SVVEET AND Soule-Perswading INDVCEMENTS Leading unto CHRIST DEDVCED 1. From the Consideration of Mans Misery Emptinesse Basenesse and Dishonour without Christ 2. From the Meditation of the Comforts attending the Soules receiving of CHRIST 3. From the Apprehension of the Joy and Excellency of Christs living in Man The whole singularly sweetning the Meditation of Christ to the Soule of Man Hoe every one that thirsteth come to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat yea come buy wine and milke without money and without price Wherefore doe ye spend your money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not ISA â—5 1 2. Draw me and we will run after thee the King hath brought me into his chambers we will be glad and reioyce in thee we will remember thy love more then wine CANT 1.4 BERN. SERM. 43. in CANT Aridus est omnis animae cibus si non oleo isto infunditur insipus est si non hoc sale conditur si scribas non sapit mihi nisi legero ibi Jesum si disputes aut conferas non sapit mihi nisi sonuerit ibi Jesus By Alexander Grosse Minister of CHRIST LONDON Printed by G. M for Iohn Bartlet at the Signe of the Gilt-Cup neare Saint Austins-Gate MDCXXXII To the Christian READER Reverend and Christian Reader THere is nothing more pleasant and comfortable more animating and inabling more ravishing and soule-contenting to a true Christian then the frequent and serious meditation of Christ then an holy and humble sweet and constant commerce and communion with Christ Christ Iesus being the whole of mans happinesse the Sunne which gives him light in darknesse the Physition which heales his soules sicknesse the wall of fire which defends him in the assaults of all enemies the Friend comforting him in his heavinesse the Aâ—ke supporting him in the deluge of all his distresses the Rocke sustaining him under the heaviest pressures the enjoyment of Christ solaceth in the deepest sorrowes the want of Christ distracteth in the greatest worldly abundance Who but Christ is the cloudy Pillar protecting and leading Gods Israel the heavenly Manna feeding the Lords people the brazen Serpent curing Gods children of the sinfull venome which the fiery Serpent hath infus'd into them Who but Christ is the Propitiatory or Mercy-Seat in whom mercy is seated and through whom it is revealed and communicated to all that thirst after it the Jacobs ladder by whom God descendeth unto man and man ascendeth unto God the Table of Shew-bread on whom our soules are feasted the Candle-stick by which the Church of God is enlightned the Altar of perfume in whose name and through whose mediation we and our prayers are accepted the brazen Laver in whose blood we are washed and the fiery Chariot by which we shall at the last like Eliah be translated in transcendent glory and triumph Nothing can make that man miserable who hath Christ for his possession the fullest confluence of all abilities can never make that mans estate truly comfortable who hath no Christs fullnesse communicated to him Christ being the onely Well which is able to refresh and fill us when all our vessels like Hagars prove empty bottles the onely â—onductor who is able to lead us when we are to passe thorough the Wildernesse and red Sea of manifold adversities the only Companion able to comfort us When God cals us with the three children to walke in the fiery fornace of sharpe and scorching trials the onely Joshua the onely Captaine of the Lords Hosts who can rescue us when the Amoritish Princes either men or Divels doe besiege us sweet and sure is their Refuge who are under the protection of the Lord Iesus He is a hiding place from the wind and a covert from the tempest rivers of waters in a dry place the shadow of a great rock in a weary Land The life and liberty peace and safety joy and victory wealth and glory of a Christian is treasured up in Christ Be therfore instant and industrious giving all diligence 1. To make Christ sure unto thy selfe With Boaz in another case be in no rest untill thou hast finished this thing this day Christ is richly worth the having all the residue without Christ is worth nothing Stand not upon the cost whither paines or study teares or prayers peace or wealth goods or name life or liberty sell all for this pearle Christ is of that worth and use that thou canst never over buy him though thou gavest thy selfe and all the world for him the making sure of Christ is the assurance of all the rest 2. Stand for Christ take Christs part be on his side whoever be against him the victory ever passeth on Christs side at last all his faithfull Souldiers are glorious Conquerours they all have crownes though sometimes they swimme unto them in blood take to thee therefore the heart and courage of Shammah one of Davids Worthies who stood and defended the field when all the rest fled Thus abide thou with Christ stand for him defend his Truth his Worship his Church and children though all others fly from him or rise up against him there is more joy and glory in Christs sufferings then in the triumph of profane persons there is more dignity in Christs thornes then in their golden crownes the more thou loosest for the Lord Iesus the greater is thy advantage he is unworthy the name of a Servant that will not stand by his Lord and Master in time of dangers She dishonours the name of a wife that refuseth copartnership with her husband in his troubles he is unworthy of a name either with God or man worthy to have his name buried in everlasting infamy that will not stand by Christ with most resolution and confidence wiâ—h most courage and boldnesse when men and Divels oppose Christ with most rage and violence ô then as Maevius that noble Centurion of Augustus being taken and brought unto Antonius and demanded how hee would be handled heroically answered Command mee to be slaine because neither the benefit of life noâ— the punishment of death can move me either to cease to be Caesars souldier or to begin to be thine Thus whatsoever doe befall thee though a thousand deaths be threatned to be inflicted on thee let neither the hope of life nor the feare of death draw thee to cease from being Christs souldier or to begin to sight under the worlds banner it is more noble and comfortable to die the most ignominious death for Christ then to live the most glorious worldly life with the deny all of Christ 3. Doe not stand aloofe off from Christ when Christ is upon the Crosse Doe not halt and neutralize in the houre of Christs and his Churches troubles he that is not Christs friend is Christs enemy He that is not with him is against him It is Salomons observation of the sloathfull He that is sloathfull in his worke is
the Friends of Christ David was a man of love to God a man of sweet and strong affections He useth many feeling and lively expressions hereof and his joy was sutable to his love he was glad to goe up to the house of the Lord he rejoyced in praysing God My lips shall greatly reioyce when I sing unto thee He rejoyced in visiting the house of God he went to the house of God with the voice of ioy and praise with the multitude that kept holy day He rejoyced in the understanding meditation and service of God he rejoyced in the Way of Gods testimonies as much as in all riches He is no friend of Christ that doth not rejoyce in Christ he is no lover that is not a joyfull receiver of Christ in the Gospell His pretence and profession of love is not reall but counterfeit and hypocriticall How canst thou say thou lovest me said Dalilah once to Sampson when thy heart is not with me Thus how can man say he loves Christ when his heart the joy and delight of his heart is not with Christ how is it possible man can love Christ and yet Christ be unwelcome Christs unwelcomnesse to man in his Gospell proclaimes the enmity of mans heart against him Where is our faith in Christ if Christ be not welcome doe we chuse and single out Christ to our selves to be our Mediatour and Saviour Doe we build on Christ as on a sure rocke Doe we apprehend and take Christ by the hand of faith into a spirituall wedlâ—cke as the husband of our soules Doe we make Christ our treasure our crowne our royall roabe of righteousnesse Doe we by the bucket of faith draw waters of salvation out of Christ as out of a living fountaine and yet not rejoyce in Christ not bid him joyfully welcome it is impossible A beleeving apprehension is comfortable an unbeleeving apprehension ministers no rejoycing It is recorded of Jacob that his sons telling him Joseph is yet alive and he is Governour over all the land of Egypt Jacobs heart fainted for he â— beleeved them not afterwards beleeving he much rejoyced but now not beleeving his heart fainted Thus man hearing of Christs life and kingdome hearing him preached in the Gospell as the Author of life and King of Kings and Lord of Lords hearing great and glorious things spoken of Christ and his heart fainting his soule sad dull troubled and not solaced with it that man beleeves not for the soule is filled with all ioy in beleeving Where is our pricing of Christ He that doth not rejoyce in Christ comming in the Gospell hath a very low esteeme of Christ The Spouse had a high esteeme of Christ surpassing all creatures and her soule was ravished with love to him and with joy in him The Merchant in the parable prized the pearle above all that he had and as he highly prized it so he was glad when he found it Did we prize Christ as the hungry prizeth food the sicke health the captive liberty the rich his treasure the King his crowne we could not but rejoyce in Christs comming as people in a famine rejoyce in the comming of the harvest sicke men in restoration of health captives in a Jubilee and the rich in his treasure the true valuing of Christ makes his comming in the Gospell matter of more rejoycing then the comming of all the fulnesse of the world Where is our taste and rellish our sence and feeling of Christ if we rejoyce not in Christ comming in the Gospell the taste of wine rejoyceth the thirsty the taste of meat rejoyceth the hungry He that hath no joy in Christ hath no taste of Christ Christ is not unto him as Isaacks venison was to him savoury meat which his soule loved The things of God are unsavoury unto such but the soule which doth rellish Christ which tasteth how good Christ is doth abundantly rejoyce in Christ to him Christs good oyntments his saving gifts and graces are savory are tasted perceived felt like good oyntments with great joy and revivement of heart and his name is as an oyntment powred forth the doctrine of his grace the name of his wisedome in opening his fathers counsell the name of his merit in purchasing mans salvation the name of his mercy in pardoning mans sinne the name of his righteousnesse in justifying mans soule the name of his love in embracing and solacing mans heart this is an oyntment powred out this in the preaching of the Gospell casteth a sweet savour as oyntment doth in the powring forth as the breaking of the boxe of oyntment in the Gospell and powring it upon Christs head filled the house with the savour thereof so the opening of Christ in the Gospell giveth a sweet savour to the hearts of all Christians The true receivers of Christ find a very sweet and blessed a very gracious and soule-refreshing taste in Christ And as we professe our selves to be schollers in Christs schoole servants in Christs family members in Christs body subjects friends and Spouse of Christ so let us rejoyce in the comming of Christ in his Gospell as a traveller rejoyceth in the comming of the Sunne to guide him as the subject rejoyceth in the comming of the King to honour him as the captive rejoyceth in the comming of the ransomer to free him as the sicke rejoyceth in the comming of the Physitian to cure him as the childe rejoyceth in the comming of the nurse to feed him and as the bride rejoyceth in the comming of the bridegroome to marry her In him let us rejoyce as in the Sun enlightening us as in the friend solacing us as in the shield defending us as in the King honouring us as in the treasure enriching us as in the jewell adorning us as in the fountaine filling us and as in the paradise of our most choise and everlasting pleasures and in the joy of our soules let us say Blessed be he that commeth in the name of the Lord. CHAP. VIII DAvid did not onely rejoyce in the Arke and dance before it in testimony of his joy but did also erect and set it up in the midst of the Tabernacle Every man that doth indeed rejoyce in Christ every man to whom Christ is truly welcome doth desire and endeavour the exaltation of Christ the setting up of Christs kingdome the welfare of Christ and his Gospell therefore the people here say Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord not only by way of exaltation and rejoycing in Christs comming but also by way of exoptation and wel-wishing heartily desiring the welfare and prosperity of Christ his kingdome and Gospell Blessed be he furnished be he with the greatest and choisest wisedome righteousnesse prudence mercy power fortitude and courage for the administration of his kingdome and people successefull be he in the promulgation and preaching of his Gospell in the gubernation of his
