The Common Principles of the Christian Religion, Sermon 4
Joh. 5. 39. Search the Scriptures, for in them, &c. Eph. 2. 20. And are built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles.
AS in darknesse there is need of a Lanthorn without, and the light of the eyes within; for neither can we see in darknesse without some Lamp, though we have never so good eyes, nor yet see without eyes; though in never so clear a Sun-shine: So there is absolute need, for the guiding of our feet in the dangerous, and dark paths to Eternall life (that is full of pits and snares) of the Lamp, or Wood, written or preached, without us; and the illumination of the holy Ghost within us. These are conjoyned, Isa. 56. 21. This is my Covenant, the spirit that is upon thee, and the words that I have put in thy mouth, shal not depart out of thy mouth, nor the mouth of thy seed, &c. There are words without, and there must needs be a Spirit within, which makes us to behold the truth and grace contained in these words. There is a Law written without; with pen and ink, and there is a Law written within upon the heart, with the Spirit of the living God: The Law without is the Patern and exact copy; the Law within is the Transcript, or the Image of God upon the heart, framed and fashioned according to the similitude of it, 2 Cor. 3. 3. Heb. 8. 10. So then, there needs be no more question about the Divine Authority of the Scriptures, among those who have their senses exercised to descern between good and ill, than among men who see and taste, concerning light and darknesse, sweet & bitter. The perswasion of a Christian is fetched deeper than the reasons of men; their faith is the evidence … … not seen, its an eye, a supernaturall eye; whereby a soul beholds that Majesty and excellency of God shinning in the word, which though it shine about the rest of the World, yet it's not seen, because they cannot know it, nor descern it. Wonder not that the multitude of men cannot believe the report that is made, that there is so few who find any such excellency and sweetnesse in the Gospel as is reported, because, saith Isai. 53. 1. the arm of the Lord is not revealed to them; the hand of God must first write on their heart ere they understand the Writtings of the Scriptures, his arm must creat an eye in their souls, an eternal light, before it can behold that glorious brightnesse of Gods shinning in the word. The word is Gods testimony of himself, of his grace and mercy and good-will to mankind. Now no man can receive this testimony, unlesse it be sealed and confirmed by the holy Ghost into the heart: saith Peter, We are his witnesses of these things, and so also is the holy Ghost whom God hath given to those that obey him. Acts 5. 32. The word witnesses to the ear and the spirits testifieth to our spirits the truth and worth of that, and therefore the spirit is a seal and a witnesse. The word is the Lord's voice to his own Children: Bastards cannot know it, but my sheep hear my voice, Joh. 10 4. 16. You know no difference between the bleeting of one sheep and another, but the poor lambs know their mothers voice; there is a secret instinct of nature, that is more powerfull than many marks and signs: Even so those that are begotten of God know his voice, they descern that in it which all the world that hear it cannot descern, there is a sympathy between their souls and that living Word, that word is the immortall seed they are begotten of, and there is a naturall instinct to love that; and to mediate in it, such an inclination to it as in new born babes to the breasts, so the Children of God do desire the sincere milk of the Word, that they may grow thereby, a… they were born of it, 1 Pet. 2. 2. In these Scriptures which we read in your audience, you have something of their excellency, and our duty; there is a rich jewel in them, a precious pearl in that field, even Jesus Christ, and in him eternall life, and therefore we ought to search the Scriptures for this jewel, to dig in the field for this pearl, the Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles, is a sure foundation whereupon souls may build their eternall felicity, and the hope of it: Jesus Christ is the very chief stone in that foundation whereupon the weight of all the Saints and all their hope hangs. And therefore we ought to lean the weight of our Souls only to this truth of God, and build our faith only upon it, and square our practice only by it.
