the spirit upon all flesh it shewes the great aboundance of grace that Christ should give his elect hee being glorified being made the head of the Church and was possessed with all power to give grace so this worke of his Kingdome is that which wee must take to heart as being the ground of our comfort to wit that the King of Saints as hee is called in the Revelation hee is with us hee it is that fighteth our battells against the dragon and the whore his might and power onely prevailes and the scripture telleth us that if wee will fight valiantly Christ shall tread Sathan vnder our feet all our strength stands in his strength as the Apostle saieth hee was able to abound and to want and to do all things through Christ that strengthened him elsewhere hee saieth with what power hee laboureth to convert men vnto God by power from him which worketh mightily in him where he did acknowledge that all the power he had to doe any good in Gods howse was even in Christ the sonne of God alone therefore saith he it is not I but the grace of God that is in mee seing then that all the vertue of a Preacher and strenght of a Christian and all the vertue of Christs mediation suffering depends upon Christs Kingdome and power how much the more should we consider this with ioy as the Cheife ground of our consolation in all dangers to vvit that Christ the Lord hath all povver given him in heaven and in earth to give eternall life to those that the Father hath given vnto him as hee saieth of himselfe the end of Gods giving such great povver vnto Christ is that hee may bring his Children vnto glorie therefore is hee called the Prince of our salvation and he saieth Christ being to bring many to glory to consecrate the Prince of their salvation vvell then this point being of such high moment it is not vvithout cause that the Apostle in this case calleth this confession of Christ a good confession which is nothing but his professing himselfe to be King And the reason of it may likewise be this because Christs propheticall and Priestly office are in two respects more easily imbraced then his kingly office first in what respect they are more manifested and more sensible and more easie to be seene of the world then his Kingly power for hee was seene to teach on earth and hee taught with authoritie and not as the scribes and Pharises did and hee performed his Priestly office in the sight of all the world the world heard him preach and the world saw him die these are not things of much secrecie as this is to wit this man so base on earth that now they should see him Crowned with honour and glory there is great difference betweene the glory of his messengers here and the glory of the servants or messengers of earthly kings for the one is wholly earthly the other is wholly spirituall and heavenly so that so farre as heaven differs from earth so farre differs Christs Kingdome from the Kingdoms of the earth his Kingdome stands not in fleshly pompe but it stands wholly in the spirit and power of it So this brings us to the second point of his confession to wit that his Kingdome was not of this world the Iewes would have made Christ a King but hee refused as hee was a King so hee was constant to avouch the matter of his kingdome to be spirituall and not carnall why should we that are his ministers make his glorie and his kingdome a worldly kingdome Doe we not thereby falsify Gods trueth seeing our master refused all carnall and wordly authoritie but onely the power of the spirit why should we seeke after a carnall glory and pompe when the glory of the sonne of God and his kingdome is not of this world Certainly the lesse we are in the world and the lesse we are like to men in worldly honour the more like we are to the sonne of God if we be cloathed with grace with Sanctification and the trueth of God dwell in us plentifully this should be our honour and thus we see how we are bound to place the kingdome of Christ in this wherein it stands certainely all earthly power is so farre from appertaining to the kingdome of Christ as that those that seeke it walke not with an even foote in the ministrie neither doth he the part of a faithfull Minister the Apostle hath a strange saying and yet a true one if our gospell be hid it is hid in them that perish vvhom the God of this world hath blinded for we preach not our selves but Christ Iesus the Lord and our selves your servants for Christs sake and that the excellencie of the power may be of God and of Christ that all the world may see that the power of our Ministrie is not from our selves that we should force your consciences to submit vnto the sonne of God for our Ministrie is wholly spirituall as the Apostle tels us that all the weapons of our warfare are from God in heaven they are not carnall but mightie through God it is God that makes the gospell powerfull and that makes the labours of mortall men powerfull to subdue men to obedience Thus to be briefe the second point of Christs confession is to disclame his kingdome from being a worldly kingdome therefore vve should Disclame all worldly pompe and not compare Christ to any worldly pettie king for it is wholy spirituall as the Lord saith to his peoples to comfort them against the Egyptians hee saith the Egyptians are flesh and not spirit as if