shall not be laide to his charge all his deeds to a cup of cold water shall be set on the score And he shall be rewarded there is not a sigh not a teare but it is regestred the longer a man liveth if hee should live Methushelah his days the richer he should be in good workes and the more rich he is in good workes the more he shall have his part and share in glory after and therefore Life is yours The longer he lives the happier the time in which he lives is for his good and he makes the time happy and it is happier for himselfe the more rich he is in good workes the more rich hee shall be in glory after These things being so we should be very thankefull that God yeelds to us this life for besides an advantage of doing good It is a preparative to a better This life is as it were the seminary of Heaven Heaven indeede is the true Paradice of all the Plants of God but they must have a seminary to be planted-in first and therefore the Church is called the Kingdome of Heaven because wee are first planted here Now this life is an advantage we are planted here in the Church to grow a while untill we be taken from your semina ry the Paradice of the Church to the Paradice in Heaven So Life is ours for that end I will not further inlarge the point it is cleare Or Death As life is ours So death is ours It is astrange thing that death should be ours that is a destroying hostile thing to nature The King of feares as the Scripture calls it and that terrible of all terribles as the Philosopher the last enemy as Paul saith that death should be ours Death is ours many wayes you see here it is a peice of our joynture for these words containe the joynture of the Church The Church is Christs Spouse all things are Christs and therefore all things are the Spouses and among other particular gifts given to the Church death is ours It is a strange thing that death should be given to the Church and yet so it is and we shall see this if we consider how death in the Gospell is turned into another thing it is a harmelesse thing in the Gospell the sting is pulled out it hath lost all its venome in Christ. now death is a passage to another World it is the gate of glory death nothing but divests us of these rayments that we have here on our bodies and puts us into garments of glory it puts off these ragges and puts us into a better condition that is all the hurt it doth it ends all that is ill and all is determined in death it is the last evill and it is the beginning of all that is good that is everlastingly good that is spiritually good eternally good for by death we are freed both from the labour of sin which is a labour irkesome to Gods people by reason of a principle of corruption which they have in them that accompanyes them till they be in their grave death is the accomplishment of mortification in death there is an end of the labour of sinne and of all other labours whatsoever for death is a sleepe and all labours end in sleepe as after sleepe the spiritts are refreshed so after death we shall be more refresht then we can conceive now so death is ours It ends all labours of sinne and all labours of the body and it frees us from all contagion of wicked men and from all greife from wicked men and it sets us cleare out of Satans reach Satan hath nothing todoe with us when we are dead once because here the World is the Kingdome of Satan but when we are gone hence Satan hath nothing to doe with us and that is a great priveledge so death is ours it frees us from all that is evill our death is our birth-daie indeede we never live till wedie for what is your life alas it is a dying life Every day we live a part of our life is taken away we die every day The more we have lived the lesse of our life we have to live this is but a dying life There are three degrees of life The life in 1. The Mothers Wombe 2. The World 3. Heaven The life in Heaven begins at death death is the birth-day of that life Deaths day is the birth-day of imimmortality VVhen Christ came to die to purchase life he came not to die to purchase a sorry life on earth but he came to die to purchase immortall glory that is the life that Christ came to die for and to purchase The day of death is the first birth-day of that life and for our bodies they are but refined by death and fitted as Vessells cast into the fire to be moulded and fashioned to be most glorious Vessells after so our bodies are fitted by the grave till body and soule be for ever happy at the day of Resurrection so that death is ours and here upon it is that the Wiseman saith that The day of death is better then the day of birth When we are borne we come into miserie When we die we goe out of misery It is better to goe out of miserie then to come into misery If the day of death be better then the day of birth to a Christian certainly then death is theirs and blessed are those that die in the Lord saith the Spirit A voyce from Heaven saith so and therefore write saith hee it may be written if the Spirit saith it it is testimony and argument enough Blessed are those that die in the Lord they rest from their labours and their reward followes them They rest from all that is evill and their reward followes them all that is good their workes follow them so that if all evill cease and all good follows I hope death may well be said to be ours Death is ours it is our preferment why should we be afraid