that thou wilt give what thou requirest Lord in the use of meanes that thou hast ordained in attending upon thee and looking up to thee I desire that thou wouldst give me strength to submit to thee to live and dye to thee to direct my course as I should this should be the course of a Christian and not to set upon things in his owne strength but when duty is discovered looke to the promise of grace and of the Spirit and put them into suite and alleadge them to Christ in the use of sanctified meanes as reading hearing holy conference and the like and hee will enable us to doe that that is our duty Therefore a man may know who is indeed under Christs governement by this for he that is actually under Christs government and acknowledgeth him to bee his Lord hee hath ability to live and dye to him in some comfortable measure to deny himselfe to goe out of himselfe to live and to dye to the glory of God The Spirit of God hath given him this victory and tryumph over his owne heart Last of all if this be so here see the wondrous secure state of a Christian Beloved that as Christ is his Lord both in life and death and it is his duty to subject himselfe so Christ wil give him grace so to direct his life Therefore let us doe our duty attend upon the meanes and lift up our hearts to God let God and Christ alone with all the rest let Christ alone with ruling us and with inabling us to be ruled by him hee is Lord not onely over us but in us by his Spirit But theSpirit breatheth where it listeth there must bee waiting upon God in his Ordinances till we finde ability to holy duties and those that have so much patience to honour God and Christ so farre as to attend in the use of good meanes till the good houre come till the Spirit come to subject their spirits to duty no doubt but God intends well to them but those that are so short spirited that if they finde not ability to deny themselves and to live to God and to breake off their course of sinne but give over in a kinde of base dispaire it is just with God to leave them to themselves that they shall even live and die to themselves that is they shall live without respect to Christ and dye without respect to Christ at all as if there were no Christ to take care for them Now out of this branch of holy security upon the care power and Lordship that Christ hath over us for the time to come it riseth that a Christian may be assured of his salvation of his perseverance because Christ is Lord of all he is Lord of his heart hee is Lord not onely of the things without us but of our spirits within us and hee will inable us to subject our selves to him that neither things present nor things to come or any thing shall ever be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ not onely from Gods love to us but from our love to God Beloved let this incourage us to come under the governement of Christ There is no security or safety but in his governement wee are sure of nothing in this world but we are sure of this that Christ if he be our Lord is our Lord for ever and that nothing in the world shall ever be able to separate us from him I will close with this you see Christ is ours whether wee live or dye hee is Lord of quicke and dead let us labour to live to him that hee may rule over us while we live else when wee come to dye though we never so much perhaps out of principles of selfe love desire him to be ours it is to no purpose while we live therefore let us submit to his government and if we live to him we shall easily dye to him if we doe not inure our selves by daily selfe deny all and practising of the duties of obedience to live to him how shall wee come to dye to him our life may bee snatched from us against our wills wee may dye with a kinde of fretting and indignation that we can live no longer that wee can enjoy our pleasures no longer but to dye meekely and quietly as to a Lord submitting our selves to him that is the Lord of life and death a man can never doe it that hath not lived to the Lord Therefore I beseech you every day be acquainted with the actions of living to the Lord whatsoever you doe to men doe it as to the Lord in the Lords strength to please him and as it may stand with his favour and no further And especially take the advantage of your younger yeares to roote out lusts that will grow to that head else that God in his judgement giving you up to your selves after long rebellion you shal never bee able to deny your selves to live to Christ and when death comes to dye to Christ therefore let us inure our selves to deny our selves in the practice of every holy duty as to the Lord betimes that so we may get the upper hand of our flesh in these holy performances that they may be easie and sweete to us as indeed the yoke of Christ is after it is worne a while the subjection of Christ is the sweetest subjection in the world it breedes the greatest peace and joy and love and contentment to the soule and which is more then all a blessed hope for the time to come he that is life is inured to holy duties and hath overcome the rebellions of his base flesh when he comes to dye he can say with Simeon Lord now let thy servant depart in peace that is thou Lord of life now thou wilt have me dye I am even content to dye to resigne my selfe to thee who can say so but he that makes Christ his Lord all his life time then when death comes he is content to yeeld unto him as a Lord else it will be just in the houre of death for Christ to say as it is Iudg. 10. doe you come to mee and commend your soules to me goe to the lords you have served you have served the humours of such a one you have alliena'ed your soules to such a one you have given your soules to sinne and to such men as are instruments of the devill you have denyed your honesty your faith your religion goe to him goe to the gods you have served they are your lords I am not your Lord I was not al your life time though these speeches be not uttered the effect of them will the soule will conclude I have served mine owne lusts and the humours of others all my life time how can I looke that the Lord should take my Soule therefore let it be our daily practise to live to the Lord to have the chiefe aime of our life in our eye to direct our actions so as
