The Right Receiving of Christ, Preface · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
The great benefit that comes by receiving Chriſt.
SEcondly, Conſider the great benefit we ſhall receive by receiving Chriſt, we ſhall be ſure to be on the receiving hand by receiving Chriſt. It is a great advantage wee receive to our ſelves by receiving Chriſt into our hearts. There is a great reward to be received in receiving a Prophet, nay, in receiving an ordinary righteous man, Matth. 10. 41. He that receives a Prophet, in the name of a Prophet, ſhall receive a Prophets reward; hee that receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, ſhall receive a righteous mans reward. In the 40. verſe, our Saviour ſpeaks of receiving himſelf, Hee that receiveth you receiveth mee. Now if ſuch a reward to him that receives a Prophet, if ſuch a reward to him that receives a righteous man, how much more ſhall that man, that ſoul be richly bleſſed and rewarded that receives Chriſt Jeſus the Lord, the Prophet of the Church, and that great Righteous One? Let us a little then conſider the Reward of receiving Chriſt, what it is, and what benefit will follow thereupon. There is a three-fold Reward or Benefit that followes upon it.
The firſt Benefit is the Adoption of ſons and daughters. They that receive Chriſt ſhall thereupon receive this honour and happineſſe, to be made ſons of God. Seems it a ſmall thing unto you to be the Kings ſon in Law? ſaith David to the ſervants of Saul. And if it be no ſmall thing to be the Kings ſon in Law, then it is no ſmall honour to be Gods ſonnes and daughters, 1 Joh. 3. 1. Behold, what love the Father hath ſhewed unto us, that wee ſhould be called the ſonnes of God. It was the greateſt love that God could ſhew us, the greateſt honour that God could doe us, to make us his ſonnes. But now how come wee to receive this great honour? We receive this honour by receiving Chriſt. They that receive Chriſt, receive this honour to be the ſonnes of God, John 1. 12. To as many as received him he gave this priviledge to become the ſonnes of God. As many as received him. What ever they were for outward condition, rich or poore, bond or free, high or low, old or young, if they received him, they loſt nothing by it; Chriſt thereupon gave them this honour, to be made the ſonnes of God. The Apoſtle twice ſpeakes of the great priviledge of Chriſtians, Rom. 8. 15. Yee have received the Spirit of Adoption. Gal. 4. 4, 5. That wee might receive the Adoption of ſonnes. I, but how come wee to receive the Adoption of ſonnes? God ſent his Sonne that wee might receive the Adoption of ſonnes. But is that all that is to be done that God ſhould ſend his Sonne? No, for though God hath ſent his Son, yet all are not made ſons. Therefore as on Gods part, ſo ſomething is to be done on our part alſo, God ſent forth his Sonne that we might receive his Sonne, and ſo might receive the Adoption of ſonnes: For to as many as received him, he gave them this priviledge to be made the Sons of God. Luk. 19. 9. This day, is Zacheus become a ſonne of Abraham. It is all one to be a ſonne of Abraham in our Saviours ſenſe, and a ſonne of God. Now when became Zacheus a ſonne of Abraham, and ſo a ſonne of God? This day, namely, in which he had received Chriſt, not onelyonly into his houſe, but into his heart. The very ſame day, and houre then that a man receives Chriſt into his heart, that very day and houre he receives the honour and happineſſe of being a ſonne of God. When we receive Chriſt, God receives us, and when he receives us, wee receive the great benefit of Adoption. 2 Cor. 6. 17, 18. I will receive you. And what ſhall we receive by that? And will be a Father unto you, and yee ſhall be my ſonnes and daughters, ſaith the Lord God Almighty. Now what a motive is this, if well conſidered, to make us receive Chriſt? It may be for thine outward eſtate thou art but the ſonne of meane parents, of poore obſcure parents, it may be in a ſervile and bond condition. Or what ever thou art for thine outward, yet for thy ſpirituall condition, thou art naturally no better then a childe of wrath, a childe of death, a curſed childe, a ſlave of the devill, a baſe drudge to thy luſts. And were it not now a faire advancement, a goodly and a glorious priviledge for ſuch an one to be made a ſon of God? why then, doe but receive Chriſt, and he will preſently honour thee with this priviledge, to be made a ſonne of God, Gal. 3. 7. Know yee therefore that they which are of faith, and ſo by faith doe receive Chriſt, the ſame are the Children of Abraham, yea, know yee, that they which receive Chriſt, the ſame are the children of God. Gal. 3. 26, 27. Yee are the children of God by faith. Why ſo? Becauſe yee have put on Chriſt. He that puts on Chriſt receives him, as he that puts on a garment receives it. So that by faith putting on, and receiving Chriſt, we are made the ſonnes of God. Had wee but hearts to conſider, and in ſome ſort but to conceive, what it is to be a damned dog, a ſon of wrath, and what it is to be a ſonne of God, how would our ſoules not almoſt but altogether be perſwaded to receive Chriſt? If the receiving of the Kings ſonne would make us but the Kings favourites, how ambitious would we be, and at what coſt to receive him, if but an opportunity offered? But here now doe but receive Chriſt, and thou ſhalt be not onelyonly one of Gods favourites, but one of Gods ſonnes.