of that that is a part of our portion as the Apostle saith here Death is yours I beseech you therefore let us lay up this against those darke times wherein death will be represented to us as an uglie and grimme thing it is so to nature indeede but to faith death is my friend it is become amyable indeede there is nothing in the world that doth us so much good as death for its the best Physitian it cures all deseases whatsoever of soule body it frees us from all And indeede to shut up all this point death is the Death of death it is the destruction of it selfe forafter death there is noe more death so it consumes it selfe by death we overcome death Wee can never die more wee are freed from all death to be afraid of death is to be afraid of life to be afraid of victory For we never overcome death till we die Lay up these
THE CHRISTIANS PORTION Wherein is unfolded the unsearchable Riches he hath by his interest in Christ. Whom injoying hee possesseth all things else By R. Sibbs D. D. and Preacher to the Honorable Society of Grayes-Inne and Master of Catherine Hall in Cambridge Published by T. G. and P. N. LONDON Printed by JOHN NORTON for JOHN ROTHVVELL and are to be sold at the Sunne in Pauls Church-yard 1637. 1 Cor. 3. 21 22 23. Ver. Let noe Man glory in Man for all things are yours whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the World or Life or Death or things present or things to come all are yours and you are Christs and Christ is Gods THe principall scope of the Apostle in this place is to cut off faction and over much dependance upon men who had crept into the consciences of people and set up themselves in steed of Christ As that is the pride of false teachers to set up themselves in the conscience where Christ alone should be The Apostle to prevent this saith let no man glory in man doe not glory in your teachers they are but your servants and Christs servants for all things are yours all the teachers in the World are your servants and Christs Having set downe this generall All things are yours to discourage them from glorying in Man he parcells that generall into particulars Paul or Apollo or Cephas or Life or Death 1 All persons are yours 2 All things are yours 3 All events are yours Persons Paul Apollo Cephas Things The World or Life or Death Events whatsoever can come for the present or for time to come All is yours For the persons Paul Apollo Cephas are yours therefore Peter is not the head of the Church he is named here in the third place among the rest and after the rest Whether it bee Paul or Apollo or Cephas he is yours You know who ground all their Religion on this Peter is the head of the Church and they are the successors of Peter but Peter is the Churches and therefore cannot be the head and commander The World is yours What world is the Churches 1 The World naturall is the Churches that is the frame of Heaven and Earth all things are made for man and he is made for GOD. As the wise Philosopher could say that man is the end of all things in a semi-circle that is all things in the World are made for him He is made for God in whom all things end As all things come from a point and end there againe so all things come from God and all end in God We are Christs and Christ is Gods but the World is ours and wee are Gods all things in the World are our servants for they mourne in blacke as it were for our miseries since the fall And in our restoring againe they shall bee restored they waite for the day as it is Rom. 8. 21. For the glorious liberty of the sons of God they have their happines and misery together with men But there is another World that is ours take it in the worst sense the World of wicked men all their plotts and the Prince of the World are the Churches How is this He and all his instruments are under the command of him that turnes all his designes contrary to his owne intention this is a hell to Satan and one of the cheife torments he hath that as his malice is limited by this power so his power is limited by Gods power who overshootes him in his owne bow what ever he designes against the head Christ and against his members the Church it is overturned for the good of the Church In the primitive Church some were given over to Satan that they might learne not to blaspheme It s a strange thing that Satan should teach not to blaspheme who is the author of blasphemy Yet by consequence hee afflicting their bodies thereupon they came to be wise and seemed to be moderate and sober and to be Christianly minded and not to blaspheme So the Prince of the World is ours in this by an overcommanding power that turnes all to good against his intentions For there is but one grand Monarch in the World Every Kingdome is under a higher Kingdome there is but one to whom all are subject there is one grand Wheele that turnes all the other and therefore Satan himselfe is serviceable to Gods end whether hee will or noe And then for the World of wicked men all their designes though for the present they seeme to bee against the Church yet they are serviceable to the Church for wicked men are but the Launderers of the Church as it were to wash the Church to purge the church to doe base services that God intends for the refyning of the Church and all their hatred is for the good of the Church for God suffers the World to hate his children That his children might not love the