Epistle writes to Saints though he doth not describe or decipher them by their names condition or the places of their habitation as Paul and Peter and other Apostles doe yet he styles them by a glorious title viz. Beleivers as you may see 1 John 5. 13. These things have I written unto you that beleive on the name of the Sonne of God c. And in writing thus to beleivers his scope as I conceive was twofold or he aimes principally at two things as you may clearely see if you peruse the whole Epistle First to build them up in their holy faith to raise their faith to an higher pitch or degree whereby they might have and injoy more fellowship with God the Father and his Sonne Jesus Christ and so by consequence be more joyfull holy and obedient This you shall see if you compare 1 John 5. 13. with this 1 John 1. The other thing that the Apostle aimes at is to increase Christian and spirituall love betweene one beleiver and another And this he speakes much of throughout the Epistle especially in the 3. and 4. chap. I shall not at all at this time meddle with this latter my businesse lieth wholly in the former Now the only meanes and way that the Apostle here takes to attaine to this his aime is by discovering or laying open Jesus Christ clearely and fully unto them as we see ver 1 2 3. That which was from the beginning which wee have heard which wee have seen with our eyes which wee have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life c. He takes this as the chiefe meanes to build them up in faith joy love and holinesse a discovery I say or laying open of Jesus Christ unto them and that not simply or carnally but in his spirituality and glory And therefore he useth an elogie for his person which of all other is the most comprehensive that I know in Scripture he calls him the Word and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 withall he sets him out with his graces and the priviledges we have by him comprehending them all in the word Eternall life For as of all the titles that doe expresse the personall excellencies of the Lord Christ that is the most glorious 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word so of all that hold forth the priviledges that wee have by him there is not one word that expresseth them so fully as this of Eternall life for it containes and comprehends all the grace and glory wee have with him This is the course and meanes that he takes to wind up the Saints to a higher pitch of faith holinesse c. Neither doeth he propose Christ to them though in his glory as a thing uncertaine but he sets him forth with a great deale of evidence and assurance therefore he saith That which was from the begininng which we have HEARD which we have SEEN with our eyes which we have looked upon c. The meaning is not properly that John having been an Apostle with Christ did sometimes handle him sometimes lay in his bosome and so this to be understood in a corporall way but the meaning I conceive is this we have knowne Jesus Christ he hath been so revealed to us with that fulnesse of assurance with that perspicuity and clearenesse that as in naturall things you have many senses concur together to discover them as eyes eares hands c. these things are very sure and certaine so Brethren saith John that I may build you up in faith c. I would lay open Jesus the word of God that hath eternall life with him as a thing that is as sure and certaine as if yee had seene him and tasted him heard him and handled him as wee our selves have done for as Jesus Christ by the Spirit of God had been made knowne in that cleare manner with that certainty to John so he goeth about to cleare him with the same assurance also to other beleivers that they also might have fellowship with the Father and with Iesus Christ as he had I will detaine you no longer in the coherence of the words In the words themselves there are three things to be observed First an Assertion our fellowship is with the Father and his Sonne Jesus Christ It is a glorious one as any I know in this blessed booke Secondly an Asseveration if I may so call it to this blessed Assertion TRVLY saith he and truly our fellowship is with the Father c. though I confesse the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not so emphaticall as our word truly in English yet as it stands here in its coherence comparing it with the beginning of the chapter and observing the vehemency of his expression we have seen and tasted and handled the word of life we may well call truly a kind of Asseveration to this Assertion Thirdly the end that the Apostle hath to speake thus highly of this his fellowship is not out of pride or vaine-glory as the Pharisee Luke 18. I thanke God I fast twice in the weeke I am not as other men John did not speake thus out of pride of spirit when he saith Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Sonne Jesus Christ as if he should meane all others are punyes or carnall people in comparison of himself no but with humility and love out of a desire to doe my brethren good these things I write unto you that your joy may be full I write not these things to boast of and make a shew but I am forced to write these things because I see with so much certainty the excellency that is in Jesus Christ and doe taste so much sweetnesse in communion and fellowship with him that I cannot chuse but write thus unto you that you also may have fellowship with him I will stand no longer upon the explication and division of the words there is enough already said to lead us