WHOEVER is acquainted with the nature of mankind in general, or the propensity of his own heart in particular, must acknowledge that self-righteousness is the last idol that is rooted out of the heart.—Being once born under a covenant of works, it is natural for us all to have recourse to a covenant of works for our everlasting salvation. And we have contracted such a devilish pride by our fall from God, that we would, if not wholly, yet in part at least, glory in being the cause of our own salvation. We cry out against Popery, and that very justly; but we are all Papists, at least I am sure we are all Arminians by nature; and therefore, no wonder so many natural men em­brace that scheme. It is true, we disclaim the doctrine of merit, are ashamed directly to say we deserve any good at the hands of God; therefore as the apostle excellently well observes, we go a­bout, we fetch a circuit, to establish a righteous­ness of our own, and, like the pharisees of old, [Page 12] will not wholly submit to that righteousness, which is of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This is the sorest, though alas! the most com­mon evil that was ever yet seen under the sun. An evil, that in any age, especially in these dregs of time wherein we live, cannot sufficiently be in­veighed against—For as it is with the people, so it is with the priests; and it is to be feared, even in those places where once the truth, as it is in Jesus, was eminently preached, many ministers are so sadly degenerated from their pious ancestors, that the doctrines of grace, especially the personal all-sufficient righteousness of Jesus, is but too sel­dom, too slightly mentioned. Hence the love of many waxeth cold; and▪ I have too often thought was it possible, that this single consideration would be sufficient to raise our venerable forefathers again from their graves; who would thunder in their [...]ars their fatal error.

The righteousness of Jesus Christ is one of those great mysteries which the angels desire to look into, and seems to be one of the first lessons that God taught men after the fall. For what were the coats that God made to put on our first parents, but types of the application of the merits or righteousness of Jesus Christ to believers hearts? We are told, that those coats were made of skins of beasts, and as beasts were not then food for men, we may fairly infer, that those beasts were slain in sacrifice, in commemoration of the great sacrifice Jesus Christ thereafter to be offered. And the skins of those beasts thus slain, being put on Adam and Eve, they were thereby taught [...]ow their nakedness was to be covered with the righteousness of the Lamb of God.

[Page 13] This is it which is meant, when we are told A­braham believed on the Lord, and it was counted to him for righteousness. In short, this is it of which the law and all the prophets have spoken, especially Jeremiah in the words of the text— The Lord our righteousness.—

I propose through divine grace,

• I. To consider who we are to understand by the word Lord.
• II. How the Lord is man's righteousness.
• III. I'll consider some chief objections that are generally urged against this doctrine.
• IV. I shall shew some very ill consequences that flow naturally from denying this doctrine.
• V. Shall conclude with an exhortation to all to come to Christ by [...]aith, that they may be en­abled to say with the prophet in the text.— The Lord our righteousness.

I. I am to consider who we are to understand by the word Lord—The Lord our righteousness.

And if any Arians or Socinians are drawn by cu­riosity to hear what the babler has to say, let them be ashamed of denying the divinity of that Lord that has bought poor sinners by his precious blood. For the Person mentioned in the text under the character of Lord, is Jesus Christ.— Behold, ver. 5. the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous branch, a King shall reign and pros­per, shall [...] judgment and justice in the earth.—In his days, ver. 6. Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely, and this is his name whereby [...]e shall be called, The Lord our righteousness.—By the righte­ous▪ Branch, all agree that we are to understand Je­sus Christ.—He it is that is called the Lord in our text. If so, if there were no other text in the Bi­ble [Page 14] to prove the divinity of Christ, that is suffici­ent. For if the word Lord may properly belong to Jesus Christ. He must be God. For as you have it in the margins of your Bibles, the word Lord is in the original Jehovah, which is the essen­tial title of God himself. Come then, ye Arians, kiss the Son of God, bow down before him, and honour him, even as you honour the Father, Learn of the angels those morning stars, and worship him as truly God.—For otherwise you are as much idolaters, as those that worship the Virgin Mary. And as for you Socinians, who say Christ was a mere man, and yet profess that he was your Sa­viour, according to your own principles you are accursed. For, if Christ be a mere man, then he is only an arm of flesh.—And it is written, Cursed is he that trusteth on an arm of flesh.—But I would hope there are no such monsters here. At least, that after these considerations, they would be a­shamed of broaching such monstrous absurdities any more.—For it is plain, that by the word [...] we are to understand the Lord Jesus Christ, who here takes to himself the title of Jehovah, and therefore must be very God of very God, or, as the apostle devoutly expresses it, God blessed for ever.

How the Lord is to be man's righteousness comes next to be considered.

And that is, in one word, by imputation.—For it pleased God, after he had made all things by the word of his power, to create man after his own im­age. And so infinite was the condescension of the high and lofty One, who inhabiteth eternity, that although he might have insisted on the everlasting obedience of him and his posterity, yet he was pleas­ed to oblige himself, by a covenant or agreement [Page 15] made with his own creatures, upon condition of an unsinning obedience, to give them immortality and eternal life.—For when it is said, the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die, we may fairly infer, so long as he continued obedient, and did not eat thereof, he should surely live.—The 3d of Genesis gives us a full, but mournful account▪ how our first parents broke this covenant, and thereby stood in need of a better righteousness than their own, in order to procure their future acceptance with God. For what must they do? They were as much un­der a covenant of works, as ever. And, though after their disobedience they were without strength, yet they were obliged not only to do, but continue to do all things, and that too in the most perfect manner which the Lord had required of them.—And not only so, but to make satisfaction to God's infinitely offended justice, for the breach they had already been guilty of.—Here then opens the amazing scene of divine philanthropy—I mean God's love to man—For behold, what man could not do, Jesus Christ, the Son of his Father's love, undertakes to do for him. And that God might be just in justifying the ungodly, though he was in the form of God, and therefore thought it no rob­bery to be equal with God, yet he took upon him the form of a servant, even human nature.—In that nature he obeyed, and thereby fulfilled the whole moral law in our stead—And also died a painful death upon the cross, and thereby became a curse for, or instead of, those whom the Father had given him. As God, he satisfied at the same time that he obeyed, and suffered as man; and being God and man, in one person▪ wrought out a full, perfect and sufficient righteousness for all to whom it was to be imputed.

[Page 16] Here then we see the meaning of the word righ­teousness. It implies the active, as well as passive obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ. We general­ly, when talking of the merits of Christ, only men­tion the latter, viz▪—his death; whereas the for­mer, viz. his life and active obedience is equally necessary. Christ is not such a Saviour as becomes us, unless we join both together.—Christ not only died, but lived; not only suffered, but obeyed, for or instead of poor sinners. And both these jointly make up that complete righteousness which is to be imputed to us, as the disobedience of our first parents was made ours by imputation. In this sense, and no other, are we to understand that parallel which St. Paul draws in the 5th of the Romans, between the first and second Adam. This is what he elsewhere terms our being made the righteousness of God in him. This is the sense wherein the pro­phet would have us to understand the words of the text; therefore chap. xxx. ver. 16. She, i. e. the church itself shall be called (having this righteous­ness imputed to her) the Lord our righteousness.—A passage, I think, worthy the profoundest medi­tation of all the sons and daughters of Abraham.

Many are the objections which the proud hearts of fallen men are continually urging against this wholesome, this divine, this soul-saving doctrine. I come now in the third place, to answer some few of those which I think the most considerable.

And first, they say, because they would appear friends to morality, ‘That the doctrine of an im­puted righteousness is destructive of good works, and leads to licentiousness.’

And who pray are the persons that generally urge this objection? Are they men full of faith, and men really concerned for good works? No, what­ever [Page 17] few exceptions there may be, if there be any at all, its notorious, they are generally men of cor­rupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. The best title I can give them is, that of prophane mor­alists, or moralists falsely so called. For I appeal to the experience of the present, as well as past ages, if iniquity did and does not most abound where the doctrine of Christ's whole personal righ­teousness is most cried down, and most seldom mentioned.—Arminian being Antichristian princi­ples, always did, and always will lead to Antichris­tian practices. And never was there a reformation brought about in the church, but by the preach­ing the doctrine of an imputed righteousness.—This, as that man of God, Luther calls it, is Ar­ticulus Stantis aut Cadentis Ecclesiae, the article by which the church stands or falls.—And though the preachers of this doctrine are generally branded by those on the other side with the approbrious names of Antinomians, deceivers, and what not! yet, I believe▪ if the truth of the doctrine on both sides was to be judged of by the lives of the preachers and professors of it, their's on our side the question, would have the advantage every way.

Its true, this, as well as every other doctrine of grace, may be abused. And perhaps the unchris­tian walk of some, who have talked of Christ's im­puted righteousness, justification by faith, and the like, and yet never felt it imputed to their own souls, has given the enemies of the Lord thus cause to blaspheme. But this is a very unsafe, as well as very unfair way of arguing.—The only question should be, Whether or no this doctrine of an im­puted righteousness does itself cut off the occasion of good works, or [...]ead to licentiousness? No, in no wise. It excludes works indeed from being any [Page 18] cause of our justification in the sight of God.—But it requires good works as a proof of [...]ur hav­ing this righteousness imputed to us, and as a de­clarative evidence of our justification in the sight of men. And then how can the doctrine of an imputed righteousness, be a doctrine leading to li­centiousness?

Its all calumny.—St. Paul introduces an infidel making this objection in his epistle to the Romans.—And none but infidels, that never felt the power of Christ's resurrection upon their souls, will urge it over again.—And therefore, notwithstanding this objection, with the prophet in the text we may boldly say, The Lord is our righteousness.

But Satan (and no wonder that his servants im­itate him) often transforms himself into an angel of light. And therefore (such perverse things will in­fidelity and Arminianism make men speak) in or­der to dress their objections in the best colours.—Some urge, ‘that our Saviour preached on such doctrine—that in his sermon upon the Mount, He mentions only morality;’ and consequently the doctrine of an imputed righteousness falls whol­ly to the ground.—

But surely the men, who urge this objection, ei­ther have not read, or never understood our Lord's blessed discourse, wherein the doctrine of an imputed righteousness is so plainly taught, that he that runs, if he has eyes that see, may read.

Indeed our Lord does recommend morality and good works (as all faithful ministers will do) and clears the moral law from the many corrupt glosses put upon it by the letter-learned Pharisees.—But then, before he comes to this, its remarkable, he talks of inward piety, such as poverty of spirit, meekness, holy mourning, purity of heart,—espe­cially [Page 19] hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and then recommend good works, as an evidence of our having his righteousness imputed to us, and these graces and divine tempers wrought in our hearts.— ‘Let your light (that is, the divine light I before have been mentioning) shine before men, in a holy life, that they seeing our good works, may glorify your Father which is in heaven.’—And then immediately adds, ‘Think not that I am come to destroy the moral law—I came not to destroy, to take away the force of it as a rule of life, but to fulfil, to obey it in its whole lati­tude, and give the complete sense of it.’—And then he goes on to shew, how exceeding broad the moral law is. So that our Lord, instead of disanul­ling of an imputed righteousness in his sermon up­on the Mount, not only confirms it, but also an­swers the foregoing objection urged against it, by making good works a proof and evidence of its being imputed to our souls.—He therefore that has ears to hear, let him hear what the prophet says in the words of the text— The Lord our righteousness.

But as Satan not only quoted scripture, but also backed one temptation with it after another, when he attacked Christ's person in the wilderness; so his children generally take the same method in treating his doctrine. And therefore they urge a­nother objection against the doctrine of an imputed righteousness, from the example of the young man in the gospel.

We may state it thus:— ‘The evangelist St▪ Mark, say they, chap. x. mentions a young man that came to Christ, running and asking him what he should do to in [...] eternal life? Christ, say they, referred him to the commandments, to know what he must do to inherit eternal life. It [Page 20] is plain therefore, works were to be partly at least, the cause of his justification; and conse­quently the doctrine of an imputed righteousness is unscriptural.’—This is the objection in its full strength; and little strength in all its fulness. For, was I to prove the necessity of an imputed righteousness, I scarce know how I could bring a better instance to make it good.

Let us take a more intimate view of this young man, and our Lord's behaviour towards him, Mark x. 17. the evangelist tells us, ‘That when Christ was gone forth into the way, there came one running (it should seem it was some nobleman, a rarity indeed, to see such a one running to Christ!) and not only so, but he kneeled to him (though perhaps many of his rank scarce knew the time when they kneeled to Christ [...] and ask­ed him, saving, Good Master, what shall I do, that I may inherit eternal life?’—Then Jesus, to see whether or not he believed him to be what he real­ly was, truly, properly God, said unto him, Why callest thou me Good? There is none good, but one, that is God.—And that he might directly answer his question; says he, Thou knowest the command­ments: Do not commit adultery, Do not bear false wit­ness, Defraud [...], Honour thy father and mother.—This, I say, was a direct answer to his question; namely, that eternal life was not to be attained by his doings.—For our Lord, by referring him to the commandments, did not (as the objecters insinuate) in the least hint, that his morality would recom­mend him to the favour and mercy of God.—But he intended thereby to make the [...] his school­master to bring him to himself; that the young man, seeing [...] broken every one of these commandments, might thereby [...]e convinced o [...] [Page 21] the insufficiency of his own, and consequently the absolute necessity of looking out for a better righ­teousness, whereon he might depend for eternal life.

This was what our Lord designed.—The young man being self-righteous, and willing to justify himself, said, All these have I observed from my youth. But had he known himself, he would have confes­sed, All these have I broke from my youth.—For sup­posing he had not actually committed adultery, had he never lusted after a woman in his heart? What if he had not really killed another; had he never been angry without a cause, or spoken unad­visedly with his lips? If so, by breaking one of the least commandments in the least degree, he be­came liable to the curse of God: For cursed is [...]e (saith the law) that continueth not to do all things that are written in this book."—And therefore, as I observed before, our Lord was so far from speaking against, that he treated the young man in that man­ner, on purpose to convince him of the necessity of an imputed righteousness.

But perhaps they will reply, it is said, Jesus be­holding him loved him. And what then? This he might do with a human love, and at the same time this young man have no interest in his blood.—Thus Christ is said to wonder—to weep over Je­rusalem, and say— Oh that thou hadst KNOWN, &c. But such like passages are to be referred only to his human nature. And there is a great deal of difference between the love wherewith Christ loved this young man, and that wherewith he loved Ma­ry, Lazarus, and their sister Martha.—To illustrate this by a comparison.—A minister of the Lord Je­sus Christ, seeing many amiable dispositions, such as readiness to hear the word, and decent behaviour [Page 22] at public worship, a life outwardly spotless in ma­ny, cannot but so far love them. But then there is much difference betwixt that love which a mini­ster feels for such, and that divine love, that union and sympathy of soul, which he feels for those that he is satisfied are really born again of God.—Ap­ply this to our Lord's case, as a faint illustration of it—Consider what has been said upon the young man's case in general, and then, if before you were fond of this objection, instead of triumphing with him, you will go sorrowful away.—Our Saviour's reply to him, more and more convinces us of the truth of the prophet's assertion in the text, viz. that the Lord is our righteousness.

But there is a fourth and grand objection yet be­hind, and that is taken from the 25th chapter of St. Matthew, ‘where our Lord is described, as re­warding people with eternal life, because they fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and such like.—Their works therefore were a cause of their justification; consequently, the doctrine of im­puted righteousness is not agreeable to scripture.’

This I confess is the most plausible objection that is brought against the doctrine insisted on from the text. And in order that we may answer it in as clear and brief a manner as may be, we confess with the article of the church of England, ‘that albeit good works do not justify us, yet they will follow after justification, as fruits of it; and tho' they can claim no reward in themselves, yet for­asmuch as they spring from faith in Christ, and a renewed soul, they shall receive a reward of grace, though not of debt; and consequently, the more we abound in such good works, the greater will be our reward when Jesus Christ shall come to judgment.’

[Page 23] Take these considerations along with us, and they will help us much to answer the objection now before us.—For thus St. Matthew— Then shall the King say to them on the right hand, Come ye blessed children of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.—For I was an hungry, and ye gave me meat. I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink. I was a stranger, and ye took me in. Naked, and ye clothed me. I was sick, and ye visited me I was in prison, and ye came unto me. ‘I will therefore reward you, because you have done these things out of love to me, and hereby have evidenced yourselves to be my true disci­ples.’—And that the people did not depend on these good actions for their justification in the fight of God, is evident. For when saw we thee an hungry, say they, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? Or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?—Lan­guage and questions quite improper for persons re­lying on their own righteousness for acceptance and acquitance in the sight of God.

But when they reply again this.—In the latter part of the chapter, say they, It is plain that Jesus Christ rejects and damns the others for not doing these things. And therefore if he damns those for not doing, he saves those for doing; and conse­quently the doctrine of an imputed righteousness is good for nothing.

But that is no consequence at all—For God may justly damn any man for omitting the least duty of the moral law, and yet in himself is not obliged to give any one any reward, supposing he has done all that he can. We are unprofitable servants, we have done not near so much as it was our duty to [Page 24] do, must be the language of the most holy souls living; and therefore from, or in ourselves, cannot be justified in the sight of God.—This was the frame of the devout souls just now referred to—Sensible of this, they were so far from depending on their works for justification in the sight of God, that they were filled, as it were, with a holy blush­ing, to think our Lord should condescend to men­tion, much more to reward them for their poor works of faith and labours of love. I am persuad­ed their hearts would rise with a holy indignation against those, who urge this passage as an objection against the assertion of the prophet in the words of the text, that the Lord is our Righteousness.

Thus I think we have fairly answered these grand objections, which are generally urged against the doctrine of an imputed righteousness.—Was I to stop here, I think I might say, we are made more than conquerors, through him that loved us.—But there is a way of arguing which I have always admired, because I have thought always very con­vincing, viz. by shewing the absurdities that will follow from denying any particular proposition in dispute.

This is the next thing that was proposed,— ‘And n [...]ver did greater or more absurdities flow from the denying any doctrine, than will flow from denying the doctrine of Christ's imputed righteousness.’

And first, if we deny this doctrine, we turn the truth, I mean the word of God, as much as we can into a lie, and utterly subvert all those places of scripture, which say, That we are saved by grace; that it is not of works, le [...]t any man should boast.—That salvation is God's free gift—and that, He that glorieth, must glory in the Lord.—For, if the whole [Page 25] personal righteousness of Jesus Christ be not the sole cause of my acceptance with God, if any work done by or foreseen in me, was in the least to be joined with it, or looked upon by God as an in­ducing, impulsive cause of acquitting my soul from guilt, then I have somewhat whereof I may glory in myself. Now boasting is excluded in the great work of our redemption. But that cannot be, if we are enemies to the doctrine of an imputed righte­ousness.—It would be endless to enumerate how many texts of scripture must be false, if this doc­trine be not true. Let it suffice to affirm in the general, that if we deny an imputed righteousness, we may as well deny a divine revelation all at once. For it is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end of the book of God.—We must either disbelieve that, or believe what the prophet hath spoken in the text, That the Lord is our righteous­ness.

But farther.—I observed at the beginning of this discourse, that we are all Arminians and Pa­pists by nature;—for, as one observes, Arminian­ism is the back way to Popery. And here I ven­ture further to affirm, ‘That if we deny the doc­trine of an imputed righteousness, whatever we may style our [...]elves, we are really Papists in our hearts, and deserve no other title from men.’

Sirs, What think you?—Suppose I was to come and tell you, that you must intercede with saints, for them to intercede with God for you—would you not then say, I was justly reputed a Popish mis­sionary by some, and deservedly thrust out of the [...]ynag [...]es by others?—I suppose you would.—And why? Because you would say, the intercession of Jesus Christ was sufficient of itself, without the [Page 26] intercession of saints, and that it was blasphemous to join theirs with his, as though it was not suffi­cient.

Suppose I went a little more round about, and told you, that the death of Christ was not suffici­ent, without our death being added to it; that you must die as well as Christ, join your death with his, and then it would be sufficient.—Might you not then, with a holy indignation, throw dust in the air, and justly call me a [...]etter forth of strange doctrines? And now then, if it be not only absurd, but blasphemous, to join the intercession of saints, with the intercession of Christ, as though his inter­cession was not sufficient, or our death with the death of Christ, as though his death was not suf­ficient; judge ye, if it be not equally absurd, e­qually blasphemous, to join our obedience, either wholly or in part, with the obedience of Christ, as if that was not sufficient. And if so, what absur­dities will follow the denying that the Lord, both as to his active and passive obedience, is our righ­teousness?

One more absurdity I shall mention, that will follow from the denying this doctrine, and I have done.

I remember a story of a certain prelate, who, af­ter many arguments in vain urged to convince the earl of Rochester of the invisible realities of another world, took his leave of his lordship with some such words as these:— ‘Well, my lord, says he, if there be no hell, I am safe;—but, if there should be such a thing, my lord, as hell, what will become of you?’ I apply this to those that oppose the doctrine now insisted on. If there be no such thing as the doctrine of an imputed righteousness, those that hold it, and bring forth fruit unto holi­ness, [Page 27] are safe. But if there be such a thing (as there certainly is) what will become of you that deny it, is no difficult matter to determine.—You [...] portion must be in a lake of fire and brim­stone for ever and ever, since you will rely upon your works, by your works you shall [...]e judged.—They shall be weighed in the balance of the sanc­tuary.—They will be found wanting—By your works therefore shall you be condemned; and you, being out of Christ, shall find God to your poor, wretched souls, a consuming fire.

The great Stoddard, of Northampton, in New­England, has therefore well entitled a book which he wrote (and which I would take this opportuni­ty to recommend) ‘The safety of appearing in the righteousness of Christ.’—For why should I lean upon a broken reed, when I can have the rock of ages to stand upon, that never can be moved?

And now before I come to a more particular ap­plication, give me leave, in the apostle's language, triumphantly to cry out, Where is the scribe? where the disputer? where is the reasoning infidel of this generation? Can any thing appear more reasonable, even according to your own way of ar­guing, than the doctrine here laid down? Have you not felt a convincing power to go along with the word? Why then will you not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that so he may become the Lord your righteousness.

But its time [...] me to come a little closer to your consciences.

Brethren, though some may be offended at this doctrine, and may account it foolishness; yet to [...] of you, I doubt not but it is precious, it be­ing [...] to the form of [...]ound words, which from your infancy has been delivered to you: and [Page 28] coming from a quarter, you would least have ex­pected it, may be received with more pleasure and satisfaction. But give me leave to ask you one question, Can you say, the Lord our righteousness? I say, the Lord our righteousness. For entertain­ing this doctrine in your heads, without receiving the Lord Jesus Christ savingly by a [...]vely faith in­to your hearts, will but encrease your damnation. As I have often told you, so I tell you again, an unapplied Christ, is no Christ at all.—Can you then, with believing Thomas, cry out, My Lord and my God [...] Is Christ your sanctification, as well as your outward righteousness? For the word righteous­ness in the text, not only implies Christ's personal righteousness imputed to us, but also holiness of heart wrought in us—These two God has joined together.—He never did, He never does, He nev­er will put them asunder.—If you are justified by the BLOOD, you are also sanctified by the Spirit of the Lord. Can you then in this sense say, the Lord our righteousness? Were you ever made to abhor yourselves for your actual and original sins▪ and to loath your own righteousness (or, as the prophet beautifully expresses it, your righteousnes­ses) as filthy rags? Were you ever made to see and admire the all-sufficiency of Christ's righteous­ness, and excited▪ by the Spirit of God to hunger and thirst after it? Could you ever say, my soul is athirst for Christ, yea, even for the righteous­ness of Christ? Oh, when shall I come to appear before the presence of my God in the righteousness of Christ! Oh, nothing but Christ! nothing but Christ! Give me Christ, O God, and▪ I am [...]! My soul shall praise thee for ever. [...] I say, ever the language of your hearts? And af­ter these inward conflicts, were you ever enabled [Page 29] to reach out the arm of faith, and embrace the blessed Jesus in your souls, so that you could say, My Beloved is mine, and I am his? If so, fear not, whoever you are—hail, all hail! you happy souls! The Lord, the Lord Christ, the everlasting God is your righteousness.—Christ has justified you, who is he that condemneth you? Christ has died for you, nay rather is risen again, and ever liveth to make intercession for you.—Being now justified by his grace, you have peace with God, and shall e're long be with Jesus in glory, reaping everlasting and unspeakable redemption both in body and soul.—For there is no condemnation to those that are really in Christ Jesus. Whether Paul or Apollos, or life or death, all is yours, if you are Christ's, for Christ is God's!—Oh, my brethren, my heart is enlarged towards you!—Oh, think of the love of Christ in dying for you!—If the Lord be your righteousness, let the righteousness of your Lord be continually in your mouth. Talk of, oh talk of and recommend the righteousness of Christ, when you lie down, and when you rise up, at your going out and at your coming in!—Think of the greatness of the gift, as well as of the giver!—Shew to all the world in whom you have believed! Let all by your fruits know, that the Lord is your righteousness, and that you are waiting for your Lord from heaven!—Oh, study to be holy, even as he who has called you, and washed you in his own blood, is holy!—Let not the righteousness of the Lord be evil spoken of through you.—Let not Jesus be wounded in the house of his friends; but grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ day by day.—Oh, think of his dying love! Let that love constrain you to [Page 30] obedience! Having much forgiven, love much. Be always asking, what shall I do, to express my gratitude to the Lord, for giving me his righteous­ness? Let that self abasing, God exalting question be always in your mouths. O be always lisping out▪ Why me, Lord! Why me? Why am I ta­ken, and others left? Why is the Lord my righte­ousness? Why is he become my salvation, who have so often deserved damnation at his hands?

Oh, my friends, I trust I feel somewhat of a sense of God's distinguishing love upon my heart! there­fore I must divert a little from congratulating you to invite poor christless sinners to come to him, and accept of his righteousness, that they may have life.

Alas, my heart almost bleeds! What a multi­tude of precious souls are now before me! How shortly must all be ushered into eternity—And yet, O cutting thought! was God now to require all your souls, how few, comparatively speaking, could really say, the Lord our righteousness.

And think you, O sinners, that you will be able to stand in the day of judgment, if Christ be not your righteousness! No, that alone is the wedding-garment in which you must appear.—Oh, christ­less sinners, I am distressed for you!—The desires of my soul are enlarged.—Oh, that this may be an accepted time! Oh, that the Lord may be your righteousness! For whither would you flee, if death should find you naked?—Indeed there is no hid­ing yourselves from his presence.—The pitiful fig-leaves of your own righteousness will not cover your nakedness, when God shall call you to stand before him.—Adam found them ineffectual, and so wi [...]l you.—Oh, think of death!—Oh, think of judgment! Yet a little while, and time shall be no [Page 31] more; and then what will become of you, if the Lord be not your righteousness? Think you, that Christ will spare you? No, he that formed you, will have no mercy on you. If you are out of Christ, if Christ be not your righteousness, Christ himself shall pronounce you damned.—And can you bear to think of being damned by Christ? Can you bear to hear the Lord Jesus say unto you, Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels? Can you live, think you, in everlasting burnings? Is your flesh brass, and your bones iron? What if they are, hell-fire, that fire prepared for the devil and his angels, will heat them through and through! And can you bear to depart from Christ? Oh, that heart-piercing thought!—Ask those holy souls, who are at any time bewailing an absent God, who walk in darkness, and see no light, though but a few days or hours; ask them, what it is to lose a sight and presence of Christ?—See how they seek him sorrowing, and go mourning after him all the day long! And if it is so dreadful to lose the sen­sible presence of Christ only for a day, what must it be to be banished from him to all eternity!—But thus it must be, if Christ be not your righte­ousness.—For God's justice must be satisfied; and unless Christ's righteousness is imputed and appli­ed to you here, you must be satisfying the divine justice in hell torments eternally hereafter.—Nay, as I said before, Christ himself, the God of love, shall condemn you to that place of torment.—And oh, how cutting is that thought! Methinks I see poor, trembling, christless wretches, standing before the bar of God, crying out, Lord, if we must be damned, let some angel, or some archan­gel pronounce the damn [...]tory sentence. But all [Page 32] in vain.—Christ himself shall pronounce the irre­vocable sentence. Knowing therefore the terrors of the Lord, let me persuade you to close with Christ, and never re [...]t till you can say▪ the Lord our righteousness.—Who knows but the Lord may have mercy on, nay, abundantly pardon you? Beg of God to give you faith; and if the Lord give you that, you will by it receive Christ, with his righteousness, and his all. You need not fear the greatness or number of your sins—For are you sinners? so am I. Are you the chief of sinners? so am I. Are you backsliding sinners? so am I. And yet the Lord (for ever adored be his rich, free, and sovereign grace) the Lord is my righte­ousness.—Come then, O young men, who (as I acted once myself) are playing the prodigal, and wandring away afar off from your heavenly father's house, come home, come home, and leave your swines trough—Feed no longer on the husks of sensual delights.—For Christ's sake, arise and come home! Your heavenly Father now calls you.—See yonder the best robe, even the righteousness of his dear Son, awaits you.—See it, view it again and again.—Consider at how dear a rate it was purchased, even by the blood of God▪—Consider what great need you have of it.—You are lost, un­done, damned for ever without it!—Come then, poor, guilty prodigals, come, come.—Indeed I will not, like the elder brother, be angry.—No, I will rejoice with the angels in heaven: And oh, that God would now bow the heavens, and come down! ‘Descend, O Son of God, descend; and as thou hast [...]hewn in me such mercy, O let the blessed Spirit apply thy righteousness to some prodigals now before thee, and clothe their naked souls with thy best robe.’

[Page 33] But I must speak a word to you, Young Maid­ens, as well as young men.—I see many of you a­dorned as to your bodies; but are not your souls naked! Which of you can say, the Lord is my righteousness? Which of you was solicitous to be dressed in this robe of invaluable price, and with­out which, you are no better than whited sepul­chres in the sight of God?—Let not then so many of you, young maidens, any longer forget your on­ly ornament:—Oh, seek for the Lord to be your righteousness, or otherwise burning will soon be upon you instead of beauty!

And what shall I say to you of a middle age, you busy merchants, you cumbred Martha's, who, with all your gettings, have not yet gotten the Lord to be your righteousness? Alas! what profit will there be of all your labour under the sun, if you do not secure this pearl of invaluable price? This one thing, so absolutely needful, that it only can stand you in stead, when all other things shall be taken from you. Labour therefore no longer so anxious­ly for the meat which perisheth, but henceforward seek for the Lord to be your righteousness.—A righteousness that will entitle you to life everlasting.—I see also many hoary heads here, and perhaps the most of them cannot say, the Lord is my righ­teousness.—O grey-headed sinners, I could weep o­ver you!—Your grey hairs▪ which ought to be your crown, and in which perhaps you glory, is now your shame—You know not the Lord is your righ­teousness.—Oh, haste then, haste ye, aged sinners, and seek an interest in redeeming love!—Alas, you have one foot already in the grave▪—Your glass is just run out.—Your sun is just going down, and it will set and leave you in an eternal darkness, unless the Lord be your righteousness!—Flee then, [Page 34] oh flee for your lives! Be not afraid.—All things are possible with God. If you come, though it be at the eleventh hour, Christ Jesus will in no wise cast you out. Oh, seek then for the Lord to be your righteousness, and beseech him to let you know how it is that a man may be born again when he is old!—But I must not forget the lambs of the flock.—To feed them was one of my Lord's last commands.—I know he will be angry with me, if I do not tell them, that the Lord may be their righteousness; and that of such is the king­dom of heaven.—Come then, ye little children, come to Christ; the Lord Christ shall be your righteousness.—Do not think, that you are too young to be converted.—Perhaps many of you may be nine or ten years old, and yet cannot say, the Lord is our righteousness; which many have said, though younger than you.—Come then, while you are young.—Perhaps you may not live to be old.—Do not stay for other people. If your fathers and mothers will not come to Christ, do you come without them.—Let children lead them, and shew them how the Lord may he their righ­teousness.—Our Lord Jesus loved little children. You are his lambs—He bids me feed you.—I pray God make you willing betimes to take the Lord for your righteousness.

