Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
— Romans 8:12-13
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
— Romans 8:6-7
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
— Romans 8:9
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
— Romans 8:14
A Sermon on Romans 8:5, by Thomas Manton.
SERMON VII.
They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; and they that are after the spirit, the things of the spirit.
— Roм. viii. 5.
I proceed now to the application of the former discourse:
Use I. To put us upon serious self-reflection, of what sort are we? after the flesh, or after the spirit? I pray let us go to a thorough search and trial; and to deal more plainly in it,
1. Consider there are three sorts of persons in the world —
VER. 5.
1 Some are wholly carried away by the desires of the flesh, and seek their happiness here but neglect things to come. The case is clear, that they are after the flesh, and so for the present in a state of death and danination. And they had need to look to it betimes; for ‘to be carnally minded is death,’ meritorie et effective. They provoke God to deny them life, whom they despise for their lusts’ sake, and dispense with their duty to him to satisfy some foolish and inordinate desire and effective, they have no sound belief, nor desire of the world to come and do you think God will save them against their wills, and thrust and force these things upon them without their consent, or beside their purpose and inclination? No, it will not be. Surely there is no difficulty in the case, to state their condition, who grossly set more by their lusts than by their obedience to God. The things of the flesh are the chief scope and business of their lives; and they care not whether God be pleased or displeased, obeyed or disobeyed, honoured or dishonoured, a friend or an enemy; so the flesh be pleased, that is all their desire and aim.
2. There is another sort of men, who do many things that are good, but the flesh too often gets the upper hand; and though they do many things that appertain to the spirit, yet in other things they show they are influenced by the carnal life, as is evident.
3 Some unquestionably show they are after the spirit, by their deep sense of heavenly things, their care about them, their diligence and watchfulness over the desires and inclinations of the flesh, and holding a hard hand over the passions and affections thereof, and their serious endeavours to please God. There is no doubt but these are born of God.
All the difficulty is about the middle sort, to understand their condition. They must be again distinguished—
1. Some are not far off from the kingdom of God.
2. Others are actually admitted, though grace be in some weak degree.
1. For the first-those that are not far from the kingdom of God. They are such as have the grace of the third ground described: Luke viii. 14, And that which fell among thorns, are they who, having heard, go forth, and are choked with cares, and riches, and the pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.’ They have good sentiments of religion, and retain them longer than the stony ground doth, but they are over-mastered with the cares of this world, and voluptuous living, so as that they attain not to the perfection of that holy and heavenly life that should be in Christians. They do not lay aside the profession, but have not felt the power of Christianity in mortifying their fleshly and worldly lusts, that they may be more at liberty for God, and the duties of their heavenly calling; and so cherish a kind of imperfect Christianity, which little honoureth God in the world, or doth good to their own souls. They are neither wholly on nor off from religion. The bane of it is, that carnal and temporal things lie too near their hearts, so that they cannot fully commence into the divine life, and never took pains to overcome the natural spirit, which lusteth to sensuality, envy, pride, and worldliness. There are some good things found in them; but the carnal minding is not mortified, nor doth the meek, holy, heavenly spirit prevail in them. There are —
2. Who are regenerate; but grace is weak in them, and corruptions break out, and shake off the empire of grace for a time, though it habitually prevails, and governs their actions. Now for the former, we must persuade them to get a good and a honest heart; that is, that their intentions be more sincere and fixed, their way more thorough and exact, lest they get a name for religion, to do a mischief to it. For most of the calamities of the church, and the prejudices against religion, and hardening by scandals and blemishes, come from that sort of men, and are to be laid at their doors. And for the second, we are to advise them, and call upon them to distinguish themselves from the carnal state more clearly and explicitly. For though God may accept them, yet whilst they border too near upon the carnal world, it is in vain to find out evidences whereby they may assure their hearts before God; for though God possibly hath given them saving grace, and will accept them at last, yet he will not give them assurance; and we do but perplex cases of conscience, to reconcile the tenor of Christianity with their weak state. Exhortation doth better than trial. If they be sincere, they will come on in the way of godliness, and then that which was doubtful will be more clear and satisfactory, and their sincerity will be more unquestionable.
