Four Profitable Treatises, Treatise 1

Four Profitable Treatises · Treatise 1

p. 1THE KILLING POWER OF THE LAW.

Rom. 7. 9.

For I was once alive without the Law, but when the Commandment came, ſin revived, and I died.

IN theſe words the Apoſtle ſhewesThe Diviſion of the Text. Two things; Firſt, What a jolly man he thought himſelf to be whilſt he was a Phariſee, before the Lord wrought upon him by the Law: Secondly, What a miſerable wretched creature he ſaw himſelf to be when the Lord took him p. 2in hand, and diſcovered his ſins unto him, before the Law came home unto him, and convinced his Conſcience; he thought himſelf to be alive, but when the commandment came, ſin revived, and he died.

1. In the former we may obſerve Two things:

Firſt, The jollineſs of the Apoſtle, he thought himſelf to be alive; I was alive without the Law, I was a Phariſee, and thought my ſelf to be alive, I faſted twice a week, and prayed every day, and made long prayers each day; when he conſidered how he walked thus in all the Ordinances of God, he thought if this was not to be alive, he knew not what it was to be alive; I was alive once without the Law.

Secondly, We have here the cauſe why he had this good conceit of himſelf, it was becauſe he was without the law, the law of God had not convinced him, it had not diſcovered his miſerable and wretched eſtate unto him; though he had ſome underſtanding in the literal ſenſe of the Law, yet the Law was not yet come home unto him, he was as yet without the law, and that was the reaſon of that good conceit he had of himſelf, he did eſteem himſelf to be alive.

And then again in the latter part; When the commandment came, ſin revived, but I died. There we may alſo obſerve Two things.

Firſt, The law ſhewed him what a wretched eſtate and condition he was in, for all his ſelf conceitedneſſe, ſin revived and I died: though I thought before I was alive, yet when the commandement came, ſin revived, and I died; I ſaw I was a dead man, when the Lord took me in hand, to p. 3deal with me, and let me ſee how my caſe ſtood before him. Howſoever I thought my ſelf to be in a good caſe before, now I ſaw I was but a dead man; I did not ſee ſuch evil, and ſuch a maſſe of corruption before; but when the Lord diſcovered my ſelf unto my ſelf, and when I ſaw the Spiritualneſſe of the law, then I ſaw that ſin was alive in me, and I died; when I ſaw how I ought to behave my ſelf in my affections, and in my inward man, then ſin revived, and I for my part was a dead man, I was fain to come down from thoſe high conceits, and imaginations I had before.

Secondly. We have here the cauſe why he was thus brought down, it was becauſe of the commandment of God which came home unto him, the law of God came home unto his conſcience, and diſcovered unto him, how it was with him, and it made him to ſhake in the apprehenſion of his own eſtate, that he was but a dead man, and that he had gone to hell, and periſhed everlaſtingly, if he had continued in that eſtate and condition.

I intend at this time to treat of the former part, Without the law I was once alive: and here Two things muſt be opened: Firſt, what doth the Apoſtle mean, by without the Law: Secondly, What doth he mean when he ſaith, I was once alive.

1. For the firſt, When the Apoſtle ſaith he was without the law, he doth not mean ſimply, that he did think himſelf without the Law, that is, without the binding Authority of the Law, for ſo no reaſonable creature is, yea, indeed no creature at all is without the law of God, for there is a p. 4Law of Obedience impoſed upon all the creatures and the unreaſonable creatures do keep the Law that is impoſed upon them by God; and howſoever reaſonable creatures depart from this law and break it, yet they are under the binding power of this Law; therefore the Apoſtle doth not thus mean that he was without the Law, therefore we muſt know, that to be without the law is taken Four wayes:

Firſt, To be without the Law, is meant, to be without the promulgation and publiſhing of the Law, and ſo the Heathen only are ſaid to be without the Law, as we may ſee Rom. 2. 12. there the Heathen are ſaid to be without the Law: that is, without the promulgation of the Law, it was publiſhed only to the Jewes upon Mount Sinai, and ſo Paul was not without the law.

Secondly, It is taken in regard of the literal knowledge of the Law, and ſo ignorant people are ſaid to be without the law of God; they know not the Law of God; and in this ſenſe Paul was not without the law, he was trained up in the law, he was learned in the law, for he was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, Acts 22. 3. ſo that he had the logical meaning of the law, and was able to ſpeak of the points of Religion, better then a thouſand millions of carnal men, he had the literal knowledge of the law.

Thirdly, It is taken in regard of the moral obedience to the law, and ſo wicked men are ſaid to be without the law, as we may ſee, 1 Tim. 1. 9. The law is not given to a righteous man, but to the lawleſs and diſobedient; wicked men are lawleſs, they live as if there were no law, drunkards p. 5and prophane perſons, as they are ſaid to live without God in the world, ſo they are ſaid to live without law, as if there were no law to bind them; they are people that are not to be held within any compaſſe, they take notice of no command to rule in their hearts, and rectifie their lives; and in this ſenſe Paul was not without the law neither, for he lived after the moſt ſtrict and exact ſect of the Phariſees, Phil. 3. 4, 5. If any man think he hath whereof he may truſt in the fleſh, I much more, circumciſed the eighth day, of the ſtock of Iſrael, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the Law, a Phariſee; he was one that faſted and curbed himſelf, yea, he kept two Faſts a week, (as thoſe Phariſees did, that were of the better rank) he prayed daily, and performed the duties of Religion, and there was no outward ordinance of the Law, which he performed not; he was one that was conformable to the letter of the law, according as he underſtood the Law; he was morally obedient to the Law; he was no extortioner, nor unjuſt perſon; no, he did the works of the Law, and thoſe things contained in the Law; nay, there was no body that could challenge him with any blame; none that were familiar with him, could ſay any thing to tax him withal, when he was in his ignorance, and blindneſs; therefore in this ſenſe he was not without the Law.

Fourthly, Therefore in the Fourth place, we are ſaid to be without the Law in regard of the ſpiritual ſenſe of the law, and ſo Paul was without the law; he did not clearly underſtand the divine and ſpiritual ſenſe of the law; he did not ſee the glory and the beauty of the law of God, how it did diſcover p. 6all the breaches of righteouſneſs, how it reached to all the inner parts, how contrary the law of God was to all his nature; thus Paul underſtood not the ſpiritual nature of the law, he had not the ſpiritual underſtanding of the law, and thus he was without the law.

2. Now for the other words, I was alive once;

1. It is meant here ſpiritually towards God; he doth not mean naturally, for he was alive naturally, both before and after the commandment came; but the meaning is, he did not think himſelf to be ſuch a wretched curſed creature as he was; he thought he had the fear of God in him, and true obedience in him; he thought he had a ſpiritual kinde of life, as we may ſee Rom. 6. 11. Ye are dead (ſaith the Apoſtle) to ſin, but are alive to God in Jeſus Chriſt. And, Rom. 7. 13. Give not your members as weapons unto ſin, but give your ſelves unto God, as thoſe that are alive from the dead. i.e. As thoſe that have the pure and ſpiritual life of grace in them: ſo Luk. 15. 24. This my ſon was dead, and is alive again; that is, ſpiritually alive again; he was a dead creature, he was departed from his father, which is the fountain of life; he was dead in ſins and treſpaſſes, he was a dead man, but now he is alive again, he hath ſpiritual life again.

2. To be alive is taken to be conceitedly ſo, alive in his own conceit, he hath not true life in him, yet he doth imagine that he hath life in him, he thinks he hath life, and is dead, Rev. 3. 1. I know thy works, thou haſt a name thou liveſt, but thou art dead: Here the Church of Sardis did imagine p. 7ſhe was alive, and others conceived ſo; ſhe ſeemed to be alive, and yet notwithſtanding was dead, ſhe had no true life in her: ſhe ſeemed to be alive, not only in the ſight of others, but in her own apprehenſion; ſhe ſeemed to be alive, and yet was dead; now this is the meaning of the words, without the law I was alive once; that is, I thought my ſelf to be alive; I apprehended my ſelf to be no dead man, no damned man; I thought not my ſelf to be under the wrath of God, and one that ſhould periſh evermore, if I continued in that eſtate wherein I was; I hoped better things of my ſelf, I ſaw theſe ſigns of grace and life in me, and I thought I was alive indeed, till the commandment came, till the law of God was preſſed upon my conſcience, and ſhewed me the contrary; I thought my ſelf to be a very live man, and one that had ſome hope of eternal happineſs, and one that might enter into glory, I took my ſelf to be alive; thus we ſee the meaning of the words.

Now the Point I intend at this time to inſiſt upon,Obſer. is the livelineſs of a carnal mans heart, before the law comes home to him, and is preſſed to him, and ſhews him his damnable eſtate, and that he is dead in ſins and treſpaſſes, he hath ſome colour of righteouſneſs, that he is moral and civil, and orderly, and he hath ſomthing that is like grace and life, he hath ſome hope towards God, and hath ſome kind of obedience, he ſeems to be obedient to the commandment of God; before he is humbled by the law of God, he is a live creature. Here St. Paul ſhews it by his own example, Without the law I was once alive, noting out unto us, how it is with every unhumbled man, with every unmortified p. 8man, that is not yet converted to God, he hath many things to ſay for himſelf, but he doth not underſtand the pureneſſe of the law, the law hath not yet killed him, it hath not yet pulled him flat down before almighty God: a man that is unhumbled by the law of God is a live man, he will not be perſwaded, that he is a dead, damned creature; he doth apprehend and hope he hath life, it is ſo with men, before their converſion, they will not believe that they are damned creatures, and they think it uncharitableneſſe in any to ſay they are damned creatures, and dead creatures, they will not believe it; ſo long as the law is not charged upon their conſciences, ſo long as they ſee not how it is with them, they do verily apprehend that they have life in them, their hearts are not killed, their ſpirits are not dead within them, they are not pulled down in the apprehenſion of their own curſed eſtates before Almighty God: this is the thing I intend to inſiſt upon.

2. For the Proof of the point, we may ſee, 1 Tim. 5. 5. there the Apoſtle ſpeaking of Widows that lived in pleaſure, ſaith, She that liveth in pleaſure, is dead while ſhe is alive; that is, dead in pleaſure, dead in ſin, dead in the vanity of her own heart, and yet ſuch a Widow liveth, ſhe liveth not only a natural life, but ſhe is alive in her own conceit in regard of a ſpiritual life; for if ſhe conceived ſhe were a dead creature, a damned creature, it would kill all her pleaſure, it would kill the heart of any creature under heaven, it would break the neck of all her pleaſure, but in that ſhe took her pleaſure, it was a plain token that ſhe was not killed.

p. 9Now for the Opening of the Point, I will do theſe Three things:

Firſt, I will ſhew what this livelineſſe is, and wherein it conſiſts.

Secondly, I will ſhew what the effects of it are.

Thirdly the Uſes.

Firſt I will ſhew what this livelineſſe is, and it conſiſts in theſe Three things; I could branch them into Four, but I will reduce them into Three Heads.

1. Firſt, It conſiſts in the non-appearance of a mans dead, and damned eſtate: So long as a mans dead and damned eſtate doth not appear unto him, ſo long a man thinks he is alive, and that he is not a dead man, he is not a man that hath the ſentence of condemnation lying upon him, ſo long as the law hath not come, and ſhewed a man his wretched eſtate, and made his damnable eſtate appear in its own colours unto him, why he is a live man, he conceives himſelf to be alive becauſe the law of God hath not convinced him of the contrary: if the law of God doth ſeiſe upon a mans heart, and in its own colours appear to a mans eyes, and hold it ſelf as a glaſſe to a mans underſtanding, and ſhews him his wretchedneſſe, and what a curſed eſtate he is in before God, this will kill his very heart, and break the livelineſſe that is in him, and make him burſt out into out-cries, Oh! I am a dead man, I am a damned man; ſo that the livelineſſe that is here ſpoken of, conſiſts in the non-appearance of a mans dead and damnable eſtate: As for example, an Adulterer, his damnable eſtate doth not appear to him, he knows p. 10not that he is a dead man, as Prov. 9. 18. He knows not that the dead are there, and that her gueſts are in the depth of hell: when he goes to lie with his Whore, and commit his wickedneſſe, he doth not think that they are dead and damned men that are there, nor that they are in the pit of Hell. Though his Conſcience may tell him, that he is wicked, and ſinful, and wretched, and that he is half dead; yet he is not a dead man, he is not abſolutely a dead man, he doth not know this: It may be he will confeſſe it, Lord, I am a dead man, Lord, I am a damned man; it may be he will confeſſe this in his prayer, becauſe he hath ſome light, but yet his heart is not taken down, the livelineſs of his heart is not killed. I will prove it to you: for let another man, a Miniſter of God, or a child of God, ſay he is a dead man, a damned man, one that lies under the wrath of God, he will deny it, and ſay he is uncharitable, and judgeth hardly, and why may he not be a live man, and a good Chriſtian? he hopes he is, he doth not know that he is a dead man; as the wiſe-man ſpeaks, Prov. 14. 12. There is a way that ſeemeth right to a man, but the iſſues thereof are death: that is, there is a way that ſeems to be a way of life, and a man ſeems to be alive that walks in that way; but the truth is, it is a way of death, and a man that goeth in that way is a dead man, and a damned man; but yet in the mean time, while he walks in that way, it ſeems to be a way of life unto him; there is a non-appearance of the deadneſſe, and damnedneſſe of a mans eſtate and condition that walks in that way, and therefore it ſeems to him to be a right way, and a way of life, and there is great hope in him p. 11that he ſhall live for evermore, and many men do walk in that way, and therefore it ſeems to him to be a right way, and a way of life; it ſeems right to a man, but the end thereof is death: and this is the Firſt thing, wherein this livelineſs conſiſts, the non-appearance of a mans dead and damned eſtate.

