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
but thou shalt neuer be ransomed but die euerlastingly Whose bloud must it be then By his bloud hee saith not by our bloud that is the bloud of the sonne of God And this bloud of Iesus Christ is that bloud onely that can be the ransome none in heauen or earth but his bloud onely is able to make thy ransome and this bloud standeth best both with the iustice of God and mercie of God because it is the only bloud of Christ that satisfies the iustice of God Why by reason of the worthines of the person he is a man a holy man without all spot of sinne It will not be thy stinking rotten bloud it must be that bloud of Christ that holy bloud that must satisfie the wrath of God It standeth with the mercie of God for when the wrath and iustice of God hath gotten that precious bloud then it is well satisfied then mercie reacheth from heauen to the sinner if thou canst present that bloud then the Lord will say I haue nothing to say against thee I haue nothing but mercie and grace to giue thee I forgiue thee all thy sinnes Many thinke this but words but you shall see one day what these words meane In the last words of the verse that that he hath spoken of redemption he sets out in a plaine terme and common word euen the remission of sinnes In the Epistle to the Ephesians 1. 7. when hee hath spoken as hee hath done here of the remission of sinnes he sheweth that it is through the riches of his grace What is all thy remission to thee but a free remission through the riches of his grace thou hast not paid a mite for it but Christ hath paid the price So these two stand in thy redemption In respect of him thou art redeemed by a price and in respect of thy selfe it is nothing but free pardoning So giue him the glorie and praise for I assure thee it is of an vnspeakable mercie and loue that he hath forgiuen thee and taken the bloud of his deere sonne for thy sinne Hast thou not great matter of praising and glorifying of him O would to God this cankerd generation could see and consider this worke of our redemption Now you haue heard of your calling and redemption two great workes and benefits of God bestowed on his elect in Iesus Christ his deere sonne There followes now a higher point of doctrine speeches of the highest things in the world are either of Kings or Queenes or els of some other great nouelties yet all are but dirt in respect of this speech of the Apostle vttered according to the spirit of God For he speaks of the highest things that is euen of the king of glorie so this speech must be a high speech and yet not so high but a man may attaine to the knowledge of it so farre as may serue to their saluation when he hath spoken of this great king and of his bloud by the which wee are redeemed to let vs see how great a king he is and how precious his bloud is he fals out into a digression and he brings out an high description of the Lord of glorie He may well blabber of him but more he cannot he is so high and excellent in all maiestie All the wits of men and Angels are not able to expresse the excellencie of the glorie of the sonne of God but I leaue that The first part of his description is from his Godhead Who is saith he the image of the inuisible God the first begotten of euery thing created Here wee haue to consider first how God is called inuisible And next how the sonne is called the image of the inuisible God vnderstanding these two we shall get the meaning of the Apostle Wee finde this oft in the Scripture especially in the new Testament that God is called inuisible No man saith Iohn in his first chapter vers 18 hath seene God at any time in another place he saith No man hath knowne him And Tim. 6. 16. He dwelleth in light that hath no accesse How is this then to be vnderstood Looke how he is inuisible This is to be vnderstood of the Father the first person of the Trinitie Note He is inuisible he cannot be seene neither by Angell nor all the Angels in heauen neither by man nor by the eye of the bodie of man no not by the eye of his minde No creature no manner of way can see him yet God forbid but wee see him But how is it that he cannot be seene He cannot be seene immediatly in his owne person no not all the Angels can get a sight of him immediatly It is only the sonne of God that hath that sight for he is in the bosome of the Father and therefore no man nor Angell gets a sight of God I say immediatly because that all the sight that man and Angell hath is by a mediate person the sonne of God This is the first Secondly how is it that the sonne is called the image of the inuisible God I will not insist here to bring in all the differences and sorts and images because it pertaines more to the Schooles then to this place But thus farre I tell you I cannot get here in the earth a better example to let you see how Iesus Christ is the image of the inuisible God in some measure for who can see it in a fulnes then the example of an earthly son You see an earthly sonne will represent the person of his father in the shape of his bodie and in the linaments thereof and that not onely in the outward accidents but in the very substance that he hath taken from him and out of him No image will come so neere as that image so that he will represent him in all these three in stature shape and substance Now to come to the sonne of God you must vnderstand there are no accidents in God All is substance and essence He will then represent him first in his personage euen in a kind of portraiture for how be it he be distinct in person yet nothing is so like the person of the father as the person of the sonne Therefore in the epistle to the Hebrewes 1. 3. He is called the character and the very stampe of the father and he will not onely represent him in person but in substance also So that secondly he representeth God the father in a substance taken from him for the sonne of God hath taken his substance from his father in that eternall generation And thirdly which is higher and this passeth all comparison he represents him not onely in a substance but in that same substance in number so that there is not two Gods but one God Nay the father and the sonne is but one substance and one God in number and therefore he saith the father and I am one in the gospell of Iohn 10. 30. No earthly sonne may say so I am in the
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
the father to the world and that in loue There is nothing in this new band but mercie vpon mercie mercie in the beginning mercie in the progresse and mercie in the end Indeede it is not without iustice and wrath but thou art spared and the iustice and wrath it strikes on the Mediatour so that that is iustice and wrath in the Mediatour it is mercie and grace to thee Nay he hath not spared his owne sonne yet he hath spared the stinking sinner Wilt not thou be thankfull for this benefit Well if there be not a sense of the mercie of God in Iesus Christ looke not for heauen I warne thee that art a King an Earle a Lord a Baron a subiect man wife lasse and lad if ye haue not a sense of this mercie of God in Iesus Christ ye shall neuer see heauen Now to come to the last circumstance after what manner is this reconciliation made with sinfull man The manner is set downe in these words making peace by his bloud shed on the crosse The father reconciles vs to himselfe after this manner by making peace with vs in the bloud of Christ Brethren when two men are at variance the third man will step in and intreate the person that is at variance with the other to be friends with him and he will obtaine it especially if he be an intire man But O that sonne of God! that deere and that welbeloued when he comes in it is not faire words it is not supplications that will doe the turne but him it behooued to go to suffer death and that dead stroke of hell that should haue lighted on me and thee and should haue brused vs euerlastingly he casts in his head and that stroke lights on him It cannot be holdē off thee by no other buckler but by his head and bloud shedding without bloud no remission Heb. 9. nay nay either shall thy bloud passe for it or els the bloud of the Mediatour O it is a terrible thing to haue to doe with the wrath of an infinite God! there is nothing can satisfie him but the precious bloud of his own deere sonne and no other death can satisfie him but a cursed death the death of the crosse a painfull death to be nailed quicke to a crosse It was the figure of the death of hell He was pained vpon the crosse with the paines of hell If he could not escape such a death who was an innocent how wilt thou who art a sinner escape that terrible death O what death shall abide thee if thou be not in him These words then teach vs two things first the greatnes of the enmitie that could not be remoued but by the bloud and execrable death of the Mediatour For if this enmitie had bin but a sillie and small feude what needed all this that the sonne of God should dye such a death Wherefore should all this adoe haue been wherefore should he haue suffered such extremitie So if there were no more to tell thee the greatnes of sin the death and the bloud of Iesus Christ shed on the crosse tels thee O sinne is great and yet the world will not heare it but the soule stinking sinner will wallow in it more and more O sinner sinne is foule and fearefull An euill thought is a great and terrible mountaine The first world had experience of this greatnes of sinne being without Christ Our Gentles in Scotland with the rest felt it I tell thee before this bloud came and the full time came there was nothing to hold off the dint of the wrath and stroke of God that that world found before the comming of Christ What was it a small matter to be an enemie to God was it a light thing to sinne No no for all that time before Christs comming for the greatest part God was doing no other thing but striking and hashing on sinners slaying her and slaying him Sinne raigned all the time to death saith Paul Rom. 5. in the end all perished and went to hell for the most part except some very few And I tell you this world thinkes there is no hell and very few get this grace for so long as that olde Tabernacle stoode few got entrie to grace So they miserable soules that lie now in torment they testifie and crie the horriblenes of sinne and O the preciousnes of the bloud that hath freed now the soules of men from sinne Now when he came into the world I put it out of question The calling of the Gentiles increased the number whereas one was saued before hundreds were saued after For Christ saith for once the bloud was shed men and women thronged into heauen Matth. 11. So all tels thee the blessednes of thy estate that hath fallen in this time If thou hadst any sense if thou wert sent out naked to begge thy meate thou art happie considering this time wherein thou art borne O the happines of this time when the bloud of Christ runnes abroad as a riuer to saue sinners but wee are blinded and as I said before that number is drawne in and beginning to be abridged and the force of the bloud is drawne in and begun to bee lessened and the force of faith is nothing now in respect of the former time of the Primitiue Church and daies of the Apostles and therefore as it began with a handfull so it shall end with a very handfull and blessed is that man that can striue to throng into heauen through this bloud of Iesus Now the Lord worke this in our hearts that as wee seeke for the kingdome of heauen so we may throng in at it through this bloud of Iesus To whom be praise and honour Amen THE EIGHT LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 21 22. 21 And you which were in times past strangers and enemies because your mindes were set in euill workes hath he now also reconciled 22 In that bodie of his flesh through death to make you holy and vnblameable and without fault in his sight THese daies past beloued in Iesus Christ wee haue heard a high description of the Sonne of God the Lord Iesus in the which he is painted out in a marueilous glorie In the last part of this description ye heard it was said that by him as the Mediatour it pleased the Father to reconcile to himselfe all things both in heauen and earth making the peace by the bloud of his crosse In the which words the Apostle turnes ouer vpon the whole Church that hee hath spoken of the sonne of God For all his glorie tends to the weale of his Church all to the reconciling of the Church with God the head in him as the Mediatour Now brethren in this text that we haue read vers 21. he applies this blessing of reconciliation to the Church of the Colossians in speciall And you also saith he hath he reconciled In the which words as before he turneth ouer
all is but dung before God So you see what should be the first thing we should begin at to wit at a standing and perseuering in the faith of the Mediatour Abide in this and all shall follow of their owne will holines weldoing and the rest In the words following he shewes vs the way how to perseuere in faith If so be that you abide in the faith grounded founded The word is borrowed from building on a ground stone How to perseuere in faith the second word is and established euen as you see a man set down in a chaire resting without mouing or wagging sitteth still immoueable If thou wilt abide in faith thou must bee grounded and set downe and must not goe wagging fleeting and flowing as you see some doe Then what is this foundation whereupon thou must be grounded It is euen this same faith Thou must be grounded on it or else thou shalt not abide in it and if thou bee not built vpon it as vpon a building thou shalt not abide in it Faith then must bee the ground It must not be built as it were vpon thy heart it is the falsest ground The heart must be built and rest on faith that euer was but thy heart must be built on faith For faith in Iesus is a fast and established ground Now what is the seate euen this same faith Faith must not sit vpon thy heart which is but a ioggling seate a loose seate but thy heart must be turned ouer vpon the faith of Iesus Christ that is a fast seate so that all the powers in the world will not moue it In a word if Rest not night nor day till thou seele thy faith lying vnder thy heart and thy heart resting firme and stable on it thou abide and perseuere in the faith of Iesus Christ bee built on it rest neuer while thou rise vp vpon it as a building Rest not night nor day till thou feele it lying vnder thy heart rest not till thou finde thy heart setled without staggering sitting downe as it were on a fast stoole and seatc If thou be once setled and builded all the waues of temptations shall not once moue thee thou shalt stand fast like a house built on a strong rocke but if thou be not built and setled on it the least blast of winde of false doctrine and of affliction wil blow thee from Matth. 7. 24. 25. thy faith thy faith from thee like chaffe Alas see we not this inconstancie in fleeting and flowing A vaine lowne he is here to day and away to morrow a Protestant to day a Papist to morrow a Christian to day a Turk or Pagan to morrow and what ye will haue him What is the cause of this O that heart of thine was neuer established by grace A vaine and emptie heart was neuer grounded vpon faith in Iesus Christ And therefore it is that these miserable creatures are caried away as they are and be assured let thy heart abide in that miserable estate of inconstancie till the Lord come thou and it shall be turned into hell headlong as the lightest and rottennest thing in the world Thus much for this first perseuerance in faith He ads to another perseuerance and he saith If you be not 2 Perseuerance in hope of the Gospell moued from the hope of the Gospell that is if you perseuer in the hope of all these faire graces and mercies especially of that life euerlasting promised in the Gospell Now brethren would you know what this Gospell is The Gospell of Iesus Christ is like a mirror or looking glasse so the Apostle cals it 2. Cor. 3. 18. In the which we may see many faire things First we see Iesus Christ the Lord of glorie and then all the faire graces that followes on him thy remission of sinnes thy iustification 2. Cor. 4. 3. 4. thy sanctification the heauen and life and all things what wouldst thou haue more Now the eye that lookes in it is not the eye of the bodie but the eye of faith quicker and cleerer than all the bodily eyes in the world The hand that holds vp that mirror is faith faith is an eye and a hand it sees and holds Now as faith is looking in the mirrour to Iesus Christ and to all the graces that followes him and to that life and glorie that neuer shall haue end in comes this hope and she awaiteth constantly for the accomplishment of all those graces Hope what and of that life euerlasting that faith sees in the mirror and she awaites till Christ come with that life in his hand with the glorie in his hand that he shall bring with him for them who awaits for him As soone as he comes the mirror fals downe The word goes away there shall be no more preaching when he comes And as thou sawst him before in the mirror so then thou shalt see his glorious face as he is so the mirror shall goe away that faith of thine shall goe away What shall be then in steed of all this Thou shalt get that that Paul saies 2. Cor. 5. 7. Now we walke by faith but then we shall walke by sight Our reioycing shall be in the sight of him for euer Now brethren you shal marke here briefly it is not enough to abide in the faith of the promise wherein thou hast promised to thee life euerlasting but with the faith thou must haue a hope awaiting constantly for the thing promised as thou beleeuest the promise that is the word so thou must hope for himselfe and his comming and that life he brings with him Ioyne these two together faith in the promise and hope in the performance of necessitie thou shalt get life That hope shall Faith and hope companions Rom. 5. 5. 6. neuer make thee a shamed It is a thing impossible that a man that waits for Christs comming can be disappointed for heauen and earth shal perish ere that man be disappointed of that he hoped for so then saith he if you be not moued from the hope of the Gospell I say then so long as we liue we must not want Take away the Gospel yee take away faith and hope this mirror of the Gospell Take away the mirror thou shalt see nought Take away the Gospell thou shalt not haue faith Take it away wherein shines all these heauenly graces thou hast nought to hope for and if thou hearest not of a life after this life thou canst not hope for it So these men in the world not onely among Pagans but amongst Christians Lords Barons that haue no pleasure in hearing of the Gospell to looke into Iesus that is in it trowe yee if thus they continue that they shall goe to heauen thinke ye that they can haue faith and hope no no more then a dog hath and their death shall be worse then a dogs death As euer then you would haue life faith and hope keepe the
so now millions and great numbers are saued And whereas before it was but now one and then one that preased into the kingdome of heauen now they come in multitudes striuing and thrunging who should first enter into heauen Matth. 11. 12. For it is impossible that this light should be without life If thou take a pleasure in the light it is not possible that thou canst dye but if thou take no pleasure in it woe be to thee a double death The calling of the Gentiles shall befall thee Woe is to that man who dyes in the light of the Gospell without taking pleasure in the same Well it had been to thee that thou hadst dyed in darknes with the Gentiles for thy damnation shall be doubled Take therefore a pleasure in it and all the world shall not make thee to perish and that is that which Paul saith Sin raigned to death but grace raignes by righteousnes vnto life through the Lord Iesus Rom. 5. vers 21. But looke to the last words of the verse Vnto whom is the manifestation of the Gospell made Not to euerie one beguile not your selues for the Lord will not vouchsafe to manifest himselfe and grace in him to euery man but hee calles them his Saints to whom chiefly hee manifests himselfe Looke your books ye that scorne at the name of Saints if thou be nota Saint thou shalt neuer see heauen then this If thou be not a Saint thou shalt neuer see heauen manifestation is not made to euery man It is true brethren it is preached to all and all heare it it strikes in euery ones eares yet it is also true all men see not It is to many as the light of the Sunne is to a blinde man and the great multitude Simile gets no more good of it then a blind man gets consolation of the Sunne Who is it then that sees it None but the sanctified one that is none but they that are sanctified by the holy Spirit Nay no spirit no sanctification no sanctification no sight of God and so thou art no Saint but the diuell possesseth thee So none sees what this Gospell is but the sanctified ones and that man is he that hath gotten the spirit of Iesus to open the eye of his soule for it is the spirit of God that opens the soule to see what the Gospell of Christ is and what vertue comes with it when it comes If thou hadst the quickest spirit that can be if thou haue not the spirit of God thou shalt not see one whit in God because as it is the spirit of man that searcheth the spirit of man so it is the spirit of God that searcheth all things yea the most secret things of God 1. Cor. 2. 10. So none sees what the Gospell is and what it brings with it but such as are illuminated by the spirit of God Heare as long as thou wilt thou shalt a bide in blindnes till thou come to a desperate hardnes of heart if thou be not enlightened with the spirit of Iesus this is to be had in and by the Gospell Therefore brethren say euer Lord make me a Saint make me one of that number and make me to crie for the spirit of Iesus to sanctifie and Luk. 11. 9. 10. 15. enlighten me for otherwise thou shalt perish for want of the light of God Now to come to the next verse when he hath spoken of the Saints he insists vpon the reuelation of the mysterie made vnto them and hee sets it out in sundrie circumstances First hee sheweth who is y e Reuealer to wit God Secondly what cause moued him to make this reuelation to the Saints to wit his The reuelation or manifestation of the Gospell good pleasure towards them Thirdly what thing is reuealed to wit this mysterie And he termes it not simply a mysterie but he calles it the riches of his glorious mysterie and not that onely but the mysterie of Christ Fourthly among whom is it reuealed to wit not among the Iewes onely but among the Gentiles also through the world All tends to this to let vs see the glorie of the grace of God as it is said Ephe. 1. 6. So that this Gospell is shining bright and aboundantly in such a wonderfull great mercie that there is not a circumstance but it lets you see a wonderfull grace in God To come then to the first The reuealer of this mysterie is no other but God He was the author of the reuelation of this The first circumstance mysterie of the Gospell The Saints they begun not to see first but God first reuealed before they saw or could see yea they had neuer seene one glimse with their eye if God had not begun to reueale it no thou shalt neuer see any heauenly or spirituall Flesh and bloud can not teach vs spirituall things thing vnto the time it please the Lord to reueale it vnto thee Then in that hee is the beginner of grace herein appeares the more the glorie of his grace and the matter of praising of him but it staies not here We will come then to the next What moued him to reueale this mysterie to his Saints both of Iewes and Gentiles The Lord doth nothing rashly he hath The second circumstance euer good causes mouing him wherefore he doth this or that He is not like a vaine man that doth and vndoeth again and wots not what hee doth Saw hee any thing in these Saints to moue him Some Papist will say hee foresaw some merit in them O but the text saith that there was no such thing at all without himselfe which could moue him hee saw nothing I Nothing in the world did moue God to send Christ and his Gospell vnto vs but his owne loue and good pleasure say in the same or yet in the world which could moue him but his owne goodnes His good pleasure which was ere euer they were Saints is it that moued him to reueale this mysterie Then againe they were not Saints before the reuelation was made There is not a Saint before Christ be reuealed to them It is the sight of Christ that makes a man holy so there was neuer none holy but he that first gat that sight of Iesus the sight went before holines and holines followed vpon the reuelation because holines is the effect of the reuelation of the Gospell Then ye see that as the Lord is the beginner of the reuelation so it is not our deseruing but his owne good pleasure that moues him thereto The Lord of his good pleasure shewed himselfe to the world and no question this is spoken that thou shouldest euer glorie in God Alas would to God as we haue matter to glorifie God that we could answere to the thousand part of it Then to come to the third circumstance What is the thing The third circumstance that he hath reuealed He calles it a mysterie and
that cannot speake as the Apostles and Saints of God did wee should learne how to speake of God Paul the more he insists in speaking of Christ and his fulnes the more his heart aboundeth and the more How to speake of Christ with grace his mouth is filled with words to his praise degree by degree So the mans heart being filled with Iesus his mouth is filled a full mouth speaking of Christ wil fill the harts of the hearers Then brethren learne the more y t one speakes of the fulnes of Christ and of his glorie the more more shall he finde his hart abound his mouth filled And it is impossible if thy heart be full of him but thy mouth must be full and thou wilt speake of him with a full mouth and not lightly a word and away And then who wots but the Lord will make that fulnes to fill some of the hearts of the hearers Blessed is that heart that can get any part of that fulnes of Iesus for thy heart was neuer stablished with grace that neuer got no part of the fulnes of Iesus All this speaking tels thee Christ is no winde nor vanitie If thou hadst no other thing to know stedfastnes by this same speaking of Paul tels thee that all soliditie and fulnes is in Iesus Christ Therefore when thou readest this marke it and say I see here a fulnes Alas that there should be such fulnes in Christ and I hauing so small part of it Lord let me finde this fulnes in some measure Cease not while thou finde it for it stands thee vpon life and life and the heart that is not filled with Christ here in some measure shall neuer be filled with his presence and ioyes in heauen hereafter And therefore thou that wouldest haue that onely fulnes which shall be in heauen by the sweete presence of Iesus there where thou shalt see him as hee is in our nature full of glorie and maiestie which sight shall make thee reioyce exceedingly looke as thou wouldst haue ioy for euermore that thou be filled with Iesus here on earth in some measure otherwaies away with thee thou art a cast away and thy end shall be in euerlasting woe woe vpon woe and euer in woe So then you may see all the glorie in heauen is in Iesus Christ there is not a iot of glorie out of him but all is in him that is in thy Sauiour Wouldest thou haue a Sauiour where wouldest thou get one if thou misse this Sauiour See the honour of thy nature in him All the glorie of heauen shines through the vaile of thy nature in him thy nature is the very vaile that hangs about that glorious Christ God manifested in our flesh maiestie that light that hath no accesse and it shines to thee through the vaile I speake this for this cause that thou presse not to seeke heauen nor no ioy nor glorie therein but in this Lord Iesus Christ No looke not here nor there but directly set thine eye vpon him that sits at the right hand of the Father For in him is all the glorie of the Father and looke that thou imagine not to see any glorie but that that is in thy head Where is thine heauen Iesus is thine heauen All thy heauen here and hence is as it were included in him Seeke it where thou wilt thou shalt finde no heauen without Christ Now to come to the next verse the Colossians might haue said What is that to vs that thou hast told vs of the great fulnes that is in him he is full but we are emptie what vantage haue wee by it Euen as if one would tell of a glorious King another will answere what is that to me The Apostle meetes with this obiection and saith In whom ye are complete who is the head of all principalitie and power As if he would say O Colossians in him ye are filled his fulnes is yours it serues for your profit So you see that not onely all fulnes of glorie is in Iesus Christ in his owne person but with the beames of it as it were all creatures are filled yea heauen it selfe is filled with his glorie and the earth is filled with his glorie and this is the felicitie of all the creatures in the world Wherein trowest thou stands the blessednes of the earth of the heauen and of all the elements Note Looke the eight chapter to the Romanes vers 21. 22. and there you shall finde that the blessednes of the creature stands in the gloriousnes of Rom. 8. 21 22 Christ one day to be reuealed And therefore Paul saith that the world groanes sighing for the reuelation of his glorie for the glorie of the earth and heauen is not yet reuealed Peter saith in his second Epistle chap. 3. 12. 13. When that the Lord shall come in his glorie that the heauens shall burne and be dissolued and the elements shall melt then there shall be new heauens A new heauen and a new earth made and a new earth So that thou shalt see another glorie in heauen and earth then euer was before or is now seene But to speake of man especially they that would beleeue and would be in him they shall be ingrafted as it were into him and set as it were in his fulnes aboue all other creatures for they shall be filled with his own fulnes If thou be set in him as the Sunne is in the firmament the fulnes of the glorie that is in him shall shine in thee aboue the earth aboue the Moone aboue the Sun it selfe So that this is felicitie to haue a share and portion of the grace and glorie of Christ to receiue of his fulnes for he is full of grace and veritie saith Iohn 1. 14. It is true indeed and so long as wee liue here this appeares not There is neuer a one that beleeues but he is a Kings sonne and a Kings daughter But saith John 1. Ioh. 3. 2. it appeares not as yet but when hee comes then it shall appeare wee shall all shine in glorie And the reprobate that thought thee but a lost creature shall wonder that euer there should be such a glorie prepared for thee Albeit thou shine not now yet if thou beleeue thou hast this vantage all that glorie that is in Christ is thine I say to thee a man is not so surely clad with his shirt as thou that beleeuest in Christ art clad with him He is a garment to thee haue what clothing thou wilt if thou hadst but a ragged coate yet if thou beleeuest in him thou art clad with him Goe where thou wilt if thou cast off thy coate Iesus will sticke by thee There is neuer a faithfull Saint wants Iesus And therefore thou maist say The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance Onely beleeue in him be ingrafted in him by faith Onely possesse him in thy heart Thou hast all his glorie and maiestie
