Sermons Preached Upon Several Occasions, Sermon 4
SERMON IV.
PHILIP. 1. 21. For to me to live is Chriſt, and to die is gain.
DOCT. Chriſt is a Believers Life.
THat's the Propoſition in hand: I have concluded the Doctrinal part the laſt day, and I made Application. I put you upon examination, to ſee whether the life of Chriſt be in you or no: It is not enough to have a name to live, for many ſhall come from the Eaſt and Weſt, and ſhall ſit down with Abraham, when the children of the Kingdom ſhall be caſt out into utter darkneſs; and therefore you that have a name to live, examine whether is Chriſt your life or no. But to proceed by way of Inſtruction,
Ʋſe 3. Let us take notice, in the third place, of the excellent ſtate of every Believer; I ſay, take notice of the excellent ſtate of every Believer that is made partaker of the life of Jeſus Chriſt. If the life of nature be ſo excellent, and makes the creature ſo excellent in its kind, why then how excellent is this life of Chriſt, which is communicated and made over unto his people? I ſay, the life of nature is ſo excellent, as that the leaſt worm that creeps upon the earth, is of more noble account than the Sun in the Firmament; the moſt inanimate creature in all the world is worth the Sun, in reſpect of its life; truly, the meaneſt of Saints, he that is leaſt in his own eye, and it may be, in the eye of the world, he is moſt excellent in the eye of God, in the eye of Saints and Angels; I ſay, in the eye of the inviſible world, he is more excellent than the greateſt man on earth, that ſhines with the greateſt worldly glory that can be, for why? this little worm hath life, this worm Jacob hath life; whereas a natural man is dead, and without life; in Eccleſ. 9. 4. A live Dog is better than a dead Lion; Why, Brethren, it is true in this ſenſe alſo; the woman of Canaan knew ſhe was called Dog, and ſo ſhe was in reſpect of her outward condition, for ſhe was one of the out-caſt Gentiles, a ſtranger to the children, not worthy to eat of the crumbs of the Table; but though ſhe was a Dog, ſhe was a living Dog, and though a Dog, yet ſhe was accounted by Chriſt far better than the great Rabbies of the World, ſhe was a living Dog, though they were but dead Lions, and ſhe ſhall ſhine in the Firmament, whenas the dead Lions of the World ſhall rot and their carcaſſes; the living Shrub that ſhall grow and flouriſh, when the dead Oak ſhall be cut down and made fuel for the fire. And therefore, I beſeech you Brethren, that you would learn by this how to judge of your ſelves, and how to judge of others, and not according to that mean condition that (happily) God hath caſt you in, in the World; but by that principle of life which is within you: if Chriſt be your life, if Chriſt be in you the hope of Glory, why, though in reſpect of your natural life and outward accommodations, your life is but as the life of a worm, yet your ſpiritual life being in you, is a life better than the life of Angels, which is a ſpark of the life of Chriſt himſelf, of God himſelf; which though their life be hid, it's hid with God in Chriſt, And when Chriſt who is your life ſhall appear, then ſhall you alſo appear with him in Glory; and therefore notwithſtanding all thoſe hinderances of Clouds in the World that are caſt upon you, yet know that this your life is hid with Chriſt in God. So much by way of Inſtruction.
Ʋſe 4. A word of Exhortation, And firſt of all I ſhall ſpeak unto ſuch as are ſtrangers unto the life of Chriſt. And Secondly, To thoſe in whom Chriſt is a principle of life.
