Gods Husbandry, Sermon 2 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. Containing the ſecond Doctrine, viz. that the best branches hauehave need of pruning.
LEt vsus now goe forward to conſider his Fatherly goodnes towards the vpright. EueryEvery branch that bringeth forth fruit, he purgeth or pruneth, that it may bring forth more fruit. It ſhould ſeeme then that they hauehave need of purging, and therefore hauehave ſome things amiſſe about them. For it were an idle labour, and a matter deſeruing reproofe and reproch in a gardener to be paring a branch that hath nothing about it, which would doe more hurt then good: and ſurely the Lord of heauen need not to remoue any thing from his branches, if he did not meet with ſome things euill & ſuperfluous vponupon them.
Know you then, Doct. 2 The fruitfull branch needs pruning: the beſt man hath his faults.that the moſt fruitfull branch that growes vponupon this Vine, hath ſomething in it that will require the vſe of a pruning knife, that is to ſay, the trueſt hearted Chriſtian that euer was in this world hath had his faults, and whiles he liueth in this houſe of clay, ſhall hauehave them. Euen thoſe boughes that are hanged with large cluſters of ripe and pleaſant Grapes, hauehave yet ſome ſuperfluous leaues, ſome out-growing ſprigs, ſome dry and rotten twiſts, that were better away then there, and that cauſe the Grapes to beneither ſo many, nor faire, nor ſweet as elſe they would be. Doth not Saint Iames tell vsus, that In many things we offend all? Lo the expreſſe plainneſſe of this text: for there is great force in the words many, and we, and all; for who ſhall exempt himſelfe from that confeſſion, wherin Saint Iames himſelfe found cauſe to beare a part,Iames 3.2. and that ſo, as he includeth in it with himſelfe, all the number of the Saints of God then liuing? and who ſhall come after and ſay, that himſelfe, or ſuch and ſuch in his time, offend in nothing, or in few things, when, of all the Saints in the Apoſtles time, it is confeſſed by the holy Apoſtle, and the holy Spirit that guided him, not alone that they formerly hauehave offended, but alſo that they preſently did offend in many things.1. King 8.46. and 2. Chr. 6.36 Salomon alſo is plaine, and ſaith, that there is no man which liueth, and ſinneth not. If in the old Teſtament there were none which liued ſinleſſe; and vnderunder the new Teſtament they did all acknowledge themſelues offenders in many things: I hope then it is plaine enough, what hath been, and in all ages will be the ſtate of good Chriſtians, and true-hearted, euen that they ſhall bee troubled with ſinnes, and with many ſinnes. Dauid ſaith alſo,Pſal. 19.12. by way of confeſſion to God, Lord, who can know his errours? not alone confeſſing of himſelfe, but of all, that they hauehave not alone ſome errours, but many more then they can poſſibly come to the vnderſtanding of,Rom. 7.21. in this life. Paul alſo tels vsus, that when he would doe good, euill was preſent with him. And who can boaſt of freedome from this cumberſome preſence of euill, if the Apoſtle himſelfe could not? Some would elude the euidence of this text, (but to no purpoſe) for the matter wee are in hand to proue, becauſe, if this place ſhould faile vsus, yet the other places alleaged, and to be alleaged, doe by their plainneſſe refuſe to bee eluded; but this text they would elude, by ſaying that the Apoſtle doth not here ſpeake of himſelfe, as he was after his regeneration, but as he was before regeneration; ſo deſcribing a meere naturall man, brought as farre as the Law without grace could bring him. But this fancy the Apoſtle himſelfe doth plainly enough cut off, ſaying in the concluſion of his diſcourſe, So then, I my ſelfe in my minde doe ſerue the Law of God, but in my fleſh the law of ſinne. This I my ſelfe, ioyned with the preſent tenſe, can denote none other but Paul himſelfe, as hee then was, when he wrote theſe words, and according to the condition in which hee then remained. And doth he not to his complaint, O miſerable man, ſubioyne his triumph of Thanks be vntounto God, through Ieſus Chriſt? Can the meere naturall man come to ſuch a ſight of his miſerable ſeruitude to ſinne, as withall to giuegive thankes vntounto God, in Chriſt, for his deliuerance? It is manifeſt then, that the Apoſtle affirmeth thus much of himſelfe, as he then was after his beleeuing in Chriſt, and many yeeres ſpent in his Apoſtleſhip. And if it were thus with Paul at that time, ſhall any man in all the world expect to finde it otherwiſe? Saint Iohn alſo writeth moſt plainly, ſaying, If we ſay we hauehave no ſinne, we deceiue our ſelues, and the truth is not in vsus.