And againe you see no man needes to enuie the glorie that Christ hath in him for he communicates that glorie to vs you see we enuie the glorie of earthly Princes This wee haue by nature we would haue it all our selues and the seed of ambition is in the beastliest bodie that is vpon earth which Ambition raiseth all these seditions tumults warres and vprores that is now adaies and hath been from the beginning Such is the enuie that euery man hath against another mans preferment his honour and estimation that hee cannot away with it except he haue all in himselfe And therefore hee leaues nothing vndone if it were to cut his throte so be it he may get his glory and renowne But thou that beleeuest needs not in such wise to enuie the glorie of Iesus Christ A King will not communicate his glorie with thee no not a iot of it but Iesus Christ communicates all his glorie with thee and therefore thou shouldest loue him the more yea and the faithfull man the more he sees God glorified the more is his ioy but a reprobate wil enuie the glorie of God Nay there was neuer such a subiect that enuied the glorie and honour of a Prince or of his master as a reprobate will enuie the glorie of Iesus Hee would if he might plucke him from his glorie such is the malice of his heart against Iesus Christ Yea the reprobate would The reprobate if it were possible bereaue the Saints of their glorie and whē this glorie of the Saints shall be reuealed the reprobate shall fret and fume they desire not to heare tell of the glorie of Christ and of his Saints And when they heare of it for they shall heare of it in despite of their teeth they heare it with the sadnes of their heart it is no comfort nor consolation to them to heare of it And by the contrary the faithfull one reioyceth when he heares of it it makes his hart to leape for ioy as Iohns did in his mothers belly when Mary the mother of Christ A sure token of election spake to Elizabeth Luk. 1. 41. Therefore if thou canst reioyce when thou hearest of Gods glorie in Iesus Christ it is a good and sure token of thy election And againe seeing that in Iesus there is this fulnes thou needes neuer to be emptie or feare to want Thou that findest any wastnes or emptines put out thy hand to the ambrie of the Gospel wherein this fulnes of grace The Gospel is the meane whereby Christ communicates his fulnes vnto vs. and glorie is to be had A contemner of the Gospell if he were a King he shall not taste of this fulnes and of this glorie of Iesus for there is no way to be partaker of this fulnes but by the Gospell It is the ambrie wherein it is contained And if thou misse it thou shalt neuer get a cheekefull or morfell of any fulnes in thy soule When hee hath said And in him ye are filled he subioynes a glorious description of him who is the head of all principalitie and power He cannot leaue of to speake of that glorious maiestie he said before In him are hid all treasures of wisedome and knowledge and againe in him dwelleth the Godhead bodily and so foorth as you haue heard now againe when he hath cast in a word of him he leaues him not so but hee will yet paint him out in his glorie Then learne to speake fully of Christ Alas this hungry speaking of Christ testifies the emptines and voidnes To speake fully of Christ of God in our hearts It is a true saying Of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh If thy heart were full of him as I haue said thy mouth would be full and thou wouldest speak fully of him but thy heart being so emptie what marueile is it to heare thee speake coldly of this Lord full of glorie Well there is no question but by this description wherein he makes him Lord ouer all both in heauen and earth hee meanes this that he is not onely Lord aboue them all but that also they are cast downe vnder his feete hee is mounted aboue them all Now there be two things that will make vs chiefly to account of this gloriousnes that is in Christ Iesus The one Two things do cause vs to thinke highly of Christ thing is his highnes a maiestie about all maiesties There is not a maiestie but that maiestie The other thing is thy lowlines and thy basenes thou art but a worme on earth hee is aboue all heauens Is not this a great goodnes that he that is so high should so lowly humble himselfe so that he should abase himselfe as it were to become a worme Men would wonder that euer the God of glorie should so haue humbled himself yea the Angels wonder at this that euer sinfull man should haue gotten a share or portion of that grace of God So this is my counsell if thou feele a smacke of grace of consolation or A speciall consolatiō of faith if it were but as a mustard seede count more of it then of all the kingdomes of the earth For it will weigh downe all keepe it well in thy heart and lose thy life and all before thou wilt lose it I counsell thee to looke vp to heauen first and say yet this Lord will giue me more of his grace and glorie when I shall see him with this eye of the bodie then the Lord will fill me with glorie and I will hope and be content to lose all before I should lose this Keepe this earnest peny for it is the ioy of the creature to keepe this earnest peny for one day thou shalt get the full summe and fulnes of ioy If thou keepe it not and haue no regard of it and hold not vp thy eye by night and by day by looking to Iesus in this Gospell thou shalt neuer get the full summe and entire payment The sucking of the hearts of the faithfull and the drinking in this milke of the word is the way to get Iesus to The way to get Iesus into the heart thy heart and to keepe him night and day yea it is the way appointed from all eternitie Abraham sought for him and got faith in him by the word of promise which is the Gospell Therefore it is said that he sawe him and reioyced Ioh. 8. 56. Nay Abraham neuer suffered himselfe to be seuered from that grace that was in him So the Gospel is the way to bring Christ out of heauen to thee and to fill the elect with all ioy and glorie To him therefore be euerlasting glorie praise and dominion for euer Amen THE SIXTEENTH LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 2. vers 11. 12. 11 In whom also yee are circumcised with circumcision made without hands by putting off the sinfull bodie of the flesh through the circumcision
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
tenth verse of the last chapter to the end Moreouer as concerning Maister Rollocke and his workes because this is the first fruite of his labours published in the English tongue he was as may appeare by many testimonies a most reuerend and faithfull seruant of Iesus Christ His name is very pretious and great in all reformed Churches and Nations which haue receiued the Gospell of Christ His learned and holy Commentaries on the Prophecie of Daniel on the Gospell of Iohn on the Epistle to the Romans Ephesians Galathians Colossians Thessalonians with his other workes extant in the Latine tongue testifie aboundantly of his gifts and graces And least any should except against my iudgement Epistola in Tractar de vocatione efficac ad D. Iohnston which I confesse is but meane or nothing heare one to speake for all whose wisdome and learning is reuerenced of all the godly Churches I meane Maister BEZA concerning this mans workes He saith That his labours on the Epistle to the Romans and Ephesians be as a rich treasure sent from God to his people Next saith he without all flatterie be it spoken I haue neuer as yet read any thing written in this kinde more briefe more eloquent and more indicious And then he proceedeth saying When I had viewed his workes I could not containe my selfe but as I was bound I gaue God thankes for him reioycing for his blessing on the Churches This part of his workes I meane these Lectures on this Epistle they were first preached in the Scottish tongue not much differing from our speech specially in the North parts of this land but now they are published in the most common and vsuall English phrase for the comfort and edification I trust of all such as vnderstand not the Latine tongue in both kingdomes I could wish in mine heart that all Preachers in both Churches would learne of this man to Preach the Gospell of Christ who wanting neither wit nor learning to set forth his exercises yet respects he as the Apostle taught him neither excellency of words nor humane wisdome nor desires to sauour of any thing but of Iesus Christ and him crucified His continuall care is so to speake as that the spirituall power and grace of the 1. Cor. 2 1 2 3 4 5 6. Gospell might speake onely to the consciences of the hearers to worke in them and not himselfe by any perswasions of his learning and eloquence These workes are now published after his death so that he hath not performed what he could and would haue done if his owne hand had been last vpon them The Christian readers will therefore pardon I doubt not all faults louingly which haue past in this first impression And thus hauing commended this worke vnto thee recommend me and it vnto the protection and blessing of the Almightie in Christ Iesus Thine in Christ Iesus Henry Holland MAISTER ROLLOCKS LECTVRES VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians THE FIRST LECTVRE COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 1 2 3 4 5 6. 1 Paul an Apostle of Iesus Christ by the will of God and Timotheus our brother 2 To them which are at Colosse Saints and faithfull brethren in Christ Grace be with you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Iesus Christ. 3 We giue thankes to God euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ alwaies praying for you 4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Iesus and of your loue toward all Saints 5 For the hopes sake which is laid vp for you in heauen whereof ye haue heard before by the word of truth which is the Gospell 6 Which is come vnto you euen as it is vnto all the world and is fruitfull as it is also among you from the day that ye heard and truly knew the grace of God I Haue chosen brethren this Epistle which the Apostle Paul lying in bands at Rome wrote to the Church that was at Colosse euen for this cause chiefly because as you shall see in the deduction it sheweth all grace to be in Christ Iesus our Lord all wisdome knowledge mercy and whatsoeuer a sinfull creature standeth in need of is to be sought and found in Iesus Christ and nothing to be sought without him But to come to the purpose briefly the Colossians were so called of Colosse a towne in Phrygia in Asia the lesse whom Epaphras not an Apostle but an Euangelist inferior in ranke to an Apostle had conuerted to the faith of Iesus Christ After him enters in certaine deceiuers to subuert the ground of faith which faithfully and truly Epaphras had laid mingling with the Gospell vaine Philosophie the rites of the Law of Moses voluntarie worshipping as it is called not content with the simplicitie of the Gospell In the meane time the Apostle lyeth at Rome in bandes he had neuer seene them nor been among them because they were not founded by him but by Epaphras who comes to him and communicateth to him the estate of the Church at Colosse how he had founded it and how false teachers had crept in Wherefore he desires the Apostle to write this Epistle to them to exhort them to stand to the true doctrine that Epaphras had taught them and not to beleeue the false teachers And this is the occasion of the writing of this epistle The Principall parts of it are these First the salutation of Parts of the Epistle the Apostle with Timothie to the Church of Colosse Secondly the preface wherein he indeuoureth to purchase the good will and attention of the Colossians Thirdly the doctrine it selfe short but exceeding effectuall of the Lord Iesus and his office as we shall heare hereafter Fourthly after the doctrine he comes to the exhortation exhorting the Colossians to constancie and perseuerance in the faith and doctrine of Iesus Christ Fiftly he admonisheth them to beware of false teachers these things are handled in the first two chapters Sixtly he commeth to certaine precepts partly generall partly particular Seuenthly he endeth his epistle with some salutations As touching this first chapter first we haue to obserue in it the salutation secondly the preface of the Epistle thirdly the doctrine fourthly the exhortation As for the salutation because it is common to the rest of his epistles therefore I shall passe through it briefly The persons that wish health and welfare to the Church of Colosse are first Paul the Apostle sent immediatly by Iesus Christ by the will of the Father first the will of the father goeth before then the sonne the Lord Iesus sendeth out this Apostle for he did nothing without the will of the Father The second person is Timothy a brother so he names him not an Apostle but an Euangelist and fellow labourer following Paul watering where he had planted for the office of euery Euangelist was to water where the Apostles before had planted and to build where they had laid the foundation of the true doctrine of Iesus Christ the Sauiour The persons vnto
whom this health and welfare is wished are those that were at Colosse to wit the saints the faithfull brethren in Iesus Christ that is to say the Church of God that is made vp of faithfull men and saints all brethren in Iesus Christ at that time in Colosse The thing wished by Paul and Timothy is first grace euen that grace euen that mercy that is shewed vpon the world in Iesus Christ the Lord of grace and mercy without whom there is no grace to any nation tongue nor person vpon the earth Then the second thing is peace that followeth on grace for his grace once obtained in the remission of sinnes vpon it then followeth that inward peace of the soule and conscience especially towards God and all felicitie both spirituall and corporall And without that grace there is no true peace nor blessing of God all is but a curse to thee though thou hadst all the world Now to come to the preface vpon the which we minde by Gods grace to insist passing ouer the salutation and the rest before In the preface of the Epistle the Apostle procureth and conciliateth to himselfe the good will and affection of these Colossians to this end that they liking of the person of the writer should esteeme the more of the doctrine exhortations precepts and directions that after followe For the liking of the person of the teacher and writer serueth much to the imbracing of the doctrine that is taught and by the contrarie the misliking of the person that teacheth the word of God hindereth the faith of the hearer The Apostle knew this and begins with a preface to allure and conquer their fauour and good will The arguments whereby he laboureth to doe this are two The first is he lets them vnderstand that he thanketh God for them The second argument is he letteth them vnderstand that as he thanketh God for them so immediatly he prayeth for their happie and prosperous estate in Christ Iesus So there are the two arguments whereby hee will procure their good will and attention to this his doctrine We thanke God saith he euen the father of our Lord Iesus Christ there is the first argument alwayes praying for you there is the next argument In the text following he expounds euery one of them in their owne roome Then to come to the proposition of the argument we thanke God saith he euen the Father In thanking God for them he congratulateth with them for that blessed state that they stoode in in Iesus Christ Obser ∣ uation 1 Ye see brethren his reioycing with them for that estate stands not in thankesgiuing to them or praising of them for that estate but in praising and glorifying of God to teach vs in all our congratulating together for the prosperous estate of any people or person in particular not to forget God but to make our congratulation a thankesgiuing to God and praising and glorifying of him and why should we not if we looke aright on the matter whatsoeuer thing ioyfull or prosperous falles out in this world either vpon our selues or vpon others temporall or spirituall all are his benefits and falles downe from heauen from him and therefore why should we not when we reioyce for any thing either giuen to our selues or vnto others remeber our God and giue thankes to him for the same Note Our reioycing should goe vp to heauen from whence that blessing descended and came downe This manner of congratulation is not in this place onely but through all his epistles and it is far different from the reioycing of the Ethnickes that neuer speaketh one word of God The flattering Lowne will say to the Emperor it is your wisedome you haue done this or that and neuer a word of God So that as many congratulations as you reade in these prophane men they are all as many blasphemies against God giuing the praise due to God to a creature that is but vile and stincking though he were an Emperor or a monarch ouer the whole earth And as this was the fashioning of the Ethnickes congratulation that knew not God it is euen so with men in praysing men now in our dayes forgetting God How many be there which flatter men as though all were done by them and not by the author of grace what is that but blasphemie against God Obser ∣ uation 2 Marke secondly for whom it is that he thanketh God and prayeth not for himselfe praying saith he ardently for you We are not bound to pray only for our selues but we are bound to pray for others also Selfe-loue draweth vs so neere our selues Selfe loue that it maketh vs forget others Thou art not bound onely to pray for thy selfe but if thou be a member of Christ thou art bound to pray for the body in generall and particular and all the benefits of God bestowed on any person on the earth temporall or spirituall should be to thee a matter of praysing God Brethren if we had that zeale to the glorie of God and that loue to our neighbours which we ought to haue there would not be a blessing of God that fell to our neighbour but we would glorifie God for it as if it had fallen to our selues These are the latter dayes and worst dayes wherein zeale to God and loue to man is cleane departed out of the hearts of men This is a cursed generation To whom giues hee the thankes We thanke God saith he euen the father of our Lord Iesus Christ marke the wordes he saith not God onely but he telleth vs what a God this is God said he that is the Father of Iesus to let vs see that it is vnlawfull for thee to acknowledge another God but onely that God that manifesteth himselfe in the sonne The knowledge of God in Christ is the very key Seeke the face of God in Christ and Christ in the Gospell that opens the gate of heauen maketh thee to get entry into that light that hath no accesse Knowest thou God in Christ then hast thou an entry to him Otherwise thou knowest him not nor thou shalt neuer be able to enter into heauen The Turke for all his speaking of God got neuer accesse to God The Iewe for all his boast of the knowledge of God knoweth him not nor neuer shall knowe him nor see him without Iesus Christ God that sittes in heauen will not looke vpon thee without his sonne he is no father to thee neither will be neither will he shew any sparke of loue to thee but in his onely sonne the Lord Iesus Therefore say not that thou knowest God or that he is thy Father except first and aboue all thou knowe the Lord Iesus thou shalt neuer knowe him but to thy vtter ouerthrowe and wracke if thou knowest him not in Iesus Christ Now to come to the second part of the proposition contayning his prayer hee thinks it not enough to thanke God for them but hee will pray for
the Mediatour came and ioyned them with man So you may see the care of God towards mankinde to haue been very great and very louing The Apostle to the Hebrues 11. vers 39. 40. comparing the old Church with the new saith That the Saints that suffered before they got not the thing promised because God had a respect to vs Euen so he did with the Angels hee would not giue them their full blessing without vs vile stinking sinners What regard is this that thy God should haue of thee Lastly I will speake this to thee that esteemes so little of the communion with the bodie of the Church O miserable creature vaine lowne thou shalt neuer bee blessed till thou bee ioyned with the Saints of God in the Church Vaine soule if thou be not ioyned with the bodie of Christ which is his Church thou shalt perish for euer thou shalt goe to hell I giue thee this doome Now followes the fift circumstance of this reconciliation The fift circumstance To whom is it made It is said to himselfe not to another It hath pleased him to reconcile all things to himselfe Then all blessednes is in that coniunction with God ioyne thy selfe with Blessednes wherein it consisteth him and thou shalt be blessed if thou be not ioyned with God thou shalt neuer be blessed seeke blessednes here and there yet no blessednes but with God The Angels haue no blessing but in that they are conioyned with God through the Lord Iesus Christ yea I tell thee the earth and the heauen haue no blessing but in that amitie and friendship with the creator O what vanitie is it to thinke thou hast any blessing without the coniunction with the creator But to speake of man thy reconciliation must be with the father with whom thou art at enmitie to whom thou wast an enemie whom thou offendedst therefore thy reconciliation must be with God Marke it a sinner sinne against whom he will slay and it were all the world in so doing he sinnes not so much against man as against God No no it is against God himself as Dauid saith Against thee O Lord haue I sinned and done euill in thy sight Psal 51. For sinne is the transgression of the law 1. Ioh. 3. 4. O foule butcher O oppressor and sacrilegious theefe Thou that dost any euill against a man thou dost it not so much against the In euery sin a man fighteth against God person of the man as against God himselfe that is in heauen and so man that sinnes must be reconciled with him because it is against God that the sinne is committed The creatures also that stood and fell not are at enmitie with thee for when thou wast enemie to God thou wast enemie also to the very creatures and God and the creatures were enemies to thee O well had it been for thee who art a Reprobate that thou hadst been made a stone when thou becamest an enemie to God through thy sinne for thou madest not onely God to be thy enemie but thou madest all the good creatures of God to be thy enemie the Sunne the Moone the Starres and firmament the Angels in heauen yea these very senceles things of the earth and the beast and the foule of the ayre the earth grones vnder thee and it would be quit of thee as of an enemie it will not binde vp friendship with thee if thou be an enemie to God So if thou be an enemie to God thou art an enemie to all the good creatures of God and they are enemies to thee but if thou be in band and coniunction with God the heauen and all the creatures will be friends to thee The enmitie and friendship that stands with any creature it depends vpon the feude and friendship with God so that if thou All the creatures in enmitie with all vnbeleeuers be at feude with God all the creatures will be at feude with thee and if thou be at friendship with him all the creatures will be thy friends Marke this well marueile not that the Sea should drowne thee and thy house smother thee that art at strife with God through thy villanous life wonder not it is a wonderfull thing that they that are at feude with God dares enter into a house or go out of it or venter on the sea But the consciences of men are so locked vp that they will not vnderstand nor feare this but the vaine sleeping lowne saies peace peace Oh but the iudgement comes with such a rattle about the eares of the lowne that hee cannot get once space to say God is mercifull Haue you not marked this in these bloudie murtherers and the rest Nay thou that criest peace to thy soule when thou art doing all the mischiefe and villanie thou canst and if thou goe on so the fierce wrath of God and terrible iudgement shall oppresse thee ere euer thou be aware of thy selfe Now followes the sixt poynt or circumstance to be considered in reconciliation By whom is it made There must be a mediator or else it cannot be made Indeed the first friendship was made without a mediator because man and woman they were created at the beginning holy without spot of sinne but at the making of the next friendship because of the offence there must needs be a mediator to passe betwixt thee and that fire that was readie to deuoure thee for thou thy selfe darest not appeare and sue for it immediatly for thou art not able to stand in the presence of that terrible God before whose face there goes a fearefull fire that would consume thee at an instance So there must be a Mediator It is true that the Father made this reconciliation of his free mercie and of a passing grace hee bare to mankinde Would to God wee had a sense of it but I tell thee this grace and mercie was deere bought it is not an easie thing to a sinner that hath violated so holy a maiestie to get accesse againe This mercie from whence this reconciliation comes it springs out of the Lord Iesus as a faire greene tree in a garden it springs out of the very bloud of the Mediatour the Lord Iesus For why the mercie could neuer haue been nor had place if the wrath and iustice of the Father had not bin satisfied with that bloud there could neuer haue been such a thing as mercie to the world if that bloud had neuer been shed and so say I this mercie and grace springs vp sweetly and gratiously out of the bloud of Christ So wouldest thou haue mercie lay hold on the bloud of Christ and as thou wouldest haue part in heauen rest neuer while thou finde that bloud sprinkled in thy conscience thy heart washed with it Now from whence comes this Mediatour how is he giuen to thee The father saith the Scripture loued the world Iohn 3. 16. So the Mediatour vpon whom this new band of mercie and grace riseth is giuē of
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.
