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A05999 A commentarie vpon the first and second chapters of Saint Paul to the Colossians Wherein, the text is cleerly opened, observations thence perspiciously deducted ... Together with diuers places of Scripture briefely explained. By Mr. Paul Bayne. B.D. Baynes, Paul, d. 1617.; Stubbs, Justinian, 1604 or 5-1681. 1634 (1634) STC 1636; ESTC S101082 229,900 390

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Finally doth not onely doe things evill but applaudeth others that doe so with him Which things may open this truth that naturally a man converseth and maketh a trade of evill workes for figges cannot bee gathered from thornes nor an evill tree cannot doe other than bring forth evill fruits We are no murtherers adulterers c. Object There are two sorts of evill workes Answ some apparantly such as the light of nature condemneth Others more close which have the shew of externall righteousnesse now such are honest courses world-ward without religion and the Pharisees course externally both honest and religious but yet wanting the power of godlinesse of which our Saviour testifieth That many things glorious in mans eye are abomination before God Would not every one condemne such a course in a servant if he should spend his time doing things that had no hurt in them but out of his owne head never vouchsasing to know his masters minde in any thing if he should doe the things bidden him but when his master would have them done thus he will doe them after his owne fashion and when his master saith doe such things first and chiefly after take these in hand hee shall let the principall alone and onely be occupied in the other were not this a wicked course in a servant This is the course of every honest naturall man that is no more than honest world-ward To urge upon men the unrighteousnesse of their wayes Vse 1 yea of those wayes which may be called righteousnesse in comparison of the other that they may count all losse to be found having part in grace through CHRIST To shew us the difference of one converted and not converted the one slippeth and intendeth and endevoureth to doe good though evill be present and steppeth in everywhere the minde of the other is set upon evill the one beareth the presence of it mourning under it the other committeth it willingly he lyeth in evill he taketh care to fulfill the lusts of his flesh hee is a worker of iniquitie VERSE 22. Hath He now reconciled in the body of His flesh through death to make you holy and unblameable and without fault in His sight HItherto of their former Condition Now he having beaten them downe in remembrance of their misery doth raise them up in recounting GOD's mercy Observe hence in generall As wee must looke with one eye downe to our unworthinesse Observ so wee must cast the other upon GOD's mercies to us These two doe well together the one corrects the other so that both as wholesome purging medicines without interlacing restoratives will weaken too much 1 Cor. 6.11 Such were some of you but now yee are washed c. Eph. 2.13 Now in CHRIST IESUS yee which once were a farre off are made neere by the bloud of CHRIST Tit. 3.3 4. We also in times past were unwise disobedient deceived c. But when the bountifulnesse and love of GOD our SAVIOUR toward man appeared c. This is to be noted from this that Paul doth not shew them their estate of Nature alone but being a bitter pill doth gild it over with annexing their comfortable condition in CHRIST We must learne to compound these meditations Vse now taking a course in remembring our wretched estate now refreshing our selves in recounting the blessed benefits we have by CHRIST as men will walke in some garden or orchard or go a while to some pleasant exercise when they are wearied with bodily labours 2 From this that such are reconciled Obs marke the free and large grace of God if we had beene enemies in heart only it had beene much to finde favour but where wee have made a trade of evill workes and lived all our lives in open rebellion how undeserved and how rich is the grace which giveth pardon If the King doe pardon one whose good will is doubtfull and take him to grace it is much but when one hath lived in making attempts on his person then to forget and to forgive were more than credible clemencie The love of God is seene in this Rom. 5.10 that when we were enemies He gave His Son to reconcile us It is the greatest love that ever the sons of men enjoyed 1 Ioh. 3.16 Hereby wee perceive the love of God because He laid downe His life for us Herein is love not that we loved God but that He loved us 1 Ioh. 4.10 and sent His Sonne to be the propitiation for our sinnes See how the holy Apostle speaking of the love of God still layes his finger upon the matter in this not in noble birth in high Parentage no no away with that carnall plea I hope the LORD loves me why because He hath kept me to this day and He hath given me wealth and health No in this it appeares that He died for you make this good to your soules In the time of the old Law there were as it were some shadowes and glympse of Gods love but now CHRIST is come the Sunne shines in his full brightnesse The blessed Apostle who was almost as neere CHRIST's heart as his body stands admiring at this love So God loved the world as who should say Ioh. 3.16 so wonderfull it is I cannot expresse it it even ravisheth my heart to thinke on it but so it was that God should stoope to man and Majesty to meanenesse and Heaven bow to earth The Reasons hereof are divers The first is taken from the Partie that loved us Reas 1 it was God blessed for ever had He sent to a poore man in time of misery and poverty honour or money it had not been such a wonder but that he should send his Son and that to die for us this is miraculous It hath bin heard that a man hath sent a Pearle to his friend but this was never heard that any should send his whole treasury but God hath not spared to send all His whole treasure Coloss 2.3 the Text saith that in Him are all these treasures of wisdome and knowledge Heare this all you poore creatures that have any part in CHRIST you complaine you are poore comfort your selves in this you have a treasure better than the best gold in India you have the treasures of heaven how then can you be poore Consider this when the least favour was too much for us and the smallest mercy more than we deserved or desired yet God accounted the greatest favours too little for us earth He hath given to us and that 's not enough heaven Hee hath prepared for us with the joy and glory thereof and yet that 's not enough He hath sent His Spirit to guide us His CHRIST to redeeme us nay He hath bestowed Himselfe upon us hath laid downe His life for us that by His death we might live As the person is incomprehensible Reas 2 so the excellencie of the worke is beyond our reach or conceit me thinkes this love goes beyond God Himselfe The
which faith layeth hold on onely CHRIST IESUS this is the only matter that Faith claspeth for righteousnesse before God and life everlasting So God loved the world Ioh. 3.16 that he gave His only begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth in Him should not perish but have life everlasting He is lifted up as the brazen Serpent that eying Him crucified we might be healed Rom. 3.25 Him hath GOD set forth for a reconciliation through faith in his bloud True it is the same saving faith beleeveth all that is set downe of GOD in the Scripture all particular promises for the passing of this life for these distinct offices doe not make three distinct faiths in us as the reasonable sensitive and naturall functions doe not make three soules in man but one whose effects are three-fold Neverthelesse Faith though it lay hold of all truth as it is taught yet so farre forth as it justifieth it buildeth and leaneth it selfe on Christ onely like as the Israelites they with their eyes did see divers things and looke on sundry objects as occasion served but so farre as they got themselves healed of the stings of firy serpents they looked with their eyes at nothing but the serpent lifted up To rebuke the worldlings faith Vse 1 which is grounded not on CHRIST crucified but such a mercy in GOD as is generally so good that it will save all The Papists their faith is grounded on their good workes with CHRIST and on the treasury of merits and satisfaction but the Arke and Dagon wil not stand together CHRIST and this stubble will not agree Wee may trie the truth of our faith this way Vse 2 it layeth hold on CHRIST Eph. 3 17. Phil. 3.3.7 bringeth Him to dwell in the heart rejoyceth in Him counteth all things drosse in comparison of Him Toward whom our love especially must be shewed Obs 2 to Saints Gal. 6.10 Rom. 12.13 Doe good to all especially to the houshold of Faith Distribute to the necessities of the Saints My good reacheth to the Saints Psal 16. all my delight is in them All in their order are to have the fruits of our love but those most who are nearest us as in nature every one is next himselfe then next to such as are of his bloud in neerest degree or otherwise made one body with him as the wife with the husband Thus in grace after GOD and our owne soules the Saints are neerest us as who are by faith and love fellow-members knit to CHRIST the Head of us all Againe a wise man will sow his seed in the best ground which will returne it with most increase So a Christian will sow the fruits of his love chiefly on the Saints for GOD taketh that which is done to them as done to Himselfe Againe this love of the brethren the Saints is a token we are translated from death to life for as this is a token the world doth not know GOD and so have not life everlasting in them because they know not His children So it is an evidence when we acknowledge such as are begotten of GOD that God hath brought us to know him who is the begetter of them To stirre us up to our duties Vse 1 our eyes should be to them that are faithfull our affections with them Birds of a feather will fly together good fellowes love one another And shall not the fellowship of grace in those that are members of one body whereof CHRIST is the Head knit the Saints together in the strongest band of love This rebuketh the weaknesse of some Vse 2 they are afraid to give any countenance to a Saint though like Nicodemus they have some good affection and liking to the godly yet they dare not be seene to hold any neere communion and familiar converse with such lest they should be thought Puritanes and favourers of men in disgrace with the State Blessed is he that is not offended at CHRIST in His poore members This rebuketh the prophanenesse of othersome Vse 3 who as the Philistims brought out Sampson when they would be merry So out must some Saint come and beare their flouts and derision when they are more pleasantly disposed Ismaeliush mockers of Isaak Yea others worse than the former hate the Saints wish there were not one in a towne of them like Cain who hated his brother to death because his workes were better than his It is an evidence of a godly heart to cleave more affectionately to those who are more godly than other And it savours of a carnall heart in a great measure when any one doth equally impart his favour If any have points of service and can apply themselves to their humour though they have small acquaintance with GOD they shall be countenanced this maketh their religion linsey-woolsey this confirmeth the hands of such in their carnall course this maketh those that are good more remisse than they should be should they finde from Christians better incouragement Davids delight was in the Saints Psal 16.3 Ps 101.6 he did purge his family of such as were unprofitable and gracelesse he set his heart on such as did set their hearts to please GOD in all things not such as could get the length of his foot were precious in his eyes Can a loyall wife take pleasure in such men who are observant and officious about her but devoid of all respect to her husband Are your soules betrothed to GOD in CHRIST and can you abide their service about you who are carelesse in dutie toward your LORD with whom you are by faith contracted this shewes there is but a forme of godlinesse or that it is much decayed when wee can like of men not as wee see them sincerely serve GOD but as their behaviour is more or lesse pleasing and contentful to our selves VERSE 5. For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven whereof ye heard before in the Word of truth the Gospell FOr the hope Hope is put for the quality of hope or the thing hoped for we are to take it here in the latter sense Observe hence Obs 1 What is a spurre quickning us to all duty the recompence which our GOD hath in store for us Heb. 11.25 26. Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of GOD then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season esteeming the reproach of CHRIST greater riches then the treasures of Aegypt for he had respect unto the recompence of reward We faint not knowing that our labour is not in vaine in the Lord. If the Lord kept nothing in store for us we might thinke as good play for nothing as worke for nothing but no office of love no not a Cup of cold water shall goe unrequited How doth this provoke to obedience but we must not hence thinke wee merit and grow mercenary minded serving for our Penny not of love to our Father for we looke not at these hopes this recompence of reward as
best of all Obs 2 but especially of Ministers though not outwardly glorious Nay the lesse glorious they are we must put the more upon them that their ministry through such good testimony might be more effectuall As in the naturall body the face hath no cover the lesse honest parts have So in the mysticall body This is required in the ninth Commandement to give good testimony and put honour one on another 2 We must the rather commend others because ordinarily they may neither praise for that were pride nor yet dispraise themselves for that were folly 3 It doth strengthen their hands in the worke of the ministery and maketh them better regarded with their people CHRIST Himselfe refused not Iohn's testimony in this regard and Paul lest he should run in vaine did come to Peter that he might have testimoniall from him Now we must give them testimony 1 So farre as we know else wee should not say true 2 Not to their face 3 To some good end as to glorifie GOD in winning authority to those we commend To teach us our duties Vse 1 to credit and countenance all we can one another especially faithfull Ministers The Divell is very diligent to ply their disgrace Especially we must not so dishonour our owne Ministers who are Fathers to us in the 〈◊〉 as to thinke and speake basely of them The Apostle his fact convinceth such as will detract Vse 2 speake by halfes with buts and ifs a good man but c. yea if they see a man downe the wind will betray him with silence dare not speake what truly they may on his behalfe VERSE 8. Who declared unto us your love in the Spirit THe doctrine of this Verse is to be gathered on a double ground 1 As it is the relation of the Apostle to the Colossians 2 As it sheweth the fact of Epaphras by the Colossians Now that the Apostle writeth to the Colossians such a good part of Epaphras as might further encrease their affection to him it doth teach us That we are to speake such things of man to man as may tye them more neerely in love one to another We must not like envious men sow tares of discord and whisper such things as may set them further and further out like as whisperers and back-biters who will speake this and this if you will keepe their counsell which tendeth onely to make debate But let us wisely report such things which may heale and conglutinate the bond of love somewhat loosed Blessed are the Peace makers For Epaphras his fact 1. We must consider him as communing with the Apostle 2. As affected toward the Colossians of whom he speaketh Marke from the matter which the holy apostle and he a faithfull Minister entreat of Observ What intelligence and newes are the fittest for Ministers to speake and heare of viz. How it fares with the soules of the faithfull what grace of GOD is in them How they walke this way looke into Paul's communication and the Brethrens that came from the Churches with him all is about this point We see how in Princes as in our Kings you have Embassadours from all States sometime France Venice Low-countries c. and there are politike relations of strength wealth civill deliberations and occurrances in Kingdomes So Paul a great overseer in the Church had his intelligence as his care was over them all so from them all but the matter altogether spirituall what oppositions against the Gospell what successe how the Churches walked c. Happie overseers that lye in the wind onely for this newes As Epaphras doth make good report of grace in his people Obs 2 viz. their love his example is our instruction That we are to tell what good things GOD worketh in our people It is GOD's glory when His gifts are confessed it is their encouragement It is a fruit of our love and evidence to them that we give them good allowance Parents delight to speake of their childrens good qualities So Ghostly Fathers Lastly marke how he beareth the witnesse of love in the Spirit that is spirituall inner hearty love whose example teacheth us Obs 3 That our love must bee heartie and unfained Saint Paul Rom. 12.13 requireth that love be without dissimulation So Saint Peter Love with a pure heart Saint Iohn Love not in word and shew but in deed and truth And such love was in Paul and other Saints they had desires one to another even from the heart-roots The effects are more common but the affection of love is exceeding rare We must chiefly labour for this GOD is a Spirit and he loveth the spirit in our workes Againe the affection of love is proper to the Saints the worke others may doe likewise To lay our selves to them Vse 1 and bewaile our key-cold counterfeit times our age wherein lust and selfe-love have devoured Love For exhortation Vse 2 the LORD thaw our frozen soules kindling and keeping in them this holy fire which may make us affectionate to Him and one to another He who is love it selfe effect it What is our love but formality and externall complement doing one good turne for another bidding to meat such as reinvite us Loving not so much our friends as our selves in them a copie of the countenance without hearty affection But what is this but a gilded potsheard as Salomon saith a golden glister without there being nothing within of any worth VERSE 9. For this canse wee also since the day wee heard it doe not cease to pray for you and to desire that yee might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdome and spirituall understanding I Told you in the third Verse how the Apostle propoundeth his fact of Thanksgiving and Prayer digressing hitherto as matter did occasion Now hee returneth to expound and open to them the forme and summe of them the order inverted first of his Prayer which was last mentioned in the third Verse then of his Thanksgiving His Prayer to the twelfth Verse His Thanksgiving with the occasionall opening of a head of doctrine to the eighth Verse of the second Chapter In the Prayer these points lye in order 1 The occasion For this cause 2 The Persons the Apostle with other Wee 3 The time From the first heare say of it The manner in two points 1 Vncessantly not ceasing 2 Fervently which is infolded in this double word We pray we desire Lastly here is the matter of his Prayer which respecteth them either as they were to doe GOD's will or to endure his pleasure For the first The grounds of obedience The obedience it selfe The fruit of it For the first The grounds of obedience are 1. The gift of knowledge that they might know the will of GOD fully 2. Gifts or graces practicall with wisdome and spirituall understanding The obedience it selfe followeth first set downe in generall That they might walke worthy the LORD Secondly opened by two particulars pleasing Him fruitfully the fruit of