this end the Lordship of the Church For this end saith he Christ dyed and rose againe that hee might be Lord of the dead and of the living which is his Church And is this Christs end to be Lord of the living and of the dead we must have it then our end too to serve Christ to live and dye to him for being under him our ends must be answerable to his as wee shall see after For this end Againe where it is sayd he dyed and rose and revived that he might be Lord of the dead and of the living It is a profitable course I speake it onely in generall when wee thinke of the abasement of Christ to thinke of the end why so of his exaltation its good to keepe these together to avoyd scandall that might arise in our minds from either though of by it selfe that God should stoupe so low least the thoughts of Christ dying and stouping so low should offend us it s good also to thinke of the end that he might bee Lord of quicke and dead and if that dazell thee againe to thinke of our Saviour now in glory full of majesty in heaven and how shalt thou have accesse to so glorious majesty oh come downe againe and thinke of God incarnate God going up and downe in our flesh of God dying dying a cursed death rising againe thus in your meditations inter weave these thoughts to avoyd scandall thinke of his glory and that you may not be amazed at the glory so as to be deterred from going boldly to him thinke of bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh God dying in our nature joyne these two together For this end the Sonne of God both dyed and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living Againe you see here in generall that the grand principall points of religion have an influence into all the particulars and there is a homogeniall deduction as we call it of divine truths one from another all depend one upon another and all divinity for howsoever divine truth bee contrary to carnall reason sometimes yet there is strong reason in all divine truth for one is the cause of another and one depends upon another as here Christ dyed and rose and revived one followes another what from all this to be Lord of quicke and dead how then prooves he that he is Lord of all because he dyed and rose and revived one riseth from another so that though carnall reason be one thing and all divinity be another yet there is reason and deduction issuing of one thing from another in divinity most wisely and holily and it is a part of wisedome to observe how conclusions rise from principles as branches and buds doe from rootes indeede if we would enter into serious considerations of the grounds of religion how they give life and rise unto their particulars they would have an influence into the whole course of our life as perhaps wee shall see in the particulars more clearely For this end c. Againe in generall when he saith Christ is Lord of the quicke and of the dead we see thence the truth of the Catholike Church from the first man living to the end of the Church under one head Christ Christ is the Saviour of those that were before the Law under the Law under the Gospell Christ was the Saviour of all he is the Saviour of the dead as well as of the living all come under one head which hath no further use than to informe us in that one point of doctrine to shew that Christ is yesterday as well as to day to Morrow and for ever all that were saved before that are saved now and that shall be for ever are saved by Christ there is no other name under heaven whereby wee can be saved he is the Lord of the dead and of the living Now therefore to come more particularly Christ is Lord both of the dead and of the living what a Lord we heard before This is a point of wondrous comfort and likewise a point informing us of our duty and withall shewing us that Christ will worke that duty in us because he is a Lord not onely that should rule over us that we should be subject to him but to make us subject to him it is a point of wondrous comfort and of duty and of this issue that we under the covenant of grace shall bee inabled to performe that duty to our Lord. And then it is a point of wondrous security in life in death as alas sometime one thing amazeth us sometime another sometime wee are willing to dye Elias was afraid to live sometime wee are afrayd of-death as we are all naturally why come life or death come what will come we are under a Lord that is Lord of the dead and of the living so it is a point of wondrous security and quiet to a Christian in all passages hee somtimes lives and sometimes dyes but his salvation is not at that hazzard to be off and on but whether he live or dye hee is sure to be saved for he is under the Lord of the living and the dead But to speake a little of the first it is