First Epistle of John Applied Part 2, Sermon 15

First Epistle of John Applied Part 2 · Sermon 15

p. 241THE FIRST EPISTLE OF S^t. IOHN.SERM. 15.

CHAP. I. Ver. 8.10.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive our selves, and there is no truth in us.

If we say we have not sinned, we make him a lyar, and his word is not in us.

IT is one of the sage counsels which the wise man giveth, Turn not to the right hand, nor to the left, P…o…. 4.17.remove thy foot from evill: the genuine and literal sense whereof, no doubt, is that we must keep the straight way, which God hath chalked before us in his word, not in the least declining on either hand,Declinare ad dexteram est prosperis efferri ad sinistram adversis deprimi. Hug. but withall, there are severall allusions, and profitable applications made of these words by the Ancients: Hugo taketh the right hand as an embleme of prosperity, to which we must not turn, by being too much l…f…ed up, p. 242and the left hand of adversity, which we must not turn to, by being too much cast down; vene…oble …ed… resembleth by the right hand, Declinare in sinistram est st…ltitiae se dedere in dextram plus sape…e quam sapere oportet. Bed. In dextram declina…e est seip. sum decipere dicendo se esse sine peccato etc. Aug. de peccat m…r. & remiss. l. …. c. 25. Via regia deducit inter d…o extrema, &c. …. in loc.…, to which we must not turn by being wise above what is written, and by the left hand, folly, to which we must not turn by giving our selves up to its dictates; once more to our present purpose, according to St. Austin. To turn to the right hand, is▪ by saying we have no sin, to deceive our selves; to turn to the left hand, is to go on in sin, and yet think our selves safe, and our cond…tion happy. Both these our Apostle warneth us of in this Chapter, and it is not mine, but Aretius his observation, where he saith, the Kings high way lyeth betwixt two extremes, the one whereof is to will a continuance in our sins, the other to acquit our selves from having any sin, the former of these which is secura delectatio peccati, a secure delight in sin, is that which is sharply reproved at the sixth verse, which calleth those lyars who walk in darknesse, live in wickedness, and yet boast of communion with God; the latter of these which is superba justitiae presumptio, proud presumption of our own righteousness, is no less severely condemned in these verses, letting such know how vainly they cozen themselves, and highly they injure God, If we say we have, &c.

Having already dispatched the first branch of the confutation which is the truth implicitely asserted; proceed we now to the second, which is the errour expresly refuted: for the handling whereof be pleased to observe these two things,

The opinion wherein the errour consists, and that is set down in the beginning of the eighth and the tenth verses, If we say we have no sin, if we say we have not sinned.

The arguments by which it is refuted, and disswaded, drawn from

The folly of it, in that we deceive our selves, and the truth is not in us. verse eighth.

p. 243The impiety of it, in that we make God a lyar, and his word is not in us, verse tenth.

Begin we with the opinion it self, Part. 1.which we see is not singly mentioned, but ingeminated; as if our Apostle would hereby insinuate, that it is at once both a very common and very dangerous disease, no lesse spreading then deadly, infecting in some degree or other, the greatest part of men, of Christians.

The manner of committing this moral errour, is saying, which refers both to the tongue and the mind; saying, is not only peculiar to the lips, every thought is interpreted by God a saying; the heart may cry when the tongue is silent, and we may say when we do not speak. Hence it is, that though this be not our open assertion, or outward protestation, yet if it be our inward thought, our secret imagination, we shall be found guilty before God. The truth is, this errour is managed several wayes; some say it with their tongue, and not with their heart, they cannot but be convinced of their own hypocrisie, and yet b…ast of exact purity, their consciences secretly nip them with the sence of guilt, yet they pretend to the highest form of Saint-ship. Some say it with their heart, and not with their tongue; they are not so impudent as to professe it, yet they proudly conceit it; yea whilest with their lips they say, in general they are sinners, they think themselves pure: Finally, some say it both with heart and tongue, the conceit is so strongly fixed in their minds, that they are not ashamed to utter it, proclaiming themselves to be without sin, and all these are here included; so that if we say it with either, or both, we are among the number of those who are here charged.

The matter of this errrour, is a denying that we have sin, or that we have sinned: which yet is capable of a double construction,

Either, that we have not sinned in respect of this or that particular action; thus, when we deny the fact as not done p. 244by us; like that Adulteresse, who wiped her mouth and said, I have done no evill, P…o. 30.20.or acknowledging the fact, we deny it to be a fault, and that we have sinned in doing it, as Jonah, Ionah 4.9.Jonah 4:9who said, I do well to be angry, we run into this errour. And surely if it be bad, non dicere peccavimus, not to say we have sinned, by acknowledging, it is far worse, dicere non peccavimus, to say we have not sinned by justifying our faults.