3. Because God’s dear children write bitter things against themselves, either out of weakness of judgment, or consciousness of too much prevalency of corrupt affections, and tenderness of God’s honour, and trouble for their own imperfections, it will be necessary further to state the point. There is to the very last, flesh and spirit in the best: Gal. v. 17, ‘For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit lusteth against the flesh;’ yet there is enough to distinguish them from the carnal world; and that is the potency and the predominancy of the spiritual principle. Denominatio est a potiori; not from what is perfect, but from what is sincere, and habitually reigneth and beareth the upper hand in the soul. But then the question returneth, How shall we know the prevalency? I answer
1 Negatively. Not by a bare sense of duty, or a dictate of conscience, that showeth what ought to be done; but many times we do quite otherwise; for many ‘hold the truth in unrighteousess: Rom. i. 18. A dictate of conscience is unsufficient to change the heart and sanctify the life. Nor barely by the resolution of the will, for that may be uneffectual, and without a full purpose of heart: ‘I go, sir,’ said the first son in the parable, but went not:’ Mat. xxi. 30. Many resolve well, but they have not a heart to verify and make good their resolutions: Deut. v. 29. The Jews said, ‘All that the Lord hath spoken we will do.’ ‘Oh! that there were such a heart in them,’ saith God. Nor by a faint desire; for many can wish not only for heaven and happiness, but that it might be otherwise with them in point of holiness, that God would change their natures; but they do not use the means: The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing,’ Prov. xiii. 4. None goeth to heaven by the sluggard’s wishes; not by prevailing in one act, or more; for many, in a pang of zeal, may do much for God: Gal. iv. 18, ‘It is good to be zealously affected always in a good matter; Ps. cvi. 3, ‘Blessed are they that do righteousness at all times.’ Nor by every kind of dislike, and resistance of sin, that may sometimes arise from other lusts; for they sometimes fight among themselves: James iv. 1, ‘Whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even from your lusts, which war in yourselves? Or from hypocrisy, to hide and feed some other lusts the more plausibly. Or if from conscience, the resistance is too feeble to break the power of sin, till the heart be renewed, or more thoroughly set towards God and heavenly things.
2. Positively.
1st. By the course of our actions. Habits are known by the uniformity of acts, when the effects of the spirit are more constant than those of the flesh, and the drift and business of our lives is for God and our salvation; our bent and business is the pleasing of God, and the saving of our own souls. Men must be judged, not by a few acts, but their walk, or the tenor of their conversations. They that spend their time in knitting one carnal contentment to another, and glut themselves with all manner of vain delights, and God hath from them. but what the flesh can spare, a little formal slight service, that they may pacify conscience, and enjoy their pleasures with less remorse; what are they doing but the flesh’s business?
2d. By cherishing the best principle with all care and diligence, and mortifying and suppressing the other. The better principle must be cherished; that is, we must get more degrees of faith, love, and hope, that faith may be more strong, love more fervent, hope more lively: 2 Pet. iii. 18, But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’ On the other side, the flesh would fain be pleased before God; but you must subdue it more and more: 1 Cor. ix. 22, ‘I keep under my body, ant bring it into subjection;’ give it not what it craveth. Rest not in endeavours without success; for, Gal. v. 24, They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts thereof.’ A Christian is seen proposito conatu, eventu. Some victory there must be over the carnal mind. See that the power of the flesh be diminished in you, both as to the motions of it and your obedience to it.
Use 2 is Exhortation.
First. Negatively: Not to mind the things of the flesh. That is, take heed not only of the grosser out-breakings of the flesh, but of serving it in a more cleanly manner, by too free and full a gust and relish in any outward thing; for by this means it securely gets interest, and gaineth upon you. If you freely let loose the heart to every alluring object, and withhold not yourselves from any joy, lust will grow bold and head-strong, and be hardly kept within bounds.
Motives —
1. Consider your engagement, as you are Christ’s: Gal. v, 24, They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof.’ Every man is engaged by his profession and covenant, sealed in baptism, so to do; which should be a very moving argument to press us to do things cross and unpleasing to the flesh.
2. Your comfort dependeth on it. For here is your evidence, either you must mortify the flesh, or gratify the flesh; if you gratify the flesh, you are not under the conduct of the Spirit, and so not under the hope of glory; if you mortify it, then you shall live. The only evidence that will content and satisfy you, as to your gracious state, is such a high estimation of God and Christ and grace, as weaneth you, and draweth off the heart from other things. A dull approbation of that which is good will make no evidence, nor a few good wishes; nothing but such a strong bent as deadeneth your affections to the world: Gal. vi. 14, ‘God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I unto the world.’
