God Therefore seeke it of him He calleth it the growth of God because the furniture is of God for where the furniture is of God there must be the growth of God As the naturall furniture maketh the naturall growth euen so where the spirituall furniture is it maketh the spirituall growth and as the one failes see that the other grow daily Endeuour to grow spiritually otherwise this life is most miserable and a wofull death will abide thee Therefore haue a greater respect to the spirituall growth then to this temporall If it be a great corsiue to this life to be bereft of visible and earthly things what a sore sting shall it be to be depriued of the life to come and the ioyes of heauen and the sight of the spirituall things there There must bee sorow of sorrowes the greatest and wofullest sorrow that euer was Further I see there is set downe here an opposition betwixt this growth of God and the swelling vp of the false Apostles Where Iesus is the head and furniture sent downe from him Where Christ is there is the growth of God where he is not and no furniture from him there is no solid growth there There may well be one blowne vp with a vaine winde of poyson as a bodie that will swell foote and hand he may well swell vp in the wombe of sinne but if there be not a furniture from Iesus thou shalt neuer grow truly either in knowledge or sanctification thy estate shall be as the women learning but neuer come to the knowledge of the truth Our Noblemen will take in Iesuites into their chambers and will giue eare to them but I say to thee heare as thou wilt there is no solid growth to be had of his speech There is no sound spirituall growth in the kingdome of Antichrist It may be ye thinke it growes because the world followeth it for the kingdome of the truth of Iesus is in a narrow bound but I say vnto you there is no good growth in that kingdome of Antichrist therefore flye from them flie from Babylon for Babylon shall be destroyed flie away then from them Shame shall befall them that ioyne with them This for the description of Iesus and the growth in him In the next verse hee returneth to his admonition and he saith be not burthened alas these traditions are a burthen of Traditions such weight that whosoeuer will take them on they shall presse them downe to hell and damnation The argument that he vseth ye are dead with Christ and by his crosse he hath freed you if saith he ye be dead with Christ why should ye suffer your selues to be burthened with such trifles as the false Apostles would haue you berthened with as if he would say it is a great indignitie done to Christ if ye doe so He said before they were buried with him now he saith they are dead with Christ Who euer thou be then that hast any part with Iesus thou must be dead with Iesus There is none but they must be dead in this world with Iesus if they would haue any part with him A man that is quicke in this world giues a token that he hath no part with Iesus But heare this death described Yee were dead saith hee with Christ then hee hath a companion that is a blessed death that hath the fellowship of Iesus It is better to die with Iesus then to liue with all the world The word which he vseth imports further To die by vertue of his death so it is his death that maketh vs to die O there is a double happines blessed is that soule that dieth by vertue of the death of Iesus So then it is not so much thou that diest as it is sinne that dieth in thee by vertue of his death Yet more he saith ye were dead with Christ Where from from the ordinances or elements that is the grosse rudiments of Religion that imported a subiection and a thraldome to the law Looke if this be a burthen or not So in a word there is the greatest happines to die with Christ for to die with him is to be freed of the law and of sinne So wouldest thou haue a blessed death dye this death with Christ for it bringeth to thee a faire libertie It is better to dye with Christ then to liue a slaue with sinne And if thou wouldest liue a free man leaue Libertie sinne and seeke the libertie that is in Christ He saith if ye be dead with Christ why are ye burthened with traditions somewhat sharply and angerly Fie shame fie shame on thee that goest to put thy necke vnder traditions wherefrom thou wast once freed fie on thee man that makest defection to Papistrie why goest thou to be burthened with such vanities Now he lets them see that it was a mischieuous thing that they cast off Christ to liue to this life This is a miserable case with the wofull and sinfull life in this world O thou Papist woe is thee that makest this choice thou that hast dyed with Christ thou wilt begin to liue with the Pope and his vaine traditions It shall neuer make thee to haue life no not in this world as quicke as thou seemest to be I insist so much the more in this that ye that stand should be moued to stand still and not to be chaunged from your Christ as many doe when they goe to these parts of the Popes dominions O it will be a blacke day to you if ye stand not fast euer by Christ and his truth Be ioyfull that ye are crucified with Christ and be not wanton with the world but be sorie for sinnefor if sinne liue in you ye shall dye but if thou leaue it in the teares of repentance thou shalt liue for euer I loue not a wanton sinner be therefore buried and dead with Christ that ye may liue with him To whom with the Father and holie Spirit bee euerlasting praise and glorie for euer and euer Amen THE XXII LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 2. vers 21. 22. 23. 21 As touch not taste not handle not 22 Which all perish with the vsing and are after the commaundements and doctrines of men 23 Which things haue in deede a shew of wisedome in voluntary religion and humblenes of minde and in not sparing the bodie which are things of no value sith they pertaine to the filling of the flesh YE heard the last day welbeloued brethren in Iesus Christ the Apostle when he had set downe that faire description of Christ the head of the bodie he returned to his purpose and that admonition which is through this whole chapter that they should beware of false teachers and false doctrine and especially that they should not take on thē the burthen of ordinances that is to say y e burthen of the rites and ceremonies of the law that sometime had place in the Church of the Iewes
the father to the world and that in loue There is nothing in this new band but mercie vpon mercie mercie in the beginning mercie in the progresse and mercie in the end Indeede it is not without iustice and wrath but thou art spared and the iustice and wrath it strikes on the Mediatour so that that is iustice and wrath in the Mediatour it is mercie and grace to thee Nay he hath not spared his owne sonne yet he hath spared the stinking sinner Wilt not thou be thankfull for this benefit Well if there be not a sense of the mercie of God in Iesus Christ looke not for heauen I warne thee that art a King an Earle a Lord a Baron a subiect man wife lasse and lad if ye haue not a sense of this mercie of God in Iesus Christ ye shall neuer see heauen Now to come to the last circumstance after what manner is this reconciliation made with sinfull man The manner is set downe in these words making peace by his bloud shed on the crosse The father reconciles vs to himselfe after this manner by making peace with vs in the bloud of Christ Brethren when two men are at variance the third man will step in and intreate the person that is at variance with the other to be friends with him and he will obtaine it especially if he be an intire man But O that sonne of God! that deere and that welbeloued when he comes in it is not faire words it is not supplications that will doe the turne but him it behooued to go to suffer death and that dead stroke of hell that should haue lighted on me and thee and should haue brused vs euerlastingly he casts in his head and that stroke lights on him It cannot be holdē off thee by no other buckler but by his head and bloud shedding without bloud no remission Heb. 9. nay nay either shall thy bloud passe for it or els the bloud of the Mediatour O it is a terrible thing to haue to doe with the wrath of an infinite God! there is nothing can satisfie him but the precious bloud of his own deere sonne and no other death can satisfie him but a cursed death the death of the crosse a painfull death to be nailed quicke to a crosse It was the figure of the death of hell He was pained vpon the crosse with the paines of hell If he could not escape such a death who was an innocent how wilt thou who art a sinner escape that terrible death O what death shall abide thee if thou be not in him These words then teach vs two things first the greatnes of the enmitie that could not be remoued but by the bloud and execrable death of the Mediatour For if this enmitie had bin but a sillie and small feude what needed all this that the sonne of God should dye such a death Wherefore should all this adoe haue been wherefore should he haue suffered such extremitie So if there were no more to tell thee the greatnes of sin the death and the bloud of Iesus Christ shed on the crosse tels thee O sinne is great and yet the world will not heare it but the soule stinking sinner will wallow in it more and more O sinner sinne is foule and fearefull An euill thought is a great and terrible mountaine The first world had experience of this greatnes of sinne being without Christ Our Gentles in Scotland with the rest felt it I tell thee before this bloud came and the full time came there was nothing to hold off the dint of the wrath and stroke of God that that world found before the comming of Christ What was it a small matter to be an enemie to God was it a light thing to sinne No no for all that time before Christs comming for the greatest part God was doing no other thing but striking and hashing on sinners slaying her and slaying him Sinne raigned all the time to death saith Paul Rom. 5. in the end all perished and went to hell for the most part except some very few And I tell you this world thinkes there is no hell and very few get this grace for so long as that olde Tabernacle stoode few got entrie to grace So they miserable soules that lie now in torment they testifie and crie the horriblenes of sinne and O the preciousnes of the bloud that hath freed now the soules of men from sinne Now when he came into the world I put it out of question The calling of the Gentiles increased the number whereas one was saued before hundreds were saued after For Christ saith for once the bloud was shed men and women thronged into heauen Matth. 11. So all tels thee the blessednes of thy estate that hath fallen in this time If thou hadst any sense if thou wert sent out naked to begge thy meate thou art happie considering this time wherein thou art borne O the happines of this time when the bloud of Christ runnes abroad as a riuer to saue sinners but wee are blinded and as I said before that number is drawne in and beginning to be abridged and the force of the bloud is drawne in and begun to bee lessened and the force of faith is nothing now in respect of the former time of the Primitiue Church and daies of the Apostles and therefore as it began with a handfull so it shall end with a very handfull and blessed is that man that can striue to throng into heauen through this bloud of Iesus Now the Lord worke this in our hearts that as wee seeke for the kingdome of heauen so we may throng in at it through this bloud of Iesus To whom be praise and honour Amen THE EIGHT LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 21 22. 21 And you which were in times past strangers and enemies because your mindes were set in euill workes hath he now also reconciled 22 In that bodie of his flesh through death to make you holy and vnblameable and without fault in his sight THese daies past beloued in Iesus Christ wee haue heard a high description of the Sonne of God the Lord Iesus in the which he is painted out in a marueilous glorie In the last part of this description ye heard it was said that by him as the Mediatour it pleased the Father to reconcile to himselfe all things both in heauen and earth making the peace by the bloud of his crosse In the which words the Apostle turnes ouer vpon the whole Church that hee hath spoken of the sonne of God For all his glorie tends to the weale of his Church all to the reconciling of the Church with God the head in him as the Mediatour Now brethren in this text that we haue read vers 21. he applies this blessing of reconciliation to the Church of the Colossians in speciall And you also saith he hath he reconciled In the which words as before he turneth ouer
the whole glorie of Iesus Christ vpon the vniuersall Church so now he turnes it ouer vpon this particular Church of Colosse For the glorie of Iesus Christ the sonne of God as it is the glorie of the whole Church so it is the glorie of euery particular Church and in so doing no question hee applies it to euery particular person in the Church so that the glorie of the sonne of God is mine and thine Beleeuest thou in him All this glorie is thine There is no point of it in him but thou shalt haue the vse of it so that no man or woman that is in the Church needs to enuie this glory in Iesus Christ It is naturall to men and women to enuie the glorie that others haue aboue them yea subiects will enuie the honour and glorie of Princes aboue them But thou who art a subiect in Christs Church thou needes not to enuie Christs glorie All his glorie is thine yea thou oughtest to haue no pleasure but when thou lookest vpon his glorie and exaltation But to come to the words We see then in these words there is a particular application of this benefit of reconciliation to the Church of the Colossians The text first offers vs to be considered who is the reconciler Now saith the Apostle he hath The Reconciler reconciled Who is this that hath reconciled the Colossians to God Before speaking of the reconciliation in generall with the whole Church he said It hath pleased the Father to reconcile all things to himselfe in him but now plainly in the text the Reconciler is changed It was the father before now the sonne of God the second person of that glorious Trinitie hee is the Reconciler Wherein the Apostle lets vs see that in this worke of reconciliation this sonne of God is not onely a patient not onely a Mediatour to suffer for our sinnes but he is an agent a doer a reconciler As he is the Mediatour of the reconciliation he is not onely a sacrifice in the which the reconciliation is made but he is a sacrificer offering himselfe in a sacrifice to God for our sinnes For looke how willingly the father offered him a sacrifice for vs as willingly gladly and ioyfully offered hee himselfe for vs for if hee had not died willingly and gladly in the nature of man but against his will as men will dye his death would neuer haue done men good nor ransomed their sinnes So this is a point of our beleefe that as wee beleeue hee died so wee beleeue hee died willingly and that Christ died willingly they who crucified him were not so willing to crucifie him as he was willing to offer himselfe to be crucified If thou hast not this faith thou hast no good of the death of Christ So the person reconciler is Christ Then to amplifie this benefit of reconciliation he cals them to remembrance of their miserable estate before they were reconciled What were they before Who were in times past saith he strangers and enemies meaning to God and where was this enmitie In the inward mind And why Because their mindes were set onely vpon euill workes Hee will not speake to them of this benefit of reconciliation before hee aduertiseth them of that estate they stood in before they were reconciled Marke it there is no sight of the mercie of God in Iesus Christ no presence of mercy and grace except The miserie of man without Christ in the mirrour to say it so of the past miserie wee were in so that except thou looke to that thou shalt neuer see as thou shouldest see the benefit of mercie and grace in Iesus Christ There is no sinfull creature that is able to ponder and weigh aright in the heart the greatnes of the blessing of God in Iesus Christ except hee take the blessing and mercie and put in a ballance with the miserie and see which of them weigheth downe otherwise thou shalt neuer know the weight of mercie and glorie if thou take it not from the miserie of that stinking nature and filthines of thine neither shalt thou euer be touched with that sound ioy except the sense of miserie goe before He that hath neuer found himselfe in hell hath neuer found himselfe in heauen for all the sense of heauen breakes out of hell Now to weigh the words The first word wherein hee sets down their miserable estate is this Sometime saith he ye were strangers farre off From whom From him who should haue bin their greatest friend whose domesticks they should haue bin from God and so from the Common-wealth of Israel from his Church If thou be a straunger from God and then from his Church there is no life in thee thou art but a dead rotten member in sinnes and offences Ephes 2. 1. Liue as thou wilt breathe as thou wilt haue thy senses as quicke as thou wilt fling here and there and leape as lightly as thou pleasest thou art but dead and more then dead and dye shalt thou euerlastingly Yet marke the words hee cals not them simplie strangers and aliants but he saith they were made strangers to let vs see that all this strangenes from God is not by our creation we were created friendly with him and his domesticks but by our owne defection we haue made our selues of domestickes and household children strangers And therefore it is said in Esai 59. 2. Your sinnes haue diuided betweene me and you So it is thy sinne it is not that naturall substance of thy soule and bodie but it is the corruption of the substance that makes thee a stranger from God Yet marke the words hee saith not that God was estranged from them but that they were estranged from him No no the Lord is not the beginner of this strangenes hee turnes neuer first vpon thee but thou turnest thy backe first vpon him he neuer drawes from thee that sweete countenance of his first but thou drawest thy countenance from him For brethren to speake the trueth when thou hast turned thy backe vpon him and estranged thy selfe from him yet if thou be one of his elect his loue toward thee shall neuer leaue thee nor turne from thee O that loue of God! he loues a sinner that is as it were spitting vpon Gods loue him for the loue of God is inalterable And when thou hast played thee with thy owne counsell serued thy lusts in thy owne time the Lord vtters that loue towards thee and calles thee home againe So there is the first degree of their miserie Yet it is not all said he comes on with another degree and higher then the first Sometime ye were strangers yet more enemies One man may be a straunger to another and yet not his enemie but saith he ye were not onely strangers but you were enemies also The words import not onely a secret hatred but a plaine and open hostilitie they fought against him there was neuer so hot a battell betwixt man and man
that men receiue that word it growes the greater and the more it increaseth continually It is not ordained to bee hid vp and smothered but to be giuen out Now to come to the text and to goe through it briefly When he hath spoken of this word which he hath receiued to dispense he leaues it not but stickes on it and immediatly he termes it a mysterie A mysterie to speake of it briefly it signifies a thing hid from the eyes of men so that it cannot be seene so A mysterie long as it is hid especially it signifies a holy thing concerning religion and the worship of God that is the proper signification of a mysterie and in this place Paul takes it so as he doth 1. Tim. 3. 16. where he saith Great is the mysterie of godlines that is not the mysterie of euery religion but of the true religion which hath been hid from the beginning and now is manifested among his Saints Then marke briefly You see this word of God it is a mysterie a thing hid and so kept close that the naturall man could neuer so much as haue a thought in his 1. Cor. ◠14. minde of it or once to thinke that there was such a thing in the world as this Gospell that we preach to you this day that the naturall soule could not doe so much as once suspect that there was a Sauiour It is a folly to thinke that the knowledge of Christ is naturall nay by nature thou wouldest neuer haue once dreamed that there hath been such a thing If God had let Adam alone after his fall he would not haue euer once so much as dreamed of redemption or that there was a Christ or a Sauiour and therefore this Gospell it must be precious that was kept so close If a man get a precious iewell hee will keepe it close and will not let it see Sunne nor winde The Gospell of all iewels in the world it is the most precious and it hath been kept secret and close this long time yea men knew not what it meant til the Lord Iesus Christ the wisedom of the father reuealed it and opened it to the world and to his Disciples and therefore it being so precious if we had eyes to see and hearts to consider O how highly would wee esteeme of it yea euen thou that now lookes so lightly to it but alas the world perisheth for fault of sight and consideration But to leaue this and to goe to the next point In the words following he defineth the time of the hiding of it he saith Hid since the world began that is from all eternitie Secondly it was hid from all generations of men The first word meanes that before or euer this world was made it was hid in God Ephe. 3. 9. The second word meanes that after this world was created it was hid from so many generations euen till Iesus Christ was manifested in the flesh and then it was reuealed Then marke this This word is an ancient thing a thing before all things It The antiquitie of the word came not this day or yesterday but it was before the world was and looke how old God himselfe is the Gospell is as old hid in that secret counsell from all eternitie And if you compare it with the world it selfe before this world was made it was hid and consequently it was in rerum natura Then brethren if antiquitie if age will recommend a thing let eternitie recommend the Gospell It had not a beginning no more then God in whose breast it lay hath a beginning and it is the same Gospell we preach to you this day Let them call it a new Gospell O vaine men this Gospell is the same Gospell that was hid from the beginning Then marke againe I see here this world hath lien long in darknes after the creation and hath wanted the light for a long time For brethren I neuer counted of the light of the Sun when the light of Iesus Christ is lacking Woe is thee better it were thou hadst neuer been borne nor seene this light of the Sunne that shines in the firmament The light of Christs Gospel how precious if thou haue not seene the light that is in the Gospell of Iesus Christ All light in comparison of that light is meere darknes So then this world hath been long without the light of the Gospell and it hath been a long night euen from Adam to Christ in a manner there hath neuer any thing been al that time but darknes and night As for the Gentiles they saw neuer one glimse but dyed in miserable darknes they were led blindfold to death and damnation As for the Iewes their case was better yet their light was but a glimmering they had 2. Pet. 1. 19. not the light of the Sunne The greatest they had it was but the light of a lantorne that is the light of the Prophets O then this behooued to follow that in the old world before Christ came many dyed in miserable darknes for without light and life in Iesus there is nothing but death Remoue thy light thy life is remoued remoue the Gospell thou dyest and perishest incontinently And therefore Paul Rom. 5. 21. speaking of this estate from Adam to Christ he saith Sinne raigned vnto death where the light of Christ is not there is nothing but the raigning of sinne to death and damnation Well then this tels vs how we should esteeme of the Gospell Alas if thou wist what miserie they were in that wanted this Gospel then thou wouldest account all thy blessing to be in the hauing of it To goe forward When he hath shewed how long it was kept close then he shewes when it was reuealed and brought to light Now saith he it is reuealed to his Saints Now that is in the fulnes of time as it is said in the Epistle to the Galathians chap. 4. 4. and Ephe. 1. 10. In the dispensation of the fulnes of time that is whē Christ was comen into the world that was brought to light Yet this word now reacheth further euen to the whole time that the Gospell is preached and shines in the world And it is that that in Heb. 3. 7. is called the day saying while it is day harden not your hearts and in 2. Cor. 6. 2. it is called that acceptable time Then here I see the world since Christ came into the world as we say is the blessedest come that euer came It hath bin a lightsome world and I see the Sunne hath euer shined and that there hath neuer been night but euer day no no interchaunge nor coursing about but where Christs Gospell is there is euer day Therefore it must follow that since Christ came there haue bin many saued They died and perished in multitudes before his comming but after his comming when that light and that Sunne of righteousnes rose vp looke as in huge heapes before they perished
cloathing it is that thou hast first he calleth it a bodie it is a bodie then a massie lumpe this is a borrowed word from the bodie of man So the garment wherewith thou art clad by nature and which must be shaken off of thee if thou wouldest be saued it is no superficiall thing O vaine man Our naturall corruptiō no light or superficiall thing thou thinkest it a superficiall light thing No it is a bodie and a lumpe with all the dimensions thereof length heighth breadth and deepnes yea thou art not able to finde out the deepnes thereof Thou maist indeede feele the deepnes of thy bodie of flesh and bones but thou canst not finde the deepnes of thy heart For as thy soule is compassed with thy bodie euen so thy heart is compassed and clogged with an heauie lumpe heauier then the whole earth One sinne is heauier then the whole earth no marueile then if thou be drawne to hell if thou be not relieued Now let vs see whereof this bodie is He calleth it a bodie of sinne O stinking nature Then brethren ye see the arraignement of nature a bodie not of flesh bloud and bone but of sinne and of all sorts of sinne Wilt thou looke into thy heart thou shalt see it full of foule stinking cogitations and affections And if thou haddest any smell of it thou wouldest stink Naturall corruption how vncleane a thing in thy owne nose I forbeare to speake of the outward effects as foule speeches and the wicked deedes of the hands which returne to the heart againe and makes vp the stinking bodie The heart of man is drowned in the sinke of sinne and if thou relieue not thy selfe thou shalt be drowned in sin The world will not beleeue this nor yet learne this lesson In the next word he calleth it the bodie of flesh Wouldest thou haue the originall of sinne it is called flesh not this outward bodie that thou bearest but an inward hid thing and stinking corruption that is runne through thy whole soule and bodie and infecteth them so that there is not an inch of thee free So you see the welspring of this sinfull masse it is not outward it is within thee that ayleth thee the seate of it is in the heart and occupieth the depth of it and no part therof is free and it spouteth out vehemently this foule stinking venome of sinne as euer thou sawest any spout spout out water So that if thou grow not in regeneration thou shalt grow in sinne which poysons thee day by day till at the last thou drop downe like a poysoned bodie Therefore roote it out and digge it vp let this be thy occupation night and day as Kill sinne or else it will kill thee thou wouldest be saued or else it will destroy thee So thou seest this garment this bodie wherewith thou art so clogged must be cast off otherwise of necessitie thou must be a firebrand of hell In the end of the verse he taketh vp that which he hath spoken in one word I meane would he say by this of casting off the bodie nothing else but that circumcision of Christ that is to say not onely that that he suffered in his owne flesh passiue but that this is made by him actiue as we speake Then note shortly that all this of putting off this foule garment is not by the hand of man all the men in the world cannot get their hand into thy heart to plucke off this foule stinking garment hee may open thy breast and pull out thy fleshie heart but there is no hand that can pull off and draw out that foule heart but onely the hand of Christ Iesus Therefore if thou wilt be freed of that mortalitie craue his hand to pluck Christ alone doth circumcise the heart off this garment and crie O Lord put in thy hand and plucke this foule heart away fie on it it stinkes in mine owne nose When he hath thus spoken he leaueth vs not so but maketh it plaine shewing the manner how this is brought about Thou must not dreame of a grosse fashion for the manner is spirituall In old time a man would haue put to his hand bodily but Iesus Christ puts to his hand spiritually Now the circumcision of Iesus Christ standeth in a conformitie VVhat the circumcisiō of Christ is and likenes betweene Christ and vs. This likenes stands in two poynts first in the likenes with him in death and buriall thou must dye I tell thee thou that wouldest be made like to Christ thy head Secondly it standeth in a conformitie in life and in rising againe to life and truly thy life shall be more sweete and ioyfull then euer thy death was sower and heauie But he beginneth at his death his words are being buried Buriall presupposeth death no man is buried but he that is dead Then vnderstand how thou canst neuer liue with To be buried vvith Christ in griefe for sinne Christ vnlesse thou dye with him thinke not that euer thou shalt rise except thou bee first buried with him in griefe for sinne Well well wanton companions burie your hearts in teares and holy repentance Repentance if it be holy is thy buriall for who euer rose except he lay downe Can a man rise from death to life except he were first dead Canst thou rise to that spirituall and eternall life except thou be first spiritually dead It must be the death of this bodie of sinne of this body of flesh that is within thee that must bring thee to this buriall of Christ Couldest thou neuer sigh for thy sinne then wast thou neuer at deaths dore nor dead with Christ And except thou sigh continuallie day and night for thy sinnes and dye to them and euery one of them how canst thou say thou shalt rise with Christ Art thou a murtherer and greeuest not for it so that thou abstainest from it then thou diest not and shalt not therefore rise with Christ Art thou an oppressour and repentest not then thou diest not neither shalt thou rise with Christ Art thou an euill speaker of thy neighbour behinde his backe as this land is full of such people who thinke it no sinne and sorrowest not thou neuer wast dead with Christ neither canst rise with him O the villaine that will please himself in this sin the rest and yet will imagine to rise as well as the best men to life in Iesus But O foole thou art altogether vaine and thy cogitations are meere deceits for Christ will not be a Sauiour to any but to such as die with him mortifying their sinnes If thy buriall be not with him thou shalt neuer rise to spirituall life with him Thou maist indeed rise but not to thy comfort if thou be not buried to sinne in some measure in this life there shall be no resurrection for thee to that life which is in the heauens purchased in the bloud of Christ Iesus Men thinke not
hereof and those that neuer mourne for their sinnes doe suppose that they shall rise laughing The promise is made to them that mourne Blessed are they saith Christ that mourne to wit for sinne for they shall receiue comfort Matth. 5 4. Men thinke they shall come to heauen before their feete be colde and yet they delight themselues in their sinnes Nay goe thy way crucifie thy sinne and thy selfe to sinne or else thou shalt neuer see heauen nor come to glorie Would to God this were as well felt as it is knowne Now the meanes whereby this dying is wrought is Baptisme instituted by Iesus Christ that put away and abolished Baptisme not only representeth the crucifying and burying of Christ but also is powerfull in the baptized in the whole course of his life Circumcision and placed Baptisme in steede thereof I will speake somewhat of Baptisme but as it concerneth the matter we haue in hand It not onely representeth the death and buriall of Christ and as oft as thou seest it so often thou seest or at the least shouldest see Iesus crucified and buried it hath not onely the naked representation hereof but the vertue of that death and buriall It crucifieth the bodie that is baptized it burieth the old man it is the very power of God to the mortification of thy sinfull nature and the Lord is powerfull in it not onely at that instant when thou art baptized as the Papists say but also continueth so in thee in the whole course of thy life Thou thinkest it is but for children onely nay it is euen for old bodies also and if thou keepe it in thy sight and remembrance thou maist be perswaded that the Lord will worke most assuredly thy mortification as long as thou liuest Therefore neglect not thy Baptisme as thou wouldest goe forward in the mortification of thy sinne and thinke euer and The vse of baptisme in our whole life say O Lord I was baptized in thy name Lord let it not be gone out of my minde make it powerfull in me to the mortification of sinne and it shall haue force euen in thy very death I speake this because men thinke there is no more required but an outward shew but if thou knewest the force and powerfull working of the Lord thou wouldest remember thy Baptisme euen as long as thou liuest and if thou diddest finde it to haue any working in thee thou wouldest reuerence it more and more And so much for the first part of the likenes of Iesus Christ Then he proceedeth to the second part of this conformitie that is by Baptisme In whom ye are also raised vp This followeth vpon the other as the Apostle Rom. 6. 5. proueth this consequence where euer this buriall goeth before all the world cannot stay thee from life Thou that findest any mortification of sinne assure thy selfe of life but if thou finde not the death and buriall of sinne looke not to finde life And I say more there shall be no deferring of time for thy comfort as if thou shouldest first dye a long time before thou rise to Iesus Christ Indeede the last resurrection shall be in the last day but I say When the life of God begins in vs. thou shalt begin no sooner to dye to sinne in this life and find any compūction and heauines in thy heart for it but with the death of sinne and the buriall and slaying of it immediatly shall come life This life breaketh vp through death and ioy breaketh vp through sadnes al heauenly ioy riseth vp through an heanie heart so that thou shalt not feele ioy vnlesse thy heart be pressed downe with the heauines of sinne And this ioy as Peter 1. Epist 1. 8. saith is vnspeakable so that when a man is sighing most for sinne drawing sighes from the bottome of his heart then the quickest and sweetest ioy ariseth but whē thou art laughing and singing there is no such thing as ioy at thy heart Wherefore should I speake of these things Onely learne this to be sad and to sigh for sinne that with it thou maist get some ioy of thy heart which is an earnest peny that thou shalt be filled with it at the sight of that glorious maiestie Now to goe forward How is this resurrection wrought Euen as death was wrought by Baptisme for as it representeth the death of Christ so so often as thou seest Baptisme ministred thou seest in it the resurrection of Christ Yea and it raiseth vp the bodie of him that is baptized to life by vertue of the resurrection of Christ who is also manifested in Baptisme Immediatly and in one instant the Lord will work two contrary things he will cast thee downe to hell and then in the same moment he will raise thee vp to heauen And Baptisme hath this force continually so long as thou liuest if so be thou remember it looke for the vertue of it to the last houre of thy death In the words following least they should haue thought this signe of Baptisme should haue had this force as we say virtute operis operati to haue buried sinne and quickened a man againe without any more he ioyneth by faith not onely by Baptisme as if he would say we are buried to sinne and raised Faith required in baptisme to apprehend Christ and to receiue vertue from him to righteousnes but this great worke is wrought also by faith so that if thou haue not faith apprehending and taking hold of God if thou send not faith to heauen in the ministerie of the Sacrament and the word preached and if thou want faith to applie grace to thee the Sacrament and the word preached shall neuer doe thee good And if thou get not this faith at one time or other this Sacrament shall be a seale to thy damnation and the word preached shall aggrauate thy iudgement So if there were no other place to condemne the Papists error of opus operatum this place were sufficient to condemne it for Opus operatum the Apostle meaneth plainly that Baptisme hath no force without faith and this Gospell hath no power to thy saluation without faith Away then with that erronious doctrine of these vaine babling fooles of opus operatum It is diuellishnes and lying In the next words he sheweth the obiect of faith It must lay hold vpon something for faith is an holding fast an hand that taketh hold apprehendeth something It is an anchor cast out to hold thee by so this faith must haue some obiect to leane vpon otherwise thou wouldest be dasht on euery side Obiect of faith with each waue till thy ship be broken What is then the obiect of faith The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an effectualnes The Apostle to the Ephesians chap. 1. 19. taketh it to bee the effectualnes of the strong power of God that must be the thing to stay thee that must hold thy heart that it fleete not nor flow not
principalities and powers and hath made a shew of them openly and hath triumphed ouer them in the same crosse WE insist yet brethren on the description of God and of the effectualnes of his power Ye haue heard that he is described from his effects the workes that hee hath wrought The first effect and worke in which chiefly the effectualnes of his strong power vttred it selfe was the raising Coherence of Iesus Christ from the dead not by remitting him any sinne that he had done because he neuer sinned but simply he raised him by his power The second effect is the raising of the Colossians and generally of the Gentiles when they were dead in sinne and in that vncircumcision of the flesh But how by forgiuing them their sinnes for there is no life nor quickening of thee but by the remission of thy sinnes First that guiltines must be taken away before euer that spirit of life enter into thee The third effect that wee entred into the last day and now this day wee shall finish it by Gods grace and it is the quickening of the Iewes who had also as great neede to be quickened as the Gentiles had And Paul confesseth his owne miserie and wants naming himselfe among the rest But how by putting away the handwriting that was against them for besides the guiltines of sinne they had subscribed to their own guiltines for so oft as they vsed the ceremonies of the Law so often did they subscribe to their owne condemnation So that before they could be quickened it behooued that this handwriting should be scraped out It standing there was no forgiuenes to them so their life is by taking away of this handwriting But to proceede the last day we opened these words Hauing put away the handwriting of the ordinances that was against vs That is to say hauing put away the rites and ceremonies of the Law for Christ by his death abolished them all the which rites were as an obligation or handwriting subscribed by the Iewes against themselues sealing the guiltines of death and damnation for sinne Now to goe forward in the text as it followeth as God will giue grace Immediatly after these words marke euery word for they haue weight hee subioyneth which was contrary to vs he repeateth it againe but hee tooke it out of the way that is the handwriting of rites that was contrarie to vs and made not for vs the Lord Iesus took it out of the way It lay in our way and it was a sure stumbling blocke to vs and we were not able to remoue it nor to take it out of the way but yet the Lord Iesus hee taketh it out of the middest of the way So ye see there is nothing but a repeating of that that was spoken before howbeit in other tearmes he said before which was against vs now hee saith which was contrarie to vs al is one in effect Repetition of a thing is not without cause for the holy spirit neuer speaketh any word in vaine Thou and I may often spend words idly but the holy spirit cannot waste one iot or sillable The cause of this repetition is Paul cannot forget the thing that he and the rest had done against themselues and that that Christ did for them O if thou remembredst the benefits of God once telling thē ouer would Repetition not idle in Scripture not serue thy turne and it learneth thee neuer to forget that that thou hast done against thy selfe and that which Christ hath done for thee By that that thou hast done thou had dest beene vndone if this that Christ hath done had not beene done Besides this it serueth for the greater certaintie of that that was done He will force an assurance into thee both that thou hast subscribed to thy owne death and also that Christ hath taken away thy subscription that thou shouldest not doubt Woe to that vaine doctrine of doubting and woe to Doubting the doubting Doctors The dolts will bid thee doubt whether Christ hath taken away that subscription woe to such Doctors If wee will marke the words ye shall see an opposition that that thou hast done Iew or Gentile it is against thy selfe that that Christ hath done is for thee This lets thee see not only the Iew but the Gentile that thou art more beholding to Christ then to thy selfe thou subscribedst against thy selfe and if the Lord proceede vpon thy handwriting thou shalt certainly dye But Iesus Christ hath put that subscription of thine out of the way so that if thou be thankfull thou shouldest loue him better then thy selfe for the greatest enemie that man hath is his owne selfe And therefore shouldest thou not loue him better then thy selfe If thou doe it not thou shalt dye But not to leaue the force of the word for this word importeth a greater meaning then the other the word of blotting The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 putting out The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to take out of the way out was great indeede ducere transuersas lineas is a great word but to destroy the very tables paper and all and to rent it asunder is more then both Marke it for it lets vs see that his mercie is not halfed he shewes not a peece of mercie vpon vs. Men will halfen their mercie towards others but Iesus Christ halfens not his mercie towards vs but he perfecteth it If he once meant to shew mercie he wil not leaue that work till he end it and if he once meane to remit he will not leaue off till he haue freely forgiuen for that that he doth he doth it perfectly to his glorie and thy saluation The Pope will make him to halfen his mercie O vaine doctrine doest thou halfen the mercie of the Lord thou art a lyer the mercie of The guilt of sinne the punishment both remitted in Christ the Lord is perfect so that when hee remitteth hee remitteth both the sinne and the punishment thereof Now to come to the words that follow In the last words he sheweth how the handwriting is taken out of the way It was not after so light a manner as a man would take an obligation and rent it but before it could be rent it behooued the Lord to be crucified Well who would be hanged for another mans obligation and he being crucified he taketh that obligation and naileth it to the crosse and rents it asunder Now to make this plaine when Iesus Christ was crucified he was not crucified alone but many things were crucified with him and many things that same very houre were nailed to the crosse with him This handwriting of thine thy inditement that would haue condemned thee thy sinne originall thy actuall sinnes the death that followeth thereon and hell euen all these were nailed to the crosse with him finally that curse was crucified with him all died together hee died not alone all depended vpon his death he died first they
followed For brethren the sinnes of the world were laid vpon Christ and for that cause he came into the world to take them of the back of the world and to lay them on his owne backe as is said Esai 53. 5. The Lord laid on him all our iniquities tumbled them on him so that when Christ was lifted vp vpon the crosse there was neuer such a lift lifted vp Take all the mountaines and lay them on one person and there was a heauier burthen lying vpon his backe For the wrath of God was lying vpon him who felt it the Iewes Nay the Lord Iesus felt the weight of that fierce wrath and he hanging on the crosse all hanged with him thy malediction thy obligation thy death and curse were on his backe and hung with him Therefore Peter in his first Epistle and second chapter vers 24. saith that he bare in his bodie our sinnes all hung with him Now brethren think ye that his burthen was light That handwriting of the curse of God for sin thy sinne and euery particular mans sinne that beleeueth or should beleeue in him their death and torments due to them haue they escaped Christ crucified on the crosse No no all were laid on him and al were crucified with him and the same nailes that were driuen into his hands and feet were also really beaten into thy sinnes and into that death due to sinne and they were driuen through hell the last torment for sinne But who did this The Iewes had little minde of this no not of their owne obligation Who was it then that crucified them The Iewes nailed the Lord but the Lord nailed them The very death that Iesus dyed was the nailes that were striken thorow The Iewes nailed Christ on the crosse but he him seise nailed our sinnes the obligation death and hell to that his crosse that obligation and the sins of all the beleeuers to the vtter ouerthrow of all things that before had offended his father in the elect or that should offend him thereafter For in that hee died it was not for sinne done before alone but for sinne also that after should be done by any of his elect for he is the mediatour that taketh away the sinnes of the world for euer and euer as he was the lambe of God that was slaine from the beginning O then let neuer that powerfull death of Iesus goe out of thy minde as thou wouldest be saued and haue comfort in the day of thy death The Lord Iesus in his death was the most blessed agent that euer was the very death of Iesus slew all the sinnes in the world Now to goe to the next verse To the end that they should not doubt of the destroying of the hand-writing the Apostle telleth them what more he did when he was on the Crosse that seeing the greater thing they should not doubt of the lesser for he that can doe the greater he can doe the lesse What did he He tooke all the diuels in hell he disarmed them he spoyled them and led them in a triumph like slaues with their hands bound behind their backes and hee mounted vpon the crosse as vpon a chariot triumphing ouer them and that is more Now to vnderstand this the better we must vnderstand there were two things against vs howbeit he speaketh of the Iewes yet all may be drawne to vs generally first there was thine owne hand it stood vntaken away then there were powers and principalities and diuels there was not one diuell but he Two things against vs all was against thee accusing thee vpon thine owne obligation There is his obligation saith he how can he escape iudgement and condemnation And they neuer cease to accuse thee yea within thy owne conscience and they make it to condemne thee Now what doth Christ He taketh thy obligation and all that may be laid to thy charge and abolisheth it and then hee turneth to the accusers and fighteth with them disarmeth How vainly vaine men speake of Christ crucified thē and leadeth thē captiue in a triumph O would to God we could weigh y e mercie of God! O vaine bodie it is but a word to thee that Christ was crucified as if thou werst speaking of a hanged man so vainely thou speakest of Christs crosse Then this I marke generally I see Iesus Christ when hee was on the crosse dying hee was the most occupied that euer was in any action thou when thou art dying thou doest no more but Iesus Christ when hee was in dying hee wrought and sought most busily So that the death of Iesus was ordained for the abolishing and destroying the aduersest powers in the world thy sinne and hell and whatsoeuer was contrarie to thee and thy saluation Brethren the argument that the Apostle vseth is from the greater to the lesse he hath spoyled the principalities and powers therefore concludeth he be assured he hath taken thy obligation away When thou hearest this doubt not but thy sinnes are forgiuen thee the one thing is the smaller the other is the greater When thou seest the diuell rageth not in the world when thou seest his dominion empayred An argument to assure vs our sinnes are pardoned because that Sathā and sinne doe not raigne in vs. make thy vantage of it and say O my sinnes are forgiuen For be ye assured if there were not remission of sinnes the diuell would raigne and rage and therefore this restraining of him is a sure argument that thy sinnes are forgiuen thee For if thy hand writing were not rent hee would raigne in thee as hee raigneth in such men as rage in their wicked lusts of adulteries and murthers Thou that art exercised in thy pollutions and murthers and such like thou hast no warrant that thy sinnes are forgiuen thee for as yet the diuell raigneth in thee Seeke therfore to this Lord Iesus and the vertue of his crosse that the diuell raigne not in thee O miserable is that creature whatsoeuer it be that walketh in sinne whatsoeuer it be thou maist be assured for that handwriting of thy curse standeth as yet against thee and will condemne thee in that great day It will be dasht in thy teeth to thy shame and confusion for euer He saith Hauing spoyled The word is stripped taken off all that cloathing of theirs Of whom no small creatures but of principalities and powers that is the diuels of whom one is stronger then al the men in the world He were able to destroy all liuing men and there are millions of them O if thou knewest them thou wouldest feare continually Thou wilt looke to a sillie creature and wilt stampe vpon it but thou hast enemies aboue thy head and if thou sawest them thou wouldest take little thought of the enimitie of men looke Ephes chap. 6. vers 12. This power of the diuel is restrained only in the beleeuers for he rageth euery day more and more fiercly in vnbeleeuers towards the end
is of such things as are proper for such a life I tell you this earth and all the things in it your siluer gold drinke and all the rest the knowledge of these things serueth not for the life of heauen but if thou wilt haue such a life thy knowledge must reach to heauen and howbeit thy knowledge be finite yet it will compasse things infinite if thou haue the spirit of Iesus saith the Apostle it compasseth the breadth and depth of him Ephes chap. 3. verse 18. 19. Knowledge of heauenly things necessarie if we be in Christ So this heauenly life requires wisedome in heauenly things Iesus Christ when hee rose the eye of him went vp to heauen he knew no more these carnall things all went away and the minde of him was occupied vpon heauenly things so if thou rise with him thy minde will to heauen and in some measure thou wilt vnderstand things and thou wilt be wise in God If thou haue not this I say thou hast not risen with Iesus but art yet filthie wallowing in thy owne bloud to thy eternall damnation Now he is not content to exhort them that they be wise in these things aboue but hee excludeth things of this earth to teach thee that thou canst not be wise in these heauēly things in case thou be wise in these things beneath yea these heauenly things shall bee but foolishnes to a wise man in earthly things for they shall be but as a dreame and imagination to such the speech of the Gospell shall be follie to him So think not to take both in thy armes when thou art looking downe how canst thou looke vp Thinke not to compasse heauen and earth both together for in compassing the one thou shalt lose the other Therefore the Apostle sundreth them This seemeth to be hard for how can we cast all care of this world away we must eate drinke and be cloathed and haue some care of these things so long as we abide in the earth The Apostle answereth in the first Epistle to the Corinth chap. 7. vers 29. for hauing spoken of mariage he saith the time is shortned As if hee would say ye will not be long in this life Therefore ye that haue wiues be as though ye had them not By the which he meaneth not that we should cast all care away of this world but that we should take the things of this earth by the way as it were that is to say let not thy chief care be on them but so farre as they serue for heauen Doe euen as though thou were going on a pilgrimage yee will take meate drinke gold siluer and such other things to helpe you forward in your iourney yet your care will not bee on them but your care will bee chiefly on your iourney euer hauing your eye vpon the end of it Thou wilt not sit downe vpon thy riches vpon thy meate and the rest Simile while thou art in iourneying but wilt be euer going forward in thy iourney vsing these things by the way euen so the Lord in this our iourneying to heauen hee will not haue vs to sit downe and set our care chiefly on these things in the earth but to take them as it were by the way hauing thy chiefe care Matth. 6. on him and the things with him therefore sit not down vpon any thing in this earth if thou doe thou shalt neuer come to thy iourneys end yea thou shalt lose the remembrance of it Now to goe forward in the words following There are two arguments to this purpose set downe by the Apostle the first is to disswade them from earthly things ye are dead The next is to seeke heauenly things your life is hid with Christ in God To speake then of the first argumēt which is ye are dead to the earth therfore striue not to be wise in y e earth Ye knowe that a mā that is dead supposing that he had neuer so great care of this world and could neuer get a fill of the things in it so long as he liued yet when life is gone the bodie lieth still and will not giue a peny for all the world all pleasure goeth away and Simile as a man dieth he will begin to spit at the world yea a man full of the honour of it he will at his dying day spit at it Euen so brethren the soule dying with Iesus spiritually as the bodie dieth naturally to sinne to the earth and to all earthly things to what end should it care for these earthly things Nay if thou didst finde that death of Iesus thou wouldest loath these things In deede it is vnpossible to be altogether voyde of the care of these things of the earth as long as we are in the bodie here but if thou be buried with him certainly thou wilt loath all these things beneath and despise the wisdome of them and begin by little and little to seeke the things of heauen And if thou be thus wise dead it is a sure argument thy soule is mortified lying as it were in the buriall of Iesus vntill the time thou rise glorious in that great day As by the contrarie if thou be not buried with Iesus in thy soule and bodie thou art liuing to sinne thou wantest the life of God and hast nothing but a sinfull life Brethren ye heard before he sayd they were liuing now he saith they are dead How can these two stand Obiection Answere together I answere a spirituall death in the soule when it dieth to sinne to foule affections and to earthly things such a death as that standeth very well with a spirituall life yea this death is so ioyned with the spirituall life that except the spirituall death precede the life of Iesus will not enter into thee Thinke not to enioy both together at once the life of sinne and the life of God but ere thou get the life of God the eye thou hadst to earthly things must be closed no thinke not to looke vp and downe together at once No no be dead to the world ere euer thou minde to open an eye to heauen So then the death to the world and the life to heauen standeth well together The last argument followeth perswading to the things aboue your life is hid aboue with Christ. There are the words and why should ye not follow him and set your heart and your eye vpon him where your life is Brethren I see there are many things to moue vs to seeke heauen and to be wise in heanenly things Now I would to God one of them could moue vs but alas as for a stonie heart speake and reason with it as ye will and conuince it as ye please it will abide hard and will not be moued Wouldst thou goe downe to the things of this life that death that thou diest forceth thee vp to heauen it giueth thee wings to flie vpward and closeth thine eyes from the world
thou shalt be glorified The cause is because hee is thy life and then hee appearing of force thou must appeare because his life is thine Is not this comfortable that the glorie The glorie of Christ and thy life cannot be parted of Iesus and thy life cannot bee parted Thou canst not liue without him and hee will not want thee Againe as soone as his life shall appeare thou shalt appeare It is very comfortable yet the phrase is to be marked He saith not when Christ of whom wee haue our life shall appeare but hee saith when Christ who is our life shall appeare This is a more effectuall speaking and the very manner of speech noteth this that that spirituall life that we begin to liue here is not so much a life different from his life as it is the very life that Christ liueth himselfe Christ hath a life and wee haue the same in number the life of Christ ouershadoweth vs. That same very life and no other extendeth to vs so farre as wee are capable of it Brethren ye may perceiue this to be a similitude Liueth the bodie another life then the head No There is but one life in the man and that that the head hath the same the whole bodiehath and it quickeneth euery member of the bodie Euen so is it to be thought of the life of Iesus our spirituall head There is a neerer coniunction betwixt vs and him then there is betweene this head of ours and the bodie so that of necessitie there is but one life of Christ and ours and we liue that same life of Iesus as members of that mysticall bodie whereof he is the head Paul Galath chap. 2. vers 20. he saith not by Christ I liue but he saith Christ liueth in me And Ephes chap. 3. vers 17. he dwelleth in me So his life is mine And the 2. Cor. chap. 4. vers 10. the life of Iesus is manifested in me The life of Iesus was Pauls life What else then is thy life but this same life of Iesus This is comfortable he hath made thee a fellow companion to himselfe he will not giue thee another life but his owne life O that this miserable world wist what it were to liue the life of God to haue Christ and his life in it It is no small glorie to liue the life of Iesus In the last words he saith not when Christ who is your life shall appeare your life shall appeare but he saith ye shall appeare euen ye your selues in proper person and none others for you but ye your selues shall appeare with Iesus in that day For their demaund would seeme to meane another thing to wit that howsoeuer Christ should appeare who was their life yet they would be farre to seeke as we say But hee answereth them more comfortably ye your selues shall appeare at that day and not your life onely For your life shall not so soone appeare but as soone incontinently thereafter within the space of the twinckling of an eye ye your selues shall appeare so this speech telleth vs that there is a space of time wherein the sonnes of God are not knowne in the world the Lord hath children here and the world knoweth them not yea The world knowes not the Saints scarsely they themselues see it much lesse the world Then againe they haue a time when they are made knowne to be Kings sonnes the least of them euery one is the Kings sonne 1. Ioh. 3. 2. 3. and they themselues will know themselues then When is it that they are not knowne when his glorie is not seene What difference is there betweene a Kings sonne and another when he is not in his own place and dignitie So is it with thee thou art not in thine owne place and honour When shalt thou be knowne to be the sonne of God when the sonne of glorie Simile shall appeare then thou shalt be knowne to be the sonne of God Then the diuell shall be compelled to say there is the sonne of God there is a Kings sonne and an heire of the euerlasting kingdome Then againe when appeares not thine honour when the honour of thy eldest brother appeareth not so long as he is obscured so long thou art obscured When shall it appeare when thy eldest brother shall appeare then thou if thou be first second third fourth yea if ye were tenne thousand the honour of the eldest brother shall reach to all Then in one word the manifestation of the sonnes of God dependeth vpon the appearance of Iesus Christ the first borne our eldest brother When he shall appeare then thy glorie and honour shall appeare Therefore yee pray Let thy kingdome come that is let Iesus appeare in his glorie and let me next appeare This is the effect of the prayer Now to come to the next verse vpon this promise of appearing and life to be manifested he groundeth his exhortation and saith therefore mortifie your earthly members as if he would say your glorie is to bee reuealed yee shall once appeare the sonnes of God in glorie and dignitie what shall ye then doe in the meane time Be occupied saith hee in mortifying the members of your bodie that ye may be found cleane otherwise ye shall not see that life to come Now to obserue this ere wee goe further Such a glorious life requires a death thou shalt neuer get it if there be not a death in thee thinke not to come to it with all thy lusts with thee if thou fall not to the mortification of that hand that hath slaine thy eldest brother the Lord Iesus thou shalt neuer get that life This vaine world thinketh to carrie vp a bloudie hand and a wicked eye to heauen no if thou take it with thee thou shalt not get entrance the gate shall be hurled on thy face The harlot thinketh that she shall get heauen with her harlotrie No she and her harlotrie shall goe to hell no vncleane thing shall enter there if thou be not holie and in some measure sanctified and that filthie 1. Cor. 6. 9 lust of thine slaine thou shalt neuer get heauen deceiue not your selues Yet to marke the words he saith mortifie slay Hee said before they were dead meaning to sinne now hee biddeth them slay on and die on thou that hast begun to die continue otherwise thou wilt not liue This telleth vs sin is not slaine in an instant yea if thou shouldest liue a thousand Sinne is not slaine in an instant yeeres it will liue with thee as long as thou liuest ere thou die it shall not die it hath a quicker life then thou hast thou art but a bubble of water all the Kings of the earth cannot slay sinne yea when this life is gone that same originall sin goeth to the graue with thee and resolueth the bodie into ashes Originall sin liueth after death in the ashes and after that lieth in the ashes and leaueth thee not vntill Christ
will be as vitious as the soule No difference betweene the elect and reprobate before grace of the reporbate So look to the persous there is no difference vntill God make the difference he will runne to hell as fast as he Then wherein standeth the difference it standeth not in thee but in y t counsel and purpose of God it is in the breast of God there is nothing in the elect himselfe but all in God And in his owne time he maketh the difference So ascribe nothing to thy nature and birth but ascribe all to God to his counsell and to his election and giue him the glorie and say I thanke thee O God that hast elected me and for that thou hast called me to thee by thy spirit in time and hast made me to know thee and thy goodnes Who hath distinguished me from thee and thee from another but God Why then shouldest thou glorie in any thing but in God O vile creature and vaine fie on thy nature it shall turne to thy destruction so then only glorie in God and in nothing besides The third thing marked here is the time when they walked Sometime saith he Then he maketh it cleare when ye liued in these vices that is as outwardly ye walked in them so inwardly in your soules ye liued in them Walking is outward and liuing is inward in the soule so as the ground of these naturall actions as of going on the way outwardly is the life of the soule for take the life away thou canst not goe so the ground of all these sinfull actions these wofull actions woe to them all the ground of all thy fornication and vncleanenes is a wofull life that thou liuest Sinne is liuing within thee if sinne liued not within the actions would not appeare in thy bodie that appeareth Thou art dead and yet sinne is liuing in thee Thou and it shall not liue both together Rom. 7. saith he Sinne is reuined in me Thou art dead and sinne is quickened in thy breast And or euer one be a harlot in his bodie in his outward action it is first in the soule of him or euer one be a murtherer with the hand he is a murtherer in his soule it beginneth first there and then it raiseth and stirreth vp the hand to the outward action It is so of all sinfull actions they proceede first from the sinne liuing in the soule so thou that wilt mortifie sinne and the outward actions of sinne slay first the sinne that liueth within thee or else it will slay thee either thou or it must die and I pronounce this that if thou slay not the sinne that is within thou shalt be slaine by it for euer Begin then in order to the slaying of sinne for there is an order in mortification and God that biddeth thee slay sinne is the Lord of order He comming in bid deth thee first slay the sinne that is within thee he will not bid thee begin at the hand the eye or any of thy members outward but he will goe into thy heart and he beginneth and putteth out that life of sinne that liueth in theethere He first maketh thy heart cleane where sinne dwelleth and taketh roote and so he will haue thee to roote it out that it bud not in thee This way God beginneth in taking away sinne and slaying of it and this is the way that the elect child of God doth But hypocrites will make a well fauoured outward countenance and who are so holy as they Hypocrisie begins without and in the meane time will be fostering the filth of this foule life of sinne inwardly in his heart with pleasure But the holy spirit who beginneth to mortifie thee beginneth at the heart and slayeth the man of sinne in thy heart first and he will wound it so deepely when he shall strike vpon it that he shall mortifie it and then thou shalt begin to see thine owne filth and stinke in such sort that thou shalt abhor thy selfe but the hypocrite countes all these things but as words of office But O that dolefull waking when the conscience wakeneth thee It will cause thee say O foule harlot what hast thou been doing walking in harlotrie and deceiuing men with a shew of godlinesie Therefore happie is the soule that is this wise wakened in time and wounded with the sight of thy own filthines for it shall procure ioy comming vpon sorrow If thou wilt be content to restraine thy hand foote and eye for a time so that thou sinne not openly as others doe but that thy life that lurketh in thee must vtter it selfe at the last so as thou maist be a fornicator a murtherer and an auaritious bodie for there is no hypocrite but he must vtter himselfe at the last thou hast no true mortification in thee and therefore thou shalt finde no comfort in all thy outward shewes studie then to this 〈◊〉 mortification Suppose a man to be bound hand and foote and that the man be a harlot in the inward man so as he had no vse of the outward action in all his life time admit this that thou hadst not the outward action in all thy time yet I say if that life of harlotrie be in thee and not slaine within thee thou wilt to hell It will not be that outward abstinence that will saue thee but it must be the slaughter of the inward appetite and then the hand nor no other of thy members needeth to be fettered but all will be peaceable and stand still when once that life of sinne is quencht Therefore slay euer the sinne in thy soule and let it not raigne for if it raigne thou wilt to damnation We beseech him that is able to worke this worke to put to his hand and doe it for all the words of the world will not doe it onely he must doe it Now to him be praise and honor Amen THE XXVI LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 3. vers 8. 8 But now put ye away all these things wrath anger maliciousnes cursed speaking filthie speaking out of your mouth YE remember brethren the last time we occupied this place wee insisted in the exhortation that the Apostle hath to the mortifying of the sinfull members the foule affections and actions of the soule and the bodie Mortifie saith he your earthly members that is your cankred affections that hold the bodie occupied in euill To this purpose he vseth sundry arguments the first was taken from the life euerlasting that was hid vp with Christ in God laid vp in heauen as if he would say as euer thou wouldest see that life Coherence mortifie thy earthly members slay thy affections for it is impossible that they can stand with that life of heauen The second argument was taken from that death in hell if heauen will not moue thee to mortifie thy earthly members thy foule affections yet let hell terrifie thee and moue thee For
the gripe and holde of Christ and make thee to loue the Saints But how got they it of the which you haue heard saith he looke the word Then they got it by hearing Well you that count so little of hearing take heede to your selues they got it by the very eare and that of the Lord. They knewe it not before they heard of it No knowledge of life euerlasting by nature Thou shalt not know that Thou that wouldest liue after this life and after the fashions of it Indeede thou shalt know that thou shalt perish and dye euerlastingly Adam knew this when hee fell from God death seased on him and this was his knowledge of good and euill that he got that he knew what blessing he had lost and into what damnation he hath fallen But no sight of his rising before he heard so no light by nature of life after this life but a sight of euerlasting death and damnation Long may a sinner lye still dead in sinne before he thinke of life he is no more able to thinke of it then a dead body How got they it then by hearing What heard they a word the obiect to the care is a word or sound What word not a word of lyes of men of dreames of fables No how be it thou heare a thousand yeeres all the inuentions and dreames that Monkes in their cloisters haue dreamed build and rest on them as thou wouldest yet thou shalt neuer see life by them What kinde of word must this be then the word of truth a true word must let thee seethe heauenly life What truth is this the truth of the Gospell Euery science hath it owne truth but there is no truth that will saue thee and make thee see that inheritance but onely the truth of the Gospell and therefore the Gospell for the excellencie thereof is called the word of God and for the excellencie of the truth of the Gospell it is called the word of truth Then in a word to speake homely and familiarly to you the charter and the euidence of that heauenly inheritance is the Gospell of Christ Thou hast no other euidence looke The Gospell is the onely euidence of saluation to thy charter chest in heauen earth or hell thou shalt neuer get an euidence of thy saluation but the euidence of the Gospell Wilt thou keepe the charters of thy land and heritage on earth and close them fast vp in a sure chest and reade them at all times and forget this onely euidence of thy saluation and not care for it nor take pleasure to reade on it I denounce vnto thee what euer thou bee that thou shalt neuer see life but thou shalt bee shut out of heauen To doe this it is not a worke of thine own power nor of thine own nature and grace to drawe thee with some delight to turne ouer the euidence of the Gospell to heare it and to take pleasure in it in some measure so long as thou art from the full fruition of heauen and life euerlasting Thou shalt neuer brooke it in heauen and thy pleasure be not in some measure on this euidence whilest thou art here on earth I denounce ouer againe and that by the ministrie of this word thou shalt be shut out thou shalt not haue a furrow of land in heauen Count of hearing as you wil by hearing is your life and there is no pleasure but in the word of life and the oft turning of it ouer When he hath spoken of this Gospell he falleth out in a commendation of the Gospell you shall finde this in Paul when he falles in speaking of the Gospell he cannot be easily drawne from it No question he found the power of it so forcible in himselfe and sawe it also so effectuall in others that where hee speakes of it he cannot goe lightly from it He loued it so well and it was so sweete to him yea as it is said Psalm 119. It was sweeter to him then the honey and the honey combe Well then he commendeth the Gospell to them and there are three arguments of the commendation thereof First which saith he is come to you Brethren the Gospell commeth to vs and wee The Gospell commeth to vs and we goe not to it neuer go to it and it comes vnsent for it would bide long from vs if it stayed till we went for it and though thou wentst for it I tell thee thou art no more able to bring it then thou art able to bring the sunne out of the heauen For except the Lord send it to thee in his mercy and free grace thou shalt neuer get it But to come to the purpose Doe you scar at this Gospell that you haue heard because it is Epaphras that hath founded you you doe euill would he say Therefore he saith ye heard of him nothing but that which is spread throughout the world And Epaphras his Gospell is that that is my Gospell which I haue preached vnto others which is the Gospell of Iesus Christ Take out here a lesson wouldest thou haue a note or token whereby thou wouldest knowe that the Gospell which thou hearest and that we preach this day is the true Gospell the Gospell that must saue the world looke if it be the same Gospell that was spread through out the world in the dayes of Obserue these Apostles or if it be that Gospell that Paul and Peter preached How shall you know if it be that Gospell of the Apostles It is a long time since where shall you knowe it better then by their owne writ Paul nor Peter preached nothing but that which they wrote Neuer a sentence of saluation was preached by Paul but all is written He preached the whole counsell of God Act. 20. I say and will affirme and will dye with it that Paul preached the whole counsell of God and wrote euery word of the same Away with the clouted inuentions of the Papists and that rabble of the cloyster Then I pray you examine all our preachings by the rule of this written word And would to God brethren that they would suffer that to be the onely touchstone Oh vaine Papist thy cause would perish if thou wouldest take thee onely to this touchstone Thou shouldest finde all their inuentions to be but lyes But thou wilt hold thee by lyes and therefore thou shalt perish and they both Then thou that findest this Gospell that is preached to be the written word of the Apostles hold thee by it and take it for the true word of God the word of life and saluation Now I pray thee as thou wouldest find life and grace in it put away all preiudice of the minister whether he be come Preiudice against the Preacher from Rome from the Pope or not and the Gospell that he preached be as good as the Gospell of Paul and Peter if it be no other stand not vpon the man if thou countest more of the man or of
ye see the bodie accomplisheth the person of a man the head will not make a man but the bodie ioyned with the head makes vp a man euen so the Church fils vp the whole man Christ made of the head the Lord Iesus himselfe and of the bodie This for the words If this point of the glorie of Christ be weighed that he is the head of the Church it is a high point of glorie The Lord hath greater glorie by this that hee is the head of the Church of the godly and holy ones men and Angels then by that that he is the Dominator ouer all creatures ouer the diuell and all the multitude of reprobates And as it is high so it is in communicable no not the Angels gets this honour to be called the head of the Church Let be stinking flesh wilt thou set vp a Pope and call him the head of the Church A plaine derogation of Christs honour Thou wilt come out with a ministeriall head in the Church Away with thee and thy ministeriall head both there is no such thing Looke the whole Scripture No ministerial head in Scripture through thou shalt reade of a Minister in the Church but thou shalt neuer reade a word of a ministeriall head or Vicar of Christ But would you know how he comes to this glorie Yea to speake it so before hee came to this glorie there was much adoe and great stirre and busines in heauen and earth and a great hardnes The Pope he will start vp to it at the first dash before Christ came to this glorie heauen and earth was moued with a wonderfull motion before hee was exalted to it he was wonderfully humbled If you will make a comparison it was an easie thing to be the image of the inuisible God to haue created all things and to preserue them all was easie but when he comes to this there must be a great change this sonne of God is humbled and his glorie is wonderfully obscured Reade Philip. 2. 6. 7. and there you shall see the whole manner of it Iesus saith he was in the forme of God and hee thought it no robberie to be equall with God yet hee is not the head of the Church what doth he then The Apostle saith he emptieth himselfe of his owne glorie he makes himselfe of no reputation How doth hee that In taking on him the shape of a seruant What an humbling is this to clothe himselfe with the forme of an abiect seruant Thou thinkest it nothing but surelie it a wonderful matter if ye consider it rightly so then there is a wide step a strange step that he steppeth downe from his glorie wherein hee stood equall with the Father Yet he goes another step downward being found in the habite of a man he to whom all other creatures giues obedience of his owne will becomes obedient to his father Wherein stands this obedience not in doing only but in dying What death The death of the Crosse an execrable death the bitterest death that euer was nay neuer man died so bitter a death as Christ died All the death of men and Angels is not comparable to that death of Iesus Christ that he died for the redemption of sinfull man There is his humiliation Looke now to his exaltation Therefore saith the Apostle the father raised him vp to a wonderfull highnes and gaue him a name aboue all names that at his name all knees should bow In the Epistle to the Ephesians 1. 20. 21. the degrees of his glorie are set downe first he raised him from death secondly he hath set him at the right hand of his father that is he hath giuen him all power of heauen and earth and he declares this power Then he turnes to the Church in particular and calles him head of the Church for he could not haue been the head except hee had had flesh and bloud Trowest thou that thou canst come to that honour to bee a member of his bodie before thou bee humbled first No no thou must answere in proportion to him in his humilitie otherwise thou shalt neuer bee partaker of his glorie This for the sixt part of the description of the Lord Iesus in the which marke this as before wee heard many grounds of redemption made by his bloud so in this point of the glorie of Christ there is another ground of our redemption As thy Redeemer is the image of God the creator of all things and so foorth as you heard him defined before so thy Redeemer he is the glorious head of the Church yea he is thy owne head and thou art a member of him so thou seest not onely a glorious Redeemer but a sib a kinsman redeemer Therefore precious must that bloud be and of necessitie if thou beleeue in this bloud thou must be redeemed To goe forward Here followes the seuenth part of his description and the seuenth point of his glorie The beginning and the first begotten of the dead Yee heard he was called the first borne of all creatures because he was before them all and not for that onely was he called so but because he gaue the being to all creatures All creatures were created by vertue of him and by participation of that being that is in him for the first borne in the families of old communicated the speciall blessings to their brethren euen so Christ because he communicates to the rest of his creatures such speciall blessings as pleaseth best his wisedome he is called the first borne of many brethren Now he is called the first borne of the dead because he was the first that rose from the dead for there was neuer man that died that rose before the Lord Iesus 1. Cor. 15. 20. He is called the first fruits of them that sleepe because that al y t shall rise they shall rise by vertue of his resurrection Then what will you haue He was the beginning of the creation now he is the beginning of the resurrection of the dead Then all mercie and glorie must come out of him No creation without him no resurrection without him If you will consider this it is a great matter when he had created man man by his fall lost the creation nay by thy fall in Adam thou hast lost thy creation and as thou wast made of nothing so by this fall of Adam thou turnest to nothing and well were that man that is out of Christ if he were turned into nothing No no he shall not be turned to nothing but he shall be turned to worse then nothing So man by his fall lost his creation and death seased vpon him and leaues him not till he turnes him into dust and powder And if Iesus comes not in now after that man hath lost his creation he would neuer be a creature againe Therefore the second benefit which is greater then the first is that my bodie shall rise againe so in comes Iesus Christ and that creature that was brought
difference betwixt the Father and the Sonne The Father when he reconciles vs he neuer changeth nor alters his condition he sits still in that maiestie on his throne of glorie keeping that kingly maiestie of his What doth he He humbles his sonne for be assured that thy reconciliation could not be purchased but by the humbling of God not in God must be humbled before thou couldest be reconciled vnto him the person of the father but in the person of the sonne and therefore the sonne he leaues his throne and steps down from it to reconcile vs to his father and comes downe here to the earth and as it is said in the Philip. 2. 7. He abased himselfe by taking vnto him a vile flesh howbeit it be cleane without sin yet it is vile in respect of that glorious maiestie he takes on him the shape of a seruant What more In that flesh he becomes obedient to his father that sits still on the throne to the death And what a death to the death of the crosse So there is the difference The father wrought it not altring his maiestie and glorie but the sonne wrought it altring his maiestie and that so obediently that the Angels wonders at it yea they can neuer wonder enough to see that glorious maiestie of the sonne of God so humbled as he was Now howbeit it differeth in the The father as mercifull as the son manner yet the father and the sonne are equall in mercie The father is as mercifull as the sonne and the sonne is as mercifull as the father they are equall in glorie in this worke the father gets as great glorie in this worke as the sonne and the sonne gets as great glorie as the father Now to the father and the sonne be all honour glorie and praise for euer and euer Amen Before brethren when he spake of the reconciliation in generall ye heard the whole Church in generall was reconciled by this bloud and death of Iesus Christ Now ye heare that this particular Church at Colosse is said to be reconciled by this same bloud and death Yea more I say not onely this a particular Church as for example the Church of this towne Euery one of gods elect reconciled by the bloud of Christ Christs eye set vpon euery particular person reconciled by that bloud and death of Christ but there is no man or woman that is chosen but they are redeemed by that bloud And this is a true saying when the Lord died on the crosse and shed his bloud his eye was not onely in generall spread abroad throughout the whole earth but distinctly set vpon euery particular person It was set vpon this same Church of Colosse and vpon this Church of Edenborough as certainly as euer it was on any that was present at his death Howbeit it was not a Church at that time yet his eye was set vpon it and he said in his heart I will die for the Church of Colosse and for the Church of Edenborough Yea his eye was set vpon euery particular bodie yea vpon the poorest elect lad or lasse now presently liuing or which shall liue hereafter And he said I die the death for this particular person otherwise if he had not said it that he would die for me and die for thee thou nor I could not haue been saued I giue thee a token to know that his eye was vpon thee in the time of his death Findest thou reconciliation and redemption in thy heart say then he had an eye to me and the force of his death hath comen to me For what auailes a generall knowledge of his death if thou haue not a particular applying of it to thy selfe A question may here be moued how is it that it is said that Christ shed his bloud for the Colossians seeing they were not as yet called but remained enemies till Epaphras came amōgst them and preached the word of grace and saluation in Iesus Christ and by his trauell hath drawne on some to the faith of Iesus I answere the reconciliation made in the bloud of Iesus Reconciliation by the bloud of Iesus of two sorts is of two sorts there is one made by the merit of his death there is another made by the efficacie and powerfulnes of his death When he suffered that same very time and houre of his suffering all nations that euer were to be reconciled to the end of the world were reconciled by the merit of the bloud of Iesus Christ But if you will looke to the effectualnes it followed long after Scotland Edenborough that abode long after enemies at that same houre by his merit were reconciled For why that bloud that was shed merited that saluation but the effect of that merit followed A man that will haue the merit must feele the efficacie and power of it When he is following his owne lusts lying out at his whoredome and villanie at that same time it may be said truly he hath the charter of the merit in his keeping howbeit vntill the time he looke about him and begin to see Iesus the vertue of Christs merite vtters We must feele and finde the vertue and power of Christs death working in vs Rom. 6. 2. 3. 4. 5. Phil. 3. 8 9 10. not it selfe vnto him But when he findes it then he remembers he had the merit Howbeit he wist not that euer he had it till he found this working Then he reioyceth that Christ suffered on the Crosse for him In the last words he sets downe the end of their reconciliation The end is that thou maist be presented holy vnreproueable without spot or wrinckle as he saith in Ephe. 5. 27. First then we are reconciled to the end we should be holy clensed of that filthines and sinne wherewith wee were polluted before and The end of our reconciliation is holines being clenfed wee should be vnreproueable for the cause of reproofe is sinne It is sore to abide a reproofe of God This holines is not gotten perfited in this life but wee must striue to it continually Then thinke not that thou art reconciled with God in effect if thou finde not holines begun in this life if thou finde no holy motions in thy heart and actions in thy hand thinke not thou standest in friendship with God For as euer two stand together these two must stand together vnseparably reconciliation with God and holines of life And if Holines reconciliation inseparable thou haue not a sanctified heart and life thou abidest a rebell to God Thus for the first end The other end is expressed in the same words That you may saith he be presented before him that is that you may get his presence and he yours and being presented ye may get your felicitie for euer For brethren that full blessednes of man stands in the sight of God Then marke this lesson vpon this holines followes our presenting before God So it is he or
so now millions and great numbers are saued And whereas before it was but now one and then one that preased into the kingdome of heauen now they come in multitudes striuing and thrunging who should first enter into heauen Matth. 11. 12. For it is impossible that this light should be without life If thou take a pleasure in the light it is not possible that thou canst dye but if thou take no pleasure in it woe be to thee a double death The calling of the Gentiles shall befall thee Woe is to that man who dyes in the light of the Gospell without taking pleasure in the same Well it had been to thee that thou hadst dyed in darknes with the Gentiles for thy damnation shall be doubled Take therefore a pleasure in it and all the world shall not make thee to perish and that is that which Paul saith Sin raigned to death but grace raignes by righteousnes vnto life through the Lord Iesus Rom. 5. vers 21. But looke to the last words of the verse Vnto whom is the manifestation of the Gospell made Not to euerie one beguile not your selues for the Lord will not vouchsafe to manifest himselfe and grace in him to euery man but hee calles them his Saints to whom chiefly hee manifests himselfe Looke your books ye that scorne at the name of Saints if thou be nota Saint thou shalt neuer see heauen then this If thou be not a Saint thou shalt neuer see heauen manifestation is not made to euery man It is true brethren it is preached to all and all heare it it strikes in euery ones eares yet it is also true all men see not It is to many as the light of the Sunne is to a blinde man and the great multitude Simile gets no more good of it then a blind man gets consolation of the Sunne Who is it then that sees it None but the sanctified one that is none but they that are sanctified by the holy Spirit Nay no spirit no sanctification no sanctification no sight of God and so thou art no Saint but the diuell possesseth thee So none sees what this Gospell is but the sanctified ones and that man is he that hath gotten the spirit of Iesus to open the eye of his soule for it is the spirit of God that opens the soule to see what the Gospell of Christ is and what vertue comes with it when it comes If thou hadst the quickest spirit that can be if thou haue not the spirit of God thou shalt not see one whit in God because as it is the spirit of man that searcheth the spirit of man so it is the spirit of God that searcheth all things yea the most secret things of God 1. Cor. 2. 10. So none sees what the Gospell is and what it brings with it but such as are illuminated by the spirit of God Heare as long as thou wilt thou shalt a bide in blindnes till thou come to a desperate hardnes of heart if thou be not enlightened with the spirit of Iesus this is to be had in and by the Gospell Therefore brethren say euer Lord make me a Saint make me one of that number and make me to crie for the spirit of Iesus to sanctifie and Luk. 11. 9. 10. 15. enlighten me for otherwise thou shalt perish for want of the light of God Now to come to the next verse when he hath spoken of the Saints he insists vpon the reuelation of the mysterie made vnto them and hee sets it out in sundrie circumstances First hee sheweth who is y e Reuealer to wit God Secondly what cause moued him to make this reuelation to the Saints to wit his The reuelation or manifestation of the Gospell good pleasure towards them Thirdly what thing is reuealed to wit this mysterie And he termes it not simply a mysterie but he calles it the riches of his glorious mysterie and not that onely but the mysterie of Christ Fourthly among whom is it reuealed to wit not among the Iewes onely but among the Gentiles also through the world All tends to this to let vs see the glorie of the grace of God as it is said Ephe. 1. 6. So that this Gospell is shining bright and aboundantly in such a wonderfull great mercie that there is not a circumstance but it lets you see a wonderfull grace in God To come then to the first The reuealer of this mysterie is no other but God He was the author of the reuelation of this The first circumstance mysterie of the Gospell The Saints they begun not to see first but God first reuealed before they saw or could see yea they had neuer seene one glimse with their eye if God had not begun to reueale it no thou shalt neuer see any heauenly or spirituall Flesh and bloud can not teach vs spirituall things thing vnto the time it please the Lord to reueale it vnto thee Then in that hee is the beginner of grace herein appeares the more the glorie of his grace and the matter of praising of him but it staies not here We will come then to the next What moued him to reueale this mysterie to his Saints both of Iewes and Gentiles The Lord doth nothing rashly he hath The second circumstance euer good causes mouing him wherefore he doth this or that He is not like a vaine man that doth and vndoeth again and wots not what hee doth Saw hee any thing in these Saints to moue him Some Papist will say hee foresaw some merit in them O but the text saith that there was no such thing at all without himselfe which could moue him hee saw nothing I Nothing in the world did moue God to send Christ and his Gospell vnto vs but his owne loue and good pleasure say in the same or yet in the world which could moue him but his owne goodnes His good pleasure which was ere euer they were Saints is it that moued him to reueale this mysterie Then againe they were not Saints before the reuelation was made There is not a Saint before Christ be reuealed to them It is the sight of Christ that makes a man holy so there was neuer none holy but he that first gat that sight of Iesus the sight went before holines and holines followed vpon the reuelation because holines is the effect of the reuelation of the Gospell Then ye see that as the Lord is the beginner of the reuelation so it is not our deseruing but his owne good pleasure that moues him thereto The Lord of his good pleasure shewed himselfe to the world and no question this is spoken that thou shouldest euer glorie in God Alas would to God as we haue matter to glorifie God that we could answere to the thousand part of it Then to come to the third circumstance What is the thing The third circumstance that he hath reuealed He calles it a mysterie and
of the world as Saint Iohn saith in the reuelation because his time is but short Then it followeth before Christ was crucified the diuels raigned as armed men to the destroying of men O how much be we beholding to Christ that liue now in these daies after this restraining of the power of the diuels Now brethren it is a thing that one might wonder at will ye compare him and them together The Iewes spoyled Christ of his clothes setting him vp naked what is he doing in the meane time They are not so busie in stripping him as he is in stripping the diuels They are stripping him and he is stripping the Lords that raigned among them And that yee may thinke the more of it by the vertue of the stripping of him and the pulling off of the clothes of him he pulleth off the armor of the diuels If Christ had not been stripped he had not stripped them by the ouer comming of him binding of him he ouercommeth and bindeth the diuels To learne you to account much of euery particular poynt of the sufferings of Christ for there was no poynt of it without a power to slay sinne and to slay the diuell The nakednes of Christ is stronger then the armed diuell is And so much for this part Then to see againe concerning these principalities since Iesus Christ hath suffered what are they Naked creatures I may speake it boldly they are naked creatures and this is to thy comfort Thinke not but that thou must meete with him once by day or night It is his pleasure to haue thy heart wrapped vp and to lull thee a sleepe Then this is thy comfort when thou hast to doe with the diuell thou hast to doe with a naked creature whom the Lord hath spoyled But looke to this condition if it be so that thou be armed with the breast-plate of faith that thou be armed with Iesus Christ Hast thou this the diuell is but a naked bodie before thee He may well tempt thee but he shall not ouercome thee yea he shall not be able to dare thee it shall passe the power of all the diuels in hell to doe thee harme But if thou be naked and meete him without Christ thou wilt meete with an armed man he will draw thee here and there and in very deede he raigneth like a Lyon in euery infidels heart howbeit his kingdome be impaired yet if thou be an infidell hee raigneth in thee like a Sathan in vnbeleeuers wood roring lion and hee will draw thee euery way from one sinne to another till by sinning he bring thee to destruction Ye see daily examples hereof in such miserable creatures that Ephes 2. 1 suffer on scaffolds Fie on thee that sufferest him to abuse thee as he will he will abuse the murtherer to wash his hands in the bloud of his brother he will abuse the harlot to commit whoredome the oppressour to rage in oppression and so out of their open and horrible transgressions hee bringeth them to destruction Such is the tyrannie of his kingdome Fie on thee that knowest this and yet sufferest thy selfe to be abused with him Well well seeke thy faith in Iesus Christ to be clad with him as euer thou wilt be free of this tyrannie of the diuel of his tempting thee and of his abusing of thee to commit sin euer at his pleasure Thus much for the victorie which the Lord getteth ouer these principalities and powers euen while hee is in crucifying Now followeth that glorious triumph and progresse which he maketh in the sight of God and the Angels The words are these He made a shew of them openly in the originall he led them thorough openly thorough the world they looking on this side and that side This manner of speech is borrowed from Orators that haue vsed to set out glorious triumphs of Emperours in such speeches it is taken from them and giuen to Christ and no wrong done Ye know the Romane Emperours when they triumphed they vsed to be honoured with many points of honour and to be briefe the manner of their triumph was The Romanes triumph this The Emperour himselfe was mounted on hie in a glorious Chariot and all the people assembled and stood gazing on him and then the Captiues were brought before him their armour taken from them and their hands bound they were led formost and the Emperour followed The Apostle alludeth to the same manner in this triumph of Iesus Christ But to come to euery word he saith he led them thorough as it were thorough a companie of men and women The diuels are led thorough thē but this is that that is to be wondred at Christ is led to the crosse bearing his own crosse like a slaue and the Christs triumph people are gazing on him and hee is made a mocking stocke he is raised vp vpon that shamefull crosse dieth that shamefull death The Apostle turneth this ouer and saith it is the diuell that is led in chaines it is the Lord Iesus that triumphes and they are in chaines he goeth forward in glorie and they goe in shame This same turning ouer letteth thee see that by When the diuell thought to triumph ouer Christ he triumphed ouer him that leading him out to the crosse so shamefully he was shaming the diuels of hell and leading them captiues in such sort that if he had not been shamed he could not haue shamed the diuels In his shame he shameth the diuels Indeede it had bin a smaller matter if by his glorie he had shamed them but this is marueilous that with the shame wherewith they shamed him he shamed them Ye may see againe it is for our consolation to see the diuels deiected I shewed you before that since that very houre that Christ suffered the diuels are naked now as they are naked so they are shamed and they are without power and so thou hast a great vantage ouer them The diuell blusheth when he seeth thee his head hangs downe The dastard dares not looke vp to heauen when thou hast to doe with him thou hast to doe with a shamed creature that is ashamed to looke thee in the face they are shamed creatures O but note the condition If thou be glorious in Iesus Christ if thou come out honourably in him comming out in his glorie the diuels will be ashamed to looke on thee they cannot abide the sight of thee The very glance of thee wil strike them blindfold Indeede they may well push at thee but they dare not come so neere thee to hurt thee but if thou come out against them without the glorie of Christ in the ignominie of thy owne nature if thou werst a King thou art but a confounded creature in thy owne nature he shall cast vp his face and he shall be glorious aboue thee for he is a principalitie and he will oppresse thee So blessed is that man and that soule that is clad with Iesus and
crie for it or els thou shalt die and apprehend the death of Christ for it is the death of Christ that slayeth the flesh and takes away the corruption of thy nature Now to come againe to the false teacher I gaue you a mark Markes of false teachers of him before hee is pert hee is shamelesse and hath a brasen face otherwise hee durst not affirme such points of doctrine Another marke of a false teacher he is proud as proud as the diuell as wee say what were it if hee had matter but hee is proud with the winde of false doctrine for as humble as hee will seeme to thee yet beware of him his heart is blowne vp with pride There is not a false teacher but hee is proud a proud heart in a poore breast he is a poore diuell I remember a sentence of Augustine to Paulinus It is a wonderfull thing that a man should be more proud of humilitie then if he were openly proud and I will assure thee a deceiuer will be prouder in his counterfeit humilitie then he that is openly proud A simple man cannot doe it and of all the proud men in the world the deceiuer is greatest Another thing I marke false doctrine and pride are companions together so that if thou say there is false doctrine I will say there is pride also If thou wilt say there is false doctrine in this heart I will say there is a proud bodie as a man of a foule stomacke will giue a foule belch So a blast of false doctrine is a puffe of pride wherewith the heart is filled vp Therefore it is no marueile though I say a false Doctor is a proud man Be not deceiued with a Iesuite when hee commeth with his side long cloake and his broad brimbd hat who is so humble as hee but I say hee is full of pride and thou shalt bewaile the time that thou sawest him Keepe him in thy chambers as thou wilt hee shall sting thee to death The last argument of the condemning of this false doctrine is in these words he saith He hath not to doe with the head Iesus Christ The third argument of false doctrine He vttereth plainly he neuer wist what Christ was and that hee neuer tasted of that power and vertue which descendeth from the head to the bodie for if hee had tasted of it O for all the world hee would not haue put an Angell betwixt him and Christ VVilt thou put one betweene thee and thy head An Angell is but a stranger to thee in respect of Iesus Is not a mans head the most familiar and best thing that a man hath will he not haue recourse to his head O would the deceiuer put thee from thy head Iesus Christ he plainly testifieth that Iesus Christ thy head stood neuer vpon his necke Iesus stood neuer vpon the necke of a Papist speake of him what he will for if he were thy head O Papist and haddest tasted the vertue that descended from him thou wouldest neuer seeke to Angels and Saints to bid them open their mouth to pray for thee But thou that followest after Saints and huntest after Angels thou shewest that thou neuer tastedst of the head Iesus Christ And therefore thou testifiest that thou art a false teacher and thou that followest such a teacher thou art a false professor of Iesus Christ Here I end onely I request you sticke to Iesus once get him to be thy head and I shall promise thee thou shalt neuer long for Angell nor Saint For thou shalt finde such a power and vertue of life to flow out of him to thee and such a sweetnes as therewith thy soule shall be contented and as thou continuest with him thou shalt finde thy selfe more and more liuely and ioyfull in thy heart thou shalt sucke continually life and ioy out of him till at the last thou shalt see him in his Iob. 21. 22 glorie and be filled fully in him for in his countenance is the sacietie and fulnes of ioy And thou shalt not seeke to Angels and bid one of them goe betwixt thee and him at that day O then acquaint you with him for the Angels are but ministering spirits at his commaund I say O acquaint you with him and sticke by him immutably and thou shalt finde the ioy of thy heart vnspeakable To Iesus Christ with the Father and the holy Spirit be all honour and praise Amen THE XXI LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 2. vers 19. 20. 19 And holdeth not the head whereof all the bodie furnished and knit together by ioynts and bands encreaseth with the encreasing of God 20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the ordinances of the world why as though ye liued in the world are ye burdened with traditions YE heard brethren the admonition of the Apostle that the Colossians should not suffer themselues to be abused by false Apostles especially with the rites and ceremonies that sometimes were giuen to the people of the Iewes and after abolished by Christs comming Secondly that they should not suffer themselues to be abused by no other kinde of traditions which God neuer gaue to any people as the worshipping of Angels whereon wee insisted the last day This kinde of tradition it came in vnder the pretence of Coherence humilitie and it was refuted and condemned by the Apostle as ye heard by three arguments first it comes of shamelesse pertnes of men pretending to haue a knowledge of that they neuer saw nor heard Where sawe they the Angels and their intercession they make in heauen where heard they of it and so it is a false doctrine to propound any thing whereof they haue no warrant The second argument is taken from the pride that is in them for this doctrine concerning the worshipping of Angels it commeth of pride without any cause or knowledge and so it is no more but a blast of a foule proud stinking heart The third argument which is in the beginning of this verse is from the want of Christ the head These doctors neuer tasted that Christ was their head for if they had they would neuer haue sought nor bidden seeke to Angels to bee mediatours betwixt them and God So briefly there be these three arguments whereby this false doctrine is refuted and taken away Yet the Papist defendeth it by the same arguments that the false Apostles defended it It commeth of humilitie to vse them as mediatours that are most familiar and conuersant with God Alas a new heretike is wondrous like to an old heretike So it is but a damned doctrine that they haue raised vp in these daies Now the Apostle hauing spoken of the head Iesus Christ hee falleth out into a description of him from the relation to the bodie and from the effects of the bodie which is the Church all to this end to shew the false teachers and their followers of how great a good
earnest in keeping and hearing such doctrine as concerneth life euerlasting and when thou hearest this doctrine of dirt turne thy eare away from it for there is no godlines in it And I giue you my counsell heare him not that speaketh of such things but heare him that will speake of Christ Iesus and his doctrine which shall feede thee to life euerlasting It will not be meate and drinke and the doctrine thereof which will feede thee but it must be this doctrine of Christ wherewith thou must be fed and thou must still feede on it vntill thou be glorified in him and with him for euer and euer To whom with the Father and holy Spirit be al praise and honour now and euer Amen THE XXIII LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 3. vers 1. 2. 3. 1 If ye then be risen with Christ seeke those things which are aboue where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God 2 Set your affections on things which are aboue and not on things which are on the earth 3 For ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God WE haue heard in this Epistle beloued brethren in Iesus Christ first the inscription of the Epistle Secondly The parts of this epistle alreadie handled the preface Thirdly the doctrine touching Christ and his benefits And then fourthly wee haue heard how he passed from the doctrine to the exhortations and admonitions exhorting the Colossians to perseuerance in that faith which they had receiued admonishing them to beware of the false Apostles their doctrine and mens traditions In this admonition hee insisteth throughout the whole second chapter Now brethren in this third chapter taking occasion of the vaine and corruptible things as meate drink and such things of which are the traditions of men from the which he had disswaded them in the former chapter he begins to exhort them to other things not corruptible but euerlasting not earthly but heauenly in the which true godlines and holines standeth Throughout all this whole chapter he insisteth vpon this first in general and then he cōmeth to his exhortation in speciall And he continueth so to the seuenth verse of the next chapter The particulars I remit to the diduction of the text and I come to the words presently read In thē there are two exhortatiōs to one thing together with sundry arguments hee exhorteth in both to the things aboue to heauenly things and the foresaid exhortation which he vseth for this purpose is to seeke them and the second exhortation is to know them to be wise in them and to vnderstand them for that is the force of the word Then to come to the first exhortation If ye be risen with Christ seeke the things that are aboue There is the exhortation and the first argument which is ye are risen with Christ to life after that ye were dead to all these beggerly ceremonies to mens traditions of meate and drinke and such like Now after ye were dead to these ye are risen againe to a life and to an heauenly life therefore seeke the things that are in heauen Now to insist vpon euery word Ye see here and in the chapter before mention is made of a dying of Christ and of a buriall with him and of a rising and liuing with him so that when he dieth wee die and when hee riseth and liueth we rise and liue Marke it well In a word as he altereth wee alter so many as beleeue in him of necessitie they change as he change when he dies they die by vertue of his death to sinne and to the world and sinne dieth in them when he riseth they rise with him vnto that heauenly life This alteration is wonderfull What man is high in the world which wil draw others after him after this manner that when he dieth wil cause another to die with him that neuer saw him bodily in this life What is he I say looke through the whole world and to all the Kings of the world whom will ye find in heauen or earth that will alter men after this manner by his death and life This is one common doctrine but it would be considered well for there are few which vnderstande this doctrine Then of necessitie in Iesus Christ there must be a great force and vertue Ye see now the Heauens Planets Sunne Moone and the rest because they by their operation do make alteration in these inferiour things as in plants grasse fields and euen in the bodie of man because I say of this operation in these inferiour creatures wee ascribe a great vertue to them But all these celestiall bodies cannot worke such effects as Iesus Simile his death and life can worke No no if thou were once dead these celestiall signes and planets will not make thee liue againe The Sunne nor the Moone cannot make thee liue when once thou art dead but when thou art dead Iesus will raise thee vp more liuely then euer thou werst before So there The power of Christs death and resurrection must be in him a force aboue all the force and power that euer God made or gaue to any creature But marke brethren concerning this power he must be a man in whom this power is because this vertue cannot come to thee but through the nature of man man cannot die to sinne and liue to righteousnesse but by that vertue that commeth through man yet he must be more then a man and that a holie man without al spot of sinne He must be more then this I say he must be God to Rom. 8. 11 Phil. 3. 10. 11. make thee die to sinne and rise vnto righteousnes This commeth of the special power and vertue of God for none is able in heauen or earth to worke such a strange worke as this except hee be God Yet there must be more of necessitie there must be a coniunction betwixt thee and him he must be ioyned Our communion with Christ to thee and thou to him otherwise his vertue will not come to thee either to thy death or to thy life he must bee thy husband and thou his spouse yea hee must be more then thy husband for the husband cannot draw the wife after him by vertue of his death or life either to liue or to die as Christ can doe He must be then thy head he must be as neere as thy head is neere thy bodie That is the familiar similitude of the Scripture When the head dieth the bodie dieth with it and when the head is liuely the bodie hath sense and being So when Iesus dieth the bodie dieth when Iesus riseth the bodie riseth also So the meetest thing to expresse him and his coniunction with vs is the head bodie of man and yet he must be more then the head for there came neuer such vertue from the head of a man to the bodie as there shall come from thy head Iesus Christ
vnto thy soule when thou art ioyned to him by faith He must haue vertue and power to giue thee whereby thou maist be able to die or to liue Now brethren if there were no more but these effects to flow from Iesus into vs it telleth vs plainly that there was neuer giuen such a power to any in heauen or earth as there was giuen to Iesus Christ man our Regeneration head It telleth that as hee is man so is he God Looke if thou haue regeneration in thee and thou shalt feele this to be true if wee haue it it will tell vs that Iesus Christ is the neerest to me and thee of all others There is none that will make thee to die with them but Christ only no thy father and mother will not be able to doe that none will draw thee after him in death and life saue onely Christ So if thou be ioyned with Christ it is impossible to separate thee from him as thou maist be from thy wise and children and the deerest things thou hast no no if thou be once ioyned to him as thy head there is no separation for thee he shall be all things to thee Now this much for the first argument the exhortation followeth If ye be risen with Christ saith he seeke those things which are aboue There is an action required and life and euery kind of life must haue an action otherwise it cannot be a life The naturall life must haue an action the earthly life must haue an action Then this heauenly life that we are risen to with Iesus it must haue an action otherwise it cannot be a life Note Thou that art quickened with him must be a doer otherwise thou hast not his life for as his life is the quickest thing that is or euer was for it is the life of God so it must haue the quickest action that is This action is first a seeking with the whole hart and all the affections and members of the bodie There is the first action seeking Euery life ye know seeketh for the things VVhat the spirituall life of Christ workes in his members that serue for the sustaining of it This naturall life that perisheth so long as it abideth it is occupied in seeking for the maintenance of it by night and by day by al meanes possible Should not then this heauenly life haue a seeking Shouldest thou sit when thou seest this man catching here and there seeking for the maintenance of this naturall life Wilt thou not take an example of these earthly things and earthly creatures to seeke for heauenly things to the confirmation and preseruation of thy spirituall life O if thou hadst a sparke of heauenly life thou wouldest seeke more earnestly for the entertainment of it then euer any creature did for the maintenance of this naturall life Well then by the example of these earthly things that are occupied in seeking for the meanes of this present life learne thou to seeke spirituall graces and say to the Lord O Lord grant that I may seeke heauen and heauenly things for the preseruation of this my spiritual life as al these earthly bodies seeke for these perishing things Now come to the things that they should seeke Seeke saith he what nothing beneath meate drink and the rest of these things No what should they seeke Things aboue in heauen that are in Iesus Christ O the fulnes that is in him Brethren all grace first is in heauen yea aboue these visible heauens where that glorious bodie is then it commeth downe to the earth Therefore he sendeth thee vpward to heauen for to seeke Ye know euery kind of life seeketh things proper and meete for such a life The life of a beast will seeke for that that is proper for the life of a beast the life of a tree for that that is meete for such a life and the life of a man for such things as are meete for the life of a man Euery life will seeke for things which serue for the preseruation of it euen so if thou hadst this life of God thou wilt seeke things proper for this life Thou wilt seek things from heauen because heauenly things are proper for such a life For heauenly things are proper for an heauenly life Iesus Christ after his death and buriall or euer his bodie was in heauen the heart of him was in heauen So if thou haue the life of Iesus of necessitie thy heart must goe to heauen for looke whither his heart went if thou bee risen with him of necessitie thy heart must goe thither and by thine action measure thy life in Iesus for if thou haue not a heart to heauen and heauenly things alas thou hast not the life of Iesus but if thou haue it thou wilt euer be seeking for heauenly things and then in some measure thou art in heauen Then to conclude this first exhortation and first argument thereof in a word and so to come to the second argument If there were nothing more to moue thee to seeke after heauen and heauenly things but this spirit of regeneration the life of the spirit in Iesus Christ it should lift thee vp to heauen as heauie as thou art For it is true thou art a lumpe but if thou haue the spirit if thou werst neuer so heauie he will raise thee and giue thee strength to flie vpward though the body be neuer so clogged If thou haue a sparke of that life it will cause thee to mount aloft Indeede this bodie will draw thee downe and must doe so yet bee assured if thou haue one sparke of that spirituall life it will raise thee vp when the other is pulling thee downe and in the end when mortalitie is so shaken off of thee then in a wonderfull manner the bodie shall be lifted vp and that soule and bodie of thine shall be glorified Therefore marke euer this life by the effect if thou findest thy heart in heauen and heauenly things say thou hast the life of Iesus but on the contrarie if thou finde not thy heart set A true note of the life of God in vs. on heauen and seeking for heauenly things thou hast not to doe with the life of Iesus and woe be to thee for euermore When thou risest in the morning if thou findest thy heart vpward O thou risest with ioy therfore neuer rest till thou hast Eph. 4. 18. gotten the life of God Lord make vs carefull to haue a sense of this life without the which there is no glorie nor ioy for the soule of any person liuing Now to come to the next argument which is taken from Christ himselfe and the place where hee is Seeke saith he those things that are aboue where Christ is As if he would say Christ is aboue that glorified bodie with all the spirituall graces and that fulnes is aboue yea aboue these visible heauens Therefore let thy heart goe where he is let it be lifted vp
but slaues and vessels of earth and not of gold let them cloathe themselues with gold as they will So behold the seueritie and mercie of God seueritie for the reprobate and mercie for the elect Ye will aske makes not God the chosen sometime a spectacle of his wrath was not Dauid in a miserable case and a fearefull spectacle of Gods wrath when as the sword went neuer out of his house all his daies and are there not many daily that are made fearefull spectacles and yet no doubt there are many of them that are of the chosen of God I answere indeede it is true the Lord will chastise his very sore here but all is in this world hang him head him burne him all is nought and that that is is euer conioyned with the mercie of God and his paine hath an end But the Apostle speaketh here of an eternall wrath The elect incurre not this wrath it is proper to the sonnes of infidelitie And therfore I say the elect are neuer made spectacles of Gods Gods punishments in this world on his are but chastisements wrath whatsoeuer the chastisement be that fals vpon them Ye will aske againe where was there euer such a spectacle seene In hell Saw you euer one tormented in hell with this wrath saw you euer one tormented in this world with this wrath God forbid I will not iudge so hardly of any that suffereth or are visited by the hand of God How is it then that the reprobate are made the spectacles of Gods wrath I say albeit thou neither see it nor thou heare it yet there are infinite numbers tormented in hell But there are some so pitifull hearted bodies who cannot heare tell that one goeth to hell O foolish pitifull hearted bodie I tell thee infinite numbers go to hell and shall goe and thou if thou beleeue not this shalt go with Hell the rest to hell For if this word will not serue to confirme thee in this truth that the reprobates shall be made spectacles of Gods wrath the wrath of God shall serue one day when it shall light on thee and them both as infidels to your vtter destruction Now to goe forward ye haue heard two arguments seruing to mortification The first was taken from heauen the second from hell as ye heard The last followeth and it is taken from these same sinnes in the which the Colossians sometimes walked as if he would say ye were such men sometime these sins all raigned in you before ye came to Christ ye were fornicators idolators couetous c. all these raigned in you as they did in any infidell Therefore let the remembrance of these sins be matter of mortification to you This is the argument briefly Of the which yee may gather that men should not looke How to remember our old sins idly on their sinnes wherein sometime they walked for when thou remembrest thou wast an harlot murtherer an oppressor and an auaricious man let that remembrance serue to an earnest slaying of sinne to come and mourning for thy sinnes past continually Fie on thee for euermore if this be not the effect of the remembrance of thy sinnes and so slay that foule affectiō that made thee an harlot and crie for that bloud of Iesus that washeth it away And certaine it is as all things that befall the elect are for their good euen so are their sinnes Rom. 8. for their good when they begin to repent them of their sinne and to slay it Dauid was better after his adulterie then he was before and he neuer remembred his sinnes as he euer remembred them without mortification For this is the nature of a sanctified remembrance it euer worketh sorrow in the heart and a mortification of the sinne O fie on thee when thou remembrest thy harlotrie and wilt not haue sorrow in thy heart for it nor mortifie it Well Paul saith Godly sorrow bringeth foorth repentance which is nothing else but a mortification of thy sinne sorrowing that thou hast done it and brethren sanctified remembrance maketh a fresh wound in the heart If thou stand in the grace of Iesus Christ thou wilt not so soone remember thy sins but as soone thou shalt be wounded with sorrow and griefe for them and thou shalt not so soone bee wounded but so soone that oyle of gladnes shall be powred into thy heart to comfort thee in Iesus and his grace and shall bring to thee a ioy vnspeakable Therefore this is my minde and it is true the ioyfullest bodie that euer was or is is a penitent The ioy of a penitent sinner sinner who with sighes vnspeakable groanes for sinne O then there is ioy vnspeakable and glorious in that heart 1. Pet. chap. 1. it refresheth the hart so sweetly that the mourning sinner is swallowed vp with ioy and blesseth the time that euer he mourned for sinne Come to the words of the text there are three things he noteth Three points in them First he saith they walked in them that is in these sinnes Secondly he setteth downe their manner of walking And thirdly the time when they walked in them As to the first ye walked that is in fornication and vncleannes and the rest ye walked in them as men are wont to goe from morning to euening The word teacheth vs this that a sinner cannot sit idle if sinne raigne in thee thou canst not sit idle but he must be euer going on yea and running on to sinne It is said in the epistle to the Ephesians that they gaue themselues to wantonnes with greedines striuing who should be formost There Eph. 4. 19. 20. was neuer two in a course of running striuing who should be formost and formost as a sinner in whom sinne raigneth will striue to be formost in sinne before all others There is none that went to hell nor none goe or shall goe but their owne Sinners walke to hell they neede no horse foote carieth them thither they neede not a horse to ride on and gallop thither There was neuer none so readie to goe to heauen as the reprobates are to goe to hell Would to God we could make as good speede in the way to heauen as they doe in the way to hell And so there is none that dieth that euerlasting death but it is according to his owne will Thy perdition is of thy selfe O Israel but thy saluation is of me saith the Lord. Thou wilt runne of thine owne will to hell except the Lord meete thee and hinder thy course The second thing he marketh in them is the manner of their walking Ye also that is euen ye walked after the same manner as the children of infidelitie did Looke as they walked so yee walked as they ranne ye ranne no difference betwixt you So the lesson is before the effectuall calling of God by his spirit and faith there is no difference betwixt the elect and the reprobate the soule of the elect