of grace or two or sixe or seauen for there is no facietie till thou get that sight of the countenance of Iesus in the heauen as he is Now he ioynes with this aboundance thankesgiuing as if he would say as thou findest thy faith grow euer thanke him that giues thee it For these two are inseparably coupled together so that if you take thankes away there will be no abounding of faith Thou that canst not thanke God thou hast no faith thou that canst not perseuere in thanksgiuing thou growest not in faith For thanksgiuing is an vnseparable companion of faith Growest thou in thanksgiuing thou growest in faith True signes of faith for it is a plaine argument of the growth of faith in thee Hast thou a pleasure to pray and to aske and to thanke God thou canst not get a surer token of the aboundance of faith then that Then thou maist reioyce and say Praised be God my faith growes and I shall get daily a cleerer sight of the face of Christ and so shall be made conformable to my Sauiour the Lord Iesus Now the Lord worke this grace and earnestnes in our hearts for this his Christs sake To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be praise for euer Amen THE FIFTEENTH LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 2. vers 8. 9. 10. 8 Beware least there be any man that spoyles you through Philosophie and vaine deceit through the traditions of men according to the rudiments of the world and not after Christ 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulnes of the Godhead bodily 10 Andye are compleate in him which is the head of all principalitie and power THe Apostle brethren hauing set downe his doctrine as ye heard in the first chapter he addes hereunto an exhortation and admonition He hath exhorted to perseuerance in faith now hee admonisheth to beware of false teachers and of false doctrine He began his exhortation in the first chapter then hauing spoken something of himself partly in the first partly in the second he returnes and giues this admonition to beware of false teachers Then after he returnes to the exhortation again calling vpon them to be constant in the doctrine once receiued Now in the text that wee haue read this day he returnes to the admonition admonishing them to beware of false teachers Then briefly to come to the words Beware saith he least there be any man that spoyles you The word in the originall language signifies Let no man The sense of the word spoiles carrie you away as a pray The word is borrowed from robbers and theeues that come vpon a folde of sheepe and carrie away the sheepe as a pray Euen so false teachers are naught else but robbers brigands theeues that come vpon the sheepfold of the Lord Iesus and carrie away his sheepe as a pray The manner how they doe this is not by strong hand or by violence but it is by Philosophie by deceiuing of the sheepe and snaring of them first by sophistrie and then when they haue snared them and trapped them they binde them and so take them on their shoulders and they goe on willingly being deceiued Therefore wouldest thou not be a pray to a false teacher keep thee from his deceit keepe thee from the Papists traditions mens Philosophie For all their religion is meere peltrie I say to thee their Philosophie that is their deceit and vanitie in doctrine The philosophie of the enemies of the Church more to be feared then their violence or power is more to be feared then their violence and power because by it onely they get their pray if thou keepe thee from their deceit they shall not bee able to take thee as a pray As for their violence if they beguile thee not it shall neuer seuer thee from the Lord Iesus Christ Yet to insist vpon this hee calles it Philosophie A faire name to be called wisedome but hee giues it as foule a name afterward when he names it vaine deceit that is vanitie that deceiues there is no soliditie in all their doctrine Search it who will Indeede it is true the wisedome of man so long as it is within the bounds of things that are earthly and worldly things naturall things concerning policie it will haue some soliditie but so soone as the head of a man albeit neuer so ingenious and learned reacheth without the bounds of earthly and naturall things begins to climbe vp to heauen and to seeke out God and his worship there the head of man vanisheth and becomes foolishnes O how great distance is there betwixt the wisedome of God and man Therefore Paul to the Romanes chap. 1. 21. speaking of the wise Philosophers seeing to be wise saith they became starke fooles Diuine Plato a very foole in the knowledge and worship of God and all the rest fooles concerning God Yet brethren he saith This wisedome of theirs is deceiuing Although it be vaine notwithstanding it is effectuall to beguile thee because it will seeme to be wisedome and it is dyed with the colour of wisedome so that if thou wilt looke on it at the first face it wil seeme wisedome for outwardly it hath a fairer shew then the greatest wisdome of God So I note here alas how lightly and with how light a thing is a bodie deceiued Follie will seeme wisedome and vanitie will seeme stedfastnes vnto him There is none borne otherwise if he haue no more then his natural birth So there must be a deeper ground of this matter What can be the cause that vanitie and follie can so soone deceiue a man Alas if the cause were not in thee thou couldest not so soone be deceiued Thou art borne with a vaine hart and thou drinkest it vp as naturally as sand doth water If thou hadst not this nature and this vaine heart none would be able to beguile thee When I consider this O fie vpon the deceit of the world I wonder not to see millions of Papists Poperie is a naturall religion Kings and nations to be so blinded this day at the light of the Gospell for that is the naturall disposition of all men but rather I wonder to see one silly body to haue that change that he can drinke in the truth of God And if thou haue it thy selfe wonder at it and giue him thanks that hath shewed such grace and mercie on thee To go forward In the second word when he hath set down this vaine deceit he specifies it more particularly and saith Through the traditions of men according to the rudiments of the world and not according to Christ I aske the question what thinkest thou by the vainest doctrine that euer was taught I answere out of this place of the Apostle when hee hath said Traditions of men the vainest deceit in the world vaine deceit hee expounds it mens traditions so the vainest doctrine in the world is mens traditions If thou wouldest
earnest in keeping and hearing such doctrine as concerneth life euerlasting and when thou hearest this doctrine of dirt turne thy eare away from it for there is no godlines in it And I giue you my counsell heare him not that speaketh of such things but heare him that will speake of Christ Iesus and his doctrine which shall feede thee to life euerlasting It will not be meate and drinke and the doctrine thereof which will feede thee but it must be this doctrine of Christ wherewith thou must be fed and thou must still feede on it vntill thou be glorified in him and with him for euer and euer To whom with the Father and holy Spirit be al praise and honour now and euer Amen THE XXIII LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 3. vers 1. 2. 3. 1 If ye then be risen with Christ seeke those things which are aboue where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God 2 Set your affections on things which are aboue and not on things which are on the earth 3 For ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God WE haue heard in this Epistle beloued brethren in Iesus Christ first the inscription of the Epistle Secondly The parts of this epistle alreadie handled the preface Thirdly the doctrine touching Christ and his benefits And then fourthly wee haue heard how he passed from the doctrine to the exhortations and admonitions exhorting the Colossians to perseuerance in that faith which they had receiued admonishing them to beware of the false Apostles their doctrine and mens traditions In this admonition hee insisteth throughout the whole second chapter Now brethren in this third chapter taking occasion of the vaine and corruptible things as meate drink and such things of which are the traditions of men from the which he had disswaded them in the former chapter he begins to exhort them to other things not corruptible but euerlasting not earthly but heauenly in the which true godlines and holines standeth Throughout all this whole chapter he insisteth vpon this first in general and then he cōmeth to his exhortation in speciall And he continueth so to the seuenth verse of the next chapter The particulars I remit to the diduction of the text and I come to the words presently read In thē there are two exhortatiōs to one thing together with sundry arguments hee exhorteth in both to the things aboue to heauenly things and the foresaid exhortation which he vseth for this purpose is to seeke them and the second exhortation is to know them to be wise in them and to vnderstand them for that is the force of the word Then to come to the first exhortation If ye be risen with Christ seeke the things that are aboue There is the exhortation and the first argument which is ye are risen with Christ to life after that ye were dead to all these beggerly ceremonies to mens traditions of meate and drinke and such like Now after ye were dead to these ye are risen againe to a life and to an heauenly life therefore seeke the things that are in heauen Now to insist vpon euery word Ye see here and in the chapter before mention is made of a dying of Christ and of a buriall with him and of a rising and liuing with him so that when he dieth wee die and when hee riseth and liueth we rise and liue Marke it well In a word as he altereth wee alter so many as beleeue in him of necessitie they change as he change when he dies they die by vertue of his death to sinne and to the world and sinne dieth in them when he riseth they rise with him vnto that heauenly life This alteration is wonderfull What man is high in the world which wil draw others after him after this manner that when he dieth wil cause another to die with him that neuer saw him bodily in this life What is he I say looke through the whole world and to all the Kings of the world whom will ye find in heauen or earth that will alter men after this manner by his death and life This is one common doctrine but it would be considered well for there are few which vnderstande this doctrine Then of necessitie in Iesus Christ there must be a great force and vertue Ye see now the Heauens Planets Sunne Moone and the rest because they by their operation do make alteration in these inferiour things as in plants grasse fields and euen in the bodie of man because I say of this operation in these inferiour creatures wee ascribe a great vertue to them But all these celestiall bodies cannot worke such effects as Iesus Simile his death and life can worke No no if thou were once dead these celestiall signes and planets will not make thee liue againe The Sunne nor the Moone cannot make thee liue when once thou art dead but when thou art dead Iesus will raise thee vp more liuely then euer thou werst before So there The power of Christs death and resurrection must be in him a force aboue all the force and power that euer God made or gaue to any creature But marke brethren concerning this power he must be a man in whom this power is because this vertue cannot come to thee but through the nature of man man cannot die to sinne and liue to righteousnesse but by that vertue that commeth through man yet he must be more then a man and that a holie man without al spot of sinne He must be more then this I say he must be God to Rom. 8. 11 Phil. 3. 10. 11. make thee die to sinne and rise vnto righteousnes This commeth of the special power and vertue of God for none is able in heauen or earth to worke such a strange worke as this except hee be God Yet there must be more of necessitie there must be a coniunction betwixt thee and him he must be ioyned Our communion with Christ to thee and thou to him otherwise his vertue will not come to thee either to thy death or to thy life he must bee thy husband and thou his spouse yea hee must be more then thy husband for the husband cannot draw the wife after him by vertue of his death or life either to liue or to die as Christ can doe He must be then thy head he must be as neere as thy head is neere thy bodie That is the familiar similitude of the Scripture When the head dieth the bodie dieth with it and when the head is liuely the bodie hath sense and being So when Iesus dieth the bodie dieth when Iesus riseth the bodie riseth also So the meetest thing to expresse him and his coniunction with vs is the head bodie of man and yet he must be more then the head for there came neuer such vertue from the head of a man to the bodie as there shall come from thy head Iesus Christ
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
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
spirituall life begun here The perfect life of glorie is with Christ therefore they should set their eye on heauen and heauenly things Now to go forward they might haue demaunded when shall wee haue that life and when shall it be manifested To this the Apostle in the first verse which I haue now read answereth and saith it shall be reuealed to you yea rather ye shall appeare as soone as Iesus Christ the Lord of life shall be reuealed After this followeth another exhortation grounded vpon this answere and promise of life to be reuealed as we shall heare To come then to the first part of their demaund and question they moue I marke this first when once any hath begun to taste of that life to come and of heauenly things as the Colossians did there is a continuall longing and desire to haue the fulnes and accomplishment thereof If thou hadst tasted it thou wilt long for it and aske when it shall be fully reuealed Such as haue tasted Christ effectually long to see him And therefore Paul to the Romanes chap. 8. vers 23. saith We that haue receiued the first fruites of the spirit there is the beginning of the life spirituall and of heauen we sigh within our selues waiting for the adoption euen the redemption of our bodies What thing can be more cleere then this And in the 2. Cor. chap. 5. vers 2. We saith he being burdened with this mortalitie we sigh not that we would cast away these bodies but that we would be cloathed vpon Then he expoundeth himselfe that mortalitie might be swallowed of life So the taste of a spirituall life here hath euer a continuall longing and a desire to haue it fully manifested that it might appeare as it is It is euer enquiring The first obseruation when it shall be fulfilled but thou that hast not tasted it thou canst not seeke after it and thou that hast not tasted it in this life thou shalt neuer finde it hereafter But I debarre thee from heauen and this life of Iesus play thy part as thou wilt and reele here and there at thy pleasure if thou haue not a taste of heauen and of the life of Iesus here thou shalt neuer see it hereafter I giue thee this doome The next thing I obserue about this demaund is They aske not so soone but as soone they are answered yea they are preuented The second obseruatiō and they get no leasure as it were to aske So thou that seekest for comfort shalt get comfort they that seeke for that life euerlasting shall get a meeting and finde a comfortable answere It cannot faile at the least while they be put in possession of it they shall be fed with the promise of that life and shall no sooner aske for it but the answere shall be made to them When Christ shall appeare then shall ye also appeare with him in glorie And least brethren ye should thinke these promises to be but bare words Peter in his first Epistle and first chapter resolueth you when he saith beleeuing in the promise ye reioyce with a ioy vnspeakable and glorious The faith in the promise of things that are not yet come filleth the heart with ioy and bringeth some sense of that we long for for the faith in the promise sucketh that life out of heauen Therefore beleeue while thou seest let faith hold vp thy heart vntill thou be put in the full possession of the things beleeued in To come to the words of the text The promise is this Ye shall appeare in glorie and ye shall see your life There is the promise The time is defined here when Christ shall appeare vpon this defining of the time ye shall note Our life dependeth vpon Christ the time of it dependeth vpon his time all the time from the beginning to his first comming in our nature as hee was hid and was not yet manifested So that heauenly life lay hid and shined not in the world and more I tell you few gat it and few saw it Then againe when hee begun to come out and manifest himselfe in our nature then our life came out and begun to appeare Lastly when hee shall come againe in this full manifestation of his glorie that that thou now hast is but little in respect of that which thou shalt see It was but a small sight the Iewes gat in respect of that thou shalt get then for then shall thy life appeare in the fulnes of it there shall nothing be hidden but all shall be made manifest And seeing then our life dependeth on him alwaies hang thou on him by faith and waite for his comming Alas cannot thy eye once in the day be lifted vp to heauen to waite for him Paul maketh the promise to none but to those who waite for his last comming and so it shall not pertaine to thee if thou waite not for his comming Againe another thing followeth cleerely of these words and The third obseruatiō this manifestation The glorie of Christ must be in the first place it must be formost Then secondly followeth thy life and thy glorie as one pendicle of his glorie for thy life is manifested with him when hee shall appeare who is thy life then shalt thou appeare So his life and glorie goeth first and then thine followeth after And when Christ shal come in that day the chiefest respect he shal haue shall be to his own glory And therefore 2. Thess chap. 1. vers 10. it is said when he shall come he shall come that he may be glorified among his Saints So the end of his comming is his glorie that hee may be admirable that all The manifestation of Christ in his compleate glorie vnto men and Angels with admiration the Angels and all the Saints may stand about to giue glorie to Iesus Nay there shall not be such a wondring at the elects glorie as at his glorie he shall be a perpetuall admiration to man and Angell Then the lesson is seeing it is his glorie that first shall appeare giue it the first place and let it be deerer to thee then thy life and thy glorie both Thou shalt not diminish one iot of that yea chuse rather to goe to hell then that he should not haue his glorie yea if thou account more of thy life then his of glorie thou shalt neither get life nor glorie In some measure thou must do as Moses and Paul did rather then hee should want his glorie desire rather to be rased out of the booke of life and to be Anathema accursed for therein thou shalt lose nothing but thou preferring his glorie to thy very life and saluation shalt find life glorie and saluation for euer for he loueth them decrely that loue him In the beginning of this verse there is a short description of Christ when Christ that is our life This short description containeth the cause wherefore when he shall be glorified and appeare
thou shalt be glorified The cause is because hee is thy life and then hee appearing of force thou must appeare because his life is thine Is not this comfortable that the glorie The glorie of Christ and thy life cannot be parted of Iesus and thy life cannot bee parted Thou canst not liue without him and hee will not want thee Againe as soone as his life shall appeare thou shalt appeare It is very comfortable yet the phrase is to be marked He saith not when Christ of whom wee haue our life shall appeare but hee saith when Christ who is our life shall appeare This is a more effectuall speaking and the very manner of speech noteth this that that spirituall life that we begin to liue here is not so much a life different from his life as it is the very life that Christ liueth himselfe Christ hath a life and wee haue the same in number the life of Christ ouershadoweth vs. That same very life and no other extendeth to vs so farre as wee are capable of it Brethren ye may perceiue this to be a similitude Liueth the bodie another life then the head No There is but one life in the man and that that the head hath the same the whole bodiehath and it quickeneth euery member of the bodie Euen so is it to be thought of the life of Iesus our spirituall head There is a neerer coniunction betwixt vs and him then there is betweene this head of ours and the bodie so that of necessitie there is but one life of Christ and ours and we liue that same life of Iesus as members of that mysticall bodie whereof he is the head Paul Galath chap. 2. vers 20. he saith not by Christ I liue but he saith Christ liueth in me And Ephes chap. 3. vers 17. he dwelleth in me So his life is mine And the 2. Cor. chap. 4. vers 10. the life of Iesus is manifested in me The life of Iesus was Pauls life What else then is thy life but this same life of Iesus This is comfortable he hath made thee a fellow companion to himselfe he will not giue thee another life but his owne life O that this miserable world wist what it were to liue the life of God to haue Christ and his life in it It is no small glorie to liue the life of Iesus In the last words he saith not when Christ who is your life shall appeare your life shall appeare but he saith ye shall appeare euen ye your selues in proper person and none others for you but ye your selues shall appeare with Iesus in that day For their demaund would seeme to meane another thing to wit that howsoeuer Christ should appeare who was their life yet they would be farre to seeke as we say But hee answereth them more comfortably ye your selues shall appeare at that day and not your life onely For your life shall not so soone appeare but as soone incontinently thereafter within the space of the twinckling of an eye ye your selues shall appeare so this speech telleth vs that there is a space of time wherein the sonnes of God are not knowne in the world the Lord hath children here and the world knoweth them not yea The world knowes not the Saints scarsely they themselues see it much lesse the world Then againe they haue a time when they are made knowne to be Kings sonnes the least of them euery one is the Kings sonne 1. Ioh. 3. 2. 3. and they themselues will know themselues then When is it that they are not knowne when his glorie is not seene What difference is there betweene a Kings sonne and another when he is not in his own place and dignitie So is it with thee thou art not in thine owne place and honour When shalt thou be knowne to be the sonne of God when the sonne of glorie Simile shall appeare then thou shalt be knowne to be the sonne of God Then the diuell shall be compelled to say there is the sonne of God there is a Kings sonne and an heire of the euerlasting kingdome Then againe when appeares not thine honour when the honour of thy eldest brother appeareth not so long as he is obscured so long thou art obscured When shall it appeare when thy eldest brother shall appeare then thou if thou be first second third fourth yea if ye were tenne thousand the honour of the eldest brother shall reach to all Then in one word the manifestation of the sonnes of God dependeth vpon the appearance of Iesus Christ the first borne our eldest brother When he shall appeare then thy glorie and honour shall appeare Therefore yee pray Let thy kingdome come that is let Iesus appeare in his glorie and let me next appeare This is the effect of the prayer Now to come to the next verse vpon this promise of appearing and life to be manifested he groundeth his exhortation and saith therefore mortifie your earthly members as if he would say your glorie is to bee reuealed yee shall once appeare the sonnes of God in glorie and dignitie what shall ye then doe in the meane time Be occupied saith hee in mortifying the members of your bodie that ye may be found cleane otherwise ye shall not see that life to come Now to obserue this ere wee goe further Such a glorious life requires a death thou shalt neuer get it if there be not a death in thee thinke not to come to it with all thy lusts with thee if thou fall not to the mortification of that hand that hath slaine thy eldest brother the Lord Iesus thou shalt neuer get that life This vaine world thinketh to carrie vp a bloudie hand and a wicked eye to heauen no if thou take it with thee thou shalt not get entrance the gate shall be hurled on thy face The harlot thinketh that she shall get heauen with her harlotrie No she and her harlotrie shall goe to hell no vncleane thing shall enter there if thou be not holie and in some measure sanctified and that filthie 1. Cor. 6. 9 lust of thine slaine thou shalt neuer get heauen deceiue not your selues Yet to marke the words he saith mortifie slay Hee said before they were dead meaning to sinne now hee biddeth them slay on and die on thou that hast begun to die continue otherwise thou wilt not liue This telleth vs sin is not slaine in an instant yea if thou shouldest liue a thousand Sinne is not slaine in an instant yeeres it will liue with thee as long as thou liuest ere thou die it shall not die it hath a quicker life then thou hast thou art but a bubble of water all the Kings of the earth cannot slay sinne yea when this life is gone that same originall sin goeth to the graue with thee and resolueth the bodie into ashes Originall sin liueth after death in the ashes and after that lieth in the ashes and leaueth thee not vntill Christ
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
