The Sinners Sanctuary, Sermon 7
SERMON VII.
Vers. 2.
For the Law of the Spirit of life in Iesus Christ, hath made me free, &c.
YOU know there are two principal things in the preceeding verse, the priviledge of a Christian, and the property or character of a Christian, he is one that never enters into condemnation, he that believeth shall not perish, Joh. 3.15. And then he is one that walks not after the flesh, though he be in the flesh, but in a more elevat way above men, after the guiding and leading of the Holy Spirit of God. Now it may be objected in many consciences, how can these things be? Have not all sinned, and come …ort of the glory of God, and so the whole world is become guilty before God? Is not every man lying under a sentence of death? Cursed is he that abides not in all things, &c. How then can h… escape condemnation. Again, you speak of walking after the Spirit, as proper to the Christian; but whose walk is not carnal? Who is it that doth not often step aside out of the way, and follow the conduct and counsel of flesh and blood? Is not sin dwelling here in our mortal bodies? Who can say, my heart or way is clean? Therefore both that priviledge, and this property of a Christian, seems to be but big words, no real thing. And indeed I confess the multitude of men hath no other opinion of them, but as fancied imaginary thing…, few believes the report of the Gospel concerning the salvation of elect ones, and few understands what this spiritual walking is; many conceive it is not a thing that belongs to duplicate page duplicate page men who are led about with passions and affections, but rather to Angels or Spirits perfected.
However, we have in these words an answer to satisfie both objections: He grants something implicitely, and it is this, it is true indeed, Christians are under a two…old Law, captives and bondmen to these; A law of sin in their members, bringing them in subjection to the lusts of the flesh. Sin hath a powerful dominion and tyranny over every man by nature, it hath a sort of right and power over him; and likewise, every one was under a law of death, the Law of God cu…sing him, and sentencing him to condemnation, because of sin; these two were joynt conquerours of all mankind. But, saith he, there is a delivery from this bondage, freedom is obtained to believers, by Jesus Christ, and so there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ, and so they walk not after the leading and direction of that law of sin within them, but after the guiding of our blessed Tutor, the Spirit of God. If you ask how this comes to pass, by what authority, or law, or power, is this releasement and freedom obtained? Here it is, by the Law of the Spirit of life, which is in Christ. Christ is not an invader, or unjust conquerour, he hath fair Law for what he doth, even against these Laws which detains unbelievers in bondage: There is a higher and later Law on his side, and he hath power and strength to accomplish his design. He opposes Law unto Law, and life unto death, and spirit unto flesh; a Law of Spirit, unto a Law of sin, and flesh; a Law of life, unto a Law of death. In a word, the Gospel, or Covenant of Grace, unto the Law, or Covenant of Wo…ks; the powerful and living Spirit of grace that wrought mightily in him, is set …re-against the power of sin and Satan, in us, and against us; the one gives him right and title to conquer, the other accomplisheth him for the work; and by these two, are believers in Jesus Christ made free-men, who were bond-men. That then which we would speak from these words, is the common lot of all men by nature, viz. to be under the power of sin, and sentence of death; the special exemption of believers in Christ, and immunity from this, or delivery from it, and then the true ground and cause of this delivery from that bondage; which three are contained in the words. It is a purpose indeed of a high nature, and of high conce…nment to us all, our life and death is wrapt up in this; you may hear ma…y things more gladly, but if ye knew it, none so profitable. Therefore let us gather our spirits to the consideration of these particulars.
As the first, all men are under the bondage of a twofold Law, the law of sin within them, and the law of death without them. Man was created righteous, but, saith the wise man, he found out many inventions; a sad invention indeed, he found but misery and slavery to himself, who was made free and happy. His freedom and happiness was to be in subjection to his Maker, under the just and holy commands of his Lord who had given him breath and being; it was no captivity, or restraint, to be compassed about with the hedges of the Lords holy Law, no more then it is a restraint on a mans liberty, to have his way hedged in, where he may safely walk, that he may keep himself within it, from pits and snares on every hand. But alace! (if we may say, alace! when we have such a redemption in Jesus Christ.) Adam was not content with that happiness, but seeking after more liberty, he sold himself into the hands of strange lords, first sin, and then death. Other lords besides thee, O Lord, have dominion over us, Isa. 26.13. This is too true in this sense, Adam seeking to be as the Lord himself, lost his own lordship and dominion over all the works of Gods hands, and became a servant to the basest and most abominable of all, even that which is most hateful to the Lord, to sin and death: And this is the condition we are now born into. Consider it, I pray you, we are born captives and slaves, the most noble, the most ingenuous, and the most free of us all: Paul speaks of it as a priviledge, to be born free, to be free in mans Common-wealth. It is counted a dignity to be a free Citizen or Burgess of a Town: Liberty is the great claim of people now a dayes, and indeed it is the great advantage of a people to enjoy that mother, and womb-priviledge, and right. But, alace! what is all this to be free-born in a civil society? it is but the state of a man among men, it reaches no further then the outward man, his life or estate. But here is a matter of greater moment, know ye what state your souls are in? your souls are incomparably more worth than your bodies, as much as eternity surpasseth this inch of time, or immortality exceeds mortality; your souls are your selves indeed, your bodies are but your house, or tabernacle ye lodge into for a season: Now then, I beseech you ask whether ye be born free or not; if your souls be slaves, ye are slaves indeed, for so the Evangelist changeth these; Matthew saith, in ch. 16.