Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates ?....2 Cor. xiii. 5. HAPPY for ministers, when their mission from Christ is called in question, to appeal to their people's hearts to prove that Christ hath spoken to them. Happy for christians, to examine, prove, and know themselves, and to find Christ is in them. Ignorance of ourselves, lies at the bottom of all error and self deceit. Lord help us deeply to consider this important question. 1st. Know ye not your own selves? Come, you are very ready to judge ministers, find fault with them, and to call their gifts and graces in question: look at home: know yourselves: be not puffed up: consider yourselves, be humble. Your hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; your nature is totally corrupt and abominable: In your flesh dwells no good thing? its motions are to bring forth fruit unto death: its lustings are continually unto sin. Know, there is no difference in your nature from that of the most vile and abandoned sinner upon the face of the earth. If left to yourselves, there is not the most atrocious sin but you might commit: There is not a hell in which others are eternally suffering for sin, but what you justly deserve and would fall into; for your sinful nature is as reprobate, corrupt and adulterate as others, even as the most vile: yea, and your state is also by nature as bad as others, even CHILDREN OF WRATH. Know ye not your own selves? Has the Spirit of truth made you thus acquainted with yourselves? Be not afraid to see and know the very worst of yourselves. For, 2d. Know ye not that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? Blessed distinction! In this the elect differ from the reprobate: the former have Christ in them; the latter reject Christ and are without any true knowledge of him, faith in him, and love to him. What is implied in Christ being in us? 1st. Dwelling in our hearts by faith: a clear knowledge of him, cordially receiving him, heartily believing on him, stedfastly cleaving to him, constantly abiding in him, steadily looking to him, as he is revealed in the word, the righteousness of sinners, the atonement for the guilty, justification for the ungodly, and the Saviour of the hopeless, helpless, and desperate. Therefore, 2d. He is precious to us, as being suitable for us in his glorious person and all his blessed offices: hence our hearts go after him, our affections are placed on him, and it is the desire and delight of our souls to honor, serve and obey him: thus self-knowledge and the knowledge of Christ are the very criterion of salvation. O, that we may sink into the depths of the deepest humility by the one, and rise into the heights of the highest comfort, peace and joy by the other: so shall we prove, that we have true christian experience of the love, and grace of Christ. VOL. II. K But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, who is the head, even Christ....Eph. iv. 15. THERE is much good or much harm done by public preaching and private speaking. See to it christians: it either makes souls grow up in self-love, self-righteousness, and self-complacency; or to grow quite out of all conceit with themselves, and to grow up into Christ in all things. Vain persons who think themselves very handsome, are peculiarly fond of looking at themselves in a glass that flatters or deceives them: if they see a disgustful spot or blemish in their face, their vanity prompts them to give it some better name than it deserves, that it may not bring down their high opinion of their own beauty: this is the exact case with those who are grown up in themselves, in a high conceit of their own SINLESS perfection: if a spot or blemish of sin appear, O that is only an infirmity they do not call these things sin: but one loud peal of thunder, one dreadful flash of lightning from Mount Sanai, would make them say with David, "I have seen an end of all perfection."....Psalm cxix. 96. And with Paul, "I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came sin revived, (it seems sin was fallen into a dead swoon, but the law revived it) and I died."....Rom. vii. 9. Then Paul was glad to speak the truth, in love, to love the truth as it is in Jesus, to grow out of conceit with himself, and to grow up in Christ in all things. O, this is blessed growing. Lord make our souls thus increase, with all the increase of God. Into Christ: in a greater knowledge of his glorious person, more experience of his humbling grace, stronger exercise of faith in him, hope towards him, love to him, patience, resignation and self denied obedience to his blessed word and will. IN ALL THINGS: as Christ has redeemed us from ALL iniquity, and justified us from ALL THINGS; faith works by the love of this, to universal obedience; FOR CHRIST IS THE HEAD: ever remember this and be humble; firmly believe this and be joyful. He is, 1st. The head of influence: you can have no grace to strengthen you: no righteousness to justify you: no holiness to sanctify you; no love of the Father to bless you: no Spirit to comfort you, but in and from him: the body is nourished from the head: So are all Christ's members. 2d. He is the head of eminence to protect you from every evil enemy and danger, till he brings you safe to his glory. Know, that all this comfort and blessedness is enjoyed in the faith of Christ, "who is THE TRUTH."....John xiv. 6. Only believe....Mark v. 36. A SHORT answer to a case of great distress: a simple recipe from the greatest physician: a grand catholicon, or universal remedy that suits all cases, states and circumstances, and is seasonable at all times. Look at this history: look to the author of faith to profit by it. Here is a ruler falls at Christ's feet, beseeching help for his daughter at the point of death: Jesus went with him before he arrives at the house, news is brought that the child is dead: the Lord of life and death forbids the father's fears: BE NOT AFRAID; he encourages his hope: ONLY BELIEVE. Fears are natural to sin-ners; faith expels them. Christ restores her to life: joyful news for us. 1st. Here is precious encouragement for our faith in every application to Christ. For 2d. Here is a marvellous display of his great love, ready will, and almighty power to help and relieve us : he not only restores at the last gasp, but when life is departed recalls it. If your soul is alive to God, you have experienced this: It was dead in sin: Christ quickened you: now he is your life, how are you to walk and enjoy the comfort of this? ONLY