1. Firſt of all, To thoſe that are ſtrangers to the life of Chriſt. My deſire and requeſt is, That the Lord would cauſe you to come to Chriſt for life, the Father hath made him the principle of life unto all that ſhall live in his ſight; you that are dead in ſins and treſpaſſes, that it may be eaſily ſeen and ſaid of you, that the World is your life, and that your luſts are your life, that your life is bound up in creatures, and not in Chriſt; I beſeech you, that you would this day come to Chriſt that he may give you life; know it, that the Lord doth this day tender life to you, the Lord Chriſt ſtands weeping over you in this Ordinance, as ſometimes he wept over Lazarus, in John 11. 35. Jeſus wept. And truly I may ſay, Chriſt ſtands weeping over you; poor ſinners that are ſtanding with your treſpaſſes and ſins, the Lord Chriſt ſtands weeping over you, he ſounds forth this Word, Awake thou that ſleepeſt, and ſtand up from the dead, and Chriſt ſhall give thee life: know that you are in a dead ſleep; ſuch as are ſtrangers to the life of Chriſt▪ they are like men in a ſleep; they are filled with fancies and dreams, and conceits, that they have life and ſtrength, righteouſneſs and glory, they dream of a Feaſt, but when they awake they are hungry; thou conceiteſt thou art Rich, and ſtand'ſt in need of nothing, and knoweſt not that thou art poor, miſerable, blind and naked: now it is to you that the Lord ſaies, Ariſe, awake thou that ſleepeſt; it is high time we ſhould awake, the Apoſtle ſaies, The night is paſt, the day is at hand, and therefore it is high time that men ſhould awake; there is a glorious day that the Goſpel ſhall now ſhine, in which the Lord makes gracious diſcoveries of himſelf; light ſhines round about you, and therefore awake thou that ſleepeſt: It is a ſhame for men to lie a bed Sleeping and Snorting when the Sun ſhines on their faces, and calls them to labour: what a ſhame is it for men to lie aſleep in the day of the Goſpel, when the Sun hath riſen and viſited our coaſts? O know! the Lord bids thee to awake, and ſtand up from the dead thou that ſleepeſt; I beſeech you, be not found amongſt the dead; when God ſhall find you amongſt the dead, for him then to caſt you among the dead, and bury you out of his ſight, caſt you for ever out of his ſight to Eternity; O let this awaken your ſouls, when God calls you to awake.
Object. But you will ſay, If we be dead men, why do you ſpeak to us? Can the dead ariſe? Can the dead hear the voice? Why do you bid us ſtand up and awake, if we be as dead men?
Anſw. I Anſwer, It is true there is no principle of life in a natural man: the Lord doth not ſpeak to you, becauſe you have a principle of life in you, he doth not ſpeak to you, becauſe you have life in you, but he ſpeaks that ſo you may live, he ſpeaks that ſo he may convey life to you, for you muſt know that the Lord Jeſus is the Prince of life, he is the Lord of life, he can command life, he gives life by his Word, he gives life by the breath of his mouth; and therefore know it is not an empty word, when the Lord calls upon you to live and to ſtand up, for he that ſpeaks to you is the Lord of life. When Chriſt ſpake to Lazarus, Come forth, he knew Lazarus had no power of himſelf to come forth, but when he ſpeaks, he gives life to Lazarus and enables him to live, and to ariſe, and ſo he comes out of his Grave; Why, ſo it is, the Lord Jeſus ſpeaks and call upon you to live, and he will give you life: it is the prerogative of God, he calls things that are not, as if they were; he ſpeaks to dead men as if they were alive; and when the Lord ſpeaks he acts upon the ſoul; there is an effectual operation in the Spirit of Chriſt that goes along to the giving of life to every ſoul that belongs unto God by the Word of the Lord. If a man go to a heap of Wood, and he commands the Wood to burn, he may command long enough before he ſhall ſee any ſuch effect upon it; but if this man take fire in his hand, fire in one hand, and bellows in the other, and lay fire to the wood, and blow upon the fire, he ſhall preſently ſee it ariſe up to a flame: And thus the Lord ſoeaks, his Word is not an empty Word, but he carries fire along with it: when he ſaies, O ſoul live! O ſoul be inflamed with deſire after it! this is not an empty word, but there is efficacy goes along with it, the Lord pours out (going along with it) pours out a ſpirit of burning, and breaths upon the ſame Word, with command that ſparks be blown up to a mighty flame; ſo that the Lord ſpeaks, and when he ſpeaks, his words are not in vain; when he ſpeaks that he would have you to live, do not you make objections againſt the life of Chriſt, do not ſay we are dead creatures, how ſhould we live? Conſider what Abraham did; it is ſaid, He conſidered not his own body, when it was dead, neither the deadneſs of Sarahs womb; he did not look upon it, in Rom. 4. 19. Not being weak in Faith; it is ſaid he conſidered not his own body now dead, dead as to generation, nor the deadneſs of Sarahs womb, but he eyed the Word of the Lord, the faithfulneſs and truth of God in his Word, he lookt to the all-ſufficiency of that God which had promiſed, he knew that he was able to perform what he had ſpoken, though it ſeemed never ſo unlikely unto ſenſe, therefore he ſtaggered not at the promiſe through unbelief, but he was ſtrong in faith giving glory to God: and ſo alſo you poor creatures, do not look ſo much upon your own deadneſs, but know that God can out of very ſtones raiſe up children unto Abraham, he can quicken thee by the Word of his mouth, and the breath of his noſtrils: though thou lieſt before him as Adam did, who was as a lump of clay, liveleſs and uſeleſs, but the Lord made a body thereof, and made it to become a living body; though thou art dead, the Lord can breath life in thee by the Word of his Spirit, and ſo it ſhall burn unto Eternity; all the life and breathings, and motions of the Spirit after the Lord, theſe are kindled by the Spirit of the Lord: therefore look not ſo much after thine own deadneſs, but look to the faithfulneſs of him that hath promiſed, that thou maiſt not ſtagger at the Promiſe through unbelief.
