The Triumph of a True Christian Described

COme we now to the 11. Verse: But if the Spirit of him, &c. Our Apostle goes further to cheare up the believing Romans, and he here makes known to them to their further comfort, that though their bodies were subject to death by reason of sin still abiding in them, and should die, yet their bodies being dead, should not remain perpetually and forever under the power of death, but should in time be quickened and raised up again from death to life, even to a glorious life together with their souls. And this comfort the Apostle propounds not barely, but in the proof of it he proves it by an argument taken from the effect of God's Spirit dwelling in them, on this mamanner, If the Spirit of God dwell in you, he will certainly quicken your mortal bodies, he will not suffer your dead bodies always to abide under the power of death; it is his office to quicken, and to give life, and he will perform his office: he will one day put life into your bodies though they be dead, and he will raise them up again to an heavenly and glorious life, that the whole man may live and be blessed forever.

Now this proof of the quickening and raising up of the dead bodies of the true believing Romans, from the indwelling of God's Spirit in them, is amplified and enlarged by the work of God's Spirit in raising up Christ from the dead, à paribus, namely thus, God raised up Christ from the dead by his Spirit, and therefore by the same Spirit he will likewise or in like manner quicken and raise up your mortal bodies, you being menbers of Christ: he raised up Christ the head, he will likewise raise up the members. If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies, because that his Spirit dwelleth in you, by his Spirit dwelling in you. We see then that in this verse is laid before us a proof of the resurrection of the bodies of God's children, from the indwelling of God's Spirit in them, amplified by the work of God's Spirit in raising up Christ from the dead, with relation to that which went before verse 10. That howsoever death prevail over the bodies of God's children, yet they are to know to their comfort, that the Spirit of God dwelling in them, they shall not always abide under death.

If the Spirit of him. By the word him, is here meant God the Father, from whom the holy Ghost proceeds, and therefore he is called his Spirit, as verse 9. That raised up Jesus from the dead: that is, the body of Jesus, by a synecdoche the whole being put for the part, raised up the body of Jesus which was crucified and dead, from death to life. Dwell in you. That phrase we have formerly opened, and the meaning of it here is this, Be in you by his true powerful working presence, by the efficacy and power of his grace. He, namely, the same God that raised up Christ: that is, the body of Christ, from death to life, shall also or in like manner quicken your mortal bodies. Some think that the Apostle here speaketh of the continual working of God's Spirit in mortifying the relics of sin in true believers, but indeed that is not agreeable to the context, neither will the word bear that construction: for the Apostle speaking of the time to come, Shall quicken your mortal bodies, he pointeth at the resurrection that shall be, and not at that which is present in rising to newness of life. And the word mortal, doth give us to understand so much, that he intends the last and final resurrection of the body, which is mortal and subject to death and dissolution. Now the word quicken here used, is very emphatical and weighty, it signifies thus much, Shall not only raise from death to life, nor yet to an immortal life only, for so the bodies of the wicked shall be, they shall be raised from the dead, and they shall be made immortal, and able to abide forever in the state whereto they shall be judged: but to a further matter, shall raise the bodies of God's children to an immortal happy life, to a life perfectly glorious, and shall make their bodies like the glorious body of Christ, as Philip. 3.21. and shall make them spiritual bodies, as 1. Corinth. 15.44. that is, bodies not only quickened by a living soul, but with a far more excellent virtue, namely, the virtue of the Spirit descending from Christ their head: so much is comprised and signified by the word quicken. Because, or rather by, that his Spirit dwelleth in you, as it is in the original: that is, by the power & virtue of that Spirit of God being in you by his true powerful working presence, and by the efficacy of his grace in them. The meaning then of the Apostle in the words of this verse is thus to be conceived, as if the Apostle had said:

But if the holy Spirit of God the Father, who raised up the body of Jesus when it was crucified and dead, from death to life, be in you by his true powerful working presence, and by the efficacy of his grace, even the same God that did raise up the body of Christ from death to life, shall also, and in like manner, raise your bodies that are mortal and subject to death, even when they are dead, from death to life, yea to an immortal happy life, and to a life perfectly glorious: and shall make your bodies spiritual, and like to the glorious body of Christ, by the power and virtue of that Spirit of his, being in you by his true powerful working presence, and by the efficacy of his grace.

First observe we, that the Apostle here cheering up the believing Romans, with this comfort, that though their bodies were mortal, and though they were dead, yet they should not always abide under the power of death, but should be quickened and raised up again from death to life; he puts down this comfort in the proof of it, that God's Spirit dwelling in them, he would not suffer their bodies to abide under the power of death, but would one day raise them up again from death to life. Hence we are given to understand thus much.

[Doct. 1] That the holy Spirit of God never forsakes the bodies of God's children, though the bodies of God's children be dead and buried: and though they be turned into dust and ashes, yet they are still dear and precious to the Lord, and he still watcheth over the very dust of them, and his hand doth still hold and keep them, in time to quicken them, and to restore them to life again: the Lord hath regard to the bodies of his children, and hath a care over them, though they be dead and rotten in their graves: for why.

The dead bodies of God's children are still members of [Reason. 1] Christ, and they are still knit to him, and being dead, they rest and sleep in him, as the Apostle saith, 1. Thess. 4.14. If we believe that Jesus is dead and is risen, even so them which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. Rom. 14.8. the Apostle saith, Whether we live or die we are the Lord's. There is an inseparable and perpetual union between Christ and every true believer, not only in regard of the soul, but of the body also. 1. Cor. 6.15. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? and the body being once knit to Christ, it so continues forever; though death sever the soul from the body, yet it seuers not the body from Christ.

Again, the Lord hath made an everlasting covenant of [Reason. 2] grace with his children, that he will be their God forever; and that covenant is not made only in regard of their souls, but of their bodies also, even in regard of the whole man: and when the Lord saith, I am the God of Abraham, his meaning is not that he is the God of Abraham's soul only, but also of his body; and therefore doubtless the Lord hath regard to the bodies of his children, and hath a care over them though they be dead and rotten in their graves, and he still watcheth over the very dust of them, and his hand doth still hold and keep them, in time to quicken them, and to restore them to life again.

Haply some may say, Christ saith Mat. 22.32. [Object.] God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

I answer. God is not the God of the dead, [Answ.] according to the judgment and opinion of the Sadducees, and as they conceived of the dead: that is, as of those who were altogether dead both in body and soul, and never to rise again; for that was the opinion of the Sadducees, they denied the resurrection, and according to that opinion of theirs Christ there speaks, that God is not the God of the dead in that sort, for God cannot suffer such a death to prevail over his, he is a God of mercy and of life it self, and therefore will in time restore the dead bodies of his children to life again. So that this we may set down as a certain truth, that the Lord hath regard to the bodies of his children, and hath a care over them though they be dead and rotten in their graves: yea though they be in the bottom of the sea, or wheresoever they be, yet they are dear and precious to the Lord, his hand doth hold and keep them, in time to quicken them, and to restore them to life again.

[Use.] And this is a ground of sweet and of excellent comfort to all God's children: this may serve to arm and strengthen them against the fear of any trouble whatsoever; yea to hold up their hearts with comfort when the pangs of death are upon them. For what though the world tell them of perils and dangers, and threaten much evil and mischief against them, yet let them remember not only this, that the disposing of all events is in the hand of the Lord, but that themselves are always his both alive and dead, and that even their dead bodies are dear and precious to him; and that will stay them, and hold them up with comfort and assurance, that come what can come to them, yet they shall be safe, and well, and in good case, they are the Lord's, and the Lord is all-sufficient to keep his own, and will assuredly keep his own: and though death separate body and soul asunder, yet remember thou being a child of God, it cannot divide thee from thy God: no, no, it is a means to bring thy soul nearer to God, and thy body laid up in the earth and there turned to dust, is still within the covenant, and knit to Jesus Christ; and thou art still dear and precious to the Lord both in thy soul and body: and why then shouldst thou fear the stroke of death, or the horror of the grave? It was an excellent comfort the Lord gave Jacob when he was to go down into Egypt, Gen. 46.4. I will go down with thee into Egypt, and I will also bring thee up again. Jacob died in Egypt, and his body when it was dead was brought back again into Canaan, and yet the Lord saith, that he would bring him back again, and that he would still be with his body though it were dead, and bring that again into Canaan. And thus is the Lord with the dead bodies of all his children, and that is to be thought on to their comfort.

In the next place observe, that the Apostle here saith, that the Spirit of God, or God by his Spirit, raised up Jesus from the dead: and again; he that raised up Christ from the dead. Whence note we.

That Christ in respect of the body was once among the [Doct. 2] dead, and he descended into the state of the dead, and his body lay down amongst the dead, yea the body of Christ was for a time under the power of death: death had power and dominion over Christ for a time, therefore the Apostle saith, Rom. 6.9. Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him. Thereby implying and giving us to understand, that death had once power over Christ for a time, yet that is not to be understood as if Christ had been forced to yield to death, as if death had been stronger then he, and y ^t by the power of it, it had overcome Christ, he being not able to stand against the force and power of it: no, but that Christ willingly and of his own accord did submit himself to death for the sins of God's chosen, he by voluntary dispensation taking on him their sins, otherwise death had no power over him, but as he voluntarily took on him the sins of God's chosen, and did willingly submit himself to death: so indeed death had power over Christ for a time, and he was amongst the dead in respect of his body, and he descended into the state of the dead. And this truth is evident and clear from the burial of Christ, in that he was buried by Joseph of Arimathea, as appears Mat. 27.59.60. the text saith, Joseph took the body of Jesus, and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and put it into his new tomb which he had hewed out in a rock, and rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher. And with him joined Nicodemus that came to Jesus by night, John. 19.40.41.42. The burial of Christ shows the certainty and truth of his death, that his death was not a fantastical death, a death only in show, a seeming death, but that he was truly and certainly dead, that his body was truly dead and buried, and descended into the state of the dead, and lay amongst the dead for a time. And one special reason and ground of this truth is this.

[Reason 1] The manifestation of the mighty power of Christ, even to show that he not only vanquished death on the cross, and on the cross triumphed over the devil, and over all the powers of hell; as Colos. 2.15. the Apostle saith, He spoiled the principalities and powers, and hath made a show of them openly, ane hath triumphed over them in the same cross: but that he also as a most valiant and mighty conqueror, vanquished death as it were at his own home, and plucked him out of his own cabbin and den. And therefore doubtless did Christ put himself under the power of death for a time, and was amongst the dead in respect of his body, that he might get the greater victory and conquest over death, and that he might more manifest his power in subduing death, and triumphing over death more gloriously.

[Use.] And this may serve as a ground of further comfort to God's children, & to such as truly believe in Christ: Death in it self is the king of fear, it is dreadful and terrible to nature; and the grave in it self is ugly and loathsome, and the house of perdition, if a man look at it with the eye of nature: but to God's children, the nature both of death and of the grave is changed, and they are made to them sweet and comfortable: and that on this ground the blessed and glorious body of Christ Jesus was once amongst the dead, and lay down amongst the dead for a time; and that holy and blessed body hath sanctified and sweetened death, and as it were perfumed the grave to all God's children, and made the grave to them but as a bed of down, and a place of sweet repose and comfortable rest, wherein their bodies rest from all their pains and labors, and rest in hope of glory hereafter to be given to them. And that is an excellent comfort to all the children of God, and to all such as rruly believe in Christ. It is but a poor and silly comfort that some bastard Christians cheare up themselves withal, as that they hope to be fairly and well buried, to have a fair and goodly tomb or sepulcher, to leave abundance of wealth behind them to their children. Alas, as one saith well, if men have no better comfort then this, this is but comfortless comfort: here is the sound comfort of a true believing Christian against the fear of death, and against the terror of the grave, that the blessed body of the Lord Jesus was once amongst the dead, and lay in the grave under the power of death for a time, and that blessed body hath sanctified death, and sweetened the grave to all his members. And therefore thou that art a child of God, consider this to thy comfort, when death hath done as it were the worst, when it hath prevailed over thee, & brought thine head as low as thy feet, yea lower, thy body is now enclosed in the bowels of the earth, it is swallowed up of the grave, the grave hath shut her mouth on thee, yet the grave shall not always hold thy body: and though it do hold it for a time, yet thou belonging to Christ, thy body is in the same condition that once the body of the Lord Jesus was for a time; and therefore thou hast no cause to be abashed, and to be too much troubled with the fear of death, with the horror or lothsomnesse of the grave. Think on that to thy comfort.

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ. We see here, I will but point at it in a word, that the Apostle calls the Saints departed this life dead men. The Papists take exception against us, that forsooth we call the Saints depa • ted dead men, when we reason against their invocation of Saints departed, and tell them that they pray to the dead, Oh (say they) you disdainfully call the triumphant Saints in heaven dead men, as if they had no credit with God, nor any care or compassion of men. A foolish cavil and an idle exception: we speak no otherwise then the holy Ghost hath taught us, we call the Saints departed this life dead men, not in disdain as they charge us, but as the holy Ghost doth in this and in many other places of Scripture: as for their credit with God, and their care of men, we doubt not of it, but yet we cannot thereupon yield to this, that they be mediators between God and us, that is dishonorable and derogatory to the perfect mediation of Christ Jesus. Let it suffice to have touched that in a word.

Observe we further, the Apostle here saith, that God b • the power of his holy Spirit raised up the body of the Lord Jesus, crucified, dead, and buried, from the dead, from death to life again.

[Quest.] Now here grows a question; how this can agree with that speech of Christ, John. 10.18. No man taketh my life from me, but I lay it down of myself, I have power to lay it down, and have power to take it again: whence it is clear that Christ raised up himself?

[Answ.] I answer. These two may well stand together, God by the power of his Spirit raised up Christ from the dead, and Christ also raised up himself. For we must know, that the raising up of Christ from the dead was a work of the whole Trinity, all the external works of the Trinity being undivided, and so God the Father raised up Christ from the dead, and Christ as God raised up himself, and God the holy Ghost also raised him up. Now then hence we are given to understand thus much.

[Doct. 3] That the raising up of Christ from the dead was a wonderful work, it was a work of the whole Trinity; yea not only so, for so is the raising of our bodies, but a work as it were of the whole hand of God, we find it so set forth to us in the book of God, as a work wherein the Lord did manifest the greatness of his power. Ephes. 1.19.20. the Apostle speaks plainly to this purpose, That the eyes of your understanding may be lightened, that ye may know what the hope is of his calling, and what the riches of his glorious inheritance is in the Saints: and what is the exceeding greatness of his power towards us, which believe according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead. Rom. 1.4. the Apostle saith, Christ was declared mightily to be the Son of God, touching the Spirit of sanctification by the resurrection from the dead. Christ by raising himself from the dead, declared the greatness of his power, even the power of his Godhead: for why, [Reason.] the humiliation of Christ by death was marvelous great, never was any, neither could any be bound with such strong bonds of death, nor held with such sorrows of death, as they are called Act. 2.24. as Christ was for a time. And therefore it must needs be, that in dissolving and loosing those bonds and those sorrows, the Lod did manifest the greatness of his power.

And this is of use, [Use.] to this purpose we are to call to mind and to remember this truth; when we are plonged into the greatest distress either of body or mind, the due consideration of this truth will be a means to hold up our fainting hearts in our greatest extremities. For why, consider with thyself, did the Lord manifest the greatness of his power in raising up Christ from the dead? did he then loose the bonds and sorrows of death, when death had as it were drawn Christ into his cabbin & den, and there held him in bondage for a time, yea in such bondage as never was any, neither could be? and will he suffer any of the members of Christ to be held under the bands and sorrows of death, not so strong, and not loose them? No, doubtless he will not, he is the same mighty and powerful God, he loosed the bonds of death, when death seemed to triumph over Christ, and all hope seemed to be gone, he then put to his whole hand to the loosing of those bonds, and he as it were with his little finger will loose the bonds of thy sorrow and of thy distress, either of body or mind: even then when in man's judgment thy distress is hopeless and remediless. And assure thyself thou being a member of Christ, he will loose the bonds of thy distress, if it may stand with the glory of his name and with thy good. And indeed a child of God is upheld by the hand and power of God in time of his great distress, otherwise he would utterly fail, sink, and fall down flat under the burden. But alas, a child of God cannot then so well discern the working power of the Lord, and his hand supporting of him, nor so well take notice of it, because his judgment is the • overshadowed with the feeling of his present distress, and with the greatness of it. And therefore in time of our greatest extremities we are to call to mind and to remember the mighty power of God, manifested in loosing the bonds and sorrows with which Christ was held and bound, and in raising up Christ from the dead; and that will be a means to confirm and strengthen us in our hope and dependence on the Lord at all times. The raising up of Christ from the dead, was a work of the whole hand of God, and the loosing of thy sorrows and of the bonds of thy distress, is but a work as it were of his little finger: and therefore be not discouraged in thy greatest distress; thou being a child of God, he will set thee free from it in his due time, if it may be for his own glory and thy good. Think on that to thy comfort.

The Apostle here saith, that he that raised up Christ from the Head, shall also quicken your mortal bodies. He ascribes to God the raising up of the dead body of the Lord Jesus, and also the quickening and raising up of the bodies of the true believing Romans. Whence note we.

[Doct. 4] That the raising up of the dead is a work of divine power, a work of God only: it is a work far above the strength of all creatures, men, or Angels; all men and Angels in heaven or earth are not able to put life into a dead body, and to raise it up from the dead, that is a work of God's own mighty hand alone. Deut. 32.39. the Lord takes it as proper to himself, Behold I kill, and I give life: which is again remembered by Hannah in her song, 1. Sam. 2.6. The Lord killeth and maketh alive, bringeth down to the grave and raiseth up. And this may serve as a special evidence and proof of the Godhead of Christ, in that he raised up himself from the dead, and shall also raise up others at the day of judgment. And indeed it is true, that the holy Prophets and Apostles sometimes raised the dead, as Elijah did, 1. King. 17.22. and Elisha, 2. King. 4.35. and Peter, Act. 9.40. but that was by a borrowed power, by power from God, and in the name of Christ, and not by any power of their own: but Christ raised up himself, and shall raise up others from the dead, not as an instrument, but as a principal efficient, and by his own proper power. And that strength proves the Godhead of Christ, it is an infallible argument that Christ is truly God. I forbear further to speak of it.