by his Gospell to the soules of his people the very names and titles given to Gods Ministers doe as in lively characters declare how great a blessing they are to Gods Church and people being stiled Seers Lights Watchmen Shep-heards Salt Nurses Labourers Stewards Horsemen and Charets The eyes are a blessing to the body to guide it the light is a blessing to the world enlightening it the watchmen are a blessing to the City giving warning to it the Shepheards are a blessing to the flocke watching over it conducting and feeding it the Salt is a blessing to the meat preserving it from putrefaction the Nurses are a blessing to the children ministring provision to them the Labourers are a blessing to the vineyard manuring and dressing it removing the thornes and bryars out of it and sowing good and profitable seed in it Stewards are a blessing to the house guiding it distributing to the severall necessities of the persons in it Horsemen and Charets are a blessing to the kingdome strengthening and protecting it Gods Ministers are a great blessing unto Gods Church and people as eyes guiding them as lights laying open the deep things of God before them as Watchmen admonishing them Shepheards leading and defending them as Salt seasoning their soules preserving them from the putrefaction of sin and making them a sweet savour unto God as Nurses feeding as Labourers manuring and dressing their soules and as horsemen and charets defending them against their spirituall adversaries making them victorious and driving them forward in the wayes of peace and holinesse and the having of Gods Ministers the enjoyment of them and their labours hath heretofore been conceived and taken as a great blessing as a meanes attended with a blessing from the Lord as appeares by that speech of Micah having gotten a Levite for his Priest Now know I saith he that the Lord will doe me good seeing I have a Levite to my Priest His judgement was good conceiving Gods blessing to attend the labours of Gods Ministers though he shamefully erred in expectation of it by an idolatrous service and our Saviour plainly pronounceth them blessed who enjoyed the light of his doctrine to whom he opened the mysteries of Gods kingdome Blessed saith he are the eyes which see the things that ye see Blessed for the presence of the Sonne of God amongst you for the neare appropinquation of God unto you for the manifestation of the great things of God before you for the detection of the sinne which is within you for the revelation of the love of God in Jesus Christ towards you and for the great salvation offered you great and manifold sweet and comfortable is the blisse and happinesse tendred unto man by the presence of Gods ordinances and holy labours of Gods Ministers of all light the light of Gods countenance and the light of the Gospell are the chiefest and sweetest blessings Happy said the Queene of Sheba to Solomon are thy men happy are these thy servants which may stand continually before thee and that heare thy wisedome Christ is greater then Solomon they are more happy who may stand continually before him in the house of his ministery and heare his wisedome in the Gospell The nearer man approacheth to Christ Jesus the greater is mans happinesse therefore Blessed saith the Psalmist is the man whom thou chusest and causest to approach unto thee that he may dwell in thy Courts he shall be satisfied with the goodnesse of thy house even of thy holy Temple Blessed is the man happy is the man sweet and comfortable is the estate and condition of the man whom thou leavest not as a house in darknesse without light as a field overgrowne with thornes and bryars without husbandman to manure and dresse it as a dead man in the grave without life as a captive in prison without freedome as a sicke man in his disease without Physitian as a City in famine without food to feed them Blessed is the man whom thou doest not cast away as the ungodly reprobate and rejected multitude to perish in their sinnes but chusest adoptest and takest to thy selfe to be thy sonne by adoption and to be and heire of thy celestiall and everlasting kingdome and causest to approach unto thee calling him by thy word to be a scholler in thy schoole a member of thy Church and of thy Christ a partaker of those benefits gifts and graces which thou dispensest by thy ordinances a dweller in thy Courts conversant in that Congregation where he may heare thy voice learne thy will embrace thy truth and his soule have interest and acquiescence by faith in thy promises and be satisfied with the goodnesse of thy house with the heavenly mysteries there opened with the gifts and graces there dispensed as the eye is satisfied with the Sunne as the palate is satisfied with the fountaine and the hungry stomacke with the full feast set before it and this the Lord promiseth and proposeth as a great blessing to the people as an anker in the storme to sustaine and stay them as a feast in the famine to feed them as a light in the darknesse to revive and solace them as an answer and recompence to all their tryals troubles and disasters The people saith the Lord shall dwell in Sion at Jerusalem they shall returne from their captivity and bondage and shall enjoy the house of God the sacred assembly and his ordinances thou shalt weep no more the sorrow of thy captivity exilement and estrangement from the house of God shall be taken away The Lord will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry when he shall heare it he will answer thee and though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction though he bring you into many straights and great distresses yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more but thine eyes shall see thy teachers and thine eares shall heare a word behind thee saying this is the way walke ye in it The having of Gods ordinances is a blessing sweetning the most disastrous estate of Gods people The presence of the Gospell ministers sweet consolation to Gods children in the greatest affliction better is the estate of man in the enjoyment of the labours of Gods Ministers in the absence of all worldly abilities then in the presence of all worldly fulnesse the Lords Ministers being strangers great is the blessednesse of that people to whom the Lord affords his Gospell singular soule-ravishing and heart-satisfying are the gifts and favours comforts and mercies which God dispenseth by his Ministers In regard of Gods communication of Christ to the soules of men by the labours of his Ministers Pharaoh communicated the fulnesse of Egypt to the people by Joseph the Steward of his house God communicates the fulnesse which he hath put into Christ to the soules of men by his Ministers the Stewards of his house the Church the
then all other deliverances a deliverance from Satan the worst of all Tyrants a deliverance from Hell of all prisons the most loathsome of all places of torment the most painefull a deliverance from sinne of all fetters the strongest of all burthens the heaviest of all spots the fowlest and of all diseases the most mortall and dangerous a deliverance from the curse of the Law of all condemning sentences the most terrible and full of soul-anguish a deliverance from death of all the Kings of terrour the most dreadfull all other deliverances are but slender shadowes and representations of this deliverance This is a deliverance restoring man to greater felicity then all the deliverances beside which God ever wrought for man a deliverance by which man is made a living member in Christs body a loyall Subiect in Christs Kingdome a spirituall Free-man of the new Ierusalem a childe of God by Adoption the Spouse of Christ by holy wedlocke a glorious Conquerour over all the enemies of his salvation and an heire to a heavenly and incorruptible Kingdome Mans deliverance out of the estate of corruption comprehends matter and cause of all joy and thanksgiving Looke therefore every gracious and sanctified soule upon this blessed worke of Gods power love and mercy and say with the Psalmist Blesse the Lord O my soule and all that is within me blesse his holy Name Blesse the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy diseases who redeemeth thy life from destruction who crowneth thee with loving kindnesse and tender mercies The woman of Shunom receiving her dead sonne restored unto life fell downe at the Prophets feet and bowed her selfe unto the ground Thus receiving thy soule that was dead in sinne restored to the life of grace fall thou downe at the feet of Christ adore and worship him laude and magnifie him prostitute thy selfe and all that is thine by way of gratitude under him The blinde man whose eyes Christ opened beleeved and worshipped him Christ having opened the eyes of thy understanding to know the hope of thy calling the riches of Christ inheritance and the exceeding greatnesse of his power towards thy soule beleeve thou in Christ embrace him cast thy selfe on him have thy whole dependance upon him and worship him by an honourable apprehension of his perfections a sincere and fervent love unto his person a humble submission to his precepts and thankfull celebration of his great and glorious Name for all his mercies The lame mans feet and ankle bones receiving strength he leaped up stood and walked and entred into the Temple walking leaping and praising God Christ having healed thy affections having strengthened thee with all spirituall might rise up from the earth walke in the wayes of holinesse enter into the Temple attend Christ in his Ordinances let thy soule rejoyce in Christ and praise him for thy spirituall abilities Naaman being cleansed from his leprosie returned unto the Prophet and intreated him to take a blessing from him Christ having cleansed thee from the leprosie of thy sinne returne to Christ and render to him the blessing of spirituall and hearty thanksgiving The woman in the Gospell who had a spirit of infirmity bowing her downe being made straight glorified God Christ having raised and rectified