doe promise thee if thou doe it thou shalt haue the bitternes of thy nature taken away otherwise thou shalt neuer possesse a contented heart What a death this was he expresseth when he saith which were dead in sinnes there is the first cause of this death sinnes and trespasses that is all the actuall sinnes of their life all the foule thoughts of their heart all the prophane words of their mouth all vnruly actions of their hands all these be vnderstood vnder this word sinnes in the plurall number Then brethren this word importeth first the kinde of this death Death in sinne that man lieth in before he be in Christ it is not the death of the bodie In the bodie thou wilt seeme to be quicke enough when as thou art but dead but this death it is the death of the spirit it is the death of the soule for when thou goest on in sinne thou doest nothing else but stick and goare thy soule and besides in the end thou wilt slay the bodie also so as if thou continue in it it shall neuer leaue thee till it slay both soule and bodie for euermore Thou maist be a wanton harlot and a cruell murtherer but yet take thy delights howsoeuer thou wilt promise thy selfe as great assurance of life comfort and ioyes as thou canst imagine yet thy perseuerance in sinne shall slay thee with death in this world and in that to come For the wages of sinne is death Rom. 6. 28. Then this cause of death importeth not onely that this death is spirituall but also it importeth that it is a death exceeding fore and withall the dissoluing of this very bodie into powder and ashes Death in generall is nothing els but the depriuing of life A mā is said to be dead when he wanteth life Now these sinnes which he speaketh of here doe depriue thee of the quickest and sweetest life that euer was and what a life is it that sinne depriueth thee of euen the life of God the best life that is or can be Woe is thee that euer thou gottest life in the bodie if thou want this life of God that thou maist liue with Iesus Christ for euer Yea woe is thee for euermore that thou sawest either Sunne or Moone if thou want the life of God in Iesus Christ and there is nothing but sinne that can depriue thee of it And further it not onely bereaueth thee of life but it maketh thee guiltie of eternall death both in soule and bodie Thou hast these two Tvvo aduantages sinners haue by sinne aduantages delight in sinne as thou wilt sinne ruling in any man so long as hee liueth without Iesus Christ remission of sinnes and sanctification it excludeth the life of God from him and more then this it holdeth him poore miserable wretch vnder the guiltines of euerlasting death for euer You will aske how can a man be dead in sinnes Is he not liuely in actions is hee not counted the gallantest fellow in all the Realme and the liueliest that is the greatest swaggerer that can commit most euill Is hee not counted the liueliest that is the greatest murtherer I answere thee the quicker hee is in murthering in adulterie and such like the more is hee dead because first he wants the life of God And further all these are but dead actions dead workes comming from a dead man and they are as it were a stinking sauour from a filthie carrion so these men trimme them vp as you wil they are but stinking carrions O thou murtherer thou defilest the heauens the earth and the ayre O thou harlot thou defilest all the house and the bed thou liest in Thou oppressour thou defilest all the world though thou werst an Earle a Duke or a King thou art a dead stinking carrion worse then a dead dogge To come to the next words he ascendeth to a higher ground of this death and he saith they were dead not onely in actuall sinnes but they were dead in a sort of sinne that did cleaue faster and neerer to their ribbes You were dead saith he in the vncircumcision of your flesh that is in your originall sinne Hee setteth downe this by an allusion of the foreskinne the Gentiles vncircumcision was a signe of their originall sinne which Originall sinne was inherent in them as circumcision was a signe of the taking away of the same Then the cause of thy death in bodie and soule is not onely these actions that passe away as when thou hast murthered the action goeth away although the guilt remaine for the action that passeth it leaueth vpon thy backe a guilt which shall bring downe damnation vpon thee The cause I say of thy death in bodie and soule is not only in these fleeting actions but the grounded cause of it is original sinne the sinne conceiued in thy mothers wombe Thou art borne in sinne and it sticketh fast to thee and therefore it must follow that seeing the cause is a sticking and biding cause the death must also be abiding death I called it before a sore death now I call it an abiding death that greatly encreaseth the miserie You know that a disease naturall that commeth of any vitiositie of nature as of the birth so many as haue that disease it doth still accompanie their bodie It may wel be that they get it mitigated but they cannot fully clense it They may procure a relenting of it but neuer be able to take it away And therefore this death hauing the ground in that foule feede that thou art conceiued in by the generation of all thy forebeers it will passe the power of the world to get it away No the Angels of heauen will not bee able to relieue thee of it nothing will free thee of it but grace which is contrarie to that corruption of nature You know the prouerbe That which is bred in the bone wil hardly be driuen out of the flesh It therefore thou wouldest be cured of this rooted euill thou must crie for grace and say Lord send thy spirit of grace into my heart to rid me of this corruption of nature It thou crie not for this night and day yea and finde it in some measure working in thee thou shalt neuer be relieued Crie therefore and say Lord I was conceiued dead I was borne dead I A good prayer am euery way dead send thy spirit of free grace and free me of this death that so sore setleth vpon me that I may once enioy that life of Iesus Crie this way night and day and all thy time and then I assure thee thou shalt finde deliuerance and shalt taste how sweet the life of Iesus is And this for their former estate which is miserable being out of Christ Iesus Now followeth the estate in Christ He hath quickened you that is the father hath put life in you It is a quickening when death is expelled and life commeth in his place but what a life is it
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
