Sweet and Soul-Persuading Inducements Leading Unto Christ, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. Exhorting to come out of our naturall and corrupt eſtate.
5 Exhortation to come out of naturall and corrupt eſtate▪5. THe conſideration of mans miſery in being without Chriſt, in continuing ſtill in his corrupt and wreched eſtate, ſhould ſet every man on worke, with all diligence, with all aſſiduity and carefullneſſe to labour his deliverance and freedome out of that condition: the eſtate of corruption is of all eſtates the moſt miſerable, better live in any ſervitude, miſery, poverty, diſgrace or trouble, then under the power of ſin without Chriſt; better live in ignominy without honour, in priſon without freedome, in hatred without the love of man, in poverty without riches, in exilement without humane fellowſhip, in famine without bread, in darkneſſe without light, in trouble without peace, in paine without eaſe enjoying Chriſt, then to live in all the fullneſſe of the world under the dominion of corruption without the Lord Jeſus: Therefore out of this eſtate doth the Lord call us, eIoel 2.12.Turne you even unto me (ſaith the Lord) with all your heart, and with faſting and with weeping, and with mourning, and rent your hearts and not your garments, and turne to the Lord your God. Turne from your ſin, as a Traveller from his wandring path, and walke in the wayes of God, turne from the ſervice of ſin, as Rebels from the ſervice of a forrain Prince and ſerve the Lord your great and higheſt Soveraigne; turne from the love of ſin, as a Harlot from the love of ſtrangers, and love the Lord Jeſus your ſpirituall Bridegroome with all your hearts, with all your ſouls and with all your might: This is the labour of all Gods Miniſters, the fruit and honour of all their endeavours, To open the eyes of men, and to fAct. 26.19.turne them from darkeneſſe to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveneſſe of ſins and inheritance among them that are ſanctified by faith which is in Chriſt: The tranſlation of the ſoules of men out of their naturall and corrupt eſtate into Chriſts Kingdome, is the moſt ſweet and bleſſed fruite of the Goſpell: To this alſo the Lord perſwadeth by the propoſall of many favours and mercies; Turne you unto me ſaith the Lord and I gZach. 1.3.will turn unto you, ſaith the Lord of Hoaſts: Turne you unto me as Schollars to your teacher to learne my lawes, as children to your Father to reverence my name, as Subiects to your Soveraigne to obey my Statutes, as Servants to your Lord and Maſter, to do my will: turne you unto me by repentance, ſorrowing for your ſins, by faith beleeving my Promiſes, by love imbracing me and my teſtimonies, and by obedience keeping my Commandements; and I will turne unto you as a King of mercies pardoning you, as a loving Father receiving you, as a kind and gracious Husband imbracing you, as a glorious and ſhining Sun, diſpelling all the clouds of ſorrow from you, as a powerfull and mighty Redeemer, delivering you from all them that doe conſpire againſt you. God doth ever manifeſt himſelfe very good and gracious to them that turne from their impieties. To move men to this the Lord likewiſe uſeth very ſweet and powerfull expoſtulations: hEzek. 31.32.Repent and turne your ſelves (ſaith the Lord God) from all your tranſgreſſions, ſo iniquity ſhall not be your ruine; caſt away from you all your tranſgreſſions whereby yee have tranſgreſſed, and make you a new heart and a new ſpirit, for why will yee die ô houſe of Iſrael, for I have no pleaſure in the death of him that dieth, ſaith the Lord God, wherfore turne your ſelves and live: The forſaking of ſin is the obtaining of life. Sin is the cauſe of mans ruine, repentance the way to peace and eternall happineſſe; though the ability to repent be Gods gift; yet it is the duty of every man to repent; and the changing of the heart from ſin to holineſſe is ever attended with ſweet and ſure mercies. All bleſſings attend them that come from their naturall and corrupt eſtate, to walke with God in newneſſe of life, and for this, ſaith St. Peter, God having raiſed up his iAct. 3.26.Son ſent him to bleſſe us in turning away every one of us from our iniquities: the tranſlation of man from the ſtate of ſin into the ſtate of grace is one of the choyſeſt benefits that cometh by Chriſt, and they are the moſt bleſſed and happy among all people, whom Chriſt delivers and turnes from the power and ſervice of their corruption; therefore as Sampſon burſt his withs and came away from Dalila, ſo let us burſt aſunder the withs and fetters of our ſin, and come forth of our naturall and corrupt eſtate.Evils of corrupt eſtate. Of all eſtates to live under the power of ſin and to continue a ſtranger to Chriſt is the moſt miſerable and unhappy eſtate.