2. Secondly, It conſiſts in Performance; he is able, as he conceives, to do the duties that God commands; he hath wiſdom and ability at home to go about his affairs; he hath underſtanding and ſupply at home; he hath life, and ſufficiency to go about theſe and theſe duties and performances; let the law tell him, he muſt be ſober, he hath life to avoid the Ale-houſe, and if he commit a Drunken Act, he would have you think he hath grace to be ſorry for it; and let a man tell him, he is a dead man, he hath no grace in him, no life in him; he will tell you, he doth thus and thus, he hears Gods Word, and he Prayes to God, and he Truſts in God, and he Believes in God; your telling of him this, doth not kill his heart, he thinks he is alive for all this; nay, let the law of God, come and tell him, He is a dead man for all his doing; this will not kill him neither, ſo long as the Lord himſelf doth not open his eyes, and clear his eye-ſight, and diſcover his ſins, and convince his Conſcience; though the law ſay he is a dead man, and a damned man, this doth not kill him, he can wait upon God and perform theſe and theſe duties. Then let the law of God ſay, He is a dead man for all this, he muſt deny himſelf: why ſo he will; I confeſſe, Lord, I am an unrighteous man, a wretched man, a ſinful creature, and all my righteouſneſſe is as menſtruous raggs; and now he p. 12thinks all is well, but the law of God, hath not yet come home unto him, and ſhewed him his heavie eſtate, but he is alive in regard of the performance of the duty, and thinks verily he hath life at home in him; whereas, if the law of God did come home and charge his eſtate upon him, and ſhew him, what obedience the law requires, what ſeverity, and truth in the inward parts, it would break a mans heart, and kill him, notwithſtanding all performance: but in the mean time that a mans heart is not killed, and the law hath not given him his deaths wound, he thinks he is alive: Cry aloud, (ſaith God) lift up thy voice like a trumpet, ſhew my people their tranſgreſſions, and the houſe of Iſrael their ſins, Iſai. 58. 1. there the Lord looks upon the people as dead, wretched ſinners, and abominable people, but yet notwithſtanding they thought they were alive in performances, as we may ſee, verſ. 2. Yet they ſeek me daily, and delight to know my wayes, even as a nation that did righteouſly, and had not forſaken the ſtatutes of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of Juſtice, they draw near to me, ſaying▪ We have faſted, and thou regardeſt it not. We ſee here they take delight in approaching unto God, they take delight in Gods Ordinances, and ſeek God early, they can do thus, and thus, and are alive in all performances; but that man whoſe ſpirit the law hath pulled down, and the Lord hath convinced him of his infinite inability to perform the law, he cannot ſee any livelineſſe in him, unto any performance. Let any duty come, it kills his heart: I ſhould now hear the Word of God, but my heart is unprepared, and my ear uncircumciſed, and I cannot p. 13hear aright. Let an opportunity be offered to pray, it kills his heart; I ſhould now call upon the Name of the Lord, but I have ſuch a curſed heart I cannot pray, I cannot ſpeak one right word before God. Let an occaſion be offered of holy conference, it kills his heart; alas, ſaith he, I want pure language, my tongue was never touched with a coal from the Altar, my lips have not ability to drop forth ſavoury ſpeeches, I am not able to ſpeak one ſyllable aright to Gods glory; it kills his heart, he ſees no life at all in him, unleſſe he can have life from without, and ability from without, he is dead, all is nothing to him, the law hath taken away the livelineſſe that was in him: But he that is not humbled by the law, he is alive, he hath life in himſelf, it is nothing with him to Pray, and go to Church, and hear Gods Word, it is nothing, but thruſting to do the duty; he hath life in him to do duties, and wait upon God in his ordinances, but when the law comes home to him, it plainly lets him ſee that he hath no life in himſelf to do any good, he muſt ſeek for life and ability from without, elſe he is a dead man, he can do nothing in this caſe: David in this caſe cannot lookup: Mine iniquities are gone over my head, I cannot look up, Pſal. 40. Moſes, he is a man of uncircumciſed lips, and cannot ſpeak unto Pharaoh; Paul cannot do any thing that is good, In me dwelleth no good thing, Rom. 7. And ſo for the reſt of Gods people, when the law hath killed them and laid them dead, in regard of any performance, they muſt have life from without, there is no life at home, no grace at home, no underſtanding at home, they muſt go out for all: but a p. 14carnal man, he is alive unto all performances. Many a man is like unſavoury ſalt, good for nothing, but to throw upon the dung-hill. He never received the Holy Ghoſt, and yet he will be inducted into a living, and take Paſtoral Charge upon him, as if he were able to performe the Duty of a Miniſter, and take the Charge of Souls upon him. So Ananias will be a husband, and Saphira a wife, Athalia will be a Queen, and Nimrod a King, and Abimelech a Judge; they are alive to diſcharge all theſe duties: thus men are alive, the Law of God hath not killed their hearts, & pulled down their ſpirits; it hath not made it appear unto them, what wretched, curſed creatures they are. This is the ſecond thing, wherein this livelyneſſe conſiſts.

Thirdly, This livelyneſſe conſiſts in a preſumptuous hope; he conceives that he is juſtified before God, and that God will not damn him, but forgive him his ſins. There is nothing can make a mans heart more full of life, then to think that he is righteous before God, and that God will not impute his ſins unto him: there is nothing can make a man more alive, then this. If they think they are juſtified before God, they have then a lively hope, 1 Pet. 1. 3. bleſſed be God, ſaith the Apoſtle, even the Father of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, which according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again, to a lively hope, by the Reſurrection of Chriſt from the dead. So theſe men have a hope, that makes them lively, and full of life; as a poor man that hath ſome grounded hope of an Earthly inheritance, it makes the heart lively: Poverty deads the heart; he that hath nothing to maintain himſelf, and thoſe that belongs p. 15unto him, it deads his heart; but if he hath ſome hopes of an hundred pound a year, and his hope is grounded, if he hath ſure hope of it, and he makes no doubt of it; it makes his heart full of life: ſo when a man doth believe that he is in a good caſe, that he is delivered from death, that he is in the eſtate of grace, when he hath ſome probability that God hath juſtified him from ſin; this breeds an hope in him of an eternal Inheritance, and this hope, the conſideration of it, makes the ſoul full of life; There is nothing can make a man more lively, then a hope that he is juſtified before God, and that God will not impute his ſins unto him. Now when a carnal man conceives he is righteous before God, and that God will forgive him his iniquities, that God will not damn him, nor count him a dead & a damned man; ſo long as a man doth imagin this, he muſt needs be a lively man; he is alive in his own apprehenſion; nay all the delights in the world, cannot make a man ſo ful of life, as this hope. It is not mens following their pleaſure, that makes their hearts ſo full of life; as to have hope that the Lord doth not account them dead men, that they are juſtified men, and righteous men, that they have ſalvation to ſhew for, heaven and Eternall happineſſe to ſhew for, that they ſhall go to heaven. But if now the Law were charged upon a man, if he knew that he were a dead man, a damned man, it would pluck down his ſpirits, and make his ſpirits dead, for all his pleaſures. It is the conceit that men are juſtified, that makes them ſo full of life; ſo long as the Law doth not come home to a man, and point him out in his colours, and make it appear p. 16to him, that he lyeth under the wrath of Almighty God, that the Lord doth account him an abominable, wretched creature, ſo long as he doth not apprehend this; eſpecially if he have any good gifts, and parts, and qualities, and moral obedience to the Law; doing good duties, and a general laying hold upon the promiſes, and a hope they belong to him; this makes him alive, Phil. 3. 9. Paul when he was a Phariſee, and did Moral Duties, and performed Moral Obedience to the Law of God, he thought he had righteouſneſſe of his own; he calls it there, his own righteouſneſſe, he ſo apprehended of himſelf; now this is that which makes men alive, when they conceive, that they have ſome Religion, and ſome Grace. You ſhall have many men and women that hate the Servants of God, and yet think they are godly men, and have Grace and Life in them. We may ſee it Acts 13. 50. there it is ſaid that the Jews ſtirred up certain devout and honourable women, and raiſed perſecution againſt Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their Coaſts: Though they hated Paul and Barnabas, yet they are ſaid to be devout, and honourable women. They imagined they were very Devout, they conceived they were Religious; How many men and women are there, that think they are righteous, and they will do many duties, and take many good courſes; in ſo much, that it would pity a man to think they ſhould goe to hell? they will be very Zealous, they will be very Earneſt againſt Drunkenneſſe, and cry out againſt the abominations of the times; they are marvellous devout and godly, and yet a man that is Devout and p. 17godly in truth and in deed, they cannot abide him, but hate him. Now if the Law ſhould come home unto them, and diſcover how indeed it is with them; it would humble their ſouls, and pull down their ſpirits, and make them dead; ſo that this preſumptuous hope, that men are in good terms with God, and that God will be merciful to them, and forgive them their ſins; this makes them to be alive.

2. We come now to the Second thing, and that is the Effect of this livelyneſſe, what Effects it works in the heart; and the Effects of this Livelyneſſe are Four.

1. Firſt, It makes them ſound and heart-whole, like a boyl unlaunched, it is yet ſound. The true ſight of ſin, and wrath of God in the ſoul, is able to break the heart of any man; it is able to dead his ſpirit, and kill all the livelyneſſe that is in him, and make him have little life to go on as he doth. But ſo long as the Law of God is not come home to a man, though he have no title to heaven, though hell be the portion of his cup, yet he is as ſound as can be, as heart-whole as may be: let carnal comfort come, he can take it; let pleaſures come, he is able to delight himſelf therewith, and go on in his courſe as if he ailed nothing, Prov. 18. 14. the Wiſe man ſaith, the ſpirit of a man will ſuſtain his infirmities, but a wounded ſpirit, who can bear? When the Lord comes to wound a mans heart with the ſight of his ſins, and the fearful condition he is in, what a curſed creature he is, having no mercy, and being out of Chriſt; having no pardon, no grace, no holineſſe, but lyeth under the curſe of God: If the Law thus come p. 18home, and wounds his Conſcience, he is not able to bear it; this man, let carnal comforts come, he is not able to take them; it kills the heart. Look as it is with the Stomack, if it can take meat, and digeſt it, it muſt needs be alive; for if the Stomack be dead, it can digeſt nothing. So for the taſt, if a mans palat, and all the inſtruments of the taſt be dead, he takes no delight in any meats; ſo there is a kind of ſoundneſſe in the Soul, that is the reaſon why a man can delight in carnal pleaſures, in Drinking, and Sporting, and in Profit, and Gain. There is a kind of ſoundneſſe, and livelineſſe in the heart; the heart is not yet broken: If the Law come, and take the hearts life away, this wil pull down the heart, it will make a mans heart even break, it will pull down his ſpirit: But a man whom the Law hath not yet humbled, and ſhewed him his damned eſtate, his heart is yet whole, and ſound. When the Law of God had but a little killed Ahabs heart, you might ſee it in his very gate; he went ſoftly, he could not tread ſo confidently upon the ground, as he was wont to do; it tamed his very ſteps, it is wonderful how his heart was broken; it appeared in his very going up and down. When the Law comes home to a man, it is able to kill his heart, and makes him Soul-ſick, and makes him cry out, O the wretchedneſſe of my heart; it makes a man ſick at the heart, it lyes like a heavy Plague upon the heart and conſcience, it will make a man ſick of his ſins, it will make him even at deaths door with his ſins; it will make him ſay with Paul, when the Commandment came, ſin revived, and I dyed. But another man though he hath evident demonstration, p. 19that he is a dead man, yet the Law of God hath not pulled down his heart; ſickneſſe will pull down a mans Stomack; ſo when the Law of God comes home to a mans Conſcience, and makes him ſick, it makes him yield, and pulls down his Stomack. Many men are crazy, and ſickly; and yet they lye not by it, but walk up and down, and go abroad; but if they were heart ſick, it would pull them down, and make them lye by it. So many a carnal man, may have ſome qualms of ſin, but yet their hearts can go abroad after profits, and pleaſures, after vanities, and delights; they can goe abroad for all this. But when the Law comes home, it will pull down a mans ſpirit, and make him heart-ſick. This is the meaning of that place, The whole need not a Phyſician, but the ſick, Mat. 9. 12. Every carnal man, ſo long as he is not humbled, and broken under the ſight of his ſins; his heart is yet whole, his ſpirit is yet ſound, he is not yet wounded; as the Prophet Iſaiah ſpeaks, Iſa. 1. 6. from the crown of the head, to the ſole of the foot, there is nothing but wounds, and ſwellings, and ſores full of corruption; there is no ſoundneſſe in him: He is indeed full of wounds, but the skin is yet ſound, it is not broken, he feels it not; the Law hath not yet diſcovered his eſtate unto him. This is the firſt effect of this livelyneſſe, it makes men to be ſound, and heart-whole.

