vnto thy soule when thou art ioyned to him by faith He must haue vertue and power to giue thee whereby thou maist be able to die or to liue Now brethren if there were no more but these effects to flow from Iesus into vs it telleth vs plainly that there was neuer giuen such a power to any in heauen or earth as there was giuen to Iesus Christ man our Regeneration head It telleth that as hee is man so is he God Looke if thou haue regeneration in thee and thou shalt feele this to be true if wee haue it it will tell vs that Iesus Christ is the neerest to me and thee of all others There is none that will make thee to die with them but Christ only no thy father and mother will not be able to doe that none will draw thee after him in death and life saue onely Christ So if thou be ioyned with Christ it is impossible to separate thee from him as thou maist be from thy wise and children and the deerest things thou hast no no if thou be once ioyned to him as thy head there is no separation for thee he shall be all things to thee Now this much for the first argument the exhortation followeth If ye be risen with Christ saith he seeke those things which are aboue There is an action required and life and euery kind of life must haue an action otherwise it cannot be a life The naturall life must haue an action the earthly life must haue an action Then this heauenly life that we are risen to with Iesus it must haue an action otherwise it cannot be a life Note Thou that art quickened with him must be a doer otherwise thou hast not his life for as his life is the quickest thing that is or euer was for it is the life of God so it must haue the quickest action that is This action is first a seeking with the whole hart and all the affections and members of the bodie There is the first action seeking Euery life ye know seeketh for the things VVhat the spirituall life of Christ workes in his members that serue for the sustaining of it This naturall life that perisheth so long as it abideth it is occupied in seeking for the maintenance of it by night and by day by al meanes possible Should not then this heauenly life haue a seeking Shouldest thou sit when thou seest this man catching here and there seeking for the maintenance of this naturall life Wilt thou not take an example of these earthly things and earthly creatures to seeke for heauenly things to the confirmation and preseruation of thy spirituall life O if thou hadst a sparke of heauenly life thou wouldest seeke more earnestly for the entertainment of it then euer any creature did for the maintenance of this naturall life Well then by the example of these earthly things that are occupied in seeking for the meanes of this present life learne thou to seeke spirituall graces and say to the Lord O Lord grant that I may seeke heauen and heauenly things for the preseruation of this my spiritual life as al these earthly bodies seeke for these perishing things Now come to the things that they should seeke Seeke saith he what nothing beneath meate drink and the rest of these things No what should they seeke Things aboue in heauen that are in Iesus Christ O the fulnes that is in him Brethren all grace first is in heauen yea aboue these visible heauens where that glorious bodie is then it commeth downe to the earth Therefore he sendeth thee vpward to heauen for to seeke Ye know euery kind of life seeketh things proper and meete for such a life The life of a beast will seeke for that that is proper for the life of a beast the life of a tree for that that is meete for such a life and the life of a man for such things as are meete for the life of a man Euery life will seeke for things which serue for the preseruation of it euen so if thou hadst this life of God thou wilt seeke things proper for this life Thou wilt seek things from heauen because heauenly things are proper for such a life For heauenly things are proper for an heauenly life Iesus Christ after his death and buriall or euer his bodie was in heauen the heart of him was in heauen So if thou haue the life of Iesus of necessitie thy heart must goe to heauen for looke whither his heart went if thou bee risen with him of necessitie thy heart must goe thither and by thine action measure thy life in Iesus for if thou haue not a heart to heauen and heauenly things alas thou hast not the life of Iesus but if thou haue it thou wilt euer be seeking for heauenly things and then in some measure thou art in heauen Then to conclude this first exhortation and first argument thereof in a word and so to come to the second argument If there were nothing more to moue thee to seeke after heauen and heauenly things but this spirit of regeneration the life of the spirit in Iesus Christ it should lift thee vp to heauen as heauie as thou art For it is true thou art a lumpe but if thou haue the spirit if thou werst neuer so heauie he will raise thee and giue thee strength to flie vpward though the body be neuer so clogged If thou haue a sparke of that life it will cause thee to mount aloft Indeede this bodie will draw thee downe and must doe so yet bee assured if thou haue one sparke of that spirituall life it will raise thee vp when the other is pulling thee downe and in the end when mortalitie is so shaken off of thee then in a wonderfull manner the bodie shall be lifted vp and that soule and bodie of thine shall be glorified Therefore marke euer this life by the effect if thou findest thy heart in heauen and heauenly things say thou hast the life of Iesus but on the contrarie if thou finde not thy heart set A true note of the life of God in vs. on heauen and seeking for heauenly things thou hast not to doe with the life of Iesus and woe be to thee for euermore When thou risest in the morning if thou findest thy heart vpward O thou risest with ioy therfore neuer rest till thou hast Eph. 4. 18. gotten the life of God Lord make vs carefull to haue a sense of this life without the which there is no glorie nor ioy for the soule of any person liuing Now to come to the next argument which is taken from Christ himselfe and the place where hee is Seeke saith he those things that are aboue where Christ is As if he would say Christ is aboue that glorified bodie with all the spirituall graces and that fulnes is aboue yea aboue these visible heauens Therefore let thy heart goe where he is let it be lifted vp
is of such things as are proper for such a life I tell you this earth and all the things in it your siluer gold drinke and all the rest the knowledge of these things serueth not for the life of heauen but if thou wilt haue such a life thy knowledge must reach to heauen and howbeit thy knowledge be finite yet it will compasse things infinite if thou haue the spirit of Iesus saith the Apostle it compasseth the breadth and depth of him Ephes chap. 3. verse 18. 19. Knowledge of heauenly things necessarie if we be in Christ So this heauenly life requires wisedome in heauenly things Iesus Christ when hee rose the eye of him went vp to heauen he knew no more these carnall things all went away and the minde of him was occupied vpon heauenly things so if thou rise with him thy minde will to heauen and in some measure thou wilt vnderstand things and thou wilt be wise in God If thou haue not this I say thou hast not risen with Iesus but art yet filthie wallowing in thy owne bloud to thy eternall damnation Now he is not content to exhort them that they be wise in these things aboue but hee excludeth things of this earth to teach thee that thou canst not be wise in these heauēly things in case thou be wise in these things beneath yea these heauenly things shall bee but foolishnes to a wise man in earthly things for they shall be but as a dreame and imagination to such the speech of the Gospell shall be follie to him So think not to take both in thy armes when thou art looking downe how canst thou looke vp Thinke not to compasse heauen and earth both together for in compassing the one thou shalt lose the other Therefore the Apostle sundreth them This seemeth to be hard for how can we cast all care of this world away we must eate drinke and be cloathed and haue some care of these things so long as we abide in the earth The Apostle answereth in the first Epistle to the Corinth chap. 7. vers 29. for hauing spoken of mariage he saith the time is shortned As if hee would say ye will not be long in this life Therefore ye that haue wiues be as though ye had them not By the which he meaneth not that we should cast all care away of this world but that we should take the things of this earth by the way as it were that is to say let not thy chief care be on them but so farre as they serue for heauen Doe euen as though thou were going on a pilgrimage yee will take meate drinke gold siluer and such other things to helpe you forward in your iourney yet your care will not bee on them but your care will bee chiefly on your iourney euer hauing your eye vpon the end of it Thou wilt not sit downe vpon thy riches vpon thy meate and the rest Simile while thou art in iourneying but wilt be euer going forward in thy iourney vsing these things by the way euen so the Lord in this our iourneying to heauen hee will not haue vs to sit downe and set our care chiefly on these things in the earth but to take them as it were by the way hauing thy chiefe care Matth. 6. on him and the things with him therefore sit not down vpon any thing in this earth if thou doe thou shalt neuer come to thy iourneys end yea thou shalt lose the remembrance of it Now to goe forward in the words following There are two arguments to this purpose set downe by the Apostle the first is to disswade them from earthly things ye are dead The next is to seeke heauenly things your life is hid with Christ in God To speake then of the first argumēt which is ye are dead to the earth therfore striue not to be wise in y e earth Ye knowe that a mā that is dead supposing that he had neuer so great care of this world and could neuer get a fill of the things in it so long as he liued yet when life is gone the bodie lieth still and will not giue a peny for all the world all pleasure goeth away and Simile as a man dieth he will begin to spit at the world yea a man full of the honour of it he will at his dying day spit at it Euen so brethren the soule dying with Iesus spiritually as the bodie dieth naturally to sinne to the earth and to all earthly things to what end should it care for these earthly things Nay if thou didst finde that death of Iesus thou wouldest loath these things In deede it is vnpossible to be altogether voyde of the care of these things of the earth as long as we are in the bodie here but if thou be buried with him certainly thou wilt loath all these things beneath and despise the wisdome of them and begin by little and little to seeke the things of heauen And if thou be thus wise dead it is a sure argument thy soule is mortified lying as it were in the buriall of Iesus vntill the time thou rise glorious in that great day As by the contrarie if thou be not buried with Iesus in thy soule and bodie thou art liuing to sinne thou wantest the life of God and hast nothing but a sinfull life Brethren ye heard before he sayd they were liuing now he saith they are dead How can these two stand Obiection Answere together I answere a spirituall death in the soule when it dieth to sinne to foule affections and to earthly things such a death as that standeth very well with a spirituall life yea this death is so ioyned with the spirituall life that except the spirituall death precede the life of Iesus will not enter into thee Thinke not to enioy both together at once the life of sinne and the life of God but ere thou get the life of God the eye thou hadst to earthly things must be closed no thinke not to looke vp and downe together at once No no be dead to the world ere euer thou minde to open an eye to heauen So then the death to the world and the life to heauen standeth well together The last argument followeth perswading to the things aboue your life is hid aboue with Christ. There are the words and why should ye not follow him and set your heart and your eye vpon him where your life is Brethren I see there are many things to moue vs to seeke heauen and to be wise in heanenly things Now I would to God one of them could moue vs but alas as for a stonie heart speake and reason with it as ye will and conuince it as ye please it will abide hard and will not be moued Wouldst thou goe downe to the things of this life that death that thou diest forceth thee vp to heauen it giueth thee wings to flie vpward and closeth thine eyes from the world