to Himselfe a peculiar people Zealous of good workes Rom. 8. It is God that Iustifieth Which doth first serve for confutation of the Papists Vse 1 who though they yeeld Christ God-man yet will have His sacrificing praying c. onely to come from His humane Nature whereas all the efficacy commeth hence that the divine Nature and the humane are conjoyned as the body to the soule the humane nature being but an instrument to the divine neither is it absurd that the same Person who as God is to be prayed unto should as God-man pray to Himselfe as God absolutely considered with the Father and spirit for Christ susteyneth a double person one as God absolutely considered with the Father and Spirit and offended by man as they another as God-man undertaking to reconcile man offending to the Father Himselfe and the Spirit offended This doth teach us what we must looke at in Christ Vse 2 if we will have our consciences comfortably setled in the perswasion of our reconcilement we must looke at Him as God who goeth betweene us and God this doth still the conscience and fill it with good hope When we have offended some great personages if some meane one should moove them in our behalfe it would not so stay us for we know they will often not heare them speake or have them in light regard if they doe give them the hearing but if we can procure such as are their peeres to deale effectually for us we doubt not but that things shall be well compounded what will they deny to such as shall be equall to themselves and most neerely acquainted with them so with us c. Now in the coherence it selfe these things being marked come wee to the action it selfe where are three things 1 The reconciler by Him 2 The thing to be reconciled 3 To whom these things were to be reconciled to Him which is to be supplied out of the ver before where either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 indefinitely or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may bee understood out of the first and third circumstances wee gather these things joyntly By Him Obs Observe hence Who is the worker of our reconciliation with God even this deare Sonne the Father testifieth from heaven saying this is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased So Rom. 3.25 Him hath God set forth speaking of Christ as a reconciliation as a propitiatory sacrifice in which He would returne into favour with us God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himselfe The Father and the spirit reconcile us to themselves but by Christ Christ immediately by Himselfe doth procure us favour and this was it which all the attonements made by propitiatory sacrifices did presignify unto us even how this High Priest Iesus Christ should with the sacrifice of His bloud make God and us one againe in mutuall love as He and His Father are one Which doth let us see what we must looke to in all terrors of conscience caused by apprehension of God Vse 1 wrath even to Iesus Christ He hath with His bloud quenched this wild fire for Gods wrath is a consuming fire We with screenes doe keepe the fire from face and eys but they are wise which put between their soules and Gods wrath this screene of Christ His reconciliation least this fire burne to the pit of destruction This must make us cleave unto Christ even to let our tenderest bowels love Him that hath done this for us ô if one doe but take up some hurtfull jarre betwixt us and some other whose favour we have found very beneficiall whose displeasure we find very prejudiciall wee would be very thankefull to Him If one should mollifie the Kings displeasure and make Him favour us would we not with all love imbrace Him Christ hath healed worse things betwixt God and thee love Him with all thy soule If one should interpose his mediation to the King for some malefactor say a Theefe that hath greatly wronged some man in his estate the King will say out of justice thou must see the dammages done bee made whole and undertake that he shal leave that course of life els in justice and wisedome I cannot but refuse the suite even so if Christ had not giuen such satisfaction as was accepted and undertaken to kill the raigne of sinne and enmity against God for the time to come this blessed reconciliation could not have beene concluded The use of it is to stirre us up Vse 1 if we have care to have God reconciled to us to make sure that our sin is covered and that there be no enmity raging in our hearts against Him for hereafter As he said to Iehu peace Iehu he answer'd how can there be peace whiles Iezabels fornications are not revenged Say thou to God in thy enemylike courses not subject to his commandements art thou reconciled Lord He wil say how should I thou hast that uncovered in thee which maketh all the quarrell for I cannot see iniquity so as to like of it I am God that hate it This teacheth us what is the true way of reconciling to take away that which maketh the difference for else truce we may have which souldiers hostilelike affected have but true reconcilement will be far from us Marke Obs 2 in what all our peace is grounded the bloud-shed of Iesus Christ the phrase is to be noted by the bloud of the Crosse by Him the latter pointing at the excellency of of His person as the thing which made His bloud-shed so forceable 1 Ioh. 2.7 This purgeth all our sinnes saith Saint Iohn This doth worke a death of sinne our sinfull life being crucified in Him and through Him this maketh way for the Father of all mercies to exchange and that without wrong to His justice His just wrath with fatherly favour yea the conspiring Angels with the heyres of salvation and joy they have in them yea peace w th all the creatures yea inward and outward agreement of man with man must hence be derived for what breakes downe the partition wall what killeth sinne in vs but this alone ô pretious bloud that cryest not for revenge but speakest better things then the bloud of Abell But here three things are to be layd downe for the cleering of this point 1 The true order of our reconciliation 2 What is meant by the bloud of His Crosse 3 Why the Scripture doth attribute this every where to His bloud and externall sufferings 1 To the first we are reconciled in this order 1 All cause of inward and outward enmity is taken away the matter of enmity betwixt God and us being sinne betwixt man and man Iew and Gentile the ceremoniall law now Christ by His death did take both away 2 This done away God doth lay aside wrath and is quieted toward us God is said to smell a savour of rest in Christs death so that He saith wrath is not in Me. 3 He doth come to take us to grace
That their hearts might be comforted and they knit together in love and in all riches of the full assurance of understanding to know the mystery of God even the Father and of Christ THis Verse openeth the matter for which he strove with God by all meanes in it two points 1 The thing it selfe 2 The antecedents or meanes leading to it The thing is that their hearts might bee comforted at the knowledge of the mystery of God the Father and of Christ that is of the Gospell which told them that Iesus Christ God-man was made light and salvation to them as to other Gentiles for the incarnation of the Sonne of God and the calling them to be a people who before were none were hidden mysteries till God reveiled them Now to this end he prayeth that they might be knit together in love and a more full knowledge having with it fullnesse of perswasion The better to understand it we must remember that these Colossians were brought by Epaphras to know the Gospell in truth Secondly you must know that they had love yea true love Thirdly that they did not feele the joy of the Holy Ghost so plentifully as others first because through the Divels tares of dissension there was not that soundnesse of love which should make them fully of one heart Secondly because though they knew the Gospell yet they knew it not so plentifully being in part ignorant of their Christian liberty of the all sufficiency of Christs sole mediation as who looked and listened a little to the helpe of Angells this way Thirdly from hence it came that being weake in knowledge they somewhat staggered the Apostle therefore wisheth them the tast of heavenly joy more fully in that they knew and to this end wisheth that all impediments of heavenly joy as dissension doubting ignorance being remooved they might be one in love rich in knowledge and fully perswaded and resolved in the things they knew First then Doct. from Saint Pauls example Ministers must see what they must chiefely helpe forward even the spirituall rejoycing of their people It is a great matter of their office to serve Christians this way What are we saith S. Paul no Lords over your faith but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Co-workers with GOD furthering your joy this he prayed for Rom. 1.10.12 this he made the intent of his journeyes to give and take comfort in them To this end Eph. 6.21 22. hee dispatched messengers to comfort their hearts True it is that sometime they are forced to make sadde as Saint Paul did the Corinthians but this is not their principall intent for they doe this not for it selfe but that it may make way for rejoycing as a Physitian is forced to make his Patients sicke that thus he may restore him to health There is great reason for this We are bound every one by the Commandement that sayth we shall not kill Reas 1 to be no way wanting to the life of others even this bindeth us that we doe every way seeke to make the lives of others comfortable unto them 2 Againe Saint Paul knew how many things the Saints have to presse them downe through the malice of Sathan and keepe them from knowing the sweet fruit of the spirit 3 He knew that this was a friendly Sunne which maketh all graces thrive the better in the heart where it is 4 That if GOD should not refresh them this way by letting them feele this power of that life which is to come they were in danger to shrinke from Christ in the midst of such discouragements with which this world aboundeth For as we say without this vita is not vitalis no man liveth or can live without a delight and joy As we see kind men when they tast a thing that pleaseth them more then ordinary will invite others to tast it with them So the Communicative love of this Apostle was such that finding in his own experience what a soveraigne thing this was he could not but wish it unto others 5 Lastly S. Paul knew that this was forcible to draw others to the profession when men should marke this in it that it filled those that imbraced it with gladnesse of heart and that in the midst of the greatest evils by seeing the joyfulnesse of such who were converted Wherefore it is a slander of sinfull men that thinke a Preacher of the Gospell killeth all good company Vse 1 cryeth down all rejoycing so that none can be merry that live under them indeed we kill that mirth that is nothing but madnesse that we may bring men to sound rejoycing even joy unspeakable and glorious Ministers must set an edge upon this grace and stirre up their people to it Vse the drooping and uncomfortable lives of Christians maketh many affrayd to looke this way For there are some men when God hath touched them a little they are affraid of progresse they thinke they are brought into bondage because they meete with discouragement and turne againe to sinne because they find more sorrow in goodnesse then they did in ill So there be others that are affrayd to enter into Gods way least they should come out of Gods comforts these are like the spies that brought an ill report of the good land it was a good land and fruitfull but there were Gyants Anakims Num. 14. c. and for this they never entered into the land of Canaan save only two faithfull Caleb and Ioshua So these people speake ill of the way to heaven even of heaven upon earth Oh say they the land is good the Kingdome of heaven is a glorious place but the way thither is by a sadde life so full of troubles that a man were as good be dead as live so But marke because they said they could not enter the Lord sware they shall not enter Secondly marke here That beliefe of the Gospell may bee Doctr. where the consolation of it and rejoycing of it appeare not Saint Paul need not to pray for this on their behalfe but that he doth intimate that many of them wanted it We reade indeed of first conversions of Christians accompanyed with the grace of spirituall joy as the City of Samaria very glad and full of joy Mat. 13.46 So the Merchant in the Gospell finding the Pearle in the field went away rejoycing But this is a fruite that lasteth all the yeare yea a babe in CHRIST may be borne crying as we say of teares Esau may have them that wanteth true repentance and another truely repenting may want them So it is true of joy a false Convert may have it Luk. 8.13 as the stony ground received the Word with joy Herod heard the Word gladly when a true Christian ere-while is without the fruite of it The fruite I say for he hath in him the seede of rejoycing which will budde forth blossome and show the fruite in due season Light is sowen for the righteous and joy for the upright in
Soveraigne salve of their soules not as a thing of rare and pleasant knowledge Secondly as they have not a licke but by beliefe bring CHRIST to dwell in their hearts and abide with them so their joy is a permanent abyding and durable joy No mans building can be better or firmer then his foundation nor no mans rejoycing better then the matter of his rejoycing if it be but meate and drinke both that and thou shalt perish and what shall become of thy joy yea if thou hadst a stately pallace like that of Nebuchadnezar which hee built for his royalty what is that to thee where is thy rejoycing when either thou shalt bee taken from it or it shall be taken from thee This is the state of all worldly comfort and of all things till we come to that which is above all that is to say the favour of GOD the eternall grace of GOD in our Lord Iesus Christ My peace I leave with you not as the world giveth the world gives a peace but what manner of peace why like the world it selfe but another manner peace is that which I give I give eternall peace and consolation as the Apostle calls it God hath given us good hope and everlasting consolation Thirdly as they doe not by vaine presumption apply CHRIST but by humble beleefe joyned with care of forsaking the love of all sinne so their joy standeth firme like a sure foundation when the other is turned into shame and confusion because it was grounded upon misconceit Wherefore labour if you be true beleevers Vse to make these things your joy Can a condemned fellow or a traytour get his pardon but it gladdeth him at the heart How can we heare all sinne forgiven Heaven opened God become a Father and take no contentment in them When a poore soule apprehends this it gives a man enough As Iacob said of his sonne Ioseph I have enough that my sonne is alive So the soule of a beleever can speake it in the presence of God My God liveth I have enough my Lord Christ hath redeemed mee I have enough the Spirit of God hath sealed mee to the day of redemption I have enough Psal 16. that I may say My line is fallen in a faire ground I have a goodly heritage Now for the meanes Being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding that so they might come to joy in the knowledge of that mystery Observe hence Doct. That soundnesse of love and fulnesse of affiance and understanding bring us to heartie rejoycing This may bee shewed by the contrary for these three things are great impediments to true beleevers intercepting that joy which otherwise they might have 1 Want of love when there creepeth in some little strangenesse that they are not one as they should be all of one heart Act. 4.32 as the multitude of beleevers Looke as a family full of contentments while all are friendly and linked in love let some spice of discord enter all the musike of the house is marred every thing as dolefull as before joyfull And no doubt but this hindered the Colossians joy some leaning to mediation of Angels Ceremonies some keeping to CHRIST only difference of opinion bred variance of affection as it commonly falleth out For Satan striveth nothing more than to disband the Church we being knit by sinewes if he can but cut the sinews of love and doctrine and crosse it he hath enough And as light vapours or exhalations being drawne up from the earth come downe with great tempests so from light differences in opinion if not a great measure of grace doe proceed often great stormes and tempests of wrath and envie 2 Want of full Perswasion eclipseth joy for tell a man never such joyfull things if he cannot resolve himselfe that they are so hee will take no pleasure in them The things are good he wil say but I am afraid too good to be true Nay let a man be troubled in matters of lesse moment with a scrupulous conscience being at a stand whether to doe this or that or not to doe it it is such a sicknesse as till it be out-growen doth much weaken the joy of the spirit Even as a man that hath a stone in his shooe cannot travell comfortably 3 Finally want of knowledge doth much hinder joy for further then we know things we cannot be glad of them beside want of understanding breedeth scruple as in young children who will be afraid of any thing almost through weaknesse of understanding But say they were fully perswaded yet if wee want understanding wherewith to give a reason of that wee beleeve it is a great damping to us wheras on the contrary love of our brethren O quàm bonum jucundum Psal 13 3.1 How good and pleasant a thing is it to see brethren to live together in unity It is as pleasant as a fragrant ointment it maketh a sowre sallad better than a stalled exe and it prepareth and fitteth us for that GOD of joy and love to come and dwell with us se●led perswasion and plentifull knowledge in one word fulnesse of faith for faith is nothing but an affianced knowledge this bringeth joy Rom. 15.13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in beleeving that yee may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost By faith we rejoyce in afflictions For as in earthly things the further we come to get assurance and to know good things towards us the more we take joy in them So in heavenly things the further we grow up in the apprehension of them the more are our hearts cheered and revived Wherefore Vse 1 we may see here what causeth so little spirituall joy among us Christians even this with other things there wanteth that sound Vnion through love We are estranged one from another in opinions of doctrine government Ceremonies which is no small cooler of that spirituall joy which otherwise we might see For the avoiding of this impediment or stumbling block let Christians follow the Apostle in his exhortation in matters of religion and opinion therein he would have them labour to be of one minde 2 Cor. 13.11 to come as neere as possibly they can to the Vnity of Faith He doth be seech them by vertue of this bond Ephes 4.1 2. to walke worthy of the Lord and how should that be in all long-suffering and lowlinesse of minde supporting one another in love endeavouring to keepe the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace Lowlinesse of minde and Patience will bring men to Vnity as Pride and selfe-love and impatience doth make men easily dissent in affection and opinion Againe private Christians are like the Coninthians very contentious to law for every trifle joy dwelleth not in disagreement So for the second here is much unbeleefe we fix not our perswasion nor provoke not our hearts confidently to rest and trust in
