unto the bleffed and eternal Life. Chrift is the Way ye muft walk in, and the Life that we must go into at the End of our Way. and and the Truth according to which we must walk; now he hath given his Spirit the Comforter to be our Leader in this Way, according to this Rule and Pattern, unto that Life: In a Word, the Spirit fhall lead you the ftraight Way unto Chrift; you fhall begin in him, and end in him; he hall lead you from Grace to Glory: the Spirit that came down from Heaven, thall lead you back to Heaven: All your Walk is within the Compass of Chrift, out of him is no Way to Heaven. But we muft not take this fo grofly, as if no other Thing were a walking after the Flesh, but the grofs Abominations among Men, though even thefe will fcrape a great Number from being in Chrift Jefus; but it must be further enlarged, to the Motions and Affections of the unrenewed Spirit, and the common Principles according to which Men walk. And therefore the Apostle, Col. iii. and Gal. v. nameth many Things among the Works of the 'Fleh, and Members of the old Man, which I doubt, many will account fo of: Some natural Paffions that we account nothing of, because common, as Anger, Wrath, Covetoufnefs; what Man is there amongst us, in whom fome of thefe mentioned ftirs not? Many of your Hearts and Eyes are given to Covetoufnefs; your Souls bow downward as your Bodies do, and many Times before your Bodies. Is not the Heart of Men upon this World, and cannot rife above to a Treasure in Heaven? And therefore your Callings, otherways lawful, and all your Pains and Endeavours in them, hath this Seal of the Flesh ftamped on them, and paffeth no otherways with God. We fee how rank the Corruptions of Men are, Anger domineering in them, and leading them often captive; and this is counted a light Matter, but it is not fo in Scripture: How often is it branded with Folly, by the wife Man? And this Folly is even the natural fleshly Corruption that Men are born with; and in how many doth it rife up to the Elevation of Malice and Hatred of others? And then it carries the Image. of the Devil, rather than of humane Infirmity. And if we fuppofe a Man not much given to any of thefe, yet what a Spirit of Pride and Self-love, is in every Man, even these that carry the lowest Sail, and the meanest Port among Men: Thefe that are affable and courteous,and thefe that feem moft condefcending to Inferiours, and Equals, yet alas! this evil is more deeply engraven on the Spirit. If a Man could but watch over his Heart, and obferve all the fecret Reflections of it, all the Comparisons it makes, all the Defires of Applause and Favour among Men, all the Surmifes and Stirrings of Spirit upon any Affront, O how would they difcover diabolick Pride? This Sin is the more natural and inbred, for that it is our Mother fin, that brought us down from, our Excellency; this Weed grows upon a Glafs-window, and upon a Dunghill, it lodges in Palaces and Cottages: Nay, it will fpring and grow out of a pretended Humility, and low Carriage. In a Word; the ambitious Designs of Men, the large Appetite of earthly Things, the over-weaning Conceit of our felves, and Love to our felves, the stirring of our Affections, without obferving a Rule, upon unlawful Objects, or in an unlawful Manner, all these are common to Men,. and Men walk after them. Every Man hath fome Predominant or Idol, that takes him moft up; fome are finer and fubtiler than others, fome their Pleafures and Gains without, others their own Gifts and Parts, within; but both are alike odious before Z & God, |