The ſecond benefit, is the Spirit of God. There is a promiſe, Act. 2. 38. Yee ſhall receive the gift of the Holy Ghoſt. It is a bleſſed thing to receive the Holy Ghoſt. He is the Spirit of life, and light, the ſpirit of conſolation, power, and prayer. So that the receiving of the Spirit of God is the receiving of all ſpirituall good, Iſa. 32. 15. where the Spirit of God is powred forth, the wilderneſſe becomes a fruitfull field. And there is thriving, and growing in Grace, Iſa. 44. 3. It were needleſſe to inſiſt in all the benefits we have by receiving the Holy Ghoſt. Conſider that 1 Cor. 2. 10. 12. But now how come wee to receive the Holy Ghoſt? By Receiving Chriſt; The Receiving of Chriſt is the way to receive the Holy Ghoſt. Gal. 3. 14. That wee might receive the promiſe of the Spirit through faith. Through faith wee receive Chriſt, Joh. 1. 12. and through that receiving of Chriſt by faith, we alſo receive the Spirit. Joh. 7. 39. This be ſpake of the Spirit which they that beleeve in him ſhould receive. When Chriſt once is in us, and dwells in us, we have received him, as he that dwells in an houſe is received thereinto. And Rom. 8. 9, 10, 11. The Apoſtle ſhewes that by Chriſts being in us, we have the Spirit in us. As we know, when Chriſt gives us his Spirit, that he dwells in us, 1 Joh. 4. 13. ſo we know alſo that when he dwells in us, he gives us his Spirit. It is not every mans caſe to have Gods Spirit. As all men have not faith, ſo all men have not the Spirit of God. Every one receives him not, every one cannot receive him, Joh. 14. 17. The Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive; And what is the reaſon why worldly men cannot receive him? Becauſe they will not receive Chriſt. Chriſt muſt be firſt received, before his Spirit can be received, for the Spirit is Chriſts Spirit, and therefore muſt he be received before his Spirit can. No ſooner is Chriſt received, but he breaths upon that ſoule that receives him, and ſayes unto it, as he did in that caſe to his Diſciples, Receive the Holy Ghoſt. When Simon Magus ſaw, that by laying on of the Apoſtles hands, men received the Holy Ghoſt, he would preſently have been drawing his purſe, and would have given money to have had that gift, Act. 8. 17, 18, 19. Now if wee would have the bleſſing our ſelves to receive the Holy Ghoſt, wee ſhall not need to ſeek it by money, that will not doe it. It muſt be had not by Giving, but by Receiving. Receive Chriſt, and his Spirit is ours. Marke how the Apoſtle carries thoſe words, Rom. 13. 13, 14. Let us walk honeſtly, as in the day, not in rioting, drunkenneſſe, &c. But put yee on the Lord Jeſus Chriſt. One would have thought he ſhould have ſaid, But put on the Graces of ſobriety, chaſtity, love, &c. and all the graces of the Spirit, but in ſtead of that he ſayes, put yee on the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, becauſe the putting on of Chriſt, and receiving of him, is the putting on, and the receiving of the Spirit, and all the ſanctifying graces thereof. If then we prize the receiving of the Spirit of grace into our hearts, then with all forwardneſſe receive we Chriſt.
