Flesh, and Corruption that dwells in you, then, I fay, the Lord he calls and accounts you, not carnal but fpiritual: Though there be much Carnality in you, yet he denominates from the better Part, not from the greateft Part, you are not after the Flefb but after the Spirit. Though Ifaac be a weak young Child, and Ibmael the Son of the Bond-woman be a ftrong Man; yet thou art in God's Account efteemed according to the Promife, which shall be the Ground of thy Stability: Ifaac muft abide in the Houfe for ever, and grow ftronger and ftrong

grow weaker and weaker: The one is ordained for Destruction, and fo is called the old Man, drawing near to its Grave, the other for Life; and fo is a new Man, renewed Day by Day. Thus they are in God's Promife, and you would learn thus to look upon it, not according to their prefent Inequality in Strength, but that future Inequality and Difference, which is wrapt up in the Promile of God, and the Seed whereof is in you.

Light makes a larger Discovery of what is difordered and defiled in the House; therefore fuch, upon the hearing of the accurfed Eftate of Men in Nature, of their natural Rebellion against God, and God's Displeasure against them, they are moft ready, I fay, to apply fuch Things to themselves, to the weakning of their own Hands, and fadning of their Hearts; as the upright-hearted Difciples were more ready to take with the Challenge of betraying Chrift, than the falfe-hearted Judas: Therefore the Apoftle prevents fuch an Abuse of the Doctrine, by making Application of the better Part untoer, and Ibmael must be caft out and the Romans; but for you, ye are not of the Flefb, &c. Indeed, Self-examination is neceffary, and 'tis like the chewing of the Meat before it be fent into the Stomach, it is as neceffary and precedent before right Application. I wish that every one of you would confider well what this living Word concerns you. It is the Ground of all our Barrenness no Man brings this. Home to himself, which is spoken to all. But truly the Lord fpeaks to all, that every Man may speak to himfelf, and ask at his own Heart, what is my Concernment in it? What is my Portion? As for you whom the Lord hath put upon this Search of your felves, and hath once made you to find your felves in the black Roll of Perdition, under the Hazard of the eternal Weight of *God's Displeasure, and there hath fhewed unto your Souls a Way of making Peace with God, and a Place of Refuge in Jefus Chrift, which hath fometimes refreshed and eased your Hearts, and only was able to purify your Confciences, and calm the Storms that did arife in them; if it be henceforth your Study, To walk to please him, and this Engagement be on your Hearts, to make no Peace with the

As there is a woful Penury and Scantinefs of Examination in the most Part of Men, who are wholly spent without, and take no Leifure to recognize their own Souls; so there is a miferable Excels, and hurtful Superfluity of Examination and Difputation among many of God's Children, who are always in Reflection, and almost never in Action; fo much on knowing what is, that they take not much Leifure to do, or pursue what is not. Truly, I think when the Apostle commands us, to examine, whether we be in the Faith, and prove our felves, he did not mean, to make it our perpe tual Exercise, or fo to prefs it, as we fhould not endeavour to be in the Faith, till we know whether we be in it: That

were

were no advancing Way, to refufe to go on in our Journey, till we know what Progrefs we have made, as the Cuftom is. But fimply and plainly, I think, he intended to have Chriftianity begin at Examination, as the first returning of a Soul muft needs be upon fome Enquiry and Search of the Way, and Knowledge upon Search, that our former Way was wrong, and this is only right. But if this be the Porch to enter in at, will you fit down and dwell in it, and not go on into the Palace it self? Because you muft begin to fearch what you have learned wrong, that now you may unlearn it, will you be ever about the learning to know your Condition; and by this Means never attain to the Knowledge of the Truth? But when you have upon any Enquiry found your felves out of the Way, you should not entertain that Difpute long, but hearken to the plain Voice of the Gospel that founds unto you, This is the Way, walk in it; I am the Way, faith Christ, enter at me, by believing in me: Now, once having found that you are Unbelievers by Nature, to fufpend believing, till you prove whether you be in the Faith, is unreasonable and impoffible; for certainly having once found your felves void of it, you must first have it, before you know that you have it, you must first apply to Action, and afterward your Examination shall be more easy.