nature of men they cannot beare superioritie make thee a King thou shalt be a slaue to thy affections So it is profitable to them to be threatned that they may keepe them within the bounds of their dutie And I say they that would euer giue them faire words they are but flatterers and if they would haue them wracked or vndone let them euer speake faire to them Therefore let the Gospell haue it owne freedome Binde men as yee will but binde not the word if thou binde the Gospell O the band thou shalt finde in that day Let euery man be contained within a dutie to other that we may be partakers of the eternall kingdome where there is onely true libertie in Iesus Christ To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all honor and glorie now and for euer Amen THE XXXV LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 4. vers 2. 3. 4. 2 Continue in prayer watch in the same with thanke sgiuing 3 Praying for vs that God may open vnto vs the doore of vtterance to speake the mysterie of Christ wherfore I am also in bands 4 That I may vtter it as it becommeth me to speake WE heard brethren the last day as God gaue the grace certaine speciall precepts of manners that were directed to particular estates of men as to Husbands and Wiues Parents and Children Masters and Seruants now in this text we returne to the generall exhortations that generally concernes euery estate in this world whereof the first set downe here is concerning prayer which is a common dutie that euery one that is borne oweth to God in Iesus Christ To come to the words Continue in prayer be instant in Prayer a common dutie prayer pray continually all is one thing To speake of prayer because it is a common place I will not insist but only so farre as the text will furnish me for the matter is ample and therefore I will bound me within the text As for the causes and necessitie of praier I need not to speake much ye know the Lord giues a commaundement that we should pray and that in the name of Iesus Christ and if there were no more but this it is a Motiues to prayer cause sufficient to moue thee to pray The Lord commaunds thee But there is more to wit a promise the Lord hath promised 1. Charge 2. Promise to euery one that prayeth in faith Aske and ye shall receiue Luk. 11. c. this promise may allure the heart of euery one to pray There is yet more who is he that feeles not the necessitie 3. Necessitie and wants that be in euery one of vs so long as we liue who is he that hath so much that he needes no more Yea though he were a Monarch hath he such sufficiencie that he needs not to seeke more at God Besides this there be such riches plentie and aboundance in God through Iesus Christ that it is able to fill vp all the wants that be in vs. Therefore the very 4. Gods riches riches that be in him should driue vs to desire a portion of that fulnes which is in him But brethren to leaue this and to come to the words If there were no more but this that wee are commaunded to pray it is a sufficient argument to euery one to assure them that there is no merit in vs. Wee deserue nothing of God but all that wee get we get it of free mercie and grace and that in Iesus Christ If thou come on with a deseruing and a merit of thy righteousnes thou shalt neuer get mercie I seclude thee from God for what is praying but begging not of worthines but of the mercie of God in Iesus Christ And when thou hast done all say fie on my workes and aske mercie for that bloud of Iesus Christs sake In the text there be two qualities of prayer set downe The first is an instātnes without tyring The second is watchfulnes Two things in prayer first constancie secondly watchfulnes For he who praieth should not be a sleeper but watchfull both night and day To come then to the first hee saith Be instant perseuer continue all is one thing The thing that he requires is perseuerance ardentnes continuance I neede not to insist vpon the causes of this Needest thou not continually Findest thou not that there is not an houre wherein thou wantest not either things heauenly or earthly if thou wantest not earthly indeede it may be that thou knowest not the want of heauenly things but woe is that soule that findeth not the want of heauenly food and so if thou needest continually why should not thy prayer be continuall for it is prayer that supplies that want Moreouer there is none of you but ye finde this by experience God will not heare a man at the first but crie as thou wilt he will not seeme to heare he will seeme to haue a Luk. 18. 1. 2. 3 deafe eare and all to this end that thou shouldest perseuere in prayer For hee hath pleasure to trie thy patience faith and prayer which is the best exercise And so supposing that thou get not that that thou askest yet if thou get perseuerance Perseuerance Whatsoeuer thou gettest without prayer is but stolen and an argument of wrath thou gettest a greater gift then if thou hadst that that thou askedst at the first yea if thou get all the world without prayer for all is giuen in wrath if he should aduance thee to a kingdome it is but a bait to thy damnation except thou get a heart to pray and to continue in prayer Of all graces a spirituall grace is best a little bit of regeneration is better then all the kingdomes in the earth howbeit thou set light by it now yet when thou art driuen to the vtmost point or at the last gaspe thou wouldest giue all the world to haue a bit of it There is the first qualitie in prayer perseuerance The second is watchfulnes watching in it Watchfulnes is feruencie in prayer when not the bodie onely but when the soule and all the affections are waking and bent to heauen when the Spirit is instant with God in Iesus Christ It is opposed to this coldnes that ouergoes vs all Our prayer is in sleeping and when we are sleeping we are praying and so comes out a cold prayer out of a cold heart and it is opposed to this sluggishnes and deadnes in prayer with yawning and gaping halfe sleeping and halfe waking Alas our necessitie requires another earnestnes it stands vs in the losing of heauen and shutting of vs in hell and damnation The diuell stands to catch vs if wee could see our danger and when thou thinkest thou art most sure he is busiest about thee if thou knew this thou wouldest watch better and wouldest seek more feruently to God to keepe thee But alas all are so blinded and all are
them instantly Paul was oft on his knees praying Men wot not what it is to haue to doe with God I bowe my knees to God for you Ephes 3. 14. So learne of him that it is not enough to thanke God for the prosperous estate of his Church that is but an halfe dutie to thanke him but with the thanking of God thou must ioyne prayer for the continuance of the blessing of God vpon that person Church and Common-wealth for whome thou thankest God There is no man so perfect in happinesse or in any blessed estate whether it be spirituall or temporall but yet so long as he liues in the world he hath want there is a lacke euen in the greatest Emperor and King yea euen in temporall things And he that hath begun well will fall backe againe a hundreth times in a day yea hee will runne faster backeward then euer he went forward if the Lord withhold him not Therefore pray for him that he goe not backeward Then when he is going forward in the good course begun he may not stand still but he must run euer looking to the end There is no man so long as he liues that putteth an end to his course his course ends with his life Hath any man a life He is in the race he is in the way and iourney towards the But or as the Apostle calles it the price of the high calling of God Phil. 3. 14. In the progresse he is not able to go one foote forward except the Lord take him by the hand and leade him Therfore seeing there is no progresse to heauen without God his especiall grace nor thou art not able to lift thy foote without him with euery foote that thou liftest thanke God for his owne benefit and pray to God for the continuance and increase thereof Pray feruently for thy selfe and for those that thou wouldest haue to continue Thus much for the proposition Now followeth the declaration of that wherfore he thankes God he thanketh God for them but not without cause he saw matter of thankes giuing in them and a vaine thing it is to thanke God for that that is The matter of the thankes giuing not in a man What saw he in them We heare saith he of your faith first and then of your loue to al the Saints without exception It is not possible but if thou loue one Saint thou must loue all And if thou hatest one Saint as a Saint it will Loue to the Saints passe thy power to beare affection of loue to any so loue one and loue all otherwise thou canst not loue one Then he seeth matter in them wherefore hee thanketh God and it is for no earthly thing but that these Colossians were conquered to that kingdome of Christ It is better for thee to bee conquered to Christ then to conquer the whole world Then the spirituall matter of reioycing if thou wouldest reioyce congratulate and praise God standeth in spirituall graces if thou wouldest reioyce for thy friend looke if he haue spirituall graces looke if he haue faith and loue if he hath not To reioyce for friends these neither hast thou matter to reioyce for nor he if he had all the world away with all thy gratulation all his prayses and congratulations are as many curses if he want faith and charitie for there is no blessing where they are not Wot ye what faith is It ioynes thee with the head woe is thee that art seuered from him and if thou hadst all the world woe is that soule that is not ioyned with Christ and being ioyned with him then art thou fast The earth shall be shaken and the heauen passe away before thou shalt loose thy gripe and holde of Christ or he twine and part Who shall separate vs from the Faith apprehends Christ loue of God saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 24 there is faith and the vertues thereof What doth loue againe As faith maketh the vnion with the head so loue is the band that makes the communion with the Saints which you rehearse in your beleefe and if thou be not ioyned here with his Church there is no saluation for thee nor life thou shalt neuer see the life of Christ Then when wee see a man standing first in this vnion with Christ and secondly in this communion with the Saints we may say blessed is that soule for cursed are they that are not ioyned this way Conioyne thy selfe with the head and the members there is not a member of the body with whom thou ioynest thy selfe by this communion but so fast as thy heart cleaues to it so fast will it cleaue to thee againe Wherefore reioyceth Paul with the Colossians because they loued the Saints so he being a Saint his heart ioynes with them Thou art a cursed body when a man loues thee if thou will not loue him againe Wherefore was it that they had first this faith in Iesus Christ next this loue towards the Saints what gained they by faith and loue the Apostle saith For that hopes sake that is laide vp in heauen it is not for nothing there is a rich reward of faith and loue Faith and loue will get thee a fairer thing and richer reward then all the things in this world Fye vpon them they are but durt and doung onely see that thou haue faith and loue Sticke by these two and thou shall get thee a richer and more glorious thing then al the things of this world can be to thee You may learne thē it is the respect that a man hath to a rich reward and hope that is of the riches of glorie Ephes 1. and not of this peltry in the earth that makes a man to sticke with Christ and to haue a communion with the Saints Otherwise if thou haue not this to looke vnto and this respect to that ioyfull end fye on thee it is kept to thee Heb. 11. 26 well enough as Peter saith thou hast no more to doe but to hold thine eye vpon it if thou haue it not it shall passe thy power to keepe thee with Christ and to be ioyned with the Church militant for there shall come such iawes and billowes of temptation iaw vpon iaw and billowe vpon billowe that thou shalt perish But contrariwise holding thine eie Phil. 3. 20. euer wayting for the comming of thy Sauiour the Lord Iesus I confesse there be a thousand things to drawe it downe but if thou striue to holde it vp certainely thou shalt sticke fast with Christ and stand with the Saints of God but if thou carry thine eye from heauen like a moule or muddewart grountling on this earth thou shalt tyne and lose Christ and the vnion with his Saints Thou shalt lose thy life and that faire heritage and then wo is thee for euer more To come forward how got they their sight and knowledge of this life Note It is a looking to this life that must keepe
his calling then of the Gospell thou shalt neuer see that life Looke ye euer to the truth how euer it shall please Notes to knowe the true ministerie God either ordinarily or extraordinarily to send it to thee with whatsoeuer man thrust out for that effect The second argument of the commendation of the Gospell is the fructifying of the Gospell and the effectuall working of it in the hearts as if he would say skar not at the Gospell preached by Epaphras I shall giue you an argument that it is the Gospell that I haue preached looke if it brought out fruites in you as it hath done in the world of life and regeneration if it hath done this scar not at it There is another note to knowe the truth of the Gospel if the Gospell taught at this day brings out in some I will not say all for many are called but fewe are chosen whose hearts it pleaseth the Lord to open as he did the heart of Lydia this true regeneration renewing the soule how few soeuer the number of them be as it did in the dayes of the Apostles O this Gospel must be the true Gospell for this is sure false doctrine will neuer regenerate thee The inuentions of men will neuer renew thee Nay further good morall precepts will neuer alter thy hard heart Reade Plato Isocrates Cicero reade them if thou wilt tenne thousand yeares all thy reading and hearing of them will not worke in thee the obedience of the heart to God They may well make thee an Hypocrite What Reading of prophane authors their best morall can not conuers the heart Psal 19. 7. were all the Philosophers as many Hypocrites counterfeiting humilitie and the rest of the vertues This ground shall stand then that there is no renewing doctrine which can change the soule but onely the Gospell of Iesus Christ because it is accompanied with the spirit I shall send to you the comforter saith Christ and he shall giue you my word Iohn 14. Onely this Gospell then hath the priuiledge to make thee a new man Therefore let thy rest bee on this Gospell if thou wouldest be renewed and renewed must thou be or else no life for thee nor sight of Christ and of heauen and of the ioyes thereof Sticke fast I say to this blessed and glorious doctrine of the Gospell that must renewe thee by the spirit of the Lord Iesus Christ to whom with the father and the holy spirit be all honour praise and glory Amen THE SECOND LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians beginning at the end of the sixt verse COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 6 7 8 9 10. 