Object. But I am not only without the life of Chriſt, ſaith ſome poor guilty ſinner, but I have been an enemy to the life of Chriſt, I have oppoſed the life of Chriſt both in my own ſoul and others; I have ſmothered thoſe motions of the Spirit, that he hath often caſt in, I have perſecuted the appearances of the life of Chriſt in others, and the Lord cauſe me to lie under the apprehenſion of the guilt of it, and now I am ready to think and conclude that I am caſt out of ſight, the time of life is paſt, and the Lord hath for ever excluded me, and ſhut me under death, darkneſs and horror; I ſhall not ſee the life of Chriſt.
Anſw. Why even to thee let me ſay that eternal life is the free gift of God, I ſay, this life is the free gift of God, there is no gift more free than this life which God doth impart unto poor ſinners: It was ſaid when Chriſt aſcended up on high, he led Captivity Captive, and he received gifts for men, even for the rebellious alſo, that God might dwell amongſt them: Chriſt received life for Rebels, he received gifts for Rebels, and this was not the leaſt of gifts, this was the greateſt of gifts that Chriſt received for Rebels, this gift of life: and therefore you ſhall ſee how Chriſt gave life unto that evil generation that did ſo perſecute him even to the very death; though they cut him off from the Land of the living, as not being worthy to live among them, yet to many of thoſe that were the chief actors, the chief inſtruments of the Crucifying of the Lord of life, there was life given them; as we may ſee by thoſe that were converted at Peter's Sermon, and made partakers of the death of Chriſt and life of Chriſt; the Apoſtle tells them in Acts 2. 23. He was delivered by the determinate counſel and fore-knowledge of God▪ him ye have taken, and by wicked hands have Crucified and ſlain: And afterwards in that Chapter you ſhall read that even thoſe he ſpeaks to here, at Verſe 37. were converted, life was diſpenſed to them, pardon to them, mercy to them, grace to them, even to them that had with wicked and cruel hands ſlain and crucified the Lord of life and glory; and therefore alſo Chriſt ſaies in John 6. That he came to give his life for the World; he gave his fleſh for the life of the world; the world that lay in wickedneſs, that was in darkneſs, that was filled with enmity againſt Chriſt, and againſt his people whilſt they were here in the world; Chriſt gave his fleſh to be life unto the world, therefore ſee that eternal life is the gift of God: he gives it ſo freely to Rebels, to ſuch who had their hands embrewed in his blood, that had with wicked hands crucified and ſlain him. See what a door of Hope is ſet open for poor guilty ſinners that they may come in and be made partakers of this life of Chriſt.
Object. But it may be that ſoul will further Object and ſay; I have not only been an enemy to the life of Chriſt, but I have continued ſo long dead in ſins and treſpaſſes, that when I look upon my condition, it ſeems unto me like unto the ſtate of dead and dry bones, and I am ready to ſay, Is it poſſible that ſuch dead and dry bones ſhould live, that have lain ſo long in the Grave of ſin, ſo long rotting and ſtinking in their luſts, is it poſſible that ſuch ſhould live?
