Gospel Holiness, Part 2 · Sermon 9
SERMON IX.
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.
YOU know the laſt point we named to you from theſe words, was this: that
True Goſpell Beleivers are ruled, and ſwayed with Spirituall reaſon, and all carnall, fleſhly men are ruled by carnall, fleſhly reaſon.
I opened it to you. I told you there are three minds ſpoken of in Scripture. And as there are three minds, ſo there are three ſorts of acts, or reaſoning.
Corrupt, reaſoning.
Naturall, reaſoning.
Spirituall, reaſoning.
I premiſed three things, before I could come to proove the Doctrine.
The firſt was this, that there is excellent reaſon in all godlineſſe; there is reaſon, and the beſt reaſon, as I ſhewed you at large, and made two or three uſes of it.
Now to goe forward a little, the ſecond thing, breifly that I muſt premiſe, before I proove this leſſon, it is this: that,
The reaſonings of the Soule, are the higheſt, Second thing premiſed.and excellenteſt acts of the mind.
As the mind or understanding is the higheſt facultie of the ſoule; ſo the reaſonings of the mind The reaſonings of the mind are the higheſt acts of it.are the moſt excellent, and moſt immediate acts of the mind. The mind is Chriſts, or the Devills cheif Throne. If Chriſt be in the ſoule, he keeps his Pallace in the mind: if the Devill be in the ſoule, he keeps his Garriſon in the mind. So the reaſonings of the mind are the cheife ſtrength of the mind, the immediate flowings of the mind. The whole acts of the ſoule are like the New River: it comes to LONDON, and then you have Conduits to receive it, and thoſe ſend it to Wooden Pipes, and thoſe ſend it to Leaden Pipes, and ſo to your Kitchins, and Sellars: ſo the ſoule, the mind is as the New River, the reaſoning of the ſoule, that is the Conduit that receives it firſt; from the reaſoning it comes to the will, and affections, and then it goes out into the actions: ſo the reaſonings of the mind are the firſt, and cheifeſt, and ſupreame part of all the actions thereof. Therefore if the mind be naught, the whole ſoule is naught, if the reaſonings be naught, the whole ſoule, and life is naught alſo. But, becauſe I would paſſe from that, the uſe of it in a word is this, that
Hence we ſee the reaſon, why the wiſeſt men, the moſt rationall men, are uſually the worſt men; becauſe Uſe. The moſt rationall men without grace the worſt.they have more ſtrength of reaſon then other men; the reaſon being corrupt and naught, the ſtronger that reaſon is the worſe the man is. Therfore if I have a child or a friend that is a wicked man, if he be not made a good man, I wiſh he may never be very rationall, or reaſonable, becauſe the ſtronger his reaſon is, being corrupt, the man ill he is in his will and affections. When men are mad with reaſon: many of the vulgar are mad without Men mad with reaſon.reaſon, they will hate a thing upon here ſay, O ſuch a one is an Independant, and this, and that, but when men are mad with reaſon, when they have wicked reaſon, they are mad to purpoſe, they are mad with a vengeance as we ſay.
And that is the reaſon that the Apoſtle ſaith that the Lord hath not choſen many wiſe, nor many Noble, but ſimple people, and ſimple things, God doth not ordinarily doe it. As now in the Army fighting abroad, uſually they doe not take great, ſtrong Garriſons, but little pettie ones are taken to and againe, daily. So, not many wiſe men are called, God takes ſome great ſtrong Garriſons: for it is a ſtrong Garriſon of the Devill, when a great Davils ſtrongeſt garriſons.learned man is without the ſpirit of God; it is like Ports mouth, &c. fortified ſtrongly, God may take away the weapons of the Devill, and the Principall Ordnance he hath, is carnall reaſoning, but God doth it not ordinarily.