Now in that the Apostle here saith, that God that raised up Christ should also quicken the mortal bodies of the believing Romans, we are given to understand thus much.

That the dead bodies of God's children, & true believers, [Doct. 5] shall not always abide under the power of death, but shall one day be quickened and raised up from death to life again. It is a fundamental truth, an article of our faith, we believe or at least ought to believe the resurrectiō of the body, which being severed from the soul & so dead, shall one day be revived and quickened, and have life put into it again. The Scripture is plentiful in the proof of this truth, Job 19.25.26.27. I am sure (saith Job) that my Redeemer liveth, and he shall stand the last on the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet shall I see God in my flesh. Whom I myself shall see, and mine eyes shall behold, and none other for me, though my reins are consumed within me. Isaiah 26.19. the Lord saith by the Prophet, Thy dead men shall rise, even with my body shall they rise: awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust. 1. Corin. 15. the Apostle proves the resurrection of the dead bodies of true believers by many strong and unanswerable arguments, I will not stand to repeat them particularly, only mark what he saith from verse 13. to 18. If there be no resurrection of the dead, if the dead shall never rise again, then is Christ not risen, then the faith of Christians is vain, the preaching of the Gospel vain: and the godly departed this life are perished. All which are foul and gross absurdities, therefore doubtless the bodies of God's children and true believers shall not always abide under the power of death, but shall one day be raised from death to life again.

There be many grounds of this truth, it is built on many strong grounds, as on the truth of the word of God, wherein reward is promised to the good and godly, and the justice of God which goes hand in hand with this truth, that whatsoever is promised in the word of God, the equity of his justice requires the accomplishment of it. On his mercy promised in the covenant of grace, and on his almighty power: yea on the ground the Apostle here speaks of, namely, the being of the Spirit of Christ in all true believers. The same Spirit that raised the body of Christ being dead, shall also raise the dead bodies of his members: for the same working cause will certainly bring forth the same effect, having nothing more to hinder it in the one then in the other. And therefore it must needs be, that the dead bodies of God's children and true believers shall not always abide under the power of death, but shall one day be raised up from death to life.

[Object.] Haply some may say, Shall not the dead bodies of the wicked be one day raised from death to life? shall they always abide under the power of death?

[Answ.] I answer. No, they shall not, they also shall one day be raised, and have life put into them again, but it shall not be by the same power by which the dead bodies of God's children shall be raised: the dead bodies of God's children shall be raised by virtue from Christ as their head, by the power of his Spirit, and by virtue of his resurrection: but the wicked and reprobate shall be raised by the power of Christ as he is God, even by his powerful voice, which shall be uttered by the blast of the last trumpet, as 1. Cor. 15.52. citing them to appear in a moment, which they shall not be able to avoid.

[Quest.] It may be further demanded, whether the same bodies that now God's children and others have, shall be raised up and resumed, or any new bodies given unto them?

[Answ.] I answer. Even the self same bodies that now both the godly and the wicked are clothed withal, and every part & parcel of those bodies, shall be raised up, and none other for them. Job saith, Job 19.27. I myself shall see God, and mine eyes shall behold, and none other for me, though my reins are consumed within me: even these very eyes. And the Apostle speaks 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , 1. Cor. 15.5 • . This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality: as it were pointing at his own body. This then we may resolve on as a truth of God, that the dead bodies of God's children, yea the dead bodies of all both good and bad, shall one day be raised from death to life, and shall have life put into them again: yea even the self same bodies that now both the godly and the wicked are clothed withal, and every part and parcel of those bodies, shall be restored, and none other for them.

And this truth in the first place is to be thought on for our [Use 1] further strengthening in that article of our faith, The resurrection of the body. On this ground we are to be further strengthened in that article; it is an article above the reach of natural reason: it hath been strongly oppugned; the heathen Philosophers made a mock at it, yea they said Act. 17.18. that Paul was a babbler and a setter forth of strange God's, when he preached to them of the resurrection. Yea howsoever many amongst us are able to repeat that article of faith, and some do repeat it as a prayer (which is gross ignorance) yet they hardly believe the truth of this article, it will hardly sink into their heads and hearts, that the dead bodies of good and bad shall one day be raised, or at least that the self same bodies shall be restored and no other for them, that they can hardly believe: yea some stick not to speak it in express words, that they cannot be persuaded of it, you shall not make them believe that the self same eyes that now they carry in their heads, and now see withal, shall be restored again. Why, these eyes say they, shall be putrefied and consumed, and can they be restored again? Ah poor ignorant sot, whosoever thou art, thou speakest ignorantly, thou knowest not the Scriptures nor the power of God, as Christ said to the Sadducees, Mat. 22.29. yea thou speakest as an Atheist; and herein thou showest thyself no better then a vile wicked Atheist, for herein thou deniest the truth of God, the power of God, the justice of God, the mercy of God: and in so doing thou deniest God himself, and thou art no better then a monstrous Atheist: for on all these grounds standeth the resurrection of the body, yea the restoring of the self same bodies that now we have, with every part and parcel of them. God who is truth it self and cannot lie, hath said it shall be so: we find it on record as part of God's eternal truth revealed in his word.

And again, God who was able to make all things of nothing, is much more able to make every man's body at the resurrection of his own matter, yea to distinguish the dust of one man's body from the dust of another. Thou sayest, thou canst not believe that the self same eyes that are in thy head shall be restored again. I pray thee who made the eyes? did not God? and whereof did he make them? was it not of nothing? where were thine eyes an hundred years ago? And is not he that made thine eyes of nothing, able to restore them being dissolved and turned to dust? The Lord, saith the Prophet Isaiah 40.12. hath the waters in his fist, and he comprehendeth the dust of the earth in a measure: and it is more easy for him to discern the dust of one man's body from another, then it is for a man that hath his hand full of several seeds, to open his hand, and to sever one kind of seed from another, and to put every sort of seed by it self.

And further, the justice of God requires that the self same bodies should be restored, and no other for them: for as the Apostle saith, 2. Corinth. 5.10. Everyone must receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or evil. And it stands not with the justice of God that one body should do good things, or suffer for well doing, and another body should receive the crown. Shall the bodies of the Saints in this world endure bonds, imprisonment, racking and rending, whipping and scourging, and the scorching heat of the fire till they be turned to ashes, and shall other bodies for them be glorified? And shall the wicked in their bodies work wickedness, and practice filthiness, and shall other bodies for them receive the wages of their iniquity? No, no, it cannot be, the justice of God will not suffer it. And lastly the glory of God's mercy requires that the self same body should be raised. For shall the malice of Satan and sin bring that on the body which the mercy of God cannot remedy? it is not possible: and therefore on these grounds learn we to be strengthened in that article of our Christian faith, that the dead bodies of all, good and bad, shall one day be raised up, and have life put into them again, yea even the self same bodies that men, both the godly and wicked, are clothed withal, shall be restored, and every part and parcel of those bodies, and none other for them. And let us not hearken to any motions of infidelity, and of our own unbelieving hearts in this point, moving and stirring us up to call this truth into question: if we do, we call into question God's truth, power, justice and mercy; and that is a dangerous thing, we rush on a dangerous rock, it will crush us to dust and powder: take we heed of it, and withal consider, that this truth is a ground of special comfort to God's children; take away this, and ye take away the chief pillar and ground of comfort from a true believing Christian. Job in his greatest extremity made this the comfort of his soul, that one day he should rise again, and in his body enjoy the glorious presence of his Creator and Redeemer, Job 19.25. And therefore labor we to be resolved and settled in the truth of this article, and to be persuaded of it, that the dead bodies of all shall one day be raised, and have life put into them again.

Yet further, is it so that the dead bodies of all, both good [Use 2] and bad, shall one day be raised up from the dead, and have life put into them again, shall even the self same bodies that now we carry about, and every part and parcel of them, be restored, and no other for them? Oh then I beseech you consider it, how careful ought we to be in well using of our bodies, and of every part and member of them. We should hereupon take notice of it, that we are to possess our vessels in holiness and in honor, as the Apostle speaks, 1. Thessal. 4.4. that we are to use our bodies and every part and member of them, as instruments of holiness, of God's glory, and of doing good, and to take heed we defile not our bodies, or any part or member of them with any known sin.

For why, we must one day see the Lord with these very eyes that now we carry about us: and how shall we be able to look on him with defiled eyes? how shall the adulterous eye, the hauhgty, proud, and scornful eye, the covetous eye, and the like, be able to look God in the face? We commonly say of a man that hath done some vile notorious wicked act, that men take notice of, and cry shame upon, he will never be able to show his face amongst honest men again; and how do we think that a wicked debaushed wretch, a filthy adulterer, a common blasphemer, a beastly drunkard, an usurer, or the like, shall be able to show his face before the most great and glorious holy majesty of God? Everyone be he never so wicked and vile, will he, nil he, must one day appear before the Lord face to face, even these very eyes of thine, that now it may be are full of adultery, and cannot cease to sin, 2. Pet. 2.14. even those lustful eyes of thine, and that body of thine that now thou abusest to filthiness, that body of thine that now thou dost disguise, and make even a monster by thy new fangled attire, must one day come before the glorious presence of the Lord: and that very mouth of thine that is now foul and filthy, and powers out cursing, swearing, rotten and filthy speeches, shall one day be presented before the Judge of all the world; and those hands of thine that now are defiled with filching, with fraud, yea with telling and taking thy cursed interest money, thou being a cursed usurer, must one day be held up at the bar of God's judgment seat. Oh that adulterers, proud persons, blasphemers, userers, and such like, had but hearts to consider this. Well, let us think on it, & remember it, that these very eyes that now we carry about, and no other, shall one day see the Lord. And howsoever it is said, Hebr. 12.14. That without holiness no man shall see the Lord: the meaning is, without holiness no man shall see the Lord to his comfort. The most vile and wicked caitiff that is shall see the Lord, and that with his own eyes, and none other but he shall see him to his terror, and to his utter amazement and confusion, and he shall wish that the hills and mountains would fall on him and cover him from the glorious presence of the Lord.

Then learn we to take heed that we do not pollute and defile our bodies, or any part or member of them with any known sin; and let us on the ground of comfort now delivered, learn to possess our vessels in holiness, and to use our bodies, and every part and member of them, as instruments of God's glory, and of holiness, and of doing good: and then doubtless we shall be able to look on the Lord, even with these eyes that now we carry about, with comfort, yea to stand before the Lord with joy, and with much rejoicing.

Now further observe we the word the Apostle here useth, quickened, shall quicken your mortal bodies. He saith, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken. The word quicken is very emphatical and weighty (as I shown:) it signifies not only a raising up from death to life, no, nor yet to an immortal life only, but to an immortal happy life, to a spiritual glorious life. So much is comprised under the word quicken: and hence this conclusion ariseth.

That though the self same bodies that now God's children [Doct. 6] carry about, shall be raised up from death to life at the day of resurrection, and the very same bodies for substance shall be restored to them that now they are clothed withal; yet those bodies shall be altered and changed in quality, they shall then be endued with such excellent and heavenly qualities as now they have not; as first, the bodies of God's children shall then be made immortal, and incorruptible, powerful, and free from all passion and suffering, as the Apostle saith, 1. Corinth. 15.42.43. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption, it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. And verse 53. This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. And the bodies of God's children shall not then be subject to weakness, infirmities, sicknesses, diseases, miseries, and to death, neither shall they stand in need of meat, drink, apparel, sleep, and the like, by which our natural life and our mortal bodies are now preserved: but the bodies of God's children raised up from the dead, shall be made perfect bodies, perfect both in beauty and comeliness, and also in respect of parts, every blemish and every deformity that is now in the body of a child of God, shall then be removed, and the bodies of God's children shall then be most beautiful and comely, yea every defect in the body of a child of God, as lameness, blindness, and the like, shall then be removed: and if any member of the body be lost or wanting, as an arm, a leg, a finger, and such like, it shall then be restored and supplied: for the perishing of a member is nothing else but the death of that member, and the Lord restoring other parts and members of the body, he is able, and he doubtless will also restore that lost member again. The Lord Jesus who when he was on the face of the earth, gave sight to the blind, and strength to the lame, is able and will without question give health and soundness to the limbs that are lame, and will restore and supply every part and member that is wanting. Yea it is the judgment of some Divines, that the bodies of God's children shall be raised up in perfect stature, even the bodies of infants dying in their infancy, for they shall be like the bodies of our first parents before the fall, yea like to the glorious body of the Lord Jesus: and therefore the bodies of God's children raised from the dead shall be made spiritual bodies. 1. Cor. 15.44. It is sown a natural body, and is raised a spiritual body: not spiritual in regard of substance but spiritual in respect of quality, they shall then be of such a spiritual temper, as they shall be acted and moved whither their souls will without resistance; yea they shall then be so lightsome, quick, and nimble, as without any difficulty they shall be able to move any way, even upwards, and to meet the Lord in the air. 1. Thessal. 4.17. Yea the bodies of God's children shall then be fully acted, and moved, and governed by the Spirit of God, and shall readily yield to the motion and guidance of the Spirit in every part and member of them: they shall then be fully and perfectly quickened with the life of the holy Spirit of God descending from Christ their head, and so spiritual: for the bodies of God's children raised from the dead shall be made glorious bodies. 1. Corinth. 15.43. It is sown in dishonor, and is raised in glory: yea they shall be made like to the glorious body of the Lord Jesus, Philip. 3.21. they shall be like to his body in brightness and glory, yet in different degrees, some shall be clothed with a greater measure of glory, and some with a less, Dan. 12.3. They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever and ever. Mat. 13.43. Christ saith, The just shall shine as the Son in the kingdom of their father. And 1. Cor. 15.41.42. the Apostle saith, There is one glory of the Sun, another of the Moon, and another glory of the stars, for one star differeth from another star in glory: and so is the resurrection of the dead. Thus then are we to conceive of the change that shall be of the bodies of God's children at the day of resurrection, that they shall be raised up, changed, not in substance but in qualirie, and shall then be made immortal, and incorruptible, powerful and free from all misery, perfect in beauty and comeliness: and in respect of parts, spiritual and glorious, even like to the glorious body of Christ in brightness and glory.

It may be demanded, [Quest.] whether the bodies of the wicked raised from the dead shall thus be changed, or no?

I answer. In part they shall, [Answ.] they shall be made immortal and incorruptible, and able to abide forever in that state whereto they shall be judged, and that without meat, drink, or the like: but yet they shall be bodies most foul and ugly to look on, answerable to the guiltiness of their consciences, for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be abhorring unto all flesh, Isaiah 66.24. They shall be as dogs, Revel. 22.15. how great, or how honorable, or beautiful soever they have been in the world; and their bodies shall be passable and liable to suffer extreme torments into which they shall be sent. Mat. 21.46.

Now then this truth may serve as a ground of sweet and excellent comfort to all God's children; let us further meditate and think on it, and consider it seriously: Thou that art a child of God, thy body is now weak and frail, and subject to aches and pains, to sicknesses, to diseases, and to death it self; the time shall come when that very body of thine that is now full of aches and pains, and haply now lies under sore and grievous diseases, shall be free from ach and pain, and from all manner of infirmities: and not only so, for that is the condition of beasts when they are dead, but the body being dead shall one day have life put into it again, and be made strong and powerful, and shall feel unspeakable joy and delight, and most sweet ease and contentment in every part and member of it. Thy body is now tumbled and tossed up and down, and many ways turmoiled, and thou hast cause of grief and sorrow, weeping and mourning for thine own sins and for the sins of others, but the time of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord, as Peter calls the day of resurrection. Act. 3.19. When all tears shall be wiped away from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, neither crying, neither shall there be anymore pain. Revel. 21.4. and thou shalt be free from all things that may hurt or offend thee. The body it may be is now deformed, crooked, blind, lame, or the like: the time shall come when every deformity and every blemish that is in thy body shall be removed and taken away, and every defect that is in it shall be supplied, and thy body shall be made most comely, and most beautiful: yea thy vile and base body shall be made like to the glorious body of the Lord Jesus: even that body of thine that is now base in the world, and base in the estimation of others, the wicked esteeming thee as they do all God's children, base and contemptible, and the refuse and off-scouring of all things, even that base body of thine shall one day shine like the most glorious body of Christ, in brightness and in glory. Yea the wicked reprobate that now contemn thee, and think basely of thee, because thou dost not ruffle it out as they do, and thou art not so brave and glittering in thy apparel as they be, shall then see the brightness and glory of thy body, and be ashamed and confounded in themselves, their own bodies being most foul and ugly to look on; yea they shall then be foul themselves, and cry out, Oh we fools thought this man a base precise fool, and now behold his brightness and glory, and behold our own ugliness and baseness. Yea thy body that is now heavy and lumpish, shall then be made a spiritual body; thou now complaining of the dullness and heaviness of thy body in doing of good things, thou findest as Christ said, Matth. 26.41. That the spirit is sometimes ready, but the flesh is weak: the time shall come that thy body shall be no burden nor impediment to thy soul in doing of good things, but shall be acted and moved by thy soul without resistance; yea thy body in every part and member of it shall be acted and moved by the holy Spirit of God. Think on that to thy comfort, and withal consider, that if thy body shall be so glorious, if thy base body shall be made like to the glorious body of the Lord Jesus, and shall shine as the Sun in the firmament, oh what shall be the glory of thy soul? Vndoubtedly the glory wherewith thy soul shall be invested, shall be unspeakable, yea inconceivable. Oh then cheare up thyself on this ground against contempt, disgrace, and reproaches that are thrown on thee by the wicked and profane world. They now cry down with Puritans, but the time shall come, when the wicked of the world shall sink down to everlasting perdition, and those that now they cry shame on, shall be highly advanced, and be made most glorious in their bodies and in their souls; and they shall see it to their utter amazement and confusion. And that is a ground of excellent comfort, let it be thought on for the comfort of every child of God: and care not then, thou being a child of God, for the barking of dogs; wicked and profane persons are no better in God's account, but be encouraged to endure the cross, and to despise the shame that is cast on thee in the world, and run the race that is set before thee with patience and comfort.