…6. What hath a man gained if he lose his soul? And Luke 9.25 saith, What hath he gained, if he lose himself? Therefore you are not free indeed, except your souls be f…ee: What is it, I pray you, to enjoy freedom among men? I a…k you what are ye before God, whether bond or free? this is the business in…eed. The Phari…ees pleaded a claim to the liberty and priviledge of being, Abrahams sons and children, and thought they might hence conclude they were Gods children: But our Lord Je…us, discovers this mis…ake, when he tells them of a freedom and libe…ty that he came to proclaim to men, to purchase to them, and bestow on them; they stumbled at this Doctrine: What, say they, talkest thou to us of making us free, we were never in bondage, for we be Abrahams chil…ren? This is even the language of our hearts, when we tell you, that ye are born heirs of wrath, and slaves of sin and satan, he…e is the secret whispering of hearts; we be Abrahams seed, we were never in bondage to any. We be baptized Christians, we have a Church State, have the priviledges, and liberties, not only of Subject… in the State, but of Members in the Church; why sayest thou, we are bond-men? I would wish, ye were all free indeed, but that cannot be till ye know your bondage. Consider then, I beseech you, that you may be free subjects in a State, and free members in a Church, and yet in bondage, under the law of sin and death. This was the mistake, that was a ground of presumption in the Jews, and occasioned their stumbling at this Stone of salvation, laid in Sion; you think you have Church-priviledges, and what needs more? Be not deceived, you are servants of sin, and therefore not free. There are two sorts, or rather two ranks of persons, in Gods house, Sons, and slaves; the son abides in the house for ever, the slave but for a time; when the time expires, he must go out, or be cast out. The Church is Gods house, but many are in it, that will not dwell in it, many have the outward liberties of this house, that have no interest in the special mercies, and loving kindnesse proper to children. The time will come, that the most part of the visible Church, who are baptized, and have eaten with him at his Table, and had a kind of frien…ship to him here, shall be cast out as bondmen, and Isaac only shall be kept within, the child of the promise. The house that is here, hath some inward Sanctuary, and some utter Porches; many have accesse to these, that never enters within the secret of the Lord, and so shall not dwell in the house above: It is not so much the business, who shall enter into the holy hill, but who shall stand and dwell in it. The day of Judgement w…ll be a great day of excommunication; O how many thousands will be then cut off from the Church of the living God, and delivered over …o satan, because they were …eally …nder his powe…, while they were Church-mebers and Abrahams sons? Let me tell you then, that all of us were once in this state of bondage, which Christ speaks of, He that committeth sin, is the servant of sin, John 8.34. and the servant abids not in the house for ever: So that I am a…raid, many of us who are in the visible Church, and stand in this Congregation, shall not have liberty to stand in the assembly of the fi…st-born, when all the Sons are gathered in one to the new Ierusalem; sin hath a right over us, and it hath a power over us, and the…efore it is called a law of sin, the…e is a kind of authority that it hath over u…, by vertue of Gods Justice, and our own voluntary consent. The Lord in his righteou…nesse, hath given over all the posterity of Adam, for his sin, which he sinned, as … common person, representing us, he hath given us all over to the power of a body of death within us. Since man did choose to depa…t from his Lord, he hath justly delivered him into the hands of a strange Lord to have dominion over him. The transmitting of such an original pollution, to all men, is an act of glorious justice. As he in jus…i…e gives men over to the lusts of their own hearts now, for following of these lusts. Contrary to his will, so was it at first, by one mans disobedience m…ny were m…de sinners; and that in Gods holy righteousnesse, sin entred into the World, and had permission of God, to subdue and conquer the World to it self, because man would not be subject to God. But as there is the justice of God in it, so there is a voluntary choice and election, which gives sin a power over us; we choose a strange lord, and he lords it over us: We say to our lusts, Come ye and rule over us, we submit our reason, our conscience and all, to the guidance and leading of our blind affections, and passions; we choose our bondage for liberty, and thus sin h…th a kind of law over us, by our own consent; it exerciseth a jurisdiction; and when once it is installed in power, and clothed with it, it is not so easie again, to put it out of that throne: there is a conspiring (so to speak) of these two, to make out the jurisdiction and authority of sin over us, God gives us over to iniquity and unrighteousnesse, and we yield our selves over to it, Rom. 6.16.19. we yield our members servants to iniquitie; a little pleasure or commodity, is the bait that ensnares us to this, we give up our selves, and joyn to our idols, and God ratifies it, in a manner, and passeth such a sentence, Let them alone, he sayes, go ye every one and serve your idols, Ezek. 23. since ye would not serve me, be doing, go serve your lusts, look if they be better masters then I; look what wages they will give you.