It was a ſaying of a godly man, and a rationall one too, he ſhooke his head and ſaid, I wiſh many times in the yeare, that I were deprived of this reaſon that is in me, that I might be wholly without reaſon, that there might be liberty for faith to work. He meant that naturall reaſon comes in, and hinders faith, and croſſeth ſpirituall reaſon.
Reaſon is ſo troubleſome, if it be carnall, and naturall, and unſanctified, that the more any man hath of it, the more enemy he is to God. Therefore, O that God would unbewitch, and undeceive you, and all the people of England, that you would not make men your guides, as they are indued with Learning, or reaſon, but the ſpirit of God. Goe to any Pariſh, or Towne, or place, and talk with any man about Heavenly things, and ask him why he doth thinke thus? He will ſay, we have a Learned Doctor in the Pariſh, and he ſaith ſo, and he doth ſo. The Lord hath ſaid that our Sun ſhall be turned into darkneſſe, and our Moone into blood. That is, all theſe glorious naturall things ſhall be daſhed in the laſt times, and God will exalt his ſpirit; ſince God hath promiſed it, let us expect it, obſerve what man in the pariſh hath moſt of the ſpirit of God, and of ſpirituall reaſon, and heare him, and be adviſed by him; and ſay of your great Doctors, and learned men, if God be not in them by his ſpirit, the more Learning, and the more reaſon they have, the more enemies they are to God, and therefore I will have nothing to 3. The reaſonings of the mind the cheife diſtinguiſhing Character.doe with them. There you have two things.
The third thing I ſhall premiſe, is, that the reaſonings of the mind are the cheife diſtinguiſhing Character of a man, by which principally above all things one is diſtinguiſhed from another, good men from bad: for the Apoſtle doth not reaſon here, from a known thing, to a darker; for he reaſons from the mind, and the acts of it, as if he had ſaid, that is the cheifeſt maine way, whereby to know the whole man whither he be fleſhly, or Spirituall.
In naturall things, the more eſſentiall the difference is, the more certaine, and ſure it is, and rationality is eſſentiall to a man, you may diſtinguiſh a man from a beaſt otherwiſe; a man hath but two Legs, and ſo may be diſtinguiſhed from a Horſe, that hath foure; but this is not ſo certaine a Character; but when you ſay man is rationall, that diſtinguiſheth him from all birds and beaſts. So there are many things in godlineſſe that you may partly know a Chriſtian by, by his works, and affections, and actions, and by his company, and carriage, you may know him a little from another man, but theſe things are outward, and externall; but his reaſon is eſsentiall to him, you may know him above all theſe by his reaſoning in his ſoule, that is the moſt eſſentiall thing to a Chriſtian, as reaſon in it ſelfe conſidered, is moſt eſſentiall to a man.
Conſider this, for this is a thing by which you may underſtand clearly, what you are made of and what you are. There is nothing in godlineſse but an hypocrite, and a wicked man may come up to it, unleſſe it be this, to be carried on by ſpirituall reaſon. As for inſtance, a wicked man may know God, he may have a great deal of knowledge of godlineſſe, and (to our eyes) of the ſpirituall eſtate of godlineſse. Heb. 6. He may be enlightned, he may diſcourſe well, and Preach excellently, and Carnall men may goe far in Religion.Pray ſpiritually, he may have much knowledge, and all the Saints in the Countrey may account him conſtantly a cheife Profeſſor, and a moſt excellent Chriſtian. Nay he may love all good things in a ſort, or for the moſt part; a naturall man that is but commonly wrought on by the ſpirit of God, he may love prayer, and hearing, and Reading, and giving to the poore, and other good works, he may love, and delight in it, as Herod did to heare John ſpeake, he may love it for ſome carnall circumſtances about it, and though he love it, yet all runs upon the Wheele of carnall reaſon. As for inſtance, I love very much to give to the poore, becauſe the pride of my heart will be much ſatisfied in it. I would be held an emynent Profeſſor, and I invite Saints to my Houſe, and I quarell with them if they come not, but it is to hold out my vaineglory, not out of ſpirituall Love in my ſoule. So there is no peice of godlineſſe, but it may be cloathed with ſuch circumſtances, that a naturall man may love it, an hypocrite may doe every thing in godlineſse, and be an Hypocrite when he hath done.
