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
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
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
not once get a sight of their king in all their life time but being translated to the kingdome of Christ we are ioyned neere to our king nay neuer Courtier was so neere a king of this earth as wee shall be when we are translated to the kingdome of Christ Iesus hee will not rest till he haue vs in him O the tender affection of Iesus Christ that hee beareth to them that are in his kingdome hee will haue vs ingrafted in him as the grafts in a tree he will not let thee stand behinde him but he will haue thee in his bodie and ioyned with him as a member of his bodie and he will haue thee feeding in him that is vpon grace flowing from him as from the head So blessed is the estate of that bodie that is translated to the kingdome of Christ as by the contrary miserable is their condition and estate that abide in darknes and ignorance When thou art in him what wilt thou get he saith we haue redemption It is impossible but if thou be once in him thou must haue grace of him once effectually called to his kingdome which is that first grace of force thou must passe to the next grace which is the Redemption and all the graces that are in him and so no end of grace to thee Get me the first grace get thy heart once entred I shall promise there shall be no end of grace vntil thou be glorified without end O then what is the next grace which followes thy calling It is a blessing called Redemption A word sounding in our tongue commonly would to God you vnderstood it aright As soone as thou findest in thy heart thy selfe to be effectually called as soone will the father say O sinner I absolue thee from thy sinnes That is the next blessing There is none who findes themselues effectually called but they will finde as it were this sound I absolue thee from all thy sinnes If thy conscience testifie thy calling it will testifie also that thou art absolued and redeemed from sinne Let no man speake of these things but they who feele in their hearts daily their effectuall calling Now I shall speake of this Redemption as the Lord will leade me not digressing into a common place What is then this Redemption to speake it plaine it is nothing but a deliuerie The redemption of a sinner is nothing but a deliuerie of a sinner a setting of him at libertie So a sinner when once he be translated vnto the kingdome of Iesus Christ when the father looketh as it were from his tribunall and sees the sinner ingrafted into Iesus so soone will hee shake the fetters from him For in this kingdome there can be no captiuitie no slauerie no bondage of sinne and death they cannot be in the kingdome of Christ Indeede in the kingdome of Sathan there is nothing but slauerie and all are but slaues but in the kingdome of Christ there is nothing but libertie The kingdome of libertie cannot abide a slaue but all must be free free from sinne and death The next thing in this redemption if we be deliuered from what is it that we be deliuered a man that is deliuered is deliuered from some thing from slauery if thou wert a King thy horse rubber is not so ill as thou art if thou be not translated from thy nature and from sinne Thou art deliuered from this when once thou art called for after we be called and translated sinne hath no more dominion ouer vs. Yet Rom. 6. 12 when we are in Christ we are not free of bands * 1. Ioh. 3. 78. A sinner in his conuersion albeit his sinnes be pardoned with God yet there is a time of further humiltation giuen him to feele the seale of the pardon of sinnes put to his hart Confer 2. Sam. 11 with Psal 51. Rom. 8. 15. Ephes 4. 30. Hebr. 6. 1. no neuer till the sentence of the absolution come out from the tribunall of God and say to thee I absolue thee But to goe forward how is this procured vpon what ground proceedeth it it is no small matter to get absolution at the mouth of God What procures it then thou must be ransomed thy ransome is not without a price The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports a ransome and deliuerance by a price of redemption For brethren you must vnderstand that the iustice of God cannot be impaired the infinit iustice of God cannot suffer the deliuery of a sinner except there be a ransome paid Thou art conceited of mercie and neuer hast recourse to that bloud that hath ransomed thee No no seeke to the price and bloud of Iesus otherwise thou shalt neuer be absolued yet this ransome preiudiceth nothing the mercy Indeede if the ransome were taken of thee out of thy owne purse then thou shouldest neuer haue got mercy but because it is the Lord Iesus that paid the ransome therefore it is mercy and grace to thee What ransome must this be you thinke much of siluer and gold and would to God the bloud of Christ was as much esteemed of by you as you esteeme of your gold and siluer But I tell thee be thou a sinner all the kingdomes of the earth will not ransome thy life the whole kingdomes of the