Or, that we have not sinned, yea, have no sin at all in our whole course; that our wayes are right, our doings pure, our conversations unblamable, not only before men, but God; this is that which our Apostle here no doubt chiefly intendeth, and therefore in this sense I shall handle it.

That there are such, and that in all ages who sooth up themselves with such conceits, is no difficult matter to demonstrate: Solomon the wise observed it in his time, when he said,P…o. 30.12. There is a generation of men that are pure in their own eyes, and yet they are not washed from their filthinesse: in very deed, they were filthy, and yet in their own eyes they were pure; they did nothing but sin, and yet said, they had no sin: and truly what generation of men hath there been, wherein this generation hath not been? yea, it is not improbably observed, that therefore he calls them a generation, because they have still succeeded one after another, as generations do. Indeed there are two things to which hypocrites are very prone, to s…y they have those graces which they have not: so did the Church of Laodicea say,Rev. 3.17.Rev 3:17 she was rich and increased with goods, and had need of nothing, yet she was poor, and blind, and naked. To say they have not that sin which they have, So did the Jewish Church against whom the Prophet Jeremy declaimeth,Ier. 2.25.35.Jer 2:25Jer 2:35 for saying, I am not polluted, I have not followed Baalim: and again, I am innocent, therefore the anger of the Lord is turned from me: our blessed Saviour speaking of the Pharisees, calls them the whole, when he p. 245saith, the whole need not the Physician, but the sick; not that they were so in reality, no,Mat. 9.12.Matt 9:12 they were full of bruises and sores, but in their own apprehension, conceiting themselves to be free from that soul-sicknesse, and spiritual disease of sin. To the same purpose it is, that elsewhere he calls them the just ones, which need no repentance; these self-justiciaries imagining themselves to have no sin, Luke 15.7.Luke 15:7thought that they needed no repentance. Of the same arrogant temper was that young man in the Gospel, who said to Christ concerning the Commandements, All these have I kept from my youth, Mat. 19.20.Matt 19:20since to keep all the Commandements, is as much as to be without sin, there being no sin, where there is no breach of the law.

This opinion the Gnosticks against whom S. John especially levels this confutation had concerning themselves, as if they only were the perfect Christians, and fancying that they were no more polluted by the wickedest actions, then the Sun-beames are by the dunghill; of this tribe was Novatus and his followers, concerning whom S. Cyprian saith, that he thought himself and his d…sciples to be gold, Cypr. de Novat.when as in truth they were brasse, or as the Fathers phrase is, Golden Calves; not much unlike to these were the Cathari, who had that name given them from the high estimation they had of their own purity, whilest they were full of poyson, and therefore are compared by Epiphanius to the Basilisks, which though a venemous creature, hath a royall name;Epiphan. adv. haer. T. 1. haer. 49. little better are the Antinomians; who account repentance a legal duty, affirme that God seeth no sin in them, nay, are so audacious, as to say they are as righteous as Christ, and yet worse are the Familistical Ranters of this age, who impudently assert, that what soever they do is no sin, and all these say at least in effect, they have no sin; for you must know that a thing may be said two wayes, formally or interpretatively, explicitly or implicitly, directly or indirectly; and thus as the Atheist saith, there is no God: not only when in p. 246plain terms, he denieth a deity, but when he denieth to God those things which are the essence of a deity; in which respect, to say God is not true or just, or omniscient, is to say there is no God: so the Justiciary saith, he hath no sin; not only when he saith it expressely, Psal. 14.1.Ps 14:1but when he saith that which amounts to as much: in which regard, to say we keep the Commandements, we need no repentance, God beholds no sin in us, whatsoever we do is no sin, is all one with saying, we have no sin; and although there are few, very few who flatly deny a deity, yet many who do it by a circumlocution. So, though there are but few who deny themselves to be altogether without sin, yet (as appeareth by what hath been already said) there are many who say that which is virtually to deny it, and so are justly chargeable with the opinion which our Apostle here declaimeth against, If we say we have no sin.

Having in some measure discovered wherein this opinion consists, Part. 2.it remaineth that we now proceed to manifest the erroniousnesse of it, that we may be disswaded from it: and to that end consider we the arguments which our Apostle here useth, of which

1. The first is the folly of it, in that by so saying, We deceive our selves, and the truth is not in us: where we have two expressions, the one principal, the other collateral, annexed by way of confirmation: the point our Apostle layeth down is, that in saying we have no sin, we deceive our selves; and the proof he adjoyneth is, because there is no truth in those that say so.

