Sweet and Soul-Persuading Inducements Leading Unto Christ, Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI. Diſplaying the miſery and uncomfortableneſſe of Mans eſtate without the Covenant.
IN this is very fully opened the miſery and uncomfortableneſſe of every corrupt and carnall mans eſtate.Miſery of carnall mans eſtate opened. Mans ſole and onelyonly hope and expectation of comfort, is from the free and gracious Promiſe of God in Chriſt, he hath no other ſtaffe to ſuſtaine him, no other Star to ſend forth any glimpſe of conſolation to him,He that is out of the Covenant, is, 1. A ſtranger to Chriſt. no other well from whence to draw any water of refreſhment; yet even from this is the carnall man excluded, he hath no intereſt in this covenant: and having no intereſt in this covenant; He is 1. A ſtranger to Chriſt and to that ſalvation which cometh by Chriſt; Chriſt ſaveth onelyonly ſuch as come within the covenant, the hRom. 2.39.Promiſe of ſalvation by Chriſt is to them whom God ſhall call, from death to life, from darkneſſe to light, from bondage to liberty, and from uncleanneſſe to holineſſe, according to that of the Lord by the Prophet to our Saviour, I the Lord have iIſa. 42.6.called thee, to the Office of a Mediatour; in righteouſneſſe, my Juſtice moving me to fulfill my gracious Promiſe; I will hold thine hand, I will helpe thee, I will miniſter ſtrength unto thee, to fulfill this office; I will keepe thee, from ſuffering untill the time appointed, and in thy ſuffering that thou deſpaire not; and give thee for a Covenant, a Mediatour of the people, and a light, a Saviour to the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to enlighten their underſtandings by the preaching of the Goſpell; to bring out the priſoners from the priſon, and them that ſit in darkneſſe from the priſon-houſe, to ſet mine elect free from the power of Satan, dominion of ſin and feare of Hell: Now carnall men who are without the covenant have not Chriſt a Mediatour reconciling them to God, an enlightner of their underſtandings, nor a reſtorer of their ſoules to ſpirituall freedome: Chriſt is not unto them life quickning them, a Rocke ſupporting them, Righteouſneſſe cloathing them, a Husband marrying them, and a Fountaine filling them; but they are without Chriſt, as a Houſe without a Foundation, as Members without a Head, as Captives wi…hout a Ranſomer, and as a forſaken woman without a Husband: The woman which is not under the covenant of wedlock, hath no Husband; the ſoule which is not under the covenant of grace, hath no Jeſus, no Deliverer, no Salvation by Chriſt.
2. Empty of heavenly gifts Rom. 7.18.2. He remaines empty of all spirituall and heavenly gifts, his ſoule is in empty houſe, wherin dwels no good thing; he is a ſtranger to all Gods gracious and ſoule-ſaving communications; he that is not in covenant with the King, that refuſeth the Oath of Allegiance to the King, is excluded from communion with the King, and from all ſuch Prerogatives and favours, as the King grants to them that are in covenant with him; ſuch as are not in covenant with God, like Abſolom in another caſe, cannot ſee the k2 Sam. 14.32Kings face, the face of God doth not ſhine, but frowne upon them; they ſit in darkeneſſe and the ſhadow of death, God doth not reveale himſelfe clearely and graciouſly unto them; the great things of his Law are a ſtrange thing unto them: they have no diſcerning of the things of God,lHoſ. 8.12. the Lord ſends them away mLu. 1.53.empty from his houſe and from his Ordinances, after their long living within the pale of the Church, and long attendance upon the Goſpell, and often being at the Lords feast of marrow and of fat things, they continue like Pharaohs leane kine after their eating the fat, as leane as ever, blind, poore, naked, Gen 41.miſerable and nRev. 3 …7.wretched, as Chriſt ſpeaketh Gods graces are diſpenced with his Covenant; thou ſhalt breake forth on the right hand and on the left, ſaith the Lord; thou ſhalt multiply abundantly and be very fruitfull,oIſa. 54.3.5. a mother of many ſpirituall children, there is the fruitfulneſſe of the Church; for thy maker is thy husband, there is Gods Covenant; the ſoules wedlock with the Lord Jeſus is ever attended with ſpirituall fruitfullneſſe; but the ſtrangers to this Covenant, continue barren, like a Woman without a Husband.