Here then I could conclude—but I must not forget the poor negroes—No, I must not. Jesus Christ has died for them▪ as well as others. Nor do I mention you last, because I despise your souls, but because I would have what I have to say, make the deeper impression upon your hearts.—Oh that you would seek the Lord to be your righ­teousness!—Who knows but he may be found of [Page 35] you.—For in Jesus Christ there is neither male or female, bond or free, even you may be the children of God, if you believe in Jesus.—Did you never read of the Eunuch belonging to the queen of Candace?—A negro like yourselves.—He believ­ed—The Lord was his righteousness, He was bap­tized. Do you also believe, and you shall be sa­ved.—Christ Jesus is the same now, as he was yes­terday, and will wash you in his own blood.—Go home then, turn the words of the text into a pray­er, and entreat the Lord to be your righteousness. Even so, come Lord Jesus, come quickly, into all our souls! Amen, Lord Jesus, Amen and Amen.

WHEN I read to you these words, I may ad­dress you in the language of the holy an­gels to the shepherds, that were watching their flocks by night. Behold I bring you glad tidings of great joy.—For this is the first promise that was made of a Saviour▪ to the apostate race of Adam. We generally look for Christ only in the New Testament; but Christianity, in one sense, is very near as old as the creation.—It is wonderful to observe, how gradually God revealed his Son to mankind. He began with the promise in the text, and this the elect lived upon till the time of Abraham—To him God made further discoveries of his eternal counsel concerning man's redemp­tion.—Afterwards, at sundry times, and in divers manners, God spake to the fathers by the prophets, till at length the Lord Jesus himself was manifest­ed in the flesh, and came and tabernacled among us.

This first promise must certainly be but dark to our first parents, in comparison of that sight we enjoy.—And yet, dark as it was, we may assure [Page 38] ourselves they built upon it their hopes of everlast­ing salvation, and by that faith were saved.

How they came to stand in need of this prom­ise, and what is the extent and meaning of it, I intend God willing, to make the subject matter of your present meditation.

The fall of man is written in too legible cha­racters not to be understood—Those that deny it, by their denying prove it. The very heathens confessed and bewailed it.—They could see the streams of corruption running through the whole race of mankind, but could not trace them to the fountain head. Before God gave a revelation of his Son, man was a riddl [...] to himself—And Moses unfolds more in this one chapter (out of which the text is taken) than all mankind could have been capable of finding out of themselves, though they had studied to all eternity.

In the foregoing chapter, he had given us a full account, how God spoke the world into being; and especially how he formed man of the dust of the earth, and breathed into him the breath of life, so that he became a living soul. A counsel of the Trinity was called concerning the formati­on of this lovely creature. The result of that council was, Let us make man in our image after our likeness.—So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him.—Moses remark­ably repeats the words, that we might take par­ticular notice of our divine original.—Never was so much expressed in so few words.—None but a man inspired could have done so. But it is re­markable, that though Moses mentions our being made in the image of God, yet he mentions it but twice, and that, as it were, in a transient man­ner, as though he would have said, "Man was [Page 39] made in honour, God made him upright, in the image of God male and female created he them. But man so soon fell, and became like the beasts that perish, nay; like the devil himself, that it is scarce worth mentioning."

How soon man fell after he was created, is not told us, and▪ therefore, to fix any time, is to be wise above what is written.—And, I think, they who-suppose that man fell the same day in which he was made, have no sufficient ground for their opinion.—The many things which are crouded to­gether in the former chapter, such as the formation of Adam's wife, his giving names to the beasts, and his being put into the garden which God had planted, I think require a longer space of time than a day to be transacted in—However, all agree in this, "Man stood not long." How long, or how short a while, I will not take upon me to de­termine.—It more concerns us to enquire, how he came to fall from his stedfastness, and what was the rise and progress of the temptation which pre­vailed over him.—The account given us in this chapter concerning it, is very full, and it may do us much service under God, to make some re­marks upon it.

Now the serpent, says the sacred historian, was more subtile than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made, and he said unto the woman, yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden.

Though this was a real serpent, yet he that spoke was no other than the devil; from hence, perhaps, called the old serpent, because he took possession of the serpent when he came to beguile our first parents.—The devil envied the happiness of man, who was made, as some think, to supply the place of fallen angels.—God made man upright, and [Page 40] with full power to stand if he would—He was just, therefore, in suffering him to be tempted—If he fell he had no one to blame except himself.—But how must Satan effect his fall?—He cannot do it by his power, he attempts it therefore by policy—He takes possession of a serpent, which was more subtil than all the beasts of the field, which the Lord God had made; so that men that are full of subtility, but have no piety, are only machines for the devil to work upon, just as he pleases.

And he said unto the Woman.—Here is an in­stance of his subtility—He says unto the woman, the weaker vessel, and when she was alone from her husband, and therefore was more liable to be overcome— Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? These words are certainly spoken in answer to something which the devil ei­ther saw or heard—In all probability, the woman was now near the tree of knowledge of good and evil. (For we shall find her, by and by, plucking an apple from it) perhaps she might be looking at, and wondering what there was in that tree more than the others, that she and her husband should be forbidden to taste of it—Satan seeing this, and covering to draw her into a parley with him (for if the devil can persuade us not to resist, but to commune with him, he hath gained a great point) he says, Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree in the garden?—The first thing he does, is to persuade her if possible, to entertain hard thoughts of God—This is his general way of dealing with God's children—"Yea, says he, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? What! hath God planted a garden and placed you in the midst of it only to teaze and perplex you? hath he planted a garden, and [Page 41] yet forbid you making use of any of the fruits of it all?" It was impossible for him to ask a more ensnaring question, in order to gain his end: For Eve, was here seemingly obliged to answer, and vindicate God's goodness. And therefore,—

Ver. 2. The woman said unto the Serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But, Ver. 3. Of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

The former part of the answer was good, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, God has not forbid us eating of every tree of the garden. No, we may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden (and it should seem even of the tree of life, which was as a sacrament to man in a state of innocence) there is only one tree in the midst of the garden, of which God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." Here she begins to warp, and sin begins to con­ceive in her heart.—Already she has contracted some of the serpent's poison, by talking with him, which she ought not to have done at all. For we might easily suppose, that it could be no good be­ing, that could put such a question unto her, and infinuate such dishonourable thoughts of God.—She should therefore have fled from him, and not stood to have parleyed with him at all.—Immedi­ately the ill effects of it appear—she begins to sof­ten the divine threatening.—God hath said, the Day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die; or, dy­ing thou shalt die.—But Eve says, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it lest ye die.—We may be assured we are fallen into, and begin to fill by temptation, when we begin to think God [Page 42] will not be so good as his word, in respect to the execution of his threatnings denounced against sin.—Satan knew this, and therefore artfully said unto the woman, ver. 4. Ye shall not surely die, in an insinuating manner, "Ye shall not surely die—surely, God will not be so cruel as to damn you only for eating an apple, it cannot be."—Alas! how many does Satan lead captive at his will, by flattering them that they shall not surely die, that hell torments will not be eternal—that God is all mercy; that he therefore will not punish a few years sin with an eternity of misery.—But Eve found God as good as his word, and so will all they that go on in sin, under a false hope that they shall not surely die.

We may also understand the words spoken positively, and this is agreeable to what follows— You shall not surely die—"It is all a delusion, a mere mere bugbear, to keep you in a servile subjection."

For, ver. 4. God doth know, that in the day ye eat thereof, then shall your eyes be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

What child of God can expect to escape slan­der, when God himself was thus slandered even in paradise? Surely the understanding of Eve must have been, in some measure, blinded, or she would not have suffered the tempter to speak such perverse things.—In what odious colours is God here represented! God doth know, that in the day ye eat thereof, ye shall be as gods (equal with God.) So that the grand temptation was, that they should be hereafter under no controul, equal, if not supe­rior to God, that made them, knowing good and evil.—Eve could not t [...]ll what Satan meant by this; but, to be sure, she understood it of some great privilege which they were to enjoy.—And [Page 43] thus Satan now points out a way, which seems right to sinners, but does not tell them the end of that way is death.

To give strength and force to this temptation, in all probability, Satan, or the serpent, at this time, plucked an apple from the tree, and ate it before Eve, by which Eve might be induced to think, that the sagacity and power of speech, which the serpent had above the other beasts, must be owing, in a great measure, to his eating that fruit; and, therefore, if he received so much improvement, she might also expect a like bene­fit from it. All this, I think, is clear; for, other­wise, I do not see with what propriety it could be said, when the woman saw that it was good for food. How could she know it was good for food, unless she had seen the serpent feed upon it?

Satan now begins to get ground apace—Lust had conceived in her heart; shortly it will bring forth sin—Sin being conceived brings forth death. Ver. 6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her hus­band, and he did eat.

Our senses are the landing ports of our spiritual enemies.—How needful is that resolution of holy Job, I have made a covenant with mine eyes. When Eve began to gaze on the forbidden fruit with her eyes, she soon began to long after it with her heart.—When she saw that it was good for food, and pleasant to the eyes (here was the lust of the fl [...]sh, and lust of the eye) but, above all, a tree to be desired to make one wise, wiser than God would have her be, nay as wi [...]e as God himself; she took of the fruit thereof, and gave also unto [Page 44] her husband with her, and he did eat—As soon as ever she sinned herself, she turned tempter to her husband—its dreadful, when those, who should be help-mates for each other in the great work of their salvation, are only promoters of each others damnation—But thus it is. If we ourselves are good, we shall excite others to goodness; if we do evil, we shall entice others to do evil also.—There is a close connection between doing and teaching. How needful then is it for us all to take heed that we do not sin any way ourselves, left we should be­come factors for the devil, and ensnare perhaps our nearest and dearest relations? She gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat.

Alas! what a complication of crimes was there in this one single act of sin!—Here is an utter disbelief of God's threatning—The utmost ingrat­itude to their Maker, who had so lately planted this garden and placed them in is▪ with such a glo­rious and comprehensive character.—Here is the utmost neglect of their posterity, who they knew were to stand or fall with them—Here was the ut­most pride of heart—They wanted to be equal with God—Here is the utmost contempt put up­on his threatning and his law—The devil is cre­dited and obeyed before him, and all this only to satisfy their [...]en [...]al appetite. Never was a crime of such a complicated nature, committed by any here below—Nothing but the devil's apostacy and rebellion could equal it.

And what are the consequences of their disobe­dience?—Are their eyes opened?—Yes, their eyes are opened—But, alas! it is only to see their own nakedness. For, we are told, ver. 7. that the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.—Naked of God, naked of every [Page 45] thing that was holy and good—and destitute of the divine image, which they before enjoyed.—They might rightly now be termed [...]chabod; for the glory of the Lord departed from them—Oh! how low did these sons of the morning then fall! out of God into themselves; from being partakers of the divine nature, into the nature of the devil and the beast—Well, therefore, might they know that they were naked, not only in body but in soul.—

And how do they behave now they are naked? Do they fly to God for pardon?—Do they seek to him for a robe to cover their nakedness?—No. They are now dead to God, earthly, sensual, de­vilish—And, therefore, instead of applying to God for mercy, they sewed, or platted fig leaves to­gether, and made themselves apron, or things to gird about them. This is a lively representation of all natural men—We see that we are naked—We in some measure, confess it, but, instead of looking up to God for succour, we patch up a righteous­ness of our own (as our first parents platted fig leaves together) hoping to cover our nakedness by that. But our righteousness will not stand the se­verity of God's judgment: It will do us no more service than the fig leaves did Adam and Eve—that is, none at all.

For, ver. 8. They heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the trees of the garden, in the cool of the day; and Adam and his wife (notwithstanding their fig leaves) hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God, among the trees of the garden.

They heard the voice of the Lord God, or the word of the Lord God, even the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Word that was with God, and the Word that was God. They heard him walking in the [Page 46] trees of the garden, in the cool of the day.—A sea­son, perhaps, when Adam and Eve used to go, in an especial manner, and offer up an evening sa­crifice of praise and thanksgiving—The cool of the day. Perhaps, the sin was committed early in the morning, or an noon—But God would not come upon them immediately—He staid till the cool of the day. For, if we would effectually reprove o­thers, we should not do it, when they are warmed with passion, but wait till the cool of the day.—

But what an alteration is here!—Instead of re­joicing at the voice of their Beloved—instead of meeting him with open arms, and enlarged hearts, as before, they hide themselves in the trees of the garden—Alas, what a foolish attempt was this?—Surely, they must be naked, otherwise how could they think of hiding themselves from God?—Whither could they flee from his presence?—But, by their fall, they had contracted an enmity against God: They now hated, and were afraid to con­verse with God, their Maker.—And is not this our case by nature? assuredly it is. We labour to cover our nakedness with the fig leaves of our own righteousness—We hide ourselves from God as long as we can, and will not come, and never should come, did not the Father prevent, draw, and sweetly constrain us by his grace, as he here prevented Adam.

Ver. 9. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Adam, where art thou?

"The Lord God called unto Adam"—(for otherwise Adam would never have called unto the Lord God) and said, " Adam, where art thou?—How is it, that thou comest not to pay thy devo­tions as usual?"—Christians, remember the Lord keeps an account when you fail coming to wor­ship [Page 47] —Whenever, therefore, you are tempted to withhold your attendance, let each of you fancy you heard the Lord God calling unto you, and say­ing, "O man, O woman, where art thou?"—It may be understood in another and better sense— Adam, where art thou? What a condition is thy poor soul in? This is the first thing that the Lord asks, and convinces a sinner of, when he prevents, and calls him effectually by his grace—He also calls him by name: For unless God speaks to us in particular, and we know where we are, how poor, how miserable, how blind, how naked, we shall never value the redemption wrought out for us by the death and obedience of the dear Lord Jesus— Adam, where art thou?

Ver. 10. And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid. See what cowards sin makes us—If we knew no sin, we should know no fear. Because I was naked, and I hid myself: Ver. 11. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I (thy Maker and lawgiver) commanded thee, that thou shouldst not eat?

God knew very well that Adam was naked, and that he had eaten of the forbidden fruit—But God would know it from Adam's own mouth.—Thus God knows all our necessities before we ask, but yet insists upon our asking for his grace, and confessing our sins. For, by such acts, we acknow­ledge our dependence upon God, take shame to ourselves, and thereby give glory to his great name. Ver. 12. And the man said, the woman which thou gavest to [...] with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

Never was nature more lively delineated. See what pride Adam contracted by the fall! How [Page 48] unwilling he is to lay the blame upon, or take shame to himself. This answer is full of insolence towards God, enmity against his wise, and disin­genuity in respect to himself. For herein he ta­citly reflects upon God— The woman that THOU gavest to be with me.—As much as to say, If THOU [...]adst not given me THAT WOMAN, I had not eaten the forbidden fruit. Thus when men sin, they lay the fault upon their passions; then blame and re­flect upon God for giving them those passions—Their language is, "The appetites that THOU gavest us, they deceived us, and therefore we sin­ned against thee." But, as God, notwithstanding, punished Adam for hearkening to the voice of his wife, so he will punish those who hearken to the dictates of their corrupt inclinations—For God compels no man to sin. Adam might have with­stood the solicitations of his wife, if he would.—And so, if we look up to God we should find grace to help in the time of need—The devil and our own hearts tempt, but they cannot force us to consent, without the concurrence of our own wills. So that our damnation is of ourselves, as it will evidently appear at the great day, ▪notwith­standing all mens' present impudent replies against God—As Adam speaks insolently in respect to God, so he speaks with enmity against his wife—The woman, or this woman, she gave me—He lays all the fault upon her, and speaks of her with much contempt—He does not say, my wife, my dear wife, but this woman. For sin disunites the most united hearts. It is the bane of holy fellowship—Those who have been companions in sin here, if they die without repentance, will both hate and condemn one another hereafter—Al [...] damned souls are accusers of their brethren—Thus it is, [Page 49] in some degree, on this side the grave— The wo­man whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. What a disingenuous speech was here! He makes use of no less than fifteen words to excuse himself, and but one or two (in the original) to confess his fault, if it may be call­ed a confession at all— The woman which thou gav­est to be with me, she gave me of the tree—Here are fifteen words— and I did eat. With what reluc­tance do these last words come out? How soon are they uttered? And I did eat▪ But thus it is with an unhumbled, unregenerate heart. It will be laying the fault upon the dearest friend in the world▪ nay▪ upon God himself, rather than take shame to itself—This pride we are all subject to by the fall▪ and▪ till our hearts are broken▪ and made contrite by the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be always charging God fool­ishly. Against THEE, and THEE only, have I sinned; that thou mightest be justified in thy saying, and clear when thou judgest, is the language of none but those, who, like David, are willing to confess their faults, and are truly sorry for their sins. This was not the case of Adam—His heart was not broken; and therefore he lays the fault of his disobedience upon his wife and God, and not upon himself— The woman which THOU gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

Ver. 13. And the Lord God said, what is this that thou hast done? What a wonderful concern does God express in this expostulation! "What a de­luge of misery hast thou brought upon thyself, thy husband, and thy posterity? What is this that thou hast done? Disobeyed thy God, obeyed the devil, and ruined thy husband, for whom I made [Page 50] thee to be an help-meet! What is this that thou hast done?" God would here awaken her to a sense of her crime and danger, and therefore, as it were, thunders in her ears. For the law must be preached to self-righteous sinners. We must take care of healing, before we see sinners wounded, lest we should say, Peace, peace, where there is no peace. Secure sinners must hear the thundering of mount Sinai, before we bring them to mount Sion. They who never preach up the law, it is to be feared, are unskilful in delivering the glad tid­ings of the gospel. Every minister should be a Boanerges, a son of thunder, as well as Barnabas, a son of consolation. There was an earthquake and a whirlwind, before the small still voice came to Elijah—We must first shew people they are con­demned, and then shew them how they must be saved. But how and when to preach the law, and when to apply the promises of the gospel, wis­dom is profitable to direct— And the Lord God said unto the woman, what is this that thou [...]ast done?

And the Woman said, the serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. She does not make [...]se of so many words to excuse herself, as her husband; but her heart is as unhumbled as his—What is this, says God, that thou hast done? God here charges her with doing it—She dares not deny the fact▪ or say, I have not done it; but she takes all the blame off herself, and lays it upon the serpent— The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. She does not say, "Lord, I was to blame for talking with the ser­pent—Lord, I did wrong, in not hasting to my husband, when he put the question to me—Lord, I plead guilty, I only am to blame—Oh, let not my poor husband suffer for my wickedness!"—This would have been the language of her heart [Page 51] had she now been a true penitent. But both were now alike proud—Therefore neither will lay the blame upon themselves— The serpent be­guiled me, and I did eat—The woman which thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

I have been the more particular in remarking this part of their behaviour, because it tends so much to the magnifying of free grace, and plainly shews us salvation cometh only from the Lord—Let us take a short view of the miserable circum­stances our first parents were now in—They were legally and spiritually dead—Children of wrath, and heirs of hell—They had eaten the fruit, of which God had commanded them, that they should not eat—And when arraigned before God, notwithstanding their crime was so complicated, they could not be brought to confess it—What reason can be given, why sentence of death should not be pronounced against the prisoners at the bar?—All must own they are worthy to die.—Nay, how can God, consistently with his justice, possibly forgive them?—He had threatened, that the day wherein they eat of the forbidden fruit, they should surely die—And if he did not execute this threatening, the devil might then slander the Almighty indeed. And yet mercy cries, Spare these sinners, spare the work of thine own hands. Behold then wisdom contrives a scheme how God may be just, and yet be merciful; be faithful [...]o his threatening, punish the offence, and at the same time spare the offender.—An amazing scene of divine love here opens to our view, which had been from all eternity hid in the heart of God!—Notwithstanding Adam and Eve were thus un­humbled, and did not so much as put up one sin­gle [Page 52] petition for pardon, God immediately passes sentence upon the serpent, and reveals to them a Saviour.—

Ver. 14. And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art [...]ccursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy [...]elly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life, i. e. he should be in subjection, and his power should always be limited and restrained. His enemies shall lick the dust, says the Psalmist, ver. 15. And I will put enmity between thee and the wo­man, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou sh [...]l [...] bruise his heel.—

Before I proceed to the explanation of this verse, I cannot but take notice of one great mistake, which the author of the Whole Duty of Man is guil­ty of, in making this verse contain a covenant be­tween God and Adam, as though God personally treated with Adam, as before the fall. For, talk­ing of the second covenant, in his preface concern­ing caring for the soul, says he, "This second covenant was made with Adam, and us in him, presently after the fall, and is contained in these words—Gen. iii. 15. where God declares the seed of the woman shall break the serpent's head; and this was made up, as the first was, of some mercies to be afforded by God, and some duties to be per­formed by us."—This is exceeding false divini­ty—For these words are not spoken to Adam—they are directed only to the serpent—Adam and Eve stood by as criminals, and God could not treat with them, because they had broken his co­venant. And it is so far from being a covenant, wherein "some mercies are to be afforded by God, and some duties to be performed by us," that here is not a word looking that way—It is [Page 53] only a declaration of a free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord—God the Father, and God the Son, had entered into a covenant concerning the salvation of the elect from all eternity; where­in God the Father promised, that if the Son would offer his soul a sacrifice for sin, he should see his seed. Now this is an open revelation of this se­cret covenant, and therefore God speaks in the most positive terms, It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel—The first Adam God had treated with before—He proved false—God there­fore to secure the second covenant from being broken, puts it into the hands of the second Adam, the Lord from heaven—Adam, after the fall, stood no longer as our representative—He and Eve were only private persons, as we are, and were on­ly to hold on the declaration of mercy contained in this promise by faith (as they really did) and by that they were saved—I do not say, but we are to believe and obey, if we are everlastingly saved—Faith and obedience are conditions, if we only mean that they in order go before our salvation; but I deny that these are proposed by God to Ad­am, or that God treats with him in this promise, as he did before the fall under the covenant of works. For, how could that be, when Adam and Eve were now prisoners at the bar, without strength to perform any conditions at all▪—The truth is this—God as a reward of Christ's sufferings, prom­ised to give the elect [...]aith and repentance, in or­der to bring them to eternal life—And both these, and every thing else necessary for their everlasting happiness, are infallibly secured to them in this promise, as Mr. Boston, an excellent Scots divine▪ [Page 54] sweetly and clearly shews, in a book entitled [...] View of the Covenant of Grace.—

This is, by no means, an unnecessary distinction. It is a matter of great importance—For want of knowing this, people have been so long misled—They have been taught that they must do so and so, as though they were under a covenant of works, and then for DOING this, they should be saved.—This is plainly the whole drift of the book wrong­ly intitled, The Whole Du [...] of Man—Whereas, on the contrary, people should be taught, that the Lord Jesus was the second Adam, with whom the Father entered into covenant for fallen man—That they can now do nothing of or for them­selves, and should therefore come to God, be­seeching him to give them faith, by which they shall be enabled to lay hold on the righteousness of Christ, and that faith they will shew forth by their works, out of love and gratitude to the ever blessed Jesus, their most glorious Redeemer, for what he has done for their souls: this is a con­sistent scriptural scheme; without holding this, we must run into one of these two bad extremes, I mean Antinomianism on the one hand, or Armin­ianism on the other—From both which may the good Lord deliver us!—

But to proceed: By the seed of the woman, we are here to understand the Lord Jesus Christ, who, though very God of very God, was for us men and our salvation, to have a body prepared for him by the Holy Ghost, and to be born of a woman, who never knew man, and by his obedience and death, make an atonement for man's transgression, and bring in an everlasting righteousness, work in them a new nature, and thereby bruise the serpent's head, i. e. destroy his power and dominion over [Page 55] them—By the ▪serpent' [...] seed, we are to understand the devil and all his children, who should be per­mitted by God to tempt and sift his children.—But, blessed be God, he can reach no further than the heel.—

It is not to be doubted but Adam and Eve un­derstood this promise in this sense; for its plain, in the latter part of the chapter, sacrifices were instituted—For, from whence should those skins come, but from beasts slain for sacrifice, of which God made them coats?—We find also Abel, as well as Cain, offering sacrifice in the next chap­ter: and the apostle tells us, he did it by faith, no doubt in this promise—And Eve, when Cain was born, said, I have gotten a man from the LORD, or (as Mr. Henry observes) it may be rendered, I have gotten a [...] man—THE LORD—the promised M [...]ssiah.—Some further suppose, that Eve was the first believer, and therefore they translate it thus; the seed, not of THEE, but of THIS woman, which magnifies the grace of God so much the more, that she, who was first in the transgression, should be the first partaker of redemption—Adam be­lieved also, and was saved—For, unto Adam and his wife, did the Lord God make coats of skins, and cloathed THEM, which was a remarkable type of their being cloathed with the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This promise was literally fulfilled in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ—Satan bruised his heel, when he tempted him for forty days together in the wilderness—He bruised his heel, when he raised up strong persecution against him, during the time of his public ministry—He, in an espe­cial manner, bruised his heel, when our Lord complained that his soul was exce [...]ing sorrowful, [Page 56] even unto death, and he sweat great drops of blood falling upon the ground, when praying in the garden. He bruised his heel, when he put it into the heart of Judas to betray him:—And he bruised him yet most of all, when his emissaries nailed him to an accursed tree, and our Lord cried out, My God, my God! Why▪ hast thou forsaken me?—Yet, in all this, the blessed Jesus, the seed of the wo­man, bruised his accursed head—For, in that he was tempted, he was able to succour those that are tempted. By his stripes we are healed. The chas­tisement of our peace was upon him. By dying, he destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.—He thereby spoiled principali­ties and powers, and made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them upon the cross.—

This promise has been, is, and will be fulfilled in the elect of God considered collectively, as well before as after the coming of our Lord in the flesh—For they may be called the seed of the woman. Marvel not, that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution.—In this promise there is an eternal enmity put between the seed of the woman, and the seed of the serpent. So that those that are born after the flesh, cannot but per­secute those that are born after the Spirit. This enmity shewed itself soon after this promise was revealed, in Cain's bruising the heel of Abel▪ It continued in the church through all the ages be­fore Christ came in the flesh, as the history of the Bible, and the 11th chapter of the Hebrews plain­ly shew—It raged exceedingly after our Lord's ascension, witness the acts of the apostles, and the history of the primitive Christians.—It now rages, and will continue to rage, and shew itself, in a greater or less degree, to the end of time. But let [Page 57] not this dismay us! For, in all this, the seed of the woman is more than conqueror, and bruises the serpent's head—Thus the Israelites, the more they were oppressed, the more they encreased.—Thus it was with the apostles—Thus it was with their immediate followers. So that Tertullian compares the church in his time to a mowed field, the more frequently it is cut, the more it grows. The blood of the martyrs was always the seed of the church. And I have often sat down with wonder and delight, and admire how God has made the very schemes, which his enemies con­trived in order to hinder, the most effectual means to propagate his gospel—The devil has had so lit­tle success in persecution, that if I did not know, that he and his children, according to this verse▪ could not but persecute, I should think he would count it his strength to sit still. What did he get by persecuting the martyrs in queen Mary's time? Was not the grace of God exceedingly glorified in their support? What did he get by persecuting the good old Puritans? Did it not prove the peo­pling, of New England?—Or to come nearer to our own times, What hath he got by putting us out of the synagogues? Hath not the word of God, since that, mightily prevailed? My dear hearers, you must excuse me for enlarging on this head. God fills my soul generally, when I come to this topic. I can say with Luther, "If it were not for persecution, I should not understand the scripture." If Satan should be yet suffered to bruise my heel further, and his servants should thrust me into prison, I doubt not, but even that would only tend to the more effectual bruising of his head. I remember a saying of the then lord Chancellor to the pious Bradford: "Thou hast [Page 58] done more hurt, said he, by thy exhortations in private in prison, than thou didst in preaching be­fore thou wast put in," or words to this effect. The promise of the text is my dally support.— I will put enmity between thy seed and her seed: it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.—

Further: This promise is also fulfilled, not only in the church in general, but in every individual believer in particular—In every believer there are two seeds, the seed of the woman, and the seed of the serpent—The flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh—It is with the be­liever, when quickened with grace in his heart, as it was with Rebeccah, when she had conceived Esau and Jacob in her womb! She felt a strug­gling, and began to be uneasy— If it be so, says she, why am I thus?—Thus grace and nature [...]ugg [...] (if I may so speak) in the womb of a believer's heart—But, as it was there said, the elder shall serve the younger; so it is here—grace in the end shall get the better of nature—The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head. Many of you, perhaps, that have believed in Christ, may find some particular corruption yet strong, so strong, that you are sometimes ready to cry out with David, I shall [...]all one day by the hand of S [...]l. But, fear not, the promise in the text insures the perseverance and victory of believers over sin, satan, death and hell. What if indwelling corruption does yet remain, and the seed of the serpent bruise your heel, in vexing and disturbing your righteous souls? Fear not, though saint, yet pursue—You shall yet bruise the serpent's head. Christ hath died for you, and yet a little while, and he will send death to destroy the very being of sin in [...] Which brings me [...].

[Page 59] To shew the most extensive manner in which the promise of the text shall be fulfilled, viz. at the final judgment, when the Lord Jesus shall present the elect to his Father without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, glorified both in body and soul.—

Then shall the seed of the woman give the last and fatal blow, in bruising the serpent's head—Satan, the accuser of the brethren, and all his ac­cursed seed, shall then [...]e cast out, and never suf­fered to disturb the seed of the woman any more. Then shall the righteous shine in the kingdom of their Father, and sit with Christ on thrones, in majesty on high.

Let us therefore not be weary of well-doing, for we shall reap an everlasting harvest of comfort; if we faint not. Dare, dar [...], my brethren in Christ, to follow the Captain of your salvation, who was made perfect through sufferings— The seed of the woman shall bruise the Serpent's head—Fear not men—Be not too much cast down at the de­ceitfulness of your hearts—Fear not devils—You shall get the victory even over them—The Lord Jesus has engaged to make you more than con­queror over all—Plead with your Saviour, plead—Plead the promise in the text—Wrestle, with God in prayer—If it has been given you to believe; fear not▪ if it should also be given you to suffer. Be not any wise terrified by your adversaries—The King of the church has them all in a chain—Be kind to them; pray for them; but fear them not. The Lord will yet bring back his ark, though at present driven into the wilderness, and Satan like lightning shall fall from heaven.

Are there any enemies of God here? The pro­mise of the text encourages me to bid you defi­ance— [Page 60] The seed of the woman, the ever-blessed Je­sus shall bruise the serpent's head—What signifies all your malice—You are only raging waves of the sea, foaming out your own shame—For you, with­out repentance, is reserved the blackness of dark­ness for ever—The Lord Jesus sits in heaven rul­ing over all, and causing all things to work for his childrens' good—He laughs you to scorn—He hath you in the utmost decision, and therefore so will I—Who are you that persecute the children of the ever-blessed God? Though a poor stripling, the Lord Jesus, the seed of the woman, will ena­ble, me to bruise your heads.

My brethren in Christ, I think I do not speak thus in my own strength, but in the strength of my Redeemer. I know in whom I have believ­ed. I am persuaded he will keep that safe which I have committed unto him—He is faithful who hath promised, that the [...]eed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head—May we all experience a daily completion of this promise, both in the church and in our hearts, till we come to the church of the first-born, the spirits of just men made per­fect in the presence and actual fruition of the great God, our heavenly Father.

To whom with the Son and the Holy Ghost▪ be as­cribed all honour, power, might, majesty, and do­minion, now and for evermore. Amen.

WHEN our Lord Jesus was pleased to take upon himself the form of a ser­vant, and go about preaching the kingdom of God, he took all opportunities in public, and more especially in private, to caution his disciples against seeking great things for themselves; and also to forwarn them of the many distresses, afflictions, and persecutions which they must expect to en­dure and go through for his name's sake. The great St. Paul, therefore, the author of this epis­tle, in this, as in all other things, following the steps of his blessed Master, takes particular care, among other apostolical admonitions, to warn young Timothy of the difficulties he must expect to meet with in the course of his ministry▪ "This know also," (says he, verse first of this chapter) "that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their ownselves, covet­ous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural af­fection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but [Page 62] denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts; [...]ver learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."— Now, as Jannes and Jambres (two of the Egyptian magicians) withstood Moses (by working sham mir­acles) so do these also resist the truth; and (notwith­standing they keep up the form of religion are men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But, in order to keep him from sinning under their opposition, he tells him, that though God, for wise ends, permitted these false teachers, as he did the magicians, to oppose for some time, yet they should now proceed no farther. For their folly, says he, shall be made manifest unto all men, as theirs (the magicians) also was, when they could not stand before Moses, because of the boil; for the boil was upon the magicians as well as upon all the Egyptians. And then, to encourage Tim­othy yet the more, he propounds to him his own example: "But thou hast fully known my doc­trine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured; But out of them all the Lord delivered me." And then▪ lest Timo­thy might think that this was only the particular case of Paul: Yea, says he, in the words of the text, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution.