The poynt then is fully proued, needing indeed none other confirmation, then the continuall experience of all Gods Saints agreeable to the Word of God. But for your better ſatisfaction in the matter, wee will ſhew you, both the cauſe why it is ſo, and the reaſon why it ſtandeth better with the wiſedome of God to appoynt it ſo to be, rather then otherwiſe. For without all doubt, the Lord could giuegive vsus perfection of ſanctification in this life, if ſo it ſeemed good vntounto his wiſedome. And the cauſe of it is,The cauſe of our not being perfect here, is our not being fully vnited to Chriſt. our not being fully and perfectly vnited vntounto Chriſt Ieſus our Head, from whom all graces are deriued, as water from the fountaine. If we were conioyned to Chriſt in the higheſt degree of vnion, wee ſhould alſo be voyd of ſinne. For as in our vniting vntounto the firſt Adam, wee did ſo wholly receiue his corrupt image, that there remained no good thing in vsus: ſo in our vniting to the ſecond Adam, we ſhould ſo wholly be filled with his holy Image, as to hauehave none euill abiding in vsus. But whileſt we remaine in this world, wee hauehave not a full poſſeſſion of him, wee are not ſo neerly vnited vntounto him. Wee are like a maid contracted, eſpouſed, made ſure to a man, which hath an infallible right into him, and hath receiued diuers tokens, euen rich tokens of louelove, to aſſure her of the marriage in due time, but is not yet married vntounto him, nor is put into the poſſeſſion of his perſon and eſtate wholly and fully, as at the conſummatiō of matrimony. And this alſo ariſeth hence, that hee is a glorious, incorruptible, immortall and ſpirituall Man; we are mortall, corruptible, meane, and naturall men, and ſo weak, feeble and imperfect a thing, as a mortall vnnaturall man, though it may in ſome degree be ioyned vntounto ſo glorious a nature and perſon as that of Chriſts, (namely, in reſpect of a certaine right and intereſt into him, and of the receiuing of ſome firſt-fruits and benefits from him) yet cannot be admitted into a full, and whole, & perfect coniunction with him, namely, ſo far, as to ſee him as it is ſeene, and know him as it is known, and to be all in all with him. Now ſo exceeding deeply doth the ſtaine of ſinne cleaue vntounto vsus, which we hauehave receiued from our firſt parent Adam, that an vnion of leſſe cloſeneſſe then this, euen of wholly poſſeſſing Chriſt, and being wholly poſſeſſed by Chriſt, will not ſerue the turne wholly and altogether to expell the corruptions of our hearts. You ſee now whence it comes, that in this life we remaine obnoxious to diuers imperfections.
Next,Reaſons why God will not giuegive vsus a totall freedome from ſinne heere. let vsus conſider why the Lord of heauen will hauehave it to be ſo, rather thē otherwiſe. In truth it ſhould be an intolerable preſumption and ſawcineſſe in vsus, to demand a reaſon of Gods actions, if himſelfe did not vouchſafe to ſtoope ſo low, as to render vsus a reaſon thereof himſelfe. But in this matter the Scripture ſaith plainly, that God hath ſhut all vnderunder ſinne, that hee might hauehave mercy vponupon all. Doubtleſſe this is principally to be vnderſtood of giuing ouer man to bee ſinfull in his firſt corruption, ſhewing the reaſon why God did permit and appoynt it ſo to be: but withall, it may very fitly ſerue to informe vsus in the preſent matter, ſhewing why the Lord doth pleaſe to leaue euen his owne ſeruants, after their ingraffing into Chriſt, vntounto the ſinfulneſſe of their nature, ſo farre, that they ſhall not be wholly free from it; namely,1. That it may moſt manifeſtly appeare we are ſaued of grace. that it might moſt manifeſtly appeare that they be ſaued of grace, and not of merit, and that he may fully and vnqueſtionably inioy the praiſe of hauing giuen it them of free will and bounty, not paid it them as a thing earned by the worthineſſe of their workes, although in another reſpect, the Lord pleaſeth to call it a wages, viz. (not in regard that it is giuen for the dignity of the workes, but) becauſe of the certainty of ſuch an ouer-abundant requitall. For as an honeſt man will ſurely pay his labourer his hire (according to the Law,) ſo the Lord will ſurely giuegive eternall life vntounto his ſeruants, that by continuance in well doing doe labour for the ſame.
