The Sinners Sanctuary, Sermon 17
SERMON XVII.
Rom. 8.5.
For they that are after the flesh, do mind the things of the flesh, &c.
THough sin hath taken up the principal and inmost Cabinet of the heart of man, though it hath fixed its Imperial Throne in the spirit of man, and makes use of all the powers and faculties in the soul to accomplish its accursed desires, and fulfill its bo…ndless lusts, yet it is not without good reason, expressed in Scripture ordinarily under the name of flesh, and a body of death, and men dead in sins, are said to be yet in the …lesh. The reason is, partly because this was the rise of mans first ruine, or the chiefest ingredient in his first sin, his hearkning to the suggestions of his flesh, against the clear light and knowledge of his spirit. The Apple was beautiful to look on, and sweet to the taste, and this eng…ged man: thus the voluntary debasement and subjection of the spirit, (which was breathed in of God,) unto the service of that dust which God had appointed to serve it, hath turned into a necessary slavery, so that the flesh being put in the Throne, cannot be cast out; and this is the righteous judgment of God upon man, that he that would not serve so good and so high a Lord, should be made a drudge and slave to the very dregs of the Creation. Partly again, because the flesh hath in it the seeds of the most part of these evil fruits which abound in the world; the most part of our corruptions have either their rise or their increase from the flesh; the most part of the evils of men are either conceived in the flesh, or brought forth by it, by the ministry and help of our degenerat spirits. And truly this is it that makes our returning to God so hard and difficult a work, because we are in the flesh, which is like stubble, disposed to conceive flame upon any sparkle of a temptation; there are so many dispositions and inclinations in the body since our fall, that are as powerful to carry us to excess and inordinatness in affection or conversation, as the natural instincts of beasts do d…ive them on to their own proper operations. You know, the flesh is oft…n times the greatest impediment that the spirit hath, because of its lumpishness, and earthly q…ality; how willing would the spirit be, how nimble and active in the wayes of obedience, if it were not …etarded, dulled, and clogged with the heavy lump of our flesh? The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak, saith Christ, Matth. 26.41. Truly I think the great re…issness, negligence, weaknes…, fainting of Christians in their race of Christianity, ariseth ordinarily from this weight that is carried about with them, that is must be some extraordinary impulse of a higher spirit, to drive us on without wearying. And because of this indisposition of the flesh, we are not able to bear much of Gods presence in this life, (it would certainly confound mortality, if so much were let out of it as is in Heaven) no more then a weak e…e can endure to behold the Sun in its brightness. An… then the flesh, as it is the greatest retardment in good, it is the greatest incitement to evil, it is a bosome-enemy, that betrays us to Satan, it is near us, and connatural to us, and this is the great advantage Satan hath of a Christian, he hath a f…iend within every Christian, that betrays him often: You know the most part of temptation… from without, could have no such force or strength against us, if there were not some predisposition in the flesh, some seeds of that evill within, if they were not presented with some suitableness to our senses, and they being once engaged on Satans side, they easily draw the whole man with them, under a false colour and pretence of friendship; therefore they are said to war against the soul, 1 Pet. 2.11. And they are said easily to beset us, Heb. 12.1. Truly it is no wonder that the enemy storm our City, when the out-works, yea, the very Ports of the City are possessed by traitors; no wonder Satan approach near the walls, with hi… temptations, when our senses, our fleshly part, is so apt to receive him, and ready to entertain all objects, without difference, that a…e suitable to affect them.