But here is the difference, a Saint loves good, Ground of Saints loving good things.and that flowes from ſpirituall reaſon, and he doth good from ſpirituall reaſon. As for inſtance; I doe not give to the poore to keepe correſpondence, and to be well thought of, and becauſe I would be accounted ſuch a Profeſſor, no; but I doe it from ſpirituall reaſoning, Chriſt loved me, and therefore I will love my Brother. So whatſoever a Saint doth, ſpirituall reaſon drawes him; and this is the moſt eſſentiall Character that diſtinguiſheth an Hypocrite from a true Chriſtian. It is not loving or knowing, or doing of good, but it is the Wheele that it goes on, whether it be ſpirituall or carnall reaſoning.
But may not a good man do ſome actions, from naturall or corrupt reaſoning? how is that then a Queſt. ſure Character?
A good man may doe an action from carnall reaſoning; Anſw. How a good man may be moved with naturall or carnal reaſon.but a carnall man can never doe good from ſpirituall reaſoning: as that ſpeech of Peter in adviſing of Chriſt not to goe to Jeruſalem, it was partly naturall, and partly corrupt reaſoning. But that you may ſee this clearely notwithſtanding this, you may diſcerne him hereby, that
In the firſt place a Chriſtian is moved by ſpirituall reaſon, and in the ſecond place he may be moved by naturall reaſon: as ſuppoſe there be a good Miniſter that is full of grace, that deſires to doe good, and yet he and his Family is ready to ſtarve. The firſt thing that he bleſſeth God for, is, that he hath opportunity to teach Chriſt to the ſoules of poore people; that is the firſt, but next he ſaith, and bleſſed be God that there is a way to ſupport my Family; naturall reaſon is tyed to ſpirituall, as the little boat is to the ſhip.
Secondly, though a Saint may be carryed to an 2 A Saints generall courſe by Spirituall reaſonaction with corrupt reaſon (that he pays deare for) yet the whole courſe of the life, and actions of a Chriſtian flow from ſpirituall reaſoning. O! that the Lord would give you to examine your ſelves, by this, It is not by what thou accounteſt of, or what thou eſteemeſt or loveſt, but what mooves thee? what is the Wheele that ſets thee on worke? Is it a ſpirituall mind, that gives ſpirituall arguments, that moves thee all the day to good towards God, or man? I deſire that you would carry this with you, this is the eſſentiall difference betweene an Hypocrite, and a Chriſtian. Aske when thou doſt an action, not how much thou doeſt, or what men conceive of it? though it be but a ſmall action, as ſuppoſe thou art a Maid that art ſweeping the houſe, or any ſuch meane thing, aske, why doe I this? what moves me? what is the maine ſpring? Is it that my Maſter or Miſtris may not chide me? This is natural reaſoning, but thou ſhouldeſt ſay, I do it that I may obey Chriſt, he hath called me, and hath reedeemed me to live to him: and ſo it may be, a man may do thee an ill turn, and thou wouldeſt not doe him a miſchiefe againe, it is a good reſolution: but why doeſt thou not doe it? it is not becauſe thou art aſhamed, or afraid to doe it? But if there be a little ſpring within to thinke, Chriſt loved me when I was wicked, and therefore I will love him, O! this is excellent.
The next thing I ſhould come to ſhew you is, how it comes to paſſe that Chriſtians that are right, are ſwayed, and ruled by ſpirituall reaſonings, all their life. I ſhall not have time now but muſt wait on God till he give another opportunity, only I ſhall conclude now with two ſhort Uſe 1. Tryall what grace or corruption is in us.Uſes.
