Sermons Volume 2, 2 Corinthians 5 · Sermon 29
SERMON XXIX.
2 Cor. 5.15.
—That they which live should not henceforth live to themselves but to him that died for them, and rose again.
WE are still upon the second fruit of Christs purchase, he died, that we might die in a conformity to his death; and he died that we might live with a respect to his resurrection. His death is the merit of it, but his resurrection is the pattern, pledge, and fountain of this new life. I propounded to speak,
1. Of the fruit its self; the grace of the new life wrought in us, in conformity to Christs resurrection.
2. The aim and tendency of that life. Which is to refer all our actions to God, that they which live should not henceforth live to themselves, but to him that died for them, and rose again. The Aim is propounded,
1. Negatively; Not to themselves.
2. Affirmatively; But to him that died for them, and rose again.
1. Negatively; Not to themselves: to their own ease, honour, and profit, their own wills own interests, and own ends.
2. Positively; To him: According to his will, for his honour, and Glory.
Doct. The duty and property of the spiritual life is to refer all our actions not to self, but to God.
For proof of the point take one place for both, Rom, 14.7, 8. For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself; for whether we live, we live unto God, or whether we die, we die unto the Lord; for whether we live or die, we are the Lords. A Christian is not his own man, and therefore liveth not to himself, but he is the Lords in his person, all his relations, injoyments, conditions, interests, he is the Lords by every kind of right & title, & hath not power over the least action that he doth, or comfort he injoyeth; if health, wealth, uses it for God; if Children loves them in order to God; and therefore referreth all to God. In the Text the Apostle saith, none of us, none of those that are in Christ; the Apostle speaketh of weak, and strong Christians, they all agree in this, and he shrewdly implyeth, that he tha… liveth to himself, is none of Christs. Now not to self▪ for self denial is required as our first lesson, Matth. 16.24. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself. Christ telleth us the worst at first. So see how peremptory Christ is, Luke 14.26. If any man come to me, and hate not Father, and Mother, Wife, and Children, Brethren, and Sisters, yea and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 'Tis to late for the vote of man and foolish reason to interpose, out of hope to get this Law repealed. No, 'tis unalterably stated, that no interest of ours, no not life its self, which maketh us capable of injoying all other worldly interests, can be pleaded in bar to our duty, or by way of exception, or reservation in our subjection to Christ. Now if self must be denied, & all the interests of it renounced, certainly we must not live to our selves. God taxeth his people for their self-seeking▪ & self-aiming, Hos. 101.1. Israel is an empty vine, that bringeth forth fruit to himself. As a vine that only maketh a shift to live, and to draw …ap to its self, but bringeth forth no fruit to the owner. Certainly as in the Spiritual we receive all from Christ, we use all for him; as Rivers run into the Sea, from whence their Channels are filled; they do not live in Christ, that do not live to Christ. Visible, nominal Christians are as the Ivy, that closeth about the bark, but bringeth forth no Berries by vertue of its own root; but these really ingrafted into Christ, do bring forth fruit to Christ.
2. To God, Gal. 2.19▪ I through the Law am dead to the Law, that I may live to God. There the Apostle sheweth the ordination of the Spiritual life; assoon as we are alive by grace, we are alive unto God, and the stream of our affections, respects and endeavours, are turned into a new channel. So Rom▪ 7.4. Married to Christ, that we may bring forth fruit unto God. This, unto God, is explained, Col. 1.10. That we may walk worthy of God unto all pleasing. That is, agreeable to his will or word, wherein he hath declared his pleasure and stated the rule of our actions, so 1 Cor. 10.31. Whether ye eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the Glory of God. That's the end, and aim of all our actions, sacred or civil, spiritual or natural. God is the beginning and must be the end of all things. He is the absolute Lord, and the infinite and inestimable Good, in the injoyment of whom our happiness lyeth.
I shall observe something from the Text, and as the point is delivered in this place.