3. This will be your wisdom. There is a false wisdom, and a true wisdom: James iii. 15, ‘This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devillish:’ ver. 17, But the wisdom that is from above, is first pure, then peaceable,’ etc. This is the true wisdom, to be wise for the spirit. I do the rather insist upon this because there is a notion of wisdom in the word of the text. Carnal men judge their own way wisest, and the way of the godly to be mere folly: 1 Cor. ii. 14, ‘The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him: neither can he receive them, because they are spiritually discerned.’ The godly employ themselves to get things spiritual, and such as God’s honour is mainly concerned in; and are not attended with an income of worldly advantage, but rather of loss and detriment-but yet the end shall prove that they that thought themselves the only wise men and gainers, have been mere fools; and the greatest losers those others whom they looked upon as madmen are the wisest adventurers and the greatest gainers. The issue will show it: Gal. vi. 8, ‘ He that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting;’ Rom. viii. 6, ‘To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.’
4. The flesh is really our enemy; yea, our greatest enemy. Therefore we should not indulge the flesh, but give up ourselves to be ruled by the Spirit: 1 Peter ii. 10, 11, ‘Take heed of fleshly lusts which war against the Spirit.’ That it is one of our enemies, is clear by that: Eph. ii. 2, 3, Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now ruleth in the children of disobedience: among whom also we had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.’ There is the course of this world, and the prince of the power of the air, and our own flesh. Corrupt nature within us would make us vile enough, without external incitements and suggestions, though there were never a devil to tempt or evil example to follow. If the devil should stand by, and say nothing, there is enough within us to put us upon all manner of evil, though there were no other irritation than God’s law: Rom. vii. 9, ‘When the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.’ Other enemies could do us no harm without our own flesh. We are tempted to sin by Satan, encouraged to sin by the example and custom of others, inticed to sin by the baits and allurements of the world; but inclined to sin by our own flesh. It is the flesh that holdeth correspondence with Satan, the flesh that openeth the door to temptations, the flesh that maketh our abode in the world so dangerous, the flesh that choketh the good sced, that hindereth all our heavenly thoughts, and maketh the service of God so burdensome. The flesh is within us and maketh a part of ourselves. There is more imminent danger from a plague in the body, than from an enemy that waiteth in the streets to kill us. If we would but keep ourselves from ourselves we should do well enough. It is the flesh that lulleth us asleep in carnal security, that tainteth all our actions, and is so ready to betray us. The devil dealeth with us as Baalam by the Israelites; all his curses and charms prevailed nothing, till he found a means to destroy them by themselves, to corrupt them by whoredom, and by whoredom to draw them to idolatry. It is the flesh that is the domestical enemy, that dwelleth with us, and in us, and so maketh us a ready prey to Satan. We carry it about with us wherever we go, and so it is ready to do us mischief upon all occasions. When we are about holy duties, it distracteth us with vain thoughts, and taketh off our edge, and make us drowsy and dead-hearted, and weary of God’s service. When we are about our callings, it is the flesh that maketh us lazy and negligent, and diverteth us by the proposals of sensual objects; or else to be so earnest in them, that we have no time nor heart for God and soul-necessities. When we are eating and drinking, it is the flesh that turneth our table into a snare, and tempts us to glut ourselves with carnal delights, and to oppress our bodies when we should refresh them and strengthen them for God’s service. In our recreations it is the flesh that maketh us inordinate in them, and to forget our great work and last end; and so we are the more intangled in sin when we should be more fit to glorify God. It is the flesh that, being beaten out at one door, entereth by another, and still assaults us afresh, to our great spiritual prejudice. And will you study how to please the flesh, that is so great an enemy to your souls-that flesh that resists all the motions of God’s Spirit; that cloggeth you in every duty, and draweth you off from the pursuit of everlasting happiness?
5. Consider how ill Christ will take it, and what just cause you give him to withdraw, when you prize the things of the flesh before him and the comforts of the Spirit. Must not the Lord Jesus take it exceeding unkindly, that after all his love, and the discoveries of his grace, you should study to please his competitor, and your own enemy? Is his grace and glory worth no more than so? and hath he deserved no better at your hands? God spared not his own Son, but gave him up to the death for us:’ Rom. viii. 32. Christ pleased not himself:’ Rom. xv. 3. There is nothing so answerable as some self-denial on our part. The most genuine and natural influence from this grace is, that we should spare nothing, please not ourselves: Titus ii. 11, ‘The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men, teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts.’ Teaching us, etc., how? By way of precept? No, by way of argument. It persuadeth us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts.
6. Consider, the more you indulge the flesh, the more it is an enemy, and the more is your slavery and bondage increased; and still you grow the more brutish, forgetful of God, and unapt for spiritual use for make it a wanton once, and it groweth stubborn and contumacious, and secureth its interest, and gaineth upon you. If you allow yourselves too free and full a gust and relish in any outward thing, and let loose the heart to every alluring object, and withhold not your hearts from any joy and sense-pleasing object, which Solomon acknowledgeth as his sin: Eccles. ii. 10; vicious and inordinate desires increase upon you; and the more you gratify them the more they crave. The way to abate their rage is to deny them, and hold a hard hand over them, to bring the body into subjection:’ 1 Cor. ix. 27. Liberty allowed in satisfying carnal desires doth marvellously increase and nourish them, and will bring you to carelessness, and hardness of heart, if not some foul scandalous fall. I am sure the heart is corrupted strangely. Solomon saith: Prov. xxiv. 21, ‘He that delicately bringeth up a servant, shall have him become a son at length;’ he will no more know his condition, but grow bold and troublesome. I am sure the flesh was ordained to be a servant, and not a master. Take it in the mildest sense, it was ordained to be God’s servant, and our servant, and must be used as a servant, kept fit for work. We are the worse for licence; our natural desires, unless they feel fetters and restraints, will grow unruly; therefore it is good to bridle the flesh, lest it grow masterly. But when the flesh is that which you mind, which you indulge with too free a leave, you deny yourselves nothing, but cocker every appetite; you bring a snare upon the soul; and carnal distempers are the more rooted, and will prove troublesome if not destructive to you.
7. Consider the consequence and weight of these things. If it were a small matter we speak to you about, you might refuse to give ear; but it is in a case of life and death-eternal life, and eternal death. We can tell you of many temporal and present inconveniencies that come by the flesh. The body, the part gratified, suffereth, as well as the soul by it: Prov. viii. 11, Thou shalt mourn at last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed.’ It betrayeth you to commit such sins as suck your bones, and devour your strength, and give your years to the cruel. It bringeth infamy, and a blot upon the name, sins and scandals. Pleasing the flesh, and minding the flesh, makes one turn drunkard, another a wanton, another a glutton, or a hard-hearted worldling, or an ambitious, vain-glorious fool, or a senseless voluptuary : these are no small things. But rather consider, it will be the eternal ruin of your precious and immortal souls. The more you give up yourselves to please the flesh, the more you add fuel to that fire which shall never be quenched, and provide matter of eternal sorrows and confusion of face to yourselves. There will a day come when God will call you to an account for this: Eccles. xi. 9, Rejoice, O young man in thy youth, and let thine heart cheer thee, and walk in the way of thine own heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know that for all these things God will bring thee to judgment.’ Mark, O young man! We say, Dandum est aliquid huic ætati-some allowance is to be made to this age, before they have learned by experimenting pleasures to contemn them; but the young man is admonished: Do what thou pleasest; let thy wanton and wandering eye inflame the lusts of thine heart, smother thy conscience by all manner of sensual and vain delights, but at length thou wilt learn the folly of this to thy bitter cost. These things that are now so pleasing to the senses will one day gnaw and sting the conscience; when God, whom thou now forgettest, shall, whether thou wilt or no, drag thee forth to judgment, and thou shalt in vain ‘call upon the rocks and mountains to cover thee.’
8. Consider how contrary it is to our Christian hopes to mind the flesh, or please the flesh: 1 Peter ii. 11, ‘Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. You are, or you should be, travelling into another country, where are the spirits of just men made perfect;’ and this body of thine is to become a spiritual body; will you please it not in a gross, but in a more cleanly manner? Nothing is more unsuitable. Shall we that are going to Canaan hearken after the flesh pots of Egypt? Nothing is so contrary to our profession, and that breedeth such unreadiness to depart out of the world, as these vain delights; and therefore if you be strangers and pilgrims, you should not lust after worldly and fleshly things; stop here, lest you forget and forfeit your great hopes.
9. Consider what a vile unthankfulness, and an abuse it is of that liberty which we have by Christ, and all the blessings of God’s providence: Gal. v. 13, Ye are called to liberty, only use it not as an occasion to the flesh.’ We have a great liberty to use worldly comforts, in order to God’s glory, and as encouragements of God’s service, and for the sweetening of our pilgrimage; but now, when you use this liberty to please the flesh, you turn it into a bondage, and offer a great abuse to Jesus Christ. Surely he never died to promote the power of sin, he never gave us these comforts richly to enjoy, to hearten our enemy; he was not a man of sorrows that we might live in pleasures, he did not suffer in the flesh that we might have liberty to indulge and please the flesh; he bestowed not so large a supply of outward comforts to hinder us from those better and eternal things which he purchased for us-1 Tim. vi. 17, 18-or to turn them into occasions of unrighteous-ness, and means whereby to dishonour his name, and destroy our souls.