1. In saying we have no sin, we deceive our selves; this self-conceit is a self-dece…t. It is at first view a strange assertion that a man should deceive himself; if a man would deceive, it were more probable he should deceive an enemy than a friend, a stranger than a kinsman, one that is afarre off, then near to him; nay there is inbred in every man a love of himself: yea, proximus quisque sibi, every one is nearest to himself: and is it to be imagined, p. 247that he would deceive himself? for a man to kill another, may sometimes be (at least be accounted) valour, but to kill himself can be thought no other then madnesse; for a man to deceive another, may by worldlings (at least) be esteemed craft, policy, wisdom, but for a man to deceive himself, must needs be adjudged meer folly, and yet thus it is with all wicked men, to whom by reason of corruption, it is natural to be unnatural, whilest by doing what is sin, they kill themselves; and by saying they have no sin, they deceive themselves. Indeed as the Prophet Jeremy saith, The heart is deceitfull above all things, and desperately wicked;Jer. 17.9.Jer 17:9 there being a mystery of iniquity in our corrupt minds,P…o 20.17. the heart is sometimes in Scripture metaphorically described by the belly, and truly there are not more twistings and foldings in the guts of the belly, then there are turnings and, windings in the heart of man, by which we are too too witty to cozen our selves: no wonder if the wise man saith, he that trusteth to his own heart is a fool; and that it was the prayer of St. Austin, Pro. 23.16.Prov 23:16Custodi libera me de meipso Deus, Lord deliver me from my self? foreign, is an excellent rule, remember to distrust, especially thy self; and ever keep a narrow watch,Epictet and a jealous suspicion over the dictates of thy own heart, which is so prone to deceive thee.

Among those many things whereby we are apt to deceive our selves, none more frequent then this which our Apostle here specifieth, whereby we are well conceited of our own innocencie; the truth is, we have such an inordinate self-love, that it is no wonder we fall into self-flattery: they say in Optickes, that if the object be too near the eye, we cannot rightly discern it; we are very near and dear unto our selves, and therefore it is we discern not the sins that are in our selves; Every way of man, saith Solomon, is right in his own eyes; indeed, therefore it is right in his own eyes, because it is his own way. Prov. 21.2.Prov 21:2The eye which seeth all other things, beholdeth not it selfe. p. 248hence it is, that whilest we spye moats in others, we see not the beames in our own eyes, and so deceive our selves, in saying we have no sin.

Indeed there want not other impostors who are ready enough to put tricks upon us. The dev…ll, that old Serpent, that grand Jugler, is very busie to delude us, and that in this kind: it is his great design to make us beleeve those things not to be sin, which are so; and to think our selves not to have those sinnes we have. Besides, the world, a cunning deceiver, is very willing to sooth us up in a good opinion of our selves. Nay, there want not false teachers, cheaters rather, who perswade their followers (at least) that they are the Saints, the pure, the godly partie; whereas they act those things which even Heathens would blush at. But the truth is, were it not for our selves, none of these could deceive us; were we faithful to our own soules, they could not betray us: we are willing to be deceived, yea, to deceive our selves in the matter of our own goodnesse, and that because

2. The truth is not in us. Indeed, where ever there is deceit, there is falshood; since to be deceived, Decipimar specie recli. H…r.is to apprehend a thing otherwise then it is, or to take a thing to be that which it is not; True, there must be some shew of truth, it must seem to be that which we take it to be, or else how shou…d we be cheated? but there is no reality nor truth of the thing, else it could not be a cheat: will you know then how men come to say they have no sin? they seem so in their own eyes, and thereby deceive themselves: but indeed it is not so, there is no truth in their conception; and so it must needs prove a deception. Look as when a man deceiveth another, it is by a verbal or a reall lye, presenting that which is not;Veritatem non esse in aliquo est aliquem mentiri. Zanch. i… loc. so it is when a man deceiveth himself, in which respect one expounds this negative by the positive of lying, the truth is not in us; that is, we lye to our selves, in saying we have no sin.

