Gospel Holiness, Part 2 · Sermon 7
SERMON VII.
Rom. 8. 5. For they that are after the fleſh doe minde the things of the fleſh, but they that are after the ſpirit, the things of the ſpirit.
IN the former Verſe I told you The ſcope of the Apoſtle.the Apoſtle holds forth unto us a great priviledge: the greateſt that I know that a man can have, that the righteouſneſſe of the law might be fullfilled in us. For it doth protect a man from all evills; for all evill is founded upon this, that a man hath not a righteouſneſse to fulfill the law: and he that hath this priviledg it doth lead him to the enjoyment of all good: for if a man hath a righteouſneſſe to fulfill the law, then there is nothing that can keepe the Creature from a full enjoyment of his Creator.
Now this priviledg being ſo great, the Apoſtle ſhews us who they are that are Partakers of it, who have the actuall enjoyment of it: for the worſt Fleſhly carnall man, may come to be a Partaker: but he ſhewes who are for the preſent, and ſaith he, they are thoſe that walke not after the fleſh, but after the ſpirit. That is a ſure way to know, and diſtinguiſh them, but it is a generall way; and therefore the Apoſtle drawes downe ſome particulars from this generall, that are more known, and eaſie to be diſcerned. As in 1 Joh. 5. 1. You ſhall ſee there the ſame kind of reaſoning, ſayth the Apoſtle, Whoſoever beleiveth that Jeſus is Chriſt, is borne of God. How ſhall we know that we doe beleive? Every one that loveth him that begat, loveth him alſo that is begotten of him. How ſhall we know that we love God? we love them that are begotten of God? How ſhall we know that we love them that are borne of God? If we love God, and keepe his commandements. And how ſhall we know that we keepe his commandements? They are not greivious, and ſo he goes from a more generall to a more particular thing. So the Apoſtle in this place, after he had given a generall, he comes more particularly to ſhew it. They that are after the fleſh, doe mind the things of the fleſh, but they that are after the ſpirit doe mind the things of the ſpirit. As if he had ſaid, if you doe not know whether you walk in the fleſh, or in the ſpirit, I will ſhew you, I will inſtance in one thing, I will pitch The beſtthing in a carnall man is his mind.upon the beſt thing that is in a naturall man, and that is his mind; I will inſtance but in that; for you may know the Lion by his Paw, you may know the man by his mind, for he that is fleſhly, minds Fleſhly things. As if he had ſaid, if the mind of a man (which is his beſt thing) be altogether about Fleſhly things, then his will is ſo, and his affections, and actions, are ſo. And if the mind of a man be upon ſpirituall things, then his will is ſo, his affections, his actions, his whole life is ſo. This is the drift, and ſcope of the Apoſtle. Now the Leſſon we had in hand the laſt time from the words, it was I told you the ſame with the Text here: that
Thoſe that are after, or walke after the fleſh, they doe mind fleſhly things, and thoſe that are after the Spirit, doe mind ſpirituall things.
I gave you two reaſons of it.
I opened it by anſwering three Questions.
I came to make ſome uſe of it, and finiſhed only one, which was to ſee the reaſon why carnall Fleſhly people, doe know ſo little of the things of God, though they have ſo much meanes, and Ordinances, and have time to enjoy them, and have Eares to heare, and Books to read, and yet they know nothing of ſpirituall things, the reaſon is, becauſe they mind them not. But I ſhall now proceed.
Another word is this, from this way, and method Uſe. 2. The miſery of a carnall man is the fleſhlyneſſe of his mind.of reaſoning, that the Apoſtle uſeth here, you may learne this; that the maine and cheife miſery of a Fleſhly carnall man, is the fleſhlyneſſe, and carnallneſſe of his mind. As the cheife happineſſe of a Chriſtian, the choiceſt peice that is in a Chriſtian, is the ſpiritualneſſe of his mind: ſo the worſt peice in a carnall man is the fleſhlyneſſe of his mind. Therefore the Apoſtle doth pitch upon the worſt peice to demonſtrate the reſt, he that is after the fleſh minds fleſhly things. As if he had ſaid, you may eaſily gueſs at the rest, if the mind be naught. You are wonderfully miſtaken when you ſee a little of your miſery you complaine, O, I have a weak memory: when I am hearing ſpirituall things I think they are written upon my heart, but I preſently forget it, and I am paſſionate, &c. And that is all my fault. O, but here is the root, thou haſt a fleſhly mind, and therefore there are fleſhly thoughts and fleſhly actions, all proceed from that.