thy heart which was altogether bowed downe to the world and the things here below Christ having inabled thee to looke up to seeke the things which are above to mind God to love his truth to hunger and thirst after the gifts and graces of his Spirit glorifie Christ for this his gracious worke The Israelites seeing the Egyptians drowned and themselves delivered from their servitude sang and triumphed Man seeing his sinnes drowned in the teares of godly sorrow and buried in the grave of Christ his soule set free by Christ from the servitude of Satan the world and his owne corruption should sing and triumph in Christ and say the Lord hath triumphed gloriously the horse and the rider Satan and my corruption hath he throwne downe together The Lord having of barren made Hanna fruitfull she said my heart reioyceth in the Lord my horne is exalted in the Lord my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies because I reioyce in thy salvation Christ having opened our hearts and of barren made our soules fruitfull in all heavenly graces our hearts should rejoyce in Christ our mouthes should be enlarged with his praises and our soules should rejoyce in that salvation which Christ hath brought unto us Man hath not greater cause of thanksgiving for any thing then for his Sanctification this worke of Christ makes him a living man puts such a life into him that the second death shall never have power over him This makes him an honourable man one of the royall seed a King and Priest to God This makes him a beautifull and comely man as the Lilly among the thornes as the Sunne Moone and Morning among the clouds This makes him a victorious man a superabundant conquerour over all temptations and afflictions This makes him a rich man the least mite of this grace is better then all the abundance of the earth as the gleanings of Ephraim were better then the vintage of Abiezer This makes him a ioyfull man regeneration is the matter and ground of the soules fullest surest and sweetest rejoycing The Kingdome of God the worke of grace the spirituall reigne of Christ in the heart is righteousnesse peace and ioy in the Holy-Ghost Therfore praise Christ for this above all his favours as Theodosius gave God greater thanks that he had made him a member of the Church then head of the Empire warme thy heart therefore with the frequent and serious thoughts of this worke of Christ and praise him for this as for the brightest Starre shining in the Firmament of thy soule as for the most rich and orient pearle in the store-house of thy heart as for the most beautifull and comely slower adorning the garden of thy inner-man O praise him for this as for the sweetest freedome the noblest crowne the choisest workmanship and liveliest evidence of his love communicable to the soule of man As this is the best and most soule-reviving influence of Christ into the heart of man so for this pursue and follow Christ Jesus with free and frequent cordiall and joyous gracious and everlasting praises for without this we are strangers to Christ to the number of his faithfull servants to all the Prerogatives and priviledges which God ministers to his children even aliens to the common-wealth of Israel CHAP. VIII Shewing how all Gods people are but one THe second Alienation expressing the misery of men in their corrupt and carnall estate an Alienation from the Common-wealth of Israel Israel were once the peculiar people of God set apart by a holy Covenant unto God to be his people above all the people of the
undertakings who strives not to make Christ glorious Christ being by the Disciples set upon this colt a great multitude spread their garments in the way and others cut downe branches from the trees and strawed them in the way When Christ is by his Ministers exalted and lifted up in the preaching of the Gospell many soules vaile and bow to him embrace and reverence him as their spirituall King and Soveraigne prostrating themselves and all that is theirs under him The multitude did not only straw the way with their garments and branches but they also cryed Hosanna to the sonne of David Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest Humble and beleeving soules receive and entertaine the Lord Iesus with very great ioy and gladnesse The blessed presence of Christ in the Gospell ministers matter of very great rejoycing here is such a sunne of heavenly light shining such a streame of consolations flowing such a store-house of spirituall treasure set open and such dewes of grace mercy and peace distilling that every man that hath an eye of wisedome to discerne Christ a hand of faith to lay hold on Christ and a heart of love to embrace Christs comming in the Gospell must needs say with the Psalmist Blessed be he that commeth in the name of the Lord. We are blessed out of the house of the Lord. The words are an Acclamation of the people declaring and setting forth the welcome of Christ to all beleeving soules their ioy and rejoycing conceived upon the comming of Christ among them their gratulation and thanksgiving for Christs appropinquation and comming nigh unto them their vote and exoptation of all prosperity blessed and happy successe to Christ in his kingdome Christs comming proves most ioyfull to them that lovingly receive and entertaine him All true beleevers are holy and hearty welwishers to the Gospell and Kingdome of Christ Iesus all manner of blessings attend and wait on the Lord Iesus in the humble and gracious use of his ordinances True Christians have such experience of the benefits and blessings mercies and comforts flowing from Christ in the ministery of his Gospell that with great joy and thanksgiving they cry out Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord. We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. In the words we have in the generall two things considerable 1. A Gratulation uttered by the people Blessed be he that commeth in the name of the Lord. 2. A Benediction pronounced by the Ministers of the Lord We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. In the gratulation there is 1. the Agent the people they blesse they rejoyce they are thankfull for Christs comming Man hath greatest cause of all creatures to reioyce in and for the comming of Christ Jesus 2. there is the Act Blessed praised exalted magnified be Christ Christ is worthy to be celebrated with all praises for his comming to us 3. there is the manner of their gratulation Blessed expressed 1. by way of thanksgiving and rejoycing and 2. by way of exoptation and wishing Whosoever truly reioyceth in Christ doth also wish well to the cause and kingdome of Christ 4. there is Movens or the party comming He who is the sonne of God by eternall generation and by grace of hypostaticall union the Prince of the Kings of the earth by authority and dominion He who is the head of the Church by spirituall Jurisdiction He who is the Redeemer of man by the merit of his obedience and passion He who is the Conquerour over hell death sinne and Satan by his Resurrection He who by his office is the Prophet instructing us the King commanding and defending us and the Priest offering himselfe a sacrifice for us He who is the Mediator between God and us by his intercession the fountaine of all mercy grace and peace unto us by divine ordination Blessed be he welcome be he in him let our soules rejoyce his comming let us entertaine with the chiefest and strength of our rejoycing The Lord Jesus ought to be the prime and compleat obiect of mans joyfulnesse 5. Here is his Motion Commeth Christ as God is every where and neither goes nor comes but fils all places yet he commeth by his Lawes and ordinances as a Prince by his Proclamations He commeth by his Ministers as a King by his Embassadours He commeth by his Incarnation as a brother taking our nature upon him He commeth by his gifts and graces best owed on us as a friend commeth by his love-tokens He commeth by his Word and Gospell as the Sun commeth by his light enlightening us as a King commeth by his Scepter binding bowing and inclining our hearts unto obedience as a Generall commeth by his military weapons casting downe the strong holds of sinne within us as the Cloud commeth by his dew watering refreshing and fructifying us as the Master of a feast commeth by his dainties feeding and feasting us as a Bridegroome commeth by his voice solacing and comforting us He commeth by his Sacrament as the King by his Broad Seale sealing to us the remission of our sinnes and justification of our soules through his righteousnesse he commeth by his holy and gracious operation upon our soules as the Sunne by casting a sweet and heavenly influence into our hearts as a King setting up his throne within us as a heavenly and Almighty Work-man new moulding new framing and fashioning us all these wayes comes the Lord Iesus to the soules of his servants Blessed is that person that knowes the way and manner of Christs spirituall and gracious comming Here is the terme from whence he commeth from God in the name of the Lord by the ordination and appointment of God with authority and commission from God every way fitted and furnished for the administration of his kingdome and accomplishment of the worke undertaken by him CHAP. II. I Will not insist on all these particulars but onely upon the peoples gratulation and Christs authority or commission First the peoples gratulation Blessed be he that commeth expressing their rejoycing and thanksgiving for Christs comming in his Gospell and spirituall kingdome Man blesseth man by making prayer and supplication for him God blesseth man by bestowing good things upon him by removing evill things from him and by turning all for good unto him and man blesseth God and Christ by thanksgiving to God and Christ well speaking of God and Christ holy and hearty rejoycing in God and Christ gracious and unfained wel-wishing unto the cause of God and Christ and thus the people in this place blesse Christs comming in the name of the Lord and hence we learne That Christ comming in his Gospell spiritual kingdome ought to be received and entertained with much thanksgiving reioycing The Arke was a type of Christ David at the comming of the Arke into the Tabernacle danced with all