The third benefit is Power and Ability 3.to yeeld God obedience. In receiving Chriſt we do withall receive power and ability to give God obedience. He requires of us duties of obedience, duties of worſhip, as hearing, prayer, &c. He requires of us to work the works of God, and to walk in the wayes of God. Now take us in our ſelves, and wee can do nothing: till we have received Chriſt we can do no duty of obedience, of ſervice, we can neither walk, nor work. But when Chriſt is once received into the ſoul, then there is withall a power received into the ſoul, by which it is enabled to do the duties God requires of us: See how theſe are joyned together in this Text, As yee have received Chriſt Jeſus the Lord, ſo walk in him. Wee are commanded to walk in him, but yet we muſt receive him. A man that will walk, muſt firſt receive a principle of life and motion. A dead man can neither walke nor worke; wee are made alive before wee do walk, and wee are made alive by receiving Chriſt, 1 Joh. 5. 12. Hee that hath the Son hath life. Hee that hath received Chriſt hath received life, by which he is enabled to actions of life, Gal. 2. 20. The life which I now live in the fleſh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, as if hee had ſaid; I have received Chriſt, and ſo having received him, have alſo received ſpirituall life by which I am quickened and enabled to all duties of obedience, Gal. 5. 25. If wee live in the Spirit, let us alſo walk in the Spirit: And if we would walk in the Spirit, we muſt live in the Spirit: and ſo, if wee would walk in Chriſt, we muſt firſt live in Chriſt, and live by Chriſt. It is impoſſible for us to live, till wee have received Chriſt, who is our life. The Apoſtle here ſpeaks of walking in Chriſt, 2 Cor. 6. 16. he ſpeaks of Chriſts walking in us, I will dwell in them, and walk in them. It is a ſure thing, that hee muſt walk in us, before wee can walk in him. And hee cannot walk in us, till wee receive him: Joh. 15. Without me, or ſeparated from me, yee can do nothing. Now till wee receive him wee are ſeparated from him. But now let us once receive him, and wee receive power to do what he requires. When Adam lay a lump of clay on the earth, though his body had the ſhape, parts, and proportion of a man, yet could hee do no action belonging to a man till he received life. But ſo ſoon as he received life, he could walk, ſpeak, diſcourſe, do any thing that belonged to a man. So though a man in his naturall condition may do morall duties of obedience, and perform outward ſervices, yet all this while this is but the liveleſſe ſhape of a Chriſtian. But when once he receives Chriſt, who is our life, Col. 3. then Chriſtian life is infuſed, and received, and then hee can do ſuch things as a Chriſtian doth them, with that power and ſpirit that is required in a Chriſtian. It is little comfort we can have in any thing we do, or have, till wee have received Chriſt, and do what wee do by his power. Then a man hath comfort in the fruits of his obedience, when it is fruit unto God. Then our fruit is brought forth to God when we bring it forth by vertue of our marriage to Chriſt. Rom. 7. 4. That yee ſhould be married to Chriſt, that we ſhould bring forth fruit unto God. A woman may have children that is not married, but ſhee can have little credit and comfort in ſuch fruit of her wombe; It is but baſtardly fruit, upon which ſhee cannot look without bluſhing cheekes: but then hath ſhee comfort in her children, when they are legitimate, and ſhee hath them by her husband in marriage. Turkes and Heathens may doe ſome morall duties of Juſtice, mercy, &c. but it is all but ſpurious fruit, baſe-born iſſue, in which they can have no comfort, becauſe all theſe are children out of lawfull wedlock, they are not married in Chriſt, and bring not forth by a principle of life from him. What a motive ſhould this be to make us receive Chriſt? Wee are in a miſerable condition, till we do receive him. God commands to repent, and we know that without repentance there is no way but damnation; Except yee repent, yee ſhall all periſh. God commands to mortifie the deeds of the fleſh, and wee know that without mortification there is no way but death, Rom. 8. 13. Now untill wee receive Chriſt, wee can as well remove mountaines, as repent for one ſinne, as mortifie one luſt. But when Chriſt is once received, then is power received to mortifie luſts, then there is power received to repent, Act. 5. 13. Him hath God exalted to be a Prince, and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Iſrael. As therefore we deſire to receive power and ability to give God obedience, and to performe the duties of his ſervice he requires, ſo be ready and forward to receive Chriſt.