World for if the VVorld did not hate his they would love the World and it would be a dangerous love The Church is a strange corporation it is such a corporation as hath the greatest benefit by enemies The enemies of the Church are the promoters of the greatest good of the Church the very World is the churches take it in the worst sense for the wicked World that lies in mischiefe but I will not dwell upon that To goe on Or Life The life of others is the Churches Why doth God continue the life of good Magistrates and good pastors For the Church as Paul saith It were better for me to bee with Christ a great deale yet for your sakes I must continue I am content to be without the joyes of Heaven a while for your good And therefore my life is yours it is at your service for you I shall continue still And so the life of good Magistrates it is for the benefit of the Church it were better for them to be in Heaven the life of all that may be serviceable to the Church till they have acted their part and served God in their generation as it is said of David Acts 3. 36. Hee served GOD in his owne Generation so every Magistrate hath his generation a time allotted a generation to stand up in the Church and state and to serue God in his turne and then God takes him away And then the life of every particular christian is theirs for God suffers them to injoy it so long as life may be a benefit to gather the more assurance of salvation and to doe their worke that he hath given them to doe here and when they have done their worke they are gathered to their Fathers so that life is the Churches And indeede life is a speciall benefit Because bythe advantage of life we further our reckonings a good christian the longer he lives the larlarger good accounts hee hath all his sinnes are wiped away they
considerations against the time of neede the diseases of the body the guilt of sin the losse of imployment the stripping of us of all earthly comforts they will all meete in a cen ter in a point at death a man had neede to gather the greater comfort against that houre and can we have a greater comfort then this that now it is become our friend that it is ours now Blessed bee GOD for Iesus Christ that hath made in him even death the bitterest thing of all to bee sweete unto us Or things present Whatsoever is present serves us whatsoever it be good or evill all is yours but the most difficult is in Things to come For what assurance have we of things to come Things to come are ours whether they be Good or Evill For good Death is to come and that is ours and for judgement that is ours for our Head our Saviour and our husband he shall be our judge And at the Day of judgement wee shall judge the World and thenafter judgement Heaven is ours immortality is ours happines is ours all is ours then Indeede the best is to come this is the best part of the portion for if wee had nothing but what we have in this World we were of all men most miserable alas what have we if things present only are ours but things to come also are ours and the best is behind that for which CHRIST came into the World is behinde that which he injoyes in Heaven is ours he will take his Spouse where Himselfe is into his owne House and he will finish the marriage which is begun in contract and then we shall be for ever with the Lord. The things to come are the maine things that which our Faith layes hold of that which we raise our selves and comfort our selves by are especially things to come neyther eye hath seene nor eare hath heard nor hath ever entred into the hart of man to conceive those things that GOD hath prepared for his children indeede it s a part of Heaven to know them and therefore the full knowledge of them is deferred for that time The very judgement of the wicked and the eternall sentence of them it is the Churches why It adds a luster to Gods mercy in advancing his owne as it is Rom. 9. 23. God magnifies his mercy to the Vessells of mercy by this by punishing a company of Reprobates in whom he hath noe delight by reason of their sins his mercy much appeares by that even by the eternall sentence and punishment of wicked men So all serves to set out the glory and excellency of Gods people St. Paul in Rom. 8. that Heavenly discourse of his towards the later end of the Chapter saith triumphantly Nothing shall separate us from Christ neyther Life nor Death nor things present nor things to come It s a great comfort that nothing to come can doe us hurt but this is a degree of comfort higher that all things to come are ours so then this Text affords an exuberancy of comfort above that it is excellent comfort that nothing shall separate noe not Death it selfe but this is more death is ours and in being so it shall not onely not separate us from Christ though it separate soule and body but joyne us to him I beseech you take it as a Notion that may heple against the terror of that separation that is a meanes of conjunction the dolefull separation of soule and body Two old friends joyne better friends together the soule and Christ so things to come are ours even all things taken in the largest sense the bitterest of all things even death it selfe is ours There are severall Vses but the grand Vse which the Apostle manely intends is That a Christian is as sure of the time to come as of the time past or present we are sure of what we have had and what