4G0 A SEEMON ON JOHN XIII. 8.
Lev. xiv. 6. We must make conscience of using the means diligently, and the rather as being encouraged by Christ's purchase or the merit of his death.
3. It informeth us that they handle the gospel amiss, and do not take a right way to be partakers of the fruits and benefits of Christ's death, that do not seek to be washed from sin l)y him. It is in vain to seek comfort without holiness. These do not consider the ends of Christ's undertaking. He Avas manifested to take away our sins, 1 John iii. 5 ; and he came to dissolve the works of the devil, 1 John iii. 8 ; to give his Spirit to sinful miserable man, to sanctify and cleanse him. Surely it is a mistaken Christ that we close with when we use him to increase our carnal security and boldness in sinning; as many are possessed with an ill thought that God, since the exhibition of Christ, is more reconcilable to sin than he was before, and by reason of Christ's coming there were less vanity and malignity in sin. Oh ! let this conceit be far from you, lest you make Christ a minister or encourager of sin. Gal. ii. 17- This is to set up Christ against Christ, l)is merit against his doctrine and Spirit ; or rather, you set up the devil against Christ, and varnish his cause with Christ's name, and so it is but an idol Christ that you dote upon. The true Christ came first to wash us, and then to comfort us ; therefore take heed of setting his death against the ends of his death, and running from and rebelling against God because Christ came to redeem you and recover you to God. To seek Cln-ist only for comfort argueth mere self-love ; but those that seek holiness from the Redeemer have a more spiritual affection to him. The guilt of sin is against our interest, but the })0wer of sin is against God's glory. The great aim of his death was ' To redeem us from all iniquity, and to purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works,' Titus ii. 14. Not only to free our consciences from the bondage of fears, but our hearts from the bondage of sin, that we may serve God with more liberty and delight.
Use 2. Direction. In the Lord's supper, where we come to renew our interest in Christ and his benefits, we must look to this first, Are we washed ? Have we made conscience of our baptismal vow ? It is a lie to the Holy Ghost when we make use of his covenanting signs without a real minding the duties of the covenant; this is to tear the bond and piize the seals. Alas ! if you be not washed, you come to lay claim to the benefits you have no title unto , and if you tiiink you have a title, it is only the fruit of your ignorance, mistaking a con- ditional offer for an actual absolute grant. Well, then, are your hearts true to God in the covenant which you are to renew and feel?
But who can say, my heart is clean ? Prov. xx. 9. I answer — Per- fection or absolute purity, we cannot expect ; for the woik is but a- doing , but sincerity we must requiie, and that may be discerned by four things —
I. If thei-e be no sin but what you are willing to know, and there- fore prize the light that discovereth it : John iii. 20, 21, ' Every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved ; but he that doeth good cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.' Jniqua lex est, quae te examinare non patitur.
A SERMON ON JOHN XIII. 8. 4G1
2. If there be no sin that you know, but you truly and heartily desire to leave and get rid of it, though to your carnal part it be never so near and dear, and count it the greatest happiness in the vs^orld to master it; though the heart be more inclined to one sin than another, yet you mainly set yourselves against it : Ps. xviii. 23, ' I was also upright before him, and kept myself from my iniquity.'
3. If you are not only content to subdue it, but resolve seriously to make use of the means God hath made known to you to purge out sin: Isa. i. 16, ' Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings ; ' Jer, ix. 14, ' 0 Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved.' Many are content God should search them, but will not stir hand or foot, nor do anything to their own cure ; they do not act like creatures in misery, &c.
4. Do 3-ou make conscience of vour covenant vow and enscasrement to forsake all impurity so far as that your inward and beloved lusts are weakened, though you cannot wholly get rid of them ? I put this last question to you, partly because our sincerity is not only to be determined quoad conatum, as to the endeavour, but quoad eventum, as to the success. Gal. v. 24. The back bias of corruption is weakened, and we must get a greater readiness, and be the fitter to serve Christ in purity and sincerity : 2 Tim. ii. 21, ' If a man purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel of honour, sanctified and meet for the Master's use, and prepared for every good work.' There must be something in a christian above natural men. In some measure he must be ready and fitted for the service of Christ, and perform acts of obedience, not by constraint, but with delight and cheerfulness; which cannot be till the heart be cleansed from accustomed sins. Partly because the mnin intent of the covenant is to cleanse us from sin. Consider it either on God's part or man's. On God's j^art, there are promises to allure or attract us to all manner of purity, as promises of being received by Christ as children into his family. These oblige us to purify ourselves from sins of all kinds, 2 Cor. vii. 1. And promises that offer help to enable us to vanquish the inclinations of the sensual and carnal life, which promises if they be received by faith, do make a wonderful change in sinners, 2 Peter i. 4. Now, we sincerely accepting this covenant, it cannot be imagined but some effect must be produced, if we on our part do not put a bar. We are under a vow and obliga- tion to die unto sin, Rom. vi. 11, which a sincere christian doth make conscience of. He is a debtor, Rom. viii. 12, 13, and therefore doth not forget his vow, but is mortifying and weakening the power of sin every day, and therefore giveth over all care of satisfying or gratifying the flesh, but all his business is to live a pure and holy life, to the praise and glory of God. Therefore, having by God's promises greater strength, by his own vow stricter obligations, he cometh in some measure to overcome sin. Thus I have given you the lowest marks of sincerity in this point. Will you now try yourselves ? Are you thus far washed from sin ?