intended for comfort as well as direction to duty and to be subject to submit to the Lord it is a comfort that we have a Lord that rules us for our good while we are living and when wee are dead and for ever and indeed wee cannot have a greater comfort beloved than this that we are not our owne but that wee are bought with a price that we are under Christ why what a comfort is this will you say homo non est natus c. as the naturall man sayd a man is not borne to subjection but to honour and governement what comfort is this to be under Christ to be under a governour Oh beloved know that it is the greatest comfort as the rule is every thing is perfect if it be weake by that whereby it is subject to a higher the vine is perfect by leaning to the Elme it would lye on the ground else and be spoyled the perfection of the weake creature the sheepe is to have a shepheard the perfection of a weake nature is to have a ruler for their good the perfection of the ship is the Pylate it would dash on every rocke and bee tossed with every wave else and so it is our perfection that we are under a Lord such a Lord as this is cui servire regnare est c. to whom to serve is to reigne for all his servants are so many Kings it is our perfection to bee subject to him therefore it is a wondrous comfort that Christ is become Lord of the living and of the dead I beseech you therefore think of it in your meditations all the Scripture aimes at this end to comfort whatsoever is written is written for our comfort and this is
Spirit this is alway a signe of a man lead by the Spirit that it directs him to Christ the Spirit as it comes from Christ and the father so it directs to Christ to the pleasing of the Father and of Christ in all things Here I might take just occasion to reproove a company of men that live under the Gospell that will bee saved by Christ forsooth but will not have Christ a Lord to rule over them they will be ruled by rules of state or rules of flesh and blood and their owne lusts by the rules of hell sometimes so that they may have their owne aimes their owne ambition satisfied and raisethemselves to their owne pitch a disposition cursed and opposite to that religion which they professe for our life should be a living to Christ and under Christ a living to the Church and state But say they Let us breake their bonds and cast their coards from us what doe they thinke wee will be awed with a company of poore preachers away with them we will have our wills let us breake their bonds in sunder Christ sits in heaven and laughes them all to scorne Psal. 2. they shall know at length hee will be no Saviour where he is no Lord if he may not rule them by his Spirit and holy directions while they live he will not owne them when they dye for you see the text joynes both here he dyed and he is Lord when hee dyed there came water and blood out of his side to shew that hee came not onely to shed his blood to dye and to satisfie divine justice but by water to clense us and to fit us to be subject to his government therefore those that take him as a Priest to dye and will not have him as a Lord they rent his offices I doe but touch these now We see what it is to live to Christ let us see what is it to dye to the Lord To dye to the Lord is to know and acknowledge that Christ hath power over us when wee dye thereupon to submit our selves to him and not to murmure and fret when he comes to call for our life and soule as if we were unwilling to part with them Then againe to dye to Christ is when upon any good occasion he calls for our lives in standing for a good cause for the Church or state to be ready to lay it downe there is not the least tittle of truth but it is better than a mans life a man may not onely dye in case of martyrdome but in case of justice and truth and so he must be willing to doe if he will dye to Christ. Againe wee dye to the Lord when we carry our selves so when death comes as wee may expresse some graces to glorifie God even in our very death when wee studdy to doe all the good we can that wee may dye fruitefully out of this consideration my time is short I will labour to bee sowing to the Spirit as much as I can not to dye like fooles but wisely knowing that there is no further opportunity here is the time of seede hereafter will bee the time of reaping therefore there is no Christian that is master of himselfe at the houre of death if some disease disable him not but he studdies how to shew himselfe as fruitfull as he can at that time as you see our Saviour when he was to dye what long chapters there are three together of his demeanour how hee strengthned his Disciples what an excellent prayer he made to God see Moses how hee carryed himselfe at his death what excellent admonitions hee gives and good Iacob what an excellent Will he made and S. Peter knowing he must put of his earthly tabernacle he labours to put them in minde to glorifie God as Saint Paul saith A Christian ought to end his dayes in faith and obedience in faith that God will take his soule when he commits it to him and he shall reigne for ever in heaven In obedience thereupon because he beleeves he dyes in faith he will dye in obedience I even offer my selfe to thee because I beleeve thou wilt care for mee when I am gone hence for thou art the Lord of life and death and thou art the Lord of mee when I live and when I am dead Well as it implies duty so it implies a gracious effect that wee shall be inabled to this duty he indeed in himselfe is a Lord wee ought to acknowledge him so nay we shall have the Spirit if wee be his to cause us to acknowledge him you have a notable place 2 Cor. 5. 