A Vindication of Godliness, Sermon 2 · Part 3
III. Imbarque with Chriſt.
Adventure your ſelves with him, caſt your ſelves upon his righteouſneſs, as that which ſhall bring you to God: As a poor Captive Exile that is caſt upon a ſtrange Land, a Land of Robbers and Murtherers, where he is ready to periſh, and having no hope, either of abiding there, or eſcaping home with life, and meeting at length with a Pilot that offers to Tranſport him ſafely home, he imbarkes with him, and ventures himſelf, and all he hath in his Veſſel: Do you likewiſe; you are Exiles from the preſence of God, and fallen into a Land of Robbers and Murtherers: Your ſins are Robbers, your pleaſures are Robbers, your Companions in ſin are Robbers and Thieves: if you ſtay where you are you periſh, and eſcape home of your ſelves you cannot: Chriſt offers, if you will venture with him, he will bring you home, and he will bring you to God: Will you ſay now to him, Lord Jeſus, wilt thou undertake me, wilt thou bring me to God, bring me into the Land of Promiſe? With thee will I venture my ſelf, I caſt my ſelf upon thee, upon thy blood, upon thy righteouſneſs, upon thy faithfulneſs; I ſay up all my hopes, and venture my whole intereſt, Soul and Body with thee.
This is your cloſing with Chriſt as your Prieſt, and in this is included your renouncing your own righteouſneſs; you can never, you will never caſt your ſelves on him alone, till all your ſelf hopes have given up the ghoſt.
There be two things which muſt neceſſarily be ſuppoſed to a ſinner coming to Chriſt:
1. A deep ſenſe of his ſin and miſery.
2. An utter deſpair of himſelf, and all things elſe beſides Chriſt.
1. A deep ſenſe of his ſin and miſery: No man will regard a Saviour, that doth not ſee himſelf a Sinner: The whole regard not the Phyſitian, Therefore it is ſaid, That the Spirit of God, when he ſhould come to Chrſtianize the World, ſhould in the firſt place convince the World of ſin; John 16. 8. He ſhall convince the World of ſin, he ſhall demonſtrate them Sinners, bring up their ſins before their Eyes, bring home their ſins upon their Conſciences, and make them ſee themſelves, and feel themſelves the moſt vile and abominable of creatures: Sin hides it ſelf from the ſinners eyes, and all its vileneſs and deformity; or if it come in ſight, it preſents it ſelf to the ſinner, as the Witch of Endor brought up the Devil before Saul in Samuels Mantle: It ſhews it ſelf as the ſinners god: Look how many ſins evil men have, ſo many gods they have riſing up to them. Their …ins are their gods; the gods that feed them, they make a living of their ſins; the gods that comfort and refreſh them, they take pleaſure in iniquity; the gods that ſhelter them and hide them, they ſtrengthen themſelves in their wickedneſs. But now the Spirit of God plucks off the mantle, and makes ſin appear to be ſin; makes all the ſinners Gods appear to be ſo many Devils: brings forth the blackneſs and filthineſs of ſin into ſight, makes the ſinner to ſee himſelf an unclean and abominable thing: And withal, he brings forth the guilt of ſin, ſets all theſe Devils a tormenting the ſinner, filling him with fear and terrour, and amazement. In this reſpect he is called, Rom. 8. the Spirit of Bondage, that works fear and trouble in the heart: The Spirit awakening a ſleepy ſinner, is a kind of awakening in Hell. Lord where am I! What mean theſe Legions round about me? Theſe Chains and Fetters that are upon me? What means the black Roll before mine eyes, of curſes, and wrath, and woes! Lord where am I! Have I been playing, and ſporting, and making merry, and my ſoul in ſuch a caſe as this! But is there no hope of eſcaping out of this wretched ſtate? I ſee there is no abiding thus, I am but a dead man if I continue as I am. What may I do to be ſaved?
