Balm from Gilead, Sermon 13
August. 24. 9. Day.
PRoceede wee now. When as thou hast found thy corruption: In the second place it is required, that thou substract and withdraw all those things which may foment and nourish the same. It is a policie in warre to take an enemies passages, to stop them, to blocke them vp against all farther strength, and force of confederates: hunger-staruing of a Cittie this way, is a speciall meanes to enforce a Citie to yeeld: The same policie is commended to vsus in this case, and must bee vsed against all confederates of sinne, that so wee may hunger-starue it, and cause it to yeeld. The strength that corruption hath from without, is properly from those confederates, the deuill, and the world, the men of this world, the vngodly pleasures or profits of the same. EueryEvery speciall corruption findeth here a friend, and some speciall foment, which may be knowne by that which was spoken of before, thats it which doth stirre that lust vp, and awaketh it, draweth it out, setteth it a work, affordeth it delight and contentment. If it bee couetousnesse, it is some occasion, or matter of excessiue gaine and great aduantage: if it bee vncleanenesse, it is some obiect sutable, or opportunity. And so of the rest. To these must a man that will mortifie his sinne, hauehave an especiall eye: all our vse of meanes else our prayers, and our teares will be but vaine, except wee looke diligently to these things.
For this cause are wee to looke vntounto all our ports, or the porters of our soule, the senses, to make a couenant with them, to sweare them, touch not, taste not, handle not, heare not, see not, &c. is good aduice: These our senses are the dorekeepers, and hauehave the keyes of our soule. It is a dangerous thing to admit of p…rly, on any termes or offers, or conditions of peace, it will disturbe thine inward peace, raise ciuill warre in thy members, and hinder thy peace with God. Reiect therefore, and put them by, in, and at the first; check thy senses failing, and in the very beginning quench those motions within thee, that are stirred vp. Nip them in the bud, kill them in their birth, or conception rather: mercy in this case to them, is cruelty to thine own soule, and a seede of misery. They are young Babilonians; what euer they seeme, their reall crie is against Gods building in thee; Downe with it, downe with it, euen to the ground: And for that cause, are they as an Engine raysed against our walles. Serue them as they will serue thee else, happy is the man that taketh these, being young ones, and dasheth them against the stones. They are the generations of vipers, if we kill not them in their conception, they will endanger our life in their birth; giuegive the waters no passage, no not a little.
Too fewe Christians look to this duty, wee open our selues to the world, vntounto the deuill, we giuegive way, we admit occasions, we seeke them: with Dauid we are in our turret, wee looke, we lust, we send for satisfaction: with Peter, wee get vsus in to the high Priests Hall: we put our selues vponupon triall: what wonder is it if deniall of Christ followeth? A fewe make a couenant with their eyes, as Iob: That abstaine from place and presence, as Joseph of his whorish Mistresse: and how can wee looke for the mortification of corruption? Man cannot touch Pitch, and not bee defiled, carrie fire in his bosome, and not bee burnt: nourish occasions of sinne, and yet die vntounto it.
3 There is required that wee arme our selues, and call in our confederates for assistance. Put on, saith the Apostle, the whole armour of God, that yee may bee able to stand against the wiles of the deuill: Ephes. 6.11.13.take vntounto you the whole armour of God, that yee may bee able to stand in the euill day. Wee must hauehave armour, Gods armour, the whole armour of God, and it must be put on, and vsed to.
Aboue all (saith the Apostle) take the shield of faith, Ephes. 6.16it is of especial vse; all the rest of Gods graces are buckled to that, and set a worke by that. Faith maketh the Word of GOD profitable to a soule; it maketh Gods Law profitable in its discouery of sinne, and due punishments, which are of a dreading and appalling nature to sinne, As the hand-writing against the wall to Baltazar; It will put it out of countenance, it will asswage it heat, and cause the whole man to tremble.
It hath answerable effect in the Gospell, and those things that are lapt vp in the same Gods grace and fauour: Our God, Iesus Christ the Captaine of our saluation: in procuring and getting strength from whence, Faith is of excellent vse.