we have but a Christian is in soe firme a condition and state that he may be as sure of what is to come as of what he hath because God and Christ are not onely Alpha but Omega also Christ is not only hee was and is but is to come he is Jehova the same for ever And therfore as things past could not hurt us from being elected and called and things present cannot hurt us but they are ours so are things to come because God and Christ who is the Mediator under GOD hath the command of all things to come and therefore we may be as sure of things to come as of things present what comfort is this to a Christian what should become of me if times of trouble and publique calamity should come or personall to my selfe what idle forecasts are these why things to come come what will come all shall be for the best all things to come are ours even all things to come are ours whatsoever The Apostle goes on and wrappes up all as it is the manner of inductions to save labour for it is in vayne in that manner of reasoning that we call inductions to goe over all particulers because there is the same reason in all as if he should say Paul and the World and all things are yours what should I say more I should but trouble you and my selfe to name particulars All things are yours But yet we must understand this with some limitts wee must therefore unloose some knotts and answer some cases of conscience first It may seeme there is no distinction of propertyes if all be a Christians and if every Christian may say all is mine then what is one mans is anothers and there will bee noe proprietie I answer undoubtedlie there is a distinction of properties in the things of this life though all bee ours because it is spoken of in another sense all is ours to helpe us to Heaven all is ours in an order to comfort and happinesse but for propriety so all things are not ours for you know the distinction some things are common jure naturae by the Law of nature as the Sunne and ayre and many such like things and some jure gentium by the Law of nations it is but some things are common jure gentium but then there are some that by particular municipall Lawes are proper The distinction is established both by the Law of God and the Law of man Now not to stand long in answering this question though there be some franticke people that are a little troubled with those things Anabaptists and the like we see in Scripture a distinction of estates Religion takes not away the distinction of Master and Servant and therefore it takes not away distinction of goods which is lesse It is a great burden to be a servant but the Scripture stablisheth the distinction of Master and Servant and therefore it establisheth distinction of goods The Scripture stablisheth Bounty and Almes If there be not a distinction
are not CHRISTS Members that goe to Hell but there are many of excellent parts and indowments that God hath appointed to doe him great service though they have an evill eye and intend not his service but to raise themselves in the World yet GOD intends their service for much purpose and he gives them incouragement in the World as hee will not be behind with the worst men If they doe him service they shall have their reward in that kinde Psalme 62. 12. If it be in policy of state they shall have it in that and they shall have commendations and applause of men if they looke for that and if he give them not Heaven they can not complayne for they cared not for that they did it not with an eye for that now if God use the labour and the industry and the parts and indowments of wicked men for excellent purposes he will give them their reward for outward thinges Verily you have your reward sayth Christ Math. 6. 2. when he gives them life he gives them outward liberties and therefore they are noe usurpers in that regard yet those have not so full a Title as a Christian hath to that they have Now to come more directly to the Second Branch and to shew how wee are Christs I have unfolded that Poynt upon another Text and therefore I will but touch it here because there bee divers here that did not heare the unfolding of that Text. My beloved is mine and I am his Can. 6. 3. Not to speake of creation he made all things but we are Christs by his redemption and purchase he purchased his Church with his owne blood Acts 20. 28. And secondly wee are Christs by spirituall marriage for we are his and Christ is ours in all sweete relations he is ours he hath purchased us to be his in all the sweete termes of relation name what you will we are Christs we are his subjects as he is a King we are his servants as he is a Lord we are his Schollers as he is a Prophet we are his Spouse as he is a husband we are Members as he is an Head you cannot name any degree of subjection if it be a sweete subjection and subordination but we are that to Christ and Christ is that to us so that Christ is ours and we are Christs in all the sweete relations that can be we are his Members we are his Spouse we are his Children for he is the everlasting Father Isa. 9. 