them in the waters this gives them occasion in a holy and triumphant manner to say the Lord hath triumphed gloriously the horse and the rider hath he throwne downe together He cannot but rejoyce in Christs comming that partakes of the victory comming by him In regard of the spirituall and heavenly peace hence arising to the soule Christs comming to the soules of men in the Gospell is like the comming of the Dove to Noah with an Olive branch in her mouth certifying the soule of the abatement and removall of Gods wrath of the speedy departure of the deluge of present sorrowes and the happy returne and re-appearance of spirituall and heavenly comforts Here Christ as a bright and shining Sunne dispels the clouds of sorrow from the soule Here Christ as a valiant Captaine removes the siege which the infernall Princes lay against the soules of his servants as Joshuah drove the Amoritist Princes from the Gibeonites Here Christ as a Physitian heales the wounded consciences and binds up the broken hearts of his children as he sometime healed the diseased woman whom no Physitian could cure Here Christ as an absolute Commander appeaseth the inward stormy troubles of the heart as by his voice he appeased the stormy tempest and gave a calme to his Disciples Here Christ as a King of mercies assures the soules of men of the pardon of their sinnes and gives them the sence of his love and so fils them with sweet and blessed peace therefore Christ is stiled a Sunne of Righteousnesse appearing with healing in his wings in the wings of his ordinances without and in the wings of his grace within and it was prophecyed of him that he should preach good tidings to the meeke bind up the broken-hearted proclaime liberty to the captive and open the prison to them that are bound to comfort all that mourne and God hath created the fruit of the lips to be peace to be the instrument of peace and the Gospell is called the Gospell of peace for the Author of it the God of peace for the Subject of it Christ the Prince of peace for the parties receiving it the children of peace and for the fruit of it spirituall and heavenly grace In regard of that blessed and soule-refreshing Communion which wee attaine with God through Christ comming in the Gospell Josephs brethren were brought nigh to the King of Egypt by Ioseph Man is brought nigh to God by Christ Christ preached in the Gospell is like Iacobs ladder by him God descendeth unto us and through him we ascend unto God the Arke was an assurance of Gods presence among the people and God dwelled there Where Christ is preached in the Gospell there God is in mercy present with his people there is the Lords dwelling in Salem is his Tabernacle and his dwelling place in Zion In the Gospell men are regenerate and made the children of God men are humbled and made loyall Subjects to God men are endowed with faith wrought into Gods Covenant and made the friends of God Men are separated from the world and gathered home to God and made the sheep of his pasture so that now they have communion with him as children with a father as favourites with a King as schollers with a teacher as the members of a house with the master of the house Now they are made nigh through Christ nigh in knowledge nigh in faith nigh in love nigh in likenesse nigh in conformity and obedience nigh in the participations of spirituall comforts and in the enjoyment of the light of Gods countenance very pleasant and comfortable is a gracious soules communion with God in the Gospell Christ is most worthy of all acceptation for that communion which we have with God through him CHAP. 3. THis discovers their sinne their miserable and wretched condition who are not thankfull for who rejoyce not in the comming of Christ in his Gospell and in the kingdome of his grace among them There were children of Belial that said of Saul when he was set up King over Israel How shall this man save us they despised him and brought him no present There are many children of Belial in the world that say of Christ comming in the Gospell comming in his word to reigne and rule over them how shall Christ save us by this preaching of the Gospell the preaching of Christ seemes foolishnesse unto them a darke doctrine wherein is no light no wisedome no excellency of learning an empty doctrine wherein is no fulnesse no worth a very babling a weake doctrine wherein is no power The false Apostles said of Paul his bodily presence is weake and his speech contemptible Many false and counterfeit Christians say of Christ in the closet of their owne hearts Christs presence in the Gospell is weake and his speech in the Gospell is contemptible and thus they despise Christ in his offices in his Ministers in his Ordinances in his members they bring him no present they present not themselves in Christs schoole as schollers to learne Christ they present not themselves in Christs house as children to feed on those dainties which Christ hath there prepared for them they present not themselves in Christs Courts as Subjects to receive his Lawes and doe his will they present not their soules and bodies as a living holy and acceptable sacrifice unto Christ But as the men of the old world said in the Atheisme of their hearts unto God so say these in the ignorance infidelitie pride and prophanenesse of their soules unto Christ Depart from us we care not for the knowledge of thy wayes What is Christ that we should serve him and what profit shall we have if we pray unto him if we attend him preached in the Gospell surely Christ preached in the Gospell is very strangely and shamefully undervalued by many people In stead of rejoycing they grieve at the preaching of Christ among them as Herod and all the men of Ierusalem were troubled to heare of Christs being borne King of the Jewes and of the appearing of a starre declaring the comming of Christ the true light of the world the cleare and full opening of Christ and the setting up of Christ to reigne and rule over the hearts and wayes of men is very troublesome to many people like those evill citizens in the parable they will not have this man Christ to raigne over them they will not have him reigne over their understandings as a light guiding them over their wils as a Prince commanding them over their affections as a Lord and Master ruling and ordering them over their lusts as a Physitian lancing purging mortifying and taking them off Many men delight to talke much of Christs salvation but they have no pleasure to heare of his kingdome it is acceptable to them to be saved by Christ but very troublesome to serve Christ But what a shame what an abomination what
exaltation of Christs Gospell The setting up of the Arke in the house of Obed-Edom caused all that he had to prosper The setting up of the Gospell brings great and singular prosperity to the people Christs Gospell the revelation of Christ and the mysteries of his kingdome is a great blessing Blessed saith our Saviour are the eyes which see the things which ye see having the Gospell preached to them the tydings of salvation published among them Christ revealing and opening himselfe unto them These are blessed in the illumination of their understandings having the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ communicated to them Blessed in the vivification of their soules having the word of life quickning them Blessed in the sanctification of their hearts the Gospell cleansing their sinne as Jordan cleansed the leprosie of Naaman Blessed in their Conquest over sin Satan and the world the Gospell overturning all the holds of Satan as the sounding of the rammes hornes overthrew the wals of Jericho Blessed in 〈◊〉 pacification of their consciences the Evangelicall voice of Christ quieting their perplexed consciences as his personall voice quieted the stormy tempest and blessed in the sweetning of their afflictions the Gospell sweetens all tryals and troubles to Gods children as the tree sweetned the waters of Marah to Israel Blessed in their very temporall possessions and bodily undertakings Where God gives his Gospell the food of the soule he will also give the staffe of bread the food of the body Christ did not onely feed the soules of them who followed him with his doctrine but he also miraculously fed their bodies with corporall provision the Gospell is indeed even the choisest of all blessings where this goes all goes that is behoofull for the welfare of Gods children therefore blessed saith the Psalmist is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his owne inheritance God is the God of all by creation by absolute dominion by common preservation but he is their God to whom he gives his Gospell by gracious manifestation heavenly instruction spirituall regeneration familiar and comfortable habitation sweet and celestiall dispensation of heavenly fulnesse to them God is there alone sweetly and spiritually knowne and enjoyed where his Gospell is erected and for this cause we should mightily endeavour the advancement of the Gospell King David being told how the Lord had blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that pertained to him because of the Arke of the Lord went and brought the Arke into the City of David with gladnesse Men hearing of the prosperity and blessing which doth attend the Gospell should with great care and diligence with much alacrity and cheerfulnesse endeavour the erection of the Gospell among them He is altogether unsensible of the manifold and singular benefits and mercies accompanying the Gospell that doth not heartily desire and effectually labour the welfare thereof As the Gospell excels all temporall endowments so should we endeavour the successe and stability of the Gospell more then of any or all other possessions CHAP. XI ANd for the disposing framing and working our hearts thus to advance the Gospell and kingdome of Christ there must be 1. A distasting disrellishing and being weary of sinne The Gospell never seemes sweet untill that sinne seemes bitter he will never effectually endeavour the setting up of Christ and the Gospell that desires not the deposition of sinne the Philistines having a desire to maintaine and uphold Dagon set the Arke below Dagon on the left hand of Dagon Man having a desire to uphold sinne abaseth Christ and his Gospell puts them below his lusts gives preheminence to his lust above the Gospell and above Christ Herod not disrellishing his incestuous sinne not being weary of it but intending the maintenance thereof cut off the head of the Baptist the forerunner of Christ Man can neither truly desire nor faithfully endeavour the advancement of Christ and his Gospell that is not weary of his sinne as of a heavy burthen Man to whom sinne is pleasant and delightfull is very impatient and weary of the presence and power of the Gospell he alone consecrates himselfe to Christ and the advancement of his kingdome to whom sinne is distastefull as gall to his palate gravell to his teeth a disease to his flesh or fetters to his feet When Abner was wroth with Ishbesheth the sonne of Saul then he came to David to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah from Dan even to Beersheba When man is wroth with sinne full of indignation against sinne then he comes to Christ then he joynes himselfe in a holy and solemne Covenant with Christ then he labours to set up the throne of Christ over his soule and body then he prayes and strives that Christ may raigne from Dan to Beersheba from the highest to the lowest faculty of his soule and from the greatest to the smallest undertaking of his life Man is ever so much the more industrious to set up Christ and his kingdome by how much the more his corruption doth grieve and trouble him 2. A holy and filiall feare towards Christ making loath to offend Christ willing in every thing to please Christ All the Rulers of the Provinces the Lievtenants Deputies and Officers of the King helped the Iewes when the feare of Mordecai fell upon them When the holy and gracious feare of Christ doth fall upon the soules of men enter into and take possession of the hearts of men then they joyne themselves to the help of Christ to the help of the Gospell and Church of Christ then they study and endeavour the advancement of Christ and his kingdome therefore serve the Lord with feare saith the Psalmist rejoyce before him with trembling and kisse the sonne embrace the son rest and relye upon the son acknowledge exalt and magnifie the son put your selves with all readinesse and fulnesse upon the service of the sonne true feare ever makes the Lords servants subject and serviceable to Christ Iesus I will put my feare into their hearts saith the Lord and they shall not depart from me they shall not depart from my knowledge by ignorance from my promises by unbeliefe from my precepts by disobedience from my covenant by unfaithfulnesse nor from my worship by prophanenesse Such as doe not truly and throughly apply themselves to Christs service are prophanely fearelesse A servants true and ingenuous feare makes him labour his Masters welfare the matrimoniall feare of a wife moves her to desire and endeavour her husbands honour feare came upon every soule saith S. Luke and what followed thereupon All they that beleeved were together there is their unity in affection in divine invocation They sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men as every man had need There is their communication to Christs members their putting of themselves and their