6 From the day that ye heard and truly knew the grace of God 7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our deare fellow seruant which is for you a faithfull minister of Christ 8 Who hath also declared vnto vs your loue which ye haue by the spirit 9 For this cause wee also since the day wee heard of it cease not to pray for you and to desire that yee might bee fulfilled with the knowledge of his will in all wisedome and spirituall vnderstanding 10 That ye might walke worthie of the Lord and please him in all things being fruitfull in all good workes and increasing in the knowledge of God THe last day Brethren we intreated of the preface of this epistle of Paul to the Colossians and to the end that his doctrines exhortations and admonitions should be the more effectuall in them he conciliateth to himselfe their fauour and good will and that by two arguments the first shewing that hee thanked God for them the next shewing that hee prayeth continually for them that they should continue perseuere and grow in that grace receiued We entred into the declaration of these two arguments of beneuolence to call them so And first we begun to declare the first argument of his thankesgiuing as it is first in order in the text The thing that moued him to thanke God for them was nothing in this world no no earthly grace or benefit but first their faith in Iesus Christ next their loue to the Saints He setteth downe the cause of their faith and loue They had a respect and to-looke to that euerlasting life glorious in heritance that was laid vp for them and all that beleeue in Iesus and kept to them with Christ in God as the Apostle speaketh teaching vs that except we haue respect to another life and glorie when this life is done it cannot be possible to cleaue to Christ and loue his Saints because there are so many impediments and temptations to drawe vs from him and from the loue of the Saints Then he goes forward and sheweth by what meanes they had this respect and to-looke to this life and glorious inheritance It bred not in their brest first but by hearing and if thou heare not thou shalt not vnderstand that there is another life And what a hearing whereof Of a word What word not of lyes and vanities of the inuentions of men nay heare till the day of doome these vanities thou shalt neuer get by it the hope of another life and of glorie hereafter What a hearing then is this the hearing of the word of veritie which he calleth the Gospell of the blessed God which for the excellencie thereof for it excelles all the words of the Philosophers yea the lawe of Moyses it selfe it is called the word of truth Then he recommendeth this Gospell which they heard by the ministerie of Epaphras least the person of the man should make them to despise the doctrine As for the Gospell which ye haue heard doubt not of it it is the true Gospell and I shall giue you a token confer it with the Gospell that hath past through the world if it be the same Gospell that hath past through the world let not the person of the minister scar you from receiuing it Then hee giues another argument of this commendation of the Gospell looke if it fructifye in you and bringeth forth such fruites as sanctification humilitie charitie and such fruits of the spirit as it doth in the rest of the world doubt not of it for it is the true Gospell of Iesus Christ And therefore let not the person of the minister scar you Then he commeth to the last argument whereat we left you the last day and he calleth them to the remembrance of the sudden effectualnes of the Gospell preached by Epaphras amongst them of the continuance which it had with them and saith from the day that ye heard and truely knew the grace of God Vers 6. remember you not that the first day ye heard of it it begun to fructifie in you and euer since it fructifies in you Therefore if you will looke to the suddennesse of the effect and the continuance of it amongst you it argueth plainely that it is the truth of God Vpon this last argument learne this beside the fruite
father and the father in me nay no sonne in the earth how verely so euer he represent his father may say so as Christ saith so the likeliest the quickest and the best representing of the image of God is the sonne of God There is no comparison and therefore in Iohn 14. 9. to Philip he saith In that thou hast seene me thou hast seene the father also Why because I am the brightnes of his glorie so that if thou seest me thou seest the father and without the sight of the father there is no life And thou must begin that sight of him here or else thou shalt neuer see him And if the sonne were not so liuely an image of God it were impossible to be content with the sight of the sonne but because he represents the whole maiestie of his father therefore the sight of the person of the sonne contents vs and we reioyce in him O if we had that sight of him as we should haue it then should we reioyce vnspeakably so to end the words imports this when he saith that he is the image of the inuisible God that he is visible Then I aske the question how is the sonne of God visible marke briefly in his manhood that is in our flesh he is visible because Iesus Christ in the flesh is as well seene with the bodily eye as a man and when we shall see him in heauen we shall see him in the very body so there is no question of his humane nature But how is that Godhead seene in the sonne that is a greater question I will assure thee it must be seene or else no life for thee But how is it seene first I answere with the eye of the mind A man hath a bodilie eye in his head and againe he hath another eye in his soule which when once it is illuminated by the spirit of Christ then that eye shall see better than a thousand bodily eyes it will pearce vp through the very heauens and neuer rest till it come to the sight and presence of God Indeede if it be not illuminated it will see nothing but being illuminated it will pearce through the very heauens and enter into the light of God see him So the sonne of God is seene in his Godhead by the eye of the minde and held fast by the heart and felt of the heart What meanes this sweete apprehension that a man will haue of the mercie of God of the wisedome and iustice of God what meanes it Nothing but a sense of the Lord Iesus Christ all is in the feeling of Iesus Christ who dwels in the heart by faith as the Apostle to the Ephesians 3. 7. saith so there is the first way how he is seene But yet would not the eye of the bodie see him Certainly I would see him with this same bodily eye And there is no faithfull man but their yearning is to see him with their bodily eye Now how shall I get a sight of him with a bodily eye I shall tell thee how thou shalt get a sight of him with the bodily eye Indeede thou wilt not get it immediatly but thou must looke in through the vaile There must be a vaile hung downe ouer betwixt thee and that glorious maiestie now through that vaile that glorie of God shines in that flesh of Iesus so the beames strikes so farre that they pearce within thee because thou wilt see the glorie of God through this vaile and thou wilt not onely see the person of the sonne in the vaile but through him thou wilt see the glorious father So in a word when thou commest to heauen thou wilt now goe here and there on the earth to see glorie and wilt gaze on heauen I say vnto thee all the glorie of heauen will be closed in Iesus Christ if thou turne thy eye from him no sight of glorie so all thy pleasure then will be to hold thy eye vpon that glorious son of God and that wil be our heauen and our ioy through the sonne to see the father and to see the glorie of the Lord Iesus clad with our nature sitting at the right hand of his father To whom with the holie spirit be all praise honour and thankes for euen Amen THE FIFT LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 15 16 17. 15 Who is the image of the inuisible God the first borne of euerie creature 16 For by him were all things created which are in heauen and which are in earth things visible and inuisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created by him and for him 17 And he is before all things and in him all things consist WE shewed you the last day welbeloued in the Lord Iesus the Apostle when he ended his preface he entred into the doctrine and in it he beganne at the first grace and blessing that wee get in Iesus Christ in time which is our effectuall calling and deliuerance from vnder the power of darknes wherein we are conceiued and borne Euery man and woman is borne naturally a slaue to the diuel hell and darknes The best of vs all a slaue to hell the diuell and darknes so by this benefit of our calling wee are taken out from vnder this slauerie and translated to another kingdome not of slauerie but of libertie and light to the kingdom of his deere sonne the Lord Iesus Christ that is the first grace and benefit which the Apostle handleth Then from this hee comes to another benefit and he calleth it redemption or otherwise remission of sinnes Being now by your effectuall calling translated to the kingdome of Christ Iesus and being ingrafted into him the next benefit and grace we get is absolution we get a free remillion of all our sinnes and consequently we are freed from death and damnation that followes vpon sin This absolution and setting of vs at libertie from sinne and death is not without a price The iustice of God the wrath of God against sinne cannot suffer a sinner to be absolued without a ransome and price so our remission and absolution must be by a price and paying of a ransome But let vs see who paies it Indeede if wee our selues were bound to pay the ransome neuer any of vs could be safe no all the bloud of men and Angels and it were all shed to be a price for sinne would not redeeme a sinner Then who paies the ransome It is said we haue redemption not through our bloud but through his bloud It is then the bloud of Christ that is the ransome for our sinnes the Lord Iesus hath bought vs deere There was neuer from the beginning of the world nor shall not be vnto the end of the world such a deere price giuen as is the price of our ransome which the Lord Iesus hath giuen for vs. So that which he hath deerely bought to vs is nothing but a free
be freed from the wrath of God and that onely in that bloud of Iesus Christ To whom with the Father and the blessed spirit be all honour Amen THE SIXT LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 18 19. 18 And he is the head of the bodie that is of the Church he is the beginning and first begotten of the dead that in all things he might haue the preheminence 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulnes dwell YOu haue heard welbeloued in Iesus Christ the Apostle when hee had spoken of the benefit of our redemption and remission of our sinnes in the bloud of Iesus Christ he falles out into a faire and glorious description of him and all to this end to let vs see the pretiousnes of that bloud wherewith we are redeemed that thereby consequently wee might see the surenes of our redemption by that bloud It being of such value of necessitie wee must be redeemed by that bloud and our redemption must stand fast and stable for euer You heard in the description of Christ first he called him the image the essentiall image of the inuisible God then he stiles him the first borne of all creatures then he cals him such a one by whom all things were created next the end for whom and for whose honour all things were created that are created and lastly he cals him the preseruer vpholder and keeper of all things created So will you compare him with that inuisible God he is equall in glorie with him the image of the inuisible God equall with God whom he represents Will you compare him with the creature there is no comparison for hee is the Creator of all creatures in heauen and in earth and he infinitly passeth in glorie all the creatures both visible and inuisible Now when hee hath set him out in these points of glorie and maiestie hee staies not here for as yet he hath not told all of him and he hath not set out all his glorie but in this text he goes forward and setteth him out further in more points of his glorie This is the difference betwixt the points counted alreadie and the points of his glorie that follow in the text Before he hath described him as he is God the sonne of God from all eternitie for as hee is God properly he is the image of the inuisible God whom he represents as the liuely character of his person so that the points Heb. 1. 2. passed are the points of his glorie as hee is God The points which follow are of his glorie not onely as he is God but as he is man also clad with our flesh and nature There haue past alreadie fiue points of his glorie as he is the sonne of God there follow other fiue points of his glorie as Fiue points of glorie of Christ manifested in the flesh he is God and man in that personall vnion These are they briefly He is the head of the bodie of the Church there is one Secondly he is the beginning and the first borne of the dead Thirdly he hath preheminence among all creatures that euer were or shall be in the world Fourthly he is a man full of God Fiftly in office he is the Mediatour the midman betwixt God and man by whose bloud the reconciliation of man is made with God his father To goe forward in that order as they are here set downe first he is the head of the bodie of his Church these are the words Brethren euery word would furnish great matter of speaking but I am not minded to digresse into a common place Onely I purpose to speake so much for the present as the words will furnish He is called the head The word head that is giuen to him imports sundrie things in him first it imports that Iesus Christ is the Lord and the superiour ouer the bodie which is the Church and that worthily because he is full of grace and excellencie and in him is all matter of Lordship and dominion Of what reckoning is a Lord if there bee no matter of Lordship in him Of what value is an head if there bee not Iesus Christ head of his Church greater graces in it then in the bodie so the word imports a superioritie full of grace and honour Euen as you see the head of a man because of the excellencie of it it is a Lord and a superiour and a commaunder to the bodie Then againe the word that this Lord Iesus the head of the bodie he is not like the common sort of Lords and rulers but a Lord and a superiour who is most streightly conioyned with his subiects the bodie his Church Euen as you see the head most streightly ioyned with the bodie of a man euen so the Lord Iesus is most streightly ioyned with the bodie his Church yea he is more strickly ioyned with his Church then the head of a man is with the bodie for the head of a man may be soone seuered frō the bodie of a man but if Christ thy head be ioyned with thee all the powers in heauen and earth shall neuer seuer thee from thy head Iesus Christ Thou shalt neuer be separated from him as Paul to the Romanes saith Who shall separate vs from the loue of God in Iesus Christ As though he would say not any thing Nay if Iesus Christ become once thy head be assured he will neuer part with thee Yet more the word imports that as he is most strictly conioyned with his Church and euery member of the same as the head of a man with his bodie so he is most louing and tender affected towards it Will not the head of a man loue the bodie well will it not tender it most deerely and intirely will it not minister all graces it hath to the bodie giue life and mouing to the bodie otherwise it were no head to the bodie Euen so the Lord Iesus he loues his bodie the Church better then any head can doe the naturall bodie and in loue ministers a life to his bodie better then the life of this naturall bodie He ministers to his Church a spirituall life he ministers a mouing a doing and a growing and in these respects he is called the head of the Church Now when he hath called him the head of the bodie he turnes to the bodie and hee defines this bodie to be the Church Then there must be a great likenes betwixt the Church of Christ The Church and the bodie of man otherwise it cannot be called a bodie The bodie of man is subiect to the head euen so the Church of Iesus Christ is subiect to her Lord Eph. 5. 23. She is his subiect and he is her Lord. The bodie is streightly ioyned with the head the Church is more streightly ioyned with Christ The head giues life to the bodie euen so the Church of Christ is dead without the head the Lord Iesus Lastly