to many wholsome blessed truthes that lie in and about these words if God give us his Spirit and we had time to looke into them there are many truthes I say that well become Iohn the Divine as he is called they are all divine transcendently divine and spirituall I will only touch 3. or 4. Observations and then pitch upon one The first is this The more spirituall or divine Christians are the more Obser 1 they wil be taken up and imployed about spirituall worke John is called John the Divine not as wee call Divines from Office but from the excellency of Grace and the clearenesse of divine manifestations therefore the Ancients compare him to an Eagle now John in his whole Epistle medleth not with controversies especially about outward and externall things but being wholly spirituall he writes altogether spiritually about spirituall substantiall things from the beginning to the end Mistake me not I doe not say that it is not lawfull and sometime convenient for Ministers and others to have to
THE SAINTS FULNESSE OF JOY in their fellowship with God PRESENTED In a Sermon preached July 21. 1646. Before the Honorable House of Commons in Margarets Westminster Being the day appointed for Thankesgiving for the surrender of OXFORD By the least of Saints and the meanest of the Ministers of the Gospel W. Cradock LONDON Printed by Matthew Simmons and are to be sold by George VVhittington at the blew Anchor neere the Royall Exchange 1646. THere was an Order from the Honorable House of Parliament to print this Discourse such as it is allowing me the usuall priviledges vouchsafed in this kind in obedience to which Order I appoint Matthew Simmons and Hannah Allen to print the same W. C. TO THE HONORABLE House of Commons ASSEMBLED IN PARLIAMENT PEACE among Brethren is the Pearle that is lost in these dayes which many pretend to seek and all justly complaine is wanting many out-cryes there are for it in the mouth 's of some whose hearts and principles are full of warre and contention Their words are Ps 55. 21. softer then oyle and yet they be drawne swords Yea such is the hypocrisie of this age that it is become almost the Character of a Malignant or Atheist in all companies with much seeming zeale and devotion to pray and desire Peace Union Reconciliation neglecting the while all meanes that may conduce to the same Others there are and those not a few who long for Peace and that sincerely but not hitting the right way to attaine to it doe often cast more Oyle into the flame and make the breach wider This following Discourse though it be the meanest of any that ever hath been presented unto you points out the surest and readiest way to finde this Jewel i. Fellowship with the Father and his Sonne Jesus Christ Fellowship with God necessarily begets fellowship between men He onely is an enemy to Man that is not upon tearmes of friendship with God God is love and when we are in him and walke with him wee cannot but be like him Could wee fully apprehend God as our Father Christ as our Head all the Saints his members chosen and beloved wee should no longer bite teare and devoure one another a spirit of Love Goodnesse Meeknesse Long-suffering that is in God and dwells in Christ would run through all our veines tempering our hearts and framing our carriages Euk. 6. Ephes 5. towards men as God's in Christ hath been towards us Yea it would mollifie our spirits towards all even the worst of men and make us live peaceably as much as in us lieth with all men To give no offence to any man Rom. 12. 1 Cor. 10. Titus 3. 1 Cor. 4. Mat. 5. To speake evill of no man To blesse when wee are blasphemed To give up our cloakes to him that takes away our coat c. And because there is a generall distance growne between men and God an intermission of spirituall fellowship therefore these Scriptures are become now Apocryphall which were precious Truths formerly to the Saints and it may be still are to a few who studied rather to conforme themselves to the strictest Rules then wrest the Rule to their owne carnall senses and corrupt lusts a practice too common in these times Oh that wee could then doe as the wise Traveller who being wilderd in a Forrest despairing to finde the way forward returnes thither where he first lost his way We have lost our way our selves our God and all almost by an Over-violent contention about Things externall Wee have cast durt upon each other that will not be wiped off our names in many Ages opened the mouth 's of the wicked rejoyced the hearts of Papists grieved the Spirit of God Oh how happy should wee yet be if wee would returne to our GOD renewing our fellowship with him in the Spirit Surely it was better with us then when wee made our Hos 2 Fellowship with God Holinesse Righteousnesse our chiefe studie when Christianitie and the power of Godlinesse was the Cement that united us together When wee were distinguished from the world and knowne to one another by the style of Saints Professors of Godlinesse Honest-men It is one of my firmest Principles and by Gods Grace shall ever be my practice to make union and communion with God my maine worke to studie peace with all men To Love Honour Receive SAINTS quà SAINTS To receive I say those whom Christ hath received The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ binde up every one of your soules in that bundle and so preserve your whole spirit soule and body blamelesse unto his comming which shall ever be the most unfeigned prayer of Your most humble servant W. CRADOCK A SERMON PREACHED at the late Thankesgiving before the Honourable House of COMMONS 1 IOHN 1. 