hee would say they are but flesh and therefore they can doe nothing against the spirit The 3. point of his confession was this that hee came into the world and was borne to this end to beare witnesse of the trueth wherefore this is to teach Pastoures to follow his footesteps and to know what is our calling wherefore the Lord hath sent us into this world which was to beare witnesse of the trueth God hath not sent us into this world to beare witnesse vnto a lye nor to justifie any falshood but to maintaine the trueth vntill death as Christ avouched this to be his office and hee did accordingly so should we that are Pastours acknowledge this to be our office not to justify mens lies but to beare witnesse and record to Gods trueth so we see this affords great instruction for us to shew us wherein our felicitie stands especially in witnessing him to be our King and his Kingdome not to be of this world thus the penitent theefe did beleeve that hee was a King and that his Kingdome was not of this world therefore he besought him to remember him when hee came in his Kingdome and that we are sent of God to beare witnesse vnto his truth and for this we are to lay downe our lives it is a wofull thing to
hand to give it to thee to continew it and to restore it when it is taken from thee this consideration is of great moment to preserve us not to offend this God for the pleasure of any Potentate in the world since all the world cannot give mee life nor continue life and when I am dead and life is gone none in heaven or earth can restore me to life except God do it why then should I not be carefull that I offend not this God nay farre be it from me for to do it for any flesh in the world O let us be carefull that wee provoke not this good God to wrath who hath given us life that in his wrath we provoke him not to take it from us againe seeing that God onely gave it mee to honour him am I not bound to consecrate my life to him alone not to obey any creature to disobey him it was not my father or mother that gave mee life but the Lord onely who is the Lord onely who is the Lord of life hee hath put life into me therefore neither for father nor mother should I give my life otherwise then for the honour of God O but some may say if I do so so these men will take away my life from mee have they power to doe it without God saith not Christ feare not them which can kill the body but rather feare him which can cast both soule and body into hell fire and he said againe are not there two sparrowes sold for a farthing and yet not one of them falls on the ground without the providence of our heavenly father how much better are yee then many sparrowes if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground nor any man can take away the life of it without Gods providence than surely all the tirants of the world cannot take away thy life except the Lord suffer them the Lord Iesus himselfe giveth a sweet warning to his disciples when hee saieth to them Rise let us go to Iudea againe his disciples said unto him Master the Iewes of late sought to stone thee goest thou then thither they thought it an hard saying of Christ that they should goe thither againe but Iesus answered them said are there not 12. howers in the day if any man walke in the day he stumbleth not because hee hath the light seeth the light of this world but if a man walke in the night hee stumbleth because there is no light in him What means Christ by this hee meanes by this to tell them that as lōg as the day of mans life doth last which hath a period sett so long he goes without feare as hee that walketh in the day feares not for the Lord is with him but if they walke in the night that is if the time appointed of their life be at an end he must fall then letting us thereby understand that men may walke in their lawfull callings without feare for all the world cannot make him stumble if God give them not leave as Christ said concerning Herod tell that foxe I must walke to day to morrow untill the third day which is appointed of God for mee so that wee may see that none can give us life but God so in the last place when wee are dead none can restore our souls and bodies to life againe but God onely therefore wee must not consecrate our life to any but to God alone these considerations are worthy to be laid up in our hearts Besides these considerations of Gods quickning all things it is an especiall ground of our faith as it is written concerning Abrahā I have made thee a father of many nations before God hee beleeved the word of God even that God that quickneth the dead and calleth those things which be not as though they were and this was that which made Abraham to walke stedfastly with God because hee knew as the Apostle boasteth saying I am persuaded that neither life nor death nor any other creature can seperate mee from the love of God death is not able to keepe me under the power of it for Christ by death hath overcome death as the Apostle affirmeth if the spirit of him which raised Christ from the dead dwell in your mortall bodies even hee that raised the Lord Iesus shall likewise raise your mortall bodies by the same spirit so that this is the ground of our faith and hope to wit that God quickneth all things and this made Abraham to be obedient ready