as was betwixt God and vs before the reconciler came there was neuer Before the calling of the Gentiles by the Gospell so much bloud shed as was from the time of the fall of Adam to the cōming of Iesus Christ So there is a higher degree of miserie not onely strangers but enemies fighting against heauen with an vplifted hand This degree must follow the former It is not betwixt God and man as it is betwixt man and man One man may be a stranger to another and yet not his enemie but if thou be a stranger to God thou art his enemie A stranger to God is an enemy to him For Christ saith He that is not with me is against me Beware then of the first Turne not so much as thy foote from him but striue to be at home with him and to creepe to his house and to creepe vnder his boord otherwise thou shalt take vp a banner against him Now to goe to the words where begunne this strangenes and enmitie where is the first seate of it which is the fountaine whereof it springs It is not the bodie first it is not in the eye howbeit it be an enemie to God if thou stand in nature thou wilt lift vp a proud eye testifying that thou art an enemie to God it is not in the mouth howbeit thou blaspheme God therewith it is not in thy hand suppose thou fight therewith against the heauens but it begins within thee and the chaire wherein it sits is thy soule If thy soule were not an enemie thy eye and the rest of thy members of thy bodie could not be enemies It comes out of the heart that defiles the man saith Christ Matth. 15. 18. Then againe it begins not at the inferiour powers of thy soule at the sensuall appetite it goes further it begins at the minde of man so saith the Apostle that is to say at the chiefest power of the soule the Ephes 2. 3 minde the eye and the light of thy soule The Mistrisse the Queene that should haue kept all cleane she hath set vp a vile whore and troubles the whole soule This reason which should haue made the soule to see and know God she is the first enemie Very reason in the naturall man an enemie to God of God The very reason whereby thou not onely excels the beast but euen thy selfe is become a whore and greatest foe that God hath in man and abuseth the whole soule of man with her foule cogitation and it defiles the whole parts of the bodie the eye the hand and all the rest with her motion What is the cause of this that the first seate of this enmitie is in the minde and reason of man because all her musing is vpon euill workes she is set vpon them Nay muse what thou wilt if thou bee but in nature all thy musing and thinking shall be but enmitie against God For thou shalt muse nothing but of euill workes Ye know brethren the first deuiser of any mischiefe is the first enemie and not the executor he that abuseth others is the first enemie and lowne and should first dye But so it is the first deuiser of all euill workes is this corrupt minde of man If it come not first in thy mind would thy hand cōmit the euill No no it is first in thy minde and then she puts it out into the inferiour parts of the bodie And therfore if thou gets not grace the first thing that the Lord shall torment shall be thy mind and he shall so torment it y t thou shalt crie would to God when I had had a reasonable minde that I had been a beast Let the Philosophers speake of it as they please as Plato that sets vp the minde as a Queene and the Pope with his philosophicall reason disputing so finely as he troweth extolling nature and free will to good Note That mind of his and his rabble shall one day be wrung and rent in peeces with such torments as the tongue of man and Angell can not expresse And therefore it is that Paul commaunds so earnestly the Ephesians to bee first renued in their minds Eph. 4. 23. The greater reason not sanctified an argument of greater damnatiō It is the mother of all mischiefe and Idolatrie thou hast not to glorie in thy reason if so be it be not sanctified yea the greater conceit thou hast in reasoning the greater damnatiō except it be sanctified in that spirit of Iesus Christ This is the estate they were in before they were reconciled which the Apostle remembers them of that it should neuer go out of their minde Let neuer the stinke of nature goe out of thy mind but Let neuer the soule sent of thy naturall corruption goe out of thy minde weigh it diligently that thou maist giue thankes and praises to God for his grace and deliuerie Next he sheweth the manner how he reconciled them to himselfe and his father for all is alike marke the manner It is two-fold First in that bodie with an emphasis of his flesh The meaning is this he reconciled you by assuming and taking to him a true fleshy bodie hee calles it The bodie of the flesh to let vs see that the bodie which Iesus Christ bare in the world and that hee beares now in glorie at the right hand of the father is not a phantasticall bodie or an appearance of a bodie without soliditie as the Heretikes called it a mathematicall bodie a maiestaticke bodie All is but vanitie but it is a reall bodie as reall as euer the bodie of man was or is of flesh bloud and bones otherwise The bodie of Christ a reall bodie hee could neuer haue been a Mediatour to vs and wee could neuer haue been the better for him either in his death or life Then the first manner of our reconciliation is the assuming of this flesh of this bodie of man hee is first the sonne of God Bodie and soule then he takes to him the bodie the flesh and the soule of man The next word is by death that is by becomming a sacrifice in that bodie which he tooke to him For otherwise if hee had not offred vp his bodie he could haue done vs no good for it is the pearced bodie the shed bloud the vexed soule the tormenting of the man that redeemes and saues thee And therefore Christ suffered in soule when thou hast recourse to Christ goe not to him as hee is in heauen or as he was going vp and downe in Iewrie but goe to him hanging on the Crosse that is to his bloud to sprinkle thy soule otherwise he shall neuer profit thee The Father was not appeased in his wrath vntill hee got his bloud nothing will pacifie the conscience but onely this bloud of Iesus Now marke the Father reconciles vs to himselfe the Sonne againe he reconciles vs to himselfe This is common but in this worke there is a great
He that loues will straine himselfe if it were to the death for the weale of them he loues So if he be not painfull I doubt if euer he shall present himselfe let by other men Therefore the people should be carefull to haue a painfull man to watch ouer them For the Minister is ordained to present thee before the Lord and hee cannot do that if he be not painfull I will neuer giue the people counsell to hold a man that is not painfull to present and gaine them to God And cursed be that Pastor that takes his ease and rest and lets the sheepe of the Lords pasture goe here and there astray cursed be he and the Lord himselfe curseth him in Ierem. 48. 10. that doth the worke of the Lord negligently Alas it will not bee the studying nor the preaching of a Sermon that will make thee to be a painfull Minister but it must be the continuall teaching of thy flocke and euery one of them admonishing them that are out of the way and by thy trauels bringing them home and instructing them that are in Idlenes in the Ministerie dangerous the way of grace to goe on that they goe not to the left hand nor to the right hand but that they hold out the high way to Christ Iesus neuer resting till they get his presence and night and day to be watching and on his guard praying for the people this man is a painfull man that doth thus So a Minister should not be an idle bodie neither can he be idle if hee haue any whit of conscience in his calling And I count a sluggish Minister worse then a theefe he will goe and studie a peece of a Sermon and vp to the pulpit and preach that and then come his way hee thinkes hee hath done enough and neuer more thought nor care hath he of the people of God O vaine man thou art a sluggard worse then a theefe thou shalt present but few or none at that great day And therfore thy damnation shall be the greater for the bloud of all these soules that through thy default dye ignorant shall light about thy shoulders and presse thee downe like milstones in hell where thou and they shall be tormented euerlastingly Yet there is more here this presenting craues more then labour or paine He saith he stroue as a man fighting a combat or as a souldier vnder a banner And to speake the truth this mans life is but a battaile as is plaine in the 2. Tim. 4. 7. I haue saith he fought a good fight yea and the sorest fight that is fought is to fight for the soule to bring it out of the diuels hands and to put it in Christs hands to bring it from hell and to set it in heauen How hard a thing it is to winne a soule from death to life that is a sore fight The man therefore that will bring soules to God he must not be a painfull man onely but he must be a warriour and he must oppose himselfe standing and fighting with euery one who oppose themselues against Christ if they were Emperours or Monarchs and hee must fight the battaile to the end otherwise if he be not painfull and a fighter also I doubt if he shall present himselfe much lesse others in that day to Christ A coward that will take a backe side he will not be meete to present one he is not for the field away with him Of al this I marke it is a hard thing to winne a soule to God nay the soule of one cannot be won but with great paine and labour and fighting Why then labour ye not with striuing and wrestling for the safetie of your soule that you may present it to the Lord safe and sound The soule of euery bodie hath many enemies and mightie enemies O if thou wist how many enemies thy soule hath to stay The enemies of the soule thee from going to heauen thou wouldest not sit in such ease as thou doest neglecting thy selfe and the time both but thou wouldest euer bee labouring and painfully labouring and fighting to keep thy soule safe to the Lord. Againe we see that heauen is a faire thing For this is true Difficilia quae pulchra The more glorious the harder to get so heauen is too faire a iewell to lose through sluggishnes No these things in the world haue no ioy A heape of stones is no iewell and if thou wilt lose the iewell of heauen for that looke what aduantage thou wilt make Now let vs see what fruite reaped he of his paines according to his working the effectualnes of him saith he who worketh in me mightily the end of his labour was effectualnes he was effectuall in the hearts of them who heard him In despite of the diuell and his impes he drew great multitudes by the power of the word out of the kingdome of the diuell and darknes and wanne them vnto Christ Take paines on thee meete the diuell fight on to relieue soules and be assured thou shalt see the effect of thy labours for there was neuer none that stroue but he shall be presented at that day glorious Yet albeit men would labour and striue neuer so much some will perish All shall not perish in that great day therefore let vs fight with paine and labour To whom giues hee the glorie of his labours and effectualnes ascribes hee it to himselfe saies hee according to my effectualnes No how then According to his effectualnes that workes in me mightily that is God So that all power and al the effectualnes that is in his hand is not in himselfe but in God and of God and that power of God is craued and is needfull to the recouerie of a soule yea of the silliest soule of you all The silliest soule that is shall neuer be safe by any power or vertue of man of the Minister there is no power that can free a soule but the almightie power of God The power of God only must free a soule This his power comes downe from heauen while the Minister is speaking and it gaineth conquereth the soule that heares the word Therefore looke not to the man that teacheth but pray that the power of God would come downe and free thy soule from bondage And as thou shouldest depend vpō God so when thou hast trauelled all thy daies turne back thy praises vnto God and thank him for it The Apostle takes nothing to himselfe Marke and behold the words he saith according to his effectualnes that worketh by me that is in a word hee taketh the honour and reputation of an instructer of a Minister and seruant of God and God giues him that honour As the Lord will haue the honour of the principall worke to himselfe and good reason he haue it so when hee hath imployed thee hee vouchsafeth to impart honour vnto thee He will giue thee a honour that thou art his seruant and therefore 1. Cor.
