will mention a few arguments of some validitie to seeke the things that are above Of all these briefly 1. Things above what First of the Object what is meant by things above and why they are stiled so The best rule to know the meaning of any Text of Scripture is to compare it with more It being with this sacred body as it is with a Lute or Instrument with strings Simile which by stringing one or two you may tune the whole The knowledge of our Apostles Ayme and scope in this present Chapter it will not a little advantage us in the enquity of this what the things above are Which being as all the arguments here are to perswade the Colossians to holinesse it must needs follow by the rules of Logick that by things above are either meant Something wherein the nature and essence and divine qualities of holines consists Or the practice and possession that may be attained Or something bordering upon it The word largely conteines in the reach of it all things that make for the eternall welfare of the soule All those graces mentioned by the Apostle in this Epistle and else where Faith love joy hope sinceritie the feare of God the remission of sinnes peace of conscience and freedome from the dominion of sinne all which are wrapped in these words things above which as it were is the abridgement of all Which spirituall graces though they bee chiefly meant here yet I dare not nor I doe not say they are onely meant It may bee and I thinke verily the Apostle lookes further then thus and by things above hee lookes hot onely to the meanes but to the end the state of grace and glory And well may these two grace and glory lye couched in one word since grace and glory differ not in nature but in degrees grace being nothing but glory begun and glory being grace consummate Yet I shall in the processe of my ensuing discourse adhere rather to the former and so by things above understand especially things concerning the state of grace here here because though the Apostle meant not them onely yet he immediatly lookes on them as those that were nearest so that by these things above we must come if ever to the state of glory hereafter Why called things above These things above I understand to be spirituall gifts and graces fitly here stiled things above First in respect of the source and originall because they deserve to challenge the prime place among those perfect gifts that are from above Iam. 1.7 Jam. 1.7 every grace being a ray and stampe of the dietie That is the first reason they are called things above because they come from above Secondly in respect of the end to which spirituall graces leade that is to heaven which is above they are as so many steps to that heavenly Sion and as Iacob called that place Bâ—thel the gate or subburbs of heaven Thirdly and lastly they are called so in reference to the place where they shall enjoy these graces in full perfection that is in heaven above For so it hath pleased that wise and uncontrollable steward to dispense his gifts and graces here that while wee live here on earth we onely have the first fruits some small handfull of grace but for the harvest the full crop that is reserved till we come to heaven above Therefore they are called things above in aâ—l these respects You see then how spirituall graces may be stiled things above In respect of the originall whence they came end to which they leade place where wee shall enjoy them in full measure This shall suffice for the first enquirie concerning the Object what is meant by things above and why they are so called Seeking what I come to the Act Seeke The metaphor implies servencie not as Becanus the Iesuite defines it a desire and rest absurdly but it is joyned with exact care and the utmost indeavour for the obtayning of somewhat that we formerly lost or did not before enjoy a desire to finde it The truth is that once man in Paradise was like his Maker bravely accomplished with all spirituall graces called here things above but no sooner did man fall from his due subjection but presently he was disrobed of these and shut out of Paradise When guilty Caine was prest with his brothers blood he was ever seeking those precious Iewels hee had lost and found them not The sense of the losse of those spirituall graces is left behinde that impression is in the minds of all The heathens themselves by the purblind eye of nature could easily discerne that they wanted somewhat though they knew not what to seeke nor how to finde But when the light of grace breakes into the soule as it did to these Collossians then it seekes the things above and leaves not till it have found them nor then till it have at atrained them in full fruition in heaven above As it is with some wanton streame that parting from the Ocean Simile runnes all along in the darke windings and passages of the earth till at last it breakes up and when it is broken forth as ashamed of its wandring it presently returnes with a restlesse unwearied course and seekes here and there till it finde the Maine from whence it strayed This for the second enquiry concerning seeking which implies the hight and best of our care for the attaining these things above such as concerne the spirituall welfare of our soules Which briefly premised it will be easie in the third place to resolve this single hupotheticall proposition into a catagoricall If yee be risen with Christ that is because you are risen with Chr st seeke the things above The proposition is Propos Those that are risen with Christ ought to seeke the things above that Those that are risen with Christ ought to see the things that are above A lesson taught by him that as one stiles him was the best teacher in whose divine Sermon upon the mount you shall finde that hee bids us seeke and in the first place the kingdome of God and the righteousnesse of it Matth. Matth. 