house of God their Father reject the labours of Gods Ministers and follow their owne 〈◊〉 Absence from the house of God argues want of love to God Can you love a man from day to day inviting you preparing a costly feast for you and yet you refuse to come within the threshold of his house and to taste of his dainties Mans absence from the house of God proclaimes the alienation of his heart from God How canst thou say saith Dalilah to Sampson that thou lovest me when thy heart is not with me How canst thou O man say that thou lovest God when thy heart is not with God exciting thee to come to God when thy foot is not with God to carry thee to the house of God when thy eare is not with God to heare the word of God He is far from God in his inward affections who wittingly denies God his bodily presence Estrangement from Gods ordinance provokes God causeth him to become a stranger to us to reject and leave us and to walke as an adversary against us When Vasthi refused to come to the Kings feast at the Kings command it was ordered that Vasthi should come no more before the King and that her royall state should be given unto another better then she Many people refusing to come to God to partake of that feast which God hath prepared for them in his Gospell have been rejected of the Lord excluded from his gracious presence and the Gospell given unto others God will deny that man the comfort of his face and counteance who denyes God his presence in his sacred assembles shamefull and soule-destroying desertion is the usuall attendant of mans refusall of the Gospell When Joah refused to come to Absolon inviting him Absalon sent and set sire in his corne fields Mans rejection of Gods invitations turnes his favour into anger his mercy becomes fury Great were Gods mercies towards Jerusalem great was Jerusalems abuse of Gods goodnesse patience and long-suffering and at the last very dismall was Ierusalems desolation Capernaums fall and destruction was answerable to her exaltation God will make such men desolate at last as leave the house of God desolate now Secondly let it be our care and wisedome not to sleight and undervalue the labours of Gods Ministers and the presence and publication of the Gospell preferring our base and servile lusts above it as Esau did a messe of pottage above his birthright exalting the vaine and empty things of the world above it as the men of Shechem set the bramble above the vine this is the cisterne by which God conveyed the rivers of his grace of his sweetest and choisest blessings to the soules of men therefore doe not deride this as a foolish thing a light an idle a fruitlesse thing as a light head as a babling speech but remember this is Gods ordinance the instrument by which he hath appointed to minister salvation unto man as he ordained to save Israel by the staffe and stone in Davids hand this is the arme and power of God unto salvation this is the fiery pillar by which he will guide us this is the Bethesda in which he will heale us this is the immortall seed by which he will regenerate us this is the greene pasture and still water by which he will leade and feed us this is the trumpet â—t the sound whereof he will make the wals of Jericho the holds of sinne to fall this is the store-house in which the Lord will enrich us this is the banquetting-house in which God will betroth us to his Son Christ Jesus this is the river by which the Lord will water refresh and glad us and this is the Dove by which God will send the live branch of peace unto us Undervalue not this then which is to our soules a Sun of so many bright and comfortable beames a tree loaden with such variety of soule-nourishing fruit a messenger comming with such joyfull peaceable and pacifying tydings a store-house enriching us with such matchlesse treasures and an instrument of the choisest fullest and everlasting blessings How blind are they who sleight the light of this Sun how ignorant are they who disesteeme the worth of this pearle how distempered are their palates who rellish not the sweetnesse of this feast how deafe are their eares who are not affected with this joyfull sound O! how base are they in the eyes of God who have such base apprehensions of Gods Ordinances and the labours of his Ministers God will surely sleight them that sleight his Christ his Gospell or any of Gods appointed instruments and meanes of their salvation Honour therefore and attend the Gospell as the Starre in which Christ the Sun of Righteousnesse doth shine unto you as the cloud whence Christ distilleth like the dew upon you as the fiery pillar wherein Christ goes before you as the Schoole wherein Christ instructeth you as the feast whereat Christ feedeth you as the Physicke by which Christ healeth you and as the fiery charet in which Christ triumphantly carries you to everlasting blisse and glory * ⎠* FINIS THE MYSTERY OF SELF-DENYALL OR THE CESSATION OF Mans living to himselfe AND THE INCHOATION OF CHRISTS living in Man Discoursing of the necessity utility and comfort of mans prostrating himselfe and all that is his under Christ Discovering the danger of Self-seeking Self-admiration and Self-exaltation and also opening the Mystery Comfort and Excellency of Christ living in Man The whole conducing to the working of Man out of himselfe into CHRIST Whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it Mat. 16.25 They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Gal. 5.24 By Alexander Grosse B. D. Minister of the Gospell and Pastor of Bridford near Exon in Devon-shire LONDON Printed by G. M. for John Bartlet at the Signe of the Gilt Cup near Saint Austius Gate 1642. THE MYSTERY OF SELF-DENYALL OR THE CESSATION OF Mans living to himselfe AND THE INCHOATION OF CHRISTS living in Man CHAP. I. Gal. 2.20 Neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me THE condition of the man in the Parable travelling between Jerusalem and Jericho is a cleare and lively Embleme of the estate of a Christian The man in the Parable descended from Jerusalem to Jericho Man is fallen from Jerusalem to Jericho from heaven to the world from God to Satan from knowledge to ignorance from holinesse to uncleannesse from liberty to bondage from honour to ignominy from fulnesse to emptinesse from pure and perfect Religion to corrupt and carnall superstition He is wholly gone downe from Jerusalem to Iericho from the participation of all grace from all interest in God and from all communion and acquaintance with God into the servitude of corruption and consortship with the world The sinne of man hath cast him from the top and crowne of the choisest glory into the gulfe
and sinke of the foulest and basest misery The man in the parable fell among theeves which stripped him of his rayment and wounded him leaving him halfe dead Man is fallen among three great theeves the Devill sinne and the world and these have stripped man of all his spirituall rayment these have taken all grace and holinesse from man which once covered him like a rich and costly garment and they have also wounded and left man halfe dead in his very naturall abilities The fall of man hath totally stript him of all grace and holinesse and also given a mortall wound to his morall and naturall faculties Hee that abides not with God at Jerusalem makes himselfe a prey to sinne the Devill and the world There came a Priest and a Levite passing by and looking upon the man thus stript and wounded but neither of them had compassion upon him neither of them ministred any consolation nor lent an assisting hand unto him Neither the Priest nor the Levite neither the Morall nor Ceremoniall Law can deliver sinfull man from Satans bondage nor heale his wounded conscience neither the works of the one nor the Rites and Ceremonies of the other can restore man to his originall happinesse nor justifie him in Gods presence Mans best abilities and all-humane devises are miserable comforters to sinfull and perplexed soules in their anguish Though the Priest and the Levite had no compassion upon him yet there came a Samaritan which had compassion upon him though the Law shew no pitty nor minister no comfort to wounded soules and afflicted consciences yet the Lord Jesus communicates both great and sweet mercies to broken hearted sinners The Samaritane a man from whom this distressed man could not expect any mercy had compassion upon him and helped him Christ is become the Authour of mans comfort and salvation beyond all humane and Angelical thought conceit or imagination the wisedome worke and love of God in providing a Saviour for distressed sinners was farre above the reach and comprehension of all creatures The Samaritan bound up this poore mans wound and poured in wine and oyle the Lord Jesus binds up the broken-hearted and gives the oyle of joy for mourning to them whose soules are truly humbled the Samaritan set the man upon his owne beast Christ communicates his owne honour to the penitent and broken-hearted sinner sinne is the cause of mans dejection Christ is the Authour of mans exaltation the Samaritan brought this distressed man to an Inne and tooke care for him gave two pence to the Hoast charged him to take care of him and promised payment of whatsoever he should spend more The Lord Jesus brings perplexed soules to God as to their spirituall Hoast and to the ministery of the Gospell as to an Inne full of spirituall provision gives his Ministers the two Testaments the Law and the Gospell out of them to minister to the soules of his people and chargeth them as the ministeriall Hoast of poore and perplexed soules to make all necessary and plentifull provision and in the end by his merits his active and passive obedience his two great pence he dischargeth the debt of all penitent and beleeving sinners The whole of a sinfull and grieved soules happinesse flowes from the Lord Jesus all the supply of mans want and emptinesse is derived from Christs super-abundant fulnesse All the myrrh and odours and instruments of Hesters purification and all her rich and costly apparell were given her out of the Kings house and the royall crowne was put upon her head by the Kings hand All the purity and perfection all the righteousnesse and justification all the dignity and excellency of a holy and gracious soule is drawne from Christ the spirituall and heavenly King All mans holy and heavenly excellencies are borrowed from the Lord Jesus Man is an empty cisterne and hath all his fulnesse from Christ the true and everliving fountaine Christ is the root by whom he is sustained the spring by whom he is filled the Sun by which he is enlightened the garment wherewith he is covered the crowne with which he is honoured the head by which he is guided the eye by which he seeth the hand by which he worketh the foot by which he walketh yea the very soule by which he liveth Whatsoever goodnesse or excellency is in a Christian it is Christs and not his owne his very life is nothing but the living of Christ in him he must say with Paul Neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me The words are a declaration of a Christians life Christ living in beleeving man