meeting is much more worth to vs then it is to him for what haue wee but all of him and so Christ is in steed of all because he is all otherwise he could not be in steed of all What is this that Christ is all He hath said in the first chapter of this Epistle vers 19. that in him dwelleth all fulnes And in the second chapter he saith in him dwell all the treasures and againe in him dwelleth the Godhead bodily And yet to come more particularly 1. Cor. chap. 1. vers 30. hee saith hee is made to vs wisedome and righteousnes and holines and redemption So wantest thou these things he is all to thee if thou beleeue in him he is full of all Yet brethren some will think there wanteth yet somethings I finde not all I seeke saith the auaricious riches I would haue house and chests full The ambitious saith I want honour I cannot get this in him The leacherous saith I cannot get my lust he is an enemie to me in that and so forth as man is inclined he would haue Christ made thereafter to him But vnderstand this brethren he speaketh not of a foule old man but of a new man not of an auaricious man and such others but of a new sanctified man and this man findeth all in him there is nothing that he wanteth but he findeth it in his Christ And I say suppose thou get not these earthly things in that measure that others get yet thou gettest better in him What and if thou get the better what hast thou lost Thou art a seruant yet thou art a freeman of the Lord Iesus And yet thinke ye that the Lord Iesus wanteth these earthly things Think ye that riches are not at his disposition He that diuideth acres is aboue the earth the Lords all are at his commaund if it were to wring them in peeces Therefore hee saith Seeke first the kingdome of heauen There is the first that wee should be occupied about if we would haue Christ to wit that we busie our selues about heauenly things and what shall follow He maketh a faire promise and all these earthly things shall be cast to you What are they worth they are but bits that are cast to thee There is no comparison betwixt them they are but things Matth. 6. that are adiected They are as it were additaments and yee will not thinke when this kingdome is gotten how small a thing of this world wil giue cōtent to a creature No he will vse it with greater contentation of mind then any hauing all this world wanting Christ will doe No if thou hast Christ thou lackest nothing all our want is that we cannot get him get him and thou shalt find that thou hast no want Now it might be said Christ is all but what is that to me he is full of glorie maiestie and power what is that to me He answereth he is all to all that is his grace is thy grace his abundance is thy abundance In the second chapter vers 9. when he had said that in him dwelleth all the fulnes of the Godhead bodily he addeth ye are full in him Note It is to be marked that he saith not Christ is all to some but to all The riches that are in Iesus extend not onely to some they are not contained within the compasse of one nation within Iewrie it could not hold them No tenne nations The riches of Christ common to all nations could not hold the riches of Iesus but it behooued that they should reach to the vtmost corners in the world yea I say if it were to tenne thousand millions of nations the riches of Iesus is so infinite that they are sufficient to serue all His glorie also is infinite so that it would fill infinite worlds All these things are but plain speech but would to God they were weighed Againe hee saith not onely to all but in all meaning Iesus himselfe is in vs first ere any thing of his be in vs. And as he saith to the Ephesians chap. 3. vers 17. he must dwell in thy heart first or euer thou get any thing that is his now where he is in proper person there of necessitie thou hast all his graces Thou needest not to goe here and there to seeke grace And this is the difference betwixt the sufficiencie of the old and new man if thou bee an old man Iesus nor his grace is not within thee Where is the honour of the King in his own bosome No it is out of him if he want Christ he will stand vp stript starke naked of all things Where is his riches and strength where is his dinner all are without him and he hath nought if he be an old man and hee will dye for hunger if it be not giuen to him But to come to the new man where is his riches in his bosome in the heart of him It will passe the power of all the Tyrants in the world to take that from him so all his sufficiencie is within him by faith It is written that a certaine Philosopher said Omnia mea mecum porto Christ is his sufficiencie O the aduantage that a Christian man hath in respect of one that is not in Christ for there is such sufficiencie in Christ as no tongue can expresse Now there are one or two things that I will speake of This is a great word Christ is all in all before that day of the great resurrection For looke 1. Cor. chap. 15. it is said that God shall not be all vntill then at what time this shall come to passe But the answere is easie There are two estates of the elect here they are called the faithfull and in the life to come they are called the blessed O that blessing who shall abide to see it In deede so long as we are the faithfull Christ is not perfectly all in all so long as we stand in the estate of faith only he beginneth in thee by faith to be all in all and that is the Apostles meaning here But in the estate of that celestiall blessednes it shall be farre otherwise then Christ shall be all in all in full perfection there is the difference Yet to make this more plaine There are two things required to make Christ all in al. A perfection of grace a perfection of glorie First there is required a perfection of grace And secondly there is required a perfection of glorie that there be nothing but the Lord Iesus Christ when he is al in al. There is nothing but he and the fulnes of his glorie These are the two things required that Christ may be all in all Now brethren to applie this to the two estates So long as wee abide in earth howbeit there be no grace in Iesus but that we haue some share of it yet the perfection in the degrees of grace is not yet thou art holie in him but it is not perfected
labour to put the feare of God in their hearts Nay it is no marueile though ye haue theeues and whores in your houses and families when as ye put not in this ground of sincere seruice in their hearts the feare of God Now followes the fountaine of all seruice What euer you do doe it heartily As if hee would say begin not at the hand or foote to doe thy seruice but begin thou at thy heart let it be The fountaine of good seruice the ground of all thy seruice All good actions should begin at the heart Therefore if thou wert but casting out the ashes looke thou doe that turne with thy heart so that thy heart be as well occupied as thy hand otherwise it is but a counterfeit action and I will not put a difference betwixt thy action and the action of an oxe drawing in the plough Indeede thy master may be profited by thine action yet if thy heart be not with it thou hast lost thy trauell The Lord that sits vpon thy conscience shall turne thy action to thy damnation In the next place the Apostle sets downe how they shall come to this way of seruice It is no small matter to get thy heart to serue thy master for thou that gettest a freedome to serue thou hast gotten thine hire in thy hand It is a rare grace then to get thy heart to concurre with thy action The way is How to serue heartily Doe it heartily as to the Lord. As if hee would say when ye are doing and labouring think not with your selues I am seruing man or woman a creature though he were a King in my seruice but say I am seruing my Lord Iesus Christ Then ye seruants whatsoeuer thing ye doe though it were but sweeping the house say all this that I am doing how vile soeuer it be I am doing it to my Lord Iesus Christ Haue thy eye lifted vp when thy hand is downe I shall tell thee how thou shalt get it If thou haue a respect to his will howbeit immediatly it be not done to him yet if thou haue the knowledge that it is his will that thou shouldest doe so the Lord takes that seruice rather done to himselfe then to thy master Therefore the Apostle saies Seruing Christ and not men Well is that seruant that can say I doe this to obey thy blessed will and then the Lord will say I giue thee thy reward Then the lesson is who is he that doth heartie seruice None but the seruant of Iesus Christ If thou be not his seruant thou shalt neuer be a heartie seruant to man nor a true subiect to the King Looke then if your seruants can serue Christ and if they cannot it is an euill token they cannot serue thee for there is not a faithfull seruant but he that is the seruant of Christ and in his seruice hath euer his eye to the will of Christ And if thou haue such a seruant then thou shalt haue a blessing of that seruant though it were but a kitchin lasse O blessed is that house that hath a seruant that feares the Lord and loues the Lord Yea a greater blessing followes that seruant then followes the master oftentimes Now followe the arguments to moue them to this holie Argumēts to moue seruants seruice The first is from the reward that the faithfull seruant shall receiue Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receiue the reward of the inheritance The argument is taken not from an hire they get presently but from a promise of an hire Now certainly thou art a wicked seruant that wilt not doe a turne till thou get thy hire in thy hand thou art a wicked seruant that wilt doe nothing till thou get heauen in thy hand I tell thee thou shalt neuer get heauen if thou cannot depend vpon a promise of heauen There is here then a promise of an hire and a reward From whom The Apostle saies not your earthly masters will pay you no but he saies your Lord of heauen shall reward you Why speakes he so because hee durst not promise of earthly men for all men are lyars they will oft times hold backe the hire of the seruant but he promiseth in the name of the Lord for he is faithfull And therefore seruants you should reioyce in this for howbeit thou want thy earthly hire yet be faithfull in thy seruice and thou shalt not want thy hire What a reward is this what should hee haue his hire in his hand and so fare yee well Indeede this is the fashion of the world but this reward the Apostle speakes of is a reward of an inheritance O thou that wilt haue an eye to the Lord of heauen hee will not reward thee like a seruant thou shalt be a sonne and therefore an inheritour Rom. 8. 17. And Go ye saies Christ inherit that kingdom prepared for you frō the foundation of the world Matth. 25. 34. Yea shall the kitchin lasse be made a Queene and a sillie simple boy a King Yes the Lord will doe that and will giue them a kingdome in heauen So first reioyce for the certaintie of your reward next for the greatnes of it It is not an hire and a bountie that is smal in value Alas it may be thou thinkest little of it because thou hast it not in thy hand but blessed art thou if thou caust waite vpon the promise and beleeue it Now to proue that they shall get this reward first he takes an argument from their owne knowledge Knowing Know ye not I appeale to your owne conscience if there be not a reward laid vp for thee if thou serue faithfully tels not thy conscience thee this I will serue for I looke for a kingdome It is not this small hire No that Lord whom I haue serued from morning to night hee will giue me a kingdome Brethren it is a thing impossible that faith can beguile a man hope then I promise thee thy hope shall not beguile thee yea hope for things thou hast not seene and thou shalt get them It is impossible Note well that thy faith and hope can be disappointed And lay this ground thou hast to doe with a faithfull Lord that can not beguile thee So close thy eyes vpon all other things and rest in hope on Christ and thou shalt see a ioyfull end Blessed is that soule that resteth in hope for it shall receiue glorie The second argument is from the seruice done to Christ Ye serue the Lord. Fie on thee that wilt begin to serue another master and neglect thy dutie to him So the argument is because thou seruest the Lord Iesus Christ therefore thou must haue a reward of him hee will giue thee an heritage because his hand is the hand of an infinit God What are the heritages on the earth he thinkes it ouer little to giue them to thee therefore hee will giue thee the kingdome of heauen Then marke neuer man serued Christ
for nought It is impossible that he who serues Christ can want a reward thou who caust serue Christ with many crosses it is the very way to bring thee to a kingdome So blessed is that feruant that serues Christ Iesus if thou get not this benefit to be a seruant in his house though it were to be but a porter for the vilest seruant that serues Christ shall get a hire euen a kingdome woe shall be to thee Therefore seeing now is the time to serue him shew your selues faithfull seruants to Iesus for when all vantage failes thee the Lord Iesus will be thine aduantage and therefore serue the Lord and thou shalt not want a reward And thou must not thinke that this rewarde comes vnto thee through merit it comes of grace for when thou hast done all that is commaunded thee say I am an vnprofitable seruant Luk. 17. 10. And so fie on the Papists that thinke their seruice shall merit such an hire as is the inheritance of heauen This reward comes of grace onely and of his faithfulnes that hath promised otherwise hell would be thy reward Therfore thou who lookes for a reward of thy seruice thinke thou art seruing Christ thinke againe thou shalt get a reward but beware of presumption to thinke this turne shall merit heauen No but the thing I doe shall not be the cause of my saluation no I am but an vnprofitable seruant and in the meane time looke for a reward of mercie and grace because he is a faithful Lord that hath promised thee a reward and in the end thou shalt get a kingdome purchased by the bloud of the Lord Iesus Now I come to the second argument to moue seruants to The second argument doe their dutie contained in the last verses of this chapter These seruants in old time were in hard condition for they were slaues liuing to the appetites of men bought sold beaten and slame at their pleasure for looke what power men had ouer beasts the like had they ouer their seruants Therefore these seruants might haue said there is a faire reward abiding vs but yet our present estate is intolerable wee are intreated as beasts and we sustaine great iniurie he meetes with this and in a word promiseth a iust amends and reuenge of the wrong done to them Let no man abuse his power ouer poore ones what euer wrong is done to them it shall be repayed So the lesson pertaining to the inferiour and opprest by the mightie ones in this world Masters and Lords especially is this Art thou a seruant doest thou well seruest thou the Lord Iesus Christ in thy seruice is thine eye set to please him thou shalt receiue the reward of thy weldoing that of an inheritance in heauen In well doing sufferest thou gettest thou wrong art thou opprest roughly handled with crueltie and seueritie The Apostle answers thou shalt haue an assisement beside the reward What wouldest thou haue The Lord shall oppresse them that oppresse thee This generally appertaines to all estates Doest thou well Thy reward shall be an eternal heritage In well doing sufferest thou wrong The Lord promiseth thee an assisement and an acquittance of them that doe thee wrong Brethren it is marueilous to see the care and regard the Lord hath to his owne if they were neuer so poore wormes that the great folke will not vouchsafe themselues once to looke to it would seeme enough that a poore seruant should get such an heritage howbeit his iniuries hee suffered were neuer reuenged Who would thinke otherwise O but the Apostle answers not after this manner It may suffice that you shall get a faire reward for the seruice ye doe as for the rest what matters it No but hee saith in effect as for the wrong done to you it shal be auenged So the Lord is not content to giue them a reward but for the wrong they suffer the Lord will be auenged on them that wrongs them if they were the greatest Monarchs in the world Howbeit thou wouldest forgiue them as Steuen did Act. 7. and say Lord lay not this to their charge yet the Lords iustice will not suffer thee vnreuenged the Lord shal take them that oppresse thee and throw them into hell if they continue impenitent yea it comes to passe oft times that oppressors of the poore and Church before they goe out of the world that the Lord in the sight of the poore and oppressed takes them and rents and riues them in such sort as they are compelled to pitie them O then how terrible is the iudgement that abides oppressors and abusers of their seruants whatsoeuer Well then there are two things well doing and suffering of wrong well doing shall receiue an inheritance suffering shall receiue a reuenge vengeance shall come vpon the oppressour So let none be wearie in well doing in this world nor be impatient in suffering for it is all but for a moment we doe and suffer in respect of that eternitie The second thing to bee marked is this Who is this that shall reuenge the cause of the poore seruants Hee saies not your masters haue masters aboue them as no doubt they had for all superiours haue Magistrates aboue them to take order with them if they doe wrong alas if hee had answered so it had been little comfort to them as they found by experience for they accepted of the persons of men they accounted of the master not of the seruant they permitted thē by their lawes to abuse their seruants The Apostle knew how slacke the Iustices are to reuenge the cause of seruants and therefore he promiseth no amends at their hands but at the hands of the Lord. So now speaking of reuenge he promiseth it not to come of the Magistrate but from the Lord for hee knew the Lord would not beguile him Ye may then see he hath trusted much to God and depending on him he promiseth much in his name What wouldest thou haue a reward a reuenge the Apostle promiseth both to thee but at the Lords hand The lesson then is the man that knowes God well and is well acquainted with his mercie with his iustice with his power and his wisedom it is wonderful what he will promise in his name flesh and bloud scarsely will beleeue it Note Againe a poore bodie and one opprest one that knowes not this when he heares of this it is wonderfull how he will swallow vp these promises nay thou neuer didst eate meate with such pleasure as this poore one will swallow them vp And I say a Pastor should not promise ought of God except he knew him thou that art an hearer if thou know him in his power iustice and the rest in despite of all the world thy heart will rest on him Therefore know him in Iesus Christ and pray night and day O Lord I lie in darknes let me see thee in Iesus Christ and the glorie that is in thee
that my soule may rest in thee Now woe is that soule that knowes not God in Iesus Christ Ye shall not abide here euer therfore seeke to know this God with whom ye must liue foreuer He giues the reason why God should reuenge their cause and wrong done against them by pointing out the nature of God He is a Iudge not like the Iudges of this world They respect the persons of men this is the corruption With God there is no respect of persons of nature but as for this Iudge he respects no person he will not looke to thee who art a King more then to the begger When thou appearest before him come on with robe royall he will not regard thee no more then if thou appearedst in a beggers cloake Therefore looke to him now as thou wouldest see him when thou shalt appeare before his iudgement And there is none of vs but euen now we are before his tribunall howbeit wee see it not There is none of these outward conditions or degrees wee are all alike by nature but wee get sundrie degrees hee of a King and hee of a Lord and so foorth yet none of these outward qualities will be accepted before the Lord no not the outward calling of a Christian if thou haue no more A man may thinke this is a hard matter for all to stand before his tribunall without these outward qualities A King may say shall not my kingdome stand me in steed when I come before that tribunall And the Earle may say shal not my Earldome helpe me when I come before God And the rich man may say shall not my riches helpe me wherewith shall I cloathe me if I cloathe me not with these Now I answere indeed euery man hath this in his mouth I cannot come naked before God Indeede thou must not stand naked thy shame must be hid thou must haue a garment on thee thou must be arayed or els the wrath of the Iudge will deuoure thee Now what a garment shall I get It must bee a bloudie garment no siluer gold or precious stones couering thee from the crowne of thy head to the sole of thy foote yea thou must be died with bloud The high priest durst not enter into the Sanctuary for his life without bloud so on paine of thy life see that thou enter not into the presence of God without bloud Reade the Epistle to the Hebrues ye shall finde this that the high Priest of old durst neuer enter into the Sanctuary except first he had bin sprinkled with bloud and this was the bloud of Bullocks the figure of Iesus Christ So except thou appeare died ouer with the bloud of Iesus no standing for thee before God his tribunall If ye would then haue a garment seeke this garment neuer rest till thou get it And if thou appeare in this garment thou hast this aduantage howbeit thou be full of spots the Lord hath no eye to thy sinne but accepts of thee in that bloudy raiment and forgets all thy sin and thy actions are accepted in that bloud of Iesus But alas the want of the knowledge of sinne this dead conscience that lets vs not feele the weight and burthen A dead conscience of sinne is the cause why wee account not of this bloud of Iesus Now brethren there is a place in the sixt chapter to the Ephesians I would compare with this place recommending the dutie of masters in the ninth verse he vseth the same argument that is here he vseth it there as a terrible argument to the oppressors but heere he brings it in as a comfort to the oppressed Then shal an argument both be comfortable and terrible Yes Then marke the lesson That that is in God terrible to the proud and oppressors in the world the same thing to the poore oppressed ones that are Gods it is so sweete and comfortable as no tongue can tell The firie wrath of God that will terrifie the Kings of the world and which they are not able to looke on will be so comfortable as no tongue can tell to the poore sillie bodie that hee will creepe in vnder it and lurke there yea hee will seeke to the wrath of God to saue him from the wrath of the tyrants of the world So there is nothing in God but is comfortable to his children as by the contrarie there is nothing in him but the wicked abhorre it yea euen his mercie yea they would runne if it were foorth of the world to be out of his sight but they shall not escape Iob. 21. 22 his curse So then acquaint you with God and cloathe you with that garment that he may be comfortable euery way to you This much for the dutie of seruants Now we come to the dutie of masters which is set downe in Here begins the fourth chapter vers 1. the beginning of the fourth chapter Ye masters saith he doe vnto your seruants that which is iust and equall There is the precept The thing he requires is doing the word in the originall is giuing Giue them that which is iust as if hee would say Masters when ye haue commaunded and they haue obeyed meete them with a dutie giue them something This dutie is grounded partly on their poore estate they labour and wearie themselues for their hire so they craue giuing and partly it is grounded vpon the hardnes of masters for looke how faine the one would haue as faine would the other keepe The poore seruant would draw the master holds The Apostle comes in and saith Masters let your hold goe you are ouer holding let your hold goe Brethren ye heard before a faire promise of rewarde made to the seruants now what needes the Apostle considering that reward exhort the masters to giue something of this world which is nothing but dirt in respect of that that is promised and some might haue said so The Apostle answers They serue and obey thee here pining themselues in working for thee therefore thou who art a master must giue them their hire for that is a iust thing so to doe they are men like vnto thy selfe and must be sustained of these earthly things for their labours sake And so the lesson is heauen and heauenly inheritance preiudiceth not a man of his part in this world and worldly things and therefore thou scornest God who saiest thou hast an inheritance whereto shouldest thou haue my poore hire yea thou shouldest be rather moued to part thy pelfe to him if thou knew him to be an inheritour of heauen giue him the rather of thy goods of the earth for an inheritour of heauen is an inheritour of the earth and if thou withhold it from them woe to thee Well I see out of this place that the Lord hath his seruants here to whom he is offering that heauenly inheritance yet so that they should haue their part of this earth also The Minister hath his part of the earth and the
of heauenly inheritance of the Saints thou must come creeping to that communion of Saints be ioyned with them here if thou mind to haue any part with them in heauen separate thy selfe from that societie of the Church of God thou shalt be debard from heauen thou shalt neuer get a sight of it Looke the epistle to the Ephesians where he sheweth wherein the riches of the glorie of this inheritance is Where is it he saith it is among the Saints Ephes 1. 18. So then associate thy selfe to the society of the Saints in earth Men may passe their time and what reckon they of a Church It smelles in their nose what should they speake of it it is a stinking word mockage and scorne to them but I say glad shalt thou be to be of that number or else I shall debarre thee from all societie of the Saints in heauen Thou shalt be excommunicated out of heauen if thou excommunicate thy selfe here from the Saints Now where lies it you take heed where your heritage lyes and you will looke to your charters and euidences diligently for that cause you will looke the scituation of it Hee saith that this heritage of the saints is in the light there is the place a lightsome and a ioyful pleasant place The line of pleasant places saith Dauid Psalm 16. 6. is fallen to me It lyeth then in the light it is in heauen as Peter saith in his first Epistle 1. 4. It is kept and laid vp where God dwelleth it may well content thee to dwell where God himselfe dwelles Yet where is it Thy life is hid with God saith he O then thy heritage is in God! what can bee said more A faire heritage lying in so faire a light euen in heauen with God and in God I see then all our life and ioy either in this life or in the life to come is in that light of knowledge in that spirituall knowledge so that a man that hath his minde inlightened to see as the Apostle saith to the Ephesians the hope of his calling the riches of the glorie of the inheritance of the Saints the man that hath this light he liues and enioyes a great inheritance howbeit he hath neuer an ynch in this earth and his ioy is a true ioy And againe a man that is in darknesse not seeing the face of God in no measure knowing nothing that man liuing hee is dead if hee were an Emperor a King and a Lord. This countrie is full of dead stinking carrions because they want this light and they would pull out their eyes that they should not see this light But woe to them in the end when this darknesse shall bring an vtter darknesse when thou shalt be a dead stinking dog in hell Get thou this light if euer thou wouldest see heauen and haue a part of it which is not in darkenesse but in the light of God To whom we giue all honour praise and dominion for euer Amen THE FOVRTH LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 13 14 15. 13 Who hath deliuered vs from the power of darkenes and hath translated vs into the kingdome of his deare sonne 14 In whom we haue redemption through his bloud that is the forgiuenes of sinnes 15 Who is the image of the inuisible God the first borne of euery creature THe last day welbeloued brethren the preface of this epistle being ended we entred into the doctrine The Apostle in his doctrine begins at the first grace that a man or woman getteth in this world in Iesus Christ The first grace or blessing of God in time after they are borne into the world for our grace mercie begins before all time ere we be borne our election began before the foundation of the world was laid but the Apostle begins at y e first grace in time the first grace in Iesus Christ for all is in him nothing without him is this christian calling from darkenesse to light frō that foule puddle of sinne wherein we lye by birth and nature nay if thou wert borne a king thou liest in the foule puddle of sinne we are taken out of hell for our birth is in hell and to hell we goe if we haue no more but nature Thou art taken out of hell and put into heauē there is the first grace in time Now to come to the text ye heard y e father he getteth the first glorie of our calling Thanking saith he the father He is the fountaine Then we heard wherein the calling consisteth not in a bare naming as one man would call another but the Lord in calling vs maketh vs meete of vnsufficient for heauen he makes vs sufficient of vnable he makes vs able of dead men he maketh vs liuely that is the effectualnes of our calling Then we heard whereunto we are called Our calling is not in vaine we are called to a lot a fairer heritage then all the kingdomes of the world nay y e poorest soule is called to be an heire of heauē Such as are called are called to the kingdome of heauen all other heritages are but dirt and draffe And who oweth this kingdom It is the kingdom of y e Saints It is distributed among the Saints and if thou be not a holy one and in their societie thou shalt neuer see that heritage laugh at them so much as euer thou wilt Where lieth this heritage To wit in the light of God thou neuer sawest such a light It lieth in God for God is thy light and thy life and if thou be an heire of this kingdome thy life is hid with God in Christ To goe forward yet the Apostle insisteth in this first blessing of our effectuall calling and maketh it more plaine in this verse His words are who hath raught vs out that is the force of the word From whence From the power of darknes What more And he translated vs. Whereto To the kingdome What kingdome Of his sonne the sonne of his loue his deere sonne the Lord Iesus Now brethren it is cleere but I shall briefly insist on the words to let you see the force and power of euery word for they are of weight For the words that speake of heauenly things are not the words of men Then the word he hath puld vs out with a force or strength with a constraining I hold it not a simple deliuerie Then look to thy calling It begins at haling of thee Thou art so fast holdē bound whē thou art called that if thou beest not pulled out with a strong hand thou wilt neuer come out and that Christ himselfe saith No man commeth to me no not one except the father draw him Ioh. 6. 44. Thou wilt neuer see heauen if thou be not drawne So our calling must begin at our drawing all the powers in the earth will not draw thee to heauē if the hand of the Lord draw thee not To goe forward He hath drawne vs out