eleventh and twelfth verses the other followeth For the former three things are to be marked for the opening of it 1 He setteth downe the benefit In whom ye have been circumcised with circumcision not made with hands 2 He setteth down in what this benefit did formally consist viz. In putting off the bodie of sinnes viz. the flesh the originall corruption dwelling in spirit and flesh through Christ's Circumcision 3 He noteth the maner or instrument by which Christ did further work and seale up in them this benefit mentioned being buried with Him in Baptisme The intent of it is to confirme the former truth That they were not to follow any thing which is not after Christ and standeth not with walking in Him thus You must not listen to any thing which draweth you from Him who hath taken from you the masse of your naturall corruption But it is Christ in whom your hearts have beene circumcised from self-selfe-love of this world and the things of it and all other evill inclinations Therefore you must not follow the deceitfull vanities which are not after Christ but seduce you from Him First then that the Apostle doth to this purpose bring in this benefit Doct. We see what is an excellent meane to hold us fast to Christ to remember what great evill of sinne He hath subdued for us and taken from us Truely when we fall from Christ either to seducing errours in judgement or errours in practice it commeth hence as Saint Peter intimateth We forget that we were washed from our sins in His bloud Did we confidently weigh what we have received from Him wee could not but cleave faster to Him If a man did heale us of some deadly leprosie could we forget duty to such an one while wee remembred this great good we had received from Him So here much more while Aegypt kept in minde what Ioseph had done for them they clave to him in those he left behinde him but when new came up who knew not or regarded not what good they had received they turned Turkes to him in his Seed whom they were to have honoured So here Wherefore Vse let us hence marke how wee may strengthen our selves in cleaving to Christ ponder upon the mercy He hath shewed thee in healing in some measure the corruptions of thy nature Say with thy selfe shall I start from Him who hath done such wonderfull things killed this life of my owne in sin which I have felt so strong and lively in me healed such a leprosie as is above all I can speake or thinke Doe it the rather for we are like those Israelites all their deliverance out of Aegypt was quickly forgotten and this made them upon all occasions start aside like a deceitfull bow Againe we are weake in judgement babes in understanding and know not the things bestowed on us Thirdly Satan is most malicious to keepe us at least from thankfull considering of GOD's blessings when he cannot hinder us from receiving them In whom yee are circumcised with circumcision not made with hands Doct. Observe hence What Christ hath done for us who are in Him Hee hath given us a spirituall Circumcision Here are two things to be opened 1 The Circumcision it selfe 2 The Author of it The first is specified by this distinctive propertie it was not made with hands that is such a Circumcision as was spiritually wrought in their spirit not in their flesh the old Testament distinguisheth it by calling it the Circumcision of the heart Deut. 30.6 Ier. 4 4. And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart This is no small benefit it was a priviledge to have Circumcision in the flesh it was GOD's Cognisance as being the signe of a confederacie with GOD it was a seale confirming him that beleeved by it that God would take away his sin both by not imputing it and killing it Rom. 4.12 for so Saint Paul saith of Abraham's circumcision But yet many had this whose Circumcision was before GOD as nothing to them Wherefore if this were a priviledge what a gift is this to have the heart circumcised with the finger of God 2 Againe for the Authour of this benefit in the Law the Priest did circumcise the males brought the eight day and it was no small thing that God by His Minister should doe so to an infant but to have our High Priest in Heaven who is the great God handle our leprous hearts and by force of His Spirit take off the corruption which sticketh faster to our spirits than our skinne doth to our flesh what a prerogative is this this then must stirre us up to thankfulnesse It doth shew us whither we must have recourse when we feele the remainders of our corruption cleaving to us Vse as selfe confidence whorish love of the creature self-love we must come to Christ He is our Priest who onely can take away this impure fore-skin of our hearts that even as they brought their young ones in the Law to the Priest so must we bring our selves by a renued faith every day to our LORD IESUS and pray Him to goe through with this His Circumcision which Hee hath begunne in us 2 This is to be noted that he calleth it not made with hand Whence observe Doctr. That no outward action of the hand of man reacheth to the cleansing of the soule The hand of man putteth forth no efficiencie to that which is done in the heart as nothing that goeth into the body can defile it so nothing that is done to the body can sanctifie it This maketh Saint Paul say That he that planteth and he that watereth is nothing for a bodily action can worke nothing but a bodily effect Which is to be observed against the Papists Vse who will have the Priest's action lifted up by GOD to the taking away of the soules sin but then it could not truly be said that the removall of corruption from the spirit were not done with the hand of man as because God doth by meats maintaine our life He by His blessing giving that vertue to them it cannot be truly said that our life is sustained by meat and drinke Now to the second thing in the putting off Observe That sinne and grace are to the soule Doct. as apparell is to the body therefore he saith by putting off the body of sin that is the flesh the body this is a borrowed speech because that as mans body is a systeme or a frame not having one but many kindes of members So sin is such a frame of corruption as containeth in it many distinct kindes which are as members of this masse of corruption Coloss 3. ●● Rom. 6. But it may seeme strange that he sorteth these metaphors of putting off a body when clothes not bodies are put off But you must know that the body is the soules rayment as it were and therefore the soule is most fitly said to put off a body the body of corruption the flesh this
expoundeth the other as a more knowne and frequent phrase in Saint Paul's Epistles for so I take it as if he should say my meaning is by body of sins the flesh the originall corruption in which is all kinde of sin or the body of sins of the flesh that is of the flesh or native corruption which is a whole body of sinfull members the corruption originally and principally seated in the soule is called by the name of flesh because the soule most manifests it selfe in the flesh the soule being incarnate after a fort and living more in the flesh than in it selfe For the life of naturall man is little but sensuality and the Scripture maketh the heart of man the Seat of the soule because the soule in regard of his action is rather naturall than animall For as a man extremely loving here or there liveth in the person loved more than in himselfe so the foule fallen from God is wedded in such impotent sort to the love of its owne flesh that it liveth there altogether Lastly by Circumcision of Christ Note that this phrase may be taken actively and passively passively Christ's circumcision is that Circumcision with which Christ the eight day as circumcised Actively that Circumcision wherewith Christ doth circumcise in others and this is here meant Now this is the meaning You have beene circumcised in CHRIST insomuch as you have put off that frame of sin in which are many distinct kindes of sin I meane the flesh or originall corruption with which as a most filthy rayment your soules were sometimes clothed and this not by vertue of legall Circumcision or any outward act whereof man is Minister but by vertue of that powerfull Circumcision wherewith CHRIST circumciseth These words first in generall lay open Doct. In what standeth our spirituall Circumcision viz. in putting off all our corruptions our corrupt confidence the rebellion of our wills the disordered frame of our affections Wee saith Saint Paul are the Circumcision in the heart Phil. 3. ● who rejoyce in CHRIST IESUS and have no confidence in the flesh this depravation of our Nature is the fore-skin of the heart in the removall whereof standeth this Circumcision Let us then all seek to be thus circumcised Vse many yea who amongst the old people would not run unto the Circumcision of the flesh carefully procure that as wee doe the Baptisme of water to which it answereth But few of them and few of us seeke this inward Circumcision without which the other is nothing not the Circumcision wich is open in the flesh but that which is secret in the heart is it which God requireth which hath praise with Him If they that wanted Circumcision outward were cut off in Israel from their people what shall be done with us if we get not this Circumcision inward without which none pleaseth God This in generall for having told them that they were circumcised he doth tell them in what the matter of Circumcision standeth Now in particular first observe hence Doct. That the soule of the naturall man is clad with sinne putting off you know doth imply that there is some thing as apparell upon him who is said to put off And truly so they are for what is in the naturall minde but ignorance unbeliefe curiosity pride What in the will but wicked propensity to evill aversenesse and crossenesse to good yea rebellion against light What in all the affections but inordinacie What in his eyes but uncleannesse revenge His eares but itching after vanity His tongue but rottennesse This maketh the Prophet say Psal 73.6 7. That Pride compasseth about the wicked man as a chaine and violence doth cover him as a goodly garment And looke as the body is so covered that it cannot be seene for the rayment on it So wicked men are so wrapped about with sin that the beautifull worke of God in mans soule cannot be discerned for it yea as men thinke their apparell an ornament so doe sinners their sin The use of this is to warne us of our misery Vse to see a poore Snake goe in filthy tottered rags all stinking loathsomely is a pittifull spectacle But if we could see with what menstruous garments all thy soule is covered every faculty being cladde with ungodlinesse unrighteousnesse intemperancy it is farre more woefull Wherefore weigh this and begin to put off looking to Iesus these filthy rags Oh you that will not let the least moth lye on your bodily garment doe suffer with patience your soules to goe thus filthily attyred yea begin betime for to make thee unready asketh time So this garment of sin cleaveth unto thee and hangeth so fast on that were not God with us in this businesse we might sooner put off our selves then these sinfull qualities so firmely they cleave to us The Christians when baptised did in those primitive times lay aside their old cloths as testifying and speaking by this action that they had put off these rags of sinfull lusts with which formerly their soules had been clothed In putting off the body Observe then That we must foregoe not some part of our corruption but the whole frame of it Doct. Wee are in other places called to put off the old man marke the whole man to shew that our leaving off corruption must not be by halves but entirely old things are gone in CHRIST all are new we must when we come by faith to CHRIST forgoe all our old corruption Such as are all over filthily apparelled they will desire to have all new all or none for some old and some new doe worse then all old but if the garment bee so woven that one cannot put off one part but all will follow then needs it must be that either all of it be put off or none at all So it is in this body of sin it doth goe so together that he that putteth one member off truely he putteth off all other likewise and therefore Saint Iames saith he that liveth in sin against one commandement he breaketh all that is hee hath in his soule that corruption which inclineth to breake every one he is not mortified to the sin against any one that is not mortified to every one The body of darknesse which is in the night upon the first rising of the Sun is in some degree all at once scattered So this whole body of spirituall darknesse when the Sun of righteousnesse getteth up in our hearts is at once all in some degree dispersed But you will say happily Object we have much sinne hanging about us and some corruptions more strongly then other 1 We are sayd to put it off Answ because we have begun to doe it through the grace of Christ 2 Because we desire further to doe it through Christ strengthening us 3 We know that Christ our sanctifier will abolish all the reliques which still hang with us We must not therefore thinke because we have not perfectly for the degree put off all
were too good to favour the Gospell to pray in their Families The cause of our ruine is not three yeares but sixtie yeares unfruitfulnesse nay is it not better to bee any thing than fruitfull doe not many beginne to say what neede so much fruite I wonder how you can beare with such a fellow how can you stand to his bent preach and pray repeate in Families conferre and meditate c. What adoe is here what so much fruite will breake the boughes Alas is this to answer the cost that God hath bestowed on us The better the Land is compassed the more tedious yea the more odious it is to the Husband-man if it answer not his expectation with a fruitfull encrease Oh my brethren lay this neere to your hearts would you bee content to part with the Gospell with your Lands with your Children If you would not then bring forth the fruites of the Gospell Your grounds cry out unto you master be fruitfull or wee shall be laid desolate your Wives and Children cry be fruitfull or we shall perish Consider the unnaturalnes of this sin must none kil your Children but your selves none give your wives to bee ravished but your selves but Lord pardon us then you wil cry no go to your lazy proud hearts for comfort you have despised the bowels of Christ and are you not justly left to men that have no bowels But is there no hope reade Psal 81 13 14 16. The Lords compassions have rolled within him many a time and he cryes how shall I give thee up Oh England as the Palatinate how shall I make thee as Bohemia as God did be speake Ephraim Hos 11. v. 8. But how shall we doe to become fruitfull Que. Keep thy soule abiding in CHRIST Ans 1 A Tree out of the earth growes not a painted Tree never growes give the Lord Iesus earth enough in thy heart Keep the little succours about the Tree fresh Ans 2 keep love joy and hope alive there is about every seede a skinne if that be off it dyes that suckes moister from the earth which is the cause of growth Keepe close to the rivers of water Ans 3 reading are waters hearing and praying are waters the spirit is waters holy conference is waters Take heede of wilde beasts and cold Northerne blasts the commission of sinnes will bee as the letting in of wilde beasts into the Vinyard these blasts are cold company Act. 2.40 save your selves from this untoward generation the Apostle speakes to them as to men a drawing to whom a rope is cast The Gardiner desires to plant the Apricocke tree against the backe of a Chimney where the heate of the Sunne may come most directly on it and where besides the benefit of reflexion it may have warmth from the Chimnie The other particular is Obs that We must increase in the knowledge of GOD. Of that which the Scriptures teach concerning the essence property workes and Ordinances of God this is also commanded 2 Pet. 1.5 Ioyne moreover to your faith vertue and to your vertue knowledge faith and vertue could not bee without knowledge It is cleare then that hee meaneth an increase of knowledge So 2 Pet. 3.18 Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Saviour Iesus Christ This is very worthy to bee noted here that having prayed before that they might bee filled with the knowledge of His will he now addeth increasing in the knowledge of God and addeth it as a practice of former knowledge We should never cease to grow in knowledge the rather because when wee know all we can attaine we know but in part 1 Cor. 13. And our knowledge is but like the knowledge of Children in comparison of the perfect knowledge wee shall have in the world to come This checketh all that are negligent herein Vse especially