1. I observe, That this end of the new life is propounded disjunctively, for a man cannot do both: He cannot live to himself, and God too. A man cannot live to God till he hath denied himself. Before the fall there was no such things as self, opposite to God, and separate from him. But when man forsook God as his chief good, and last end, then self was set up as an Idol, in the place of God; for lay aside God, and self interposeth as the next heir; and what kind of self do we set up but carnal self? The pleasing of the flesh, or the advancement of a kind of carnal felicity to our selves, in opposition to God, and disjunction from him: Thence we are bidden to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. Before we can give up our selves to the Service of God, Titus 2.12. mark the two things to be denied; ungodlyness, and Worldly lusts. For when we fall from God, we fall to the World, or some inferiour good thing, wherewith we please the flesh, and so make the earthly life, and the pleasure we expect therein, to be our chief good, and ultimate end, and bestow all our time and care upon it. Thence that disswasive, Rom. chap. 13. vers. 14. Make not provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof. The unrenewed part of mankind do altogether spend their time in providing for the flesh, and seeking the happiness of the animal, and earthly life, apart from God, or in opposition to him. Now this disposition must be mortified, and cured, before we can live unto God. We must not live to our selves; self is only to be regarded in a pure subordination to God, not as opposite to him, not as separated, and divided from him; only as self respects would tempt us not only to disobey God, but also to forget, and neglect God. Most will grant that we are not to mind self in opposition to God, but few consider that we are not to mind self apart from him; but God must be at the end of all our desires, motions, actions, injoyments, though this latter be as evident a truth as the former. Natural self is to be denied▪ as well as corrupt self, as appeareth by the example of Christ, who had no corrupt self to deny, and yet 'tis said, Rom. 15.3. He pleased not himself. Christ had an innocent natural will, by which he loved his natural life, and peace; Father let this cup pass. But he submitted it to God; Not my will, but thine be done, Matth. 26.39. Therefore we also must not only deny self as corrupted by sin, but self as separate from God. How else shall we submit to God in these things wherein he may lay a restraint upon us, or put us to trial about them, whether we love them in order to him, they being things which otherwise we may affect. And besides, to love any thing apart from God, and to seek it apart from God and rejoyce in it apart from God, without any reference and respect to God, is to make the creature the last end, in which the action terminateth. Which is an invading of Gods prerogative. But if these things be so, who then can be saved? For do not all love themselves, and please themselves, and seek their own things? If they do not love the creature, so as to fall into Gluttony, Drunkenness, Adultery, Oppression, and the like? Yet in the temperate and lawful use of the creature, who looks to God? I answer all the godly should, or else they are not godly, for there is no living to God, and our selves, in an equal, or violent degree, as a man cannot go two ways at once, but yet there is self in the faithful in a remiss degree, even self-inordinately affected, that is either in opposition to God, or apart from him, in some particular acts, but the main drift and course of their lives, is to God and for God. Living to God or self must be determined by what the man is principally set to maintain, promote and gratify the end which he doth principally design, and endeavour after; what his heart is most set upon, what he seeketh in the first place, Matth. 6.33. The pleasing or glorifying of God, or the pleasing and glorifying of the flesh, in some inferiour good thing. What is it they live for? So nothing in the World is so dear to you, but you can leave it for God. Nothing you love so well, but you love God better and can part with it for his sake, and lay it at his feet; nothing you would use and do but in order to God. But on the other side you give God a little respect, such as the flesh can spare, with the Fragments and scraps of the Table, when the flesh is full, and is satisfied; some crums of your estate, time, strength, but your life, and love is imployed about other things; not careful to live to God, to serve him in all your affairs, to eat, and drink, and trade, to his Glory, and to redeem your time, to attend upon him: This they understand not, mind not, and therefore still live to themselves.