3 4. And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Sonne Jesus Christ And these things write wee unto you that your joy may be full THe chiefe end Beloved of your meeting here this day is to rejoyce together for those manifold mercies that the Lord hath been pleased to bestow of late especially upon you and the whole Kingdom and I suppose that we I meane the Ministers that are called hither by you are intended to be as the Scripture saith as furtherers of Phil. 1. 25. your joy But truly Beloved those mercies of themselves that are in your thoughts and that have been spoken of here already at large I meane those victories and surrenders of Garrisons c. though I confesse they be very great and glorious yet they may in a sort be reckoned among naturall things they are at best but temporall mercies and so they can produce but a kind of naturall joy For as wee heard this morning vide Mr. Wilkinsons Sermon the effect must be as the cause is And as it is somewhat beneath a Christian to insist much upon those naturall things thereby to expresse naturall affections so is it much more below the worke of a Gospel Minister to stir you up to such joyes as these things doe properly produce Therefore my designe at this time is as God shall inable me to raise you up a little above all these things to lead you to spirituall joy which indeed is the onely true joy at least the fountaine of all joy For take any other joy and abstract it from its spiritualities then indeed you may say of it with Solomon it is but as the crackling of thornes Eeles 7. 6. it is light short superficiall and will undoubtedly end in everlasting sorrow Therefore as I would not put you out of your way of rejoycing so I wish I could scrue you up to the truest joy that is to the most spirituall joy which is fully laid downe here in my text And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Sonne Jesus Christ And these things write wee unto you that your joy may be full The Apostle in this
eye that he saw God he saw all that belonged to God and therefore saw that it was better to indure afflictions with the people of God then to injoy the pleasures of sin for a season And that is the reason on the other side why we see all carnall men and Hypocrites whatsoever some time or other when in any speciall manner God would have them deny themselves c. to faulter and flagg and at last fall utterly which indeed are to be pitied rather then censured by us men in the flesh For here is the case there comes a command to a carnall hearted professor that professeth godlinesse but hath not learned Christ as the truth is in Jesus requiring him to forsake his credit and undergoe shame to forsake his wealth and be poore c. this carnall heart having not the Prospective-glasse of faith he sees not any reality in spirituall things to counterpoize this losse then doth he basely leave Christ and throw off all his profession Therefore I said we should pity them as Christ did the young man when he bid him sell all he was sorrowfull Mat. 19. 22. saith the text If he had seen riches in Christ he would have sold all and rejoiced and thought he had made a very good bargaine but I wave these things I had another thing I will onely mention it because happily the Lord may doe some good by it with all humility I commend it to my brethren as the unworthiest Minister of the Gospel We that are Ministers should in all our Ministeriall workes propose some solid spirituall scope or end to our Ministery and to every part of it as John did here and the Apostles in every Sermon and Epistle Beloved I have knowne in my observation which it may be hath been too critical in the workes of others many learned godly and otherwise able Ministers who took much paines preached solidly and yet in the end reaped some of little little some no appearing fruit at all of all their sweat and labour some of them professing in their old age they knew not that soule that ever was brought home to Christ by their Ministry And this to my apprehension seemed to be the chiefe reason as to the worke of man they never did propose any particular end or distinct scope to their worke which indeed they could not well doe as having no spirituall acquaintance with the estates and conditions of their Auditors He that would convert sinners or edify Saints ought to study soules as well as bookes And those Ministers I have observed to worke most excellently and labour most succesfully who have been accustomed to converse most with their hearers I have also alwaies thought in reference principally to the discharge of my owne worke that the meere preaching of two Sermons a weeke as it doth not reach the practise of the Apostles so is Act. 20. 26. it not one halfe of the worke of a Gospel Minister As our frequent familiar spirituall converse with our hearers doth furnish us with more skill to deale with the soules of others so it conduces much to the quickning of our owne without which wee shooting as it Rom. 1. 11. 22. were at rovers must often misse the marke if ever we aimed at any without which we are as expert Smiths that make curious keyes and never consult with the wards of the locke whereas a rude ilshap'd key that is fitted to the locke is of much use the other of none at all This surely might I crave leave to speake is a comon neglect in us and a considerable defect in most of our Ministries which makes many of us labour as it were in the fire Neither is it sufficient for us to say when Gods work doth not prosper in our hands that yet our judgemnet is with the Lord c. unlesse we have in Isa 49. 