Sweet and Soul-Persuading Inducements Leading Unto Christ, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
ANd for the diſpoſing, framing, and working our hearts,Meanes diſpoſing man to advance the Goſpell. 1 Diſtaſte of Sin. thus to advance the Goſpell and kingdome of Chriſt, there muſt be, 1. A diſtaſting, diſrelliſhing, and being weary of ſinne: The Goſpell never ſeemes ſweet untill that ſinne ſeemes bitter; he will never effectually endeavour the ſetting up of Chriſt, and the Goſpell, that deſires not the depoſition of ſinne; the Philiſtines having a deſire to maintaine and uphold Dagon, ſet the Arke below Dagon,1 Sam. 5. on the left hand of Dagon. Man having a deſire to uphold ſinne, abaſeth Chriſt, and his Goſpell, puts them below his luſts, gives preheminence to his luſt above the Goſpell, and above Chriſt; Herod not diſrelliſhing his inceſtuous ſinne, not being weary of it, but intending the maintenance thereof, lMar. 6.cut off the head of the Baptiſt, the forerunner of Chriſt. Man can neither truly deſire, nor faithfully endeavour the advancement of Chriſt and his Goſpell, that is not weary of his ſinne, as of a heavy burthen. Man to whom ſinne is pleaſant and delightfull, is very impatient and weary of the preſence and power of the Goſpell; he alone conſecrates himſelfe to Chriſt, and the advancement of his kingdome, to whom ſinne is diſtaſtefull, as gall to his palate, gravell to his teeth, a diſeaſe to his fleſh, or fetters to his feet. When Abner was wroth with Iſhbeſheth the ſonne of Saul, then he m2 Sam 3.8, 10came to David to ſet up the throne of David over Iſrael and over Judah from Dan even to Beerſheba. When man is wroth with ſinne, full of indignation againſt ſinne, then he comes to Chriſt, then he joynes himſelfe in a holy and ſolemne Covenant with Chriſt then he labours to ſet up the throne of Chriſt over his ſoule and body, then he prayes, and ſtrives that Chriſt may raigne from Dan to Beerſheba, from the higheſt to the loweſt faculty of his ſoule, and from the greateſt to the ſmalleſt undertaking of his life. Man is ever ſo much the more induſtrious to ſet up Chriſt and his kingdome, by how much the more his corruption doth grieve and trouble him.
2. Holy feare2. A holy and filiall feare towards Chriſt making loath to offend Chriſt, willing in every thing to pleaſe Chriſt. All the Rulers of the Provinces, the Lievtenants, Deputies, and Officers of the King helped the Iewes, when the nHeſt 9.5.feare of Mordecai fell upon them. When the holy and gracious feare of Chriſt doth fall upon the ſoules of men, enter into, and take poſſeſſion of the hearts of men, then they joyne themſelves to the help of Chriſt, to the help of the Goſpell, and Church of Chriſt; then they ſtudy and endeavour the advancement of Chriſt and his kingdome; therefore wPſal. 2.11, 12.ſerve the Lord with feare (ſaith the Pſalmiſt) rejoyce before him with trembling, and kiſſe the ſonne, embrace the ſon, reſt and relye upon the ſon, acknowledge, exalt, and magnifie the ſon; put your ſelves with all readineſſe and fulneſſe upon the ſervice of the ſonne; true feare ever makes the Lords ſervants ſubject, and ſerviceable to Chriſt Ieſus. I will xIer. 32.40.put my feare into their hearts (ſaith the Lord) and they ſhall not depart from me; they ſhall not depart from my knowledge by ignorance, from my promiſes by unbeliefe, from my precepts by diſobedience, from my covenant by unfaithfulneſſe, nor from my worſhip by prophaneneſſe. Such as doe not truly and throughly apply themſelves to Chriſts ſervice, are prophanely feareleſſe. A ſervants true and ingenuous feare makes him labour his Maſters welfare, the matrimoniall feare of a wife moves her to deſire, and endeavour her husbands honour: yAct. 2.43.feare came upon every ſoule (ſaith S. Luke) and what followed thereupon, All they that beleeved were together; there is their unity in affection in divine invocation, They ſold their poſſeſſions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. There is their communication to Chriſts members, their putting of themſelves and their abilities upon Chriſts ſervice. He that truly feares Chriſt will withhold nothing which may tend to the exaltation of Chriſt, his Church, and Goſpell.