Barrenneſſe.1. An eſtate of Barrenneſſe, the carnall man is a bad tree, kMat. 7. 2 Sam. 6.23.and can beare no good fruit, a loathſome fountaine and can ſend forth no cleane water; Michals wombe was ſhut up and ſhe had no child, till the day of her death; the heart of a carnall man is ſhut up, and continuing in that eſtate, hee brings forth no good fruit all the dayes of his life; he is, ſaith Jude, a lIude ver. 12.tree twice dead and plucked up by the roots, voyd of all the fruits of grace.
2. Exilement. Gen. 3.2. His eſtate is an eſtate of exilement from God. Adam was exiled Paradiſe for eating the forbidden fruit; the carnall man is exiled Gods preſence, ſhut out from all communion with God for feeding and feaſting his ſoule upon ſin, becauſe ſtolne waters are ſweet, and bread eaten in ſecret is pleaſant unto him; ſuch men have no gracious relation unto God, no claime nor mPſal 50.16. 1 Ioh. 1.6. Mat. 7.2….title to the covenant of God, no unfained love to God, no likeneſſe with God, and therefore God diſclaimes all communion with them, he will not acknowledge them.
3. Enmity.3. It is an eſtate of enmity, the carnall mind is nRom. 8.7.enmity against God; man oppoſeth God and God oppoſeth man, corrupt men are oRom. 1.29.haters of God, they hate the very being of God, and wiſh there were no God; they hate him in his attributes; becauſe he is a wife God, and beholds all their impieties; becauſe he is a holy God and abhorres their ungodlineſſe; becauſe he is a juſt God, threatning deſtruction to their wayes; becauſe he is a powerfull God, able to daſh them in peeces as a Potters veſſell with a rod of yron: they hate him in his Ordinances, in his Miniſters, in his Servants, in all that beare his Image of holineſſe and true righteouſneſſe, and God hates them in their qualities, in their ſervices, in their prayers, their beſt Sacrifice is a loathſome carkaſſe in Gods noſtrils, a very pPro. 15.8.abomination before the Lord.
4. Slavery.4. It is an eſtate of ſlavery to Satan, to the world, to corruption, he that is moſt ſinfull is the veryeſt ſlave in the world, as many luſts ſo many Lords and Maſters, yea cruell tyrants over him, leading him captive at the will of Satan. Peters being fettered in Herods priſon; Jeremies lying in the Dungeon; Iſraels ſervitude under Pharaoh; and the Aegyptians being led captive by the Aſſyrians, naked and bare-foot to the reproach of Aegypt, is but a ſlender ſhadow and weake repreſentation of this thraldome.
5. Curſes. 2 Kin. 4.40. Mal. 2.5. It is an eſtate of curſes; the whole pot was a pot of death, where the evill herbe was, all is a pot of death, a pot of curſes, where ſin rules, very bleſſings are turned into curſes, to them that turne not from their impieties, the qPſal. 69.22. Ionah 1.table is a ſnare, and what ſhould have bin mans welfare becomes his ruine, all the meanes of grace are perverted, all the labours of Gods Miniſters fruſtrated. Jonahs being in the ſhip diſabled the Marriners to bring the Ship unto the ſhore; the dominion of ſin in the ſoule diſables the Miniſter to bring it to the haven of peace, we row in vaine, all our labour is loſt, if you forſake not your ſin, we cannot profit you; the holding faſt of your impieties turnes the miniſtry of ſalvation into an increaſe of condemnation, working death inſtead of life, the very beſt things, proving evill to them that continue without change in their corrupt eſtate; therfore as r1 Sam. 1. 2 Sam 14. Exod 3. Act. 12.10. 2 Kin. 4.Hannah prayed to bee delivered from her barrenneſſe, as Abſolom longed to ſee an end of his exilement, and to behold the Kings face againe; as Iſrael ſighed and groaned to bee eaſed of their bondage; as the men of Tyre and Sidon made Blaſtus the Kings Chamberlaine their friend, and deſired peace with Herod; and as the Prophet powred meale into the pot, and there was no harme in the pot; but the pot of death was made a pot of wholeſome food, a meanes to preſerve life. So let us bee earneſt with the Lord to deliver us from this eſtate of barrenneſſe, and make us fruitfull, from this eſtate of exilement, and bring us to the enjoyment of the heavenly Kings face and countenance; Let us make Chriſt our Friend, that there may be an end put to the enmity betweene God and us, and that we may be ſet at peace againe with God; let us ſigh and groane under our ſinfull bondage, and labour for ſpirituall freedome; Let us labour to have true and ſaving grace powred into the pot of our ſoules, that all our poſſeſſions and undertakings may be ſanctified unto us, and that the Word which our ſinne hath made the ſavour of death unto death, may thorow grace become the ſavour of life to life to every one of us.
