A47542:60
A golden mine opened, or, The glory of God's rich grace displayed in the mediator to believers, and his direful wrath against impenitent sinners containing the substance of near forty sermons upon several subjects / by Benjamin Keach.
London: printed by the author, 1694
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
1First, I answer, By Christs Fan is meant his Word, his holy Gospel, especially the Doctrine thereof; 'tis by this he cleanses, and purges his floor. Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you. (Now the unclean person, the Traitor Judas 2is gone out from you:) Through' my Word, i. e. through my Doctrine, you believing in me, and receiving me by Faith for Righteousness and eternal Life. 'Tis said Christ gave himself for his Church, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, Eph. 5. 26. Cleansing here imports the means by which it is wrought, or the Instrument, namely the Word of the Gospel, especially the Promise of free Justification and Sanctification by Christ, received through' Faith, which Baptism was a Sign or Symbol of; see 1 Pet. 1. 22. Seeing ye have purified your selves in obeying the truth through' the Spirit, &c. This was done in subjecting themselves to the Faith of the Gospel, to which the purifying of the heart is ascribed principally in 3Justification, whereby the guilt of Sin is purged away, as appertaining to the conscience; he alludes also to the sanctifying power and virtue of the holy Spirit. Compare this with Psal. 119. 9. Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way? that is, the way of his Heart, and also the way of his Life: The answer is, By taking heed thereto according to thy Word; that is, let him take heed according to that holy doctrine taught and held forth in God's Word; so that he attain unto a right knowledge of God, and of the Messiah, promised and typified by the Sacrifices of Aaron, by whose Blood, and through' whose Righteousness only, Justification is to be had: for without Christs Blood there is no cleansing from Sin and filthiness, ⟨p. 10⟩neither of Heart, nor Life, for young nor old. It is not only to direct young Men to reform their Lives and Ways according to the Precepts of God's Word, nor to think by any degree of moral Righteousness or inherent Holiness they could be cleansed; no, no, but to take heed according to the mysterious and sublime Doctrine of God's free grace in Christ: Which was the only way of Salvation, as well under the Law as under the dispensation of the Gospel. Sirs, this was, and still is, Christs Fan, namely the glorious Doctrine of God's Grace through' the Redemption that is in Christ's blood;
1First, I answer, By Christs Fan is meant his Word, his holy Gospel, especially the Doctrine thereof; 'tis by this he cleanses, and purges his floor. Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you. (Now the unclean person, the Traytor Judas 2is gone out from you:) Thro' my Word, i. e. through my Doctrine, you believing in me, and receiving me by Faith for Righteousness and eternal Life. 'Tis said Christ gave himself for his Church, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, Eph. 5. 26. Cleansing here imports the means by which it is wrought, or the Instrument, namely the Word of the Gospel, especially the Promise of free Justification and Sanctification by Christ, received thro' Faith, which Baptism was a Sign or Symbol of; see 1 Pet. 1. 22. Seeing ye have purified your selves in obeying the truth thro' the Spirit, &c. This was done in subjecting themselves to the Faith of the Gospel, to which the purifying of the heart is ascribed principally in 3Justification, whereby the guilt of Sin is purged away, as appertaining to the conscience; he alludes also to the sanctifying power and virtue of the holy Spirit. Compare this with Psal. 119. 9. Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way? that is, the way of his Heart, and also the way of his Life: The answer is, By taking heed thereto according to thy Word; that is, let him take heed according to that holy doctrine taught and held forth in God's Word; so that he attain unto a right knowledge of God, and of the Messiah, promised and typified by the Sacrifices of Aaron, by whose Blood, and thro' whose Righteousness only, Justification is to be had: for without Christs Blood there is no cleansing from Sin and silthyness, ⟨p. 10⟩neither of Heart, nor Life, for young nor old. It is not only to direct young Men to reform their Lives and Ways according to the Precepts of God's Word, nor to think by any degree of moral Righteousness or inherent Holiness they could be cleansed; no, no, but to take heed according to the mysterious and sublime Doctrine of God's free grace in Christ: Which was the only way of Salvation, as well under the Law as under the dispensation of the Gospel. Sirs, this was, and still is, Christs Fan, namely the glorious Doctrine of God's Grace thro' the Redemption that is in Christ's blood;
and it was by this fan Christ cleansed that Jewish floor, to which my Text primarily refers. For the Jews were his floor, in which was abundance of Chaff; and now Jesus Christ was come with his fan in his hand, to purge this floor; and evident it is, his holy Doctrine severed, or separated the Wheat from the Chaff; and by this means was the Wheat gathered into Christs Gospel-Garner, and the Chaff blown away: for as Chaff cannot endure the wind of the fan, so could not those unbelieving Jews, and hypocritical Pharisees, endure Christs holy and heavenly Doctrine. See Joh. 6. 52. to v. 60. How can this Man give us his flesh to eat? They thought he spake of a Natural eating of his flesh, as we eat the flesh of Beasts or Fish: His Doctrine was not understood by them. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily I say unto you, except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you, ver. 53.