15. to this purpose The love of Christ constraines us because wee thus judge If one dyed for all then we are all dead if hee dyed to redeeme us from death to what end did he dye he dyed for all that they that live might not live to themselves but to him that dyed and rose againe It is nothing but this in the Text we should live to him Now this that wee should live to him it is not an aime of ours onely but an effect that hee workes in us he dyed that we might live to him for he dyed and rose that he might obtaine the Spirit by this Spirit hee inableth us to live and dye to God as you have it Rom. 8. at large proved those that are Christs have the Spirit of Christ and are led with it Beloved it is a part of the new Covenant that whatsoever ourduty is we shall have ability to performe it by the Spirit of Christ for all the gracious promises of the Gospell are not onely promises upon condition and so a covenant but likewise the covenant of grace is a te stament and a will a will is made without conditions a covenant with conditions that as hee hath made a covenant what he would have us to doe so his testament is that wee shall have grace to doe so he will put his Spirit into us and circumcise our hearts or else beloved there would bee no more strength of the covenant of grace then there was of that of nature in Adam why did Adam fall he had not the Spirit to uphold him nor had he the promise of it to keepe him that hee should not fall therefore the covenant of workes was frustrate but now the covenant of grace is this that whatsoever God requires he will give his Spirit to inable us to doe it that the covenant may not bee frustrate if God shold not make good our part as well as his we shold not be saved Therefore now in the covenant of grace wee may boldly goe to God and Christ and alleadge unto him when any duty is pressed upon us and when wee are about to performe any duty and finde want of strength Lord thou knowest I have no strength of my selfe I am a barren wildernesse but thou hast entred into a covenant of grace with me which covenant now is a testament a free will
CHRISTS EXALTATION PVRCHAST BY HVMILIATION Wherein you may see Mercy and Misery meete together Very Usefull I. For Instructing the Ignorant II. For Comforting the Weake III. For Confirming the Strong By R. Sibbs D. D. and Preacher of Grayes-Inne London Published by T. G. and P. N. 1 Cor. 15. 45. The first man Adam was made a Living Soule the last Adam was made a Quickning Spirit LONDON Printed by Tho. Cotes and are to be sold by Iohn Bartlet at his shop at the Signe of the guilt Cup neere S. Austins gate 1639. The Contents THe Coherence of the Text. p. 1. 2. c. The Text divided p. 6. 7 Christs death was voluntary 10. 11 That Christ should dye is Admirable 14. 15 That Christ rose againe as a publicke person 16 What became of those that rose with him 18 The Spirit in heaven will supply all wants 22 Iustice must be satisfied 25 Why we are the Lords 26 Excellent inferences from Christs Resurrection 27. 28. c. What a Lord Christ is 32. c. ad 40. He is a Lord both of quicke and dead 41 God doth all to some good Ends. 42 Divine truths depend on one another 46 Christs Lordship full of security and comfort 50. 51. c. In the Lords Supper we have to deale with the Christ the Lord. 64 A Christian mans aime good 68 Christ rose to be Lord of the living 72. 73 He dyed to be Lord of his Church 74. c. And to be Lord of his Enemies 76 And to make good what by death he got 78. His Lordship eternall both over the living and the dead 80 How great a happinesse to be under the Lord Christ. 82. 83 Comforts against the feare of death 84 We must looke to Christ in life and death 86. 90 When we live to Christ. 88. 92. c. Directions for our ayming at Christ in all things 96. 97 Helpes to live to Christ. 100. 101. Diverse desire him as Iesus but not as Christ. 103. 104. 105. What it is to dye to Christ. 106. 107. Christs dying implies duty in us 110 Abilities to doe duties part of the covenant 113 A signe to know who is under Christs goverment 116. 117. Christs Lordship assurance of our perseverance 118. c. What will make us willing to dye 122. There is more than an exemplary good in Christs death 132 The scope of Christs humiliation and exaltation 134 The studdy of this scope is good 138 By what title Christ is Lord 141 Diverse comforts from this title of Christs Lordship 142. 143. c. ad 152 An honour to bee under Christs Lordship 153 It is great security to be under it 158 Christs Lordship a Spring of duties and that 1. One to another 2. To those that are not Christians 3. To Christ himselfe 160. 161. We must give up our selves to this Lord. 166. c. Christs Lordship a stoppe against Sinne. 170. 171. It is also a comfort in affliction 172. c. Whether Christ by dying merited for himselfe 178. 179. Christians must be alwayes projecting for his glory 188. c. Christs Lordship comfortable in the houre of death 190. 191. CHRISTS EXALTATION PVRCHAST BY HV MILIATION ROM 14. 