such as make an opposition betwixt knowledge and practice we have knowledge enough say they let us labour to practice that wee know whereas it is evident here that increasing in the knowledge of God is a part of practice Such also are here to bee rebuked whose office being to plant and increase knowledge in others doe either neglect increasing in knowledge themselves or which is much worse discourage the people from so doing perswading that they should content themselves with the knowledge of the principles and for other things depend on them that have the guiding and leading of them verily this bewrayeth they meane not well that they are loath to have the people have too much knowledge they sinne against this Doctrine VERSE 11. Strengthened with all might according to His glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulnesse NOw because they that doe but sincerely labour thus to be filled with the knowledge of God and to walke worthy of the Lord as hath beene said shall bee thought to bee strang men in the world specially by their old consorts 1 Pet. 4.4 and shall be sure to bee scorned taunted and diversely ill intreated in the world for all that desire to live godly in Christ Iesus must suffer perfecution 2 Tim. 3.12 that they may be like their Head therefore in the close of his prayer he desireth that they may be strengthned to all patience to beare these afflictions be they never so great or many and long-sufferance bee they never so long in continuance and because there is a singular measure of strength required herein he asketh that they may bee strengthened with all might that is with abundance of strength according to His glorious power which being in Him infinitely is expressed mervailously in His workes that so they may bee able to beare these things not with patience onely but even with joyfulnesse rejoycing that hereby they are made like to Christ and counted worthy to suffer any thing for His Name sake Christians have neede of spirituall strength to walke with God in their spirituall conditions Hence S. Paul Eph. 6.10 Obs 1 exhorteth all to goe out of themselves for strength and power from God whereby they might bee able to withstand those spirituall enemies which will encounter them Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might This spirituall strength stands in two things Eph. 6.10 1 That the principium or cause of this strengthning be from the spirit 2 That the object of it whereabout it is conversant be spirituall things To strive with God a little in Prayer is a signe of some strength but to wrastle with God as Iacob did not to let Him goe without a blessing shewes great strength To beleeve a promise wherin there is a little difficulty shewes some strength but for Abraham to offer up his Sonne in whom the promise was made shewes great strength to beare a little iniury without desire of revenge shewes some patience but to endure great and manifold persecutions and reproaches and with Saint Paul and Sylas to rejoyce in afflictions and to sing in Prison shewes
it more that we are reconciled to GOD already than that we shall have full salvation in due time If we are reconciled to GOD by the death of His Sonne which is the greater Ro. 5 1● much more shall we be saved by His life which is the lesser To pardon a traytour when he is enemy-like affected to us and take him to favour is more than when he is a friend to give him a preferment To beget and bring forth a son Vse is more than when now it is to nurse it to full stature Wee must stirre up our selves to praise GOD in our precious blessing we are ashamed to take common kindnesse from men but we will returne them a thousand thanks yet who almost heartily praiseth GOD for these spirituall blessings which passe understanding Our plough would speed the better though we should not beg so much if we were more in thanksgiving up goeth thanksgiving downe comes blessings That we by nature are unfit for GOD's Kingdome Obs 2 So our SAVIOUR saith Vnlesse we be borne anew Ioh. 3. ● we cannot enter into GOD's Kingdome What disposition can be in such as are the children and thralls of the Devill to be the sons and heires of GOD No there is nothing in us but enmity against God Rom. 8.7 The wisdome of the flesh is enmitie against God and in the one and twentieth Verse of this Chapter now who can make me owner of that which I am not nor cannot be willing with We see in outward affaires an out-landish man a forreiner cannot have inheritance in our Land untill he be naturalized the son of a traytour whose lands are confiscate cannot inherit them as before till his bloud be restored So it is with us wee are all strangers by nature to God and heaven where Hee dwelleth wee are a tainted bloud rebels from the wombe and therefore till God doe restore us and make us fit wee cannot have part in this heavenly inheritance we love our hell as well as if there were no other heaven Ezek. 16. we are such as have an Amorite to our father an Hittite to our mother such as lye weltering in our bloud It is the worke of God alone that must prepare and fit us for this blessed inheritance all our sufficiencie is of God 2 Cor. 3.5 we are not able to thinke a thought this day No man can beget himselfe and therefore what man can fit himselfe for the heavenly estate none but the Father of spirits can effect this matter he that only can draw us changing our wils who can purge us beautifie us adopt us c. he hath begotten us to this inheritance Which letteth us see Gods exceeding grace to us Vse if there had beene an aptnesse in us as in those children which were trained up to minister before the King his love had not beene so great but when there is nothing but indisposition and withall utter unwillingnesse ready to put His grace from us to set light by and scorne this heavenly birth-right as Esau did his earthly that then he should look lovingly toward us and allure our hearts to Himselfe make us sons and daughters who can sound the depth of this love Suppose a King should take some youth up by the high-way all in ragges ill-favoured ignorant of all liberall education ill mannered such a one as loved a rogueing humor more than a kingdome were it not strange love in him that should fit such a one win his good will and proclaime him heire apparant to the crown So stands the matter betwixt GOD and us This serveth to humble us and make us walke modestly Vse 2 with an holy blush seeking to please our GOD. Away with all kinde of merit as well of congruitie as of condignity What disposition hath darknesse to light that have we to grace and salvation 3 That you may further see His love and what cause we have to give thankes marke what it is Hee putteth upon us Verse 17. an inheritance Observe then Obs 3 That as GOD's manner of taking us up so the matter he taketh us unto must move us to blesse Him The Lawyers know that the title of inheritance is the greatest title to give a stocke of money to one is much to bestow an office to let to farme rich things upon easie rent all are beneficiall good estates but to make one my heire this is farre greater this made Saint Peter so breake forth Blessed be GOD the Father 1 Pet. 1.3 who hath begotten us to an inheritance immortall undefiled that fadeth not away From whence it may be further amplified for if one were made an heire of some three halfe peny possession the benefit were not much to be stood on but to such an inheritance as there is described who can utter this mercy Looke at men on earth can they doe greater displeasure that to dis-inherit their children Can they shew any further love than to write this or that man the heire of all their estates It is so with God what greater love than this can Hee shew than to make us heires unto Him The use of this is to stirre us up to al thankfulnesse Vse 1 dutie yea spirituall joy Looke at children whose parents have great matters to leave them if they be good children what duty will they shew how obsequious will they be how glad to serve their earthly parents yea how jocond will they be for though they be kept low now they know they shall have faire patrimonies Thus should we be affected toward GOD yea much more should we joy in these heavenly possessions We must labour to looke into this our inheritance Vse 2 for if a man have any matter of estate in the world he will be sure to prie into the worth of it to looke upon the severalls to improve it and make the most of it he will lose nothing for the knowing thus we should doe in the heavenly riches But alas it is as nothing to us because we are ignorant of these things and wil not beg the spirit of illumination which might teach us to know the things bestowed upon us And as men that know not the worth of their heavenly things do make cheape and eafie peny worths passing away rich things for matters of nothing So we do even through ignorance like Esau for a little sinfull delight forgoe our inheritance This comforteth the Saints Vse 3 who though they count themselves poore yet they are rich heires of a Kingdome It might be marked that he saith Obs 4 To take part it teacheth That every Saint hath but a childes part GOD giveth not as men all to one the rest have nothing but he giveth every one a severall part as Hee seeth meet Some have greater some have lesse though all shall be blessed not knowing lacke of any good thing in that they possesse nor envying any thing they see in others and have not in the principall all are equall
for the people yet not inferior to them Answer Emperors are so for the people that they are Lords over them and the people are for them even their Subjects and bodies politique but Saint Peter nor no Apostle are so for the Church that they are Lords of it and that the Church is their Church and body mysticall therefore they are so for the Churches that they are inferiors to them Object Was not Saint Peter and the rest immediate legates from Christ Object and had they not authority which all the Churches were to obey Answer They had yet their persons still under the Church and their worke of Ministery not to domineere over the Churches the reason is because it was the message and order of the Churches Husband which was of authority above her not their persons that did relate it If a man send one of his servants with a command to his Wife the servant when he hath got this errand is not a Lord over the Wife but a servant under her though his message from her Lord is such which she may not gainesay Fiftly Observe Obs the dignity of the faithfull and their neere conjunction with Christ they are the body of Christ not the naturall body united to the second person nor the Sacramentall body but a mysticall body such who by force of Christ His Spirit are knit to Him and receive all things from Him proportionably as the body naturall doth from the head Many other comparisons as of Vine and branches Man and Wife c. doe set it downe but none more lively then this which is the oftenest frequented To shew us the excellent condition to which we are brought Vse 1 to assure us of Christs love who ever hated His owne flesh He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of Mine eye This letteth us also see the fearefulnesse of abusing the godly that are truely faithfull Vse 2 they lift at mill-stones Lastly Obs seeing Christ is risen from the dead we must labour and strive thither also if a Captaine hath made a breach and entered the hold of the enemy will not the souldiers presse after and ambitiously affect who should get next him so we Christ hath led us the daunce and broke through the gates of death into the City of God we should affect to come after as Saint Paul did strive for conformity with Christ in this point both in the first and second Resurrection The third point is Observ That Christs Resurrection hath speciall priviledge above all others for all others before were not begotten from among the dead because they were raised up with mortality tending to death againe but our Saviour Christ in that He dyed He dyed at once not long to be held of it but in that He is risen He is raised to live for ever death shall no more have dominion over Him 2 All other rose as private and singular men not as publique persons in the name of other making hope to all the dead of their resurrection therefore they were not the first fruits duely gathered but like a singular eare of corne by occasion more timely gathered Now Christ is risen as He dyed not for Himselfe onely but for all us so Christ is risen in al our names so that as we all dyed in Him so we all are raised in Him as a Burgesse of a Parliament what he doth or speaketh it is in the name of the Corporation who doth it in him When God created Adam He made all mankinde in as much as He made him who was to be a Principle of naturall generation to all mankind conveying life and being to them in their order so when He raised Christ He raised us all in as much as He hath raised up a second Adam a Principle of spirituall regeneration even of the first and second resurrection to all Gods chosen in their order Hence it is that Paul saith Eph. 2.6 We are raised up in Christ and set in heavenly places in Him that Peter saith 1 Pe● 1.3 God hath begotten us to that happy hope in the Resurrection of Iesus Christ Lastly He raised Himselfe as who was the Lord from heaven the quickening Spirit Destroy this body and in three dayes I will raise it up Great therefore every way is the prerogative of our Lord IESUS CHRIST even in regard of that Nature which was dead but now is alive He was slaine before the foundation of the world Hee is raised up as the hope and fore-runner of all our immortality Thou lookest at His death as thy death and against all guilt of sinne and terrour of conscience threatning the Curse doest say I have borne the Curse in my Lord Gal. 3.13 made a curse for me So against all terrours of bodily death hold this I am raised up in CHRIST for He is risen in all our names who beleeve on Him If wee beleeve that IESUS is dead and risen againe 1 Thess 4.14 so also God shall bring those who are slept in Iesus say to life eternall with Him VERSE 19. For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulnesse dwell NOw he commeth to give a reason of the former opening the fountaine where the Man IESUS CHRIST found such grace as that in Him all of us should be redeemed that Hee should be God in Person over all creatures yea the Head of His Church filling all in all Now the Reason is here set downe to be the good pleasure of God the Father First that the fulnesse of the God-head for so it is best construed out of the second Chap. Vers 9. and not only that the fulnesse of created gifts should dwell personally in this humane Nature as a Temple 2. That this Person God-man should by the Sacrifice of Himselfe reconcile all unto God First then in generall we see Obs That whatsoever the manhood of CHRIST is lifted up unto it is the meere grace of God not the merit of the Creature What could this Man doe which could deserve this grace that it should be personally united with God and so lifted up to be incomparably above all the Angels in heaven And therefore Saint Augustine doth not doubt to make CHRIST the Sampler of GOD's free Predestination the free grace of God appearing in none so much as in Him which is the Head of all This CHRIST looketh to in His members Lord I thanke thee that thou hast beene pleased to reveile these things unto babes and sucklings and hast kept them from the wise and learned Even so O Father because it pleased thee Yea I doubt not but as God did predestinate him of grace to this honour of being God in fellowship of Person and of being the Prince of our salvation So God in the Covenant He did make with Him and the commandement He gave Him of laying downe His life did strike it and fulfill it of grace not requiring any thing Hee imposed on His Sonne more than duties of free
and sheweth us the favour of a most mercifull Father and in this is perfect reconciliation 2 For the second this phrase is a Synechdoche bloud is put for a bloudy death upon the Crosse and bloudy death on the Crosse doth together note the curse of the Law felt in His soule who indured it Gal. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law when he was made a curse for us Now though Christs intercession hath His place in appeasing God and other actions yet His death is chiefely named because the force that other things have to pacify God is derived from this sacrifice which Christ the Sacrificer Himselfe offereth Againe He so often nameth bloud not to exclude inward sufferings but because this was more easily knowne being visible 2. The cursed manner in which it was shed that is how it was shed so that His soule did feele the wrath of God against sinne the curse of the Law for in these two stands the vertue and excellency of Christs Passion This Doctrine is a looking glasse to us wherein we may see the heavy displeasure of God against sin Vse 1 heavy it is which could not otherwise be reconciled sinne is good cheape men thinke yet we see it was of that haynous nature that the pardon of it could not be purchased nor obteyned but by the shedding of the dearest bloud in the heart of the Sonne of God It letteth us see CHRIST His love to us Vse 2 and to our peace It gives us to understand in what pretious account we are to have this benefit Vse 3 if we should buy a thing with a masse of money how charily would we keepe it but this and the other are bought not with silver and gold but with the pretious bloud of CHRIST Marke lastly Observ the thing in which the Fathers were reconciled to GOD it was CHRIST His bloud for what spirits were at Christs sufferings in heaven which did need reconciling to God by bloud but the sinne of the just who were dead in the faith of CHRIST to come Now as we see they by the faith on this bloud had salvation Acts 15.11 How can they be said to be reconciled to GOD by Christs sufferings Quest who were in heaven with God before He suffered This is said Answ not in regard that now the benefit was applyed in them but because now the thing was done by force wher of they had reconciliation that was now actually exhibited whereby they in former ages were taken to mercy the sins under the old Testament are said to be forgiven in Christs death Heb. 9.15 because then that was done for which they were pardoned though the pardon was given forth before 2. Because these things were now actually passed twixt God offended and God man our surety and Mediator This letteth us see how Christ hath beene in all times the onely atonement twixt God and us Vse Lastly marke hence Obs that the Fathers were in heaven before Christs ascension Psal 73. Thou guidest me by thy counsell and takest me to glory The Saints dying goe into everlasting Tabernacles now what is an everlasting mansion never to be changed but heaven VERSE 21. And you which were in times past strangers and enemies because your mindes were set in evill workes hath Hee now also reconciled NOw He commeth to set downe this benefit with application to them unto whom he wrote 1 Making way to it by remembring their former misery 2 Hee mentioneth the benefit applied in them with the manner of working it 3 Openeth the end of it 4 By way of caution adjoyneth the condition of perseverance vers 22. First then in generall from the Apostle his example note thus much That we must not onely teach in generall Obs but apply in particular the things of the Gospell* ⁎ * So Saint Paul doth every where the nigher they are brought the more they affect To tell a whole Towne there are priviledges bestowed on it doth not so much move as to tell them of this or that houshold that such and such things are bestowed upon them And therefore that Sacrament which commeth nearest Take eate this is my body given for thee it is most helpefull to particular affiance Beside such is the infirmity of many of Gods Children that if like a Nurse you doe not feede them putting the meate of their soule by particular application into their mouth you may famish them at least keepe them low in this heavenly grace Againe there is such an indiligent carelesnesse that we let them hang in the ayre unlesse they be brought the nearer to us that which is sayd to every body is sayd to no body let it therefore be exemplary for our imitation 2 Marke how the Apostle doth call to their remembrance what they had formerly beene taught teaching us Obs that we must not forget our miserable condition by nature worldly advancement maketh meane ones forgotten the Priest as we speake forgetteth he was Clerke but our spirituall dignity must therefore be with bearing in mind our naturall misery 1 Co. 6.11 Such were some of you but now ye are washed c. 1 For this is a ground of meekenesse it is like the Swannes blacke foote which when we behold will humble us 2 It stirreth up holy groanes O'miserable man that I am Rom. 7.24 3 It is a good sallad and maketh Christ with His benefits taste better 4 It is a good spurre to fruitfulnesse for the time to come Rom. 6.19 As you have given your members servants unto uncleannesse and to iniquity so now give your members servants unto righteousnesse in holinesse 5 Againe it is the ground of a holy blush wherewith all must walke before God Rom. 6.21 What fruit had yee in these things whereof ye are now ashamed We must therefore heare on this side when we are told of our naturall estates Vse 1 you must not tell of your former lewd led lives in a bravery but beare them in mind and speake them when it is for edification even to glorify Gods mercy to further meekenesse and holy shame-facednesse in us Now for the particular hee sets downe their misery two wayes 1 In regard of their externall constitution you who sometimes were strangers Supply it out of the Ephes 2.12 from the Common wealth of Israel ⁂ that is you who sometime were not so much as members with the Church by outward profession and society Vse 2 much lesse of it as Saint Iohn saith they were amongst us but not of us therefore they went out from us 2 In regard of their more inward condition partly standing in the quality and disposition of their mind which is here set downe enemies in minde partly in conversation in evill workes in which we have set downe What is a most miserable condition viz. Obs not to be a member of Gods visible Church to be a stranger to the societies where Gods word is preached
discipline practised where those duties flourish to which the communion of Saints doth tye us They that are estranged from Gods Church can have no society with God He is walking amongst the golden Candlesticks amongst His Saints onely where two or three are met together in His Name He is present among them As they have no acquaintance with God so they are under the power of Sathan where it is that Saint Paul calleth excommunication the giving up to Sathan Hee that hath not the Church for his Mother cannot have God for His Father In a word heaven and earth the Eden and Paradise of God is His Church So that miserable is that state neverthelesse this was ours sometime in our predecessors We were all of us alients from Israel but God hath kept us for happy times Let us therfore be thankfull and bring forth fruites least he take away our Candlesticke Vse 1 and deface the face of our Churches causing us to want our holy assemblies Let us not leave our fellowship Vse 2 and estrange our selves from Gods people from the assemblies as Brownists and other Novelists doe To be discommoned a Towne for a Citizen to be banished a City is a great reproach but to be an exile from Gods City and discommoned from the communion of Saints this is lamentable indeede being alients from this Common wealth of the Church they have nothing to doe with the covenants of grace and of the Gospell but strangers from all meanes of salvation This letteth us see that all true comfortable affinity Vse 3 kindred and society is in Christ onely and in the Word and Ordinances count all strangers that are not allyed to us in Him count them forreyners that will not communicate with us in the Word and Ordinances of GOD strangers as men of another Nation though never so neere allyed in Nature and let our neerest society fellowship and acquaintance be with Saints and holy Christians in the word and ordinances as our neerest kindred our spirituall brethren in CHRIST Therefore Abraham after he was called of GOD and sanctified was commanded to come out from his kindred and fathers house to count them Aliens and strangers to seeke new kindred a new Nation of his owne nature and bloud the generation of the righteous Why should we like prodigalls withdraw our selves from our fathers house and bring upon our selves by such singular separations this great misery to be estranged from them who are Gods true Israell Againe he saith they were enemies in mind and workes affection and action note hence What is our estate by nature Observ we are enemylike affected to God and His people the wisedome of the flesh is enmity against God Rom. 8. it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be In his Iudgement he counteth the things of God foolishnesse in his affections he doth not savour them he counteth of His Commandements as a yoake intollerable and maketh a tush at sincere obedience so for the Saints the righteous is an abomination to the wicked Gal. 4.29 Were not the Iewes a mocking in the mouth of the heathen did they not reproach them for their circumcision To let us see our selves Vse 1 we are altogether by nature thus heathens beasts the most of men in part we have a law in our flesh rebelling against the law of our mindes not enduring the spirituall obedience of Gods law What is all our love of this world know you not that the amity of the world is enmity with GOD If a woman cared not for her husband but were bent to the imbraces of other men were she not enemylike affected to him so we to God what is enmity if this be not not to care for him and his wayes to incline and looke another way for the Saints they are our enemies as we thinke and they are hatefull of all other to us our spirituall phrensie like not them of all others whose presence doth binde us in some sort We must labour to be changed Vse 2 seeking to God to give us another mind who can endure to heare these termes thou art an enemy a hater of God yet who laboureth to be free of the thing praying to God to purge forth the secret hatred which maketh him hee cannot assent to and affect that which is good Could an honest woman find a heart strange to her husband would shee not be ashamed of it labour to the contrary doest thou finde a heart averse not affected toward thy God ô wilt thou not cry who shall deliver me from this body of death Seeke to GOD to put enmity against the seede of the Serpent and to circumcise thy heart making thee love Him Deu. 30.6 Who ever hardened his heart against GOD and prospered Your mindes were set in evill workes By repeating the words from the part of the sentence before it teacheth thus much Obs What it is that maketh discovery of this enemy-like affection our naughty actions when we do that which crosseth God's will that evill worke is the triall of the inward affection He that loveth me keepeth my Commandements he that keepeth them not and saith he knoweth me is a lyar and the truth is not in him As the tongue is the interpreter of the minde so is the action to the affection A traytor we see may be a traytor in heart and not in attempt but when his treason breaketh forth in some disloyall action then it is manifest that he bare a trayterous heart So it is with this inward corruption when now ripe it practiseth the rebellion of it in the workes of unrighteousnesse Which meeteth with such as will say they love God Vse he were unworthy to live that is an enemie to God but if we looke at their course of life they leave the wayes of God and will have leave to walke in their owne wayes This is to give God good words and speake Him faire but indeed to deny Him But we have no such intention in any thing we doe Object If we through ignorance sinfully contracted Answ doe not know that we sinne against God when we doe this mitigateth not our offence If one should make himselfe drunke and after practice against the life of the King and State would this excuse him from being a traytor if he say I had no such meaning in that I did I meant the Kings person no hurt Lastly marke hence That men by nature are altogether occupied in evill works None doth good no not one the thought of man is evill onely and continually It is strange how the naturall man is devoted to his owne wayes which are all evill He museth mischiefe on his bed hee sleepeth not if hee have not done his mind For his mind is as meat and drinke to him and hee is fasting not able to take rest when hee hath not effected it He committeth sinne and doth his owne will with greedinesse he hateth to be reformed in these wayes
excellencie of it appeares in two particulars 1 In regard of the difficulty thereof had the Lord sent CHRIST to have beene a King over us or a Ruler among us what a comfort had it beene Should a King send one of his favourites to a poore creature in prison how would it comfort him but to send his sonne hee would thinke it unspeakable and transcendent love The LORD IESUS hath done much more than this He came down from heaven where He sate at the right hand of God and is now blessed for ever he suffered here by most wicked wretches the cursed death of the Crosse that Blessednesse it selfe should be accursed that Life it selfe should dye that Glory it selfe should be ashamed that Happinesse should become misery Nay yet to goe further that He should be content to lose for a time the sense and feeling of the love of His Father not onely to forsake His being but thus to be tormented for a company of traytors He that bare up the whole frame of heaven was scarce able to beare the burthen of our sins but was even crushed under the waight thereof in that Hee was forced to cry My God my God Psal 22.1 why hast thou forsaken me 'T is true as He was a Son Hee was alwayes beloved but as He was a surety He was not so if this be most free love and large grace judge you 2 Adde to this the good of the worke it is that which gives good to all other goods so that without this we never had enjoyed any good truely good There are two things that hinder our good 1. The poyson of sin that defiles us and poisons all the creatures 2. The just anger of God for our sinne and that curseth all had not CHRIST dyed these would never have beene removed Consider the unworthinesse and basenesse of those for whom Hee dyed Reas 3 Wee dye because of some worth in a man or some benefit formerly received from him but CHRIST dyed for sinners for enemies to Him traytors against Him this is the wonder the miracle of all mercies I may say of CHRIST what Saul of David Who findes his enemie and stayes him not but who findes his enemy and dyeth for him Had He dyed for Angels it had beene no great wonder but for a Son to dye to redeeme a slave to pardon a traytor to free a rebell this is unspeakable To shew the abundance of grace Reas 4 Where sin aboundeth grace aboundeth much more Rom. 6.2 To shew us presidents of mercy Reas 5 as Saint Paul saith of himselfe Here we have matter of admiration Vse and daily remembrance Oh suffer not this kindnesse to slip out of your minde that a company of miscreant wretches should be beloved saved and a Sonne slaine reason cannot reach it religion doth not desire it nature doth not require it nay justice doth not exact it only love hath done it Oh with David call earnestly upon thy soule to praise the Lord Psal 103.1 Praise the Lord O my soule againe and againe awake O my soule and praise the Lord when we have done what we can it is not enough oh that we could doe more when we have done what we can call upon the Angels for help Praise the Lord all yee Angels and hoasts of the Lord. Let a poore soule goe aside and thinke with himselfe Good Lord how comes this that the Lord Iesus should dye for me if it had beene a creature or an Angell that had done it it had not beene so much but a Son the beloved Sonne of God to doe all this heaven and earth Angels and men can never sufficiently admire this If this be so Vse 2 that God's love is so great to us Brethren what will ye doe now for God I will say nothing your hearts shall speake Hath CHRIST done thus for me then I will labour to walke answerably to his love and in some measure worthy thereof that 's the right use Had a man but common reason or good nature in him he must needs thinke it a vile thing to be a traytor againe to that God that hath beene so mercifull to him Be not content sometimes when the fit takes to stumble upon a good dutie but thinke all too little for Him that thought not His heart bloud too little for you be frequent in prayer and abound in holy duties live no more to your selves but to CHRIST CHRIST dyed for us But wherefore that we should live in sinne still No but that wee should dye to sin and live hence-forth not to our selves but to Him Nay saith he the love of CHRIST constraines mee Most mercy requires most duty the greatest kindnesse asketh the greatest thankfulnesse at the hand of the receiver It was that which Moses pressed upon the children of Israel to remember alwayes to praise the Lord for His goodnesse that had so miraculously delivered them from the hand of the Aegyptians and carryed them thorow the red Sea Oh how much more should we praise Him for this that He not onely redeemed us from Aegypt but from Hell not onely from Pharaoh but from Satan therefore above all admire this and yeeld your soules and bodies and all you have wholly to the service of the Lord when any temptation violently presseth in upon you speake to your hearts and tell them as sometime the Apostle Paul did the Corinthians 1 Cor. 6.19 20. Know yee not that your bodies are the temples of the HOLY GHOST which is in you and that you are not your owne as who should say ye know it full well that ye are not your owne ye were bought at a deare rate even with the bloud of CHRIST why then doe you follow sinne and serve your lusts for shame away with this ill dealing and give every man his owne let GOD have His and the Divell his downe with this hatred and Pride send them packing to the Divell from whence they came and resolve to say thus if sinne presse in upon you I am not mine owne the Lord hath bought all and therefore Hee shall have all Say to Satan I am pressed to serve the King I have received presse-money at the hands of the Lord Iesus Christ therefore be gone Imitate Him Vse 3 Love your enemies doe good to them that hate you Not to despaire of Gods grace for others without Vse 4 who yet are enemy-like affected toward Him To assure us that Hee will not faile us Vse 5 till Hee hath brought us to salvation now we are friends who when we were enemies did reconcile us Now for the Particulars in this benefit repeated 1 He setteth downe the fact of reconciling us 2 The instrument in the body of His flesh that is His humane Nature a Synechdoche Heb. 5.7 In the dayes of His flesh He offred up strong cryes to God For this our Nature is an instrument personally united wherein the second Person worketh and by which as by a conduit Hee conveyeth