p. 249It is not unfitly here taken notice of, that our Apostle doth not say, There is no humility, but there is no verity in us: Indeed, one cause, why we deceive our selves in saying we have no sin, is the pride of our spirits: a proud man hath onelyonly one eye open, both in respect of his neighbour, and himselfe; of his neighbour, he hath one eye to see his spots, but not his beautie, his faults, but not his gifts; of himselfe; he hath an eye to see his beauty, but not his spots, his gifts, but not his faults, and so becometh a selfe deceiver. In this regard our Apostle might justly have said; there is no humility in those, Aug. Sent. 365. Eccles. 7.16.Eccl 7:16who say they have no sin. Indeed as St. Austin occasionally speaking of those words, Be not righteous overmuch, and understanding it of a selfe conceited righteousnesse, truly asserts, it is not justitia sapientis, but superbia praesumentis, The righteousnesse of the wise, but the pride of a presumptuous man: but that it may appeare, that that which causeth even the holyest to accuse themselves of sin, is not onelyonly the lowlynesse of their minds, but the truth of the thing; and that according to St. Cyprians speech,Cyp…. …e …pere. & …l…em…s. he that thinketh himselfe innocent, is not onelyonly proud, but foolish; yea in plain termes, a lyer, therefore he saith there is no truth in us. It is the question of the wise man, Who can say, Prov. 20.9.Prov 20:9I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? and such a question, to which none can returne an affirmative answer: who can say it, and say it truly, and not be untrue in saying it? since both to ascribe that purity which we have to our selves, and to ascribe that purity to our selves which we have not,Bez in loc. Quis …is sicac…ipiend…m putat ut dicat…r propter humilitatem n…n qui… ita verè est. Anathema sit Milevit. Concil. Aug de nat. & grat c. 34. are manifest and odious untruths. To this purpose it, is what Beza observes, that these words are spoken by St. Iohn, not onelyonly for modesty, but truths sake; yea a councill hath pronounced an anathema against any who shall assert that this was spoken onelyonly in humility, but not because so in truth: sutable to which is St. Austins note upon these words, St. Iohn doth not say, If we have no sin, we extoll our selves, and there is p. 250no lowlynesse in us, but we deceive our selves, and there is no truth in us, since thus to say is not onelyonly to lift up our selves with an high conceit of that purity which we have, but to flatter our selves with a m…s-conceit of that purity we have not.

To explicate this clause in its fullest latitude: know there is a double truth, which may be denyed to those who thus say; truth of grace in their hearts, and truth of knowledge in their minds.

1. There is no truth of grace in our hearts, if we deceive our selves by saying we have no sin: it is the note of Ghis…erius, occasionally upon thes… words, that the sence of this clause, Gh…sler▪ …n Jerem Aug. confess. l. 5 c. 10.is as much as we defile our selves by this conceit, and it argueth a want of truth and sincerity in us. St. Austin acknowledgeth it an hanious sin, that he did not account himselfe a sinner, nor is there a surer brand of hypocrisie, then this foolish arrogancy; indeed, good men are sometimes apt to deceive themselves in a contrary way, by denying the grace of God which is bestowed upon them, saying in the bitternesse of their soules, they have no faith, no love, no repentance, when yet both in the sight of God and others, these graces appeare to be in them: It is a selfe deceit, which must be taken notice of, and avoyded as an act of ingratitude; but yet it is an errour of the right hand, and therefore the more tollerable: but this which my text speaketh of, is of another nature, and that which onelyonly wicked men are subject to, who though they live in sin, yet deny sin to be in them: sincere Christians oft times think themselves worse, but onelyonly Hypocrites thinke themselves better then they are, and so being just in their own eyes, they become unjust.

2. But that which is the genuine sence, (as hath been already intimated) is that there is no truth of knowledge in our minds: truth in the minde is the congruous & adaquate conceit of the understanding to the thing, and therefore p. 251this conceit being not adaequate, but opposit, no… congruous, but contrary to the thing, is justly charged with falshood.

This will the better appeare, if we look into the rotten foundations of this perverse opinion, which are no other then misapprehensions, misconstructions, or false reasonings. The word which St. James useth for deceiving our selves, is very significant to this purpose, foreign,…. ….21. which is to deceive our selves by false argumentation, this is very evident, in this selfe dece…t my text speaketh of, which is grounded not upon syllogismes framed by reason, but paralogis…s made by fancy. Thus this conceit that we have no sin, is in

1. Some, from a misunderstanding of the nature of Divine concourse, to human actions; as if because in him, m…n l…ve, move, and have their being, therefore whatever they do, God doth it in them, and so they can have no sin, not distinguishing between the physicall entity, and the morall obliquity of the action, nor considering that he who maketh an horse to goe, doth not therefore make him to halt in his going.