9. For for this end Christ both dyed and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living THe dependance of these words upon the former I take to be this the scope of the Apostle in this Chapter is to stay the ridged censures of other concerning weaker Christians especially about matters of indifferency or at the least of a lesse nature In the 6. verse saith he He that regards not a day regards it not to the Lord he that eates eates to the Lord and he that eates not to the Lord he eates not and gives God thankes c. His reason is this they that in eating or in not eating doe it with a religious respect to the Lord if they eate it is to the Lord if they eate not it is to the Lord that is in obedience to the Lord they are to be borne withall because they doe it with religious respects though perhaps there may be a little errour in the matter yet there be some things of such indifferencie that they not give denomination to the action if it be to the Lord howsoever the action bee not altogether to be excused yet the person is to be excused and is not to bee hardly censured therefore considering that they that doe it and they that doe it not doe it to the Lord be not hasty in your censures Quest. How doth hee proove that these holy Christians did eate or not eate to the Lord Answ. From this because they were the Lords they that are the Lords they live to him and dye to him and therefore they doe particular actions to him No man verse 7. lives to himselfe nor no man dyeth to himselfe which includes all particular actions Whether we live we live to the Lord or whether we dye we dye to the Lord whether we live therefore or dye we are the Lords he proves therefore that they doe eate or not eate to the Lord if they bee good Christians because they are the Lords Those that are the Lords live to the Lord and doe all particular actions to the Lord such must not be harshly censured because they are the servants of the Lord. In the third placē how doth he prove that they are the Lords that live and dye to him He prooves it from the maine ground in the text For for this end Christ both dyed and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living So you see the dependance of the reason they eate or eate not to the Lord why because they are the Lords But how is it they are the Lords It is the end of the three actions of Christ here Christ dyed and rose againe and revived for this end that hee might be Lord of the dead and of the living so you see the connexion of these words with the former In the words you have argumentum argumenti ratio the argument and the reasoning from the argument the ground and the inference from the ground the ground is Christ dyed and rose againe and revived what is the inference from that that he might be Lord of the dead and of the living In the words therefore wee will consider the argument it selfe the ground it selfe and then the inference For for this end Christ both dyed and rose and revived There are three branches of the ground Christ Dyed Rose Revived Of the inference wee will speake afterwards and shew how these grounds inforce that inference that he should be Lord both of the dead and of the living Christ dyed First of all you must know that Christ dyed here as a publicke person or else the inference were not good Christ tooke upon him the person of no man but the nature for this end that he
living you see upon what ground he is Lord of all as well as of his Church he is an eternall Lord over the dead and the living he is a transcendent Lord above all other Lords whatsoever and he is independant he is not obnoxious to any all have power from him and in some sort indeed Christ hath redeemed even all other creatures they are Christs and in some sort even proud wicked men that live in the Church that have perhaps some parts which are the occasion of their damnation because of and by them they are proud and insolent they are redeemed by Christ thus farre to be serviceable to his Church to use their parts to his owne ends they goe a great way in salvation that so by their parts they may be fit to doe service to the Church so he is Lord not onely over the Church but of others for the service of the Church Now this point that Christ is Lord of the dead and of the living it yeelds many comfortable uses I spake of some things in generall and then wee came to some particulars as First seeing Christ is Lord of the quicke and of the dead wee may comfort our selves under the Soveraignty of Christ To be Solomons servant was accounted a great happynesse those that did observe the governement of Solomon did thinke so as the Queene of Sheba Alas what shall we thinke of those that are under Christ who is greater then Solomon A most great a most wise a most loving a most gracious and powerfull Lord over all therefore it is a most comfortable condition here in this life to adde a little to that point however it be service it is against the nature of man to serve a man yet not to serve a more noble to serve God is to reigne Besides while we live here such is our disposition such is the weakenesse of base sinners that they must be ruled by another and indeede our happinesse and security consists in being ruled by another higher than our selves we are not fit to bee our owne governours S. Paul saith to the Galatians an heire in his none-age differeth little from a servant so it is with Christians till they be in heaven they differ little from servants and therefore they must bee under tutors and government And as it is a comfortable so it is an honourable condition for Christs Servants are so many Kings Christ is served of none but Kings and such Kings as doe not rule over slaves but such Kings as in Christ rule over the greatest and terriblest enemies of all a Christian can thinke with comfort and incouragement upon those enemies that make