2. The Second effect of this livelyneſſe, when a man is alive in the non-appearance of his dead and damned eſtate; alive in performance, alive in preſumption, and ſelf-juſtifying, and ſelf-hopes; The effect of it is, that he is fearleſs; the more p. 20lively, the more fearleſs. Firſt, the Object muſt dead the heart, before it can make the heart fear; ſo long as the heart is ſtout, the livelyneſſe that is in the heart, is able to keep out fear: So the livelineſſe of a ſinner, makes the heart fearleſſe and ſecure. A man would wonder how any creature durſt provoke God; it is almoſt beyond the reach of true reaſon, how any creature ſhould dare to provoke God; to conſider what infinite danger he is in, to have the wrath of the God of heaven and earth to hang over his head, to be under the hand of revenging Juſtice, to pull down all the Woes, and Plagues, and Comminations of God upon the Soul; that a man ſhould do this, and yet be ſecure, it would make a man wonder at it. But a man that hath this livelyneſſe, he can provoke God, and yet be ſecure, as Job 12. 6. thoſe that provoke God are ſecure, the reaſon is, the Law of God hath not taken down their hearts, the Law of God hath not deaded their ſpirits; they are alive in preſumption, and imagination, and therefore though they provoke God, they are ſecure, and fear nothing. It is the diſquietneſſe of a mans heart, that makes him fear; therefore ſo long as a mans mind is quiet, and is not diſturbed, he is fearleſſe: So long as the Law hath not diſquieted a mans mind, nor broken the reſt of a mans Soul, nor diſturbed his conſcience, but tells him, go on in quiet; he ſpends his dayes in ſecurity, he fears nothing; whereas, fearfulneſs, and trembling, and horrible dread, would overwhelm him, if the Law of God ſhould come and take away his life: it is fear that deads a mans heart, as we may ſee Matth. 28. 4. when the Angel of the Lord roled p. 21away the ſtone from Chriſts Sepulchre, it is ſaid, For fear of the Angel, the Keepers trembled, and became as dead men: There is the effect of fear; if the law did but open mens eyes, and paint out before them how it is with them; how they are liable to Gods wrath, and under the ſentence of condemnation: if they were once thus feared, it would make them ſeem as dead men: the drunkards would be ſo afraid, that they would become as dead men: All wretched men, all ungrounded Chriſtians, all that are not truly alive towards God, it would make them become as dead men; and it is the deadneſſe of the heart that makes men fear, and ſuch a man cannot be ſecure. Careleſneſſe and fear, are two contraries, as Ezek. 30. 9. In that day ſhall Meſſengers go forth from me in Ships, to make the careleſſe Ethiopian afraid, and great pain ſhall come upon them: The Prophet there makes theſe two contraries; they ſhall be full of fear, to rouze them out of ſecurity: ſo the cauſe why men are carleſſe to get repentance, careleſſe to get deliverance from ſin, carleſſe of their walking with God; the reaſon is, becauſe of this damnable livelineſſe that is in their hearts, they are not yet deaded by the law.

3. Thirdly, Another effect of this livelineſſe is this, it makes the heart ſtiffe; what a deal of ſtiffneſſe is in the hearts of carnal men; let God forbid ſin, they are ſtiffe, and will ſtill continue in their ſins, as the Prophet ſpeaks, the hearts of this people is waxed ſtiffe, their hearts are marvellous ſtiffe; the reaſon of it is, becauſe the law of God hath not taken away their livelineſſe, it hath nor humbled their hearts, and pull'd down their ſpirits, p. 22whereas if the law had paſt upon them, and the conſideration of their eſtate were rooted in their minds, it would make their ſtoutneſs to yield, and their ſtiffeneſſe to come down; infinite is the ſtiffneſſe of a man for want of this work of the law: tell a vain gallant of his locks, how ſtiffly will he reaſon for it? Tell a prophane perſon of the lewdneſſe of his courſe, how ſtiffly will he argue for it? This is for want of this killing work of the law.

4. Fourthly, The laſt effect of this livelineſſe is this, it makes the heart peark, and brisk; what a deal of briskneſſe, and pearkneſſe do we ſee every day in the hearts of men, becauſe their hearts are not taken down? I will give you two or three Inſtances, If a man have a little knowledge more then others, he is proud, and brisk, and peark, and he will be ſome-body, he will be talking, and thinks he hath ſuch a deal of knowledge: what is the reaſon of this, that he is ſo peark? It is becauſe the law hath not made it known unto him, that he knows nothing as he ought to know, 1 Cor. 8. 2. there ſaith the Apoſtle, If a man thinks he knows any thing, he knowes nothing as he ought to know. If the law of God did ſhew him he were a beaſt, and a bruit for all his underſtanding; if it did diſcover unto him, his blockiſhneſſe, and blindneſſe, and ignorance, that he knows nothing of the myſteries of Grace and Salvation, this would pull down his pearkneſſe; take another man that hath more knowledge, and can ſpeak better a thouſand times, if the law hath ſhewed him his eſtate, and truly humbled him, all his briskneſſe is taken away, the law hath taught him ſuch a leſſon, p. 23that he cannot be peark, Oh! ſaith he, I know nothing, there is no man more fooliſh then I, I have not the knowledge of the moſt high in me; though he have never ſo much knowledge, and gifts, and parts, yet the law hath diſcovered his eſtate unto him, and pulled down the pearkneſſe of his ſpirit. Again, another man is ready to carp at every word, every little occaſion will make him on the top of the houſe, his heart is ſo brisk, that it is up upon every little occaſion, but when the law comes home unto him, this will pull down all his pearkneſſe; alas, he angry at a word ſpeaking? The law hath told him how he hath offended God, and provoked his Spirit from time to time, he is now cooled, from being ſo peark, to be angry at every word. So take a man that is full of pleaſure and voluptuouſneſſe, and is ready to be vain and fooliſh, every pleaſure puts life into him, but now let the law come, and be charged upon his conſcience, and then all his pearkneſſe is preſently down, he is not able to look up, he ſeeth ſo many ſins, diſcovered by the law, that he is not able to look up: Jam. 5. 1. Go to now ye rich men (ſaith the Apoſtle) weep and howle for the miſery that ſhall come upon you. If the law were charged upon rich men, it would make them weep and howle, rich men are fulleſt of pleaſure and delight, and fartheſt from weeping and howling, but if the law were charged upon their conſciences, it would make them weep and howle, and have little heart to be ſo pleaſant.

I come now to the Uſes, and the Firſt Ʋſe isƲſe. 1 for Inſtruction, to ſhew us the reaſon, why there are ſo many men and women among us, that p. 24think themſelves alive, that are ſo ſecure, and fearleſſe, and careleſſe, that have their hearts ſo ſound, and their ſpirits ſo unbroaken, the reaſon is, becauſe the law hath not yet come home, and killed their hearts, 2 Cor. 3. 6. The very letter of the law is able to kill as many of us as are in this eſtate and condition; therefore the cauſe of this livelineſſe, and ſecurity, is becauſe we are ſtrangers from the law of God, our eyes were never open to behold it, the law of God never came home unto our hearts.

The Second Ʋſe is this, When we find ourƲſe. 2. hearts to be brisk and peark, let us pray unto God, that he would be pleaſed to charge his law upon our Conſciences: Let us buy precious eye-ſalve, that we may be able to look into the law of God, this will make our hearts that they will not be ſo wanton, and our ſpirits, that they will not be ſo brisk; though they would never ſo fain mind earthly things, they cannot. If the Lord would be pleaſed but to charge his law upon the heart, it would make the ſtouteſt ſpirit to yield.

Thirdly, This takes away the imputation thatƲſe. 3. is laid upon the Word of God; many think hardly of the Word of God, it takes away the ſpirits of men: the preaching of the Law, it pulls down the ſpirits of men, and breaks mens hearts, it makes men have no ſpirits, as they ſaid of Jeremy, thou makeſt the knees feeble: ſo the law infeebles the knees, and takes away the ſpirits of a man; why here we ſee that the law of God will do ſo, it is the property of the law to do ſo, whereſoever it comes, it kills the heart, and pulls down all the pearkneſſe of it. The law, it will ever break a mans p. 25bones, as David ſpeakes, Let me hear of joy and gladneſs, that the bones which thou haſt broken may rejoyce, Pſal. 51. The Lord had broken his very back bone by the law, and now he could not rejoyce, Iſai. 57. 15. I the Lord dwell with him that is of an humble & contrite ſpirit, to revive the ſpirit of the humble: when the law of God hath broken a mans heart, and made him contrite, he is a dead man, till the Lord comes to revive him, and raiſe up his ſpirit.

I come now to the Second part of the Text,The latter part of the Text opened. When the Commandment came, ſin revived, and I died.

Here alſo, as in the former part are two things to be expounded:

Firſt, What doth the Apoſtle here mean by reviving? When the Commandment came, ſin revived.

Secondly, What doth he mean by dying; I died?

When the Law and Commandment came, and diſcovered me to my ſelf, and ſhewed me what a damnable thing ſin was, and what a wretched dead creature I was for committing the ſame, and how I lay under the guilt thereof, ſinne revived, and I died. Therefore, what doth the Apoſtle mean by ſin revived? I Anſwer, The Apoſtle doth not mean here, as if ſin were indeed dead in him, before the commandment came: for ſin is alive in every carnal mans heart, before the commandment comes, and therefore he cannot mean thus, when the commandment came ſin revived, as if it were truly, and really dead before; for his ſins were not dead in him, when he was Phariſee, his p. 26ſins were not mortified, when he was in his unregenerated eſtate and condition ſin was not dead in him, that cannot be the meaning, as if ſin were dead before, and now revived: But he ſpeaks of the Appearance of the death of ſin, though it were not dead before, yet it did appear to be dead; as a Snake in cold weather, though it be alive, yet it appears to be dead, the life of it is in a ſwound; though it hath life, yet the cold benums it, and keeps it from appearing: So before the commandment came, ſin was in Paul, but it ſeemed to have no life but when the commandment came, and diſcovered plainly, what a dead creature he was, then the life of ſin came indeed to be manifeſted.

Now the Law of God doth manifeſt the life of ſin Three wayes; it manifeſts three lifes of ſin: There are three lifes of ſin, that appear to the ſoul, when the law comes.

1. Firſt, There is the life of Aggravation; the Law of God doth aggravate and point out ſinne to the full life of it; it makes ſinne appear in the true nature of it: the true nature of every thing is the life of the thing: the nature of a man is the life of a man: Now the law did ſhew him the nature of his ſins, it painted them out to the very life, in their lively colours; this made him ſee how his ſins were aggravated: what a curſed and damned thing ſin was, and what a perſon it was committed againſt, this made ſin appear unto him in the very life of it; therefore in the 13. verſ. of this Chapter, the Apoſtle ſaith, Sin, that it might appear ſi…, wrought death in me, that ſin might be … meaſure ſinful by the commandment: that is, p. 27when the commandment comes, and is manifeſted to the ſoul, it makes the life of ſin appear, the life of ſin is then manifeſted, the Law of God like a glaſſe, doth ſhew the life of the Commandment, and the very nature of all ſinning, and tranſgreſſing. Now before the Law came thus home unto him, he could not thus ſee ſin; he could ſay, he was a ſinner, and had committed theſe, and theſe ſins: But what theſe ſins were, and the exceeding ſinfulneſſe of theſe ſins, he did not ſee that. He had a dead kind of picture of his ſins before, but the life thereof was not manifeſted; but the Law of God did make his ſin revive, and made him ſee his ſinnes in the life of them.

2. Secondly, There is the life of irritation, as I may ſo call it; or of itching, and egging a man. This is another life of ſin, whereby it is full of operation, and working in the Soul; the operation of a thing, is the life of a thing. Now before the Commandment came, ſin ſeemed dead, it wrought indeed many evils in him, but he did not think his heart had been ſo full of life, and ſo full of activity againſt Gods Law and commandments. Sin ſeemed to lye dead before, but now when the Commandment came, and ſet upon his heart, and began to charge him with better obedience; now his heart grew itching, and marvellous full of life unto luſt. Hereupon ſin egged him the more on to luſt: It is like water, when a man goes about to ſtop it, it runs the more violently. So it is with ſin in the heart, the more the Law of God goes about to ſtop it, and hinder it, the more eager it is, and the more full of life p. 28and working, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks, ver. 8. without the Law, ſin was dead: there was no ſuch working of ſin in my mortal body then: but when the Commandment came, when the Law was charged upon my heart, then ſin took occaſion hereby to be the more violent, and work in me all manner of Concupiſcence: before I committed ſin without any check, I had vain thoughts, and fooliſh courſes, and many a luſt in my ſoul, and I went to it as if it had been a good thing, not as if it had been evil: But when the Law of God came to ſhew me the ſlackneſſe of my obedience, and to controle me, and convince me, and to ſtop the courſe of ſin, it wrought all manner of Concupiſcence in me; it wrought before in Paul, for it wrought all his ſecurity, and all his hardneſſe of heart, and all his vain thoughts and imaginations: but this was but a dead kind of working, in compariſon of that which it wrought after the Commandment came. There are none that have ſuch active Rebellions againſt the Law and Commandment of God, as thoſe to whom the Law comes; it eggs a man forward, and maks him itch unto Rebellion. If a man had asked Paul before, whether he had ſuch a devilliſh heart againſt God; he ſaw no ſuch matter, he never meant God any hurt when he went on in his courſe, he thought not that he was ſo ſtubborn and rebellious, he did not feel this ſtubbornneſſe and rebellion; But when the Law came once, it ſhewed him the venome, and curſed nature of his ſins.