6.33 6.33 And indeede what is the sum of all our Sermons or wherefore serve Preachers Hillarie as Hillary stiles them those seeking men of eternity but to call for this sursum Corda to bring men to a constant minding of the things above A dutie so proper to them that with these Colossians are risen to the life of grace that David makes it the proper character and badge of the Church Psal Psal 24.6 24.6 This is the generation of them that seeke the Lord of them that seeke thy face this is Iacob But oh that it were as easie to perswade men to practice as to convince them of the duty We cannot finde these things but we must seeke them with dilligence and that we will not doe unlesse we highly prize and affect the things we seeke neyther of
a good testimony of a mortified man Fourthly consider the Equitie of it Christ died for sinne that wee might die to sinnes I Pet. 2.24 who his owne selfe bare our sinne in his owne body on the tree 1 Pet. 2. 24. that we being dead to sinne should live unto righteousnesse What did Christ lay downe his life for our lusts and shall not wee lay downe our lusts for Christ did Christ die for our sinnes and shall not we for Christ die to our sinnes Fiftly consider our sins are Traytors and rebels against heaven Well saith Tertullian in his Apologie for the Christians in his second Chapter Tertul. Apol. cap. 2. against Traytors and such as are common enemies every man must be a common Souldier Now our sinnes are Traytors against heaven we cannot better expresse our loyaltie and alleagance to our great Master God then to kill and put to death there rebels it is a most acceptable sacrifice to God Sixtly and lastly consider the example of other men we see what care men take and what paine they will undergoe not for the avoyding but for the putting off a naturall a temporall death for a while Men for the preserving of this temporall life they are content not onely to take harsh Physick but to indure launcing and searing and cutting off the parts a leg or an arme c. so to preserve naturall life if they doe so for preserving of this naturall life Oh what should wee doe for the gaining of eternall life It is true Christ compares lusts to eyes and hands and feete it is true they are eyes but such as when they are pulled out wee may see well enough They are hands but such hands as when they are cut off wee may still doe what wee have to doe without them Now shall a man for the preserving of his temporall life indure a member to be cut off shall not we cut off our superfluous lusts for the gaining of eternal life shal they not for the avoyding but for the respiting of death indure this pain S. Aug. Epist 45. and shal not we for the avoyding of eternall death S. Austin presseth this excellent well in his Epist 45. They doe this not as if there were any hope to put off death quite but only to adjourne and put it off for the present if they do this for the respite of death what should we do for the avoiding of eternal death saith he They undergoe many certaine torments perhaps that they may have hope but of a few uncertaine dayes what do they thus for a temporal life shal not we much more for the procuring of an eternal life Do they so much for the adjourning of a temporall death and shall not wee for the avoyding a perpetuall and eternall death If these arguments perswade us not none can so much for the fourth point the Motives to this death to sin Fiftly if we must die with Christ before we can live with him S. Ierome then as Saint Ierome somewhere hath it It is not so easie a thing as some happily conceive it to hee a Christian It was Iulians scoffe of Constantine Iulian. and in him of all Christians To be a Christian there is no more required but to wash themselves with a little water that is to bee baptised and how great soever their sinnes were before this cleanseth them saith Iulian or if it chance that a man fall into the same sinnes againe saith Iulian It is no more for these Christians but to beat their breasts and to smite their heads and all is well againe in the conclusion of his Caesars But the best is it matters not greatly what Iulian saith it concerned him to speake evill of that faith he was fallen away from if he had spoken well of it hee had spoken against himselfe But he that knew better then Iulian saith Mat. 7.14 straite is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life Math. 7.14 The way to heaven is straite he that will enter in this way must strippe and divest himselfe of his old lusts The way of Christianitie