You see then how much power the flesh hath in man, so that it is no wonder that every …atural man hath this denomination, one after the flesh, one carnal, from the predomining part, though the worst part. Every man by nature, till a higher birth come, may be called all flesh, all fashioned and composed of the flesh, and after the flesh, even his spirit and mind fleshly and earthly, sunk into the flesh, and transformed into a bruitish quality or nature. Now the great purpose of the Gospel is, to bring alongs a deliverer unto your spirits, for the releasing and unsettering of them from the chains of fleshly lusts. This is the very work of Christianity, to give liberty to the captive souls of men, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, Isai. 63.1. The souls o… men are chained with their own fleshly …usts, and if at any time they can break these grosser chains, a… …ome …iner spirits have escaped out of the vilest dungeon of the flesh, and cast off these heavier chains that bind the most part o… men; yet wholly escape they cannot: There be higher and lower rooms of this prison, there are some more gross, some more sub…le c…ds and bands of the flesh; and whatsoever it be that holds a man bound, or in whatsoever house he be imprisoned, its not muc… matter, since really he is bound, and his liberty restrained. If a C…ain of Gold bind as fast as a Chain of Iron, there is no …eal difference, except that mocke…y is added unto it, when a man is detained in a Golden Prison, with Golden Chains. Though some men, I say, escape the grosser pollutions of the flesh, yet they are …ettered within some narrow, scant, and but imaginary good things, they cannot go without the compass of those; every man is confined by nature within the circle of his own narrow bosome, or if he expatiat into the field of the world; yet how narrow, how limited are all created objects, for the infinit desires of the soul, whether it tend to the enjoyment of other creatures, or to the possession of some imaginary excellency in a mans self, how straitned are they? how imprisoned in all that compass? There is no true liberty can be found there. Though some, may be, disingaged from baser lusts, and the common vain imployments of men, yet far they cannot go, they do but ingage more with themselves, the love and estimation of themselves, without that compass they cannot possibly go, whether from another principle, or to another end; and, O! how little bound… is within any created breast for the immortal spirit, that is so vast and expatiating in its desires, to dwell in?
But here is the perfect redemption that is in Jesus Christ, when he comes into the soul, he un…etters and releases it, not only of the grosser lusts of the flesh, but even of th…se subtile invisible bands of self-love, self-seeking, of all scant, narrow, and particular objects, and sets it at liberty, to expatiat in that universal good, the infinite fulness of God, and grace which is in Christ Jesus: And hence a Christian is called one after the Spirit, that is, whose spirit is rid and delivered from that natural bondage and slavery to the creatures, and is espoused, at least in affection and endeavour, to the all-sufficient and self-sufficient God.
We told you that this new nature of a Christian shews it self in affection and motion, in minding and walking; both are signs of life, and the proper actions of it. As the natural man is easily known by what he minds and savours, and what way he walks, so is the spiritual man: Minding, or savouring, comprehend…, no doubt, all the inward acts of the soul, all the imaginations, cogitations, thoughts, affections, desires and purposes of the soul: to expresse it shortly, there is a concurrence of these two, cogitation and affection; the understanding and the will in this business. The natural man knoweth not the things of the Spirit, so he cannot taste or relish them, since he doth not know them, 1 Cor. 2.14. How can they believe on him whom they have not heard? but far mo…e, how can men love and desire that which they do not know? Though it be hard to convince some that they know not God, nor the things of the Spirit, because they have some form of knowledge, and seem to understand, and can discourse in Religion; yet I wonder that the most part of men, whose ignorance is written in their forehead, with such palpable characters, should have so much difficulty to take with this challenge. I am sure, many that perswade themselves of Heaven, are yet shut up in that dungeon of natural blindness, and da…kness of mind, and that so gross and thick darkness, that it is not possible to make them conceive any notion of spiritual things; the common twilight of nature is almost exinguished, and little or nothing increased by their education in the visible Church. How can you prize and …steem Jesus Christ, of whom you know nothing but the bare name? How can you favour Heaven, when you have never admitted one serious thought of the life to come? O that ye could be perswaded that the grace of God is inconsistent with such gross ignorance, as is the generality of you; truly grace is a light shining in the soul, that opens the eyes to see that light that surrounds us in the Gospel. But will you consider, beloved, how ready you are to receive other things of no moment, how your memories can retain them, and your understandings receive other purposes very perplexed and laborious, but for the knowledge of your sin and misery, or of that blessed remedy shewed in the Gospel, we cannot make you capable of a