to nothing he creates him anew againe and raiseth him vp more glorious then euer he was before And if thou be in Christ thou shalt be made more glorious then euer Adam was in the first creation Then would you haue another ground of your redemption Would you now haue the preciousnes of it Thy Redeemer is the first borne amongst the dead All dead bodies shall rise by vertue of him and so that bloud is precious and if thou beleeue in that bloud of necessitie thou must be saued Yet he leaues not of for who can speake enough of the glory of Christ Iesus He subioynes That in all things he should haue the preheminence Euen as he is man he goes before al the Angels of heauen and they are subiects to him This is one dominion and lordship he hath You heard before that hee is the Lord of his Church but in these words is vnderstood a more vniuersall dominion reaching euen to all creatures that euer were created that among all he should be the first and haue the preheminence This is that vniuersall dominion that hee takes to himselfe There is giuen to me saith he all power Matth. 28. 18. And Roman 4. 9. He died and rose againe to the end that he should be Lord ouer both the dead and the quicke Such like to the Ephesians 1. 2. He was placed farre aboue all empire and dominion And in the Epistle to the Philippians 2. 9. Hee was raised vnto a wonderfull height So this is a generall Lordship and it is not onely as he is God but as he is man This is a great glorie to a man to be set aboue al the creatures and to rule them with a fleshy hand The Lord Iesus Christ he rules all creatures euen with a fleshy hand now glorified Whereof comes this dominion so large of his resurrection He rose to be Lord nay be thou sure if Resurrection thou risest from the dead thou shalt rise to be a Lord. For the end of thy rising from the dead is to be a Lord a King greater then Caesar But Iesus Christ he rose not onely to be Lord but to be the Lord of lords because he rose first from the dead Who euer rose or shall rise they rise by vertue of him and his resurrection and it must follow therefore by good consequence that he by whose vertue we rise must be Lord of lords he must be the first and formost in the ranke The Lord Iesus he goes before all creatures that euer were created So wouldest thou haue another ground of thy redemption Thy Redeemer is not only the head of the Church and Lord of it but he is Lord ouer all creatures yea euen ouer the diuell thy very enemie The very hand of the Lord Iesus hales him hither and thither as it were in a rope he carries him he puls him he drawes him here and there as he pleaseth where he will Must not that bloud be precious must not thy redemption be sure Onely beleeue in that bloud and thou shalt be saued Rom. 3. vers 25. God hath set foorth Christ to be a reconciliation through faith in his bloud Away with merits paltrie fie on thee and thy merits both Thou thinkest thou canst not be saued but by thy merits as though the bloud of Christ were not able to redeeme thee without thy merits away with such vanitie The bloud of Christ is sufficient to redeeme ten thousand worlds yea ten thousand millions of worlds To come to the end In the verse that followes the Apostle insists vpon this dominion vniuersall of Christ and lets thee see by two arguments that the Lord Iesus must be first of all creatures haue the preheminence ouer al. The first argumēt is taken from that faire and glorious personage The second argument is taken frō that excellent office that he beares Neuer creature bare such an office to be the Mediatour and reconciler of God and man In this doing hee meetes with that that might be obiected Is he not a man what office hath he aboue other men and what a large dominion is this He answeres indeede he is a man but a man full of God and as for his office he is the great Mediatour such an office as neuer Angell bare and therefore he is the Lord of Lords Then the first argument prouing the dominion vniuersall is in these words For saith he it hath pleased the father that in him should allfulnes dwell there is the words The ground both of the excellencie of the personage and also of his office is this It hath pleased God the father If you will aske how is it that he is so excellent a personage He answers it is of the good pleasure of God It is a pleasure and a good pleasure that blessed will that decree that hath passed from all eternitie before all time It pleased the father that Iesus Christ should be such a worthie personage and a Mediatour so the person of Christ and his office hath a farre fetch and it comes of a decree as old as God himselfe euen from the eternall good will and pleasure of God from his eternall decree So then wee learne it comes not by chance that Iesus was made such a personage as men think of things in the world but it was ordained from all eternitie Then againe it comes not by chaunce that Christ should be a Mediatour but there is a decree past on it In a word neuer thing fell to him but by a counsaile and plat from all eternitie The crucifying of him past by a decree There was neuer a naile stroken into his hands or feete but all was done by a decree Then not to bee curious to aske why was it that Christ should be filled with God the Apostle will haue thee to leaue thy curiositie and he answers thee that it was the pleasure of the father so this one word cuts away these thorny questions concerning the mysteries of Iesus Christ For there is a thousand things in him that should not be inquired of And it were almes to ding thy teeth in thy throte that curiously wilt goe Curiositie in vaine questions and search out the reasons of all things in Christ and why he did this and that and suffered this or that Maist thou not vaine bodie be content with this answere It hath pleased the father so It hath pleased him that the fulnes of the Godhead should bide still in Iesus Christ for euer for it is said that the fulnes of God dwels in him And ye know that hee that dwels bides still Now what a fulnes this is you shall heare hereafter In him saith he chap. 2. 3. of this same Epistle is all treasure of wisedome and knowledge And againe vers 9. In him is the whole fulnes of the Godhead bodily dwelling Then the fulnes that is in Christ it stands not onely in these graces with the which the man Iesus Christ is indued aboue
his fellowes neuer man gat or will get such graces as the man the Lord Iesus hath gotten neuer a one hath gotten such wisedome such knowledge and such holines nay all the Angels haue not gotten such graces as he hath But it is not onely these graces wherein this fulnes stands but he is filled with the fountaine of all grace The fulnes of the Godhead it selfe is in him that is his fulnes such as neuer creature got or shall get in heauen or earth It is a vanitie to speake of the graces of Angels in comparison of him all the graces of men or Angels they are as it were but riuers and streames that flow from that glorious head that is full of God So there is no comparison of his fulnes Wee haue receiued saith Ioh. 1. 6. all of his fulnes So all our fulnes stands in his fulnes that is deriued into vs. As this is the reason prouing his dominion so it is a part of his glorie Looke to the glorie of that personage thy Redeemer he is not only a man but a man full of God and so must not this bloud y t comes from him be precious Therefore it is called the blood of God Acts 20. 28. Yet only beleeue and I assure thee in his name of thy redemption if thy sinnes were neuer so great Fasten thy heart once on him and thou shalt finde mercie Take his bloud in thy hand and sprinkle thy heart with it and thou shalt finde grace Heb. 9. 14 and mercie to flow to thee through the same otherwise it had bin better for thee that this bloud had neuer been shed As for the rest I leaue it till the next day concerning the Mediatour onely thus farre As the glorie of the image of the inuisible God and the rest ye haue heard me speake of is infinitly excellent so this that he is a man full of God this is the glorious personage of thy Redeemer It tels thee that that bloud that came out of that bodie was more precious then al the things in the world That bloud y t was powred out of his foot out of his hand and side al tels thee that it is excellently precious and beside that of great necessitie And further it tels thee that sinne against God is great and greater then thou canst consider Fie on thee vile creature if thou wist what it were to sinne against God thou wouldest shake and tremble nay neuer a ioynt of thee would bide fast for feare of that fierce wrath to come on thee And againe if thou knew the vertue of this bloud that takes away thy sinne thou wouldest cleaue fast to it and make much of it but thou considerest not this and therefore thou knowest not the preciousnes of this bloud for if thou knowest not thy sinne thou shalt not know the preciousnes of that bloud of Christ that takes away sinne And againe it tels vs of that passing iustice and of that infinitnes of the wrath of God O that infinitnes of the wrath of God! O wretch thou wottest not The wrath of God for sinne what it is but if it lighted on thee it would rush thee to hell So the precious bloud that was shed for sinne without the effusion of the which thou couldest not be redeemed It tels thee I say that the wrath of God for sinne is infinite and if it were but an euill thought It strikes vpward and strikes the Lord in the nose and kindles his wrath against thee therfore feare and studie to mortification And more I tell thee that notwithstanding thou art once redeemed and by this bloud of Christ freed from sinne and death by such a ransome yet if thou take delight in sinne the murtherer in his murther the oppressor in his oppression being once redeemed thy sinne if it were but an euill thought it is a thousand times the greater by reason of thy redemption For why it brings with it the contempt of the bloud of Christ And thou sinner who takes pleasure in weltring in the foule puddle of sinne what doest thou thou goest on with thy foote and treads the pretious bloud of the Lord Iesus vnder thy foule feete And therefore thou shalt be chalenged in that day not onely because thou wast a murtherer an oppressor and a harlot no no there shal be thy chalenge villaine thou treadest vnder thy foote the bloud of the couenant the precious bloud of thy Sauiour that should haue redeemed thee from thy murther and sinne and therefore wel were it for thee if thou hadst been a Gentile that neuer had heard of this couenant and therefore if thou mindest not to leaue off thy sinne in paine of thy life thou come not to heare a word of Christ For why the more thou hearest the greater shall be thy damnation And there is not one word spoken this day but if it be not effectuall to chaunge thy euill life so that thou begin to leaue off thy sinne but it shall increase thy damnation in that day Therefore take my counsell either amend your liues or els come not to heare one word of this Gospell For this word as the Apostle saith shall be either a sauour of life vnto life or els a sauour of death vnto death and it shall slay thee with a greater dead stroke then if a thousand rapiers were thrust through thee I beseech the Lord Iesus to touch thee with his word that it may be effectuall in the hearts of the hearers so that they may amend their liues to their owne weale and his glorie To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be praise Amen THE SEVENTH LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 20. 20 And through peace made by the bloud of that his crosse to reconcile to himselfe through him through him I say all things both which are in earth and which are in heauen YE remember beloued brethren the Apostle when he had set downe that great benefite of the redemption of mankinde by the bloud of Iesus Christ hee fals out into a high descriptiō of the sonne of God tending to this end to let vs see the preciousnes of that bloud He set him to be first the image of the inuisible God a high stile Secondly he stiles him to be the first borne of all creatures Thirdly hee stiles him to be the Creator himselfe by whom all things in heauen and earth were created Fourthly he calles him to be the end of the said creation of all creatures for whose honour and glorie all creatures were made Fiftly he stiles him to be the preseruer and keeper of all the creatures made by him Sixtly he comes forward and considereth him not onely as he is the sonne of God God from all eternitie but as he is man also and he makes him to be the head of the Church as he is God and man Then he cals him the first borne of the dead as hee is
the enmitie who was the cause of the variance where begun it Man himselfe he begun the variance But who begun the friendship began man it againe Ioh. 3. 16. began Adam the reconciliation thought he of it No he neuer thought of it to begin it againe God the father who called vpon him when he was runne away began the friendship Thou begans it not nay there was neuer such a thing as a thought of it The father he began it euen when thou wast running headlong to thy destruction turning thy backe vpon God Thou maist be at oddes with God when thou wilt but thou wilt not be the beginner of the friendship againe except The loue of the father the fountaine of reconciliation hee of mercie begin it with thee so it is the father that is the authour and fountaine of our reconciliation Yet brethren what is this that the father begins the friendship being the partie aduersarie and the greatest and the worthiest partie This is a rare thing that one of two parties aduersaries and the worthiest should seeke reconciliation of the other that is nothing in comparison of him So this lets vs see a passing loue and mercie in God that began first to seeke thee But yet what a partie aduersarie was he to wit he was that partie aduersarie that was offended by man he did no offence to man but man offended him Indeede there had been lesse matter of marueiling if hee had begun the feude and enmitie but hee brake not a iot to man of his part of the couenant made with him But man false man kept neuer a point of his part and therefore as man is called a lier after that breach of promise to God his maker so this is found that he who hath receiued the wrong and the more strong and worthie partie that that partie will begin the amitie againe This is that incomparable loue that in the Rom. 5. 18. is spoken of There is not such a loue to be found in heauen or earth that the partie that is offended and hath done no offence that he should beginne the peace yea more should giue his onely begotten sonne his deere sonne to be a ransome for the offence done to him There is that incomprehensible loue of God towards man What tongue is able to expresse y t thousand part of that loue Nay al the wit of men and Angels is not able once sufficiently thinke of it Let be to expresse it as it is in thy selfe Thus far for the second Now the third is what moued the father to enter into new friendship with man saw hee ought in me in thee or in any man to moue him to be reconciled with me or thee or any man It is said It hath pleased him then it was his owne pleasure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beneplacitum eius this was it that moued him to be reconciled with vs. This pleasure it was not a thing in time What the loue of the father is but it was a decree that past in heauen from al eternitie A decree that proceeded of meere loue and grace and not of a foresight of any good that either he saw thē presently in man or that he foresaw should be in man hereafter but it was of a free grace without any merit of man And therfore in his own time for the fulfilling of this decree of reconciliation hee sent his onely begotten sonne into the world to preach this word of reconciliation to the world So this word It hath pleased him excludes all merit and worthines in man and it lets thee see that that friendship was without thy merit yea to speake Merit it so against thy merit I know not a merit that thou hast but the merit of hell and damnation Come to the fourth circumstance who were they that were reconciled It is said It hath pleased him to reconcile all things The fourth circumstance And then in the end of the verse he laies this vniuersalitie in the parts of it All things both in heauen and earth This vniuersall particle All things extends not to all creatures yea it extends not to all reasonable creatures it extends not to the diuels no reconciliation with the diuell nor with the Angels that made that foule defection I tell you more it extends not to all men and women no reconciliation with the reprobate for euer they are in ranke with the diuell himselfe This reconciliation it extends then to the blessed Angels who haue stood from the beginning It extends to men and women not to all but to the chosen and elect ones from all eternitie Now there is no question of sinfull man All will graunt that man who was chosen to life howbeit before hee was an enemie to God yet now in time he is reconciled to him But all the question is about the blessed Angels that fell not from God How can it be said that they are reconciled to God Well I will not be curious if you will consider these blessed Angels in themselues Whether the elect Angels be reconciled to God by Christ or what benefit they haue by him apart from the bodie which is the Church indeede it is true they cannot properly be said to be reconciled because they were neuer at feud or enmitie with God for reconciliation as yee haue heard imports a feud but if you consider them in the bodie in a manner they may be said to be reconciled in the bodie for howbeit they be bound vp without the bodie yet they must euer be considered to be in the bodie and so in the bodie they get a new coniunction with God through the Lord Iesus Christ The estate of the blessed Angels before the comming of Christ it was this They hung as it were by the head to speake it so by a stitch as certaine members seuered from the body when Christ comes in he couples them together he makes man and Angell all vp together faster then euer they were before So to leaue this you may see the very blessed Angels who fell not from God they got a benefit by the Mediatour as man doth I say the blessednes of the Angels was not perfected till Christ came They were indeed blessed but they had not a firme blessing while Christ came who established their blessednes And therefore as it is said y e Abraham long before the Lord Iesus came into the world saw him and reioyced so the Angels they saw the Lord Iesus long ere he came and when he came they reioyced at his comming And it is said in 1. Pet. 1. 12. that it is their pleasure to looke in through that vaile to see and behold the Lord Iesus Thus much concerning the Angels Then the thing I note for our selues is this Will you marke what care God hath had of man God he would not perfect the blessednes of the Angels without man he would not giue them that blessing till Iesus Christ the man
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
the Gentiles therefore in that that I suffer it is for your cause that the Gospell of Iesus Christ may haue place amongst you as among the other Gentiles The second argument In the middest of my afflictions I The second argument The vse of affliction reioyce to testifie my loue towards you for except I had loued you I would not haue suffered with ioy for you Brethren of those that suffer affliction first it is required that it be for a good cause for Gods cause for his truth and for his Church sake Suffer not like a theefe or a murtherer as an harlot or an euill doer in any wise Alas it is a paine yea of all paines in the world the greatest to suffer for euill doing Secondly it is required of him that suffers that he suffer for a good cause with ioy cheerefully and with patience otherwise thou losest thy trauell and praise suffer as thou wilt It is not the good cause onely that makes martyrdome but it is Martyrdome the ioy cheerfulnes and patience ioyned with the good cause that makes thee in suffering to be a Martyr It is hard to flesh to digest this how can there be ioy in the paines of most exquisite torments Brethren Paul at this time is lying in bands at Rome and yet ye see he vtters that in his bands he hath ioy and no question when he came to the very point of death for 2. Tim. 4. 6. 7. 8. he was martyred he had great ioy And certainly I am compelled to think that there is more shrinking and sadnes at the remembrance of the affliction to come then there is in the More grief in the remembrāce of afflictiō then in suffering it when it comes chiefe time of affliction The minde will be more troubled thinking on it then when the person is afflicted For out of question whē the Lord giues a man cōstancie to suffer he will giue him patience ioy which shall swallow vp all the paine and the experience of Martyrs hath proued this Stir not howbeit thou shrinke at hanging heading scalding burning and whatsoeuer paines most cruell exquisit deuised for thee yet stir not for if the Lord giue thee constancie all the paines shal be swallowed vp and thou shalt be armed to suffer with ioy To goe forward The third argument whereby he remoues the offence they might haue taken at his bands is this I saith he fulfill the rest of the afflictions of Christ Iesus as if hee would The third argument say mine afflictions are not so much mine as they are my Lords afflictions how can ye then be offended at them You cannot chuse if you bee offended at my afflictions but you must be offended at Christs afflictions because my affliction is nothing else but the afflictions of Christ and the fulfilling of them Then all these afflictions that are laid vpon the members of the bodie of Christ they are all Christs afflictions and when they are afflicted Christ is afflicted And the Lord counts it his owne persecutions when the members of his bodie Christ must suffer in his members which is his Church are persecuted Saul Saul saith hee Acts 9. 4. why persecutest thou me He speakes this to Paul when he was not persecuting him but his members This he calles his persecution for it was ordained from all eternitie that the Lord Iesus who is the head of the Church should not onely suffer in his owne flesh but also that hee should suffer in the members of his bodie which is his Church So that none of that bodie should be free from suffering no not from the greatest to the least yea euen to the little finger all should suffer and the measure hereof was measured and ordained in that counsell from all eternitie Sufferest thou much or little It was measured to thee ere euer the world was It was not appointed that euery particular person should suffer al and euery sort of affliction no no but as the head should suffer one kinde of affliction proper to himselfe so the rest in the bodie should suffer some in one sort and measure and some in another All shall suffer one thing or other prepare thee for it and it is a token that thou art in that bodie if thou suffer something for Christ But to sticke to the words he calles them not simply the sufferings of Christ but the fulfilling or accomplishment of the afflictions of Christ I saith he fulfill the rest of the afflictions of Christ Marke the word well Euen as the Church of Iesus Christ is the accomplishment and fulfilling of him to make him a perfect man so it is called Ephe. 1. the last verse Euen so the afflictions that the Church and her members suffer they accomplish and fulfill the sufferings of Christ And as the glorie of the head Christ is fulfilled and accomplished in suffering euen so the sufferings of his members they accomplish and fulfill the glorie of Christ Wherein wee haue to marke a loue that Christ beares to vs that cannot bee spoken of The Lord Iesus is perfect in himselfe and he needeth vs not no he hath no neede of me of thee nor of no flesh to make him perfiter The loue of Christ then he is alreadie in himselfe He is full and he fils all in all yet such is his loue to me and thee and to the whole body that he cannot thinke that he is perfect till he haue thee ioyned with him yea the least member of his Church hee will haue to be ioyned with him or els hee counts that his glorie and sufferings are not fulfilled So his afflictions are perfect and hee needes not thee to fulfill any part thereof yet such is his loue that hee will not haue his afflictions perfect without thee He will haue thee made like to himselfe in affliction howbeit his glorie be perfect now at the right hand of the father yet he cannot thinke that he gets the perfection thereof till he get all his members glorified with him in heauen This is his loue Rom. 8. Now let vs see how we account of this We count it a benefit and a grace to be ioyned with him to be the members of his bodie and to be glorified with him but when it comes to the What a great benefit it is to suffer afflictions sufferings there is the shrinking there is none that can accord or be content to be like him in sufferings but they will flye backe there we faile and we cannot thinke that it is a benefit to suffer but rather that it is a curse So ere thou count it a benefit to suffer thou must haue more then flesh and bloud thou must haue the spirit of Iesus It is not onely a benefit to beleeue but also to suffer Philip. 1. 29. And Philip. 3. 10. Paul counts it a blessing to suffer calling it the communion or fellowship of his affliction There he counts it