the greatest tyrants of the world to quake he can thinke of death of sinne of damnation of judgement of the Law of all these things Christs Kingdome is another manner of Kingdome than the Kingdomes of the world they are poore Kingdomes their Monarchs heads must lye as low as the basest subject they have they know not how soone and perhaps have a more terrible account to give than any other under them it is not so in Christs Kingdome Therefore those Christians that are afraid of death they forget their dignity they forget him on whom they depend for Christ is Lord both of the quick and of the dead if so be Christ be their Lord when they dye what neede they feare to dye and therefore let us comfort our selves when God calls for us he is our Lord as well when wee dye as while we live and more too for then our soules have more immediate communion with him can there bee more comfort than this that we have a Lord ever that dyed for us that rose for us and lives for ever and doth immortalize his subjects too joyne these together an ever-living Lord and ever-living subjects coexistent I meane for the time to come we indeed have a beginning Christ had none as God but we have an eternall state to be for ever and an eternall Lord to rule us for ever and to make us happy forever what comfort is more than this that howsoever there be varietie of conditions in this world wee live wee dye we are in prosperity we are in misery yet there is no varietie in the state of Salvation Christ is not a Lord to day and none to morrow but yesterday to day and the same for ever Againe as it is a point of comfort so it is also of duty if Christ be our Lord in life and death our duty is to looke to him in life and death to live and dye to him for our ayme must answere his ayme if we ever intend to come to heaven for we are understanding creatures and have a communion with him in a poore measure therefore what he will make his end must be our end his end was that whether we live or dye hee might rule over us our end should be in life and death to bee ruled by him How shall we live to Christ We live to Christ this is a ground of all other duties that follow when we know and acknowledge Christ hath a full interest in us by being our head by being our husband by being our King our elder brother he hath all the sweete interest to us that any relation can inright him to for all other relations among men are but shaddowes of that grand relation there onely is the realty of things he is a true head a true King a true elder brother a true husband of his Church all ours are but poore representations of those glorious things then know and acknowledge so much that is the ground of all living to him Vpon knowing and acknowledging issues all other obedience in our life to Christ those that thus acknowledge Christ they must be directed by his will and not their owne as a servant as farre as he is a servant and a wife so farre as she is a wife they have no will of their owne so he that lives to Christ and acknowledgeth him to be a Lord he must have no will of his owne but hee must live according to the will of Christ as you have it excellently set downe 1 Pet. 4. Christ suffered for us in the flesh let us arme our selves therefore with the same mind for he that suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sinne that he should no longer live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men but to the will of God It is a comment upon this place Christ dyed and rose and revived that he might be Lord of the quicke and of the dead that is that we might live according to his will and not after our owne doe you thinke our Saviour Christ would so farre deny himselfe to leave heaven to take upon him our base nature and be so farre abased in it to let us live as wee list oh no we must live the rest of our dayes not according to the lusts of men or our owne lusts but
of a true Christian as a Christian is most triumphant over he is a King over those things for every subject of this Prince is a King Christs manner of government is hid now there is more reallity in this then can be expressed therefore wonder not In a word Christ as our Lord binds himselfe to bring us to glory never to leave us till hee hath brought us to that place that he is in himselfe Father I will that where I am they be also and hee purgeth his Church Ephes. 5. That he may make it a glorious Church he takes upon him not onely to dye to redeeme us from hell and damnation and to set us in a state of favour with his father but to goē on in a course of fitting us till he have brought us to the glorions condition that he is in it lyes upon him to doe it therefore let us doe our duty as wee shall see after and let him alone with that that belongs to him For our selves beloved this is our honour that we are under such a King such a Lord both living and dying it was the honour of those that lived in Solomons time that they were under such a wise Prince the Queene of Sheba judged it so but what an honour is it to a Christian now that he is under such a blessed Prince as Christ is It is a great honour to be the Spouse of such a husband to be the subject of such a King to be members of such a head and therefore we should oft thinke of it to put honourable thoughts into us and I know no greater way to keepe us from sinne from base courses than to have our thoughts strayned to this high point to thinke of the dignity of a Christian what a condition he is now brought unto in Christ and what hee shall bee brought unto ere long this should make him honourable to himselfe to make him in a holy state to thinke himselfe too good to defile his soule or body that is so dearely bought and so highly advanced shall such a man as I flee saith Nehemiah oh looke to that shall such a man as I flee It is the honour beloved of a Christian that hee is Christs living and dying But you will say an honour it is an honour to be free the subject is bound non sumus nati c. as the heathen man sayd we are not borne to slavery but to honour and liberty and it is an appetite ingrafted in man to desire freedome above all things It is true In regno nati sumus Deo c. wee are borne in a Kingdome and to serve Christ is to reigne for where there is a subordination it is a prerogative to be under a better as for the body being baser than the soule it is for the good of it to be under the soule because it is more excellent it hath life and wisedome the body is a loathsome dead thing of it selfe the sheepe being a weake simple creature shiftlesse to bee guided by a sheepeherd who is of a superiour nature and wise to defend it it is its security and safety for the Vine that is a weak plant of it selfe to have support it is for the good of it for man that is in a subordination to a higher nature to God for him to be under the government of Christ God man of God in our nature it is a great honour as they could say in the Schooles every thing hath its perfection by being subject to a superiour except the highest of all which is not subordinate but independant whatsoever is dependant hath its perfection by dependance therefore it is an honour that we bee under Christ the greatest honour in the world especially if wee consider what manner of government Christs is it is a rationall government agreeable to our principles for he guides us as a Prophet he is not onely a King but a Prophet to teach us he saith not you shall doe this he stands not upon tearmes of will no he is a Prophet to teach us what wee should obey he convinceth us and then useth us that we would not but be der such a government and then when hee rules our will he doth it sweetly he drawes it with the cords of a man as the Prophet speakes that is by allurements he brings us to heaven by way of love and intisements what greater rewards can there be thought of than those that Christ leades us by and drawes us to subjection by and therefore hee workes upon our will sweetely by perswading us by allurements in that kinde In a word he is such a King as is a husband would you have a milder governement then that of a husband which though it be not a parity yet it comes as neare as can be such a governement is Christs as hee is a King so hee is a husband hee knowes how to beare with the infirmities of his Church he that bids the husband to favour the wife as the weaker vessell doth not hee practise his owne principles will not he favour his owne spouse as the weaker vessell think you that hath promised not to quench the smoking flax and breake the bruised reed undoubtedly he will Therefore it is an honour to bee under the governement of Christ so rationally and sweetely hee drawes us with the cords of a man it is the government of a husband and of a wise husband I doe but give a taste you may inlarge them in your owne meditations And as it is our honour so it is our security and safety to bee under him why because when wee come sweetely under Christs governement we need feare nothing he that feares Christ all things feare him since Christ hath taken our nature upon him the devill himselfe is afraid of mans nature he trembles to think God hath appeared in our nature now hee is afraid of a Christian God hath taken this nature Then hee is such a King as wee may be secure under him as a universall King over all things that he may be King over his Church for hee hath all power in heaven and earth Mat. 28. All power is given to mee in heaven and earth and all for the governement of his Church it is our security to bee under him that governes al things for the good of the Church he saith Iohn 17. Thou hast given mee power over all flesh Christ hath all power given to him in relation to his Church therefore hee hath power over the devill over hell and over all wicked men and all Monarches and opposite power is subject to him that they shall serve the Church when they doe scourge the Church they are but Christs rod they are but instrumentall to Christ they doe but his worke therefore it is a great security and we need to feare none if we be under Christ. Againe to goe on as it is our honour and security so it is a Spring of duty Christ is
our Lord he is Lord of all Therefore it teacheth us our duty every way Our duty One to another To those that are not Christians To Christ himselfe It teacheth us in all standings how to carry our selves To give a taste of this the Apostle presseth it oft that Christ is our Lord and will bee our judge Therefore for others we ought not to be hasty in judging or censuring wee ought to love them because wee have all one Lord this must force love We have all one Lord one baptisme c. We are many in our severals but we are all one under this bond being all under one Lord. Then againe it teacheth us how to carry our selves to men otherwise affected not to be servants to the humours of men Christ rules over us both living and dying therefore bee not the servants of men but according to the scriptures limitation Marry in the Lord obey in the Lord