is a narrow way nay that is not all it is a way full of paine and pressures to the flesh as Cameraritus interprets that place Narrow is the way and full of paine to the flesh He that walkes this way must resolve to meet with difficulties hee must take out lessons that are harsh to flesh and blond to mortifie nay to crucifie the flesh Gal. 5.24 They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Every death is not sufficient to expresse the paine hee must undergoe but crucifying only the death that Christ died that was both a lingring and painfull death Thus every man that will live with Christ must first crucifie his sinfull lusts and affections Which notwithstanding I speake not to deterre or discourage any from entring into the way of Christianitie or having entred for going on in the same way No God-forbid that I should like the ten spies that Moses sent to spie out the land of Canaan bring an ill report upon the wayes of godlinesse but to informe us and arme us Hee that is to travaile into a farre Countrey on which his life and livelihood depends and should meet with a friend that should tell him the way were deepe and troublesome and that there were such difficulties did stand in the way hee would easily perceive that hee did tell him this not to discourage and dishearten him because hee is his friend nor to stay his journey because hee knowes it is upon his life his life lies on it but to arme and prepare him before hand that when he should meet with the difficulties hee might the better encounter them and goe over them I apply it thus Heaven is our countrey we all pretend wee are Pilgrims travelling to heaven the way that leads to heaven is this narrow way our death with Christ the necessitie of walking this way appears in Math. 7.14 This way 7.114 and only this leades to life it it the straite gaâ—â— and the narrow way that leads to life Now when wee tell you of Lyons and Beares in the way the difficulties and incombrances that you shall meet with it is not to discourage you but to arme and provide you It is not to dishearten you you must needs goe your life lies upon it but to arme and prepare you that when you meet with these difficulties you may be the better provided to encounter them It is good saith the Proverbe to know the worst of things before hand lest otherwise after wee have walked in the way we meet with incombrances and dreaming of nothing but delicacies our hearts faile us as the hearts of the Israelites in the report of the tenne spies Like the foolish builder in Luke 4. that was not able to goe on with his building Luke 4. because hee did not sit downe first and
no other comfort yet then our conscience will witnesse comfortably that notwithstanding wee die yet wee shall come where wee shall live for ever Oh then as the Apostle saith let us give all diligenec to make our calling and election sure It is a matter of paines it is not easily gotten but it will abundantly recompence the paines If wee looke and finde our sinfull lusts mortified in part let not that satisfie us let us not rest there but goe further and proceed in the worke of mortification for looke as our mortification is so is our assurance the weaker our mortification is the weaker our assurance of salvation the stronger our mortification the better assurance wee have of salvation Vse 3 Thirdly if they that are dead with Christ may rest assured that they shall live with him then by the rule of contraries they that are not dead with Christ cannot assure themselves that they shall live with him If only he can be assured of salvation in whō sinfull lusts are mortified then hee in whom they are not mortified that man cannot bee assured of salvation Indeed hee may have a kinde of a wilde hope a presumptuous confidence but it is such as will faile him in the time of need Like to your Winter brookes or land-floods In the time of Winter when a man hath no use of water they flow abundantly but in Summer in the time of drought when men have need they are gone they are not to bee had So that assurance that a man hath as long as hee goes on in the practice of his sinfull lusts it is a wild deceitfull presumption such an assurance as will doe him no good when hee comes to need it I have read it was the manner of tryall that was used when there was a controversie of land whether it belonged to Ireland or to England they did take Snakes and Toades and poysonous Serpents and put there and if they lived there they concluded it belonged to England if they died they judged it belonged to Ireland the reason was because no venemous thing will live there I apply it thus sinfull lusts are like Snakes and Toades and venemous creatures looke what soule they live in if they live in a mans soule it is an argument that hee belongs not to heaven and wee know what place he belongs to then onely to hell if it dye in us we may assure our selves that wee belong to heaven Hee in whom sinne lives and his lusts continue unmortified that man cannot assure himselfe of salvation The reason is because all assurance comes from the promise of God God hath made no promise to men that continue and goe on in the service and obedience of their