blessednes to suffer with Christ Looke not to raigne with him except in some measure thou be a companion with him in suffring Yet to sticke vpon the words The word in the owne language is not simply to fulfill but to fulfill course about as he would say my head hath gotten his course now comes in my course in suffring So the word affoordeth a good lesson true all these afflictions go by courses al men and women are not afflicted at once but Afflictions in the Saints goe by course euery man hath his turne euery man his course about Christ begun and hee is afflicted first The Apostles are looking to him their course was not come but soone after came their course Others stood looking to them but soone after their owne course came also Brethren we are but lookers on now we look to France and to men suffring for this Gospell we are looking to Italy and Spaine for our time is not come yet The Lord hath seene that we are not yet ripe as soone as thou art ripe hee will plucke thee like a ripe apple Prepare thee prepare thee O Scotland for thou shalt finde one day thy part of the suffrings of Christ thy course is approching He saith not simply he fulfilled the afflictions of Christ his course about but that in his course he fulfilled the rest of the afflictions of Christ The words import the reliques and hinder part or the residue of the afflictions of Christ So all the suffrings of Paul and the rest of the elect were but as small reliques and remnants of Christs suffrings What we suffer yea if it were but in the little finger we thinke it great but if thou wert pained in all thy bodie and soule that is but a remnant of the afflictions of Christ And where this remnant is there the bodie is but the greater part the heape and multitude went before Who suffered the former part who was he that suffered the multitude if Paul suffered the hinder part who but the head Iesus Christ The heape of afflictions was heaped on him The dint lighted vpon him The waue or billow of Gods wrath tumbling down from heauen lighted vpon the head Iesus Christ All that wee suffer are but flashes breaking off from that waue and billow that lighted vpon Christ So that if you will compare the afflictions of the Church to the end of the world all is nothing in comparison of that that Christ suffered Therefore compare thy selfe neuer with him in affliction but when thou seest thy selfe afflicted then consider what Christ hath suffered When thou seest a little thing so bitter then consider what bitternes was in the whole suffrings of Christ He drank out the full cup of bitternes of Gods wrath but thou onely tasts it to teach thee to count what he hath suffered for thy redemption Now in the rest of this verse he sets downe the cause wherefore he suffered No man suffers for nothing as the head Iesus Christ did not suffer for nothing so neuer a member of his suffers in vaine For whose cause then suffered Paul or Christ in him for the bodie What a bodie The bodie which is his Church All these afflictions saith he that Iesus Christ suffers in me are all for the bodie of Christ Well there haue been many suffrings for this bodie The Lord Iesus suffered the extremitie for this bodie Paul and al the Martyrs suffred for this bodie but there is a great difference betweene the suffrings of the head and of the members The head suffered for the redemption The difference betweene the suffrings of Christ and of his mēbers of the bodie which was in hell vnto the time that heredeemed it out of hell Paul Peter this Martyr that Martyr they suffered not for the redemption their bloud could not be the price of redemption all the bloud in Paul and Peters bodie cannot furnish out a farthing of redemption but onely the bloud of that immaculate lambe is the price and only the price of our redemption in despight of all the Papists in the world onely the bloud of God makes out that redemption These base bodies they haue dreamed a dreame of Indulgences and pardons and say that the people will be safe with Popish pardons the Pope that lownes pardons he shall not get pardon himselfe What are these Pardons and Indulgences which these vaine heads haue found out to deceiue the sillie people with The Pope hee calles it the remission of sinnes by the bloud of the Martyrs this Saint and that Saint O vaine lowne is a pardon a remission of sinnes by the bloud of Peter and Paul this Martyr or y t Martyr What a vanitie is this that they think that a man should not be content with the bloud of Iesus onely and esteeme it sufficient but they must seeke to their workes and where they faile in this they must seeke to the merits of the Martyrs setting this with the rest of their works And this merit of the Martyrs he calles the Treasurie he will send out this his vanitie and this his doctrine through the world Woe to thee Scotland if euer this come among thee And againe I see here plainly that there can come nothing to the church without suffering As for her redemption which is the remission of sinnes it is not without the bloud of the Lambe the bloud of God that is a great matter except this bloud of God had bin shed thou shouldest neuer haue been redeemed out of hell But this is a strange matter when thou art redeemed by this bloud when thy righteousnes is bought yet thou canst not get it without suffring and it cannot be ministred to thee except the minister of it die Paul it behooued to die it Peter behooued to dye and all for the saluation of the bodie The diuell hath such an enuie to the saluation of man would to God thou knew it that there is none that would preach to thee of this saluation but he wil stand vp and seek the slaughter of that man So that this that wee call the Church which now is come in contempt the name of the Saints is scorned at this Church is a precious iewell the spouse of Iesus Christ be what she will be in her selfe yet the bridegroome counts much of her otherwise there would neuer haue been so much bloud shed for her Christ had notsuffered Peter Paul had not suffred if thou hadst not bin precious in the eye of Christ Darest thou then offer to destroy that that Christ hath dyed for How darest thou thou dog offer it He is called an Earle and a Lord and a King and an Emperour and what will hee doe He will oppresse the professors of the Gospell of Iesus he will burne and scald the members of the bodie but if thou knew what Christ is and what a member of his Church meanes thou wouldest hold vp thy hand But there are many false
Christians worse then Pagans and in seueritie and crueltie against Christ and his Church more fierce and malicious and more exquisit tormentors of Christ in his members then Popish persecution euer a Pagan or a Turke would be The truth of this is euident in the example of the Martyrs who finde none more malicious against Christs Church then these who would bee counted Christians Well Pagans and Turkes shall finde greater case and lesse iudgement at the comming of the Lord Iesus then false Christians O their paines shall be vnspeakable To goe forward in the next verse hee sets downe another cause wherefore hee suffered Of the which Church saith he I am made a minister as if hee would say I fill out the rest of the afflictions of Christ in my bodie because I am bound and obliged thereto I am made a minister to it there is the meaning Marke the words I am made He saith not I was borne a minister nay no man is borne a minister howbeit euery man thinkes he may be a minister out of hand I am made a minister would he say of a very crooked wood as he testifies of himself 1. Tim. 1. 12. 13. He placed me in his ministerie when I was a blasphemer and a persecutor Looke what stuffe I had and whereof I consisted before I was made a minister And if this was good stuffe and a way to make a minister of me iudge ye I was of al sinners the first in persecuting Christ and his members and blaspheming of him But saith he God had pitie on me Euen this Christ whom before I blasphemed and persecuted hee shewed mercie and put me in his ministerie The Lord can make a minister of a blasphemer I am made a minister that is a seruant to serue the Church to stand and fill the cup and cary it to the Church Peter and Paul were none other 1. Cor. 3. 22. 23. All is yours saith he whether it be Paul or Apollo or Cephas ye are our masters and we are your seruants and ye are Christs So he is but a seruant to the Church and not a Lord ouer it It followes that Paul when he suffered hee suffered not The sufferings of the Apostles and Martyrs were not for the redemption of man as a Lord of the bodie but as a seruant neuer any suffered as a Lord but Christ onely Paul and Peter and the rest suffered as seruants Ye see a faithfull seruant will die for his master so the Apostle suffered for his master the Church what were the Apostles but the friends of the Bridegroome Of this it followes that Pauls suffrings was not for the redemption of man no but for his ministerie and dispensation of the grace committed to him It is a lye to say hee suffered for the redemption of man so it was neuer for the redemption and remission of sins to any y t Paul or any of the Apostles suffered For no man Christ Iesus excepted was able to abide a lot of y t suffring for redemption no not all the men and Angels in heauen and earth were not nor are not able to abide one assault of that suffring That fierce wrath shuld haue so seazed vpon thē that it should haue consumed and destroyed them He must bee an excellent personage God and man in one person as Christ was that will beare out that suffring otherwise hee shall not be able to abide one point of it Well not to passe by this I see a Minister is bound to dye for the Church Wilt thou be a Minister The Minister is boūd to dye for the Church if neede so require prepare thee to dye for the Church otherwise thou art but an hireling a false deceitfull seruant So art thou made a Minister thou art made a seruant to the Queene the Church she is greater then any Princesse in the earth Count thou of a Minister as thou wilt the faithfull Minister is in greater glory honor then al the seruants of Kings Princes in the world yea he shall be preferd to the great Monarches of the world themselues Call ye them vaine fellowes They are the Lords stewards the King of kings Chambermen and Counsellors But to speake to the Ministerie Art thou called to be a Minister thou must prepare thee for suffering yea there is no calling in the Church of Iesus Christ which is not to suffering Thou maist bee called to a politicall gouernment yet not to suffering but to take thy pastime and to be in honour but if thou be called to be a member to Christ thou art called to suffer as it were a sheepe to the shambles Set not thy head within this fold except thou think thou must suffer Peter saith We are called yea appointed to suffer 1. Pet. 2. 21. Then when thou art clapt on the shoulder to be burned hanged headed yea and the skinne to be flaied off thee goe to it cheerefully for thou art bound thereto Well if euery common Christian be thus waies bound how is a Minister bound I say the more degrees thou gettest of Christ the greater preferment thou hast in Christs Church the more art thou obliged to die for Christ and his members Hee is a vaine man that thinkes when he is a minister that he is preferd to ease to greater pleasure The Ministerie no place of ease but of labour then the people no no. Is thine honour double first a Christian and then a Minister to serue the Lord Iesus Thou art bound doublie to suffer and to vndergoe the greater crosse for his sake and the Church I say if thou couldest be slaine a thousand times thou art bound to suffer more then a common Christian And if gladly thou be content to suffer thou gettest double honour first as a Christian and then as a Minister and thirdly as a Martyr Many haue been Ministers but few haue gotten this honor that the Apostles got Acts 5. 41. when they were persecuted they departed with such ioy with a song that they were thought worthy to suffer for Christ I speake this to make vs ready to suffer that with ioy It is no ignominie or shame to thee to suffer if it were the most vile death for Christs sake and thy Creator sake Immediatly after that thou shalt suffer thou shalt be translated from paine and miserie to euerlasting ioy yea and in the chiefe time of thy suffring thou shalt Ioy vnder the crosse finde exceeding great ioy as the holy Apostles and Martyrs found When he hath spoken of his Ministerie he fals out into a description of it and that to this end that we may see the worthines of this Gospell First he calles it a dispensation and stewardship then there must be a familie if he be a steward it must be a great calling Ye thinke to be the master of the Kings household is a great office but to be a Minister a steward in the house of the King of kings
it is indeede O the blindnes the world hath lien long in especially the Gentiles Plato seemed to haue great knowledge of God he was called diuine Plato but he had no knowledge in deede for he knewe him not distinct in persons And all other knowledge is to damnation for there was neuer a science that made this plaine but this Gospell of Iesus preached by the Apostles and left to this day in register to vs. All the science of Philosophers is meere follie in respect of this science of the Gospell The knowledge that the Iewes had of God was but as a glimmering for all were vnder shadowes and types but in the Gospell there is the full sight So that as thou seest the Sunne shining whereby thou art able to discerne and iudge of euery obiect so thou hauing this Gospell shining in thy soule thou shalt see distinctly the God of heauen in his essence and shalt discerne the persons of the Trinitie wherein thou shalt finde ioy O the ioy that ariseth vpon this spirituall knowledge and sight of God as hee hath reuealed himselfe in his word Alwaies brethren marke the gloriousnes of this Gospell It lets thee see cleerely and distinctly thy God thy redeemer if thou 2. Cor. 4. 3. 4. wilt prease to looke without it to see him thou shalt be the more blinde and the more dimme and the further from seeing of him Therefore striue to get a sight of God in his Gospell otherwise thou shalt not get a sight of him to thy comfort Now making mention of Christ he subioynes a description of Christ In whom saith he that is in Christ Iesus is all treasure weigh euery word of wisedome and knowledge I cannot see when euer he names Christ that he can let him goe so but the heart is so full of him that his mouth is full of him also He before called him that hope of glorie and now naming him hee saith In whom is all treasure of knowledge and wisedome Alas brethren to speake this by the way this tastlesse speaking of Christ testifies that there is little of Christ in the heart of men How to speak comfortablie and cheerefully of Christ. and women now adaies If thy heart were filled of him in any measure thou wouldest euer be speaking of him and so fully as thy heart could deuise Now the Lord teach vs to speake of him so ioyfully as wee may euer more and more take pleasure to speake of his name to his euerlasting praise that wee may finde what vertues be in the Lord Christ Iesus Amen But to come to the words he laies out the rich merchandise that is in him take heed ye that would be merchants and that The riches of Christ that is in him he calles wisedome and knowledge I will not be curious to distinguish them except ye will call wisedome that hid mysterie and knowledge this knowledge of earthly and heauenly things all is in Christ hee hath this knowledge these two are distinguished Rom. 11. 33. O the deepnes of this riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God! For there is no other wisedome but in Iesus Christ for the fulnes of God is in him Now he calles it not bare knowledge and wisedome but he saith In whom are the treasures of all wisedome and knowledge Many will haue wisedome and knowledge but neuer a one hath the storehouse of it saue Iesus Christ Now hee saith not the treasures but all treasures to shew you that there is not a treasure without him Ye haue heard before of this fulnes In him saith he this fulnes dwels Now againe hee saith In whom are all treasures And againe in a higher stile hereafter vers 9. In whom dwels the fulnes of the Godhead bodily looke what a Sauiour ye haue all is included within the vaile and nature of man and shines as it were through the vaile Then of this I conclude there is nothing to be sought without him Thou that hast need seeke nothing without Iesus For he that would be wise without Iesus Christ hee would be wise without God because the father is in him So thou that wilt haue all fulnes seeke it in him Brethren if this Iesus that is reuealed this day were sought earnestly we would finde it by plaine experience in our selues that there was nothing lacking in him that might doe vs good but he would minister vnto vs wisedome and knowledge and all other benefits And I charge thee vnder the paine of thy life that thou goe to no other to seeke for ought without him Seeke not to mans traditions to these deceiuers of Gods people May not their deceits be perceiued by you May you not see that poyson of theirs in their doctrine Fie on that man of sinne fie on him that drownes all the world with his foule stinke of traditions Rest vpon this Gospell and spit at this beast and this poyson that hee offers to the world Content thee with this Gospell Would to God I or thou could attaine to the thousand part of this Gospell If thou wist what this Gospell were and what treasures of wisdome were in it thou wouldest neuer let it be out of thy sight night nor day Thou wouldest spit at all other doctrine and tradition that sauoured not of this Gospel For in this Gospel is light and life but in mans tradition thou shalt finde no light nor life Darknes and damnation shall be the end to them which imbrace them O damnation to thee ô man that leaues the fountaine of liuing waters and diggest vp to thy selfe cesternes of rotten water Woe vnto thee that leaues the truth of the Gospell to follow the traditions and fantasies of mans braine Lord deliuer vs from that poysonfull doctrine and they that are in the chaines of it the Lord deliuer them out of the same and giue them this full riches of the Gospell of Iesus Christ To whom with the Father and the holie Spirit one euerlasting God be praise for euer Amen THE FOVRTEENTH LECTVRE VPON THE Epistle of PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 2. vers 4 5 6 7. 4 And this I say least any man should beguile you with entising words 5 For though I be absent in the flesh yet am I with you in the spirit reioycing and beholding your order and your stedfast faith in Christ 6 As ye haue therefore receiued Christ Iesus the Lord so walke in him 7 Rooted and built in him and stablished in the faith as ye haue been taught abounding therein with thankesgiuing AFter brethren that the Apostle hath spoken at large of his owne person to purchase authoritie to his doctrine and exhortation now in the first verse which I haue read hee returnes to the exhortation begun in the first chapter taking the occasion of the words going before For there the Apostle shewed that in Iesus Christ were all treasures of wisedome and Coherence vnderstanding hid Vpon this hee concludes in this verse seeing
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
bodies of men for euer Fie on this world that will not once see it And yet to insist on the word Let no man beare rule ouer you that is against you The word that hee ascribeth to false teachers le ts vs see the nature and engine of a false teacher He is ambitious and seekes by all meanes to beare rule ouer all men not for their weale but for their woe woe is them ouer whom hee beares rule What matter is it if he sought to beare rule ouer the body and substance of man onely but the chiefest thing that hee seekes is to beare rule ouer the soule which importeth two things First an vsurping of the place of God for God onely is the Lord of the conscience and soule of man neuer Angell gate place to beare rule ouer the soule conscience of man Note these two things in false teachers which desire to dominiere ouer consciences Secondly it importeth an euerlasting wracke to the soule of the creature if he be kept vnder his gouernment If thou giue thy soule to be vnder his gouernment and tyrannie in such a cleere light thou shalt be sure to perish both in bodie soule This for the first word of this text The second word is At his pleasure Let him not beare rule ouer you and that at his pleasure not according to God and his word but according to his foule affections A deceitfull villaine lookes neuer to the word of God but to the foule affections of sinne I told you before hee was ambitious but now he is a tyrant which is the more perilous in that hee seeketh to beare rule ouer the conscience after the fancie of his foule affections and if hee continue with thee thou shalt dye euerlastingly The next words giue vs to vnderstand when he is set vp in his throne aboue a man what lawes he giues out A Prince or King when he is placed in his throne hee will giue out lawes the words tell you that first hee begins at the submission of minde lowlines there is his beginning A faire preface and true in generall that men should be humble and lowly minded There is no man no not the truest teacher that is that can haue a fairer beginning and entrie of doctrine then a deceiuer and can lay downe some grounds of doctrine more truly then he and specially he will begin at that which is most pleasing to the people he will begin with humilitie and in the meane time he will counterfeite such an humilitie in his eyes with his hands with tricking and ducking of his head and in all that he shall speake of he shall speake as an Angel of light This is faire but looke to the end when he hath begun with a faire preface where goeth he to next Worship Angels How gathereth he this Be humble therfore worship Angels How gathereth The argument which false teachers vse to moue men to worship Angels and Saints departed hee the conclusion He gathereth it this way It is a point of pride to passe to God immediatly and to come in before him at the first dash therefore sir worship Angels because they are in the gate betweene thee and God It is a foule assumption It is pride to goe to God immediatly Ha ha false deceiuer it is no pride to goe to God and to passe by all the Angels in heauen but it is a point of humilitie as it is most cleere through the whole Scriptures in the examples of the Prophets and Patriarchs So to be short ye see what followeth a faire preface when a deceiuer propoundeth a faire preface be sure of a foule end when the lowne hath commended good vertues hee will fall out in a filthie conclusion of one thing or other He will be speaking of things in generall and will gather a foule particular conclusion and therfore when he speakes fairest suspect him most When a Papist propoundeth a point of true doctrine he is most dangerous suspect him then most when he commends humilitie and that with many a bowing of the bodie beware of him for then hee will subioyne Call vpon Saints and worship Angels and doubt of thy saluation it is presumption to say that a man is sure of saluation humilitie bids thee doubt Now fie on thee and thy doubting doctrine both So if thou heare his preface hee will come in with this end close therefore thine eare at his generall for he is a Sophister to allure thee in the end and to draw thee into the net of destruction Therefore neuer account of his beginning for the end of it is deceit Well brethren was this point of doctrine concerning the worship of Angels in Paules daies Yes Then I am enforced to graunt that there are some points of the Papists doctrine very ancient yea as ancient as the Apostles themselues Goe to the Papist hee will say it is presumption to goe the hie way to God therefore goe to Saints and Angels This is very old and so it may be that through Popish antiquitie antiquitie their doctrine is commended Looke to the ancients say they yet I say if antiquitie will commend an heresie away with thee and thy antiquitie both Well well then all their reason from antiquitie is to confirme heresies that haue been damned in hell I will not insist to shew what heresies they haue raised vp againe for their religion is clouted and patched vp with all heresies in the world of Gentilisme and Iudaisme there is little pleasure to speake of them or their doctrines either Now to bee short in the next words the Apostle fals to the confuting of so foule and false a head of doctrine to wit concerning the worshipping of Angels he condemneth it let them defend it as they will The first argument he vseth is from a shamelesse pertnes of the false teacher aduancing himselfe saith he in things which he neuer saw The words import a violent entring into another mans professiō as if he would say where saw the deceiuer any Angels How knew hee that the Angels make intercession in heauen the word of God told him neuer a word of it who made him so wise to know that the Angels are mediatours so it may be a shamelesse pertnes that he speakes of the worshipping of Angels Marke then brethren the Apostle notes a false teacher with this note shamelesse pertnes He rubbeth off all shame of his forehead Nay know ye not There is the first preparation A note of a false teacher in his chamber before he come out to the people he rubbes off shame from him and then he comes out with a vizard on his face shamelesse and then he will speake of things which he neuer knew heard nor sawe and that were neuer written yea that are impossible for men to know in this life he will speake A notable confutation of all popish sigments so frankly of them as if he had seene them all he will begin
to speake of Angels and of their orders and tell you there bee so many orders of them Who told you that and then he will begin to speake of Saints and he will bid you call on them Did God commaund him to bid thee doe so and when hee hath done with heauen he will goe downe to hell and will tell you of all the chambers and places there of Limbus Patrum Purgatorie with the rest as though he had bin there And againe with such confidence he will speak of these things as if he had seene thē with his eyes This then tels vs y t this doctrine of the Papists is not a new but an old heresie and how like is a new heretike to an old heretike Well to be short let neuer man be curious in that which God hath neuer reuealed If God Curiositie hath not reuealed what the Angels be doing in heauen what the Saints be doing question not of it where hell is and what parts are in hell if God haue not reuealed it be not curious to search it let it be leaue off questioning of things that God hath not reuealed seeing there are so many things reuealed which thou canst not attaine vnto if thou shouldest sit night and day meditating vpon them Againe let no man bee bold to affirme the thing that hee knoweth not whether it be true or not if thou vse thy selfe to shamelesse pertnes thou wilt come in the end to confirme lyes Euer keepe a moderation and speake according to thy knowledge that that thou hast seene and heard And speake seeing it is the office of the Pastor to speake speake assuredly of saluation for surely thou must be studious to get the truth and to speak boldly of it and to die in the truth of God There is the first argument why the Apostle wils the Colossians that no man condemne them for meate and drinke learne of it to answere the Papists after this manner Thou art a pert and shamelesse bodie to intrude thy selfe into this point and that point of religion whereof thou hast no sure warrant and in that thou neuer sawest heardest nor was neuer reuealed to thee The second argument is from as euill a ground euen from pride and a poore pride as the words import for so the Apostle speaketh blowne vp as a bagge with winde no solide stuffe Now after what manner is he puft vp Rashly that is without cause hauing no matter but onely winde For ye shall vnderstand that there is but two sorts of pride There is one that is called a poore pride as we say A proud heart in a poore Two sorts of pride breast whē vpon a vaine conceit men are proud of that which they haue not Such was the pride of the Pharisie vpon the conceit of his righteousnes through it he scornes the poore man besides him who was notwithstanding more iustified then he was The second sort of pride is when one is proud but hath some matter of it as a rich man for his riches a man of science for his science whether the matter of it be outward or inward Of this the Apostle speaketh 1. Cor. 4. 7. What hast thou that thou hast not receiued why then boastest thou as though thou haddest not receiued it Alas no gift should make one proud For where that is it is a tokē that thou misknowest the giuer If a man haue pride with his graces all his graces are poyson for pride is a poysonable seasoning of them so that they shall neuer doe thee good As for example hee that hath grace to speake well if he be proud he may well doe the people good but he shall neuer be able to doe himselfe good A man of law Pride poysons all gifts that is full of law euen to the throte if he haue pride with it he may doe thee and the people good with it but not himself yea it is a curse to him A Preacher that hath knowledge in the Scriptures and can discourse vpon them finely if hee haue pride with his gift all is poyson he may well doe the auditorie good but hee shall neuer be able to doe his owne soule good So it is no small grace of God with thy gifts to haue humilitie and grace with humilitie is more worth then many graces that are conioyned with pride Now to goe to the words Where from commeth this pride this mischieuous pride that hath no matter to be proud for nothing it is a thing which is intolerable Hee sets downe the ground of it It comes from the minde there is the mother of it It is not without thee it is not riches honour and what euer thou hast that will make thee to haue a conceit of thy selfe it is not these things outward Pride whence it comes howbeit they will greatly further thee and helpe thy pride as ye may see this day in the persons of rich and honourable men What is it then euen the best thing of nature giuen to thee euen thy minde the reason that is within thee it poysoneth al thy gifts A natural mā wil make a faire discourse in reasoning yet with such a pride that he will not yeeld to any that saith against him and his reason So the best thing in man is his greatest enemie Man hath reason a reasonable minde and that is his preferment aboue the beast but I say to thee if that reason be not sanctified by the spirit of Christ Iesus if thou werst a King well had it been to thee that thou haddest bin borne a dog yea that thou haddest bin created a stocke or a stone if thou be not sanctified in thy reason This reason in the minde hauing pride conioyned with it beguiled all the Philosophers Rom. 1. 21. What a minde is that a fleshly minde saith the Apostle If there be any pure thing in man it must be the minde Yet the Apostle calleth it fleshly and Roman 8. vers 7. The wisedome of the flesh is enmitie against God I say to thee as the bodie is grosse and corrupt so the minde is as grosse and corrupt by nature So that as the bodie can feele nothing but that that is grosse no more can thy soule apprehend spirituall things but grosse things So there is the mother of all mischiefe That that Paul calleth flesh the canker of nature will ye see her daughters she begetteth vaine discoursing Then when she is in conceit of wisedome followeth false The daughters of reason not sanctified opinions of doctrines as this that Angels should be worshipped and then followeth the last childe Pride So all tends to this seeke mortification the slaughter of this mother the flesh or els she will destroy thee I say if she be not mortified thou shalt die euerlastingly For she shall fill thee so with wind and puffe thee vp so that when the iudgement commeth thou shalt be burnt vp like stubble Alas hast thou not thought of mortification