Now before I come to further matter of doctrine, I hold it not amiss to answer an idle cavil of the Papists, which they would fasten on the truth now delivered; in that we affirm and say, according to the truth of the word of God, that the bodies of God's children raised up from the dead, shall be made spiritual bodies. They would draw this conclusion from it, that therefore the body of Christ already raised from the dead, and now glorified, is invisible: it being a spiritual body (say they) it is invisible, and so it may be really present in the Sacrament and not be seen. A very idle and foolish cavil; the body of Christ raised from the dead is a spiritual body: it is true, it is then still a body not a spirit, it is not changed into a spiritual substance. No, no, Christ in rising from the dead, did not put away the corporal substance of his body, his body still remains a true body, a body changed, not in substance but in quality; even a body of a spiritual temper, lightsome, active, and able to move any way without difficulty or resistance. And that body of Christ raised from the dead is still a visible body: the text is plain, John. 20.20. after his rising from the dead he shown his hands and side: the text saith, They were glad when they had seen the Lord: and verse 27. he said to Thomas, Put thy fingers here, and see my hands, and put forth thine hand, and put it into my side, and be not faithless, but faithful. The body of Christ raised from the dead was still a palpable body that might be felt, and a visible body that might be seen: and therefore it is but a mere shift and cavil of the Papists, in that they say the body of Christ raised from the dead, and being a spiritual body is therefore invisible, and so may be really present in the Sacrament and not be seen. And indeed if we mark and consider it, we shall find that this argument of theirs makes against themselves, even against their own ground, teaching the real presence of Christ his body in the Sacrament; for they say (mark it I beseech you) the body of Christ raised from the dead is a spiritual body, therefore invisible, and so really present in the Sacrament and not seen: then it follows, that the body of Christ when it was not a spiritual body but a natural body, as indeed it was before his resurrection, it was then like to our bodies in all things sin only excepted, that then it was not invisible, and that then it was not in the Sacrament really present and not seen; for if it were, then their argument is naught, and yet they ground the real presence of Christ his body in the Sacrament, on the words of Christ in the institution of the Sacrament, This is my body: which words were delivered before Christ was crucified, and so before his body was raised from the dead; and how these things can agree and hang together, let any man of any understanding judge; they entangle themselves in their own words, and before they be aware they overthrow their own grounds. I leave them, and go on to further matter: there is yet something of special use offered unto us from this verse.

Observe we further, the Apostle saith, He that raised up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies: and he subjoins, by his Spirit dwelling in you: that is, as we shown, by the power of his Spirit, being in you by his true powerful working presence, by the efficacy and power of his grace. Hence then we are further given to understand thus much.

That it is only the dwelling of God's Spirit in men and [Doct. 7] women by his true powerful working presence, by the efficacy and power of his grace, that gives them good and sound hope and assurance of the quickening and raising up their bodies to an immortal, happy, and glorious life. There is no true hope of the resurrection with comfort, and to life and glory in heaven, to any but only to such as have the Spirit of God dwelling in them, to such as have the holy Spirit of God in them by his true powerful working presence, and by the efficacy and power of his grace mortifying sin and corruption in them, and quickening them to newness of life. And for further clearing and confirming of this, mark what the Apostle saith, 1. Thess. 4.14. They that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him: Only them that sleep in Christ, and only such as are dead in Christ, will God bring with Christ at his coming to judgment with comfort. And who are those that sleep in Christ and are departed this life in Christ? Surely those that lived in Christ, or rather in whom Christ lived, as Galat. 2.20. by his grace, and by the power of his Spirit, them only will God bring with Christ at his coming, with joy and with comfort. And to the same purpose speaks the Apostle, Colos. 3.4. When Christ which is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. He saith not barely, when Christ shall appear, but when Christ which is our life, when Christ who is the author and matter of our spiritual life, and by the power of his Spirit doth communicate that life to us, shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory. Revel. 20.6. it is said, Blessed and holy is he that hath his part in the first resurrection: he that is raised up from the death of sin to the life of righteousness, which is the first resurrection, over him the second death hath no power: he shall be freed from the second death, and he shall be partaker of the second resurrection, the resurrection of the body with comfort. A most plain text proving the point in hand, that it is only the dwelling of God's Spirit in men, even the being of his holy Spirit in them by his true powerful presence, that gives a good assurance of the quickening of their bodies to an immortal life, to the life of glory in heaven.

[Reason.] For why, the reason of this is the constant order which the Lord holdeth in bringing those that belong to his election to life and salvation. God's constant order in bringing his chosen to life and glory in heaven is this, He first restores life to their souls, he quickens their souls here in this world with the life of grace and holiness, and then he restores life to their bodies; he quickens their bodies here, and makes them instruments of holiness, and of doing good things here, and then he quickens and raiseth up their bodies being dead, to immortality and glory, even to life and glory in heaven. And therefore doubtless it is only the being of God's holy Spirit in men and women, that gives them good hope and assurance of quickening of their bodies to an immortal life, to life and glory in heaven.

[Use. 1] Now this truth meets with an erroneous conceit of the Papists, they hold and teach, that the carnal presence of Christ his flesh in the Sacrament, is the cause and seed of the resurrection of the body; and therefore they housle the sick. Alas, they are deceived; indeed it is true that Christ saith, John. 6.54. Whosoever eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day: but that is to be understood of the spiritual eating of the flesh and drinking of the blood of Christ by faith, by virtue whereof the bodies of true believers shall be raised again at the last day. It is a spiritual eating of the flesh of Christ, and a spiritual drinking of his blood, even a spiritual fellowship and communion with Christ, which may be without the Sacrament, that is the cause of the resurrection of the bodies of God's children; and so it is only the being of God's holy Spirit in them, that gives them good hope of quickening and raising to an immortal life, to the life of glory in heaven. And indeed that the carnal eating of Christ his flesh in the Sacrament, (besides the impossibility of it) is not requisite or necessary to the resurrection of the body, is evident and clear by this, in that the Saints of God that died before Christ was incarnate, could not in that manner eat and drink the flesh and blood of Christ, and yet they died in hope of the resurrection to life and glory in heaven. And therefore it is a gross error of the Papists, that carnal eating and drinking of Christ his flesh and blood in the Sacrament, is the cause and seed of the resurrection of the body.

Now for use of it to our selves: is it so that only the being [Use. 1] of the holy Spirit of God in men or women by his true powerful presence, by the efficacy of his grace, is the thing that gives them good hope of quickening their bodies to an immortal life, to life and glory in heaven? This then may serve to discover that thousands in the world deceive themselves in this particular, everyone persuades himself well of himself, and he hopes to be saved, he hopes one day to have an happy and joyful resurrection, and to rise to life and glory in heaven: but alas few there be that are able to conclude their hope on this ground, that the holy Spirit of God is in them by his true working presence, and by the efficacy of his grace: Nay thousands in the world are so far from this, as they have in them a contrary spirit, they are strongly possessed of Satan, he rules and he reigns in them, and holds up his scepter in their hearts, and carries them on after the lusts of their own hearts to do his will, to pride, to drunkenness, to whoredom, to swearing, to Sabbath breaking, and all manner of profaneness. Yea some are so far from having the holy Spirit of God in them by his true powerful presence, by the efficacy of his grace, as they scoff and scorn those that have, and in whom they may discern the power of grace, and in mocking and derision they call them men of the Spirit: Have such persons any sound hope of an happy resurrection to life and glory in heaven? No, no, their hope is a fancy, it is but as the Prophet speaks, Isaiah 29.8. As an hungry man that dreams he is eating, and when he awaketh his soul is empty. They do but dream, yea in that they thus speak, they do with their own mouths publish and pronounce their own damnation. If thou whosoever thou art, wouldst have good evidence and good hope that thy body shall be raised unto life and glory in heaven, never rest till thou find the holy Spirit of God in thee by his true powerful working presence, and by the efficacy and power of his grace; and if thou find not that, though thou beest the greatest Monarch in the world, thy body shall but lie down in dishonor, and be raised up to greater dishonor, even to everlasting shame and perpetual contempt, Dan. 12.2. And to speak one word of comfort to God's children, [Use. 3] dost thou find and feel the holy Spirit of God dwelling in thee by his true powerful presence and grace? that holy Spirit of God will never leave thy body; thy body is here a vessel of honor, an house and temple of the holy Ghost: and assure thyself though thy body die, and be turned into dust, and taste of corruption, the holy Spirit of God that now dwells in thy body, shall be as a precious balm to preserve it to immortality, and he shall raise it up again to endless honor and glory: think on that to thy comfor. Come we now to verse 12.

Our Apostle having from the beginning of this Chapter hitherto, dealt by way of instruction, he now comes to deal by way of exhortation, exhorting the believing Romans to an holy and spiritual life.

The first word of this verse, Therefore, points out a respect that this Verse hath to foregoing matter, and the dependence is this: The Apostle having before made known to the Romans by way of instruction, that they that are in Christ Jesus are freed from condemnation, [Verse 1] yea so far freed as that the remnant of sin still abiding in them, and the blot and stain of their sinful nature shall never [Verse 2] be laid to their charge: and further amplified that particular, [Verse 3] having also made known a contrariety between [Verse 4] them that are after the flesh and them that are after the Spirit, both in respect of their dispositions and ends; as they that are after the flesh, savor the things of the flesh, and they that [Verse 5] are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit: and that the wisdom of the flesh is death, and the wisdom of the Spirit is [Verse 6] life and peace: the wisdom of the flesh being enmity against [Verse 7] God, and not subject to the Law of God; and therefore they that are in the flesh cannot please God. And having [Verse 8] applied these things to the believing Romans, telling them to their comfort, that they were not in the flesh but in the [Verse 9] Spirit, the Spirit of God dwelling in them: and that therefore [Verse 10] howsoever their bodies were frail and mortal, yet their souls were immortal: and though their bodies should die, yet they should not always abide under the power of death; [Verse 11] but should one day be quickened by the power of the Spirit dwelling in them. The Apostle (I say) having delivered these things on these grounds, in this 12 verse he exhorts the believing [Verse 12] Romans to an holy and spiritual life, that therefore they should live such a life. And he doth not barely propound his exhortation, and say, Therefore live an holy life: but he doth press and enforce it by strong and weighty reasons: as first, in this verse by an argument from common equity and honesty: even common honesty requires that everyone should pay his debt. Now saith the Apostle, we are debtors: so he reasons, we are now to yield it as due debt; styling the Romans with a kind and loving title, Brethren. Therefore brethren we are debtors. And then he makes known to them to whom they were indebted, and what their debt was, yet not expressly and plainly, but by removing a false creditor, and an unjust debt: as namely, that they were not indebted to the flesh to live after the flesh; they ought no such thing to the flesh, and that the flesh could challenge no such thing at their hands: and he leaves the true creditor and the due debt to be gathered by themselves, as they might easily gather it by the law of contraries, that they were indebted to the Spirit, to live after the Spirit: for that is the nature of contraries, that one may easily be understood by the other, though it be not expressed, as if the Apostle had said, We are debtors, not to the flesh to live after the flesh: but we are debtors to the Spirit, to live after the Spirit. And so we see the dependence of this verse on foregoing matter, and the general matter and substance of it. I will now as briefly as I can open the sense and meaning of the words.

Therefore brethren. The word brethren is a title of love and kindness, and the Apostle useth it to sweeten his exhortation, and it is as if he had said, My beloved, whom I love and affect in the Lord, even as my dear brethren in Christ, and as those that are conjoined with me by the bond of one truth, one faith, and one hope of salvation; by the bond of the same Spirit of Christ. We are debtors. We, that is, both I and you, and all true believers, are debtors. The word debtors is metaphorical, borrowed and taken from such as owe homage, duty, service, money, or the like, to others, and are engaged and bound to others in any bond whatsoever: and the meaning is, we are engaged, we are bound, there is a debt lies on us, and we are bound in equity and conscience to pay it: and if we pay it not, we fail in our bounden duty, and we perform not the part of honest men, and we may justly be taxed with dishonest dealing. Not to the flesh. The word flesh is not here to be taken for the substantial body, the substance of the body, for that we tender, and love, and cherish, by meat, drink, apparel, and the like: but by flesh, as it is many times in this Chapter, for the corruption of nature, and for the sinful lusts of corrupt nature; for so we are no debtors to the flesh. Rom. 13.14. Take no thought for the flesh to fulfill the lusts of it. To live after the flesh: that is, to lead our lives according to the motion and guidance of corrupt nature, to live a carnal life. Now the contrary must be understood, But to the Spirit: that is, according to the motion and guidance of the Spirit, of the Spirit of God, even the Spirit of grace and sanctification, to live an holy, heavenly, and spiritual life. Thus then conceive we the meaning of the Apostle in the words of this verse, as if he had said:

My beloved, whom I love and affect in the Lord as my dear brethren in Christ, conjoined with me by the bond of one truth, both I and you, and all true believers, are engaged and bound, we are indebted, there is a debt due from us, which in equity and conscience we are bound to pay, and I beseech you understand me aright, we are not indebted to the corruption of our nature, and to the sinful lusts of our own hearts; they cannot challenge it at our hands, that we should live according to their motion and guidance a carnal life, but we are indebted to the Spirit of God, to the Spirit of grace and sanctification: we are bound to live according to the motion and guidance of that holy and blessed Spirit, even an holy, an heavenly, and spiritual life.

Here first mark, the Apostle having before dealt by way of instruction, he now falls on exhortation, and to his doctrine of consolation he subjoins exhortation: whence note we.

That in the right and good order of teaching, exhortation [Doct. 1] must follow doctrine: to the teaching of truth and confuting of errors, must be added exhortation and a stirring up to good life. I might prove this by the constant course of the Apostle in all his Epistles: but to forbear that, there is good reason why this order ought to be held in teaching the word: for why,

It is exhortation that makes doctrine powerful, effectual, and lively; [Reason.] exhortation puts life into doctrine, and sets an edge on it. Without exhortation added to doctrine, doctrine only edifies the mind, and informs the judgment, it sinks not down into the heart, it works not on the will, and on the affections. The Apostle puts them together. 2. Tim. 4.2. Tit. 2.15. and therefore of necessity doctrine and exhortation to godly life must go together. And this teachers of the word are to take notice of to practice.

[Use.] And touching our selves, is it so that teaching and exhortation must go together? Surely then where these two are conjoined, it is the part of good hearers to be answerable to them both. Is this order of teaching observed? is the truth taught, and errors confuted, and thereunto added exhortation to godly life? then it is not enough for the hearers of the word so taught, to have knowledge of the truth, and to have errors rooted out of their minds; but they must be further answerable to their teaching, in being careful to lead a godly, righteous, and sober life. And deceive not thyself in this case; if thou be able to speak of the truth, and if thou say, thou art of sound religion, thou hatest Popery, and all superstitions, and false doctrines, and yet goest on in thy old wicked way and works of darkness, the word of God being truly taught and applied to thee, thou deceivest thyself, that word of God so taught and so applied shall one day rise up in judgment against thee, yea thine own knowledge shall be a witness against thee. Mark what Christ saith, Luk. 12.47. He that knoweth his masters will and prepareth not himself, neither doth according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. If thou answer the teaching of the word in knowledge and not in practice, it shall one day be a bill of inditement against thee.

In the next place, observe we the inference of this verse on foregoing matter. The Apostle having cheered up the believing Romans with this, that they were not in the flesh but in the Spirit, in that the Spirit of God dwelt in them, and he dwelling in them, made them partakers of the excellent benefits of the life of grace here in this world, and of certain hope of the life of glory hereafter, both in their souls and also in their bodies: thereupon in this verse he concludes, that therefore they were debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh, but to the Spirit, to live after the Spirit. He reasons thus, God hath given them his Spirit, and made them partakers of excellent spiritual benefits, and therefore they were more bound to an holy and spiritual life. Mark this manner of reasoning, and the point hence is this.

That it is an usual thing with the holy Ghost in Scripture, [Doct. 2] to reason from a benefit to a duty. The holy Prophets and the holy Apostles, the pen men of Scripture, usually urge and press holy duties on people and on particular persons, from benefits received, and from good things bestowed on them. 2. Sam. 12.7.8.9. Nathan reasons thus with David, The Lord anointed thee king over Israel, and delivered thee out of the hand of Saul, and gave thee thy Lord's house, and thy Lord's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah, and would moreover (if that had been too little) have given thee such and such things: wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? As if he had said, The Lord did great things for thee, and bestowed many benefits on thee, and therefore thou shouldest not have so despised the commandment of the Lord; thou wast bound to the Lord, and thou didst owe to him in lieu of his benefits, homage, service, and all holy obedience. And this manner of reasoning is used in the forefront of the Commandments: when the Lord published his Law the rule of all holy obedience, he pressed it on his people with this very argument, Exod. 20.2. I am the Lord thy God which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage: therefore thou shalt have no other gods before me. Many other Scriptures might be brought to show it to be usual with the holy Ghost in Scripture thus to deal, and to reason from a benefit to a duty, and to urge and press holy duties on people, or on particular persons, from benefits received, and from good things bestowed on them.