2. Others, from a strange fancy of I know not what nature within us dist…nct from us, to which our sins are to be attributed, and so we are acquitted: such were those falsi & fallentes sancti, deceaved and deceitfull Saints, of whom St. Austin speaketh,Aug. c…ns. l. 5. c. 10. Jam. 1.14.Jas 1:14 who said it was not they that sinned, but another nature within them, whereas St. James saith, When a man is tempted, he is drawn aside of his own lusts.

3. Many, from a misconceit of what is sin, whilest they think nothing is in its own nature evill, but onelyonly according to mens opinions of it: so that what St. Paul saith concerning meats, they say of actions, I know and am perswaded, by our Lord Iesus, Rom. 14.14.Rom 14:14that there is nothing uncleane of it selfe, but to him that esteemeth any thing to be uncleane, to him it is uncleane ▪ this was as Iren…us informeth us, p. 252the lying Doctrine of the Gnosticks, and Carpocratians, whence they concluded,J…en. ad v. haere…. l. 1. c. 24. that nothing they did was sin, not considering that not our opinion, but Gods law is the rule both of good and evill.

4. Too many, from a misapprehension of the nature of justification, as if it were an utter extinction, where as it is onelyonly a non imputation of sin, as to punishment; as if because Christ is made to us of God righteousnesse, so far as to cover us from his revengeful, Rom. 14.1….Rom 14:1therefore it must be also from his omniscient eye; as if because we are made righteous by Christ, we must be as righteous as Christ; whereas our Apostle here plainly tels us; that though Christs bloud cleanseth us from all sin, yet we cannot say we have no sin.

5. Very many, from a misconstruction of the true meaning of the law. S. Paul saith of himselfe, that he was alive without the law, Rom. 7.9.Rom 7:9to wit, in his own opinion, before the law came to him in a right representation; no doubt that which made the Phar…sees think themselves pure, and the young man brag of his obedience, was that they knew not the spirituall intent, and comprehensive extent of the laws: and truly thus it is stil with many civill, and morall just…tiaries, who think themselves carefull observers of the law, and are ready to answer for themselves to every commandment: they think they fulfill the first, in that they onelyonly acknowledge the true God, the second, in that they never bowed to an Image, the third, in that they doe not use to swear by God, the fourth, in that they are constant goers to Church on the Lords day, the fifth, because they honour and respect their naturall parents, give the Minister good words, and wish well to their King, the sixth, because they never k…lled any man, the seventh, because they are no whores, nor rogues, the eighth, because they never cut a purse, or broke open an house, or robbed on the high way, the ninth, because they never gave in false evidence to the Iudge, or Iury, and the tenth, because p. 253they were never sick for Naboths vineyard, not considering, that the law in every precept doth not only forbid a sin, but command a duty, and that it doth not onelyonly reach to the outward work, but the inward thought, to the act it self, but the attendants, occasions, and whatsoever hath affinity with it.

Indeed besides these, it were easie to reckon up many more m…stakes, which are in mens minds about the corrupt…on, that cl…aveth to their nature… ; the examples of those who are abominably vile, the successe and prosperity God is pleased to vouchsafe them in their wayes, all of which will be found, if weighed in the ballance of the sanctuary, very l…ght, and therefore since this saying we have no sin, is it self a misconceit, and aris…th from false reasonings, well might our Apostle say of such, there is no truth in them.

And now what improvement shall we make of all that hath been said of this particular, but to d…sswade us from this vain, false, wicked deceiving our selves with an op…nion of our own righteousn…sse? Alas, though thou deceive thy self, thou canst not cozen God; thou thinkest thy self faire as Absolom, he seeth thee foule as Thersites; whilest thou esteemest thy self amiable, thou art in his sight, a Leper, a Lazar, full of sores; the truth is, thou art never a whit the lesse, nay, thou art the more sinful in Gods, because thou art sinlesse in thine own; besides, it is no less then thy soules welfare, that is endang…red by this deceit; and how great is that danger? we account that Patient desperate, on whom a mortal disease is seized, and yet he saith he is not sick: is not this thy case? thy soul is spiritually sick, and thou knowest it not; this conceit is that which at once both hindreth our repentance & pardon, & therefore must needs be exitial; he that is not sensible of his sicknes, will not seek after a remedy; nor wil he that saith he hath no sin, look out for a pardon. All reproofs, threatnings, admonitions, have no influence upon his spirit; he feareth no punishment, but p. 254goeth on securely: and indeed by this means he is without the compass of pardon, as St. Augustine and St. Bernard excellently;Qui negat se …alere peccatum non h…c agit ut peccat…m non haber…t. sed ut … niam non accipiat. Aug. de civit. Dei. l. 13. Excl…it miseriae dissimula…io misericordiam, nec dignatio habet locum ubi fuerit praesumtio dignitatis. Bern. Psal. 50.21.Ps 50:21 presumption of our own dignity, excludeth divine mercy; and he that denieth he hath sin, doth not make himself the less sinful, but the less capable of forgiven…ss: nay let me adde this, that though thou mayest thus deceive thy self for a while, yet the time is com…ng, when thou shalt be undeceived to thy shame, and horrour and confusion. It is the threatning of Almighty God to the sinner, that thought God was like him, sinfull; and it belongs as well to him that thinketh he is l…ke God, sinless, I will set thy sins in order before thee. Who can expresse what horror seized upon ruined Babylon, which had said, I sit as a Queen, I shall see no evill? the like shame shall sit upon the face of hypocrites, which say they have no sin, when God shall set their sins in order before them.

