Lectures Upon Psalm 51, Part 5 · Lecture 63
Lecture LXIII. On Psalme 51.5. Iuly 10. 1627.
THe third use that this Doctrine serveth unto,Vse 3. is for exhortation to stirre up in every one of us a care to be cured of this loathsome leprosy, to be delivered from the danger of this poison, this fountaine of all sin, this root of all bitternesse, that is in the nature of every one of us. This use the blessed Apostle did make of this Doctrine, Rom. 7.24. For having bewailed greatly this corruption he felt in his nature, and professed that he was deepely humbled in himselfe for it, which made him cry out O wretched man that I am. As if he had said, O what a wretch am I, that have such a deale of corruption remaining in me (which was the former use that I told you this Doctrine serveth unto; and handled by me the last day) immediately he bursteth forth into these words, Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? As if he should have said, O how may I be rid of it, and delivered from the danger of it?
Now for the better enforcing of this exhortation, 1 I will give you certaine motives to provoke you unto this care to seeke to be freed from the danger of this sin. 2 I will shew you the meanes whereby deliverance from the danger of this sin, is to be obtained.
Motives.And for motives, I shall not need to give you any other, then such as you have already heard in the proofes and reasons of the Doctrine. 1. This is the fountaine and cause of all other our sins; and consequently of all our woe and misery; as wee have heard out of Iames 1.14. And it is a point of wisedome in this case; to lay the axe unto the root of the tree. Matth. 3.10. 2. This is an universall leprosie that is gone over the whole man, the whole spirit, and soule, and body, and is therefore called the old man, Rom. 6.6. 3. This is such a cursed root; and fountain of all evill, as will never cease sprouting, boyling, and bubling up one corruption or other. Fitly resembled Esa. 57.20. to the troubled Sea, that cannot rest, whose waters cast up myre and dirt continually. So as when we have repented, and made our peace with God for our actuall sins, that wee know by our selves, yet this is still apt to defile us againe, and cast filthy dirt upon our best actions; yea to bring us into danger of falling againe into the same, or fouler evils; and so apt ever and anon to interrupt our peace with God, and to minister unto us matter of new doubts and feares continually.
Means.It therefore standeth us upon, to enquire how and by what meanes wee may bee delivered from the danger of this sinne especially. And this is the second thing I propounded for the inforcing of this exhortation, to shew you the means how wee might bee delivered from it. And those we may best learne of the blessed Apostle, who when hee had professed this desire that I now exhort you to, Rom. 7.24. Who shall deliver mee? &c. In the words following hee answereth himselfe, and giveth full satisfaction to his owne conscience in this weightie question (which is the answer also that I must give to every one of you, in whom the Lord hath wrought that care and desire that was in Paul; as doubtlesse hee hath in every good heart here, that knoweth the vi…enesse of his owne nature, and doth remember, and beleeve that which I have taught you at large, touching originall sin) he answereth himselfe (I say) by telling us, who delivered him from the body of this death, how hee was freed from the checks and accusations of his owne conscience for it. 1. By Iesus Christ, who delivered him from the guilt of it, that it should never bee imputed to him unto condemnation verse 25. I thanke God, through Iesus Christ our Lord. And 8.1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus. 2. By the spirit of God, who freed him from the power, and dominion of his corruption, and did mortifie it in him, Rom. 8.12. They that are in Christ, walke not after the flesh, but after the spirit, for the law (the commanding power) of the spirit of life, which is in Christ Iesus, hath freed me from the law (the commanding power) of sin and death. The same answer he also giveth, 1 Corinth. 6.11. Yee are washed, yee are sanctified, yee are justified in the name of the Lord Iesus, and by the spirit of our God. Here are therefore (beloved you see) two wayes (and other way then these two there is none) whereby wee may bee delivered from all the hurt, and danger that may come to us by the Originall corruption of our nature. 1. By Iesus Christ that hath justified us, and delivered us from the guilt, and punishment of it. 2. By the spirit of Christ which sanctifieth, and delivereth us from the power and dominion of it. The first is without us, and made ours by imputation only, as Adams transgression, which was the cause of our originall corruption, was made ours: and as our sins were made Christs. The second is within us, a fruit and evidence of the former, and more sensibly knowne and perceived by us, because wee are agents in it our selves.