men have their reward they doe their owne worke and they shall be paid their wages accordingly VERSE 29. Wereunto I also labour striving according to His working which worketh in mee mightily HItherto of that which the Apostle affirmeth of himselfe and Timothy or his fellow Apostles together Now followeth that which he affirmeth particularly of himselfe alone which is that he aimed at this marke labouring with hard and sore labour for so doth the word signifie using great endeavour and contention as they doe that strive for the best gaine Where besides that which hath beene before observed we learne That the worke of the ministery being rightly performed is a painefull and carefull worke full of hard labour and much striving Hence they are compared to harvest labourers to souldiers 2 Tim. 2.4 5. and to those that strive for masteries 1 Tim. 4. They are charged to preach to be instant in season and out of season Surely the sweat of the Ministery exceeds the sweat of other callings and with the sorest labourer the Minister eates his bread in the sweat of his browes 1 Thess 5.12 Now we beseech you brethren know them which labour among you Men ordinarily will not know them nor know their labour Yet GOD Himselfe takes notice of it for a labour Revel 2.2 I know thy workes and thy labour God acknowledges the Ephesian Angels labour The Elders that rule well 1 Tim. 5.17 let them be counted worthy of double honour especially they that labour in the Word and doctrine We shall finde 1 Thess 2.9 two sore words joyned together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Yee remember our labour and our travell The pastorall toile in the cure of Soules is no lesse than was Iacob's in keeping of Labans sheepe Gen. 31.40 To stop the foulest mouthes of such persons Vse that cry downe the ministery for an idle calling and account Ministers of all other men to live the most easie lives It is to be confessed that of many Ministers it may be sayd as our Saviour speakes of lillyes Math. 6.28 They labour not But the point is not what is the labour of some persons but of the calling and office And yet indeed many may be sayd to labour hard enough and yet are guilty of idlenesse We laboured day and night viz. even with our hands So farre goe many with Saint Paul painefull and laborious in worldly affaires but remisse and most carelesse in the worke of their ministery to build up the Church of God and to edifie the people committed to their care and charge See then ye Pastors what the Lord requireth of you Vse 2 and be instructed in your duty to be painefull faithfull and carefull acquit ye like men and discharge the trust put upon you 1 Pet. 5.4 that When the Arch-Pastor shall appeare yee may of Him receive an incorruptible Crowne of glory And you people committed to their charge Vse 3 how carefull God is of your salvation who requireth such a deale of labour care striving c. in those that He appointeth ouer you And you that have such magnify the goodnesse of God in giving them and strengthen their hands and encourage their hearts unto the worke of their ministery And you that want them pray for such and for remooving of those that are unsufficient and scandalous Finally that no man might attribute any thing to himselfe to his owne vertue and power as if he had done all these things he attributes it wholly unto God saying it was according to his working which worketh in mee mightily Observe The love Doct. diligence and faithfulnesse of a Minister in the labour of his calling is from Gods gracious working in us and is to be ascribed wholly to Him Wherefore where these things are not Vse 1 let them be earnestly asked at his hand who giveth freely and upbraideth no man And let all men seeing that the guifts of the ministery Vse 2 and the paines taken in the worke of the ministery are of the free guift of GOD acknowledge that their whole salvation and all the meanes thereof are meerely of the grace of GOD in CHRIST IESUS FINIS THE DOCTRINES CONTAINED IN THE SECOND CHAPTER Verse 1. 1 VVE must warily prevent that which may bee misconstrued of us in speeches 2 In some case we must report our love and that we doe in love for others 3 We must not onely seeke the good of those we know as familiars but of those who have no outward acquaintance with us Verse 2. 1 MInisters must see what they must chiefly helpe forward even the spirituall rejoycing of their people 2 Beliefe of the Gospell may be where the consolation of it and rejoycing of it appeares not 3 The Spirit worketh in beleevers not a hollow but a hearty rejoycing 4 The Gospell of CHRIST must bee the matter of sound joy 5 Soundnesse of love and fulnesse of affiance and understanding bring us to harty rejoycing 6 True Christians may be much wanting in love confidence and Spirituall understanding Verse 3. 1 ON fit occasions we must publish the glorious properties of Christ 2 Ignorance of CHRIST maketh us listen to deceivers 3 Christ our Lord is the store-house of all wisedome and knowledge 4 It is not yet apparant to us that Christ is so full of wisedome Verse 4. 1 THe practice of false teachers is to bring us out of liking with the faithfull servants of Christ Iesus 2 We must be carefull to keepe our people out of the hands of deceivers 3 The force of seasonable speeches is such that it preserveth the people 4 False Teachers fight with deceit and shew of reason not sound reason 5 False Teachers use flattering and glozing language Verse 5. 1 THere is a presence whereby Saints are one with another though never so farre disioyned 2 The nature of love is to rejoyce in the truth in the worke of grace where it is discerned 3 All things in the Primitive Churches were most orderly constituted and carryed 4 It is a most joyfull sight to see soules cleave to Christ Verse 6. 1 TRue faiths property is to receive CHRIST 2 True beliefe on Christ hath with it perseverance and a life obedient unto Him 3 Our good beginnings must bee a band to us to make good proceedings Verse 7. 1 BY constant going on in Christ wee come to have firme conjunction with Him 2 Resolved perswasion in the Doctrine we professe and grace we believe groweth out of a constant course in faith and obedience 3 Constant walking in Christ will bring us to abound in perswasion Verse 8. 1 TO yeeld to erroneous Doctrines which corrupt reason teacheth doth take us from Christ 2 The wisedome renowned of the world hath beene an engine against the faith 3 Sathan by empty shewes of religion standing in vaine rites doth prevaile against many 4 All religious observancies contrary to the word of God are but deceitfull vanity 5 Error and false worship become infectious because they are carnall
of the former Chapter Now lest this report should seeme to drop from him unadvisedly for ordinarily another mouth must praise us not our owne lest it should thus be misconstrued he repeateth the strife he had with a more particular enumeration of the Persons for whom he thus contended v. 1. 2 The matter for which he laboured with GOD for them Verse 2 3. 3 The end why he telleth them these things or maketh such request V. 4. Namely that no Impostor might deceive them and draw them from that state wherein they were or perswade them as if the Apostle knew nothing of their matter nor yet tooke any care of them for the fourth Verse may be conceived as a reason of either of these you must know wee are in good cafe before you can wish us established in it But they might object Object thou never knewest us nor sawest us or you know not Paul how we stand how can you take care lest we be deceived Though my bodily presence is free from you Answ yet it is not out of sight and out of minde my Spirit is with you The first Verse then hath to be marked in it a deliberate asseveration of that he had in generall spoken I would have you know 2. A more particular repetition of this his strife applied in speciall to some certaine persons first definitely you and your neighbours about you those of Laodicea then indefinitely and all that have not seene mee in the flesh 1. Then wee learne this point of wisdome from the Apostle Doct. That we must warily prevent that which may be misconstrued of us in our speeches The Colossians might thinke him vaine-glorious in signifying such things as tended to his owne praise at least that his pen went too fast and he a little forgot himselfe in setting downe such personall matter the Apostle therefore goeth over again with it and sheweth a reason of it Vers 4. That he might wipe away the surmise of unadvisednesse and vaine-glorious humour To speake any thing either to the praise or dispraise of our selves is subject to imputation for it is a tickle theame hard to doe either without a spice of vanity in the one or dissimulation in the other the Apostle knowing this well had the hynt of their thoughts given him and therefore doth prevent them wisely There is great reason for this practice frequent with the Apostle For the just mainteyning of our owne honour with GOD in the fifth Commandement doth lay it on us Secondly the preventing of false witnesse-bearing by sinister surmises in my neighbour Reas 2 which if occasion offered I doe not so much as in me is hinder I become guilty of them Such therefore as give out speeches subject to misconstruction without any qualifying of them and salving such things as in probability are like amisse to be gathered by them Vse have not yet this wisedome which the example of the Apostle setteth before us being in this point for our imitation 2 Marke hence Doct. That in some case wee may report both our love and what we doe in love for others The Apostle telleth them now he out of his love to them strove in their behalfe There is reporting of kindnesse which out of proud displeasure upbraydeth those to whom we speake and this begetteth unthankfulnesse in them whom we have pleasured There is againe a reciting of that we doe out of religion love and wisdom which begetteth further love in those who heare it Out of religion I say for it is to Gods glory that we should tell such things as not we so much as His grace worketh in us especially when He doth so stand by us that we are called to contend and strive in prayer with him in prayer for the good of any Out of wisdom as when it breaketh the neast of such as labour to slander us behind our backs with others Out of love to God and my brother when I tell it that God may have glory from my brother knowing it that his confidence may be strengthened that his love to me may be further kindled thus Saint Paul reciteth that matter thus Rom. 9. He doth not simply protest his love to his Country men but doth bind it with an oath that he might mollify their displeasure and wind in with them Yea we read of the Saints who before God have orderly and holily made appeale how they have walked before Him Though therefore such as either proudly or out of unadvised levity or contumeliously sound out their owne praises are not to be justified yet neither on the other hand must we censure all speeches of this nature a mans neighbours may dwell so farre off or be so malignant that hee that would keepe silence in this kind should betray Gods glory the truth his owne honour and neighbours safety 3 Observe Doctr. That we must not onely seeke the good of those we know as familiars but of those who have no outward acquaintance with us Eph. 16.18 Pray for all Saints If our naturall Parents travailing to other places we being left behind should beget other children would we not upon the hearesay of it be affected to them as our brethren So when we heare that our heavenly Father hath begotten Himselfe other children here or there though we have not seene them yet we should in all love embrace them and seeke their well-fare yea there was great need why he on whom lay the care of all the Churches should pray fervently for these because these might even in this regard more easily be seduced as who had not knowne him and seen his conversation who was the great Doctor of the Gentiles for such as knew what kind of man he was that delivered these things were hence somewhat strengthened and encouraged in their way But how may we be rebuked who are farre from striving for those we know Vse Husbands that pray not for their Wives Parents that pray not for their children If we doe thus by them we see what doe we for such we never sawe Let us imitate this duty even of entreating for such we have not seene Which of us would not have benefit by the prayers of Gods people who know us not let us doe to others as we would have them doe to us He were a gracelesse child that would never pray for his Mother and we would thinke he would doe little for us that would not lend us a good word here or there So when we remember not the Church and will not open our mouthes one for another to God what love is there Let us therefore frequent this duty not in word or shew but in deed and truth From the practice of this duty it commeth to passe that a Christian is like a rich Merchant who hath his factors in divers Countryes So a Christian hath in all places of the world some that deale for him with God that never sawe his face who are petitioners for him unto God VERSE 2.
GOD's promises we fight not against doubtings we cry not for eye-salve which might heale our fight that all scales done away we might see clearely to our comfort the things of our peace Let us Vse 2 as ever we would taste these heavenly joyes on earth labour to grow up in sound hearty love to Christ and all that are His in full perswasion and to get ripe understanding As love to CHRIST increaseth so joy encreaseth If any woman had the greatest Potentate on earth to her husband if she love him not what pleasure hath she in him If she love him but little she taketh but small joy but the more fervently shee loveth him the more abundantly she rejoyceth in enjoying of him So with us the more we get up to love CHRIST and His the more shall we rejoyce in our Vnion and communion one with another Hence it is that when knowledge shall be perfected in fight and when love shal be absolute lacking nothing then our joy shall be full in the highest degree of it Secondly observe when he prayeth for these things Doctr. In what things true Christians may be much wanting viz. in love confidence and spirituall understanding Had there not beene a defect this way henceded not to have laboured them in their behalfe We see how it was in Corinth schismes tooke place rents divisions and uncharitable contentions ever amongst beleevers even as brethren together agree not often So it is in the body of Christ the members are often jarring So for assurance it is weake in Christians even as babes so hold this or that that they may bee easily brought to bee of another minde So a weake Christian hath a levity and unsetlednesse dwelling in great measure with the perswasion which hee hath in the points of his faith Thus the Galathians for this cause who before had gladly received Paul's truth were quickly turned to a new Gospell Galath 1. Thus Israel wanting this fulnesse of perswasion quickly corrupted themselves and made a molten calfe Finally we see what doubtings and scruples are frequently found with true beleevers In the third place for understanding how ignorant a great while were the Apostles after the beginnings of grace in them As the understanding in civill things it commeth not all at once but is little in child-hood and so getteth up as yeares ripen So it is in the babes of GOD Yea our want of giving assent and confident resting upon that GOD revealeth doth keepe us from understanding for beleeving things upon God's Word which I am not able to understand at length I come understandingly to know those things which above that I could conceive I religiously beleeved Wherefore we must not be dismaid to see these things in Christians Vse nor yet to finde them in our selves all is in part and the reliques of the flesh are every where lusting against the frame of grace which GOD hath begun in us Neither must we be out with all whose hearts are a little bitter towards their brethren who sometimes through weaknesse cannot tell what to thinke of their religion who make scruple and doubt of many most plaine things not knowing their liberties who are much wanting in understanding all these may be in true Saints of GOD. Lastly Doct. marke hence what we must all labour for viz. soundnesse of love fulnesse of perswasion and understanding That which any asketh for us or we aske for our selves that we must strive for to pray for things we endeavour not to is to mocke GOD. Seeing then the Apostle doth strive with GOD for these things it doth shew that these are things wee must labour after things which faithfull ones shall in their time come unto Strive to perfection I forget that which is behinde and strive to that which is before for the price of the high calling of God in CHRIST Looke at little ones were it not a shame for them still to continue falling out comming with complaints for every trifle as they will while they are young ones to be afraid of bug-beggars and made beleeve every thing to bee ignorant alwayes as in child-hood So it were a shame for us to have no more love no more settlednesse in our perswasion no more understanding than when we first beleeved Which meeteth with Papists and carnall Gospellers Vse their religion teacheth doubting they count it presumption to perswade our selves firmely and infallibly that our sinnes are forgiven Yea in matter of faith they take away certainty of knowledge for they will not have us know the doctrines are true we receive but because the Church telleth us so which is to hang all upon the word of man who may deceive and be deceived unlesse he hath a speciall priviledge to shew for all men are lyars I know not but the Church telleth me so I cannot say certainly but I hope well here is their certainty of doctrine and salvation So we have many that are halfe Papists in this point they thinke this particular application but a tricke they construe the Creed all in generall termes for the Church further than uncertaine hope will say nothing of themselves for riches of knowledge they thinke to be able to repeat the Creed Lords Prayer and Commandements are enough to know they are baptised and serve God at home and at Church deeper knowledge than this belongeth to Doctors and teachers in the Church men of corrupt mindes who would have God's people lye in darknesse of ignorance lest their owne darknesse should be discerned Yea how many of the people that not being willing to obey the wayes of God care not for knowing them they are willing to keepe without light that they may sleepe more quietly Such finally who are babes in knowledge though for time they might be teachers who are ready to wagge at every wind of doctrine who upon every crosse and temptation are ready to call into question God's love forgivenesse of sin must hence be rebuked In the second place Vse 2 wee must seeing it is our duties labour to grow up from one degree of love to another from assurance to assurance from knowledge to knowledge I Object but how may we out-grow our doubting 1 Labour to know that experimentally which thou knowest Answ when thou hearest a thing at Church labour comming home to get God by His Spirit to witnesse to thy spirit the truth of it to make thee in His light to see light and to feele the power of it working in thee and thy affections moved as the nature of the word requireth that which a man thus knoweth you cannot beat him out of it with all the shew of reason that can be pretended 2 We must acknowledge the corruption of our mind which will not yeeld assent further than wee see reason and deny our reason becomming fooles that God may make us wise Nay we must know such is the vanity of our mindes that wee can sooner perswade our selves of any fabulous matter than of