Now the eating of Christs flesh, and drinking of his blood, is no other thing than the receiving Jesus Christ by Faith for Righteousness and eternal Life: Believing in Christ, coming to Christ, looking to Christ, leaning, trusting, or staying on Christ, receiving of Christ, and eating of Christ, imply one and the same thing: It is our going out of our selves to him, or feeding by faith on him, or resting, or relying on his Merits, on his Obedience in his Life, and in his Death, for Justification and eternal Life, without any Works done by us, or any Righteousness wrought in us, as the Apostle speaks. But to him that 1worketh not, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
But this mysterious and sublime Doctrine the Jews could not bear, but it was such a Fan as fanned them all away that believed not: For they being ignorant of God's Righteousness, going about to establish their own Righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the Righteousness of God. They thought their own personal ⟨p. 11⟩1and inherent Righteousness was that by which they must be justified, accepted, and eternally saved: they had meat of their own to eat; and therefore saw no need to go to their Neighbours door for it; they were full, and increased in Goods, and thought they had need of nothing: And hence the Doctrine of Justification by the Righteousness of Christ alone was rejected by them, it was not understood by them; that Christ's flesh should be Meat indeed, and his blood Drink indeed, was a strange Doctrine in their apprehensions; they could not conceive how such things could be, (as Nicodemus spake of Regeneration.) Nor can any Man whatsoever who will receive 2no point of Faith, but what his natural reason can comprehend; and thus this Doctrine of our Lord Jesus was a Fan in his hand, and it fanned away all the Chaff of that mighty Jewish floor, even all that received not that Doctrine, or who believed not in Christ, received not Christ by Faith for righteousness and eternal life: Nay it was such a Fan that it fanned away some of Christs Disciples, (not such who were his Disciples indeed,) but many that followed him, and who are said to believe on him; they believed he was the true Messiah, had some kind of faith, tho' not the Faith of Gods Elect: Many of his Disciples when they heard this, said, This is a hard saying, 3who can bear it? It seemed hard to them, because they could not comprehend it by their own carnal reason: From that time many of his Disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Such a Fan was this Doctrine then, and such a Fan it is now,
(I mean such who eat not Christs flesh, and drink not his blood, i. e. wholly feed not upon Christ, rely not alone upon the Merits of a crucified Christ, or seek not Justification by his Righteousness only, but go about to bring in their own Works and inherent Holiness with Christ's Merits in point of Justification in God's sight.) But to proceed: But like as a Husbandman hath more Fans than one, even so also in the
Second place, Jesus Christ hath another Fan also, and that is ⟨p. 12⟩(I doubt not) likewise intended here: viz. The dispensation of God's Providence; for this was as a Fan in Christ's hand, by which he fanned away those unbelieving Jews, and so purged his floor: I mean, the time was now come, that their national, legal and external Church-State must be pulled down and dissolved; the Dispensation was changed, the Priesthood changed, and right of Church-membership changed; they having Abraham to their Father, or being the Seed of professing Parents, would do them no good, nor avail them any thing. Because the Covenant of Peculiarity God made with him and his natural seed as such, as to the Date of the Duration thereof, was now run out and expired, the Axe being now laid to the root of the Tree, ver. 10th. So that unless they receive Christ, believe in Christ, and are found gracious persons, fit Wheat for Christs spiritual Garner, or Gospel-Church (which is built up of lively stones) as Chaff the Gospel-dispensation like a Fan purges them out; as indeed it did, and blew them all away: And we are not alone in respect of this great Truth, for many of our worthy Brethren (who in some things differ from us) assert the same: particularly, Reverend Mr. Cotton, who speaking of this Text, Mat. 3. 10. saith, "The first is the root of Abraham's Covenant, which this people much trusted upon, and of that it is which John Baptist speaketh, Now is the Axe laid to the root of the Tree, think not to say within your selves, we have Abraham to our Father; so that all their confidence that they had in Abraham's Covenant, Temple and Tabernacle, and such things, are burnt up, and so they have no Root left them to stand upon, and this is one thing intended by the Root."