Means 1.First. Labour to bee in Christ, and to get assurance to thy heart, by a lively faith, that Christ is thine, so shall the filthinesse of thy nature be covered, and never imputed unto thee, it shall never make either thee or thy service odious unto God, or displeasing unto him. There is no condemnation (as you have heard) to them that are in Christ. Nay God is well pleased with all them that are in Christ, Ephes. 1.6. Hee hath made us accepted in the beloved. Yea hee is well pleased with our poore services, notwithstanding they bee so stained, and defiled with this Originall corruption. Prov. 15.8. The prayer of the upright, is his delight. Yea, he seeth none of these staines or corruptions, whereby themselves, and their best services are defiled; that is, so as to impute them, or to thinke ever the worse of them for them. Numb. 13.21. Hee seeth no iniquity in Iacob; Nay no spot, nor wrinkle, nor any such thing as the Apostle speaketh; Ephes. 5.27. Hee passeth by these transgressions, these swervings from his righteous law, which hee discerneth in them, and in their best actions, as the Prophet speaketh, Micah 7.18. And why so? Surely two reasons there bee why it must needs be so.
First. Because the Lord exacted of Christ our surety, the full punishment, the whole wrath of God, that was due to us for this vile corruption of our nature. God condemned sin in the flesh, saith the Apostle, Rom. 8 3. In our nature which Christ our surety for our sakes tooke upon him, God received full satisfaction to his justice for this sin. Our blessed Saviour did not take upon him our actuall sins onelyonly, when hee was made sin for us, as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 5.21. but this root, this fountaine of all actuall sins he tooke upon him also, our old man was crucified with him, Rom. 6.6. And therefore also was his mother purified as well as other women, Luke 2.22. as if the child that shee had borne, had beene uncleane by nature, and had made her uncleane as other children did their mothers (for that was the thing that was taught by that ceremony) and hee was circumcised also aswell as other children, Luke 2.21. as if his heart and nature had had a filthy fore-skin that must needs have beene cut off (for that was the thing that was taught by that ceremony, Ieremy 4.4.) Surely Christ had no uncleannes of nature of his own, no filthy fore-skin of heart of his owne, but the uncleannesse of all our natures, the filthy foreskin of all our hearts, the punishment of them hee tooke upon him, it was imputed to him; and therefore it was necessary, the blessed Virgin his mother should bee purified, and his owne blessed flesh circumcised also, and made subject to that painefull, and bloudy Sacrament. And by this circumcision of our blessed Saviour and surety, was signified and taught that all the fore-skins of our hearts that are his Elect, the whole body of sin, and of our naturall corruption was quite cut off, and taken from us by him, so as it shall never be imputed unto us. The body of the sins of the flesh (that is of our corrupt nature, saith the Apostle, Col. 2.11.) is put off (from us) by the circumcision of Christ.
The second reason why God cannot loath them that are in Christ, for the vile corruption of their nature, nor like the worse of them for it, nor once impute it unto them, is because in Christ our surety, our nature is sanctified perfectly, no spot nor staine of corruption is left in it. Hee was conceived of the holy Ghost Matth. 1.18. His mother was found to bee with child of the holy Ghost, And Luke 1.35. The holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall over-shadow thee, therefore that holy thing that shall bee borne of thee, shall be called the Sonne of God. And why was our nature made so perfectly holy in Christ our surety? Surely for us, and for our sakes, that wee might have the benefit of it, that it might be imputed unto us, and fully cover the impurity of our nature. He is made unto us of God (faith the Apostle, 1 Cor. 1.30.) not only wisedome, and righteousnesse, but sanctification also. And the Lord now beholding us and our nature, not as it is in it selfe, but as it is in Christ, seeth, that is, imputeth not any spot or blemish unto us, but esteemeth us, as hee speaketh, Cant. 4.7. Thou art all faire my love, there is no spot in thee. All this was typified unto us by the Lords dealing with Iehoshua, Zac. 3.3, 4. First, hee tooke away from him his filthy garments, and then hee cloathed him with change of raiment. The best of us in our selves, stand before the Lord in filthy garments, but first the Lord Iesus by his most meritorious, and satisfactory sufferings, hath taken our filthy garments from us, so as the Lord will never looke upon them any more; Secondly, By the perfect holinesse of our nature in his person, hath cloathed us with change of raiment; and made us not only cleane, but beautifull in the eyes of his father, and made him to account of us, as he speaketh, Cant. 7.6. How faire and how pleasant art thou, O love for delights?
