12 ****************** SERMON XXXV. Verf. 13, 14. For if ye live after the Flesh, ye shall die : But if ye through the Spirit do mortify the Deeds of the Body, ye ball live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God. THE Life and Being of many Things conlifts in Union; feparate them, and they remain not the fame, or they they loose their Vertue: It is much more thus in Chriftianity, the Power and Life of it confifts in the Union of thefe Things that God hath conjoined, fo that if any Man pretend to one Thing of it, and neglect the other, he hath really none of them: And to hold to the Subject in Hand, there are three Things, which joined together in the Hearts of Chriftians, have a great deal of Force: The Duty of a Chriftian, and his Reward, and his Dignity; his Work and Labour feems hard and unpleasant, when confidered alone; but the Reward sweetens it, when it is jointly believed: His Duty feems too high, and his Labour great, yet the Confideration of the real Dignity he is advanced unto, and Privilege he has received, will raise up the Spirit to great and high Attempts, and to fuftain great Labours: Mortification is the Work and Labour; Life, eternal Life is the Reward; following the Spi rit is the Chriftian's Duty, but to be the Son of God, that is his Dignity. Mortification founds very harsh at first: The Hearts of Men fay, It is a bard Saying, who can bear it. And indeed I cannot deny but it is fo to our corrupt Nature; and therefore fo holden out in Scripture; the Words chofen to prefs it, exprefs much Pain and Pains, much Torment and Labour: It is not so easy and trivial a Bufinefs to forfake Sin, or fubdue it, as many think, who only think it eafy, because they have never tried it. It is a Circumcifion of the Fore-skin of the Heart, and you know how it difabled a whole City, Gen. xxxiv. and how it enraged the Heart of a tender Mother, Exod. iv. 26. It is the Incifion or cutting off a Member, and these the moft dear and precious, be it the right Hand or right Foot, which is a living Death, as it were, even to kill a Man while he is alive. It is a new Birth, and the Pains and Throws of the Birth are known. Regeneration certainly hath a travelling Pain within it, in fo much that Paul travelled in Pain till it were accomplished in thefe, Gal. iv. 19. Though Men conceive Sin in Pleasure, yet they cannot be rid of that deadly Burden without Throws and out the very Idols your Hearts facrifice unto: And if there be any Thing more one with you than another, to endeavour to break the Bond with that, and to be at the furtheft Diftance with it. It is eafy to perfuade Men to forfake fome Sins and Courses, that they are not much inclined to, and find not much Pleasure or Profit by them: You may do that and be but dead in Sins; but if you aim at true Mortification indeed, you would confider what are the chief Idols and predominant Inclinations of your Heart, and as to fet your felf impartially against all known Sin, fo particularly against the most beloved Sin, because it interrupts moft the Communion of God, and separates from your Beloved, and the dearer it be, the more dangerous certainly it is. and Pains: And to half this Work, or to be remifs or negligent in it, is as foolish and unwife, as for a Child to ftay long in the Place of breaking forth, as the Lord complains of Ephraim, Hof. xiii. 13. He is an unwife Son, for he should not ftay long in the Place of breaking forth of Children. It is one of the greateft Folies, not to labour by all Means to be rid of the Incumbrances of Sin. Much Violence offered to it, and a total Refignation of our felves to God, may be great Pain, but it is short Pain; then the Pleasure is greater and continues: But now Chriftians lengthen their Pain, and draw out their Crofs and Vexation to a great Extent, because they deal negligently in the Bufinefs, they fuffer the Canaanites to live, and these are Thorns and Briers in their Sides continually. Then this Business is called Mortification, as the Word is here, and Col. iii. 5. which imports a higher Degree of Pain, for the Agonies of Death are terrible; and to hold it out yet more, the most painful and lingering kind of Death is chofen to exprefs it, Crucifixion, Gal. v. 24. Now indeed, that which makes the forfaking of Sin fo grievous to Fiefh and Blood, is, the Engagements of the Soul to it, the Oneness that is between it and our Natures, as they are now fallen; For you know Pain ariseth upon the Diffolution or Divifion of any Thing that is continued or united; and these Things that are foon with Chrift crucified and Life fhall nearly conjoined, it is hard to feparate them without much Violence. And truly as the Kingdom of Heaven fuffers Violence, fo we