4. all things done the worke of a Minister which as I said before is not halfe done till wee have attained to some compleat measure of acquaintance with the soules of our people nor at all will be done till wee have the skill of speaking to their very hearts and particular estates It was once a speech of a reverend Minister Mr. Wâ—oth that blessed Apostle of South wales who because of the multitude of his hearers was often necessitated to preach in the Ch. yard That there was not one person in that Congregation whose spirituall estate he did not fully know and the successe of his worke was answerably exceeding great and glorious neither said he is there any Sermon I preach wherein I teach them not at least one lesson more then any one of them all knew before and yet I learne from them throughout the weeke as much or more then they doe of me on the Lords Day But Reverend and beloved I acknowledge with all sincerity it becomes me rather to learne then to teach onely I beseech you beare with me thus farre Now to come lastly to the lesson that I shall insist on from the words themselves the other lessons lay but about the words of my text and were raised onely from the coherence And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Sonne Jesus Christ And these things write wee unto you that your joy may be full The lesson that I would observe from these words is this Fulnesse of joy is a fruit or consequent of our fellowship with the Father and his Sonne Jesus Christ Now what this fellowship is to open it at large is not possible to be done at this time I will pitch upon one thing onely therein and that is a great piece if not the chiefe in our fellowship with God and Jesus Christ that is our oneness or union with the Father and his Sonne Jesus Christ For there can be no communion where there is no union there can be no fellowship betweene God and us if wee be not one with him And though fellowship with God and Jesus Christ are not separated in themselves and are seldom mentioned in Scripture apart yet because I would not lay the foundation of my discourse larger and wider then I have time to build thereon I must therefore crave leave for this time to lay aside with all reverence one blessed person in the Trinity and speake of our fellowship to wit our union with Christ and so contract the doctrine to a little narrower compasse thus Fulnesse of joy is a fruit of our union with Jesus Doctr. Christ I contract it to this as for the times sake so also because I desire rather to goe to the bottome of one truth then to start up many I will give you two places of Scripture to prove this The first is in Joh. 15. from the beginning to the 12. verse I am the vine and yee are the branches c. you know the parable These things have I spoken to you Saith Christ that my joy may remaine in you and that your joy might
be full Understand this Scripture briefly thus Our Lord Christ was now going to Heaven from his Disciples and here in these chapters 14. 15. and 16. he takes a great deale of paines to comfort them to make them as chearefull as he could in parting with him and he gives them many blessed words of comfort chap. 16. 23. chap. 14. 13. to feed on as that their prayers should be all answered And though he did goe to Heaven it should further their prayers and they should have the Spirit the sooner the Comforter And among the rest he tells them I am the vine and yee are the branches there is a world of chap. 16. 7. comfort and joy in that though wee goe asunder and are now to part yet yee are branches graffed into me nothing can separate us I am the vine and my Father is the husbandman he will have a care that I nourish these branches to everlasting life and the reason wherefore I tell you all this is that your joy may be full that when I am gone to Heaven you may for ever remember the union that is betweene us which Heaven and earth and hell shall never breake or dissolve this is one Scripture for the confirmation of this doctrine The other is in Joh. 17. 11. compared with ver 13. our Saviour prayeth there Holy Father keep them through thine owne Name those whom thou hast given me that they may be one as wee are one Christ Jesus now prayes for his in Heaven though they know it not but by faith But here he prayes in their very hearing to comfort them And as Christ preached to them that he was one with them so he prayed to his Father in their hearing that they might be one and kept one as he is one with his Father whereto is all this These things I speake in the world why so he might have done it in Heaven but I doe it in the world that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves as if he had said I know it is an exceeding great joy to my poore disciples to heare me preach that I they are one but it is more to heare me pray thus for them for they know that thou never denyest me any thing Iohn 11. 