A Lifeless Life, Doctrine 2
Mercy to be found in Christ.
The next thing to be shewed after this doctrine that wee are dead in sinne, is the meanes of recovering our life, and that is by Christ, as it is in the Text (you hath hee quickened that were dead, &c.) Hee, that is, Chist hath done it. Hence learne this doctrine of comfort, as a refreshing cordiall next after the bitter potion of humiliation. That:
Whosoever will come to Christ,Doctr. 3. may come and finde mercy, Rev. 22. 17. Whosever will,3 Things in the doctrine, let him taste of the waters of life freely. Here I will shew:
1 What is meant by will (whosoever will) that is,1 Taking of Christ. he that will receive Christ with all his conditions, to be his Lord and his Ruler, &c. Whosoever will thus take Christ hee may: if wee would take Christ before wee were humbled we might, but till we be humbled we will not take him. It is Christ that gives life, but till we be hungry we wil not take him and eat him: the Sunne enlighteneth,Simile. but the window lets it in; Christ gives life, but our hungring after him makes us eat him, which we will not doe untill wee be humbled.
2 May come to Christ] that is,2 Laying hold of him. receive him, and beleeve in him; it is but laying hold of him when hee sees he must perish,Simile. as a man that is falling into the sea, casts himselfe on a rocke, and there will lie and rest; so wee seeing wee must perish without him; wee clap hold on him, and will not leave him for any persecution or pleasure.
3 Whosoever will] It is generally propounded;3 All may come and take him. for Christ is a common fountaine, he that will, may come; As Iohn 7. 3, 7. If any man thirst, let him come unto mee and drinke: hee that beleeveth in mee, as saith the Scripture, out of his belly shall flow living waters: and againe, Iob. 3. 16. God gave his onelyonly begotten Sonne, that whosoever beleeved in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. As the old Adam was a common root of sinne and damnation; so is Christ the second Adam, of grace and salvation: as at the yeere of Iubilee, when the trumpet sounded, whosoever would might goe free, but if any would be sollavish as to serve, they might; so now to Christ, now he calleth, whosoever will, may goe free and be delivered; but if there be any so flavish minded as to stay, they may.
The grounds of this Doctrine why I thus generally deliver it,The grounds of the Doctrin generally. are these:
1 Because else there were no ground of our faith;1 Otherwise no ground of our faith. faith must have a ground of Scripture, and the Scripture makes no particular promise to any man; it saith not, thou Thomas, or thou Iohn, shalt be saved, but it faith, Whosoever will, let him come, and drinke freely of the water of life: Then we say, but I will; therefore on this ground is the strength of faith, that whosoever will, may come.
2 Because faith is about things that are;2. Faith is about things that are. faith presupposeth his object: God gives the generall promise, Whosoever will beleeve, shall be saved: This is the object of faith, this premised the faith followeth; and is the the cause of all the consequences, as that Christ is mine, I am sanctified, justified, &c. these follow faith, but the object is before, viz. that whosoever wil come to Christ, may: as, if I beleeve the world is created, then it must first be created; so if I beleeve, I shall be saved, if I goe to Christ, then I must first have this, for to beleeve, that whosoever will come to Christ, may come.
To exhort so many as are humbled for sinne,Vse. and see what need they have of Christ, to come to him to be quickened; the fountaine is opened, so that, be thy sinnes never so many, or great however, committed of knowledge after many vowes or covenants, yet if thou art so touched and humbled for thy sinnes, that thou truely thirstest after Christ, if thou wilt take him, thou maist. To those onelyonly that are humbled is this wide doore of comfort opened; art thou but humbled, let thy sinne be never so great, suppose it be of murther, uncleannesse, &c. let them be aggravated with all the circumstances, yet if thou canst be but humbled, and then lay hold on Christ thou maiest, Read 1 Cor. 6. 9. See what great sinnes those were, how can you name greater? Neither fornicator, nor idolater, nor adulter, nor effeminate, now abusers of themselves with mankind, nor theeves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, not extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdome of God. And such were some of you: But yee are washed but ye are sanctified, but ye are iustified, &c. Nay, suppose you have not one jot of holinesse, nor of godly sorrow, yet doe but take Christ, and hee is thine. To looke for sorrow and holinesse before thou takest Christ, is to looke for life before the soule. Therefore doe but take him and hee is thine: for,
1 The promise is free without any condition; If godly sorrow and grace were required, it were not free; godly sorrow and grace followes faith, but are not required before it.
2 The promise is generall, Mark. 16. 16. Goe yee unto all the world, and preach the Gospell to every creature: If therefore there be any poore soule touched with his sinnes, so as hee will doe or suffer any thing for Christ, to him I speake comfort, to him Christ doth belong, thou maiest have CHRIST if thou wilt.
But some man will here be ready to object and say,Obiect. Then every one will take him.
To this I answer,Answer. Every one would take him for a Saviour,Every one would take Christ as a Saviour, but not as a Lord. but there be conditions following after, though not going before faith: if you beleeve hee is your Saviour, you must beleeve hee is your Lord, you must serve him in all his commands, and leave all your sinnes, which none will doe, untill they see that without him they cannot but perish: and none but they will take him, whom, when they have taken him, he descendeth into them, and quickeneth them, and animates them, and makes them like himselfe. As fire doth yron,Simile. to have the same qualities which fire hath, although not the same degrees. Thus when a man, humbled for sinne, longeth after Christ, and receives him, Christ enters into him,Christ gives whome hee quickeneth a three-fold life and gives him a threefold life: 1 The life of guiltlesnesse, by which wee are free from the guilt of sinne. 2 The life of grace. 3 The life of joy. Thus hee quickeneth those which are dead in trespasses and sinnes. Hitherto of the first verse, we come now to the second.