joyn that Profeffion and Perfwafion, with perfwades themselves, they are seeking your Walk, and O! how contrary you Holinefs, and walking fpiritually; but alas, may find them to one another? Your you may find it but a painted and feemFaith is vain, for ye are yet in your Sins, ing Religion, that is an Abomination in the Tit., ii. 11, 12. The Grace of God ap- Sight of God; because it is to them, all the pearing to fome Men effectually, teacheth Ground of their Acceptation before God, them to des Ungodliness, and worldly If ever this Queftion was moved in fome Lufts, and to live righteously, foberly, and of you, What fball I do to be saved? godly, &c. But if we may conjecture your You have condefcended on fuch a Walk, teaching by your walking, it seems the No- fuch a Profeffion, for the Anfwer of it; tion of Grace and the Gospel that is for It is natural to all, even these who have med in your Minds, hath taught you ano- leaft Appearance of Godliness, to feek ther Doctrine, to avow Ungodlinefs,and Heaven, by doing God's Will; these that follow worldly Lufts. Is there fo much have no more to speak of, than their Bapas a Shadow of this fpiritual Walking in ifim, or receiving the Lord's Supper, or many? I confefs, it is natural for every attending well the folemn Affemblies, will Man to feek his own Righteousness; and ground their Hope of Salvation on thofe it is the Arm of God that must bow Men, Things: How much more, will the civil to fubmit to Chrift's imputed Righteouf and honeft Men (commonly fo called) nefs; yet, the most Part of Men, feem who pray and read, and profefs Godliness, to be fo far from feeking any Righteouf how much more, I fay, will they eftaness, that they are rather feeking the ful blifh that which they attain to, as the filling of their own carnal Lufts, working Ground of their Confidence before God? Wickednefs with Greediness, not caring Now, this is a general, unknown Ill that how little they have to put Confidence deftroys the World, and yet few are coninto; and yet, certain it is, that how vinced of it, how hard it is to be driven much foever a Man attains to, of a Form out of our felves, and to feek Life in aof Religion, or civil Honefty, he is ready nother. O! know, that it is in a Manto put his Truft in it, and to lean the ner, the crucifying of a Man's felf, thus Weight of his Soul upon it: But feeing to deny himself, to have a Sort of Righthis is natural to you all, to feek Heaven teoufnefs, and not to truft in it. Who by doing and working, I wonder that ye is he, that cannot indure to look upon himdo no more; How do ye fatisfy your felf, for moral Vilenefs? Alas, Men flatConfidences in the Expectation of Heaven, ter themselves in their own Eyes, look who take fo little Pains in Religion, and are with a more favourable Eye on their own fo loofe and profane in your Converfation? Actions, than they ought: Who is he I wonder, seeing ye have it naturally en- that abhors himself, even for abomina graven in your Hearts, to establish your ble Works? But who fhall be found own Righteousness, that ye labour not to to abhor himself, for his moft Rehave more of it to fill your Eye withall.ligious and beft Actions? Who cafts But again, on the other Hand, there are fome Men, who have a Form of Religion, and labour to be of a blameless Converfation among Men, that poffibly these out of their Sight, as unclean and menftruous Things? Therefore, I fay, though thy Righteoufnefs were equal to, or exceeded any Pharifee's Righteouf nels, nefs, thou cannot enter into Heaven: Godliness fhould be upon the growing. The poor Publican, that was a vile and Hand, as if doing did fave you; yet you profane Sinner, yet his Righteousness ex- ought to deny all that, and look to the ceeding the Pharifee's; though he had Righteoufnefs of another, as if nothing none of his own, yet he had a Righteouf were done at all by you. How doth nefs without Blemish, of Chrift's purchaf Paul, Phil. iii. 8. unite these in his Pracing, having by Faith fled to the Mercy of tice, count all Lofs and Dung, to God, in, and through a Mediator. It is be found in Chrift, not having my own not more doing, more praying, more ex- Righteoufnels, and yet I press forward, act walking, that can make you more and follow after Perfection, as having atrighteous in God's Account, in order to tained nothing yet. One of these two is Abfolution from Law-condemnation, than the Original of many Stumblings and Wanthe profaneft and moft wretched Sinner; drings in our Chriftian-way, either these but the bafer and viier thou be in then is not a Neceffity and