Now ſeeing the Lord did principally aime at his owne glory, in giuing ſaluation vntounto men; it is moſt agreeable to reaſon, that he ſhould in ſuch ſort bring them vntounto ſaluation, as may moſt manifeſt the riches of his mercy, the glory whereof he doth moſt affect and ſeeke in that worke: and it is a more cleere demonſtration of mercy, to giuegive them ſaluation, through the iuſtification which is by faith in Chriſt, notwithſtanding that themſelues remaine very weake, feeble, imperfect, ſinfull, and vnable to performe exact obedience to his Law, then if he ſhould at the firſt moment of their regeneration, free them wholly from all weakneſſe, and after a life ſpent in all fulneſſe of obedience, and in perfect freedome from ſinne, crowne them in the end with eternall glory: for ſuch vnſpotted holineſſe of life might carry a ſhew of claiming life for the dignity thereof, but the guiltineſſe of manifold weakneſſes doth ſtop the mouth of eueryevery man before the Lord, and forceth all that hauehave any wit in their heads, and feeling in their hearts, to acknowledge that they are freely ſaued by his grace, and that of his owne will, not by the workes which they had done.
Secondly, the Lords will is,2. That we may be conformable to Chriſt in afflictions, and goe to heauen the ſame rough way that he did. to make vsus conformable to Chriſt our Head, and to goe to heauen the ſame way that he went before vsus; namely, through manifold afflictions, that ſo out of the ſence and feeling of the burthen of ſinne, and out of our long and troubleſome wreſtling with it, we might be become more heartily and abundantly thankfull vntounto him for our deliuerance. Therefore the Apoſtle tels vsus that we muſt ſuffer with Chriſt, before we can raigne with him; and himſelfe tels vsus, that whoſoeuer will be his Diſciple, muſt take vp his croſſe and follow him; for he will hauehave triall of the louelove, fortitude, and patience of his ſouldiers, and ſee whether for his ſake they will endure the conflict, afore he ſet the Crowne vponupon their heads. Now if he ſhould not leaue vsus in a ſtate ſubiect to ſome ſinne, we could not be ſubiect to any affliction: for where there is no fault imputed to be puniſhed, nor none inherent to be purged, there it ſhould bee vnrighteous with the Lord, to lay any puniſhment: for iuſtice will not ſuffer that the creature bee made ſubiect to correction, where hee is not ſubiect to blame. Hence the Lord of heauen, that would hauehave vsus pledge our Sauiour in the bitter cup of ſorrowes on earth, before we feaſt with him, with the new wine of conſolation in his Kingdome, hath left the reliques of our fleſh in vsus to exerciſe vsus, that though ſinne hauehave not dominion ouer vsus, yet it hath a dwelling and working in vsus, as the remnants of the Cananites kept vnderunder tribute. If any ſhall obiect within himſelfe, How can it be, that creatures ſo full of ſinne, ſhould poſſibly be vnited vntounto Chriſt? how can it agree with his holineſſe, to take men and women defiled with corruption, and make them ſo neere vntounto himſelfe, as fleſh of his fleſh, and bone of his bone? (for ſo we are made vntounto him in this life.) The anſwere is ready, that the fruitfull branches, at the time of their ingraffing into Chriſt, are made partakers of the bleſſing ſpoken of by Dauid, in the Pſalme, viz. Their tranſgreſſion is remitted, their ſinne is couered, and the Lord imputeth not iniquity vntounto them. Through the imputation of Chriſts perfect righteouſneſſe vntounto them, and acceptation thereof for them, all their ſinnes are made as if they were not, and therefore cannot poſſibly hinder them from being in their meaſure vnited vntounto Chriſt, and reconciled vntounto God. For all the ſinnes of the penitent beleeuers, that euer they hauehave committed, or ſhall commit, are (in reſpect of God) fully and wholly forgiuen, and quite done away; God pronouncing them perfectly iuſt in his ſight, and not imputing to them any iniquity at all: whence it muſt needs follow, as from the next and immediate ground thereof, that they ſhall neuer fall away from grace: for God can neuer pronounce him vniuſt, whom hee hath once pronounced iuſt; nor neuer impute iniquity to him againe, to whom once hee imputed none iniquity, becauſe this were a manifeſt change and alteration, whereof there is no ſhadow at all in God. And ſo you hauehave this poynt ſufficiently cleered.
We will ſhew you alſo what good vſe you are to make of it.