they had depriued themselues Ah woe to all false teachers and woe to them that doe depriue themselues of such an head and make the Pope their head But to come to the words he saith He holdeth not the head that is the false Apostle Then he subioynes whereof that is out of the which head the Lord Iesus through ioynts and bands the whole bodie is knit and compacted together and furnished Whereof it importeth not onely that Christ the head is the efficient and worker of all grace that comes to the bodie but more Christ the head of the Church that out of him as out of a storehouse and not elsewhere all grace and vertue doe flow vnto man So the word hath a great force for as out of the head of a man flow all the vertues mouing life and sense that is in the bodie take the head away no vertue is in the bodie euen so from this head the Lord Iesus to his mysticall bodie flow all power and mouing that the bodie that is his Church and euery member thereof hath Thou hast nothing but that that floweth from him Therefore the Apostle saith in him dwelleth all fulnes and againe in him are all treasures and againe in him dwelleth the Godhead bodily and againe in him wee are compleate To let you see that Iesus Christ is the storehouse of graces Goe thy way to heauen thou shalt not finde one iot out of thy head the Lord Iesus Thou shalt seeke all thy time and thou shalt not get a droppe without him Then he saith that by ioynts and bands the whole bodie is furnished not a part but the whole bodie and euery member neuer a one being excepted neither rich nor poore But to insist in the comparison euen as the whole bodie of a man and euery member of the bodie to the finger and toe sucketh vertue from the head and the head is powerfull to cause euery ioynt to liue it is euen so with this mysticall bodie There is neuer a member of this bodie but it receiueth some vertue from the head the Lord Iesus yea the silliest bodie of them all receiueth it owne grace and Iesus Christ is effectuall in euery one from the highest to the lowest If it be in the bodie it cannot want grace It is impossible that any that are in Christ Iesus can want grace but the Lord must be powerfull in them Runne then and ioyne thee with the bodie for if thou be not of this bodie I giue thee this doome thou Ioyne thy selfe with the Church if thou wilt be in Christ shalt neuer see grace nor get the spirit of Iesus which is the worker of this grace in Iesus 1. Cor. chap. 12. 7. he saith To euery one is giuen the manifestation of the spirit to profit withall And Ephes 4. 7. likewise he saith To euery one is giuen grace according to the measure of the gift This importeth that Iesus Christ is not onely full of grace but that there is such a varietie of grace in him that there is not onely one or two graces in him but he is full of varietie of graces There is not a member but he hath gotten a different grace I haue gotten mine thou hast gotten thine and euery one hath gotten his owne different grace So looke what varietie there is of the faces of men Varietie of graces in Christ. as great varietie there is of the graces of Christ and so there is no grace out of Christ seeke grace in him or els thou wilt neuer finde it To goe forward the first thing that euer commeth downe from the head to the bodie what thinke ye it to bee What is the first thing that commeth downe from the head of a man It is yee know the sinewes as the first thing for the head by them is bound to the bodie euen so the first thing that commeth from Christ he calleth it bands or ligaments that goe downe from him as from the head So that there is not a member of the bodie of Christ but there is a sinew a band comming from Iesus Christ the head to it Ye will aske what The bands which knit vs vnto Christ are these mysticall sinewes The first of them is the spirit of Iesus Christ God himselfe is the master sinew without that sinew thou shalt neuer bee conioyned with the head The second band is faith for when that spirit commeth he is not idle in the person in whom he is but hee worketh faith in him There is the other sinew whereby thou takest hold of him he taketh hold first of thee and then thou takest hold of him The third and last band is loue to thy neighbour a branch as it were striken out from faith where faith is loue will strike out from it as a branch striking out from the master sinew so these are the three bands The spirit entring into vs faith rising from vs and our loue rising from our faith whereby we mutually embrace one another I neede not to insist to proue by the Scriptures these points ye see in this Epistle chap. 3. 14. Loue is called the band of perfection Now brethren ye must know this moreouer euery one of these bands must extend to euery member There is not a member of Christs bodie but first he must haue the spirit of Iesus next faith and thirdly loue otherwise thou canst not be a member of Iesus Christ For if thou want but this loue which is the last thou canst not be one of Christs I say and affirme thou hast not the spirit nor faith and so art not conioyned with the head It is true that euery one hath his particular gift different from other but I assure you a man may not want one of these three Thou maist want the gift of tongues miracles and such others but thou must not want the spirit faith nor charitie Want what thou wilt and if thou haue not these three thou canst not stand in the bodie thou hast not to doe neither with Christ nor with his bodie therefore if thou hast the spirit faith and charitie and doest find thy selfe to haue them then thou maist be ioyfull Now to goe thorow after he hath set downe the bands he sets downe three effects that proceede from Christ by these Three effects proceed from Christ to euery member bands downe to the bodie The first effect is a furnishing of the bodie wherewith not with earthly furniture but with spirituall furniture otherwise it cannot stand For as when the bodie is knit with the head by sinewes and then downe through these sinewes as thorough certaine conduits doe flow vertue and power to the bodie cut off thy head thy bodie nor no member thereof hath any power to moue or stirre euen so this mysticall bodie being ioyned to Christ by these spirituall meanes the spirit faith and loue there commeth downe through these conduits to vs that water of life and that is
God Therefore seeke it of him He calleth it the growth of God because the furniture is of God for where the furniture is of God there must be the growth of God As the naturall furniture maketh the naturall growth euen so where the spirituall furniture is it maketh the spirituall growth and as the one failes see that the other grow daily Endeuour to grow spiritually otherwise this life is most miserable and a wofull death will abide thee Therefore haue a greater respect to the spirituall growth then to this temporall If it be a great corsiue to this life to be bereft of visible and earthly things what a sore sting shall it be to be depriued of the life to come and the ioyes of heauen and the sight of the spirituall things there There must bee sorow of sorrowes the greatest and wofullest sorrow that euer was Further I see there is set downe here an opposition betwixt this growth of God and the swelling vp of the false Apostles Where Iesus is the head and furniture sent downe from him Where Christ is there is the growth of God where he is not and no furniture from him there is no solid growth there There may well be one blowne vp with a vaine winde of poyson as a bodie that will swell foote and hand he may well swell vp in the wombe of sinne but if there be not a furniture from Iesus thou shalt neuer grow truly either in knowledge or sanctification thy estate shall be as the women learning but neuer come to the knowledge of the truth Our Noblemen will take in Iesuites into their chambers and will giue eare to them but I say to thee heare as thou wilt there is no solid growth to be had of his speech There is no sound spirituall growth in the kingdome of Antichrist It may be ye thinke it growes because the world followeth it for the kingdome of the truth of Iesus is in a narrow bound but I say vnto you there is no good growth in that kingdome of Antichrist therefore flye from them flie from Babylon for Babylon shall be destroyed flie away then from them Shame shall befall them that ioyne with them This for the description of Iesus and the growth in him In the next verse hee returneth to his admonition and he saith be not burthened alas these traditions are a burthen of Traditions such weight that whosoeuer will take them on they shall presse them downe to hell and damnation The argument that he vseth ye are dead with Christ and by his crosse he hath freed you if saith he ye be dead with Christ why should ye suffer your selues to be burthened with such trifles as the false Apostles would haue you berthened with as if he would say it is a great indignitie done to Christ if ye doe so He said before they were buried with him now he saith they are dead with Christ Who euer thou be then that hast any part with Iesus thou must be dead with Iesus There is none but they must be dead in this world with Iesus if they would haue any part with him A man that is quicke in this world giues a token that he hath no part with Iesus But heare this death described Yee were dead saith hee with Christ then hee hath a companion that is a blessed death that hath the fellowship of Iesus It is better to die with Iesus then to liue with all the world The word which he vseth imports further To die by vertue of his death so it is his death that maketh vs to die O there is a double happines blessed is that soule that dieth by vertue of the death of Iesus So then it is not so much thou that diest as it is sinne that dieth in thee by vertue of his death Yet more he saith ye were dead with Christ Where from from the ordinances or elements that is the grosse rudiments of Religion that imported a subiection and a thraldome to the law Looke if this be a burthen or not So in a word there is the greatest happines to die with Christ for to die with him is to be freed of the law and of sinne So wouldest thou haue a blessed death dye this death with Christ for it bringeth to thee a faire libertie It is better to dye with Christ then to liue a slaue with sinne And if thou wouldest liue a free man leaue Libertie sinne and seeke the libertie that is in Christ He saith if ye be dead with Christ why are ye burthened with traditions somewhat sharply and angerly Fie shame fie shame on thee that goest to put thy necke vnder traditions wherefrom thou wast once freed fie on thee man that makest defection to Papistrie why goest thou to be burthened with such vanities Now he lets them see that it was a mischieuous thing that they cast off Christ to liue to this life This is a miserable case with the wofull and sinfull life in this world O thou Papist woe is thee that makest this choice thou that hast dyed with Christ thou wilt begin to liue with the Pope and his vaine traditions It shall neuer make thee to haue life no not in this world as quicke as thou seemest to be I insist so much the more in this that ye that stand should be moued to stand still and not to be chaunged from your Christ as many doe when they goe to these parts of the Popes dominions O it will be a blacke day to you if ye stand not fast euer by Christ and his truth Be ioyfull that ye are crucified with Christ and be not wanton with the world but be sorie for sinnefor if sinne liue in you ye shall dye but if thou leaue it in the teares of repentance thou shalt liue for euer I loue not a wanton sinner be therefore buried and dead with Christ that ye may liue with him To whom with the Father and holie Spirit bee euerlasting praise and glorie for euer and euer Amen THE XXII LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 2. vers 21. 22. 23. 21 As touch not taste not handle not 22 Which all perish with the vsing and are after the commaundements and doctrines of men 23 Which things haue in deede a shew of wisedome in voluntary religion and humblenes of minde and in not sparing the bodie which are things of no value sith they pertaine to the filling of the flesh YE heard the last day welbeloued brethren in Iesus Christ the Apostle when he had set downe that faire description of Christ the head of the bodie he returned to his purpose and that admonition which is through this whole chapter that they should beware of false teachers and false doctrine and especially that they should not take on thē the burthen of ordinances that is to say y e burthen of the rites and ceremonies of the law that sometime had place in the Church of the Iewes
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
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
because of these members the wrath of God commeth vpon the children of disobedience The third argument was from that former life of theirs they were in life no better then the children of disobedience Now certainely thou that hast been a sinner and hast liued as wickedly as any other when thou lookest ouer thy shoulder and seest that life thou liuedst in it should be a motiue to thee to mortifie thy members and foule affections for if thou doe it not thou shalt goe backe againe Wast thou an harlot thou shalt goe backe againe to thy harlotrie Wast thou a murtherer thou shalt fall to thy murther againe Wast thou an auaritious person thou wilt to thy auarice againe and be worse in these sinnes then euer thou wast before if thou mortifie not still these thy foule affections thou shalt backe againe to these sinnes and many more Now to come to the text vpon this last argument he concludeth his exhortation therefore put now away all these things wherein ye haue liued ouer long thinke ye haue liued ouer long in sinne as it is said 1. Pet. 4. 3. an houre in sinne is ouer long Alas if thou couldest abhor thy sinne there was neuer so great a stinke as the stinke of sinne thou thinkest thy The pollution of sin dirt to be something to thee alas thou wilt perish and drowne thy selfe in it if thou take not vp thy selfe Briefly these words containe the same in effect that was said before Put away ye also now There is neuer a word here without force and for your better vnderstanding I will note foure things in them to be considered The first is what this putting away meaneth The second is what things they should put away The third is the manner of putting them away The fourth is the time when this should be To come to the first The word that he vseth put away it signifieth as much as to mortifie to slay for in other places also he vseth these words indifferently The words are borrowed The first word of mortifying from things that are subiect to the slaughter and the word of putting away is borrowed from 1 Put ye away cloathing that is put away off a man so brethren as sinne is an old man as Paul saith hauing life it hath life as euery thing hath life and therefore is slaine euen so thy sinne is a botched cloathing a cloute and a filthy garment where with we are cloathed naturally and therefore must now be put away off vs we must shake it off as we would see that life of heauen or else it will bring thee to destruction Further the word importeth more then a bare putting off it importeth also a putting Put off sin so as you neuer put it on again off of it from thee that thou see it no more Thou must not play with sinne as thou doest with thy coate No cast it not off now and then put it on thee in the morning nay rather hold it still and thou that art a harlot cast not thy harlotrie from thee this day and then put it vpon thee to morrow no but continue a harlot still for if thou put it now off and now on the Lord shall make thee finde it to sticke faster to thee then thy skinne doth to thy backe Goe not then to thy custome againe but if thou once put off or away sinne put it away foreuer meddle neuer with that sinne againe This is the first thing here to be considered The next thing to be noted in this place is the things to be 2 All these things put away not one thing onely manifold are the pleites or foldings of sinne Lord if it be not a thick cloathing for if thou be cloathed with sinne thou hast a thicke coate vpon thy backe there is such a varietic of sinne in thee And therefore he biddeth thee not put away one of them and keepe another as to put away thy adulterie and keepe murther to put away theft and keepe couetousnes No play not so with sinne say not I will shake off that sinne and keepe this but the Apostle biddeth thee put all away yea the least sinne that can be as well as the greatest Iames in his second chapter and tenth verse saith he that faileth in one is guiltie of all If murther raigne in thee thou art gone keepe temperance as thou wilt if one sin raigne in thee thou art a lost man for I say if one sinne raigne in thee there is no mortification in thee and so there is nothing in thee that pleaseth God And ye know as ye see a man will die of many maladies euen so ye shal see a mā die of one Simile maladie Euen so supposing that you were cleane of many sinnes yet if there be one in thee that one sinne will cause thee die Yet the word is to be marked He biddeth not onely generally all put away all sinne but the direction is giuen to euery one in particular of the which it must follow that there are none that are borne but they are cloathed with all sinnes vnder the heauen for howbeit a man burst not out in euery sin an open murtherer an open adulterer a theefe an auaricious person yet he hath the seed of euery one of these by nature in his heart thou art a murtherer by nature a drunkard c. Therefore I say to euery one of you put away all these things put away murther out of thy heart put harlotric out of thy heart and in a word put all sin away slay all The third that is to be marked here is the manner of the putting away of these affections And it is set downe in this word also That is as the rest of the world that is faithfull hath done if ye would be accounted Christians be ye like them as they haue mortified in themselues these affections and slaine the earthly members so doe ye likewise as if he would say ye stroue before with the children of disobedience who might be first in euill euen so striue now with the children of light the faithfull who may be first in mortification of sinne and in banishing sinne from you for this compensation must bee by thee that art called to y e light of the Gospel or else thou shewest thy selfe neuer to haue been called Hast thou striuen with the wicked before in wickednes striue now with the godly in godlines Sawest thou euer the broad gate thou wentest in go now and see the streight gate and thrust in with the faithfull that way For if thou be a counterfaite and say thou art a Christian and walkest not as a Christian but after thy old manner of life in wickednes like to the Infidels I say thou shalt finde greater iudgement and damnation in that day against thee then against an open infidell Hee setteth then before them the faithfull and all to worke this mortification For as the Lord mortifieth by his word when
and vncleannes and mortalitie out of thy former parents Adam and Eue euen so beleeuing in Iesus thou shalt draw out of him the sappe of life and sanctification But the words following make the words plaine What is meant by this new man There are three things in the words following Three things in the new man There is first the making him new againe Secondly there is the nature what it is wherein he standeth And thirdly there is the paterne according to the which hee is made the Lord had made him according to a paterne First it is said He is renued That is he is created a new againe Then it must follow that he was once made before and that in the creation and if he be made againe hee was once lost and so it was Now after this losing the Lord renueth him againe and therefore ye see a wonderfull mercie of God and it is the will of the spirit that thou shouldest conceiue this in thy heart and say O that exceeding mercie of God! that the Lord of mercie hath shewed on thee this mercie Looke to Paul Ephes chap. 2. vers 4. But God who is rich in mercie according to his great loue wherewith he hath loued vs euen when we were dead in sinnes hath quickened vs together in Christ. There he looketh in through the grate of renouation and therein hee seeth a wonderfull mercie in God Ye shall finde the life of this in the Epistle to Titus Alas wee want this eye there is such a dulnes in vs that we cannot passe vp to see this mercy of God Thou shouldest not so soone heare of mercie but thou shouldest euer looke vnto God and his mercie and thanke him for it What Angell could euer haue thought that God would haue created that new man againe They all wondred when they saw it Alas it is long ere wee can wonder Now what is his nature Which is renued to knowledge What is he I answere he is knowledge the light of the minde thou hast a new minde would ye know what is knowledge Paul Ephes chap. 2. telleth you that the eyes of your minde are opened O if the eye of thy minde bee closed thou art yet in nature Whereto That ye may know that hope Yet he goeth higher and that riches of his grace And yet he groweth higher and that excellent greatnes In a word it is the sight of faith full of that glorie that shall be reuealed I remember the Apostle to the Eph. chap. 4. vers 24. addeth to these two things righteousnes and holines so that in all his members he is light to see God Iesus Christ and all the glorie of heauen there There is the renuing that is spoken of here he is then sincere in heart in his body and in hand he is righteous in dealing with his neighbour If thou haue this new man he will cloathe thee within and without if thou were cloathed with gold and thou haue not this cloathing on thee thou art but a lumpe of stinking dirt The last thing is the paterne hee is created to one paterne Now what looketh God to in making of him looketh he to an Angell and saith I will make this new man like an Angell or looketh hee to the Sunne and Moone to the beasts and elements or to any creature in heauen or earth No no but hee looketh to his owne glorie and maketh thee according to that forme he looketh to that light that is in himselfe and maketh thy light like to his owne light and thy holines like to himselfe Looke the first of Genesis when hee had created all things the heauen the earth and the rest ye shall not finde such a word that he created any to his owne image But when he commeth to man with a consultation saith elohim Let vs make man like to our selues Gen. chap. 1. vers 26. So then O man there is thy first glorie the Lord honored thee in thy creatiō but thou hast lost it And the renuing of this image it is passing excellent it is double more glorious then it was at the beginning O that mercie that renued it Thou deseruedst to be turned into a stone or into the vilest brute beast or vermin that is Therefore it must be a passing great mercie that in renuing thee hee renueth thee in an higher measure then hee created thee in No in the renuing of thee in Christ he doubleth his image in thee And if hee made thee like himselfe at the first now he doubleth it a thousand times more The glorie of Adam was great but now that is farre greater which wee haue in Christ If Adam had kept his glorie yet it would haue bin nothing but an earthly paradize y t he would haue bin in but al the earth is not capable of one glorified bodie in Christ So then striue to beleeue in him and certainly the fall of Adam shall be so farre from thy heart that thou shalt blesse the time that he fell if thou gettest this renued creature in thee through the Lord Iesus otherwise thou shalt curse the time that he fell So beleeue in Iesus Christ and all things shall worke to thy good felicitie and blessednes in Iesus To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be honour and praise for euer and euer Amen THE XXVIII LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 3. vers 11. 11 Where is neither Grecian nor Iew circumcision nor vncircumcision Barbarian Scythian bond free but Christ is all and in all things THis whole place is an exhortation to the mortifying of these earthly members these sinfull lusts and affections and to the putting off of them for we haue been ouer long cloathed with them so that they be not put on again Ye haue heard these daies past sundrie sorts of them and likewise sundrie arguments to moue vs to this mortification To come briefly to the purpose The last argument was from our regeneration begun in this life standing in two Coherence parts that is first in putting off the old man that is corruption of nature that we haue drawne not onely out of our mothers wombe but haue suckt out of the loynes of old Adam so that looke how hee is it is as old It sitteth on and pearceth through the skinne to the heart and there is none that is free from it The second part was the putting on of the new man For certainly as I shewed you no man is able to stand naked before God cloathed must thou be or els there is no appearance for thee being naked before that tribunall seate all must be cloathed with that righteousnes and sprinkled with the bloud of Christ and then next with this new man that is with that inherent holines that floweth out of the bloud of Christ For he that is iustified by his bloud must be sanctified by his spirit Ye heard a description of this new man he is new made againe In the