Job.

parifon one with another : Each of them caft abroad a Light to fee the other by. Therefore it is that the Apostles do frequently remind the converted Gentiles, of the wretched Eftate the World lies into, and themselves once were into. You fee it, 1 Cor. vi. 11. And fucb were Some of you; but now you are wafbed. And, Eph. ii. 1. You who were dead in Sins bath be quickned. There is not any Thing will more commend unto a Chriftian the Grace of God towards him, nor to look abroad round about him, and take a View of the whole World, lying in Wickedness; and then to look backward to what himself once was, and compare it with what the free Grace of God hath made him. O what a Soul ravishing Contemplation is that! v. 19. And we know that we are of God, and the whole World lies in Wickedness: How doth this heighten the Price of Grace, and how much doth it add to a Soul's inward Contentment, to think what it was of itself, and what it would undoubtedly have been, if not thus wonderfully furprized! One used always to look to those below him, that he might not envy thofe above him. Truly it might do well here; when a Chriftian is grieved and difquieted, because he hath not attained to that defired Measure of the Image of God, and Fellowship with him, to cast a Look about him, to the But I would tell a more profitable Im- miferable and hopeless Eftate of so many provement of fuch Reprefentations of the Thoufands, who have the Image of Safinful and miferable Eftate of the ungodly tan fo visibly engraven on them, and World, than you use to make of it: And, have no inward Stirring after this bleffed I think, it is that the Apostles intend, in Image; and reflect a little backward, to the frequent turning the Eyes of Saints a- the Hole of the Pit whence he was taken, bout, to the accurfed State of the World; to look upon that primitive Estate that partly Confolation, and partly fome Grace found him into, fo lothfome as Provocation to fuitable Walking. Things is defcribed, Ezek. xvi. Would not fuch that are oppofite are best known by Com-a double Sight, think you, make him

break

found all again, by your walking after the Courfe of the World: Conformity to the World is a Confufion of what God hath separated; his infinite Grace tranflated you from that Kingdom of Darkness to Light. O then walk in that Light, as Children of Light! Are you fuch? Own your Stations; confider your Relations, and make your felves afhamed at the

the deformed and ugly Face of the Converfation of the World,. that you may fall in Love with the Beauty of Holiness, as the Lacedemonians were wont to let their Children fee their Slaves drunk, that the brutish and abominable Pofture of fuch. in that Sin, might imprint in the Hearts: of their Children, a Detestation of such a Vice. Certainly, the Lord calls you to mind often what you have been, anď what the World about you is; not to en⚫

break out in Admiraton, and be powerful to filence and compofe his Spirit? O to think, that I was one in that black Roll of thefe excluded from the Kingdom! such were some of you; and then to confider, that my Name was taken out, and washed by the Blood of Chrift, to be enrolled in the Register of Heaven: What an aftonishing Thing is it! You fee in Nature, God hath appointed Convery Thoughts of Sin. He points out trarieties and Varieties to beautify the World; and certainly, many Things could not be known how good and be neficial they are, but by the Smart and Hurt of that which is oppofite to them: As you could not imagine the Good of Light, but by fome fenfible Experience of the Evil of Darkness. Heat, you could not know the Benefit of it, but by the Vexation of Cold. Thus he maketh one to commend another, and both to beautify the World. It is thus in Art, Con-gage you to it, but to alienate your trariety and Variety of Colours and Lines make up one Beauty: Diverfity of Sounds make a fweet Harmony. Now, this is the Art and Wisdom of God, in the Difpenfation of his Grace, he fetteth the Mifery of fome, befide the Happiness of others, that each of them may aggravate another; he puts Light befide Darknefs, Spirit fore-againft Flefh, that fo Saints may have a double Acceffion to their Admiration at the Goodness and Grace of God, and to their Delight and Complacency in their own Happiness: He prefents the State of Men out of Chrift, that you may wonder how you are tranflated, and may be fo abundantly fatisfied, as not to exchange your Portion for the greateft Monarchs.

Then, I fay, this may provoke us, and perfuade us to more fuitable walking. Doth he make fuch a Difference? O do, not you unmake it again! Do not con

Minds from the Deformity of Sin, and to commend to you the Duty of Obedience. You would learn to make this holy Ufe and Advantage of all the Wickednes the World lieth into; to behold in it," as in a Glafs, your own Image and Likeness; that when you use to hate or defpife others. you may rather lothe and diflike your felves, as having that fame common Nature; and wonder at the Goodness of God' that makes fuch Difference, where none was. This were the Way to make Gain of the most improfitable Thing in the World, that is the Sins of other Men; for ordinarily the feeing and speaking of them, doth rather difpofe us, and incline us to more Liberty to Sin. Many look on them with Delight, fome with Contempt and Hatred of thefe that commit them, but few know how to speak or look on Sin itself with Indignation, or themselves, because of the Seeds of it

within.

within them with Abhorrency. I would think if we were circumspect in this, the worse the World is, we might be the better; the worse the Times are, we might fpend it better; the more Pride we fee, it might make us the more humble; the more Impiety and Impurity abounds, it might provoke us to a further Distance from, and Difconformity with the World: Thus, if we were wife, we might extract Gold out of the Dung-hill, and fuck Honey out of the moft poisonable Weed. The furrounding Ignorance and Wickednefs of the World might caufe a holy Antiperiftafis in a Chriftian, by making the Grace of God unite itself, and work more powerfully, as Fire out of a Cloud, and fhine more brightly, as a Torch in the Darkness of the Night.