Anſw. Let me tell you That the Lord carries on his work, though under great diſadvantages; that Parable or Viſion that was repreſented to the Prophet Ezekiel, concerning the Jews, is very remarkable, in Ezek. 37. 3. And he ſaid unto me, Son of man can theſe bones live? And I anſwered, O Lord, thou knoweſt; Go Propheſie upon them, and the Lord ſaies then he would give life unto them: I know no way how they ſhall live, it is beyond the reach of the creature to know, thou art infinite in wiſdom and power, O Lord thou knoweſt the way how to give life and being to them; Well, ſaies God, they ſhall live; the Lord often gives life to ſuch poor creatures in ſuch a condition when they are like unto dead and dry bones, when furtheſt from life: the skin was not only broken, and the fleſh conſumed, and the bones looſned and disjointed, but they were ſcattered abroad, broken and dry, and ſo they were in ſuch an eſtate as was fartheſt off from life, but even then the Lord delights to communicate life. When Lazarus had lain four daies in the Grave, then the Lord Chriſt raiſed him up, he could have raiſed him as ſoon as his breath had gone out, but the Lord Chriſt let him go four daies, when he ſeemed to be fartheſt off from life, when his ſiſter had ſaid, Lord by this time he ſti keth; ſaies Chriſt unto her, Did not I tell thee, if thou wouldeſt believe, thou ſhouldſt ſee the glory of God? What ſaies Chriſt to the poor ſoul, when the ſoul ſaith, Lord I have lain ſo long ſtinking in my luſts, and how is it poſſible I ſhould believe? Have not I told thee (as he ſaid to Martha) that if thou wouldeſt believe, thou ſhalt ſee the glory of God, the glory of his Power and the glory of his Grace, to give life to theſe dry bones? So ſay I to you, notwithſtanding all theſe diſcouragements, go and wait upon the Lord, and ſit at the foot-ſtool of Chriſt and wait for the giving out of life, and know that Chriſt ſaid, The hour is come when they that are in their Graves ſhall hear the voice of the ſon of God and live: Sit down at Chriſts foot, and wait to hear his voice, hearken diligently when Chriſt will ſpeak, and what Chriſt will ſpeak to thy ſoul, for certainly the hour is come when ſuch as are in their Graves ſhall live: wait for the voice of Chriſt, and wait for the pourings out of the Spirit of Chriſt, the Spirit of life, and the Spirit of faith that may carry up thy ſoul to believe in Jeſus Chriſt, and know that he is the Reſurrection and the Life, and though thou beeſt never ſo dead in thy ſelf, yet by faith in Chriſt thou ſhalt live. Thus much to thoſe that are ſtrangers to the life of Chriſt.
Let me ſpeak a word to thoſe that have intereſt in Chriſt.
Ʋſe 5. If Chriſt be your life, then I beſeech you, that you would live upon Chriſt, fetch life from Chriſt, let it appear to all the world that Chriſt is your life; let it appear in all your actings, in your converſings with God, and in your converſations in the world. O that you would make Chriſt your life! What a ſhame is it that Chriſtians ſhould live no more upon Chriſt? ſee that you look unto him as your life, as your life of Righteouſneſs, as your life of Holineſs, as the life of all your Comforts, as the life of all Ordinances; live upon Chriſt, upon the ſtrength of Chriſt in all your works, and in all your duties: it's a bleſſed frame of ſpirit when the ſoul can ſay as the Apoſtle did, in Gal. 2. 20. I live, ſaies he, and yet not I, but Chriſt lives in me. When a man can ſay it is I, and yet not I, it's Chriſt that lives in me, it's the Spirit of Chriſt that ſpeaks in me, and it's the ſtrength of Chriſt that acts in me, it's the arm of Chriſt that ſupports me, and it's the wiſdom of Chriſt that guides me: it's no more I that live, it's not I that work, but it's the Spirit of Chriſt that doth all this in me, and for me: why then I fear we are debtors to this exhortation, and what a ſhame is it that we ſhould live ſo little upon Chriſt, that we ſhould live ſo much upon the creature, and ſo much upon ſelf? Truly, the Lord may take up a complaint againſt moſt of this Generation, as ſometimes he did againſt his people Iſrael; Theſe people had committed two great evils, they had forſaken me the fountain of living water, and digged to themſelves broken Ciſterns: To go for the living amongſt the dead, to live ſo much upon creatures, to live ſo much upon outward things, for a Chriſtian to have his life bound up in them, ſo as he knows not how to live without them; and ſaies, if I loſe ſuch a comfort, and am deprived of ſuch a relation, O I am undone for ever; what a diſhonour