Second place, Jesus Christ hath another Fan also, and that is ⟨p. 12⟩(I doubt not) likewise intended here: viz. The dispensation of God's Providence; for this was as a Fan in Christ's hand, by which he fann'd away those unbelieving Jews, and so purged his floor: I mean, the time was now come, that their national, legal and external Church-State must be pulled down and dissolved; the Dispensation was changed, the Priesthood changed, and right of Church-membership changed; they having Abraham to their Father, or being the Seed of professing Parents, would do them no good, nor avail them any thing. Because the Covenant of Peculiarity God made with him and his natural seed as such, as to the Date of the Duration thereof, was now run out and expired, the Ax being now laid to the root of the Tree, ver. 10th. So that unless they receive Christ, believe in Christ, and are found gracious persons, fit Wheat for Christs spiritual Garner, or Gospel-Church (which is built up of lively stones) as Chaff the Gospel-dispensation like a Fan purges them out; as indeed it did, and blew them all away: And we are not alone in respect of this great Truth, for many of our worthy Brethren (who in some things differ from us) assert the same: particularly, Reverend Mr. Cotton, who speaking of this Text,
"Secondly, There is (saith he) something more in it; the Lord by the power of his Spirit doth cut us off from any power of our natural Gifts and Parts, and spiritual Gifts also, or from any Confidence of our own sufficiency; the Lord hath cut us off from hope in the Righteousness of our Parents, and from boasting of Ordinances. And again he saith, This we read of, Mat. 4. 1. It is spoken of the Ministry of John the Baptist, which did burn as an Oven, against all the Scribes and Pharisees, and left them neither the Root of Abraham's Covenant, nor the Branch of their own good Works: He cutteth them off from the Covenant of Abraham, &c. And by cutting them off from the Root, he leaveth them no ground to trust on." Thus Mr. Cotton on The Covenant, p. 177, and p. 21, 22. Now evident it is, that nothing but the dispensation of God's ⟨p. 13⟩Providence, or the Expiration of that period of Time determined by the Almighty for the standing of the Church of Israel, could cut the Jews off as a Nation, from being a Church and peculiar People unto God; I mean in respect of that Legal Covenant. I deny not but that the Covenant of Grace God made with Abraham, and with his true spiritual Seed, stands firm for ever and ever, and none in that Covenant can be cut off, nor fanned away: for the Jewish Priesthood, Churchstate and Church-membership, and all their Church-privileges, were to remain until Christ came, or until the time of Reformation; that is, till the Gospel-days and Gospel-dispensation took place, and no longer: But now that time being come, and they not seeing an end put to the old Covenant-Church, as it was made with the natural Offspring of Abraham; and that their right to legal Ordinances, and Church-membership, could not give them any right to Gospel Ordinances, nor Gospel-Church-membership, and they not believing in Christ, not accepting of the Terms of the Gospel, were all of necessity purged out or fanned away, by the Fan of the New Testament-dispensation, and so were no longer a people in any sense in Covenant with God.