LECTVRES VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE COLOSSIANS PREACHED BY THAT FAITHFVLL seruant of God Maister ROBERT ROLLOK sometime Rector of the Vniuersitie of Edenburgh COLOS. 3. 16 17. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you plenteously in all wisdome teaching and admonishing your owne selues in psalmes and hymnes and spirituall songs singing with a grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoeuer ye shall doe in word or deede doe all in the Name of the Lord Iesus giuing thankes to God euen the Father by him AT LONDON Imprinted by Felix Kyngston dwelling in Pater-noster row ouer against the signe of the Checker 1603. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL AND MY VERY CHRISTIAN FRIEND Maister William Scot of Ely all goodnesse in this life and in the life to come euerlasting happinesse SIr in many things God hath been pleased to linke vs together as in nature in nation and in honest familiaritie or Christian acquaintance and sundrie such like yet in none of these hath this great grace of his more plainely and plentifully appeared then in the band of the holy Religion which we professe As the thing it selfe hath been is and I trust shall for euer be the greatest glorie and best comfort that God hath affoorded vs in this world so we cannot but make much of the meanes and thinke well of the men by which this and many other graces haue been offered vnto vs 〈◊〉 â—ffected in vs. 〈◊〉 meanes are the Word Sacraments and Prayers of the Church together with many other good helpes and aides both publike and priuate which are good not onely because they proceede from God From whom alone floweth euery good and perfect gift and is all onely goodnes himselfe but also because they tend to our spirituall benefit in generall and in speciall are the strictest band to tye vs together one with another and to hold vs fast in the blessed fellowship of the saints The men are Gâ—â—â— faithfull seruants labouring in the ministerie of Gods holy word and doctrine amongst vs. Who howsoeuer they bee of themselues infirme and weake and haue Gods blessed treasures but in earthen vessels and therefore many times euen in both these respects not onely despised but ill intreated in this euill world yet are they made vnto â—s and the rest that beleeue the sauor of life vnto life 〈◊〉 Christ. Amongst others whom God in this last age hath vouchsafed vnto vs who may we or who mould we more continually remember or more reuerently regard then that worthie Country man of ours Maister ROBERT ROLLOK who what hee was in himselfe I meane for his life and conuersation I suppose verilie you of any man liuing best know and can and will most truely relate as time and occasion shall be offered because you were not onely the longest but most inwardly acquainted with all his cariages And what he was and hath been to the Church his worthy workes left â—â—â—ind him besides his daily labours in the Pulpit and Schooles can more then sufficientlie testifie What to men in the world is manifested by many things But not by any more then this that hitherto enuie it selfe hath not opened her mouth neither euer shall be able so to doe his conuersation was so Christian and his iudgement so sincere This worthie instrument of his glorie God graciouslie offered nay liberally lent a long while to our Church but we 〈◊〉 so reuerentlie esteeming him as we should nor â—â—â—refullie profiting by him as in deede we ought God in great mercie towards him doubtles though in no small iudgement to vs ward hath been pleased to retraite him to himselfe out of this wretched world and to bring him to yea to place him in celestiall heauenlie ioyes Which whatsoeuer he was doing he did hunger and thirst after yea groane and 〈◊〉 and as we may say in another mans speech 〈◊〉 another matter he did eate drinke and 〈◊〉 eternall life euery thing in him in a manner assuredly testifying that here was not his hope but that he looked for a citie eternall in the heauens All which graces God gaue him not onely for his owne consolation but in deed for our imitation if happilie we can striue thereto that he being in some measure both in life and death made conformable to his head and Sauiour Christ we might learne in deed and that by an example in fraile flesh and blood to purge our selues from all filthines of the flesh and the spirit and to finish our sanctification in the feare of God Wherein that the Lord might the better instrucâ—â—s he hath thus farre graciouslie prouided for vs that though he be departed from vs as in regarde of the bodie yet he is present with vs in respect of his spirit yea to say truth he liueth and that not onely with God and innumerable Saints and Angels in the heauenlie places where is the fruition and fulnes of ioy for euermore but euen with men yea holy men vpon earth and speaketh to them though not in a bodily voyce yet in the sound of his Lectures and fame of many excellent things of his prouoking the good euerie day to be better and admonishing the wicked euery where to turne from dead workes vnto the liuing God that so they might repent and be saued And this he doth amongst others euen in these Sermons or Lectures which now I present vnto you as a posthume birth after the Fathers decease or as an Orphane destitute of earthly parents not onely to receiue as it were breath and being from you for that it hath done alreadie as without whose good meanes in deed it could neuer haue beheld this light but all good supportation beside it lying in you not onely for your selfe but with sundrie others by reason of the good credit you haue among all speciallie with the godlie to giue it voge and passage Take it therefore I pray you into your good patronage and protection and receiue it as it is in deed yours yea yours I say if not in many good and gracious respects besides yet in a double regarde at the least One in consideration of the author whose things whilest he liued yea and after life and death also were yours as yours again his but all in Christ Another in that it is produced to the view of all by your meanes without which it should haue been as bed-reden notable to moue hand or foote nor to see or speake or should haue perished inter blattas tineas as we say but now commeth forth into the world cloathed as it were with your countenance and to be vpheld by your credit In this holy loue of yours hold on I beseech you and increase with the increasings of God and shew it effectuallie not onely to his which yet remaine amongst vs as you haue bountifullie done and yet doe that so that may be verified in you in the daies of your pilgrimage which was auerred of a right worthie person in former time he