have and thus Christ-man hath all treasures that is in comparison of wisdome in any other an unmeasurable treasury whence all other His members derive that they have We see hence Vse 2 whither wee are to fly for encrease of knowledge and wisdome even to Christ Mine is wisdome Prov. 8. mine is understanding subtilty dwelleth with mee Come yee fooles and understand saith this essentiall wisdome of the Father to us by His servants The Queene of Sheba went a great way to heare Salomons wisdome and we have many that travell countries to heare the readers here and there How should we seeke to Christ in all meanes Hee hath directed us to that through Him we might be made wise Hee is made of GOD our wisdome He is the Author and matter of it Lastly marke that these treasures are said to be hid in Him Whence observe Doctr. That it is not yet apparant to us that CHRIST is so full of wisdome for it is beleeved to be a treasure under earth not found out yet because we though wee beleeve it yet wee see it not and the world neither see nor beleeve any such thing Hence it is that they count the preaching of CHRIST a foolish thing for affecting depth of wisdome it is so hid that they cannot espie any such thing in Christ Yea from this hiding it commeth to passe that in some philosophicall subtilties they seeme to finde farre greater knowledge than in all that is told of Christ Againe our wants doe make it not seene to us though we beleeve it yet we behold it not present For though we are made wise yet it appeareth not how wise we shall be as Saint Iohn saith in another case 1 Ioh. 3.2 We know in part and great are the reliques of folly which dwell with our wisdome Now as we say of a man who having great wealth and yet maketh no great shew he is a hidden man So Christ not manifesting this abundance of wisdome in us His members is said to have it treasured up and hidden within Him Wherefore let us not bee offended at the simplicitie which now is in CHRIST Vse 1 but by faith give the glory to Him of those things which we are not able yet to discerne Though these things we have revealed are such wisdome that all knowledge beside is foolishnesse unto them yet the things we know are nothing to that which shall be revealed in us Nay Christ should not be wise if he did otherwise A man that is of the greatest learning in the world when he teacheth an A. B. C. man he doth not runne over his Tongues and Arts but only applieth himselfe to the capacity of his schollar keeping the other within himselfe till his schollar growing riper shall be fitted to receive them So doth our Lord Iesus Christ deale with us we are Grammar schollars not yet taken to that Vniversity of the Saints in glory and therefore Christ out of wisdome doth keep hid in Himselfe those treasures here named This is a comfort to us Vse 2 who are so meane in our owne eyes our wisdome is hid with Christ as He saith of our life Chap. 3.3 We shall in time have it If we knew not some secret which we desired yet if we had some friend that knew it who should further tell us that he in time would shew us all the matter it would make us rest the better contented Thus it is with Christ we have great wants in knowledge but Hee hath all treasured in Him and will in His time make us know as we are knowne And thus this doctrine might be passed over But the Papists doe hence gather that even Christ new borne had the fulnesse of wisdome But the Answer is that Saint Paul speaketh not of the Man-hood of Christ only but his whole Person Secondly he speakes not of the Person according to His Man-hood in the time of His humiliation when He was subject to ignorance so farre as it was an infirmity without sin but of Christ as now glorified While He was in state of humiliation He did grow up in wisdome both His habits being more confirmed and His experimentall knowledge to His end encreasing in Him He knew not the barrennesse of the Fig-tree the day of judgement not only in this sense he knew it not to tell us True it is He was anointed above His Brethren with joy wisdome c. but hence it followeth not therefore He was actually forthwith having all joyfull blisse and wisdome For CHRISTS anointing signifieth three things 1 That this Man-hood was after a sort infinitely blessed in regard that it was personally assumed of God the Sonne 2 That it was called and destinated of GOD to have all the fulnesse of spirituall graces given it the right of them was made His. 3 That He had actually given Him all such gifts in every age as might fitly stand with the mystery of His humiliation David was anointed King before he actually had the power of a King Neither is it as absurd to say that the wisdome of God in His humane Nature wanted while he voluntarily would not make shew of Himselfe but emptied Himselfe for why may not this be sayd as well as the Lord of life wanted life that the God of strength who is neither weary nor hungry was weary and thirsty VERSE 4. And this I say least any should beguile you with entising words NOw followeth the reason rendred of that which goeth before this I say this may be referred either to the description of CHRIST into which he digressed or to the whole sentence from the beginning of this Chapter this I tell you how I strive for you in prayer what I labour for on your behalfe even that by the meanes above-named your hearts might be comforted and I cannot but extoll our Lord IESUS CHRIST that you knowing both the truth of my love and excellency of CHRIST may not by seducers bee lead through flattering detraction into false conceits of me his servant and Apostle and so of him whom I serve I take it roundly with reference to the whole antecedent matter in this Chapter Now as this hath coherence with that branch in the words next before it teacheth that before noted That the knowledge of Christs excellency is a preservative against all seducing spirits 2 Againe as this hath reference to that verse 1 I would have you know my strife for you and so giveth a reason why he mentioneth his care Doctr. feare fervent prayer on their behalfe It doth let us see what is a practice of false Teachers even to bring us out of liking with those that are faithfull servants of CHRIST IESUS This Saint Paul suffered almost everywhere at their hands in Corinth Galatia Philippi where did not the Divell by slanders labour to weaken his authority with the Churches thus he hath alwayes done Moses yea CHRIST Himselfe escaped not Revel 12.15 The Serpent that is the Divel is said to cast
is made a cuppe of fine wine to carry to the heart more effectually a cuppe of deadly poyson whereas the faithfull ones they commend good things in us that they may more equally in their just reproofes be heard of us As a Physitian guildeth a pill that it may be taken the better or to encourage them and excite them to thankefullnesse or some such purpose To teach us godly wisedome Vse and by learning the cunning of these men to bee fore-armed against the hurt of them If the tongue of Angells should withdraw us from CHRIST or any part of his truth the Lord give us power to accurse them and turne from them as most dangerous Syrens that thus goe about to bewitch us VERSE 5. For though I bee absent in the flesh yet am I with you in Spirit rejoycing and beholding your order and your stedfast faith in Christ NOw hee commeth to prevent an objection Why Saint Paul might they say you know not us how we are in beliefe it may be these Ceremony-masters told them he was one that thought least of them to which S. Paul answers though I have not beene with you in body yet you are in my heart I in my mind by relation of others know how it is with you I am in mind with you rejoycing and fixing mine eye on your order and the solidity of your faith towards Christ Marke hence first Doctr. There is a presence whereby Saints are one with another though never so farre disjoyned Saint Paul absent in body with the Colossians present in spirit We believe the communion of all Saints Now were there no way for them by which they might bee each with other how could they communicate together but as we say where the minde is there is the man Now the minde may be in heaven in the utmost corner of the earth wheresoever the thought and affection is hither we are transported in spirit thus Eliah saith to Iehu was not my spirit with thee because God by vision showed him what his servant did For looke as a man may be corporally present without his mind there so he may be in mind here or there where his body commeth not By the mind is to be understood the operation of the mind namely the thought and affections This therefore doth shew us an excellent priviledge of Gods people Vse 1 that after some sort as Christ is with us all to the end of the world so we are with him and one with another For His bodily presence is not with us but the presence of spirit and power never forsaketh us Yea this must teach us one to be in the thought of another Vse 2 not to suffer it to be out of sight and out of mind as we speake in the proverbe It is to be bewailed that our hearts are no more with the Churches everywhere then they are If wee could sit still in our Chayres and goe hither and thither bodily whither would we not goe Rejoycing and seeing That is in spirit discerning as an absent thing but by the image of it made present to the mind for this is the difference of the Greeke words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and with joy seeing their order and faith Observe first Doct. The nature of love it rejoyceth as Saint Paul speaketh in the truth in the worke of grace where it is discerned Iohn 3.4 thus Saint Iohn what greater joy have I then that you walke in the truth How glad are loving Nurses and Parents of all comelinesse and lovely qualities in their Children Even so those who have Gods Nurceries and are Fathers in Him they joy in nothing more then in the externall and internall graces of his children On the contrary how was Saint Paul grieved when the Church of Corinth had such a blemish as that incestuous one uncast forth Alas we want spirituall love Vse let which end will goe forward keepe from being whore or theefe though there be no power of godlinesse no heavenly mindednesse no opennesse of heart love appearing we grieve not though the soules of men lye in a dead swoone for any vitall action of the life of God our spirits moove not if we perceive not forwardnesse of grace we like Iosephs brethren envy it rather then take comfort in it censure it as pride humor singularity nay Pulpits sometimes speake this english Your order Observe hence Doct. That all things in the Primitive Churches were most orderly constituted and carryed Looke at the government at the administrations at the conversations of Christians all you shall see were full of order First there was an order of government for where there is no government there is no order If all were one member there were no order in the body there were some governing some governed Governours such as laboured in word and Doctrine publiquely and ordinarily receiving calling thereto from Christ by his Church or else such as attended the inspection of manners not dealing ordinarily with the Word and Sacraments but as occasion required not by authority directly from Christ but as delegates from the Pastors There were Deacons ministring in carefull oversight of the poore Finally the assembly which was governed by their leaders For ministrations all were comely in their holy native simplicity which became all seemely circumstances of time and place observed in them As I have received of the Lord Iesus Christ so have I delivered unto you 1 Cor. 11.23 Let all be done decently For their conversation they went out and in about their own businesses keeping their owne rankes If one did walke inordinately but as an idle tattler he was noted and they severed from him 2 Thes 3.11 They did goe by rule as in an orderly march 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 6.16 they did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thes 4.12 walke honestly towards them that are without Hence we may learne to mourne at the disorder every where Vse the pompous tyranny the idle toyish ceremonies and fopperies in the Worship of GOD by Popish masse-Priests the most wicked and yet uncensured conversations which may be seene amongst Christians Lastly Doct. marke hence What a joyfull sight it is to see soules cleave to Christ and hold by him A true hearted subject cannot but joy to see the subject cleave fast in all allegiance to his soveraigne Lord the King So it feedeth the hearts of the true servants of Christ to see others stand fast to Him If you stand fast wee are alive It is a pleasant sight to see a valiant man being assaulted on every side stand his ground and quit himselfe bravely But for a souldier of Christ by faith on Christ to subdue all hostility of Sathan and not give backe a foote is much more goodly and glorious to behold Thus Saint Paul now he saw the Divell brave them with tearmes of learning the depth of philosophicall speculation and offering to make them ashamed of the simplicity of
should be three severall Wills in the Trinity Againe there is no conversion of these Natures for that which dwelleth with another is not converted into it And all Nestorius his dreame of two distinct divided Persons said to be one through singular assistance love dignity consent for the Text saith Bodily and Saint Iohn saith They so dwell together that God is made flesh which cannot be said by vertue of any Vnion which is not substantiall We see what reason we have to hold to CHRIST Vse 2 if we had Moses or Daniel or Saint Paul upon the earth with whom the LORD pleased to dwell so abundantly by the effects of grace and gifts of prophecie Oh how would wee sticke to them how would we rest in their words or oracles but behold him who is the substantiall flesh of our GOD. This sheweth us whither wee must come Vse 3 if wee will finde God to no other but this Temple All old worshippers under the Law they went to the Temple when they would come to God and before the Temple was built to the Arke and Tabernacle but these were but types here is the true Temple looke to CHRIST-man to that body of which he said Destroy this Temple and I will build it againe in three dayes Looke hither and God shall over-shadow thee for the God head dwelleth with Him personally Consider the wonderfull love of God Vse 4 that vouchsafeth thus to dwell in our Nature If some mighty Prince should come and dwell in some poore cottage for his subjects good what a rare part of his singular love would it be counted How much more is this And thus answering briefly an objection of the Lutherans we will come to the next Verse The Nature in which God dwelleth is every where Object where God is but God dwelleth in the humane Nature viz. Christ-Man then in the humane Nature Let this answer the first part of the reason Answ I answer it with limitation That in which God dwelleth as a thing contained in a place containing that must needs be where ever God is not that in which God dwelleth in other manner as here he doth or that in which God dwelleth per aequipatentiam I illustrate the vanity of their argument with this That in which the light dwelleth that is every where where the light is But the light dwelleth in the body of the Sunne Therefore the body of the Sunne is every where where the light is VERSE 10. And yee are compleat in Him which is the Head of all Principality and Power NOw he commeth to the Reasons taken from the all-sufficient benefits wee receive in Him which first are laid downe in this tenth verse indefinitely after by particular enumeration The reason from this verse standeth thus You must not looke to others leaving Him in whom you have the fulnesse of all grace behoovefull given you But in Christ who is the Head of all Principality and Power you are compleat Ergo c. The Verse then containeth 1 Our most full blessednesse in CHRIST 2 A repetition of His dignity from whom we are replenished Now in the Verse we must first marke the coherence In whom having all the fulnesse of the divine Nature in Him you are compleat or full Observe hence Doct. Whence it is that CHRIST Man doth send out all the streames of grace and good things to all His members even hence that this fountaine dwelleth in Him Did not the divine Nature which is the fountaine of all life naturall and supernaturall Psal 36.9 For with Him is the Well of life Did not this dwell with this man or humane Nature we could not be enlightned and quickned by it So that when we reade Ioh. 6. he that eateth my flesh hath life in him we must know that these things are spoken truely of the man-hood not that this Nature of it selfe can doe these things but because the Deity dwelleth with it and by it as by an instrument joyned personally with it doth properly and efficiently worke these things Even as we see the body of the Sunne doth enlighten all but as an instrument of the first created light which GOD hath united to it This must be held that neither the omnipotent power of ereating spirituall graces nor yet the omnipotent action which doth produce them is in the humane Nature or proceedeth from the humane Nature but in God onely and from God in and with this humane Nature working to the same effects according to the propertie of it As a Scrivenour writing with a pen the effect viz. writing may be ascribed to the pen for we say this pen did write this but the faculty of writing and the proper action which produceth it is in the scribe and goeth not from the scribe into the pen So here after some sort for the pen hath no reason and will to worke with the scribe in that to which it is used but he is an instrument having this humane understanding and will whereby hee worketh The pen is an externall instrument without the person of Him that useth it but CHRIST's humane Nature is an internall instrument united within the Person of God the Sonne as a part of His Person as the body of a man is to his soule yea more nearely for death severeth this but not the other yet in this they are like that one is the effect viz. the thing written is properly and efficiently from the Scribe from the pen instrumentally with efficiencie of inferiour degree So these divine workes which CHRIST the Mediatour worketh the chiefe vertue and action which properly effecteth them is in God not communicated really with the other Nature though it doth worke them in this humane Nature with it yea and by it as a most neerely conjoyned instrument which within the person of God the Sonne hath His proper actions concurring in an inferiour degree of efficiencie to that which the divine Nature principally and properly worketh GOD worketh graces CHRIST-Man worketh the same Saint Paul by laying on of hands giveth grace as to Timothy the divine Nature that createth them and infuseth them into this or that man through CHRIST Man being as a common conceptacle and conduit-pipe of them the humane Nature worketh them not by powerfull creating them but by taking away fin and the cause that so way might bee made for this promised Spirit Galath 3.14 2 By interceding Mediator-like for them 3 By willing the going of such graces from Him as who is with God the Sonne but one Worker though a distinct principle of working that is though distinct in Nature yet the same in Person Hee therefore worketh them as His owne workes from His owne power for God's power is by Vnity of Person made His the divine power not being without Him as the power of another Person than He is but being personally with Him Those things which His humane Nature worketh or which are wrought after His humane Nature they are the workes
