The Saints Qualification, Sermon 5
THE FIFTH SERMON VPONUPON THE NEW CREATVRE.
2 COR. 5.17.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, let him be a new Creature.
THirdly,Vse 3. if this be required of every man,Looke that good performances be naturall to you. that he have another Nature, then we must lead you a step further than we did before, you must not only, not content your selves with good purposes and desires, bu… more than that with good and holy act…ons: It is not enough that you doe the actions that are holy and good, that your lives bee holy and good in great measure, or for a fit, but the Nature must bee altered, that is, it is not enough that thou exercisest meeknesse and temperance, gentlenesse and humility, but thou must be an humble man, and a meeke man, a man lowly in spirit, of a sober and temperate disposition, thy very nature must be turned into this; that is, these Graces must be so incorporated into thee, as if they were con-naturall to thee: therefore it is said of David, not onelyonly that hee did what was good, and Gods will, but he had an heart after Gods heart: so it must be true of all the Saints, for God delights not but in the heart: Therefore in Psal. 51.6. Thou lovest truth in the inner parts, therefore hast thou taught me wisdome in the secret of my heart: that is, though the outward performances be good in themselves, yet thou delightest not in them, that which thou delightest in, is to have another Nature, to have truth in the inward parts; that is, when the inward frame of the heart is altered, when that is set right, therefore thou hast taught me wisdome in my hidden parts, in my heart, thou hast not only given me wisdome to behave my selfe well abroad in my actions and carriage, but thou hast made mee wise in the secret of my heart.
It is said of Ioshua, he had another Spirit, else he had not come into that Land: therefore see if thou hast such a change in thy heart, that thou doest not only doe good things, but that thou doest them in that manner, that thou doest naturall actions, that is, in such a manner, that thou canst not but doe them, as 1 Iohn 3.9. They cannot sinne, for they are borne of God. They have another Nature, what followes on that? therefore they cannot sin, as a man cannot do against Nature; they cannot doe any thing against the truth.
Againe, on the other side, they cannot chuse but doe good, as a man cannot chuse but doe that which is naturall to him.
Doe not say, This Rule is strict, who can heare it?
Do we make it straiter than the Holy Ghost doth? What else is the meaning of it, Whosoever is in Christ is a New Creature? that is, hath another Nature; all wee doe, must come from another Principle, which is the same to thee now, which Nature was before, all must be altered; as wee say of Creatures, that which is dogs-meat, is a sheepes poyson; so it is true of men, when the Nature is changed, there is not onelyonly an alteration of acts, but what was his meat before, is now his poyson; and what was poyson to him before, is now his delight, it is that he feeds on.
But,Quest. you will say, How shall I know when my Nature is altered? It is a matter of great moment, no man can be saved without it, and it is nothing to have holy purposes, desires, and actions, but, the Nature must be altered; therefore it stands us in hand to know it.
You shall know it briefly by this: First, what you doe naturally, you doe it constantly, you do it ordinarily:Answ. for Nature is a constant thing. In things not naturall, there may bee much inequality, they may continue for a time, and be laid aside againe, as a peece gilded over, long wearing will weare off the gilt; but what if the lead or silver be turned into gold? then it will be still the same: so it is with the man, whose nature is changed, he will be constant, the same nature will hold out and continue. A Wolfe that puts on a Sheepes cloathing, may be like a Sheepe, but is not turned into a Sheepe: wee are turned into Sheepe, as Christ turned Lions into Lambes, Serpents into doves, that is, hee alters the very Nature, when that is done, then a man is alway like himselfe, indeed he doth it by degrees, as you shall heare hereafter, but he is still the same. Therefore, consider what constancy, what evennesse, what equality is in your Nature; for if there be another Nature given you, if you be other men, you doe not act another person, for then you may be ready to put it off, and lay it aside, but your Nature is altered, and so your carriage will be constant.
Againe, what is naturall to thee, is pleasant, because indeed all pleasure is nothing else, but a sutablenesse to our Nature. Let the nature bee what it will be; any thing sutable to, it will bee pleasant: Therefore it is a conclusion the Philosophers had, that, that light which is Convenientissima Naturae, is the pleasantest light. Now if thou have another nature, all the wayes of God will be pleasant to thee, It will be meat and drinke to thee to doe his will.