Conftraint laid upon own Eyes, the more thou hide thy beft the Souls of many to walk in all wellDoings from thine Eyes, and look on thy pleafing, and to perfect Holiness in th Uncleanness, and betakes thy felf to Chrift, Fear of God: We look on it as a Thing his unfpotted and perfect Righteoufnefs; indifferent, that is to be determined ac the more honourable and precious thou art cording to the Measure of our Receivings in his Eyes. Therefore, God is faid to from God, or we look on it as a Thing dwell in the Heart of the humble and con-not urging all, but belonging to Minitrite one, not for the worth of his Humi-fters, or more eminent Profeffors, and lity, and Repentance; No, no, but for the Pleasure he hath in the Well-beloved's Righteousness, that is the beautiful Garment, only in the Eye of a humbled Soul, that feeth nothing in it felf defirable. hence there arifeth much carnal Liberty, in walking without the Line of Chriftianliberty, because there is an Indifference in the Spirit that gives that Latitude in walking; or elfe there is not that following of Holinefs in fuch a Way, as can confift with the establishing of Chrift's Righteoufhefs. No Denial of our felves, in our Actions, we act as if we were fufficient of our felves, and walks as if we were thereby juftified, and commends our felves to God in our own Confciences, when ever we can have the Teftimony of our Consciences, for well doing. And by this Means, Therefore, I wish, that this Conjuncti on which is made in the Gofpel, were alfo engraven in your Hearts, and on your Practices, that is, that you would feek after Holiness, without which no Man foall fee God; feek to perfect it in the Fear of God, but not as though ye were to be thereby juftified; feek it with that Diligence and earnest Study, as if ye were to be faved by it, and yet feek it,the Lord is provoked; because we do not fo as to be "denyed to your Diligence, or as if ye fought it not at all. How fweet a Conjunction were this in the Chriftians Practice, to walk and run fo after the Prize, as if his walking did obtain it, and yet to Jook upon his walking, as if it were not at all. Your: Diligence and Seriousness in honour the Son the Father counts himfelf defpifed, and the Spirit is grieved and tempted to depart, and leave us to our own Imaginations, till our Idol which we established, fall down, and our Underftanding return to us. AS As it would be of great Moment to the may be acted from base external PrinciPeace of Chriftians, and Increase of Ho- ples, in Matters of Religion, fo that a linefs, to have that Union of Juftification Beholder fhall perceive no Difference beand Sanctification ftamped on their Hearts, teween them and others, in whom Chrift fo especially to have the due and evange- lives and walks; but before God it is nolick Method and Order of thefe impreffed thing elfe, but an artificial Walk, a painted on their Confciences, it would conduce and dead Business, because, the Spirit that exceedingly, both to their quickening and raised up Chrift, is not stirring in them, comforting: As there is nothing, that ei- they are not living Members of that ther fo deadens or darkens, and faddens Head that quickens all, have not been drithe Spirits of the Godly, as Darknefs in ven out of their own Righteousness, to this particular, the Ignorance and Mif Chrift, the City of Refuge; their Princitake of the Method and Order of that ples are no higher then walking to obwell-ordered Covenant must certainly be tain Salvation, and Acceptation of God very prejudicial to the Life and Confolation in a legal Way, walking to pacifie him, tendered by the Gospel. This fpiritual walking to please Men and their own Walking, it flows from the Believers Confciences, walking for Gain or Credit, ftate of Non-condemnation in Chrift; he or Advantage in the Way, walking accordis once in Jefus Christ, and then he walks ing to Cuftom or Education in the Way. after the Spirit of Chrift. You may make These are not living Principles; but when Engines to caufe a dead Statute walk, but once a Soul hath embraced Chrift Jefus cannot walk of felf, till it have a Prin- within it, he becomes in a manner, a Soul ciple of Life in it. Walking is one of the to actuate and to quicken that Soul, he a Operations of Life, that flows from nimates it, and moves it in God's Ways, fome inward Principle, and fo this fpiri- according to the Covenant of Grace, I tual Walk and Mction of a Chriftian in will put my Spirit in you, and cause his Courfe, is the proper Operation of you walk in my Ways; there is fift the new Nature that he is a Partaker of quickning, and then walking. You who in Chrift Jefus. As then you know it is were dead in Sins, bath be quickned to impoffible that there can be true and un-gether with Chrift, Eph. ii. 1, 5. and then feigned Walking, where there is no Life, it follows in due Order, I will cause you no Principle within to put the Creature to to walk in my Ways, Ezek. xxxvi. 