and man living unto Christ The Apostle setting forth how he was dead to the Law that he might live to God tels us that he was crucified together with Christ Christ being crucified for us and we being by faith ingrafted into him doe dye to sinne and mortifie our earthly members which are upon earth the death of the Lord Jesus is the death of sinne in all beleeving Christians they live no more as formerly they did they have Christ now living in them and communicating himselfe unto them He that hath not experience of Christs living in him in the way and worke of sanctification presumes in vaine of being saved by his death and suffering no man knowes the benefit of Christs death but he that feeles the vertue of Christs life Man hath no further assurance of Christs dying for him then as he feeles Christ living in him He that knowes the power of Christs death in the mortification of his lusts knowes also the vertue of Christs life in the quickning of his soule and can say with Paul now I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me In the words not to trouble you with many particulars we have two generall things proposed 1. Christian abnegation I live yet not I. 2. Holy and gracious vivification but Christ liveth in me In the abnegation we have 1. the Subiect I Paul the Apostle a man chosen and called of God a man filled and furnished with the fulnesse of Christ and in and under him is understood all beleeving Christians Such alone as are truly sanctified and gracious people are the compleat and proper Subiect of that life which is heavenly and spirituall Onely the living body is the seat and subject of the soule and that man alone that is spiritually quickned hath Christ residing and dwelling in him communicating holy and heavenly life to him 2. Here is the Predicate or thing affirmed Life and that is two wayes proposed 1. affirmatively I live 2. Negatively yet not I. First affirmatively I live I lived once under the Law which made me a persecutor of the Church of God convinced me of sinne wrought in me all manner of concupisence and slew me and I then found my selfe to be dead in sinne but now I have embraced Christ and am crucified with him now I am no more the man I was but now
the Lord making their shame sutable to their pride and the degree of their confusion answerable to the measure of their self-exaltation O therefore if thy gifts be more eminent then others consider it is the Lord makes thee to differ and Gods favour must be unto thee as motives to humility and meeknesse and as obligations to sincere and sound obedience 2. Remember that it is not the greatnesse of the gift but the well using of the gift that is the glory of the receiver It is not the having of any thing whether much or little but the having of Christ with it that makes it full and satisfactorie sweet and comfortable usefull and beneficiall unto man 3 Consider whatsoever thou hast if it puffe thee up and make thee swell it is not food but poison no mercy but a curse no evidence of divine favour but of severe anger to thy soule 4. Thinke upon the tenure by which thou holdest all that thou hast thou art but a tenant at will the inheritance is Christs and he may turne thee off when he list All things goe and come at his command as the souldiers at the command of the Centurian 5. Know and be assured that the glory and fulnesse of man is Christ all abilities are a very vanity and emptinesse without Christ Jesus He that hath most of Christ Jesus is of all persons the most glorious neither hath man cause of glorying and rejoycing in any thing but in Christ alone He that glories must glory in the Lord and in nothing else He must glory in the power of Christ supporting him in the wisedome of Christ directing him in the blessing of Christ making all successefull to him in the all-sufficiency of Christ putting a fulnesse into his possession whether much or little in the righteousnesse of Christ justifying him in the presence of Christ encouraging him and in the love of Christ solacing him That man hath the greatest glory and the sweetest and surest fulnesse who hath most of Christ Jesus 6 Observe and weigh well how the issue and event of all is not so much dependant upon the abundance and excellencies of mans abilities as upon the all-disposing hand of God I returned and saw under the Sunne saith Solomon that the race is not to the swift nor the battell to the strong neither yet bread to the wise nor yet riches to men of understanding nor yet favour to men of skill but time and chance happeneth to them all The event and issue is not according to the abilities of man but according to the decree and dispensation of God It is not in the power of the swift to escape by running nor in the power of the strong to overcome in the battell nor in the power of the wise to fill himselfe with bread nor in the power of the prudent to furnish himselfe with wealth nor in the power of the skilfull to obtaine favour with men Hasael though swift as the Hart yet he fell in running Goliah a man of mighty stature fell in the conflict with little David The Barley cake in the Midianites dreame overturned the Midianitish Hoast David a man of singular wisedome sometime wanted bread and Paul was in hunger and in thirst often Joseph a man of singular wisedome was hated of his brethren and undeservedly cast out of the favour of Potiphâ—r Mans welfare comfort and happinesse springs not from the excellency of his abilities but from Gods gracious wise and all-ruling providence A horse saith the Psalmist is a vaine thing for the battell neither shall he deliver any by his great strength Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that feare him upon them that hope in his mercy It is not the perfection and excellency of the instrument but the Coagency of God with it that puts efficacy into it and makes it helpfull honourable and comfortable to the user of it The meditation of the subjection of all abilities under Gods gubernation and providence is of great power to purge their possessors of all self-exalting cogitations 7. Meditate upon the sudden and unexpected change which may come The river of mans abundance may be turned another way dryed up or faile like the waters of Tema and be empty like Hagars bottle The Sunne of mans prosperity may be suddenly ecclipsed and shine no more The shadow of mans earthly comforts may be smitten and vanish like Jonahs gourd Very sudden and dismall outward changes are incident to all sorts of persons Jobs riches was soone changed into poverty Nebuchadnezzars glory was quickly turned into ignominy Man saith Solomon knoweth not his time he knoweth not his time of want when he is full his time of trouble when he is at peace his time of disgrace when he is in honour nor his time of death when he is in health As the fishes that are taken in an evill net and as the birds that are caught in the snare so are the sonnes of men snared in an evill time when it falleth suddenly upon them Man hath small cause to magnifie himselfe in the presence of things subject to such sad and sudden changes Were man well studied in and truly sensible of the mutability of all abilities he would never glory in their presence he would undoubtedly walke in a holy feare and in much humility and meeknesse in the midst of the greatest fulnesse CHAP. XVII LAstly in the meditation of this we may behold and take notice of the happinesse of their estate of the sweet and gracious frame of their soules who are able to deny themselves and their owne affections and prostrate themselves and all that is theirs under the feet of Jesus Christ These men have a blessed liberty and freedome from the odious monsters of impiety self-seeking self-admiration and self-exaltation with many other evils He hath ever most freedome from the power of corruption whose heart is filled with the greatest measure of self-denyall It is a very great blessing to be truly and throughly humble 1. This works the soule of man to a very full and comfortable possession and fruition of Christ The more man is wrought out of himselfe the more he is wrought into Christ The more man is emptied of himselfe the more he is filled with the fulnesse of Christ The more man is removed from himselfe the nearer he approacheth unto Christ The more fully he participateth of Christ the more sweet and comfortable communion he hath with Christ The Altar under the Law was hollow to receive the fire the wood and the Sacrifice The heart of man which is humble empty of all spirituall pride and self-conceit is most capable of the fire of the Spirit and of Christ who offered himselfe a Sacrifice for our sinnes The soule of the humble is Christs habitation the vessell which he filleth with his grace and receives into a sweet consortship with himselfe For thus saith the high and the lofty
One that inhabiteth Eternity whose name is holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite Ones God ministers most spirituall consolation to him that is most low and base in his owne eye and apprehension 2. This makes the soule of man most invincible The low shrub endureth all the gusts and blasts of wind abiding fast rooted No winds of trouble or temptation can over-throw the humble though they may a little shake him The humble soule puts a low price upon the world the gaine of it doth not much affect him the losse of it doth not much disquiet him He leanes not on himselfe or any other arme of flesh his whole dependance is upon Christ Christ is the strength by which he standeth the light by which he walketh the crowne and portion in which he rejoyceth and nothing can separate him from Christ Satan hath least opportunity to fasten a temptation upon him The proffers of the world have no rellish with him the menaces of men raise no terrour in him Christ is every way so compleat in his apprehension that he accounts both the favour and the hatred of the world as nothing being crucified to the world and the world also unto him Bede relates a poeticall fiction of a man whom they called Terrae filius who fought with a tyrant named Hercules This Terrae filius when he was weary cast himselfe on the ground and recovered his strength which Hercules perceiving lifted him up into the aire and so overcame and slew him In like manner man fighting with Satan humbling and abasing himselfe abhorring himselfe with Job below the dust and ashes reneweth his strength and remaineth invincible but Satan lifting him up filling him with high and proud thoughts of his owne worth prevailes against him obtaines victory over him Pride makes man a slave to Satan humility makes man victorious over him The meek according to that of the Prophet shall increase his ioy in the Lord. The soule which is truly humble drawes matter of consolation out of all suffering and from every estate and condition wherein the Lord sets him 3. This exceedingly indeares man unto God He that is least in his owne eye is greatest in the esteeme of God He is best beloved of God who is most out of love with himselfe The humble soule is most capable of spirituall instruction The best scholler in Christs schoole most obedient unto Gods precept the best servant in Christs family most fruitfull in every good worke most apt to every good duty the choisest Tree in Gods Orchard most sincere and full in the intendment of Gods glory the truest lover among all the friends of God most thankefull for all blessings the best receiver and improver of Gods mercies most apprehensive of Gods perfections most affected with Gods goodnesse the greatest admirer of Gods and Christs excellencies and therefore most deare to