The words, without considering them as they stand in relation to the context, contain a necessa­ry and important truth, viz. that persecution is the common lot of every godly man. This is a hard saying. How few can bear it? I trust God, [...] [Page 63] the following discourse, will enable me to make it good, by shewing,

• I. What it is to live godly in Christ Jesus.
• II. The different kinds of persecution to which they, who live godly, are exposed.
• III. Why it is, that godly men must expect to suffer persecution?

Lastly, We shall apply the whole.

And first, Let us consider what it is to live god­ly in Christ Jesus: this supposes, that we are made the righteousness of God in Christ, that we are born again, and are made one with Christ by a living faith, and a vital union even as Jesus Christ and the Father are one. Unless we are thus con­verted, and transformed by the renewing of our minds, we cannot properly be said to be in Christ, much less to live godly in him. To be in Christ merely by baptism, and an outward profession; is not to be in him in the strict sense of the word: No; they that are in Christ Jesus, are new crea­tures; old things are passed away, and all things are become new in their hearts. Their life is hid with Christ in God; their souls daily feed on the invisible realities of another world. To live godly in Christ, is to make the divine will, and not our own, the sole principle of all our thoughts, words and actions; so that, whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do, we do all to the glory of God. Those who live godly in Christ, may not so much be said to live, as Christ to live in them: he is their alpha and omega, their first and last, their beginning and end. They are led by his Spirit, as a child is led by the hand of its Father; and are willing to follow the Lamb whithersoever he leads them. They hear, know, and obey his voice.—Their affections are set on things above. Their [Page 64] hopes are full of immortality; their citizenship is in heaven. Being born again of God, they habit­ually live to, and daily walk with God. They are pure in heart; and, from a principle of faith in Christ, are holy in all manner of conversation and godliness.

This is to live godly in Christ Jesus: and hence we may easily learn, why so few suffer persecution? because so few live godly in Christ Jesus. You may attend on outward duties; you may live morally in Christ, i. e. you may do (as they term it) no one any harm, and avoid persecution: but they that will live godly in Christ Jesus, must suffer persecution.

Secondly, What is the meaning of the word per­secution, and how many kinds there are of it, I come now to consider.

The word persecution is derived from a Greek word signifying to pursue, and generally implies, "pursuing a person for the sake of his goodness, or God's good will to him." The first kind of it, is that of the heart. We have an early exam­ple of this in that wicked one Cain, who, because the Lord had respect to Abel and his offering, and not to him and his offering, was very wroth, his countenance fell, and at length he cruelly slew his envied brother. Thus the Pharisees hated and persecuted our Lord long before they laid hold on him: and our Lord mentions being inwardly ha­ted of men, as one kind of persecution his disci­ples were to undergo. This heart-enmity (if I may so term it) is the root of all other kinds of persecution, and is in some degree or other, to be found in the soul of every▪ unregenerated man; and numbers are guilty of this persecution, who never have it in their power to persecute any oth­er [Page 65] way. Nay, numbers would be carried out ac­tually to put in practice all other degrees of per­secution, was not the name of persecution become odious among mankind, and did they not hereby run the hazard of losing their reputation. Alas! how many at the great day, whom we know not now, will be convicted and condemned, that all their life harboured a secret evil will against Zion! They may now screen it before men; but God seeth the enmity of their hearts, and will judge them as persecutors at the great and terrible day of judgment!

A second degree of persecution is that of the tongue; out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Many I suppose think it no harm to shoot out arrows, even bitter words, a­gainst the disciples of the Lord: they scatter the fire-brands, arrows, and death, saying, "Are we not in sport?" But, however they may esteem it, in God's account evil-speaking is a high degree of persecution. Thus Ishmael's mocking Isaac in the Old, is termed persecuting him in the New Testament. Blessed are ye, says our Lord, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my name's sake. From whence we may gather, that reviling and speaking all manner of evil falsely for Christ's sake, is a high degree of persecution. For a good name, says the wise man, is better than precious ointment, and to many is dearer than life itself. It is a great breach of the sixth command­ment to slander any one; but to speak evil of and slander the disciples of Christ, merely because they are his disciples, must be highly provoking in the sight of God; and such who are guilty of it (with­out [Page 66] repentance) will find that Jesus Christ will call them to an account, and punish them for all their ungodly and hard speeches in a lake of fire and brimstone. This shall be their portion to drink.

The third and last kind of persecution, is that which expresses itself in actions; as when wicked men separate the children of God from their com­pany; blessed are ye, says our Lord, when they shall separate you from their company: or expose them to church-censures. They shall put you out of their synagogues; threatening and prohibiting them from making an open profession of his religion or worship; or interdicting ministers for preaching his word, as the high priests threatened the apos­tles, and forbad them any more to speak in the name of Jesus; and Paul breathed out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord: Or when they call them into courts; you shall be called before governors, says our Lord: Or when they fine, im­prison, or punish them, by confiscation of goods, cruel scourging, and, lastly, death itself.

It would be impossible to enumerate in what various shapes persecution as appeared. It is a many-headed monster, insatiable as hell, cruel as the grave; and, what is worse, it generally ap­pears under the cloak of religion. But cruel, in­satiable, and horrid as it is, they that live godly in Christ Jesus, must expect to suffer and encounter with it in all its forms.

This is what we are to make good under our next general head.

Thirdly, Why is it that godly men must expect to suffer persecution? And,

First, This appears from the whole ten [...]ur of our Lord's doctrine. We will begin with his di­vine [Page 67] sermon on the Mount. Blessed, says he, are they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. So that, if our Lord spoke truth, we are not so blessed as to have an interest in the kingdom of heaven, unless we are or have been persecuted for righteousness' sake. Nay, our Lord (it is remarkable) employs three verses in this beatitude, and only one in each of the oth­ers; not only to shew that it was a thing which men (as men) are unwilling to believe, but also the necessary consequence of it upon our being Christians. This is likewise evident from all those passages, wherein our Lord informs us, that he came upon the earth, not to send peace but a sword; and that the father-in-law shall be against the mother-in-law, and that a man's foes shall be those of his household. Passages, which, though confined by false prophets to the first, I am per­suaded will be verified by the experience of all true Christians in this, and every age of the church. It would be endless to recount all the places where­in our Lord forewarns his disciples that they should be called before rulers, and thrust out of syna­gogues, nay, that the time would come, wherein men should think they did God service to kill them. For this reason he so frequently declared, that unless a man forsake all that he had, and even hated life itself, he could not be his disciple. And therefore it is worthy our observation, that in that remarkable passage, wherein our Lord makes such an extensive promise to those who left all for him, he cautiously inserts persecution. And Jesus an­swered and said, Verily I say unto you, there i [...] n [...] man that hath left house, or brethren, or [...], or fa­ther, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for my sake and the gospel's, but he shall receive [...] hundred [Page 68] fold now in this time; houses and brethren, and sis­ters and mothers, and children and lands, with perse­cutions; (the word is in the plural number, includ­ing all kinds of persecution) and in the world to come eternal life. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear what Christ says in all these passages, and then confess, that all who live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution.

As this is proved from our Lord's doctrine, so it is no less evident from his life. Follow him from the manger to the cross, and see whether any persecution was like that which the Son of God the Lord of glory, underwent whilst here on earth. How was he hated by wicked men? How often would that hatred have excited them to take hold of him, had it not been for fear of the people? How was he reviled, counted and called a blas­phemer, a wine bibber, a Samaritan, nay, a devil, and, in one word, had all manner of evil spoken against him falsely? What contradiction of sin­ners did he endure against himself? How did men separate from his company, and were ashamed to walk with him openly? Insomuch that he once said to his own disciples, Will you also go away? Again, how was he stoned, thrust out of the syn­agogues, arraigned as a deceiver of the people, a seditious and pestilent fellow, an enemy to Ce [...]ar, and as such scourged, blindfolded, spit upon, and at length condemned, and nailed to an accursed tree? Thus was the Master persecuted; thus did the Lord suffer; and the servant is not above his master, nor the disciple above his Lord: If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you, [...]aith the blessed Jesus. And again, every ma [...] that [...]s perfect, that is, a true Christian, must be as his m [...]s­ter, i. e. suffer as he did. For all these things our [Page 69] Lord has set us an example, that we should fol­low his steps: and therefore, God forbid that any who would live godly in Christ Jesus, should henceforward expect to escape suffering persecu­tion.

But farther: Not only our Lord's example, but the example of all the saints that ever lived, evi­dently demonstrates the truth of the apostle's as­sertion in the text. How soon was Abel made a martyr for his religion? How was Isaac mocked by the son of the bond-woman! And what a large catalogue of suffering Old Testament saints, have we recorded in the eleventh chapter of the He­brews! Read the Acts of the apostles, and see how the Christians were threatened, stoned, im­prisoned, scourged, and persecuted even unto death. Examine church-history in after-ages, and you will find the murder of the innocents by He­rod, was but an earnest of the innocent blood which should be shed for the name of Jesus. Ex­amine the experience of saints now living on earth; and if it were possible to consult the spirits of just men made perfect, I am persuaded each would concur with the apostle in asserting, that all who will live godly-in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution.

How can it be otherwise in the very nature of things? Ever since the fall, there has been an ir­reconcileable enmity between the feed of the wo­man and the seed of the serpent. Wicked men hate God, and therefore, cannot but hate those who are like him: they hate to be reformed, and therefore must hate and persecute those who, by a contrary behaviour, testify of them, that their deeds are evil. Besides, pride of heart leads men to persecute the servants of Jesus Christ. If they commend them, they are afraid of being asked, [Page 70] "Why do you not follow them?" And therefore because they dare not imitate, though they may sometimes be even forced to approve their way, yet pride and envy make them turn persecutors. Hence it is, that as it was formerly, so it is now, and so will it be to the end of time; he that is born after the flesh, the natural man, does and will persecute him that is born after the Spirit, the regenerate man. Because Christians are not of the world, but Christ hath chosen them out of the world, therefore the world will hate them. If it be objected against this doctrine, "that we now live in a Christian world, and therefore must not expect such persecution as formerly;" I answer, "All are not Christians that are called so; and, till the heart is changed, the enmity against God (which is the root of all persecution) remains," and consequently Christians, falsely so called, will persecute as well as others. I observed therefore, in the beginning of this discourse, that Paul men­tions those that had a form of religion, as persons of whom Timothy had need be chiefly aware: for, as our Lord and his apostles were mostly persecu­ted by their countrymen the Jews, so we must ex­pect the like usage from the formalists of our own nation, the Pharisees, who seem to be religious. For the most horrid and barbarous persecutions have been carried on by those who have called themselves Christians; witness the days of queen Mary; and the fines, banishments, and imprison­ments of the children of God in the last century, and the bitter irreconcileable hatred that appears in thousands who call themselves Christians, even in the present days wherein we live.

Persons who argue against persecution now, are not sufficiently sensible of the bitter enmity of the [Page 71] heart of every unregenerate man against God. For my own part, I am so far from wondering that Christians are persecuted, that I wonder our streets do not run with the blood of the saints: was men's power equal to their wills, such a horrid spectacle would soon appear. But,

Persecution is necessary in respect to the godly themselves. If we have not all manner of evil spo­ken of us, how can we know whether we love contempt, and seek only that honour which com­eth from above? If we have not persecutors, how can our passive graces be kept in exercise? How can many Christian precepts be put into practice? How can we love, pray for, and do good to those who despitefully use us? How can we overcome evil with good? In short, how can we know we love God better than life itself? St. Paul was sen­sible of all this, and therefore so positively and peremptorily asserts, that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution.

Not that I affirm, "All are persecuted in a like "degree." No: This would be contrary both to scripture and experience. But though all Christians are not really called to suffer every kind of persecution, yet all Christi [...]s are liable thereto: and notwithstanding some may live in more peace­ful times of the church than others, yet all Chris­tians, in all ages, will find by their own experience that, whether they act in a private or public capa­city, they must in some degree or other, suffer persecution.

Here then I would pause, and, lastly, by way of application, exhort all persons,

First▪ To stand a while and examine themselves. For, by what has been said, you may gather one mark, whereby you may judge whether you are [Page 72] Christians or not. Were you ever persecuted for righteousness' sake? If not, you never yet lived godly in Christ our Lord. Whatever you may say to the contrary, the inspired apostle, in the words of the text (the truth of which, I think, I have sufficiently proved) positively asserts, that "all that will live godly in him, sha [...]l suffer per­secution." Not that all who are persecuted are real Christians; for many sometimes suffer, and are persecuted on other accounts than for righte­ousness sake. The great question therefore is, "Whether you are ever persecuted for living god­ly?" You may boast (as perhaps you may think) of your great prudence and sagacity, (and indeed these are excellent things) and glory because you have not run such lengths and made yourselves so singular, and liable to such contempt, as some others have. But, alas! this is not a mark of your being a Christian, but of a Laodicean spirit, neither hot nor cold, and sit only to be spewed out of the mouth of God. That which you call prudence, is often only cowardice, dreadful hypo­crisy, pride of heart, which makes you dread con­tempt, and afraid to give up your reputation for God. You are ashamed of Christ and his gospel, and in all probability, was he to appear a second time upon earth, in words as well as works, you would deny him. Awake therefore, all ye that live only formally in Christ Jesus, and no longer seek that honour which cometh of man.—I do not desire to court you, but I entreat you to live godly, and fear not contempt for the sake of Jesus Christ. Beg of God to give you his Holy Spirit, that you may see through, and discover the latent hypocrisy of your hearts, and no longer deceive your own souls. Re­member you cannot reconcile two irreconcileable [Page 73] differences, God and Mammon, the friendship of this world, with the favour of God. Know you not who hath told you, that the "friendship of this world is enmity with God?" If therefore you are in friendship with the world, notwithstanding all your specious pretences to piety, you are at en­mity with God: you are only heart-hypocrites, and, "What is the hope of the hypocrite, when God shall take away his soul?" Let the words of the text sound an alarm in your ears—Oh let them sink deep into your hearts; "yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer perse­cution."

Secondly, From the words of the text, I would take occasion to speak to those "who are about to list themselves under the banner of Christ's cross." What say you? Are you resolved to live godly in Christ Jesus, notwithstanding the consequence will be, that you must suffer persecution? You are beginning to build, but have you taken our Lord's advice, to sit down first and count the cost? Have you well weighed with yourselves that weighty de­claration, "he that loveth father or mother more than ME, is not worthy of ME;" and again, "Un­less a man forsake all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple?" Perhaps some of you have great possessions; will not you go away sorrowful, if Christ should require you to sell all that you have! Others of you again, may be kinsmen, or some way related, or under obligations to the high priests, or other great personages, who may be persecuting the church of Christ: what say you? Will you, with Moses, rather choose to "suffer affliction with the people of God, than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season?" Perhaps you may say, "My friends will not oppose me." That is [Page 74] more than you know: in all probability your chief enemies will be those of your own house­hold. If therefore they should oppose you, are you willing naked to follow a naked Christ? and to wander about in sheep-skins, and goat-skins, in dens and caves of the earth, being afflicted, desti­tute, tormented, rather than not be Christ's disci­ples? You are now all following with zeal, as Ruth and Orpah did Naomi, and may weep un­der the word; but are not your tears crocodile's tears? And when difficulties come, will you not go back from following your Lord, as Orpah de­parted from following Naomi; Have you really the root of grace in your hearts? Or, are you on­ly stony-ground hearers? You receive the word with joy; but, when persecution arises because of of the word, will you not be immediately offen­ded? Be not angry with me for putting these questions to you. I am jealous over you, but it is with a godly jealousy; For, alas! how many have put their hands to the plough, and afterwards have shamefully looked back? I only deal with you, as our Lord did with the person that said, "Lord I will follow thee whithersoever thou wilt. The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man, says he, hath not where to lay his head." What say you? Are you willing to endure hardness, and thereby approve yourselves good soldiers of Jesus Christ! You now come on foot out of the towns and villages to hear the word, and receive me as a messenger of God: But will you not by and by [...] out, "Away with him, away with him; it is not fit such a fellow should live upon the earth?" Per­haps some of you, like I I [...]zael, may say, "Are we dogs that we should do this?" But, alas! I have [Page 75] met with many unhappy souls, who have drawn back unto perdition, and have afterwards account­ed me their enemy, for dealing faithfully with them; though once, if it were possible, they would have plucked out their own eyes, and have given them unto me. Sit down therefore, I beseech you, and seriously count the cost, and ask your­selves again and again, whether you count all things but dung and dross, and are willing to suffer the loss of all things, so that you may win Christ, and be found in him: for you may assure yourselves, the apostle hath not spoken in vain, "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer perse­cution."

Thirdly. The text speaks to you that are pati­ently suffering for the truth's sake: "Rejoice and be exceeding glad; great shall be your reward in heaven." For to you it is given not only to believe, but also to suffer, and perhaps remarkably too, for the sake of Jesus! This is a mark of your disciple­ship, an evidence that you do live godly in Christ Jesus. Fear not therefore, neither be dismayed. Oh, be not weary and saint in your minds! Jesus, your Lord, your life, cometh and his reward is with him. Though all men forsake you, yet will not he: No; the Spirit of Christ and of glory shall rest upon you. In patience therefore, possess your souls. Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Be in nothing terrified by your adversaries: on their part Christ is evil spoken of; on your part he is glorified. Be not ashamed of your glory, since others can glory in their shame. Think it not strange concerning the fiery tria [...], wherewith you are or may be tried. The devil rages, know­ing that he hath but a short time to reign. He or his emissaries have no more power than what is [Page 76] given them from above; God sets them their bounds, which they cannot pass; and the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; no one shall set upon you to hurt you, without your heavenly Father's knowledge. Do your earthly friends and parents forsake you? Are you cast out of the synagogues? The Lord shall reveal himself to you, as to the man that was born blind. Jesus Christ shall take you up. If they carry you to prison, and load you with chains, so that the iron enter into your souls, even there shall Christ send an angel from heaven to strengthen you, and enable you with Paul and Silas, to sing praises at midnight. Are you threatened to be thrown into a den of lions, or cast into a burning fiery furnace, because you will not bow down and worship the beast? Fear not; the God whom you serve, is able to deliver you: Or, if he should suffer the flames to devour your bodies, they would only serve as so many fiery chariots, to carry your souls to God. Thus it was with the martyrs of old; so that one, when he was burning, cried out, "Come, you Pa­pists, if you want a miracle, here, behold one! This bed of flames is to me a bed of down." Thus it was with almost all that suffered in former times; For Jesus, notwithstanding he withdrew his own divinity from himself, yet has always lifted up the light of his countenance upon the souls of suffer­ing saints. "Fear not therefore those that can kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do: but fear him only, who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell." [...] Dare, dare, to live godly in Christ Jesus, though you suffer all manner of persecution. But,

Fourthly, Are there any true ministers of Jesus Christ here? You will not be offended if I tell [Page 77] you, that the words of the text are in an especial manner, applicable to you—St. Paul wrote [...] to Timothy, and we, of all men, that live godly in Christ Jesus, must expect the severest perse­cution.—Satan will endeavour to bruise our heels, let who will escape—And it has been the general way of God's providence, in times of per­secution, to permit the shepherds first to be smit­ten, before the sheep are scattered—Let us not therefore shew, that we are only hirelings, who care not for the sheep, but, like the great Shepherd and Bishop of souls, let us readily lay down our lives for the sheep—Whilst others are boasting of their great preferments, let us rather glory in our great afflictions and persecutions for the sake of Christ.—St. Paul now rejoices that he suffered afflictions and persecutions at Iconium and Lystra. Out of all the Lord delivered him—Out of all the Lord will deliver us, and cause us hereafter to sit down with him on thrones, when he comes to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

I could proceed, but I am conscious in this part of my discourse, I ought more particularly to speak to myself, knowing that Satan has desired to have me, that he may sift me as wheat. I know I must (How can it be avoided?) suffer great things for Christ's Name sake—Without a spirit of prophe­cy, we may easily discern the signs of the times. Persecution is even at the doors—The tabernacle of the Lord is already driven into the wilderness—The ark of the Lord is fallen into the unhallowed hands of uncircumcised P [...]istines. They have long since put us out of their synagogues, and high p [...]ts have been calling on civil magistrates to exe [...]t their authority against the disciples of the Lord.—Men in power have been breathing ou [...] [Page 78] threatnings—We may easily guess what will fol­low, imprisonment and slaughter—The storm has been gathering some time—It must break shortly. Perhaps it will fall on me first.

Brethren therefore, whether in the ministry or not, I beseech you, pray for me, that I may never suffer justly, as an evil doer, but only for righte­ousness sake—Oh! Pray that I may not deny my Lord in any wise, but that I may joyfully follow him, both to prison and to death, if he is pleased to call me to feal his truths with my blood—Be not ashamed of Christ, or of his gospel, though I should become a prisoner of the Lord—Though I am bound, the word of God will not be bound—No, an open, an effectual door is opened for preaching the everlasting gospel, and men or devils shall never be able to prevail against it—Only pray, that whether it be in life or death, Christ may be glorified in me.—Then I shall rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

And now, to whom shall I address myself next?

Fifthly, To those, "who persecute their neigh­bours for living godly in Christ Jesus." But what shall I say to you? Howl and weep for the mise­ries that shall come upon you—For a little whil [...] the Lord permits you to ride over the heads of his people, but by and by, death will arrest you, judg­ment will find you, and Jesus Christ shall put a question to you, which will strike you dumb. "Why persecuted you ME?"—You may p [...]ead your laws and your canons, and pretend what you do is out of zeal for God, but God shall discover the cursed hypocrisy and serpentine enmity of your hearts, and give you over to the tormentors—It is well, if in this life, God doth not set some mark upon you—He pleaded the cause of Naboth, when [Page 79] innocently condemned for blaspheming against God and the King—And our Lord sent forth his armies, and destroyed the city of those who killed the prophets, and stoned them that were sent unto them.

If you have a mind therefore to fill up the mea­sure of your iniquities, go on, persecute and despise the disciples of the Lord: but know, that, for all these things, God shall bring you into judgment. Nay, those you now persecute, shall be in part your judges, and sit on the right hand of the Ma­jesty on High, whilst you are dragged by infernal spirits into a lake that burneth with fire and brim­stone, and the smoke of your torment shall be ascending up for ever and ever. Lay down there­fore, ye rebels, your arms against the Most High God, and no longer persecute those who live godly in Christ Jesus. The Lord will plead, the Lord will avenge their cause. You may be permitted to bruise their heels, yet in the end they shall bruise your accursed heads. I speak not this, as though I were afraid of you; for I know in whom I have believed: Only out of pure love I warn you, and because I know not but Jesus Christ may make some of you vessels of mercy, and snatch you, even you persecutors, as fire-brands out of the fire. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, even persecutors, the worst of sinners: his righteousness is sufficient for them; his spirit is able to purify and change their hearts. He once converted Saul: may the same God magnify his power, in converting all those who are causing the god [...]y in Christ Jesus, as much as in them [...]ies, to to suffer persecution! The Lord be with you all. Amen.

THE great Apostle Paul, in one of his epistles, informs us, that whatsover was written a­foretime was written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the holy scripture might have hope. And as without faith it is impossible to please God, or to be accepted in Jesus, the Son of his love; we may be assured, that whatever instances of a more than common faith are recorded in the book of God▪ they were more immediately design­ed by the Holy Spirit for our learning and imita­tion, upon whom the ends of the world are come. For this [...]eason, the author of the epistle to the Hebrews, in the eleventh chapter, mentions a noble catalogue of Old Testament saints and mar­tyrs, "who subdued kingdoms, wrought righte­ousness, stopped the mouths of lions, &c. and are gone before us to inherit the promises." A suf­ficient confutation, I think, of their error, who lightly esteem the Old Testament saints, and would not have them mentioned to Christians, as persons whose faith and patience we are called upon more immediately to follow. If this was true, the apostle would never have produced such a cloud [Page 82] of witnesses out of the Old Testament, to excite the Christians of the first, and consequently purest age of the church, to continue steadfast and un­moveable in the profession of their faith. Amidst this catalogue of saints, methinks, the patriarch Abraham shines the brightest, and differs from the others, as one star differeth from another star in glory; for he shone with such distinguished lustre, that he was called the friend of God, the father of the faithful; and those who believe on Christ, are said to be sons and daughters of, and to be blessed with, faithful Abraham. Many trials of his faith did God send this great and good man, after he had commanded him to get out from his country, and from his kindred, unto a land which he should [...]hew him; but the last was the most severe of all, I mean, that of offering up his only son. This, by the divine assistance, I propose to make the subject of your present meditation, and, by way of conclusion, to draw some practical inferences, as God shall enable me, from this instructive story.

The sacred penman begins the narrative thus, verse 1. And it came to pass after these things, God did tempt Abraham—After these things, that is, after he had underwent many [...]evere trials before, after he was old, full of days, and might flatter himself perhaps that the troubles and toils of life were now finished— After these things God did tempt A­braham—Christian, you know not what trials you may meet with before you die—Nothwithstanding you may have suffered, and been tried much al­ready, yet, it may be, a greater measure is still be­hind, which you are to fill up— Be not high-minded, but fear—Our last trials, in all probability, will be the greatest—And we can never say our warfare is accomplished, or our trials finished, till we [...] [Page 83] down our heads, and give up the ghost— And it came to pass, after these things, that God did tempt Abraham.

God did tempt Abraham—But can the scripture contradict itself? Does not St. James tell us, That God tempts no man? And God does tempt no man to evil, or on purpose to draw him into sin. For when a man is thus tempted, he is drawn away of his own heart's lust, and enticed—But in another sense God may be said to tempt—I mean to try his servants, and in this sense we are to under­stand that passage of St. Matthew, where we are told, that Jesus was led by the Spirit (the good spi­rit) into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil—And our Lord, in that excellent form of prayer which he has been pleased to prescribe us, does not require us to pray, that we may not absolutely be led into temptation, but delivered from the evil of it—Whereby we may plainly infer, that God sees it fit sometimes to lead us into temptation, that is, to bring us into such circumstances as will try our saith, and other Christ [...]an graces—In this sense we are to understand the expression before us— God did tempt or try Abraham.

How God was pleased to reveal his will at this time to his faithful servant, whether by the She­chinah, or Divine appearance, or by a small still voice, as he spoke to Elijah, or by a whisper, like that of the Spirit to Philip, when he commanded him to join himself to the Eunuch's chariot, we are not told, nor is it material to inquire. It is enough that we are informed, God said unto him, Abraham; and that Abraham knew it was the voice of God: for [...] he said, behold, here I am." O what a holy familiarity (If I may so speak) is there between God and those holy souls that are [Page 84] united to him by faith in Christ Jesus! God says, Abraham; and Abraham said (it should seem without the least surprise) "Behold, here I am." Being reconciled to God by the death and obedi­ence of Christ, which he rejoiced in, and saw by faith afar off; he did not, like guilty Adam, seek the trees of the garden to hide himself from, but takes pleasure in conversing with God, and talketh with him, as a man talketh with his friend. O that CHRIST-less sinners knew what it is to have fellowship with the Father and the Son! They would envy the happiness of saints, and count it all joy to be termed enthusiasts and fools for Christ's sake.

But what does God say unto Abraham; Ver. 2. "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I shall tell thee of."

Every word deserves our particular observation. Whatever he was to do, he must do it now, im­mediately, without conferring with flesh and blood. But what must he do? Take now thy son. Had God said, take now a firstling, or choicest lamb or beast of thy flock, and offer it up for a burnt-of­fering, it would not have appeared so ghastly; but for God to say, "Take now thy son, and of­fer him up for a burnt-offering," one would have imagined, was enough to stagger the strongest faith. But this is not all: It must not only be a son, but thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest. If it must be a son, and not a b [...]ast, that must be offered, why will not Ishmael do, the son of the bond-woman? No, it must be his only son, the heir of all, his Isaac, by interpretation laughter, the son of his old age, in whom his soul delighed; [Page 85] whom thou lovest, says God, in whose life his own was wrapped up: And this son, this only son, this Isaac, the son of his love, must be taken now, even now without delay, and be offered up by his own father, for a burnt offering, upon one of the moun­tains of the which God would tell him.

Well might the apostle, speaking of this man of God, say, that against hope he believed in hope, [...]nd, being strong in faith, gave glory to God: For, had he not been blessed with faith which man ne­ver before had, he must have refused to comply with this severe command. For how many argu­ments might nature suggest, to prove that such a command could never come from God, or to ex­cuse himself from obeying it? "What! (might the good man have said) butcher my child! it is contrary to the very law of nature: Much more to butcher my dear son Isaac, in whose seed God himself has assured me, that all the families of the earth shall be blessed. But supposing I could give up my own affections, and be willing to part with him, though I love him so dearly, yet, if I murder him, what will become of God's promise? Besides I am now like a city built upon a hill; I shine as a light in the world, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation: How then shall I cause God's name to be blasphemed, how shall I become a by-word among the heathen, if they hear that I have committed a crime which they abhor! But, above all, what will Sarah my wife say? How can I ever return to her again, after I have imbrued my hands in my dear child's blood? O that God would pardon me in this thing, or take my life in the place of my son's!" Thus, I say, Abraham might have argued, and that too seemingly with great reason, against complying with the divine [Page 86] command. But, as before by faith he considered not the deadness of Sarah's womb, when she was past age, but believed on him, who said, "Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed;" so now being convinced that the same God spoke to, and commanded him to offer up that son, and know­ing that God was able to raise him from the dead, without delay he obeys the heavenly call.

O that unbelievers would learn of faithful A­braham, and believe whatever is revealed from God, though they cannot fully comprehend it! Abraham knew God commanded him to offer up his son, and therefore believed, notwithstanding carnal reasoning might suggest many objections. We have sufficient testimony, that God has spo­ken to us by his Son; why should we not also be­lieve, though many things in the New Testament are above our reason? For, where reason ends, faith begins. And, however infidels may style themselves reasoners, of all men they are the most unreasonable: For is it not contrary to all reason, to measure an infinite by a finite understanding, or think to find out the mysteries of godliness to perfection?

But to return to the patriarch Abraham: We observed before what plausible objections he might have made; but he answered not a single word: No, without replying against his Maker, we are told, ver. 3. that "Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up and went unto the place of which God had told him."

From this verse we may gather, that God spoke to Abraham in a dream, or vision of the night: For it is said, he rose up early. Perhaps it was [Page 87] near the fourth watch of the night, just before break of day, when God said, Take now thy son; and Abraham rises up early to do so; as I doubt not but he used to rise early to offer up his morn­ing sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. It is oft­en remarked of people in the Old Testament, that they rose early in the morning; and particularly of our Lord in the New, that he rose a great while before day to pray. The morning befriends de­votion; and if people cannot use so much self-de­nial as to rise early to pray, I know not how they will be able to die at a stake (if called to it) for Jesus Christ.

The humility, as well as piety of the patriarch, is observable: He saddled his own ass (great men should be humble;) and to shew his sincerity, though he took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, yet he keeps his design as a se­cret from them all: Nay, he does not so much as tell Sarah his wife: For he knew not but she might be a snare unto him in this affair; and, as R [...]ekah afterwards, on another occasion, advised Jacob to flee, so Sarah also might persuade Isaac to hide himself; or the young men, had they known of it, might have forced him away, as in after-ages the soldiers rescued Jonathan out of the hands of Soul. But Abraham sought no such eva­sion, and therefore, like an Israelite indeed, in whom there was no guile, he himself resolutely "clave the wood for the burnt-offering, rose up and went unto the place of which God had told him." In the second verse, God commanded him to offer up his son upon one of the mountains which he would tell him of. He commanded him to offer his son up, but would not then directly tell him the place where: This was to keep him [Page 88] dependent and watching unto prayer: For there's nothing like being kept waiting upon God; and, if we do, assuredly God will reveal himself unto us yet further in his own time. Let us practise what we know, follow providence so far as we can see already; and what we know not, what we see not as yet, let us only be found in the way of duty, and the Lord will reveal even that unto us. Abra­ham knew not directly where he was to offer up his son; but he rises up and sets forward, and be­hold now God shews him; and he went to the place of which God had told him. Let us go and do likewise.