42. and I pray that they and I may be kept one for ever as thou and I are one So much for the proofe of the doctrine Now I shall indeavour to open and explicate this a little to you which that I might doe there are two or three Questions though I shall not be able to reach them all that would be necessary to be resolved The first is this What is meant by fulnesse of Quest 1 joy The second is What kind of union or onenesse is this Quest 2 that beleivers have with Jesus Christ The third is Wherein doth this union stand whereof Quest 3 doth it consist And I hope by that time I have opened the first and second I shall not need to speake to the other The first Question then is this what is meant by fulnesse Quest 1 of joy in this place You must understand that joy ariseth alway from Sol. 1 the apprehension of some good either presently injoyed or hoped for Good is the object of joy whether that good be really good or seemingly good whether wee injoy it for present or hope to injoy it hereafter it workes joy in us There are 4. sorts of good and but foure in the world worth mentioning I meane of generall good things which may cause men to rejoyce and of those 4 the three first will not bring in fulnesse of joy they have but a little short scanty joy with them the fourth doth the deed The first is outward mercies as health wealth prosperity victories peace deliverances c. Beloved these are outward mercies temporall mercies as we call them and these I confesse bring in some joy to the soule but not full joy which is true both of the having of them or being instrumentall in them 1. The having of them it is comfortable to have peace after warre and to have plenty and trading our shops and high-wayes open c. wee may rejoyce in these things For godlinesse doth not unman 1 Cor. 7 30. us it doth not hinder the course of any true naturall affection in us neither doth God blame us for rejoyceing in these things But surely the having of these things doth not bring in full joy because it is possible these things may be curses as well as blessings and at the best they are but externall temporall blessings they sinke not to the bottome of the heart and they last but for a season 2. No nor being instrumentall in procuring them I confesse that as the Apostle saith citing the words of Act. 20. 35. our Lord it is a more blessed thing to give then to receive so it is a great deale more happy and a far more comfortable thing to be instrumentall to procure peace and welfare to others then the injoyment of those things our selves And this is for your comfort without flatterie be it spoken I meane our Parliament and our Armyes it is much I say for your comfort and it may bring a great deale of joy to you that not onely you have outward mercies as peace c. but that you have been the chiefe instruments to procure all our mercies And as I said it is a great deale more comfortable to doe good then to receive it to be instrumentall in procuring these things then the meere having or injoying of them For in Scripture you shall finde Cyrus though else it Esa 44. 28. may be he was a carnall naturall man yet he is called the Shepherd of God his Anoynted because he was an instrument whereby the Saints injoyed peace and Esa 44. 28. deliverance You shall never reade in Scripture that Esa 45. 1 men are called Gods Anoynted simply for having worldly things nay there is sonmewhat like the contrary they are called the men of the world that have their portion in this life and woe to you that are full But although Psal 17. 14. Luk. 6. 24. 25. this latter may bring more joy then the other yet truly Beloved it will not bring in full joy why because as Paul speakes of preaching a man may be a meanes to save others and he himselfe a castaway a 1 Cor. 9. ult man may be as Noahs Carpenters that helped to build an Arke for him and themselves drowned therefore though it may bring thee joy yet if Christ be not in thy soule if thou have not union and communion with the Father and his Sonne Jesus Christ it will be but a poore comfort to thee to say I have saved a Towne I have wonne a City I have subdued such an enemy reduced such a Garrison broken such an Army this may bring joy but not full joy A second good that men looke on as that which
produceth joy which is a little higher then the former is the common gifts and graces of the Spirit of God as working of miracles healing the sicke dispossessing men of Devills and those gifts that among us are now extant as the gift of illumination prayer preaching expounding the Scriptures and if you looke on these things as divided from Christ either the having of them or the exercise of them both these things may bring joy but not full joy The having of them Judas Simon Magus and the disciples whom our Lord compares to the second and third grounds had these gifts amongst them some Matth. 13. more some lesse and they rejoyced saith the text Mat. 13. but you know Iob saith that the joy of the hypocrites is but for a moment And notwithstanding all these gifts yea and the performances or plausible duties which flowe from them without union with Christ men are but hypocrites wee may call them so and so their joy is not full being but for a moment Secondly there is some joy in the acting and exercising of common gifts and graces as wee read in Luk. where the disciples had been abroad casting out Devills and rejoycing therein our Lord checkes them In this saith he rejoyce not that the spirits are subject to you Luke 10. 