As for you, whofe woful Eftate is here defcribed, who are yet in the Flefh, and Enemies to God by Nature, I would defire you to be stirred up at the Confide

ration of this, that there are fome who are delivered out of that Prison, and that fome have made Peace with God, and are no more Enemies but Friends, and Fellow-citizens of the Saints. If the Cafe were left wholly incurable and defperate, you had fome Ground to continue in your Sins and Security; but now when you hear a Remedy is poffible, and fome have been helped by it, I wonder that you do not, upon this Door of Hope offered, beftir your felves, that you may be thefe who are here excepted, But you are not in the Flefb: Since fome are, why may not I be? Will you awake your selves with this Alarm! If you had any Defire after this Eftate, certainly fuch a Hope as this, would give you Feet to come to Jefus Chrift; for thefe are the Legs of the Soul, fome Defire of a better Estate; and fome Probability of it conceived by Hope.

Verse 9.

SERMON XXIV.

If fo be that the Spirit of God dwell in you

Now, if any Man have not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none of his.

UT will God in very deed dwell with Men on Earth! 2 Chron. vi.. 1.8. it was the wonder of one of the wifeft of Men: And indeed, confidering his infinite Highness, above the Height of Hea.. ven; his immenfe and incomprehenfible Greatnefs, that the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him; and then the Bafe

nefs, Emptiness and Worthleffnefs of Man, it may be a Wonder to the wifeft of Angels: A what is it, think you, the Angels defire to look into, but this incomprehenfible Myftery, of the Defcent of the most High, to dwell among the loweft and vileft of the Creatures! But as Solomon's Temple, and these visible

Symbols

because the Inhabitation or Operation of the Spirit in us is the proper Result and Fruit of that glorious Union of our N3ture with him. He took our Flesh, that

he might fend us his Spirit. And, O what a bleffed Exchange was this! He came and dwelt in our Nature, that fo he might dwell in use took up a Shop. as it were, in our Feh, that he might work in us, and make us again conform

Symbols of God's Prefence, were but Shadows of Things to come, the Subftance whereof is exhibited under the Gofpel; fo that Wonder was but a Shadow or Type of a greater and more real Won der, of God's dwelling on the Earth now. It was the Wonder, fhall God dwell with Man, among the rebellious Sons of 4 dam! But behold a greater Wonder fince Chrift came, God dwelling in Man, first perfonally in the Man Chrift, in whomed to God. the Fulness of the God-bead dwelt bodily, then graciously in the Seed of Chrift, in Man by his Spirit; and this makes Men fpiritual, if fo be the Spirit of Cbrift dwell in you. You heard of the first In-dwelling, ver. 3. God fending bis own Son in the Likeness of finful Flefb, the Inhabitation of the divine Nature in our Flesh, which had the Likeness of fin ful Flesh, but without Sin; for he fancti fied himself for our Caufe. And truly, this mysterious and wonderful Inhabitation is not only a Pledge of the other, that God fhall dwell in finful Men by his Spirit; but, in order of Nature, it hath fome Influence upon the other, without which God could not have dwelt in us. There is fo much Diftance and Difproportion between his Majesty and us, that we could not be well united, but by this Interveening, God coming down firft a Step into the holy Nature of the Man Chrift, that from thence he might go into the finful Nature of other Men. Our finful and rebellious Nature behooved to be firft fanctified this Way, by the perfonal In-dwelling of God in our Flesh; and this had made an eafy Paffage into finful us, for his Spirit to dwell in us power-un-makes a Man,fo the Abfence or Prefence fully and gracioufly; therefore the Spirit of Chrift is faid to dwell in us, Chrift's Spirit, not only because proceeding from him as from the Father; but particularly,

We shall not cut this afunder into many Parts; you see the Words contain plainly the very effential Definition of a Spiritual Man, and of a Chriftian. You find a fpiritual Man and a Chriftian equivalent in this Ver. that is to fay, they are taken for one and the felf fame Thing, and fo they are reciprocal of equal Exter t and Reftrain every Christian is one f ter the Spirit, and whofoever is after the Spirit is a Chriftian; one of Chrift's, and one after the Spirit is one Thing." Now the Definition of the Chriftian is taken from that which really and effen:ially constitutes him fuch He is one in whom the Spirit of Chrift dwells; that makes him One after the Spirit, that makes him One of Chrift's, because it is the Spirit of Chrift. As if you define what a Man is, you could not do it better than thus, He is one endowed with a reafonable Soul. So the Apoftle gives you the very Soul and Form of a Chriftian, which differenceth from all others. As the Soul is to the Body to make up a Man, so the Spirit of Chrift is to the Soul and Spirit of a Man, to make up a Christian; as the Abfence or Prefence of the Soul makes or

of this Spirit makes or unmakes a Chriftian, for you fee he makes it reciprocal, If you be Chriftians, the Spirit dwells in

you,