Beafts. You know what Preheminency a Man hath over a Beaft; there is no fuch wide Diftance among the Sons of Men, as between the lowest and meaneft Man and the chiefest Beaft; There is a Spirit in Man, faith Elibu,. Job. xxxii, 8,

what a Strife and Contention there is among Men, how to be extracted out of the Dregs of the Multitude, and fet a little higher in Dignity and Degree than they; how do Men affect to be honourable above the bafe? How do they feek to be Rich, and hate Poverty? Thefe Dif-immortal, eternal Subftance, of a far ferences of Poor and Rich, High and higher Nature and Comprehenfion. You Low, Noble and Ignoble, Learned and know what Excellency is in the Spirit be-Unlearned, the Thoughts of Men are yond the Flesh, fuch as is in Heaven be-wholly taken up with: But there is one yond the Earth, for the one is breathed great Difference, that is moft in God's from Heaven, and the other is taken out Eye, and is both fubftantial and eternal, of the Duft of the Earth; the one is cor and fo infinitely furpaffeth all these Differ- ruptible, yea Corruption it felf, the other ences that the Minds of Men moft run out incorruptible. How swift and nimble are upon; and it is here, the great Difference the Motions of the Spirit, from the one between Flefb and Spirit, and them that End of Heaven to the other? How can are after the Flefb, and them that are it compass the Earth in a Moment? Do after the Spirit. This is of all other but look and fee what a huge Diffemoft confiderable, because wideft, and rence is between a beautiful living Body, durableft. I. fay, it is the wideft of all, for and the fame when 'tis a dead Carcafe, rotall others put no great Difference between ten and corrupted? It is the Spirit dwel Men, as Men; they do reach the peculiarling within, that makes the Odds, that Excellency of a Man, that is, the true and makes it active, beautiful and come-proper and good. of his fpiritual and immortal Part; they are fuch as befalls alike to good and bad, and fo cannot have either much good, or much evil in them. I bave feen Folly Set in great Dignity, Now, I fay, fuch a vast and wide Difand Princes walking on Foot, Eccl. x.ference there is between a true Chriftian 6, 7. Then certainly, fuch Titles of Ho- and a natural Man, even taking him in nour and Dignity, fuch Places of Eminen-with all his common Indowments and Ex-cy, erected above the Multitude, have cellencies; the one is a Man, the other a little or nothing worth the Spirit of a Man Beaft, the one is after the Flefb, the other in them, seeing a Fool, a wicked Man, is after the Spirit. It is the ordinary as capable of them, as a wife Man or a Compellation of the Holy Ghoft, Man princely Spirit; and fo of all others, they being in Honour, and understandingdo not elevate a Man, as a Man, above o- not, is like the Beafts that perish, Pfal. thers. A poor, unlearned, mean Man xlix. 20. and Pfal. xciv. 9. Under may have more real Excellency in him, than a rich, learned, and great Perfon. But this draws a fubftantial and vaft Difference indeed, fuch as is between Flefb and Spirit, fuch as is between Men and

ly; but in the Removal of the Spirit, it becometh a Piece of the moft defiled and loathfome Duft in the World.

and ye brutifb among the People, &c. and Pfal. xcii. 6. The brutifb Man underftands not this: And Eccl. iii. 18. That they themselves, may know that they are but Beafts. Therefore you find