[Use.] And this may serve to discover a flat contrariety between the reasoning of God's Spirit, and the reasoning of Satan, the world, and the flesh. God's Spirit reasons from a benefit to a duty; but Satan, the world, and the flesh, commonly reason from a benefit to the neglect of duty, and to sin: as thus, I am great, I am noble, I am rich, I am wealthy, and therefore I may do this and that evil, I may swagger, and swear, and be profane, I may oppress and do wrong to others, and who shall be so bold as to check and control me? Doubtless Satan taught David thus to reason when he tempted him to number the people. What? thou art a king, and wilt thou be crossed in thy pleasure? as Jezebel said to Ahab, 1. King. 21.7. Dost thou now govern Israel? as if she had said, Art not thou king over Israel, and mayest not thou do what thou wilt without controlment? And hereby let everyone of us try our selves. Dost thou reason thus: I am great, I am rich, or the like, and therefore I may do this or that evil, and who shall control me? who shall say contrary unto it? And thou being a woman, dost thou reason thus, I am the wife of such a man, my husband is so rich and wealthy, and though he be but a tradesman, yet I may attire myself like the wife of an Esquire or Knight, my husband is of ability able to maintain it? Surely that is the devils argument, and that is a plain evidence thou hast no true grace in thy heart. On the other side, dost thou reason thus, I am rich, I am great, and such like, therefore I am exceedingly bound to the Lord, I would fain show myself thankful, and I cannot be sufficiently thankful to God for his goodness and bounty towards me: and thou sayest with David, Psal. 116.12. What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits? I would fain devise if it were possible some retribution; and when thou art tempted to any sin, thou reasonest thus with thyself, The Lord hath been good to me, and especially good to my soul, he hath given his Son Christ to me, he hath given me pardon of my sins, and many evidences and testimonies of his special love to me: and as Nehemiah said, Nehem. 6.11. Should such a man as I fly? so should such a man or such a woman as I, be covetous, or proud, or vain, and garish in apparel? should I do this wickedness, and sin against my good God, who hath done so great things for me? no, no, I may not, I will not do it, I am bound in lieu of God's goodness and bounty towards me, to yield to him all homage, duty, fear, reverence, and all holy obedience. If this be thy reasoning, that is an argument of a good heart, and it is an evidence that thy heart is right within thee, and that there is true and sound grace in thy soul: and thus is everyone to try himself.

The Apostle here useth this title of love and kindness, Brethren, as we shown, to sweeten his exhortation, that the believing Romans might more willingly embrace it, and yield to it, and that it might have a kindly working in them, they being persuaded of the Apostles love towards them. And indeed it is the persuasion of love that gives entrance and passage to an exhortation, to advice and counsel, yea to reproof and reprehension. When men are persuaded of the love of those that deal with them by way of exhortation, or advice and counsel, they do then more willingly yield to them, they suffer their exhortation, their advice and counsel, to sink into their hearts, and to prevail with them. If then such as are to advise and counsel others, or to exhort and stir them up to any duty, or to admonish or reprove them, especially Ministers, who are to deal in these kinds with their hearers, would have their counsel, exhortation, admonition, or reproof, to take place and to prevail, they must give some evidence and testimony of their love to those with whom they deal; and they must make it appear that they love them dearly, and affect them tenderly, and esteem them as their brethren, and as those with whom they are conjoined by many strong bonds. If people be persuaded that the words of their teachers, whether they be words of instruction, of advice and counsel, of comfort, or of reproof, or the like, be not words of course and complement, but words proceeding out of a tender love and affection towards them for their good, it will make them willing to listen to them, and to make precious account of them, and to take profit by them. I will not further stand on that. This word brethren is here only a title of love given to the Romans, and so not so material in this verse, and therefore I pass from it.

We are debtors. The Apostle here includes himself, that he himself was a debtor as well as the believing Romans. He saith not, therefore ye are debtors, but therefore we are debtors. Hence note we.

[Doct. 3] That Ministers and teachers of the word are to hold themselves as much bound to the good duties that they urge and press on others, being duties common to all Christians, as those on whom they urge and press them. Luk. 11.46. the Lord Jesus pronounceth a fearful woe on the expounders of the Law, in that they laded men with burdens grievous to be borne, and yet they themselves touch them not with one of their fingers. Doubtless the same woe abides those Ministers and Preachers of the word, who require good duties of people, duties that concern all Christians, and yet themselves never care to practice them. It is a fearful aggravation of the sin of teachers, when they teach that to others which they themselves will not practice, being a duty common to all Christians. Rom 2.21. If thou that teachest another, teachest not thyself: they that so do, may preach salvation to others, but certainly they preach damnation to themselves; and of their own mouths will the Lord one day judge them, as Luke 19.22.

I come to that which is here more properly intended by the Apostle. We are debtors: that is, as we shown, I and you, and all true believers, are engaged, we stand bound, and we are indebted, there is a debt that lies on us which in equity and conscience we are bound to pay; and if we pay it not, we deal not as honest men ought to do, we owe to the Lord an holy life.

The point hence offered is this, That an holy, heavenly, [Doct. 4] and spiritual life, is a due debt which God's children and true believers owe to the Lord, and they are bound in equity and conscience to yield it to him: it is dishonest dealing in them if they yield it not to the Lord. Indeed God's children are the freest people in the world: being made free by the Son of God, they are free indeed, John. 8.36. They are free from the rigor and curse of the Law, free from the guilt and punishment of sin, the debt of sin being discharged for them in Christ: and they have the Spirit of God, & where the Spirit of God is, there is liberty. 2. Cor. 3.17. Yet there is still a debt lying on them, even the debt of holy obedience, they are still bound to live an holy and godly life; therein they are still engaged to the Lord, and he may still challenge that at their hands as a due debt to him. And to this purpose mark what old Zacharias saith. Luk. 1.74.75. saith he, We are delivered out of the hands of our enemies: out of the hands of sin, Satan, and all the enemies of our salvation, that we should serve the Lord without fear all the days of our life, in holiness and righteousness before him; that is a thing we still owe to the Lord. Galat. 5.13. saith the Apostle, Brethren, ye have been called unto liberty: ye have been effectually wrought on by the word and Spirit of God, and set out of the kingdom of darkness into God's kingdom of grace, into a glorious liberty. Now then use not your liberty as an occasion unto the flesh, but by love serve one another. You are still bound to serve one another in duties of love, and therein to yield obedience to the Lord. 1. Pet. 2.16. As free (saith the Apostle) and not as having the liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. As if he had said, Though you be free by grace in Christ, yet abuse not your liberty, but still carry yourselves as the servants of God; you are still bound so to do. Tit. 2.11.12. the Apostle saith, that the grace of God bringing salvation to all men hath appeared: to what purpose? that men should live as they list, and go on in the practice of sin? no, no. Teaching us that we should deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and live soberly, saith the Apostle. God's children that are partakers of God's grace to salvation, are still bound to live an holy and godly life: yea they are bound to it by many bonds, not only common to them with others, as by their creation, their preservation, and many blessings they enjoy together with others, but also by many special bonds, and by the bond of their redemption, that they are bought with a price, 1. Cor. 6.20. Ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body, and in your Spirit, for they are God's: and by many special favors vouchsafed to them, and many pledges of God's special love towards them: by their vow and covenant made in baptism, often renewed on special occasions; yea it is the very end of all God's graces and benefits bestowed on his children, that they should live an holy and godly life. They are elected that they might be holy. Ephes. 1.4. They are called that they should walk worthy the vocation whereunto they are called. Ephes. 4.1. And the grace of justification freeth them from the guiltiness of sin, and the grace of sanctification from the corruption of sin. Faith is given them to purify their hearts. Act. 15.9. love to continue them in obedience; hope of salvation, that they might purge themselves. 1. John. 3.3. And therefore on these grounds we may resolve on this as a certain truth, that an holy heavenly life is a due debt which God's children and true believers owe to the Lord, and they are bound in equity and conscience to yield it to him: and they may be justly taxed for dishonest dealing, if they yield it not to the Lord.

[Use 1] Now then this being a truth, first it meets with the erroneous opinion of the Papists touching the merit of good works. For why, is an holy and heavenly life a due debt which we owe to the Lord? then it can merit nothing at the hands of God for our selves, much less for others by the merit of supererogation, as the Papists hold and teach, for that which is a debt cannot be a merit. A man merits nothing no not so much as thanks, for paying that which he oweth, Luk. 17.9.10. (saith Christ) Doth a man thank his servant for doing that which he commandeth him to do? I trow not. So likewise (saith he) when ye have done all those things which are commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do As for that distinction the Papists use, that our works merit not in the rigor of God's justice, but thorough divine acceptance, it helps them nothing at all. God indeed accepts of our good works in Christ, not as merits, but of grace, and so in mercy rewards them; and therefore here is no place for merit of our good works, as the Papists teach. I leave them, and for use to our selves; Is it so that an holy, heavenly, and spiritual life, is a due debt that God's children and true believers owe to the Lord? are they bound in equity and conscience to yield it to him? is it dishonest dealing in them if they yield it not to the Lord? Then no marvel though God's children be so strict in their lives, [Use 2] and be so careful as commonly they be, to live an holy and godly life. The world wonders at the strictness of God's children, and men commonly blame them for their too much niceness, and too much preciseness; and they say, what? cannot they content themselves to be neighbourlike, and to do as other men do, what need they make such ado in hearing the word, in reading, in sanctifying the Sabbath? cannot they walk abroad, sit at their doors, take liberty as their honest neighbors do, but they must make such ado in hearing the word, in repeating Sermons, and the like? Alas poor souls, they consider not that God's children are bound to be thus strict, and thus careful to live an holy life, it is a debt, and God's children know it stands with their honesty so to be. Thou whosoever thou art, though thou beest but a man of common sense & reason, thou wilt grant this, that it concerns an honest man to be careful to pay his debts, and thou wilt commend a man that is careful that way for a right honest man, and indeed it is a commendable thing: a man that is in debt is to give satisfaction so far as he is able to the uttermost farthing. Elishah said to the widow, Sell the oil, and pay them that thou art indebted unto. 2. King. 4.7. and yet wilt thou blame a child of God for being careful to pay that he oweth to the Lord? wilt thou commend a man that is careful to pay his debts to men, and wilt thou blame him that endeavours to answer the debt that is due from him to the Lord? how partial and how unequal art thou in thy judgment? can a child of God yield more holy obedience then he owes to the Lord? is it possible? no, no, it is not possible, and therefore do not thou blame a child of God for too much strictness, and too much forwardness in holiness.

[Use 3] And for further use, let every child of God on the ground of truth now delivered, take notice of it, that it is necessary that he live an holy and heavenly life; it is requisite and needful that every man pay his debts, common honesty requires it. Now an holy and heavenly life is the debt of a child of God, he is bound to yield it to the Lord. Dost thou then persuade thyself that thou art a child of God? consider what thou owest to the Lord, and be careful to pay it. Thou standest on thy reputation, that thou art an honest man, and thou owest no man a groate: yea but thou art in debt to the Lord, be thou careful to pay him his debt, thou owest to him all holy obedience both in heart and life. And thou wilt say, that is to be a Puritan. I answer, If that be to be a Puritan, thou must be a Puritan, or else thou art no honest man: it is not thy civil honest life that will serve the turn: no, no, that is not full weight, that is too light, and that will not go for good payment with the Lord; thou owest to him an holy and heavenly life, and thou art to yield it to him: yea know it, thou being a child of God, thou art more deeply bound to an holy life then others, the Lord looks for it at thy hands especially. Psal. 33.1. It becometh the upright men to be thankful. [Object.] It may be thou wilt say, Is an holy and heavenly life a due debt that I owe to the Lord? alas how shall I be able to to pay it? I must needs sink under that debt, I am not able to yield that holy obedience to the Lord I owe to him, I find myself weak, and unable to perform holy duties as I ought. May the Lord challenge it as a debt at my hands? how shall I be able to answer him? [Answ.] I answer. Cheare up thyself, and know to thy comfort, if thou endeavor and set thyself in truth and uprightness of heart, to yield this debt to the Lord, the Lord will put ability into thine hand, and make thee able in some measure to yield it to him; and he will accept of thy true and sound endeavor to yield holy obedience to him, though it be but weak and full of many imperfections. And though it be but part of payment, thou being able to yield him no better satisfaction for the present, he will accept of that as full payment in and through Christ. And withal know to thy comfort, That the more thou dost pay of this debt, the more and the better able shalt thou be to make further payment; the more thou dost practice holy duties, the more strength thou shalt get over sin, and the more will grace increase in thine own soul: as the more thou didst practice the duty of prayer, the more strength thou shalt get against sin; and the more thou dost practice the duties of love towards thy brethren, the more will Christian love increase in thine own heart: and so in other particulars. Oh then set thyself, thou that art a child of God, on every good way, and to yield that thou owest to the Lord, even all holy obedience both in heart and life; and thou shalt find that the Lord will enable thee to yield it to him in some comfortable measure, and he will accept of that thou art able to yield to him in uprightness of heart: and the more thou dost pay of this debt, the more able shalt thou be to make further payment. The proverb holds true in this, use legs and have legs, so use grace and thou shalt find an increase of grace, to him that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance. Matth. 25.29. Think on that to thy comfort and encouragement.

The Apostle having made known to the believing Romans that he and they and all true believers were debtors, he further subjoins, that they were not debtors to the flesh, to live after the flesh: as if he had said, mistake me not, I would have you to know, we are not debtors to the flesh to live after the flesh, we are not bound to live according to the motion and guidance of our own corrupt nature, and sinful lusts of our hearts, that is not our debt, we owe no such thing, the flesh and the sinful lusts of our hearts can challenge no such thing at our hands. Hence we are given to understand thus much: we may hence take up this conclusion.

[Doct. 5] That God's children and true believers owe no service at all to the corruption of nature that still abides in them, and to the sinful lusts that are still stirring in them: they are not to do anything that their own corruption moves them to, and that their sinful lusts stir them up to do, they owe no such thing to them. Indeed God's children sometimes be ouercarried by the strength of their corruption abiding in them, and their rebellious lusts may draw that from them which they owe not to them, but they must not yield them service as of right, any willing service, as if they were bound to yield it. When a child of God feels his own corruption, and lust of his heart stirring in him, moving, and egging, and soliciting him to yield to it, he must give it a flat denial; and thought it still follow him, and as it were pull him by the sleeve, and challenge something at his hands, he must shake it off, and tell it he owes no service to it at all: he must give it no contentment, he must not willingly satisfy the sinful lust of his own heart in anything. This is one special thing that the Lord Jesus requires of his followers, even of all that profess his name and his truth and Gospel in truth and soundness, Luk. 9.23. If any man (saith he) will come after me, let him deny himself: let him lay aside his own reason, will, and affections, and all that nature hath endued him withal, let him not willingly yield to the sinful lusts of his own heart in anything: when they move and stir him up, and solicit him to yield to them, let him give them a flat denial, he owes no service to them. 1. Pet. 4.1.2.3. saith the Apostle, Forasmuch as Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind, which is, that he which hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin, that he hence forward should live (as much time as remaineth in the flesh) not after the lusts of men, but after the will of God. For it is sufficient for us that we have spent the time past of the life, after the lust of the Gentiles. As if he had said, It is enough, and more then enough, that we have hitherto lived according to the lusts of our own hearts, we now owe no service to them, we are not now to yield to them, but to renounce them, and to betake our selves to live wholly according to the will of God. Tit. 3.3. saith the Apostle, We our selves, even we that are now true believers, were in times past, unwise, disobedient, deceived, serving the lusts and diverse pleasures, living in maliciousness and envy, hateful, and hating one another. We did yield to the sinful lusts of our own hearts as servants, we did willingly yield to them as bound so to do, and as of duty; thereby implying, that now it was not so, and thereby teaching the truth of the point in hand, that God's children, true believers, owe no service at all to the corruption that still abides in them, and to the sinful lusts of their own hearts, they are to give no contentment to them, they are not willingly to satisfy the lusts of their own hearts, but when they move and solicit them to yield them service, they are to give them a flat denial, and to tell them, they owe them no service at all. For why.

The corruption of nature and sinful lusts that are still in God's children and true believers, [Reason.] are in flat opposition to God and to all goodness, and they move, and solicit, and stir them up to nothing but to evil and sin, and to that which is displeasing to God, to whom they are indebted, and do owe themselves, their souls, and their bodies, and all their strength and service both of soul and body: and therefore they owe no service at all to the corruption that still abides in them, and to the sinful lusts of their own hearts. And when those lusts move and solicit God's children to yield them any service, they are to give them a flat denial, and to tell them, they owe them no service at all. [Use 1]

And this serves first to discover, that they deceive themselves whosoever they be, that think they may yield a little to their own hearts, and to the sinful lusts of them, and that they may give their hearts contentment in some things. What? deny their own hearts everything they move and stir them up to, that is too much strictness: why, their own hearts tell them they may make the most they can of their own, and may they not a little yield to them, to the raising of their rents, and to the enhancing of their commodities, in their attire to follow the fashions in some things; & may they not do it? if they do it not they shall be of no account in the world: and therefore they think they may in some things follow the fashion, and may satisfy their own minds, and please their own humors. Surely such persons persuading themselves they are God's children, and yet taking this liberty, they deceive themselves, they carry not themselves as God's children ought to do; a child of God oweth no service at all to the sinful lusts of his own heart, he is not to yield to their motions and stirrings in anything willingly and wittingly; it is a sin and a fault in any to satisfy the sinful lusts of his own heart. The Apostle makes it an opposite member to the putting on of Christ, Rom. 13.14. Put ye on the Lord Jesus, and take no thought for the flesh to fulfill the lusts of it. And therefore deceive not thyself whosoever thou art, do not thou think that thou mayest without danger willingly yield to the evil motions and stirrings of thine own corrupt heart in the least measure. And

[Use 2] Let every child of God take notice of this duty on the ground of truth now delivered. Dost thou persuade thyself thou art a child of God? why then when thou feelest any evil lust stirring in thy heart, moving and soliciting thee to pride, to covetousness, to envy, to malice, to uncleanness, and the like, then call to mind and remember this truth, that thou owest no service at all to the corruption that still abides in thee, and to the sinful lusts of thine own heart: and learn to give that lust so stirring in thee a flat denial, tell it thou owest to it no service at all, and though it still follow thee and urge thee to yield something to it, yet shake it off, and say unto it, away, hence, I owe thee nothing at all, get thee from me, thou art an offense to me, as Christ said to Peter, Mat. 16.23. And if at any time thou be overcome of any sinful lust of thine own heart, look that thy yielding to it be wrested from thee, let it not come from thee willingly as of due. And to this purpose consider with me thus much, If thou professing thyself a child of God, yield any service to the lusts of thine own heart, thou dost it to an unjust Lord, to one that cannot challenge it at thy hands, yea to one that draws thee from the service of him who indeed is thy Lord of right, and to whom thou owest thyself, thy soul, thy body, and all thy strength and ability, and service both of thy soul and body, even from the service of the Lord, yea to that which is evil and sinful, and displeasing to the holy majesty of God, and provokes him to anger against thee. Yea further consider, thou professing thyself to be a child of God, and yet yielding service to the lusts of thine own heart, thou dost as much as in thee is, frustrate the end of God's saving grace towards thee; for to that end hath the grace of God that brings salvation to all, appeared to thee in particular, that thou shouldest deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and that thou shouldest live soberly, and righteously, and godly in this present world, Tit. 2.12. that thou shouldst give the denial to all the lusts of thine own heart when they challenge any service at thine hands. See thou think on these things, and when thou feelest any evil lust stirring in thine heart, moving thee to pride, to covetousness, check it, snib it, give it a flat denial, tell it, thou owest it no service at all: yea take thou notice of that lust that for the present is stirring in thee, and moving thee to any sin; it is not enough to take notice that thou hast heretofore yielded to some corrupt lust of thine own heart, by doing of this or that evil, as that thou hast been prodigal, covetous, or the like, and to acknowledge that, it may be that lust is not now so strong in thee as it hath been, but mark thou that lust that for the present is stirring in thee, and labor thou to snib and to repel that, and to give it a flat denial: and know this to thy comfort, That the devil cannot draw thee to yield to the lusts of thine own heart, but by the consent of thine own will, he hath no power to enforce thee to yield to it, but only a sleight to persuade thee to it. And therefore take thou notice of the lust that for the present is stirring in thine heart, and set thyself against it, suffer it not to gain the consent of thy will, give it a flat denial, and thou shalt find that the Lord will enable thee to overcome it. That is the duty of every child of God, let it be thought on and remembered.