world will not ransome the life of one sinner yea not of the poorest lad and lasse in the world I speake thus plainely to teach you to thinke of better things then the things of the earth Fye on those things we should not esteeme them pretious to vs but to be paltry the dirt of this earth and vanitie of this world What must be the ransome then It must be bloud It is impossible that a sinner can be ransomed without bloud the silliest of you all cannot come to heauen without you be ransomed with bloud Therefore in the epistle to the Hebrewes 9. chap. 22. it is said Without bloud no remission of sinnes And if there were but an euill thought no ransome of it without bloud else shalt thou dye euerlastingly and the wrath of God shall feede on thee as fire vpon stickes or else thou shalt bring for thy ransome the bloud of another Then whose bloud must this be surely one must dye the iustice of God must be satisfied it must not be thy owne bloud nor the bloud of any sinner in the world take them altogether and offer a sacrifice of them all crucifie them all all shall not make a ransome for sinne Indeede it is true the wrath of God must feede vpon the bloud of a sinner and vpon the reprobate but that shall not be a ransome for one sinne so hee shall neuer be redeemed by his own bloud A ransome must haue a redemption but the bloud of a sinner will not doe this for sinners are in hell and in hell there is no redemption So wilt thou be ransomed say not I will reedeme my selfe with my owne bloud The Lord will take the bloud
father and the father in me nay no sonne in the earth how verely so euer he represent his father may say so as Christ saith so the likeliest the quickest and the best representing of the image of God is the sonne of God There is no comparison and therefore in Iohn 14. 9. to Philip he saith In that thou hast seene me thou hast seene the father also Why because I am the brightnes of his glorie so that if thou seest me thou seest the father and without the sight of the father there is no life And thou must begin that sight of him here or else thou shalt neuer see him And if the sonne were not so liuely an image of God it were impossible to be content with the sight of the sonne but because he represents the whole maiestie of his father therefore the sight of the person of the sonne contents vs and we reioyce in him O if we had that sight of him as we should haue it then should we reioyce vnspeakably so to end the words imports this when he saith that he is the image of the inuisible God that he is visible Then I aske the question how is the sonne of God visible marke briefly in his manhood that is in our flesh he is visible because Iesus Christ in the flesh is as well seene with the bodily eye as a man and when we shall see him in heauen we shall see him in the very body so there is no question of his humane nature But how is that Godhead seene in the sonne that is a greater question I will assure thee it must be seene or else no life for thee But how is it seene first I answere with the eye of the mind A man hath a bodilie eye in his head and againe he hath another eye in his soule which when once it is illuminated by the spirit of Christ then that eye shall see better than a thousand bodily eyes it will pearce vp through the very heauens and neuer rest till it come to the sight and presence of God Indeede if it be not illuminated it will see nothing but being illuminated it will pearce through the very heauens and enter into the light of God see him So the sonne of God is seene in his Godhead by the eye of the minde and held fast by the heart and felt of the heart What meanes this sweete apprehension that a man will haue of the mercie of God of the wisedome and iustice of God what meanes it Nothing but a sense of the Lord Iesus Christ all is in the feeling of Iesus Christ who dwels in the heart by faith as the Apostle to the Ephesians 3. 7. saith so there is the first way how he is seene But yet would not the eye of the bodie see him Certainly I would see him with this same bodily eye And there is no faithfull man but their yearning is to see him with their bodily eye Now how shall I get a sight of him with a bodily eye I shall tell thee how thou shalt get a sight of him with the bodily eye Indeede thou wilt not get it immediatly but thou must looke in through the vaile There must be a vaile hung downe ouer betwixt thee and that glorious maiestie now through that vaile that glorie of God shines in that flesh of Iesus so the beames strikes so farre that they pearce within thee because thou wilt see the glorie of God through this vaile and thou wilt not onely see the person of the sonne in the vaile but through him thou wilt see the glorious father So in a word when thou commest to heauen thou wilt now goe here and there on the earth to see glorie and wilt gaze on heauen I say vnto thee all the glorie of heauen will be closed in Iesus Christ if thou turne thy eye from him no sight of glorie so all thy pleasure then will be to hold thy eye vpon that glorious son of God and that wil be our heauen and our ioy through the sonne to see the father and to see the glorie of the Lord Iesus clad with our nature sitting at the right hand of his father To whom with the holie spirit be all praise honour and thankes for euen Amen THE FIFT LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 15 16 17. 