in him are hid all treasures of wisedome and knowledge therfore be not wise without him seeke not wisdome without him There are false teachers entred in that make you thinke there is wisedome without him but I say vnto you if you would not be deceiued seeke no wisedome without him for in him is the treasure of all wisedome and knowledge There is the force of the argument briefly Now marke the order of the Apostle Before hee exhorted them that they should not be deceiued by the inticing of mens words and doctrine and hee laies out the reason taken from the treasure and riches of wisdome and knowledge that is in Christ So the Apostle to the Hebrues 13. 8. being about to exhort them that they should not be carried about with sundrie and strange doctrine hee laies downe this ground Christ is today and yesterday c. therfore be not carried away from him As if hee would say there was neuer saluation without him from the beginning of the world and there shall be no saluation without him to the end thereof therefore sticke to him This order teacheth vs this lesson that after wee haue let men see what is in Christ after we haue opened as it were and laid abroad before the eyes of the world all that store of wisedome and knowledge that is in him then it is time to exhort men to leaue all their doctrine and vanitie and inticing words of men and to sticke by this Christ in whom there is such wisedome and knowledge For brethren you must vnderstand men if they see not true wisedome they will drinke in vanitie the heart must be filled with The heart must be filled vvith something something if thou see not the truth thou must drinke in lyes And more when thou hast begun to receiue the truth as these Colossians did except that truth be opened and laid before thy eyes as it were to be seene what is in it and what is the meaning and true sense of the same except this Gospell I say be continually taught O vaine man thou wilt goe to the puddle of mens fancies thou wilt fall againe to mens doctrine The preaching of the Gospell must be cōtinued traditions and vanitie thou wilt be a Papist yea and an Atheist to And therefore there is nothing more needfull then this that these riches of Christ be laid out before our eyes and euer tolde to vs that in Christ is all wisdome and knowledge I aske what is the cause that this miserable world all men and all nations for the most part be so drunke in mens dreames what is the Popes doctrine but dreames and poyson drinke it in thou shalt be poysoned with it I tell thee because these false deceiuers close vp the Gospell and swaddle vp Christ in the swaddle bands this is the cause that these poore soules see no better and therefore they are led to damnation blindfolded O miserable bodies these foule spirits send out their poyson to dampne the world withall as alas the greatest part of Europe this day can tell But to sticke to the words The Apostle saith I speake this least any man should beguile you with inticing words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are set out in faire flattring talke Then ye see here he opposeth to all the treasures of Christ inticing words to wisedome he opposeth flattring words There is no wisedome without Christ all is plaine sophistrie as it is called in the Schooles Then in a word all wisdome being in Christ if thou y t wilt be wise without him seeke thy wisedome where thou wilt runne to Rome runne here and there to the Iesuites to get wisedome out of them thou shalt be filled with dreames thou shalt finde nothing but sophistrie thou shalt not meete with wisedome All that thou shalt see and finde shall be but inticing words And what wilt thou winne by this He saith that ye be not deceiued and tooke in a grin Thou shalt be taken in a grin as a beast if thou seeke ought without him Alas brethren when I remember Antichrist and his wofully deceiue soules this miserable world it is a pitie to see how it is abused by these traitors and deceiuers of mens soules O that damnation and iudgement that shall fall on that cursed kingdome of Antichrist For I assure you this world for the greatest part are taken in the grins by Antichrist and so reserued to iudgement And the more miserable are they that are in the grin of Antichrist that they thinke that they are in sweete bands for the end shall let ye see how bitter the bands were let them now be to thee as sweete as they will thou shalt finde in the end that of all bands in this world they are the worst To goe forward He hath vttered a great care to the Colossians whom hee neuer saw nor knew Therefore they might haue said what care is this thou hast of vs thou neuer sawst vs nor we thee He meetes with this in the next words O ye Colossians saith he though I be absent from you in the flesh yet am I with you in the spirit Then ye see the Saints the true members of Christ they haue a sight and knowledge of others that the world knowes not of This world and naturall men that haue Iudgement and loue of the world concerning other men not the spirit of Iesus thinke that none can reach out to the worlds end and can haue knowledge of another nor any care ouer him if he see him not with his bodily eye but al is vaine For a spirituall man will send his soule to the end of the world and vpon this hee will vtter his care vnto him by his exhortation And this is a token of a greater thing euen of this ioyning of the godly together that one day they shal be together soule and bodie If thou haue a heart and care with the Church of God thou shalt raigne with her in heauen for euer And in deede if thou haue not this it is a venture if euer thou raigne with her Now when he hath set downe this spirituall presence with them he subioynes the effect of it reioycing saith he there is the effect of that spirituall presence his soule was with them Spirituall presence of the faithfull one with another and with ioy hee reioyced to see them So this presence spiritual whē the heart of the faithfull is with others it is no fantacie as a vaine head will thinke but I say thou hadst neuer such ioy as the faithfull will haue with others in a spirituall presence Thou neuer knewest this ioy that hast not this spiritual presence And brethren it is euen with the Church as it is with Christ 1. Pet. 1. 8. he saith you haue not seene Christ with your eyes yet beleeuing in him who is farre from vs in his bodily presence and louing him howbeit he be away ye reioyce with a ioy that is
hereof and those that neuer mourne for their sinnes doe suppose that they shall rise laughing The promise is made to them that mourne Blessed are they saith Christ that mourne to wit for sinne for they shall receiue comfort Matth. 5 4. Men thinke they shall come to heauen before their feete be colde and yet they delight themselues in their sinnes Nay goe thy way crucifie thy sinne and thy selfe to sinne or else thou shalt neuer see heauen nor come to glorie Would to God this were as well felt as it is knowne Now the meanes whereby this dying is wrought is Baptisme instituted by Iesus Christ that put away and abolished Baptisme not only representeth the crucifying and burying of Christ but also is powerfull in the baptized in the whole course of his life Circumcision and placed Baptisme in steede thereof I will speake somewhat of Baptisme but as it concerneth the matter we haue in hand It not onely representeth the death and buriall of Christ and as oft as thou seest it so often thou seest or at the least shouldest see Iesus crucified and buried it hath not onely the naked representation hereof but the vertue of that death and buriall It crucifieth the bodie that is baptized it burieth the old man it is the very power of God to the mortification of thy sinfull nature and the Lord is powerfull in it not onely at that instant when thou art baptized as the Papists say but also continueth so in thee in the whole course of thy life Thou thinkest it is but for children onely nay it is euen for old bodies also and if thou keepe it in thy sight and remembrance thou maist be perswaded that the Lord will worke most assuredly thy mortification as long as thou liuest Therefore neglect not thy Baptisme as thou wouldest goe forward in the mortification of thy sinne and thinke euer and The vse of baptisme in our whole life say O Lord I was baptized in thy name Lord let it not be gone out of my minde make it powerfull in me to the mortification of sinne and it shall haue force euen in thy very death I speake this because men thinke there is no more required but an outward shew but if thou knewest the force and powerfull working of the Lord thou wouldest remember thy Baptisme euen as long as thou liuest and if thou diddest finde it to haue any working in thee thou wouldest reuerence it more and more And so much for the first part of the likenes of Iesus Christ Then he proceedeth to the second part of this conformitie that is by Baptisme In whom ye are also raised vp This followeth vpon the other as the Apostle Rom. 6. 5. proueth this consequence where euer this buriall goeth before all the world cannot stay thee from life Thou that findest any mortification of sinne assure thy selfe of life but if thou finde not the death and buriall of sinne looke not to finde life And I say more there shall be no deferring of time for thy comfort as if thou shouldest first dye a long time before thou rise to Iesus Christ Indeede the last resurrection shall be in the last day but I say When the life of God begins in vs. thou shalt begin no sooner to dye to sinne in this life and find any compūction and heauines in thy heart for it but with the death of sinne and the buriall and slaying of it immediatly shall come life This life breaketh vp through death and ioy breaketh vp through sadnes al heauenly ioy riseth vp through an heanie heart so that thou shalt not feele ioy vnlesse thy heart be pressed downe with the heauines of sinne And this ioy as Peter 1. Epist 1. 8. saith is vnspeakable so that when a man is sighing most for sinne drawing sighes from the bottome of his heart then the quickest and sweetest ioy ariseth but whē thou art laughing and singing there is no such thing as ioy at thy heart Wherefore should I speake of these things Onely learne this to be sad and to sigh for sinne that with it thou maist get some ioy of thy heart which is an earnest peny that thou shalt be filled with it at the sight of that glorious maiestie Now to goe forward How is this resurrection wrought Euen as death was wrought by Baptisme for as it representeth the death of Christ so so often as thou seest Baptisme ministred thou seest in it the resurrection of Christ Yea and it raiseth vp the bodie of him that is baptized to life by vertue of the resurrection of Christ who is also manifested in Baptisme Immediatly and in one instant the Lord will work two contrary things he will cast thee downe to hell and then in the same moment he will raise thee vp to heauen And Baptisme hath this force continually so long as thou liuest if so be thou remember it looke for the vertue of it to the last houre of thy death In the words following least they should haue thought this signe of Baptisme should haue had this force as we say virtute operis operati to haue buried sinne and quickened a man againe without any more he ioyneth by faith not onely by Baptisme as if he would say we are buried to sinne and raised Faith required in baptisme to apprehend Christ and to receiue vertue from him to righteousnes but this great worke is wrought also by faith so that if thou haue not faith apprehending and taking hold of God if thou send not faith to heauen in the ministerie of the Sacrament and the word preached and if thou want faith to applie grace to thee the Sacrament and the word preached shall neuer doe thee good And if thou get not this faith at one time or other this Sacrament shall be a seale to thy damnation and the word preached shall aggrauate thy iudgement So if there were no other place to condemne the Papists error of opus operatum this place were sufficient to condemne it for Opus operatum the Apostle meaneth plainly that Baptisme hath no force without faith and this Gospell hath no power to thy saluation without faith Away then with that erronious doctrine of these vaine babling fooles of opus operatum It is diuellishnes and lying In the next words he sheweth the obiect of faith It must lay hold vpon something for faith is an holding fast an hand that taketh hold apprehendeth something It is an anchor cast out to hold thee by so this faith must haue some obiect to leane vpon otherwise thou wouldest be dasht on euery side Obiect of faith with each waue till thy ship be broken What is then the obiect of faith The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an effectualnes The Apostle to the Ephesians chap. 1. 19. taketh it to bee the effectualnes of the strong power of God that must be the thing to stay thee that must hold thy heart that it fleete not nor flow not