Ver. 4. Then on the third day, Abraham lif [...] up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

So that the place, of which God had told him, was no less than three days journey distant from the place where God first appeared to him, and commanded him to take his son. Was not this to try his faith, and to let him see that what he did, was not merely from a sudden pang of devo­tion, but a matter of choice and deliberation? But who can tell what the aged patriarch felt during these three days? Strong as he was in faith, I am persuaded his bowels often yearned over his dear son Isaac. Methinks I see the good old man walk­ing with his dear child in his hand, and now and then looking upon him, loving him, and then turning aside to weep. And perhaps, sometimes he stays a little behind to pour out his heart be­fore God; for he had no mortal to tell his case to. Then, methinks, I see him join his son and ser­vants again, and talking to them of the things per­taining to the kingdom of God, as they walked by the way. At length, on the third day, he lift up his eyes and saw the place afar off. And, to [Page 89] shew that he was yet sincerely resolved to do what­sover the Lord required of him, he even now will not discover his design to his servants, but said, ver. 5. to his young men (as we should say to our worldly thoughts when about to tread the courts of the Lord's house) "abide you here with the ass; and I and the lad will go up yonder and wor­ship, and come again to you." This was a suffi­cient reason for their staying behind; [...] it being their master's custom to go frequently to worship, they could have no suspicion of what he was going about. And by Abraham's saying, that he and the lad would come again, I am apt to think he believed God would raise him from the dead, if so be he permitted him to offer his child up for a burnt-offering. However that be, he is yet re­solved to obey God to the uttermost; and there­fore.

Ver. 6. "Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and they went both of them together." Little did Isaac think that he was to be offered on that very wood which he was carrying upon his shoulders; and therefore, ver. 7. Isaac innocently, and with a holy freedom (for good men should not keep their chil­dren at too great a distance) spake unto Abra­ham his father, and said, My father; and he (with equal affection and holy condescension) said, Here am I, my son [...] And to shew how careful Abra­ham had been (as all Christian parents ought to be) to instruct his Isaac how to sacrifice to God, like a youth trained up in the way wherein he should go; Isaac said, Behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering? How beautiful is early piety! How amiable, to [Page 90] hear young people ask questions about sacrificing to God in an acceptable way! Isaac knew very well that a lamb was wanting, and that a lamb was necessary for a proper sacrifice: Behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a [...]-of­fering? Young men and maidens, learn of him.

Hitherto, it is plain, Isaac knew nothing of his father's design: But I believe, by what his father said in answer to his question, that now was the time Abraham revealed it unto him.

Verse 8. "And Abraham said, my son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt-offering." Some think that Abraham by faith saw the Lord Jesus afar off, and here spake prophetically of that Lamb of God already slain in decree, and hereafter to be actually offered up for sinners. This was a lamb of God's providing indeed (we dared not have thought of it) to satisfy his own justice, and to render him just in justifying the ungodly. What is all our fire and wood, the best preparation and performances we can make or present unless God had provided himself this Lamb for a burnt offer­ing? He could not away with them. The words will well bear this interpretation. But, whatever Abraham might intend. I cannot but think he here made an application, and acquainted his son of God's dealing with his soul; and at length, with tears in his eyes, and the utmost affection in his heart, cried out, "Thou art to be the lamb, my son; God has commanded me to provide thee for a burnt offering, and to offer thee upon a mountain which we are now ascending." And, as it appears from a subsequent verse, Isaac, con­vinced that it was the divine will, made no resist­ance at all; for it is said, "they went both of them together;" and again, verse 9, when we are [Page 91] told that Abraham bound Isaac, we do not hear of his complaining or endeavouring to escape, which he might have done, being (as some think) near thirty years of age, and it is plain, capable enough for carrying wood enough for a burnt-of­fering. But he was partaker of the like precious faith with his aged father, and therefore is as will­ing to be offered, as Abraham is to offer him: and so they went both of them together.

Verse 6. At length "they came to the place of which God had told Abraham. He built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood."

And here let us pause awhile, and by faith take a view of the place where the father has laid him. I doubt not but the blessed angels hovered round the altar and [...]ang, Glory be to God in the highest, for giving such faith to man. Come, all ye ten­der-hearted parents, who know what it is to look over a dying child: Fancy▪ that you saw the altar erected before you, and the wood laid in order, and the beloved Isaac bound upon it: Fancy that you saw the aged parent standing by weeping (for why may we not suppose that Abraham wept, since Jesus himself wept at the grave of Lazarus?) O what pious, endearing expressions passed now al­ternately between the father and the son! Josephus records a pathetic speech made by each, whether genuine I know not but methinks I see the tears trickle down the patriarch Abraham's cheeks; and out of the abundance of the heart, he cries, Adieu, adieu, my son; the Lord gave thee to me, and the Lord calls thee away; blessed be the name of the Lord: adieu, my Isaac, my only son, whom I love as my own soul; adieu, adieu. I see Isaac [Page 92] at the same time meekly resigning himself into his heavenly Father's hands, and praying to the Most High to strengthen his earthly parent to strike the stroke. But why do I attempt to des­cribe what either son or father felt? It is impossi­ble: we may indeed form some faint idea of, but shall never fully comprehend it, till we come and [...]it down with them in the kingdom of heaven, and hear them tell the pleasing story over again—Has­ten, O Lord, that blessed time! O let thy king­dom come!

And now, ver. 10. The fatal blow is going to be given. "And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son." But▪ do you not think he intended to turn away his head, when he gave the blow? Nay, why may we not suppose he sometimes drew his hand in, after it was stretched out, willing to take another last farewel of his beloved Isaac, and desirous to defer it a little, though resolved at last to strike home? Be that as it will, his arm is now stretched out, the knife is in his hand, and he is about to put it to his dear son's throat.

But sing, O heavens! and rejoice, O earth! Man's extremity is God's opportunity: for behold, just as the knife, in all probability, was near his throat, ver. 11. "the angel of the Lord, (or rather, the Lord of angels, Jesus Christ, the angel of the everlasting covenant) called unto him (probably in a very audible manner) from heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham.▪ (The word is doubled, to engage his attention; and perhaps the suddenness of the call made him draw back his hand, just as he was going to strike his son) And Abraham said, Here am I."

[Page 93] And he said, verse 12. "Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now know I that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me."

Here then it was that Abraham received his son Isaac from the dead in a figure. He was in effect offered upon the altar, and God looked upon him as offered and given unto him. Now it was that Abraham's faith, being tried, was found more pre­cious than gold purified seven times in the fire. Now as a reward of grace, though not of debt, for this signal act of obedience, by an oath, God gives and confirms the promise, "that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed," verse 17, 18. With what comfort may we sup­pose the good old man and his son went down from the mount, and returned unto the young men! With what joy we imagine he went home, and related all that had passed to Sarah! And above all, with what triumph is he exulting now in the paradise of God, and adoring rich, free, dis­tinguishing, electing, everlasting love, which alone made him to differ from the rest of mankind, and rendered him worthy of that title which he will have so long as the sun and the moon endure: "The father of the faithful!"

But let us now draw our eyes from the creature, and do what Abraham, if he was present, would direct to; I mean, fix them on the Creator, God blessed for evermore.

I see your hearts affected, I see your eyes weep, (and indeed, who can refrain weeping at the rela­tion of such a story?) But, behold, I shew you a mystery hid under the sacrifice of Abraham's only son, which, unless your hearts are hardened, must [Page 94] cause you to weep tears of love, and that plenti­fully too. I would willingly hope you even pre­vent me here, and are ready to say, "it is the love of God, in giving Jesus Christ to die for our sins. Yes, that is it." And yet perhaps you find your hearts at the mentioning of this, not so much affected. Let this convince you, that we are fallen creatures, and that we do not love God or Christ as we ought to do: for, if you admire Abraham offering up his Isaac, how much more ought you to extol, magnify, and adore the love of God, who so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son, Christ Jesus our Lord, "that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life?" May we not well cry out▪ Now know we, O Lord; that thou hast loved [...] since thou hast not withheld thy Son, thine only son from us? Abraham was God's creature, (and God was Abraham's friend, and therefore under the highest obligation to surrender up his Isaac. But O stupendous love [...] Whilst we were his ene­mies, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, that he might become a curse for us. O the freeness, as well as the infinity, of the love of God our Father! It is unsearchable; I am lost in contemplating it; it is past finding out▪ Think, O believers, think of the love of God, in giving Jesus Christ to be a propitiation for our sins. And when you hear how Abraham built an altar, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood; think how your heavenly Father bound Jesus Christ his only Son, and offered him upon the altar of his justice, and laid [...] on him the iniquities of us all. When you [...] of Abraham's stretching forth his hand to slay his son, think, O think, how [Page 95] God actually suffered his Son to be slain, that we might live for evermore. Do you read of Isaac c [...]rrying the wood upon his shoulders, upon which he was to be offered? Let this lead you to Mount Calvary, (this very mount of Moriah where Isaac was offered, as some think) and take a view of the antitype Jesus Christ, that Son of God, bearing and ready to sink under the weight of that cross on which he was to hang for us. Do you admire Isaac so freely consenting to die, though a creature, and therefore obliged to go when God called? O do not forget to admire infinitely more the dear Lord Jesus, that promised seed, who willingly said, " [...] I come," though under no obligation so to do, "good why will," to obey and die for men, O [...] of you weep just now, when I bid you fancy [...] you saw the altar, and the wood laid in order, and Isaac laid bound on the altar? Look up by faith, behold the blessed Jesus, our all glorious Immanuel, not bound, but nailed on an accursed tree: see how he hangs, crowned with thorns, and had in derision of all that are round about him: see how the thorns pierce him, and how the blood in purple streams trickles down his sacred temples! Hark how the God of nature groans! See how he bows his head, and at length humanity gives up the ghost! Isaac is saved, but Jesus, the God of Isaac, dies; a ram is offered up in Isaac's room, but Jesus has no substitute; Jesus must bleed, Jesus must die: God the Father provided this Lamb for himself from all eternity. He must be offered in time, or man must be damned for ever­more. And now where are all your tears? Shall I say, refrain your voice from weeping? No, rather let me exhort you to look to him▪ whom you have pierced, and mourn, as a woman mourneth [Page 96] for her first-born: for we have been the betrayers, we have been the murderers of this Lord of glory; and shall we not bewail those sins, which brought the blessed Jesus to the accursed tree? Hav­ing so much done, so much suffered for us, so much forgiven, shall we not love much? O! let us love him with all our hearts, and minds, and strength, and glorify him in our souls and bodies; for they are his. Which leads me to a second inference I shall draw from the foregoing discourse.

From hence we may learn the nature of true justifying faith. Whoever understands and preach­es the truth as it is in Jesus, must acknowledge, that salvation is God's free gift, and [...] saved, not by any or all the works of [...] which we have done or can do; no; we can neither wholly nor in part justify ourselves in the sight of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is our righteousness; and if we are accepted with God, it must be only in and through the personal righ­teousness, the active and passive obedience of Je­sus Christ his beloved Son. This righteousness must be imputed, or counted over to us, and ap­plied by faith to our hearts, or else we can in no wise be justified in God's sight: and that very mo­ment a sinner is enabled to lay hold on Christ's righteousness by faith, he is freely justified from all his sins, and shall never enter into condemnation, notwithstanding he was a fire brand of hell before. Thus it was that Abraham was justified before he did any good work: he was enabled to believe on the Lord Christ; it was accounted to him [...] righteousness; that is, Christ's righteousness was made over to him, and so accounted his. This, this is gospel; this is the only way of finding ac­ceptance [Page 97] with God: good works have nothing to do with our justification in his sight. We are jus­tified by faith alone, as faith the article of our church; agreeable to which the apostle Paul says, "By grace ye are saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." Not­withstanding good works have their proper place: they justify our faith, though not our persons; they follow it, and evidence our justification in the sight of men. Hence it is that the apostle James asks, was not Abraham justified by works (allud­ing no doubt to the story on which we have been discoursing) that is, did he not prove he was in a justified state, because his faith was productive of good works? This declarative justification in the sight of men, is what is directly to be understood in the words of the text: "Now know I," says God, "that thou fearest me, since thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me." Not but that God knew it before; but this is spoken in condescension to our weak capacities, and plain­ly shews, that his offering up [...] son was accepted with God, as an evidence of the sincerity of his faith, and for this, was left on record to future ages. Hence then you may learn, whether you are blessed with, and are sons and daughters of faithful Abraham. You say you believe; you talk of free grace, and free justification: you do well; the devils also believe and tremble. But has the faith which you pretend to, influenced your hearts, renewed your souls, and, like Abra­ham's, worked by love? Are your affections, like his, set on things above? Are you heavenly-minded, and, like him, do you confess yourselves strangers and pilgrims on the earth? In short, has [Page 98] your faith enabled you to overcome the world, and strengthened you to give up your Isaacs, your laughter, your most beloved lusts, friends, plea­sures, and profits for God? If so, take the com­fort of it; for justly may you say, "We know as­suredly, that we do fear and love God, or rather are loved of him." But if you are only talking believers, have only a faith of the head, and never felt the power of it in your hearts, however you may bolster yourselves up, and say, "we have A­braham for our father, or Christ is our Saviour;" unless you get a faith of the heart, a faith working by love, you shall never sit with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or Jesus Christ in the kingdom of heaven.

But I must draw one more inference, and with that I shall conclude.

Learn, O saints! from what has been said, to sit loose to all your worldly comforts; and stand ready prepared to part with every thing, when God shall require it at your hand. Some of you perhaps may have friends, who are to you as your own souls, and others may have children, in whose lives your own lives are bound up: all I believe have their Isaacs, their particular delights of some kind or other. Labour, for Christ's sake, labour, ye sons and daughters of Abraham, to resign them, daily in affection to God, that, when he shall re­quire you really to sacrifice them, you may not confer with flesh and blood, any more th [...] the blessed patriarch now before us. And as for you that have been in any measure tried like unto him, let his example encourage and comfort you. Re­member, Abraham your father was tried so before you: think, O think, of the happiness he [...] on joys, and how he is incessantly thanking God so tempting and trying him when here below. [...] [Page 99] up often by the eye of faith, and see him sitting with his dearly beloved Isaac in the world of spi­rits. Remember, it will be but a little while, and you shall sit with them also, and tell one a­nother what God has done for your souls. There I hope to sit with you, and hear this story of his offering up his son from his own mouth, and to praise, the Lamb that sitteth upon the throne, for what he hath done for all our souls, for ever and ever.

IT is an undoubted truth, however it may seem a paradox to natural men, that "whosoever will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecu­tion." And therefore it is very remarkable, that our blessed Lord, in his glorious sermon on the Mount, after he had been pronouncing those bles­sed, who were poor in spirit, meek, pure in heart, and such like, immediately adds (and spends no less than three verses in this beatitude) "Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake." No one ever was, or ever will be endowed with the forementioned graces in any degree, but he will be persecuted for it in a measure. There is an ir [...]concileable enmity between the seed of the woman, and the seed of the serpent. And if we are not of the world, but shew by our fruits that we are of the number of those whom Jesus Christ has chosen out of the world, for that very reason the world will hate us. As this is true of every particular Christian, so it is true of every Christian church in general. For some years past we have heard but little of a public persecution: why! Because but little of the power of godliness has prevailed amongst all denominations. The strong [Page 101] man armed has had full possession of most pro­fessors' hearts, and therefore he has let them rest in a false peace. But we may assure ourselves, when Jesus Christ begins to gather in his elect in any remarkable manner, and opens an effectual door for preaching the everlasting gospel, persecu­tion will flame out, and Satan and his emissaries will do their utmost (though all in vain) to stop the work of God. Thus it was in the first ages; thus it is in our days, and thus it will be till time shall be no more.

Christians, and Christian churches must then expect enemies. Our chief concern should be, to learn how to behave towards them in a Christian manner: for unless we take good heed to our­selves, we shall embitter our spirits, and act unbe­coming the followers of the Lord, "who, when he was reviled, reviled not again▪ when he suffer­ed, threatened not; and, as a lamb before his shearers is dumb; so opened he not his mouth." But what motive shall w [...] make use of to bring ourselves to this blessed Lamb-like temper? Next to the immediate operation of the Holy Spirit up­on our hearts, I know of no consideration more conducive to teach us long-suffering towards our most bitter persecutors; than this, "That, for all that we know to the contrary, some of those very persons, who are now persecuting, may be chosen from all eternity by God, and hereafter called in time, to edify and build up the church of Christ."

The persecutor Sa [...]l▪ mentioned in the words of the text (and whose conversion God willing, I propose to treat on in the following discourse) is a noble instance of this kind.

[Page 102] I say, a persecutor, and that a bloody one: for see how he is introduced in the beginning of this chapter; "and Saul yet breathing out threaten­ings and slaughter against the disciples of our Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him let­ters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of THIS WAY, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound to Jeru­salem."

"And Saul yet breathing out." This implies that he had been a persecutor before. To prove which, we need only look back to the seventh chapter, where we shall find him so very remark­ably active at Stephen's death, that the "wit­nesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul." He seems, though young to be in some authority. Perhaps, for his zeal against the Christians, he was preferred in the church, and was allowed to sit in the great council or sanhedrim; for we are told, chap. viii. ver. I. "That Saul was consenting unto his death;" and again, at ver. 3. he is brought in as exceeding all in his opposition; for thus speaks the evangelist, "as for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women, committed them to prison." One would have imagined, that this should have satisfied; at least abated the fury of this young zealot. No: being exceedingly mad against them, as he himself informs Agrippa, and having made havock of all in Jerusalem, he now is resolved to persecute the disciples of the Lord, even to strange cities; and therefore yet breathing out threat­ening. "Breathing out." The words are very emphatical, and expressive of his bitter enmity. It was a natural to him now to threaten the [Page 103] Christians, as it was for him to breathe: he could scarce speak, but it was some threatenings against them. Nay, he not only breathed out threaten­ings, but slaughters also (and those who threaten, would also slaughter, if it were in their power) against the disciples of the Lord. Insatiable there­fore as hell, finding he could not refute or stop the Christians by force of argument, he is resolved to do it by force of arms; and therefore went to the high priest (for there never was a persecution yet without a high priest at the head of it) and desired of him letters, issued out of his spiritual court, to the synagogues or ecclesiastical courts at Damascus, giving him authority, "that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Je­rusalem"—I suppose to be arraigned and con­demned in the high priest's court. Observe how he speaks of the Christians. Luke, who wrote the Acts, calls them disciples of the Lord, and Saul styles them men and women of this way. I doubt not but he represented them as a company of upstart enthusiasts, that had lately gotten into a new method or way of living; that would not be content with the temple-service, but they must he righteous over-much, and have their private meetings or conventicles; and break bread, as they called it, from house to house, to the great disturbance of the established clergy, and to the utter subversion of all order and decency. I do not [...]ear that the high priest makes any objection: No, he was as willing to grant letters, as Saul was to ask them; and wonderfully pleased within himself, to find he had such an active zealot to employ against the Christians.

[Page 104] Well then, a judicial process is immediately is­sued out, with the high priest's seal affixed to it. And now methinks I see the young persecutor finely equipped, and pleasing himself with thoughts how triumphantly he should ride back with the men and women of this way, dragging after him to Jerusalem.

What a condition may we imagine the poor disciples at Damascus were in at this time! No doubt they had heard of S [...]ul's imprisoning and making havock of the saints at Jerusalem, and we may well suppose were apprised of his design against them. I am persuaded this was a growing, because a trying time with these dear people. O how did they wrestle with God in prayer, beseech­ing him either to deliver them from, or give them grace sufficient to enable them to bear up under the fury of their persecutors? The high priest doubtless with the rest of his reverend brethren, flattered themselves, that they should now put an effectual stop to this growing heresy, and waited with impatience for Saul's return.

But, "He that sitteth in heaven laughs them to scorn, the Lord has them in derision [...]" And therefore, ver. 3. "As Saul journeyed, and came even near unto Damascus," perhaps to the very gates (our Lord permitting this, to try the faith of his disciples, and more conspicuously to baffle the designs of his enemies) "suddenly at mid­day, as he acquaints Agrippa) there shined round about him a light from heaven," a light brighter than the sun; "and he fell to the earth (why not into hell?) and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" The word is doubled, Saul, Saul: like that of our Lord to Martha; Martha, Martha; or the prophet, O [Page 105] earth, earth, earth! Perhaps these words came like thunder to his soul. That they were spoken audibly, we are assured from verse 7. His com­panions heard the voice. Our Lord now arrests the persecuting zealot, calling him by name; for the word never does us good, till we find it spoken to us in particular. "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou ME?" Put the emphasis upon the word why, what evil have I done? Put it upon the word persecutest, why persecutest! I suppose Saul thought he was not persecuting; no, he was only putting the laws of the ecclesiastical court into execution; but Jesus, whose eyes are as a flame of fire, saw through the hypocrisy of his heart, that, notwith­standing his specious pretences, all this proceeded from a persecuting spirit, and secret enmity of heart against God; and therefore says, "Why persecutest thou ME?" Put the emphasis upon the word ME, "Why persecutest thou me?" Alas! Saul was not persecuting Christ, was he? He was only taking care to prevent innovations in the church, and bringing a company of enthu­siasts to justice, who otherwise would overturn the established constitution. But Jesus says, "Why persecutest thou me?" For what is done to Christ's disciples, he takes as done to himself, whether it be good or whether it be evil. He that touches Christ's disciples, touches the apple of his eye; and they that persecute the followers of our Lord would persecute our Lord himself, was he again to come and tabernacle among us.

I do not find that Saul gives any reason why he did persecute; no, he was struck dumb; as every persecutor will be, when Jesus Christ puts this same question to them at the terrible day of judgment. But being pricked at the heart, no [Page 106] doubt with a sense not only of this, but of all his other offences against the great God, he said, ver. 5. "Who art thou, Lord?" See how soon God can change the heart and voice of his most bitter enemies. Not many days ago, Saul was not only blaspheming Christ himself, but, as much as in him lay, compelling others to blaspheme also: But now, he who before was an impostor, is called "Lord; who art thou, Lord?" This admirably points out the way in which God's Spirit works upon the heart: It first powerfully convinces of sin, and of our damnable state; and then puts us upon inquiring after Jesus Christ. Saul being struck to the ground, or pricked to the heart, cries out after Jesus, "Who art thou, Lord?" As many of you that were never so far made sen­sible of your damnable state, as to be made feel­ingly to [...]eek after Jesus Christ, were never yet truly convicted by, much less converted to, God. May the Lord, who struck Saul, effectually now strike all my Christ-less hearers, and set them up­on inquiring after Jesus as their ALL in ALL! Saul said, "Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest." Nev­er did any one inquire truly after Jesus Christ, but Christ made a saving discovery of himself to his [...]oul. It should seem, our Lord appeared to him in person; for Ananias, afterwards says, "the Lord who appeared to thee in the way which thou camest;" though this may only imply Christ's meeting him in the way; it is not much matter: It is plain Christ here speaks to him, and says "I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest." It is remark­able, how our Lord takes to himself the name of Jesus; for it is a name in which he delights: I am Jesus, a Saviour of my people; both from the [Page 107] guilt and power of their sins; a "Jesus, whom thou persecutest." This seems to be spoken to convince Saul more and more of his sin: and I doubt not, but every word was sharper than a two-edged sword, and came like so many daggers to his heart: O, how did these words affect him! a Jesus! a Saviour! and yet I am persecuting him! This strikes him with horror; but then the word Jesus, though he was a persecutor, might give him some hope. However, our dear Lord, to convince Saul that he was to be saved by grace, and that he was not afraid of his power and en­mity, tells him, "It is hard for thee to kick a­gainst the pricks." As much as to say, though he was persecuting, yet he could not overthrow the church of Christ: For he would [...]it as King upon his holy hill of Zion; the malice of men or devils should never be able to prevail against him.

Ver. 6. And he "trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Those, who think Saul had a discovery of Jesus made to his heart before, think that this question is the result of his faith, and that he now desires to know what he shall do, out of gratitude, for what the Lord had done for his soul; in this sense it may be understood, ^* and I have made use of it as an instance to prove, that faith will work by love; but perhaps it may be more agreeable to the context, if we suppose that Saul had only some distant discovery of Christ made to him, and not a full assurance of faith: For we are told, "he trembling and astonished," trembling at the thoughts of his persecuting a Jesus, and astonish­ed at his own vileness, and the infinite condescen­sion [Page 108] of this Jesus, cries out, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Persons under soul-trouble, and sore conviction, would be glad to do any thing, or comply on any terms, to get peace with God. "Arise says our Lord) and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou shalt do."

And here we will leave Saul a while, and see what is become of his companions. But what shall we say? God is a sovereign agent; his sacred Spi­rit bloweth when and where it listeth; "He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy." Saul is taken, but, as far as we know to the contrary, his fellow-travellers are left to perish in their sins; For we are told, ver. 7. "That the men who journeyed with him stood, indeed speechless, and hearing a confused voice," for so the word signifies, and must be so interpreted, in order to reconcile it with chap. xxii. ver. 9. where Saul giving an ac­count of these men, tells Agrippa, "They heard not the voice of him that spake to me." They heard a voice, a confused noise, but not the articu­late voice of him that spake to Saul, and therefore remained unconverted. For what are all ordi­nances, all, even the most extraordinary dispensa­tions of providence, without Christ speaks to the soul in them? Thus it is now under the word preached: many, like Saul's companions, are some­times so struck with the out-goings of God ap­pearing in the sanctuary, that they even stand speechless; they hear the preacher's voice, but not the voice of the Son of God, who, perhaps at the same time is speaking effectually to many other hearts; this I have known often; and what shall we say to these things? O the depth of the sov­ereignty of God! It is past finding out. Lord▪ I desire to adore what I cannot comprehend. "Ev­en [Page 109] [...] "fo [...] [...]o it seemeth good in thy sight!▪

But to return to Saul: the Lord bids him arise and go into the city; and we are told, ver. 8. that "Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened," (he was so overpowered with the greatness of the light that shone upon them) that "he saw no man; but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus," that ve­ry city which was to be the place of his executing or imprisoning the disciples of the Lord. "And he was three days without fight, and neither did eat nor drink." But who can tell what horrors of conscience, what convulsion of soul, what deep and pungent convictions of sin he underwent dur­ing these three long days? It was this took away his appetite (for who can eat or drink when under a sense of the wrath of God for sin?) and, being to be greatly employed hereafter, he must be great­ly humbled now; therefore the Lord leaves him three days groaning under the spirit of bondage, and buffetted, no doubt, with the fiery darts of the devil, that, being tempted like unto his bre­thren, he might be able hereafter, to succour those that were tempted. Had Saul applied to any of the blind guides of the Jewish church under these circumstances, they would have said, he was mad, or going beside himself; as many carnal teachers and blind Pharisees now deal with, and so more and more distress poor souls labouring under a­wakening convictions of their damnable state. But God often at our first awakenings, visits us wi [...]h sore trials, especially those who are, like Saul, to shine in the church, and to be used as instru­ments in bringing many sons to glory: th [...]se who [Page 110] are to be highly exalted, must first be deeply hum­bled; and this I [...]peak for the comfort of such, who may be now groaning under the spirit of bon­dage, and perhaps, like Saul, can neither eat nor drink [...] for I have generally observed, that those who have had the deepest convictions, have after­wards been favoured with the most precious com­munications, and enjoyed most of the divine pre­sence in their souls. This was afterwards remark­ably exemplified in Saul, who was three days with­out [...]ight, and neither did eat nor drink.

But will the Lord leave his poor servant in this distress? No: his Jesus (though Saul persecuted him) promised (and he will perform) that it "should be told him what he must do. And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias, and unto him, said the Lord in a vision, Ananias; and he said, Behold, I am here, Lord." What a holy familiarity is there between Jesus Christ and regenerate souls! Ananias had been used to such love-visits, and therefore knew the voice of his beloved. The Lord says, Ananias; Ananias says, "Behold, I am here, Lord." Thus it is that Christ now, as well as formerly, often talks with his children at sundry times, and after divers manners, as a man talketh with his friend. But what has the Lord to say to Ananias?

Verse 11. "And the Lord said unto him, arise, and go into the street, which is called Streight, and inquire in the house of Judas, for one called Saul of Tarsus;" (see here for your comfort, O children of the most high God, what notice Jesus Christ takes of the street, and the house where his own dear servants lodge) "for behold, he prayeth;" but why is this ushered in with the word behold▪ What, was it such a wonder to hear that Saul was [Page 111] praying? Why, Saul was a Pharisee▪ and there­fore, no doubt, fasted and made long prayers and, since we are told that he profited above ma­ny of his equals, I doubt not but he was taken no­tice of for his gift in prayer; and yet it seems, that before these three days, Saul never prayed in his life; and why? Because, before these three days, he never felt himself a condemned creature: he was alive in his own opinion, because without a knowledge of the spiritual meaning of the law; he felt not a want of, and therefore, before now, cried not after a Jesus, and consequently, though he might have said, or made a prayer, as many Pharisees do now-a-days, he never prayed a pray­er; but now, behold! he prayed indeed; and this was urged as one reason why he was convert­ed. None of God's children, as one observes, comes into the world still-born; prayer is the ve­ry breath of the new creature: and therefore, if we are prayerless, we are Christ-less; if we never had the spirit of supplication, it is a sad sign that we never had the spirit of grace in our souls: and you may be assured you never did pray, unless you have felt yourselves sinners, and seen the want of Jesus to be your Saviour. May the Lord, whom I serve in the gospel of his dear Son, prick you all to the heart, and may it be said of you all as it was of Saul, Behold, they pray!

The Lord goes on to encourage Ananias to go to Saul: says he, verse 12. "For he hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias, coming i [...], and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight." So that though Christ converted Saul immediately by himself, yet he will carry on the work, thus begun, by a minister. Happy they, who under soul troubles have such experienced [Page 112] guides, and as well acquainted with Jesus Christ as Ananias was: you that have such, make much of and be thankful for them; and you who have them not, trust in God; he will carry on his own work without them.

Doubtless, Ananias was a good man; but shall I commend him for his answer to our Lord? I commend him not: for says he, verse 13, "Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call upon thy name." I fear this an­swer proceeded from some relics of self-righteous­ness, as well as infidelity, that lay undiscovered in the heart of Ananias. "Arise (said our Lord) and go into the street, which is called Streight, and inquire in the house of Judas, for one called Saul of Tarsus; for behold he prayeth!" One would think this was sufficient to satisfy him: but says Ananias, "Lord I have heard by many of this man" (he seems to speak of him with much contempt; for even good men are apt to think too contemptuously of those who are yet in their sins) "how much evil he hath done to thy saints in Jerusalem: and here, he hath authority from the chief priests, to bind all that call upon thy name." And what then, Ananias? Is any thing too hard for the Lord? Who made thee to differ? Could not he who converted thee, convert him also! Surely Ananias here forgets himself, or per­haps fears, left this man, who had authority from the chief priests to bind all that call upon Christ's name, should bind him also, if he went unto him; but the Lord silences all objections, with a "Go [...]hy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the [Page 113] children of Israel. For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake." Here God stops his mouth immediately, by asserting his sovereignty, and preaching to him the doctrine of election. And the frequent conversion of no­torious sinners to God, to me is one great proof, among a thousand others, of that precious, but too much exploded, and sadly misrepresented doc­trine of God's electing love; for whence is it that such are taken, while thousands not near so vile, die senseless and stupid? All the answer that can be given, is, "They are chosen vessels, Go thy way (lays God) for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: for I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake." Observe what a close connection there is between doing and suffering for Christ. If any of my brethren in the ministry are present, let them hear what preferment we must expect, if we are called out to work remarkably for God: not great prebendaries or bishoprics, but great sufferings for our Lord's name sake; these are the fruits of our labour; and he that will not contentedly suffer great things for preaching Christ, is not worthy of him. Suffering will be found to be the best pre­ferment, when we are called to give an account of our ministry at the great day.

I do not hear that Ananias quarrelled with God concerning the doctrine of election: no; O that all good men would, in this, learn of him! "He went his way, and entered into the house; and put his hands on him, and said, Brother Saul;" just now it was this man; now it is Brother Saul: It is no matter what a man has been, if he be now [Page 114] a Christian; the same should be our brother, our sister, and mother: God blots out every convert's transgressions as with a thick cloud, and so should we; the more vile a man has been, the more should we love him when believing in Christ, be­cause Christ will be more glorified on his behalf. I doubt not, but Ananias was wonderfully delight­ed to hear that so remarkable a persecutor was brought home to God! I am persuaded he felt his soul immediately united to him by love, and therefore addresses him not with, "Thou perse­cutor, Thou murderer, that camest to butcher me and my friends; but, brother Saul." It is remarkable that the primitive Christians much used the word brother and brethren; I know it is a term now much in reproach; but those who despise it, I believe would be glad to be of our brotherhood, when they see us sitting at the right hand of the Majesty on high. "Brother Saul, the Lord (even Jesus that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest) hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost." At this time, we may suppose, he laid his hands upon him. See the consequences.