2. I observe that which is spoken of is living to self, and living to God. Living doth not note one single action, but the trade, course, and strain of our conversations, whether it be referred to self, or God; every single act of inordinate self-love is a sin, but living to our selves, is a state of sin: A man lives to self, when self is his principle, his rule, and his end▪ The governing principle that sets him on work, or the spring that sets all the wheels a going; the great end they aim at, & the rule by which they are guided, & measure all things; if it be for themselves they have a life in the work. So the Apostle, Phil. 2.21. All seek their own things and not the things of Jesus Christ. Their own things are their worldly ease, and profit, and credit, when the things wherein Christs Honour and Kingdom are concerned, are neglected: Any interest of their own maketh them ready, industrious, zealous, it may be, for Christ, when there are outward incouragments to a duty, but when no incouragements rather the contrary, then cold and slack: So on the other side, we live to God, when his grace, or the new nature in us is our principle, his service our work, or the business of our lives, and his Glory our great end and scope. When we have nothing, and can do nothing, but as from God, and by him, and for him, Phil. 1.11. Being filled with the fruits of Righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, to the praise and Glory of God.
3. That love to God is the great principle that draweth us off from self to God: For 'tis said; The Love of Christ constraineth us: That's the beginning of all this discourse, such as a mans love, inclination, and nature is, such will be the drift of his life: And therefore self-denial is never powerful, and thorough, unless it be caused by the Love of God: But when a man once heartily loveth God, he can lay all things at Gods feet, and suffer all things, and endure all things for Gods sake: Men will not be frightned from self-love, it must be another more powerful love, which must draw them from it; as one na…l driveth out another: Now what can be more powerful than the love of God, which is as strong as death? Many waters cannot quench it, nor will it be bribed, Cant. 8.7. This overcometh our natural self-love, so that not only time, and strength, and estate, but life, and all shall go for his Glory, Revel. 12.11. They loved not their lives to the death: Self-love is so deeply rooted in us, especially love of life, that it must be something strong, and powerful, that must overcome it; what's nearer to us than our selves? This is Christs love. None deserveth their love so much as Christ. I know no Happiness but to injoy his love, & glory; this prevaileth beyond their natural inclination.
4. The great thing which breedeth, and feedeth this love, is Christs dying, that we might be dead to sin, and the World, and might also be alive to God. The object of love is goodness; now such goodness as this should beget love in Christ. This may be considered,
1. As to the intention of the Redeemer, Surely if he aimed at this, the love and service of his redeemed ones, 'tis fit that he should obtain this end: Now this was Christs end, Rom. 14.9. For this end Christ died, and rose again, and revived, that he might be Lord of dead and living: Christ had this in his eye, a power and dominion over us all: That he might rule us, and govern us, and bring us into a perfect obedience of his will, that none of us might do what liketh him best, but what is most acceptable to Christ.
2. The grace and help merited. He obtained a new life for us, that we might be made capable to live, not to our selves, but unto him: If he had obliged us only in point of duty to live unto God, and not obtained necessary grace to inable us to perform it, the love had not been so great; no, he hath obtained for us the gift of the Spirit, and the great work of the Holy-Ghost is, by sanctifying grace, to bring off the Soul from self to God, John 16.14. He shall take of mine and glorify me. This grace is not given us to exalt, or extol any other thing, but Christ alone, as Christ his Father, John 15.8. That grace we have from Christ, and the Spirit inclineth us to make God our end and scope.
3. The obligation left on the Creature, by this great and wonderful act of mercy and kindness, doth perswade us to surrender, and give up our selves to the Lords use, Rom. 12.1. I beseech you therefore, Brethren, by the mercies of God▪ that ye present your bodies, a living Sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Take the Argument either from the greatness of his sufferings, or the greatness of the benefits purchased; still the Argument and motive is exceeding … and prevailing; shall the Son of God come and die such a painful, shameful death for us? And shall not we give up our selves to him, to love him, and serve him, all our days?
2dly. I shall prove it by reasons.