God of all others To this man saith the Lord will I looke with the eyes of my love solacing and accepting him with the eyes of my mercy pardoning and forgiving him and with the eyes or my care and providence sweetning and disposing all for good unto him Even to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word To him will I looke when he heareth my word dispensing my grace into him when he prayeth returning a gracious answer to him when he mourneth putting all his teares into my bottle comforting him when he is in distresse delivering him and when he is in want supplying him God is very wonderfull in his gracious manifestations to soules filled with humility and meeknesse to men denying themselves and their owne affections The ornament of a meeke spirit is in the sight of God a thing of great price a contrite and a broken spirit God will not despise Mans estimation with God is sutable to his disestimation of himselfe 4. This doth very wonderfully exalt a man He that is most humble is most honourable Mans self-denyall ever tends to his exaltation It is Christs promise he that humbleth himselfe shall be exalted The humble soule is the vessell which God filleth with the wine of his choisest grace the Temple in which the Spirit of God dwelleth the servant whose worke the Lord accepteth the Petitioner in whose prayer the King of mercies delighteth the Favourite whom the King of Kings honoureth the Spouse whom the Prince of peace receiveth in wedlocke and the friend to whom the Secret of the Lord is imparted God communicates great honour unto them who for his honour are contented to abase themselves in the eyes of men David was content to appeare outwardly vile yea more vile that he might honour God and God made him more honourable confirming and strengthening him in the kingdome Moses was the meekest man on earth a man that had low thoughts of himselfe a man of singular perfection in the way and worke of self-denyall refusing all the honour of Egypt and chusing to endure affliction with Gods people But God made him most honourable called him up unto himselfe in the Mount and made him the leader of his people It is good losing for God the incurment of dishonour for God is recompenced with the greatest honour from the hand of God The Baptist abased himselfe very low to exalt Christ he told the people that such was Christs dignity worth and excellency that he was not worthy to stoop downe and untie the latchet of his shooe and Christ very highly honoured him telling the people that there was not a greater borne of women then the Baptist Man is ever so much the more precious in the eyes of Christ by how much the more despicable he is in his owne and other mens eyes for the love and cause of Christ There is more honour in the humble mans ignominy then in the proud mans pomp and glory He that is least through self-denyall holy abasement and unfained humiliation shall be greatest in Gods Kingdome Greatest in spirituall liberty and freedome in the measure of Sanctification in Gods account and acceptation and in the degree of future glory communicated to him 5. This ministers a very sweet and blessed freedome to the soule He that is most humble is the choisest Freeman in the world Self-denyall is a very great and happy freedome He that is most humble hath the greatest measure of grace conferred on him and wheresoever is most grace there is most freedome Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty saith the Apostle The humble man is free from ignorance in his understanding with the lowly there is wisedome saith Solomon and God doth guide the humble in iudgement saith the Psalmist He that is most humble hath the most cleare and
empty of God a stranger to God an enemy against God Christ is the Jacobs ladder by whom God cometh unto man and man ascendeth unto God God is knowne as a Father of love God is beleeved in as a king of mercies God is felt and tasted as the fountaine of grace and goodnesse only in and thorough Christ Jesus He that knowes not Christ working the life of grace and holines in him is under the death of sin and hath no cleare knowledge no comfortable remembrance no blessed taste and feeling no honourable and soul-ravishing apprehensions of God no delight in God no comfortable communion with God we discerne and apprehend God loving mercifull and gracious onely in and thorough Christ working in us the life of true holinesse mans thoughts of God are more or lesse joyous and delightfull according to the measure of Christs working within him CHAP. XIX THe second thing in these words is an agent or Author and that is Christ Christ liveth in his Saints he is the worker of this life the life of Gods children hath a very honourable originall it is not from a naturall but from a spirituall seed the life of nature is farre inferiour to the life of grace Life communicated by earthly Parents is an unworthy life in respect of that life which Christ doth minister unto us a life which goes not by generation but by regeneration a life communicable by no creature dispenced only by him who lives of himselfe and gives life to others at his pleasure according to S. Pauls open profession that Christ lived in him was the authour of the life of grace to him shewing us That Christ is the Authour of spirituall life to all Gods children he raised the body of Lazarus to a bodily life he rayseth our soules to a spirituall life he quickens whom he will he hath power to quicken all his will is to quicken only some when he was on earth he could have raysed all the dead to life yet he raysed but only a few thus now he hath power to quicken all men to a spirituall life but his will is to quicken only some such as God the Father hath chosen to salvation Christ saith S. John hath power over all flesh that he should give life to as many as God the Father hath given him all that partake of the life of grace derive and borrow the same from Christ who is the way leading the truth enlightning and the life quickning unto life everlasting and the Apostle saith our life is hid with Christ in God as the life of the branch is hid in the root and Christ is called our life by S. Paul and our life or the authour of spirituall life he is in us by way of Revelation he opens and shewes the way to life without Christ we are all in darknesse and the shadow of death and no man knows the Father but the Sonne and he to whom the Sonne will reveale him Our life he likewise is by way of meritorious impetration he hath purchased life for us Our life by way of originall the life of grace is originally in Christ and from him communicated unto us Our life by way of opeâ—ation he quickneth us by the powerfull worke of his Spirit And our life by way of conjunction he unites himselfe communicates himselfe and all his benefits to us as the Prophet applyed himselfe to the woman of Shunems sonne and raysed him to life And that Christ is the Authour of spirituall life to Gods children is apparent 1. By mans alienation and estrangement from the life of grace without Christ the branch without the root the body without the soule hath no life man without Christ is a withered branch a dead carcasse dead in sinnes and trespasses twice dead and plucked up by the roots and it is in Christs hand alone to quicken him Lord said Peter to our Saviour whither shall we goe thou hast the words of eternall life the word revealing promising and working life in all that are ordained unto life 2 By Christs ordination and appointment to minister all things to Gods chosen the fullnesse of light is dispenced to the ayre by the Sun fulnesse of water is dispenced by the Sea unto the earth the fulnesse of Aegypt was dispenced to the people by Joseph the fulnesse of God is dispenced to the soules of men by Christ Christ is the Sunne by whom they are enlightned the root by whom they are enlivened the Store-house by whom they are enriched the fountaine by whom they are replenished they are blessed with all spirituall blessings in Christ God convayes all in mercy unto man thorough Christ nothing proves a blessing unto man but what he hath by vertue of his conjunction with Christ there is no relation of love and peace betweene God and the soule of man but only in and through Christ Jacob and his sonnes found favour with Pharaoh only for Josephs sake Christ is the only Medium of mans favor and acceptance with God he alone is made of God to be wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption unto man God hath put the very whole of mans happinesse in Christ Jesus 3. By the insufficiency of any created power to minister the life of grace to man this is above the power of men and Angels the dispensation of life is peculiar to him that is Lord of life the industry of man is used indeed as an instrument of spirituall vivification but the efficacy is from Christ to this worke all created strength without Christ is like the strength of Aegypt in another case to set still the diseased woman in the Gospell spent all her substance upon the Physitians and yet there was no healing man may spend all his time and substance upon the creature and the creature may spend all its ability about man and yet when all is done without Christ there will be no spirituall quickning Am I a God said the King of Israel to Naaman to kill and to make alive that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosie Thus may the holiest Saint and most glorious Angell say Am I a God to kill and to make alive to kill sin and to enliven the soul that man should looke to me for spirituall vivification the sufficiency of the choysest creatures is a borrowed sufficiency derived from Christ and the efficacy and working thereof is wholy dependant upon Christ 4. By the dignity and excellency of spirituall life a life of that noblenes and eminency that none but Christ who is life it self can communicate it a seed which none but Christ can sow a tree which none but Christ the great Husbandman of the soule can plant the life of grace ariseth from a principle farre more noble then the life of nature Saul was head and shoulders above the residue of the people the life of grace is head and shoulders very high and farre above the life