3. Hee is without the Lords gracious and ſure protection: God is a Sunne and a Shield to them that are within his Covenant,3 Without ſupporta…on that walke p…ſal 84 11. Z…h. 2.5. Iſa 27.uprightly, as the Pſalmiſt ſpeakes; to theſe he is a wall of fire round about them, theſe he keepeth as the apple of his eye; theſe he watereth like a Vineyard every moment, and keepeth them day and night leaſt any hurt them; but them that are without his covenant, he leaveth them as a Vinyard without an hedg, as a flock without a Shepheard, & a City without a Watch-man; theſe the Lord leaveth to their qRom. 1.…4.ſins, as a ſick-man to his diſeaſe, to rPſal. 109.6.Satan, as a wandring Sheepe to the Lyon,sIer. 34.18, 20 as a barren field to the wilde Boare and Beaſt of the Forreſt, theſe he leaveth to their: enemies to ſpoyle them; theſe have no hiding place under the ſhadow of Gods wings, when dangers doe aſſault them: The men of the old world which were without the Arke were left to the waters to ſwallow them, they that are without the Covenant of God in Chriſt are lyable to a deluge of woes and miſeries to ſurprize them.
4. Without title4. He is without all ſpirituall claime and title to any bleſſing: The woman which is not in matrimoniall covenant with the Maſter of the houſe, hath no title to the things of the Houſe. Chriſt is the tHeb. 1.3.heire of all things; he that is not in covenant with Chriſt, not married to Chriſt, though he hath a civill right in reſpect of men, yet hee hath noe ſpirituall right in reſpect of Chriſt to any thing; God as a bountifull Maſter feeds him as a uIoh. 8.35.ſervant, but he poſſeſſeth no…hing as a Son, he can claime nothing, he enjoyes nothing as a Son, an Heyre and Co-heyre with Jeſus Chriſt.
Without bleſſing.5. He is without the bleſſing of God, Gods bleſſing goes with his Covenant, They (ſaith St. Paul) which are of the wGal. 3.9.Faith, true beleevers, partakers of the Covenant, they are bleſſed with faithfull Abraham; they are bleſſed as in the Juſtification of their ſoules, ſo in their perſons, in their poſſeſſions, in their civill and religious performances, and in all their ſufferings and ſeverall changes; but ſuch as are without the Covenant are x…ſ 109.17.farre from bleſſing; yIoh 3.36.The wrath of God (ſaith St. John) abideth on them: on their perſons, on their poſſeſſions, on their undertakings; the Lord ſets his zIer. 21.10.face againſt them for evill and not for good, that which is good in it ſelfe, turnes for evill unto them, their very bleſſings turne to a curſe, as the meat of diſeaſed bodies turnes to evill humours: their very Table becomes their ſnare, yea, the word of life becomes to them the ſavour of death unto death, and Chriſt himſelfe who is the way, the truth and the life, becomes a ſtone of ſtumbling and a rocke of offence.
6 Without peace.6. He is without peace; there is no peace (ſaith the Prophet) to the wicked; no ſpirituall, no true peace to them that are not within the Covenant of peace; they are as the toſſed Sea which hath no reſt, but is in continuall agitation caſting up mire and dirt; there is gravell in their bread which makes it bread of ſorrowes to them; there is a thorne in their bed, which cauſeth their ſleepe to depart from them; with Belſhazar they have a hand-writing appeares in the wall of their Banquetting-houſe, which turnes their merry feaſting into diſmall feare and trembling, and in the midſt of their ſufficiency they are in ſtraights; there is a worme within them continually biting and gnawing them, cauſing their hearts to meditate terrour: the thought of God is terrible to them, as the thought of a ſevere Judge to a guilty malefactor; the thought of the Word affrights them, as the light a theefe, having ſtolne goods about him: and by this you may in part at leaſt diſcerne the uncomfortableneſſe of their eſtate who are without the Covenant.