6. He is all that can be to us and we are all that can be to him that is lovely and good we are Christs and therefore all things are ours because we are Christs so that we see from this that Christ comes in betweene GOD and us GOD is a pure and holy GOD A consuming fire and we as chaffe and dust and therefore CHRIST comes betweene you are Christs Why Because God is a consuming fire of himselfe there must be a Mediator to come betweene who is a friend to both sides to us as man to him as GOD So must bee a meanes of conveying all things from GOD all things come originally from the Fountaine of all God they are Gods and in God you know the three Persons meete in one nature in GOD the Father Sonne and holy Ghost I but the holy GOD in three Persons doth not convey immediately good things to us but by the mediation of Christ Mediator All things are ours and therefore we are Christs and Christ is Gods for GOD would have it thus since the fall that having lost all wee should recover all againe by the second Adam that should bee a publike person a Mediatour betweene Him and Vs and so through CHRIST wee should have accesse and entrance to the Father by Him and that by Him we should have boldnes and that God againe downe-ward might doe all things with due satisfaction to his justice because we are as stuble and God a consuming fire were not Christ in the middle what entercourse could there be betweene the Lord and us noe other than betweene the fire and the stuble Majesty on his side and Misery and sinne on ours there must be a Mediator to bring these two contraries together And therefore all is ours because we are Christs and Christ is Gods so all comes downeward through Christ from God to us God doth all in Christ to us he chooseth us in Christ and sanctifyes us in Christ he bestowes all spirituall blessings on us in Christ as Members of Christ he conveyes all through Christ. To Christ first he hath put fullnes in him and of his fulnesse we receive grace for grace for Christ is compleat and in him we are compleat Now all things come downeward from GOD through Christ so from us to God upward all is ours and we are Christs and Christ is Gods and therefore we have noe entercourse with that great God who is a consuming fire if we be to deale with him in himselfe but through Christ and therefore we aske all in Christs name Whatsoever you aske the Father in my Name c. Joh. 14. 13 14. and doe all in the Name of Christ. Col. 3. 17. For it were presumptious arrogance and fruitlesse if we should goe to God in our owne name but we goe in the name of Christ considering that he is the midle that knitts God and us together and therefore Lord we come not to thee in our owne name and in our owne worth and in our owne desert which is none at all we come to thee in the merits of Christ in the mediation of Christ in that love thou bearest him and that for his sake thou bearest to us that are his Members that is the way of entercourse betweene God and us not to thinke of God absolutely out of Christ that is a terrible thought nothing more terrible than to thinke of God out of the Mediatour but to thinke of God in Christ nothing more sweete for now the nature of GOD is lovely comming to us in Christ and the majesty and justice of God are lovely comming to us from Christ. As the waters of the Sea though they be salt of themselves when they are strayned through the Earth are sweete in the rivers so though the justice of God be a terrible thing yet when it comes through Christ to be satisfyed it is sweete for Lord thou wilt not punish the same sin twice and the Majesty and greatnes of God is comfortable whatsoever is Gods is ours because Christ is ours God in his greatnes in his justice in his power all things being derived and passing through Christ are sweete and comfortable to us and therefore from excellent Wisedome the Apostle inserts the Mediator betweene All things are yours and you are Christs and Christs is Gods FINIS Imprimatur Tho. Wykes R. P. Epis. Londi Capell Domest The Apostles scope in these words The division of the Text. An inferencefrom the first particular 2 Particular The naturall world is the Churches Rom. 8. 21. The world of wicked men is also the Churches And therein first the good of this world 1 Tim. 1. 20 2 All wicked men Simile Iames 4 4. a A consectary from the former particulars 3 Particular 3 Particulars how Life is the Churches 1 The life of Ministers Philip. 1. 23 24. 2 The life of Magistrats 3 The life of every particular Christian. The benefit of longer life Vse of this particular Thankfullnes for life 4 Particular how death is the Churches a Ioh. 15. 26. u 1 Cor. 15 26. 1. Death by the Gospell is â—ours a Snake without a sting 2. It s the passage â—â—â—n all â—ill to all good 3 Death is the beginning of eternall life a 1 Cor. 15. 31. 3 Degrees of life a Eccle. 7. 1. u Revel 14. Vse Rom 6. 1 Cor. 15. 54. 5 Particulars how things to come are ours 1 All good things 1 Cor. 62. 1 Cor. 2. 9. 2 All evill Rom. 9. 23. Rom. 8. 38. 38. A Christian sure of the future Rev. 1. 8. u Heb. 13 â— Limitations and resolutions of some cases and questions 1. Concerning propriety Ob. Ans. How all is ours and not ours Read Iud 11. from 12 vers to 20. Ans. 1. 2. 3. 4. The 2. case concerning the right of evill men Ob. In ordine ad spiritualia Ans. Ob. Ans. 3. cas Ans. 4 Case Ans. 1 Cor. 10 25. Qu. Ans. Simi Qu. Ans. Vse The largnesse of the Churches Ioynture Singular consolation For all true Christians Qu. Ans. Ezek. 29 18 19. How wee are Christs Cant. 6. 3. 1. By his Redemption 2. By marriage in al sweete relations Christ is our Mediator and Why. All good comes to us from God through Christ. All must be returned to God through Christ.