"Secondly, There is (saith he) something more in it; the Lord by the power of his Spirit doth cut us off from any power of our natural Gifts and Parts, and spiritual Gifts also, or from any Confidence of our own sufficiency; the Lord hath cut us off from hope in the Righteousness of our Parents, and from boasting of Ordinances. And again he saith, This we read of,
Thirdly, Christ hath also another Fan in his hand, viz. The Fan of Church-Discipline. And many persons falling into sin are purged like Chaff out of his floor. Hereby,
1. Sometimes some evil and corrupt Persons, who get among God's people (or into his Church) and pass a while for Wheat, i. e. for gracious Persons, yet in time God suffers them to fall into one Temptation or another, by which means they are fanned away, the Holy Jesus by his wise. Providence making a discovery of them, and their evil Tempers and Dispositions.
1. Sometimes some evil and corrupt Persons, who get among God's people (or into his Church) and pass a while for Wheat, i. e. for gracious Persons, yet in time God suffers them to fall into one Temptation or another, by which means they are fann'd away, the Holy Jesus by his wise. Providence makeing a discovery of them, and their evil Tempers and Dispositions.
2. May be some glorious Truths, or Truth of Jesus Christ, is revealed, or cleared up to his Church in General, to which several Persons of the same Congregation may not only want Light in, but may be filled with Prejudice against, and not only against the Truth, but against the Church or Minister for seeking to bring it in; and this may rise to such a height, through their Pride and Stubbornness, that they will not abide any longer Members thereof, but violently rend themselves by Schism, and so are purged out. Tho' (as 'tis observed by an Husband-man) some light Corn, may be good Wheat, may be fanned out with the Chaff, which he knows how ⟨p. 14⟩to recover by fanning the Chaff also afterwards. And thus it was with some of those who were called Christ's Disciples, they could not, would not endure that blessed Truth Christ 1preached to them, of Eating of his Flesh, &c. but cried out, This is a hard saying, who can bear it? and so went away and walked no more with him. O see what the Effects of preaching some Truths may be! how many are there who cannot bear in this day sound Doctrine, but desert his People, and some Truths of Christ, and seem to shut their eyes against them, calling them Error and false Doctrine, and what not? And this way God takes (in his wise Providence) to purge out some rotten Members, which possibly were a reproach to his People: And although' may be some Wheat, may by this means through Satan's Temptations, and Corruptions of their own hearts, and their great Ignorance, be fanned out with the Chaff, they being carried away by the Craftiness and Subtlety of such whom Christ hath a mind to sever from the Body; yet he knows how to gather up the Wheat again, as the Husbandman doth.
2. May be some glorious Truths, or Truth of Jesus Christ, is revealed, or cleared up to his Church in General, to which several Persons of the same Congregation may not only want Light in, but may be filled with Prejudice against, and not only against the Truth, but against the Church or Minister for seeking to bring it in; and this may rise to such a height, through their Pride and Stubborness, that they will not abide any longer Members thereof, but violently rend themselves by Schism, and so are purged out. Tho' (as 'tis observed by an Husband-man) some light Corn, may be good Wheat, may be fanned out with the Chaff, which he knows how ⟨p. 14⟩
3. Others, whom Christ would have purged out of his Church, may be suffered to suck in some evil, corrupt and dangerous Principles, or Errors in Fundamentals, like that of Hymeneus and Alexander, whose Errors being discovered, were purged out.1
3. Others, whom Christ would have purged out of his Church, may be suffered to suck in some evil, corrupt and dangerous Principles, or Errors in Fundamentals, like that of Hymeneus and Alexander, whose Errours being discovered, were purged out.1
4. Also others fall into notorious and scandalous Sins, and so are purged out.
5. Some who are Chaff, or unsound Christians, may be suffered to take up undue offences against the Church, or Churches to whom they belong, and by giving way to Temptation, they may become unreconcilable, magnifying their own Wisdom and Self-conceitedness, and so by a secret hand of God be discovered and purged out: But it must be considered that the use and exercise of the Keys, or Rules of Church-Discipline, is appointed by Christ, as the proper Fan by which those sorts of Persons last mentioned, and some others, are to be purged out of the Church or Congregations of the Saints. Now the Fan of Discipline is two-fold.