Now, let us again consider what power sin hath, being thus cloathed with a sort of authority. O! but it is mighty, and works mightily in men. It reigns in our mortal bodies, Rom. 6.12. here is the throne of sin established, in the lusts and affections of the body, and from hence, it emits laws, and statutes, and sends out commands to the soul, and whole man. Man choose at first, to hearken to the counsel of his senses, that said, it was pleasant and good, to eat of the forbidden fruit; but that counsel is now turned into a command, sin hath gotten a scepter there, to rule over the spirit which was born a free Prince, sin hath conquered all our strength, or, we have given up unto it all our strength; any truth that is in the conscience, any knowledge of God, or Religion, all this is incarcerated, detained in a prison of unrighteous affections: sin hath many strong holds and bulwarks in our flesh, and by these, commands the whole spirit and soul in man, and leads captive every thought to the obedience of the flesh. You know how strong it was in holy Paul, Rom. 7. what a mighty battel and wrestling he had, and how near he was to fainting and giving over: How then must it have an absolute, and soveraign, full dominion over men in nature, there being no contrary principle within by nature to debate with it, it rules without much controlment; there may be many convictions of conscience, and sparkles of light against sin, but these are quickly extinguised and buried: Nay, all these principles of light, and knowledge in the conscience, do oftentimes strengthen sin, as some things are confirmed, not weakned by opposition; unequal and saint opposition strengthens the adversary, as cold, compassing springs, makes them hotter: So it is here, sin takes occasion by the command, to work all manner of concupiscence, Rom. 7.8. Without the Law, sin is in a manner dead, but when any adversary appears, when our lusts and humors are crossed, then they unite their strength against any such opposition, and brings forth more sinful sin. The knowledge and conscience that many have, serves for nothing, but to make their sins greater, to exasperat and imbitter their spirits and lusts against God: why torments thou me before the time? Its a devilish disposition that is in us all, we cannot indure the light, because our deeds are evil.
Let us but consider these particulars, and we shall know the power and dominion of sin. First, Consider the extent of its dominion, both in regard of all men, and all in every man: I say, all men, there is none of us exempted from it; the most noble, and the most base. Sin is the Catholick king, the universal king, or rather satan, who is the prince of this world, and he rules the world by this law of sin, which is even the contradiction of the Law of God. Who of you believes this, that satans kindom is so spacious? that it is even over the most part in the visible Church; this is the Emperour of the world. The Turk vainly arrogats this title to himself, but the devil is truly so, and we have Gods own testimony for it: All Kings, all Nobles, all Princes, all People, rich and poor, high and low, are once subjects of this prince, ruled by this black law of sin. Oh! know your condition, whose servants ye are; think not within your selves, we have Abraham for our father, we are baptized Christians: No, know, that all of us are once the children of satan, and do his works, and fulfil his will. But, moreover, all that is in us, is subject to this law of sin; all the faculties of the soul, the understanding is under the power of darkness, the affections under the power of corruption, the mind is blinded, and the heart is hardened, the soul alienated from God, who is its life, all the members and powers of a man yielded up as instruments of unrighteousnesse, every one to execute that wicked law, and fulfill the lusts o… the flesh. This dominion is over all a mans actions, even those that are in best account, and esteem among men; your honest, upright dealing with men, your most religious performances to God, they are more conformed to the law of sin, then to the law of God, Hag. 2.14. this nation, and the work of their hands, and that which they offer, is unclean. All your works, your good works, are infected with this pollution; sin hath defiled your persons, and they defile all your actions, the infection is mutual, these actions again defiles your persons still more: To the impure, all things are impure, even their mind and conscience is defiled, Tit. 1.15. Do what you can, ye who are in nature cannot please God, its but obedience to the law of sin that is in you.
Bu…, 2. Consider the intensness and force of this power, how mighty it is, in working against all oppositions whatsoever, unless it be overcome by Almighty power. Nothing but All-might can conquer this power: The spirit that works in men by nature, is of such activity and efficacy, that it drives men on furiously, as if they were possessed, to their own ruine. How much hath it of a mans consent? and so it drives him strongly and irresistibly. Much will, desire, and greediness, will make corruption run like a River, over all its Banks, set in the way thereof, Counsel, Perswasion, Law, Heaven, Hell, yet mens corruption must be over all those: Preaching, Threatnings, Convictions of Conscience, are but as flaxen ropes to bind a Sampson, sin within easily breaks them. In a word, no created power is of sufficient vertue to bind the strong man, it must be one mightier then he, and that is the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Do ye not see men daily drawn after their lusts, as beasts, following their senses as violently as a horse rusheth to the battel? If there be any gain or advantage to oyl the wheels of affection, O how runs men head-long? there is no crying will hold them. In sum, sin is become all one with us; its incorporat into the man, and become one with his affections, and then these command.