must offer Violence to our felves, to our Lufts and Inclinations, who are almost our felves: And if you would be truly Chriftians, this must be your Bufinefs and Imployment, to cut off thefe Things that are dearest unto you, to caft But to encourage and hearten you to this, I would have you look back to that former Victory that Chrift hath gained in our Name, and look about you to the Affiftance you have for the prefent, the Spirit to help you. Truly, my Beloved, this will be a dead Business, if you be not animated and quickned by these Confiderations, that Chrift died to Sin, and lived to God, and that in this he was a publick Perfon representing you, that so you may conclude with Paul, I am crucified with Chrift, Gal, ii. 20. We are bu ried with him by Baptism into his Death, Rom. vi. 4. Confider that mystical Uni fpring out of his Crofs, out of his Grave to kill Sin in you. That the great Business is done already, and Victory gained in our Head, this is our Victory, even Faith. Believe, and then you have overcome, before you overcome; and this will help you to overcome in your own Perfons. And then confider and look round about to the ftrong Helper you have, have, the Spirit, if you through the Spirit mortify, &c. Stronger is he that is in you, than he that is in the World; though he does not vent all his Power to you; yet you may believe that there is a fecret latent Vertue in the Seed of Grace, that it cannot be wholly overcome or conquered, and there is one engaged in the Warfare with us, who will never leave us nor forfake us, who of fet Purpose withdraweth his Help now and then, to difcover our Weakness to us, that we may cleave the fafter to him, who never letteth Sin get any Power, or gather any Strength, but out of Wisdom to make the final Victory the more glorious; in a Word, he leads us through Weakneffes, Infirmities, Faintings, Wrestlings, that his Strength may be perfected in Weaknefs, that when we are weak, then we may be strongest in him, 2 Cor. xii. 9. Our Duty then is to follow this Spirit wherefoever he leadeth us: Chrift, the Captain our Salvation, when he went to Heaven, he fent the Spirit to be our Guider, to lead us thither where he is; and therefore we fhould refign, and give up our felves to his Guidance and Direction. The Nature of a Creature is Dependence, fo the very Effence of a Chriftian confifts in Dependence and Subordination to the Spirit of God. Nature itself would teach them that want Wisdom, to commit themselves to these that have it, and not to carry the Reins of their own Life themfelves. Truly, not only the Senfe of our own Imperfection, of our Folly and Ignorance in thefe Things that belong to Life, should make us willing to yield our felves over to the Spirit of God, as blind Men to their Leader, as Children to their Nurfes, as Orphans to their Tutors; but also, becaufe the Spirit is made our Tutor and Leader: Chrift our Father hath left us to the Spirit in his Latter-will; and there. fore as we have abfolute Neceffity, so he he hath both Willingness and Ability, becaufe it is his Office. O Lord, I know, faith Jeremiah, the Way of Man is not in himself, it is not in him that walketb to direct bis Steps, Jer. x. 23. O! it were a great Point of Wisdom, thus to know our Ignoratice and Folly, and this is the great Qualification of Chrift's Difciples, fimple as Children, as little Children, as void of Conceit of their own Wisdom, Mark x. 15. And this alone capacitates the Soul to receive the Impreffions of Wisdom; as an empty Table is fitteft to write upon, fo a Soul emptied of it felf: Whereas Self-conceit draweth a Number of foolish fenflefs Draughts in the Mind, that it cannot receive the true Image of Wisdom. This then, when a Soul finds that it hath misled it self, being mifguided by the Wild-fire of its Lufts and hath hardly escaped perishing and talling head long in the Pit, this difpofes the Soul to a willing Refignation of it felf, to one wifer and powerfuller, the Spirit of God; and fo he giveth the Spirit the String of his Affections and Judgment to lead him by, and he walketh willingly in that Way to eternal Life, fince his Heart was enlarged with fo much Knowledge and Love; and now having given up your felves thus, you would carefully eye your Leader, and attend all his Motions, that you may conform your self to them: Whenfoever the Spirit pulleth you by the Heart, draweth at your Confci ence, to drive you to Prayer, or any fuch Duty, do not refift that Pull, do not quench the Spirit, left he let you a lone, and do not call you, nor fpeak to you. If you fall out thus with your Leader, then you must guide your selves : U u and your Motion, it is your Lamentation before the Lord; I fay unto you, chear