5. Some who are Chaff, or unsound Christians, may be suffered to take up undue offences against the Church, or Churches to whom they belong, and by giving way to Temptation, they may become unreconcileable, magnifying their own Wisdom and Self-conceitedness, and so by a secret hand of God be discovered and purged out: But it must be considered that the use and exercise of the Keys, or Rules of Church-Discipline, is appointed by Christ, as the proper Fan by which those sorts of Persons last mentioned, and some others, are to be purged out of the Church or Congregations of the Saints. Now the Fan of Discipline is two-fold.
First, The Act of Excommunication: In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, with my Spirit, to deliver such a one unto Satan, for the Destruction of the Flesh, that 1the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. The Persons, Christ by this Fan of Discipline purges out, are of three sorts.
1. All gross and scandalous Persons, who are Guilty of any Act or Acts of Immorality, as Theft, Swearing, Drunkenness, Uncleanness, Covetousness, Lying, &c. These being public and reproachful Crimes, the Offender ought forthwith (upon clear proof) to be purged out, that the Name of the Lord may not be exposed to contempt, and his People vilified by the ungodly World; and time given to him for the proof and Trial of the sincerity or Truth of his Repentance; which in part will be manifested by his Carriage and Behaviour under his Punishment; I mean the Righteous Censure of the Church.
1. All gross and scandalous Persons, who are Guilty of any Act or Acts of Immorality, as Theft, Swearing, Drunkenness, Vncleanness, Covetousness, Lying, &c. These being publick and reproachful Crimes, the Offender ought sorthwith (upon clear proof) to be purged out, that the Name of the Lord may not be exposed to contempt, and his People villified by the ungodly World; and time given to him for the proof and Trial of the sincerity or Truth of his Repentance; which in part will be manifested by his Carriage and Behaviour under his Punishment; I mean the Righteous Censure of the Church.
But this mysterious and sublime Doctrine the Jews could not bear, but it was such a Fan as fanned them all away that believed not: For they being ignorant of God's Righteousness, going about to establish their own Righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the Righteousness of God. They thought their own personal ⟨p. 11⟩1and inherent Righteousness was that by which they must be justified, accepted, and eternally saved: they had meat of their own to eat; and therefore saw no need to go to their Neighbours door for it; they were full, and increased in Goods, and thought they had need of nothing: And hence the Doctrine of Justification by the Righteousness of Christ alone was rejected by them, it was not understood by them; that Christ's flesh should be Meat indeed, and his blood Drink indeed, was a strange Doctrine in their apprehensions; they could not conceive how such things could be, (as Nicodemus spake of Regeneration.) Nor can any Man whatsoever who will receive 2no point of Faith, but what his natural reason can comprehend; and thus this Doctrine of our Lord Jesus was a Fan in his hand, and it fanned away all the Chaff of that mighty Jewish floor, even all that received not that Doctrine, or who believed not in Christ, received not Christ by Faith for righteousness and eternal life: Nay it was such a Fan that it fann'd away some of Christs Disciples, (not such who were his Disciples indeed,) but many that followed him, and who are said to believe on him; they believed he was the true Messiah, had some kind of faith, tho' not the Faith of Gods Elect: Many of his Disciples when they heard this, said, This is a hard saying, 3who can bear it? It seemed hard to them, because they could not comprehend it by their own carnal reason: From thàt time many of his Disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Such a Fan was this Doctrine then, and such a Fan it is now, 4that it may be said to make a discrimination between the pure Wheat and the Chaff: for no doubt all that receive not this holy Doctrine (whatever fair shew they make in the flesh) are but Chaff in the sight of God, and will be found such at the last day. Nor ought they to be suffered to abide in Christ's Garner on Earth, (as they shall not be gathered into his Garner in Heaven) but be esteemed as Chaff, or drossy, professors, whatsoever their conversations may be:
