Though God have left many defects to humble you, yet he hath given many things to comfort you. This is a comfort that the desire of thy soul is to God, and to the remembrance of his name. This is a comfort, that thy sins are not thy delight as once they were ; but thy shame and sorrow. This is a comfort, that thy case is not singular ; but more or less, the same complaints and sorrows are found in all gracious souls through the world ; and to say all in one word, this is the comfort above all comforts, that the time is at hand, in which all these defects, infirmities, and fail- ings shall be done away, 1 Cor. xiii. 10. " When that which is " perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done " away."
For ever blessed be God for Jesus Christ.
And thus I have finished the third general use of examination, whereby every man is to try his interest in Christ, and discern whether ever Christ hath been effectually applied to his soul. That which remains is
An use of Lamentation.
Wherein the miserable and most wretched state of all those to whom Jesus Christ is not effectually applied, will be yet more par„ ticularly discovered and bewailed.
i.%% THE METHOD OF GRACE. SERM. XXXl.
Of the State of Spiritual Death, and the Misery thereof.
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that steepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
X HIS scripture represents unto us the miserable and lamentable state of the unregenerate, as being under the power of spiritual death, which is the cause and inlet of all other miseries. From hence, therefore, I shall make the first discovery of the woful and wretched state of them that apply not Jesus Christ to their own souls.
The scope of the apostle in this context, is to press believers to a circumspect and holy life ; to " walk as children of light." This exhortation is laid down in ver. 8. and pressed by divers argu- ments in the following verses.
First, From the tendency of holy principles, unto holy fruits and practice, ver. 9, 10.
Secondly, From the convincing efficacy of practical godliness, upon the consciences of the wicked, ver. 11, 12, 13. It awes and convinces their consciences.
Thirdly, From the co-incidence of such a conversation with the great design and drift of the scriptures, which is to awaken men by regeneration, out of that spiritual sleep, or rather death, which sin hath cast them into ; and this is the argument of the text, Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that steepest, fyc. There is some difficulty in the reference of these words. Some think it is to Isa. xxvi. 19. "Awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust." Others to Isa. lx. i. " Arise, shine, for thy light is come," &c. But most probably, the words neither refer to this or that particularly, but to the drift and scope of the whole scriptures, which were inspired and written upon this great design, to awaken and quicken souls out of the state of spiritual death. And in them we are to consider these three things more distinctly and particularly.
1. The miserable state of the unregenerate ; they are asleep and dead,
%. Their duty ; which is to " awake, and stand up from the « dead."
3. The power enabling them thereunto; "Christ shall give " thee light."
First, The miserable state of the unregenerate, represented un- der the motions of sleep and death : both expressions intending one
SERM. XXXL THE METHOD OF GRACE. 423
and the same thing, though with some variety of notion. The Christless arid unregenerate world is in a deep sleep ; a spirit of slumber, senselessness and security is fallen upon them, though they lie exposed immediately to eternal wrath and misery, ready to drop into hell every moment. Just as a man that is fast asleep in a house on fire, and whilst the consuming flames are round about him, his fancy is sporting itself in some pleasant dream ; this is a very lively resemblance of the unregenerate soul. But yet he that sleeps hath the principle of life entire in him, though his senses be bound, and the actions of life suspended by sleep. Lest therefore we should think it is only so with the unregenerate, the expression is designedly varied, and those that were said to be asleep, are po- sitively affirmed to be dead ; on purpose to inform us that it is not a simple suspension of the acts and exercise, but a total privation of the principle of spiritual life, which is the misery of the unrege- nerate.
Secondly, We have here the duty of the unregenerate, which is to " awake out of sleep, and arise from the dead." This is their great concernment ; no duty in the world is of greater necessity and importance to them. " Strive (saith Christ) to enter in at the " strait gate," Luke xiii. 24. And the order of these duties is very natural. First awake, then arise. Startling and rousing con- victions make way for spiritual life ; till God awake us by convic- tions of our misery, we will never be persuaded to arise and move towards Christ for remedy and safety.
Thirdly, But you will say, if unregenerate men be dead men, to what purpose is it to persuade them to arise and stand up : The very exhortation supposes some powers or ability in the unregene- rate ; else in vain are they commanded to arise *. This difficulty is solved in this very text, though the duty is ours, yet the power is God's. God commands that in his word, which only his grace can perform. " Christ shall give thee light."" Popish commenta- tors would build the tower of free-will upon this scripture, by a very weak argument, drawn from the order wherein these things are here expressed ; which is but a very weak foundation to build upon, for it is very usual in scripture to put the effect before, and the cause after, as it is here, so in Isa. xxvi. 19- " Awake and sing, " ye that dwell in the dust." But I will not here intangle my discourse with that controversy ; that which I aim at is plain in the words, viz.
* Though the words seem to import a willingness first to awake and rise, and then to be enlightened, yet we are to understand, that it is by the efficacy of Christ's light that the sinner is made to awake and rise. Roll, on the place,
424) THE METHOD OF Gil ACE. SERM. XXX f.
Doct. That all Christies s souls are under the power of spiritual death ; they are in the state of the dead.
Multitudes of testimonies are given in scripture to this truth ; Eph. ii. 1, 5. "You hath he quickened who were dead in tres- " passes and sins." Col. ii. 13. " And you being dead in your " sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened " together with him ;" with many other places of the same im- portance. But the method in which I shall discourse this point will be this ;
First, I will shew you in what sense Christless and unregene- rated men are said to be dead.
Secondly, What the state of spiritual death is.
Thirdly, How it appears that all unregenerate men are in this sad state. And then apply it.