Oh then be not so injurious to your selves, as to harbour this self-deceit; you think it self-love, but indeed it is self-hatred, there being no worse enemy then a seeming friend, a base flatterer; and that you may no longer be thus deceived, be true to your own selves, and labour to have your minds enlightened, your judgements rectified, that you may passe sentence upon your selves according to truth; be much in examining your selves, searching your hearts, trying your wayes, and that impartially: the truth is, we deceive our selves, because we do not see our selves; we do not see our selves, because we do not search our selves; and we cannot search our selves, unlesse we have the candle of divine illumination: pray we therefore that the eyes of our understandings may be opened, and thereby the truth of saving knowledge conveyed into us, that we may no longer be such fooles, as to deceive our selves by saying we have no sin; and this so much the rather, because it is not onelyonly an injury to our selves, but to God, which leads me to the

p. 2552. Second argument, which is the impiety of this opinion, in that hereby we make God a lyar, and his word is not in us; and this is represented by a double character, to wit, the blasphemy and the infidelity of those who say thus, their blasphemy, in that they make God a lyar, and infidelity, in that his word is not in them.

1. We make him a lyar, a very vehement and urgent expression, how earnest is our Apostle in confuting this errour.Magnâ verbo…um vehementiae prop situm urget. Fer. Numb. 23.19. Heb. 6.1….Num 23:19Heb 6:1 Indeed this phrase at first reading may seem harsh; the thing which it asserts being in a proper sense impossible, we make him a lyar, it cannot be, God is not a man that he should lye, or son of man that he should repent saith Balaam; and again, it being impossible for God to lye, saith the Authour to the Hebrews. Indeed, If God should either do what is evill, or speak what is false, Mat. 5. Hebr.Matt 5he could not be a God: but beloved, though God cannot be a lyar, we may be said to make him so, no really, but interpretatively, when we do as much as lyeth in us, to make him so; look as an Adulterer looking upon a woman to lust after her, though she be not defiled, is said to commit adultery with her in his heart, and as Apostates are said to crucifie the Sonne of God afresh, Matth. 5 28▪ Heb. 6.6.Matt 5:28Heb 6:6not that he who is possessed of his crown, can again be brought to his Cross, but that such sinners do what in them lyeth, to bring him to it: so self-justitiaries, though they cannot justly fasten the least lye upon God, yet they do what they can to make him so: perhaps indeed this is not that which they directly intend, but yet it is that which must necessarily follow upon their saying, and therefore this brand is justly fastened upon them.

This will further appear, if we consider what God hath said both in his laws, and in his Gospel, his law accuseth all men of sin, his Gospel offereth pardon of sin to all men, so that law and Gospel affirm (at least impl…citely) that all men have sin, if therefore (as they say) they have no sin, God must be a lyar in both: indeed the dilemma is manifest, p. 356either they must be lyars, or God; their saying must be false, or Gods: since there is an apparent contradiction between them, God saith all men have sinned, and they say we have not sinned; no marvaile if our Apostle charge them with making God a lyar.