And to the end we may be tranſlated out of the ſtate of corruption into the ſtate of grace,Means of freedome. 1. Attend the Word. let us, 1. Attend upon and hide the word of God in our hearts: This is the sPhil. 2.16.Word of life, by which our ſoules are quickned, this is the Seed of t1 Pet. 2.9.Regeneration by which wee are new born, this is the voyce by which wee are called out of the Kingdome of darkeneſſe into marvellous light; this is the u2 Cor. 10.4.warlike weapon by which the holds of ſinne are caſt downe, as the walls of Jericho were caſt flat to the ground at the …ounding of the Trumpets; this is the fire, by which the droſſe of ſin is purged out of our ſouls; this is the word of wIer 23.29. 2 Cor. 5.18.Reconciliation by which wee are ſet at peace with God. On this therfore let us wait, this let us treaſure up in our ſouls, that therby a gracious change may be wrought in us.
2 Sence of ſin.2. Let us labour for the ſence and feeling of our ſinne, as of a loathſome diſeaſe, as of a heavy burthen. Complaine of ſinne, as Sarah did of the daughters of Heth, be weary of ſinne as a ſick man of his diſeaſe; Cry to the Lord as Paul did, O miſerable man that I am who ſhall deliver me from this body of death, the more ſence and feeling wee have of ſinne, the more aſſurance of a diſcharge from ſin. When Iſrael ſighed and groaned, then their deliverance from Pharaohs bondage drew nigh; when ſin is a trouble and man growes weary of it, as of a hard ſervitude, then the houre of the ſoules ſpirituall deliverance approacheth; therefore to ſuch our Saviour ſpeaketh, Come unto me all yee that travell and are heavy laden and yee ſhall finde eaſe unto your ſoules.
3 Godly ſorrow for ſin.3. Let us get our hearts filled with godly ſorrow for ſin; turne all your ſorrow into ſorrow for ſinne: Mourne for this as for the death of your firſt-borne; Mourne ſecretly without oſtentation, mourne unfainedly without diſſimulation, mourne univerſally without the reſervation of any ſin; as the deluge overflowed and drowned all the Earth, hill and valley, ſo let your ſorrow drowne all ſinne; they that ſow in teares ſhall reape in ioy. Godly ſorrow is ever attended with the joy of converſion, remiſſion and ſpirituall conſolation, They that mourne ſhall be comforted.
4. Serious view of corrupt eſtate.4. Be very frequent and ſerious in the view and examination of your naturall and corrupt estate; conſider the baſeneſſe, the loathſomneſſe, the unprofitableneſſe, the curſedneſſe and the perilouſneſſe thereof, men could never quiet themſelves in this eſtate, were they not inconſiderate of the evill thereof: A Travellor that is out of his way would never goe on therein did hee conſider that every ſtep he treades is one ſtep further from his home; did carnall man conſider that every action of his removes him one ſtep farther from God and Heaven, and brings him one ſtep nearer to Satan and damnation, hee would never pleaſe himſelfe in this eſtate; inconſideration makes way to all evill: the Lord having mentioned the great impieties of Iſrael, layeth downe this as the ground therof, They are xDeut. 32.29.a Nation (ſaith the Lord) void of counſell, neither is there any underſtanding in them. O that they were wiſe, that they underſtood this, that they would conſider their latter end; they doe not conſider how they are in the gall of bitterneſſe and in the bond of iniquity, in the thraldome of Satan under the wrath of God, in the ſtate of damnation, ſubject to a thouſand eaſeleſſe and endleſſe woes and miſeries, did men conſider this, they would awake out of their ſleepe and ſtand up from the dead, that Chriſt might give them light: They would with David, conſider their waies, yPſal. 119.60.and turne unto the teſtimonies of the Lord.
5 Addreſſe to Chriſt by prayer. …oſ… 10.6.5. Addreſſe your ſelves to Chriſt by faithfull and fervent Prayer; the Gibeonites ſent to Joſhua and he reſcued them from the Amoritiſh Princes. We muſt ſend by prayer to Chriſt, to reſcue us from the Prince of darkeneſſe; the woman of Shun…m came to the Prophet, caſt her ſelfe downe, tooke hold of his feet,2 Kin. 4. would not let him goe, and hee went with her and raiſed her dead child: thus muſt we come to Chriſt, caſt our ſelves downe, humble our ſelves under the hand of Chriſt, lay hold on Chriſt, and never let him goe, that he may raiſe us from the death of ſin to the life of grace.