15 Who is the image of the inuisible God the first borne of euerie creature 16 For by him were all things created which are in heauen and which are in earth things visible and inuisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created by him and for him 17 And he is before all things and in him all things consist WE shewed you the last day welbeloued in the Lord Iesus the Apostle when he ended his preface he entred into the doctrine and in it he beganne at the first grace and blessing that wee get in Iesus Christ in time which is our effectuall calling and deliuerance from vnder the power of darknes wherein we are conceiued and borne Euery man and woman is borne naturally a slaue to the diuel hell and darknes The best of vs all a slaue to hell the diuell and darknes so by this benefit of our calling wee are taken out from vnder this slauerie and translated to another kingdome not of slauerie but of libertie and light to the kingdom of his deere sonne the Lord Iesus Christ that is the first grace and benefit which the Apostle handleth Then from this hee comes to another benefit and he calleth it redemption or otherwise remission of sinnes Being now by your effectuall calling translated to the kingdome of Christ Iesus and being ingrafted into him the next benefit and grace we get is absolution we get a free remillion of all our sinnes and consequently we are freed from death and damnation that followes vpon sin This absolution and setting of vs at libertie from sinne and death is not without a price The iustice of God the wrath of God against sinne cannot suffer a sinner to be absolued without a ransome and price so our remission and absolution must be by a price and paying of a ransome But let vs see who paies it Indeede if wee our selues were bound to pay the ransome neuer any of vs could be safe no all the bloud of men and Angels and it were all shed to be a price for sinne would not redeeme a sinner Then who paies the ransome It is said we haue redemption not through our bloud but through his bloud It is then the bloud of Christ that is the ransome for our sinnes the Lord Iesus hath bought vs deere There was neuer from the beginning of the world nor shall not be vnto the end of the world such a deere price giuen as is the price of our ransome which the Lord Iesus hath giuen for vs. So that which he hath deerely bought to vs is nothing but a free
his fellowes neuer man gat or will get such graces as the man the Lord Iesus hath gotten neuer a one hath gotten such wisedome such knowledge and such holines nay all the Angels haue not gotten such graces as he hath But it is not onely these graces wherein this fulnes stands but he is filled with the fountaine of all grace The fulnes of the Godhead it selfe is in him that is his fulnes such as neuer creature got or shall get in heauen or earth It is a vanitie to speake of the graces of Angels in comparison of him all the graces of men or Angels they are as it were but riuers and streames that flow from that glorious head that is full of God So there is no comparison of his fulnes Wee haue receiued saith Ioh. 1. 6. all of his fulnes So all our fulnes stands in his fulnes that is deriued into vs. As this is the reason prouing his dominion so it is a part of his glorie Looke to the glorie of that personage thy Redeemer he is not only a man but a man full of God and so must not this bloud y t comes from him be precious Therefore it is called the blood of God Acts 20. 28. Yet only beleeue and I assure thee in his name of thy redemption if thy sinnes were neuer so great Fasten thy heart once on him and thou shalt finde mercie Take his bloud in thy hand and sprinkle thy heart with it and thou shalt finde grace Heb. 9. 14 and mercie to flow to thee through the same otherwise it had bin better for thee that this bloud had neuer been shed As for the rest I leaue it till the next day concerning the Mediatour onely thus farre As the glorie of the image of the inuisible God and the rest ye haue heard me speake of is infinitly excellent so this that he is a man full of God this is the glorious personage of thy Redeemer It tels thee that that bloud that came out of that bodie was more precious then al the things in the world That bloud y t was powred out of his foot out of his hand and side al tels thee that it is excellently precious and beside that of great necessitie And further it tels thee that sinne against God is great and greater then thou canst consider Fie on thee vile creature if thou wist what it were to sinne against God thou wouldest shake and tremble nay neuer a ioynt of thee would bide fast for feare of that fierce wrath to come on thee And againe if thou knew the