to offer up his sonne Isaack for hee knew that notwithstanding God would not faile to make good what he had promissed in the person of Isaack To conclude this point at this time there be manifold considerations of this argument to strengthen all Pastours especialy in their calling that they pervert not Gods word for any mans pleasure in the world for if I looke to their lives that will oppresse mee or if I shall looke to my owne life I shall finde it to be a great terrour to keepe mee from displeasing God in my calling for any mans pleasure first if I consider their lives they have it from God and as their life is from God so is all their working power that they cannot stirre a foote further then it pleaseth God for God can cut off their daies in an instant is it not then a vaine thing to feare man whose breath is in his nostrils it being so easy a matter for God to take away the life of all flesh how dare I then sinne against God to obey any man Secondly if I cōsider mine owne life I have no cause to obey man and to sinne against God seeing none can take my life away but God and none can give it mee but hee which gave it therefore I should onely feare him who gave mee life and can take it from mee and thus wee see how the spirit of God in this particular consideration of God who quickneth all things laies a strong ground to all Pastours Teachers for to harken unto this Charge that they violate not this commandement OF this great grave weightie Conclusion beloved in the Lord wherewithall the Apostle ends his Doctrine which concernes the ordering of the affaires of Gods howse aright according to the will of God wee began to speake to you the last time and wee did shew you the reason why the Apostle did ad this so weightie grave Charge and Commandement to Timothie a man otherwise of excellent guifts it was to let us see that these things are not of humane invention but of divine authoritie they are things which are not to be dispenced with all as men may dispence with the precepts of men for they are the Commandements of the living God otherwise the Apostle would never have charged Timothie and in him all Pastours in such a manner as in the sight of God and of Christ Iesus to
for us that are Pastours to teach us what God requires at our hands who witnessed a good confession saieth the Apostle a better confession can none make nay this daunts the hearts of feeble minded Pastours they not dareing to shew forth their faithfullnesse to Christ and this is the maine point both in the confession of Christ the Prince of Pastours and of all that shall succeed him to avouch the Lord Iesus Christ to be King for the world is content of any thing else that wee can say of Christ they will allowe of his propheticall or priestly office but for him to rule and raigne that they will not indure they will not have him to be king It was no offence to Cesar that Christ was called a Prophet or a Priest by office but to call him selfe a King that brought him to his death Cesar cold not endure it so now a daies Kings and Princes will be content to have Christ called by any name that can be given him besides this but you must not say hee is a King the King of his Church every Magestrate now will be King himselfe of the Churche therefore the Papists call the Pope the King of the Church and those likewise that have shakeÌ„ off the Popes authority yet themselves will be Lords in Gods house and if Pastours will stand to maintaine that there is no other king in the Church but Christ alone there is nothing vnder heaven which will more endanger his life then this and yet this is the confession wee must stand vnto vnder the paine of loosing eternall life and this is that which Christ lost his life for and for this wee must be willing to lay downe our lives rather then to suffer any to be the King of Saints but Christ alone and therefore it is that the Apostle calls this a good confession But a man may aske me why this is called a good confession more then to have confessed Christ to be the onely high Priest and Prophet of his Church I answere that both these acknowledgments are good for we must not acknowledge any more high Priests to reconcile us to God but Christ alone and hee is the onely Prophet of his Church whose voice must onely be heard but why is this acknowledgment of him to be king called to be a good confession above the rest Certainly there is great reason for this and it is not without cause that in the scriptures of God this title is given to him more then any other titles all the kings of Israell were but tipes of him Salomon was but a shadow of him therefore the scriptures tell us that when the Iewes shall be gathered together they shall submit to David their king meaning Christ The reason of it is because in the Kingly office stands the crowne of his glory I say it againe that the crowne of his glorie stands in his Kingly office how â—o because God hath not given to any in heaven or earth by which a man can besaved but by the name of Iesus onely Now which is more the Apostle writing to the Ephesians in his first Chapter speaking of the mightie power of God that raised him up from the dead and set him at his owne right hand in the heavenly places far above all principallities and powers and might and dominion and every