sinfull lusts hee threatens nothing but death and destruction to such If yee live after the flesh yee shall dye Rom. 8.13 Rom. 8.13 This shall suffice to have spoken of the third point the certainty of this connexion If we be dead with Christ we beleeve that we shall also live with him Mortification seales up to a mans soule and conscience the assurance of salvation for they that are dead with Christ may rest assured and perswaded that they shall live with him I come to the fourth and last point The cause and ground of this death to sinne and this life to grace which is Christ If wee be dead with Christ we beleeve that we shall also live with him If we be dead with Christ that is if we be dead by the vertue and power of Christ then wee beleeve that wee shall also live by vertue and power of the same Christ The conclusion is this that As our death to sinne so our life to grace they both proceede from Christ If we be dead with Christ saith the Apostle that is if wee be dead by the vertue and power of Christ if sinne be dead in us then wee beleeve that wee shall also live with Christ the life of grace here and of glory hereafter by the power and vertue of the same Christ I say the point on which I shall insist is this that as our death to sinne so the life of Grace they both proceede from Christ Christ is the author and the producer of both So saith Saint Paul in Gal. 2.20 saith the Apostle Gal. 2.20 I am crucified with Christ yet notwithstanding I live yet not I but Christ liveth in mee and the life that I live in the flesh is by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himselfe for me Looke what the Apostle Paul speakes of himselfe the same may every Christian in whom sinne is dead and mortified and the life of grace wrought speake of himselfe saith the Apostle I am crucified with Christ that is sin is crucified in me sinfull lusts are crucified and mortified in me by the vertue of Christ so saith he I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me I live by the faith of the Son of God As I am crucified to sinne by Christ so I live by the vertue of Christ Phil. 3.8 9 10 So in Phillip 3.8 9 10. He desires so earnestly to be found in Christ that he contemned and undervalued all things but this that he might be found in Christ saith he I account all losse for the excellent knowledge of Christ for whom I suffer the losse of all things nay I account them not onely losse but dung that I may winne Christ and be found in him we see in verse 10. the reason that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffeings being made conformable to his death The reason why the Apostle desired to be found in Christ and why in comparison of this he accounted all things as drosse it was because he might bee made partaker of Christs death What is the fellowship of Christs death but to bee partaker of the Spirit of Christ that raised him from the dead that by the same Spirit of Christ hee might bee raysed from the death of sinne to the life of grace The reason of it is this because as our death to sinne so our life to grace are both the worke of grace from whom can wee expect the worke of grace but from him in whom is the fulnesse of grace so saith Saint Iohn Ioh 1.14 The Word was made flesh that is Christ and dwelt among us Ioh. 1.14 and wee saw his glory as the glory of the onely begotten Sonne of God full of grace and truth Our death to sin and our life to Christ are both the effects of Gods grace Now from whom can we have the effects of Gods grace but from him in whom alone is the fulnesse of grace The word was made manifest among us in whom is the fulnesse of truth and grace Look as it is in the naturall body so it is in the misticall body as in the naturall body all the naturall motion proceeds from the head and from the
which wee will or can doe except wee know our want of them and their worth all of which in the fourth place are Conditions requesite in seeking The conditions that are requisite in seeking First 1. Dilligence diligence if we will seeke the things above wee must seeke dilligently The word imports industry and sweate And indeede what in the world deserves our best indeavours if not these things What may justlier challenge the utmost of our strength the sinewes ol our soules if not that upon which depends the eternall welfare of our soules Mee thinkes when I looke abroad in the world and see how busie men are in the pursuite of earthly things with what unwearied industrie and diposition they pursue and with what eager appetite they snatch at things below as if the dust of the earth were not sufficient to give every man a handfull me thinkes I know not whether to entertaine them with pitty or with scorne When I see such men concerning their soules to bee negligent in what termes they stand with God what assurance of the remission of their sinnes c. Alas alas these thoughts are seldome entertained these desires are banished as if these things above were to be lighted on without seeking or it skilled not greatly whether they bee found or no. Thus with Shemei while men looke their servants they loose themselves Secondly wee must seeke them with love that is another thing