Againe, if it be naturall, thou wilt not bee subject to wearinesse. Another man is still going up the hill, when hee is about holy duties, and growes weary and sits downe, and is not able to continue; but what wee doe naturally, we are not weary of; The eye is not weary with seeing, nor the eare with hearing, because it is naturall: The assiduity of holy duties, wearieth out any man that hath another nature; but let the Nature be altered, and he holds out, they be so farre from wearying him, that they abilitate him, they make him more able, the burthen growes lighter, and the way more easie, when to another man it is hard, and he casts it off.
Againe, if it be naturall, it will out-grow the contrary, it will weary it out; for Nature is neerer to us, than that which is adventitious. Sin is put out of possession, a mans selfe is altered, sinne doth not dwel there, but it comes in there. Now there is another Nature which weares it out,Simile, as a Spring doth mud, let mud fall into a Spring, it will worke it out, for it is a living water, still working. So if a mans nature be changed, if a man fall to sinne, yet there is a Spring, and that Nature will returne againe and againe, and worke it out, if not to day, it will to morrow, because there is a Spring there. Againe, where there is not a New Creature, it will never leave setling till it have corrupted the whole.
But an Objection will come in, I cannot find this change of Nature, I find that the sins I delighted in before,Object. I delight in still, those evill inclinations which I had before, I have them still, I find not such an inward alteration, I find that I can suppresse them, and restraine them, but the change of Nature I find not.
This is a great Objection, and needs answering.
Answ.To this therefore I answer, two things thou shalt find in thy selfe, if thy nature be changed, if thou have another nature in thee, hough there be something in thee, that doth like the objects of thine owne lusts, yet there is something in thee that abhorres them, though there bee an inclination that carries thee towards them, yet there is a contrary inclination that resists them, so there is something still that contradicts and opposeth them.
And that is not all, there is, b…sides this, a weakning of the vigour which before they had, there is not that strength in them that was before. So that there are two things in every man that hath a new Nature: First, though there be much of the old there, yet it is exceedingly weakned and mortified. And secondly, there is much new that was not there before. In every faculty there is something new, that puts a good tincture, a beauty, and glosse on every action thou doest; so as though thou doe much of the old, yet not so much as thou didst before, and thou doest much that thou couldst not doe before. Therefore be not discouraged, though there bee some Inclinations left still, yet the streame is weakned, the vigour is abated: and againe, there is a contrary streame that opposeth, resisteth, and overcommeth it. It may be at the first, thou mayest find it more difficult, but in continuance thou shalt find it more evident. I cannot better resemble it to you, than by a man newly recovered out of sicknesse;Simile. take a man that is newly recovered, as soone as his disease begins to lose his strength, and health begins to enter, the health is exceeding little at the first, but you shall finde this in such a man, that health is in every part, and you shall finde it will grow still and get ground. And againe, although a man be exceeding weake, not able to goe out of his chamber; not able, it may be, to goe out of his bed, yet the sicknesse is gone and subdued, and health hath got the victory; so the sicknesse growes weaker and weaker, and health stronger and stronger: so Sincerity is the least of all Graces at the first, and growes to be the greatest at the end: therefore, though there be the same Inclinations in thee still, yet it is like a sicknesse when a man is upon point of recovery, when the health begins to enter in, there is a great weaknesse remaines, but the health over-ballanceth it.
Therefore, be not discouraged for that, onelyonly, be sure that thou find those Inclinations die in thee more and more, and that health growes more and more; for lusts are said to be mortified, not because they are actually dead already, but because they are dying, a wound is given them, and they will be dead. And a man is said to have a new life, because hee is growing towards it; so a man is a New Creature, not because he i… perfectly new, but that is the end he lookes to.