20. but rather rejoyce that your names are written in Heaven The meaning is not you shall not at all rejoyce for Christ to have a company of poore fishermen persecuted in the world to worke on people so as to dispossesse them of Devills to heale the sicke c. doubtlesse they were in a sort allowed to rejoyce but the meaning is this Rejoyce not that is expect not compleate joy from these things take no such great delight and pleasure in these things but rather rejoyce that your names are written in Heaven that is in a manner the same as if he had said that you have union and communion with the Father and his Sonne Jesus Christ The third good thing wee use to rejoyce in is farre higher then this and yet produceth not fulnesse of joy that is the saving graces of the Spirit of God I pray Beloved understand me in this warily There is a great deale of joy surely in the having or exercising any saving spirituall grace Therefore the Apostle saith righteousnesse and peace and joy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 1 Wheresoever there is righteousnesse peace in the heart there joy in the holy Ghost followes And in doing any thing out of a sincere spirit out of the power of grace there is much joy which God allowes us I meet him saith God that rejoyceth and worketh righteousnesse Esa 64. 5. There is no act of righteousnesse that is done in sincerity but it is as meate and drinke to us as our Lord Christ saith John 4. yet for all this there is not there cannot be fulnesse of joy from the apprehension of any grace or the exercise of it in our soules For if you take grace and abstract it from our head Christ but in your thoughts and imaginations for so you may doe it is but as a dead thing as blessed Preston saith it is but a creature and would perish as other creatures were we not united to a Fountaine of grace he that hath most grace in him his grace would die and be extinct Grace is as the beames of the Sun in a house through a window cut off the beames from the Sun shut the window they are gon So I may sum up all these things and comprehend them respectively in those words of the Prophet Behold al yee that kindle a fire compasse your Esa 50. ult selves about with sparkes walke in the light of your fire and in the sparkes that yee have kindled This shall yee have of mine hand yee shall lie downe in sorrow Beloved all these put together certainly make many fine sparkes of joy some more some lesse but if you goe no further yea if it were possible that you who have saving grace should rise no higher and seeke joy no where else all that yee should have at the hand of God in the end would be yee should lie downe in sorrow But lastly there is a fourth good that brings indeed fulnesse of joy and that is the Good if I may so say that is in God himselfe by Iesus Christ For wee cannot thinke a thought of God but only in Jesus Christ and that and that onely brings fulnesse of joy If you ask how It brings it especially 3 wayes First this good is exceeding full and perfect the others are scantie and imperfect Things fully good bring full comfort and joy If a man looke on his owne grace for instance love he shall see little of love but a great deale of envie and hatred or if there be a little delight in God there is withall a great deale of awkwardnesse and aversnesse but if wee looke into the fulnesse of Christ wee shall see unsearchable treasures riches that have no end Ephes 3. 8. Secondly the good in Christ hath a perpetuity in it as David saith in thy presence is fulnesse of joy and in Psalme 16. the next words pleasures for evermore Beloved there is an end of all the comforts of this world As the Apostle saith those that rejoyce should be as though they rejoyced not they that buy as if they possessed not for the 1 Cor. 7. fashion of this world passeth away and there will be an utter end of those things that are below But what is in God and in Jesus Christ wil be full and fresh to all eternity Thirdly a Saint hath a right and interest in all this Good to all eternity and here comes in the fulnesse of joy and not before The second Question for the opening of this truth is this What manner of union this is that wee have with Jesus Christ that brings in this fulnesse of joy For answer to that take notice of these 4 things First it is a very neere union that a poore Saint hath with Christ I say Saints because poore sinners drunkards enemies to godlinesse they have not yet any share in this union or benefit from it God may in his time give it them but Saints and beleivers they have a neere union with Christ You will say how neere If an Angel were to speake to you he cannot satisfie you fully in this only as farre as our understanding can reach it and the creatures can serve to illustrate these things thus Whatsoever by way of comparison can be alleadged concerning the combination of any one thing with another whatsoever it be in the whole Creation of God that and much more may be said of our union with Jesus Christ To give instances out of the Scripture see what one stick is to another being glewed together see what one friend is to another as Jonathan and David that are said to be woven and knit each
good things without measure and wee by ours in measure as it pleaseth him to distribute But excepting these things Jesus Christ and wee are fellowes for so God calls us Therefore Beloved did but the Lord by his holy Spirit unvaile all your eyes and give you but one glance of what the estate of a Saint is that is united to Jesus Christ who in this place would not be a Saint who would not be a Christian who would be a drunkard a swearer a persecuter of godlinesse who I say would be such a one that knowes the treasure riches and happinesse of a Saint in Christ our ignorance of this makes men refuse Christ and goe on in sin For every man naturally bargaines as he apprehends for his gaine and never for his losse that is the reason I say that we bargaine not for Heaven and for Christ because wee thinke it is for our losse and this because God hath not opened our eyes to see the unsearchable riches and treasures that are in Jesus Christ Besides were the happinesse of a Saint rightly understood and seriously considered who would be a backslider you heare what a Saint is he can goe and say to his soule and his fellow Saints our fellowship is with the Father and with Jesus Christ Who would relinquish Christ and all in him for some base lust O saith the Author of the Epist to the Hebrewes let there not be a Heb. 12. 