in seeking 2. Love where love is it setes an edge on our seeking it will make us looke over all indignities and sweeten all the crosses we meete with here and cause us like high flying Eagles to neglect the chirpping of Sparrowes as Iacob that was scorched in the day and pinched in the night yet love made all seeme as nothing to him Thirdly and lastly there must be knowledge of our owne want 3. Knowledg of and of the worth of these things First 1. our want our want of these things without which wee are children of wrath here and shall hereafter assuredly bee sonnes of destruction With which wee are here the sonnes of God and shall hereafter be with God in glory Wee must bring our selves to a sight of our want for nature till it bee convinced of that will not seeke abroad and bee beholding to any Of all lets and barres that hinder men from seeking these things above Pride hinders seeking there is nothing like to pride It is the observation of the royall Prophet David Psal 10. The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seeke after God Psal 10. It is true other men doe not seeke after him but the proud scornes to bee beholding to God therefore before wee can bring our selves to seeke them wee must bee convinced of our want of them Now for that what neede any other argument but this injunction Seeke Seeking is of the nature of hope and hee that hopes saith Aquinas is imperfect yet Aquinas and wants something thing that hee hopes for Tertull. And saith Tertullian in his twenty third booke of the resurrection wee use not to seeke for that wee have so that the very injunction here to seeke is enough to convince any reasonable man that he wants these things above But the exact knowledge of the worth of these things and of our want of them it may bee sought but it is not else where found but in the Scriptures onely which alone is that impartiall beame of the Sanctuary which can helpe us to take the worth of the one and that impartiall glasse that represents to the life and shewes us the face of our owne soules and consequently our want of these things above In the meane while injurious in both these respects is the domeniering Prelate of Rome while by a sacrilegious robbing of the laytie of the Oracles of truth and fearing least their owne blindnesse should bee discovered they labour to put out or at least to hide them As if it were with Men as it is with Doves that being blinded they should flye up directly to the things above to make men in Religion to grope and seeke they know not what while by their doctrine of free-will and merite of congruitie that man by doing that which is in the power of nature may dispose himselfe to justification and so puffe up depraved nature against the grace of God Harke what that Romish pander Becanus speakes saith hee our first parents lost not by the fall two graces Faith and Hope why because these carry no repugnancie or contrarietie to the fall Thus Poperie is the bane of Pietie and the destruction of soules like a draught of deadly poyson which makes men swell Simile and die This for the fourth enquiry concerning the conditions necessarily required in seeking the things above The meanes of seeking I come now to the meanes by which we must seeke It was not the least part of the unhappinesse that attended Adams fall that besides the utter losse of the things above hee lost the skill and meanes whereby to recover them Wee are all of us borne wanderers Psal 119. ult wee goe astray from the wombe as lost sheepe Psalme 119. verse ult Like lost sheepe how is that Wee are not onely out of the way but wee want skill and power to seeke it againe much more to finde it unlesse God that gives abilitie to the one gives successe to the other Yet some meanes there bee that God hath appointed to us for the finding of these things above which wee must make diligent use of and from the ignorance and neglect of these meanes come two generall miscariages that men seeking the things above eyther they know not the right or they take the wrong point of the Compasse Among the meanes for the attayning of these things above 1. The Word preached why may I not in the first place give the Garland and precedencie to the Word Preached A sacred ordinance of a large and Catholike vertue which as the Sunne not onely discovers by his light but by its influence doth effect what ever may make for our spirituall estate in grace here or fit us for glory after Here being not onely the priviledges and prerogatives of Faith but Faith it selfe with all her sister graces Or if it bee freedome from the dominion of sinne the Word preached is the mighty Armour of God 2 Corinth 2 Cor. 10. 10. for the battery and demolition of all Satans strong holds Or whether it bee peace of conscience in assurance of the remission of sinnes the word being as interpreters call it the voyce of the Harpers harping in the Revelation which is onely able to calme the conscience Secondly 2. Prayer prayer that is another meanes whereby to seeke these things above Eyes lift to heaven where these things are conveying thence to the soule what may make for the abundant supply of its necessities In the neglect of which exercise