And when he is brought to this, there is ſome way made for his entertainment of Chriſt: Yea this is not all that is needful, but he muſt further be brought to,
2 An utter deſpair of himſelf, and all things elſe beſides Chriſt. Being made ſenſible of his ſin and his danger, a ſinner will look out for help and deliverance; but he will look every where elſe, before he will look unto Chriſt: Nothing will bring in a ſinner to Chriſt, but an abſolute neceſſity. He will try to forſake his ſins, will think of leaving his drunkenneſs and becoming ſober; of leaving his adulteries and becoming chaſte, and ſo ſee if by this means be may not eſcape. He will go to Prayers and Sermons, and Sacrament, and ſearch out if there be not ſalvation in them: but all theſe though they be uſeful in their places, yet looking no further, the ſinner ſees there is no help in them: His righteouſneſs cannot help him, this is but rags; his duties cannot help him, theſe may be reckoned among his ſins: Ordinances cannot help, theſe are but empty Ciſtern…; and all tell him you knock at a wrong door, ſalvation is not in us. Well, the Lord be merciful to me, faith the Sinner, What ſhall I do? Abide as I am, I dare not, and how to help my ſelf, I know not; my praying will not help me, my hearing will not help me; if I give all my goods to the Poor, if I ſhould give my body to be burned, all this would not ſave my ſoul: Wo is me, what ſhall I do, and whether ſhall I go! And now, being brought to this diſtreſs, to this utter loſs, his deſpair drives him to the onelyonly door of hope that is left open. Then Chriſt will be accepted, when he ſees none but Chriſt can ſtead him: The Apoſtle tells us, Gal. 3. 23. We were kept under the Law (ſhut up unto the Faith) that ſhould afterwards be revealed: All other doors were ſhut up againſt, there was no hope of eſcaping, but by that one door that was left, open, The Faith that was afterwards to be revealed. As the beſieged in a City, that have every Gate blocked up, and but one difficult paſſage left open, by which there is any poſſibility of eſcaping, thither they throng for the ſaving of their lives; they are ſhut up unto that door, to which (if there had been any other way open) they would never have come.
And as Chriſt will never be accepted, ſo can the ſinner never be received of him, till be let go al… other props, and truſt on him alone. Chriſt will have no ſharer with him in the work of ſaving ſouls. If ye ſeek me, let theſe go their way: As he ſaid in another caſe; Let not onelyonly your ſins go, but let your righteouſneſs go, all the refuges of lies wherein you have truſted; let all go if you will have me to be a Refuge to you. I came not to call the Righteous, if I ſhould, they would not come; or if they come, let them go as they come, let them go to their righteouſneſs in which they truſt, and let naked, deſtitute ſinners, diſtreſſ…d ſinners come to me, who am come to this end, to ſeek and to ſave them that are loſt.
Sinners, Will you come now? Will you venture here? For this your adventuring on Chriſt, you have this three-…old warrant:
1 Gods Ordination. This is he whom God the Father hath appointe…, and ſent into the World, to help and bring back his Exiles to himſelf, to ſave ſinners: This is he whom God the Father hath ſealed, Job. 6. 27. hath marked him out for that choſen perſon, in whom is Salvation, hath ſealed him his Commiſſion, for the Redeeming and Reconciling the world to himſelf. As God ſaid unto the three friends of Job, when he was angry with them Job 42. 8. Go to my Servant Job, and he ſhall offer …acrifice for you, he ſhall pray for you, for him will I accept. So to ſinners, Go ſaith the Lord, to my ſervant Jeſus, he ſhall offer …acrifice for you, he ſhall make reconciliation for you: Iſa. 42. 1. Behold my ervant whom I uphold, mine Elect in whom my ſoul deigh…eth; I have put my ſpirit upon him, be ſhall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
2 Gods command; 1 Joh. 3. 23. This is his Commandment, that we ſhould believe on the Name of his Son Jeſus Chriſt,
3 The Promiſe of God; 1 Pet. 2. 6. Behold I lay in Sion a chief Corner-ſtone, Elect precious; He that believeth on him, ſhall not be confounded.
Now having this three-fold warrant, the warrant of Gods Ordination, Command, and Promiſe; you may be bold to adventure on Chriſt, and to apply your ſelves to him thus; Lord Jeſus, here I am, a poor Captive Exile, a loſt Creature, an enemy to God, under his wrath and curſe. Wilt thou, Lord, undertake for me, reconcile me to God, and ſave my ſoul; do not, Lord, refuſe me, for if thou refuſe me, to whom then ſhall I go? Art not thou he, and he alone, whom God the Father hath ſealed, the Saviour of ſinners? The Lord God hath ſent me to thee, hath bid me come, he hath commanded me to believe, and caſt my ſelf upon thee. Lord Jeſus, wilt thou refuſe to help a diſtreſſed creature, whom the Father hath ſent to thee for thy help? If I had come on my own bead, or in mine own name, thou mighteſt well have put me back; but ſince I come at the command of the Father, reject me not; Lord help me, Lord ſave me. Art thou not he, concerning whom the Father hath promiſed, He that believeth on him, ſhall not be confounded: I come Lord, I believe Lord, I throw my ſelf upon thy grace and mercy; I caſt my ſelf upon thy blood and bowels, do not refuſe me, I have no whether elſe to go; here I'ls ſtay, I will not ſtir from thy door; on thee I'le truſt, and reſt, and venture my ſelf; God hath laid my help on thee, and on thee i'le lay my hope for pardon, for life, for ſalvation, if I periſh, i'le periſh on thy ſhoulders; if I ſink, i'le ſink in thy Veſſel; if I die, il'e die as thy door; bid me not go away, for I will not go.