We shal speak something of the first, that it may be a spurre to the second. The Jews had some respective opinion of the word of God, they knew that in them waseternall life, they thought it a Doctrine of life and happinesse, and so cryed up Moses Writtings, but they would not believe Christs words, they erred, not understanding the Scriptures, and so set the Writtings of Moses Law at variance, with the preaching of Christs Gospel: What a pittyfull mistake was this? they thought they had eternall life in the Scriptures, and yet they did not receive nor acknowledge him whom to know was eternall life, therefore our Lord Jesus sends them back again to the Scriptures, go and search them, you think, and you think well, that in then you may find the way to eternall life, but while you seek it in them you mistake it: These Scriptures testifie of me the end of the Law, but you cannot behold the end of that Ministry, because of the blindnesse of your hearts, Rom. 10. 3. 2 Cor. 3. 14. Therefore search again, unfold the ceremonies, I am wrapt in them, and life eternall with me, dig up the Law till you find the bottome of Gods purpose in it till you find the end of the Ministration and you shal find me, the way, and truth, and life, and so you shal have that eternall life which now you do but think you have and are beguiled. While you seek it out of me, in vain you think you have it, for it is not in the Scriptures, but because they testifie of me the life and the light of men. May not this now commend the word to us? Eternall life is in it. Other Writings and discourses may tickle the ears with some pleasing eloquence, but that is vanishing, its but like a Musitians voice, some may represent some petty & momentary advantage, but how soon shal an end be put till all that? so that within a little time the advantage of all the Books of the world shal be gone. The statutes and Laws of Kings and Parliaments can reach no further then some temporall reward or punishment, their highest pain is the killing of this body, their highest reward is some evanishing and sading honour or perishing richest But he sheweth his word and judgements to us, and hath not dealt so with every nation, Psal. 147. 19. 20. And no nation under the whole heaven hath such Laws and Ordinances, eternall life and eternall death is wrapt up in them, these are rewards and punishments suitable to the Majesty and Magnificence of the eternall Law-giver. Consider I beseech you, what is folded up here, the Scriptures shew the path of life, life is of all beings most excellent, and comes nearest the blessed being of God. When we say [life] we understand a blessed life, that only deserves the name. Now this we have lost in Adam, death is past upon all men, but that death is not the worst, its but a consequence of a soul death, the immortall soul, whose life consisteth in Communion with God, & peace with him is seperated from him by sin, and so killed when its cut off from the fountain of life, what life can it have any more, than a beam that is cut off by the intervention of a dark body from the sun. Now then what a blessed Doctrine must it be that brings to light life and immortality, especially when we have so much miserably lost it, and involved our souls into an eternall death? Life is precious in it self, but much more precious to one condemned to die, to be caught out of the paws of the Lyon, to be brought back from the Gibbet. O how will that commend the favour of a little more time in the World. But then if we knew what an eternall misery we are involved into, and stand under a sentence binding us over to such an inconceivable and insupportable punishment as is the curse & wrath of God. O how precious an esteem would souls have of the Scriptures, how would they be sweet unto their soul, because they shew unto us a way of escaping that pit of misery, and a way of attaining eternall blessednesse, as satisfying and glorious, as the misery would have been vexing and tormenting. O that ye would once lay these in the ballance together, this present life and eternall life. Know ye not that your souls are created for eternity, that they will eternally survive all these present things? Now, how do ye imagine they shal live after this life? your thoughts and projects, and designs are confined within the poor narrow bounds of your time, when you die in that day your thoughts shal perish, all your imaginations and purposes, & providences shal have an end then, they reach no further then that time, & if you should wholly perish too, it were not so much matter: but for all your purposes and projects, to come to an end, when you are but beginning to live, and enter eternity, that is lamentable indeed. Therefore I say, consider what ye are doing, weigh these in a ballance eternal life, & the present life, if there were no more difference, but the continuence of the one, & shortnesse of the other, that this worlds standing is but as one day, one moment to eternity, that ought to preponderate in your souls, do we not here flee away as a shadow upon the mountains? are we not as a vapour that ascends and for a litle time appears a solid body, and then presently vanisheth? Do we not come all into the stage of the world, as for an hour to act our part and be gone, now then, what is this to endless eternity? When you have contained as long as since the World began, you are no nearer the end of it, ought not that estate then to be most in your eyes, how to lay up a foundation for the time to come. But then compare the misery and vexation of this life, with the glory and felicity of this eternall life; what are our dayes, but few and full of trouble. Or, if you will take the most blessed estate you have seen or heard of in this world, of Kings and rich men, and help all the defects of it by your imaginations: Suppose unto your selves the highth and pith of Glory, and abundance, and power that is attainable on earth, and when your fancy hath busked up such a felicitie, compare it with eternall life: O how will that vanish out of your imaginations; if so be you know any thing of the life to come, you wil even think that an odious comparison, you will think all that earthly felicitie, but light as vanity, every man at his best estate is altogether vanity. Eernall life will weigh down eternally, 2 Cor. 4. 