name that is named not onely in this world but in the world to come and hath put all things vnder his feet and gave him to be head over all things in the Church So the Apostle concludes the greatnesse of the sonne of God by this that God hath made him to be the head of the Church who is the fullnesse of him that filleth all things so that this exaltation of Christ to glorie and the dignitie which Christ is exalted vnto above all men or angells this is the cheife glory and honour of the sonne of God wee shall speake somewhat more of this hereafter how that all the other offices of Christ they are but servile Christ doth abase himselfe to be the Prophet of his Church and hee was not ashamed to take vpon him to teach the law of God to the people with his owne mouth neither was hee ashamed to take upon him to be our Priest to offer to God for sinnes of the world in all these hee was abased and suffered himselfe in a manner to be spoiled of his honour and glorie but when hee comes to his Kingdome which hee sheweth by his resurrection and when hee hath prevailed against his enimies and had subdued sinne and Sathan then hee stands triumphing in heaven and there sits at the right-hand of God and herein stands his dignitie and it is a wonderfull thing that the world considers it not those which were the former offices to be Prophet or Priest in his Church stands in the abasing and humiliation of the sonne of God but in his kingly office stands his exaltation this is his dignity and Royall prerogative hee that medleth with it medleth with the cheifest dignitie of Christ Furthermore as the former 2. offices of Christ are but servile functions so the third by vertue of his exaltation makes the other 2. both effectuall both his word as Prophet or of his sufferings as a Priest depends vpon his Royall power for except hee have power over all things hee were not able to keepe us in his feare nor present us into the favour of God nor make it effectuall to salvation for Sathan and sinne and the world would prevaile against us but Christ by his power is stronger then all so as neither man nor angell can make frustrate that which hee hath done for his Church therefore hee is said to be declared to be the sonne of God by the resurrection from the dead who was ever able to loose the sorrowes of death but hee which is stronger then death Christ therefore by death destroyed death and him that had the power of death the divell and for this cause Christ saieth speaking of the vertue of his exaltation to wit his Blessing when to his owne hee saieth every one that thirsteth should come vnto him and hee would give them the waters of life this hee spake of the spirit because Christ was not yet glorifyed for vntill hee was set in his Kingdome hee could not dispence his spirit to his disciples as afterwards hee did therefore when hee was to depart from his Disciples hee gave them commandement that they should not depart from Ierusalem till hee had indued them with vertue from above the world must be subdued to Christ and therefore hee could not dispence that measure of the spirit till after his ascension then did hee send the Holy ghost downe vpon them and indued them with all vertues necessary to speake all languages constantly to preach the gospell notwithstanding the opposition of men so this was verified likewise in the prophesie of Micha concerning the powring forth of
no man ever saw this light nor can see it Abraham never sawe him nor Moses never saw him neither can anie man see that unapproachable light that he dwells in all which doth let us see the incomprehensiblenes of the glory of God if all the Angells in heaven and all the men in earth should putt their witts in one yet they could never see Gods face as he is it is but the back parts of God that ever anie man saw or attayned to for God faith himself that it is impossible for man to see God and live well then how shall we resolve these phrases of scripture where it is said blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God and the Apostle saith we now see but in parte darkly as in a glasse but then we shall see him face to face How can this be true if none can see God To resolve this doubtfull point the Scriptures lead us to the knowledge of the divers kinds of the sight of God first there is a sight of God which is perfect secōdly there is a sight of God which is imperfect the perfect sight of God no man cā see but Christ neither Angell nor mā ever had or shall have the full and perfitt sight of the Majesty of God it cannot be seen for it is infinite and incomprehensible which cannott be comprehended by anie creature no not by gloryfied men nor glorifyed creature for the brightnes of God is such that it woud strike to death man or Angell if he should behold it therefore no man or Angell can see it and live as God said to Moses my face can no man see and live yet if anie man could have seen God Moses could but the Lord tels him my back parts thou majest see but my face shall no man see that is we may have an obscure sight of God as Moses had but a perfitt sight of God can no man have in heaven the Angells dare not behold Gods glory and therfore in the 6. Esay the Angells are said to have 6. wings with two they cover their faces and with two they cover their