the

the Lord often turning to Beafts, to infenfible Creatures, thereby to reprove the Folly and Madnefs of Men, Ifa. i. 2. and Fer. viii. 7. Man hath two Parts in him, by which he hath Affinity to the two most diftant Natures, he stands in the Middle between Angels and Beafts; in his Spirit he rifeth up to an angelick Dignity, and in his Body he falls down to a brutish Condition. Now, which of thefe hath the Preheminency, that he is? If the Spirit be indeed elevated above all fenfual and earthly Things, to the Life of Angels, that is, to Communion with God, then a Man is one after the Spirit, an Angel incarnate, an Angel dwelling in Fleth; but if his Spirit throw it self down to the Service of the Flesh, minding and favouring only Things fenfual and visible, then indeed a Man puts off Humanity, and hath affociated himself to Beafts, to be as one of them. And indeed, a Man made thus like a Beast, is worse than a Beast, because he ought be far better. It is no Disparagement to a Beaft to mind only the Flesh, but it is the greateft Abalement of a Man, that which draws him down from that higher Station God had fet him into, to the lowest Station, that of Beafts; and truly a Nebuchadnezzar | among Beasts, is the greatest Beaft of all, far more brutish than any Beaft. Now fuch is every Man by Nature, that which is born of the Flefb, is Flefb: even Man, as he comes out of the Womb, is degenerated, and fallen down into this brutish Estate, to mind, to favour, to relish nothing, but what relates to this fleshly or temporal Being. The utmoft Sphere, and Comprehenfion of Man, is now of no larger Extent than this visible World, and this prefent Life: He is blind, and feeth not far off, 2 Pet. i. 9. Truly, fuch is every Man by Na

·

ture; whereas the proper native Sphere
of the Spirit's Motion and Comperehen-
fion, is as large, as its Endurance, that is,
as long as Eternity, and as broad as to
reach the Infiniteness of God, the God of
all Spirits. Now, through the Slavery and
Bondage of Mens Spirits to their Flesh,
'tis contracted into as narrow Bounds, as
this poor Life in the Flesh; he that ought
to look beyond Time, as far as Eternity,
and hath an immortal Spirit given for that
End, he is now half blind; the Eye of
the Mind is fo over-clouded with Lufts
and Paffions, that it cannot see far off, not
fo far as to the Morrow after Death,
not fo far as to the Entry of Eternity.
And truly, if you compare the Context,
you will find, that whosoever doth not
give all Diligence to add to Faith, Ver-
tue, to Vertue, Knowledge, to Know-
ledge, Temperance, to Temperance, Pa-
tience, and to Patience, Godliness, &c..
He that is not exercised and imployed a
bout this Study, how to adorn his Spirit
with these Graces, how to have a Victory
over himself and the World, and in re-
fpect of thefe, accounts all Things, be-
fide, indifferent, fuch a Man is blind, a
seeth not far off; he hath not gotten the
Sight of Eternity, he hath not taken up
that everlasting Endurance, else he could
not spend his Time upon Provision for
the Lufts of the Flesh, but he behoved to
lay fuch a good Foundation for the
Time to come, as is here mentioned: If
he faw afar off, he could not but make
Acquaintance with thofe Courtiers of Hea-
ven, which will minister an Entrance in-
to that everlasting Kingdom. But truly,
while this is not your Study, you have no
Purpofe for Heaven, you fee nothing but
whatis juft before your Eye, and almost
toucheth it; and fo you favour and mind
only what you fee.

and

Rottennefs, fuch as comes out of Sepulchres opened, in all these Works of the Flesh, till once a new Spirit be put in you, and your Natures changed; no more than you can by Eloquence perfuade a fick Man, whofe Pallate is poffeffed with a vitiated bitter Humour, that fuch Things as are fuitable to his vitiated Tafte, are indeed bitter; or make a Swine to believe that the Dung-hill is stinking and unpleafant. Truly it is as impoffible to make the Multitude of Men to apprehend, to relish or favour any Bitterness or Loathfomnefs in the Ways and Courses they

in the Ways of Godliness, till once your Taftes be rectified, your Spirits be tranf formed and renewed.