Vse 4.Fourthly, if we must have another Nature, then surely,To abhor the old nature, and to …ke to have it chan…ed. the Nature we had before the old Nature, must needs be very bad, for nothing is to be changed, but you change it for the contrary. Now if this bee required as good, the other must bee abhorred as evill: therefore learne▪ not to excuse your owne Nature, or your sinne from it, but abhorre it; this is a point of great use, and directly flowing from the words: If another Nature be required, the old nature is bad, and must be hated, abhorred, and emptied forth: now because men are exceeding apt to excuse themselves from their nature; they think their sinne is so much lesse, because they have a strong inclination to it. They are deceived in this, for the sinne is so much the greater; if the Sparke be so much, what is the fornace within? If the Branches be so bitter, what is the Root? Ther…fore make this use of the actuall sinnes which you commit, they should be as Rivers to lead you to the Sea of corruption within you? You shall see, the Saints made this use of thei… inward corruptions.Rom. … ▪ Paul, seeing the rebellio… of his flesh, it led him to the body of sin, ama…zed him, he complained before, but when he came to that, hee grew to an extremity of complaint, as if that were worse than all the Branches. So David, considering his murther, &c. made him to know what it was to be conceived in sinne, for at that time he comes to that complaint in the one and fiftieth Psalme, I was conceived in sinne, and in iniquity hath my mother brought me forth: I say, these particular sinnes should lead us to know our Nature. So did Iob when hee saw what his failings had beene, hee lookes to himselfe and abhorres himselfe. It may be, this hath beene taught you, you are to be humbled for your sinnes, and for the evill actions that you have done; and this you ought to doe, but we must lead you further, you must be humbled for your Nature, and indeed this humbles a man, a man is never humble till then; for a man may thinke his actions bad and confesse them, yet he may thinke his Nature is not bad; but when he sees that his Nature is bad, he abhors himselfe; now, humiliation is like that: when a man comes to abhorre himselfe, it is a greater degree, than for a man to abhorre his actions; as it is said of Iob, hee abhorred himselfe; so thou must learne to abhorre thy selfe, to abhorre that nature that is in thee. We are very backward in this, every man is ready to excuse himselfe, though I did this and that, it is my nature, but thou must know that the corruption within, is more than the sinne without.
Now this humiliation must not rest meerely in this, to abhorre thy selfe, but it must lead thee further, to have it renued, as thou wilt never seek to have another Nature till thou bee humble; when thou commest to abhorre thy selfe, thou wilt labour for another selfe, and not before, thou wilt then be content, yea desirous that that old heart of thine may be broken in peeces, and that thou be made new.
Quest.But, you will say, What shall I doe to have this old Nature made new?
Answ.Goe to Christ, the same actions hee used when hee raised Lazarus, the same actions hee doth, when he raiseth any to life; therefore the same course must bee taken, that was taken to raise Lazarus from the dead: What was that? To beleeve in him. You have in Iohn 11. it is said, This is befallen him, that the glory of the Son of man may be seene: that is, that Christ may be glorified. So the blinde man was said to bee blinde for the glory of God: So it may be said of the old Nature in man, of the death that hath gone over all mankind; therefore it is that God may be glorified, that is, may shew his power in renuing it: Therefore, as Christ said to Mary, Did not I say to thee beleeve? Beleeve only, and thou shalt see the power and glory of God: So say I to every one of you; only beleeve, that is, goe to God, beseech him, and give not over, and beleeve that he is able and willing to doe it, and he will not deny thee, hee will raise thee from the dead, h…e will change that old nature of thine, and know it is no small matter to beleeve, he can doe it; Lord, saith he, If thou wilt, thou canst make mee cleane. It was a great matter to say so: Examine thy selfe, and see if it be so with thee, canst thou say to Christ, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst heale this nature and disposition of mine? Men are discouraged when they see sinne hath got ground of them, they have had a long comb…te with it, and cannot overcome it. It is an hard thing to goe to Christ and say, Lord, thou ca…st make me whole; but thou must beleeve, for he can doe it, and doth it daily, therefore goe to him, beg earnestly of him, and he will change this nature of thine, and make thee a New Creature.
Againe,Vse 5. Feare not falling away. fifthly, if we have another nature, then doe not feare falling away, for when a man is made a New Creature once, he hath another nature, if Grace were nothing but a thing infused, an adventitious qualitie, that did onelyonly adhere to us, wee might lose it againe, but having another nature, never feare that thou canst be changed to the contrary, for thou hast another Nature. Indeed you may goe thus farre, you may lose Florem (as we say) but not Radicem… actum, but not Potentiam, you may lose the Flower, the Branches may be cut downe, but life remaines in the Root; you may lose the Act, but not the power, you may lose the degrees; you may lose it Gradualiter, not Totaliter. And lastly, you may lose the sense, you may have Gratiam sine sensu gratiae, you may lose the sense of it, but not the thing; you may lose the use, the Roo… and s…bstance you cannot; you may lose the degree, not the whole: that is, when you are once a member of Christ, there may be a benumming, that may hinder the influence of bloud and spirits, but so as it shall never be gangred, it shall never die againe; there may be a cloud on you, but the Sunne shall never set on you.
Object.But, you will object, Grace of it selfe is of a mutable nature; for that which is subject to decay in part, is subject to decay in the whole. Againe, it is a Creature, and every Creature is subject to perish. Againe, we see that the Angels and Adam in Paradise had grace as true as we, yet they fell from it?
Answ.I answer, It is true; Grace of it selfe may perish, it is possible, it may die, for it is a Creature, and may perish as well as any other, considered in it selfe, but if we consider it as united and joyned to CHRIST IESVS, so it cannot faile you; for, you must know, Grace in every mans heart, is like light in the aire, and like water in the Cisterne: Now it is true, if the Sun set, the light will vanish, and if the Spring should drie up the water, the River would drie up too: but seeing the Sunne never sets, that is, Christ never departs from you, when hee hath taken you to himselfe, and seeing the Spring never dries up, though Grace of it selfe be of a mutable nature, yet by reason of that conjunction with him, it can never be altered, and thence it is that you cannot fall off. It is true, if we were cut off from Christ, Grace should wither, as the Branch being cut off from the Root, but being knit to him, the Sap must be in the Branches, because it is in the Root, and life will be in the members, because it is in the Head: therefore, we say, no man can fall from Grace, because he cannot be cut off, once on, and never off, once his, and never separated againe, as Rom. 8. The Apostle goes through variety of things, that may seeme to bee able to separate us, but nothing can, and seeing nothing can separate you, you shall have alway Sap, that is, Grace, it shall never be taken from you, when once you have it. So that, if a member may be cut off from Christs body, it might perish and die, but as Christ dies no more, so every one in Christ dies no more; Rom. 6.9. Christ dies no more, so every one in him dies no more: that is, he lives as Christ lives: Therefore, if there can be no disjunction from Christ, thou mayest comfort thy selfe, thou shalt have grace for ever. Therefore comfort your selves, my Brethren, with these words, Doe you regard an Inheritance above a Lease, because an Inheritance is a constant thing? Doe you regard Pearles above Flowers, because they will not wither? Why then doe you not get Grace, which is so constant a thing. Be not discouraged, give not over your fight; for, seeing Grace shall never have an end in you, you shall be sure to overcome, you may have many an hard bickering, but you are sure to hold out. Discouragement is a great meanes to make a man sit still; I shall never get victory over my sinnes, and then I shall be cut off. No, it is impossible, when it is once planted, it shall grow, thou shalt have the victory.