Ver. 18. "Immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales, and he received sight forth­with;" not only bodily, but spiritual sight; he emerged as it were into a new world; he saw, and felt too, things unutterable: he felt a union of soul with God; he received the spirit of adoption; he could now, with a full assurance of faith, cry, Abba, Father. Now was he filled with the Holy Ghost; and had the love of God shed abroad in his heart; now were the days of his mourning ended; now was Christ formed in his soul; now he could give men and devils the challenge, know­ing [Page 115] that Christ had justified him; now he saw the excellences of Christ, and esteemed him the fairest among ten thousand.—You only know how to sympathize with the apostle in his joy, who, after a long night of bondage, have been set free by the Spirit, and have received joy in the Holy Ghost. May all that are now mourning, as Saul was, be comforted in like manner!

The scales then are now removed from the eyes of Saul's mind; Ananias has done that for him, under God: he must now do another office—bap­tize him, and so receive him into the visible church of Christ; a good proof to me of the necessity of baptism where it may be had: for I find here, as well as elsewhere, that baptism is administered ev­en to those who had received the Holy Ghost; Saul was convinced of this, and therefore arose and was baptized; and now it is time for him to recruit the outward man, which, by three days abstinence and spiritual conflicts, had been much impaired: we are therefore told (verse 19) "when he had re­ceived meat, he was strengthened."

But O, with what comfort did the apostle now eat his food! I am sure it was with singleness, I am persuaded also with gladness of heart; and why? He knew that he was reconciled to God; and, for my own part, did I not know how blind and flinty our hearts are by nature, I should won­der how any one could eat even his common food with any satisfaction, who has not some well-grounded hope of his being reconciled to God. Our Lord intimates thus much to us: for in his glorious prayer, after he has taught us to pray for our daily bread, immediately adds that petition, "forgive us our trespasses;" as though our daily [Page 116] bread would do us no service, unless we were sen­sible of having the forgiveness of our sins.

To proceed: Saul hath received meat, and is strengthened; and whither will he go now? To see the brethren; "then was Saul certain days with the disciples that were at Damascus." If we know and love Christ, we shall also love, and de­sire to be acquainted with the brethren of Christ: We may generally know a man by his company. And though all are not saints that associate with saints (for tares will be always springing up among the wheat till the time of harvest) yet, if we never keep company, but are shy and ashamed of the despised children of God, it is a certain sign we have not yet experimentally learnt Jesus, or re­ceived him into our hearts. My dear friends, be not deceived; if we are friends to the Bridegroom, we shall be friends to the children of the Bride­groom. Saul, as soon as he was filled with the Holy Ghost, "was certain days with the disciples that were at Damascus."

But who can tell what joy these disciples felt when Saul came among them! I suppose holy Ananias introduced him. Methinks I see the once persecuting zealot, when they came to salute him with a holy kiss, throwing himself upon each of their necks, weeping over them with floods of tears, and saying, "O my brother, O my sister, Can you forgive me? Can you give such a wretch as I the right hand of fellowship, who intended to drag you behind me bound unto Jerusalem!"—Thus, I say, we may suppose Saul addressed him­self to his fellow-disciples; and I doubt not but they were as ready to forgive and [...]orget as Ana­nias was, and saluted him with the endearing ti­tle of brother Saul. Lovely was this meeting; so [Page 117] lovely, that it seemed Saul continued certain days with them, to communicate experiences, and to learn the way of God more perfectly, to pray for a blessing on his future ministry, and to praise Christ Jesus for what he had done for their souls. Saul, perhaps, had sat certain years at the feet of Gamaliel, but undoubtedly learnt more these cer­tain days, than he had learnt before in all his life. It pleases me to think how this great scholar is transformed by the renewing of his mind: what a mighty change was here! That so great a man as Saul was, both as to his station in life, and in­ternal qualifications, and such a bitter enemy to the Christians; for him, I say, to go and be cer­tain days with the people of this mad way, and to sit quietly, and be taught of illiterate men, as ma­ny of these disciples we may be sure were, what a substantial proof was this of the reality of his con­version!

What a hurry and confusion may we suppose the chief priests now were in! I warrant they were ready to cry out, what! is he also deceived? As for the common people, who know not the law and are accursed, for them to be carried away is no such wonder; but for a man bred up at the feet of Gamaliel, for such a scholar, such an ene­my to the cause as Saul; for him to be led away with a company of silly, deceived men and wo­men, surely it is impossible: We cannot believe it. But Saul soon convinces them of the reality of his becoming a fool for Christ's sake: For straightway, instead of going to deliver the letters from the high priests, as they expected, in order to bring the disciples that were at Damascus bound to Jerusalem, "he preached Christ in the syna­gogues, that he is the Son of God." This was [Page 118] another proof of his being converted. He not only conversed with Christians in private, but he preached Christ publicly in the synagogues: Espe­cially, he insisted on the divinity of our Lord, proving, notwithstanding his state of humiliation, that he was really the Son of God.

But why did Saul preach Christ thus? Because he had felt the power of Christ upon his own soul. And here is the reason why Christ is so seldom preached, and his divinity so slightly insisted on in our synagogues, because the generality of those that pretend to preach him, never felt a saving work of conversion upon their own souls. How can they preach, unless they are first taught of, and then sent by God? Saul did not preach Christ before he knew him; no more should any one else. An unconverted minister, though he could speak with the tongues of men and angels, will be but as a sounding brass and tinkling cymbal to those whose senses are exercised to discern spiritual things. Ministers that are unconverted, may talk and declaim of Christ, and prove from books that he is the Son of God; but they cannot preach with the demonstration of the Spirit and with power, unless they preach from experience, and have had a proof of his divinity, by a work of grace wrought upon their own souls. God forgive those who lay hands on an unconverted man, knowing that he is such▪ I would not do it for a thousand worlds. Lord Jesus, keep thy own faith­ful servants pure, and let them not be then parta­kers of other men's sins!

Such an instance as was Saul's conversion, we may be assured, must make a great deal of noise; and, therefore, no wonder we are told, ver. 21. "But all that heard him were amazed, and said, [Page 119] Is not this he that destroyed them who called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?"

Thus it will be with all that appear publicly for Jesus Christ; and it is as impossible for a true Christian to be hid, as a city built upon a hill.—Brethren, if you are faithful to, you must be re­proached and have remarks made on you for Christ; especially if you have been remarkably wicked before your conversion. Your friends say, is not this he, or she, who a little while age would run to as great excess of riot and vanity as the worst of us all? What has turned your brain? Or if you have been close, false, formal hypocrites, as Saul was, they will wonder that you should be so deceived, as to think you were not in a safe state before. No doubt, numbers were surprised to hear Saul, who was touching the law blameless, affirm that he was in a damnable condition (as in all probability he did) a few days before.

Brethren, you must expect to meet with many such difficulties as these. The scourge of the tongue is generally the first cross we are called to beat for the sake of Christ. Let not, therefore, this move you: It did not intimidate, no, it ra­ther encouraged Saul.

Says the text, "But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ." Op­position never yet did, nor ever will hurt a sincere convert: Nothing like opposition to make the man of God perfect. None but a hireling, who careth not for the sheep, will be affrighted at the approach or barking of wolves. Christ's ministers [Page 120] are as bold as lions: It is not for such men as they to flee.

And therefore (that I may draw towards a con­clusion) let the ministers and disciples of Christ learn from Saul, not to fear men or their revil­ings; but, like him, increase in strength, the more wicked men endeavour to weaken their hands.—We cannot be Christians without being opposed: No; disciples in general must suffer; ministers in particular must suffer great things. But let not this move any of us from our steadfastness in the gospel: He that stood by and strengthened Saul, will also stand by and strengthen us: He is a God mighty to save all that put their trust in him. If we look up with an eye of faith, we, as well as the first martyr St. Stephen may see Jesus standing at the right hand of God, ready to assist and protect us. Though the Lord's seat is in heaven, yet he has respect to his saints in an especial manner, when suffering here on earth: Then the Spirit of Christ and of glory rests upon their souls. And, if I may speak my own experience, "I never en­joy more rich communication from God, than when despised and rejected of men for the sake of Jesus Christ." However, little they may design it, my enemies are my greatest friends. What I most fear, is a calm; but the enmity which is in the hearts of natural men against Christ, will not suffer them to be quiet long: No; as I hope the work of God will increase, so the rage of men and devils will increase also. Let us put on, there­fore, the whole armour of God: Let us not [...]ear the face of men: Let us fear him only who can destroy both body and soul in hell: I say unto you, let us fear him alone. You see how soon God can stop the fury of his enemies.

[Page 121] You have just now heard of a proud, powerful zealot stopped in his full career, struck down to the earth with a light from heaven, converted by the almighty power of efficacious grace, and there­upon zealously promoting, nay, resolutely suffer­ing for, the faith which once with threatnings and slaughters he endeavoured to destroy. Let this teach us to pity and pray for our Lord's most in­veterate enemies. Who knows, but in answer thereunto, our Lord may give them repentance unto life? Most think, that Christ had respect to Stephen's prayer, when he converted Saul. Perhaps for this reason God suffers his adversaries to go on, that his goodness and power may shine more bright in their conversion.

But let not the persecutors of Christ take en­couragement from this to continue in their oppo­sition. Remember, though Saul was converted, yet the high priest and Saul's companions, were left dead in trespasses and sins: And, if this should be your case, you will of all men be most miserable: For persecutors have the lowest place in hell. And, if Saul was struck to the earth by a light from heaven, how will you be able to stand before Jesus Christ, when he comes in terrible majesty to take vengeance on all those who have persecuted his gospel? Then the question, "Why persecuted thou me?" will cut you through and through. The secret enmity of your hearts shall be then detected before men and angels, and you shall be doomed to dwell in the blackness of darkness for evermore. Kiss the Son therefore, lest he be an­gry: For even you may yet find mercy, if you believe on the Son of God: Though you persecute him, yet he will be your Jesus. I cannot despair [Page 122] of any of you, when I find a Saul among the dis­ciples at Damascus. What though your sins are as scarlet, the blood of Christ shall wash them as white as snow. Having much to be forgiven, despair not; only believe, and like Saul, of whom I have now been speaking, love much. He [...]ounted himself the chiefest sinner of all, and therefore laboured more abundantly than all. Who is there among you fearing the Lord? Whose [...]rts hath the Lord now opened to hearken to the voice of his poor unworthy ser­vant! Surely the Lord will not let me preach in vain. Who is the happy soul that is this day to be washed in the blood of the Lamb? Will no poor sinner take encouragement from Saul to come to Jesus Christ? You are all thronging round, but which of you will touch the Lord Je­sus? What a comfort will it be to Saul; and to your own souls, when you meet him in heaven, to tell him, that hearing of his, was a means, under God, of your conversion! Doubtless it was written for the encouragement of all poor returning sin­ners; he himself tells us so: For "in me God shewed all long-suffering that I might be an ex­ample to them that should hereafter believe." Was Saul here himself, he would tell you so, in­deed he would; but being dead, by this account of his conversion, he yet speaketh. O that God may speak by it to your hearts! O that the ar­rows of God might this day stick fast in your souls, and you made to cry out, "Who art thou Lord?" Are there any such amongst you? Me­thinks I feel something of what this Saul felt, when he said, "I travail in birth again for you till Christ be formed again in your hearts." [...] come, come away to Jesus on whom Saul believ­ed; [Page 123] and then I care not if the high priests issue out never so many writs, or injuriously drag me to a prison. The thoughts of being instrumental in saving you, will make me sing praises even at midnight: And I know you will be my joy and crown of rejoicing, when I am delivered from this earthly prison, and meet you in the kingdom of God hereafter. Now to God, &c.

OF all the verses in the book of God, this whi [...] I have now read to you, is, I believe, one of the most comprehensive: What glad tid­ings does it bring to believers! What precious pri­vileges are they herein invested with: How are they here led to the fountain of them all, I mean, the love, the everlasting love of God the Father! "Of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctifica­tion, and redemption."

Without referring you to the context, I shall from these words,

First, Point out to you the fountain from which all those blessings flow, which the elect of God partake of in Jesus Christ, "who of God is made unto us." And,

Secondly, I shall consider what these blessings are, "wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and re­demption."

First, I would point out to you the fountain from which all those blessings flow, that the [...] of God partake of in Jesus, "who of God is made [Page 125] unto us:" the Father, he it is who is spoken of here. Not as though Jesus Christ was not God also; but God the Father is the fountain of the Deity; and, if we consider Jesus Christ acting as Mediator, God the Father is greater than he; there was an eternal contract between the Father and the Son: "I have made a covenant with my chosen, and I have sworn unto David my servant;" now David was a type of Christ, with whom the Father made a covenant, that if he would obey and suffer, and make himself a sacrifice for sin, he should "see his [...]eed, he should prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hands." This compact our Lord refers to, in that glorious prayer recorded in the 17th chap. of John; and therefore he prays for, or rather de­mands with a full assurance, all that were given to him by the Father: "Father, I will that they al­so whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am." For this same reason the apostle breaks out in praises of God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; for he loved the elect with an everlasting love, or, as our Lord expresses it, "before the foundation of the world;" and there­fore, to shew them to whom they were beholden for their salvation, our Lord, in the 25th of Mat­thew, represents himself, saying, "Come, ye bless­ed children of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." And thus, in reply to the mother of Zebedee's children, he says, "It is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of the Father." The apostle therefore, when here speaking of the Christian's privileges, lest they should sacrifice to their own drag, or [Page 126] think their salvation was owing to their own faith­fulness, or improvement of their own free-will, reminds them to look back on the everlasting love of God the Father; "who of God is made unto us, &c."

Would to God, this part of doctrine was con­sidered more, and people were more studious of the covenant of redemption between the Father and the Son! we should not then have so much disputing against the doctrine of election, or hear it condemned (even by good men) as a doctrine of devils. For my own part, I cannot see how true humbleness of mind can be attained without a knowledge of it; and though I will not say, that every one who denies election is a bad man, yet I will say, with that sweet singer, Mr. Trail, it is a very bad [...] such a one, whoever he be, I think cannot truly know himself: for, if we deny elec­tion, we must, partly at least, glory in ourselves; but our redemption is so ordered, that no flesh should glory in the divine presence; and hence it is, that the pride of man opposes this doctrine, because according to this doctrine, and no other, "he that glories must glory only in the Lord." But what shall I say? Election is a mystery that shines with such resplendent brightness, that, to make use of the words of one who has drank deep­ly of electing love, it dazzles the weak eyes even of some of God's dear children; however, though they know it not, all the blessings they receive, all the privileges they do or will enjoy through Jesus Christ, flow from the everlasting love of God the Father: "But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us, wisdom, righteous­ness, sanctification, and redemption."

[Page 127] Secondly, I come to shew what these blessings are, which are here, through Christ, made over to the elect. And,

First, Christ is made to them wisdom—But wherein does true wisdom consist? Was I to ask some of you, perhaps you would say, in in­dulging the lust of the flesh, and saying to your souls, eat, drink, and be merry. But this is only the wisdom of brutes—They have as good a gust and relish for sensual pleasures, as the greatest ep­icure on the earth—Others would tell me true wisdom consisted in adding house to house, and field to field, and calling lands after their own names; but this cannot be true wisdom; for riches often take to themselves wings and fly a­way, like an eagle toward heaven. Even wisdom itself assures us, "that a man's life doth not con­sist in the abundance of the things which he pos­sesses;" vanity, vanity, all these things are vanity; for, if riches leave not the owner, the owners must soon leave them; "for rich men must also die, and leave their riches for others;" their rich­es cannot procure them redemption from the grave, whither we are all hastening apace.

But perhaps you despise riches and pleasure, and therefore place wisdom in the knowledge of books: but it is possible for you to tell the num­bers of the stars, and call them all by their names, and yet be mere fools; learned men are not al­ways wise; nay, our common learning so much cried up, makes men only so many accomplished fools; to keep you therefore no longer in suspence, and withal to humble you, I will send you to a heathen school, to learn what true wisdom is: know thyself, was a saying of one of the wise men of Greece; this is certainly true wisdom, and [Page 128] this is that wisdom spoken of in the text, and which Jesus Christ has made to all elect sinners; they are made to know themselves, so as not to think more highly of themselves, so as not to think more highly of themselves, than they ought to think. Before they were darkness; now they are light in the Lord; and in that light they see their own darkness; they now bewail themselves as fallen creatures by nature, dead in trespasses and sins, sons and heirs of hell, and children of wrath; they now see that all their righteousnesses are but as filthy rags; that there is no health in their souls; that they are poor and miserable, blind and naked; and that there is no name given under heaven, whereby they can be saved, but that of Jesus Christ. They see the necessity of closing with a Saviour, and behold the wisdom of God in appointing him to be a Saviour; they are also made willing to accept of salvation upon our Lord's own terms, and to receive him as their all in all: thus Christ is made to them wisdom.

Secondly, Righteousness. "Who of God is made unto us, wisdom, righteousness;" Christ's whole personal righteousness is made over to, and accounted theirs. Being enabled to lay hold on Christ by faith, God the Father blots out their transgressions, as with a thick cloud; their sins, and their iniquities he remembers no more; they are made the righteousness of God in Jesus, who is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. In one sense, God now sees no sin in them; the whole covenant of works is fulfilled in them; they are actually justified, ac­quitted, and looked upon as righteous in the sight of God; they are perfectly accepted in the Belov­ed; they are complete in him; the flaming sword of God's wrath, which before moved every way, [Page 129] is now removed, and free access given to the tree of life; they are enabled now to reach out the arm of faith, and pluck and live for evermore.—Hence it is that the apostle, under a sense of this blessed privilege, breaks out into this triumphant language, "it is Christ that justifies, who is he that condemns?" Does sin condemn? Christ's righteousness delivers believers from the guilt of it: Christ is their Saviour, and is become a pro­pitiation for their sins: who therefore shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? Does the law condemn? By having Christ's righteousness impu­ted to them, they are dead to the law, as a cove­nant of works; Christ has fulfilled it for them, and in their stead. Does death threaten them? They need not fear: The sting of death is sin, the strength of sin is the law; but God has given them the victory, by imputing to them the righ­teousness of the Lord Jesus.

And what a privilege is here! Well might the angels at the birth of Christ, say to the humble shepherds, "Behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy;" unto you that believe in Christ, "a Saviour is born." And well may they rejoice at the conversion of poor sinners: for the Lord is their righteousness: they have peace with God, through faith in Christ's blood, and shall never enter into condemnation. O believers! (for this discourse is intended in a special manner for you) lift up your heads; "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice." Christ is made to you of God, righteousness, what then should you fear? you are made the righteousness of God in him; you may be called, "The Lord our righteousness." Of what then should you be afraid? What shall separate you henceforward from the love of Christ? [Page 130] Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or fam­ine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No; I am persuaded, neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, who of God is made unto you righteous­ness.

This is a glorious privilege, but this is only the beginning of the happiness of believers: for,

Thirdly, Christ is not only made to them righ­teousness, but sanctification. By sanctification, I do not mean a bare hypocritical attendance on outward ordinances (though rightly informed Christians will think it their duty and privilege constantly to attend on all outward ordinances.) Nor do I mean by sanctification, a bare outward reformation, and a few transient convictions, or a little legal sorrow; for all this an unsanctified man may have; but, by sanctification I mean a total renovation of the whole man; by the righ­teousness of Christ, believers become legally, by sanctification they are made spiritually, alive; by one they are entitled to, by the other they are made meet for glory. They are sanctified there­fore throughout, in spirit, soul and body.

Their understandings, which were before dark, now become light in the Lord: and their will, before contrary to, now become one with the will of God: their affections are now set on things a­bove; their memory is now filled with divine things; their natural consciences are now enlight­ened; their members, which were before instru­ments of uncleanness, and of iniquity unto iniqui­ty, are now instruments of righteousness and true [Page 131] holiness; in short, they are new creatures; "old things are passed away, all things are become new," in their hearts; sin has now no longer do­minion over them; they are freed from the pow­er, though not the indwelling and being of it; they are holy both in heart and life, in all manner of conversation; they are made partakers of a divine nature; and from Jesus Christ they receive grace for grace; and every grace that is in Christ, is copied and transcribed into their souls; they are transformed into his likeness; he is formed within them; they dwell in him, and he in them; they are led by the Spirit, and bring forth the fruits thereof: they know that Christ is their Im­manuel, God with and in them; they are living temples of the Holy Ghost. And therefore, be­ing a holy habitation unto the Lord, the whole Trinity dwells and walks in them; even here, they fit together with Christ in heavenly places, and are vitally united to him, their head, by a living faith; their Redeemer, their Maker, is their husband; they are flesh of his flesh, bone of his bone; they talk, they walk with him, as a man talketh and walketh with his friend; in short, they are one with Christ, even as Jesus Christ and the Father are one.

Thus is Christ made to believers sanctification. And O what a privilege is this! To be changed from beasts into saints, and from a devilish, to be made partakers of a divine nature; to be trans­lated from the kingdom of Satan, into the king­dom of God's dear Son! To put off the old man, which is corrupt, and to put on the new man, which is created after God, in righteousness and true holiness. O what an unspeakable blessing is this! I almost stand amazed at the contemplation [Page 132] thereof Well might the apostle exhort believers to [...]; indeed they have reason always to [...], to rejoice on a dying bed; for the kingdom of God is in them; they are changed from [...], even by the Spirit of the Lord: [...] may this be a mystery to the na­tural, for it is a mystery even to the spiritual man himself, a mystery which he cannot fathom. Does it not often dazzle your eyes, O ye children of God, to look at your own brightness, when the candle of the Lord shines out, and your Redeem­er lifts up the light of his blessed countenance up­on your souls? Are you not astonished, when you feel the love of God shed abroad in your hearts by the Holy Ghost, and God holds out the gold­en sceptre of his mercy, and bids you ask what you will, and it shall be given you? Does not that peace of God, which keeps and rules your hearts, surpass the utmost limits of your under­standings? And is not the joy you feel unspeak­able? Is it not full of glory? I am persuaded it is; and in your secret communion, when the Lord's love slows in upon your souls, you are as it were swallowed up in, or, to use the apostle's phrase, "filled with all the fulness of God." Are not you ready to cry out with Solomon, "And will the Lord, indeed, dwell thus with men? How is it that we should be thus thy sons and daughters, O Lord God Almighty!"

If you are children of God, and know what it is to have fellowship with the Father and the Son; if you walk by faith, and not by sight; I am as­sured this is frequently the language of your hearts.

But look forward, and see an unbounded pros­pect of eternal happiness lying before thee, O be­liever! What thou hast already received, are on­ly [Page 133] the first fruits, like the cluster of grapes brought out of the land of Canaan; only an earnest and pledge of yet infinitely better things to come: the harvest is to follow; thy grace is hereafter to be swallowed up in glory. Thy great Joshua, and merciful High Priest, shall administer an abundant entrance to thee into the land of promise, that rest which awaits the children of God: for Christ [...] not only made to believers, wisdom, righteous­ness, and sanctification, but also redemption.

But, before we enter upon the explanation and contemplation of this privilege,

First, Learn hence the great mistake of those writers, and clergy, who, notwithstanding they talk of sanctification and inward holiness (as in­deed sometimes they do, though in a very loose and superficial manner) yet they generally make it the cause, whereas they should consider it as the effect, of our justification. Of him "are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wis­dom, righteousness," and then sanctification. For Christ's righteousness, or that which Christ has done in our stead without us, is the sole cause of our acceptance in the sight of God, and of all ho­liness wrought in us: To this, and not to the light within, or any thing wrought within, should poor sinners seek for justification in the sight of God: for the sake of Christ's righteousness alone, and not any thing wrought in us, does God look favourably upon us; our sanctification at best, in this life, is not complete: Though we are deliv­ered from the power, we are not freed from the in-being of sin; but not only the dominion, but the in-being of sin, is forbidden by the perfect law of God: For it is not said, "thou shalt not [Page 134] give way to lust, but, thou shalt not lust." So that whilst the principle of lust remains in the least degree in our hearts, though we are otherwise nev­er so holy, yet we cannot, on account of that, hope for acceptance with God. We must first therefore, look for a righteousness without us, even the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ: For this reason the apostle mentions it, and puts it before sanctification in the words of the text. And whosoever teacheth any other doctrine, doth not preach the truth as it is in Jesus.

Secondly, From hence also, the Antinomians and formal hypocrites may be confuted, who talk of Christ without, but know nothing, experimental­ly, of a work of sanctification wrought within them. Whatever they may pretend to, since Christ is not in them, the Lord is not their righte­ousness, and they have no well-grounded hope of glory: For though sanctification is not the cause, yet it is the effect of our acceptance with God; "who of God is made unto us righteousness and sanctification." He therefore, that is really in Christ, is a new creature; it is not going back to a covenant of works, to look into our hearts, and, seeing that they are changed and renewed, from thence form a comfortable and well-grounded as­surance of the safety of our states: No, but this is what we are directed to in scripture; by our bringing forth the fruits, we are to judge whether or no we ever did truly partake of the Spirit of God, "We know (says John) that we are passed from death unto life, because we love the breth­ren." And however we may talk of Christ's righ­teousness, and exclaim against legal preachers: yet, if we are not holy in heart and life, if we are not sanctified and renewed by the Spirit in our [Page 135] minds, we are self-deceivers, we are only formal hypocrites: For we must not put asunder what God has joined together; we must keep the me­dium between the two extremes; not insist so much on the one hand upon Christ without, as to exclude Christ within, as an evidence of our being his, and as a preparation for future happiness; nor on the other hand, so depend on inherent righte­ousness or holiness wrought in us, as to exclude the righteousness of Jesus Christ without us. But,

Fourthly, Let us now go on, and take a view of the other link, or rather the end, of the believer's golden chain of privileges, redemption. But we must look very high; for the top of it, like Ja­cob's ladder, reaches heaven, where all believers will ascend, and be placed at the right hand of God. "Who of God is made unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption."

This is a golden chain indeed! And, what is best of all, not one link can ever be broken asun­der from another. Was there no other text in the book of God, this single one sufficiently proves the final perseverance of true believers? for never did God yet justify a man, whom he did not sanc­tify; nor sanctify one whom he did not complete­ly redeem and glorify; no, as for God, his way, his work, is perfect; he always carried on and finished the work he began; thus it was in the first, so it is in the new creation; when God says, "let there be light," there is light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day, when believers en­ter into their eternal rest, as God entered into his. Those whom God has justified, he has in effect glorified: for as a man's worthiness was not the cause of God's giving him Christ's righteousness, so neither shall his unworthiness be a cause of his [Page 136] taking it away; God's gifts and callings are with­out repentance; and I cannot think, they are clear in the notion of Christ's righteousness, who deny the final perseverance of the saints; I fear, they understand justification in that low sense, which I understood it in a few years ago, as im­plying no more than remission of sins: but it not only signifies remission of sins past, but also a f [...] ­deral right to all good things to come. If God has given us his only [...]on, how will he not with him freely give us all things? Therefore, the apos­tle, after he says, "who of God is made unto us righteousness," does not say, perhaps he may be made to us sanctification and redemption; but he is made: for there is an eternal, indissoluble con­nection between these blessed privileges. As the obedience of Christ is imputed to believers, so his perseverance in that obedience is to be imputed to them also: and it argues great ignorance of the covenant of grace and redemption to object against it.

By the word redemption, we are to understand, not only a complete deliverance from all evil, but also a full enjoyment of all good both in body and soul: I say both in body and soul: for the Lord is also for the body; the bodies of the saints in this life are temples of the Holy Ghost; God makes a covenant with the dust of believers; after death, though worms destroy them, yet, even in their flesh shall they see God. I fear, indeed, there are some Sadducees in our days, or at least heretics, who say, either that there is no resurrec­tion of the body, or that the resurrection is past already, namely, in our regeneration: Hence it is, that our Lord's coming in the flesh, at the day of judgment, is denied; and consequently, we must [Page 137] throw aside the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. For why should we remember the Lord's death until he come to judgment, when he is already come to judge our hearts, and will not come a se­cond time? But all this is only the reasoning of unlearned, unstable men, who certainly know not what they say, nor whereof they affirm. That we must follow our Lord in the regeneration, be par­takers of a new birth, and that Christ must come into our hearts, we freely confess, and we hope, when speaking of these things, we speak no more than what we know and feel: but then it is plain, that Jesus Christ will come, hereafter, to judg­ment, and that he ascended into heaven with the body which he had here on earth; for, says he, after his resurrection, "handle me, and see; a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me have." And it is plain, that Christ's resurrection was an earnest of ours: for, says the apostle, "Christ is risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept;" and as in Adam all die and are subject to mortality; so all that are in Christ, the second Adam, who represented be­lievers as their foederal head, shall certainly be made alive, or rise again with their bodies at the last lay.

Here then, O believers! is one, though the lowest, degree of that redemption which you are to be partakers of hereafter; I mean, the redemp­tion of your bodies: For this corruptible must put on im­mortality. Your bodies, as well as souls, were given to Jesus Christ by the Father: they have been companions in watching, and fasting and praying: Your bodies therefore, as well as souls, [Page 138] shall Jesus Christ raise up at the last day. Fear not, therefore, O believers, to look into the grave; for to you it is no other than a consecrated dormi­tory, where your bodies shall sleep quietly until the morning of the resurrection; when the voice of the archangel shall sound, and the trump of God give the general alarm, "Arise ye dead, and come to judgment;" earth, air, fire, water, shall give up your scattered atoms, and both in body and soul shall you be ever with the Lord. I doubt not but many of you are groaning under crazy bodies, and complain often that the mortal body weighs down the immortal soul; at least this is my case; but let us have a little patience, and we shall be delivered from our earthly prisons; [...]re long, these tabernacles of clay shall be dissol­ved, and we shall be cloathed with our house which is from heaven: hereafter, our bodies shall be spiritualized, and shall be so far from hindering our souls through weakness, that they shall be­come strong; so strong, as to bear up under an exceeding and eternal weight of glory; others a­gain may have deformed bodies, emaciated also with sickness, and worn out with labour and age; but wait a little, until your blessed change by death comes; then your bodies shall be renewed and made glorious, like unto Christ's glorious bo­dy: of which we may form some faint idea, from the account given us of our Lord's transfiguration on the Mount, when it is said, "His raiment be­came bright and glittering, and his face brighter than the sun." Well then may a believer break out into the apostle' triumphant language, 'O death, where is thy sting! O grave, where is thy victory!"

[Page 139] But what is the redemption of the body, in comparison of the redemption of the better part, our souls? I must, therefore, say to you believers, as the angel said to John, "Come up higher," and let us take as clear a view as we can, at such a distance, of the redemption Christ has purchased for, and will shortly put you in actual possession of. Already you are justified, already you are sanctified, and thereby freed from the guilt and dominion of sin: but, as I have observed, the be­ing and indwelling of sin yet remains in you; God sees it proper to leave some Amalekites in the land, to keep his Israel in action. The most per­fect Christian, I am persuaded, must agree, ac­cording to one of our articles, "that the corrup­tion of nature remains even in the regenerate; that the flesh lusteth always against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh." So that believers cannot do things for God with that perfection they desire; this grieves their righteous souls day by day, and, with the holy apostle, makes them to cry out, "Who shall deliver us from the body of this death!" I thank God, our Lord Jesus Christ will, but not completely before the day of our dissolution; then will the very being of sin be destroyed, and an eternal stop put to inbred, in­dwelling corruption. And is not this a great re­demption? I am sure believers esteem it so: for there is nothing grieves the heart of a child of God so much, as the remains of indwelling sin. Again, believers are often in heaviness through manifold temptations; God sees that it is needful and good for them so to be; and though they may be high­ly favoured, and wrapt up [...] communion with God, even to the third heaven, yet a messenger of Satan is often sent to buffet them, lest they [Page 140] should be puffed up with the abundance of reve­lations. But be not weary, be not faint in your minds: the time of your complete redemption draweth nigh. In heaven the wicked one shall cease from troubling you, and your weary souls shall enjoy an everlasting rest; his fiery darts can­not reach those blissful regions: Satan will never come any more to appear with, disturb, or accuse the sons of God, when once the Lord Jesus Christ shuts the door. Your righteous souls are now grieved, day by day, at the ungodly conversation of the wicked; tares now grow up among the wheat; wolves come in sheep's cloathing: but the redemption spoken of in the text will free our souls from all anxiety on these accounts; hereafter you shall enjoy a perfect communion of faints; nothing that is unholy or unsanctified shall enter into the holy of holies, which is prepared for you above: This, and all manner of evil what­soever you shall be delivered from, when your redemption is hereafter made complete in heaven; not only so, but you shall enter into the full en­joyment of all good. It is true all saints will not have the same degree of happiness, but all will be as happy as their hearts can desire. Believers, you shall judge evil, and familiarly converse with good, angels: You shal [...] sit down with Abraham, Isaac Jacob, and all the spirits of just men made perfect; and, to sum up all your happiness in one word, you shal [...] see God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost; and, by seeing God, be more and more like unto him, and pass from glory to glory, even to all eternity.

