Sweet and Soul-Persuading Inducements Leading Unto Christ, Chapter 12
CHAP. XII.
SEcondly this is propoſed negatively, yet not I. I live in deed, and yet I live not, in reſpect of originall. The life which I live is not of nature, but of grace, not of my ſelfe but of Chriſt: In reſpect of the rule which guides my life, though I live in the fleſh, yet I live not after the fleſh, I am not led by my luſts, but by the Spirit of Chriſt, I live not after my owne fancy, but according to the will of Chriſt, in reſpect of the meanes by which I live, I live not, by the fIer. 23.28.chaffe of humane traditions, ſelfe-deviſes, carnall doctrines, and inventions of men, or ſuperſtitious obſervations, but I live by the wheat of Chriſts doctrine, the g1 Pet. 2.2.ſincere milke of Gods word, this is the ſtaffe and ſtay of my life: In reſpect of the end or terme to which I live, I live not to my ſelfe, I ſeeke not, I exalt not, I magnifie not my ſelfe, I propoſe not mine owne ends; but I live to Chriſt, I intend, propoſe, and exalt Chriſt, I ſtrive to be all that I am unto Chriſt: In reſpect of the opinion, and apprehenſion which I have of my ſelfe, I live not as mine owne Lord and Maſter, but I carry my ſelfe as a crucified man, ſuffering nothing in me to exalt it ſelfe againſt Chriſt; but I proſtrate all at the feet of Chriſt, I make all to vaile and bow to Chriſt, that Chriſt may live and reigne in me, looke upon my ſelfe as the chiefe of ſinners, and the baſeſt of creatures, as unworthy of the leaſt of Chriſts mercies, I deny my ſelfe, I allow no place within me, to mine owne wiſedome and reaſon, to my owne will and affections, to mine owne fancy and deſires; I looke on theſe as empty lamps that have no light, as on falſe guides and treacherous friends, that have no truth: I handle theſe as traitors, that conſpire againſt the welfare of my ſoule: I trample and tread theſe under foot, as enemies to my peace: I ſilence theſe, and will not heare them ſpeake, I ſuppreſſe theſe, and will not ſuffer them to raigne, I mortifie theſe, and will not ſuffer them to live; and thus I live and live not, hence we learne,
That he who lives the life of grace and true holineſſe, Doct.doth wholly deny himſelfe, his owne ends, counſels, and affections, and altogether proſtrates himſelfe and all that is his under Christ Ieſus: He put himſelfe and all that he hath under Chriſt, he implyes himſelfe and all that he hath for Chriſt, in all that he doth he chiefly minds and intends Chriſt: In Ioſephs viſion the hGen. 37.7, 9.Sun, Moone, and eleven Starres, theſe celeſtiall creatures did obeyſance unto him, and all the ſheaves in the field vailed unto his ſheafe; in the ſoule, life, way, and worke of a regenerate man; all the ſupernaturall gifts and graces, all the morall abilities, and endowments, and all the naturall powers and faculties of the ſoule, with all the members of the body, all the labours of the life, and whatſoever elſe doe obeyſance unto Chriſt, are made ſubject and ſerviceable unto Chriſt: True Chriſtians are termed by the Apoſtle, a iRom. 12.1.living ſacrifice. The ſacrifice under the Law was no more his that offered it, but the Lords, and wholly to be ſpent in the ſervice of the Lord; the Chriſtian who offers himſelfe unto God under the Goſpell, is no more his owne, but the Lords, to be imployed wholly in the ſervice of the Lord; this our Saviour impoſeth as a neceſſary duty, and ſetteth it forth as a cleare and lively character of a true Diſciple, and ſincere Chriſtian:kLuk. 9.23. If any man (ſaith he) will come after me, let him deny himſelfe, and take up his croſſe and follow me: If any man will come after me, as a Scholler after his teacher, receiving my inſtruction; as a ſheep after his ſhepheard, feeding in my paſtures, as a ſouldier after his Centurion, fighting my battels; as a Subiect, after his Soveraigne, obeying my commandements; as a bride after her bridegroome, making me the compleate object of his love, and embracing me as the husband of his ſoule, if any man will come after me, in the knowledge of my will, in the beleefe of my promiſes, in the love of my truth, and in the obedience of my precepts: Let him deny himſelfe, Let him lay aſide his owne wiſedome as an empty lamp, his owne will as an evill commander, his owne imagination as a falſe rule, his owne affections as corrupt counſellors, and his owne ends as baſe and unworthy marks to be aymed at; let him deny himſelfe whatſoever is of himſelfe, within himſelfe, or belonging to himſelfe as a corrupt and carnall man; let him goe out of himſelfe, that he may come to me; let him empty himſelfe of himſelfe, that he may be capable of me, that I may raigne and rule within him, that he may wholly ſubject himſelfe to me and my ſervice; there is no true following of Chriſt and his example, no through ſubjection to Chriſt and his precepts, without the denyall of our ſelves and our affections, without the rejection of our owne ends and counſels; this the Apoſtle ſtiles l2 Cor 5.15.a living not unto our ſelves, but unto him that dyed for us; not to live unto our ſelves, by following our owne imaginations, not to ſerve our owne luſts and affections, not to terminate our ſelves within our ſelves, by ſeeking our owne applauſe and profit, by making our ſelves the Lords and Maſters of our ſervice, ſerving our ſelves, and not the Lord Jeſus; but to live to Chriſt, to doe all in love and obedience unto Chriſt, to referre all to the praiſe and glory of Chriſt: It is a very baſe and carnall ſervice which doth not primarily intend the Lord Jeſus; ſurely he is farre from the life of Chriſt, that doth not live to Chriſt; that mans life is of a baſe, corrupt, and earthly originall, the energy, operation, and intendment of whoſe living is not to exalt and make Chriſt glorious; he alone truly underſtands the end of Chriſts death, that makes Chriſts glory the end of his life; and thus runs the charge of the Apoſtle to the Romanes, mRom. 6.13.Yeeld your ſelves unto God as thoſe that are alive from the dead, and your members as inſtruments of righteouſneſſe unto God. Yeeld your ſelves to God, as ſouldiers to their Captaine, as ſervants to their Maſter, to fight for God, to worke for God, to doe all for Gods glory; let every faculty of the ſoule, and member of the body, even whatſoever belongs unto you be dedicated unto God, and imployed in the worke and ſervice of God; that ſervice which is not univerſall is hypocriticall; he alone is a perfect ſervant, that puts the whole man upon the ſervice of the Lord, as all the rivers nEccl. 1.4.come from the ſea, and returne, and empty themſelves into the ſea: Thus muſt we returne to God, and empty our ſelves, and all that we have into God, proſtrate it all under Gods feet, and put it all upon the ſervice of the Lord; as Moſes oExod. 10.26.leſt not a hooſe behind him in Egypt, but carried all out, that he might ſacrifice to the Lord of whatſoever the Lord would have; thus, we muſt not love a hoofe of our hearts, thoughts, loves, deſires behind us upon ſinne, and the world, but take of all, and ſacrifice all to God and his ſervice; we muſt with the Baptiſt be willing to pIoh. 3.30.decreaſe that Chriſt may increaſe, to become vile, and of no eſteeme with men, that Chriſt may be exalted; we muſt with the Macedonians, q2 Cor. 8.5.give our ſelves to the Lord. We muſt give our underſtandings to know God, our wils to chuſe God, our imaginations to thinke upon God, our memories to remember God, our affections to feare, truſt, love, and rejoyce in God, our eares to heare Gods word, our tongues to ſpeake God, praiſe, our hands to worke for God, and all our ſubſtance to the honour of God.