few questions about them; and if you learn the words by heart, (as ye use to speak) yet al…ce, the matter and thing it sel…, is not in the heart or mind, you have nothing but words, as appears; if we ask about that same ma…ter in other words and terms, it is as dark and new to you, as if you had never heard it. I beseech you consider, if you do not then mind the things of the flesh most, when you are not only most capable to know these things that concern this life, but most ready to entertain such thoughts. You have no difficulty to mind the world whole weeks and years, but you can never find leasure or time to mind the li…e to come, and yet vainly you say, you mind it alwayes. I beseech you, how do you mind God, and the things o… God, when if ye will but recollect your thoughts, and gather the sum of them, you will not find one serious advised thought of him or his matters in a whole week? I profess, I wonder how so many can inforce upon themselves a perswasion that God is alwayes in their heart, I think it is the hight of delusion; I am sure he is not in one of ten thousand thoughts, that travel, walk, lodge and dwell in the souls, of men, and yet they will needs bear upon themselves that they alwayes mind him. I am sure most of you cannot say that ever you shut the doors of your hearts upon other vain objects, that you might retire to secret meditation on God, or conference with him; and I am as sure that many men have God o…tner in their mouths, by oaths and blasphemies, and irreverent speaking, and taking his holy Name in vain, then in their minds, prayers, or praises, or any holy meditations of him: Are you not as unwilling to fix your minds upon any sad solemn thoughts of Gods Justice, of hell, of heaven, of sin or misery, of death, as boys whose heads are …ull of play, are loath to go to their books. Doth not your practice in this speak, with these wicked men, Iob. 21.14. Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of the Almighty. How constrained are all your thought… of Religion? they are intertained as these whom you would not desire to come again. But how inconstrained, how free are all other thoughts? our minds can roave whole days about vanity, about fancies, dreams, nothings; but you n…ither like to admit nor retain the knowledge of God in your mind, Rom. 1.28. Do you not intertain any s…rious weighty thoughts of Religion, that by occasion may enter, as fire-brand…, as hot coals in your bosome? how glad are you to get any diversion to other things? how willing to shun them, or cast them out? but if it be any temporal thing, any thing relating to this flesh, your thoughts come freely off, are steady and fixed as long as you please, your minds can travel through all the ends of the earth to bring in some fancy of gain or advantage, or to steal by precious time, and that without wearying. Now all these thing… considered, my beloved, are you not carnal? I speak to the most of you, are you not these who are born of the flesh, since you mind nothing seriously, resolutely, constantly, and willingly, but the things of the flesh, and the things of this life? O! it is no light matter to be born of the flesh, if you continue so, you are ordained for corruption, for death; to be carnally minded is death, vers. 6. of this Chap.
But I am perswaded better things of some of you, that the true light of God hath shined into your hearts, and revealed more excellent things unto you, then these perishing fleshly things: Heavenly, substantiall, and eternal things in the Gospel, which you account only worthy of the fixed and continued meditation of your spirits. I am sure you perceive another beauty and excellency in these things, then the world doth, because the Spirit hath revealed them unto you. It is true that your minds are yet much darkned in the apprehension of spiritual things, they are not so willing to receive them, nor so ready to retain them; as you desire, they are very unsetled and unstudy in the meditations of spiritual things, and there are innumerable thoughts of other things that pass through your hearts, like common Inn…, uncontrolled, at their pleasure; all this is true, but I am sure it is the grief of your souls that your hearts are not so fixed and stablished, as the excellency of these spiritual things require: I know it will be the aim and real indeavour of any spiritual heart, to be shutting up all the entries and doors of the mind, that vain thoughts enter not, yet enter they will, there are so many porches to enter in at, and our narrow spirits cannot watch at all, every sense will let in objects, and imagination it self will be active in …raming them, and presenting them; but yet the indeavour of a Christian will be, not to let them lodge long within, Ier. 4.14. If they come in unawars, he will labour to make a diversion to a …etter purpose, and so still it holds good, that the current and course of a Christians thoughts and cogitations ar… upon the things of the Spirit, how to get his own h…art washed and cleansed, how to be more holy and conformed to Christ, how to be at peace with God, and keep that peace unbroken, how to walk in obedience to God, and in duty towa…ds men, how to forsake himself, and withall, to deny himself in all the…e; I …ay, his most serious and solemn thoughts are about these things, his resolved and advised thoughts run most on t…is st…ain, though it be true, that whether he will or not, other vain and impertinent, or not concerning thoughts, will passe more lightly, and too frequently through his heart.
The other thing in which this spiritual life doth appear, is, the current of the affections, or that relish and taste of the sweetness of the things of the Spirit, flowing from the apprehension of them in the mind. When the light i… discovered indeed, (and O! it is a pleasant thing for the eye to behold it, as Solomon speaks) then the spirit hath found an object suitable to its nature, and so it relisheth and delighteth in it: Therefore the word is not simple minding, or thinking, but savouring, thinking with affection upon them, tasting and seeding upon the knowledge o… them; it is a minding of them with ca…e and delight, with ea…nestness, foreign, O taste and see how good the Lord is, Psal. 34.8. Some things cannot be indeed known but by some sense, you cannot make a blind man apprehend what light is, till he see it, a dea… man cannot form a notion of sounds in his mind, except he once heard them, neither can a man understand the sweetnesse of honey, but by tasting it. Truly spiritual things are of that nature, there is some hidden vertue and excellency in them, which is not obvious to every man that hath bare knowledge of the letter, there is a spirit and life in them, that cannot be transmitted into your ears with the sound of words, or infused into ink and paper; its only the inspiration of the Almighty can inspire this sensible preception, and …eall taste of spi…itual things; some powders do not smell till they be beaten, truly till these truths be well powdered and beaten small by meditation, they cannot smell so fragrantly to the spirit: As meats do not nourish till they be chewed and digested, so spiritual things do not relish to a soul, nor can they truly feed the soul, till they be chewed and digested into the heart, by serious and earnest consideration; this is that which makes these same truths to be someway, not the same; these very principles of Religion received and confessed by all, to be lively in one, and dead in another; it is the living conside…ation of living truth, the application of truth to the heart, that makes it lively in one, whereas others keep it only besid… them in a corner of their minds, or in a book, in the corner of one hou…e; the same meat is laid to you all, the most part look on it, others contemplat it, and exercise only their understandings abo…t it, but there are some who taste it, and find sweetne… in it, who digest it by meditation and solemn a vocation of their hearts from the things of the world, and therefore some are fed, some are starved.
Need we to enlarge much upon this subject? Is it not too too palpable that many who fill up our Churches, are in the flesh, because they do mind and savour only the things of the flesh, and not of the spirit? Will you seriously search your hearts, ask what relishes most with them? Can you say, that it is the Kingdom of God, or the righteousness thereof? Or, is not rather these other things of food and raiment, and suchlike, that have no extent beyond this narrow span of time? I am perswaded the hearts of many taste no sweetness in Religion, else they would fix more upon it, and pursue it more earnestly. Are not the things of another world, the great things of the Gospel, counted all strange things, Hos. 8.12. As thing… that you have not much to do with? Do you not let the Officers of Jesus Christ, all the sweet invitations of the Gospel, passe by, as strangers, and as if ye were unconcerned in them? What taste have they more then the white of an egg? How unsavoury a discourse or thought to a carnall heart is it, to speak of subduing the lusts of the flesh, of dying to the world, of the world to come? Who findeth their hearts inwardly stirred, upon the proposal of Jesus Christ? But if any matter of petty gain were proffe…ed, O! how would men listen with both their ears? How beautiful in the eyes of the covetous mind is any gain and advantage, the sound of money is sweeter to him then this blessed sound of peace and salvation? How sweet is pleasure to the voluptuous? What suitablenesse and conveniency is apprehended in these perishing things? but how little moment or weight is conceived and believed to be in things eternal? O how substantial do things visible seem to men, and how triffling do other things invisible appear? But for you whose eyes are opened, to you Christ is precious, to you the things of the Spirit are beautiful, and all your grief is, that you cannot affect them according to their worth, or love them according to their beauty. I say, some there are, who do see a substance and subsistance only in things not seen, Heb. 11.1. And for things that are seen and visible in this world, they do account them shadows only in comparison of things invisible. The world apprehend no realities, but in what they see, but a Christian apprehends no solide reality in that he sees, but only in that he sees not, and therefore, as in his judgment he looks upon the one as a shadow, the other as a substance, so he labours to proportion and conform his affection to a suitable intertainment of them; to give a shadow or show of affection to the things of this life, but the marrow and substance of his heart to the things invisible of another life: Thus the Apostle, 1 Cor. 7.29. &c. Rejoycing, as if we rejoyced not, enjoying, as if we possessed not, using, as if we used not, half acts for half objects, if we give our whole spirits, the strength of our souls and minds to them, we are as foolish as he that strikes with all his strength at the air, or a feather; there is no solidity or reality in these things, able to bottom much estimation or affection, only mind them, and use them as in the by, as in passing through towards your Countrey.