3. The Third life of ſin is the worſt of all; and that is, the life of Imputation; for here ſin is p. 29ſo full of life, that it is not only able to diſcover unto him, that he is a ſinful wretch, and an abominable creature; but to bind him over to wrath and ſend him to hell, and everlaſting deſtruction. Now it is the Law of God that diſcovers this life of ſinne: before the Law comes, a man hath many vain hopes, that God is merciful, and Chriſt dyed for ſinners, and that God will forgive him his ſins; he doth not ſee the imputation of ſin: the imputation of ſin lying upon the Soul is not clearly diſcovered, before the Law come; for where there is no Law, there is no imputation of ſin, Rom. 5. 13. there ſaith the Apoſtle, unto the time of the Law, was ſin in the world; but ſin is not imputed, while there is no Law. Before the Law is charged upon the heart, the heart never dreams of the imputation of ſin, as if he ſhould anſwer for ſin, and be damned for ſin for ever: He thought the contrary before, but now the Law diſcovers the life of ſin unto him, and ſin revives, and appears to have life to damn him for evermore. Sin now appears to have life to caſt him off from God, and to bind him over to Everlaſting vengeance. Thus it was with Paul, when the Commandment came, ſin revived; I ſaw ſin was alive indeed, and I ſaw the life of aggravation, I ſaw the helliſh nature of ſin, it was painted out to the full; I ſaw the life of irritation, I ſaw the infinite egging, and itching of ſin, how it did work in me; I ſaw the life of imputation, how all my ſins were imputed unto me, and did all lye upon my conſcience, and ſo ſin revived, that is the meaning.

Now for the meaning of the Second word, I p. 30dyed, that is, I ſaw I was a dead man; I ſaw plainly, and clearly, that I was but a dead man; I thought I was alive before, becauſe I did good duties, and walked in the Ordinances of God; and I thought that I might goe for a Chriſtian, and ſervant of God, as well as another. I did not think I was a dead man, I thought I had ſome goodneſſe in me, ſome hope of eternal life in me; I did not conclude that I was a dead man. But when the Law of God humbled me, and diſcovered my eſtate plainly unto me; then I ſaw I was a dead man indeed, my heart failed me, and the livelyneſſe that was in me before, departed from me. I ſaw I was a dead man, and had not the Spirit of Chriſt come and quickned me, I had been a dead man to all eternity; I now ſaw that ſin began to revive in me, and I began to be a dead man. Thus we ſee the meaning of the words.

Now the Theame I propounded to you was this, namely, how the Lord converts the will; and the firſt work that prepares a man hereunto, is the work of pulling down the will, and the pulling down of a mans heart; for the will of man is full of obſtinacy, full of livelyneſſe againſt the truth, and Commandment of God; full of livelyneſſe in ſin, and conceives it ſelf to be in a better eſtate and condition, and ſo the will is obſtinate ſtill. Now when it pleaſeth God to convert a man, firſt he pulls down the will of a man, and pulls down his Spirit; now here is a Doctrine to make way for this.

Namely, that when the Lord takes a man inObſer. hand to pull him down, to pull down his will, he p. 31doth ſhew him what a dead Creature he is. The Lord by pronouncing a man in his own Boſom, a dead man, a damned man, one that can no way help himſelf; he is dead, abſolutely dead in his own eſtate, and in Gods account, all his hopes are rotten; he is meerly, a dead, damned man: hereby the Lord pulls down his will. We may ſee this in Paul, before his Converſion; his will was full of obſtinacy and rebellion againſt God, he would go and make havock of the Church, he would not ſubmit to the will of God; but when the Lord came to work upon him, Saul, Saul, why perſecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks: What wilt thou that I ſhall do Lord, ſaith he, Act. 9. 6? Now his will is come down: but mark how the Lord puts him off; go to ſuch a place, (ſaith he) and there it ſhall be told thee what thou ſhalt do. The Lord puts him off, and would not give him an anſwer preſently, what he ſhould do; as who ſhould ſay, thou haſt as yet an obſtinate will, thou wilt not do as I command thee: I will not tell thee as yet, what I will have thee to do; but go to ſuch a place, and I will Arreſt thee there, and charge my Law upon thy Conſcience, and ſhew thee thy dead, and damned eſtate. And now his will is come down; he bids him be Baptized, and he was ſo; he bids him go and Preach the Goſpel, and he did ſo; now his will is come down. So the prodigal, his heart was marvellous obſtinate againſt his Fathers commandement; he would be gone from his father, he could not abide to ſtay in a houſe where there were ſuch ſtrict courſes, he would have his goods and patrimony in p. 32his own hand, (as it is the property of every carnal man) he would have his Inheritance in his own hand; he would have power, and ſtrength, and ability, and theſe gifts and parts in his own hand. But when he is humbled by the Law, he is content to have all in Gods hand, he is content to have all his wiſdom there, that he may come thither for it; he is content to have all his righteouſneſſe there, and all his ability, ſtrength, and ſufficiency there, that he may come thither for it; all is there, and he ſees himſelf a beggar, if he comes not to God, and keeps cloſe to God, and keeps faſt to his Covenant, he is a very beggar. But this man would have all in his own hands, and goe and ſquander away all upon his luſts and pleaſures, and he would not ſtay at home with his father. Now when the Law of God came home to him, to ſhew this man to himſelf, when he came to himſelf, as the Text ſaith (his father did eſteem him a dead man before,) But when he came to himſelf, and ſaw he was a dead man for going away from his father, the Father of life; Now his will is come down, I will go to my father, and ſay, Father I have ſinned againſt Heaven and againſt thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy Son, make me as one of thy hired ſervants. Luke 15. 17. Here his will is come down; he would be gone from his father before, he could not abide to be held in ſo ſtrictly, he would fain be gone, and be at liberty; he had no mind to ſtay in his fathers houſe: But when he came to himſelf, when the Law ſhewed him, he was but a dead man, for going from his father; and going p. 33after his luſts and pleaſures; now his will is brought down, and it ſubmits, and yields; and now he will go to his father, and humble himſelf before his father, aud ſay, Father, I have ſinned againſt heaven, and againſt thee, &c. Now I deſire here to ſhew you Three things, as I did in the former point.

Firſt, Wherein this deadneſſe conſiſts.

Secondly, What be the effects of this deadneſs, and how it pulls down the heart. And

Thirdly, The Uſes we are to make of it.

1. For the Firſt, Wherein this deadneſſe conſiſts: and it conſiſts in Three things.

Firſt, In deadneſſe in being.

Secondly, In deadneſſe in Gods account.

Thirdly, In deadneſs to all doing.

1. First, It conſiſts in deadneſſe in being. When the Law comes, it ſhews a man indeed to be a dead man, 2 Cor. 3. 6. the letter killeth, ſaith the Apoſtle: the very letter of the Law; without the Spirit of life, which Chriſt doth inform it with, when he comes to work upon his children; The letter alone, without the Spirit of God, kills a man: now when a man is killed, he is a dead man; he is then fully dead, he hath the very being of a dead man, he is a dead man; that is his Eſtate and Condition. So when the Law of God comes home to a man, it ſhews him indeed that he is a dead man. The property of the Law, when it is let in to work upon the heart, is to ſlay a man, I have flain them by the words of my mouth, Hoſ. 6. 5. The Law which proceeds from Gods mouth, is able to ſlay a poor ſinner, and kill him at the heart, and lay him for dead before p. 34Almighty God, that he can ſtrive no more; the reaſon is, becauſe the Law doth charge the truth of God upon a man. Now the Truth is, that every ſinner is a dead man, this is the very Truth of it, Rom. 8. 6. To be carnally-minded is death: That man is a dead man; there is the very death of ſin, and hell, and condemnation in that man, that is a Carnal-minded man. Now the Law of God when it comes, doth Charge this Truth upon the Soul, it diſcovers a man to be in this eſtate and condition, wherein in truth he is.

2. Secondly, It conſiſts in deadneſſe in Gods account. For all a mans preſumptions, for all a mans vain hopes that he is juſtified; for this is the nature of man, before he is convinced by the Law of God, to juſtifie himſelf, (you are Luk. 16.Luke 16they that juſtifie your ſelves,) not that he is indeed juſtified; but he falſly applies juſtification to himſelf, and he hopes he is juſtified before God, he is apt to pronounce this hope unto himſelf, let a Miniſter tell him of his ſins, here is his Salve, God is merciful, and Chriſt came to ſave ſinners. Let Sermons beat upon him from day to day, to humble him, he cannot imagine that he is in a damnable eſtate; Preachers are too harſh, and cenſorious, and the like. But when the Law comes, it ſhuts up a man that he cannot get out, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks, Gal. 3. 22. The Law hath concluded all under ſin: that is the nature of the word of God, to ſhut up a man, that a man is not able to get out: before the law is charged, the heart hath a thouſand ſtarting-holes. Denounce hell, and damnation againſt it, it hath this ſtarting-hole, that Chriſt dyed for ſinners: p. 35diſcover plainly that he is a dead man, he hath theſe ſtarting-holes, he hopes he ſhall have peace, and he hopes he is not ſo vile before Almighty God, and he hopes he hath better righteouſneſſe then you would bear him down with; and ſo he hath an evaſion to get out: but when the Law comes, and ſhuts him up, this will tame him. As we uſe to tame Lions, and Bears, and ſuch like fierce and cruel creatures, by ſhutting of them up, ſo the Lord tames the heart of a poor creature, when he would pull him down, he ſhuts him up, and layes him in the priſon, and in the Gaole, and he hath no way to get out; he is a dead man, and there is no way to get out, no evaſion to eſcape; but ſtill he is a dead man, and a damned man, he cannot open his mouth any more, Ezek. 16. 63. That thou mayeſt remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, when I am pacified towards thee, for all that thou haſt done, ſaith the Lord God. The Law indeed works thus in the Regenerate, though the Lord be pacified towards them, yet they ſhall never open their mouths, never cavil againſt Gods precepts more, never be ſo brisk any more. But ſo long as a man is in his ſins, the Law doth not only convince him that he is dead in himſelf, but that he is alſo dead towards God; that God accounts him a dead man, that God is not pacified towards him, but he lies under the wrath of God, and this pulls him down, and ſtops his mouth. A carnal mans mouth will not be ſtoped, but he will have ſome thing to ſay, ſome vain hope, or confidence or other, ſome pleading, or excuſing or other. His mouth will never p. 36be ſtoped, till the Law of God comes; and when that comes, that will ſtop his mouth, and make it appear, that he is guilty before God, Rom. 3. 19. the Apoſtle ſaith, Now we know, that whatſoever the Law ſaith, it ſaith to them that are under the Law, that every mouth might be ſtopped, and all the world may be culpable before God. But before the Law comes, a mans mouth will not be ſtopped. Gen. 20. 3. God came to Abimilech by night, and ſaid, Thou art but a dead man, becauſe of the woman which thou haſt taken, for ſhe is a mans wife: He was a dead man, but he little thought it; he would not believe that he was a dead man; As the Text there ſpeaks of temporal death. So it is true of the other, carnal men are indeed dead men, but they will not believe that they are dead men, and damned men; they hope for mercy, and cry, peace, peace to their ſouls; but when the Law comes, that knocks off all mens hopes, and layes them for dead in Gods account.