For our better vnderstanding, and helpe in this matter, you must remember, that when GOD in his time of louelove passed by vsus in our blood, and said, soule liue, and made a Couenant; one speciall promise made, was for compleate saluation; not only to take away sins guilt & power, but staine also. He promised to saue vsus from all vncleannesses; particularly hee vndertooke the taking away of our hard heart, the whole hard heart; To cast downe eueryevery strong hold, to bring downe eueryevery imagination opposite vntounto the sole rule of Iesus Christ, and that against all opposition: For this hee became our God; Whatsoeuer is GOD (Grace, Mercy, LoueLove, Truth, Power, &c.) became ours. What GOD promiseth hee hath giuen Christ to accomplish for vsus, to vsus; in whom he became ours, (for God is first the God of Christ, and in him our GOD) Hee hath giuen him a witnesse vntounto his people, a Leader, and a Commander, a compleate Sauiour, who vndertaketh that matter, and maketh it good. Hee gaue himselfe for his Church, that hee might clense it, that he might present it a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle. He dyed and was buried (whence the death and buriall of sinne) hee rose, aseended, and is exalted a Prince and a Sauiour, to giuegive repentance as well as remission of sinnes. To make Faith of these particulars besides the earnest and pledge receiued, the spirit of Christ, we hauehave Gods promise, wee hauehave GODS oath, two immutable things: Wee hauehave the Sacraments, Baptisme and the Lords Supper.
Now the speciall vse of Faith is, as to cleaue vntounto God in Christ, To liue in him, to walke in him, rooted, and grounded For accomplishment; so by Prayer to goe vntounto God in …esus Christ, as a confederate for help. This our Lord taught in that petition, Deliuer vsus from euill: and when we pray, that the Kingdome of God may come, we desire him a sole King, a Monarch, not onelyonly that hee rule in the middest of his enemies, in our soules, but that hee put downe all, and reduce all to subiection.
When as therefore we hauehave found sinne, that sinne; and by Gods gracious assistance, hauehave done what in vsus lyeth, to resist that which may nourish sinne. Finding at any time our owne weaknesse: (For who are we, that we should be able to wrastle with flesh and bloud, with the world, with Principalities and powers?) Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Cleaue vntounto him, call vponupon him for auxiliatie forces; acquaint him with thine enemies, their confederates, their strength, thy weakenesse complaine vntounto him often, and beseech his assistance: as hee calleth vponupon thee in his Word, and by his chastisments, to kill sinne, to turne more and more from sinne; so doe thou call vponupon him by prayer for assistance: as he putteth thee vponupon it now with the plague, put him vponupon it with prayer; put him in minde of his vndertaking to saue, to take away thine hard heart, to tread Satan vnderunder thy feet. Remember him of his promises, and of the pillars there of his Attributes. Thou hast said thou art gracious, thou didst appeare by the name of God Almighty. Oh let the power of my God bee great: put him in minde of his oath, Thou swarest vntounto thy seruant: thou didst sweare vntounto me when thou becammest mine: put him in minde of his Signes and Seales, make vse of Baptisme, (which a fewe hauehave recourse vntounto) it in this sense saueth vsus: hauehave frequent communion with Iesus Christ in our Lords Supper: vrge that death of Christ, the purchase of Christ, claime it is a Legacie, a due Legacie, and greatly needed. Liue by Faith in the Sonne of God for all these, in his death, in his buriall, in his resurrection and session at the right hand of GOD, exalted to giuegive it vntounto you: contemplate the death of Christ often for sinne. Looke by faith vponupon him, wounded and broken, pierced, pierced by thee. It will make a man to hauehave small lust to sin. It will make a man to mourne. It is an infallible truth, all these are purchased by Christ, and promised by the Lord, and shall bee infallibly accomplished to eueryevery Christian soule; And yet for this will hee be sought vntounto. The truth is, because we are so carelesse in the life of faith, and hauehave so little quickning by Gods direct means, word, sacraments, prayer, fellowship with the Saints, hee leaueth vsus to our selues, that wee may not trust in our selues. He sendeth all sorts of afflictions, this of the plague, and as a most skilfull Physition altereth nature, and maketh it to worke together for our good: by sending the plague on our body, hee cureth a plague sore, that is, in our soule.