Vse 6.Sixthly, if comming to Christ, we shall have another nature,Be not discouraged with the difficultie of any duty. then be not discouraged to set upon so holy a worke. Indeed, if this necessity were laid on thee, to serve God in newnesse of life with an old heart, it were an hard taske, and very intollerable, thou hadst reason to sit down and never attempt it. But this is for comfort, Thou shalt have another nature. All difficultie ariseth from disproportion, betweene the facultie and the object, or the thing to be done. As for a man of a shallow understanding, to be put to study an hard thing, the difficulty is, there is no proportion betweene his understanding and the burthen of the thing: lay a great burthen on a childe, and he cannot beare it, but were he as strong as the burthen, it were nothing. If God should impose on thee newnesse of life, and suffer thee to keepe thy old nature, it were an hard taske, and thou wilt never performe it, thou wilt find that difficulty in it by reason of the disproportion betweene thy nature and the duty; but seeing thou shalt have another nature, be not discouraged, goe on with comfort, and remember that the best nature in the world, if God change it not, will not serve the turne. And the worse nature, if thou thinkest thou hast a worse nature than others, if hee will change it, hee is able to do it, with readinesse and facility, therefore be not discouraged
Againe, if thy nature be changed, thou must be comforted: Comfort your selves in this, that you have another nature (and so wee will end this point) for it is a very great comfort,Vse 7. A change of nature is a ground of comfort.a comfort beyond that which perhaps you imagine, for the Saints are too slow, too backward to consider their consolations, their priviledges, the glorious condition they are in: therefore glory in that, comfort thy selfe in that, that thou hast another nature given thee.
But,Quest. you will say, what benefit have I by that?
I will not stand on it,Answ. but name one place, Iames 1.18. He hath begot us againe with the Word of truth, that we should be a kinde of first fruits of his Creatures: that is, he hath given us another Nature: And what doe wee get by that? By this meanes you are made Primitiae, the first fruits of his Creatures.
There are two things in that, when wee are said to be first fruits, we are the creame and the prime of all his Creatures, as the first fruits were the creame of all the field, the top of all the Creatures of God; and is not that a glorious condition that Nature puts us into, that be changed, that it will make you the highest in that kinde, this is a great priviledge: there is a wonderfull difference between Angels and Devils, one is the top, and the other is the bottom, all the difference is only this, New Nature: therefore, when thou hast a New Nature, thou art put into an high and glorious condition, and this is the first sense, that wee are New Creatures.
Then there is another, by being the first fruits, you sanctifie the whole field; all the world fares the better for you; for the first fruits are, not only the best, but they sanctifie all the rest, that is, all mankind receives good from you.
When Lot was out of Sodome, it was set on fire, when the Israelites were once out of the Red-sea, the waters returned and drowned Pharaoh: So Gods children sanctifie the whole lumpe: therefore you have a great priviledge by being New Creatures: So much for this, that you must have another Nature.
Observ. 3.Now the next point is, there must be a Newnesse, Whosoever is in Christ, It must be a new Creature. Consectaries thence.let him bee a New Creature: From thence many things are to bee gathered; As first, if wee must be New Creatures, then are we redeemed from old customes,1That we are redeemed from old Customes. there is a lingring in our nature after that wee have beene long accustomed to doe, old haunts are very prevalent. Custome is as an Iron chain, to tye us to the things that are evill. Now thou must be a New Creature, Old Customes are such as Christ died to redeeme thee from, Even from the vaine conversation you have received from your Fathers. Therefore, you that are held in any by-wayes, remember that you are bound to be New Creatures, and take heed that custome prevaile not with you; for it is exceeding prevalent, because it is pleasant, as what a man is long accustomed to, is very pleasant, for custome breeds another nature, and what is so sutable to us, as things connaturall with us, and what are so, are very pleasant?
A man will be loath to come out of a thing which he hath much been accustomed to;Custome hath many advantages against us. First, it wins off our Iudgements,1It gaines upon our judgements. off our opinions, and that is the reason why young men are not able to judge, and other men that are accustomed to evill courses have judged already, and will not judge againe; and by this meanes custome prevailes exceedingly, for it is not onelyonly pleasant, but it wins off our Iudgement.
Againe,2It is troublesome to alter it. it is exceeding troublesome to change, when a man is accustomed in a thing, it is easie to continue in that course, but to goe out is troublesome.
And againe,3We plead for it. wee thinke it a disparagement, what have wee lived thus long, thus many yeares together in this tract, and shall I now change it?
And which is worse than all the rest:4It breeds Senselesnesse. Custome breeds a senselesnesse; Take heed that you be not hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sinne: that Custome takes not away all sense; Consuetudo peccandi tollit sensum peccati; It is not an easie thing to leave an old custome; but remember, that if you be in Christ, you must be New Creatures: He shed his bloud to redeeme you from sinne, that is, hee hath paid a deare price to redeeme you from the bondage of customes, from your old Conversation; therefore doe not say you have long done it, and will doe it still, Ant…qua consuetudo, is nothing else but vetustas erroris: Men doe excuse their evill actions from their custome in them, but know it is no good excuse, to excuse second errours with a former.