The mind of a man is either the cheifeſt Seat The mind the Throne of Chriſt or Satan.for Jeſus Chriſt, or the cheifeſt Throne for the Devill. If Chriſt be in thee there is his Throne in thy mind; and if Satan, the Prince of darkneſſe, be in the, there is his Palace. Therefore you ſhall read in Luke 12. Chriſt throwes out the ſtrong man, the Armed man. Now what is the royall ſeat that the Devill hath in a man? Compare that with 2 Cor. 10. You ſhall ſee there, it is the Imaginations of the mind, the reaſonings of the mind (of which, God, willing, I ſhall ſpeak more after) for as the mind is the cheifeſt facultie of the ſoule, ſo the reaſonings of the mind are the cheifeſt acts of the mind. Now the ſtrong holds of Satan muſt be throwne downe, and be brought into captivitie to Jeſus Chriſt, every thought of them. If thine eye be ſingle, ſayth Chriſt, the whole body is full of light, but if thine eye be evill, the whole body ſhall be full of darkneſſe. You know that if the eye have light in it, the hands have light to worke, and the feet have light to goe, and a man knowes where hee is, what hee is doing, and wither hee is going, but if the eye be darke the whole body is darkneſſe. Juſt ſo, if the eye of the mind have ſpirituall light in it, then all the whole man hath light, then the will hath light, and the affections, and the actions, all have light, but if the eye be dark, if the mind be darke, the whole body is full of darkeneſſe. If the Coachman (as a godly man ſaith) be The minde the Coachman of the ſoule.blind, then you know where the Coach muſt be. The mind is to the ſoule and body of a man, as a Coachman is to the Coach, and Horſes, he guides them, and if he be blind, or mad, or drunke, then all goes out of order.
Therefore you ſhall find that when God in God inflicts the greateſt miſery on the minde.Scripture doth expreſſe the height of the miſery, of people, he ſets it out by ſome miſery that is upon their minds; and when the holy Ghoſt would ſet out the height of what God doth for Chriſtians, he ſets it forth by ſomething that he doth upon their minds. As you have it in Rom. 11. 7. What then? Iſraell hath not obtained that which he ſeeketh for, but the election hath obtained it, and the reſt were blinded. To be blind, or to be without judgement (in the Scriptures language) is to be a Reprobate. Therefore when the holy Ghoſt ſpeakes of Reprobates, he takes a word that is the ſame in the Originall, and Reprobate is the worſt word that is in the Scripture: for it is farr worſe, to ſay a man is a Reprobate, then to ſay he is a wicked man, or a curſed man: for he that is in a curſed condition for the preſent, may be in a bleſſed: But ſaith he, the election hath obtained it, and the reſt were blinded.
So, on the other ſide, when God will ſhew the The greate happineſſe of a Chriſtian in his mind.cheife happineſſe of a man, he ſets it forth by ſome good he doth to the mind. As in Heb. 8. I will put my law in their hearts, and write it in their minds: And if it be ſaid, what ſhall we doe with our wills, and affections, and actions? O ſaith God, if I be pleaſed to put my law throughly in their minds, their affections, and actions cannot goe amiſs: and ſo poore Paul, when he was ſtrugling with corruptions, Rom. 7. He ends all with this, I thank God through Jeſus Chriſt, that though I ſerve the law of ſin in my members, yet my mind is whole, and entire for all this. So that it is the cheifeſt happineſſe of a Chriſtian to have his mind ſanctified, and of all miſeries this is the worſt, to have a carnall, unſanct ified mind.