But I must stop: the glories of the upper world crowd in so last [...] my [...] I am [...] the [Page 141] redemption spoken of is unutterable; we cannot here find it out; eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the hearts of the most holy men living, to conceive how great it is. Was I to entertain you whole ages with an account of it, when you come to heaven you must say, with the queen of Sheba, "Not half, no, not one thousandth part was told us." All we can do here, is to go upon Mount Pisgah, and by the eye of faith, take a distant view of the promised land: we may see it, as Abraham did Christ, afar off, and rejoice in it; but here we o [...]y know in part. Blessed be God, there is a time coming, when we shall know God, even as we are known, and God be all in all. "Lord Jesus, accomplish the number of thine elect! Lord Jesus, hasten thy kingdom!"

And now, where are the scoffers of these last days, who count the lives of Christians to be mad­ness, and their end to be without honour? Un­happy men! you know not what you do. Were your eyes open, and had you senses to discern spi­ritual things, you would not speak all manner of evil against the children of God, but you would esteem them as the excellent ones of the earth, and envy their happiness: your souls would hun­ger and thirst after it: you also would become fools for Christ's sake. You boast of wisdom; so did the philosophers of Corinth: but your wisdom is the foolishness of folly in the sight of God.—What will your wisdom avail you, if it does not make you wise unto salvation? Can you, with all your wisdom, propose a more consistent scheme to build your hopes of salvation on, than what has been now laid down before you? Can you, with all the strength of natural reason, find out a better [Page 142] way of acceptance with God, than by the righte­ousness of the Lord Jesus Christ? Is it right to think your own works can in any measure deserve or procure it? If not, why will you not believe in him? Why will you not submit to his righte­ousness? Can you deny that you are fallen crea­tures? Do not you find that you are full of dis­orders, and that these disorders make you unhap­py? Do not you find that you cannot change your own hearts? Have you not resolved many and many a time, and have not your corruptions yet dominion over you? Are you not bond-slaves to your lusts, and led captive by the devil at his will? Why then will you not come to Christ for sanctification? Do you not desire to die the death of the righteous, and that your future state may be like theirs? I am persuaded you cannot bear the thoughts of being annihilated, much less of be­ing miserable for ever. Whatever you may pre­tend, if you speak truth, you must confess, tha [...] conscience breaks in upon you in your more sober intervals, whether you will or not, and even con­strains you to believe, that hell is no painted fire. And why then will you not come to Christ? He alone can procure you everlasting redemption.—Haste, haste away to him, poor beguiled sinners. You lack wisdom; ask it of Christ. Who knows but he may give it you? He is able: for he is the wisdom of the Father; he is that wisdom which was from everlasting. You have no righ­teousness; away, therefore, to Christ: He is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. You are unholy; flee to the Lord Jesus: he is full of grace and truth! and of his fulness, all may receive that believe in him. You are as if afraid to die; let this drive you to Christ; [Page 143] he has the keys of death and hell; in him is plen­teous redemption; he alone can open the door which leads to everlasting life. Let not, there­fore, the deceived reasoner boast any longer of his pretended reason. Whatever you may think, it is the most unreasonable thing in the world not to believe on Jesus Christ, whom God hath sent. Why, why will you die? Why will you not come unto him, that you may have life? Ho! every one that thirsteth, come unto the waters of life and drink freely: Come, buy without money and without price. Were these blessed privileges in the text to be purchased with money, you might say, we are poor, and cannot buy: or, were they to be conferred only on sinners of such a rank or degree, then you might say, how can such sinners as we, expect to be so highly favoured? But they are to be freely given of God to the worst of sin­ners. To us, says the apostle; to me a persecu­tor, to you Corinthians, who were unclean, drunk­ards, covetous persons, idolaters. Therefore, each poor sinner may say then, why not unto me? Has Christ but one blessing? What if he has blessed millions already, by turning them away from their iniquities; yet he still continues the same: he lives for ever to make intercession, and therefore will bless you, even you also. Though, Esau like, you have been profane, and hitherto despised your heavenly Father's birth-right; even now, if you believe, Christ will be made to you of God, "wis­dom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemp­tion."

But I must turn again to believers, for whose instruction, as I observed before, this discourse was particularly intended. You see brethren, partak­ers of the heavenly calling, what great blessings are [Page 144] treasured up for you in Jesus Christ your Head, and what you are entitled to by believing on his name, take heed therefore, that ye walk worthy of the vocation where with ye are called: Think often how highly you are favoured, and remember you have not chosen Christ, but Christ hath chosen you. Put on (as the elect of God) humbleness of mind, and glory, but O, let it be only in the Lord—for you have nothing but what you have re­ceived of God; by nature you were as foolish, as legal, as unholy, and in as damnable a condition as others; be pitiful therefore, be courteous, and as sanctification is a progressive work, beware of thinking you have already attained. Let him that is holy, be holy still, knowing that he who is most pure in heart, shall hereafter enjoy the clearest vi­sion of God—let indwelling sin be your daily bur­den, and not only bewail and lament, but see that you subdue it daily by the power of divine grace, and look up to Jesus continually to be the Finish­er, as well as Author of your faith—build not on your own faithfulness, but on God's unchangeable­ness—take heed of thinking you stand by the power of your own free will—the everlasting love o [...] God the Father must be your only hope and consolation—let this support you under all trials—remember that God's gifts and callings are with­out repentance—that Christ having once loved you, will love you to the end. Let this constrain you to obedience, and make you long and look for that blessed time, when he shall not only be your wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctifica­tion, but also compleat and everlasting redemption. Glory be to God in the highest.

THOUGH there be some who dare to deny the Lord Jesus, and disbelieve the revela­tion he has been pleased to give us, and thereby bring upon themselves swift destruction; yet I would charitably hope there are but few, if any such among you to whom I am now to preach the kingdom of God. Was I to ask you, "how you expect to be justified in the sight of an offended God?" I suppose you would answer, only for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. But, was I to come more home to your consciences, I fear most would make the Lord Jesus but in part their Sa­viour, and go about, as it were, to establish a righteousness of their own. And this is not think­ing contrary to the rules of Christian charity: For we are all self-righteous by nature; it is as natural for us to turn back to a covenant of works, as for the sparks to fly upwards. We have had so many legal and so few free-grace preachers, for these [Page 146] many years, that most professors now seem to be settled upon their lees, and rather deserve the title of Pharisees than Christians.

Thus it was with the generality of the people during the time of our Lord's public ministrations: And therefore, in almost all his discourses, he preached the gospel to poor sinners, and denounced terrible woes against proud self-justiciaries. The parable to which the words of the text belong, looks both these ways: For the evangelist informs us (ver. 9.) that our Lord "spake it unto certain who trusted in themselves, that they were righte­ous, and despised others." And a notable parable it is; a parable worthy your most serious attention. "He that hath ears to hear let him hear" what Jesus Christ speaks to all visible professors in it.

Ver. 10. "Two men went up to the temple to pray," (and never two men of more opposite cha­racters) "the one a Pharisee, and the other a Pub­lican." The Pharisees were the strictest sect a­mong the Jews; I was of the strictest sect of the Pharisees, says Paul. They played often; not only so, but they made long prayers; and, that they might appear extraordinary devout, they would pray at the corners of the street, where two ways met, that people going or coming, both ways, might see them. "They made broad (as our Lord informs us) the borders of their philacte [...]ies," they had pieces of parchment sown to their long robes, on which some parts of the scripture were written, that people might from thence infer, that they were lovers of the law of God. They were so very punctual and exact in outward purifications, that they washed at their going out and coming in. They held the washing of pots, brazen vessels and tables, and many other such-like things they [Page 147] did. They were very zealous for the traditions of the fathers, and for the observation of the rites and ceremonies of the church, notwithstanding they frequently made void the law of God by their traditions. And they were so exceedingly exact in the outward observation of the Sabbath, that they condemned our Lord for making a little clay with his spittle; and called him a sinner, and said, he was not of God, because he had given sight to a man born blind, on the Sabbath-day. For these reasons they were had in high veneration among the people, who were sadly misled by these blind guides: They had the uppermost places in the synagogues, and greetings in the market places (which they loved dearly) and were called of men, Rabbi; in short, they had such a reputation for piety, that it became a proverb among the Jews, that if there were but two men saved, the one of them must be a Pharisee.

As for the Publicans it was not so with them. It seems they were sometimes Jews, or at least pro­selytes of the gate; for we find the one here com­ing up to the temple; but for the generality, I am apt to think they were Gentiles;—for they were gatherers of the Roman taxes, and used to amass much wealth (as appears by the confession of Zac­cheus, one of the chief of them) by wronging men by false accusations. They were so universally in­famous, that our Lord himself tells his disciples, the excommunicated man should be to them as a Heathen man, or a Publican. And the Pharisees thought it a sufficient impeachment of our Lord's character, that he was a "friend to Publicans and sinners, and went to sit down with them at meat."

But, however they disagreed in other things, they agreed in this, that public worship is a duty [Page 148] incumbent upon all: For they both came up to the temple. The very Heathens were observers of temple-worship. We have very early notice of men's sacrificing to, and calling upon the name of the Lord, in the Old Testament! and I find it no where contradicted in the new. Our Lord, and his apostles, went up to the temple; and we are commanded by the apostle, "not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together," as the manner of too many is in our days; and such too, as would have us think well of them, though they seldom or never tread the courts of the Lord's house. But, though our devotions begin in our closets, they must not end there. And, if people never shew their devotions abroad, I must suspect they have little or none at home. "Two men went up to the temple." And what went they thither for? Not (as multitudes amongst us do) to make the house of God a house of merchandise, or to turn it into a den of thieves; much less to ridicule the preacher, or disturb the congregation. No, they came to the temple, says our Lord, to pray. Thither should the tribes of God's spiritual Israel go up, to walk with and pour out their hearts be­fore the mighty God of Jacob.

"Two men went up to the temple to pray." I fear one of them forgot his errand. I have often been at a loss what to call the Pharisee's address; It certainly does not deserve the name of prayer: He may rather be said to come to the temple to boast, than to pray; for I do not find one word of confession of his original guilt; not one single pe­tition for pardon of his past actual sins, or for grace to help and assist him for the time to come: he only brings in God, as it were, a reckoning of [Page 149] his performances, and does that, which no flesh can justly do, I mean, glory in his presence.

Verse 11. "The Pharisee stood, and prayed thus with himself; God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulter­ers, or even as this Publican."

Our Lord first takes notice of his posture; the Pharisee stood, he is not to be condemned for that; for standing, as well as kneeling, is a proper posture for prayer. When you stand praying, says our Lord; though sometimes our Lord kneeled, nay, lay slat on his face upon the ground; his apostles also kneeled, as we read in the Acts, which has made me wonder at some, who are so bigotted to standing in family as well as public prayer, that they will not kneel, notwithstanding all kneel that are around them. I fear there is something of the Pharisee in this conduct. Kneel­ing and standing are indifferent, if the knee of the soul be bent, and the heart upright towards God. We should study not to be particular in indiffer­ent things, lest we offend weak minds. What the Pharisee is remarked for, is his standing by himself: For the words may be rendered, he stood by himself, upon some eminent place, at the upper part of the temple, near the holy of holies, that the congregation might see what a devout man he was: Or it may be understood as we read it, he prayed by himself or of himself out of his own heart; he did not pray by form; it was an extempore prayer: For there are many Phari­sees that pray and preach too extempore. I do not see why these may not be acquired, as well as other arts and sciences. A man, with a good elo­cution, ready turn of thought, and good memory, [Page 150] may repeat his own or other men's sermons, and by the help of a Wilkins or Henry, may pray seemingly excellently well, and yet not have the least grain of true grace in his heart; and I speak this, not to cry down extempore prayer, or to discourage those dear souls who really pray by the Spirit; I only would hereby give a word of re­proof to those who are so bigotted to extempore prayer, that they condemn, at least judge, all that use forms, as though not so holy and heavenly, as others who pray without them. Alas! this is wrong. Not every one that prays extempore is a spiritual, nor every one that prays with a form, a formal man. Let us not judge one another; let not him that uses a form, judge him that prays extempore, on that account; and let not him that prays extempore, despise him who uses a form.—"The Pharisee stood, and prayed thus by him­self." Which may signify also praying inwardly in his heart; for there is a way (and that an ex­cellent one too) of praying when we cannot speak: thus Anna prayed when she spoke not aloud, only her lips moved. Thus God says to Moses, "Why criest thou?" when it is plain, he did not speak a word. This is what the apostle means by the "Spirit making intercession (for believers) with groanings which cannot be uttered." For there are times when the soul is too big to speak; when God fills as it were, and overshadows it with his presence, so that it can only fall down, worship, adore, and lie in the dust before the Lord. Again, there is a time when the soul is benumbed, bar­ren and dry, and the believer has not a word to say to his heavenly Father; and then the heart only can speak. And I mention this for the encou­ragement of weak Christians, who think they nev­er [Page 151] are accepted but when they have a flow of words, and fancy they do not please God at the bottom, for no other reason but because they do not please themselves. Such would do well to consider, that God knows the language of the heart, and the mind of the spirit; and that we make use of words, not to inform God, but to af­fect ourselves. Whenever therefore any of you find yourselves in such a frame, be not discourag­ed: offer yourselves up in silence before God, as clay in the hands of the potter, for him to write and stamp his own divine image upon your souls. But I believe the Pharisee knew nothing of this way of prayer: he was self-righteous, a stranger to the divine life; and therefore either of the for­mer explanations may be best put upon these words. "He stood, and prayed thus with himself; God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, ex­tortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this pub­lican." Here is some appearance of devotion, but it is only in appearance. To thank God, that we are not extortioners, unjust, adulterers, and as wicked in our practices, as other men are, is certainly meet, right, and our bounden duty: for whatever degrees of goodness there may be in us, more than in others, it is owing to God's re­straining, preventing and assisting grace. We are all equally conceived and born in sin all are fall­en short of the glory of God, and liable to all the curses and maledictions of the law; so that he that glorieth, must glory only in the Lord. For none of us have any thing which he did not re­ceive; and whatever we have received, we did not in the least merit it, nor could we lay the least claim to it on any account whatever: we are wholly indebted to free grace for all. Had the [Page 152] Pharisee thought thus, when he said, "God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are," it would have been an excellent introduction to his prayer: but he was a free-willer, as well as self-righteous (for he that is the one must be the oth­er) and thought by his own power and strength he had kept himself from these vices. And yet I do not see what reason he had to trust in himself that he was righteous, merely because he was not an extortioner, unjust, adulterer; for all this while he might be, as he certainly was (as is also every self-righteous person) as proud as the devil. But he not only boasts, but lies before God (as all self-justiciaries will be found liars here or here­after.) He thanks God that he was not unjust: but is it not an act of the highest injustice to rob God of his prerogative? Is it not an act of injus­tice to judge our neighbour? And yet of both these crimes this self-righteous vaunter is guilty. "Even as this Publican!" He seems to speak with the utmost disdain; this Publican Perhaps he pointed at the poor man, that others might treat him with the like contempt. Thou proud, confident boaster, what hadst thou to do with that poor Publican? Supposing other Publicans were unjust and extortioners, did it therefore follow that he must be so? Or, if he had been such a sinner, how knowest thou but he has repented of those sins? His coming up to the temple to pray, is one good sign of a reformation at least. Thou art therefore inexcusable, O Pharisee, who thus judg­est the Publican; for thou that judgest him to be unjust, art, in the very act of judging, unjust thy­self: thy sacrifice is only the sacrifice of a fool.

We have seen what the Pharisee's negative goodness comes to; I think, nothing at all. Let [Page 153] us now see how far his positive goodness extends; for, if we are truly religious, we shall not eschew evil, but also do good: "I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess."

The Pharisee is not here condemned for his fasting, for fasting is a Christian duty; "when you fast," says our Lord, thereby taking it for granted, that his disciples would fast. And "when the bridegroom shall be taken away, then shall they fast in those days." In fasting often, says the apostle. And all that would not be cast­aways, will take care, as their privilege, without legal constraint, to "keep their bodies under, and bring them into subjection." The Pharisee is only condemned for making a righteousness of his fasting, and thinking that God would accept him, or that he was any better than his neighbours, merely on account of his fasting: this is what he was blamed for. The Pharisee was not to be dis­commended for fasting twice in a week; I wish some Christians would imitate him more in this: but to depend on fasting in the least, for his justi­fication in the fight of God, was really abomina­ble. "I give tithes of all that I possess:" He might as well have said, I pay tithes. But self-righteous people (whatever they may say to the contrary) think they give something to God. I give tithes of all that I possess: I make consci­ence of giving tithes, not only of all that the law requires, but of my mint, annise, and cummin, of all things whatever I possess; this was well; but to boast of such things, or of fasting, is Pharisaical and devilish. Now then let us sum up all the righteousness of this boasting Pharisee, and see what little reason he had to trust in himself, that he was righteous, or to despise others. He is not [Page 154] unjust (but we have only his word for that, I think I have proved the contrary;) he is no adulterer, no extortioner; he fasts twice in the week, and gives tithes of all that he possesses; and all this he might do, and a great deal more, and yet be a child of the devil: for here is no mention made of his loving the Lord his God with all his heart, which was the "first and great commandment of the law;" here is not a single syllable of inward religion; and he was not a true Jew, who was on­ly one outwardly. It is only an outside piety at the best; inwardly he is full of pride, self-justifi­cation, free-will, and great uncharitableness.

Were not the Pharisees, do you think, highly offended at this character? For they might easily know that it was spoken against them. And though perhaps some of you may be offended at me, yet, out of love, I must tell you, I fear this parable is spoken against many of you: For are there not many of you, who go up to the temple to pray, with no better spirit than this Pharisee did? And because you fast, it may be in the Lent, or every Friday, and because you do nobody any harm, receive the sacrament, pay tithes, give an alms now and then, you think that you are safe, and trust in yourselves that you are righteous, and inward­ly despise those, who do not come up to you in these outward duties? This I am persuaded is the case of many of you, although alas! it is a des­perate one, as I shall endeavour to shew at the close of this discourse.

Let us now take a view of the Publican, verse 13. "And the Publican standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."

[Page 155] The "Publican standing afar off:" Perhaps in the outward court of the temple, conscious to himself that he was not worthy to approach the holy of holies; so conscious, and so weighed down with a sense of his own unworthiness, that he would not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven, which he knew was God's throne. Poor heart! what did he feel at this time! None but returning Publicans, like himself can tell. Methinks I see him stand­ing afar off, pensive, oppressed, and even over whelm­ed with sorrow; sometimes he attempts to look up; but then, thinks he, the heavens are unclean in God's sight, and the very angels are charged with folly; how then shall such a wretch as I, dare to lift up my guilty head! And to shew that his heart was full of holy self-resentment, and that he sor­rowed after a godly sort, he smote upon his breast; the word in the original implies, that he struck hard upon his breast; he will lay the blame upon [...]one but his own wicked heart. He will not, like un­humbled Adam, tacitly lay the fault of his vile­ness upon God, and say, the "passions which thou gavest me, they deceived me, and I sinned:" he is too penitent thus to reproach his Maker: he smites upon his breast, his treacherous, ungrateful, wick­ed breast; a breast now ready to burst: and at length, out of the abundance of his heart, I doubt not with many tears, he at last cries out, "God be merciful to me a sinner." Not, God be mer­ciful to yonder proud Pharisee: he found enough in himself to vent his resentment against, without looking abroad upon others. Not, God be mer­ciful to me a saint; for he knew all his righteous­nesses were but filthy rags. Not, God be merci­ful to such or such a one; but, God be merciful to me, even to me a sinner, a sinner by birth, a [Page 156] sinner in thought, word, and deed; a sinner as to my person, a sinner as to all my performances; a sinner in whom is no health, in whom dwelleth no good thing; a sinner, poor, miserable, blind, and naked, from the crown of the head to the sole of the feet, full of wounds, and bruises, and putrify­ing sores; a self-accused, self-condemned sinner. What think you? would this Publican have been offended if any minister had told him that he de­served to be damned? would he have been angry, if any one had told him, that by nature he was half a devil and half a beast? No: he would have confessed a thousand hells to have been his due, and that he was an earthly, devilish sinner. He felt now what a dreadful thing it was to depart from the living God: he felt that he was inexcus­able every way; that he could in no wise, upon account of any thing in himself, be justified in the sight of God; and therefore lays himself at the feet of sovereign mercy, "God be merciful to me a sinner." Here is no confidence in the flesh, no plea fetched from fasting, paying tithes, or the performance of any other duty; here is no boast­ing that he was not an extortioner, unjust, or an adulterer. Perhaps he had been guilty of all these crimes, at least he knew he would have been guilty of all these, had he been left to follow the devices and desires of his own heart; and therefore, with a broken and contrite spirit, he cries out, "God be merciful to me a sinner."

This man came up to the temple to pray, and he prayed indeed. And a broken and contrite heart God will not despise. I tell you, says our Lord, I who lay in the bosom of the Father from all eternity; I who am God, and therefore know all things; I who can neither deceive, nor be de­ceived, [Page 157] whose judgment is according to right; I tell you, whatever you may think of it, or of me for telling you so, this man, this Publican, this despised, sinful, but broken-hearted man, went down to his house justified (acquitted, and looked upon as righteous in the sight of God) rather than the other.

Let Pharisees take heed that they do not per­vert this text; for when it is said, "this man went down to his house justified rather than the other," our Lord does not mean that both were justified, and that the Publican had rather more justification than the Pharisee: but it implies, either that the Publican was actually justified, but the Pharisee was not; or, that the Publican was in a better way to receive justification, than the Pharisee; according to our Lord's saying, "the Publicans and harlots enter into the kingdom of heaven before you." That the Pharisee was not justified is certain, for God resisteth the proud; and that the Publican was at this time actually justified (and perhaps went home with a sense of it in his heart) we have great reason to infer from the latter part of the text, "For every one that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that hum­bleth himself shall be exalted."

The parable therefore now speaks to all who hear me this day: for that our Lord intended it for our learning, is evident, from his making such a general application; "for every one that exalt­eth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

The parable of the Publican and Pharisee, is but as it were a glass, wherein we may see the dif­ferent disposition of all mankind; for all mankind [Page 158] may be divided into two general classes. Either they trust wholly in themselves, or in part, that they are righteous, and then they are Pharisees; or they have no confidence in the fl [...]s [...], are self­condemned sinners, and then they come under the character of the Publican just now described. And we may add also, that the different reception these men met with, points out to us in lively co­lours, the different treatment the self-justiciary and self-condemned criminal will meet with at the terrible day of judgment; "Every one that ex­alts himself shall be abased, but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

Every one, without exception, young or old, high or low, rich or poor (for God is no respecter of persons) every one, whosoever he be, that ex­alteth himself, and not free grace; every one that trusteth in himself that he is righteous, that rests in his duties; or thinks to join them with the righteousness of Jesus Christ, for justification in the sight of God, though he be no adulterer, no extortioner, though he be not outwardly unjust, nay, though he last twice in the week, and gives tithes of all that he possesses; yet shall he be aba­sed in the sight of all good men who know him here, and before men and angels, and God him­self, when Jesus Christ comes to appear in judg­ment hereafter. How low, none but the Almigh­ty God can tell. He shall be abased to live with devils, and make his abode in the lowest hell for evermore.

Hear this, all ye self-justiciaries, tremble, and behold your doom! a dreadful doom, more dread­ful than words can express, or thought conceive! If you refuse to humble yourselves, after hearing this parable, I call heaven and earth to witness a­gainst [Page 159] you this day, that God shall visit you with all his storms, and pour all the vials of his wrath upon your rebellious heads; you exalted your­selves here, and God shall abase you hereafter; you are as proud as the devil, and with devils shall you dwell to all eternity. Be not deceived, God is not mocked; he sees your hearts, he knows all things. And notwithstanding you may come up to the temple to pray, your prayers are turned in­to sin, and you go down to your houses unjustifi­ed, it you are self justiciaries; and do you know what it is to be unjustified? Why, if you are un­justified, the wrath of God abideth upon you; you are in your blood; all the curses of the law belong to you: Cursed are you when you go out, cursed are you when you come in; cursed are your thoughts, cursed are your words, cursed are your deeds; every thing you do, say, or think from morning to night, is only one continued se­ries of sin. However highly you may be esteem­ed in the sight of men, however you may be hon­oured with the uppermost seats in the synagogues in the church militant, you will have no place in the church triumphant. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God: Pull down every self-righteous thought, and every proud imagination that now exalteth itself against the perfect, personal, imputed righteousness of the dear Lord Jesus: For he (and he alone) that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

He that humbleth himself, whatever he be; if, instead of [...]asting twice in the week, he has been drunk twice in the week; if, instead of giving tithes of all that he possesses, he has cheated the minister of his tithes, and state of his taxes; not­withstanding he be unjust, an extortioner, an a­dulterer, [Page 160] nay, notwithstanding the sins of all man­kind center and unite in him; yet, if through grace, like the Publican, he is enabled to humble himself, he shall be exalted; not in a temporal manner; for Christians must rather expect to be abased, and to have their names cast out as evil and to lay down their lives for Christ Jesus in this world: But he shall be exalted in a spiritual sense; he shall be freely justified from all his sins by the blood of Jesus; he shall have peace with God, a peace which passeth all understanding; not only peace, but joy in believing; he shall be translated from the kingdom of Satan, to the kingdom of God's dear Son: He shall dwell in Christ, and Christ in him: He shall be one with Christ, and Christ one with him: He shall drink of divine pleasures as out of a river: He shall be sanctified through­out in spirit, soul, and body; in one word, he shall be filled with all the fulness of God. Thus shall the man who humbleth himself be exalted here; but O how high shall he be exalted here­after! as high as the highest heavens, even to the righthand of God: There he shall sit, happy both in soul and body, and judge angels; high, out of the reach of all sin and trouble, eternally secure from all danger of falling. O sinners, did you but know how highly God intends to exalt those who humble themselves, and believe in Jesus, surely you would humble yourselves, at least beg of God to humble you; for it is he that must strike the rock of your hearts, and cause floods of contrite tears to flow therefrom. And O, that God would give this sermon such a commission, as he once gave the rod of Moses! I would strike you through and through with the rod of his word, till each of you was brought to cry out with the poor [Page 161] Publican, God be merciful to me a sinner. What pleasant language would this be in the ears of the Lord of Sabbaoth! Are there no sinners among you? What, are you all Pharisees? Surely you cannot bear the thoughts of returning home un­justified, can you? What if a fit of the apoplexy should seize you, and your souls be hurried away before the awful Judge of quick and dead? What will you do without Christ's righteousness? If you go out of the world unjustified, you must remain so for ever. O, that you would humble yourselves, then would the Lord exalt you: It may be, that whilst I am speaking, the Lord might justify you freely by his grace. I observed, that perhaps the Publican had a sense of his justification before he went from the temple, and knew that his pardon was sealed in heaven; and who knows but you may be thus exalted before you go home, if you humble yourselves? O, what peace, love, and joy, would you then feel in your hearts! You would have a heaven upon earth. O, that I could bear any of you say (as I once heard a poor sinner, un­der my preaching cry out) "He is come, he is come!" How would you then, like him, extol a precious, a free-hearted Christ! How would you magnify him for being such a friend to Publicans and sinners? Greater love can no man shew, than to lay down his life for a friend; but Christ laid down his life for his enemies, even for you, if you are enabled to humble yourselves, as the Publican did. Sinners, I know not how to leave off talking with you; I would fill my mouth with arguments, I would plead with you. Come, let us reason to­gether; though your sins be as scarlet, yet if you humble yourselves, they shall be as white as snow. [Page 162] One act of true faith in Christ justifies you for ever and ever; he has not promised you what he cannot perform; he is able to exalt you: For God hath exalted, and given him a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow; nay, God hath exalted him to be not only a Prince, but a Saviour. May he be a Saviour to you! and then I shall have reason to rejoice in the day of judgment, that I have not preached in vain, nor laboured in vain.

THESE words contain part of a gracious pro­mise, which the blessed Jesus was pleased to make to his weeping and sorrowful disciples. The time was now drawing near, in which the Son of man was first to be lifted upon the cross, and after­wards to heaven. Kind, wondrous kind! had this merciful High-priest been to his disciples, during the time of his tabernacling amongst them. He had compassion on their infirmities, answered for them when assaulted by their enemies, and fet them right when out of the way, either in princi­ple or practice. He neither called nor used them as servants, but as friends; and he revealed his se­crets to them from time to time. He opened their understandings, that they [...] understand the scriptures; explained to them the hidden mys­teries of the kingdom of God, when he spoke to others in parables: Nay, he became the servant of them all, and even condescended to wash their feet. The thoughts of parting with so dear and [Page 164] loving a master as this, especially for a long season, must needs affect them much. When on a cer­tain occasion he intended to be absent from them only for a night; we are told, he was obliged to constrain them to leave him; no wonder then, that when he now informed them he must entirely go away, and that the Pharisees in his absence would put them out of their synagogues, and excom­municate them; yea, that the time should come, that whosoever killed them, would think they did God service (a prophecy, one would imagine, in an especial manner designed for the suffering minis­ters of this generation;) no wonder, I say, consid­ering all this that we are told, ver. 6. Sorrow had [...] their hearts: "Because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your hearts." The expression is very emphatical; their hearts were so full of concern; that they were ready to burst. In order▪ therefore, to reconcile them to this mournful dispensation our dear and compas­sionate Redeemer shews them the necessity he lay under to leave them; "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away:" As though he had said, Think not, my dear disci­ples, that I leave you out of anger: No, it is for your sakes, for your profit that I go away: For if I go not away, if I die not upon the cross for your sins, and rise again for your justification, and ascend into heaven to make intercession, and plead my merits before my Father's throne, the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, will not, cannot come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And, that they might know what he was to do, "When he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment."

[Page 165] The person referred to in the words of the text, is plainly the Comforter, the Holy Ghost; and the promise was first made to our Lord's apostles. But though it was primarily made to them, and was literally and remarkably fulfilled at the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Ghost came down as a mighty rushing wind, and also when three thous­and were pricked to the heart by Peter's preach­ing; yet, as the apostles were the representatives of the whole body of believers, we must infer, that this promise must be looked upon as spoken to us, and to our children, and to as many as the Lord our God shall call.

My design from these words, is to shew the manner in which the Holy Ghost generally works upon the hearts of those, who, through grace, are made vessels of mercy, and translated from the kingdom of darkness, into the kingdom of God's dear Son.

I say, generally: for as God is a sovereign agent, his sacred Spirit bloweth not only on whom, out when and how it listeth. Therefore, far he it from me to confine the Almighty to one way of acting: or say, that all undergo an equal degree of conviction; no, there is a holy variety in God's methods of calling home his elect. But this we may affirm assuredly, that, wherever there is a work of true conviction and conversion wrought upon a sinner's heart, the Holy Ghost, whether by a greater or less degree of inward soul-trouble, does that which our Lord Jesus told the disciples, in the words of the text, that he should do when he came.

If any of you ridicule inward religion, or think there is no such thing as our feeling or receiving the Holy Ghost, I fear my preaching will be quite [Page 166] foolishness to you, and that you will understand me no more than if I spoke to you in an unknown tongue. But as the promise in the text is made to the world, and as I know it will be fulfilling till time shall be no more, I shall proceed to explain the general way whereby the Holy Ghost works upon every converted sinner's heart; and I hope that the Lord, even whilst I am speaking, will be pleased to fulfil it in many of your hearts. "And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment."