Doest thou thinke it a good excuse to say, I have done it thus long, and therefore will doe it still? Yeeld not to it, but know, thou oughtest to be changed, have this still in thy minde, thou must have a new Nature, thou art redeemed from thy old customes: And this I speake not only to the old, but to the young. I call it old, not because men have long continued in it, but because it is sutable to the old nature. You should therefore rather make a contrary use of it, and be ready to say, seeing I have continued in such a course so long, it is time for me to alter; it is enough and too much that I have spent so much time amisse, I have suffered Christ to want, and knocke till his head be wet with the dew, he shall wait no longer, I will now open to him; for therefore are we New Creatures, that wee may bee redeemed and freed from these old customes.
Consect. 2.Secondly, if thou must be New, then let it not seeme strange to thee,Wonder not that the world wonders at thee. that the world wonders at thee; for any thing that is new, wee are apt to wonder at, as at new Stars that have not appeared before, and at new fashions. This is the condition of all Saints to be wondred at, I and the children whom thou hast given mee, are as signes and wonders in Israel. If it were among Turkes it were another matter, but it is so in Israel.
Be not discouraged for this, make account of it, the world will wonder at New Creatures, and let it not seeme strange; for when thou knowest that all the world lyes in wickednesse, as in the 1 Ioh. 5.19. And knowest that thou art a New Creature, why wilt thou be discouraged? Let the Mathematitian be working according to his Art, he drawes lines according to his Rule, if a Country-man laugh at him, will he give over, and be discouraged? He will not doe so, for he knowes it is the mans ignorance: so if thou approvest thy selfe to God, if thou keepest a good conscience in all things, towards God, and towards men, the world will wonder at it, yet thou goest by Rule, it is their ignorance, it seemes strange to them, and therefore they speake evill; It is the multitude that doth it, and the multitude doth alway cast shame on that, which shames them: know it is the fashion of the world to do so, the life of the Saints is a secret censure, now there is no way for the world to helpe themselves, but to blemish that which shames them, to cast shame on that, to blemish that as much as can be.
Therefore the old world doth put away all, that may discover them: As the Painter when he had pictured a Cocke very ill, commands his Boy to drive away all true Cockes from the picture; for, saith he, if they come neere it, all men will see what a bungler I am, but if no true Cockes come neere, it may passe well enough: After this manner doth the world, As long as no New Creature comes neere, their oldnesse is not seene, it is not taken notice of, they doe well enough, but if there be one in a Countrey or Towne, or one of a Societie, whose course is of another fashion, that hath another life, that is, a New Creature, when he stands by, the old will appeare, and they will have it driven away: I would the times were not such as that I need presse this.
Indeed it is a great weaknesse to be discouraged in the wayes of God, and to be ashamed of that which should be our glory. It hath alway beene the manner of the world, and that may comfort thee; for the world is as the Sea that casts out Pearles, but this is thy comfort, some will gather them up, some know them to bee Pearles, and prize them so, though the world casts them out as mud, yet the Lord knowes what thou art, The world loves her own, but what is not like themselves, the world cannot love; as the Aethiopians picture Angels blacke and Devils white; so doth the old world, what is blacke like themselves, they reckon beautifull, but they that have the true beauty they honour not, because they are not like them.
Therefore, if thou findest ill entertainment in the world, thou must know, every New Creature shall have it: And let me say this of the old world, that are ready to cast shame on the New Creatures, you say you doe it not to the New Creatures, not to them that are religious, but you doe it to Hypocrites: Let me say thus much to you before I passe this point. Those men whom of all others you may thinke not to be New Creatures, may be the best men; as a Philosopher answered, and it was a wise answer, when an ignorant man asked him, who was an happy man, whereas men reckon Kings and Princes happy men? He answered, Hee that of all others, thou thinkest most happy, may bee most unhappy; and hee whom thou thinkest most unhappy, may be most happy: So those that be disliked for the most part, are these New Creatures, and those men spoke well of, are of another stocke, like themselves.