walke in the Lord doe all in the Lord that is so farre as it may stand in the will and pleasure of him that is the Lord of Lords For when the authority of any superiour doth countermand against the will of this Lord it ceaseth to bind when they command any thing in subordination that may stand with the pleasure of the Lord then the authority is divine wee obey Christ in obeying them As Christ said to his owne mother when shee commanded things that shee had no authority to doe hee cals her mother no longer but Woman shee stretching then beyond her compasse Againe to goe on this should teach us in that Christ is the Lord of the living and of the dead to account our selves not our owne it should teach us perfect selfe denyall in matters of religion especially not to be overwhelmed of our owne conceites in the great mysteries that Saint Paul cryes out of Oh the depth you have many that quarrell with those things and would bring them to reason they will goe no further in religion then they can see reason whereas one saith I beleeve because it is impossible and too farre above reason therefore I the rather beleeve it it is oft times good to stand at a stay in God as if wee were at a nonplus to admire at him in the mysteries of Christs governing the Church why hee suffers some part of the Church that perhaps is better then other parts that are quiet and exempt from the crosse to be exercised with afflictions and others not not to scandall at this and to be overbusie in searching out the reason of this Christ is our Lord and he is infinite in wisedome and it is his prerogative to doe such things as hee is not lyable to give a reason of to us so God will have mercy upon whom hee will have mercy In great mysteries remember the soveraignty of this our Lord he is Lord of quicke and dead let this stoppe our judgements and teach us to deny our selves when wee cannot give a reason of them in a holy admiration say with Saint Paul Oh the depth And so for our will he is Lord of quick and dead we say of a wife she hath no will and a servant is not a distinct person as it were in law he is anothers wee are Christs servants his subjects his spouse and when wee beginne to be Christs wee have lost our owne wills we resigne them up to Christ thy will shall bee mine in all things if thou wilt have me doe this I will doe it if thou wilt have me suffer I will suffer if thou wilt honour thy selfe with my goods and with my life thou shalt have them Of thee I had this body this soule this state this reputation I have whatsoever I have from thee it is maintained by thee thou art mine and I am thine therefore I give up all to thee backe againe it is a ground of perfect resignation that Christ is Lord of the quicke and of the dead therefore stand not upon tearmes with Christ when hee calls for any thing in case of suffering and sealing the truth let him have it it is not lost wee have a better foundation in him then we have in our selves when wee give any thing to him life or state or credit or whatsoever wee have a better life a better state and condition in him because all is more eminently in him the primitive fountaine then in the derivation and beames from him when we lose any thing it is but a beame from the Sunne and whatsoever wee lose in particulars we have in the whole in the fountaine againe in Christ therefore faith would helpe all this in case of suffering and tryall what is the cause good or no then I will resigne my selfe and all that I have and am to Christ hee is Lord both of the quicke and of the dead Wee must know beloved that we are redeemed from our selves and therefore make this use of it when wee are tempted to any sinne Christ is my Lord I am redeemed from my base lusts what have I to doe with this anger what have I to doe with this ambition I am no debter to the flesh I am under Christ I am under grace he hath redeemed mee from my vaine conversation I owe it nothing but mortification and deny all therefore in all solicitations of corruption learne this lesson fetch arguments hence Christ hath done great matters for me he lived and dyed and lives for ever that is Lord of me living and dying there is no greater slave then he that is a slave to his owne flesh and to his owne lusts therefore when we are stirred to any thing by our base nature which must dye or else wee shall never live eternally we must kill it more and more daily and death is the summe and accomplishment of mortification when wee are stirred to any thing go to Christ and complaine to him blessed Saviour thou didst dye and rise and revive that thou mightst be Lord of the living and of the dead I beseech thee claim thine owne interest in me bring all into captivity to thine owne Spirit what hath this base affection to doe with me what have I to doe with it I am freed from it I am redeemed from my selfe what have I to doe with my selfe but deny all I am thine altogether therefore take thine owne interest in me possesse me fill me with thy Spirit be all in all in mee let pride and ambition and such things have no footing in me It is good powring out the soule to God to that purpose to complaine to Christ when it is thus with us because it is his office to rule us Now Lord Iesus do thine office thy office is to be King to rule in me other lords would faine rule in mee pride and lust and base covetousnesse would faine rule as the Prophet saith but what hath other lords to doe with me thou art my Lord and hast right to me living and dying It is a point