feet and with two they fly They had two to cover their faces to let us see that they dare not sett their eies upon the immediate Majesty of God they could not indure the brightnes of Gods nature if it were exposed to their sight immediately so this perfect sight of God is proper to God himself and Christ and no man els besides himself An imperfect sight of God the saincts may have and that we may know the bounds and the limitts of it we must first know the end of it and the fruit of it and that will let as see what it is to see God The ends of the sight of God are twolfold or wee may observe it in one and that is that we may be like him all similitudes of God flowe from our sight of God here in this world and in that which is to come there is no conformity to God nor likenes to him but by the shining of Gods light upon us therfore it is that in this world he sends such a light amongst us as is able to make us like unto him in grace though not in glory the small light we get in the Gospell is to shew with open face the glory of God it puts the image of God in righteousnes and holines upon us and it is given us to this end to beget us again and to translate us from the similitude of sinfull flesh to the glorious image of God see therfore what conformity in holines and righteousnes God hath appointed us in this life according to this he gives us a sight of himself in the Gospell it is a glasse wherin we may see God and according as he givs us a sight of himself so doth he conform us to his image and the measure of our conformity to God doth arise from the measure of our sight of God if we had a greater measure of the sight of righteousnes possesse us we should have a greater measure of the sight of God so that is the reason of this light that God reveales to us in this world that we may see the glory of God manifested in Christ Iesus that we may attain to this blessednes in this life to be like unto him There is yet more a second degree of blessednes in the sight of God which is not onely to have a similitude like unto God in holines but in glory and immortality we shall not onely be made righteous and holy but immortall and glorious this doth proceed from the sight of God when Christe shall come again in the cloudes then shall mortalitye be swallowed up of immortality but this effect of the sight of God cannot come to passe untill we attain such a sight of God as the Scriptures speake when he saith we are now the sons of God but when Christ who is our life shall appeare then shall we also appear with him in glory The sight that we have of God in this life though it be but a poore sight yet is effectuall to regeneration and it is as farre as sinfull man can see him here and yet this sight of God is nothing to that he is in himself and to that which we shall see in him at the last daye So likewise that sight we shall receive at Christs coming again it shall not be the sight of Gods Majesty immediately but we shall see this God clothed with his manhood for the fullnes of the Godhead dwells in Christ bodyly the Godhead is overshadowed with the flesh of Christ and we cā never see it but in and thorow his flesh his flesh is the vaile and except through this vaile wo cannot see the Majesty of God in heaven now this glorious light of his godhead which we shall see in heaven through the flesh of Christ is not the essenciall glorie of the deity but the created glory that is putt upon the manhood of Christ which glory of the manhood shall transform our flesh to the similitude of the same glory so that the sight we shall have of God in heaven shal be an earthly object in the glorifyed body of the sone of God take away this flesh of the sonne God in heaven and neither man nor Angell can see the Lord therefore in the 3. Chapter of this Epistle the Apostle tells us that Christ was manifested in the flesh and seen of Angells the Angells durst not looke upon God before but had two wings to cover their faces they durst not see the Majesty of God untill God had put this vaile upon it and then the Angells did see it which is one of the greatest points of the mystery of godlines Since then there is no happines but in conforming ourselvs to God in Holines in immortality and glory and that by the sight of him what will that teach us it should teach us to labour to see this
God that they have their immortality and therfore the objection takes not away this truth that God is onely immortall Again observe this that although the Lord give immortality to my soule and unto Angells yet neither man nor Angell can give immortality to anie creature in the World God onely is able to doe this therefore hee onely hath immortality because hee onely hath it of himself and because hee onely is able to give it to others therfore must hee needs continue to be immortall that hath the onely keeping of it himself and dispences the same to others at his pleasure so that in this point God is onely happy for man may begett children but we cannot make them immortall onely the Lord must doe this nay we cannot make ourselvs immortall doe we what we can reade Psalm 43. and you may see the spirit of God taxeth the miserable vanity of men that thinke their names great on earth and yet he saith no man can redeeme his brother from death all must goe to the