vertue of this bloud that takes away thy sinne thou wouldest cleaue fast to it and make much of it but thou considerest not this and therefore thou knowest not the preciousnes of this bloud for if thou knowest not thy sinne thou shalt not know the preciousnes of that bloud of Christ that takes away sinne And againe it tels vs of that passing iustice and of that infinitnes of the wrath of God O that infinitnes of the wrath of God! O wretch thou wottest not The wrath of God for sinne what it is but if it lighted on thee it would rush thee to hell So the precious bloud that was shed for sinne without the effusion of the which thou couldest not be redeemed It tels thee I say that the wrath of God for sinne is infinite and if it were but an euill thought It strikes vpward and strikes the Lord in the nose and kindles his wrath against thee therfore feare and studie to mortification And more I tell thee that notwithstanding thou art once redeemed and by this bloud of Christ freed from sinne and death by such a ransome yet if thou take delight in sinne the murtherer in his murther the oppressor in his oppression being once redeemed thy sinne if it were but an euill thought it is a thousand times the greater by reason of thy redemption For why it brings with it the contempt of the bloud of Christ And thou sinner who takes pleasure in weltring in the foule puddle of sinne what doest thou thou goest on with thy foote and treads the pretious bloud of the Lord Iesus vnder thy foule feete And therefore thou shalt be chalenged in that day not onely because thou wast a murtherer an oppressor and a harlot no no there shal be thy chalenge villaine thou treadest vnder thy foote the bloud of the couenant the precious bloud of thy Sauiour that should haue redeemed thee from thy murther and sinne and therefore wel were it for thee if thou hadst been a Gentile that neuer had heard of this couenant and therefore if thou mindest not to leaue off thy sinne in paine of thy life thou come not to heare a word of Christ For why the more thou hearest the greater shall be thy damnation And there is not one word spoken this day but if it be not effectuall to chaunge thy euill life so that thou begin to leaue off thy sinne but it shall increase thy damnation in that day Therefore take my counsell either amend your liues or els come not to heare one word of this Gospell For this word as the Apostle saith shall be either a sauour of life vnto life or els a sauour of death vnto death and it shall slay thee with a greater dead stroke then if a thousand rapiers were thrust through thee I beseech the Lord Iesus to touch thee with his word that it may be effectuall in the hearts of the hearers so that they may amend their liues to their owne weale and his glorie To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be praise Amen THE SEVENTH LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 20. 20 And through peace made by the bloud of that his crosse to reconcile to himselfe through him through him I say all things both which are in earth and which are in heauen YE remember beloued brethren the Apostle when he had set downe that great benefite of the redemption of mankinde by the bloud of Iesus Christ hee fals out into a high descriptiō of the sonne of God tending to this end to let vs see the preciousnes of that bloud He set him to be first the image of the inuisible God a high stile Secondly he stiles him to be the first borne of all creatures Thirdly hee stiles him to be the Creator himselfe by whom all things in heauen and earth were created Fourthly he calles him to be the end of the said creation of all creatures for whose honour and glorie all creatures were made Fiftly he stiles him to be the preseruer and keeper of all the creatures made by him Sixtly he comes forward and considereth him not onely as he is the sonne of God God from all eternitie but as he is man also and he makes him to be the head of the Church as he is God and man Then he cals him the first borne of the dead as hee is
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
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
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
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
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
COLOS. Chap. 2. vers 13. 14. 13 And ye which were dead in sinnes and in the vncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickened together with him forgiuing you all your trespasses 14 And putting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against vs. REmember brethren the last day we had in hand the circumcision not made with the hands of man but standing in a putting off of the bodie of the sinnes of the flesh he tooke it vp in one word and termed it the circumcision Summe of the last Lecture of Christ that is an inward circumcision made by him and by his vertue Now to make this more plaine he insisteth in the next verse on the circumcision of Christ and hee made it to stand in a conformitie betweene Christ and vs that as Christ after his death was buried so wee should be buried with him that is our old man and the corruption of nature should be buried with him Next as after his death and buriall he was raised vp to life so we being dead and buried to sinne should rise vp to newnes of life in him Now this is obtained not by the Sacrament of Baptisme onely but by faith laying hold on God and his mightie power After this when he had spoken of the effect of this strong power of God he abides on it describing God himselfe his omnipotent power The description ariseth of the effects that proceede from him The effects of Gods power You haue heard the first effect it was in raising Christ from death in which worke the power of God chiefly appeared there was neuer a worke that God wrought from the creation to this houre or will worke to the end of the world in the which so mightily appeared the power of God as it did in the raising of Christ because there was neuer a creature so humbled and so bound with the bands and dolor of death as was Iesus Christ Now in this that we haue read presently followeth the rest of the description of God in his power and first wee haue his The second effect of Gods power description from the second effect and worke of his power It is the quickening of the Gentiles that were dead with Iesus who was first quickened namely the Colossians to whom he writeth Then followeth the third effect the quickening of the The third effect Iewes that were as well dead as the Gentiles But to speake of the quickening of the Gentiles and namely of the Colossians and so to come to the words he saith And you that is you Colossians and all the rest of the Gentiles when you were dead in sinnes and in the vncircumcision of the foreskin of your flesh then he quickened you and raised you vp from the death that ye lay in with him meaning Iesus Christ whom hee raised vp first and that in this order He hath freely forgiuen you all your sinnes these are the words Now brethren this is to be considered he setteth not downe the quickening of the Colossians and of the rest simply but he setteth it downe in a comparison with their former estate wherin they were before their quickning calling them to remembrance that before they were quickened they were dead life followeth death the first gate to life with Iesus is to be dead with him so it behooued that before they were quickened they should be found dead Now in the comparison and example set downe here mark first it is the will of God whatsoeuer grace hee giueth vs wee doe much esteeme it and if he giue thee life he will haue thee highly account of it The spirituall grace that is gotten in Iesus Highly price the least grain of the grace of Christ Christ it cannot be highly enough thought of in the heart of man For when thou hast put it in a ballance with al earthly things all is nothing the least graine of this spiritual grace gotten in Iesus Christ is worth them all Therefore the Lord that giueth thee it will haue thee to make much of it Now the way to weigh aright this heauenly life receiued in Christ is this to cast thy eye back and looke ouer thy shoulder to that death wherein thou latest before thou gottest it looke what thou wast before looke whether thou wast dead or quicke before thou gatest this spirituall life And therefore there is nothing more required then a sanctified memorie in a Christian Remember wealth and woe both good estate and ill what euer it hath bin Now looke to the working of God for rather then his own elect shall be forgetfull of their former estate of their death they lay in before they got life he wil make y e very stink of their sinful nature wherof they haue yet a remnant he will make it I say to strike them in their nose and make them feele that stinking sauour For he keepeth still the remnant stinking The remnant of sin in the regenerate what vse is hath in them that they may remember what estate they were in before they got this life in Iesus Christ that they might remember the life they haue gotten to be the sweeter Nay marke it thou shalt neuer feele the sweete odour of the life in Iesus Christ except thou feele the stinke of thy nature And if thou take a delight to looke into thy owne nature and thinke it delicate thou neuer thoughtest what grace meant yea thou shalt neuer account of it but once tasting of the life of Iesus and the sweetnes of it then thou shalt abhorre that stinke of nature wherein thou before delightedst For whē once thou hast tasted of that sweetnes for all this world thou wouldest not returne againe to that death of sinne wherein thou liuedst before it was taken away by the quickening power of God But to insist vpon the words When ye were dead as if hee should say ye Colossians did imagine that you were quicke but I say ye were dead not onely ye but all the Gentiles were dead Then brethren ye may see a man if hee were neuer so quicke being out of Christ he is but dead as Paul speaketh of the wanton widow 1. Tim. 5. 6. and the quicker thou thinkest thy selfe if thou be out of Christ thou art the deader But here is our miserie wee feele not that we are dead alas these miserable creatures that wallow in sinne they haue dead bodies but they feele it not and certainly there is no man that getteth the sense of the bitternes of that death or that loathes and is squeamish at the filthines of his nakednes vntill he be in Christ and vntill he feele the sweetnes of the life of Christ hee The sweetnes which the faithfull feele by Christ in their regeneration neuer knoweth himself to haue haue been dead or vnder the power of death And therefore whatsoeuer ye be which he dead without Iesus striue to get a feeling of the sweetnes of that life which is in him I