17. 18. O but it hath an exceeding weight in it self; one moment of it, one hours possession and taste of it, but then what shal the endlesse endurance of it add to its weight? Now there are many that presume they have a right to eternall life, as the Jews did, you think, saith he, that you have it, you think well that you think its only to be found in the Scriptures, but you vainlie think that you have found it in them: And there is this reason of it, because you will not come to me that you may have life, vers. 40. If you did understand the true meaning of the Scriptures, and did not rest on the outward Letter and Ordinances, you would receive the testimonie that the Scriptures give of me. But now you hear not me the Fathers substantiall Word, therefore you have not his Word abiding in you, vers. 38. There was nothing more generall among that people than a vain carnall confidence and presumption of being Gods people, & having interest in the promise of life eternall, as it is this day in the visible Church. There is a multitude that are Christians onlie in the Letter, & not in the Spirit, that would never admit any question concerning this great matter of having eternall life, and so by not questioning it, they come to think they have it, and by degrees their conjectures and thoughts about this ariseth to the stabilitie of some faigned & strong perswasion of it. In the Old Testament the Lord strikes at the roots of their perswasions, by discovering unto them how vain a thing it was, and how abominable before him, to have an externall profession of being his people, and to glory in external Ordinances and Priviledges, & yet to neglect altogether the purging of their hearts, & consciences, from lusts and Idollis…s, & to make no conscience of walking righteously towards men: Their profession was contradicted by their practice, Will ye steal, murther, and commit adultery, and yet come and stand in my house. Jer. 7. 8. 9. doth not that say as much as if I had given you liberty to do all these abominations? Even so it is this day, the most part have no more of Christianitie but a name, they have some outward priviledges of Baptism, and hearing the Word, and, it may be, have a form of knowledge, and a form of worship, but in the mean time they are not baptized in heart, they are in all their conversation even conformed to the Heathen world; they hate personall reformation, and think it too precise and needlesse: Now, I say, such are many of you, & yet ye would not take it well to have it questioned, whether ye shal be partakers of Eternall life: you think you are wronged when that is called in question. Oh, that it were beyond all question indeed. But know assuredlie, That you are but Christians in the Letter; in the Flesh, and not in the Spirit: Many of you have not so much as a form of knowledge, have not so much as the Letter of Religion. You have heard some names in the preaching often repeated, as Christ, and God, and Faith, and Heaven, and Hell, & you know no more of these but the name; you consider not, and meditate not on them: And those who know the truth of the Word, yet the Word abideth not, nor dwelleth in you; you have it in your mouth, you have it in your minde or understanding, but it is not received in love, it doth not dwell in the heart, Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, Col. 3. 16. you have it imprisoned in your minds, and shut up into a corner where it is useless, & can do no more but witnesse against you, and scarce that; as the Gentils incarcerated and detained the truth of God, written by nature within them, in unrighteousnesse, Rom. 1. 18. So do many of you detain the knowledge of his word in unrighteousness, it hath no place in the heart, gets no libertie and freedom to walk through the affections, and so to order the conversation of men: And therefore the most part of men do but fancie to themselves an interest and right to eternall life, you think it, and do but think it; it is but a strong imagination, that hath no strength from the grounds of it, no stabilitie from any evidence or promise, but meerly from it self; or it is but a light and vain conjecture that hath no strength in it, because there is no question or doubts admitted which many try the strength of it: But then I suppose, that a man could attain some answerable walking, that he had not onlie a form of knowledge, but some reality of practice, some inward heat of affection & zeal for God and godlinesse, yet there is one thing that wants, and if it be wanting will spoil all: And it is this which Christ reproves in the Jews, You will not come to me to have life: The Scri-Scriptures testifie of me, but you receive not their testimonie. Suppose a man had as much equitie and justice towards men, piety towards God, & sobriety towards himself, as can be found among the best of men, let him be a diligent reader of the Scriptures, let him love them, & meditate on them day and night, yet if he do not come out of himself, and leave all his own righteousnesse as dung behind him, that he may be found in Jesus Christ, he hath no life, he cannot have any right to life eternall. You may think this a strange assertion, that if a man had the righteousnesse & holinesse of an Angel, yet he could not be saved without denying all that, and fleeing to Christ as an ungodly man: And you may think it as strange a supposell, that any person that reads the Scriptures, and walks righteously, and hath a zeal towards God, yet are such as will not come to Christ, and will not hear him whom the Father hath sent.