Gods children and of Christs and to haue place in heauen if thou be not borne anew againe by the spirit and water as saith Ioh. 1. Epist 5. 6. And so much for the second effect of the strong power of God Now followeth the third effect in quickening of the Iewes The third effect of Gods power there must be something supplied in the text And vs that is the Iewes so I shall stand vpon these words where he saith he hath put out the hand writing Note The order whereby the Gentiles were quickened was the remission of their sinnes but the order whereby the Iewes are quickened is otherwise before euer they gate life there must be an hand writing blotted out and if we looke to it the Iewes were more bound to death then the Gentiles because they had subscribed to their death and that publikely in the face of the world But to come to the words We haue to marke these things first who is this that blotteth out and scrapeth away this hand writing Secondly what is meant by the blotting out Thirdly what is the thing that is blotted out Fourthly wherefore serued this hand writing he telleth it was against them it serued to their condemnation I shall goe through these foure as time shall serue As for him that is the blotter out his name is not expressed it is Iesus Christ the sonne of God for I see here that which I noted Foure points in the 14. verse in the first chapter the person is changed he said it is God the Father that quickened the Gentiles now he changeth the person There is no fault in this for that that the Father doth the Sonne doth To let you see that all is common to the Father and to the Sonne The Father worketh and I worke saith Christ Ioh. 5. 17. Then what is meant by this blotting out The word in the originall signifieth a perfect scraping out as it were of an obligation so that there remaineth not behinde any memorie of that that is scraped out there rests not one letter or tittle vnscraped out Then Christ Iesus is made a Chauncellor of the Father to cancell to blot out at his pleasure and as hee pleaseth Hee hath rent the obligation and drawne lines through it so thou that wouldest haue thy obligation cancelled get thee to him for wee haue bound our selues to him Thirdly what is that that is blotted out The handwriting standing in ordinances that is in rites and ceremonies Then it is the ceremonies or rites that be blotted out which was an obligation of the Iewes subscribed with their owne hands Now wherfore serueth it He saith it was against vs not for vs it did vs no good but euill It bound and tyed vs to death and sealed vp to vs the guiltines of death and damnation He exempteth not himselfe from this death hee subscribeth it with his owne deede To make this plaine the Iew in vsing of circumcision he protested hee had originall sinne and so was guiltie of damnation in vsing of these washings he protested and proclaimed hee was all filthie and so guiltie of the curse of the law and so subscribed to his owne death How the Iewes in the vse of the ceremoniall law proclaimed their owne guiltines and death And last of all in sacrificing hee protested hee was sinfull and that he had deserued that death which the innocent beast sustained for his cause and therefore guiltie of iudgement and damnation and so subscribed to his owne death Brethren this was marueilous the rites and ceremonies were figures of Christ and serued to leade them to Iesus Christ to see that bloud of Iesus in a figure which washeth away the sinnes of the world How is it then a handwriting against them I answer it is true if their ceremonies be taken as figures of Christ they were no handwriting against them if they had an eye to the bodie that is Christ and sought not life in the ceremonies but in the thing figured But brethren take them from Christ take washings and sacrifices as a kinde of religion without Hovv the ceremonies vvere an handwriting against the Ievves Christ all was but a handwriting against them And whatsoeuer Iew he was that looked not to Christ in his Circumcision in his washing and rubbings and in sacrificing that Iew perished and all his doings was but the subscribing to his owne death Now to come to the Apostle hee taketh the ceremonies as separate from Christ and so they were a handwriting against them He was a rare Iew that vsed them with respect to Christ but the multitude tooke them as a religion without Christ and therefore the greater multitude perished And so I say that outward ceremonies cannot saue vs. In comming to the Church thinke not to get life except thy heart pearce into Christ Iesus all thy outward worshipping shall not helpe thee but shall be an obligation to thy owne condemnation as the outward Ceremonies of the Iewes were to them a handwriting against them to their owne destruction And if thou abuse these Ceremonies which we haue in religion in preaching Spirituall vvorship praying and outward meeting I assure thee thou shalt not escape the iudgement of God And therefore beware and neuer content thy selfe with the outward worshipping fie on it all if thou haue not an inward worshipping in thy heart Againe I see no man that goeth to hell but before hee goe hee subscribeth to his owne death I subscribe with my owne hand that I am worthie of death The obligation passeth against thee either secretly or openly in thy owne conscience and then thy mouth shall be closed and the Lord shall cast thy handwriting before thee and shall say Seest thou not thy owne handting knowest thou not that thou subscribedst this And if thou werst an Emperour thou shalt keepe thy mouth close then and goe from him with howling and scritching And therefore neuer rest as thou wouldest haue life till thou get that handwriting taken away Thou wouldest be busie to get that handwriting taken away which thou seest and knowest will doe thee euill here and that may trouble thee in thy person goods or lands fie on thee that shouldest be so busied about trifles and vanities and forgettest to take away this fearfull handwriting which if it stand vntaken away may doe and shall doe thee more harme then the losse of this whole world can doe Seeke therefore continually night and day to haue this handwriting of thy sinne and guiltines taken away as thou wouldest stand with ioy in the presence of thy maker at that day To whom with the Sonne and holy Spirit be all honor for euer Amen THE EIGHTEENTH LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians beginning at the midst of the 14. verse COLOS. Chap. 2. vers 14. 15. 14 Which was contrary to vs he euen tooke it out of the way and fastened it vpon the crosse 15 And hath spoyled the
to Angels to condemne a man for ceremonies much lesse oughtest thou to condemne a man specially for a shadow And yet for all that brethren as I said before this is the nature of an erronious spirit all their censuring Iudging of men by their obseruation of ceremonies proceedes of iudging a man for obseruation of ceremonies and they will send him to heauen and hell for euery trifle at their pleasure So marke an erronious spirit and a deceiuer his head is busie about these trifling things censuring vpon shadowes putting a necessitie where there is none and stepping ouer the necessarie poynts of Religion In a word ye shall finde the diuell hath been a sore enemie to this christian libertie to burden thee with things indifferent But as Paul counselleth thee Gal. 5. 1. Stand fast in the libertie wherewith Christ hath made thee free and count him for a false teacher that would restraine thee But to weigh the words better which are but shadowes that is no substantiall thing There is a great difference betweene the shadow and the body for a man going to the East his shadow striketh to the west so all the shadowes when Christ rose in the East were stricken backe to the precedent times and for the times since his resurrection are abolished and done away The Sacraments that we now receiue are not shadowes but sure seales of Iesus Christ alreadie come Marke what was the estate of the Iewe he liued vpon shadowes vnder the law and yet he was safe not by the vertue of the shadowes but because in the meane time while he is in remembring of the The Iewes before Christ. shadowes his eye lookes out beyond the shadow to that body that was comming So it was hope that saued him As for those that had no eye to the bodie they got no life but death by the shadow Thou shalt neuer haue life by these outward exercises of Religion except thou haue the inward substances for the outward shall euer turne to thy damnation if thou haue not the inward And further the very estate of the Iewes doth recommend to thee the blessednes of thy estate aboue the Kings and all the Prophets of old They embraced the shadow but thou embracest the bodie Iesus Christ is come alreadie crucified in the Gospell so that thy estate is such a blessed estate y t thou canst neuer think enough of it But alas heauēly things are not regarded when thou hast gotten some small preferment in the world thou wilt make much of it but as for this preferment in Iesus Christ thou carest not for it Yet the end will commend or condemne all thy ioyes Now mark the power that riseth from the shadowes of Christ the very shadow of him being rightly taken saueth and comforteth the sinfull soule It was his shadow that saued Adam and all Kings and people before his comming in the flesh but yet as the shadow must be still vnderstood to be accompanied with the bodie and to haue the power from it O what power must be in the bodie when it is standing before thee without the shadow seeing the shadow is so powerfull O the wonderfull power that is offered to me and thee fie on vs that finde it not the blame is in vs that we finde not this power and not in Iesus Seeke to Iesus take hold of him by faith and I doe assure thee there shall come out of him such a power that shall quicken thee so as thou wouldest not want it for all the world Thirdly ye shall see how foolish these false teachers are they are teaching to embrace a shadow when the bodie is come See how vaine they are The Iewes did well that embraced the shadow before Christ came but after his comming it was vaine to doe it and so it was as much as to bid them embrace the thing that was not And admit that the shadow abode still were it not follie to comprize the shadow with the bodie the shadow goeth before the bodie commeth after But brethren such is the follie of these vanishing heads this fellow will seeme to be some bodie a iolly fellow as who but he and yet hee will make thee to thinke that light and darknes may dwell together the shadow and the bodie to be both in one place O but all this is vanitie decline thou once from the truth thou be commest mad thou wilt cause the people to erre So blessed is the man that stickes by Iesus and stands by the scripture of God and if thou doe it thou shalt be safe otherwise thou shalt goe into euerlasting darkenes As the Apostle Rom. 1. 21. testifieth ye shall become mad fooles and in the end perish with the reprobate if yee sticke not to this Iesus Christ and his word Now to come to the end they might haue said if these be the shadowes where is the bodie He answers But the bodie is in Christ. There are two things here first there is the shadow of things to come the second is the bodie which is Christ and followes the shadow The bodie that followes is not this or that bodie not Iohn the Baptist not one of the Prophets but onely Iesus Christ Then note first there was neuer from the beginning nor is nor shall be to the end any other subiect of Religion of godlines but Iesus Christ the Lord seeke it where ye will there is no other foundation of faith No man saith Paul 1. Cor. 3. 11. can lay any other foundation beside that that is laid Iesus Christ. Onely this is the difference amongst the Iewes he was but a shadow now he is the bodie So wouldest thou haue a godly man defined it is he whose heart is occupied about Christ in some measure how he was incarnate and of his passion Thinkest thou that this should goe out of thy thought Alas if thou thoughtest of thy sin thou shouldst neuer get rest till thou thinke of his crosse then of his resurrection This is the godly harted man Paul 1. Tim. 3. 16. when he had said Great is the mysterie of godlines then he comes to the parts of it God manifested in the flesh iustified in the spirit and so forth till he comes to the last receiued vp in glorie where we are taught that the mysterie of godlines is onely in Iesus Christ So that if thou wouldst haue thy heart occupied in godlines fixe thy heart on Iesus Christ for I assure you this thinke of any thing in this world or out of it and leaue out Iesus Christ not thinking of him thou shalt find that thy heart shall not be sanctified but prophane and wicked So there is nothing to make a godly heart but to thinke on Iesus When thou art thinking of many things reserue a peece of thy heart for him giue him a thought if thou wert a King be not so busie in thy affaires if thou wert in Parliament take heed thou forget him not but euer giue him
aboue these heauens Brethren the presence of Iesus and the loue of that presence should make vs to loue heauen and make vs oftentimes to cast vp not onely the eye of the soule but also the bodily eye to these visible heauens if we loue the presence of Iesus who is aboue these heauens and to striue to pearce through them as to his owne presence For if hee were not there what reckoning is there of these heauens I would not reckon of them more then of the earth which wee tread on and I had rather dwell with Iesus in the earth then in heauen for all the glorie thereof without Iesus for all the pleasure that is either in heauen or earth is in Iesus and without him away with heauen and earth both I will giue nothing for them And therefore the loue of that presence should make vs to loue heauen Ye know if a man loue another entirely he will loue the place where he dwelleth and as we say hee will A note of loue loue the ground hee goeth on so if thou loue thy Lord thou wilt loue the place hee treads on nay thine eye would not be off these visible heauens at the least once in the day for hee is aboue them and shall abide there till his last comming So if thou loue him thine eye would follow him where he is But alas for the lacke of the loue of his presence this loue is not to be found in many mens hearts and of this it commeth to passe that men are so loth to die nay if the loue of thy soule were with him thy soule would say with Paul I groane to be with the Lord it will groane within thee to be out of the bodie And take this for a token where there is not an eye to heauen alas there is no loue of Iesus Christ in thy soule and alas what good thing can possesse thy soule if it be emptie of the loue of Iesus Christ Now followeth in the end of the verse the third argument taken from the estate of Christ in heauen but what is his estate He is sitting at the right hand of God As if hee would say he is in heauē but not there as a seruant or an Angel there are sundrie in heauen but in diuers rankes He is in heauen exalted to that height hee hath such glorie as thou neuer The glorie of Christ in heauen sawest All the Angels bow their knees hee is Lord ouer them all euen as he is man Then as the presence of Iesus and loue of him should draw our heart to heauen so the estate he standeth in presently that passing glorie and that kingdome he is in should draw our hearts vpward to heauen If his glorie were deare to thee thy heart would be where his glorie is and thou wouldest not be content vntill thy heart were lifted vp to him and the eye of thy soule set on him yea this bodily eye would euer pearce to get that presence of Iesus in the heauens glorified in our nature Ye know if a man vpon whom our life and comfort dependeth were in a strange land and promoted A sweete similitude to be a Lord thou wouldst neuer rest vntill thou were with him and thy thought would be euer vpon his glorie Now I would to God