that wee receiue in Christ Would to God wee could meditate vpon this life that is in Christ you shall know it best by this what a death wast thou in It was a spirituall death both of the soule and bodie standing in the want of the life of God Then this life must be spiritual also euen the life of God that thrusts out that death that is that corruption and fruites of the same If thou haue this life though thou werst dying bodily thou wilt be liuing in thy soule and when thou art dead thou shalt be liuing this is the aduantage of this life of God But if thou want this life dying thou shalt be onely dead and nought els and woe is that man or woman that is onely dead 2. Cor. 4. 10. Paul speaking of himselfe saith Euery where we beare about in our bodie the dying of the Lord Iesus meaning this dying in the bodie but yet saith he the life of Iesus is manifested in my bodie that is in dying bodily I liue spiritually And vers 16. The more that the bodie died the more he was renued daily Paul felt this in himselfe doest thou not feele this naturall life wearing away the strength of it decaying daily Striue theÌ„ with Paul that with the decay of the one thou maist feele the growth of the other in thee and woe is thee losing the bodily life if thou get not the growing of the spiritual life But if thou doest feele it keepe it well otherwise thou shalt die euerlastingly He saith not simply he had quickened them but he saith he hath quickened them with him that is with Iesus Christ in this order First he raised Christ from the dead then with him he beginneth their rising here in this life which shall be accomplished in the second resurrection that is to come If ye wil consider these words they import three things First there is none quickened alone so as if thou be alone Three things in our â—iuification to be considered and separate from Christ thinke not to liue conceiue not to get the life of God and therefore he saith hee hath quickened you with him The second thing is there is no man that is first quickened in order but Christ is first quickened and thou commest in the second roome thou canst not get life before him The third thing to be considered in this place is no man getteth life from God immediatly for first hee giueth life to Christ and thou being in Christ thou drawest a portion out of him He hath the fulnes if thou be ioyned with him thou drawest out a share of life where by thou doest liue And therefore take this admonition Wouldest thou haue life stand not alone but ioyne with thy head Christ and then with the bodie for if thou be not a member of this bodie though it seeme ignominious to thee thou shalt haue no life in thee Creepe then vnto Christ be neuer alone be euer in the society of the Saints And if Christ be the head then claime not to be the first to haue life but let Iesus thy head be first and then come thou creeping in to him striue to be next him as much as thou canst and striue not to be first for hee will be first in despite of thee The last is seeke not to get grace and life immediatly of God without Christ as if there were any life of thy own without him thou wouldest be deceiued in steed of life the curse of God will fall vpon thee Thinkest thou that the Iewes which looke vp to heauen and seeke life without Christ thinkest thou that they will get it Nay they get death in steed of life but thou that gettest a drop of his grace which is better then all the kingdomes of the earth to refresh thy soule that is parched as it were with the heate of sinne thou I say wilt get life in him for all grace is in him therefore seeke for it in him To goe forward he laieth downe whereupon this proceedeth It must be builded vpon a ground which is a remission of thy sinnes which is in effect the iustifying of thee in Iesus accompting thee to be a iust man notwithstanding thy sinnes saying I pronounce thee a iust man Then briefly mark this and looke by what order thou attainest to life This is the order to come by the life of God first before euer thou get that quickning How to attaine life spirit for it is the spirit that quickens thou must haue the bloud of Iesus For there are two things that come from Iesus his bloud and his spirit thinke not to get the spirit before the bloud but seeke the bloud bathe and wash that foule soule of thine Wash and clense thee againe and againe in that bloud shed on the crosse to the end that the guiltines of thy sinnes being washed away from thy soule for this is the vertue of that bloud to all that beleeue thou maist get the spirit of Iesus For being once washed in his bloud then thou gettest that that is called the remission of sinnes which are washed away Heb 9. 