1. The title that God hath to us, we are not our own, and therefore we must not live to our selves; but we are Gods, and therefore we must live unto God: This reason is urged, 1 Cor. 6.19, 20. What! know ye not that your Body is the Temple of the Holy-Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God: And ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price; therefore Glorify God in your Body, and in your Spirit, which are Gods. How are we Gods? By Creation, Redemption Regeneration and Consecration; in all which respects, God is more truly owner of you, than you are of any thing you have in the World.
1. We are his by Creation, 'tis he that made us, not we our selves, Psa. 100.3. What one member was made at our direction, or request? Much less by our help, and assistance: No, God framed us in the secret parts of the belly: Now if the Husband-man may call the Vine his own, which he hath planted, God may much more call the Creature his own, which he hath made: God made us out of nothing. The Husband-man cannot make a vine, he doth only set it, and dress it; but God made us, and not we our selves; the Creature is wholly and solely of him, and from him, and nothing else; Therefore it should be wholly and solely to him, and for him. Self-love is Gods prerogative, he alone can love himself, and seek himself, because he alone is from himself, and without dependance on any other, but we that are creatures, and depend upon God every moment, for his providential assistance, and supportation, are under the dominion and rule of him upon whom we do depend: And every motion and inclination of ours is under a rule: If we could any moment be exempt from the influence of his providence, we might be supposed to be exempted in that moment, from his Jurisdiction, and government: But man wholly depending upon God for being, and preservation, cannot lay claim, or title to himself, or any thing that is his, no not for a moment: They were rebels against Gods government, who said, Psa. 12.4. our tongues are our own, who is Lord over us. By what right can we call our tongue our own? We neither made it, nor can keep it longer than God will. He is the maker of all things, and therefore should be the governour and end of all things: 'Tis a robbery, and usurpation of Gods right, when you divert your respects from him, and set up self in his place.
2. By Redemption. That right is pleaded, 1 Cor. 6.20. Ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God with your Bodies and Souls, which are Gods: By Creation we owe our selves to God, but by redemption we owe our selves to him by a double, and a more comfortable right, and title: A man bought with anothers money, if he dyed by his stripes, if he continued a day or two, his friends had no plea against his Master; the Law giveth this reason, for he is his money, Exod. 21.21. That is, his own purchase by money; but God hath bought us at a higher rate, with the Blood of his Son, 1 Pet. 1.18. The precious Blood of Christ. Therefore the redeemed are bound to serve him, that ransomed them, if a man had bought another out of Captivity, or he had sold himself, all his strength, and time, and service, belonged to the buyer: Christ hath bought us from the worst slavery, and with the greatest price. No thraldom so bad, as the bondage of sin, and Satan; no prison so black, as Hell; and no ransom so precious, as the Blood of the Son of God. And he bought us to this end, that we might live to God, not to our selves: And therefore unless we mean to defraud Christ of his purchase, we should mind this more than we do.
3. By regeneration: Whereby we are brought actually into Christs actually into Christs possession, and fitted for his use, taken into his possession, for there is a Spiritual union and conjunction between us, and Christ. See 1 Cor. 6.15, 16, 17. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I take the members of Christ & make them the members of an harlot? God forbid! know ye not that he that is joined to an harlot, is one Body? For two, saith he, shall be one flesh: What, But he that is joined to the Lord, is one Spirit. Mark there the grounds of the Apostles reasoning: He that is joyned to an harlot is one flesh; and he that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit. What shall we conclude thence? That all that is ours is Christs, verse 15th. Shall I take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid! Christ hath a right in all, and every thing, that is a Christians: Members belong more to their head, than slaves to their Master, because of their near conjunction; and from thence they receive life, strength, and motion: Being ingrafted into Christ, we must submit to be guided, and quickened by his Spirit: As fitted for his use, the new Creature is fitted for the operations which belong to it, the withered branch is again quickened, that it may bring forth fruit unto God. Gods best gifts would lie idle, if this were not. Rom. chap. 7. verse 4. Married to Christ, that we may bring forth fruit unto God.