and some seruants for otherwise an horrible confusion should follow And the Gospell is so far from that that by the contrarie it sanctifieth policie So that if any King before the Gospell was setled after the Gospell he is better setled And if a master of a house was setled before the Gospell he is now farre better setled after the Gospell And this is the rule of the Apostle 1. Cor. chap. 7. vers 17. 20. Let euery man abide in that vocation wherein he is called And then he saith Art thou a slaue art thou called to it abide still in it vntill by lawfull meanes thou get freedome Will ye haue example of this There was Onesimus that ranne from Philemon his master Paul after that he had made him a Christian man hee sendeth him againe to his seruice So it is but vanitie to thinke that religion is enemie to policie or maketh any alteration in policie nay it rather establisheth all in policie This one thing is to be marked The second is seeing in matters of grace the Lord hath no respect to the persons of men hee will not iustifie a King because he is a King and denie it to a beggar because he is a beggar but he will iustifie the one and the other without all respect of persons Seeing then this is his doing what should we doe Looke what Paul saith 2. Cor. 5. according to the flesh I will not account of one man more then of another I will offer grace to the beggar as well as to the rich And againe in policie I giue thee leaue to account of the King as much as thou wilt and why shouldest not thou that art a seruant account of thy master otherwise thou offendest Thinke that thou art an inferiour to him albeit thou be equall in grace with him And so let euery one in policie in common-weales and families haue their owne place let the King haue his place the Lord his place in his own ranke and roume and so foorth And I say to thee if thou doe it not thou hast no grace For if thou hadst grace thou wouldest be so sanctified that thou wouldest not faile in any wise to honour thy superiours here on earth and yet when the comparison falleth out betwixt the gracious man or sanctified man and old things count more of a regenerate man then of all the prophane Kings of the world What did Paul hee had many of these outward things as ye may reade in the Epistle to the Philippians chap. 3. I am an Hebrue saith he as ye are O but when Christ came in all these aduantages became to me not onely domages but they became as dung So all these externall things are but as nothing in comparison of regeneration It is better to be a renued man being a beggar then to be the greatest Monarch in the world wanting regeneration Now lastly in this place ye see when Christ commeth there is a strange change in the world Thinke ye he came in vaine or for nothing Is there not a great change when a great Monarch commeth into the countrey Thinke ye not but when Christ came there was a great change such as was neuer at the comming of all the Monarches in the world Paul 2. Cor. 5. vers 17. saith speaking of this change Whosoeuer is in Christ is a new creature all things are made new in him but there is such a stupiditie in men that they cannot see this Thou art euer harping on these old things will ye heare him boast it will be of these old things O senseles creature thou shewest thou art not renewed O these braue Courteours all their speech is of these old things by the which they testifie that they wote not what Christ meaneth Yet in a word some may doubt Are all things so renewed that these olde things haue no place Is there no difference of nations of riches of honours stand not these things these old things fleshly things notwithstanding this innouation I answere they stand but I adde this if euer it be well with them they must be renued that old shape must be put off them Thou that art a King must be made a new creature and thou that art a subiect thou must be renewed againe and obey thy Prince in the Lord. The Gentiles knew not this thou y t art a seruant thou must obey thy master in the Lord and thou that art a master thou must doe thy dutie to thy seruant in the Lord so as these outward things must be renewed in Christ I say more the first comming of Christ made some change but the next comming shall make it palpable Thou shalt see it and feele it for there shall be no kings but the kings of heauen there shall be no superiours or masters but all shall be glorified there shall be such an alteration then And thou that wilt not see it now thou shalt then be compelled to see it nill thou will thou This for the first part of this verse the next part followeth In the first ye heard he hath taken away all respect of these outward things now it might haue been thought if this new man hath cast off all these outward things what hath hee in steed of them for it were a great losse if he gat not something in steed of them He answereth in a word Christ is all and in all things There is the answere So that the thing that graceth a new man is one onely thing and what is it Iesus Christ the Lord is in steed of all he supplieth the want of all these earthly things So that if yee will aske of this new man what is thy nation supposing he be of the best nation on earth he will answere Christ is my nation If thou aske what is thy kindred let him come of Kings he will say Iesus Christ is my kindred It is a wofull bloud thou art come of if thou be nothing renewed in Christ Wilt thou aske what is thy kingdome He will answere Iesus Christ is my kingdome An earthly bodie will say and answere I am King of France and I am King of Spaine and I am Emperour and will cast his head vp If thou wilt aske what is thy riches thy honour and estate hee will answere Christ is all things to me and so there is no prerogatiue in this world Hee will put Christ in the roume of all whether he haue or want it Ye remember Matth. 12. when the mother of Christ would haue come to him and the Disciples telling him that saying Behold thy mother thy brethren stand without desiring to speake with thee he answereth Who is my mother my brethren and sisters Euen they that doe my fathers will Then generally he telleth whosoeuer will doe the will of his father are his mother brother and sisters Then turne it ouer if thou be a faithfull man thou art brother to him and all and againe he is all to thee Now certainly this
thinke to be safe account of the Ministerie as thou pleasest if thou lay not thine eare to the Gospell and beleeue Let saith he the word of God dwell in you In you that is in your hearts not in your mouthes and eares onely but let it goe downe to the heart and to the rootes and depth of the heart and let it haue it residence there It is not enough to haue it tinckling in thy eare albeit some think it enough but it must goe from the eare to the heart and there the residence and lodging of it must be So hee recommends not onely the hearing and reading but hee recommends the meditation in Meditation in the hart the heart thinking musing turning it ouer and ouer againe and againe in the heart for except the word be in the heart it can haue no operation It is not enough to sit and heare a while and no more if there bee not a musing in this word thinke not that it can haue an operation in your heart but the more thou hearest the more gracelesse art thou experience proues it Then the word must be in the heart but how long must it abide there Must it abide the night and away the morrow as a pilgrime lodging here this night and in another place the morrow must it lodge with thee so must thou muse of it for this time and then farewell till thou haue to doe with it againe and goe to thy drinking and pastime No saith he Let the word dwell that is haue a continual residence night and day within thee and be a domesticke or household seruant of Psal 1. 2. thine and not a stranger to abide with thee for euer and let there be a continuall meditation on it so long as thy strength can beare it Trowest thou that the thinking of Iesus will hinder thy occupation No it hath no grace but when thou art thinking of Iesus and it hinders thee nought except the meditation of the word be ardent in thee night and day as it was in Dauid who had as weightie occupations as any man O would to God Kings had a peece of meditation in this word as Dauid had in all those other affaires thinke not that grace will abide with thee For looke how soone this word leaues thee as soone grace goes from thee so that of a mercifull man thou be commest a tyrant What makes so many of our Noblemen so debased but the contempt of this word All our great men are very contemners of Gods word See ye not the vengeance of God vpon them their wiues and children they would haue this word driuen out not onely out of this countrie but out of the hearts of men Well well for all that let the word haue residence and continuall residence within you O but in what measure and what quantitie Some will say if you know this what behooues me to be ouer carefull to vnderstand this word let the Ministers who liue by it haue that care If I haue the Lords Prayer the Beleef and the tenne Commandements I need no more I am a Lord I am a Ladie I am a Gentleman what neede I to trouble my selfe with the Byble I haue another occupation But what saith the Apostle Let the word dwell in you How In scarsitie in a bit of it leauing the rest to others No but let the word dwell in you plenteously let the word make you rich The Apostle then requires a treasure and a store to be laid vp in the heart he would that the riches of the word be in you and not a pouertie of it And I say to thee thou who wilt content thee with one part and wilt not seeke the riches of the word and as the Apostle to the Hebrues chap. 6. 1. that striuest not to be led forward to a perfection but dwellest in the Elements and Cathechisme I say thou hast nothing of it He that will content himselfe with the Pater noster and the Creede I say he hath nothing And if he haue any illumination by it and cares not for a perfection that light he hath gotten shall die out if it grow not it will vanish away You see that if fire be not fed with new matter it will goe out It is as sure We must grow in knowledge or els vve haue no knowledge of that knowledge and light that thou hast of God and that light that is kindled in thee if it be not intertained so that it grow on it shall goe out And O then what danger art thou in If thou spue out that light it is impossible that thou shouldest be renewed by repentance for it is called the sinne against the 2. Pet. 3. 18 Heb. 6. 4. 6. holy Ghost Therefore all ye that would see the light and the riches of heauen striue to be rich in this word and be greedie in reading and meditating of this word as the Lord will giue you grace To goe forward Let the word dwell in you and in euery one of you for that that is spoken to one is spoken to all and that aboundantly It is the treasure that thou shalt take vp with thee and it shall not leaue thee in the graue it shall serue thee in heauen But what more In all wisdome now in this text that Effects of the vvord followes we haue certaine faire effects of this word of Iesus dwelling richly in vs. They are partly in the man himselfe in whom the word dwels and partly in others that heare him speake He who is rich in Christ is not rich himselfe onely but he shall inrich others also with him euery word that comes out of his mouth is a lumpe of riches to thee Then to come to the first effect In all wisdome and knowledge The word of God dwelling richly in any must not want the effect it Wisedome is a faire light must haue an effect and the first effect is a faire light O that light it is as it were a goodly torch light in a darke house that enlightens the whole house So thou by nature art a darke dungeon there is not a sparke of heauenly light in thee by nature Thou hast some light of nature but what is that It is to make thee inexcusable When this light of heauen comes it lightens all thy darknes What is the first effect of the light of the Sunne or of a candle but illumination So this word is the illumination of thy mind It opens the hart and enlightens it Illumination and it illuminates all the affections and puts them in order So the first effect is light It hath this of the owne nature 2. Tim. 3 15. Paul saith The Scriptures are able to make thee wise reade al the bookes that are written if thou couldest compasse heauen The Scriptures bring true wisedome and earth if thou want the Scripture in thy heart thou shalt neuer be wise And seeing this is the true effect
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
it In the last verse he makes plaine the thing he said he declares what a speaking this is That I may make it manifest that is that I may open it and vnfould it as a piece of cloath Take this mysterie in the which Christ and his riches is inclosed lay it open and let the world see it cleerely As to the speaking of it Moses spake of it but he left it foulded vp Then the Prophets spake of it but they vnfoulded it not for they could not doe it because Christ was not yet come in the flesh Then come the Apostles when Christ is crucified and they open it and as it is said in the Ephesians chap. 3. They Euangelize They A mystery make manifest the comming of Christ and his mysterie In a word that which was a mysterie of old they make an Euangell of it and the mysterie and the Euangell is one in effect for the mysterie is nothing els but a closed Euangell and the Euangell is the mysterie opened vp Then the lesson is wherein stands the speaking of the mysterie of Christ To wit in opening vp of it And therfore who euer thou be that takes vpon thee to speake of this mysterie look thou be skilfull to handle it that is that thou cāst vnfould it rightly to let the world see Iesus Christ that was so long hid vp Let them see Christ crucified and glorified looke that thou canst speake with the demonstration of a spirituall power with euidence of the spirit to make it plaine to the world and take Iesus Christ and paint The preaching of the Gospell the vnfolding of a mysterie him out to the eye of the people and let them see him glorified in the heauen and that life flowing out of his bloud If thou inuolue it when thou shouldest lay it abroad woe is thee hold thy tongue and speake not of him Alas then Ministers haue need to take heed to themselues This Gospell would not be handled with vnwashen hands The last words are As it becommeth me to speake or as it is in the owne language as it behooueth me of necessitie whereby he meanes that there was a necessitie imposed vpon him as in the first Epistle to the Corinths chap. 9. 16. and there hee saith Woe is me if I preach not the Gospell in this place he means that same necessitie Then briefly the Apostle here acknowledgeth a necessitie imposed vpon him to vtter the Gospell of Christ The lesson is easie weigh the estate of Pastors and Ministers In a word there is not a Pastor nor Minister that takes in hand to vtter Christ but there is a necessitie laid on his necke as an oxe yoked in a plough and all the Kings of the earth shall not take it off to vtter the Gospell with libertie To hide nothing of the mysterie not to impaire it a whit what euer the Lord requires in the Gospell in paine of thy life see thou impaire it not If the Emperors of y e world should lay an other yoke on thee say with Paul Woe is me if I preach not In deede thou who wouldest close the mouth of a Pastor if thou couldest free him of the necessitie and yoke that God hath laid on him thou wouldest doe something but woe to thee that wouldst lay on thy yoke with the yoke of God! Wilt thou the poore mans perishing Lay on him what thou wilt thou shalt not relieue him of the yoke of god and woe to that Minister that conceales ought of the truth of God for the pleasure of man Will not men consider this necessitie No al the world shall not with Gods grace make me cast off this yoke yea if it come to practise ye shall finde men who will be content to die for this Woe to thee who will impaire a iot of the Gospell Thou dishonourest God and his Gospell Therefore the Lord giue vs grace to suffer all extremitie and death it selfe cre euer we impaire a iot of this Gospell The Lord work this for Christs sake for his yoke is sweete and easie to be borne Now to the Father Sonne and holy Spirit be all praise and honour Amen THE XXXVI LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 4. vers 5. 5 Walke wisely towards them that are without and redeeme the season HAuing spoken brethren of the particular admonitions that were giuen by the Apostle to particular estates of men and women especially dwelling in one familie and household wee returned againe to the generall exhortation pertaining to men and women of all estates high and low poore and rich Princes and subiects masters and seruants and to all alike The first generall wee heard the last day and intreated of it as God gaue the grace it was an exhortation to prayer and perseuerance in prayer It is not enough to pray but thou must perseuere in prayer be ardent and earnest in it night and day for so thou hast neede to doe if thou consider thy wants Vnto perseuerance in prayer he ioyneth watchfulnes which is nothing els but feruentnes and earnestnes to pray with an ardent desire otherwise thou scornest him if thou deale with him for fashion and thou scorner Prayer wilt be met with and shalt finde thy prayer to be but foolishnes Eccles 2. 17. Then when he hath done this in generall he comes in speciall to himselfe and desires them to pray together for him among the rest considering that there was none that needed more then he because he was lying in bands for the Gospell and therefore had an impediment to vtter with libertie that mysterie of Iesus Christ which is nothing els but the Gospell hid vp in a mysterie to the consolation and saluation of the world Now to come to the text here followeth the second generall exhortation and it is to walke but with wisedome so in a word it is an exhortation to vse wisedom in their actions and proceedings whatsoeuer For what auailes it to doe ought except it be done wisely But to weigh the words as the Lord will giue grace Walke saith he You shall finde this oft recommended you are neuer bidden sleepe or sit idle but euer walking Walke occupation busines doing is recommended This Christian calling that wee haue in Christ Iesus it is not to sit idle to be sluggish to sleepe and slumber to sit to lie and to stand still in one place but it is to walke to goe to be on your iourney Wee are pilgrims and a pilgrime would euer be on his feet and if he rest it would be shortly and speedily dispatched and euer to the iourney Our calling is to occupation and labouring here but thou shalt cease from thy labour after this life To whom is this promise made to cease from your labour but to those who are diligently and earnestly occupied here in the vineyard of the Lord euer taking heede to their waies that they offend not the great God of
Gospell Thou wilt looke in a glasse to decke thy selfe and wipe off the spots of thy face but wilt thou looke to the Gospell thou shalt see a more beautifull face euen the face of Iesus and the more thou lookest How powerfully the power of Christ transforms vs if we looke vpon his face in the Gospel on it the more it casts out these beames of glory and transformes thee from glorie to glorie So as euer thou wouldest haue the sight of Iesus let thy pleasure be to looke into the mirror of the Gospell for he who takes not pleasure to looke in the mirror shall neuer see the Lord Issus face to face This is a decree and I pronounce it against all these contemners of the Gospell they shall finde it sure they shall neuer see Iesus Christ but to their damnatiō Thou who contemnes All contēners of the Gospell goe to hell this mirrour of the Gospell thou art the diuels slaue and shalt be condemned with him in that great day for euer O if wee should be carefull to keepe this preaching of Christ it stands vs vpon paine of life and death See then what enemies they Preaching be that would take this mirrour from vs by the which wee are Papists comforted and kept to life euerlasting To come to the next words The Colossians might haue said what a Gospell is this thou speakest of It is that which Epaphras taught to vs. Is it his in whose hope we should abide Countest thou so much of his Gospell It should seeme that the person of the man offended them He answers it is the same Gospell that Epaphras preached that I recommend to you Well you see this how readie wee are to be offended with the good Gospell of Christ and to cast off the word because of the persons of men because he is a sillie man This our nature is a stumbling nature we haue a stumbling heart stumbling like a horse Thou wilt heare a man and accept of him and his doctrine and thou wilt heare another and count little either of him or his doctrine euen as though thy faith should leane vpon a man and not vpon the Gospell What hast thou to doe with the man if he speake the true Gospell shouldest thou be holden back from the word because of the basenes of the man This cannot be gotten away this day in Edenborough Ye see againe he is very carnest to commend this Gospel of Epaphras and to remoue the slaunder that they tooke vp against him It teacheth all preachers that euery one of them recommend the doctrine taught by others so it be the same doctrine let the person be what hee will this man hath deliuered sound doctrine A good lesson for preachers Yea if he haue greater graces he should recommend him which hath the simplest as Paul recommends Epaphras So it sets not one minister to detract another but if hee deliuer sound doctrine he should recommend him and speake to his praise for looke what dispraise or reproch thou puttest to the man it turnes ouer vpon the Gospell that the man preacheth as experience this day plainly proues For see ye not men who because of some infirmities of the preacher either will contemne the doctrine of the Gospell which hee preacheth so that they will not abase themselues to come and heare him or else if they come they are so preoccupied in minde that they begin Preiudice against the person of the preacher keepes many from profiting by him to scoffe at it Away with this kinde of dealing and beware what you doe when ye either speake euill of the preacher or suffer others to speake euill of him for if thou doe so thou shalt not faile to loath the Gospell and so consequently ouerthrow thy selfe Now the arguments of the recommendation followes Ibid you stand saith hee in hope of the same Gospell because it is the same Gospell that hath been preached to euery creature vnder the heauen through the whole world As if hee would say Epaphras hath not taught a doctrine diuers from mine and I another diuers from his but all is one and the same doctrine and Gospell that hee and I both haue taught Then take vp the note which Paul here giues thee of the true doctrine seeing our life A note of the true Gospell of Christ stands in the trueth of the Gospell wee should be carefull to know the true Gospell Looke if it be that Gospell that hath been preached to euery creature to al the world Christ saith Preach to euery creature Mark 16. 15. but this is not enough The Papists doctrine hath been preached throughout all Europe and further yet it is not the true Gospell of Iesus Christ There must be yet more then this vniuersalitie look if it be in the beginning preached by the Apostles and in their daies if it be so thou art sure thou hast the veritie of the Gospell But thou wilt say how shall I know this Looke their writings go no further The surest warrant is their writings Looke Pauls writing Peters writing and the rest of the Apostles and Euangelists The written word our warrant writings their bookes shall testifie of their writings for they haue written no other thing but y t they spake There is not a sentence left out that euer the Apostles taught that is not written in this booke of the new Testament as concerning the substance of it So if thou haue their writings be assured thou hast their Gospell preached by them and consequently Christs owne words and his Gospell And if an Angell would preach to thee another Gospell then this written Gospell in the old and new Testament then say thou Anathema to it Gal. 1. 6. cursed be thou and thy Gospell both cursed be thou Papist and thy gospell which is nothing els but the vaine traditions of men And as you would be free of the curses of God flie frō a Papist and his gospell both he is vaine and his gospell is the peltrie of men Then the next argument of recommendation is from his own testimonie in particular as if he would say It is euen that which I haue preached I giue my assent that it is the same with my owne gospell O the testimonie of an Apostle is a great thing yea greater then the testimonie of many thousands because they were inspired by Gods spirit that they could not erre Others might erre and haue erred and there is none now but they may erre and may teach heresie and haue taught heresie when they past a iot from the written veritie as especially may be seene in that beast of Rome and shauelings and Clergie O that damnation that abides him for many thousands that haue perished through his false erronious doctrine Yet I say more if a holy man shall giue his consent it auaileth if it bee agreeable to the doctrine taught by the Apostles otherwise it is worth nothing if it
men perseuere in the same manner and put not to it so much as one tradition of any man The Lord Traditions Iesus cannot abide that the inuention of mans braine should be foysted into his Gospell So either keepe the Gospell in the owne simplicitie and spit out the dreames and traditions of men which they labour to put to it as though it were not sufficient or else neuer know it let it goe by thee and then woe to thee euermore Keepe it in it owne simplicitie for if thou mingle of thy inuentions with it thou shalt lose the efficacie and force of the Gospell Imbrace once Papistrie I assure thee thou hast fallen from Christ thou hast but fancied to thy selfe the name of a Christian Therefore either lay the Gospell from thee and take thee to traditions or else keepe it in it owne simplicitie Then thirdly I see what faith is Faith is nothing els but the VVhat faith is and perseuerance receiuing of Christ not with the hand but with the hart He is giuen thee thou receiuest nothing but that that is offered And what is preseuerance A walking and going forward in Christ Wouldest thou perseuere Thou must not sit downe thou must not stand still but thou must goe forward in him and make progresse at the least thou must striue to goe on vnto the time thou meete with him A bodie that sits downe shall neuer meere with him thou must therefore goe on thy way and be on thy iourney or else thou shalt lose him If thou make not progresse thou shalt goe backward Therefore run hauing thy eye vpon the goale and count not that thou hast done till thou get the goale which shall be in the day of the resurrection In the next verse when hee hath exhorted them to perseuerance hee lets them see how they shall come by this perscuerance Marke the way if thou perseuere in him Thou must be well knit vp and fast ioyned with him or else thou canst neuer goe on foote for foote with him This coniunction is set downe in two borrowed words The first is rooted in him no neuer tree tooke such roote in the earth as thou must take in Christ if thou goe with him And therefore he borrowed this word from a tree and if thou be rooted in Iesus that sappe of life must runne from that roote and make thee to grow The second word is as wee would goe forward with him wee must be grounded vpon him as a building builded vpon a foundation Nay there was neuer building so builded and setled as thou must be in Christ if euer thou wilt perseuere or else the least blast of winde shall blow thee away As the Lord in the Gospell in the similitude of the house builded vpon the sea sand doth declare Matth. 7. 26. 27. Then marke wee must haue a streight coniunction with Christ if we wil goe forward with him Therefore our care should be euer to see that wee take roote further and further in Christ and to see that stedfast foundation laide vp vnder our hearts and that wee grow euery day more and more on him Well is the man that can enter into this count with himselfe Then learne thy lesson at the tree when thou seest it rooted in the earth say O Lord let my heart be builded on thee and as the building riseth so raise thou A prayer vp my heart on thee And the Lord shall make thee a fairer building then all the buildings in the world Then that which he hath spoken in borrowed speeches he speakes it plainly and he saith established in faith As if hee would say it is nothing that I meane but your stablishing in faith O the vnstabilitie of man without faith O vaine man that hath not faith If thou finde any stabilitie in faith thou shalt say O my heart where hast thou been stragling there is no anchor that can fasten or stablish thine heart but faith and hope in Iesus Christ When by this anchor thou art anchored on him then thou shalt stand so fast that no winde nor waue of the sea shall be able to remoue thee And therefore except thou wouldest goe lose thy selfe seeke to get thy heart anchored on Iesus who is only able to make it fast A Papists heart hath no stedfastnes nor stabilitie because it is grounded on the wrong place it is founded vpon Antichrist Now to the establishing of thy heart he requires two properties To stablish thine heart in the faith note two things The first is in the faith that ye haue been instructed into that is by the Gospell of Christ Then brethren there is nothing will stablish thy heart but that faith that is taught out of the Gospell If thou get not thy faith out of this Gospell the Scripture of God and that onely without paring or adding of mens dreames thou shalt neuer get it The Lord shall iustifie this one day seeke it where thou wilt thou shalt not find it without the Gospel Seeke it in the Councels of the Fathers seeke it among the Popes Clergie thou shalt not finde it amongst them thou shalt euer be the further from it For the Apostle streightens them sore he sees lownes creeping in vnder the cloake of Christ and stealing in traditions of mens wisedome Therefore he warnes them and saith I charge you that ye seeke saith only out of this Gospell And this day also I charge all flesh from Kings to beggers to seeke faith onely out of this Gospell and spit at the vile inuentions of men or else thou shalt neuer see the face of God nor the ioyes of that life in him Therefore sticke by this Gospell and suffer not thy selfe to be seuered from it yea rather suffer thy skinne be pulled off thee as the Martyrs did before thou shouldest be parted from the Gospell The second propertie that is required to the establishing of thy heart in faith is Thy faith must abound abounding saith he with thankesgiuing It must abound it must grow aboundantly it must not begin onely but it must grow degree by degree For brethren O how voide is the heart of man of grace and ful of vanitie It wil not be a degree of grace y t will fill thy heart nor two nor three c. but there must be aboundance Faith must abound and grow so long as thou abidest in this world thy heart must euer be filling But alas thou art euer filling thy bodie and forgets thy heart O but thou must be more carefull to fill thy heart then thy bodie Crie therefore euer to haue thy heart filled with faith in Iesus and say Lord as thou fillest my bodie so fill my heart also For thy body being Pray that thy heart may be filled with faith filled shall perish but if thy soule be filled with the faith of Iesus thou shalt liue for euer and euer And therefore seeke this aboundance and be not content with one degree