your Hearts, and lift them up in the Belief of this Privilege conferred upon you, you are the Sons of God: For he giveth this Tutor and Pedagogue to none but to his own Children, as many as are led by the Spirit of God, are the Sons of God. Suppofe you cannot exactly follow his Motions, but are often driven out, or turned back; yet hath not the Spirit the Hold of your Heart? Are you not detained by the Cord of your Judgment, and the Law of your Mind? And is there not fome Chain faftened about you, which maketh it out-ftrip the Practice, by Defires and Affections? You are the Sons of God, that is truly the greatest Dignity, and higheft Privilege, in Re and truly you will guide it into the Pit, if left to your felves; therefore make much of all the Impulfes of your Confcience, of all the Touches and inward Motions of Light and Affection, to entertain thefe, and draw them forth in Meditation and Action, for these are nothing elfe, but the Spirit your Leader plucking at you to follow him, and if you fit when he rifeth to walk, if you neglect fuch Warnings, then you may grieve him, and this cannot but in the end be Bitterness to you. Certainly, many Chriftians are guilty inthis, and prejudge themselves of the prefent Comfort and Benefit of this inward anointing, that teacheth all Things, and of this Bofom-guide that leadeth in all Truth; because they are fo heavy and lumpish to be led after him: They drive flowly, and take very much Preffure and Perfuafpect of which, all Relations may blush, fion to any Duty; whereas we should ac cuftom our felves to willing and ready Obedience upon the leaft Signification of his Mind: Yea, and which is worse, we often refift the Holy Ghoft; he draweth, and we hold beloved Sins, he pulleth, and we pull back from the most spiritual Duties; there is fo much Perverfnefs and Frowardness yet in our Natures, that there needs the almighty Draught of his Arm, to make it ftraight, as there is need of infinite Grace to pardon it. Now, my Beloved, if you have in your Defires and Affections refigned your felves over to the Guidance of this Spirit, and this be your real and fincere Endeavour to follow it, and in far as you are carried back, or contrary, by Temptation and Corruption, or retarded in and hide their Faces: What are all the SER SERMON XXXVI. Verfe 14, 15. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God. For ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage again to fear, &c. CH Hildren do commonly refemble their | Imitation of him. Therefore our Lord Parents, not only in the outward exhorts us, and taketh a domeftick ExamProportion and Feature of their Counte-ple, and familiar Patern to perfuade us nances, but also in the Difpofition and the more by, Be ye perfect as your Temper of their Spirits; and generally heavenly Father is perfect, Matth. v. they are inclined to imitate the Cuftoms 48. And there is one Perfection he eand Carriage of their Parents; fo that they fpecially recommends for our Imitation, fometimes may be accounted the very Mercifulness and Compaffion towards living Images of fuch Perfons, and in Men, opposed to the Violence, Fury, them Men are thought to out-live them-and Implacableness, to the Oppression felves. Now indeed, they that are the and Revenge, and Hatred that abounds Sons of God, are known by this Cha-among Men, Luke vi. 36. And ge racter, that they are led by the Spirit of God: And there is the more Neceflity, and the more Reason too, of this Refemblance of God, and Imitation of him in his Children; becaufe that very divine Birth that they have from Heaven, confifts in the Renovation of their Natures, and Affimilation to the divine Nature; and therefore they are poffeffed with an inward Principle, that carries them powerfully towards a Conformity with their heavenly Father; and it becometh their great Study and Endeavour to obferve all the Difpofitions and Carriage of their heavenly Father, which are fo honourable and high, and suitable to himself, that they at least may breathe and halt after the nerally, in all his Ways of Holiness and Purity, of Goodness and Mercy, we ought to be Followers of him, as dear Children, who are not only obliged by the common Law of Sympathy between Parents and Children; but moreover engaged by the tender Affection that he carrieth to us, Eph. v. 1. Now, because God is high as Heaven, and his Way and Thoughts and Difpofitions are infinitely above us, the Pattern feems to be fo far out of Sight, that it is given over as defperate by many to attempt any Conformity to it; therefore it hath pleased the Lord to put his own Spirit within his own Children, to be a Bofom-pattern and Example: And 'tis our Duty to refign our felves to his U u 2 lead |