The Substance of Christian Religion, Lecture 33
The thirty third Lords day.
Ephes. 4. 20, 21, 22.
Verse 20 But ye have not so learned Christ:
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Iesus.
22. That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts:
THe Apostle is here taken up in that most weighty exhoration, whereby he began at the entry of this Chapter to stirre up Christians to that conversation, which agreeth unto their calling unto Christianity. And this exhortation he began verse 17. to illustrate from a comparison of unlike things. And the parties that are compared, are Christians, and other people: The quality wherein they are compared, is their manner and way of living. The unlikeness in this quality, is either in the principles and causes of living, or in their effects. As to their principles, Heathens are said to have all their faculties corrupted; and as to the faith, all their actions and motions are deformed. On the contrary, all the faculties of a Christian are renewed, and the motions of them holy and honest. The reddition or second part of this comparison, which belongs to Christians, is contained in these five verses, wherein the unlike condition of Christians and unbelievers is explained: 1. From its external cause, which is the Doctrine and Discipline of the Gospell, verses 20, 21. 2. From the internal causes, which is conversion and sanctification. This again consists of two parts: 1. The mortification and laying off of the old man. 2. Its vivification and putting on of the new man; that is, renovation of the whole man, each part is illustrated by its description, which are from their effects. The effects of the old man are corruptions and errours, verse 22. Of the new man, righteousness and holiness, v. 23, 24.
Doct. 1. There is a great unlikenesse of condition and life between men regenerated and unregenerated.
This is gathered from the scope of the Text, and these words; the old man, and the new man, as if a man were not the same man after regeneration, that he was before. Hither belong all these comparisons which through most of the Proverbs of Solomon are made between the godly and ungodly. It is pointed at also every where in the New Testament, and also in the Old, by the difference between light and darknesse, and between a quick man and a dead, and between one that being defiled with all sort of uncleannesse, like the Sow that wallowes in the mire, and one that is washed and cleansed.
Reas. 1. Because they have a diverse nature; believers being made partakers of the divine nature, 2 Pet. 1. 4. and unbelievers are scarcely to be said to have a mans nature in a moral consideration. Hither belongs it, that the Apostle every where teacheth that believers are led and governed by the Spirit of God, to walk thereafter; and that unbelievers are led by their own flesh.
Reas. 2. Because as the internal principle of operations is quite unlike; so also the outward rule of all their conversation is quite contrary; the regenerate ordering his whole life after the will of God revealed in his Word; the unregenerate after his owne suggestions, and corrupt imaginations, or worldly opinions.
Reas. 3. Because the end to which they tend, is unlike and contrary; the regenerate breathing after God and Heaven, as he is called to the hope of eternal life; the unregenerate seeking himself, and this present world. Hither belongs it, that the unregenerate are said to be of this world; but the regenerate Citizens of Heaven it self, Phil. 3. 20. and often elswhere.
Use 1. Of Reproof. of such as will be thought, and think themselves perhaps true believers and regenerate, when yet in their whole conversation scarce any thing can be marked, which is not common to them, and unregenerate persons.
Use 2. Of Comfort, for the godly, that lead a life worthy of Christian profession, but are sometimes from infirmity troubled, because most with whom they live, or have to do, become strange to them; and make it plain that they are offended some way with the strictnesse of their conversation; which offence ariseth properly from this unlikenesse of conversation, whereby the corrupt walking of others according to the fashions of the world, are tacitly reproved, Ephes. 5. Now this unlikenesse ought to be our greatest comfort, as it is a sign of our regeration.
Use 3. Of Exhortation, that by change of our life and conversation, we may more and more study to shew unto others, and confirme unto our selves this grace of our regeneration, whereunto we are called in Christ.
Doct. 2. Th… cause of this unlikenesse of regenerate from unregen…rate, is the Doctrine of the Gospell.
It is in the Text clear enough.
Reas. 1. Because the Doctrine of the Gospell teacheth us to deny all ungodlinesse, and worldlinesse, and to live holily, …. 2. 12.
Reas. 2. Because the mighty and powerfull operation of the Holy Spirit is present with the preaching of the Gospell, for producing this change in man; for which cause it is called the Ministry of the Spirit, and the Law of the Spirit of life, and the Arme of God.
Reas. 3. Because the proper power of faith is to cleanse the hearts of those that it is in, Act… 5. 9. and to make us from our hearts to harken to the Doctrine unto which we were delivered, R…m 6. 17.
Use, Of Admonition. that we beware least by hearing in vain the preaching of the Gospell, without this fruit of conversion and change of life, we perniciously deceive our selves.
Doct. 3. One part of this conversion made by the Gospell, is mortification of all our corrupt dispositions and customes.