Thirdly,Consect. 3. if we must be New Creatures, then pull downe all that is old;Pull downe all that is old. for whatsoever is old must be rejected, a man must in every thing be another man than hee was: So as thou mayest say, I had such a lust, such a disposition, my delight was in such things, such men, such company; now I am changed, all is made new. So that thy businesse is to pull downe now, and to build up, that is the businesse of every man to be still plucking downe the old building, whatsoever is old, whatsoever is in thy selfe, in thy old selfe, thou must be emptied off, and thou must be new, that is, Thou must purge out the old leaven, 1 Cor. 5.7. Purge out the old leaven, for Christ your Passeover is offered: If that was to be done for the shadow, must it not bee done for the substance. The Apostle presseth it so, Purge out all the old leaven, all must be purged, all old things must bee taken away; there was a strait charge that they must search their houses, yea, every corner of their cup-boord, not any place should be left unsearched, and it was to be done exactly, that in the least corner there should be no leaven left: So thou must search all the corners of thy heart, all the turnings of thy conversation, the old leaven must be purged out of all, out of thy understanding, out of thy tongue, there must be no more thy old speech and language, out of thine eyes, there must be no more wantonnesse; out of thine eares, every part of the old man, of the old leaven, must be purged out of the whole Soule, there is no question of that, and of thy body too; all the manner of conversation must be holy; all old leaven must be purged out, because it is old leaven; and you must keepe the Passeover with that which is new, with new dough, with the New Creature.
For Sinne is like old leaven, now leaven when it is old is the worst, as every thing gets strength from their age, and it is of that nature, that if they doe not purge it out, it will leaven the whole lumpe: If there be any jot of leaven left, it shall sower all thy heart. Sinne is like a fretting leprosie that will runne over all; So leaven is strong, it sowres quickly and speedily.
Object.But, you will say, How shall I doe that, then I shall be free from all sinne?
Answ.The meaning is, thou must dislike all, Sinne must be put out of possession, it must be emptied forth, thou must be in warre with it all, that is, thou must resist all, if any be not purged out, that thou sufferest it to lye quietly without resisting, it will leaven the whole, therefore purge all out.
But must all the old building bee pulled downe;Quest. Is there nothing to be left there? what shall we doe with our naturall dispositions?
You must know,Answ. that only the oldnesse is to be taken away, but the nature it selfe is to continue, there is much use of nature, only you must know, grace takes away the obliquity, the oldnesse, the sowrenesse of it, and puts a sweetnesse into it. As a ship under saile, the wind is profitable to drive the ship, else it will not goe, all the matter is in the Rudder, that it be turned the right way. So Nature, the strength of nature, affections, or whatsoever they be, are like the wind to drive the ship, thou mayst retaine them, only godlinesse must sit at the Sterne, the obliquity must be taken away, the nature must be left, thou must so pull downe the old building, that the same materials may be used againe, the naturall affections may continue in thee still, but there must be another Auriga, another to drive them, and that is this Newnesse.
For example, a man is naturally sad, he may continue this, the oldnes of that is, that it spends it selfe in earthly sorrow and worldly discontent, when grace comes, when the new man comes, it powres it selfe forth in Prayer, Is any man sad? Let him pray.
So it may be thou art naturally merry, grace takes not away this disposition, but whereas before it was spent in vanity; now he that is merry sings Psalmes; Let him that is merry sing Psalmes; that is, a mans merrinesse is turned to an holy cheerefulnesse, the dissolutenesse is taken away, but the disposition continues still: Religio est laeta; though not, dissoluta. So it may be thou art of a facile nature, before it was to evill, thou wast ready to be drawne away by evill, when grace comes, thou must be facile to good. It may be thou hast a sturdy disposition, full of metall, and courage, whereas before it was to attempt evill things with much violence, now it is set on good enterprizes with as much zeale, so there is nothing to be pulled downe, onelyonly the oldnesse must be taken away▪
The end of the Fifth Sermon.