Now lastly observe we, the Apostle doth here suppress the other contrary, that he and the believing Romans, and all true believers, were debtors to the Spirit, to live according to the motion and guidance of the Spirit. He speaks not thus, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live after the flesh, but to the Spirit to live after the Spirit; he suppresseth that, and leaves it to be gathered by the believing Romans themselves: because indeed to live after the flesh, and to live after the Spirit are such contraries, that one being denied, the other might easily be gathered: and concluded, that if they were not debtors to the flesh, to live after the flesh then certainly they were debtors to the Spirit, to live after the Spirit. Hence then note we in a word.

[Doct. 6] That it may be truly said and concluded of everyone living on the face of the earth, man or woman, they either live after the flesh, or they live after the Spirit. Every man in the world either lives a carnal life, or he lives an holy and spiritual life: and every man either lives the life of God, as the Apostle calls it, Ephes 4.18. that is, that life that is wrought in him by the Spirit of God, and as he is acted and moved by the Spirit of God, or he is a mere stranger from that life. He saith, the Gentiles being in the state of nature, were strangers from the life of God it is the speech of Christ himself, Mat 12.30. He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. Everyone is either with Christ or against him, he is either a friend to Christ, or he is an enemy to him; he either lives to the glory o • God, and to the honor of Christ, or he lives to his dishonor: and so his life is eith • r carnal, or it is holy and spiritual; and indeed there is no medium, there is no middle course between these two.

[Reason.] Again, there be but two roots of the course of life of man, either corruption or grace, and every m • n is either in the state of corruption or in the state of grace, and his life must needs be surable and agreeable; and therefore it may be truly said, that everyone in the world either lives after the flesh or he lives after the Spirit; and the life of everyone is either carnal, or it is holy and spiritual.

Oh then for use of this, think not whosoever thou art, [Use.] that thou canst as it were go between the bark and the tree, and fancy not to thyself, though thou live not so holily and so strictly as some do, yet thou art not a carnal person, thou art no wicked and debaushed wretch, thou art no filthy person, thou art no drunkard, nor the like: but thou livest civilly and honestly, and therefore thou art not to be taxed for a carnal person, and that thou livest a carnal lif • . Deceiue not thyself, it is not thy civil, honest, orderly life that will free • he from being justly taxed with carnality, from being truly said to be a carnal person: no, no, if thou live not after the Sp • rit, certainly thou livest after the flesh; if thy life be not holy an • spiritual, certainly it is carnal, and thou hast not yet g • ne one step beyond a carnal person. And howsoever thy civil orderly life, thy luke warm profession, may seem to be a middl • course between both, as Revel. 3.16. thou art luke-warm, and neither cold nor hot: yet indeed in that thou art only civilly honest, and luke-warm, thou art carnal, and thou goest against the work of the Lord Jesus, thou prouokest him to cast thee out as loathsome and abhominable: there is no middle course of life between a carnal life and an holy spiritual life. Oh then sooth not thyself in thy civil honest life, of going on in that course of life, and please thyself in it, and think thou hast part in any benefit or comfort that belongs to God's children; thou deceivest thyself if thou so think, and take heed of that. And let everyone learn on the ground of truth now delivered, to see how the case stands with us: if our lives be not holy and spiritual, out of all question they are sensual and carnal, and there is no true comfort in them. Come we now to the 13. verse.

Our Apostle in this Verse goes on further to enforce and press this exhortation on the believing Romans, that they ought to live an holy and spiritual life; and here adds two other arguments to that purpose.

The first is from the danger and unprofitable effect of a contrary course of life, namely, of living after the flesh, that if they did so live, death would be the fruit and effect of that kind of life: If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die. And this argument depends on foregoing matter, as a reason dissuading from living after the flesh, For if ye live after the flesh (saith the Apostle) ye shall die. As if he had said, Live not after the flesh, for if ye so do, ye shall die.

The second argument is from the benefit and profit that will follow on an holy and spiritual life, as namely, that such a life would be very comfortable, that the benefit and fruit that would follow on that, would be an happy life; yet the antecedent of that argument is not in these terms expressed, if ye live an holy and spiritual life, but one part of that life, namely, mortification of si • ne is put for the whole. If ye mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit (saith the Apostle) ye shall live. And he makes an opposition between living after the flesh, and mortifying the deeds of the body by the Spirit, and compares them together as contrary courses of life, and as tending to contrary ends: If ye live after the flesh ye shall die, but (saith he on the other side) if ye mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit, ye shall live.

We see then the matter and substance of this verse, the words of it are now to be opened and explained. If ye live after the flesh. The meaning of that phrase we gave in the verse before, and it is this: If ye live and lead your lives according to the motion and guidance of your own corrupt minds and wills, and according to the corrupt and sinful lusts of your own hearts, if the course of your life be carnal, if you live a carnal life. Ye shall die. In these words no doubt the Apostle had respect to that threatening, Genes. 2.17. In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt die the death. His meaning is, Ye shall not only die the death of the body, which is a separation of the soul from the body, and is common to all, but ye shall die eternally, ye shall be forever severed from the comfortable presence of God, and ye shall feel the full wrath of God on your souls and bodies in hell forever; ye shall die both death temporal, and death eternal: yea your temporal death shall be as it is in it self a cursed death. But if ye mortify the deeds of the body. By the deeds of the body, we are not to understand the acts & deeds of the body either natural or indifferent, as eating, drinking, walking sleeping, and such like: but the evil and sinful motions and stirrings that do arise from the inborne corruption in the mind and in the heart, and do entice and stir up to sin, as I am. 1.14. Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own concupiscence and is enticed, and are acted and executed by the body, and therefore called the deeds of the body and works of the flesh, Galat. 5.19. The word mortify, is metaphorical, drawn and taken from Surgeons, who when they are of necessity to cut off a leg or an arm, use means to benumb that part of the body, and to make it without sense and feeling, that it may be cut off with as little pain to the party as is possible; and so the Apostles meaning in this word is this, if you use all good means as it were to benumb and to take away the moving, stirring, and life of those sinful motions that arise in your hearts and minds, if you suppress them and keep them under. By the Spirit. That is, by the Spirit of Christ, and by the power of his sanctifying grace that is in you. Ye shall live. The Apostle here intends and means a twofold life, namely, life temporal, and life eternal; in opposition to the twofold death we spake of before: as if he had said, Ye shall live a comfortable life, a life full of sweetness and comfort here in this world, and ye shall never see death, as John. 8.51. that is, death eternal; but you shall assuredly hereafter live the life of happiness and glory in heaven. Thus then conceive we the meaning of the Apostle in the words of this verse, as if he had said.

For if ye live and lead your lives according to the motion and guidance of your own corrupt minds and wills, and the corrupt and sinful lusts of your own hearts; if you live a carnal life, you shall certainly not only die the death of the body, and that an accursed death, but you shall also die eternally, and be forever severed from the comfortable presence of God, and feel the full wrath of God in your souls and bodies in hell fire forever. But if so be you do use all good means as it were to benumb and to take away the moving and stirring of those evil and sinful motions and lusts that arise from your inborne corruption in your minds and hearts, enticing and stirring you up to sin, if you suppress them, and keep them under by the Spirit of Christ, and by the power of his sanctifying grace in your hearts, you shall assuredly live a comfortable life here in this world, and you shall hereafter live the life of happiness and glory with the Lord in heaven.

First observe we how the Apostle here dissuades from living after the flesh: for I told you, his first argument is a reason dissuading from so living; his argument to that purpose is a terrifying argument, an argument of terror and threatening, he threatens no less then eternal death and damnation against such as live after the flesh: he tells the Romans, that if they did live after the flesh, and held on that course of life to the end, they should certainly die, they should be sure to be damned: as if he had said, take heed of living a carnal life, for if you so live, you shall certainly die. Whence note we thus much.

[Doct. 1] That the Ministers and Preachers of the word of God may use terrifying a • guments, arguments full of dread and terror, to dissuade men from a carnal course of life. Preachers of the word may threaten plagues and judgments of God against men, yea they may threaten them with hell and damnation, to this end, to drive them from a wicked and sinful course, they shall be sure to go to hell and to be damned. This the Ministers and Preachers of the word may do warrantablie, they have warrant for it, not only from the practice of the Apostle in this text, but from the constant and continual practice of holy men of God in all ages. Instance in one or two places. Ephes. 5. the Apostle having verse 3.4. dissuaded from fornication, uncleanness, covetousness, filthiness, foolish talking, jesting, and other foul sins, and told the Ephesians verse 5. That no whoremonger, neither unclean person, nor covetous person which is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God, he stays not there, but he subjoins verse 6. a terrifying argument, and he tells them further, that if any of them should go on in the practice of any of those sins, they should be sure to meet with the wrath of God. Saith he, Let no man deceive you with vain words: for, for such things comes the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. As if he had said, If any tell you to the contrary, he doth but deceive you: assure yourselves that men or women that live in the practice of those sins, shall not escape the wrath and vengeance of God, it shall certainly overtake them, it shall light on them. 2. Corinth. 5. the Apostle having verse 10. made known that all men must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, he adds verse 11. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. Mark, he affirms that from the terror of the day of judgment, and from the dreadful doom that the wicked shall then receive, he and other Apostles did persuade men to avoid sin. Mat. 23.23. we find that the Lord Jesus denounceth woe after woe against the Scribes and Pharisees, and verse 33. he sends out against them a terrible thunderbolt, Oh serpents, the generation of vipers, how should ye escape the damnation of hell: he threatens them with hell and damnation. And we need no further evidence for the clearing and confirming the point in hand, that the Ministers and Preachers of the word may warrantablie use terrifying arguments to dissuade men from a carnal course of life, they may lawfully threaten them with hell and damnation; and there is reason for it.

[Reason.] It is of good use to the godly, to keep them from spiritual slothfulness, and to stir them up to spiritual watchfulness, against sin that is so dangerous and brings death: and it may prove profitable to the wicked, to shake them out of their carnal security, and to hammer their hard hearts, that they may be humbled and repent of their sins, or at least it will be of use to them to abate their pleasure in sin, or else to leave them without excuse, in that the danger of sin and fear of punishment that abides them for sin, hath been discovered to them, and yet they go on in sin. And therefore doubtless it is a warrantable thing for the Preachers of the word to use terrifying arguments, dissuading men from a carnal course of life: and for the driving of men from a sinful course of life, they may lawfully threaten them with hell and with damnation.

[Use.] This then may serve to discover, that men do unjustly except against the Ministers of the word, in that they as occasion is offered to them, do terrify men, and do sometimes threaten them with hell, and with damnation. When the Preachers of the word, in dispensing of the word, and especially in application of it, do put a difference between the precious and the vile, Ierem. 15.19. and give comfort to whom comfort belongs, and reproof to whom reproof belongs, and do threaten judgment to whom judgment and plagues are due, men of corrupt and carnal minds commonly except against them, and say, they preach nothing but judgment and damnation, though many times they deliver excellent and heavenly comforts: yet in that they reach out that comfort only to those to whom it belongs, carnal minded men say they preach nothing but judgment and damnation, and they cannot endure such Preachers: no, they like those Preachers that send all to heaven, and never speak of hell and damnation but in general terms, and those are Preachers for their turn. Poor souls, they consider not that in the right dispensing of the word of God, not only mercy is to be promised, but judgment also must be threatened as just occasion is offered, and that threatening of judgment and terrifying of men with hell and with damnation is sometimes warrantable, yea of special good use, both in respect of the godly, and also in regard of the wicked, they would hear of nothing but mercy. Alas, mercy preached to carnal persons, doth but lull them asleep in their senseless security, and help them forward with more delight towards hell. [Object.] Ah but say some, that threatening of judgment, that threatening of hell and of damnation, doth too much affright men, and too much trouble them. [Answ.] Surely it is better that men should be affrighted and troubled with the consideration of it, then hereafter feel it. Oh but it makes men desperate, [Object.] and it drives them to despair. I answer again, [Answ.] haply it drives such as belong to God's election to an holy despair, but withal the Lord working in them graciously by his Spirit, it drives them to Christ, Galat. 3.24. And if the reprobate be thereupon brought to utter despair, that is not the proper effect of the word so dispensed; no, that despair comes properly from their own corruption and guiltiness: the proper effect of the word so dispensed, in the reprobate is to abate their pleasure in sin, and to restrain them from extremity and outrage in sin, and so it is of good use to them. And therefore the Preachers of the word may warrantably use terrifying arguments to dissuade men from a carnal course of life, and they may tell them, yea they ought to tell them, when they see them go on in an evil course of life, if they hold on that course they shall die and that eternally, and that they shall be sure to go to hell and be damned. When Preachers of the word deal on this manner, men are not to except against them. Now here comes a question to be answered, occasioned from this argument of the Apostle, in that the Apostle here useth a terrifying argument to dissuade from a carnal course of life, and directs his speech to the believing Romans, and saith, If ye live after the flesh ye shall die. The question is this.

Whether God's children are to avoid evil and sin, [Quest.] and to abstain from doing evil, for fear of God's wrath and judgments?

I answer. [Answ.] That God's children are principally to avoid evil, and to abstain from sin, because it is evil, and sin, and displeasing to God; as if there were no hell to punish it, yet they may & they ought in the second place to avoid evil, and to abstain from sin in respect of God's wrath and judgments. David saith, Psal. 119.120. My flesh trembled for fear of thee, & he ads further, and I am afraid of thy judgments. David had a childlike fear of God, he feared God himself, he feared to offend God out of his love to God, and yet in the second place he stood in awe of his judgments. And indeed such is the canker of our corrupt nature, that the best of God's children have need to think on the wrath and judgments of God due to sin, that even in consideration thereof they may be afraid to sin: as Job saith, God's punishment was fearful unto him, Job 31.23. And howsoever God's children are freed from the wrath of God by Christ, and do fear God for his mercy, yet that doth not exempt them from all fear of God's judgments, to keep them from sin. We being therefore God's children, we are chiefly and in the first place to avoid sin, and to abstain from doing evil, because it is evil, and sin, and displeasing to God; but in the second place, we are to fear the wrath of God against sin; yea we are to call to mind, and seriously to think on the judgments of God denounced in the word against particular sins, yea to call to mind the execution of God's judgments on hard hearted and impenitent sinners, seen or heard of in the world, especially the judgments of God that of late have been executed on wicked persons, and such as are fresh in memory: and the consideration thereof may preserve in us a reverent awe and fear of the great and glorious majesty of the Lord.

Note we one thing further concerning the persons more generally The Apostle here threatens death and damnation against such persons as live after the flesh: he directs his speeches indeed in particular to the believing Romans, yet the general may be concluded and gathered, that all such persons as live after the flesh shall die, and shall be damned. I note this in a word, to show the folly and madness of those idle and phantastike spirits the Familists; they have this fond conceit, that though they make no conscience of any soul sin, as of swearing, lying, Sabbath breaking, whoredom, and filthiness, but give themselves to the practice of these sins, yet they are excusable, and they are in no danger at all: and why so? forsooth they say it is the flesh that sins, and not they, and they think to shift off the matter by laying the burden on the flesh. Poor souls, they are marvelously blinded and deluded by the devil, they shall find one day that they themselves shall smart for their sins, and they themselves shall be punished for them: and if they go on in the practice of any foul sin without repentance, they themselves shall die and be damned. The Apostle saith not, If ye live in the flesh, the flesh shall carry the burden, the flesh shall be punished, or the flesh shall die, but ye yourselves shall be sure to carry the burden, ye yourselves shall die and be damned: And therefore the conceit of the Familists is most vain and foolish.

Come we to the matter of the Apostles argument. If ye live after the flefl ye shall die. We see here the Apostle couples these two together, living after the flesh, and death, as the antecedent and consequent, and he affirms it, that death, even death of body, and death of soul, death temporal, and that an accursed death, and death eternal, follow necessarily [Doct. 2] on living after the flesh, on a carnal life.