But the first is the very substance of the Gospell, There is no other Name by which men may be saved, but by Iesus Christ, Acts 4. 12. Life eternall is all within him, All the treasures of grace, and wisdom, and knowledge are seated in him, Col. 1. 19. and 2, 3. All the light of life and salvation is imbodied in this Sun of Righteousnesse, since the Eclipse of mans felicitie in the Garden. Adam was a living soul, but he lost his own life, and killed his Posterity. Christ Jesus the second common man in the world is a quickning Spirit, he hath not only life in himself, but he gives it more abundantly; and therefore you have it so often repeated in Iohn, who was the Disciple most acquainted with Christ, In him was life, and the life was the light of men, 1. 4. And he is the bread of life, that gives life to the World. Joh. 6. 33. and 35. He is the resurrection and the life, 11. 25. and The way, the truth, and life, 14. 6. The Scriptures do not contain eternall life, but in as far as they lead to him who is life, and whom to know and imbrace is eternall life: And therefore (saith he) These are they which testifie of me. Men lived immediatlie in God when he was in innocencie, he had life in himself from God; but then he began to live in himself, without dependance on God the fountain of life, and this himself being interposed between God and his life, it evanished, even as a Beam by the interveening of any grosse body between it and the Sun. Now mans light and life being thus eclipsed and cut off, the Lord is pleased to let all fulnesse dwell in his Son Jesus Christ, and The fulnesse of the God-head dwels in him bodily, Col. 2. 9. that since there was no accesse immediatly to God for life (a flamming fire, and sword of Divine Justice compassing and guarding the tree of Life, left man should touch it) there might be accesse to God in a Mediator like unto us, that we might come to him, and might have life from God by the intervention of Jesus Christ.
Look then what is in the holy Scriptures, and you shal find it but a letter of death and ministration of condemnation while it is separated from him; Christ is the very life and spirit of the Scriptures, by whose vertue they quicken our souls; if you consider the perfect Rule of Righteousnesse in the Law, you cannot find life there, because you cannot be conformed unto it; the holiest man offends in every thing, and that holy Law being violated in any thing will send thee to hell with a curse, Cursed is he that abideth not in every thing. If you look upon the promise of life, Do this and live: What comfort can you find in it, except you could find doing in your selves? And can any man living find such exact obedience as the Law requires? There is a mistake among many, They conceive that the Lord cannot be well pleased with them, if they do what they can: but be not deceived, the law of God requires perfect doing, it will not compound with thee, and came down in its tearms, not one jot of the rigour of it will be remitted: If you cannot do all that is commanded, all you do will not satisfie that promise; therefore thou must be turned over from the promise of life to the curse, and there thou shalt find thy name written: Therefore it is absolutely necessary, that Jesus Christ be made under the Law, and give obedience in all things, even to the death of the Crosse, and so be made a curse for us and sin for us, even he who knew no sin, and thus in him you find the law fulfilled, Justice satisfied, and God pleased; in him you find the promise of life, indeed established, in a better, surer way than was first propounded, you find life by his death, you find life in his dying for you: And again consider the Ceremonial Law, What were all those Sacrifices and Ceremonies? Did God delight in them? Could he savour their incense, and sweet smels, and eat the fat of Lambs and be pacified? No, he detastes and abhorres such imaginations, because that people did stay in the Letter, and went no further then the Ceremony; he declares, that it was as great abomination to him as the offering up of a Dog, while they were separated from Jesus Christ, in whom his soul rested, and was pacified; they were not expiatious, but provocatious; they were not propitiations for sin, but abominations in themselves. But take these as the shadows of such a living substance, take them as remembrances of him who was to come; and behold Jesus Christ lying in these swadling cloaths of Ceremonies untill the fulnesse of time should come that he might be manifested in the flesh, and so you shal find eternall life in those dead beasts, in those dumb Ceremonies: If you consider this Lamb of God slain in all these Sacrifices, from the beginning of the world, then you present a sweet smelling savour to God, then you offer the true propitiation for the sins of the world, then he will delight more in that sacrifice than all other personall obedience.