3.3. Feeling of the neceſſity of Chriſt. Lively ſence and feeling of the neceſſity of Chriſt and his Goſpell. Mens exaltation of Chriſt is according to their apprehenſion of the neceſſity of Chriſt. When the Elders of Gilead ſaw the neceſſity they had of Jeptha, then zIudg. 11.11.they made him head and Captaine over them. When men ſee, and feele the want of Chriſt, the perill of their eſtate without Chriſt, then they put themſelves under Chriſt, then they exalt and magnifie Chriſt, then they labour the ſetting up of Chriſt and his Goſpell. Sence of ſickneſſe, famine, ſiege, bondage, makes phyſicke, food, an army, a ranſomer very precious; Phyſitians were of great eſteeme with the woman troubled with a fluxe of bloud, ſhe ſpent all her ſubſtance upon them;Mar 5. Chriſt and his Goſpell are of great price with the man to whom ſinne is a torment, a griefe, a trouble, he will withhold nothing which may tend to the exaltation of Chriſt and his Goſpell, to the working out, and removing of the ſinne which doth moleſt him. When Joſephs brethren were in want, and had no bread to ſuſtaine them, then they came and bowed themſelves before Joſeph; and when they called to mind their great treſpaſſe againſt him, then they beſought his favour, and were very ſubmiſſive to him; Mans ſence of his owne emptineſſe drives him to Chriſt, and cauſeth him to vaile and ſtoop to Chriſt; to put himſelfe under the feet of Chriſt, and readily to exalt and ſet up Chriſt; ſelfe-opinion, ignorance of mans want of Chriſt▪ and the Goſpell is a great impediment to our ſetting up of Chriſt and his kingdome.
4 Elevation of the heart to a ſpirituall temper.4. Elevation and raiſing of the heart of man to a holy, ſpirituall and noble frame and temper. The heart of man naturally is very baſe, carnall, and earthly, delighting like the ſwine in the mire and mud of the world, relliſhing and ſavouring nothing but that which is aIer. 22.worldly and fleſhly; his ſpirit is very low and ignoble, and his higheſt aime is but to aſcend ſome mole-hill or mountaine of the earth;bLuk. 15. like the prodigall, he is a companion of ſwine, and feeds on the huskes of worldly vanities, his longings like the beſotted Iſraelites, is after the onyons and fleſh-pots of Egypt, poore things, unworthy and empty things of the earth;cDan 2. Man like Nebuchadnezzars image, how ever deckt with gold and ſilver, authority and dominion, and glorious in outward appearance to the world; yet his feet are yron and clay, his thoughts, his affections, the motions, and goings of his heart are very baſe and diſhonourable: The ſpirit of man muſt be therefore ſublimated and refined by Chriſt, the great dMal. 3.refiner of the ſoule. Mans droſſe and tin muſt be purged out, the earthineſſe and baſeneſſe of his ſpirit muſt be taken away, and man endowed with a more ſpirituall, ſublime, and noble diſpoſition, and temper of ſoule, or he can never intend Chriſt, exalt Chriſt and his Goſpell. It is recorded in Ezra that the chiefe of the fathers roſe up with all them whoſe ſpirits God had eEzra 1.5.raiſed to goe up to build the houſe of God in Ieruſalem: Firſt God raiſed their hearts, put willingneſſe, alacrity, enlargement, openneſſe, and courage into their hearts to doe the worke, and then they went to build. Thus God muſt raiſe our hearts, innoble our ſpirits, make us ſpiritually heroicall, or we ſhall never build Ieruſalem, never labour the advancement of Chriſt and his …oſpell; Chriſt fIoh. 11.raiſed Lazarus out of the grave, and then he followed him: Chriſt muſt raiſe our ſpirits from their earthlineſſe and baſeneſſe, or they will never be ſerviceable to him: The Spirit of the living creatures was in the wheeles, and they gEzek. 1.moved where the living creatures moved. Chriſt muſt put his Spirit into us, or we ſhall never follow him, never ſeeke his honour and the welfare of his Goſpell. It is ſaid of Saul when the Lord had made him King, that he went home to Gibeah, and there h1 Sam. 10.24went with him a band of men whoſe heart God had touched. God hath ſet Chriſt his King upon his holy hill of Sion; but there is no man followes him, no man exalts and honours him as a King, but ſuch whoſe hearts the Lord doth touch with the gracious finger of his Spirit; the baſeneſſe, cowardlineſſe, and earthlineſſe of our ſpirits muſt be put away, and our hearts throughly refined, otherwiſe we cannot diſcerne Chriſt, we cannot relliſh Chriſt, we cannot love Chriſt, we cannot prize Chriſt, we can never put our ſelves upon the exaltation of Chriſt, his Kingdome, and Goſpell; but when i2 Cor. 5.17, 18 Rom. 12.2.old things are paſt away, and all become new; when we are renewed in the ſpirit of our mind, when the Spirit of God, like Eliahs fiery charet, hath taken us up from the earth, and hath raiſed our hearts, thoughts, deſires, and affections to the things which are above; then ſhall we rejoyce in Chriſt and his Goſpell, then ſhall we put our ſelves and all that we have upon the ſervice of Chriſt and the Goſpell; then ſhall we pray for the proſperity, welfare, and advancement of Chriſts Goſpell and kingdome; then ſhall we ſay, Bleſſed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord.