how can this righteousnesse performed by Christ be sufficient for us I answer first because God ordained it to that purpose 1 Cor. 1.30 Christ by God is made to us wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption and to this end God the father sealed him Ioh. 6.27 Secondly I say Christ is a second Adam and a publick person and became ours wee then being in his loynes so the righteousnesse of Christ is made ours wee being borne in Christ by faith and found in him hee being our head we have a spirituall life descending upon us he being our husband all his goods are ours also This point is the soule of the Church and the golden key which opens heaven for us if we joyne any other thing to it it opens hell to us as God will reveale at that great day It s true the Papists doe acknowledge now that their good workes are not of themselves but from God but thus did the Pharisee he thanked God that he was not as other men nor as the Publican but the poore Publican disclaiming all such goodnesse went away justified rather than the other let it bee our wisedome therefore to relye onely on Christ whose obedience and righteousnesse is so all-sufficient as nothing may bee added thereto and say with the Apostle not I but the grace of God in me VERS 10. And the fellowship of his Sufferings THe Apostle having shewed his desire of Christs righteousnesse now comes to shew his desire also of having communion with Christ in his sufferings shewing that whosoever brags of justification he must shew it in his sanctification he must shew that he hath his part in the fellowship of his sufferings if hee meaneth to shew he hath his part in the power of his resurrection water is not alone but water and blood must goe together Now Christs sufferings are either for us as mediatour or with us as being our head and we his members As mediatour he suffered death which was onely for our good we can have no trust in our death as to deserve any thing thereby as he did for by his death he appeased Gods wrath and got his favour to us which we lost and by it he sanctifies our sufferings and puls out the sting of all our afflictions as it is with the Vnicorne who having put his horn into the water discharges all poison thereout so as the beasts may freely drinke without hurt so it is with us wee may suffer and indure afflictions without hurt seeing Christ hath purged them of all poisonous nature that was in them But there are other sufferings that wee and Christ suffer joyntly he as our head suffering with us his members for as if the foot be grieved the head is grieved so the Christians sufferings are called Christs sufferings and a Christian must looke to suffer if he be a lively member of the body of Christ. Yet is not every suffering of affliction Christs suffering for a man may suffer justly for his deserts notwithstanding even then when a man suffers for his faults after repentance Christ may bee said to suffer with him and therefore the Fathers called the death of the repentant Thiefe a martyrdome For in all our sufferings Christ is in us teaching and helping us to beare them with patience and as a sanctifier of all of them to a blessed end and as one that frames us to beare all of them even as he himselfe did This ought to teach us to conceive aright of the estate of a Christian that hee is not alone when he seemes to bee alone Christ leaves them not in miserie no for in miserie he is most neare and present It is therefore a good estate though miserie in it selfe be not desirable for Christ desired to die and not to die and so we in severall respects may doe for if wee regard death as a destroyer of nature so is it not to be desired but considering it as the will of God my father so are we to desire it and yeeld our selves to it and accordingly wee desire not afflictions for their proper naturall good yet in regard they are a meanes to prepare and fit us for heaven we say with David its good for us to be afflicted In the second place this will teach us that we are not to feare any thing that we shall suffer because there are more with us than against us Ioseph in the dungeon Israel in Egypt Daniel among the Lions the three children in the fire Paul in prison feared not danger for what cared they so long as they knew God was with them and therefore they rejoyced if we have Christ we have all if we want Christ we want all Thirdly this may serve to daunt Christs enemies they cannot hurt the least of his little ones but they hurt him Saul why persecutest thou mee Fourthly this should teach us to take part with Gods children what though they suffer affliction Moses chose the better part that did chuse to bee with the afflicted people of God before the Court of Pharaoh wicked men may bite and kicke but they can doe no hurt lingua malorum est lima bonorum VERS 10. Being made conformable to his death THis conformitie here meant is not in regard of the end that as Christ dyed for sinne so should we but in the manner of suffering as he did suffer and die so must wee suffer and desire death Secondly as he died patiently and meekely so must we suffer patiently and meekely Thirdly as he had so must wee have sweet comforts to sustaine and support us and Fourthly as he had so must wee indeavour to obtaine the same issue of our afflictions that is eternall glorie briefly we are to bee conformable to Christ in grace in suffering and in glorie all these are unevitably linked together and our head having led us an example we are to follow Every Christian must therefore die to sinne as Christ died for sinne But how shall we know whether wee die to sinne or not A dead man does no harme hath no power contrarily are we strong to commit sinne and doe we earnestly intend it surely wee are not mortified Secondly dead mens senses are not delighted with faire and sinfull objects if we be dead with Christ let the sinfull objects bee never so delightfull they will not move us or affect us one whit nay they will be distastfull to us Most are of a contrary minde offer them good discourse and occasions they cannot away with them offer any fleshly pleasure like tinder they are soone set on fire such as these as they have no heart to suffer for righteousnesse so if for vaine glory they would neither would God honour them so much as to suffer them For grounds of this doctrine First its honourable to bee like Christ our Captaine our head our husband Secondly it s not proportionable for the head to be crowned with thornes and the members to bee clad delicately that
enough they would be wiser than he and of deeper reach And thus even within the pâ—le of the Church what a scandall is it that men should glorie in a gracelesse grace of swearing filling up rotten discourse with new devised othes And others glorie in their foolish conceipted gallant apparell which was for no other end but principally to cover shame is not this to glorie in shame And much more those that blaming as it were God for making them no fairer will mend the workmanship of God by painting these while they seeke to keepe outward blemishes from the eyes of men doe discover to the whole world that they have a spotted rotten heart within them And indeed it s too common for men ill-bred up to thinke admirably of themselves when all their courses are meere vanitie He is the onely man of accompt that cannot put up a crosse word without bloud is not this to glorie in shame when as its the glory of a man to passe by an offence and they are the best men that can overcome themselves And as helpers on of this vaine boasting we have a generation of ignorant unsetled understandings that admire at such shamelesse boasters and so are causes of strengthening such in their vain-glory such are flatterers of great men let them remember what is denounced against such woe be to them that call evill good and good evill In the next place shame is not onely the object of vaine glorie but the end they that are vaine-glorious shall bee brought to shame at length thus is it sayd of Babylon in Esay and mysticall Babylon in the Revelations Though she say I sit as a Queene and shall seenâ— mourning yet stall her plagues come in one day death and destruction and mournlng Isa. 47.9 51.19 Revel 18.8 For God hath knit vaine-glory and shame a punishment proportionable and fitting to the sinne and striking the offender most neere even to the heart and thus did God meete with Achitophel Absalom Haman they sought vain-glory and their ends were shamefull such shall be the end of all such as boast that they can doe mischiefe like Doeg Psa. 52. And the righteous shall see and feare laugh at them For use to our selves therefore let us take heed of this sinne For by nature the best of us are subject to it we are all inclinable either to glory in such things as we should not or to receive glory from such things as wee ought not or else to glorie after an inordinate manner and in that measure we glorie amisse in that measure wee consult shame to our selves glory we may but it must bee well grounded and in a right manner And to the attaining thereto we must first labour for a sound knowledge of God and for a sound dependance upon him in all things and also labour for to see our owne estate and our many wants for wanting this knowledge men glorie in merits while they live but when they die they grow ashamed of their courses and blinde judgement for while they live they judge of themselves by their owne conceipt of themselves which is grounded either by comparing of themselves with those that are worse than themselves as the Pharisee that thanked God he was not as the Publican or else upon the conceipt that shallow persons have of them But these are not rules for us to follow look rather what sayes the humbled conscience what sayes Gods Word and his Iustice and take example of the Apostles and holy men of God that gloried in the Lord reconciled to us in Christ who is made to us wisedome sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 30.31 Rejoyce that our names are written in heaven Luke 10.20 Rejoyce that we understand and know God to be â—ust and mercifull Ier. 9.23.24 Glorie in the testimonie of a good conscience that we are true Christians though but weake 2 Cor. 1.12 Secondly we should be content with the judgement and approbation of God and hearken to the admonitions of his Ministers and care not for the censures of the world Thirdly take wee heed of the first beginnings and motions of sinne at the first they are ever modest the worst man that ever was was not shamelesse in sinne at the beginning but giving way to sinne by little and little loses all shame and causes at last corruption in judgement and justifying a mans selfe in wicked courses pleasures riches and such things they are like a vizard onely an outside of beautie or like one that vaunteth himselfe hee can act the person of a King but is in himselfe a bondslave they act their parts here on this worldly Stage for an houre and leave all their followers in eternall bondage forever Therefore let us not bee ashamed for Christs cause but stand out labour for sinceritie now and wee shall have glorie hereafter which as the light shall increase when as the candle of the wicked shall be put out VERS 19. Who minde earthly things TO Minde in this place is taken largely to thinke upon remember desire joy and to have all the soule exercised Earthly things that is lusts of the flesh lusts of the eyes pride of life pleasures and profits and honours which are therefore called earthly because they are conversant about earthly things and because they make their followers earthly minded and lastly they are called earthly in opposition to those that are heavenly and thus in particular those that minde honour are ambitious those that minde riches are covetous if pleasure then they are voluptuous and all of them are earthly For as the Ocean is but one and yet divers parts thereof have severall names so worldlinesse is but one sinne yet having many kindes it hath also divers names The observation that hence we may gather is that the earthly disposition and minde is the temper of that man who is in the estate of damnation for the minde of such doe shew a dead soule estranged from the life of God to be carnally minded is death saith the Apostle Rom. 8.6 For a man lives as hee mindes and loves Secondly earthly disposition is opposite to God so Rom. 8.7 The carnall minde is enmitie against God Observe we further the Apostle describes not these by any notorious grosse scandalous sinne but by the inward disposition of the heart for outward actions are onely effects and rivers flowing from the spring of corruption in our hearts Whence we may note that God lookes to the inward frame of the soule in men and therefore though in the eyes of men a man may be without spot yet is his corruption that is within open and manifest to the all-seeing eye of God And therefore from hence we are to be stirred up to humble our selves before God by examining our hearts and laying open our most secret corruptions And secondly this ought to comfort us that though in our dayly practice we often fall yet God in his goodnesse lookes at the inward frame
mindes something to this end that our affections may bee wrought upon to forsake the world with detestation and to love and imbrace heaven and for this dutie wee ought to redeeme some time continually Thus principally Enoch walked with God and David though a King meditated in Gods law day and night And from this dutie let us bee brought to a holy use of soliloquies checking and shaming our selves for following these pleasures for unthankfulnesse and want of cheerefulnesse as David why art thou cast down O my soule why art thou so disquieted By these recollections a Christian is indeed himselfe and for the present even seated in heaven In the last place besides ejaculations use dayly a set prayer for thereby wee ascend into heaven and are fitted thereby to be more and more heavenly it s the trade of Citizens that make them rich this is our trade to trade by prayer with that heavenly Citie where our treasure is and by it wee shall grow dayly in riches Thus is our soule strengthened and our affections stirred up to converse with God and thus come wee to set our faith in heaven together with our love where our father is where Angels and Saints our Citie and eternall happinesse is thus is our hope strengthened which carries us through all afflictions undauntedly and so is a heaven to us before heaâ—ven and thus are our â—esires in heaven to be at rest to bee with Christ which is best of all But some will say wee cannot alwayes intend such things as these we have our callings and are busied about earthly matters and cares I answer true it is yet in the use of these things wee may bee heavenly minded for God in mercie appoints us callings to busie our mindes about which else would bee delving in the idle pleasures of sinne onely he requires that we in the first place seeke for heaven we shall not continue here but wee are travelling still and therefore it is good for us ever to redeeme some time for heaven that wee may come with more speed to our journeyes end Secondly as a helpe to us hee hath left us his Saboths in pitie to our soules which else would altogether be rooting in the earth Let us have a care of the well spending of them for by this we pay homage to heaven and are put in minde thereof Thirdly everie day redeeme sometime for meditation of the vanitie of this world hereby will our untunable soules be still set in tune and for our callings every day sanctifie them by prayer and then all is cleane Fourthly goe about them as in obedience to God knowing that God hath placed us in these callings and he looks for service in imploying those talents bestowed on us and in our serving one another And let us indeavour to shew what our religion is in avoiding the corruptions of our callings Labour also to see God in every thing in crossing us in incouraging and assisting us and this will stirre us up accordingly to pray continually in al things to give thanks and it will make us feare alwayes for the same care and love of God that brings us to heaven doth guide us in our particular actions and callings And in other matters use our selves so as we by these things raise our mindes on high for there is a double use of the creatures First temporall and from thence a spirituall use is raised thus did Christ by considering water he was raised to think of spirituall regeneration and washing and thus we should doe labour to see God in his creatures and thus shall wee helpe our soules by our bodies God will have it thus and therefore setteth downe heavenly things in earthly comparisons Lastly wee must indeavour to make a spirituall use of all things as God doth doth God send crosses on us then before they leave us beg a blessing that they may worke his intended effect in bettering us Doth God blesse us with prosperitie pray that God would sanctifie it to incourage us on to good duties so as in all estates wee may have our conversation in heaven Let no man therefore make pretence that he is poore that he hath no time for this no grace workes matter out of every thing poore Paul nay Paul a prisoner see how he is busied And the truth is that worldly prosperitie is the greatest enemie to a heavenly minde that can bee But the weake Christian will complaine that he cannot finde this in him but he is still carried away with worldly matters though hee strive against it never so much yet the world goes away with him To such I answer strength of grace this way is not in every Christian neither is it at the first Paul had his destractions Rom. 7. from 15. to 24. yet must our labours and indeavors be that way the sinne that is in us cannot hurt us if we strive against it God suffers his children to see their weaknesse as he did deale with Solomon to humble us and make us learne his lesson that all is vanitie and vexation of spirit Let not such therefore bee discouraged but cheerefully goe on in a good course wherein the more we labour and strive the more wee beautifie Religion and credit our Citie and draw on others to bee fellow Citizens with us And thus shall we free our selves from terrors of conscience and from the snares of the divell even as birds when they soare aloft need feare no snares Thus also shall wee get a portion here for its the promise of the God of truth that if we first seek the Kingdome of heaven al these things shal be cast upon us Thus also shall wee be sure of Gods gracious and faithfull protection who hath said hee will keepe us in our wayes And lastly thus shall wee end our dayes with comfort woe bee to him that dies not to the world before hee goes hence but to him that hath his soule in heaven even while it is in his bodie this life is but a pilgrimage and death is advantage VERS 20. From whence wee also looke for the Saviour the Lord Iesus Christ. THese words lay downe such an estate of a Christian as is both a cause and a signe of heavenly conversation and in them we may consider First that Christ is in heaven Secondly that there is a second comming of Christ. Thirdly that Christians expect it Fourthly that this expectation is a cause of heavenly carriage For the first that Christ is in heaven wee have the Scripture to warrant it but the text is pregnant herein we looke for him from heaven ergo he is in heaven And therefore it s a grosse conceipt of the Papists that dreame that his bodie is every where in the bread or with the bread as the Lutherans would hâ—ve it the scripture determines that the heavens must contain him that he sitteth now on the right hand of God that he shall hereafter come to
this spirituall change And a Second reason may be Because we often regard not the truth at the first second or third time urged and taught unto us Wherefore Iob. 33.14 It is said God speaketh once or twice yet man perceives not Therefore if the caution and point be necessary the repetition must needs be necessarie also In the third place There is such a breadth and depth in the points delivered out of the Word of God that although wee heare often the same thing yet we never come to understand the full extent of them Our soules are narrow wee cannot at the first so soundly and deeply consider of them neither can wee understand so many particulars as otherwise we should for in every Christian truth there is milke for children and strong meate which requires digestion and likewise repetition A fourth reason may be Because our corruptions daily increase and grow upon us and varietie of occasion and worldly businesse being naturall to us and therefore more delightfull are too powerfull and doe thrust out the consideration of divine truths which are commonly against the haire And wee cannot have varietie of two things in our mindes at the same time in strength Whence it comes to passe that the better is ever more subject to bee thrust out and therefore had need to bee hammered in with often repetition and insisting upon againe and againe A fifth Reason may be Because we worke as wee understand weakly or strongly When we worke well we must have things present strongly in the understanding as when we tell men of Gods justice omnipresence of the day of judgement of death and the like the lively and present remembrance of these things keeps the minde of man so in frame as it cannot will any evill no more than a lewd person will offend in the presence of the Iudge And this lively remembrance of things is wrought chiefly by repetition and often inforcing the same things and it makes the minde to be wholly taken up therewith And therefore it is a good way when we would doe any good action well to be taken up with reading or hearing of good by way of preparation thereunto And the want of the presence of good things in our minde layes us open and makes us fit for all companies and occasions of sinne In the sixt and last place Our memories are very weake to remember and to reteine any thing that is good Since the fall they are broken and good things sinke through them as water through a sieve and therefore hath great need of remembrancers And after this manner hath God dealt with man as in the promise of the blessed seed how often is it reiterated and typified and to Abraham is it renewed seven times So God to David often renewed his promise concerning the Kingdome as also the promise concerning the deliverance of the people of Israel from captivitie in Esay is often repeated This also did Christ the great Doctour of his Church in his Parables in one Chapter argueth one principall metter with foure Parables one after another although with some varietie teaching Ministers thereby to doe the like to avoid tediousnesse Repetition in Scripture serves to divers ends Sometimes for the stronger averring of the certaintie thereof Wherefore it was that Pharoahs dreame was doubled Sometime for Emphasis sake as Christ did often Amen Amen and in dying thou shalt die and the like phrases But the maine end is to stirre up us and our affections and to keepe them in life and action when they are stirred up Therefore 2 Pet. 1.12 Because they knew they could not bee over-sure of salvation nor grow too much in grace he sayes so long as he lives hee will put them in minde of such things Let it not therefore bee grievous to Ministers to doe what is for the safetie of Gods children They must doe it till they see practise come to perfection and they must cast and cast again Peter hee cast often and got nothing yet at Christs word hee cast againe So must Ministers God that blesseth not every cast may blesse the last cast to the catching of many and therefore a Minister had need of a father-like affection to his hearers as St. Paul had 2 Thes. 2.11 A second use may be for our selves If we heare the same things repeated heare them as an impression which may carry force and work upon our hearts more strongly than before and know that God may worke on us by one meanes at one time which he did not at another as a dart pierces deeper being cast by one than by another And therefore Let us not be weary of attendance on Gods ordinances for our corruptions daily increase as our age doth our minding of things is but slight and our memory very brittle And we must know that the word teaches doing and practising as well as knowing And therefore to conceive a necessitie of a continuall Ministrie to perfect a Church as well as to begin it The Sacraments are necessary receive them often the Primitive Church had them every Lords day Till we come to the holy Land of that heavenly Canaan let us submit our selves to this Manna It is Angels food and they desire to looke into these mysteries And therefore take heed of fulnesse or loathing for when we come to that passe that we must have Novum or Nihil God takes away this Manna thus loathed Thus did he with the Greeke Churches they gave themselves not to the plaine sincere truth but mans inventions whereby God gave them over to strange opinions and indeed it is a rule None absents himselfe from Gods word but he is given over and that justly to beleeve toyes to attribute all praise and delight to this or that idle Authour which it may be is Heathenish or Popish The Greek Churches affecting Novelties were justly given over to Mahomet but to a true Christian heart there cannot be more delight than in the experimentall knowledge of Christs death and office of perseverance in grace these are standing dishes in this Christian banquet It is a signe God meanes to plague that person or nation that is delighted in such ill sawces he will make them come out of our nosthrils we shall have our fill of them and never hunger after the sincere milke of the Word VERS 2. Beware of Dogges IN this generall exhortation Consider first the persons to whom it is directed To all the Philippians not only to the Pastor but even to the common Christians They must beware of false Teachers Is it so Then surely they ought to take notice of them and to know them and therefore they ought to have rules to discerne them by Christs sheepe they discerne between a wolfe and a shepherd Ioh. 10.45 His sheepe discerne an Heretike or false-teacher from those that are true shepherds in the maine points of Christian Religion and therefore 1 Ioh. 4.1 He bids all
by private friends Nay canst thou desire this search that thou maist know thy â—inne more and more for this end that thou mayst truely hate it with a more perfect hatred Canst thou truely appeale to God as Peter did to Christ thou knowest that I love and preferre thee above all It is a sure signe of thy sinceritie which the world cannot have and therefore when they see their sinnes laid open they spurne at the ordinances and spite the Minister and their true friends that put them in minde of their faults accounting them as their onely enemies Surely they shall never be able to indure the search of God hereafter and the last day when he shall lay them open they shall be overcome with shame A fourth signe is That at the houre of thy death this spiritual worshipping of God will give thee content when nothing else can Thou mayst say with comfort as Hezekiah did Lord remember how I have walked before thee in sinceritie When down-right affliction comes outward verball profession vanisheth with all the comforts thereof then perisheth the hope of the hypocrite Two things upheld Iob in comfort in his great extremity he was first assured that his redeemer lived and secondly he knew his innocency in those things that his friends charged him with and such times will fall on us all either at the time of death or before when nothing but innocencie and sincerity shall be able to uphold us Labour therefore for sincerity and spirituall worship Worship God in spirit but let it be done outwardly also But first bring thy heart and intention to what thou dost and that will stirre up the outward man to its duty and for the performance hereof follow these directions First learne to know God aright For worship is answerable to knowledge for how can we reverence God aright when we know neither his goodnesse nor his greatnesse how can we trust on God when we see not his truth in the performance of his promises in the Scriptures and in our owne experience those that doe not these know not God for as the heart affects according to knowledge So also its true in divinitie as we know his justice wee shall feare as we know his mercy wee shall love him and as we know his truth we shall trust on him Psal. 9.10 They that know thy name shall trust in thee and in other places of the said Psalme the Lord is knowne in the judgement he executeth vers 16. Secondly know God to be the first mover and cause of all men ordinarily feare the creature attributing that to it which belongs to the Creator But God he is the giver of all and Christians looke on the secondary means as to the first author and ground of all the rest they behold the Magistrate as in God feare them no otherwise but in the Lord. Atheists they will not sticke at any sinne whatsoever to get the love of those that may bring them any worldly commodity A Christian hee pleases and seekes the love of him that can make enemies friends when he lists and when it s for our good he knowes in him we live move and have our being Thirdly make much of spirituall meanes God he works by meanes by his word attend to it it works love feare joy and reverence in us and therefore no marvaile if those that neglect these meanes are not acquainted with these graces of Gods spirit 4 Fourthly Lift up thy heart to Christ the quickening spirit 1 Cor. 15. Our hearts naturally are dead Christ is our life when thou art most especially called to love to feare to humilitie pray to him to move thee and yeeld thy selfe to him and then shalt thou pray in spirit as it is said in Iude 20. heare in spirit doe all in spirit doe outward workes of thy calling in spirit for a true worshipper will out of spirituall grounds doe all outward works of his particular calling as well as the workes of his generall Christian vocation Let us therefore doe all things from our hearts to God and to our neighbour else will not God accept of our workes It is the Iew inwardly who shall have praise of God The want of this sincerity hath extinguished the light of many a glorious professour and thereby hath brought a great scandall upon the true worshippers of God in spirit VERS 3. And rejoyce in Christ. THe word rejoyce implyes a boasting or glorying of the heart manifesting it selfe in outward countenance and gesture as also in speech it also implies a resting on and contenting in the thing we glory in proceeding from an assurance that we glory in a thing worthy of glory for they are fooles that delight in bables Observe hence therefore That those that will worship Christ aright must glorie in him For the worship of Christ is a thing that requires incouragement and nothing can worke this incouragement like the glorying in Christ and therefore Paul in the first part of his Epistle to the Romans having shewed that God had elected them freely and had begun the worke of sanctification in their hearts he comes in the 12. Chapter I beseech you saith he present your selves as a holy living and acceptable sacrifice to God And in Tit. 2.11 The grace of God teacheth by incouraging us to deny ungodlines to walk unblameably soberly righteously and godlily in this present world And therefore whensoever wee grow dull or dead think of the great benefits that we have by Christ and it will quicken us and all our performances In the next place observe That Christ is the matter and subject of true glory and rejoycing and onely Christ for they well goe together a full and large affection with a full and large object boasting is a full affection the object is every way as full First as he is God and man he is God full of all things he is man full of all grace and void of all sinne he is Christ anointed to performe all his offices he is a Prophet all-sufficient in all wisedome in him are the treasures of wisedome he teaches us not onely how to doe but he teaches the very deed he is our High-priest he is the sacrifice the altar and the Priest and he is our eternall Priest in Heaven and on earth on earth as suffering for us in Heaven as mediating for our peace Who shall condemne us it is Christ that dyeth yea rather that is risen againe who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Rom. 8.34 He is also our King he is King of all King of kings and Lord of lords a King for ever and at all times subduing all rebellions within us and all enemies without us and he is all these so as none is like him and therefore is worthy of our glory Secondly Christ is communicative in all these he is Prophet Priest King for us he is God man he is Christ for us he
to Christ we are adulterers No let him kisse us with the kisses of his mouth and none but he Fifthly this joy where it is it will breed content in all estates Paul could want and abound and so can a true rejoycer in Christ he hath all he cares not for earthly wants so he wants no heavenly comfort if he be poore he is rich in heaven nay what he most complaines of are good for him life or death all 's one with him Christ is his and in him all things But it may be said There are many Christians are not in this happy condition I answer It s their owne fault to yeeld to the divels policie and their owne weaknesse that will not labour to breake through these clouds and challenge the promises VERS 3. And have no confidence in the flesh THese words are in truth included in the former for he that glories in Christ will have no confidence in the flesh But the Apostle notes this as a plaine demonstration and evidence of the glorying in Christ. For by the copulative conjoyning of them it is all one as if he had said what a man trusts to he glories in and what he glories in he trusts to and is confident of If in wit his glorying be he trusts to it though it be to his ruine as it fell out with Achitophel If in eloquence of speech hee trusts to it and it brings shame as it did to Herod If in honour hee trusts to it and brings himselfe to dishonour as Haman did By flesh is meant outward things as prerogatives priviledges actions of a mans owne doing and particularly he aimes at Circumcision which he calls outward and that of the flesh So as the observation that wee may gather is That confidence in Christ takes away confidence in outward things The reason is if Christ be fully all sufficient what need is there of any outward thing to put confidence in For these are two opposite things and one overthrows the other The second instruction is That naturally men have confidence in outward things for having not hearts filled with grace they relish not Christ but flye to ceremonious outward actions as their refuge Nay in the Church till we be converted we naturally flie to outward fleshly confidence We have the Word taught to us we come to heare it twice on the Lords day alas what is this if thou be not transformed and inwardly and outwardly conformed in obedience Hast thou the Sacraments dost thou uncover thy head or bow the knee these are good and they seeme faire but where is the heart how is that prepared hast thou an earnest desire to leave off thy course of sinning and dost thou resolve hereafter to amend thy life O here is the hard spirituall worke So in outward fasting and abstinence it s an easie matter the Pharisee did it often but this is the fast that God hath commanded to loose the bands of wickednesse Esay 59.6 to fast from sinne The suffering of the flesh if it be separated from spirituall use and almes they profit nothing 1 Cor. 13.3 All Pauls prerogatives which were many 2 Cor. 11 and 12. chapters Yet were they in his account but drosse and dung in comparison of Christ. Most men are like Ephraim Hosea 10.11 as heiferâ— who serve to tread out corne and to plow Ephraim loved to tread corne where hee might eate his belly full for by the law of Moses the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corne was not to bee musled men they are delighted in the performance of slight duties but to put their necke under the yoke to plow its a hard worke who can beare it But some will say O what doe you condemne outward duties and use of them I answer wee may consider religious duties two wayes First as they are outward meanes to salvation for so they are Secondly as they are expressions of inward truth and so out of a sincere intire affection wee beare to them and out of a desire to bee wrought upon by them we doe them thus they are commended that use them but let them want but an inch of this all is abominable all is flesh The Iewes they boasted in the name of holy people in their law in the Temple in the Holy land yet for all these saith God you shall goe into captivity against such Christ preached Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees you tithe mint but let passe justice and judgement And Paul bee not high minded but feare And the reasons why men are taken up with this fleshly confidence are First outward things are easie and men cannot bend themselves to performe the hard matters of the law Secondly they are glorious and men desire to be observed Thirdly men have a foolish conceit that God is delighted with the outward act when the inward sinceritie is wanting Fourthly men want knowledge of themselves want the inward change want sense of their owne unworthinesse and Christs worthinesse Fifthly God followeth such with prosperitie in this world thereby they thinke God is well pleased with them til the houre of death come and then they finde all but froth How shall we know whether our confidence is fleshly or not I answer where this fleshly confidence is there is bitternesse of spirit against sinceritie the Pharisees the Doctours of the law sate in Moses chaire yet who more opposed Christ than they Nay they wholly and onely in their whole course sought to persecute him and made it their trade Secondly where this fleshly confidence is there is also a secret blessing of our selves in our performance of good duties without humiliation of our defects Hypocrites think that God is beholding to them and therefore doe blesse themselves in the deed done In the fourth verse hee comes to an argument taken from himselfe against those of the Concision VERS 4. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh if any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh I more AS if he had said if any other man may glory in the flesh then may I much more But I doe not thinke that I have cause sufficient to glory in the flesh therefore have not they or may not they glory in the flesh And the reason or ground of this proposition is taken from his many prerogatives he had which he comes to in the 5. and 6. verses following Circumcision was the first prerogative before conversion and it was not before the eighth day to the end that the childe might gather some strength to beare and indure the ceremony for it was of it selfe grievous and a bloudy ceremonie Wherefore it was that Moses his wife called him a bloudy husband and this ceremony was not to be respited above eight dayes that the parents might not be delayed in their comfort Whence we may gather that dying before baptisme is no necessary
impediment to the salvation of the childe for the same covenant is annexed to circumcision that is to baptisme and the Papists that hold that the death of children before baptisme hindreth the salvation of the infant may as wel hold that all the children that dyed before the eight day being the day of circumcision were damned Secondly observe this that children though infants may nay must bee baptized if it may be with conveniencie for children were circumcised nay they were injoyned circumcision on the eighth day Now seeing the covenant is the same and given to children now as then why may not the seale therof be now given in their infancie as then VERS 5. Of the stocke of Israel IAcob had his name changed of his wrestling with the Angell and prevailed St. Paul sayes he was of that stocke of Israel that prevailed with God VERS 5. Of the Tribe of Benjamin THere were two Tribes of especiall credit Iuda and Benjamin they were Kingly Tribes Benjamin was honoured with the first King Saul the sonne of Kish who though he were a cast-away yet it s a matter of great joy in the flesh to have great men personages and learned men of their linage VERS 5. An Hebrew of the Hebrewes MOre ancient than an Israelite for Abraham was an Hebrew before Iacob was an Israelite and he was an Hebrew borne no proselyte or converted Iew. VERS 5. As touching the Law a Pharisee BEfore Christs time there were divers sects among the Iewes as Pharisees Scribes Herodians and Essaei but the Pharisees were the greatest sect of all and as the word signifies so they did separate themselves as better than other Iewes whatsoever And St. Paul layes downe this as one especiall carnall thing wherein hee might glory hee was no common Iew but a zealous Iew so as thence we may observe That there is a fire and zeale that is not kindled by heaven but as St. Iames saith of the tongue is set on fire of hell out of ignorance blind zeale therefore is a ground of destruction we are therefore to take heed for unlesse our zeale have an eye nothing is more tempestuous and troublesome than that man is whom it possesses VERS 6. Concerning zeale persecuting the Church WHere zeale is if it be meant in the largest sense it is very hot against all opposites it hath the name from fire separating Heterogenies and gathering things Homogeneall our Apostle was none of those drowsie professours that would be content to mingle Religions so as where there is no opposition there is no zeale and therefore those that would reconcile religions false and true they have not a sparke of zeale but are key-cold Againe Paul well joynes persecution and a Pharisee together for there was never hypocrite but he was a persecutor For he making and grounding his profession on pride and a desire to be counted holy when a downe right person esteemes him not but by his integrity puts the others outward profession out of countenance presently hee falleth a persecuting especially if his hypocrisie brings any profit or gaine As it was with Demetrius in the Acts. And as it is now with the Romish Church whose chiefe end is profit as appeares by their Purgatorie Indulgences Pardons Dispensations and the like you shall have as much Masse as you will and as little preaching We may observe further That carnall zeale is persecuting zeale and the persecuting Church is the false Church Christs flock never persecutes wolves it will not indeed indure to bee neare them but it s not cruell against them The Papists indeed they speake much of their mildnesse and meeknesse but what is the reason their hands are bound Solve leonem senties leonem loose the Lion and then shall you find he is a Lion VERS 6. Touching the righteousnesse which is in the law blamelesse THis was a great prerogative But how can he be said to be blamelesse as concerning the law when he was without the law Rom. 7 9. I answer its true he was without the law in respect of the inward man in respect of sanctified knowledge love and feare but in regard of his outward course of life no man could blame him Let this be observed by carnall civill men they may bee blamelesse as concerning outward conversation and yet without the law But if he was blamelesse as concerning the law how could hee blame himselfe so as hee did Rom. 7.15 I answer St. Paul then had a new esteeme and judgement hee had a new light which shewed him much corruption where before he saw none This meets with weake Christians that thinke themselves unconverted and cast-awayes because they see a great deale of sinne in them Paul was without blame now miserable man who shall deliver me Christians therefore are to bee comforted and to know that they are not the worse because they see themselves sinfull daily more and more but that they are better as to whom God does dayly bestow the light of his holy spirit to make them see more clearly into their estates We know that we see onely the moates where the Sunne shineth yet cannot we deny but all the ayre is as full as that part which the Sunne inlighteneth Let not such therefore be discouraged but let them know where there is any opposition there is spirit as well as flesh and that at length the spirit will have the victory VERS 7. But what things were gaine to me those I count losse for Christ. THose things and priviledges that formerly hee counted gaine now hee counts them losse It is good therefore to teach by examples as St. Paul does here inforce rules by his owne experience and example It is also expedient sometimes to speake of prerogatives and priviledges that a man hath in himselfe and it s not universall that wee must not speake of any thing that might concerne our owne praise For we may doe it as St. Paul does here to beat downe the pride of others that are vaine glorious or wee may as Paul does lift up our selves to abase and beat down our selves the lower In the third place when God vouchsafes his children any outward priviledges he doth it for the good and helpe of others though we see it not at the first Paul had these priviledges that hee might beate down the pride of the Iewes more powerfully And Solomon had all abundance of wisedome riches and the like why But only that he might without controule judge of all as of vanitie and vexation of spirit and make it to bee beleeved more firmely For had an ordinary man said it men would have thought its easie for him to say so but if he had tried thē he would have been otherwise minded In these latter times our best teachers were at the first Papists and of the more zealous sort As Bucer and Luther being also learned men as also Peter Martyr and Zanchius was brought up in Italy and all this that they
the naturall sonne in whom is no blemish should suffer and the adopted sonnes who are the causes of all offence should goe free It is equitie that we having taken Christ for our husband he should bee accompanied by us in sicknesse and in health in dishonour as in honour Thirdly it is long agoe decreed of God and predestinated and therefore cannot bee avoyded Rom. 8. â— 9 Whom hee did fore-know them he predestinated to be conformed to the Image of his Sonne Fourthly its equall that if hee were conformed to us we should be conformable to him now he was conformed to us in that hee suffered that which wee should have suffered and did that for us which we were to do and could not he having drunke deepe of the cup prepared for us let us therefore at the least taste of it Yea let us suffer any thing with an undaunted courage when we are called thereto for Christ he will come with comforts he is not emptie he will make us like him hee will prepare us hereby for glorie feare not therefore God will turne all thy troubles to thy good And thus we doe fill up the measures of the afflictions of Christ in our flesh Col. 1.24 And are made partakers of Christs sufferings 1 Pet. 4.13 We have the like exhortations hereunto 1 Pet. 2.21 1 Pet. 3.14 to 18. Thus did Paul 2 Cor. 4.10 hee carryed the dying of Christ about with him Let no Christian therefore promise to himselfe immunitie from crosses he that will be a Christian must be conformable to Christ and he that will be like to him in glorie he must be like to him in drinking the Cup hee dranke of while hee was here in the flesh VERS 10. If by any meanes I might attaine to the Resurrection of the dead BY Resurrection of the dead he meanes the glorious estate after this life whereas the resurrection is but the beginning and the words sound as much in effect as if the Apostle had said I know I shall be happie at length but betweene this time and that I know I shall meet with troubles with many crosses yet let the way be never so difficult I passe not by any meanes to come to such an excellent end as the resurrection of the dead is in which words wee will First consider that there is a happie estate reserved hereafter which begins with the resurrection of the bodie whereby wee are farre more happie than the Angels that fell and also more happie than we were in our first estate in Adam which we lost and therefore our hearts should be inlarged with thankes to God that respects us above the Angels whom hee hath left without hope of recoverie In the next place consider that the beginning of our blessed estate hereafter is at the resurrection which is called the day of restoring of all things and a time of refreshing Acts 3.19 It s a day when all good shall be perfected and all evill shall cease all griefe of minde all trouble of body and death it selfe shall be swallowed up into victorie But why are we not happie before our resurrection I answer because our bodies and soules are partakers of miserie and sinne here and therefore cannot partake of fulnesse of happinesse before they be united together again God will have us to stay while all his familie of blessed Saints shall meet together as well us that are now alive as our seed and posteritie after us In the third place observe that the Apostle makes resurrection of the dead the last thing establishing thereby an order that there must be meanes to the resurrection and then the resurrection it selfe Ought not Christ to suffer these things and so to enter into his glorie Math. 28. And if we suffer with him we shall also reigne with him the second resurrection must begin with the first we are sonnes and Saints hereafter but so we must also be here onely a difference there will be in degree of holinesse this resurrection doth not follow every manner of life although men ordinarily expect a crowne without crosses and never looke for justification and sanctification but thinke they shall be in heaven at an instant without them But we must suffer with Christ in Mount Calvarie before wee come with him to the Mount Olivet In the fourth place wee may likewise note that its hard to come to heaven because of this order established by God not in comparison of the end for that surmounteth in excellencie the hardnesse of the meanes but in respect of the meanes some by faire death with many crosses in their life some not by many outward crosses yet have store of inward troubles of the minde by reason of their inward corruption that doth trouble them others by violent deathes and by martyrdome the wayes are so many and the meanes so diverse as there is no certainty which way wee shall passe As St. Paul knew not the meanes so he cared not what the means were for he was content to go thither by any meanes let the cup of affliction be never so bitter the glorie insuing will sweeten all Away therefore with all idle and secure thoughts of sparing our selves Pitie thy selfe said Peter to Christ but was answered sharpely get thee behinde me sathan no the way is very hard we must come to health by physick the end is so amiable as it will sweeten all sowre meanes and therefore its good for us to be afflicted crosses bring at length the sweetest comforts Denie wee our selves therefore in Christs cause know no bodie looke upon God and Christs promises and promise wee ourselves no more than God promises it s beyond our knowledge what God will doe with us he promises no immunitie from crosses Nay the Saints and the Apostles chose crosses and afflictions rather than the pleasures of sinne who were wise and had triall of both kindes and yet accounts these momentanie afflictions not worthy of comparison with the glory that shall bee revealed they were but light 2 Cor. 4.17 Rom. 8.18 And if wee would truly beleeve this it would be easie for us to be resolved as St. Paul was to come to heaven by all assurances and to come to all manner of assurances by any meanes for no worldly thing can bring content like these heavenly assurances of the presence of the light of Gods love which the children of God will by no meanes lose Secondly in all crosses let us not looke into the state we are in so much as that we are going into we are going to a Pallace let us not bee dejected in the consideration of the narrownesse of the way that leadeth thereto God will not suffer this fierie triall to consume any thing but drosse and therefore let us with Christ suffer the crosse and despise the shame Heb. 12. Thirdly labour for a right esteeme of the things of this world they are but momentarie and fading yea our lives they are given to us by
I am who shall deliver me from the bodie of this death and good reason for these spirituall evils of errour in judgement hardnesse of heart securitie seared conscience and the like they leade us the assured way to damnation as it is said in the words following whose end is damnation Contrarily outward crosses being sanctified to us they bring us to heaven as it is 1 Cor. 11.32 Wee are chastened of the Lord that we should not bee condemned with the world For those crosses are occasions of good affections purging the heart from deadnesse and fleshly trust they draw us to God and therefore spirituall danger is the proper object of pitie It is otherwise with us wee lament Christian bloud-shed but how many soules are carried into error dayly turned to Poperie and no remorse no pitie There is great need thereof both in the Magistrate and the Minister that they should bee moved to provide remedies against such mischiefes And let us be farre from envying such as are in ill courses let their outward pompe be never so great rather lament their miserie alas poore soules how are they hurried nay doe willingly runne to destruction while they are blinded with those idle shewes of vanitie But much more miserable is their estate that draw on others to mischiefe that are brethren in evill what other end can they looke for but to bee as tares bound up and cast into the depth of hell being guiltie of as many mens deathes as they are of ill examples in their passed life But for our selves let not our soules come into their secrets le ts mourne at the lewdnesse of some and the danger of all and to this end let us consider duly of the afflictions of Ioseph taking heed of sensualitie which as Hosea saith taketh away the heart Hos. 4.11 Moses saw the miserie of his brethren and pitied them so should we consider of the danger of Popery of Schisme and rebellion and this will breake our hearts and cause us with Ieremie to mourne in secret for the sins of the times Ier. 13.17 VERS 18. They are the enemies of the Crosse of Christ. IN these and the following words is a description of these in ordinate walkers which the Apostle speaketh of they are described by their disposition First outwardly that they are enemies to Christs death Then inwardly their bellie is their God they glorie in their shame and they minde earthly things Then by their end which is damnation They are pointed out and described to us to the end wee might take notice of them by the Crosse is not meant the signe of the crosse as the Papists fondly imagine but Christs death on the crosse whereby was made satisfaction and redemption and reconciliation The enemies of this crosse are first such as added thereto the ceremoniall obedience to the law and their owne satisfactorie workes Secondly such as are carnall denying the power of Christs crucifying in not crucifying their affections Thirdly such as could not indure of suffer for the testmonie of Christs crucifying and therefoe to avoid persecution they pressed circumcision with Christ and so were enemies to his crosse Gal. 6.12 Such were the enemies thereof then and such have wee now of the Papists let them brag never so much of their esteeme and reverence they give to the signe thereof while they seem to kisse it they betray it Iudas like For while they teach merits satisfaction in purgatory indulgences the like they make the crosse of Christ of none effect whic his onely and wholly sufficient in it selfe And whereas they say they doe adde they take nothing from the sufficiencie of Christ I answer circumcision was added here by these who are notwithstanding condemned for as to joyne poyson with wholesome meate takes away the nourishment of the meate so if we be circūcised Christ shall profitus nothing and grace is no grace where there is merit Rom. 11.6 Againe consider the equitie thereof in naturall reason can it be thought likely that God should become man to doe any thing which lies in the power of man to patch up and make good or else its unsufficient shall finite corrupt man be able to make an infinite worke perfect no God will not give his glorie to another and will he part with his glorie in this great worke which propounds his glorie as the maine end thereof Ephes. the 1.6 and 12. verses Fourthly there are another sort of enemies such as cast not themselves on the merits of Christs crosse those whose consciences were never convict of sinne abundance there are who glorie in their proud presumptious swaggering courses shewing that they are either blinde or starke mad they wilfully runne to perditiō they wil not heare nor be controuled Others that see their fore-passed life how wicked it hath bin they are so far from casting themselves on Christs merits as they despair grow more more obstinate therein even to their own destruction either by not seeing the merits of Christ or through want of confidence on thē though they see his righteousnesse to be above their sins and some are so detestably wicked as because they see no salve for them they run desperatly into a custome of sin continue therin to their death As we would desite to avoid this fearfull estate and condition so let us take heed of custome of sinning for that wil make us senselesse and will move God to give us over And therefore let us take heed that we receive no the grace of God in vaine it being so freely proffered to us And to this end know that so far as we suffer our lusts to over rule us we not crucifie them so far we are enemies For while we know and consider Christ as crucified for our sins it will make us if we have any grace think of sin as of a thing that deserves to be crucified and hate that that caused the death of our deere Savious for they were the cruell tormenters of Christ. And if we embrace Christ we shal have the same affectiō to sin that Christ had for Christ wil not lodg but in a hart humbled for sin And the estate of those men is miserable that are so farre from crucifying lusts as they thrust themselves upon all occasions of temptation and sinne and esteeme them as their onely enemies that tell them of their unchristian courses Surely however they may daube for a time yet their outward profession will never administer sound comfort to them but they shall finde bitternesse at their latter end There are yet another sort of enemies namely such as will indure nothing for Christ who notwithstanding bore his crosse and bids us take up our crosse of reproach for religion some will indure any paine travaile danger and watchings for riches or ambition but dare not speake a word or appeare in Christs cause are not these enemies Shall Christ out of his love come from heaven to the basest
abasement for us and shall not wee indure for a while here seeing it is also for our owne good and we are gainers thereby and considering that Christ called us to suffer for while wee live here and imbrace true religion there will ever be a crosse and shame in the world accompanying the profession thereof if it bee sincere Preachers therfore that preach not Christ plainly and boldly and hearers that come to the hearing of the Word rather for Rhetoricall flourishes wittie sentences fit onely for discourse sake even thus farre they are enemies For if Christ bee not preached mainly and chiefly to this end to amend the lives of men to winne soules to Christ. And if men comming to heare come not even for this end mainly to be bettered in their salvation to bee strengthened in grace they shall be damned as enemies for this that the meanes of salvation they prophane and despise And therefore let us abase our selves for our sinnes and magnifie Gods goodnesse in affording meanes of salvation Labour also to shew how wee profit by suffering for the Gospell and count it an honour and rejoyce that wee are worthie to suffer for Christ labour to overcome the world and our lusts and to honour Christ even in his meanest children If the love of Christ will not constraine us no motives will draw us VERS 19. Whose end is destruction THe word signifies a rewâ—rd and is translated and taken often for an end because reward is given at the end of the worke and thus is salvation called a reward for goodnesse because it is given at the end of a holy life The other word signifies damnation or destruction which implyes all things tending to or accompanying the punishment of a wicked life and the connexion of these words with the former may be thus framed hee that is an enemie to the cause of life is an enemie to life but those that are enemies to the crosse of Christ are enemies to the cause of life and to that which saves them and therefore they must needs be destroyed this made the Apostle judge of them thus and withall be saw they were void of grace and were incorrigible and from hence we may inferie That wee may in some sort judge of the spirituall estate of men even while they are alive for as Astronomers can judge of eclipses and statesmen of the continuance or danger of the state and Physitians of the event of diseases by the course of naturall causes so in religion there are predictions on good grounds what will follow of ill courses tending to dam nation But more particularly there is a three-fold judgement First one by Faith which concerning our selves brings certainty and so wee are able to judge of our selves Secondly there is a judgement by fruits comparing mens disposition and state with their fruits and so wee say if men walke riotously we can inferre surely he is in no good estate by their fruits shall you know them saith Christ. Thirdly there is a particular revelation of Gods spirit this the Prophets and Apostles had but now we have no such rule yet by the fruits and course of men it s an easie matter to judge what the end of those men will be following those courses for Gods word is the same now that it was then Indeed when wee judge men in things indifferent this is rash and condemned by the Apostle Rom. 14. For Use hereof let us learne to judge our selves and know if wee breake wilfully the knowne rules of salvation we are in a fearfull estate And we should also submit to the judgement of Gods ministers while we are here and amend for else looke assuredly for the sentence of death hereafter from God himselfe when there will be no revoking thereof For though punishment may be deferred a while yet assuredly it shâ—ll not goe well with the wicked Eccles. 8.13 at the last In the next place observe There is an end to every way for it is taken for granted that they have an end and surely wee will not nor cannot be alwayes as we are wee are labourers and there is a time of payment of our wages And therefore wee should looke whether our wayes doe tend there will bee an end of this life but damnation shall be without end We should also bee inquisitive to see if wee be out of this way that we may be reformed for these worldly pleasures must end in eternall vengeance and this life is but a way to that end And in the third place learne to bee patient when wee see the wicked runne on in a broad high way what though they be admired here and lifted up they are but condemned persons and therefore envie them not seeing we would be loath upon serious deliberation to change estates with them Observe wee further from these words that God will judge eternally not onely for grosse scandalous sinnes in the course of our life but even for errors in judgement For wee must judge aright as well as affect aright and God hath no service from corrupt judgements Those that joyne mans merits with Christs merits they cannot relye on God alone neither can they rejoyce in Christ Christ hath but halfe of them therefore let us keepe the virginitie of our judgements prostitute them not to lyes but reserve them chaste and pure to Christ. And secondly take we heed how wee converse with such as are of corrupt judgements they are Gods and Christs enemies and will labour to bring us into their wayes and then assuredly let us looke for their end It s reason that those with whom we converse here wee should converse withall hereafter VERS 19. Whose God is their belly THese words doe partly shew the inward disposition of these mâ—n by Bellie in this place hee meanes in generall all contentments and worldly pleasures whereof these Teachers being satisfied they lived at large and at ease But how may they be said to make their bellie their God I answer we may be said to make any thing our God First when we count it one as some of the Papists have esteemed of the Pope as of an essence betweene man and God and some Emperours have required themselves to be so esteemed and adored as a Dietie Secondly when wee give such affections to it as are onely due and proper to God as to trust in it to repose content in it to joy in it and so is that sentence true amor tuus Deus tuus Thirdly when wee use actions of invocation and adoration thereto and thus the Papists make Saints their God attributing such power in working to them as is onely proper to God Fourthly when wee bestow all labour to givâ— satisfaction thereunto for explication these men gave the intention of their most inward affections to procure content to their lusts all their labour was to this end and so quieted themselves in the injoyment of them and as they made their bellie their God so
of the soule and accepts of it Thirdly this justly layes open the folly of mens censures if a man breake not out into open outragious sinnes they esteeme and commend such for good men though it may bee his soule is full stuffed with Atheisme revenge and all manner of villanie Fourthly this should teach us to condemne our selves even for our sinfull thoughts for know though thou livest without danger of mans law thou maist have a rebellious minde opposite to the divine law of God by which thou shalt be judged Yet seeing for this present life wee stand in need of earthly things and are not to cast off all care of them let us hearken to some directions in the use of them For riches and other necessaries God sends them unto us to be as meanes to sweeten our pilgrimage here In the using them take heed they doe not possesse and take up our whole heart immoderately labouring after them and before any spirituall grace This the Apostle blames in these men he saw they made religion to bee subordinate and to give place to their worldly lusts and that as he cared not if by any meanes he could attaine to the resurrection of the dead so they contrarily cared not if by any meanes through any crosse or losse whatsoever they could attaine to riches honour or the like yea if religion stood in their way though it were with the losse of Religion and a good conscience Secondly we must take heed that wee use these earthly things so as to draw good out of them and to imploy them to good labour we to see God in pleasure in richâ—s and in our abundance knowing and esteeming of them as a beame of the bright Sun-shine of Gods favour to us and thus to be lifted up to admire and praise his goodnesse Thirdly make them instruments of mercie and bountie it s an excellent way to further our accompts so receive the good as wee avoide the snare the way is not to hide our talents in a napkin to enter into a Monasterie to live idle but to occupie use and imploy them in the service of God and of our neighbours To conclude let us so use them as they be helpers of us to a better life not binderers for wee are in an estate betweene two in a warring and conflicting estate even as a peece of iron betweene two loadstones and know not which way to leane and yet may offend in the excesse of either side And therefore let us observe some signes whereby we may know whether we bee right or not And first of all this affection of love being the primarie and principall part is knowne by other affections If therefore our love bee set on the world we shall greeve and vexe our selves for worldly losses and fret and be chafed when wee are crossed in them and this made Ahab so lumpish as nothing could comfort him but Naboths vineyard Secondly let us observe whether our labours and indeavours are carried what wee talke of most what thinke we or meditate wee on first and last morning and evening if wee observe our carriage it will discover our minde Such are also opposite to any religious good course he that is rich bitterly opposeth goodnesse and therefore it is that Christ said Yee cannot serve God and Mammon and concludeth It is harder for a rich man to get into heaven than for a Camell to passe through a needles eye But to cure this sore Let us fetch arguments from the nature of the soule of man and the nature of these things and consider the incongruitie betweene the soule a pure heavenly spirituall essence and base earthly corrupt things dust was made meate for the serpent by a curse and not for man And remember The God of truth hath threatned vengeance against his dearest children that doe not mortifie their carnall lusts Abhorre we therefore the first thoughts of this sinne and divert our soules to higher thoughts and bee humbled shaming our selves for debasing our soules in that manner else will God take us in hand for he will not suffer his children to surfeit on the world but will bring them backe that they shall see and know all is but vanitie and vexation of spirit VERS 20. For our conversation is in Heaven Tâ—e word translated here For in the former translation is But and so it depends on the fore going words some walke as enemies to the crosse of Christ c. But our conversation is in heaven If it be as it is here translated For then doth it follow the 17. ver Mark them that walke as ye have us for an example for our conversation is in heaven Shewing the reason why he was so confident in propounding his example to bee imitated which way it be taken it is not much materiall onely from the opposition between those examples he speakes of immediately going before and is propounded in this verse Note that in the Church there are alwayes men of divers dispositions some ever goe with the current into Mare mortuum and others ever against the streame like the starres that are carried with a secret motion of their owne notwithstanding that in this world they seeme to be carried by the violent motion of the common course of men And this was first in Gods eternall decree that their should be perpetuall enmitie between the seed of the woman and of the serpent Secondly There is a difference in calling some onely outwardly some inwardly by his spirit Many are called but few are chosen Thirdly they differ in their rulers one are governed by the Divell and led captive to doe his will others by God Fourthly in regard of their conversation some are heavenly minded others are altogether earthly Fifthly their ends are different the way of one is upwards to heaven the way of the other is downward tending to the gates of death even to hell But to come to the words The Apostle saith not my conversation but our conversation implying that those that meane not to bee of the number of those that have their end in damnation they must bee of the number of those of a holy conversation The word in the originall signifies most properly a freedome or a Burgership So as from the metaphour we may gather thus much That Heaven is a Citie and all true Christians are Citizens and inhabitants of this Citie for as it is in the Citie of this world so may it be said comparatively of this Citie and the inhabitants First it s under a governour who is the Lord Christ. Secondly it s governed by law which is Gods law Thirdly it hath a store-house of all good things as of food and of other of the like sort which is heaven for it hath bread of life it hath rich and plenteous treasure Fourthly it hath liberties they are free from Sathans tyrannie free from the lawes curse and condemning power and are all Kings and shall all raigne
hunger fulnesse And base wee are because wee are upheld by inferiour creatures We enter into the world by one way but goe out by divers deaths some violent some more naturall and by divers sicknesses lothsome to the eyes to the nosthrils and especially when wee are nearest our end when as our countenance is pale our members tremble all our beautie is gone But after wee are departed so lothsome is this our carcasse it must bee had out of sight yea though it bee the body of the Patriarch Abraham Gen. 23.4 For as the bodie of man is the best temper so the corruption thereof is the most vile the best countenances of the greatest personages are the most ugly gastly objects of all others by so much the more by how much they were the more excellent so much the greater is their change And yet are wee not to conceive of this bodie so as though there were no glorie belonging to it for first its Gods workmanship therefore excellent and so excellent as the heathen man Galen being stricken into admiration at the admirable frame thereof breakes out into a hymne in praise of the maker And David could not expresse it but sayes I am wonderfully made God made this his last worke as an Epitomie of all the rest Secondly we are told that we owe glorie to our bodies and therefore we are bidden that wee should not wrong our bodies and the Scripture speakes infamously of selfe-murtherers as of Iudas Saul Achitophel they are branded with a note of shame and reproach And God to shew the respect we owe to our bodies hath provided to every sense pleasing recreations as flowers for the smell light for the eyes musicke for the eare to be briefe hee made all things for the bodily use of man Thirdly these bodies of ours are members of Christ redeemed and sanctified Temples of the holy Ghost as well as our soules And therefore we must take heed when wee read of the base termes that are given to the bodie that we doe not mistake For it is true in regard it keepes the soule from heaven it is the grave of the soule but indeed it is the house the temple and instrument of the soule but being misused it proves an unto ward darke house an unweldie instrument Wee are to take heed therefore of the error of those who afflict it by writing and declaiming against it or by whipping of it when alasse it is the sinne of the soule the unruly lusts and affections that are the causes of all rebellions in us and if the body doth rebell as often it doth come to passe since the fall this proceeds from the corruption of the soule yeelding to the bodie ayde to serve the lusts and God hath appointed a religious abstinence as a meanes to tame such lusts and weaken them which it were to be wished were used oftener than it is But it will be said are the bodies of Christians base for whom Christ shed his most precious bloud I answer while we live here we are in no better condition than others as concerning our bodies Hezekiah is sicke Lazarus hath his sores David and Iob troubled with lothsome diseases and thus its fitting it should fare with us For first Christ laid us this example he tooke our base ragged nature on him hee hungred and thirsted was pained and death had a little power over him and shall we desire a better estate than our master our head had or doe we ever thinke to partake with him in happinesse that will not partake with him in his mean estate the decree of God is that to dust wee must as all the rest of our fellow Saints and servants shall Secondly hereby God doth exercise our faith and hope causing us to looke and expect a better resurrection and by this meanes are our desires edged to a better life for else would we set up our rest here and make this our Paradise Thirdly as yet there is sinne in us from the danger whereof though wee be deliuered yet there is a corruption that remaineth behinde in us and by this hee will teach us the contagion of sinne and teach us to see how the divell hath deceived us by the effects thereof bringing paine torment and lothsomnesse Forthly it shewes Gods wisedome in vanquishing sinne by death which is the childe of sinne for by it shall we be purged from sinne from corruption both of bodie and minde and thus is our base estate made a way to our excellent estate hereafter Wee must therefore moderate our affections to the best things of this life health is changeable and will not continue beautie is a flower of a stalke the flower quickly fades away and perisheth the stalke that is more base continues longest flesh is grasse either cut downe by violent deart or if by age the longer it lives the baser it is and increases continually therein till death when as it is most base It is therefore foolish for any to swell because of beautie or strength which at the best are but curious excellencies of a base bodie and farre more sottish are they that thinke to resist old age and Gods decree by trimming up and painting a withered stocke this is not the way to conquer vilenesse But if we will be rid thereof labour for the meat that perisheth not Ioh. 6.27 But that which maketh us indure to everlasting life is with Marie to chuse the better part that shall not be taken away meat for the belly and the belly for meate but God shall destroy both the one and the other And let this be as a cooler to quench the base wild-fire of love and conâ—ider what is it wee so affect it s but beautifull dust a painted sepulchre a body that after death will bee vilenesse it selfe that while it breathes its full of rottennesse the matter of wormes supported it may be by a carrion soule that whether it willeth or nilleth must leave it and goe into a farre worse place And contrarily in the last place it should teach us to be at a point cheerefully to honour God by sacrificing our selves to him when hee calles for us count it no shame with David to be vile in the eyes of men for Gods cause if the worst could be imagined which cannot be we had as good perish with usage aswith rust But this is the onely way to be glorious to avoid vilenesse even to sacrifice our bodies and all in a good cause what though the world esteem vilely of us as good for nothing but the shambles Rom. 8.36 shall wee feare them no feare him that can destroy both body and soule it s better to goe to heaven without a limbe than to goe to hell with a sound healthfull bodie therefore men temptation of the world doe begin to provoke thee say to thy flesh with Bernard stay thy time the time is not yet to be happie And therefore conclude our soule is but a stranger