But what if I should say, that the Gospel it self is a killing Letter, & ministration of death, being severed from Christ? I should say nothing amisse, but what Paul speaketh, that his Gospel was a savour of death to many; take the most powerfull Preaching, the most sweet discourse, the most plain Writings of the free grace & salvation in the Gospel, take all the preachings of Jesus Christ himself and his Apostles, & you shal not find life in them, unlesse ye be led by the Spirit of Christ unto himself who is the resurrection and the life; It will no more save you than the Covenant of works; unlesse that word abide and dwell in your hearts, to make you believe in him, and imbrace him with your souls, whom God hath sent; suppose you heard all, and heard it gladly, and learned it, and could discourse well upon it, and teach others, yet if you be not driven out of your selves, out of your own righteousnesse, as well as sin, and persued to this City of refuge Jesus Christ, you have not eternal life. Your knowledge of the truth of the Gospel and your obedience to Gods Law will certainly kill you; and as certainly, as your ignorance and disobedience, unlesse you have imbraced in your soul that good thing Jesus Christ contained in these truths, who is the Diamond of that Golden Ring of the Scriptures, and unlesse your souls imbrace these promises as soul-saving, as containing the chief good, and worthy of all acceptation, as well as your mind receive these as true and faithfull sayings, 1 Tim. 1. 15.
Thus ye see Christ Jesus is either the subject of all in the Scriptures, or the end of it all, he is the very proper subject of the Gospel: Paul knew nothing but Christ crucified in his preaching; and he is the very proper end and scope of the law for righteousness, Rom. 10. 3. All the preaching of a covenant of works, all the curses and threatnings of the Bible, all the rigidexactions of obedience, all come to this one great design; not that we may set about such a walking to please God, or do something to pacifie him, but that we being concluded under, sin and wrath on the one hand, and an impossibility to save our selves on the other hand, Gal. 3. 22. Rom 5. 20, 21. may be pursued into Jesus Christ for righteousness, & life, who is both able to save us, and ready to welcome us. Therefore the Gospel opens the door of salvation, in Christ the Law is behind us with fire and sword, and destruction pursuing us, and all for this end, that sinners may come to him and have life. Thus the Law is made a Pedagogue of the soul to lead to Christ; Christ is behind us, cursing, condemning, threatning us, and he is before us with stretched-out arms, ready to receive us, blesse us and save us, inviting, promising, exhorting to come and have life. Christ is on mount Sinai, delivering the Law with thunders, Act. 7. 38. and he is on mount Sion, in the calm voice, he is both upon the mountain of cursings and blessings, and on both doing the part of a Mediator, Gal. 3. 19, 20. It is love, that is in his heart which made him first cover his Countenance with frowns and threats, and it is love that again displayes it self in his smilling countenance. Thus souls are inclosed with love pursuing, and love receiving: And thus the Law which seems most contrary to the Gospel, testifies of Christ, it gives him this testimony, that except salvation be in him, it is no where else. The Law sayes, it is not in me, seek it not in obedience, I can do nothing but destroy you, if you abide under my jurisdiction. The Ceremonies and Sacrifices say, if you can behold the end of this Ministery (if a Vail be not on your hearts, as it was on Moses face, 2 Cor. 3 13, 14) you may see where it is, its not in your obedience, but in the death & sufferings of the Son of God, whom we represent. Then the Gospel takes all these Coverings and Vails away, and gives a plain and open testimony of him, There is no Name under heaven to be saved, but by Christ's. The Old Testament speak by figures and signs, as dumb men do, but the New speaks in plain words, and with open face. Now, I say, for all this that there is no salvation but in him, yet many souls, not only those who live in their grosse sins, and have no form of godlinesse, but even the better sort of people, that have some knowledge and civility, and a kind of zeal for God, yet they do not come to him that they may have life, Rom. 10. 1, 2, 3. they do not submit to the righteousness of God. Here is the march that divides the wayes of Heaven and Hell, coming to Jesus Christ, and forsaking our selves: the confidence of these souls is chiefly or only in that little knowledge or zeal, or profession they have, they do not as really abhore themselves for their own righteousnesse as for their unrighteousnesse, they make that the covering of their nakednesse, and filthinesse, which is in it self as menstruous and unclean as any thing. It is now the very propension and naturall inclination of our hearts to stand upright in our selves: Faith bowes a souls back, and take on Christs righteousnesse, but presumption lifts up a soul upon its own bottom, How can ye believe that seek honour one of another? The engagement of the soul to its own credit or estimation, the engagement of self-love, and self-honour, do lift up a soul that it cannot submit to Gods righteousnesse, to righteousnesse in another. And therefore many do dream and think that they have eternall life, who shal awake in the end, and find that it was but a dream or night-fancy.