is this to Chriſt, and to that principle of life that is in you? That your life ſhould be bound up in any creature whatſoever: know that a Chriſtian cannot be undone; ſo long as Chriſt lives he lives, Chriſt can die no more, and therefore his life cannot be put out; the life of his righteouſneſs, and the life of his comforts ſhall not die, they ſhall be put out no more than the life of Chriſt is. Therefore let me deſire that you would look to Chriſt for an abundance of life, I ſay, look to Chriſt for abundance of life: it is not enough that Chriſt be a principle of life in you, but a Believer ſhould look to Chriſt for abundance of life, it was the end of his coming, I came that they might have life, ſaies he, and that they might have it more abundantly: Chriſt came that his people might have abundance of life, and therefore do not ſtraiten your ſelves, be not ſtraitened in your own bowels, when you are not ſtraitened in Chriſt, you are not ſtraitened in your principle, With thee is the fountain of life, ſaith the Pſalmiſt, and therefore in thy life we ſhall ſee life: The fountain of life is in Chriſt, and therefore there is abundance of life for all Believers; there is no man need to make ſpare of the fountain head, if a man be owner of a fountain, ſurely he need not make ſpare, he may drink abundantly, hearty draughts, and not to ſip when he hath a fountain to go to: with Chriſt is a fountain of life, he is a fountain, and a fountain ſet open; therefore I beſeech you go to Chriſt for abundance of life, let all your actings be proportionable to that principle of life that is in you: What a ſhame is it that we ſhould have a living head in Heaven, I ſay, a living head, and that we ſhould be ſuch dead members? O that the Lord would cauſe all our ſouls to look unto this Fountain, that ſo we may be filled and ſatisfied. What do you more than others? ſaies Chriſt unto his people. There is ſome ſingular thing that Chriſt expects his people ſhould do, they have a principle above others, and therefore their actings ſhould be above others; the life of a Chriſtian or a Believer, is as much above the life of the natural man, as the life of man is above the life of beaſts, or the life of a Tree or a Plant; and therefore the operation of their life is far more excellent: what a ſhame is it that it ſhould be ſaid of a Chriſtian, ſuch as profeſs the life of Chriſt, what do they more than others? Wherein do they differ from the World? What difference betwixt them, and thoſe that have their portion in this life? O my Brethren, if Chriſt be your life, then let all the breathings, and motions of your ſpirits be high, noble, and lifted up, let them be carried after God, and let all the actings of your ſpirits be in a proportion to that principle of life that is in you to Chriſt, who is your hope of glory.
But again, I beſeech you, take heed that you do nothing againſt the life of Chriſt that is in you: It is a ſin for a man to act againſt his life, againſt his natural life, to do that which may ſhorten his life, to do that which may hinder the comfort of life; and if ſo, then what an evil is it to act againſt the life of Chriſt, ſeeing the life of Chriſt is far more excellent than the life of Nature, as you heard before; it coſt Chriſt dear, that life which he communicates to his people, it coſt him his blood, it was not purchaſed without the laying down of his life, and therefore take heed that you do not act againſt him: Let Chriſtians take heed that they do not neglect communion with God; neglecting of communion, and ſleighting of communion, is an acting againſt the life of Chriſt in them; for why, the life of Chriſt comes in that way, it is maintained by the ſouls converſing with God, and therefore when a man turns his eye ſo from God, when he is looking downward, continually poring upon the things of this World, neglecting the things of Eternity, and does not eye God, and does not converſe with God in all Ordinances and Duties, why this is an obſtructing of the life of Chriſt in you.
Again, Take heed of giving way to any vanity, take heed of making bonds with ſin, that you do not ſtep out from God in the leaſt, it is deſtructive to the operation of the life of Chriſt, ſin weakens the inward man, as ſickneſſes and diſeaſes do the body; take away the natural ſtrength, that a man cannot act with that ſtrength as before: ſo it is with ſin, when the ſoul gives way to luſts and corruptions whatever they be, he weakens his own ſtrength, he entertains fellowſhip with that which is an enemy to the life of Chriſt in him.