spirituall liberty and freedome a liberty of grace whereby the whole man is set free from the command and servitude of all sin the understanding is free from ignorance able to know God as a Father with a cleare and comfortable submissive and affective knowledge the will is free from perversenesse able readily and freely fully and sincerely to intend God and his glory the imagination is free from vanity able with much joy to meditate and thinke upon God the affections are free from base feare carnall confidence worldly love and fleshly joy able to scare God filially to trust on God soly to love God unfainedly and to rejoyce in God spiritually the whole man bent and disposed to run the way of Gods commandements as the Sun rejoyceth to run his race and as the Rivers flow towards the Sea this the Psalmist cals an inlargement of the heart to run the way of Gods Commandements and this he mentions as a fruit of the inscription of the Law in his heart Thy Law ô Lord saith he is in my heart and I delight to doe thy will Mans assurance of being within Gods Covenant is sutable to his free and ready disposition in observing Gods precept 5. A fift benefit comprised under the Covenant ministring assurance of mans interest in it is perseverance in the state of grace daily growth in the gifts of the Spirit and a stedfast striving to more perfection I will make an everlasting Covenant with them saith God and I will put my feare in their hearts that they shall not depart from me they shall not depart from the knowledge of my truth to errour from the faith of my promises to infidelity from the wayes of my Commandements to by and wandring paths from the love of me and my testimonies to the love of earthly vanities God ever preserves in the state of grace whom he receives into the Covenant of grace he that is in covenant with God abides with God as the wife with the husband he follows the Lord fully with Caleb he is with God in every estate in all changes as Ittai resolved to be with David both in life and in death the longer he is in Gods Covenant the more beauty he discernes in God the more sweetnesse he finds in the Word of God the more pleasure he takes in the service of God the more comfortable communion he gaines with God and the more plentifull and soule-ravishing receivings of grace love and peace he hath from God and therefore shines more and more like the light unto the perfect day growes stronger and stronger like the house of David He waits upon the Lord and renewes his strength he mounts up as the Eagles hee runnes and is not weary hee walkes on and doth not faint he goes from strength to strength untill he doth appeare before the Lord in Zion The carnall mans estrangement from the Covenant and his misery in being out of the Covenant ministers matter and occasion of labour and industry to every man to get into the Covenant to be partaker of it and to have assured interest in the benefits flowing from it as Noah entred into the Arke to be preserved from the deluge of waters so should wee enter into the Covenant of God that we may be preserved from the deluge of those miseries which attend and wait upon the breach of Gods precepts The men of Aegypt hearing of the fall of a grievous haile such as would destroy both man and beast Hee that feared the word of the Lord amongst them made his servants and his cattell flee into the house Men hearing of the hayle fire brimstone and horrible tempest which God will raine downe upon the wicked should hasten into this Covenant have sure interest in Gods free and gracious Promise that they may be hid from the Lords wrath And to the end we may have part in Gods Covenant 1. We must forsake our sinnes there must be warre against sin or there can be no peace with God Moses might not come nigh the burning bush untill hee had put off his shoes from his feet Because the ground where hee stood was holy ground Man cannot come nigh God enter into covenant with God unlesse the old-man his old lusts be put off because the Covenant of God is a holy Covenant a Covenant belonging onely to the godly Godlinesse having the promise of this life and of the life to come Joseph shaved himselfe and changed his raiment and then he came to Pharaoh and Pharaoh tooke him to himselfe and made many honourable Promises to him man must shave himself remove the ignorance and errour of his understanding and change his raiment Put off the old-man which is corrupt according to divers lusts and put on the new man which is renewed in holinesse and true righteousnesse according to Gods image and then come nigh tâ—ed and partake of all Gods gracious promises according to that of the Lord by the Prophet wash you make you cleane put away the evill of your wayes cease to doe evill learne to doe well and then come ye and we will reckon together and though your sinnes were as red as scarlet yet will I make you white as snow I will deale mercifully with you be reconciled to you forgive your sinnes and receive you into my Covenant of peace The more the soule is emptied of sin the more capable it is of Gods Covenant the more assured of interest in it Hee that holds fast his sinne cannot lay hold upon the Covenant of God hee that gives not a bill of divorce to his lusts is uncapable of weddlocke with Christ 2. We must forsake our selves we must deny our selves cease from our owne wisdome as from a blind guide from our owne strength as from a withered reed from our owne righteousnesse as from a rotten ragg and from our owne ends as from low and base marks Thus must wee deny our selves or we can be no Disciples of Christ no partakers of the mercies of God in him Such as entered into Covenant with David were in debt in distresse and discontent He that will enter into Covenant with God must see his debt bee sensible of his sinne feele the distresse and anguish of his soule and be very much discontented with his corrupt and carnall estate God communicates his mercies to them that are sensible of their miseries the Lord loves them that are out of love with themselves he esteemes them that loath their own wayes whom doth Christ invite and call but the heavy laden Such as are sensible and weary of their sins as of a heavy burthen to whom is Christ sent with tydings of comfort but to the broken hearted When Ephraim repented smote upon his thigh and was confounded then the Lord remembered him then he was deare and pleasant to him then hee said I will surely have mercy upon him then he proposed and set before him the Covenant of Salvation in Christ
are like Nebuchadnezzars Image and it will be with them as with Nebuchadnezzars Image at last his Image had a head of gold but feet of clay and the stone hewne out of the mountaines without hands brake it in peeces Such men have a golden profession but an earthly and uncleane conversation and Christ at last will dash them in pieces as an iron rod a Potters vessell As Christ cursed the Fig-tree which had leaves and no fruit so will he curse them that have the leaves of Christian profession but want the fruit of a good conversation a barren profession doth but aggravate the condemnation of a Christian 3. Some build their hopes upon their elymosynary duties and works of charity because they are bountifull to the poore they hope they shall be saved they trust in their good works and hope to purchase heaven by their beneficence excluding Christs merits As the builders of old by raising a Tower thought to preserve themselves from an after deluge and scale the wals of Heaven but as their hopes perished God confounding their worke so will the hopes of these mercinary and proud workers their best works without Christ will bring confusion instead of salvation upon them The sword in which Goliah trusted cut off his head whatsoever a man doth rest upon besides Christ he is confounded by that wherein he trusteth It may seeme strange and yet is very true that many mens good works prove more prejudiciall to them then their evill works their bad works prove an occasion of humiliation to them and drive them wholly out of themselves unto Christ their good works puffe them up and make them stay in themselves and never come to Christ and such men as have no better foundation then their works of charity to build upon the Apostle will tell them that a man may give all his goods to the poore and yet be nothing 4. Some build their hopes upon their not being so bad as the worst they compare themselves with such as are worse then themselves and thereupon conclude they are in a good estate this is as if a man having many ulcers should yet perswade himselfe he is very beautifull because he is not as leprous as Gehezi was As if a man guilty of many small felonies should perswade himselfe the Judge will save him because he is not so notorious a malefactor as Barabbas was or as if a man indebted an hundred pounds more then he is worth should perswade himselfe he is rich because he is not indebted so many thousand pounds as some others are This was the deceit and false flattery of the Pharisee I thanke God saith he I am not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers or as this Publicane Men dye not all of one sicknesse some have more pestilentiall diseases then others yet all dye the wages of all sinne is death It is not he who is not so bad as others but he that is a new Creature in Christ that bath assured hope of life and peace to them that are in Christ there is no condemnation who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit 5. Some build their hopes upon the mercies of God and merit of Christ presuming they may be securely sinfull because God is mercifull and that they may still run on upon Gods scoare because Christ hath given himselfe a ransome and thus they turne the grace of God into wantonnesse and harden themselves by those mercies which should leade them to repentance turning their physicke into poyson and the meanes of their freedome into chaines and fetters to tye them the faster in their thraldome and what is this but as if a man should tumble himselfe in the mire and durt because there is water enough in a Well to wash him yet a sealed deep Well whereof he hath no bucket to draw Or as if a man should give himselfe many mortall wounds because there is a Surgeon that can cure him of whose help he hath yet no promise Gods mercies and Christs merits minister pardon and peace to such alone as turne from iniquity and walke in the wayes of peace All mercies prove curses which lead not the soule to God and Jesus Christ The meditation of Gods mercy can never truly comfort thee unlesse it humble thee Benhadads servants hearing that the Kings of Israel were mercifull Kings came not before Ahab with their bowes bent and swords drawne but with roapes about their necks and sackcloth about their loynes He that comes to God in the confidence of his mercies must lay aside the weapons of his sinne and come with teares in his eyes and godly sorrow in his heart because there is mercy with the Lord that he may be feared not to encourage man to continue wicked not knowing as S. Paul saith that the goodnesse of God ought to leade thee to repentance but after thy hardnesse and impenitent heart treasurest up against thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God 6. Some build their hopes upon their Humiliations and Repentance they have beene in affliction of conscience they have beene humbled for their sinnes and have beene many dayes in great anguish of spirit and in this they rest here they stay and hope by this to be saved thus the people in the Prophet We say ye have fasted and we have afflicted our soule and for this they thought to be heard and accepted of the Lord but there is a legall as well as an Evangelicall repentance a sorrow arising from feare and not from love from the apprehension of Hell and not of Heaven from the sence of wrath and not from the working of love from the feeling of terrours and not from the hatred of sinne a sorrow of slaves and not of sonnes a sorrow which worketh unto death and not a sorrow which worketh Repentance to Salvation a man may with Caine cry out of the greatnesse of his iniquity and his sorrow sinke him even as low as Hell hee may with Ahab put on sack-cloth and walk humbly many dayes he may with Pharaoh in his anguish send for the Minister of the Lord and acknowledge his sinne and intreat the prayer of Gods servants on this he may build his hopes and deceive himselfe that repentance which doth not supple and soften and change the heart is little worth the Lord smote the Rocke and waters gushed out yet it continued a Rocke God smites the heart of many a man with perplexing and terrifying stroakes to the drawing of many teares and yet it continueth a hard and stony heart that sorrow which workes not the mortification of sinne gives no assurance of the remission of sinne Is it such a fast saith the Lord that I have chosen a day for a man to afflict his soule is it to bow downe his head as a bull-rush and to spread sack-cloth and ashes under him wilt thou call this