3. Thirdly, This deadneſſe I here ſpeak of, it conſiſts in regard of all manner of doing; when the Law of God hath charged it ſelf upon the conſcience, and diſcovered to a man, that he is a dead, and a damned man. It makes it now appear unto him, that he is utterly unable to do any thing; he is in the depth of miſery, and he is unable to cry mercy aright, he is not able to make a prayer, no more then a dead man: he ſeeth he can no more keep a Sabboth as he ought, than a dead man. So for any duty of Religion, he ſeeth he hath no more life to do it, then a dead man hath to do the actions of the living: as the Apoſtle p. 37ſpeaks, Gal. 2. 19. I am dead to the Law, that I might live unto God. God made S^t. Paul alive unto him, but firſt he charged his Law upon his Conſcience, and made him ſeem to be a dead man to the Law: That he had no life or activity to do any thing pleaſing to God: but when the Lord made him alive to himſelf, then he could do ſomething, nay, he was able to do all things, through the Lord Jeſus Chriſt that ſtrengthned him. But in himſelf, both ſtill, and before, he was altogether dead to the Law of God; ſo that when the Law comes, and ſhews a mans eſtate unto him, it ſhews him his utter inability to the performance of any good duty. The Phariſee will to the Temple as well as the Publican, Saul will ſacrifice as well as Samuel; Prophane people will take up the Ordinances of God, as if they had life to go through them, as well as the people of God. But when the Law comes, it plainly convinceth a man; it makes him feel and underſtand, that he hath no activity, or life to performe any thing pleaſing to Almighty God; a dead man can do nothing, he is cut off from all the actions of the living; dead men they cannot deviſe ought, they cannot purpoſe ought, they cannot work ought. So when the Law of God is charged upon a man, and ſhews him that he is but a dead man, and a damned man, now he ſeeth, he can as well create a world, as make a prayer; he can as well remove a Mountain, as do any thing acceptable to God. Such a man will ſay, I am a dry tree, and cannot grow; I am loſt in the wilderneſſe of ſinne, and cannot get out again. Thus we ſee wherein this deadneſs conſiſts.

p. 382. Now I come to ſhew you the Effects of this Deadneſſe, how it pulls down the heart: this will pull down the heart of a man marvellouſly, when the Law chargeth this upon him, that he is but a dead man; though the will of man be infinitely unruly, it is wild, it is like the mad man in the Goſpel, that the Divil was in, no man was able to bind him, no Chains were able to hold him, no Creature could tame him, Mark 5. 34. So it is with the will of an unregenerate man, his will is marvellous wild, he breaks all bonds, and ſnaps all cords in pieces, and caſts off the yoak from him. Let God bid him do this, he will not do it; let him be in a good mood, he is preſently out of it again; let him be convinced of his vain hopes, and let him ſee what a wretched creature he is, he will have vain hopes again; his will is infinitely unruly, and deſperately wild, the very Divel in hell hath the rule of it; it is full of life againſt God and his Commandments, and will never yield while the world ſtands, till now the Lord comes with his Law, and ſhews a man, that he is a dead man, and a damned man, and ſhews him that he is under the wrath of God: the Law is able to do this, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks, Rom. 4. 15. The Law cauſeth wrath, It makes a man appear to lie under the wrath of God, under Gods everlaſting diſpleaſure, and in the mouth of hell and damnation; and if God be not merciful to him, and more merciful then to a world of men, he ſeeth he is a dead man, utterly loſt, and undone for ever; now this will make his ſpirit yield, and make his heart begin to come in; as the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks concerning Princes, He ſhall cut off the p. 39ſpirit of Prince, he is terrible to the Kings of the earth, Pſal. 76. 12. Kings and Princes have ſtout Spirits; now when the Lord ſends but a little terrour into their hearts, he is able to ſnib their ſpirits, for all their ſecurity, and for all the height of their magnanimity; he is able to cut off all, by ſending his terrour into their hearts, ſo the Law ſends terrour into the heart. Can there be a greater terrour then to have the Law denounce a man to be a dead man? and that the wrath of God is gone out againſt him? and that he lyeth in the very mouth of all the Canons of the fury of the moſt High? This will break the heart of a man, if his heart were made of braſs, this would break it. Look as it was with the Moabites 2 Sam. 8. 2. They were ſtout againſt David, and would not yield and ſubmit unto him; but when David ſmote them, and meaſured them with a cord, and caſt them down to the ground; when he meaſured them with two cords to put them to death, and with one full cord to keep them alive; then ſaith the Text, the Moabites became Davids ſervants, and brought him gifts. So it is with a prophane creature, whileſt God lets him goe on, he is ſtout, and will not ſerve God, but his will is altogether croſſe, and contrary to Gods will and Commandements; he will not take up thoſe courſes that God commands, he will not ſubmit himſelf to the preciſeneſſe of the Goſpel, his will is infinitely croſſe in this kind, and marvellous obſtinate. But if the Lord takes him in hand, and charge his Law upon his conſcience, he puts ſuch terrours into his heart, that he is willing to ſubmit unto God upon any tearms. I confeſſe the p. 40Law cannot do this of it ſelf; it cannot thus bring down the will of a man, and mortifie a mans ſins: For if the damned in hell were let looſe again, to live here upon earth, they would forget all their former Plagues, and Torments, and ſin would revive again in them. The Law of it ſelf, can only lay ſome in a ſwound, it will up again if it be looſe: the law cannot do this of it ſelf; but I ſpeak now of the law, as it is Gods Inſtrument. Hereby he pulls down the heart of a man, and pulls down his Spirit; labour will pull down any mans ſpirit: when a man is in labour, and pain, and affliction, it will make a mans Stomack come down; as we may ſee, Pſal. 107. 11, 12. Becauſe they rebelled againſt the words of the Lord, therefore he humbled their heart with labour and heavineſſe; then they fell down, but there was no helper: Before they were ſtout againſt the Lord, and would not hearken unto him, and obey his Commandments; now the Lord brought down their heart. But how did he bring them down? he pulld them down by laying labours upon them; labour, and torment, and heavineſſe pulled down their hearts. So when the law makes the heart labour under the wrath of God, it lyes labouring, and quaking, and ſhaking, and weltring, and bleeding under the wrath of God; this pulls down the will. And now I come to ſpeak of the Effects it works, in doing of it.

1. The Firſt Effect is this, it caſts the heart into thoſe woful privations we read of; there are abundance of comfortable things, which the man which is alive in his own conceit, thinks himſelf p. 41to have. Now when the law comes to dead him, it knocks him off from all thoſe comfortable things he ſeemed to have; whereas he ſeemed to have ſome admittance to God in prayer, he could pray to him before, but now he ſees he is an out-caſt, and dares not lift up his eyes to heaven: Before he hoped that God would have merey on him, and that he had ſome intereſt in Chriſt, and hope of ſalvation; but now he ſeeth he is loſt: Before he ſeemed to have liberty, and freedom; he could do this, and that, and had a thouſand evaſions; but now he ſees himſelf a meer captive: before he thought he had ſome riches, ſome goodneſſe, but now he ſeeth he is but a poor begger; before he had ſome Fig-leaves to cover him, but now he ſeeth he is altogether naked; before he was heart-whole and ſound, he had peace, and comfort, and quietneſſe within him, but now he is altogether broken. This is the effect of this deadneſſe, it brings all theſe privations into the ſoul; death is a privation it ſelf; and it brings a hundred privations with it; even a privation of all the priviledges of the living: this the Law doth when it comes. All this while the Soul is loſt, and captived, and poor, and blind, and miſerable, and naked, and an out-caſt; it is utterly undone, and altogether unable to help it ſelf; and this, as it doth make a man an object of the Goſpel, one for whom Chriſt dyed, as it points out ſuch a man; ſo there is a Finger of the Goſpel in it alſo, when the ſoul underſtands the goodneſſe of the Goſpel, and ſees it ſelf to be loſt for want thereof; yet notwithſtanding the p. 42firſt ſtroke is given by the Law; the firſt ſtroke that caſts the ſoul into this privation is done by the Law, and if the Lord means to convert, there the Goſpel begins, Luke 4. 18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, becauſe he hath annointed me, that I ſhould preach the Goſpel to the poor; he hath ſent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the Captives, and recovering of ſight to the blind, that I ſhould ſet at liberty them that are bruiſed. When the Law hath humbled a man, and thus brought down his will, then begins the work of the Goſpel. As we uſe to ſay of natural Philoſophy, where natural Philoſphy ends, there Phyſick begins; So where the Law ends, the Goſpel begins. Thus we ſee the firſt Effect of this deadneſſe.

2. Secondly, When the Law hath done this, when the deadneſſe the Law hath wrought, hath produced this effect; then the next Effect is this, the Law holds the heart there: when a man is dead, the effect of death is to hold a man there. There is no redreſſe, no return, without the Almighty power of God: there is no return to his former life. So when the Law hath deaded a man, it holds a man there, though a man would never ſo fain get out, he cannot; he will be ſnatching at a Chriſt, and looking at the promiſes, and be preſuming that there is mercy for him; he would fain be brisk again. But if the Law hath killed him, and made him a dead man, he cannot get out. Rom. 7. 6. the Apoſtle ſaith, We are delivered from the Law, being dead unto that wherein we were holden. St. Paul could not get out to his livelyneſſe again, but the Law held p. 43him. So it is with the Law, when the Law of God hath humbled a man, and made him a dead man, it holds him there; let the Divel come with all the comforts he can, there is no evaſion; let his vain neighbors bring what Scriptures they can to cheer him, there is nothing can lift that ſoul up: let all profits and pleaſures come, they cannot take off his heart, they cannot make him alive again, unleſſe it pleaſe the Lord to quicken and revive him.

2. The next Effect of this deadneſſe is, that it makes the heart ſtiff: when the body is dead, all the members are ſtiff, the beatings of the pulſes ceaſe, and all are ſtiff. So when a man is killed by the Law, it makes his head ſtiff, it breaks off all his arguing, and reaſoning, and diſputing againſt the Law of God; That is againſt my profit, and that is againſt my pleaſure and that is againſt my credit; thus the heart is full of life & activity before. But when the Law comes, and ſhews him he is a dead man: now he is not able to ſtir, now he can ſay, what if it be againſt my profit, and pleaſure? what if it be againſt my credit? what if men make a mock at me? I am a dead man if I live not in this courſe, Pſal. 36. 12. there ſaith the Text, They are fallen that work iniquity, they are caſt down and ſhall not be able to riſe. So when the Law of God comes, and preacheth righteouſneſſe to a man, and ſhews him againſt whom he hath ſinned, it makes him a dead man, he cannot ſtir any more; if the Divel bids him reaſon for his luſts, he dares not do it; if his old company perſwade him to his former life and converſation, he dares not do it, Iſai. 41. 21. p. 44Stand to your cauſe ſaith the Lord, bring forth your ſtrong reaſons, ſaith the God of Jacob. You could be reaſoning, and pleading for your luſts, let us now hear your ſtrong reaſons, and arguments. Now this man is a dead man, and a damned man; he hath no reaſon, no plea to alledge, to go on in his former courſe, this man is killed now.

4. Fourthly. This deadneſſe makes the heart yield; before the Law comes, the heart is marvellous obſtinate, but now when the ſtiffneſſe of it is gone, and the Law hath made him a dead man, now he will yield, 2 Chron. 30. 8. As Hezekiah ſpeaks; Be not now ſtiff-necked as your fathers, but give the hand to the Lord, and come into his Sanctuary. So when the Lord hath broken the neck of a mans ſtiffneſſe, and hath broken his back-bone, that he cannot ſtand ſtiffly out, and hath taken away his livelyneſſe, which was his whale-bone as it were, to uphold him in his ſtrength, and courage, and in his ſins. Now his heart is made to yield to God, he cannot now but yield to the Lord. Thus it is with a poor creature, when the law works upon him, he cannot ſtand out any longer: It is moſt true, before the Lord converts a man, he doth take away his ſtiffneſſe, and make a man a dead man. But you will ſay, when a man is dead, all his joynts are ſtiff, his body is cold, and grows ſtiff, but when a man is alive, his joynts are lithe and lively. I Anſwer, It is true, the law of God cannot take away a mans natural ſtiffneſſe, but his voluntary ſtiffneſs is taken away. The voluntary ſtiffneſſe is taken away when he is dead; when a man was alive, he p. 45could ſhut his hand, and hold it ſo; he could ſtretch out his arm, and hold it ſo: but when a man is dead, he cannot do ſo. So it is in this caſe, although the ſtiffneſſe of nature remain ſtill, yet the voluntary ſtiffneſſe is taken away; the will and heart of a man is out of life; It cannot be ſtiff towards God. I confeſſe the Lord doth not take away all ſtiffneſſe, no not out of his Saints; but he takes ſo much ſtiffneſſe out of the heart, as to make it a prtient, he ſhall not be voluntarily ſtiff, he ſhall not be overcomingly reſiſting. Divines uſe to ſay, That in the firſt converſion of a ſinner, he is meerly a Patient; firſt the Lord makes him a patient, and then converts him, Jer. 31. 19. After I was converted, I repented, after I was inſtructed, I ſmote upon the thigh, &c. firſt God made him a patient, and inſtructed him, and afterwards converted him.