therefore we have not put off all for we have parted with all though not wholly totum exuimus corpus sed non totaliter The ayre in the morning hath put off all her sable weeds that darknesse which in the night did cladde her but not altogether for it is cleere and cleere till Noone-tyde so here c. The use is to stirre us up with honest hearts to renounce all corruption Vse 1 Many doe by piece-meale part with their evills retayning the love of some though they seeme to leave other one will not part with lustfull affections another will keepe covetousnesse yea some put off the outward actions but never care for putting off their corrupt qualities which are rooted in their spirits 2 In the second place hence assure thy selfe that thou art in Iesus Christ if thou puttest off this body lovest no evill though sin hang about thee every where yet thou lovest and likest none of it but holdest CHRIST thy sanctifier and cryest to be uncladde and freed from all this body of death 3 Of sinnes not sin Observe hence Doct. How our masse of corruption conteyneth in it many kindes of sinne Even as the body naturall is not all one kind of member but hath great variety So this body of corruption therefore he calleth it a body of sins of many sins being as so many members in it ignorance unbeliefe irreligiosnesse pride wrath covetousnesse untruth Ephes 2.1 hence it is that the Apostle sayth the Ephesians were dead in sinnes and trespasses and the old man is sayd to be corrupted through deceivable lusts Eph. 4.22 that is so corrupted as that now he expresseth the image of divers lusts as he was formerly created after the image of GOD or else through lusts of many kindes And from hence it commeth that our native corruption doth bring such variety of fruites as are mentioned Galath 5.19 20.21 Adultery fornication uncleanenesse wantonnesse idolatry withcraft hatred debate c. and observed in experience because it is a body which hath divers members the which bring forth divers operations Which must make us both grow up in acknowledging our naturall misery Vse and to magnifie the grace of the LORD IESUS CHRIST who hath healed us of so many corruptions as have formerly had dwelling in us to take from us one sicknesse is mercy but when a man is a very body of diseases hath every member filled with infirmity then to cure him is much more And let such know who are not yet in CHRIST Vse 2 they are a lumpe of all sinnes what though all appeare not that is because the Lord doth restraine them for else we should not live together men would be woolves to men yet though the fruite appeare not the rootes are within us By the circumcision of Christ Observe hence Doct. Who it is that worketh this inwardly in us Iesus Christ He and none but Hee can remoove the filthy lusts in which the heart is wrapped as Saint Iohn spake of His Baptisme hee baptised with water but Christ baptised with the spirit and Saint Peter saith 1 Pet. 3.21 Not the baptisme which is the washing of the flesh saveth but in that a good conscience maketh request to God by the resurrection of Iesus Christ Saint Paul saith hee that planteth and watereth is nothing in regard of force which doth reach unto the soule it selfe This must be distinctly taught that we may avoyd the Papish snare and that we may glory fie God in ascribing to Him intyrely such workes as these are which are no more communicable with men then to create out of nothing another World VERSE 12. In that yee are buried with Him through baptisme in whom yee are also raised up together through the faith of the operation of GOD which raised Him from the dead NOw he commeth to the third thing buryed with Him in baptisme or by baptisme this is the modus action is and agreeth with those words you have beene circumcised in Him how being buryed with Him in baptisme It openeth both the manner and may be as a proofe thus Such as are dead and buryed to sin in Christ they have put off all the body of sinne But you have beene buryed with CHRIST by baptisme First then from the context we see Doct. that what circumcision was to the old people that is baptisme to us for he saith thus much you have beene circumcised in being baptised though in circumstantiall things these disagree as in the sexe receiving the Sacrament there men onely here women In the matter signified Christ to come in the degree of grace given In the externall rite yet the substance of the thing signified manner of receiving generall ends they conspire Hence we may have a ground and warrant to proove the baptisme of infants lawfull and warrantable by the Word of God Vse For circumcision being administred to infants in the time of the old Testament there is no reason why baptisme succeeding it should not bee administred to them in the time of the Gospell The second thing is Doct. that from our union with Christ dead and buryed we come to have the body of sinne crucified and put away from us This is thus gathered he saith they were circumcised that is had the body of sin put off them while they were together buried with Christ which baptisme signifieth and sealeth up in them from this then we come to put off sins that we are set into Christ dying and buryed for the abolishing of sin and hence Rom. 6. Saint Paul sheweth that we cannot live in sin as formerly we did and have to doe with it because we are dead to it being set into Christ dying and that by baptisme The reason is because that Christ hath by his death killed the sin of all that belong to Him and therefore such as are set into His death they cannot but feele the death of this body of sins which before lived in them Even as when Adam sinned and dyed to the life of God all of us in him are dead and so soone as we come actually to be members of him we feele the effect of Adams death even this that being dead to the life of God we lye in the spirituall death of ignorance and lusts So CHRIST the second Adam He dying to abolish sin even that He might be the death of sin in all His members and lying buried under it that He might so abolish it as never to rise againe Briefly then Adam a roote of mankind finning brought death upon all His. 1. By bringing imputation of sin 2. Extinction of the life of grace 3. A propagation of death in sin and trespasse Christ standeth as a second Adam in the persons of all given Him to be His members and having their sin imputed to Him 1 He doth take away the guilt of it 2 Dyed to sin and lay under it in our nature that we by vertue thereof might dye to it the omnipotent spirit of
dying was after a sort all of us for in our Nature Hee made Himselfe one with us and had us all by name as a body unto Him and all our sinne He tooke as His owne having made Himselfe one mysticall Person with us Secondly you must know that CHRIST thus having us all with Him as members belonging to Him through the gift of His Father and having all our sinne made His He dyeth for us all and for the abolishing of all our sinnes so that we all lye dead with Him and out sinne is all crucified with Him for it beginneth not to be crucified when wee dye to it no here was the beginning of it Thirdly CHRIST lying dead with all His dead in Him having taken away the guilt and wrought the death of sin in all His or the death of all His members to sin CHRIST with His body being dead is raised and receiveth that treasury of supernaturall life which is to be derived in the order of it to all His so that CHRIST rising all of us rise in Him as our Head for the members have society in whatsoever is done in the Head 2 As a thing may be said to be in the cause of it so was all our resurrection in His which was to be the cause of all our resurrection As Adam and Eve were the cause of propagating a naturall life to all mankinde Fourthly CHRIST thus raised and made the conceptacle and fountaine of supernaturall life sendeth out His vitall influence into such as belong to Him 1 By faith giving them a being spirituall or an union in Him even as Adam gave a naturall being or participation of his substance unto his members 2 He doth send into them thus united with Him the Spirit of life from Himselfe that is the HOLY GHOST to dwell in them by the created gifts of grace which is life supernaturall They shall heare my voice who are dead that is they shall beleeve and they shall live 3 CHRIST doth successively perfect this life never leaving till He have in soule and body conformed us for our module to His blessed Soule and glorious body And these may serve to open this point of beliefe The difficulty of conceiving it commeth hence 1. That we know not how straitly and neerely we are united to Him for as all were within the loynes of Adam by the determinate Counsell of GOD to come from Him so all the Elect by GOD's predestination and donation were within CHRIST as one in Him and with Him 2. Wee are not able to see that vertue of His resurrection The use is first Vse to incite us to seeke to have our eyes opened that we may know the treasury of good things we have in CHRIST and the power which Hee hath put forth in us We should love CHRIST a thousand times more if wee knew feelingly what Hee were to us We are not able to see how we in the womb are formed how much more will our eyes dazle here further than GOD doth cleare them This also must make us hold to our head CHRIST even as we will have life in us get a member away from having communion with the Head it is presently livelesse having neither sense nor motion So in us with CHRIST We see whither we must have recourse for life Even to CHRIST Come to me and your soules shall live to GOD in our Nature looke at thy owne flesh in heaven and draw from it as a Conduit-pipe increase of grace sent thee from it by the Spirit which dwelleth with it Having forgiven you all trespasses Now he commeth to the order of our new quickening which hee setteth downe by three antecedents which made way to it 1 He pardoned our sinne 2 He crossed our Bill 3 He freed us from the power of Satan and all infernall spirits Before I enter them let this in generall be premised to cleare the text Suppose that we stood in great debt unto any say againe that he had to shew for all the debt under his owne hand Put the case thirdly that wee were cast into prison and in the custody of some Gaolour or any officers to that purpose If hee at whose suite wee are in hold be willing to set us free what doth he first he doth pardon the debt Secondly he doth Cancell our bills and bonds for he that keepeth our bonds seemeth not to forgive nor willing to let us goe otherwise than that he may have a saying to us when he pleaseth Thirdly he doth release his action and setteth him out of bands that held him and after all this dismisseth him to his liberty So here we are in for debt such debt as toucheth life it selfe the matter is under our owne confession the Divell holds us under chaines of darknesse GOD is willing to restore us to life 1 He pardoneth our faults 2 Rendeth the Articles of our confession 3 Taketh us out of their hands who were ministers of His justice in the close keeping of us This shall suffice to illustrate it in generall We see hence Doct. That in order of nature first we have pardon of sinne before wee have the life of grace begun in us there must be a removall of evill before there can be a conferring of good Thus in CHRIST Himselfe He was acquit from all our sinne which was upon Him before He was raised up yea if the least sinne of any of us who are His had beene unanswered Hee had not beene raised up and for this cause Rom. 4.25 The raising of CHRIST is said to be our justification that is God in raysing Him up did manifest that Hee was fully answered for all our sinnes so that we now are quit from all our sinnes in CHRIST our Head Even as if one lye sentenced a dead man for treason against the King he cannot have His life given him but pardon of his fault is first given So here answerably we are not restored to feele the life of God take place in us till our sins which caused our death are removed In a sinners restoring this is the order 1 God by faith setteth Him into CHRIST who is His righteousnesse in whom belongeth to Him forgivenesse 2 God when by beliefe He is in CHRIST doth pronounce Him just or acquit Him from sinne 3 The LORD doth send the Spirit of His Son into His heart This is the order in Nature though in time these things goe together This is to be noted against the Papists who when a sinner hath by deadly sinne lost the life of grace as they say though he after come to have never such love to God yet will not have the sinne forgiven till the Priest hath absolved him As if God did restore the life of grace before He gave the pardon of sinne This out of the order The words have foure things to be marked 1 Who forgiveth God the Father He raised up both CHRIST and us when He had forgiven 2 The manner of forgiving in
and obedience is utterly ceased Lastly Qu. 5 it may be asked how these Ceremonies were nailed on the Crosse As we conceive our selves Answ and all our sins with Christ on the Crosse So all the specialties which were to shew against us yea all the conversation of us as it was after this world is to be conceived with Him that the whole old man with his debt with the deeds he had done acknowledging this debt with his manner of conversing in carnall rites I say all of the old man is to be conceived thus in CHRIST and crucified with Him that all old things might be abolished Now to come to the Doctrines Observe first Doct. That not onely our sinne which is our debt is answered but that whatsoever may shew any thing against us is done away in CHRIST not onely our debt but every thing which might testifie any thing or breed us future danger is cancelled If a debter doe know his debt is answered yet hath his bonds and bills uncalled in he is still in feare but when he hath all such things as might speake any thing crossed torne made utterly void then he is safe for the LORD will have man doe all things so as he may shew his true meaning and wisdome in the dealing betwixt him and our Lord Iesus Christ doth give us example for in CHRIST answering our debt it had not been wisdome not to have defaced and abolished all such things as made acknowledgement of our debt and in GOD to have taken from His CHRIST satisfaction for us and kept with Himselfe such things which might witnesse us still indebted to Him had not so agreed with that single and upright meaning which GOD sheweth in all His wayes Againe our peace had not beene provided for for the Divell our restlesse enemie would never have rested to have followed the suit on us if he had so good evidence as our owne confession whether in heart word or under our hand to shew against us to that most just GOD. The use of this is first to teach us the great bounty of God yea and to shew us a patterne of sincere dealing Vse 1 to pardon us our debts is much but to deface all such specialties which might shew any thing against us to give in cancell crosse teare the least bill he had against us this doth amplifie His bounty It is storied of Adrian that seeking to win the favour of His subjects in Rome and Italy he for gave them all they were indebted to his Exchequer and the more to amplifie his free pardon he gave them out all their bills and bonds by which they made acknowledgement of any due to him Thus the great God amplifying His love dealeth with us and teacheth men what to doe when a debt is answered even to keepe nothing to shew for it that so their sincere dealing may be witnessed This letteth us see the fulnesse of CHRIST's redemption Vse 2 would He leave a great part of our debt unanswered as veniall sinnes the temporary punishment of sins and not suffer the least line of a bill to be uncrossed and torne asunder Lastly this maketh much for our comfort Vse 3 when we know that every thing that might breed us dread for hereafter beside the Ceremoniall Law there are many other hand-writings as it were which the Divell will threaten against us what will he say thou justified Daniel Saint Paul and others doe they not confesse they are sinners miserable and wretched their righteousnesse as Esay speaketh like stained cloathes This confession of the greatest Saints speaketh against thee Againe thy conscience doth know that thou art a grievous sinner thou hast not crucified the lusts of thy flesh and how oft hath thy owne mouth said thou hast no true faith no lively grace Nay sometime he hath got the hand to shew for their owne damnation How shall all this be answered Even by granting that indeed there are such confessions and bills of mine owne out against me but my CHRIST He did answer them and take them away This in generall Now in particular Doct. First we see That by CHRIST the Ceremoniall Law is taken away Looke Ephes 2.15 and in the Epistle to the Hebrewes which doth set it forth at large for the Law was not given that it should be perpetuall but only till the time of CHRIST which is called the time of correction or the setting things straight to that which they respected As a Physitian without changing his art giveth one thing to a childe another thing to a man And as a learned Schoole-master teacheth one booke to a novice another to a riper schollar so GOD without any change in Himselfe doth change these ordinances and did alwayes intend their ceasing in CHRIST Now we must know that when we say this Law of Ceremony was abolished in Christ the meaning is that it doth not binde any unto obedience As we see with us when Statutes are repealed they are not blotted forth of bodies and abolished from being monuments of advertisement but their force only taken away from constraining obedience so here c. not that the doctrine and knowledge of it nor yet the liberty of doing a rite in it while the edification of the Church so required is taken away the one is perpetuall the other was by the Apostles for a time lawfully practised For as the Morall Law is taken away from the use of seeking righteousnesse in it yet it remaineth as a rule of manners instructing us in our duties which we owe in thankfulnesse So this Law is taken away in regard of all the obligation and exercise of it but remaineth for many uses of doctrine and instruction The Vse is to let us see GOD's goodnesse to us Vse 1 what a benefit we count it when some one harmefull Statute by act of Parliament is repealed But what a benefit is this that a yoke which our fathers could not beare is taken away so that it never shall be laid upon us It letteth us see our happinesse above the Iewes Vse 2 that are free of so many fleshly grievances wherewith their worship abounded Wee see hence Vse 3 that it is GOD's will we should not be pestered with carnall rites and services GOD who will have His owne give place to our liberty how farre is He from liking that men should impose upon us their yokes of bondage This were misery for a man to be set free from GOD's hand and fall into mans usurpation Wherefore superstitious and lewd preambles of that popish captivity were those primitive ceremonies and observances which Saint Augustine in his hundred and nineteenth Epistle to Ianuarius complaineth of that all was pestered with humane presumptions And the Popish religion is hence erected as a yoke from whence by Christ we are redeemed The second thing to be marked here is Doct. That the Iewish Ceremonies as they were purely legall were as bills testifying the debt of the people before GOD The