Now if we would not do so, something must be done — 1 As to sinful inclinations.
2.1 As to sinful motions.
3. As to sinful actions.
1 As to sinful and fleshly inclinations, observe them, weaken them.
1. Observe them. Satan doth, and we should; he observeth which way the tree leaneth, and what kind of diet our soul distempers crave, and suiteth his temptations accordingly, as the angler suiteth his bait as the fishes will take it, for every month a bait: 1 Cor. vii. 5, ‘Lest satan tempt you for your incontinency.’ He hath a bait of preferment for Absalom, for he is ambitious; a bait of pleasure for Samson, for he is voluptuous; a bait of money for Judas, for he is covetous; thus will he furnish them with temptations answerable to their inclinations; a man by temper voluptuous may despise profit, as an earth-worm doth pleasure, or honour, reputation, and great places, or at least doth not so much value these things. It is sad that our enemy should know our temper better than we do ourselves, where we are weakest, and how to make his assaults; and therefore observe your inclinations. Flesh-pleasing is the general term by which it is expressed. Three objects there are about which this sin of flesh-pleasing is exercised: 1 John ii. 16, The lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and the pride of life’-credit or honour, profit or riches, sensual pleasure or carnal delight. Now see which of these things do you favour or mind most-what carnal interest suiteth with your hearts, and groweth there.
2. Weaken and subdue them. It is your uprightness and faithfulness: Ps. xviii. 23, I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquities.’ Let a Christian observe the increase or decay of his master sin, and other things will succeed the more easily. ‘Fight not against small nor great, but the king of Israel.’ When we can deny ourselves in our dearest lusts, Satan is more discouraged. Samson’s strength lay in his locks; so doth the strength of sin, in one part more than another. Every man is sensible of his darling sin, more or less; but the next thing to be looked after is what we do with it. Herod raged when John the Baptist touched his Herodias; Felix trembled when Paul touched his bribery and intemperance, but puts it off. The young man went away sad and troubled when Christ. told him of selling all that he had, for he had great possessions: Mark x. Many are troubled in conscience, not so much for want of assurance, as loathness to part with some bosom lust; but when we must pluck out right eyes, and cut off right hands, Mat. v. 29, 30, it is hard to them. When you pray and strive against this sin, and grow in the contrary grace, this showeth the truth of a man’s self-denial; as Abraham’s love appeared in that he did not spare Isaac.
2 As to evil motions. Prevent them, and suppress them.
1. Prevent them: 1 Peter i. 11, Abstain from fleshly lusts that war against your souls.’ Which implies not only an abstinence from the outward act, but that you weaken the power and root of sin, that it do not so easily bud forth; those impetus primo primi are sins, not only infelicities but sins; they would not be so rife with us, if the heart were more under command. We are guilty of many sins whereunto we do consent, because we do not more strongly dissent, and more potently and rulingly command all the subject faculties, as a man is guilty of the murder of his child if he seeth his servant kill him, and doth not his best to hinder it; but chiefly when some partial consent followeth, when the heart is tickled and delighted with them. So an unclean glance is adultery: Mat. v. 28, ‘If a man look on a woman so as to lust after her, he hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.’ The more they are mortified, the heart is the less pestered with them.
2. Suppress them speedily. When we cannot keep sin under, let us crush it. When the mind dwelleth on it, lust is conceiving, which bringeth forth sin: James i. 15. The flesh riseth up in arms against every gracious motion; so should the spirit against every sinful motion; if you let it alone, it will break out, to God’s dishonour. Dash Babylon’s brats against the stones.
3. As to sinful actions.
Prevent them as much as may be; repeat
them not, lest they grow into a habit.
1. Prevent them as much as may be. It is good to stop at last, to hinder the action. When lust hath gained the consent of the will; let it not break forth into action. The very lust is a grief to the spirit, but the act will bring dishonour to God, and give ill example to men: Micah ii. 1, Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their bed; when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hands.’ If fire be kindled in thy bosom, it is dangerous to let the sparks fly abroad.