The word which we translate reprove, ought to be rendered convince; and in the original it im­p [...]es a conviction by way of argumentation, and coming with a power upon the mind equal to a demonstration. A great many scoffers of these last days, will ask such as they term pretenders to the Spirit, how they feel the Spirit, and how they know the Spirit? They might as well ask, how they know, and how they feel the sun when it shines upon the body? For with equal power and demonstration does the Spirit of God work upon and convince the soul. And,

First, It convinces of sin; and generally of some enormous sin, the worst perhaps the convicted per­son ever was guilty of. Thus, when our Lord was conversing with the woman of Samaria, he convinced her first of her adultery: "Woman, go call thy husband. The woman answered, and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: for thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast, is not thy husband; in this saidst thou truly." With this, there went such a powerful conviction of all her other actual sins, that soon after, she "left her water pot, and went her way into the city, and [Page 167] saith to the men, Come, and see a man that told me all things that ever I did: Is not this the Christ?" Thus our Lord also dealt with the per­secutor Saul: he convinced him first of the horrid sin of persecution; "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Such a sense of all his other sins, pro­bably at the same time revived in his mind, that immediately he died; that is, died to all his false confidences, and was thrown into such an agony of soul, that he continued three days, and neither did eat nor drink. This is the method the Spirit of God generally takes in dealing with sinners; he first convinces them of some heinous actual si [...] and at the same time brings all their other sins into remembrance, and as it were sets them in battle­array before them: "When he is come, he will reprove the world of sin."

And was it ever thus with you, my dear hearers? (For I must question you as I go along▪ because I intend, by the divine help, to preach not only to your heads, but your hearts.) Did the Spirit of God ever bring all your sins thus to remembrance, and make you cry out to God, "thou writest bit­ter things against me?" Did your actual sins ever appear before you, as though drawn in a map? If not, you have great reason (unle [...] you were sancti­fied from the womb) to suspect th [...] you are not convicted, much more not converted, and that the promise of the text was never yet fulfilled in your hearts.

Farther: When the Comforter comes into a sinner's heart, though it generally convinces the sinner of his actual sin first, yet it leads him to see and bewail his original sin, the fountain from which all these polluted streams do flow.

[Page 168] Though every thing in the earth, air and water; every thing both without and within, concur to prove the truth of that assertion in the scripture, "in Adam we all have died;" yet most are so hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, that not­withstanding they may give an assent to the truth of the proposition in their heads, yet they never felt it really in their hearts. Nay, some in words professedly deny it, though their works, too, too plainly prove them to be degenerate sons of a de­generate father. But when the Comforter, the Spirit of God arrests a sinner, and convinces him of sin, all carnal reasoning against original corrup­tion, every proud and high imagination, which exalteth itself against that doctrine, is immediately thrown down; and he is made to cry out, "Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" He now finds that concupisence is sin; and does not so much bewail his actual sins, as the inward perverse­ness of his heart, which he now finds not only to be an enemy to, but also direct enmity against God.

And did the Comforter, my dear friends, ever come with such a convincing power as this into your hearts? Were you ever made to see and feel, that in your flesh dwelleth no good thing; that you are conceived and born in sin; that you are by nature children of wrath; that God would be just if he damned you, though you never commit­ted an actual sin in your lives? So often as you have been at church and sacrament, did you ever feelingly confess, that there was no health in you; that the remembrance of your original and actual sins was grievous unto you, and the burden of them intolerable? If not, you have been only of­fering to God vain oblations; you never yet pray­ed in your lives, the Comforter never yet came ef­fectually [Page 169] into your souls; consequently you are not in the faith properly so called; no, you are at present in a state of death and damnation.

Again, the Comforter, when he comes effectu­ally to work upon a sinner, not only convinces him of the sin of his nature, and the sin of his life, but also of the sin of his duties.

We all naturally are legalists, thinking to be justified by the works of the law. When some­what awakened by the terrors of the Lord, we im­mediately, like the Pharisees of old, go about to establish our own righteousness, and think we shall, find acceptance with God, if we seek it with [...]ears; finding ourselves damned by nature and our actual sins, we then think to recommend ourselves to God by our duties, and hope, by our doings of one kind or another, to inherit eternal life. But, whenever the Comforter comes into the heart, it convinces the soul of these false rests, and makes the sinner to see that all his righteousnesses are but as filthy rags; that his best works are but so ma­ny splendid sins; and that, for the most pompous services, he deserves no better doom than that of the unprofitable servant, to be thrown into out­er darkness, where is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.

And was this degree of conviction ever wrought in any of your souls? Did the Comforter ever come into your hearts, so as to make you sick of your duties, as well as your sins? Were you ever, with the great apostle of the Gentiles, made to ab­hor your own righteousness which is by the law, and acknowledge that you deserve to be damned, though you should give all your goods to seed the poor? Were you made to feel, that your very re­pentance needed to be repented of, and that every [Page 170] thing in yourselves is but dung and dross? And that all the arguments you can [...]etch for mercy, must be out of the heart and pure unmerited love of God? Were you ever made to lie at the feet of sovereign grace, and to say, Lord if thou wilt, thou may'st save me; if not, thou may'st justly damn me; I have nothing to plead, I can in no wise justify myself in thy sight; my best perfor­mances, I see will condemn me; and all I have to depend upon is thy free grace? What say you? Was this ever, or is this now, the habitual language of your hearts? You have been frequently at the temple; but did you ever approach it in the tem­per of the poor publican; and, after you have done all▪ acknowledge that you have done nothing; and upon a feeling experimental sense of your own unworthiness and sinfulness every way, smite upon your breasts, and say, "God be merciful to us sin­ners?" If you never were thus minded, the Comforter never yet effectually came into your souls, you are out of Christ; and if God should require your souls in that condition, he would be no better to you than a consuming sire.

But there is a fourth sin, of which the comfort­er, when he comes convinces the soul, and which alone (it is very remarkable) our Lord mentions as though it was the only sin worth mentioning; for indeed it is the root of all other sins whatso­ever: It is the reigning as well as the damning sin of the world. And what now do you imagine that sin may be? It is that cursed sin, that root of all other evils, I mean the sin of unbelief. "Of sin, because they believe not on me."

But does the Christian world, or any of you that hear me this day, want the Holy Ghost to con­vince you of unbelief? Are there any infidels [Page 171] here? Yes (O that I had not too great reason to think so) I fear most are such: Not indeed such infidels as professedly deny the Lord that bought us (though I fear too many even of such monsters are in every country) but I mean such unbelievers that have no more faith in Christ than the devils themselves. Perhaps you may think you believe, because you repeat the creed, or subscribe to a confession of faith; because you go to church or meeting, receive the sacrament, and are taken in­to full communion. These are blessed privileges; but all this may be done without our being true believers. And I know not how to detect your false hypocritical faith better, than by putting to you this question, How long have you believed? Would not most of you say, as long as we can remember, we never did disbelieve. Then this is a certain sign that you have no true faith at all: No, not so much as a grain of mustard seed: For if you believe now (unless you were sanctified from your infancy, which is the case of some) you must know that there was a time in which you did not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost, if ever you received it, convinced you of this. Eternal truth has declared, "when he is come he will convince the world of sin, because they believe not on me."

None of us believe by nature: But after the Holy Ghost has convinced us of the sin of our na­tures, and the sin of our lives and duties, in order to convince us of our utter inability to save our­selves, and that we must be beholden to God, as for every thing else, so for faith (without which it is impossible to please, or be saved by Christ) he convinces us also that we have no faith. Dost thou believe on the Son of God? is the grand question [Page 172] which the Holy Ghost now puts to the soul: At the same time he works with such power and de­monstrations, that the soul sees, and is obliged to confess, that it has no faith.

This is a thing little thought of by most who call themselves believers. They dream they are Christians because they live in a Christian country: If they were born Turks, they would believe on Mahomet; for what is that which men common­ly call faith, but an outward consent to the estab­lished religion? But do not you thus deceive your ownselves; true faith is quite another thing. Ask yourselves, therefore, whether or not the Holy Ghost ever powerfully convinced you of the sin of unbelief? You are perhaps so devout (you may imagine) as to get a catalogue of sins, which you look over, and confess in a formal manner, as often as you go to the holy sacrament: But among all your sins, did you ever once confess and bewail that damning sin of unbelief? Were you ever made to cry out, Lord, give me faith; Lord, give me to believe on thee; O that I had faith! O that I could believe! If you never were thus distressed, at least, if you never saw and felt, that you had no faith, it is a certain sign that the Holy Ghost the Comforter, never came into and worked savingly upon your souls.

But is it not odd, that the Holy Ghost should be called a Comforter, when it is plain, by the experience of all God's children, that this work of conviction is usually attended with sore inward conflicts, and a great deal of soul-trouble? I an­swer, the Holy Ghost may well be termed a Com­forter, even in this work; because it is the only way to, and ends in, true solid comfort. Blessed are they that are thus convicted by him; for they [Page 173] shall be comforted. Nay, not only so, but there is present comfort, even in the midst of these con­victions: The soul secretly rejoices in the sight of its own misery, blesses God for bringing it out of darkness into light, and looks forward with a com­fortable prospect of future deliverances, knowing, that 'though sorrow may endure for a night, joy will come in the morning."

Thus it is that the Holy Ghost convinces the soul of sin. And, if so, how wretchedly are they mistaken, that blend the light of the Spirit with the light of conscience, as all such do, who say, that Christ lighteth every man that cometh into the world, and that light, if improved, will bring us to Jesus Christ? If such doctrine be true, the promise in the text was needless: Our Lord's apostles had already that light; the world hereaf­ter to be convinced, had that light; and, if that was sufficient to bring them to Christ, why was it expedient that Christ should go away to heaven, to send down the Holy Ghost to do this for them? Alas! all have not this Spirit: It is the special gift of God, and, without this special gift, we can never come to Christ.

The light of conscience will accuse or convince us of any common sin; but the light of natural conscience never did, never will, and never can convince us of unbelief. If it could, how comes it to pass, that not one of the heathens, who im­proved the light of nature in such an eminent de­gree, was ever convinced of unbelief? No, natu­ral conscience cannot effect this; it is the peculiar property of the Holy Ghost the Comforter: "When he is come, he will reprove (or convince) the world of sin, of righteousness, and judgment."

[Page 174] We have heard how he convinces of sin: We come now to shew,

Secondly, What is the righteousness, of which the Comforter convinces the world?

By the word righteousness, in some places of scripture, we are to understand that common jus­tice which we ought to practice between man and man; as when Paul is said to reason of temper­ance and righteousness before a trembling Felix. But here (as in a multitude of other places in ho­ly writ) we are to understand by the word righte­ousness, the active and passive obedience of the dear Lord Jesus; even that perfect, personal, all­sufficient righteousness, which he has wrought out for that world which the Spirit is to convince. "Of righteousness (says our Lord) because I go to the Father, and ye see me no more." This is one argument that the Holy Spirit makes use of to prove Christ's righteousness, because he is gone to the Father, and we see him no more. For had he not wrought out a sufficient righteousness, the Father would have sent him back, as not having done what he undertook; and we should have seen him again.

O the righteousness of Christ! It so comforts my soul, that I must be excused if I mention it in almost all my discourses. I would not, if I could help it, have one sermon without it. What­ever infidels may object, or Arminians sophistical­ly argue against an imputed righteousness; yet whoever know themselves and God, must acknow­ledge, that "Jesus Christ is the end of the law for righteousness (and perfect justification in the sight of God) to every one that believeth," and that we are to be made the righteousness of God in him. This, and this only, a poor sinner can [Page 175] lay hold of, as a sure anchor of his hope. What­ever other scheme of salvation men may lay, I ac­knowledge I can see no other foundation whereon to build my hopes of salvation, but on the rock of Christ's personal righteousness, imputed to my soul.

Many, I believe, have a rational conviction of, and agree with me in this: But rational convic­tions, if rested in, avail but little; it must be a spiritual, experimental conviction of the truth which is saving. And therefore our Lord says, when the Holy Ghost comes in the day of his power, it convinces of this righteousness, of the reality, completeness and sufficiency of it, to save a poor sinner.

We have seen how the Holy Ghost convinces the sinner of the sin of his nature, life, duties, and of the sin of unbelief, and what then must the poor crea­ture do? He must, he must inevitably despair, if there be no hope but in himself. When there­fore the Spirit has hunted the sinner out of all his false rests and hiding-places, taken off the pitiful fig-leaves of his own works, and driven him out of the trees of the garden (his outward reformations) and placed him naked before the bar of a sover­eign, holy, just, and sin-avenging God; then▪ then it is, when the soul, having the sentence of death within itself because of unbelief, has a sweet dis­play of Christ's righteousness made to it by the holy Spirit of God. Here it is, that he begins more immediately to act in the quality of a Com­forter, and convinces the soul so powerfully of the reality and all-sufficiency of Christ's righteousness, that the soul is immediately set a hungering and thirsting after it. Now the sinner begins to see, that though he has destroyed himself, yet in Christ [Page 176] is his help; that, though he has no righteousness of his own to recommend him, there is a fulness of grace, a fulness of truth, a fulness of righteous­ness in the dear Lord Jesus, which, if once impu­ted to him, would make him happy for ever and ever.

None can tell, but those happy souls who have experienced it, with what demonstration of the Spirit this conviction comes. O how amiable, as well as all-sufficient, does the blessed Jesus now appear! With what new eyes does the soul now see the Lord its righteousness! Brethren, it is un­utterable. If you were never thus convinced of Christ's righteousness in your own souls, though you may believe it doctrinally, it will avail you nothing; if the Comforter never came savingly into your souls, then you are comfortless indeed. But

What will this righteousness avail, if the soul has it not in possession?

Thirdly, The next thing therefore the Comfort­er, when he comes, convinces the soul of, is judgment.

By the word judgment I understand, that well­grounded peace, that settled judgment, which the soul forms of itself, when it is enabled by the Spi­rit of God to lay hold on Christ's righteousness, which I believe it always does, when convinced in the manner before-mentioned. "Of judgment (says our Lord) because the Prince of this world is judged;" the soul, being enabled to lay hold on Christ's perfect righteousness by a lively faith, has a conviction wrought in it by the Holy Spirit, that the "Prince of this world is judged." The soul being now justified by faith, has peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and can trium­phantly [Page 177] say, it is Christ that justifies me, who is he that condemns me? The strong man armed is now cast out; my soul is in a true peace; the Prince of this world will come and accuse, but he has now no share in me: The blessed Spirit which I have received, and whereby I am enabled to ap­ply Christ's righteousness to my poor soul, power­fully convinces me of this: Why should I fear? Or of what shall I be afraid, since God's Spirit witnesses with my spirit, that I am a child of God? The Lord is ascended up on high; he has led captivity captive; he has received the Holy Ghost the Comforter, that best of gifts for men: and that Comforter is come into my heart: he is faith­ful that hath promised: I, even I am powerfully, rationally, spiritually convicted of sin, righteous­ness and judgment. By this I know the prince of this world is judged.

Thus, I say, may we suppose that soul to tri­umph, in which the promise of the text is happily fulfilled. And though, at the beginning of this discourse, I said, most had never experienced any thing of this, and that therefore this preaching must be foolishness to such; yet I doubt not but there are some few happy souls, who, through grace, have been enabled to follow me step by step and notwithstanding the Holy Ghost might not directly work in the same order as I have de­scribed, and perhaps they cannot exactly say the time when, yet they have a w [...]ll grounded confi­dence that the work is done, and that they have really been convinced of sin, righteousness, and judgment, in some way, or at some time or a­nother.

And now what shall I say to you? O thank God, thank the Lord Jesus, thank the ever bless­ed [Page 178] Trinity, for this unspeakable gift: For you would never have been thus highly favoured, had not he who first spoke darkness into light, loved you with an everlasting love, and enlightened you by his Holy Spirit, and that too, not on account of any good thing foreseen in you, but for his own name's sake.

Be humble therefore, O believers be humble: Look to the rock from whence you have been hewn: Extol free grace; admire electing love, which alone has made you to differ from the rest of your brethren. Has God brought you into light? Walk as becometh the children of light. Provoke not the Holy Spirit to depart from you: For though he hath sealed you to the day of re­demption, and you know that the Prince of this world is judged; yet if you backslide, grow luke­warm, or forget your first love, the Lord will visit your offences with the rod of affliction, and your sin with spiritual scourges. Be not therefore high­minded, but fear. Rejoice, but let it be with trembling. As the elect of God, put on, not on­ly humbleness of mind, but bowels of compassion; and pray, O pray for your unconverted brethren! Help [...], help me now, O children of God, and hold up my hands, as Aaron and Hur once held up the hands of Moses. Pray whilst I am preach­ing, that the Lord may enable me to say, This day is the promise in the text fulfilled in some poor sinners' hearts. Cry mightily to God, and with the cords of a holy violence, pull down bless­ings on your neighbours' heads. Christ yet lives and reigns in heaven: The residue of the Spirit is yet in his hand, and a plentiful effusion of it is promised in the latter days of the church. And O that the Holy Ghost, the blessed Comforter, [Page 179] would now come down, and convince those that are Christ less among you, "of sin, of righteous­ness, and of judgment!" O that you were once made willing to be convinced!

But perhaps you had rather be filled with wine than with the Spirit, and are daily chasing that Holy Ghost from your souls. What shall I say for you to God? "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." What shall I say from God to you? Why?" that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself:" Therefore I beseech you, as in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. Do not go away contradicting and blas­pheming. I know Satan would have you begone. Many of you may be uneasy, and are ready to cry out, "What a weariness is this!" But I will not let you go: I have wrestled with God for my hear­ers in private, and I must wrestle with you here in public. Though of myself I can do nothing, and you can no more by your own power come to and believe on Christ, than Lazarus could come forth from the grave; yet who knows but God may beget some of you again to a lively hope by this foolishness of preaching, and that you may be some of that world, which the Comforter is to convince "of sin, of righteousness, and of judg­ment?" Poor Christ-less souls! do you know what a condition you are in? Why, you are lying in the wicked one, the devil; he rules in you, he walks and dwells in you, unless you dwell in Christ, and the Comforter is come into your hearts. And will you contentedly lie in that wicked one the devil? What wages will he give you? Eternal death. O that you would come to Christ! The free gift of God through him is eternal life. He will accept of you even now, if you will believe in [Page 180] him. The Comforter may yet come into your hearts, even yours. All that are now his living temples, were once lying in the wicked one as well as you. This blessed gift, this Holy Ghost, the blessed Jesus received even for the rebellious.

I see many of you affected: But are your pas­sions only a little wrought upon, or are your souls really touched with a lively sense of the heinousness of your sins, your want of faith, and the precious­ness of the righteousness of Jesus Christ? If so, I hope the Lord has been gracious, and that the Comforter is coming into your hearts. O do not stifle these convictions! Do not go away, and straightway forget what manner of doctrine you have heard, and thereby shew that these are only common workings of a few transient convictions, floating upon the surface of your hearts. Beg of God that you may be sincere (for he alone can make you so) and that you may indeed desire the promise of the text to be fulfilled in your souls, Who knows but the Lord may be gracious? Re­member you have no plea but sovereign mercy; but for your encouragement also, remember it is the world, such as you are, to whom the Comfort­er is to come, and whom he is to convince: Wait therefore at Wisdom's gates. The bare probabil­ity of having a door of mercy opened, is enough to keep you striving. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, the chief of them: You know not but he came to save you. Do not go and quarrel with God's decrees, and say, if I am a reprobate, I shall be damned; if I am elected, I shall be saved; and therefore I will do nothing. What have you to do with God's decrees? Secret things belong to him; it is your business to give "all diligence to make your calling and election [Page 181] sure." If there are but few who find the way that leads to life, do you strive to be some of them: You know not but you may be in the number of those few, and that your striving may be the means which God intends to bless, to give you an entrance in. If you do not act thus, you are not sincere; and, if you do, who knows but you may find mercy? For though after you have done all that you can, God may justly cut you off, yet never was a single person damned who did all that he could. Though therefore your hands are withered, stretch them out; though you are im­potent sick, and lame, come lie at the pool. Who knows but by and by the Lord Jesus may have compassion on you, and send the Comforter to convince you of sin, righteousness, and of judge­ment? He is a God full of compassion and long-suffering, otherwise you and I had been long since lifting up our eyes in torments. But still he is pa­tient with us!

O Christ-less sinners, you are alive, and who knows but God intends to bring you to repent­ance? Could my prayers or tears effect it, you should have volleys of the one, and floods of the other. My heart is touched with a sense of your condition: May our merciful High-Priest now send down the Comforter and make you sensible of it also! O the love of Christ! It constrains me to beseech you to come to him; what do you reject, if you reject Christ, the Lord of glory! Sinners, give the dear Redeemer a lodging in your souls. Do not be Bethshemites; give Christ your hearts, your whole hearts. Indeed he is worthy. He made you and not you yourselves. You are not your own; give Christ then your bodies and souls, which are his! Is it not enough to melt you down, [Page 182] to think that the high and lofty One who inhabit­eth eternity, should condescend to invite you by his ministers? How soon can he frown you to hell? And how know you but he may this very instant, if you do not hear his voice? Did any yet harden their hearts against Christ, and prosper? Come then do not send me sorrowful away: Do not let me have reason to cry out, O my leanness, my leanness! Do not let me go weeping into my clos­et, and say, "Lord they will not believe my re­port; Lord, I have called them, and they will not answer; I am unto them as a very pleasant song, and as one that plays upon a pleasant instrument; but their hearts are running after the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life." Would you be willing that I should give such an account of you, or make such a prayer before God? And yet I must not only do so here, but appear in judgment against you hereafter, unless you will come to Christ. Once more therefore I intreat you to come. What objections have you to make? Behold, I stand here in the name of God, to answer all that you can offer. But I know no one can come, unless the Father draw him: I will therefore address me to my God, and intercede with him to send the Comforter into your hearts.

O blessed Jesus, who art a God, whose compas­sions fail not, and in whom all the promises are yea and amen; thou that sittest between the che­rubims, shew thyself amongst us. Let us now see thy outgoings! O let us now taste that thou art gracious, and reveal thy almighty arm! Get thy­self the victory in these poor sinners' hearts. Let not the word spoken prove like water spilt upon the ground. Send down, send down, O great [Page 183] High-Priest, the Holy Spirit, to convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. So will we give thanks and praise to thee O Fa­ther, thee O Son, and thee O blessed Spirit; to whom as three Persons, but one God, be ascribed, by angels and archangels, by cherubims and sera­phims, and all the heavenly hosts, all possible pow­er, might, majesty, and dominion, now and for evermore. Amen, Amen, Amen.

SALVATION, every where through the whole scripture, is said to be the free gift of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Not only free, because God is a sovereign agent and therefore may withhold it from, or confer it on, whom he pleaseth; but free, because there is nothing to be found in man, that can any way induce God to be merciful unto him. The righteousness of Jesus Christ is the sole cause of our finding favour in God's sight: This righteousness apprehended by faith (which is also the gift of God) makes it our own; and this faith, if true, will work by love.

These are parts of those glad tidings which are published in the gospel; and of the certainty of them, next to the express word of God, the ex­perience of all such as have been saved, is the [...] and as I take it, the most undoubted proof, [...] God might teach us every way, he has been [...] to leave upon record many instances [...] the power of his grace exerted in the salvation [...] sev­eral persons, that we hearing how he dealt with [Page 185] them, might from thence infer the manner we must expect to be dealt with ourselves, and learn in what way we must look for salvation, if we tru­ly desire to be made partakers of the inheritance with the saints in light.

The conversion of the person referred to in the text, I think will be of no small service to us in this matter, if rightly improved, I would hope, most of you know who the person is, to whom the Lord Jesus speaks; it is the Publican Zaccheus, to whose house the blessed Jesus said, salvation came, and whom he pronounces a son of Abraham.

It is my design (God helping) to make some re­marks upon his conversion recorded at large in the preceding verses, and then to inforce the latter part of the text, as an encouragement to poor undone sinners to come to Jesus Christ. "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

The evangelist Luke introduces the account of this man's conversion thus, ver. 1. "And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho." The holy Jesus made it his business to go about doing good. As the sun in the firmament is continually spread­ing his benign, quickening, and cheering influenc­es over the natural; so the Son of Righteousness arose with healing under his wings, and was daily and hourly diffusing his gracious influences over the moral world. The preceeding chapter ac­quaints us of a notable miracle wrought by the holy Jesus on a poor blind Bartimeus; and in this, a greater presents itself to our consideration. The evangelist would have us take particular notice of it; for he introduces it with the word behold: "And behold, there was a man named Zaccheus, [Page 186] who was the chief among the Publicans, and he was rich."

Well might the evangelist usher in the relation of this man's conversion with the word behold! For, according to human judgment, how many insurmoutable obstacles lay in the way of it! Surely no one will say there was any fitness in Zaccheus for salvation; for we are told that he was a Publican, and therefore in all probability a notorious sinner. The Publicans were gatherers of the Roman taxes; they were infamous for their abominable extortion; their very name therefore became so odious, that we find the Pha­risees often reproached our Lord, as very wicked, because he was a friend unto and sat down to meat with them. Zaccheus then, being a Pub­lican, was no doubt a sinner; and, being chief a­mong the Publicans, consequently was chief among sinners. Nay, he was rich. And one inspired apostle has told us, that not many mighty, not many noble, are called. Another saith, "God has chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith." And he who was the Maker and the Redeemer of the apostles, assures us, "that it is easier for a camel (or cable-rope) to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the king­dom of God." Let not therefore the rich glory in the multitude of their riches.

But rich as he was, we are told, verse 3 that he sought to see Jesus." And that was a won­der indeed! The common people heard our Lord gladly, and the poor received the gospel. The multitude, the very mob, the people that kn [...]w not the law, as the proud high-priests called them▪ used to follow him on foot into the country, and sometimes stayed with him three days together to [Page 187] hear him preach: But did the rich believe or at­tend on him? No. Our Lord preached up the doctrine of the cross; he preached too searching for them, and therefore they counted him their enemy, persecuted and spoke all manner of evil against him falsely. Let not the ministers of Christ marvel, if they meet with the like treat­ment from the rich men of this wicked and adul­terous generation. I should think it no scandal (supposing it true) to hear it affirmed, that none but the poor attended my ministry. Their souls are as precious to our Lord Jesus Christ, as the souls of the greatest men. They were the poor that attended him in the days of his flesh: These are they whom he hath chosen to be rich in faith, and to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Were the rich in this world's goods generally to speak well of me, woe be unto me; I should think it a dreadful sign that I was only a wolf in sheep's cloathing, that I spoke peace, peace, when there was no peace and prophesied smoother things than the gospel would allow of. Hear ye this, O ye rich. Let who will dare to do it, God forbid that I should despise the poor; in doing so, I should reproach my Maker. The poor are dear to my soul; I rejoice to see them fly to the doctrine of Christ, like the doves to their windows. I only pray that the poor who attend, may be evangel­ized, and turned into the spirit of the gospel: "If so, blessed are ye; for yours is the kingdom of heaven."

But we must return to Zaccheus. He sought to see Jesus. This is good news. I heartily wish I could say, it was out of a good principle: But, without speaking contrary to that charity which hopes and believeth all things for the best, we [Page 188] may say, that the same principle drew him after Christ, which now draws multitudes (to speak plainly, it may be multitudes of you) to hear a particular preacher, even curiosity: For we are told, that he came not to hear his doctrine, but to view his person, or to use the words of the evan­gelist, to see who he was. Our Lord's same was now spread abroad through all Jerusalem, and all the country round about: Some said he was a good man; others, nay, but he deceiveth the people. And therefore curiosity drew out this rich Publican Zaccheus to see who this person was, of whom he had heard such various accounts. But it seems he could not conveniently get a sight of him for the press, and because he was little of stature. Alas! how many are kept from seeing Christ in glory, by reason of the press. I mean, how many are ashamed of being singularly good, a [...] therefore follow a multitude to do evil, be­cause they have a press or throng of polite acquain­tance! And▪ for fear of being set at nought by those with whom they used to sit at meat, they deny the Lord of [...], and are ashamed to confess him before men. This base, this servile fear of man, is the bane of true Christianity; it brings a dread­ful snare upon the soul, and is the ruin of ten thou­sands: For I am fully persuaded, numbers are ra­tionally convicted of gospel truths; but not being able to brook contempt, they will not prosecute their convictions, nor reduce them to practice. Happy those, who in this respect, at least, like Zaccheus, resolved to overcome all impediments that lie in their way to a sight of Christ: For find­ing he could not see Christ because of the press, and the littleness of his natural stature, he did not smite upon his breast, and depart, saying, "It is [Page 189] in vain to seek after a sight of him any longer, I can never attain unto it." No, finding he could not see Christ, if he continued in the midst of the press, "he ran before the multitude; and climbed up into a sycamore tree, to see him; for he was to pass that way▪"

There [...]s no [...]eeing Christ in glory, unless we run before the multitude, and are willing to be in the number of those despised few, who take the king­dom of God by violence. The broad way in which so many go, can never be that straight and narrow way which leads to life. Our Lord's flock was, and always will be, comparatively a little one: And unless we dare to run before the multitude in a holy singularity, and can rejoice in being ac­counted fools for Christ's sake, we shall never see Jesus with comfort, when he appears in glory. From mentioning the sycamore-tree, and consid­ering the difficulty with which Zaccheus must climb it, we may farther learn, that those who would see Christ, must undergo other difficulties and hard­ships, besides contempt. Zaccheus, without doubt went through both. Did not many, think you, laugh at him as he ran along, and in the language of Michal, Saul's daughter, cry out, how glori­ous did the rich Zacheus look to-day, when, for­getting, the greatness of his station, he ran before a pitiful, giddy mob, and climbed a sycamore-tree, to see an enthusiastic preacher! But Zaccheus cares not for all that; his curiosity was strong: If he could but see who Jesus was, he did not value what scoffers said of him. Thus, and much more will it be with all those who have an effectual de­sire to see Jesus in heaven: They will go on from strength to strength, break through every difficul­ty lying in their way, and care not what men or [Page 190] devils say of or do unto them. May the Lord make us all thus minded, for his dear Son's sake!

At length, after taking much pains, and going (as we may well suppose) through much contempt, Zaccheus has climbed the tree; and there he sits, as he thinks, hid in the leaves of it, and watching when he should see Jesus pass by: "For he was to pass by that way."

But sing, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth! Praise magnify, and adore sovereign, electing, free, preventing love; Jesus the everlasting God, the Prince of peace, who saw Nathaniel under the fig tree, and Zaccheus from eternity, now sees him in the sycamore-tree, and calls him in time.

Ver, 5. "And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zaccheus, make haste and come down; for this day I must abide at thy house." Amazing love! Well might Luke usher in the account with be­hold! It is worthy of our highest admiration. When Zaccheus thought of no such thing, nay, thought that Christ Jesus did not know him; be­hold, Christ does what we never hear he did be­fore or after, I mean, invite himself to the house of Zaccheus, saying, "Zaccheus make haste and come down; for this day I must abide at thy house." Not pray let me abide, but I must abide this day at thy house. He also calls him by name, as though he was well acquainted with him: and indeed well he might; for his name was written in the book of life, he was one of those whom the Father had given him from all eternity: therefore he must abide at his house that day. "For whom he did predestinate, them he also called."

Here then, as through a glass, we may see the doctrine of free grace evidently exemplified before [Page 191] us. Here was no fitness in Zaccheus. He was a Publican, chief among the Publicans; not only so, but rich, and came to see Christ only out of curiosity: but sovereign grace triumphs over all. And if we do God justice, and are effectually wrought upon, we must acknowledge there was no more fitness in us than in Zaccheus; and, had not Christ prevented us by his call, we had remained dead in trespasses and sins, and alienated from the divine life, even as others. "Jesus looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zaccheus, make haste and come down; for this day I must abide at thy house."

With what different emotions of heart may we suppose Zaccheus received this invitation? Think you not that he was surprised to hear Jesus Christ call him by name, and not only so, but invite him­self to his house? Surely, thinks Zaccheus, I dream: it cannot be; how should he know me? I never saw him before: besides, I shall undergo much contempt, if I receive him under my roof. Thus, I say, we may suppose Zaccheus thought within himself. But what saith the scripture? "I will make a willing people in the day of my power." With this outward call, there went an efficacious power from God, which sweetly over-ruled his natural will: and therefore, verse 6. "He made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully," not only into his house, but also into his heart.