27. Motion, though a Man may by Art, and Chrift comes into the Heart to dwell, Cor. vi. 16. fome external Impulfe, fo act a Piece of and then he walks in it; Timber or Stone, as it may resemble to And what is that, Chrift to walk in Beliyou a Walking like to living Creatures, fo vers? it is nothing elfe, but Chrift by his it is not poffible, that any of the Sons Spirit making them to walk in his Way; of Adam, who are by Nature dead in there is fo little in us to principle a fpiSins, can walk fpiritually, before they ritual Action, even when renewed and be united to Jefus Chrift, by believing in quickned, that we fhould look on our him, for Righteousness and Salvation: felves not so much, as Workers with him, There may be fuch a Walking of carnal but as being acted by him; we fhould unregenerate Men, as may deceive all the look on Soul and Body, as Pieces of orSenfes and Judgments of Beholders: Men ganized Clay, that cannot move, but as it is moved by him as the Soul and Life of it; fo that according to the Scripture Dialect, a Chriftian is nothing elfe, but Chrift living and walking in such a Perfon. This is it which Chrift when he is to go out of the World inftructs his Difciples into, Jobn xv. 1. He is the Vine, and we the Branches; the Branch must first be united to the Tree, and implanted into the Tree, ere it bring forth Fruit, without the Tree, it withers: So muft a Soul be firft ingraft, in Jefus Chrift, implanted in him by Faith in his Death and Sufferings, before it can grow up into the Similitude of bis Refurrection, or walk in Newhefs of Life, as Paul speaks, Rom. vi. 4, 5. Without me ye can do nothing; ye must first be one with him, by believing in him, and receiving him as a compleat Saviour, and then the Sap and Vertue of the Tree flows into the dead Branch, and it shoots forth, and blossoms and bears. is made an Argument by many, to keep Now if this Doctrine of Chrift and his the Life of his Sout, Gal. ii. 20.. Your Order nefs; and we may perfwade you, it fhall yield you abundant Confolation and Life, because he lives; ye fball live, and walk. If you were more frequent and serious in the Confideration of his excellent Majefty, of his beautiful and lovely Qualifications, as the Mediator for Sinners, and of the precious Promises, which are all, Yea, and Amen, confirmed in him, and lefs Order is fuited of Purpose for our defperate Condition, and yet ye prefume to reject it, and feek another. You prefcribe to your skilful and tender Physician, that which would undo you: I beseech you, know the Original of your Miseries, Doubts, Barrenness, and Darkness: Here it is, you are ftill puzling your felves about Grace and Duties, how to fill your Eyes with these, and ye neglect Chrift as your Righ-in the vain and unprofitable Debates of teousness, as one dead and rifen again, Self-intereft, and fuch like, I am perfwadand now fitting at God's right Hand for ed ye would be more fruitful Chriftians. us, you must first clofe with him, as un- This is not as the Business of a Holy-day, godly Men, though you were godly, you to be done at your firft coming to Chrift, muft fhut your Eyes on any fuch Thing, and no more; no, it must run alongst all and lay living Jefus upon your dead and be- your Life, the aged experienced Chriftinumb'd Hearts, anfwer all your Challenges an muft come alongs as an ungodly Sinner. with his Abfolution, and ftand before to a blessed and living Saviour, and have God, in his cloathing, put his Garment no other Ground of Glory or Confidence. immediately on your Nakedness and Vile- before God, but Chrift Jefus crucified. SERMON VII Verf. 2. For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Fefus Chrift, bath made me free, from the Law of Sin and Death. you be? Have not all finned, and come short of the Glory of God, and fo the whole World is become Guilty before God? Is not every Man lying under a Sentence of Death? Curfed is he that abides not in all Things, &c. How then can he efcape Condemnation? Again, you speak of walking after the Spirit, as proper to the Chriftian; but whofe Walk is not Carnal? Who is it that doth not often step afide out of the Way, and follow the Conduct and Counsel of Flesh and Blood? |