But it may be you will ſay, what is the miſery of Queſt. a fleſhly mind?
Give me leave in a few ſhort words to ſet it out Anſw. The miſery of a carnall mind in 6 perticulars.unto you, I will tell you what the Scripture ſaith of a carnall mind, and I deſire you to conſider of it, and O that God would help us to come out of our formallity, that we may think of theſe things, and conſider, doth not the Miniſter ſpeak of me? and am not I the man? Now there are theſe expreſſions of a carnall mind.
Firſt, the Scripture ſaith, the minde is blind,
Secondly, that it is vaine.
Thirdly, that it is rotten.
Fourthly, that it is polluted.
Fiftly, that it is reprobate.
Sixtly, that it is proud.
Let me open theſe a little.
Firſt, it is blind, that is, it is darkeneſſe, that is the word in Epheſ. 5. 8. For ye were ſomtimes darkneſſe; 1. It is blind.you were not only darke but darkneſſe it ſelfe. There is not the leaſt ſparke of ſpirituall light in thee, if thou be yet in the fleſh, if thy minde be fleſhly.
Secondly, it is vaine, What is that? The Gentiles that walked in the vanitie of their minds, 2. It is vaine.they became vaine in their imaginations.
What is a vaine minde?
Vaine ſignifies empty in Scripture, as Solomon ſaith, I ſaw all things under the Sun that they were Vaine, what.vaine; that is, they are empty, they have no good in them. So if thou be a carnall man, thy mind is vaine, that is, it is empty of all good; there are none of thoſe ſweet meditations, and contemplations, and conſiderations of ſpiritual things, it is quite emptie. Chriſt ſaith, thou ſhalt not call thy Brother Racha, that is, emptie, but thou mayſt ſay ſo of thy minde, thou mayſt ſay I have an empty minde, a minde that is Racha, that is, emptie. Therefore ſaith Solomon, The words of the godly are as choyce ſilver, but the heart of the wicked is little worth: as one godly man ſaith, his very heart is not worth a halfpeny: ſo I may ſay of al thy thoughts, that art yet in the fleſh, all thy thoughts through the yeare are not worth one farthing.
Thirdly, they are rotten, or corrupt, Epheſ. 4.3. It is rotten.
What is the meaning of that?
I ſhall it may be ſpeake more of it by and by, but for the preſent, it is rotten, that is, it is not only empty of good but full of putrifaction, it is full of ſuperſtitious thoughts, full of Luſts, full of evill imaginations, that are abhominable to God, and that rott thy mind, and make it worſe and worſe, and make it ſtinke before the Lord. The plowing of the wicked is an abhomination to the Lord, the nearer you come to his heart, the more abhominable it is.
4. It is polluted: thy minde being carnall, every 4. It is polluted.lawfull thing, every indifferent thing, makes thy mind fouler and fouler.
And take heed, take heed poore ſoule, after all 5. Reprobate.this, that thy minde prove not to be a reprobate mind, you ſhall have the word in Rom. 1. 28. you may finde in that Chapter that the people had a little naturall knowledge of God, but they did not know him as God, but became vaine in their imagination; they did not delight to keep the knowledge of God, they were ſorry that they knew ſo much of God; becauſe they could'not follow their luſts ſo freely. Well, what ſaith the Apoſtle? As they did not like to retaine God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, &c. A mind voyd of judgement, as it is in your Margine, becauſe they had a little knowledge and regarded it not, God gave them up to a reprobate minde, to a mind voyd of judgement, that is, ſuch a mind as never ſhould have the knowledge of God any more: you ſhall know no more, you are troubled that you have a little knowledge of God; ſaith God, I will take away your judgement, and you ſhall know no more.
And then there is a thing worſe then this, and 6. It is proud.that you will thinke were very ſtrange; it is not ſtrange to ſay, there is one thing in the mind that is worſe then to be Reprobate: and yet thus it is; the word is in Colloſſ. 3. 18. It is called a proud minde.
What is that?