16. prophane man c. Esau was a prophane man he had godly parents and was religiously educated yet the Apostle calls him prophane why because for a little morsell he sold his birth-right and there is a farre greater disproportion betweene the riches of Christ and the base lusts that wee hanker after then betweene Esaus inheritance and Jacobs pottage therefore looke to your selves in these things you that are ancient Professors who begin to backslide apace and take this as a meanes to help thee when thou goest to get such a ones favour to make such a one thy friend to get such an office and the like wherein thou must yeild to sin and joyne with sinners in their wicked designes see what a bargaine thou makest Thou relinquishest Christ Jesus and all thy portion in him to purchase these vaine frivolous things Another Use I will touch but briefely this is the reason why the Lord takes it so well or ill at our hands Vse 2 that wee use his people kindly or unkindly why should the Lord be so much offended to see his poore Saints that are ready to beg at your doores oppressed and wronged persecuted c because even they are one with Jesus Christ That is the reason why on the other side he takes it so kindly that wee doe any thing for them that wee be tender and carefull of the good of his poore Saints because it is to me saith Christ He that bestowes a cup of cold water to one of his little ons in the Mat. 10. 42. name of a disciple shall not lose his reward Why so he that receiveth you receiveth me that is the reason so in Mat. 25. I was hungry and you fed me naked and you cloathed me thirsty and you gave me drinke When did we see thee Mat. 25. hungry or thirsty or naked In as much as yee have done it to the least of my members yee did it to me See on the contrary he that toucheth a Saint toucheth the apple of Gods eye And the reason he is so angry is Zach. 2. 8. because now the Father and Jesus Christ and the poorest Saint are really and totally one each with other strike at one strike at all Therefore I beseech you make this use of it be kind to the poore Saints notwithstanding their meannesse outward weaknesses and frailties though they bee poore base and vile yet they have a glorious head and Husband Thou thinkest it is an easie thing to suppresse a poore Saint to overthrow him and overcome him and indeed it were so but that he hath a great partie in Heaven greater then all the world therefore there is no inchantment Mr. Wilkinsons Sermon against Israel as you heard from the Lord this morning Thirdly I would give you in these times when every body speakes of reformation of Religion Vse 3 and the like one word of direction in point of Church fellowship or communion one with another i. Take heed you doe not make any outward externall thing the maine pillar and foundation of your Church-fellowship of your Christian Communion As v. g. if any should conceive the way to constitute a Church to be by an externall Covenant a formall confession baptizing this way or that way I meane by dipping or sprinkling or by conjunction of opinion in some controverted point I doe not at this time condemne or commend any of these things for the matter of them but only this I drive at if you build your Christian fellowship and communion upon any one of these things or such like making them the maine pillar of Christian communion it will be more like a carnall faction then a spirituall communion Take therefore the Apostles rule in the text we have fellowship with the Father and his Sonne Jesus Christ And what followes these things wee write tbat you may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and his Sonne Iesus Christ That is the maine and principall ground of all Church fellowship of Christian fellowship of the Saints one with another Therefore when I have communion with a Saint I must not looke so much whether he be of such an opinion or whether he have taken the Covenant or have been baptized * I speake not this as if my opinion were for rebaptization or against the baptizing of the infants of beleevers the contrary appeares by my practise but only that such difference of opinion should not hinder their mutuall receiving each other to fellowship and communion who are in fellowship with God and Iesus Christ once or twice or ten times but see if he have fellowship with the Father and with Jesus Christ if he hath he is one of the body and a fellow-member and wee must fall in immediately with him though withall I am to use all meanes in love and meeknesse to recall him from his error according to the rules of Scripture But you will say how shall it be knowne that he is such a one I will name but two generall rules the best and the clearest that I know in the whole Scriptures to satisfie you in that In the first place consult with that in Coloss 2. 19. not holding the head saith the Apostle That is when a man sees a Christian for matter of doctrine judgement or opinion to hold the head Jesus Christ to be the Sonne of God and justification by him sanctification from him according to the Scriptures c. though in externall things it may be he doth not as yet