Applic.O then (beloved) if any of us doe desire to be cleansed from the filthinesse of our vile nature, and to bee delivered from the danger of it, so as it may never bee imputed unto us, let us give all diligence to make this sure to our selves, that Christ is ours. To have reformed our lives much, & to have left many sins, and to have many good things in us (alas) will not serve our turne, to yeeld us any sound comfort, till by a lively faith wee have laid hold of Christ, and made him our owne. It will never be well with us, till we have the same mind and heart in us, that was in blessed Paul, Phil. 3.5—9. that wee can prize Christ above whatsoever is dearest to us in the world, that wee can make no reckoning (I say not of all profits, and pleasures, and honours, but even) of all our glorious profession, of all our morality, strictnes in our conversation, of all our zeale and for wardnesse in religion (for these were the things that Paul had to glory in) in comparison of Christ. Till we can be content to renounce them all, and count them but as dung, that we may win Christ, and bee found in him.
Now if any man desire to know whether hee bee in Christ or no, hee must inquire, and try whether hee have the spirit of Christ. If any man have not the spirit of Christ (saith the Apostle,Mans 2 Rom. 8.9.) hee is none of his. And 1 Iohn 3. 24. hereby wee know hee abideth in us, by the spirit which he hath given us. And this is the second meanes whereby (as I told you) Paul said, hee was delivered from the body of his death, and whereby every one of us must seeke to bee delivered from it, and from the accusations of our conscience for it, by feeling in our selves the worke of Gods spirit, subduing the corruption of our nature, keeping it from raigning in us, mortifying and killing of it in us, Rom. 8.2. This is the way to know wee are in Christ, and that by his death, and the perfect holinesse of our nature in him, wee are fully delivered from the guilt, and punishment of it, if by his spirit wee bee delivered from the dominion of it. Hee will subdue our iniquities (saith the prophet Micah. 7.19.) Where God pardoneth sinne, hee subdueth it, that it shall not raigne any more. If thy corruption bee not mortified in thee, but have as much strength and vigour in thee, as ever it had, certainely it is not pardoned, thou art not in Christ. This second meanes of our deliverance, though it be not so full, and perfect, as the former, yet is it more sensible unto us, and wee may better take notice of it, then of the former, because wee are agents in it our selves. They that are Christs, (saith the Apostle, Galat. 5.24) have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts. And Rom. 8.13. If yee through the spirit doe mortifie the deeds of the body, yee shall live. And 1 Iohn 3.3. Hee that hath this hope in him, purifieth himselfe. And 2 Cor. 7.1. Let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit. And 1 Pet. 1.22. Yee have purified your soules, in obeying the truth through the spirit. Wee must cleanse our selves, purifie our selves, keepe under our corruption, that it raigne not in us, mortifie and kill it, or it will kill, and damne us. If wee doe not this our selves, certainely wee have no part in Christ.
Why (will you say) alas what can we do? I answer, surely nothing of our selves by nature, Rom. 5.6. Yea, 2 Cor. 3.5. Nothing till wee bee in Christ. Iohn 15.5. Without me ye can doe nothing. Nothing till wee bee acted and led by the spirit of God. Wee must through the spirit, mortifie the deedes of the body, as the Apostle speaketh, Rom. 8.…3. there is no way els to doe it. The Popish exercises of mortification, consisting in their kind of fast…ings, and whipping, and pilgrimage, and wearing of haire cloth next their skin, will never worke true mortification in the heart. Of them we may say with the Apostle, 1 Tim. 48. Bodily exercise profiteth little. And Col. 2.23. Though they have a great shew of wisedome, and humility, and of neglect of the body, yet they are of no worth, foreign because they are but will-worship, not such exercises of mortification, as Gods spirit hath taught us.
If any man then shall aske, what are those meanes and exercises of mortification, that Gods spirit hath taught us to use? I answer. They bee seven principally.