4. By voluntary, contract, and resignation. When we first enter into covenant with God, God giveth Christ, and all things with him, and we give up our selves, and every interest of ours, unto God, Cant. 2 16. I am my beloveds, and he is mine: So that to alienate our selves, and use our selves for our selves, 'tis not only robbery but treachery, and breach of covenant, because by our own solemn consent, we owned and acknowledged Gods right in us, and yeilded up our selves to the Lord, to be imployed, ordered, and disposed by him at his own will and pleasure, Rom. 6.13. But yield your selves unto God as those that are alive from the dead.
2. Reas. The danger which will come by it, if we should live to our selves, and not to God.
1. The creature doth not only withdraw its self from God, but sets up another God. And so the Crown is taken from Gods head, and set upon the object of our own lust. The World is God, Matth. 6.24. Or the Belly is God, Phil. 3.19. We leave the true God, but a name, and set up our selves as our own end, and the pleasing of our selves as our chief good, and use all creatures to this end, and love the present life, and prosperity, more than God, and set up our own will in contradiction to Gods; all our labour, and travail, is to please our selves, and satisfy our selves, and to break the bonds, and cast off the yoke, and would be Lords of our selves, and our own actions, and injoy honours, and riches, and pleasures to our selves.
2 There cannot a worse mischief befal… us, than to be given over to our ownselves. Or, this is the sorest plague, Psa. 81.12. So I gave them over to their hearts lusts, and they walked in their own counsels. There is nothing maketh us more miserable, than to be given over to our own choices. And he said well, that made this prayer to God, libera me á malo homine, á me ipso. For pride, sensuality, and worldliness, will necessarily bear rule, where a man is given over to himself; we have not a worse enemy, than our selves. 'Tis self that depriveth us of Heaven, that maketh us neglect, and slight the grace of our Redeemer. Mans own will is the cause of his own misery, and thou offendest thy self more than all the World can do besides. Therefore a man hath more cause to hate himself, than other things.
VSE of all is, to press us to this weighty duty of living to God, and not to our selves. Not to our own will, and interest, and according to the will, and for the glory of God.
Motives.
1. Christs self-denial, who came from Heaven not only to expiate our offences, but to give us an example. And wherein was the example? He telleth us he came not to do his own will, but the will of him that sent him, John 6.38. And to promote his Fathers Glory, John 8.50. I seek not my own Glory? He was still guided by his Fathers will, and had his orders from Heaven, for all that he did. Now how did he do the will of God and seek the glory of God? He did it with delight, John 4.34. 'Twas meat and drink to him to do his Fathers will. A will wedded to its self, and his own honour and ease, and credit, is most unlike Christ. And he did it with much patience, and self-denial, Rom. 15.3. He pleased not himself, That is, sought not the interests of that life he had assumed, but contradicted them by his fastings, temptations sufferings, through the reproaches, and ingratitude of men, and outward meanness, and poverty of his Condition. And especially by his death, and passion there, he humbled himself, and made himself of no reputation, Phil. 2.4, 5, 6, 7, 8. That the same mind might be in us; that we might learn that life, and all the comforts of life, should not be so dear to us, as the love of God, and everlasting life; for Christ loved not his life in comparison of love to his Father and his Church. He preferred the pleasing of his Father in the work of Redemption, before his own life. Christ emptied himself, that God might be glorified. How unwilling are ye to go back two or three degrees in your Pomp or pleasure, or profit, for Gods sake, when the Sun of righteousness went back ten degrees.
2. We cannot be miserable, while we are wholly his, and devote our selves to his Service, Psa. 119.94. I am thine save me. Pauls speech, Acts 27.23. The God whose I am, and whom I serve. Paul was confident of his help, 1 Cor. 3.22, 23. There is no truer self-seeking than to deny all for God; if the happiness of man were in himself, or any other creature he needed not to have to do with God.