2. Repeat not these acts; lest they grow into a habit and settled disposition of soul. Evil customs increase by many acts, and so the mischief is more remediless: Jer. xiii. 27, ‘I have seen thy adulteries and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredoms, O Jerusalem! Wilt thou not be made clean? When shall it once be?’ It is a very difficult thing for a man to leave his inveterate customs; customary exercise in the use of earthly things begets worldly dispositions not easily cured. Augustine saith of his mother Monica: Ad illud modicum quotidiana modica addendo in eam consuetudinem delapsa erat, ut plenos jam mero calices inhianter hauriebat. Vinolency crept upon her by degrees. To be gratifying carnal desires now with one thing, now with another, what doth it do, but bring us under the power of a distemper which we cannot remedy: Heb. iii. 13, ‘Exhort one another daily whilst it is called to-day, lest ye be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.’ Yield a little to sin, and it prevaileth more, till at last you are brought under the power of it: 1 Cor. vi. 12, All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any thing.’
Secondly. Positively, as to the things of the spirit.
1. Mind the things of the spirit more than ever you have done. Many stick there in the very acts that properly belong to the mind, never so much as trouble themselves, or come to any reasoning within themselves, about pardon of their sins, peace with God, the sanctification of the spirit, or hopes of eternal life: Ps. x. 4, ‘The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God; God is not in all his thoughts.’ Alas! What have you been doing since you came to the use of reason? How have you spent your time in youth or riper age? If you have never thought of God and his grace, nor regarded the offers of mercy in the gospel, certainly you have lost your time, neglected your duty, and betrayed your souls. What have you been doing? Have you been governed by the flesh or by the spirit? If all your care hath been about back and belly, and your thoughts have reached no higher than the riches, and honours, and pleasures, and applause, and esteem of the world, and heaven and heavenly things have been little regarded, alas! for the present you are in the highway to hell and everlasting destruction, if you do not correct your error in time, and more earnestly mind other things.
2. You must not only mind the things of the spirit, but prize and choose them for your work and happiness, for some of them belong to your duty, and some to your felicity: Luke x. 42, One thing is necessary, and Mary hath chosen the better part, which shall never be taken from her.’ Give your hearty consent to seek after that happiness in that way. Without choice, or a determinate fixed bent of heart, you will never thoroughly engage yourselves to God. Determine not only that you must, but you will walk in the way which God hath set forth for you. All will choose happiness before misery, but they are out in the means; they do not choose the good of holiness before the pleasures of sin, nor the life of faith before the life of sense. If you have more mind to keep sin than to let it go, you are still charmed and enchanted with the delights of the flesh, your will and resolution are not fixed.
3. To this add an industrious pursuit and seeking after these things; for our choice is known by our pursuit, and our bent by our work. These things must be diligently sought after, that we may behave ourselves like men that are desirous to have what they seek: Heb. xi. 6, ‘God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ Everlasting joys will not drop into the mouth of the lazy soul; these things are not trifles, they will cost us diligence and seriousness: Phil. ii. 12, Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.’ It is a weighty work, and it must be followed close; if you miscarry in it, you are undone for ever; but if you happily get through it, you are in a blessed state indeed.
4. You must seek after the privileges of the gospel in God’s way. You cannot have spiritual life, and adoption, and justification by Christ, till you are united to him by faith: 1 John v. 12, He that hath the Son, hath life; and he that hath not the Son, hath not life.’ You cannot have heaven and glory, but by patient continuance in well-doing: Rom. ii. 3, ‘To them that by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory, and honour, and immortality, eternal life.’ You cannot have the end, but in the use of means, and you do not like the end if you do not like the means. Till you come to God by Christ, you cannot live the life of grace; and till you live the life of grace you are not capable of glory. Therefore you must ask your souls often, What have I to show for my title to salvation more than most of the world have?
5. It is not enough that you seek after them in God’s way, but you must seek after them above other things. A feeble desire cannot maintain itself against fleshly lusts and temptations. If you have a mind to these things, and a greater mind to other things, your resolution will be soon shaken, carnal things will intercept the vigour and life of your souls. These things must be sought first, and most; all must be sold for the pearl of price: Mat. xiii. 45, 46.
6. You must beg of God to give you a new mind, and a new heart, both to discern and relish spiritual things; for your old corrupt minds and hearts will never do it: 1 Cor. ii. 14, The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; neither can he receive them, because they are spiritually discerned.’ He cannot accept, nor savingly understand, these things so as to believe them with a sound belief, and a large affection. Exhortations are in vain, for inclination here doth more than persuasion; all things are of God: 2 Cor. v. 17, 18. God must give both, and therefore ask them of him.
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