Thus it is the great God brings home his chil­dren. He calls them by name, by his word or providence; he speaks to them also by his Spirit. Hereby they are enabled to open their hearts, and are made willing to receive the King of glory, For Zaccheus' sake, let us not entirely condemn people that come unto the word, out of no better [Page 192] principle than curiosity. Who knows, but God may call them? It is good to be where the Lord is passing by. May all who are now present out of this principle, hear the voice of the Son of God speaking to their souls; and so hear that they may live! Not that men ought therefore to take en­couragement to come out of curiosity. For per­haps a thousand more, at other times, came to see Christ out of curiosity, as well as Zaccheus, who were not effectually called by his grace. I only mention this for the encouragement of my own soul, and the consolation of God's children, who are too apt to be angry with those who do not at­tend on the word out of love to God: but let them alone. Brethren, pray for them. How do you know but Jesus Christ may speak to their hearts? A few words from Christ applied by his Spirit, will save their souls. "Zaccheus, says Christ, make haste and come down. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully."

I have observed in holy scripture, how particu­larly it is remarked, that persons rejoiced upon be­lieving in Christ. Thus the converted Eunuch went on his way rejoicing; thus the jailor rejoiced with his whole house; thus Zaccheus received Christ joyfully. And well may those rejoice who receive Jesus Christ; for with him they receive righteousness, sanctification, and eternal redemp­tion. Many have brought up an ill report upon our good land, and would fain persuade people that religion will make them melancholy mad. So far from it, that joy is one ingredient of the kingdom of God in the heart of a believer; "the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." To rejoice in the Lord, is a gospel duty. Rejoice in the Lord always, and [Page 193] again I say, rejoice. And who can be so joyful, as those who know that their pardon is sealed be­fore they go hence and are no more seen? The godly may, but I cannot see how any ungodly men can rejoice: they cannot be truly cheerful. What if wicked men may sometimes have laugh­ter amongst them? It is only the laughter of fools; in the midst of it there is heaviness; at the best, it is but like the crackling of thorns under a pot: It makes a blaze, but soon goes out. But, as for the godly, it is not so with them; their joy is sol­id and lasting. As it is a joy that a stranger in­termeddleth not with, so it is a joy that no man taketh from them, it is a joy in God, a joy un­speakable and full of glory.

It should seem that Zaccheus was under soul-distress but a little while; "perhaps," says Guth­rie, in his book intitled, The trial concerning a saving interest in Christ, "not above a quarter of an hour;" I add, perhaps not so long: For as one observes, sometimes the Lord Jesus delights to de­liver speedily. God is a sovereign agent, and works upon his children in their effectual calling, according to the counsel of his eternal will. It is with the spi­ritual, as natural birth: All women have not the like pangs; all Christians have not the like de­gree of conviction. But all agree in this, that all have Jesus Christ formed in their hearts: And those who have not so many trials at first, may be visited with the greater conflicts hereafter; though they never come into bondage again, after they have once received the spirit of adoption. "We have not (says Paul) received the spirit of bondage again unto fear." We know not what Zaccheus underwent before he died: However this one [Page 194] thing I know, he now believed in Christ, and was justified, or acquitted, and looked upon as righte­ous in God's sight, though a Publican, chief among the Publicans, not many moments before. And thus it is with all, that, like Zaccheus, receive Je­sus Christ, by faith into their hearts. The very moment they find rest in him, they are freely jus­tified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses; "for by grace are we saved, through faith, and that not of our­selves, it is the gift of God."

Say not within yourselves this is a licentious, Antinomian doctrine; for this faith, if true, will work by love, and be productive of the fruits of holiness. See an instance in this convert Zacche­as: No sooner had he received Jesus Christ by faith into his heart, but he evidences it by his works; for ver. 8. we are told Zaccheus stood forth, and said unto the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give unto the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him four fold."

Having believed on Jesus in his heart, he now makes confession of him with his mouth to salva­tion. Zaccheus stood forth: He was not asham­ed, but stood forth before his brother Publicans; for true faith casts out all servile, sinful fear of men; and said "Behold, Lord." It is remarka­ble, how readily people in scripture have owned the divinity of Christ immediately, upon their con­version. Thus the woman at Jacob's well; "Is not this the Christ?" Thus the man born blind; "Lord, I believe; and worshipped him." Thus Zaccheus, "Behold, Lord." An incontestible proof this to me, that those who deny our Lord's divinity, never effectually felt his power: If they [Page 195] had, they would not speak so lightly of him; they would scorn to deny his eternal power and God-head. "Zaccheus stood forth, and said, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." Noble fruits of a true living faith in the Lord Jesus! Every word calls for our notice. Not some small, not the tenth part, but the half. Of what? My goods; things that were valuable. My goods, his own, not another's: I give: Not, I will give when I die, when I can keep them no longer; but, I give now, even now. Zaccheus would be his own executor. For whilst we have time we should do good. But to whom would he give half of his goods? Not to the rich, not to those who were already clothed in purple and fine linen, of whom he might be recompensed again; but to the poor, the maimed, the halt, the blind, from which he could expect no recompence till the resurrection of the dead. "I give to the poor." But know­ing that he must be just, before he could be chari­table, and conscious to himself that in his public administrations he had wronged many persons, he adds, "And, if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." Hear ye this, all ye that make no conscience of cheating the king of his taxes, or of buying or selling run goods. If ever God gives you true faith, you will never rest, till, like Zaccheus, you have made restitution to the utmost of your pow­er. I suppose, before his conversion he thought it no harm to cheat thus, no more than you may do now, and pleased himself frequently, to be sure, that he got rich by doing so: But now he is griev­ed for it at his heart; he confesses his injustice [Page 196] before men, and promises to make ample restitu­tion. Go, ye cheating Publicans, learn of Zac­cheus, go away and do likewise; if you do not make restitution here, the Lord Jesus shall make you confess your sins before men and angels, and condemn you for it, when he comes in the glory of his Father to judgment hereafter.

After all this, with good reason might our Lord say unto him, "This day is salvation come to this house; forasmuch as he is the son of Abraham;" not so much by a natural as by a spiritual birth. He was made partaker of like precious faith with Abraham: Like Abraham, he believed on the Lord, and it was accounted to him for righteous­ness: His faith, like Abraham's, worked by love; and I doubt not, but he has been long since sit­ting in Abraham's harbour.

And now are you not ashamed of yourselves, who speak against the doctrines of grace, especially that doctrine of being justified by faith alone, as though it leaded to licentiousness? What can be more unjust than such a charge? Is not the instance of Zaccheus a sufficient proof to the contrary? Have I strained it to serve my own turn? God forbid. To the best of my knowledge I have spoken the truth in sincerity, and the truth as it is in Jesus. I do affirm that we are saved by grace, and that we are justified by faith alone: But I do also affirm, that faith must be evidenced by good works where there is an opportunity of performing them.

What therefore has been said of Zaccheus, may serve as a rule, whereby all may judge whether they have faith or not. You say you have faith; but how do you prove it? Did you ever hear the Lord Jesus call you by name? Were you ever [Page 197] made to obey that call? Did you ever, like Zac­cheus, receive Jesus Christ joyfully into your hearts? Are you influenced by the faith you say you have, to stand up and confess the Lord Jesus before men? Were you ever made willing to own, and humble yourselves for, your past offences? Does your faith work by love, so that you conscientious­ly lay up, according as God has prospered you, for the support of the poor? Do you give alms of all things that you possess? And have you made due restitution to those you have wronged? If so, happy are ye; salvation is come to your souls; you are sons, you are daughters of, you shall shortly be everlasting [...] blessed with faithful Abraham. But, if you are not thus minded, do not deceive your own souls; though you may talk of justifi­cation by saith, like angels, it will do you no good; it will only increase your damnation. You hold the truth, but it is in unrighteousness: Your faith being without works, is dead; you have the devil, not Abraham, for your father. Unless you get a faith of the heart, a faith working by love, with devils and damned spirits shall you dwell for ever­more.

But it is time now to enforce the latter part of the text; "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." These words are spoken by our Saviour, in answer to some self­righteous Pharisees, who instead of rejoicing with the angels in heaven, at the conversion of such a sinner, murmured, "that he was gone to be a guest with a man that was a sinner." To vindi­cate his conduct, he tells them, that this was an act agreeable to the design of his coming: "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that [Page 198] which was lost." He might have said, the "Son of God." But O the wonderful condescension of our Redeemer! He delights to style himself the Son of man. He came not only to save, "but to seek and to save that which was lost." He came to Jericho to seek and save Zaccheus; for other­wise Zaccheus would never have been saved by him. But from whence came he? Even from heaven, his dwelling-place, to this lower earth, this vale of tears, "to seek and save that which was lost;" or all that feel themselves lost, and are willing, like Zaccheus, to receive him into their hearts to save them; with how great a salvation? even from the guilt, and also from the power of their sins; to make them heirs of God, and joint-heirs with himself, and partakers of that glory which he enjoyed with the Father before the world began. Thus will the Son of man save that which is lost. He was made the Son of man on purpose that he might save them. He had no other end but this in leaving his Father's throne, in obeying the moral law, and hanging upon the cross: All that was done and suffered, merely to satisfy, and procure a righteousness for poor, lost, undone sinners, and that too without respect of persons. "That which was lost:" all of every nation and language, that feel, bewail, and are truly desirous of being delivered from their lost state, did the Son of man come down to seek and to save: For he is mighty, not only so, but will­ing, to save to the uttermost all that come to God through him; he will in no wise cast them out. For he is the same to-day as he was yesterday. He comes now to sinners, as well as formerly; and, I hope, hath sent me out this day to seek, [Page 199] and, under him, to bring home some of you, the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

What say you? Shall I go home rejoicing, say­ing, that many like sheep, have gone astray, but they have now believed on Jesus Christ, and so re­turned home to the great Shepherd and Bishop of their souls? If the Lord would be pleased thus to prosper my handy-work, I care not how many le­galists and self-righteous Pharisees murmur against me, for offering salvation to the worst of sinners: For I know the Son of man came to seek and to save them; and the Lord Jesus will now be a guest to the worst Publican, the vilest sinner that is among you, if he does but believe on him.—Make haste then, O sinners, make haste, and come by faith to Christ. Then, this day, even this hour, nay this moment, if you believe, Jesus Christ shall come and make his eternal abode in your hearts. Which of you is made willing to receive the King of glory? Which of you obeys the call, as Zaccheus did? Alas! why do you stand still? How know you, whether Jesus Christ may ever call you again? Come then, poor, guil­ty sinners; come away, poor, lost, undone Publi­cans: Make haste, I say, and come away to Jesus Christ. The Lord condescends to invite himself to come under the filthy roofs of the houses of your souls. Do not be afraid of entertaining him; he will fill you with all peace and joy in believing. Do not be ashamed to run before the multitude, and to have all manner of evil spoken against you falsely for his sake: One sight of Christ will make amends for all. Zaccheus was laughed at; and "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suf­fer persecution." But what of that? Zaccheus is now crowned in glory; as you also shall shortly [Page 200] be, if you believe on, and are reproached for Christ's sake. Do not, therefore, put me off with frivolous excuses; there is no excuse can be given for your not coming to Christ. You are lost, un­done without him; and if he is not glorified in your salvation, he will be glorified in your destruc­tion; if he does not come and make his abode in your hearts, you must take up an eternal abode with the devil and his angels. O that the Lord would be pleased to pass by some of you at this time! O that he may call you by his Spirit, and make you a willing people in this day of his power! For I know my calling will not do, unless he, by his efficacious grace, compel you to come in. O that you once felt what it is to receive Jesus Christ into your hearts! You would soon, like Zacche­us, give him every thing. You do not love Christ, because you do not know him; you do not come to him, because you do not feel your want of him: you are whole and not broken-hearted; you are not sick, at least not sensible of your sickness; and, therefore, no wonder you do not apply to Jesus Christ, that great, that almigh­ty physician. You do not feel yourselves lost, and therefore do not seek to be found in Christ. O that God would wound you with the sword of his Spirit, and cause his arrows of conviction to stick deep in your hearts! O that he would dart a ray of divine light into your souls! For if you do not feel yourselves lost without Christ, you are of all men most miserable: your souls are dead; you are not only an image of hell, but in some degree hell itself: you carry hell about with you, and you know it not. O that I could see some of you sensible of this, and hear you cry out, "Lord, break this hard heart; Lord, deliver me from the [Page 201] body of this death; draw me, Lord make me willing to come after thee; I am lost; Lord, save me, or I perish!" Was this your case, how soon would the Lord stretch forth his almighty hand, and say, be of good cheer, it is I; be not afraid? What a wonderful calm would then possess your troubled souls! Your fellowship would then be with the Father and the Son: Your life would be hid with Christ in God.

Some of you, I hope, have experienced this, and can say, I was loft, but am found; I was dead, but am alive again. The Son of man came and sought me in the day of his power, and saved my sinful soul. And do you repent that you came to Christ? Has he not been a good Master! Is not his presence sweet to your souls? Has he not been faithful to his promise? And have you not found, that even in doing and suffering for him, there is an exceeding present great reward? I am persuaded you will answer, Yes. O then, ye saints, recommend and talk of the love of Christ to oth­ers, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you! This may encourage others to come unto him. And who knows but the Lord may make you fishers of men? The story of Zac­cheus was left on record for this purpose. No truly convicted soul, after such an instance of di­vine grace has been laid before him, need despair of mercy. What if you are Publicans? Was not Zaccheus a Publican? What if you are chief among the Publicans? Was not Zaccheus like­wise? What if you are rich? Was not Zaccheus rich also? And yet almighty grace made him more than conqueror over all these hindrances. All things are possible to Jesus Christ; nothing is too hard for him: he is the Lord almighty. Our [Page 202] mountains of sins must all fall before this great Zerubabel. On him God the Father has laid the iniquities of all that shall truly believe; and in his own body he bare them on the tree. There, there, by faith, O mourners in Sion, may you see your Saviour hanging with arms stretched out, and hear him, as it were, thus speaking to your souls; "Behold how I have loved you! Behold my hands and my feet? Look, look into my wounded side, and see a heart flaming with love: Love stronger than death. Come into my arms, O sinners, come wash your spotted souls in my heart's blood. See here is a fo [...]ntain opened for all sin and all uncleanness! See, O guilty souls, how the wrath of God is now abiding upon you: Come, haste away, and hide yourselves in the clefts of my wounds; for I am wounded for your transgressions; I am dying that you may live for evermore. Behold, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so I am here lifted up upon a tree. See how I am become a curse for you: The chastisement of your peace is upon me. I am thus scourged, thus wounded, thus crucified, that you by my stripes may be healed. O look unto me all ye trembling sinners, even to the ends of the earth! Look unto me by faith, and you shall be saved: For I came thus to be obedient even unto death, that I might save that which was lost"

And what say you to this, O sinners? Suppose you saw the King of glory dying, and thus speak­ing to you? Would you believe on him? No, you would not, unless you believe on him now—For though he is dead, he yet speaketh all this in the scripture, nay, in effect, says all this in the words of the text, "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost—Do not [Page 203] therefore any longer crucify the Lord of glory, bring those rebels, your sins, which will not have him to reign over them—Bring them out to him, though you cannot slay them yourselves, yet he will slay them for you, the power of his death and resurrection is as great now as formerly—Make haste therefore, make haste, O ye publicans and sinners, and give the dear Lord Jesus your hearts, your whole hearts. If you refuse to hearken to this call of the Lord, remember your damnation will be just, I am free from the blood of you all: You must acquit my Master and me at the ter­rible day of judgment. O that you may know the things that belong to your everlasting peace, before they are eternally hid from your eyes! Let all that love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity say, Amen.

THE apostle, in the verses before the text, had been cautioning the Philippians to be­ware of the concision, Jadaizing teachers, who en­deavoured to subvert them from the simplicity of the gospel, by telling them, they still ought to be subject to circumcision and all the other ordinan­ces of Moses. And that they might not think he spoke out of prejudice, and condemned their tenets because he himself was a stranger to the Jew­ish dispensation, he acquaints them, that if any other man thought he had whereof he might trust in the flesh, or seek to be justified by the outward privileges of the Jews, he had more: for he was circumcised the eighth day; of the stock of Israel (not a proselyte, but a native Israelite;) of the tribe of Benjamin (the tribe which adhered to Judah when the others revolted;) an Hebrew of the Hebrews, a Jew both of the father and mo­ther's side) and as touching the law, a pharisee, the strictest sect among all Israel. To shew that he was no Gallio in religion, through his great though misguided zeal, he had persecuted the church of Christ; and as touching the righteous­ness [Page 205] of the law (as far as the Pharisees exposition of it went) he was blameless, and had kept it from his youth. But, when it pleased God who separated him from his mother's womb, to reveal his Son in him, What things were gain to me, (he says) those privileges I boasted myself in, and sought to be justified by, I counted loss for Christ. And that they might not think he repented that he had done so, he tells them, he was now more confirmed than ever in his judgment. For, says he, "yea doubtless," (the expression in the origi­nal rises with a holy triumph)" and I do count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." And that they might not object that he said, and did not, he acquaints them, he had given proofs of the sincerity of these professions, because for the sake of them, he had suffered the loss of all his worldly things, and still was willing to do more; for, "I count them but dung (no more than offals thrown out to dogs) so that I may win, (or have a saving interest in) Christ, and be found in him, (as the manslayer in the city of refuge) not having my own righteous­ness which is of the law," not depending on hav­ing Abraham for my father, or on any works of righteousness which I have done, either to a­tone or serve as a balance for my evil deeds, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the right­eousness which is of God by faith, a righteousness of God's appointing, and which will be imputed to me, if I believe in Christ, "that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection;" that I may have an experimental knowledge of the effi­cacy of his resurrect on by feeling the influences of his blessed Spirit on my soul. In which words two things are implied.

• [Page 206] First, That Jesus Christ did rise from the dead.
• Secondly; That it highly concerns us to know the power of his rising again.

Accordingly in the following discourse I shall endeavour to shew

• First, That Christ is risen indeed from the dead; and that it was necessary for him so to do; and,
• Secondly, That it highly concerns us to know and experience the power of his resurrection.
• First, Christ is indeed risen.

That Jesus should rise from the dead was abso­lutely necessary.

First, on his own account. He had often appealed to this as the last and most convincing proof, he would give them that he was the true Messiah, "There shall no other sign be given you, than the sign of the prophet Jonas. And again, Destroy this temple of my body, and in three days I will build it up." Which words his enemies remembered, and urged it as an argument, to in­duce Pilate to grant them a watch, to prevent his being stolen out of the grave. "We know that deceiver said, whilst he was yet alive, after three days I will rise again." So that had he not risen again, they might have justly said, we know that this man was an impostor.

Secondly, It was necessary on our account. "He rose again, says the apostle, for our justifica­tion;" or that the debt we owed to God for our sins, might be fully satisfied and discharged.

It had pleased the Father (for ever adored be his infinite love and free grace) to wound his only Son for our transgressions, and to arrest and confine him in the prison of the grave, as our surety for the guilt we had contracted by setting at nought his commandments. Now had Christ continued al­ways [Page 207] in the grave, we could have had no more assurance that our sins were satisfied for, than any common debtor can have of his creditor's being satisfied whilst his surety is kept confined. But he being released from the power of death, we are thereby assured, that with his sacrifice God was well pleased, and that our atonement was finished on the cross, and that he had made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the world.

Thirdly. It was necessary that our Lord Jesus should rise again from the dead, to assure us of the certainty of the resurrection of our own bodies.

The doctrine of the resurrection of the body was entirely exploded and set at nought among the Gentiles, as appears from the Athenians mocking at, and calling St. Paul a babbler and a setter forth of strange doctrines when he preached to them Je­sus, and the resurrection. And though it was be­lieved by most of the Jews, as is evident from ma­ny passages of scripture, yet not by all; the whole sect of the Sadduces denied it. But the resurrec­tion of Jesus Christ put it out of dispute. For as he acted as our representative, if he our Head is risen, then must we also, who are his members rise with him. And as in the first Adam we all died, even so in him our second Adam we must all, in this sense, be made alive.

As it was necessary, upon these accounts, that our blessed Lord should rise from the dead; so it is plain beyond contradiction, that he did. Nev­er was any matter of fact better attested; never were more precautions made use of to prevent a cheat. He was buried in a sepulchre, hewn out of a rock, so that it could not be said that any digged under, and conveyed him away. It was a [Page 208] sepulchre also wherein man never was laid; so that if any body did rise from thence, it must be the body of Jesus of Nazareth. Besides, the sepulchre was sealed; a great stone rolled over the mouth of it; and a band of soldiers (consist­ing not of friends, but of his professed enemies) was set to guard it. And as for his disciples coming by night and stealing him away, it was altogether improbable: for it was not long since, that they had all forsaken him, and they were the most backward in believing his resurrection. And sup­posing it was true that they came whilst the sol­diers slept; yet the soldiers must be cast into a deep sleep indeed, that the rolling away so great a stone did not awake some of them.

And our blessed Lord's afterwards appearing at sundry times, and in divers manners, to his disci­ples, as when they were assembled together, when they were walking to Emma [...]s, when they were fishing; nay, and condescending to shew them his hands and feet, and his appearing to above five hundred brethren at once, put the truth of his re­surrection out of all dispute.

Indeed there is one objection that may be made against what has been said, that the books wherein these facts are recorded were written by his dis­sciples.

And who more proper persons than those who were eye-witnesses of what they related, and eat and drank with him after his resurrection? "But they were illiterate and ignorant men." Yet as good witnesses of a plain matter of fact, as the m [...]st learned masters in Israel. Nay, this render­ed them more proper witnesses. For being plain men, they were therefore [...] to be suspected of t [...]l [...]ing or making a lie, particularly, since they [Page 209] laid down their lives for a testimony of the truth of it. We read indeed of Jacob's telling a lie, though he was a plain man, in order to get his father's blessing. But it was never heard since the world began, that any man, much less a whole set of men, died martyrs for the sake of an untruth, when they themselves were to reap no advantage from it.

No, this single circumstance proves them to be Israelites indeed, in whom was no guile. And the wonderful success God gave to their ministry after­wards, when three thousand were converted by one sermon; and twelve poor fishermen, in a very short time enabled to be more than conquerors over all the opposition men or devils could make, was as plain a demonstration, that Christ was risen, accord­ing to their gospel, as that a divine power, at the sound of a few ram horns, caused the wall of Jeri­ch [...] to fall down.

But what need we any farther witnesses? Believe you the resurrection of our blessed Lord? I know that you believe it, as your gathering together on this first day of the week in the courts o [...] the Lord's house abundantly testifies.

What concerns us most to be assured of, and which is the

Second thing I was to speak to, is, Whether we have experimentally known the power of his resur­rection; that is, Whether or not we have received the Holy Ghost, and by his powerful operations on our hearts, have been raised from the death of sin, to a life of righteousness, and true holiness.

It was this, the great apostle was chiefly desirous to know: the resurrection of Christ's body he was satisfied would avail him nothing, unless he experi­enced the power of it in rai [...]ing [...] dead soul.

[Page 210] For another, and that a chief end of our blessed Lord's rising from the dead, was to enter heaven as our representative, and to send down the Holy Ghost to apply that redemption he had finished on the cross, to our hearts, by working an entire change in them.

Without this, Christ would have died in vain. For it would have done us no service to have had his outward righteousness imputed to us, unless we had an inward inherent righteousness wrought in us. Because, being altogether conceived and born in sin, and consequently unfit to hold communion with an infinitely pure and holy God, we cannot possibly be made meet to see and enjoy him, till a thorough renovation has passed upon our hearts.

Without this we leave out the Holy Ghost in the great work of our redemption. But as we were made by the joint concurrence and consulta­tion of the blessed Trinity; and as we were bap­tized in their name, so must all of them concur in our salvation: as the Father made, and the Son redeemed, so must the Holy Ghost sanctify and seal us, or otherwise we have believed in vain.

This then is what the apostle means by the pow­er of Christ's resurrection, and this is what we are as much concerned experimentally to know, as that he rose at all.

Without this, though we may be moralists, though we may be civilized, good-natured people, yet we are no Christians. For he is not a true Christian, who is only one outwardly; nor have we therefore a right, because we daily profess, to be­lieve that Christ rose again the third day from the dead. But he is a true Christian who is one in­wardly, and then only can we be styled true be­lievers, when we not only profess to believe, but [Page 211] have felt the power of our blessed Lord's rising from the dead, by being quickened and raised by his Spirit, when dead in trespasses and sins, to a thorough newness both of heart and life.

The devils themselves cannot but believe the doctrine of the resurrection, and tremble; but yet they continue devils, because the benefits of this resurrection have not been applied to them, nor have they received a renovating power from it, to change and put off their diabolical nature. And so, unless we not only profess to know, but also feel that Christ is risen indeed, by being born a­gain from above, we shall be as far from the king­dom of God as they: our faith will be as ineffectu­al as the faith of devils.

Nothing has done more harm to the Christian world, nothing has rendered the cross of Christ of less effect, than a vain supposition, that religion is something without us. Whereas we should con­sider, that every thing that Christ did outwardly▪ must be done over again in our souls; or other­wise, the believing there was such a divine Person once on earth who triumphed over hell and the grave, will profit us no more than believing there was once such a person as Alexander who con­quered the world.

As Christ was born of the Virgin's womb, so must he be spiritually formed in our hearts. As he died for sin, so must we die to sin. And as he rose again from the dead, so must we also rise to a divine life.

None but those who have followed him in this regeneration, or new-birth, shall sit on thrones as approvers of his sentence, when he shall come in terrible majesty to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

[Page 212] It is true, as for the outward work of our re­demption, it was a transient act, and was certainly finished on the cross; but the application of that redemption to our hearts, is a work that will con­tinue always, even unto the end of the world.

So long as there is an elect man breathing on the earth, who is naturally engendered of the off­spring of the first Adam, so long must the quick­ening Spirit, which was purchased by the resur­rection of the second Adam, that Lord from heaven, be breathing upon his soul.

For though we may exist by Christ, yet we cannot be said to exist in him, till we are united to him by one spirit, and enter into a new state of things, as certainly as he entered into a new state of things, after that he rose from the dead.

We may throng and crowd round about Christ, and call him Lord, Lord, when we come to wor­ship before his footstool; but we have not effec­tually touched him, till by a lively faith in his re­surrection, we perceive a divine virtue coming out of him, to renew and purify our souls.

How greatly then do they err who rest in a bare historical faith of our Saviour's resurrection, and look only for external proofs to evidence it? Whereas were we the most learned disputers of this world, and could speak of the certainty of this fact with the tongue of men and angels, yet with­out this inward testimony of it in our hearts, tho' we might convince others, yet we should never be saved by it ourselves.

For we are but dead men, we are like so many carcases wrapt up in grave clothes, till that same Jesus who called Lazarus from his tomb, and at whose own resurrection many that slept arose, doth raise us also by his quickening Spirit from our [Page 213] natural death, in which we have so long lain, to a holy and heavenly life.

We might think ourselves happy, if we had seen the holy Jesus after he was risen from the dead, and our hands had handled that Lord of life. But more happy are they who have not seen him, and yet having felt the power of his resur­rection, therefore believe in him. For many saw our divine Master, who were not saved by him; but whosoever has thus felt the power of his re­surrection, has the earnest of his inheritance in his heart, he has passed from death to life, and shall never fall into final condemnation.

I am very sensible that this is foolishness to the natural man, as were many such like truths to our Lord's own disciples, when only weak in faith, be­fore he rose again. But when these natural men, like them, have fully felt the power of his resur­rection, they will then own that this doctrine is from God, and say with the Samaritans, "Now we believe not because of thy saying," for we our­selves have experienced it in our hearts.

And O that all unbelievers, all letter-learned masters of Israel, who now look upon the doctrine of the power of Christ's resurrection, or our new­birth, as an idle tale, and condemn the preachers of it as enthusiasts and madmen, did but thus feel the power of it in their souls, they would no long­er ask, how this thing could be? But they would be convinced of it as much as Thomas was, when he saw the Lord's Christ; and like him, when Jesus [...]id him reach out his hands and thrust them into his side, in a holy confusion they would cry out, "My Lord, and my God!"

But how shall an unbeliever, how shall the for­mal Christian come thus to "know Christ, and [Page 214] the power of his resurrection?" God, who cannot lie, has told us, "I am the resurrection and the life, whosoever liveth and believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." Again says the apostle, "By faith we are saved, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God."

This, this is the way, walk in it. Believe and you shall live in Christ, and Christ in you; you shall be one with Christ, and Christ one with you. But without this, your outward goodness and pro­fessions will avail you nothing.

But then, by this faith we are not to understand a dead speculative faith, a faith in the head; but a living principle wrought in the heart by the powerful operations of the Holy Ghost, a faith that will enable us to overcome the world, and forsake all in affection for Jesus Christ. For thus speaks our blessed Master, "Unless a man forsake all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple."

And so the apostle, in the words immediately following the text, says, "being made conform­able to his death;" thereby implying, that we cannot know the power of Christ's resurrection un­less we are made conformable to him in his death.

This we have shadowed out by the custom of baptizing by immersion in the primitive church, and (which is also recommended by our own) their putting the infants under the water, signified their obligation to die unto sin; as their taking them out of the water, signified their rising again to newness of life. To which the apostle plainly al­ludes, when he says, "we are buried with him in baptism."

If we can reconcile light and darkness, heaven and hell, then we may hope to know the power of Christ's resurrection without dying to ourselves [Page 215] and the world. But till we can do this, we might as well expect that Christ will have concord with Belial.

For there is such a contrariety between the spi­rit of this world, and the spirit of Jesus Christ, that he who will be at friendship with the one, must be at enmity with the other: "We cannot serve God and mammon."

This may, indeed, seem a hard saying; and many, with the young man in the gospel, may be tempted to go away sorrowful: but wherefore should this offend them? For what is all that is in the world, the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, but vanity and vexation of spirit?

God is love; and therefore, could our own wills, or the world, have made us happy, he never would have sent his own dear Son Jesus Christ to die and rise again, to deliver us from the power of them. But because they only torment and cannot satisfy, therefore God bids us to renounce them.

Had any one persuaded profane Esau not to lose so glorious a privilege, merely for the sake of gratifying a present corrupt inclination, when he law him about to sell his birth-right for a little red pottage, would not one think that man to have been Esau's friend! And just thus stands the case between God and us. By the death and re­surrection of Jesus Christ, we are new-born to an heavenly inheritance among all them which are sanctified; but our own corrupt wills would tempt us to sell this glorious birth-right for the vanities of the world, which, like Esau's red pottage, may please us for a while, but will soon be taken away from us. God knows this, and therefore rather bids us renounce them for a season, than for the [Page 216] short enjoyment of them lose the privilege of that glorious birth-right, to which, by knowing the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are entitled.

O the depth of the riches and excellency of Christianity! Well might the great St. Paul count all things but dung and dross for the excellency of the knowledge of it. Well might he desire so ardently to know Jesus, and the power of his re­surrection. For even on this side eternity it raises us above the world, and makes us to sit in heav­enly places in Christ Jesus.

Well might that glorious company of worthies, recorded in the holy scriptures, supported with a deep sense of their heavenly calling, despise the pleasures and profits of this life, and wander about in sheep-skins, and goat-skins, in dens and caves of the earth, being destitute, afflicted, tormented.

And O that we were all like-minded! that we felt the power of Christ's resurrection as they did! How should we then count all things as dung and dross for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord! How should we then recover our primitive dignity, trample the earth under our feet, and with our souls be continually gasping after God.

And what hinders but we may be thus minded? Is Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, altered from what he was? No, he is the same yesterday, to day and for ever. And though he is exalted to the righthand of God, yet he is not ashamed to call us brethren. The power of his resurrection is as great now as formerly, and the Holy Spirit, which was assured to us by his resurrection, as ready and able to quicken us who are dead in tres­passes and sins, as any [...]aint that ever lived. Let [Page 217] us but cry, and that instantly, to him that is mighty and able to save; let us, in sincerity and truth, without secretly keeping back the least part, renounce ourselves and the world; then we shall be Christians indeed. And though the world may cast us out and separate from our company, yet Jesus Christ will walk with, and abide in us. And at the general resurrection of the last day, when the voice of the archangel and trump of God shall bid the sea and the graves to give up their dead, and all nations shall appear before him, then will he confess us before his Father and the holy angels, and we shall receive that invitation which he shall then pronounce [...]o all who love and fear him, "Come, ye blessed children of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world."

"Grant this, O Father, for thy dear Son's sake, Jesus Christ our Lord; to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, &c."