3. What a poor account can men make to God at the last day, that spend their lives in carnal pursuits. There is a time coming, when God will take an account, Luke 19.23. That at my coming I might have required mine own with usury. A Factour that hath Imbezeled his estate, what account can he give of it? A workman that hath loitered all day, how can he demand his wages at night? An Embassadour that hath neglected his publick business, and spent his time in Play or Courtships, what account can he …ive to his Prince that sent him? How comfortable will it be when you can say as Christ, John 17.4. I have glorified thee on the Earth, I have finished the work thou gavest me to do.
4. We have lived to our selves too long already. In the Text 'tis henceforth, and 1 Pet. 4.3. That he should no longer live the rest of his time to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. Too much of our time already is imployed in the service of our lusts; we may with grief look back upon the time we have spent, as very long, too long, in pleasing the flesh, we have been long enough dishonouring God, and destroying our own Souls, having so little time left, and so small strength, and vigour left, to bestow upon God.
Directions.
1. Intirely, and unreservedly devote your selves to God. You must not reserve so much as your very lives, but resolve to resign up all to God. We have no interest of our own, but what is derived from him, and subservient to him; own his right by your own consent, and free resignation; if hitherto you have walked contrary to God, and opposite to him, come lay down the bucklers, say as Paul, Acts 9.6. Lord what wilt thou have me to do? Deliver up the keys of your heart, that he may come and take possession. If formerly you have given up your selves to God, confirm the grant, Rom. 12.1. Enter anew into the bond of the holy oath.
2. Being devoted to God, in the whole course of your conversations, you must prefer his interest before your own. And when any interest of your own riseth up against the interest, and will of God, care not for your selves, set light by it, as if it were nothing worth, and let no self respects tempt you to disobey God, though never so powerful; let no hire tempt you to the smallest sin; no danger fright you from your duty, Dan. 3.17, 18. We are not careful to answer thee in this matter; our God is able to deliver us: if not, we will not worship the golden Image which thou hast set up. So, Act 20.24. I count not my life dear to me. If we can but forget our selves, and remember God, he will remember us, better than if we had remembred our selves; take care of your duty and God, will take care of your safety; we secure our stock by putting it all into Gods hands, and vending it in his service.
3. We are to use all the creatures, and all our injoyments for God. Naturally a man useth and loveth the creature only or himself, but then he liveth to himself; but when he loves it, and useth it for God, he liveth to God, 1 Cor. 10.31. and 1 Tim. 4.4, 5. Though men are speculatively convinced all is Gods, yet they love it, and use it, as their own.
4. Being given up to God, we must study Gods will, Rom. 12.2 That ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God, Psa. 1.2. But his delight is in the Law of God. We must Practise what we know, and still search that we may know more. Gross negligence and willing ignorance, sheweth we have a mind to excuse, and exempt our selves in some kind of subjection from God; and his will should be reason enough to perswade us to what he hath required, 1 Thes. 4.3. This is the will of God, even your sanctification, 1. Thes. 5.18. For this is the will of God concerning you, 1 Pet. 2.15. For this is the will …f God, that with well doing ye put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.
5. We must take beed of carnal motives. Many such services we perform to God; there may be such as they that followed Christ for the loaves, John 6.26. Some preached the Gospel out of envy, as others out of good will, 1 Phil. 15. A man may seek himself carnally in a religious way; for a selfish man loves God, and all things else, for his carnal pleasure and is serving himself in serving of God: An argument of a base and unworthy Spirit. This was the Devils allegation against Job, Job 1.9.10, 11. And, Job 2.4.5. 'Tis not thee they seek, but themselves; their own commodity rather than thy Glory. There is no man to seek this accusation, but to be faithful with God, when he crosseth his self interest, and to be as zealous for him when secular motives are gone as he were before.
6. In every duty we must come farther home to God. For all Christianity is a coming to God by Christ. Now we get farther home to God, as the Divine nature doth prevail in us, and the carnal, self-seeking nature is subdued, 2 Cor. 5.16. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh, yea though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.