That is, notwithſtanding all the miſery of thy mind (and ſo by conſquence of thy whole man) as it is blind, and vaine, and rotten, and polluted, and it may be reprobate (I feare it, I feare it) Proud mind what.yet notwithſtanding thou haſt a proud minde. What is that? If thou compare it with Ezek. 28. 2. Thou doſt ſet thy heart as the heart of God; there is no carnall man, but he thinks he is as God, he thinks he knoweth all things: that a man which is a mad man, that is wild and hath no knowledg, yet notwithſtanding, that he ſhould conceive that he is wiſe as God, as full of knowledge as God is in a maner; this is the thought that is in the hearts of men; and therefore you ſhall ſee in that place, verſe 9. ſaith the Lord, Wilt thou yet ſay before him that ſlayeth thee, I am God? Not that men ſay ſo with their Tongues, but in their hearts, that they are wiſe as God. As there is many a poore carnall man that thinks he is grave, and wiſe, that he knowes as much as all the Freachers in London can teach him, and yet he is rotten, and blind, and polluted, and it may be reprobate too. And therefore learne this Leſſon, that if thou art a fleſhly man, thy great miſerie lies in thy mind; and therefore doe not complaine ſo much of the ſtreames as the Fountaine; goe to God, and deſire him to write his Law in thy mind: deſire God, not only change thy memory, but to give thee a new mind, and a new heart.
And from this may follow another word, that Uſe 3. The mind cannot be good, if the life be naught.is, you may hence learne, you that are but yet ſimple, and ignorant, never conceive that thy heart is good, when thy life is naught, when thy words are naught, and when thy thoughts are naught, never ſay that thy mind is good, or thy heart is good. For I told thee, thy mind is the fountaine of all thy actions, of all thy affections. And therefore doe not ſay, Sir, though I can talke but little, and though I ſweare, and be drunke ſomtimes, yet I have a good mind to God; I ſay that cannot be, for if the Tree be naught, the fruit cannot be good. If I ſee a few ſparks at the topp of the Chimny, I am ſure there is a greater fire within: if wickedneſſe be in thy Tongue, there is a treaſure of wickedneſſe in thy heart. If a man hath nothing but baſeneſſe and wickedneſſe, and ſinfulneſſe in his life and converſation, I will never beleive that that man hath a good heart, for if the heart were holie, it would make the whole man holy, and if the mind be naught it is impoſſible but that the man ſhould be ſo too.
Another word you may learne from hence Uſe 4. Chriſt dyed. not for all alike.(if you will give me leave to ſhew my judgement. For I ſpeake againſt no man; but ſhew what God by his grace hath ſhewed to me) as I conceive that it is not the will of God that we ſhould conceive that Jeſus Chriſt did equally dye for all men, and redeeme all men. To ſay nothing of other Scriptures; for it is a great controverſie, and diverſe godly men doe doubt of it from this Scripture, If we ſay that Chriſt did die for all men equally, or alike, for thoſe that ſhall be damned, and thoſe that ſhall be ſaved. Then it may be asked, who makes the difference? how comes it to paſſe that he died for all, ſeeing there are but ſome ſaved? You will anſwer, that ſome beleive, and ſome doe not. Then how is it that ſome doe beleive, and ſome doe not? Surely if Chriſt died for all men alike, then it muſt follow that ſurely ſome men have power to beleive and ſome have not. But this Scripture ſaith plainlie, that the mind of a carnall man minds carnall things, nay the mind of a carnall man, his beſt part is open enmity to God, it is contrary to God: And the Scripture ſayth, that we are dead in ſins, therefore a carnall man cannot doe any thing that is ſpirituall, a man that is dead, is altogether fleſhly he cannot beleive, or receive Jeſus Chriſt. Therefore I ſay, the Lord Chriſt he gives faith; it is he that gives repentance unto Iſrael… and Chriſt Jeſus he hath Purchaſed it, (conſider of that) as Chriſt Jeſus hath Purchas'd Salvation for the ſoule, ſo he hath Purchaſed faith for us, to lay hold upon that Salvation. And therefore beſides all other inconveniences in that doctrine (as I have told you before) in my apprehenſion there is abundance of pride in it, that we cannot be content to take Salvation, on Gods tearmes: ſo that it ſets up a power in man, that if Chriſt died for all alike, then this makes the difference, that one man beleives, and another doth not, and then a man hath power in himſelfe to beleive: whereas this Scripture ſaith, that naturally we have fleſhly minds, and can mind nothing but fleſhly things.