The Uſe of the Point is this, Is it ſo that the law of God doth make a man a dead man? Then here we may obſerve the wonderful power of the law; a man hath ſo much livlineſſe in him, ſo much life and activity, and ſo many ſtrong conceits, that it is wonderful hard to make him dead; therefore the word of God is mighty. It is ſaid of Apollo, that he did mightily convince the Jewes, Acts, 18. 28. for he was mighty in the Scriptures, there had need be might in the Scriptures to do this. What ſtrong reaſons had they in regard of fleſh and blood that Jeſus was not the Chriſt? What, he the Chriſt that was born in a manger, and hath none but a beggarly company to his kindred? Are not his brethren and kinsfolk with us? None but the tag-rag and refuſe of the Country p. 46follow him. What, he that had no form or beauty in him, the Saviour of the world? The Word of God was marvellous powerful, that could convince them of this; ſo a man that goeth on in his ſinful eſtate and condition, it is a marvellous hard thing to convince him that he is a dead man: he hears the Word conſtantly, and goes on in his Calling diligently, and he hopes that Chriſt died for him; he is afraid of ſin, and his heart trembles to commit ſin, and he is ſorry for his ſins, he is thus, and thus: he that hath ſo many things to plead for himſelf, what, he a dead man? It is impoſſible. Therefore if the law of God be able to convince a man, and make a man a dead man that is ſo full of life, the law muſt needs be mighty that can do this; to dead this man, and kill this man, is a mighty work. So that we may ſay, as the Pſalmiſt ſaith of the Sea and the Mountains, Pſal. 114. 5, 6. What ayled thee, O Sea, that thou fleddeſt? O Jordan, why wert thou turned back? Ye Mountains, why leaped ye as Rams, and ye Hills as Lambs? So I may ſay, What ayleth this poor man that he is now driven from his former courſes, and like the Sea, out of his own Channel? what ayls thoſe Mountains of luſts and corruptions, that were ſettled upon his ſoul, as a Mountain upon his Baſe, what ayle theſe to move, and ſtir, and fall away? What ayls the man that was ſo full of life before, that at one Sermon he is killed? What ayls the man? he came brisk and peark into the Church, and who but he? He was immoveable from his ſinful luſts, and corruptions, and he had this Plea, and that confidence, and was full of life, but by one hours diſcourſe (which it p. 47may be another heard as well as he, and went away as brisk as before, but this mans ſpirit is deaded, and his heart taken down; what ayls the man now? why the law of God hath done it: See therefore the marvellous power of the law.

I told you formerly, That when the Law comes home to a mans ſoul, and is charged upon his Conſcience, it caſts the heart into all thoſe woful privations we read of in Scripture; a man before he is thus deaded by the law, thinks himſelf to be poſſeſſed of abundance of comforts, but now he ſeeth himſelf to be an out-caſt, and utterly loſt, to be a captive, and poor, and miſerable, and blind, and naked; he lies under all theſe privations: And as the Philoſopher ſaith, That Privation is one of the Principles of Nature: Every body (ſaith he) hath Three Principles, Matter, Form, and Privation: No natural thing can have this or that Form put into it, but it muſt be deprived of all other Forms, as if fire be turned into air, firſt the form of fire muſt be taken away, before it can be turned into air, ſo it is in Grace, Privation is one of the Principles of Religion; before the life of Chriſt can be brought into a man, there muſt firſt be a Privation of all other contrary lifes: the life of the fleſh, that curſed livelineſſe of the fleſh, the life of ſin, and the life of the world, whereby a man lives unto the world, and the things of the world. A man muſt be deprived of all other lifes, of all other forms, he muſt have a Privation of all other forms, before the life of Chriſt can be formed in him. As for example, Take a man that is wordly wiſe, put him upon civil Affairs, he is wiſe p. 48enough to order all his buſineſſe; in eating, and drinking, he is wiſe enough not to diſtemper himſelf, wiſe enough to keep a good diet: Put him upon matters of Religion, he is wiſe there too, he will not be ſo preciſe as ſome are, that are more nice then wiſe; he will be moderate, and wiſe in the Service of God: Tell him, that he is one that doth not pleaſe God, that he walks to hell-ward, that he hath no care of his Salvation; he thinks that he is wiſer then ſo. Would you make this man a wiſe man indeed? you can never make him truly a wiſe man, till you bring a Privation upon him, till he be firſt deprived of all that wordly wiſdom that is in him; If any man among you ſeem to be wiſe (ſaith the Apoſtle) let him become a fool that he may be wiſe, 1 Cor. 3. 18. Let him have firſt a Privation of all the ſeeming wiſdom he hath, of all the wiſdom of the fleſh and carnal reaſon, he muſt firſt be a fool, or elſe true wiſdome is not able to enter into him: So if a man would be high, he muſt be firſt humbled, and brought low; before he can be truly high; a man muſt be naked; before he can be cloathed; a man muſt be loſt; before he can be found; there are none of you that live in your ſins, but you muſt be ſtripped of all the forms that are in you; there muſt be a Privation come into you, before true Grace can be formed in you. Privation is one of the Principles of Religion, and unleſſe you be deprived of all other forms, you cannot have the eſſential form of Religion come into you; it is the poor that receive the Goſpel: when a man is deprived of all other forms, then is he fit to receive the form of the Goſpel. When a man is deprived of his own wiſdom, p. 49he may then receive the wiſdom of the Goſpel; when a man is deprived of his own ſelfconfidence, of his own ſtrength, and ſufficiency, then he may receive the ſtrength of the Goſpel; when a man is deprived of all other contrary livelineſſe, and contrary forms that are oppoſite to all theſe, when a man is deprived of all theſe, he is capable of the true life of Chriſt, and the Goſpel. I will Inſtance only in one thing which I named before, and that is poverty: a man can never receive Chriſt, or any impreſſion of the true form of Chriſtianity, till firſt his Heart be emptied, and his Will and his Mind be emptied, and his Conſcience be emptied, till all other forms be voyded out, and he begins to be made poor and nothing in himſelf, till every room in the ſoul be naked, and empty, there is never a room for the kingdom of God to come into the ſoul; the kingdom of God is a great thing, and will take up a great deal of room where it comes, therefore the Heart, and the Mind, and the Will, and the Affections muſt be emptied: the ſoul muſt be rid and void of all other things, or elſe there is no room for the Kingdom of God. As our Saviour ſaith Mat. 5. 3. Bleſſed are the poor in ſpirit, for they ſhall receive the Kingdom of God: Then there is room for the Kingdom of God, when the heart is made poor, and all is voided out, the world, and the fleſh, and all carnal delights, and pleaſures, and all ſelf-conceitedneſſe, which the heart was full of. When it was full of the world, there was no room for Gods Kingdom; but when a man is made poor in Spirit, when he hath a Privation of theſe things, wherewith his ſoul was filled; now p. 50there is room for the Kingdom of God; the reaſon is, becauſe a man can never be brought to Chriſt, till he is pinched with theſe Privations; before he can never come to Chriſt, his heart can never be brought to bid ſo much and ſtake down ſo much for Chriſt, as he muſt do, if ever he come to attain him: unleſſe his heart be pinched with poverty, unleſſe his heart be void of all theſe high imaginations he had of himſelf, he will never come to Chriſt. It is plenty that brings down the market, and ſcarcity that makes it riſe: plentiful years, will make Corn of no price almoſt, but if there be famine, and ſcarcity, and no bread almoſt to be had, but men are ready to dye for hunger, then they wil give any thing, they will give ten ſhillings a buſhel, twenty, nay fourty ſhillings hath been given for a buſhel of Corn, as I have read in Chronicles; it is poverty that makes men come to a price. So muſt the heart be pinched with Spiritual poverty, elſe it will not come to Chriſt; men will give nothing for the Kingdom of God, they will not part with a ſingle groat for Chriſt; the prophane Gallant will not part with a lock for Chriſt; the proud vain fool, will not part with a fooliſh lace, a fooliſh faſhion for Chriſt; the drunkard will not foregoe a pot for Chriſt, men will not part with any thing for Chriſt; they will not part with a paultry luſt, or baſe affection for Chriſt: People will not ſtir, they will not open their purſes, they will not open their hearts to give any thing for Chriſt; the reaſon is, their hearts are full already. People count their profits, and pleaſures, and luſts, and vanities, and delights, their Jewels; p. 51a man muſt be poor, before he will part with his Jewels; but if a man be throughly pinched with poverty he will part with his old Gold, and Rings, and Jewels, and all; but he will never part with his Jewels, till he be forced to it by extremity. So all the luſts of the heart, all the things of the world, that the mind and affections run upon, men account them their Jewels, and they will not part with them, till they be pinched with poverty. Thus it was with the Jaylor, Acts 16. 30 when he was pinched with this poverty, he cryes out, Men and brethren, what ſhall I do to be ſaved? When his heart was pinched with this poverty, he was content to part with any thing, he was willing to do any thing, to hearken to any terms that he might have mercy: So that it is neceſſary for a man to have all theſe Privations wrought in his heart, and be made poor, elſe he will never take Chriſt upon thoſe terms whereupon he is offered.

Secondly, Suppoſe a man ſhould conceive worth to be in Chriſt; ſuppoſe he ſhould put a great price upon him, yet if a man be not under theſe Privations, if he be not pinched with poverty, with Spiritual need and want; he will never uſe all means for the attaining of the Kingdome of God. He will never take himſelf to all thoſe courſes that God hath commanded himſelf to be ſought in. It was need that made Ahab ſend up and down all Countries, and Soiles for water; it was need that made the rich Woman of S…unem, to hazard her ſelf, and her family, and houſhold in a forraign Country; ſhe would not have gone a mile of that Journey, but for her poverty, p. 52as Divines uſe to ſpeak. Let two men go to the Market, the one hath need, the other hath not; he that hath need, will go whatſoever the weather be, though the weather be never ſo foul, he will go; bread he wants, and bread he muſt have, and bread he will have; and if he cannot have it at an eaſie rate, he will part with any thing; he will pawn his very cloaths from his back for it. Why? becauſe he, and his wife, and his children want it. But the other, he will go according as he likes the weather; if the weather be anſwerable to his mind, it may be he will go, it may be not; and when he is there, it may be he will buy, and it may be not; according as the price goeth, becauſe he hath no need of it. So it is in Grace, let two men be called upon to ſeek out for Grace; one doth not feel any great need, he is not pinched with the want of Faith and Repentance, and Pardon, and Peace of Conſcience: though he want theſe, yet he is not pinched with the want, his heart is yet full, he is not yet come to this Spiritual poverty. It may be he will come to a Sermon, it may be not; it may be he will part with a Luſt, and it may be not; it is according as the bargain pleaſeth him; he will never uſe all means, nor take up all courſes that are preſcribed: But a man that is ready to ſtarve for want of Chriſt; as Siſera ſaid, Give me drink or elſe I periſh: ſo, give me Chriſt or elſe I periſh: This man will take any courſe, uſe any means, he muſt have Chriſt, and will have him; when he comes to the Word, Chriſt he wants, and Chriſt he will have, and muſt have; all Sermons, and all hearing, are but as Oile to p. 53the fire, they do but pinch his Soul ſo much the more, till Chriſt comes; he muſt have Chriſt in his Ordinances, becauſe he is ſenſible of his Spiritual poverty. So that it is he which is loſt that will be found, it is he which is a captive that will be freed, it is he that is blind that muſt have his ſight, and it is he that is naked that muſt be cloathed; he that lies under theſe woful Privations, he muſt have the form, he looks after it, he cannot be without it. Thus we ſee that Privation is neceſſary for Religion, the true life of Religion can never come into a man, till he be layed under all theſe woful Privations we read of in Scripture.

But now here is a queſtion which will ariſe,Queſt. which thoſe that are godly would be glad to have reſolved, and that is this: Whether theſe Privations that the Apoſtle here ſpeaks of, makes a man the formal Object of mercy? St. Paul was alive once before the Law came, but when the law came, and was charged upon his Conſcience, it deprived him of his livelyneſſe, and made him a dead man; I dyed ſaith he. Now the Queſtion is this, Whether is ſuch a man the formal Object of mercy? When the Law hath deprived a man of his conceited riches, and made him a poor man, and hath proclaimed him a bankrupt, and a begger, and made him a captive, that he is not able to ſtir one foot, he is not able ſo much as to think a good thought; but he lyeth under wrath, and is not able to get out: Whether is ſuch a man the formal Object of mercy? I mean, whether is he ſuch a one, as the Goſpel hath promiſed deliverance unto? When a man p. 54by the law is made a dead Creature, and is altogether deprived of life and health; he hath no life actually, and there is no life actually to be had for him, (for ſo the law leaves him without any hope of getting any life.) Whether is this man the formal Object of mercy? whether is he ſuch a one as the Goſpel doth make promiſe to of quickning, and enriching, and gathering, and finding, and ſaving, and comforting, and the like? whether is this man the formal Object of mercy? Every man is the Object of mercy, but whether hath this man got thoſe properties that belong to the actual Object of mercy? The reaſon why I propound this Queſtion, is this, Becauſe the Scripture ſeems to make ſuch a one the formal Object of mercy, ſuch a one as mercy is promiſed to, ſuch a one as the Goſpel looks upon, as the proper and actual Object of mercy; for the Goſpel is ſaid to quicken the dead, and to give them life, it is the Letter that killeth, and the Spirit that giveth life, 2 Cor. 3. 6. It giveth life to him that was before a dead man, to him that was killed by the letter. So for poverty, Luke 4. 18. To the poor the Goſpel is preached, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, becauſe he hath annointed me to preach the Goſpel to the poor, he hath ſent me that I ſhould heal the broken hearted, and preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of ſight to the blind: So that when the law hath made a man a poor man, & hath ſtripped him of all his conceited riches, and hath made him a begger, it ſeems that Chriſt is anointed to preach mercy to ſuch a one; it ſeems that ſuch a one is the formal Object of the Goſpel. See p. 55Pſalm 147. 2. He gathers the out-caſts of Iſrael: when the Law hath made a man an out-caſt, it ſeems he is the formal Object of mercy: The Goſpel undertakes to gather ſuch people ſo far loſt. The Son of man is come to ſave that which is loſt, Matth. 18. 11. he is come for that purpoſe, it is his Commiſſion, he is ſent to ſave that which is loſt; when the law hath made a man to be a loſt man, that he ſeeth he is utterly undone without mercy, Chriſt is come to ſave ſuch people, and to look upon them as the formal Object of mercy.