See hence at once both the pride and the danger of these pharisaical hypocrites, Dum non vult hypocrita se accusare peccati mavult Deum accusare mendacii· Zancb. Rom. 3.4.Rom 3:4their pride in that rather then accuse themselves of sin; they dare to accuse God with lying, and lest any blot should lye upon their purity, they go about to stain Gods veracity. Thus, as it were inverting those words of St. Paul, Let God be true, and every man a lyar; they say, Let God be a lyar, so we may be pure and true. How dishonourable, and therefore provoking this must needs be to God? we may guesse by our selves, our proverb saith, the lye deserveth a stab; we cannot in words offer a man a greater injury then to give him the lye; and can we think that God himself doth not take it as an high affronts, from those who go about thus to make him a lyar? Yes certainly, and all such proud wretches shall know it is an evill thing to cast so great a dishonour upon God, and whilest they condemn God unjustly as a lyar, he will one day condemn them justly as lyars, in deceiving themselves, and having no truth in them, yea as blasphemers, in making him a lyar, and as unbelievers in that.

2. His word is not in them, by word here some understand Christ who is called at the first verse the word of life, V. 1.and so his word is not in us, is as much as Christ is not in us if we thus say, this is the rather observable, because many who say they have no sin, pretend to have Christ in them, and be in Christ; yea that therefore they have no sin, because Christ is in them, and they in him; whom the Apostle according to this construction here plainly contradicteth: and indeed it cannot be otherwise, since where ever Christ is, there is his Spirit; and where the Spirit of Christ is, there is a divine light discovering to a man the darkness that is in him, and effectually, p. 357convincing him of his own sinfulnesse. But though this be a truth, I doe not conceive it the truth of this clause, and therefore with the generality of the best interpreters; I understand it in the proper and usuall sence, not for Christ the word; but for the word of Christ, vide est. Zanch Menoch▪ …l…yr, in ….not the word which is God, but the word of God; And thus it will not be amisse to consider this clause, both in i…s selfe and in its reference.

1. Consider this clause in its selfe, and that which we have to inquire, is, what our Apostle meaneth by this phrase? negatives are best known by the affirmatives, as privations are by habits, and therefore by knowing what it is for the word of God and Christ to be in us, we shall learne what this meaneth, the word is not in us.

The word is then said to be in us; when according to Christs phrase, in the Gospel, it doth take place in us, Io. 8.38. quid est ergo non capit in … bis non capit corvestrum &c. Aug. in Ioh. ….41.John 8:38(foreign being there according to Camerarius, as much as foreign) and finde entertainment with us, and surely then it taketh place in us, when it taketh place in our hearts, as it did in David, who saith Thy word have I hid in my heart. The word is then said to be in us when according to St. Iames his phrase it is foreign an ingrafted word, and that is, when,Iames 1.21.Jas 1:21 as the tree being opened, a graft is set deep into it, Acts 16.14.Acts 16:14and so becometh one with it, or rather it one with a graft, so our hearts being opened (as Lydias, was) the word is deeply imprinted in it, and it sweetly closeth with the word. If yet more perticularly you ask how this is done? I answer in one word by beleeving, when the minde giveth a cleare assent, and the will a full consent to the word, then it is received by, and dwelleth in us, so interpreters paraphrase, Non amplecti…r, non intelligimus, non retinemus veram ejus doctrinam, His word is not in us, that is, we doe not understand and imbrace by faith, the true Doctrine of his word. And that this is S. Johns meaning in this place; we need no other p. 258expositor then himself in his Gospel, where he bringeth in Christ, saying, yee have not his word among you, For him whom he hath sent, you beleeve not, thereby plainly intimating that to have his word abiding in us,Ioh. 5, 37.John 5:37 is to beleeve in his word. Look how Christ himselfe is said to be, and to dwell in us, So is his word, now the Apostle Pauls expression is full, of Christs dwelling in our hearts by faith, Ephes. 3.17.Eph 3:17indeed on Christs part, the Spirit, and on our part Faith maketh the union, between him and us, and both these, 1. Thes. 1.5.1 Thess 1:5concurre to the inbeing of the word, when the word is received as St. Paul saith of the Thessalonians, in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance to wit of faith.

