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a living in Christ. I beseech yon, consider this, the walking of a man that hath received Christ, in the Scripture, is called a walking in Christ: 'As you have received Christ, so walk in him ;' and the living of believers is said to be a living in Christ : * Now I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me,' Gal. ii. 20 ; that is, in his whole life he lives to express the virtues of Christ ; express Christ in thy life. I beseech you, consider this, that the affections are now set wholly on Christ, and that a man now gives himself to Christ, as a servant to his Lord, to be commanded and to be guided by him. So that nothing now sways in a man, nothing now carries him in his actions so as Christ shall, when he knows what is agreeable to the will of Christ, that shall most of all draw him to perform it. When he knows a thing is contrary to Christ, that shall make him set most of all against it.
Besides this, when he hath done this, there is a conviction of judgment ; that now thou art the sharpest judger of thyself for thy sins past, and art the most watchful judger of the motions of sin present. This is thus in every one. I beseech you, take this home with you ; consider of it now in the preparation to the sacrament that you are to receive ; for the sacra- ment is a seal, as we shall shew you after, because it seals, as among other things, this, ' forgiveness of sins.' Now, that you may seal this comfort to yourselves, consider that the sacrament is a seal to none but to them that are sealed with the Spirit : * In whom, after you believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,' Eph. i. 13. The Spirit, the inward seal, gives virtue to the sacrament, and to everything else that are seals of com- fort, and nothing can seal comfort to a man, but the Spirit within, that makes everything effectual for that purpose ; and therefore if the Spirit doth it, it doth it by this means ; consider of this, therefore, seriously. There be in this divers cases that should be answered for the further opening of it, and for the settling of weak-hearted Christians in a settled estate, and somewhat for the casting off of presumptuous persons that are in the height of their pride, that we may give every one their portion ; that the weakest may see against many particular temptations and doubts, that even his sins are forgiven ; and that the other should see that they had but a false plea, a false claim all this while to the pardon of sins, when they cannot make it good by the testimony of the Spirit. But the work would be very large, and I have been already more large than I intended.
THE SUCCESS OF THE GOSPEL*
Whereto then shall I liken the men of this generation ? and what are they like ;— Luke VII. 31-35.
Christ in the former verses bad commended St John's ministry, and in the verse next going afore he speaketh of the different success it found in the pubhcans, from that it found in the pharisees, who rejected the counsel of God. Now in the verses following he shews what success his own ministry had amongst them, and thus he doth by way of comparison or parable. And this be brings by way of asking a question, which implies admiration! and indignation, both shewing a deep passion, as it is in Isa. : ' What shall I do for my vineyard' ? Isa. v. 4 ; and this shews in general, that the refractorij disposition of man is amattcr of indignation and of admira- tion, especially if we consider what it despiseth, and whom.
First, Theij despise the word of God, the saving word, the counsel and wisdom of God ; nay, secondly, they despise God clothed in flesh, that was born and died for their sakes, and thereby oilers salvation to them, and life everlasting ; yet all this to the obdurate heart of man is as lightning that dazzleth the eyes and helps not the sight a whit ; and therefore, Isa. vi. 10, the prophet is bidden ' to make the heart of the people fat.' Go tell this people, bearing they shall not understand, &c. ; and therefore no marv'el if God bears indignation against such. ' Whereto shall I liken the men of this generation,' Luke vii. 31 ; this generation of vipers, that are worse than any of the generations fore-passed, by how much they have had more means to be better.
Ver. 32. ' They are like unto children sitting in the market-place, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped to you, and you have not danced ; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.'
The comparison is to little children that, at marriages and times for
* ' The Success of the Gospel ' forms the third of tlie four ' Sermons ' appended to 'The Saints' Comforts' (See Vol. IV. page IGO). The title-page is as follows:— ' The Svccesse of the Gospell. Shewing tho diverse entertainements it hath in the World. In a Sermon Preached upon the 7. of Luke and 3L verso. By that Faith- full and Keverend Divine, R. Sibbes, D.D. and sometimes Preacher to tho Honorable Societie of Grayes-Inne. Printed at London by Tho. Cotes and are to be Sold by Peter Cole. 1637.' It has distinct pagination, but does not appear to have been published by itself.