Firſt, hence you may ſee; by this rule you have a Standard by you to trie how much grace, and how much corruption there is yet in your ſoules; this is the perfecteſt Standard that I know. Take it by a day, or a weeke, or an houre, or an action, ſee how much in that action, or day, or houre, or weeke, thou art carried clearely upon ſpirituall reaſoning. So much of godlineſſe, ſo much of true, pure grace there is. Looke into thy life, and actions, good, or evill, that is not a jot matter, ſo much of thy life as is carried upon ſpirituall reaſonings, ſo much godlines there is. It is not how much thou faſteſt, or prayeſt, or the like, but how much thou art carried by ſpirituall reaſoning. As in Aegypt they have a Pillar, and Figures upon it, and when Nilus flowes up, they know by thoſe Figures how farr the River riſeth, higher, or lower, and accordingly they ſet their rates on things, and accordingly things will be dearer, or cheaper. Or as by your Weather-glaſſes, you know whether it will be raine, or faire weather. So this rule would be a Weather-glaſſe, a Grace-glaſſe, and a fleſh-glaſſe, that is, if thou lay up this in thy ſoule, hereby thou mayeſt know the ebbings, and flowings of thy ſoule, whether thou walke better this weeke then before. It may be luſt may drive a man to Luſt may drive to good.a good thing, but goe to ſpirituall rationality, that is the eſſence of a Chriſtian, as the other rationality is the eſſence of a man. Hereby thou mayeſt know whither thou be nearer to God this weeke, then thou wert the weeke before, or whither thou be further from him.
The other leſſon, and a ſpeciall leſſon for you Uſe 2. Why good men miſs the will of God.to remember from what I have told you concerning ſpirituall Reaſoning, is this, hence learne why wiſe men ſo oft miſſe the will of God, It is a bleſſed leſſon, why doe wee ſee godly men many times miſſe the will of GOD; and are quite out in matters of judgment, and action, and yet are holy, and godly men: It is not becauſe they reaſon not rightly concerning ſuch things, but becauſe the reaſon whereby they reaſon it is more carnall then ſpirituall. As for inſtance, I could name a Booke that was Written about the Common-prayer, not long agoe, a Booke of admirable reaſon, full of rationality, and by a godly man too, and yet he miſt the will of God in it. How came it? Not becauſe he did not reaſon rightly, but becauſe the reaſon he reaſoned it by was naturall, and not ſpirituall. And ſo among Miniſters, they reaſon things throughly, and rightly, and draw deductions from them, but here they miſs, they look not what reaſon, they reaſon by; it may be it is naturall reaſon, and that may lead to naturalls, but it cannot to Spiritualls.
This is a rare rule for Chriſtians, when thou art reaſoning, and thy thoughts are buſie about a caſe, and thou deducteſt one thing from another; but aske thy ſelfe, I reaſon, but what is this reaſon I reaſon by? is it carnall, or ſpirituall? As men that weigh gold, or other things, they firſt heave up the ſkales to ſee if they be right; we doe not doe ſo, and therefore we ordinarily miſs in this. As when a man is in anger, he thinks he never ſpeaks better reaſon than then; he ſpeaks powerfully, and he thinks every word is Goſpell, and every word is reaſon, but it is corrupt reaſon, and ſo it appeares to him the next day. Now any luſt may tranſport a man ſo, let a luſt ſet naturall reaſon on worke, and a man will reaſon bravely, and rightly; but he doth not take up the Skales before, and ſay, I judge right, but what is it that I judge by? A man may ſay he can judge well of the colour of Cloath, by the light of a dark-ſhopp, but is that light right? a man ſhould examine that. And ſo in the Synod and other places we ſhould ſee that the reaſon that we judge things by, be ſpirituall, but we take any reaſon, and if it proove naturall reaſon, we ſhall have things goe naturally, but if it be not ſpirituall reaſon we goe by, we ſhall never attaine to judge of ſpirituall things.