And then take heed of giving way to ſinful paſſions and unbelief, and dejection of ſpirit, for theſe alſo are great enemies to the life of Chriſt; I ſay, dejection of ſpirit is an enemy to the life of Chriſt, as well as to the life of Nature: therefore reaſon with your paſſions, as ſometimes David did, Why art thou caſt down, O my ſoul, and why art thou ſo diſquieted within me? Know that he hath made you Kings, he hath ſet you upon the Throne that you may judge your own hearts: that holy and ſanctified reaſon may call all your inordinate luſts and paſſions to account in thy ſoul, and ſay as David did, Why art thou caſt down, O my ſoul, and why art thou diſquieted within me? Take heed of neglecting Ordinances, of ſleighting Ordinances, it is by them that the life of Chriſt is maintained and cheriſhed, they are the Pipes, they are the Golden Pipes, though empty in themſelves, yet they are the Pipes through which the Lord is pleaſed to convey life; and therefore the ſleighting of Ordinances, and caſting of them off, muſt needs make way for the hinderance of the life of Chriſt: Chriſtians ſhould take heed, I ſay, in any caſe, that they do not that which may be an obſtruction to the life of Chriſt, to the actings, and to the motion of the life of Chriſt in them.
Again, To ſay no more, Let all Believers conſider what matter of conſolation the Lord hath laid up for them in this, in that he hath made Chriſt to be their life; I ſay, what matter of ſtrong conſolation is it in the midſt of all their deaths and dangers, in the midſt of all their miſeries, in the midſt of all their corruptions and enemies, that they are compaſt about with here in the World? Here is a hidden ground of conſolation: There is a principle of life in them, Chriſt is their principle of Life, and ſuch a principle as ſhall never decay in them, they have ſuch a life as endures for ever; Why, it is comfort in the midſt of all the want of outward neceſſaries; if Chriſtians want, they have a more excellent life than creatures, and if creatures ſay natural life is better than raiment, then how much more may it be ſaid of ſpiritual life that it is better than food and raiment, and all outward things below? And ſo in the midſt of all afflictions that do lie upon Gods people at any time, they may comfort themſelves with that hidden life that is within them, though the World ſee not, the world takes no notice of it, the Lord looks upon them as excellent becauſe of that life that is within them: yea, even death it ſelf, the people of God may comfort themſelves as Job did in the thoughts of death, in the apprehenſion of death, though it ſeem never ſo terrible, they have a living Saviour; they who have intereſt in Chriſt, he is a principle of life unto them: I know that my Redeemer lives, and I ſhall ſee him again at the laſt day, ſaies Job, he lives, and he will be life to me, I ſhall ſtand up with him, and I ſhall live in his ſight, this was that which Job did ſolace his ſoul in, in the midſt of all thoſe afflictions, in the thoughts of death it ſelf, when it was preſented to him as the King of terrors, yet let the Saints rejoice in this life, for it is ſuch a life as ſhall never be put out, though it be compaſſed about: it is a life that is compaſſed about with enemies; and all that is in a man, and all that is without him, are enemies to the life of Chriſt; O how many temptations, and how many luſts and corruptions do beſet it round about every day? Well, here is comfort to every one to whom Chriſt is a principle of life, that this life of Chriſt ſhall prevail, and it ſhall continue to ſee all its enemies put under its feet, thou ſhalt live to ſee them all put under thy feet; Chriſt indeed when he came in the fleſh, was perſecuted in his very infancy, he was driven into a ſtrange Country, but he lived to ſee his enemies put under, in Matth. 2. 19. the Angel comes and tells Joſeph, he may return with ſafety, for they are dead which ſought the young Child's life, to deſtroy him: it ſhall one day be ſaid ſo unto every Believer, to every ſoul that hath intereſt in the life of Chriſt, though for a time they may be perſecuted, and hurryed and driven up and down with the luſts and corruptions of their hearts and this wicked world, yet it ſhall be ſaid one day, Lo, they are dead which ſought the Childs life. But ſo much for this time.