14. through faith in the bloud of Christ and hauing got this free remission the spirit will come and will pull out that roote of bitternes and digge it vp by the rootes all the power in the The power of Christs spirit world cannot pull it vp but the spirit of Iesus will doe it it will I say pluck vp that roote and all the branches and members of it howbeit he will not doe it at once yet hee will doe it by degrees Then if thou wouldest haue life goe on in this order and say to God Lord forgiue me my sinnes in the bloud of Two petitions Iesus say not Lord quicken me but say Lord forgiue me my sinnes and take away the guiltines of them in the bloud of Iesus It is most certaine that if thou haue faith in the bloud of Iesus thou must be forgiuen Then say in the second roome Lord quicken me giue me that spirit that may pull out this naturall corruption and put life in me Come on in this manner and if thou hast a faithfull heart it is not possible but thou maist obtaine remission of thy sins and be quickened Crie then continually Lord forgiue me Lord relieue me of the death which I lie in relieue me of this corruption put life in me and all this through thy beloued sonne Christ Iesus For it will not be the life of thy parents that will make thee to liue crie to root out that poison which thou hast from thy parents Our gentlemen thinke it enough for them if they be descended of such a descent of people Ha ha thou wilt die like a dog if thou haue no more be neuer contented til thou hast gotten a new birth For all they that will raigne with him must haue a new birth It is impossible for thee to be one of
Gods children and of Christs and to haue place in heauen if thou be not borne anew againe by the spirit and water as saith Ioh. 1. Epist 5. 6. And so much for the second effect of the strong power of God Now followeth the third effect in quickening of the Iewes The third effect of Gods power there must be something supplied in the text And vs that is the Iewes so I shall stand vpon these words where he saith he hath put out the hand writing Note The order whereby the Gentiles were quickened was the remission of their sinnes but the order whereby the Iewes are quickened is otherwise before euer they gate life there must be an hand writing blotted out and if we looke to it the Iewes were more bound to death then the Gentiles because they had subscribed to their death and that publikely in the face of the world But to come to the words We haue to marke these things first who is this that blotteth out and scrapeth away this hand writing Secondly what is meant by the blotting out Thirdly what is the thing that is blotted out Fourthly wherefore serued this hand writing he telleth it was against them it serued to their condemnation I shall goe through these foure as time shall serue As for him that is the blotter out his name is not expressed it is Iesus Christ the sonne of God for I see here that which I noted Foure points in the 14. verse in the first chapter the person is changed he said it is God the Father that quickened the Gentiles now he changeth the person There is no fault in this for that that the Father doth the Sonne doth To let you see that all is common to the Father and to the Sonne The Father worketh and I worke saith Christ Ioh. 5. 17. Then what is meant by this blotting out The word in the originall signifieth a perfect scraping out as it were of an obligation so that there remaineth not behinde any memorie of that that is scraped out there rests not one letter or tittle vnscraped out Then Christ Iesus is made a Chauncellor of the Father to cancell to blot out at his pleasure and as hee pleaseth Hee hath rent the obligation and drawne lines through it so thou that wouldest haue thy obligation cancelled get thee to him for wee haue bound our selues to him Thirdly what is that that is blotted out The handwriting standing in ordinances that is in rites and ceremonies Then it is the ceremonies or rites that be blotted out which was an obligation of the Iewes subscribed with their owne hands Now wherfore serueth it He saith it was against vs not for vs it did vs no good but euill It bound and tyed vs to death and sealed vp to vs the guiltines of death and damnation He exempteth not himselfe from this death hee subscribeth it with his owne deede To make this plaine the Iew in vsing of circumcision he protested hee had originall sinne and so was guiltie of damnation in vsing of these washings he protested and proclaimed hee was all filthie and so guiltie of the curse of the law and so subscribed to his owne death How the Iewes in the vse of the ceremoniall law proclaimed their owne guiltines and death And last of all in sacrificing hee