And surely brethren, this is a preuailing meanes: Paul buffeted with a messenger of Father, prayeth three times, often; Ephraims crie was, conuert mee. O Lord, and I shall bee conuerted: Thus Dauid in the 51. Psalm, is an earnest suter for merciemercy, merciemercy in forgiuenesse, merciemercy in purging the staines of his soule. He confesseth and complaineth of his conception in sin, and crieth often, Wash me, purge me, as from the guilt, so from the polution and remnant of corruption in his soule; it is that which Christ taught vsus, as before: and indeede of the prescripts of the Lord in this place; of which also before.
Now to moue vsus vntounto this worke in the vse of these meanes. Consider how pleasing and profitable so euer thy lust doth seeme, it is sinne, a transgression of Gods law: It is a defiler, and a polluter of thy soule: It is the cause of all actuall sinnes, thoughts, words, deedes. It is nourished by the world and the deuill, wicked damnable destroying m…anes. It is the especiall enemie thou doest finde, or can bee in the world. What is the deuill? what the world? what their assaults and temptations? if it were not for lust, they could hauehave no place in thee that is it which openeth thee to the world, and betrayeth thee to the deuill. Consider it is a prime cause of all thy disquiet and discontent, the chiefest troublehouse any man hath; the disturber of peace, ioy, and comfort, the rayser vp of doubts and feares; for hence it was that Paul cried, O miserable man that I am, who shall deliuer mee? It will persecute thee, as Saul did Dauid, and make thee many times to conclude, that it will at length make an end of thee. It is the speciall cause of the speciall temporall hand of the Lord, that doth follow thee. It is that which is opposite to the image of God in thee, which lusteth against the spirit, which sighteth against thy soule, the greatest enemie to thine enti…e, holy, and comfortable walking, and cause of thine halting and limping progresse in Christianity; It grieueth Gods spirit, it quencheth it holy flames; Jt hideth Gods fatherly face from thee: It in a word brought Christ from heauen, attached him, bound him, led him before Annas and Caiphas, Herod, and Pilat, buffeted him, scourged, and crucified him. The one halfe of these causes or considerations, is enough to cause enmity to man, were it against our body or goods. It would kindle anger, it would burne, it will make one to speake and strike, to kill and slay, to turne and runne too from it, if that would serue: All of them in a matter of the weale of soule and body, may cause vsus to doe so, a great deale more.
Consider thy promises & vowes, the first vow thou diddest make in baptisme, when as thou didst giuegive vp thy name vntounto God: namely, thy forsaking the deuill, and all his workes, thy maintainance of warre against sinne, as Israel was bound against Amaleck from generation to generation. Consider thine owne actuall doing it at thine entrance into couenant, or baptisme into Christ: wherein thou being called, diddest runne and answer with thine heart vntounto God. Thine often renuing of the same, and sealing it vp againe to God in the Supper of the Lord: these promises are bonds and obligations vntounto this duty.
Consider yee are a people in couenant with GOD, members of Iesus Christ, such as hauehave receiued the spirit of adoption, such as hauehave had the first fruits, the peace, and ioy, and comforts of the same, and expect all the rest, theres not one of these, but is a sufficient motiue: I beseech you by the mercies of God, Rom. 12.1. If there bee any consolation in Christ? if there bee any fellowship of the spirit? 2. Phil. 1.2. If you bee risen with Christ? I, your life is hid with Christ in God. And when Christ shall appeare, yee shall appeare with him in glory: Mortifie therfore your members, &c. Put away all these, anger, &c. Lye not one to another, Col. 3.5.
Thats not all, they are that may, and doe moue, indeed such as are so. Grace appearing to saluation, according to it degrees and measures; teacheth vsus to denie vngodlinesse and worldly lusts, &c. The louelove of God doth constraine, that man in whose heart it is shed abroade. If any man be in Iesus Christ, hee is a now creature, olde things, I all olde things are past, he is dead with him; our olde man is crucified with him. Those that are Christs, hauehave crucified the flesh with the lusts thereof, hee is buried with Christ, the whole is in it consumption, moulding, as a corpes in a graue, the whole body of sinne shall be destroyed. Jf the spirit of Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sinne. As we expect, and will make good those comforts, we must take vp this duty.
Finally, consider the defire you hauehave to liue, to escape the plague, that GOD should now put a difference, and acknowledge you; shew some good token for you, turne from sinnes more and more; your turning from sinne, is his prescript against the plague.