Now from all this, I would enforce this duty upon your consciences, to search the Scriptures, if you think to have eternall life, search them if you would know Christ, whom to know is eternal life, then again search them, for these are they that testifie of him. Searching imports diligence, much diligence, its a serious work, its not a common seeking of an easie and common thing, but its a search and scrutiny for some hidden thing, or some special thing. Its not bare reading of the Scriptures that will answer this duty, except it be diligent and daily reading, and its not that alone, except the Spirit within meditate on them, and by meditation accomplish a diligent search. There is some hidden secret that you must search for, that is inclosed within the covering of words, and sentences, there is a mystery of wisdome that you must apply your hearts to search out, Eccles. 7. 5. Jesus Christ is the Treasure that is hid in this field, O precious treasure of eternall life! Now then, souls, search into the fields of the Scriptures, Pro. 2. 4. for him as for hid treasure. It is not only truth you must seek and buy, and not sell it, but it is life you would search: Here is an object that may not only take up your understandings, but satisfie your hearts. Think not you have found all when you have found the truth there, and learned it; no, except you have found life there, you have found nothing, you have missed the treasure. If you would profite by the Scriptures, you must bring both your understandings, & your affections to them, and depart not till they both return full: If you bring your understanding to seek the truth, you may find truth, but not truly: you may find it, but you are not found of it: you may lead truth captive, and unclose it in a prison of your mind and encompasse it about with a guard of corrupt affections, that it shal have no issue, no out going to the rest of your soul and wayes, and no influence on them; you may know the truth, but you are not known of it, and brought in captivity to the obedience of it. The Treasure that is hide in the Scriptures are Jesus Christ, whose intire and perfect Name is, Way, Truth, and Life. He is a living truth and true Life: Therefore Christ is the adaequat object of the soul, commensurable to all its faculties. He has Truth in him to satisfie the mind, and he has Life and Goodness in him to satiate the heart: therefore if thou wouldst find Jesus Christ, bring thy whole soul to seek him, as Paul expresseth it. He is true and faithfull, and worthy of all acceptation, then bring thy judgement to find the light of truth, and thy affections to imbrace the life of goodnesse that is in him. Now, as much as ye find of him, so much have ye profited in the Scriptures: If you find commands there that you cannot obey, search again and you may find strength under that command; digg a little deeper, & you shal find Jesus the end of an impossible command; & when you have found him, you have found life and strength to obey, & you have found a prepitiation and sacrifice for trantgressing & not obeying. If you find curses in it, search again & you shal find Jesus Christ under that, made a curse for us; you shal find him the end of the curse, for righteousnesse to every one that believes. When you know all the Letter of the Scripture, yet you must search into the Spirit of it, that it may be imprinted into your spirits: all you know does you no good but as its received in love, unlesse your souls become a living Epistle, & the Word without be written on the heart, you have found nothing. As for you that cannot read the Scriptures, if it be possible, take that pains to learn to read them. O if you knew what they contain, & whom they bear witnesse of, you would have little quietnesse till you could read, at least his love-epistle to sinners: And if you cannot learn, be not discouraged, but if your desires within be servent, your endeavours to hear it read by others will be more earnest. But it is not so much the reading of much of it that profiteth, as the pondering of these things in our hearts, and digesting them by frequent meditation, till they become the food of the Soul: This was Davids way, and by this he grew to the stature of a tall & well-bodied Christian.