The point hence offered is this. That the certain and undoubted fruit and effect of a carnal life, is death temporal, and that an accursed death, and also death eternal: the living after the flesh, the living after the corrupt and sensual lusts of the flesh, the leading of a carnal course of life, and holding on a constant course in that kind of life, shall certainly and undoubtedly bring death and destruction both on body and soul. They that live wickedly and carnally, and walk after their own ungodly lusts, as Jude speaks verse 18. shall assuredly die an accursed death of body, and they shall be sure also to go to hell, and to perish forever. Besides the evidence of this text, we have further testimony of Scripture for the proof and confirmation of this point. To cite some few places to this purpose, Deut. 29.19.20. Moses saith, If any man bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace although I walk according to the stubbornness of mine own heart, in a wicked and carnal course of life, and walk stubburnly after the lusts of his own heart, adding drunkenness to thirst, that is, one sin to another, and so go on and hold on in a constant course in sin, The Lord will not be merciful to that man, but his wrath and jealousy shall smoke against him, and every curse written in the book of God shall light on him. 1. Corinth. 6.9.10. The Apostle reckens up a rabble of wicked and carnal persons, and he shuts them all out of God's kingdom, and being shut out from thence, without question they must needs go to hell and be damned. Know ye not saith the Apostle, as if he had said, it is a known thing, and ye cannot be ignorant of it, that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. And again, Be not deceived, neither fornicators nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor wantons, nor buggerers, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. The like threatening we find Galat. 5.21. The Apostle having reckoned up many particular works of the flesh, he saith, verse 21. Whereof I tell you before, as also I have told you before, that they which do such things, and so are carnal persons, and lead a carnal life, shall not inherit the kingdom of God. And Galat. 6.8. saith the Apostle, He that soweth to the flesh, he that follows the sinful desires of the flesh, and fulfils the lusts of it, shall of the flesh reap corruption, shall be sure in the end to reap the fruit of death and damnation. Revel. 21.8. it is said, that the fearful, and unbelieving and abhominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. These and many other places do plainly evidence to us this to be a truth, that the certain fruit of a carnal life is an accursed death of the body, and also death eternal: and that whosoever they be, that live a carnal life, walking after the sinful lusts of their own hearts, and go on in a constant course in that kind of life, shall certainly die an accursed death of body, and shall be sure also to go to hell and be damned. And there be also reasons and grounds of this truth. As

First, the proper cause must needs bring forth the proper [Reason. 1] effect, where it hath a kindly working and nothing to hinder it. Now sin is the proper cause of death, both of death temporal and of death eternal; and the Lord hath so linked together the pleasure of sin and the punishment of sin, as that the one ever follows the other, unless there be some interruption and breaking off the course of sin by repentance.

And again, the Lord is most just, and it stands with his justice [Reason. 2] to give every man his due. Now death, even death of body and death eternal, is a due debt to sin not repented of, and not satisfied for by Christ, It is the wages of sin, Rom. 6.23. And therefore doubtless an accursed death of body, and also death eternal, is the certain fruit of a carnal life, and they that live a carnal life, and follow the sinful lusts of their own hearts, and hold on a constant course in that kind of life, shall assuredly die an accursed death of body, and shall be sure also to go to hell, and to be damned.

And this being a truth, it serves to discover that thousands [Use 1] in the world deceive themselves exceedingly. Are there not many men who think that though they be carnal persons, and live a carnal life, though they follow the sinful lusts of their own hearts, and give themselves over to do whatsoever their own sinful and carnal hearts suggest to them, they are ignorant persons, and so have no dram of sanctifying grace in them; they are drunkards, filthy persons, common swearers, they are userers, worldlings, earth worms, and such like, and they hold on their course in these evil sins, and yet think they shall do well enough, and there is no such matter that they shall die an accursed death, and that they shall go to hell and be damned. And when Preachers threaten these things against them, they think, and sometimes stick not to speak it, that Preachers make the matter worse then it is, God is much more merciful then so, and there is no such danger in that course they hold as Preachers would make them believe. Poor souls, they deceive themselves exceedingly: what is this I beseech you, but to join hands with the devil, and to show that they are taught of him, in evil things to sever the end from the means, for that is the devils lessen, to think that though they go on in the way that leads to hell, and do hold on in that way, yet they shall never come there, and to contradict the Lord, as the devil did when he set on our grandmother Eve, The Lord had told her, In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death, the devil comes and he saith, no thou shalt not die at all. And even so think and many times speak carnal persons; The Lord saith, they that live after the fl • sh, lead a carnal life, they shall die death of body, an accursed death, and they shall also go to hell and be damned. No, saith the carnal person, the sensual person, the worldling, and such like, I hope there is no such matter, I hope God will be more merciful then so. And thus they cross and contradict the Lord himself.

Well, consider it whosoever thou art, dost thou think (thou that art an ignorant person, thou that art a drunkard, a filthy person, a common swearer, a worldling, or the like) thou that goest on in a carnal course of life, that thou shalt die a blessed and comfortable death? why the Lord hath said to the contrary, If ye live after the flesh ye shall die: and darest thou contradict the Lord? if thou so do but in thy very thought, if thou do but so imagine, thou dost therein add to the measure of thy sin, and the Lord will not be merciful to thee: they are the words of Moses in the place alleged, Deut. 29.19.20. If any man bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, although I walk according to the stubbornness of mine heart, adding drunkenness to thirst, the Lord will not be merciful unto him, but then the wrath of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and every curse that is written in this book shall light upon him, and the Lord shall put out his name from under heaven. And consider with thyself, if thou observe it, thou shalt find it commonly most true, that qualis vita, finis ita, such as a man's life is, such is commonly his death: they that live carnally, they commonly die wretchedly and cursedly. The Lord leaves not himself without witness in this case; do we not see (if we observe it we may see) that wicked and carnal persons, such as go on in a carnal course of life, and yet promise to themselves a comfortable and blessed death, and think to call on God at their last hour, when they are gasping for breath, and then to find mercy; do we not see such persons are sometimes suddenly overtaken by the hand of God in the very act of sin, or they are sometimes cut off by the hand of the Magistrate, or if they have time given them, and they lie on their sick beds, yet then they are sensl • sse, or they feel the very flames of hell flashing up in their souls, and instead of calling on God, they belch out cursing and bitterness: doth not woeful experience show this to be so? How then darest thou that art a carnal person, and goest on in a carnal course of life, thou that art a drunkard, or the like, how darest thou (I say) go on in thy carnal course, and yet promise thyself a blessed and comfortable death, and so contradict both the plain evidence of the word of God and common experience, and so deceive thine own soul? Oh take heed of so deceiving thyself, think not, because haply thou dost thrive in a carnal course of life, therefore thou shalt escape the punishing hand of God altogether: no, no, as the Preacher saith, Eccles. 8.12.13. A sinner may go on an hundred times, and the Lord may prolong his days, but it shall not be well with him in the end. The fruit of a carnal life is certainly an accursed death of body, and after that hell and damnation: and though now thou mayest stop thine ear, and harden thy heart against the threats of death and damnation, yet if thou goest on in thy [Use 2] carnal course without repentance, thou canst not stop the coming of death and damnation in the Lord's time appointed: and therefore do not thou deceive thine own soul.

Again, is it so that the certain fruit of a carnal life is an accursed death of body, and also eternal death and damnation? Oh then take we heed of going on in a carnal course of life, take we heed of following the sinful lusts of our own hearts, and of holding on a constant course in so doing. Thou that art a carnal person, remember the bitter fruit of a carnal course of life, and labor thou to break it off before it bring that fruit on thee; for then it will be too late, when thou reapest the fruit of thy carnal course, it will be in vain and to no purpose then to cry out, what have I gotten by my vile and sinful course of life? If thou come once to use this note in hell, and there to cry out, what hath pride profited me? what hath my covetousness, my drunkenness, and such like, done me good? and what have I got by it? oh it had been good for thee thou hadst never been borne: therefore now break off thy carnal course of life before the fruit of it be brought on thee. Look not on the painted face of sin, promising pleasure and much profit, but consider what will be the fruit of it, and of a carnal course of life; even shame and sorrow, anguish, and grief, and vexation, and perplexity of mind and conscience, a troubled mind and wounded spirit, which is a burden unsupportable, Prov. 18.14. and death of body, and that an accursed death, and death also eternal, even a final separation from the comfortable presence of God, and a feeling of his full wrath on soul and body forever in hell. And make account of God's threatening of these things, as of present executions, for the Lord can as soon bring them on thee as threaten them against thee. And thou that art a carnal person hast no assurance to be freed from them one minute of an hour: and therefore now this hour before the next, labor to break off thy carnal course of life.

Come we now to the second argument here used, the third in order, but the second used by the Apostle in this verse, to urge and press his exhortation on the believing Romans, that they ought to live an holy life, in these words, If ye mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit, ye shall live. To pass by that which is offered from the opposition here made between living after the flesh, and mortifying the deeds of the body, the Apostle opposing these two as contrary courses of life, and tending to contrary ends, If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die, but if ye mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit, ye shall live. The point thence offered we spoke of for the substance of it verse 6. therefore I will not now meddle with it. But first observe we the quality of the Apostles argument, by which he persuades to an holy and spiritual life: his argument to • hat purpose is a comfortable argument, an argument full of sweetness, and he promiseth no less then eternal life and glory, to such as live an holy and spiritual life, and do mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit. He tells the believing Romans, that if they did live an holy life, if they did mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit, they should then be sure to live a comfortable life here in this world, and they should be also sure to live the life of happiness and glory with the Lord in heaven hereafter. Hence we may gather:

That Ministers and Preachers of the word may promise [Doct. 3] both a blessed life here in this word, and also eternal life, and happiness and glory in heaven, to such persons as live an holy and spiritual life. The Ministers of the word may tell men and women, that if they live an holy life, and hold on a constant course in that kind of life, they shall be sure to go to heaven, and to be saved; they may assure them to their comfort, that they shall not miss of eternal happiness and salvation: yea they may say to this or that particular person, man or woman, if thou show forth the power of a sound faith in an holy life, and go on constantly in that course, thou shalt certainly go to heaven, thou shalt be sure to be saved: for why,

The Lord hath ordained the ministry of the word, [Reason.] especially the preaching of the Gospel, which is a word of peace, and a word of comfort, to that end, that by the preaching of it his elect might be brought to a certain hope of life and of salvation, that they might be brought to a lively hope, and so come to rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorious: as 1. Pet. 1.8. 1. Corinth. 14.3. the Apostle saith, He that prophesieth speaketh to men to edifying, and to exhortation, and to comfort, or to encouragement. The principal end to be driven at in preaching and dispensing the word of God, is the comfort of God's chosen, they are to be cheered up by assuring them that they believing in Christ are reconciled to God, and they expressing the power of faith in an holy life, shall assuredly go to heaven and be saved. And therefore doubtless the Ministers of the word may deal in this manner, they may tell men and women, yea particular persons, that they believing the promises of the Gospel, and showing forth the power of grace in an holy life, they shall assuredly go to heaven and be saved, [Use.] they may assure them of it. The Papists against whom I bend this doctrine, (for it meets with a conceit of theirs) they affirm the contrary; they say, the Ministers of the word cannot assure any man of his own salvation, they themselves hold men in suspense, and they teach a doctrine of doubting of salvation, and thereupon they charge us to go too far, in that we say, that we may assure men or women in particular, that they shall go to heaven and be saved; but indeed they wrong us and tax us unjustly. The Minister of the word on the ground of sound faith, and of an holy and sanctified life, may assure men or women in particular that they shall be saved. [Object.] Oh but saith the Papist, every man is a liar, and men may deceive and be deceived: how doth the Minister know that the particular man to whom he speaks is one of God's chosen? or how can the man himself be sure of it, that the Minister is not mistaken when he tells him he shall be saved? I answer them. [Answ.] It is not material whether the Minister know the man to whom he speaks to be one of God's elect or no, the Minister takes not on him, neither is it for him to assure any man of his salvation because he knows that he is one of God's elect, the Minister only tells a man on the ground of sound faith, and of an holy life, that he shall be saved, that if he truly believe the promises of the Gospel, and show forth the power of grace in an holy life, that he shall certainly be saved: and therein he cannot either deceive or be deceived, on the Apostles own ground: If ye mortify the deeds of the body by the Sprit, if ye live an holy life, ye shall assuredly go to heaven and be saved. And thus may the Ministers of the word tell particular persons; yea the Minister telling a man on the ground of sound faith seconded with an holy life, that he shall be saved, it is all one as if Christ himself should tell him so by his own immediate voice from heaven; for to his Ministers he hath given that power and that authority; he hath committed to them the word of reconciliation, 2. Cor. 5.19. And therefore when a Minister tells a man that truly believes in Christ, and doth express the power of grace in an holy and sanctified life, that he shall be saved, it is a great comfort to him, it must needs fill his heart with exceeding great and unspeakable comfort.

But to go on to further matter. If ye mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit, ye shall live. We see here the Apostle saith to the Romans, of whom he was well persuaded, verse 9. that they were not in the flesh but in the Spirit; that they were persons already sanctified, and already mortified, yet here he saith to them, If ye mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit, ye shall live. Whence we are given to understand thus much.

That such persons as are already in some measure mortified, [Doct. 4] and have begun to mortify sin in themselves, must still go on and proceed in that work: even the best of God's children, and such as have proceeded furthest in the work of mortification, and have gotten the greatest maisterie over their own vile corruptions and sinful lusts, must still be exercised in that work of mortification; and they must still by particular application of the word, by prayer, by avoiding all occasions of sin, and by all other good means, be subduing and beating down their own rebellious lusts and vile corruptions. The life of every true believing Christian must be a continual mortification, and a going from one degree of mortification to another. And for further strength to this point, observe what we find Coloss. 3. in verse 3. The Apostle saith, the believing Colossians were dead, Ye are dead (saith he) and your life is hid with Christ in God. He affirms that by means of their conjunction with Christ, there was wrought in them a spiritual death of sin, t • ey were already mortified: and yet verse 5. he subjoins this exhortation, Mortify therefore your members which are on the earth: thereby giving them to understand, that they ought still to go on in the act of mortification: yea verse 8. he exhorts them to put away their vile lusts and sins, or rather (as the word signifies) to put them aside, clean out of sight, as dead bodies are when they are buried: as if he had said, So proceed in mortifying and killing your vile lusts and sins, as that ye never leave them till ye have blotted them, and put clean out of your sight, that is the course you must take with them: you must continually proceed from one degree of mortification to another. And to this purpose tend those exhortations of the Apostle to such as had already begun to mortify sin, and had already begun to put off the old man, still to cleanse themselves, and still to put off the old man, as 2. Corinth. 7.1. Seeing then we have these promises, let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and grow up unto full holiness in the fear of God. Even we that have right to the promises of the Gospel, and are already sanctified and cleansed, let us more and more cleanse our selves. And so Ephes. 4.20.21.22. saith the Apostle, Ye that have learned Christ, as the truth is in Jesus, cast ye off concerning the conversation in time past, the old man, which is corrupt through the deceiveable lusts. These and the like exhortations do plainly evince and prove to us, that mortification of sin, even the mortifying of the vile lusts and corruptions of the heart, must be a continual act of the whole life of every true believing Christian: and that every true believer must proceed from one degree of mortification to another: and the reason of it is plain.

[Reason.] The best Christian that lives in the world, never wants matter of mortification in himself so long as he lives in this world, either in regard of the root and seed of all sins his in borne corruption, or in regard of ill weeds, the manifold vile lusts and corruptions that sprout up from thence. Though he do daily and hourly labor to cut off and to kill the vile lusts of his heart, yet so strong and so many are they, as he shall never want work in that kind all his life long, though he should live Methushelahs days: and therefore the mortifying of the vile lusts and corruptions of the heart must be a continual act of the whole life of every true believer; and he must proceed from one degree of mortification to another.

This then for the use of it, discovers that they are deceived [Use. 1] whosoever they are, that think that the work of mortification may come to a period and to a full point in time of this life. Some idle and brainesicke persons there be, who think they have gone far enough in the work of mortification, in the work of humiliation and repentance, and they need be humbled no further, they have no further matter in them to be mortified, they imagine they have finished that work, the work of mortification is at an end with them. Poor souls, they deceive themselves exceedingly, it is out of their ignorance and pride that they have this conceit, yea it is a plain evidence against them, they know not what mortification means; if they had eyes to see it, they might have cause to be humbled for that proud conceit of theirs, and that they have need to mortify the pride of their hearts. And indeed to leave them, and to make our benefit of this, such is the corruption of our nature, that men or women that have made the best progress, and have gone furthest in mortification, are in danger, unless they look to it, to grow proud of it. In men or women most humbled and most mortified, unless they watch over their hearts, pride will be ready to start up, yea many times God's children are ready to be proud in that they see their pride, and their other corruptions.

Therefore for a second use of the point, art thou a man or [Use. 2] woman truly mortified? dost thou find the power, tyranny, and strength of sin weakened? hast thou begun to mortify sin in thyself? then know and take notice of it, thy work in that kind is never at an end; so long as thou art in this world thou must proceed from one degree of mortification to another: unless thou dissemble, thou shalt ever find within thyself something that hath need to be mortified. Thine heart is a fruitful mother, and be thou stirred up to make it thy continual work, yea thy chief work, to keep under and to subdue thy rebellious lusts, and thy vile affections: and every day and every hour labor thou to cut off some vile lust of thine own heart, as anger, envy, hatred, pride, and such like: make all things thou dost, either privately or in public, in thy calling, or in the service of God, thy hearing the word, reading, praying, and such like, as helps to mortify sin in thee: apply the word in every part of it, the promises, the Commandments, the threatenings of it, to the cutting down of some corruption in thee: yea make all the Lord's dealings with thee, his mercies, his corrections, his chastisements, yea the assurance of his love to thee in Christ, and the assurance of thine own salvation, tend to this purpose, even to the renting down of some rebellious lust in thine own heart. Be thou ever dealing with thine own heart, and labor to weed some corrupt lust out of it continually: and know, that if thou slack this business, though thou hast gotten some maisterie over thine own corruptions, yet it will gather strength again: the lusts of thine own heart are like the hairs of Samson's head, Judges 16.22. though they be clipped and shaven they will grow again, and they will betray thee into the hands of Satan, and cause thee to fall, it may be foully into some foul sin, and that will wound thy conscience and weaken thy hold in Christ, and shake thy comfort, and thou shalt never fully recover that loss all the days of thy life. And therefore be thou stirred up to be continually exercised in the mortifying of the lust of thine own heart, and especially the lusts and sins that are most agreeable to thy complexion, to thy trade and calling, and to the condition of the times wherein thou livest: for these being maistered, other lusts and sins will be more easily prevailed against. That is thy duty, let it be thought on and remembered.