BELIEVE. How many hearts heave with indignation against this doctrine? How many taunt at us? "O you are all for faith, nothing but faith, only believe.". True, we are all for Christ, nothing but Christ, only Christ; and we can enjoy him ONLY by believing: he reproves our slowness of heart to believe as our greatest folly....Luke xxiv. 25. All our comfort flows from faith; all our misery from unbelief. Bring this to a point. Are we groaning under the burden of inbred sin, vexed with sore temptations? Do we feel the accusations of conscience, fear the terrors of a broken law, see the drawn sword of justice in the hand of a sin-avenging God, and tremble at the solemn thoughts of death and judgment? Under all this, what can bring relief to our conscience, hope to our mind, and peace to our soul? ONLY BELIEVE that Christ hath redeemed, justified, and will eternally glorify us this is death to our fears, and life to our joys. Again, how is the life of holiness maintained? ONLY BELIEVE that walking in fellowship with Christ infinitely exceeds all the pleasures of sin, the joys of sense, and the happiness of the world. Faith elevates the soul above all this, and causes it to look down with a holy contempt upon it. Faith enjoys Christ, that is heaven in the heart. "In this stedfast faith we are to resist satan.... 1 Pet. v. 9. and overcome the world.".... 1 John v. 4. "Only believe:" Lord give the pow'r, Faith brings all glory to the Lord, Who lean on Christ their only hope. M. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee....Psalm Ivi. 3. A CHRISTIAN'S fears commence with his joys. Being new born he is the subject of new joys and new fears also; and glory to grace, he has a new object too to trust in, a covenant God in Christ, who is unchangeable in his love. Confidence in him is the sovereignt antidote against dejecting fears: fears that the world know not of, beset holy saints. 1st. They find and feel their hearts to be superlatively deceitful and desperately wicked; they dread their corruptions more than all the men on earth or devils in hell; they are afraid lest some vile lust, cursed corruption, or devilish temptation should prevail, so as to offend their Lord, wound their conscience, and bring a reproach upon the gospel of our beloved: this is a holy fear; it can do the soul no harm; it is for its good; it keeps it humble and self diffident, and causes it to say, "I will trust in thee." "Do," saith the Saviour, "my grace is sufficient for thee: my strength is made perfect in thy weakness: my power shall prevail over thy wickedness." 2d. They may be afraid, after all their delightful hopes of living and reigning with Jesus in glory; that through the pressure of a body of sin and death, the snares and devices of satan, the allurements of the world, &c. they may come short and perish at last: they may fear, lest after they have spun the last thread they should perish on the shore in sight of glory but they may boldly and con fidently say, I will trust in thee; for here is a most precious threefold cord which can never be broken. Thus saith JESUS, 1st. I give unto my sheep eternal life. 2d. They shall never perish. 3d. None shall pluck them out of my hands....John x. 28. I thank thee my dear Lord; this has been a sheet anchor to my soul in many a dreadful storm. 3d. We may be afraid of that terrible monster, death; but Christ hath conquered him for us: trust in the Lord brings perfect victory over him, and joyful triumph against him; so that we can say, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." .... 1 Cor. xv. 55, 57. Faith makes a bridge over the river of death, but 4th. says a poor sinner, I am not afraid of being damned in hell, but of starving on earth: but saith he, "Trust in the Lord, and verily thou shalt be fed."....Psalm xxxvii. 3. How many are the fears Which exercise my mind! But God is nigh, his grace appears, O, teach my soul the art, All times to trust in thee; M. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit....2 Cor. vii. 1. CLEANSE ourselves! What! was holy Paul the subject of filthiness? Yes, he as well as all the holy saints of Corinth constantly wanted cleansing by the blood of Christ: Paul again and again declares against the proud notion of sinless perfection; he well knew that regenerating grace and adopting love, do not entirely destroy the infection of our nature; but hereby we are brought into a holy state, we are set above the power of sin; we hate the defilement of it, and we ever have the precious blood of the Lamb to have recourse to for cleansing from it: "the Son of God has made us free indeed." ....John viii. 36. Free from the slavery of sin, and the bondage of the law: free to come to him that we may wash our garments and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. Do you see and be moan that you are the subject of internal as well as external filthiness? Should you not be ashamed that your fellow christians should know what filthy and abominable thoughts pass through your mind? Are they not the grief of your very soul? The Lord knows them all he has provided and set open a precious fountain for sin and uncleanness....Zach. xiii. 1. Believe his love: take the benefit of his Son's blood: come freely, come daily, come constantly to it by faith wash and be clean: see the reason for this; "having these promises: O, consider how great and precious they are. 1st. Of being temples of the living God. 2d. Of his in-dwelling presence. 3d. Of his being our God, and we his sons and daughters. 4th. Of God's receiving us, and owning us as such whenever we come to him: most powerful motives for cleansing. See, believers, your precious privileges; we are not called upon and urged to cleanse ourselves by the terrors of the law on pain of damnation. No; but as loving children in a state of salvation, under the covenant of love and grace; nothing but great and precious promises await us from the love of God our Father, from the grace of God our Redeemer, and from the witness of God our sanctifier; and, it is by these, we are animated and excited to cleansing and purification. Would it not be a scandal, and a shame to an earthly monarch, for his children to appear in filthy garments, consort with the low and vulgar of his subjects, and give into their practices? O, ye sons and daughters of the King of kings, consider your dignity; act up to your high station; adorn your profession; walk worthy of your God. Lord I've daily need of cleansing, Now I'm in thy new creation, M. |