it In the last verse he makes plaine the thing he said he declares what a speaking this is That I may make it manifest that is that I may open it and vnfould it as a piece of cloath Take this mysterie in the which Christ and his riches is inclosed lay it open and let the world see it cleerely As to the speaking of it Moses spake of it but he left it foulded vp Then the Prophets spake of it but they vnfoulded it not for they could not doe it because Christ was not yet come in the flesh Then come the Apostles when Christ is crucified and they open it and as it is said in the Ephesians chap. 3. They Euangelize They A mystery make manifest the comming of Christ and his mysterie In a word that which was a mysterie of old they make an Euangell of it and the mysterie and the Euangell is one in effect for the mysterie is nothing els but a closed Euangell and the Euangell is the mysterie opened vp Then the lesson is wherein stands the speaking of the mysterie of Christ To wit in opening vp of it And therfore who euer thou be that takes vpon thee to speake of this mysterie look thou be skilfull to handle it that is that thou cāst vnfould it rightly to let the world see Iesus Christ that was so long hid vp Let them see Christ crucified and glorified looke that thou canst speake with the demonstration of a spirituall power with euidence of the spirit to make it plaine to the world and take Iesus Christ and paint The preaching of the Gospell the vnfolding of a mysterie him out to the eye of the people and let them see him glorified in the heauen and that life flowing out of his bloud If thou inuolue it when thou shouldest lay it abroad woe is thee hold thy tongue and speake not of him Alas then Ministers haue need to take heed to themselues This Gospell would not be handled with vnwashen hands The last words are As it becommeth me to speake or as it is in the owne language as it behooueth me of necessitie whereby he meanes that there was a necessitie imposed vpon him as in the first Epistle to the Corinths chap. 9. 16. and there hee saith Woe is me if I preach not the Gospell in this place he means that same necessitie Then briefly the Apostle here acknowledgeth a necessitie imposed vpon him to vtter the Gospell of Christ The lesson is easie weigh the estate of Pastors and Ministers In a word there is not a Pastor nor Minister that takes in hand to vtter Christ but there is a necessitie laid on his necke as an oxe yoked in a plough and all the Kings of the earth shall not take it off to vtter the Gospell with libertie To hide nothing of the mysterie not to impaire it a whit what euer the Lord requires in the Gospell in paine of thy life see thou impaire it not If the Emperors of y e world should lay an other yoke on thee say with Paul Woe is me if I preach not In deede thou who wouldest close the mouth of a Pastor if thou couldest free him of the necessitie and yoke that God hath laid on him thou wouldest doe something but woe to thee that wouldst lay on thy yoke with the yoke of God! Wilt thou the poore mans perishing Lay on him what thou wilt thou shalt not relieue him of the yoke of god and woe to that Minister that conceales ought of the truth of God for the pleasure of man Will not men consider this necessitie No al the world shall not with Gods grace make me cast off this yoke yea if it come to practise ye shall finde men who will be content to die for this Woe to thee who will impaire a iot of the Gospell Thou dishonourest God and his Gospell Therefore the Lord giue vs grace to suffer all extremitie and death it selfe cre euer we impaire a iot of this Gospell The Lord work this for Christs sake for his yoke is sweete and easie to be borne Now to the Father Sonne and holy Spirit be all praise and honour Amen THE XXXVI LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 4. vers 5. 5 Walke wisely towards them that are without and redeeme the season HAuing spoken brethren of the particular admonitions that were giuen by the Apostle to particular estates of men and women especially dwelling in one familie and household wee returned againe to the generall exhortation pertaining to men and women of all estates high and low poore and rich Princes and subiects masters and seruants and to all alike The first generall wee heard the last day and intreated of it as God gaue the grace it was an exhortation to prayer and perseuerance in prayer It is not enough to pray but thou must perseuere in prayer be ardent and earnest in it night and day for so thou hast neede to doe if thou consider thy wants Vnto perseuerance in prayer he ioyneth watchfulnes which is nothing els but feruentnes and earnestnes to pray with an ardent desire otherwise thou scornest him if thou deale with him for fashion and thou scorner Prayer wilt be met with and shalt finde thy prayer to be but foolishnes Eccles 2. 17. Then when he hath done this in generall he comes in speciall to himselfe and desires them to pray together for him among the rest considering that there was none that needed more then he because he was lying in bands for the Gospell and therefore had an impediment to vtter with libertie that mysterie of Iesus Christ which is nothing els but the Gospell hid vp in a mysterie to the consolation and saluation of the world Now to come to the text here followeth the second generall exhortation and it is to walke but with wisedome so in a word it is an exhortation to vse wisedom in their actions and proceedings whatsoeuer For what auailes it to doe ought except it be done wisely But to weigh the words as the Lord will giue grace Walke saith he You shall finde this oft recommended you are neuer bidden sleepe or sit idle but euer walking Walke occupation busines doing is recommended This Christian calling that wee haue in Christ Iesus it is not to sit idle to be sluggish to sleepe and slumber to sit to lie and to stand still in one place but it is to walke to goe to be on your iourney Wee are pilgrims and a pilgrime would euer be on his feet and if he rest it would be shortly and speedily dispatched and euer to the iourney Our calling is to occupation and labouring here but thou shalt cease from thy labour after this life To whom is this promise made to cease from your labour but to those who are diligently and earnestly occupied here in the vineyard of the Lord euer taking heede to their waies that they offend not the great God of
to speake of Angels and of their orders and tell you there bee so many orders of them Who told you that and then he will begin to speake of Saints and he will bid you call on them Did God commaund him to bid thee doe so and when hee hath done with heauen he will goe downe to hell and will tell you of all the chambers and places there of Limbus Patrum Purgatorie with the rest as though he had bin there And againe with such confidence he will speak of these things as if he had seene thē with his eyes This then tels vs y t this doctrine of the Papists is not a new but an old heresie and how like is a new heretike to an old heretike Well to be short let neuer man be curious in that which God hath neuer reuealed If God Curiositie hath not reuealed what the Angels be doing in heauen what the Saints be doing question not of it where hell is and what parts are in hell if God haue not reuealed it be not curious to search it let it be leaue off questioning of things that God hath not reuealed seeing there are so many things reuealed which thou canst not attaine vnto if thou shouldest sit night and day meditating vpon them Againe let no man bee bold to affirme the thing that hee knoweth not whether it be true or not if thou vse thy selfe to shamelesse pertnes thou wilt come in the end to confirme lyes Euer keepe a moderation and speake according to thy knowledge that that thou hast seene and heard And speake seeing it is the office of the Pastor to speake speake assuredly of saluation for surely thou must be studious to get the truth and to speak boldly of it and to die in the truth of God There is the first argument why the Apostle wils the Colossians that no man condemne them for meate and drinke learne of it to answere the Papists after this manner Thou art a pert and shamelesse bodie to intrude thy selfe into this point and that point of religion whereof thou hast no sure warrant and in that thou neuer sawest heardest nor was neuer reuealed to thee The second argument is from as euill a ground euen from pride and a poore pride as the words import for so the Apostle speaketh blowne vp as a bagge with winde no solide stuffe Now after what manner is he puft vp Rashly that is without cause hauing no matter but onely winde For ye shall vnderstand that there is but two sorts of pride There is one that is called a poore pride as we say A proud heart in a poore Two sorts of pride breast whē vpon a vaine conceit men are proud of that which they haue not Such was the pride of the Pharisie vpon the conceit of his righteousnes through it he scornes the poore man besides him who was notwithstanding more iustified then he was The second sort of pride is when one is proud but hath some matter of it as a rich man for his riches a man of science for his science whether the matter of it be outward or inward Of this the Apostle speaketh 1. Cor. 4. 7. What hast thou that thou hast not receiued why then boastest thou as though thou haddest not receiued it Alas no gift should make one proud For where that is it is a tokē that thou misknowest the giuer If a man haue pride with his graces all his graces are poyson for pride is a poysonable seasoning of them so that they shall neuer doe thee good As for example hee that hath grace to speake well if he be proud he may well doe the people good but he shall neuer be able to doe himselfe good A man of law Pride poysons all gifts that is full of law euen to the throte if he haue pride with it he may doe thee and the people good with it but not himself yea it is a curse to him A Preacher that hath knowledge in the Scriptures and can discourse vpon them finely if hee haue pride with his gift all is poyson he may well doe the auditorie good but hee shall neuer be able to doe his owne soule good So it is no small grace of God with thy gifts to haue humilitie and grace with humilitie is more worth then many graces that are conioyned with pride Now to goe to the words Where from commeth this pride this mischieuous pride that hath no matter to be proud for nothing it is a thing which is intolerable Hee sets downe the ground of it It comes from the minde there is the mother of it It is not without thee it is not riches honour and what euer thou hast that will make thee to haue a conceit of thy selfe it is not these things outward Pride whence it comes howbeit they will greatly further thee and helpe thy pride as ye may see this day in the persons of rich and honourable men What is it then euen the best thing of nature giuen to thee euen thy minde the reason that is within thee it poysoneth al thy gifts A natural mā wil make a faire discourse in reasoning yet with such a pride that he will not yeeld to any that saith against him and his reason So the best thing in man is his greatest enemie Man hath reason a reasonable minde and that is his preferment aboue the beast but I say to thee if that reason be not sanctified by the spirit of Christ Iesus if thou werst a King well had it been to thee that thou haddest bin borne a dog yea that thou haddest bin created a stocke or a stone if thou be not sanctified in thy reason This reason in the minde hauing pride conioyned with it beguiled all the Philosophers Rom. 1. 21. What a minde is that a fleshly minde saith the Apostle If there be any pure thing in man it must be the minde Yet the Apostle calleth it fleshly and Roman 8. vers 7. The wisedome of the flesh is enmitie against God I say to thee as the bodie is grosse and corrupt so the minde is as grosse and corrupt by nature So that as the bodie can feele nothing but that that is grosse no more can thy soule apprehend spirituall things but grosse things So there is the mother of all mischiefe That that Paul calleth flesh the canker of nature will ye see her daughters she begetteth vaine discoursing Then when she is in conceit of wisedome followeth false The daughters of reason not sanctified opinions of doctrines as this that Angels should be worshipped and then followeth the last childe Pride So all tends to this seeke mortification the slaughter of this mother the flesh or els she will destroy thee I say if she be not mortified thou shalt die euerlastingly For she shall fill thee so with wind and puffe thee vp so that when the iudgement commeth thou shalt be burnt vp like stubble Alas hast thou not thought of mortification
come and take vp the bodie and so sinne is not a light thing Seeing then it is so hard to slay these affections continue in slaying them and thinke it not enough thou hast giuen sinne a wound to day and so leaue off I tell thee it will slay thee if thou slay not it daily and hourely For that is it Paul saith Rom. chap. 7. vers 18. 19. A wanton girle and a wanton fellow they thinke they are liuing but I say there is not a sparke of life in them and well were they that they had not that life Therefore continue in slaying of sinne or else thou shalt be slaine of sinne and the life of lifes shall be taken from thee Ye that haue bin occupied in slaying of others slay your selues and your affections But how shall ye slay your affection It lieth not in thy hand to doe it there is no vertue in thee thou canst not slay one affection I will tell thee The meanes are two the first is faith in Iesus and in his death that is the death of Iesus apprehended by faith draw him as greedily Two means to kill sin to thee as thou suckest sinne It is the vertue of the crosse of Iesus that slayeth sinne and thy foule affections so that if thou haue not faith in him and his death thou shalt neuer be Gal. 6. 14. 15. able to slay sinne in thee nor to mortifie one foule affection The other meane to slay sinne and foule affections is the spirit of Iesus that accompanieth the crosse of Iesus take away the crosse of Iesus no spirit Then this spirit comming into thy heart it falleth to and putteth his hand in that sinne which is within thee and killeth it by little and little for as hee is a quickening spirit so hee is a slaying spirit of sinne So Christs crosse embraced by faith then his spirit they are the meanes to slay sinne in thee Then thou hast no more to doe but by faith to entertaine that crosse of Christ and his spirit for woe Rom. 8. 2. 3. 4. is that heart that is without the spirit of Christ But how shall this be I tell thee faith is by hearing heare the Gospell then for if thou take no pleasure in the Gospell faith Christ and his spirit shall goe from thee Besides these two there are other godly exercises profitable to the same purpose continuall prayer for that is the exercise that God delighteth in Meanes to come by to increase saith earnest exercising of the workes of charitie if thou leaue off these exercises thou shalt lose Christ and his spirit and shalt grow in sinne and then thou shalt be cast into damnation for euer Gods iudgement shall light on thy necke and shall crush thee downe to hell and thy sinne both This for the word mortifying The next is what should wee mortifie Hee saith not thy neighbour no no but hee saith mortifie thy cancred affection that moueth thee to slay thy neighbour slay thy selfe that is that masse of sinne that is within thee and cut off from thy bodie euery vncleane thing and slay euery member thereof and leaue not so much as thy little finger vnslaine By the mēbers Members of sinne I vnderstand the foule affections in thy heart which run thorough the whole bodie and fill the eye with pride with adulterie with wrath and crueltie in such sort that the very looke of the eye is defiled and will runne to vncleannes The hand is defiled and runneth to bloud the foote is defiled and hasteth to murther yea thy foule affections in the heart they will come to the tongue and imploy it all in their seruice so that thou maist perceiue what a sinne lieth in thy heart that infecteth all the members Therefore this is the exhortation of the Apostle slay the foule affections in thy members if it be in thy eye plucke it away that is plucke away that foule affection in thy eye for better it is for thee to bee crooked and blinde then to be cast into hell and there to curse thy hand and feete and all the members of thy bodie euerlastingly Now then of this briefly Ye see how farre sinne spreadeth in man and woman it is not content to occupie one part onely of man it will not be content with thy soule but it runneth through all It leaueth not one part free but filleth al the parts of man and woman Therefore mortification must not bee in one part it must not be in the soule onely but as farre as sin Mortification in all parts reacheth so farre must thy mortification reach Then begin at thy heart and next come to the outward members of the bodie for it auaileth nothing to haue a faire counterfaite face without if thou haue a foule heart within Yet the stile is to be noted that he giueth the members he calleth them earthly not heauenly All these foule affections are called earthly because in themselues they are grosse and earthly and their obiects are earthly And what matter brethren if these affections were made of the best part of the earth they are made of the dirt of the earth of these ofscourings of the dirt that thou wouldest lothe to look to Note Indeed there are some that be of the good earth as eating drinking and sleeping c. therefore are lawfull being sanctified but as for these affections of harlotrie of concupiscence of murther of couetousnes they are vnlawful and vncleane wilt thou then foster them No mortifie them slay them and cut them away Christ came not to make thy harlotrie cleane to thee no no thou lies in thy throate cut it away therefore otherwise thou and it both shal perish This for the generall Now I come to the particular members Because the large dispute vpon the particulars fitteth not for this time onely I will speake so farre as serueth for the purpose of this text Hee beginneth first at fornication Then hee commeth to vncleannesse Thirdly to inordinate passions Fourthly to euill concupiscence And fiftly he commeth to auarice and he would haue all these cut away Now to prosecute euery one of these The first is fornication harlotrie when whores and harlots go together Paul to the Romanes chap. 1. vers 24. and Ephes chap. 5. vers 5. when hee counteth out the vices of the Gentiles hee beginneth alwaies at harlotrie and fornication and then from that hee commeth to other vices In the first to the Corinthians chap. 6. he insisteth more largely Fornication in condemning of that sinne then commonly yee shall finde him to doe in any other vice and hee vseth for the condemning of it fiue or sixe arguments What meaneth this constant doing in condemning this vice The spirit doth it not in vaine no not one word commeth from that holie spirit in vaine I shall tel you the cause This sinne was a sinne common among the Gentiles and they thought it no sinne they