For the grounding of the next point observe, the Apostle here saith not as the direct opposion required, If ye live after the Spirit, as he said in the sormer part, If ye live after the flesh, so here, if ye live after the Spirit, or if ye live an holy life. But if ye mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit, ye shall live. The Apostle being guided by the Spirit of God, puts down one part of an holy life for the whole, and he expresseth living after the Spirit, or living of an holy and spiritual life, in these terms, mortifying the deeds of the body by the Spirit: and applying his speech to the believing Romans, he saith, If ye mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit, ye shall live. Now hence we may easily gather and conclude thus much.

That the mortified Christian is the true holy Christian indeed. [Doct.] Such Christians as have the power & strength of grace vouchsafed to them, to mortify sin in themselves, to subdue and to keep under their own rebellious lusts and affections, and the vile corruptions of their own hearts, they indeed are true holy ones, true holy Christians: and there are none truly holy but such as are truly mortified. It is worth our marking to this purpose that we find Psal. 32.6. David there puts one word to signify both humble, and mortified, and also godly, Therefore shall everyone that is godly, or that is humble, or that is mortified, make his prayer unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found. Thereby (no doubt) the holy Ghost would give us to understand, that humble, and godly, and mortified, and holy, are so far convertible, as the one cannot be affirmed of any without the other. A godly man is an humble man, and an humble mortified man is undoubtedly godly and truly holy. It is usual with the Apostle in describing such as are holy Christians indeed, and true members of Christ, to set them out thus, that they are crucified with Christ, and dead with Christ, and that they are partakers both of the merit and benefit of Christ his death, and also of the virtue and power of his death, to the mortification of sin in themselves, as Rom. 6.6. Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. And verse 8. If we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall live also with him. Yea the Apostle affirms in express terms of them that are in Christ, and so are truly spiritual and holy persons indeed, Galat. 5.24. that they are such as have crucified the flesh with the affections and the lusts: that they are such as are truly mortified: plainly teaching that the mortified Christian is indeed the downeright holy Christian. And hence it is that such persons as make but a show of holiness, and have but the outside of Christians, and yet would carry the name of right holy persons, they commonly shroud themselves under the mask and visor of mortification, they seem to be humbled and to be mortified: They afflict themselves, and hang down their heads like a bull rush, as the Lord complains of hypocrites, Isaiah 58.5. they think that that will gain them the name of holiness, and thereby they shall come to be counted holy ones indeed. Yea the Papists, that are mere counterfeit holy ones, are then (as they imagine) most holy, when they seem most mortified, when they retire themselves to some cloister, and tie themselves to strict fasts, canonical hours, to hard lodging, to course apparel, hair-cloth, or the like: oh then they think they are most holy, and others that are ensnared by them do then so account of them, and admire them for their holiness; and it may be an evidence to us, that the true mortified life is the true and right holy life, and that such persons as are truly mortified, are undoubtedly truly holy and righteous persons indeed: for why,

[Reason 1] Mortification strikes at the root of sin, and mortification of sin is the very ground and beginning of all true holiness, and according to the decay and weakening of natural corruption, and the abating of the power and strength of the sinful lusts of the heart, so is the measure of spiritual life and holiness in any man or woman.

[Reason 2] And again, persons truly holy are so qualified, as that they are fit to profit by all things, they are fit to get good by the word of God, and by the works of God: now such are mortified persons: it is the humble and mortified soul that receiveth the word with meekness, according to the exhortation of the Apostle, I am. 1.21. it is the humble and mortified soul that yields willingly to the word of God in time of affliction, that yields to the word of counsel, of admonition, and of reproof. The unmortified heart cannot abide to be touched, it rejects the word of counsel, and admonition, and reproof, and it makes men stubborn, and refractary, and contentious, Prov. 13.10. Through pride men make contention; but with the well advised is wisdom. It is the humble and mortified heart that makes men profit by the examples of others, Psal. 34.2. My soul (saith David) shall glory in the Lord: the humble shall hear it and be glad. The humble and mortified person hearing of my souls joy in the Lord, shall also hear, and be glad, and rejoice. And therefore doubtless the mortified person is the right holy person, and none are truly holy, but such as are truly mortified.

It is not then as the Papists imagine, a monastical life, the [Use 1] living as a Monk, or as a Nun, sequestered from the world, and shut up in a cloister, that makes a man or woman truly holy: a man or woman may live such a life, and yet be most fleshly and carnal. And indeed those amongst the Papists that live that kind of life are the most unmortified persons that live in the world. Instance might be given if it were needful, but to pass from them.

Is it so that the mortified person is the right holy person? [Use 2] then deceive not thyself whosoever thou art, think not thou art a man or woman truly holy, unless thou find that thou art a man or woman truly mortified. Many men and women would willingly be thought to be holy, and they think wrong is done them if they be not so accounted, and it may be have a good conceit of themselves: but wouldest thou whosoever thou art, prove thyself to be a right holy man or woman indeed? then never rest till thou find that thou art a man or woman truly mortified. Thou mayest suppress the outward act of sin, and keep thyself from dishonest words and deeds, thou mayest live civilly and orderly in the world; yea thou mayest do many good things, thou mayest hear the word, read, pray, and perform all good duties of piety, and so seem to thyself, and it may be to others, to be marvelous holy and religious, and yet for all that be far from true holiness: thou mayest notwithstanding this be a person unmortified, thou mayest still carry in thy heart vile affections, as anger, pride, self love, self conceit, covetousness, and other damnable lusts unmortified; and so thou hast but the outside of holiness, which is no better in God's sight then a glittering abomination. If thou wouldst have good evidence to the comfort of thine own soul, that thou art a man or woman truly holy, never rest till thou find that thou art truly mortified, that thou hast power and strength of grace given thee to mortify, to subdue, and to keep under thine own rebellious lusts, and thine own vile affections.

[Quest.] Thou wilt say, How shall I know that I am a man or woman truly mortified?

[Answ.] I answer. By this thou mayest know it, if thou find the lust of thine own heart, and especially the lust that is most strong and predominant in thee, not only restrained and kept from breaking out, but a burden to thee, and thou dost groan under the burden of it, and thou art able to keep down the corruption of thine heart when there is occasion offered to stir it up, and to make it break out. For example, thou meetest with thy deadly enemy, or hearest him spoken of, and thy stomach doth not rise, nor thine heart swell against him: the pleasures of the world, or profits of it are set before thee, and thine heart cleaves not to them: thou seest another richer then thyself, and thou dost not envy him: thou art praised, and thou art not puffed up: thou art evil spoken of, and thou art not offended; Thou sufferest wrong, and thou threatenest not: 1. Pet. 2.23. thou art justly reproved, and thou art not angry with the reprover, but accountest that a benefit, Psal. 141.5. If it be thus with thee, certainly then thou art truly mortified, and that will yield thee this comfort, that thou art a right holy man or woman. And hereby try thyself, and never rest till thou find thyself truly mortified; and thereupon thou mayest conclude to the comfort of thine own soul, that thou art truly holy and religious, and that will yield thee comfort both in life and death.

Now touching the matter of the Apostles argument, If ye mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit, ye shall live. See here the Apostle makes mortifying the deeds of the body by the Spirit, or living an holy and sanctified life, the antecedent, and a comfortable life here in this world, and also eternal life and happiness in heaven hereafter, the consequent: yea the one the antecedent, and the other the necessary consequent, one going before, and the other necessarily following after. The point hence offered is this.

That the certain fruit and consequent of an holy and sanctified life, is both a comfortable life here in this world, [Doct.] and also eternal life, happiness and glory hereafter in heaven. I say, the certain consequent, not the effect, to prevent an objection: for indeed a carnal life is the proper cause of death and damnation, because sin is perfectly evil: but an holy life is not the cause of eternal life and salvation, it being imperfectly holy: therefore I say, the certain and necessary consequent of an holy life, is both a comfortable life here in this world, and also happiness and glory hereafter in heaven. They that live holily and in the fear of God, and hold on a constant course in that kind of life, shall be sure to find sweetness and comfort here, and shall be sure also hereafter to go to heaven and to be saved: the Lord hath coupled these two together as the antecedent and necessary consequent. We find evidence for it in many places of Scripture. Isaiah 33.15.16. saith the Prophet, He that walketh in justice, and speaketh righteous things, refusing gain of opression. shaking his hands frō taking of gifts, stopping his eyes from seeing evil: he shall dwell on high, his defense shall be the munitions of rocks, bread shall be given him & his waters shall be sure. So Psal. 15.1. the Psalmist moves the question, Lord, who shall dwell in tht tabernacle? who shall rest in thy holy mountain? then he subjoins this answer, verse 2. He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. Hebr. 12.14. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord: thereby implying, such as are truly holy shall see God to their comfort. As Matth. 5.8. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God: and they doubtless are also pure and holy in life, they shall see God to their comfort. Colos. 3.4. When Christ which is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 1. John. 3.2. We know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him. The Scripture is plentiful in the proof of this, That the Lord hath coupled together inseparably, an holy life and comfort here in this world, and also happiness and glory hereafter, as the antecedent and necessary consequent, that the one going before, the other shall follow after: for why

[Reason. 1] The Lord hath in his eternal counsel so decreed, to call his chosen, to justify them, to sanctify them, and to make them fit for heaven, and then also to glorify them.

[Reason. 2] And again, he hath ordained an holy life, as the way wherein his chosen, and called, and justified, and sanctified, are to walk in to life and salvation. Yea the Lord hath bound himself by promise, to give to his chosen, called, justified, and sanctified, comfort here, and happiness and glory hereafter: and he is faithful and just, and he cannot fail to perform it. And therefore this truth stands on firm grounds, that they that live holily and in the fear of God, and hold on a constant course in that kind of life, shall certainly find sweetness and comfort here, and shall be sure also hereafter to go to heaven and to be saved.

[Use 1] Now then for use of this, hath the Lord coupled these two together, holiness of life and comfort here, and happiness and glory hereafter in heaven? hath the Lord joined together grace and glory as the antecedent and consequent? then let no man put asunder those things which the Lord hath so conjoined. Dost thou think, whosoever thou art, that thou shalt attain the one without the other? dost thou undertake for the comfort of thy soul here, and for the safety and salvation of it hereafter, without any dram of true holiness? Thou hast no jot of true holiness in thee: no, thou art unholy and filthy both in heart and life: whatsoever is holy thou dost hate and loath, and thou canst not abide it, no, not in others: and dost thou sooth up thyself in a conceit of a blessed death, and after death of happiness and glory in heaven? dost thou think that thou canst step out of a filthy and profane life, into an happy and blessed life in heaven? hath the Lord need of such as thou art to fill up his kingdom? No, no; poor soul, thou deceivest thyself, the devil blinds thee, it is his sophistry to make thee sever the means from the end in good things, and to sever the antecedent from the consequent. Did heaven spew out the wicked Angels when they had sinned, and will it as it were lick up thee the vomit and spawn of the devil? for thou art no better so long as thou art a filthy and profane person. It is monstrous presumption and sauciness in drunkards, in blasphemers, in filthy persons, in that they think themselves fit companions for the blessed Trinity: they deceive themselves exceedingly. And know this for a truth whosoever thou art, that art a filthy and profane person, if grace to amend thy life be denied thee, God never covenanted with thee to save thy soul, God hath coupled grace and glory, and holiness and happiness together with an inseparable knot, and take heed of severing them and putting them asunder.

And in the next place, is it so that the certain fruit and [Use 2] consequent of an holy and spiritual life, is both comfort here in this world, and happiness and glory hereafter in heaven? is this a truth? and do we thus teach? surely then it is an unjust imputation the Papists lay upon us, touching the matter of holiness of life: they say we hold and teach holiness of life, and walking in the ways of God to be fruitless, and to be unprofitable. And why forsooth? Because we admit not holiness of life to justify us in the sight of God. See the willful blindness of such as are wedded and devoted to their own pleasing opinions: they dote so much on the merit of holiness and of good works, as they cannot (or at least will not) see any other use of them, but that which must needs shoulder out God's grace and the merits of Christ. We advance holiness of li • e to that height of dignity in which the holy Ghost hath set it; we hold it to be of profitable and necessary use in the life of every true believing Christian, we esteem it to be a testimony of our thankfulness to God for his mercy, a means to set forth the glory of God, as the beaten high way to eternal life, as a necessary antecedent of the promised reward of eternal glory, and a thing that yields sound peace and true comfort to the soul of every true believer. And therefore that is but a mere slander of the Papists, that we hold holiness of life to be unprofitable.

[Use 3] And further, is it so that the certain fruit and consequent of an holy life, is both sweetness and comfort here, & also happiness and glory in heaven? then here is a ground of sweet and of excellent comfort to all God's children, even to all that truly fear God, and live an holy life, and hold on a constant course in that kind of life. Wicked worldlings & profane persons they think the holy and mortified life of God's children is the most uncomfortable life that can be: they seeing God's children hold on a constant course in holiness & in the fear of God, that they will not drink, swear, and swagger, break the Sabbath, that they will not do as others do, to enjoy the pleasures, profits, and honors of the world; they commonly open their mouths against them on this or the like manner; Oh say they, what get you by your strict and precise course of life? what are you the better for it? do not you see you are hated and contemned in the world? you forgo many pleasures and profits that others enjoy, and that you might enjoy if you would do as they do, what then get you by your precise course? Thus wicked worldlings commonly open their mouths against the holy life of God's children. Now the doctrine delivered puts an answer into the mouth of God's children to this cavil of the wicked: they may tell them and that truly, their holy and mortified life doth much advantage them, they gain much good by it; for why, the fruit of it is sweetness and comfort here in this world, even peace of their consciences, which is better then all the riches in the world, yea a continual feast. Prov. 15.15. and assurance of God's special love and favor towards them, which is better then life it self; and after this life is ended, the fruit of it shall be eternal happiness and glory in heaven: and is that no gain? Can God's children be said to get no good by their holy and mortified life? Oh the gain of it is unspeakable. And the consideration of the fruit and consequent of it may comfort and cheare up God's children, and hold up their fainting hearts in the time of their greatest affliction. What though they be much troubled and molested in the world, they are slandered, reproached, they are accounted the off-scouring of all things, they are many ways hardly dealt withal? yet let them consider that they carrying themselves as they ought to do, they have much peace and comfort within; and they continuing constant in an holy course, they may assure themselves that at length all tears shall be wiped away from their eyes, and their holy course shall certainly end in the everlasting salvation of their souls in the kingdom of heaven, as David saith, Psal. 37.37. Mark the upright man, and behold the just: for the end of that man it peace. Howsoever his life maybe full of troubles from Satan and from the world, yet certainly his end will be peace and much comfort, yea an eternal weight of glory. Oh then thou that art a child of God, and livest holily, and goest on in a constant course of holiness, and yet meetest with many crosses and troubles in the world, consider with thyself, the end will be happiness, and fullness of joy, and glory in the presence of the Lord forever, and that will make thee do as Christ did, Hebr. 12.2. Endure the cross and despise the shame. Yea remember that the Lord having promised thee happiness and glory in heaven, it is as possible that the Lord's own nature and being should fail, as that thou shouldst fail to obtain eternal life and glory in heaven.

Now we are to stand on the antecedent of the argument of the Apostle more particularly. If ye mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit, ye shall live. We have here two particulars offered to us.

First, an act or work, mortifying the deeds of the body.

The second, how that work is wrought, or whence it proceeds, namely, by the Spirit, or from the Spirit.

For the first, If ye mortify, that is, as we shown, if you as it were benumb and take away the moving, stirring, and life of those lusts and sinful motions that arise in your hearts and minds, and are acted and executed by your bodies, and therefore called the deeds of the flesh. Here then we see how the vile and sinful lusts of the heart are to be dealt withal: and the point is briefly this.

[Doct.] That the sinful motions and lusts of the heart must be mortified, they must be as it were benumbed: the moving, stirring, and the very life of the vile lusts and sinful motions of the heart must be taken away, we must never rest till we have as it were the heart blood of our own vile and sinful lusts: and though they be still stirring in us in part, (as they will so long as we are in this world) yet the vigor, force, and strong working of them must be abated and weakened, for that is (indeed) the mortification of them. And to this purpose are those phrases and forms of speech, of crucifying the flesh with the affections and the lusts, as Galat. 5.24. They that are Christ's have crucifed the flesh with the affections and the lusts. Of circumcising the hearts, as Deuter. 10.16. Circumcise the foreskin of your hearts. And Ierem. 4.4. Be circumcised to the Lord, and take away the foreskin of your hearts. Thereby no doubt the holy Ghost would have us to understand, that we are so to deal with the vile lusts and sinful corruptions of our hearts, we are as it were to nail them to a cross, and to cause them to die by little and little; and that we are as it were to let out the blood of them, and so to abate and weaken the power, and force, and strong working of them: for why,

[Reason.] We have not that maisterie over our own vile lusts and sinful corruptions as we ought to have, & such a maisterie over them as will yield us true comfort, till we have thus dealt with them. We may haply restrain thē from breaking out, but alas, so far a civil honest person may go, and that will yield us no sound comfort: and therefore we must labor to go further, and never rest till the vigor, force, and strong working of them be abated and weakened in us: they must be mortified, benumbed, and as it were made dead in us, so they are to be dealt withal.

[Use.] It is not then an easy matter to deal with the vile lusts and sinful corruptions of our hearts as they ought to be dealt withal: many imagine it to be an easy thing, but they are deceived; they must be mortified, there must be an holy violence used towards them, they are deeply rooted and stick fast in our nature, as fast as any tooth in our heads, or our souls in our bodies, and they are as near & as dear to us as any member in our bodies. The Apostle so calls them, Colos. 3.5. Mortify your members which are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness, the inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry. And Christ compares the mortifying of them to the plucking out of the right eye, and to the cutting off the right hand, Matth. 5.29.30. and therefore doubtless to deal with the vile lusts of our hearts as they ought to be dealt withal, requires much time, and great labor and pains, much tugging with them, by many sighs and groans, and by prayer, and watching, and fasting, and continual strife. If a man that is given to pride, or to uncleanness, or the like, set himself to mortify that lust of his heart, he shall find it an harder matter then he thinks of: therefore let none deceive himself, and think it an easy matter to deal with the vile lusts of his heart as they ought to be dealt withal. Indeed to restrain them may be done with less labor and pains, but that restraint will yield us no true comfort; let us remember they must be mortified, and let us never rest till we find that they are mortified, and that the power, and force, and strong working of them is abated in us.