To end this, be pleased to know that there is a great deale of difference between these two, his word among us, and his word in us, his word is among us, when published, and made known to us, but it is not in us, unlesse received and beleeved by us, and therefore (my brethren) let us not content our selves with the former, but labour to find the latter, It is very observable what St. Paul saith of of the Colossians. The Gospell is come unto you, and bringeth forth fruit in you, which it could not doe were it not ingrafted,Col. 1.5. Heb. 4.2.Col 1:5Heb 4:2 and therefore the Authour to the Hebrews saith of the Iews, The word did not profit them, because it was not mixed with faith in them that heard it, Oh beloved it may be truly said of us, that Gospel is come to us, but is it in us? doth it bring forth fruit in us?Sic est sermo dei esse debat fidelibus Sic ut …isci hamus &c. Aug. tr. 42. in Joh. St. Austin excellently compareth the word to an hooke, which then taketh the fish when it is taken into the fist, so the word when it is taken into us by faith, then taketh us, and that not to our ruine, but safety, and St. Iames when he speaketh of the word as able to save our soules, calls it the ingrafted word, to teach us how necessary it is to our spirituall and eternall profit by the word that it should be in us, the truth is, it were farre better never to have had the word among us, then not to p. 259have it in us, that this light had never shone in the midst of us, if it be not set up in the candlestick of our hearts, and therefore let it be our prayer, that the Gospel may come to us, not in word onelyonly, but in power, that the seed of the word which is sowne and scattered among us, may be hid in us. Finaly that it may please God to give unto us increase of grace, that we may heare meekely his word; receive it with pure affection, and bring forth the fruits of the spirit.

2. But further consider this clause in its reference and ye shall find according to a severall reference, severall things not unworthy our observation.

It is not amisse to compare the end of the eighth, and of the tenth verse together, in the one it is said, the truth is not in us, the other, his word is not in us, and if (as doubtlesse we may) we look upon these as synonimous phrases; we may observe that what he calleth truth in the one, he stileth Gods word in the other;Ioh. 17▪ 17. Eph. 1.13. Col. 1.5. Iam. 1.18.John 17:17Eph 1:13Col 1:5Jas 1:18 and so it amounts to that which our blessed Saviour himselfe elsewhere asserts, Thy word is truth, in which respect it is called by St. Paul, and St. Iames, the word of truth; and that foreign eminently and primarily, indeed it may be said of many words that they are true, but onelyonly Gods word, is the word of truth, yea truth it selfe, consonant to this it is, that the psalmist calls the words of the Lord pure words, and compareth them to Silver purified in the fire seven times, that is fully perfect:Ps. …2 6.Ps 2:6 so as there is not the least drosse of errour in them, Indeed when we consider whose word it is namely his word, who as he is the first being; so he is the first truth, we cannot but conclude that it must needs be altogether true, & therefore if we would have an answer to Pilates question, what is truth, the text giveth it, it is Gods word, and if you would know when doctrines are true, Ioh. 19.11.John 19:11this word is the onelyonly sure touchstone, and therefore the prophet Isay calleth to the lawe, and to the Testimony, p. 360If they speake not according to these it is because there is no light;Isay. 8.…3.Isa 8:3 (to wit of truth) in them.

2. If we put these two clauses together, We make him a lyer, and his word is not in us. We learne how hainous a sinne Infidelity is, in that it puts so high a dishonour upon God as to make him a lyer, this clause His word is not in us, manifestly is added as a confirmation, of the former, therefore we make him a lyar, because His word is not in us, and His word is not in us, when it is not beleeved by us, so that not to beleeve Gods word, and to make him a lyer, are all one. Hence it is, that our Apostle in his Gospell saith, He that beleeveth, sets to his seale that God is true, Ioh. 3.33. 1 Ioh. 5.10.John 3:331 John 5:10and else where in this Epistle, he that beleeveth not God, maketh him a lyar, because he beleeveth not, look as among men, if we tell a man we beleeve not what he saith, we in effect tell him he is a lyer, so when we doe not receive the truth of Gods word, we put as it were the lye upon God, and now tell me how in excusable, nay abominable is the sin of infidelity, in excusable, because that which we are required to beleeve is no other then truth, and abominable, because by not beleeving we make God a lyer.

3. Lastly, put the beginning and the end of this verse together, If we say we have not sinned, his word is not in us, Aug. de perfect. Justit. c. 32.every selfe Justitiary, as St. Austins phrase is, contrarius est divinae scripturae, is so far from having Gods word in him, that he is directly contrary to Gods word, and so to say we have no sin; appeareth to be no other then an odious, and damnable errour. If then we would not be infected, with the poyson of this errour, let us alwayes have by us, nay in us, that powerfull antidote of Gods word, let us be carefull to study that we may understand it, and by it our own sinfulnesse, let us often behold our selves in it, as in a glasse, which knoweth not how to flatter, so shall we no longer deceives our selve, and dishonour God, by saying p. 361we have no sin, and so much shall suffice to be spoken of this confutation: Let us every one make it our supplication, that the Word which hath now been heard by us with our outward ears; may through his grace be grafted inwardly in our hearts, to bring forth the fruit of an holy life, and withall of a lowly mind to his prayse and glory through Jesus Christ our LORD.