So for death it ſelf, when a man is made dead by the Law; The hour ſhall come ſaith our Saviour, and now is, that the dead ſhall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that do hear it ſhall live, John 5. 25. It ſeems that the Scripture makes ſuch as are made dead by the law, and poor, and blind, and naked, and wretched, and miſerable, by reaſon of the Law being preſſed upon them, and pulling them down with terrours and conviction; it ſeems ſuch a one is the formal Object of mercy, ſuch a one to whom mercy is promiſed. I do not mean that he is the formal Object of the invitations of the Goſpel, that is moſt certain, there is no queſtion of that, Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and you ſhall find reſt to your ſouls. Come unto me, all you that are poor, and blind, and naked, and dead, and I will give you life; have you a hard heart, that you cannot free your ſelves from, come unto me, and I will free you from it; have you no power to repent and believe, come unto me, and take mercy upon my terms, and believe p. 56in me, whatſoever weakneſſe is in you, I will ſtrengthen you; whatever diſcomforts and wants lye upon you, I will relieve and chear you. This is certain, the more a man ſeeth himſelf a dead man, the more he is the formal Object of the invitation of the Goſpel. But the Queſtion is, Whether he is the formal Object of the promiſes of the Goſpel.

I Anſwer No; There is a great deal of differenceAnſw. between legal Privations, and theſe Privations as they are evangelical, as the Goſpel makes them before it quickens a man: there is a great deal of difference between a man that is dead, and poor, and blind, and naked, and miſerable by reaſon of the law; and a man that hath theſe privations wrought in him by the power of the Goſpel: when a man is made dead by the law, and ſees himſelf a loſt creature by reaſon that the law plainly ſhews him his eſtate and condition, this man may be a reprobate for all this, and go to hell; there is no promiſe in the Word that God will quicken him, and raiſe him up; Chriſt is free from any promiſe in this kind, he may quicken him if he will, and not quicken him if he pleaſe. I may ſay in this ſenſe, as Chriſt himſelf ſaith, Joh. 5. The Son of man quickens whom he will; He is free to quicken whom he will, though a man be made a dead man by the law, and cry out he is a dead man, and a damned man, though he hath the works of the law, and be terrified, and gaſtered, and humbled by the law, yet Chriſt is free from any promiſe he hath made to theſe people; there is never a promiſe in all the Word, that Chriſt hath bound himſelf by to theſe people to quicken p. 57them: they cannot ſay there is ſuch a promiſe in the Word, that Chriſt will quicken them. There are plain places in the Scripture, wherein the Lord invites ſuch people, upon condition they will come and believe, and ſubmit to the Goſpel; there is a conditional invitation upon theſe terms: But that theſe people ſhall be quickned, and ſhall have eternal life given them, there is no ſuch promiſe; the Lord is free, the Lord hath not bound himſelf to it; but when a man is dead according as the Goſpel makes a man dead before it quickens him, and when a man is poor according as the Goſpel makes him poor, and when a man is blind according as the Goſpel makes him blind, now a man is within the compaſs of Gods promiſes, he is one that is the formal object of Mercy, he is one that ſhall have Mercy, and ſhall have Salvation, and Redemption by Jeſus Chriſt; theſe dead ſhall hear the voice of the Son of God, and ſhall live; the tongue of theſe ſtammerers ſhall ſpeak plain, the eyes of theſe blind ſhall ſee, theſe out-caſts ſhall be gathered, theſe naked ſhall be cloathed, theſe loſt ſhall be found, theſe poor ſhall be enriched; when a man is dead, ſo as the Goſpel deads a man, before it quickens a man (for the Lord damns a man before he ſaves a man, and kills a man before he quickens him) like a good Surgeon, that cuts before he cures; or like a good Physician, that kills a man almoſt with Phyſick, ſo the Lord doth bring a man to deaths door before he quickens him; it is the Goſpel that truly humbles him, and works theſe privations; and now he is within the compaſſe of the promiſe: now he hath a promiſe that he ſhall be quickned, and have ſupply in regard of p. 58all theſe Privations, but ſo long as theſe Privations are only legal, he hath no promiſe that he ſhall be quickned, for many are humbled and made dead as it were by the law, and yet ſhake it off again, and go to their pro…ts, and pleaſures, and delights, and hardneſſe of heart again; many a man hath been gaſtered by the law, and cryed out of his damned eſtate and condition, and yet hath got up again, and recovered himſelf by the world and the things of the world; and it was ever ſo of old, as we may ſee in Cain, the law had diſcovered him to himſelf to be a dead man, and a damned man: I ſee my ſins are greater then can be forgiven, or are forgiven, or ſhall be forgiven: he ſaw his puniſhment was intolerable, his condemnation was more then he was able to bear; From thy preſence am I caſt out, and a Vagabond ſhall I be upon the face of the earth, Gen. 4. 14. Yet he was not the formal Object of mercy; the Goſpel did not quicken him, nor convert him: he was not the formal Object of mercy, for he ſhook off theſe terrours again, as we may ſee in the very ſame Chapter, and went to building of Cities, and inventing of muſick, and other arts and ſciences; and this quickned, and revived him again: but he never came to true life. So it is with many men, though they be terrified, and gaſtered, and humbled, and caſt down by the law, yet they get up again, and run after the world, and after ſecurity, and hardneſſe of heart again; ſo that ſuch a man is not the formal Object of mercy.

2. Again, we ſee that many, though they be wrought upon thus by the law, and their eyes be p. 59enlightned, and their Conſciences awaked, and they ſee that they are in a wretched and damned eſtate; yet they ſcrape together a company of vain hopes, and ſo heal themſelves again. When they have been terrified by the law, they ſeek preſently for promiſes, and how they may get up again, and they would fain get up; and they lye at catch at every Sermon, and at every Chapter, and at every Word which a good man ſpeaks; and if they can get any hold they catch at it, and ſo get up a gain and go on: And when they have got a little comfort, and think they ſhall do well, they are as careleſſe, and as ſtubborn, and as ſecure as ever they were; they may go on in the profeſſion of Religion, but yet their latter end is worſe then their beginning: The unclean Divel may be caſt out, but the Divel transforms himſelf into an angel of light, and enters into them, and they go on in doing good duties, but they never have the power of Religion.

Again Thirdly, Many that are humbled by the law, they run away, and never come to Chriſt, as Judas when he ſaw he was condemned, he went and hanged himſelf, Matth. 27. 3, 5. Some expound it of Chriſt, when he ſaw Chriſt was condemned; but others expound it of himſelf, when Judas ſaw himſelf was condemned, and that ſeems to be the meaning of the place; for Chriſt was not condemned, nor ſo much as accuſed; there came not any witneſſe againſt him, till Judas had hanged himſelf, as we may ſee if we read that Chapter. But whether that be the meaning or no, this is true and certain, he ſaw he was a dead p. 60man, he ſaw he lay under the guilt of his ſins, and he deſpaired of mercy, and went and hanged himſelf.

Again Laſtly, If ſuch a man were the Object of mercy, then all the damned in hell were the formal Objects of mercy; for there is never a man in hell, but the law hath its work to the uttermoſt upon him; it can work a man no lower, it can ſink a man no deeper, it can make a man no more miſerable, then thoſe that are in hell. Now if a dead man by the law ſhould be the formal Object of mercy, then the damned in hell ſhould be the formal Object of mercy, which cannot be; for from thence there is no Redemption, Go ye curſed into everlaſting fire, prepared Mat. 25.Matt 25for the Divel and his angels; there is no quenching of that fire. So that we ſee, the legal killing of the law, doth not make a man the formal Object of mercy. But yet ſuch a man hath a great deal of advantage, he is before a world of other men, that live ſecure; if men were in this eſtate, they were in a thouſand times more likelyhood to be ſaved. If I could hear of people that were gaſtered, and caſt down by the law; that ſaw themſelves without Chriſt, and without mercy, in the power of Satan, and in the bond of iniquity; if they cryed out, I am a dead man, and a damned man, if I dye now at this preſent, I ſhall go to hell; if people were in this eſtate and condition, there were more hopes of them a thouſand times: there is no hope of people that doe live ſecure in their ſins; ſo long as the Trumpet of the Law hath not ſounded in their ears, ſo long as the Hammer of the Law hath not ſounded p. 61upon their hearts, there is no hope of mercy for them. Therefore now for the clearing of this a little more, let me ſhew you

Firſt, What it is to be dead, according as the Goſpell makes a man to be a dead man.

Secondly, What is the difference between Legal Privation, and Evangelical; and when theſe Privations are Evangelical, and put a man under the actual Title to mercy, under an actual intereſt in the promiſes.

Thirdly, What Uſe we are to make of it.

For the Firſt, What it is to be Evangelically dead: To be legally dead, is not to be half a quarter ſo much dead, as to be Evangelically dead, ſo as the Goſpel makes a man dead before it quickens him. When a man is Evangelically dead, it makes him more dead by a thouſand degrees, then all the law in the world can make him, it makes him more dead by odds; when a man is Legally dead, and ſees himſelf to be a damned creature, and whereas he hoped to have mercy, he ſeeth now he hath none, and whereas he hoped to go to heaven, he now ſeeth the gates are ſhut againſt him; and whereas he hoped he had ſome good in him, now he ſees he hath nothing in him: a man would think this were a dead man, but his livelyneſſe is only in a ſwound, the law lying upon him, will not let his livelyneſſe appear, and if the law ſhould lie upon him for ever, it would never let his livelyneſſe actually appear; but yet he is not throughly dead all this while: as for example.

1. Self-conceitedneſſe, it is not deaded p. 62when a man is killed by the law, you would think his conceitedneſſe were gone: he was conceited he was a good Chriſtian; but now he ſees no ſuch matter: he was conceited before, that he would repent, and God would be merciful to him, but now he ſeeth, he is utterly deprived of mercy, and lies under the wrath of God; you would think now that all his conceitedneſſe was gone; but it is but only in a ſwound all this while, he lies for dead as it were, but he is not dead. So take a man that is in hell, all his good conceits of mercy, and of himſelf and his profits, and pleaſures, and vanities, and delights, they are all gone now. What doth pride profit me? what good do riches do me? what have all my pleaſures, and delights, done me good? all my labour is vanity, and all my delights folly; one would think all his conceits were clean gone; but they are only in a ſwound. If a damned man were out of hell, if the Lord ſhould take off the laſh of his law from him, he would have as good a conceit of his profits, and pleaſures, and riches again, as ever he had; and he would have his carnal reaſons againſt the ſtrictneſſe of Religion again, as rief as ever he had; they are only laid in a ſwound, indeed there they ſhall lie: a man can never get up again, becauſe the law lies continually upon him, he is continually under the laſh of the law; and the law holds this picture before his eyes, and ſhews him his damned eſtate and condition: but upon ſuch a ſuppoſition, that he might come out of hell, his conceits would riſe up again. Prov. 5. 12, 13. Solomon there brings in a man wrought p. 63upon by the law, the law diſcovered him to be a dead man. How have I hated inſtruction, and deſpiſed correction, and have not obeyed the voice of them that taught me, nor inclined my eare to them that inſtructed me? His carnal reaſons are now all gone, they are in a ſwound; they were true inſtructions that I have hated, they were true reports that I have deſpiſed, and they were baſe and damned courſes which I have followed. How have I lived? one would think all his fooliſh conceits now were gone, they are in a ſwound indeed, and cannot get up. But the Goſpel will give a man his deaths wound; a man can never have that good conceit of himſelf he had before; nor of his luſts, and vanities, and profits, and delights; his ſelf-conceitedneſs hath now got his deaths wound.

Secondly For ſelf-confidence, when the law hath humbled a man, his ſelf-confidence is only in a ſwound; when he lyeth in hell under the laſh of the law, he ſeemeth to have no power in himſelf, no life, or activity to any duty. He ſees that he is poor, and weak, and rotten, and wretched. A poor creature he is, he ſeeth it plainly, and all his ſelf-confidence ſeems to be gone, but yet there is a great deal of ſelf-confidence actually in hell, for though they are in hell, yet they think if they were alive again, what they would do; I would hear the Word, and call upon God; I would repent and not live inſin, and not do as I have done; they think they would do thus, and thus, as it was with Dives, Luke 16. 30. I have five brethren ſaith he, if one ſhould come to them from the dead, they would repent, and not come p. 64where I am. If they knew but as much as I know, they would repent; I am ſure if they were in my caſe, they would, if they were in hell where I am, if they knew how certain it is, that they ſhall come to hell where I am when they dye, unleſs they doe repent at the preaching of the Prophets, and hearken to the voice of Gods Miniſters, and yield and ſubmit to God; they would do it: I would, if it were my caſe. This is ſelf-confidence; for ſelf-confidence is only laid aſleep in hell, and it cannot riſe again. It is true, the law may dead a man, and give him three▪ deaths wounds. There are three wounds that the law gives a man.