wee could haue that affection to Iesus the King of glorie It is true we cannot loue him as we should but I say blessed is that soule that hath any loue towards him pearcing through this bodie of clay Blessed is that heart that can giue once but a sigh either by night or day if it were after neuer so small a measure for the presence of Iesus for be assured that soule shall be glorified with the Lord of glorie Note This for the first exhortation with the three arguments the life whereunto we are risen the presence of Iesus and his glorious estate in heauen al which should make vs set our eye vpward to heauen and bee occupied in seeking of heauenly things meete for the spirituall life Now to goe to the next exhortation and it is to these same things that are aboue Before hee exhorted the Colossians to seeke them now he exhorteth them to be wise in them to fill themselues with them to * Or to desire that they may affect all their senses sent them with all their senses to see them with their eyes and to feele them sensibly as it were with their hands This exhortation is grounded vpon the first argument If ye be risen with Christ c. Then be * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wise in the things that are aboue that is a common ground to both This is so ioyned with the first that there can be no seeking without wisedome How canst thou seeke that that thou knowest not If thou haue no knowledge of heauen heauenly things how canst thou seeke them what desire canst thou haue of them for the prouerbe is true Ignoti nulla cupido there is no desire of that wee know not Then as before he exhorteth to seeke so now hee exhorteth to know and knowledge goeth Knowledge before seeking And therefore thou that wouldest seeke heauen and for heauenly things know them first and when thou hast gotten a knowledge of them then let thy affection come after for if thou seeke without knowledge thou shalt neuer finde them Therefore euer seeke the knowledge of Iesus and of that fulnes of grace that is in him and thinke not that thou hast enough of knowledge alreadie No crie euer Lord open the eye of my soule to see thee and the things that are with thee that I may see the things I haue not seene and that I should see Heare the word of the Gospell for knowledge is gotten by the word of the Gospell Seeke that thy mind may be instructed but to the purpose Bewise As seeking is an action so wisedome is an action There is no action without some sense and knowledge The life of a beast is not without some sense take it away the beast perisheth The life of a man cannot be without some sense and knowledge therefore thou canst not haue the life of God except thou haue a sense and smelling of God and of heauenly things It is a thing impossible that thou that hast no taste of things aboue canst either seek or see them and if thou thinkest otherwise thou art deceiued Can the life of Iesus be in thee without a knowledge of heauenly things No no deceiue not thy soule it is vnpossible for Iesus liueth not in the soules of men altogether ignorant So that if thou get not a portion of this knowledge of this heauenly life and of things aboue thou shalt neuer seeke for them nor haue a desire of them no I say to thee if thou want knowledge thou shalt neuer get them Come forward Let vs see of what things must this knowledge be He answereth of things aboue that
and then commeth that spirituall life which also forceth thee vpward will not this moue thee Then commeth the presence of Iesus that is in heauen he is drawing thee vpward with his hand the other two thrusteth thee vpward but he draweth thee by his spirit Father saith he in Iohn chap. 17. verse 24. I will that those which thou hast giuen me be with me where I am Will not this moue thee yet there is more his glorie wherewith he promiseth to adorne thee with himselfe Would not that yet moue thee to seeke heauen and heauenly things O thy life is not here In deed thou hast begun a peece of the life of heauen when thy desire is set vpon it but thy glorie is in the heauen thou art alreadie the sonne of God but yet it appeareth not what thou art 1. Iohn 3. 2. Thy life is in heauen Then seeing there are so many arguments to moue thee to set thy heart and affection on heauen and heauenly things to drawe thee vpward to heauen O miserable soule that yet wilt goe downe to hell There is no want of power to conuince and arguments to moue vs to seeke for heauen and heauenly things but alas all the want is in thy miserable heart to let thee see how great an induration is in thy heart that will vndoe thee so in the light of the Gospell The greatest sinne that thou canst commit it is not thy murther thy adultery thy oppression it is none of these that holdeth thee backe from God No no it is the hardening of thy heart against Hardnes of heart how perilous so many graces whereby the Lord would heaue thee vp to heauen And so the speciall poynt of thine enditement shall be that thou hardenest thy heart and wouldest haue none of his grace I would haue forgiuen thee freely will the Lord say if thou wouldest haue taken me by the hand when I put it out to thee O blessed is that soule that can put out the hand and take grace of God when he offereth it Yet I must not passe by the words Your life saith he is hid aboue with Christ and in whom In God By life is meant that perfection of glorie that once we shall see when the glorie of Iesus shall ouershadow vs and make this vile bodie of ours glorious as it is said in the Epistle to the Philippians chap. 3. vers 21. There our life he saith is hid aboue it is not open to be seene The eye of man hath not seene it the eare hath not heard of it and all the tongues of the Angels cannot tell you of the greatnes of that glorie neither can it enter into your heart Hebr. 2. 7. So it is hid aboue from the world the wicked seeth it not and so it commeth to passe that the child of God is least accounted of and why because the life of him is not seene and the reprobate shall wonder at it at that day when it shall be cleerely reuealed to him but alas to his euerlasting confusion yea the very sonnes of God shall wonder at it themselues for thou seest not the glorie of thy estate Alas heauen is but as a dreame to thee and is as it were a glimmering thou seest not the thousand part of it neither feelest the thousand part of the ioy that thou shalt haue there but we see it a farre off and therefore it seemeth like a mote But when we draw neere it it shall be like a great mountaine So it is hid With whom with Christ where he is there is thy life Then it must follow as it is hid Iesus is yet hid from thee thou liuest not by sight of him but by faith in him 2. Cor. 5. 7. He is hid from thee and thou shalt wonder when thou shalt see him When thou shalt see him euen as he is man he shall make thee astonished And where is Iesus hid He answereth in God It is not these heauens it is not this visible circle these cloudes that hide him No take them away thou canst see him with that corruptible eye of thine In whom then is he hid In God That is in a light that hath no accesse 1. Timoth. chap. 6. vers 16. where God is himselfe Iesus is hid vp So all the sight of things inuisible is in Iesus So that no eye can see God but in Iesus and if Iesus be hid vp God is inuisible to thee all is hid vp within that vaile and all is dwelling in that vaile of man So all is hid thy life is hid and Iesus is hid vp Therefore wonder not although thou canst not get such a sight of that life of Christ and such a sight of God as thou wouldest haue for the appointed time is not as yet come The Lord hath appointed a time when Christ shall be reuealed and then seeing Iesus thou shalt see thy life that was hid vp in him yea then thou shalt see God himselfe Now what shall we do in the meane time I will tell thee hold thee by the faith of Iesus vntil thou get this sight that is stick A sweete conclusion 2. Cor. 3. 17. 18. to the mirrour of the Gospell hold thy eye to it and euer bee looking on it and then in a moment Iesus shall stand vp before thee ere thou be aware and when the mirrour shall goe away Iesus shal stand vp in steed of it and he shal not so soone stand vp before thee but hee shall as soone transforme thee and shall make this vile bodie to be glorious And so soone as this mortalitie shall be swallowed vp then thou shalt possesse that infinite ioy euerlastingly and shalt looke into the deepenes of that Lord for euer Now Lord giue vs grace to looke stedfastly in this Gospell of Iesus till wee be glorified in him and get his presence to look on for euer and euer Amen Now to this Lord Iesus with the Father and holy Ghost be euerlasting praise honour and thankes for euer THE XXIIII LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossains COLOS. Chap. 3. vers 4. 5. 4 When Christ which is our life shall appeare then shall ye also appeare with him in glory 5 Mortifie therefore your members which are on the earth fornication vncleannes the inordinate affection euill concupiscence THe last day brethren we entred into the exhortation to true godlines and holines of life In the first three verses of this chapter we had two exhortations and both were to things that are aboue to heauenly things The first exhortation was to seeke them the second was to be wise in these heauenly things There were sundry arguments which the Apostle vsed for this purpose ye heard euery one of them as they occurred in their own place The last argument whereby he would moue them to be wise in these heauenly things was that life that was hid vp with Christ in God euen that life which is the perfecting of this
desire of riches then in ouer little Looke thou through this age thou shalt finde that it inclineth to ouer great seeking of riches Againe ye shall finde that a thousand faileth in ouer great desire of pleasure and so it tendeth more to an excesse then to a defect And therefore this mortification hath more adoe to hold downe these affections then to draw them forward seeing they set vpon excesse on euery side Bridle then your affection for will you goe to your owne experience ye shall finde more adoe in drawing backe your affections from this world the pleasure and riches of the same then in putting them forward Now to come to the arguments ye haue heard the first from that life hid vp in God he pointed it out to them which should moue them to mortifie their members as they would looke for the reuealing of it Now in the verse that followeth the second argument is set downe on the contrarie Before he set downe heauen now hee setteth downe damnation before them Note For the which things saith he the wrath of God commeth on the childrē of disobedience They are tumbled into hell for vncleannes of any sort men and women are thrust daily into hell not onely for them altogether but also for any one of these sinnes if it raigne in them And indeede there are few in whom some one of these vices if not the whole number doth not raigne so that if he be not auaritious yet it may be he is a fornicatour and giuen to this filthie vncleannes of the flesh or some other of these sinnes And I say to thee there is not one of these sinnes if it raigne in thee but it will draw thee to hell that is his meaning So he closeth in this mortification betwixt heauen and hell heauen on the one side and hell on the other mercie on the one side and iudgement on the other to let thee vnderstand that if heauen will not moue thee hell will get thee if that life will not moue thee iudgement and hell shall deuoure thee In the world we are allured with heauen and threatned with hell if thou wilt not be moued with the one the other shall oppresse thee if thou were a King thy estate shall not helpe thee And therefore slay thy foule affections as thou wouldest haue heauen and eschue hel And in that he setteth hel before them it letteth vs see the canker of our nature yea euen of the regenerate Thou art not so well renued but thou hast neede to be chased and compelled to thy grace and to haue the terrors of hell and of the wrath The best haue neede to be awakened with Gods terrors of God obiect to thee to chase thee to heauen as the Apostle 2. Cor. chap. 5. vers 11. saith knowing this terror of the Lord therfore I am faithfull in my vocation bring others to the faith A Minister if he were neuer so good yea if it were Paul himselfe yet ye see hee hath neede of this terror of the wrath of God to be obiected to him that he may be faithfull and waite vpon the glorie of heauen Then againe ye see fornication will procure the wrath of God euerlasting much more the temporall Well thou thinkest simple fornication a single man with a single woman it is but a smal fault but the Apostle saith fornication if thou lie in it it will thrust thee downe into hell Sinne in any sort or measure will procure the wrath of God There is no sinne but it will bring the wrath of God against thee and in the end shut thee in hell But this is to be marked For the which cause saith he the wrath of God falleth vpon whom vpon the children of disobedience that is vpon these persons that will not repent Therefore it is not euery fornication and vncleannes that will cause thee goe to hell but it is fornication vnrepented for and vncleannes vnrepented for that is the sinne which will put thee in hell and vpon that sinner that is impenitent the wrath of God falleth Auarice that is not repented for and a man that is hardened in heart that is he and that is the sinne that will put thee in hell So to speake it properly it is not so much harlotry fornication vncleannes and auarice or other sinne in it selfe that procureth the wrath of God as it is the impenitencie of the person that cannot nor will not repent Alas could the harlot repent him of his sinne hee would be saued Could the murtherer repent him of his murther he would be saued Could the auaricious repent him of his auarice hee would not be vnder the wrath of God For there is no sin so great but if repentance follow there is grace The greatest sinne is pardonable to the penitent for thee Repent thee then of thy sinne as thou knowest it and aske mercie in the Lord Iesus and if thou doe this thou shalt be saued and free from the wrath of this great God for of all sinne in the world the sinne that is accompanied with impenitencie is the greatest Therefore set your heart euer to repent The least sinne vnpardonable to the impenitent as thou wilt declare thy faith in Iesus for faith in Christ can not be without true repentance If we should liue Methusalahs daies all is little enough to repent of sinne yea euen the smallest that euer thou diddest or art guiltie of Thou that hast bin an harlot spend the rest of thy life in repentance and thou shalt finde grace and saluation And so likewise thou that hast been a murtherer an oppressor an auaricious bodie spend the time ye haue behinde in heartie repentance and I assure you ye shall finde mercie and saluation otherwise I debarre you out of heauen Or I leaue these words marke he saith For the which the wrath of God commeth vpon the children of disobedience Supposing that the Colossians had been such men as had walked in all the sinnes he spake of yet this wrath commeth not vpon them Then it is not the elect that be made a spectacle to the world of the wrath and iudgements of God but they are the reprobates that are made the spectacles of Gods wrath and iudgements for they are the children of disobedience As for the elect none of them falleth vnder this wrath O happie is the estate of the chosen number and if thou be not one of the number of Gods elect in the Lord Iesus woe is thee thou shalt be made a spectacle of Gods wrath But as for the elect he chuseth them out to let them see his wrath rather in others then that they should experiment it in their owne persons He will take a slaue and torment him in the sight of his elect and Psal 50. teare him as it were in pieces O the terrible hand of God! to make them to stand in awe for all the reprobate if they were Kings they are