Is not this then a wide Difference between the Children of this World, and the Children of God? Is it not very fubftantial? All others are circumftantial in respect of this, this only puts a real Difference in that which is beft in Men, viz. their Spirits. The Excellency of Nature is known by their Affections and Motions; fo are these here, the Spritual Man favours fpirital Things, the carnal Man car nal Things; every thing fympathizes with that which is like itself, and is ready to incorporate into it: Things are nourished and preferved by Things like themselves. You fee the Swine embraces the Dung-follow, or any Sweetness and Fragrancy hill, that Stink is only a favoury Smell to them, because 'tis fuitable to their Nature: But a Man hath a more excellent Tafte and Smell, and he favours finer and sweeter Things: Truly it cannot choofe, but that it must be a Nature more swinish, or brutish than a Swine, that can relish and favour fuch filthy abominable Works of the Flesh, as abound amongft fome of you. The Works of the Flesh are manifeft, Gal. v. 19. And indeed they are manifeft upon you, acted in the very Day-time, out-facing the very Light of the Gofpel; you may read them, and fee if they be not too manifeft in you. Now, what a bafe Nature, what abominable and brutish Spirits muft poffefs Men, that they apprehend a Sweetness and Fragrancy in thefe corrupt and ftinking Works of the old Man? O how base a Scent is it, to fmell and favour nothing but this prefent World, and Satisfaction to your Senfes? Truly your Scent and Smell, your Relish and Tafte, argues your bale degenerate and brutish Natures, that you are cn the worfe Side of this Divifion, after the Flefb. But alas, it is not pofible to perfuade you that there is no Sweetnefs, no Fragrancy, nothing but Corruption and

And indeed, when once the Spirit is renewed, and difpoffeffed of that malig nant Humour of Corruption, and fleshly Affection, that did prefent all Things, contrary to what they are, then it is like a healthful and wholfome Pallat, that taftes all Things as they are, and finds. bitter bitter, and fweet fweet; or like a found Eye, that beholds Things just as they are, both in Colour, Quantity, and Diftance: Then the Soul favours the weet Smell of the Fruits of the Spirit, Verse 22. Love, Joy, Peace, Longfuffering, Meeknefs, Temperance, &c. Thefe are fragrant and fweet to the Soul, and as a sweet Perfume, both to the Perfon that hath them, and to others round about him, and to God alfo; these caft a Savour, that allures a Soul to feek them, and being poffeffed of them, they caft a fweet Smell abroad to all that are round about, and even as high as Heaven; a Soul that hath these planted in it, and growing out of it, is as a Garden in closed to God. These Fruits are both pleafant and fweet to the Soul that eats Kk

them,

and honourable: God hath not given you fuch Things as the World go mad after; but envy them not, he hath given you better Things, more real and fubftantial Things, that makes you far better and more exellent.

But then, this Difference, as it is the wideft, fo it is the durableft; as it is fubftantial here, fo it is perpetual hereafter. When all the other Differences between Men fhall be abolished, this alone shall remain; and therefore you have it in the next Verfe, To be carnally minded is Death, but to be Spiritually minded is Life and Peace. This Division that is begun here, fhall grow wider for all Eter

them, and as the Pleafantness of the Apple, the World, you are of the Spirit; and allured Man to taste it, and Sin, so the Beau- this is better than to be rich, wife, great ty and Sweetness of thefe Fruits of the Spirit, draws the Spirit of a Man after them; he hath found the Savour, and feen the Beauty, and this allures him to tafte them, and then he invites the well-beloved to come and tafte alfo, to eat of thefe Fruits with him. We might inftance this in many Things, a Chriftian relishes more Sweetness in Temperance, in beating down his Body, and bringing it into Subjection, in abstaining from fleshly Lufts, than a carnal Man taftes in the most exquifite Pleasures that the World can af ford. A Chriftian he favours a Sweetnefs in Meekness and Long-fuffering, he hath more Delight in forgiving, and forbearing, and praying for them that wrongnity; there fhall be a greater Difference him, than a natural Man hath in the accomplishing of the moft greedy Defires of Revenge. O what Beauty hath Gentleness, Goodness and Patience, in his Eye? What Sweetness is in the Love of God to his Tafte? How ravishing is the Joy of the Holy Ghoft? How contenting that Peace that paffeth Understanding? Thefe are Things of the Spirit, that he minds and favours. Know, Chriftians, that it is to this ye are called, to mind thefe Things moft, and to feek them moft; beware left the Deceitfulness of Sin in-hall appear and shine, in that Day when tice you, through the treacherous and deceitful Lufts that are yet living in your Members. If you indeed mind thefe Things, and out of the Appprehenfion of the Beauty and Savour of the Sweetness, and Smell of the Fragrancy of them, would be content to quite all your corrupt Lufts, for to be poffeffed with them, then you are on that bleffed and happy Side of this great and fundamental Divifion of Men; you have indeed the Privilege of all others who are not renewed; whatever be your Condition in