Firſt, It makes it appear that a man is worthy of death, and guilty of death; the law makes him ſee his guiltineſs.

Secondly, The law pronounceth upon a ſinner the ſentence of death, as Paul ſaith of natural death, I received the ſentence of death, 2 Cor. 1. 9. that is, I was a dead man, I took my ſelf to be a dead man. So the law doth make a man to be a dead man, it pronounceth the ſentence of death upon him; it doth not only make it appear that he is worthy of death, (for ſo it may do, and yet he may have hope of mercy) but it makes a man receive the ſentence of death, and to be a dead man: if a man be once condemned, if the ſentence of death be paſſed upon him, then he is without hope that the Judg will ſave him, becauſe the ſentence of condemnation is paſſed upon him. A man may ſee himſelf worthy of death, and yet hope for mercy, Rom. 1. 31. Therefore the law doth pronounce the ſentence of death upon him, and p. 65makes a man in a ſecond degree dead.

Nay, Thirdly, The law makes a man ſee there is no hope of return; as it is with a dead man, when a man is truly dead, there is no return from death, there is no riſing again: as the Wiſe-man ſpeaks of the ſtrange women, Prov. 2. 18, 19. Surely her houſe tendeth to death, and her paths unto the dead, they that go unto her return not again, neither take they hold of the wayes of life. Here the Wiſe-man ſets forth the infinite miſery, and damnable eſtate of ſuch a creature, and the irrecoverableneſs of ſuch a perſon, without the extraordinary mercy of God. Ordinarily, ſuch perſons are ſeldom, or never brought to repentance: ordinarily they are irrecoverable. So the Law makes a man ſee he is guilty of death, and it paſſeth the ſentence of condemnation upon him, and it makes him ſee there is no repeal of that ſentence: thus the law leaves him. Now a man would think, Can a man be more dead then thus? How can a man be more dead? Yet he may be a thouſand times more dead; for the livelyneſſe of a man is but in a ſwound all this while: a man cannot be brisk, and peark, and ſelf-conceited, he is now laid in a ſwound, but is not ſtark dead. But when a man comes to be Evangelically dead, he is more dead a great deale. And I will ſhew you it in theſe three things.

1. Firſt, He is moſt dead that is hardeſt to recover: Now when a man is legally dead, it is eaſie to recover that man; let but the laſh of the law be taken off, let but God let him alone; and the profits and pleaſures of the world, will make him alive again; his friends, and vanities, p. 66and delights, will put life into him again, it is an eaſie matter to recover this man; but let a man be evangellically dead, when the Goſpel hath deaded a man, he is a thouſand times more dead and a great deal harder to recover, nothing can recover that man but Chriſt; let all the profits in the world come, they cannot chear him without Chriſt; if the devil ſhould come and put into his minde all good conceits, and the good opinion of the world: If the Miniſters ſhould tell him he is in a good eſtate, they cannot quicken his heart, he is dead ſtill, he is harder a thouſand times to be revived then the other, as the Apoſtle ſaith, Col. 3. 2. 3. Set your affections on things that be above, not on things that are on earth; for ye are dead, and your life is hid in Chriſt. The Goſpel hath made you dead, and you cannot be revived by any thing but Chriſt, your life is hid with Chriſt; do not you ſet your affections on things that are below, they can never put life into you, therefore let not them take up your minds and affections any more, for your life is in Chriſt alone.

2. Secondly, He is moſt dead that life it ſelf, cannot make alive: When a man is but legally dead, the law hath made him a dead man, and killed him, and ſhewed him he is a damned creature; this man, let him have but a little life, or any thought of life come into him, let him have any affections towards God, any ſeeming deſires, it will make him think I am alive: But if the Goſpel once have made a man a dead man, life it ſelf cannot quicken him, Chriſt himſelf cannot make this man a live man in himſelf, though life come into p. 67him, and though he hath life from God, yet he himſelf is dead. I am dead through the law, (ſaith Paul) that I might live unto God; thus I live, yet not I, but Chriſt liveth in me, and that life I now live in the fleſh, I live by Faith in the Son of God, Gal. 2. 19, 20. When the Goſpel had made him dead (for that is the meaning of the words) he was not only dead by the law, but by the power of the Goſpel working by the law: Now, ſaith he, though I have life, and Chriſt be come into me, and lives in me, yet I do not live: I live, but not I, but it is Chriſt that liveth in me: I live, yet do not miſtake me, I am a dead man, I have no life, it is Chriſt that liveth in me: when a man is evangelically dead, it makes a man content, that God ſhould keep life in his hand, and keep the purſe in his hand, and all in his hand, it makes him content to be without ſtrength and ability, and to have nothing in his own hand, but to have all from the Lord; and he ſaith, I am a dead man, and if I ever have comfort, I have none in my ſelf, I muſt go to Chriſt for comfort, and life, and ſtrength, and ability: and ſo for power and activity, and riches, and means, & maintenance, and every thing; it is not my parts and gifts that can help me to them, but I muſt go to Chriſt to fetch them; now it is the deſire of mans heart to have life at home, he cannot abide to have life in anothers hands: and though the law, and hell it ſelf proclaim a man a dead man, and make a man ſee himſelf a dead man, yet it cannot kill this Principle, a man would have life and ſtrength in his own hand, and ability, and ſufficiency in his own cuſtody; we may ſee this Principle in Gods own p. 68Children, though this Principle be begun to be killed, yet it reſts partly in Gods children, there is ſtill a ſecret luſt in their hearts, to have life, and grace, and ſtrength in their own keeping; and if any child of God be negligent in coming to God, it is becauſe of this Principle that remains in him.

3. Thirdly, He is moſt dead that death hath moſt power over: Now when a man is legally dead, and the law hath made him a dead man, though he be a dead man, yet death hath no power over him, his heart is ſtubborn ſtill, and will not look toward Chriſt and the Goſpel, he is ſtill as ſtubborn as ever he was; he will roar and howl, and hear every Sermon, but ſtill he hath a hard heart, the law hath not power to break his heart to powder, and to ſoften his heart: but when a man is evangelically dead, when the Goſpel hath made him dead, as it doth before it quickens a man, it breaks the ſturdineſſe of a mans heart, and ſhatters a man all to pieces; that is the meaning of that place, Pſal. 147. 3. He healeth thoſe that are broken in heart, and bindeth up their ſores: Now he is thus made a dead man, it makes his heart to burſt under the weight of his ſins, and it beats him to powder: but a man that is onelyonly legally dead, he is heart-whole ſtill, and his ſpirit is as ſtout againſt the kind working of the Goſpel as ever it was, nay, worſe a great deal; there are none more hardened then thoſe that ſee themſelves dead, damned creatures, by the power of the law, without the power of the Goſpel. But when the Goſpel comes, it breaks the heart to powder, Iſa. 57. 15. Thus ſaith the high and lofty one, He p. 69that inhabiteth Eternity, whoſe name is Holy, I dwell in the high and holy place, and with him who is of an humble and contrite ſpirit, to revive the ſpirit of the humble, and to give life to them that are of a contrite heart. This man is the object of Mercy that is evangelically dead, he is the formal object of mercy: why? becauſe he is dead with ſuch a kind of death as hath gotten power over him, power to break his heart, to make it an humble and contrite heart: now ſaith the Lord, I will revive ſuch a man. This man is the formal object of mercy▪ and into him eternal life will come.

2. The Second thing I promiſed to ſhew you, is the difference between theſe two, between legal and evangelical Privation. Between one that is legally dead, and one that is dead as the Goſpel deads a man before it quickens him.

1. Firſt, He that is legally dead lies all along in his death: but when the Goſpel makes a man a dead man, it makes him ſtand up that he might have life, Epheſ. 5. 14. Awake thou that ſleepeſt, and ſtand up from the dead, and Chriſt ſhall give thee life: He doth not mean, ſtand up from being dead, but ſtand up from the dead, and then Chriſt ſhall give thee life; he means ſuch a ſtanding up from the dead, as before Chriſt gives him life: the Goſpel doth thus far awaken a man, though he be more dead a thouſand times, then he that is dead by the law, yet thus far it quickens him, that he ſtands up from his ſecure eſtate: when the law comes and ſhews a man that he is a dead man, he ſtill lies under his ſins, he is a dead man, and cannot p. 70ſtand up that Chriſt may give him life. That is the Firſt thing.

2. Secondly, He that is legally dead, made dead only by the law, he is deaf to the Goſpel: but when a man is evangelically dead, it boors his ears and makes him hear the voice of the Word, and not only ſo, but the voice of Chriſt in the Word, Iſa. 55. 3. Incline your ears and come unto me, hear and your ſoul ſhall live: He calls thoſe that were evangelically dead, hear, and your ſoul ſhall live; they are made able to hear: Let their profits, and old courſes, and old companions come and tempt them to walk as they have done, they are deaf of that ear, they cannot go that way to work, no, now their ears are open heavenwards, ſeek the Lord, and you ſhall live, Amos 5. 6. They are made to ſeek the Lord, thus much life they have: though they are more dead in regard of their own miſery, then one that is dead by the law; yet thus much life they have put into them, that they will go and ſeek unto God in the uſe of the means, and follow him up and down, and nothing will ſatisfy the heart but Chriſt, they leave no ſtone unroled, they ſeek up and down everywhere.

3. Thirdly, He that is legally dead, it is a kind of death to love; but he that is evangelically dead, it is a death of love; when the Church in the Canticles was but ſenſible of the countenance of Chriſt, ſhe was preſently ſick of love, I charge you, O ye daughters of Jeruſalem, if ye find my wel beloved, tell him that I am ſick of love, Cant. 5. There is a great deal of difference between ſickneſſe and death, death is a total privation of life; ſickneſſe is but a partial privation: now when the p. 71Goſpel hath wrought upon a man that he hath ſome of Chriſt, and is not deprived of all, that privation makes him ſick of love; but when the Goſpel makes a man ſee he is dead, and altogether deprived of Chriſt, now he is dead of love: when a man is legally dead, this is his death that he is damned, and muſt go to hell; this is his death that he hath no mercy, not that he hath not grace, and holineſs, and Chriſt; but if a man be evangelically dead, this is his death, that he hath not Chriſt.

The Uſe is this, If there be any that the lawƲſe. hath made dead, reſt not there but labour that the Goſpel may make you dead alſo; when thou art humbled by the law, thou mayeſt think that mercy is prepared for thee, but thy luſts may recover again, and that damned life that is in thee may recover again; therefore labour to be more deaded by the Goſpel, that thou mayeſt have a total death begun in thee, that thou mayeſt have thy deaths wound given thee deep, not only to be in a ſwoond, but to be dead indeed. Joh. 11. Chriſt ſtaid four dayes after Lazarus was dead before he would raiſe him, becauſe he would have him irrecoverably dead before he would raiſe him: Lord, (ſaith Martha) he ſtinſtinketh, for he hath been dead four dayes, verſ. 39. If he had raiſed him ſooner, his glory had not been ſo great, ſo thou muſt labour to be dead indeed, and to be buried, and to be loathſome and abominable, and then Chriſt will quicken thee: It is certain that Gods Children have ſome of this death wrought in them, before they are quickned at all; for death is before quickning in order of p. 72nature: there muſt be a corruption of one thing before there can be a generation of another; there muſt be a privation of one form, before there can be an introduction of another: A child of God muſt be dead before he can be quickned. Now then, if he will have more life, he muſt labour to be dead more and more: now thou muſt labour to have this death truly begun to be wrought in thee, thou muſt labour to have the love of this world and ſelf-conceitedneſſe altogether dead in thee. Hoſ. 6. 2. After two dayes will he revive us, and the third day will he raiſe us up, and we ſhall live in his ſight: A man may be alive, though he have been ſeemingly dead twenty four hours; therefore it is a good cuſtom among us to keep men near two dayes before we bury them, that we may be ſure they are throughly dead; for there are many have been buried alive: ſo after two dayes he will revive us, and the third day he will raiſe us up: when a man is dead indeed, and hath his livelineſs throughly killed in him, then God will revive him; if he ſhould revive him before, his glory would not be ſo great, if he ſhould revive him before he were quite dead; when Ahab 1 King. 211 Kgs 21humbled himſelf, and put on ſackcloth, and went ſoftly, a man would have thought he had been dead; but in the next Chapter we may ſee he is alive again. So Ananias, and Sapphira, one wouldActs 5.Acts 5 have thought their covetouſneſſe had been dead, (whether they were any of the three thouſand that were pricked at Peters Sermon, I diſpute not) but they were pricked and made ſenſible of their damned eſtate, and pretended to lay down all at the Apoſtles feet, one would have thought their p. 73covetouſneſs had been dead, but yet it was alive: therefore labour that the Goſpel may make thee throughly dead.