grave the rich dye aswell as the poore and yet vain man he will call his Lands by his own name and all is but in vain so that this is proved that God is onely blessed We know that the divell did speake true to God concerning Iob when the Lord said unto him Hast thou not considered my servent Iob who is a righteous mā that doth no evill but good what saith the devill to God skin for skin and all that a man hath will a man give for his life Wheras the hand of God being stretched forth against Iob in his children in his estate yet it could not make Iob to blaspheme God but the devill thought that if God would stretch out his hand upon his own person that it would make him to blaspheme God a man will part with anie thing so as he may have his life for what is riches unto a man if he cannot injoy them without life there is no conceite of happines let men therefore learn this that their life and the continuance of their life the eternity of their life is in the hands of God alone and since it is so that he onely can give eternall life why then should I for the pleasure of anie man in the world offend this God and make him to be mine enimie can anie Prince in the world give me eternall life but he onely why then should I for the pleasure of anie man offend him in whom my life stands unlesse I care not what become of mee whether I be cast away into hell or whether I have eternall life If I desire life let me then make conscience not to greive this good God since he onelie can give life and he onely can take it away this is still but one part of his felicity and of our felicity in him if we obey him he hath promised to give eternall life unto us and they that remember not this promise that God hath promised to them that feare him certainlye that man cannott walk as a Christian To come then to speake of the 2. pointe of the felicity of God which is thus sett downe be dwelleth in that light which no man can attain unto I will consider two things in these words first that he dwells in the light secondly he declares what manner of light this is it is such a light as no man can approach unto The first shewes the infinite glory of God in that the very place of his habitation is light it self and such a light as the sunne cannot give it is a light surpassing all created light yea this light coms from God himself 1 Iohn God is light if anie man say he hath fellowship with God and walk in darknes he is a lyer for God is light and they which have fellowshich with God walk in the light and therefore those that are called of God they are called the children of light and God is said to call us out of darknes into his marvellous light that is God calls us from death to life so hee doth call us from darknes to light and this is the second part of our felicity for in this we must be like God in whom is no darknes for when God shall translate our vile bodies unto his glorious light then shall the light of the sunne be inferiour to this bright shining light of this mortall flesh what glorious creatures shall we be in that daye when this our mortall flesh shall not onely bee made immortall but our bodies shal be raysed in glory as the Apostle saith they are sowen in weaknes but they shal be raysed in glory glorious bodies even like unto the sonne of God who is now at the right hand of his father so that whatsoever is in mans body that makes it defective it shall then be taken away and the glorie of God himself shall be put upon our bodies in that day so this is the first thing to be considered of us that God dwells in the light What use should we make of this it should teach us where to lay the blame if we see not God for in the dark we can see nothing but in the light we can see anie thing now if thou canst not see God it is not because God is in darknes for God dwells in the light something therefore must be the reason why thou canst not see him and the reasons are one of these two First if thou seest not God at all the reason is this because thou art a child of darknes and the light of life was never putt into thy soule therfore the wicked are said to be of them which know not God and what wonder is it they doe not know him since they were never called out of darknes to the light of God the want of this calling out of darknes is the reason why they cannot see nor know this God as for example if a man be in a dark dungeon or prison that hath no windowes in it to shew light he cannot see such a man in such a place cannot see the sunne for untill he be taken out of that darke place he cannot see anie thing so untill men be taken out of that beastly blindnes wherin he is conceived and born he cannot see God But the second thing will bring us to a non plus in this point for suppose I be called out of darknes what will that help mee what the better am I for this calling if I cannot approach to this light this is the second thing that we are to mark in the felicity of God that besides his dwelling in the light he dwelleth in such a glorious light as is unspeakable which no man can approach unto which shews the unspeakable glory of the Majesty of God But then it may be objected what availes this light of God since we cannott approach unto it To understand this more clearely the words following make this doubt greater where he saith