It is gathered from verse 22. where by the old man, all the corrupt dispositions are understood, because they possessing all the parts and faculties of the man from our birth, and that with dominion and power over us to keep us still under them, do therefore carry the name of the old man iustly, and that for these reasons. 1. Because they thus possessed us from the beginning of our conception. 2. Because they ought by Christians to be esteemed as things old, and useless, and to be put off, and laid away: And that,
Reas. 1. Because the end of Christ's death, and the Gospell it self, is to dissolve the workes of the Devill, …oh. 3. 8. And these inordinate dispositions and customes are amongst the first and chief works of the Devill.
Reas. 2▪ Because by these we were separated from God; and the Gospell calls us and drawes us to God again; and therefore to lay these aside.
Reas. 3. Because life and obedience cannot have place in such, as these lusts and customes have power in; and the Gospell calls us to a spiritual life, and a new obedience.
Use 1. Of R…proof▪ of such, as would have themselves thought regenerate, when yet they are the servants of such carnal lusts.
Use 2. Of Exhortation, that we manfully set our selves not onelyonly to repress such lusts, but quite also to root them out. Now the old man is mortified, 1. By that firme and constant purpose of changing our life, which is effectually begun in our first repentance, and dayly ought to be renewed, and extended to all new emergencies. 2. By the vertue of Christ's death applied to us by faith, whence our old man is said to be crucified with Christ; and it may be rightly added, with the same nailes, that Christ was crucified with. For Christ was fastned unto the Cross, partly because of the guilt of our sins; partly out of the love of the Father to us, that we might be saved: partly out of Christ's▪ owne love to us, whereby he was willing to lay down his life for us. And by the earnest meditation of these things, the power of sin is most diminished in us. 3. By the power of the Holy Spirit, to whom we ough… to give up our selves, in the use of all the meanes ordained of God, whereby he useth to put forth his powerfull working.
Doct. 4. The other part of this conversion, is vivification, or renewing of the inward man.
By the inward, new, or renewed man, are understood the new dispositions, that are agreeable unto the will of God: They are called the man, as these other dispositions were, because they should be diffused over the whole man, as they were. And they are called the new man partly in respect to order, because they follow the other; partly in respect of their excellency, because they are so much better than the other, as new things are to old, out-worn, and decayed things; in which respect, many things of greater excellency than others are called new, in comparison to the other. And this new man is said both to be repaired, and to be put on, because as these inward dispositions in the spirit of our minde are acquired, they are the renewing of the man, and the innerman, verse 23. and the same is said to be put on as a garment, as both outwardly and inwardly it hath full hold of us, and wrappes us wholly up in it self, so that it containes not oney imputed righteousnesse, but together also that of inherence, which consists in the actions of a new obedience.
Reas. 1. This new man must be put on, because it is according to God, or the image of God, as it is in the Text. For it is our duty in our whole life to live unto God, and to aspire to be like to the image of God, according to which we were created, and whereunto we are now again called.
Reas. 2. Because in this new man, or in this image of God our spiritual perfection consisteth, and so are almost the chief parts of our glorification.
Reas. 3. Because as by this image we please God, who delighteth in his owne image; so by the same alone we are made fit, and apt to glorifie God as we ought.
Reas. 4. Because we cannot be freed from the corruption and perversenesse of the old man, but by vertue of this new man, as darkness is not removed out of this or that place but by letting in of light.
Use, That with all care and by all means sanctified of God for this end, we may more and more labour to put on this new man. Now he is put on. 1. By virue of that effectual desire & purpose we have to please God in our first repentance. 2. By vertue of Christ's resurection applied to us by faith. 3. By vertue of the Holy Spirit given us in the word of Christ, and in his Sacraments.
Doct. 5. The old man brings us errours and coruptions; and the new man brings forth righteousnesse and true holinesse, verses 22, 23.
The old man corrupts 1. The understanding with all secret errours. 2. The other faculties, by all sorts of lusts and concupiscences. 3. The life and conversation, by all sort of misleadings from the right way. In all these there is corruption properly so called, because there is want of such a life and perfection, as should not be wanting; and a perturbation of that order that belongs to the state of perfection. Now that the new man produceth the workes of righteousnesse and holinesse, appears by these reasons.
Reas. 1. Because he observes the rule of righteousnesse, which is the Law of God.
Reas. 2. Because he belongs to our spiritual perfection, wherein we resemble the divine nature, according to our proportion which is our holinesse.
Reas. 3. Because he brings alwayes forth kindly fruits, or like unto himself, seeking both his owne conservation and improvement from the common conspiration of all our inclinations.
Use, Of Exhortation, that with the same care and zeal we may labour for the mortification of the old man and vivification of the new, wherewith we desire to shun corruption and death, and to attaine unto an holy and blessed perfection.