after this Life, and a more fenfible Sepa ration: Death and Life, eternal Death and eternal Life, are the two Sides of this Difference, as it fhall fhortly be ftated. When all other Degrees and Distances of Men fhall be blotted out and buried in eternal Oblivion, there fhall no Veftige · or Mark remain, of either Wisdom, or Riches, or Honour, or fuch like, but all Mankind fhall be, as to thefe outward Things,levelled and equalized; this one unfeen and neglected Difference in the World,

the Lord maketh up bis Jewels; then be will difcern between the Righteous and the Wicked, between him that feareth God, and him that feareth bim not, Mal. iii. 18. The carnal and spiritual Man have oppofite Affections and Motions; the Spirit of the one is on a Journey or Walk upward, after the Spirit, and the Spirit of the other is on a Walk downward, towards the Flesh; and the further they go, the further diftant they are: The one shall be taken up to the

Com

break off his Way, from the common Courfe of the World, it doth not appear to be fo different from it, as to convince himself and others; but if his Face be to

thitherward, certainly he will be daily moving further from the World, till the Distance be fenfible both to himself and others; he will be more and more tranf

Company of the Spirits of just Men made perfect, and to the Fellowthip of Angels, the other shall be thrown down into the Fellowship and Society of Devils: And truly it is no Wonder it fall fo low, forwards Jerufalem above, and his Heart all its Motions in the Body was down ward, to the fulfilling of the Lufts of the Flefb. Thus you fee the Difference will grow wider and more fenfible than it is yet between the godly and ungodly; informed and renewed, till at Length all be this World it doth not fo evidently appear, as it will do afterward. As two Men, that leave one another, and have their Faces on contrary Airts, at the Beginning the Distance and Difference is not fo great, and so sensible; but wait a little, and the further they go, the further they are diftant, and the wider their Separation is. Even fo, when a Chriftian begins to

changed. No Wonder then, that these two cannot meet together in the End of their Course, whofe Course was so op pófite: Though wicked Men will defire to die the Death of the Righteous, yet it is no more poffible they can meet in the End, than Hell and Heaven can reconcile together, because they walk to two contrary Points.

SERMON XIX.

Verfe 6. For to be carnally minded, is Death: But to be Spiritually minded, is Life and Peace.

IT

T is true, this Time is short,and so short, Knot between them, that no Power or that scarce can Similitudes or Com- Art can break or loofe. The Beginning parisons be had to shadow it out unto us; of Eternity is continually united to the 'tis a Dream, a Moment, a Vapour, a End of Time; and you know all the inFlood, a Flower, and whatsoever can be finite Extenfion of Eternity is uniform, more fading or perishing; and therefore it admits of no Change in it from better it is not in it felf very confiderable, yet to worfe, or worse to better; and therein another refpect it is of all Things the fore the Beginning of our Eternity, most precious, and worthy of the deep-whether it be Happiness or Mifery, is but eft Attention and moft serious Confideration; and that is, because it is linked unto Eternity; there is an Indiffolvable

one perpetuated and eternized Moment, fo to speak. Seeing then we are into the Body, and fent unto the World for this Kk 2 End

1