How shall I know that, will some say. [Quest.]

I answer thee. [Answ.] If thou find that when thou art stirred to pride, to covetousness, or the like, thou art not ready to yield, thou takest no pleasure in that motion; nay thou dost rather dislike it, and strive against it: and if at any time thou be ouercarried by the strength of temptation, to the doing of evil, yet thou dost it untowardly, bungerlike, thou art not quick, and nimble, and lively, in acting of sin: and especially if thou find a true dislike in thine own heart of that sin thine heart before loved and liked, and was most inclined to, if thine heart be thus carried against it own liking, that is a sure note thou art mortified; for it must needs be a work above nature, that makes a man dislike that which nature most liketh. Hereby then try thyself: if thou find it thus with thee thou art truly mortified, and thereupon thou mayest conclude that thou art justified, and in the state of grace and salvation.

Now as briefly touching the second particular, how the work of mortifying the deeds of the body is wrought, or whence it comes, namely, by the Spirit or from the Spirit, If ye mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit, saith the Apostle. The point hence briefly is this, [Doct.] That the work of mortification, the mortifying of the vile lusts of the heart, is a work of the holy Spirit of God, and wrought in man or woman only by the power of sanctifying grace. No man is able to mortify the least vile lust of his heart, but by the power of grace vouchsa • ed to him. And hence it was that Moses said, Deut. 30.6. The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. And the Apostle saith of the Colossians, Chap. 2.11. that they were circumcised with circumcision made without hands: thereby signifying, that their inward circumcision or their mortification was not a work of man's hand, but of the powerful hand of God.

The reason [Reason.] of the point is this: Sin cannot be subdued and mortified but by that which is stronger then it self. Now in man of himself there is nothing stronger then sin, sin prevails over all the powers of his soul, and in all the parts and members of his body; and it is only sanctifying grace that is stronger then the power of sin: and therefore it must needs be, that the work of mortification, the mortifying of the lusts of the heart, is a work proper to God's Spirit, and wrought in man or woman only by the power of sanctifying grace.

[Quest.] Why then, may some say, are we commanded in the Scripture to mortify sin, and to circumcise our hearts, to change them, and such like?

[Answ.] I answer. Such precepts in the Scripture do not signify or import any power in man now in the state of corruption, to perform them, but only do teach us our duty, that we are to seek for help where it is to be had, even at the hands of God.

And so for the use of this, dost thou whosoever thou art, [Use 1] desire to mortify the vile lusts of thine heart? know, it is not (as some do imagine) in the power of thine own free-will to master them: no, no, thou must seek for power and strength against them where it is to be found, even at the hands of the Lord. When thou feelest pride, covetousness, or any vile lust growing in thee, go to the Lord, crave his aide and help, even the help of his Spirit against them, and be earnest with the Lord, cry to him as good Jehoshaphat did, 2. Chron. 20.12. when he saw a great army coming against him: so when thou seest an army of vile lusts rising up in thine heart, cry to the Lord, and say, Lord God there is no strength in me to stand against these vile lusts, neither do I know what to do, but mine eyes are towards thee, I beseech thee vouchsafe me strength from above, even power and strength of thy grace, that I may be able to subdue them: that is thy duty.

And again, when the Lord gives thee power and strength [Use 2] to mortify any vile lust and corruption of thine heart, give him the whole praise and glory of that work; look not too much on the means by which that work hath been effected, the ministry of this or that man, though never so well qualified, and of never so excellent gifts, lest so doing, thou give part of the glory that belongs to God to the instrument: but ever have thine eye on the mighty power of God whose only work it hath been. And remember as the Apostle saith, 1. Cor. 3.5. that Paul or Apollos, this or that Minister, hath been but an instrument by whom thou hast been wrought on to thy sanctification, and to thy mortification; bless God for him, and for his gifts, but give God alone all the praise, and all the glory of that great and mighty work, to him of right it belongs. Come we now to the 14. Verse.

IN this 14. Verse, our Apostle confirms and proves that which he put down in the latter part of the verse foregoing, namely this, that all true believers mortifying the deeds of the body by the Spirit, shall live: that they shall live both comfortably here in this world, and that they shall also live eternally in happiness and glory hereafter in heaven. The Apostles argument to that purpose is from the proper subject of that life, or from the persons that are capable of it, and fit to be partakers of it, and those are the sons of God, the children of God. And thus he reasons, the sons of God, or the children of God shall assuredly live both comfortably here, and also happily and gloriously hereafter. Now such are they that mortify the deeds of the body, which the Apostle expresseth in terms equivalent, and of the same signification, such are they that are led by the Spirit: and making his speech general, he saith, As many as are led by the Spirit, they are the sons of God. They are the children of God, therefore they must needs live, and they shall certainly live both a comfortable life here in this world, and they shall also be sure to go to heaven. And this argument the Apostle doth further confirm and amplify in 15.16.17. verses. I spare to lay forth the resolution of these words, till we come to the handling of them.

Now touching the words of this 14. verse, I will stand a while to unfold the sense and meaning of them. For as many as: or whosoever they be, of what place, calling, or condition: the proposition is general. Are led by the Spirit. The Spirit is here put metaphorically for the effect and work of the Spirit. The word here rendered led, signifies acted, moved, or stirred forward, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . Now the acting, or moving of the Spirit is either general (for the Spirit works in all creatures:) In him they live move, and have their being, Act. 17.28. or it is more special, namely, in men. And again, in men the Spirit of God works diversely, as by enduing some men with skill and cunning in trades, others with gifts fit for regiment and government, others with the gift of prophesying, and preaching, and such like. Now these works and actions of the Spirit are not here meant, because thus the Spirit may work in the wicked and reprobate, but here the Apostle intends a more special work of the Spirit, namely, that work of the Spirit that is proper to God's children, for so he doth limit it: As many as are led by the Spirit, they are the sons of God. And for the understanding of this word led, acted, or moved, we must know it is a metaphorical word, borrowed and taken either from such as are blind, and cannot see their way, but must have one to lead them, and guide them, or from such as want strength to go by themselves, as weak persons, or young children, that must have the hand of another to support them, and to lead, and to guide them; as a little child, when it begins to go, must have the hand or finger of the nurse or mother to hold it up and to lead it. And so indeed are God's children led by the Spirit, the Spirit by his working doth enlighten their minds to understand and know the will of God revealed in his word, and to discern such instructions as be from God. They are taught of God John. 6.45. And he doth also incline and bend their wills and affections to will and to affect good things, and enables them with strength to do good things. And yet that we mistake not this leading of the Spirit, know further that the Spirit of God leads God's children, not as a cart or a dead thing, or as a brute creature is led or drawn, but as reasonable creatures. And again, the Spirit of God leads them not violently, and by coaction and compulsion, and against their wills, as the Papists say we hold, but willingly: for the Spirit of God altereth and changeth their wills by grace, and of unwilling maketh them willing, as Christ saith, John. 6.44. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him. And so he leads them, being willing consequenter, not antecedenter, after their change and not before. And yet further, God's children are so led by the Spirit of God, as that they follow his motion and guidance necessarily, and so as they cannot but follow it, as a blind man follows his leader willingly, though it be not free for him to go which way himself will. Thus we are to conceive of the work of God's Spirit in leading God's children, they are led as it were by the hand of God's Spirit, as reasonable creatures, and willingly, their wills of unwilling being made willing, and they follow the motion, guidance, and conduction of the Spirit of God necessarily. They are the sons of God. That is, the children of God, as verse 16. and that not by nature, for so is Christ only the Son of God, nor by creation, as the Angels be, Job 1.6. but by adoption and grace. Thus then take we up the sense and meaning of the Apostle in the words of this verse, as if he had said:

For all they, whosoever they be, high or low, rich or poor, of what place, calling, or condition, that are by the special work of God's Spirit, acted, moved, and guided, that holy Spirit of God both enlightening their minds to understand and know the will of God revealed in his word, and to discern things therein taught, and also inclining and bending their wills and affections to will and to affect good things, and enabling them with strength to do good things, so as they now will, affect, and do good things, as reasonable creatures, and willingly, their wills being changed by the power of sanctifying grace, and of unwilling made willing, and so as they now follow the motion and guidance of the Spirit of God necessarily, he working in them effectually; they are the sons and daughters of God, the children of God by grace and adoption: the Lord doth so esteem and so account of them.

Observe we how the Apostle proves, that such as mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit, or such as are mortified persons shall live, he proves it by this medium, by this argument, they are the sons of God, or children of God, therefore they shall live both comfortably here, and they shall also be sure to live happily in heaven hereafter. Now this being the Apostles argument, it yields to us this point of instruction.

That God's children, and only God's children, are sure to [Doct. 1] find sweetness and true comfort here in this world, and are sure also to go to heaven, and to be saved, and to enjoy happiness and glory with the Lord in heaven. True comfort here in this world, and happiness and glory in heaven hereafter, properly and only belongs to God's children, they only are such as live both comfortably here, and are sure to live happily and gloriously hereafter in heaven; for why,

Only to God's children belong the promises of peace, of [Reason. 1] comfort, of joy, of happiness, and of all good, both of this life, and of the life to come: the Apostle saith, 1. Tim. 4.8. Godliness hath the promise of this life present, and of that that is to come. From the beginning of the book of God to the end of it, we find not any one promise of any one good thing made to any but only to such as truly fear God, and to such as love God, and to such as trust in God, and only to such as are the children of God: they are pronounced happy, and blessed in many places of Scripture, the Lord sets many blessednesses on their heads, Mat. 5. from verse 3. to 12. Blessed are the poor in Spirit; blessed are they that mourn: blessed are the meek: blessed are they which hunger and thirst for righteousness: blessed are the merciful: blessed are the pure in heart: blessed are the peace makers: and so forward.

Again, God's children are borne of God, and begotten [Reason. 2] of God, 1. John. 5.1. who is the fountain of all true happiness and comfort, they are joined to the Son, who is the heir of all things, Hebr. 1.2. they are begotten of the immortal seed the word of God, 1. Pet. 1.23. they are fed with immortal food, even the word of God, and with the blessed body and blood of Christ to eternal life, as Christ saith, John. 6.54. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. And therefore it must needs be, that true comfort here in this world, and happiness and glory hereafter in heaven, do properly and only belong to God's children, and they only are sure to live both comfortably here in this word, and also to live happily and gloriously in heaven.

[Use 1] This for the use of it, in the first place discovers an excellent privilege of God's children, even a privilege that God's children have above all other men in the world, whatsoever they be, that are not God's children: men may be rich and wealthy, they may have abundance, gold may be as plentiful with them as chippes, they may be great, and mighty, puissant and strong, and honorable in the world, and the like: and yet for all this, being not the children of God, they are but in a miserable state and condition, they have no right nor title to any true comfort, all their wealth, and all their honor and greatness, cannot yield them one dram of true comfort; they shall find it so when they stand in most need of comfort, and in the time of trial, and at the hour of death. They being not the children of God, their riches, their honor, and the like, are but given them to leave them without excuse, and to increase their judgment: yea they being out of Christ, they have no right to one bit of bread, or to one rag; they cannot go to God in time of their distress with comfort, and call on him as a gracious father, they cannot speak to him but as to an angry judge, ready to pour out his wrath and vengeance on them; they have no promise of any the least comfort belonging to them. All the promises of God touching the good things of this life and of the life to come, are appropriated to God's children, and they alone have right and title to them, and they only are sure to find true comfort here in this world, and are sure also to enjoy happiness and glory hereafter in heaven: that is the privilege of God's children. And therefore if thou (whosoever thou art) wouldst be sure to live comfortably here in this world, and to live happily and gloriously hereafter in heaven, then never rest till thou be sure that thou art in the number of God's children: if thou once come to have good evidence of that, that thou art borne of God, and begotten of God, that thou art borne of the Spirit, John. 3.6. and borne anew by the immortal seed of the word of God, then (indeed) thou art in a most happy state and condition, thou hast then assurance of God's special presence and protection, thou mayest then go with boldness to the throne of grace, and find help in the time of need; thou hast then right and title to all the good things of this life and of the life to come, and thou shalt be sure to find sweetness and true comfort here in this world, and thou shalt be sure also to go to heaven and to be saved: and that is an excellent comfort.

Again for a second use, is it so that God's children and [Use 2] only God's children are sure to find sweetness and comfort here in this world, and are sure also to go to heaven and to be saved? then we must look that we lay claim to heaven only as we are the children of God, and have right to it as adopted sons in and through the merits of Christ: and we are to renounce all things in our selves, and not as blind and ignorant persons do, hope to be saved for our good meaning and good dealing; yea we must go out of our selves, and look to be saved only as we are the adopted sons and daughters of God in and through Christ.

Yea will some say, [Object.] (here they that stand against justification in God's sight by the merit of Christ his active obedience, will be ready to take hold and say) are we to lay claim to heaven only as we are in and through Christ adopted to be the children of God? why then what need we the merit of Christ his active obedience to our justification in the sight of God, and to give us right and title to heaven? we are by Christ (we believing in him) freed from the guiltiness and punishment of our sins, and through Christ we are adopted to be the children of God, and as we are the adopted sons of God, we have right and title to heaven, and therefore there is no need of Christ his active obedience, but we are justified only by Christ his death and passive obedience.

To this I answer. Such as are justified by Christ, [Answ.] are also adopted to be the children of God, and have received power to be actually accounted his children by Christ: it is true, but yet we must know that the ground of their adoption is the obedience of the Son of God made man, and his voluntary subjection to the Law of God, and his fulfilling of it. So saith the Apostle in express words, Galat. 4.4.5. God sent forth his Son made of a woman, and made under the Law, not borne but made, that he might redeem them which were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. The obedience of the Son of God, made man, and made under the Law, is that which freeth true believers from under the Law, and gives them the adoption of sons. Christ as the natural Son of God is heir of his fathers kingdom: and true believers as adopted sons and daughters of God, have right and title to the same inheritance. Now Christ his mediation yields them the grace of adoption, and his mediation is his holy incarnation, and his fulfilling of the Law, and his suffering for sin: and therefore Christ his active obedience is needful to our justification in the sight of God, and to give us right and title to heaven: and we are to lay claim to heaven only as we are the adopted sons and daughters of God, and as we have right and title to it only by the merit of Christ his obedience imputed to us.

Note we in the next place the generality of the Apostles proposition. The Apostle here puts it down generally, As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

[Doct. 2] The point is this, That whosoever they be that are led by the Spirit of God, they are the children of God, whether they be high or low, rich or poor: the Lord respects not the state, condition, or degree of men in the world in bestowing his grace and adoption. It is neither outward honor, dignity, or privilege in the world, that is any help or furtherance to men, nor any meanness or baseness of place, calling, or degree in the world, that is an hindrance to them in obtaining God's grace and favor; there is no respect of persons with the Lord; there is neither Jew nor Grecian, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, but all are one in Christ Jesus. Whosoever he be that truly fears God, and works righteousness, and shows forth the power of grace, that he is led by the Spirit of God, [Use.] is assuredly the child of God. Here is then matter of sweet comfort for poor despised ones that truly fear the Lord; dost thou truly fear God? dost thou find the power of grace in thine heart? art thou led by the Spirit of God? and yet art thou poor, and of mean place and condition in the world? and art thou despised of great ones in the world? do proud rufflers look big on thee, and account thee not worthy to wipe their shoes? Care not for it, comfort thyself with this, thou art a child of God, and thou art as highly in the favor of God as the greatest Monarch in the world, yea thou art more dear and precious to the Lord then the greatest man in the world he being not the child of God. It is not thy poverty, nor thy meanness and baseness of condition in the world, that can hinder thee from having part with Christ, and from having interest in God's special love and favor: and let that comfort thee, and cheare up thy heart, when thou art most poor and most despised in the world.

In the next place observe we, the Apostle here makes the leading, guiding and conducting of men by the Spirit of God, to be an infallible proof of their adoption; he affirms that they are the adopted sons and daughters of God, whosoever they be that are led by the Spirit of God. Yea we see it is the very proposition of the Apostle, that as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. So the point offered from the substance of this verse is this.

That such persons as have the good hand of the holy Spirit [Doct. 3] of God, leading and guiding them in special manner, they are undoubtedly the children of God. Such men or women as are by the special work of God's Spirit acted, moved, and guided, the holy Spirit of God enlightening their minds to understand the will of God revealed in his word, and to discern of the things taught of God, and also effectually bending and inclining their wills and their affections to will and to affect good things, and enabling them in some measure with strength to will those things, so as now they will affect and do good things willingly, and follow that special motion, and guidance, and conduction of the Spirit of God necessarily; they that are thus acted, moved, and guided by the holy Spirit of God, are certainly the children of God. This special leading, guidance, and conduction of them by the hand of the Spirit of God, is an infallible evidence and proof of their adoption, that they are the adopted sons and daughters of God. And to this the Apostle gives further plain evidence. Galat. 5.18. (saith he) If ye be led by the Spirit, if ye be acted, moved, and guided by the special work of the Spirit, ye are not under the Law: for of that he spake in the verse foregoing, ye are not under the Law; as if he had said, ye are not under the rigor and curse of the Law, ye are freed from it, and ye are under grace: for as the Apostle saith, Rom. 6.14. ye are then justified by Christ, and freed from the curse of the Law, and ye are under the special grace and favor of God, and ye are in the state of God's children. 1. John. 4.13. saith Saint John, Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us, that we dwell in God and God in us: that is, we have fellowship and communion with God, Because he hath given us of his Spirit. Because we find and feel the special work of the holy Spirit of God in us, and that we are acted, moved, and guided by his good Spirit, in our minds, wills, and affections, and in our words and actions, thereby we know it, and thereupon we can conclude to the comfort of our own souls, that we have fellowship with God, and so are the adopted sons and daughters of God, in and through Christ: for none but such as are the adopted children of God, have or can have fellowship with God.