Secondhj, To those that question whether Christ be our Redeemer, whether they may look upon themselves as having an actual interest in the benefits of his death and intercession.
I answer — This is evident : (1.) By their own act ; (2.) By God's act.
1. Their own act. General grace must some way be made par- ticular, else it cannot profit us. All are not justified, nor adopted, nor saved. There is the same merciful God, the same all-sufficient Saviour, the same gracious covenant. Some apply this grace, others do not. Christ doth not save us at a distance, but as received into our hearts ; as a plaster doth not heal at a distance, but applied to the sore : John i. 13, ' To as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.' If you heartily consent and accept of the Redeemer's grace to heal your wounded souls, you shall partake of salvation.
2. There is an act on God's part. What have you to show that God is reconciled to you ? This is not evident till we have the pledge of our reconciliation with God, the gift of the Holy Spirit. This aflfords infallible assurance of God's favour. Other things may be given in wrath, but the Spirit is the earnest of his eternal love. God loved Christ, and gave him the Spirit without measure, John iii. 34. By the Spirit his love is applied to us, Rom. v. 5. This is the evidence from whence we may conclude our actual communion with God. It holdeth good exclusively, Rom. viii. 9 ; inclusively, 1 John iv. 13. The Spirit first works, and then witnesses ; he is first a guide and sanctifier, then a comforter. As a guide, he leadeth us to all truth : John xvi. 13, ' When the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth ; ' Rom. viii. 14, ' As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.' As a sanctifier, he breaketh the power of fleshly lusts, Rom. viii. 13 ; conformeth us to the image of Christ, Rom. viii. 29. Then as a comforter, he witnesseth our present interest and our future hopes: Rom. viii. 16, ' The Spirit beareth
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witness to our spirits, tliat we are the children of God ; ' 2 Cor. i. 22, ' Wlio hath also scaled us, and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts ; ' Eph. i. 13, ' In whom also, after ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.'
SERMON XIII.
And havinq food and raiment, let ns he thereicith content. — 1 Tim. VT. 8.
The apostle hath mentioned some in the 5th verse that counted ' gain was godliness ; ' that is, suited their godliness with their ^\T)rldly ends, or made a trade of it to live by. Their religion must bear all their charges, they would be at no cost about it at all. The apostle takes occasion to show that their notion may be right if well interpreted, though extreme wrong in the sense they mean it. It was impious in them to make Christianity a means to secular advantages ; l)Ut interpret it aright, ' Godliness with contentment is great gain,' much better than all the wealth in the world. By godliness he means the Christian religion, because it prescribeth and delivereth the true way of worshipping and serving God, and they gain fairly that gain Christ. A man that is acquainted with God in Christ is the true rich man ; this with contentment is great gain. Our worldly desires make us poor. You have enough if you be contented with the condi- tion wherein God places you. Paul retorts their own notions upon them. He is a rich man that doth not possess much and hath need of little. Anything above a competency is needless to us, who must shortly pass out of this life into another. Nature is contented with a little, and grace with less ; because it is manifest that 'as we brought nothing into this world, so we can carry nothing out,' and all that we have above what we s])end or use is lost to us. In the text he infer- reth his inference : ' Having food and raiment, let us be therewith content.' The words are plain, and afford this observation : —
Doct. That one great point of godliness is to be content with what wo have, though it be but food and raiment.
In handling this point, I shall inquire: — I. What contentment is.
II. What considerations are most apt to breed it.
III. That it is a high point of Christianity.
I. WHiat contentment is. It is a quiet temper of mind about out- ward things ; and so it is opposite to three things — murmurings, dis- tracting cares, and covetous desii'es.
1. Murmurings: Jude IG, * ]\Iurraurer.s, complainers.' The word signifies blamers of their portion ; they are always picking quarrels at Goffs dispensation, and entertain crosses with anger and blessings with disdain. But now, when our minds are satisfied with the fitness and sufiiciency of our present condition, there is no rei)iuing against