will be as vitious as the soule No difference betweene the elect and reprobate before grace of the reporbate So look to the persous there is no difference vntill God make the difference he will runne to hell as fast as he Then wherein standeth the difference it standeth not in thee but in y t counsel and purpose of God it is in the breast of God there is nothing in the elect himselfe but all in God And in his owne time he maketh the difference So ascribe nothing to thy nature and birth but ascribe all to God to his counsell and to his election and giue him the glorie and say I thanke thee O God that hast elected me and for that thou hast called me to thee by thy spirit in time and hast made me to know thee and thy goodnes Who hath distinguished me from thee and thee from another but God Why then shouldest thou glorie in any thing but in God O vile creature and vaine fie on thy nature it shall turne to thy destruction so then only glorie in God and in nothing besides The third thing marked here is the time when they walked Sometime saith he Then he maketh it cleare when ye liued in these vices that is as outwardly ye walked in them so inwardly in your soules ye liued in them Walking is outward and liuing is inward in the soule so as the ground of these naturall actions as of going on the way outwardly is the life of the soule for take the life away thou canst not goe so the ground of all these sinfull actions these wofull actions woe to them all the ground of all thy fornication and vncleanenes is a wofull life that thou liuest Sinne is liuing within thee if sinne liued not within the actions would not appeare in thy bodie that appeareth Thou art dead and yet sinne is liuing in thee Thou and it shall not liue both together Rom. 7. saith he Sinne is reuined in me Thou art dead and sinne is quickened in thy breast And or euer one be a harlot in his bodie in his outward action it is first in the soule of him or euer one be a murtherer with the hand he is a murtherer in his soule it beginneth first there and then it raiseth and stirreth vp the hand to the outward action It is so of all sinfull actions they proceede first from the sinne liuing in the soule so thou that wilt mortifie sinne and the outward actions of sinne slay first the sinne that liueth within thee or else it will slay thee either thou or it must die and I pronounce this that if thou slay not the sinne that is within thou shalt be slaine by it for euer Begin then in order to the slaying of sinne for there is an order in mortification and God that biddeth thee slay sinne is the Lord of order He comming in bid deth thee first slay the sinne that is within thee he will not bid thee begin at the hand the eye or any of thy members outward but he will goe into thy heart and he beginneth and putteth out that life of sinne that liueth in theethere He first maketh thy heart cleane where sinne dwelleth and taketh roote and so he will haue thee to roote it out that it bud not in thee This way God beginneth in taking away sinne and slaying of it and this is the way that the elect child of God doth But hypocrites will make a well fauoured outward countenance and who are so holy as they Hypocrisie begins without and in the meane time will be fostering the filth of this foule life of sinne inwardly in his heart with pleasure But the holy spirit who beginneth to mortifie thee beginneth at the heart and slayeth the man of sinne in thy heart first and he will wound it so deepely when he shall strike vpon it that he shall mortifie it and then thou shalt begin to see thine owne filth and stinke in such sort that thou shalt abhor thy selfe but the hypocrite countes all these things but as words of office But O that dolefull waking when the conscience wakeneth thee It will cause thee say O foule harlot what hast thou been doing walking in harlotrie and deceiuing men with a shew of godlinesie Therefore happie is the soule that is this wise wakened in time and wounded with the sight of thy own filthines for it shall procure ioy comming vpon sorrow If thou wilt be content to restraine thy hand foote and eye for a time so that thou sinne not openly as others doe but that thy life that lurketh in thee must vtter it selfe at the last so as thou maist be a fornicator a murtherer and an auaritious bodie for there is no hypocrite but he must vtter himselfe at the last thou hast no true mortification in thee and therefore thou shalt finde no comfort in all thy outward shewes studie then to this 〈◊〉 mortification Suppose a man to be bound hand and foote and that the man be a harlot in the inward man so as he had no vse of the outward action in all his life time admit this that thou hadst not the outward action in all thy time yet I say if that life of harlotrie be in thee and not slaine within thee thou wilt to hell It will not be that outward abstinence that will saue thee but it must be the slaughter of the inward appetite and then the hand nor no other of thy members needeth to be fettered but all will be peaceable and stand still when once that life of sinne is quencht Therefore slay euer the sinne in thy soule and let it not raigne for if it raigne thou wilt to damnation We beseech him that is able to worke this worke to put to his hand and doe it for all the words of the world will not doe it onely he must doe it Now to him be praise and honor Amen THE XXVI LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 3. vers 8. 8 But now put ye away all these things wrath anger maliciousnes cursed speaking filthie speaking out of your mouth YE remember brethren the last time we occupied this place wee insisted in the exhortation that the Apostle hath to the mortifying of the sinfull members the foule affections and actions of the soule and the bodie Mortifie saith he your earthly members that is your cankred affections that hold the bodie occupied in euill To this purpose he vseth sundry arguments the first was taken from the life euerlasting that was hid vp with Christ in God laid vp in heauen as if he would say as euer thou wouldest see that life Coherence mortifie thy earthly members slay thy affections for it is impossible that they can stand with that life of heauen The second argument was taken from that death in hell if heauen will not moue thee to mortifie thy earthly members thy foule affections yet let hell terrifie thee and moue thee For
in Christ Iesus To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all praise now and for euer Amen THE XXXIIII LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 3. vers 22. 23. 24. 25. and Chap. 4. vers 1. 22 Seruants be obndient vnto them that are your masters according to the flesh in all things not with eye seruice as men pleasers but in singlenes of heart fearing God 23 And what soeuer ye doe doe it heartily as to the Lord and not vnto men 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receiue the reward of the inheritance for ye serue the Lord Christ 25 But he that doth wrong shall receiue for the wrong that hee hath done and there is no respect of persons 1 Ye masters doe vnto your seruants that which is iust and equall knowing that ye also haue a master in heauen THese last daies welbeloued brethren we entred into the particular precepts exhortations concerning particular estates of men and women And first we spake of the dutie of wiues to their husbands and againe of the dutie of husbands to their wiues Next we spake of the dutie of children to their parents and againe of the dutie of parents to their children Now the last estate in a familie is the estate of masters and seruants Therefore wee haue to speake of the dutie of the seruant to the master and againe of the master to the seruant because there is a mutual dutie required and they are so bound the one to the other that they cannot be separate To come then to the words There is one precept giuen to seruants Seruants saith he obey your masters Then after hee insists vpon this obedience and describes it largely First hee sets downe the matter of it in what things they should obey Secondly he comes to the forme of obedience and describeth it Thirdly he goes to the fountaine and ground of all dutie which is the heart Then lastly to moue seruants to this obedience hee brings in two arguments The first is for that rich is the reward in heauen And the second is for that recompence that God shall giue to masters who doe not their dutie to their seruants To the words Seruants saith hee In these daies when the Apostle directed this precept properly here by seruants is vnderstood such as were in a hard estate slaues bought and sold like beasts ouer whom the masters had power Seruants in the Apostles time permitted by lawes to slay and saue them as ouer beasts so their estate was hard and heauie Secondly you must vnderstand they were seruants conuerted to Christ and their estate in that case was blessed Thirdly they were for the most part such as had to their masters Infidels not yet conuerted to the faith of Iesus Christ and so were the more rigorous For oh the crueltie of the Infidell ouer the Christian Now in respect of their estate hearing of the libertie of the Gospell they mistooke it and began to think that Christ and his Gospell came to destroy policie and lawes that binds vp Common-weales And therefore many of them began to turne grace into wantonnes and began to leaue their masters thinking that the Gospel made an equalitie of persons as the Anabaptists teach at this day Therefore the Apostle perceiuing this hee directs this precept to them recommending obedience notwithstanding of the Gospell Thou art a brother and a sister and yet a seruant therefore obey Now howbeit properly and in the first roome this precept bee directed to seruants that were slaues bought and sold yet it is extended also to all kinde of seruants It pertaines to you as well as to them Come to the next what is commaunded them The dutie is obedience Obey saith he Hee that is a seruant should not rule but obey The whole dutie of the inferiour to the superiour is called in one word Honour so the Lord termes it And it hath two speciall parts First reuerence in words The inferiour is bound to reuerence the superiour in his talke The second Honour hath two parts part is obedience in deede he is bound not onely to reuerence him in words but also to obey that hee commaunds Both these must begin at the heart otherwise thy reuerence and obedience auailes not Now the Apostle especially insists vpon obedience The dutie recommended to children is obedience and the like is recommended here because of the two duties obedience is the hardest It is an easie thing to doe curtesie to thy master to put off thy cap and becke but here is al the grauitie and weight of the matter to obey This the Apostle considering he stickes most on it howbeit vnder it all poynts of dutie be comprehended This for the dutie Now followes the persons to whom it appertaines Obey Whom not euery one but your Lords and masters Those that God hath set ouer you It pleases him to make thē superiours you inferiours therefore obey them Yea the name it selfe containes an argument to moue thee to do thy dutie he is thy Lord and master and thou shouldest thinke with thy selfe he is my master therefore I should obey I am bound to doe it Let euery soule saith Paul be subiect to the superiour powers There is the commandement The words that follow be to the consolation of Rom. 13. 1 the seruant your master saith he but how according to the flesh That is according to things bodily not according to the spirit and soule This is thy comfort that art a seruant there is no master that is set ouer thy soule no not a King is set ouer thy soule to sit on thy conscience for that were an absolute power that commaunds as well the soule as the bodie Now brethren there is not a Lord that may commaund so but onely the Lord of heauen and earth that is none that hath an absolute power but onely the Lord Iesus Christ It is shame to Christ the only Lord of the conscience the Monarch to take this name to him It is a blasphemie and a derogation to the name of Iesus no there is none hath power ouer my conscience or thine but onely he So if ye marke narrowly ye may see that as there is one thing commaunded so there is another thing forbidden them Obey them in thy bodie though it were to suffer iniurie but as for thy soule and conscience it is forbidden thee to subiect it to their appetite if thou doe it thou bereaues Christ of his right Therefore Galath 5. it is said be not made the seruants of men if thou doe it thou makes thy selfe a slaue to the foule appetite of flesh and bloud To be short there be two vices in seruice and obediēce that is done to the superiour whatsoeuer which should be eschued Two vices in seruice to be eschued and they are both in extremities and betwixt them there is a gracious vertue The one is when the subiect refuseth obedience in