Therefore let us extoll God, and goe to him, and deſire him to worke on us, and acknowledge that naturally we are blind, and dead, and can doe nothing.
Then laſtly, let me ſhut up this point (for I Uſe 5. Conſider whether you be fleſhly minded or no.ſhall omitt ſomewhat more that I had to ſay of it) every one of you conſider your owne ſoules, whither you be fleſhly minded people or no; whither you mind the things of the fleſh. If you be, I have a word, a cold word from the Lord to you; I ſay, if you doe mind fleſhly things (conſider of it) the Lord ſaith you muſt die, They that walk after the fleſh muſt die, whither you be prophane people (as that is the ordinary diſtinction) people that live in groſs ſins; or whether you be Profeſſors of godlineſſe, that mind earthly things, as many Profeſſors doe, you are in a terrible condition. For you ſhall find in Philip. 2. Even in, Pauls time, ſaith he, I have no man like minded, who will naturaly care for your eſtate, for all ſeeke their owne. All, what all is this? He doth not ſpeake to carnall men; for he wrote to the Phillippians that were good people, but he ſaw among them abundance of Profeſſors that did ſeeke their owne, as where will you have a Profeſſor that doth naturally care for the things of Jeſus Chriſt? that is, as you ſee a loving Mother cares for her child naturally, that you need not force her to it; ſo where is there a man that naturally doth ſeek the good of the people of God, and how he may advance the Name of God, and releive the poore Saints, and the like? to doe it naturally and freely? For all ſeeke their owne, ſaith Paul; that is, we can ſhew you Profeſſors enough in every Pariſh, in every Congregation, in every Regiment, in every Companie, that ſeeke themſelves, there are but few that are otherwiſe, there are but few that naturally ſeeke the things of God. And that you may ſee what a fearfull thing it is (that you may looke to it) you ſhall ſee in, Chap. 3. 18. For many walke of whome I have told you often, and now tell you weeping. And ſo in 2 Cor. 12. Beloved, I doe not read that Paul did write weeping to the Church about any thing but about this, and what was it he wept for? They are enemies to the Croſs of Chriſt. They were not prophane men, but Profeſſors, Whoſe end is destruction, who mind earthly things, whoſe Belly is their God. Who are they who mind earthly things, whoſe Belly is their God? They did not fall downe on their knees, and worſhip their Belly: but they were ſuch as did take more care, and paines for their Belly, and did riſe earlier to looke after the things of this life, then after the glory of God: and their end is deſtruction, notwithſtanding all their Profeſſion: and you ſhall know them by this, they mind earthly things. But our converſation is in Heaven, from whence we looke for the Saviour, &c. Therefore to conclude, this is my meaning, that all that are Profeſſors in this ſelf-ſeeking age, wherein one may goe with a Candle (as the Prophet ſaith) through Jeruſalem: a man may goe with a Candle from VVeſtminſter to the Tower, to looke for a man that naturally minds the things of God, and the people of God, and the honour of God, and the like. And if they be ſo ſcarce I beſeech you conſider what a fearfull thing it is? and how the holy Ghoſt ſets it out here, that their end is deſtruction, and Paule ſpeaks of it weeping▪ Therefore let it be thy worke now to looke to thy mind, though thou profeſs to be a Saint, whither it be naturall to thee to care for thy ſelfe, but to doe for God, but now, and then; and it may be after many perſwaſions thou mayeſt be brought to doe ſomthing for God, and for the people of God: but it is naturall to thee to look to thy ſelfe, and to thine owne honour, and thy owne place, and preferment, &c. The Lord helpe thee to looke to this.