protested hee was sinfull and that he had deserued that death which the innocent beast sustained for his cause and therefore guiltie of iudgement and damnation and so subscribed to his owne death Brethren this was marueilous the rites and ceremonies were figures of Christ and serued to leade them to Iesus Christ to see that bloud of Iesus in a figure which washeth away the sinnes of the world How is it then a handwriting against them I answer it is true if their ceremonies be taken as figures of Christ they were no handwriting against them if they had an eye to the bodie that is Christ and sought not life in the ceremonies but in the thing figured But brethren take them from Christ take washings and sacrifices as a kinde of religion without Hovv the ceremonies vvere an handwriting against the Ievves Christ all was but a handwriting against them And whatsoeuer Iew he was that looked not to Christ in his Circumcision in his washing and rubbings and in sacrificing that Iew perished and all his doings was but the subscribing to his owne death Now to come to the Apostle hee taketh the ceremonies as separate from Christ and so they were a handwriting against them He was a rare Iew that vsed them with respect to Christ but the multitude tooke them as a religion without Christ and therefore the greater multitude perished And so I say that outward ceremonies cannot saue vs. In comming to the Church thinke not to get life except thy heart pearce into Christ Iesus all thy outward worshipping shall not helpe thee but shall be an obligation to thy owne condemnation as the outward Ceremonies of the Iewes were to them a handwriting against them to their owne destruction And if thou abuse these Ceremonies which we haue in religion in preaching Spirituall vvorship praying and outward meeting I assure thee thou shalt not escape the iudgement of God And therefore beware and neuer content thy selfe with the outward worshipping fie on it all if thou haue not an inward worshipping in thy heart Againe I see no man that goeth to hell but before hee goe hee subscribeth to his owne death I subscribe with my owne hand that I am worthie of death The obligation passeth against thee either secretly or openly in thy owne conscience and then thy mouth shall be closed and the Lord shall cast thy handwriting before thee and shall say Seest thou not thy owne handting knowest thou not that thou subscribedst this And if thou werst an Emperour thou shalt keepe thy mouth close then and goe from him with howling and scritching And therefore neuer rest as thou wouldest haue life till thou get that handwriting taken away Thou wouldest be busie to get that handwriting taken away which thou seest and knowest will doe thee euill here and that may trouble thee in thy person goods or lands fie on thee that shouldest be so busied about trifles and vanities and forgettest to take away this fearfull handwriting which if it stand vntaken away may doe and shall doe thee more harme then the losse of this whole world can doe Seeke therefore continually night and day to haue this handwriting of thy sinne and guiltines taken away as thou wouldest stand with ioy in the presence of thy maker at that day To whom with the Sonne and holy Spirit be all honor for euer Amen THE EIGHTEENTH LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians beginning at the midst of the 14. verse COLOS. Chap. 2. vers 14. 15. 14 Which was contrary to vs he euen tooke it out of the way and fastened it vpon the crosse 15 And hath spoyled the
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
all glorie and honour for euer and euer Amen THE NINETEENTH LECTVRE VPON THE Epistle of PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 2. vers 16. 17. 16 Let no man therefore condemne you in meate and drinke or in respect of an holie day or of the new Moone or of the Sabboth daies 17 Which are but shadowes of things to come but the bodie is in Christ THe purpose of the Apostle in all this place beloued brethren it is partly to exhort the Colossians to beware of false teachers that had crept in amongst them partly to admonish them Now heretofore ye heard hee fell vpon occasion into a faire description of God and of Coherence the effectualnes of his power which was from the effects first from the raising of Iesus Christ from the dead Secondly from raising vp of the Gentiles and namely the Colossians who were dead in sinnes and in the vncleannes of their flesh from that death they lay in And thirdly from the quickening of the Iewes who had subscribed an obligation against themselues sealing vp that they were guiltie of damnation Therefore Iesus Christ the first thing he doth is the cancelling of the obligation and putting it out of the way by nailing it on the crosse then when he had done this he turneth him vpon the same crosse to principalities and powers who are the diuels that persecuted mankind and accused them vpon that hand-writing He turneth I say to them and fighteth with them spoyling and leading them captiues Then hauing spoyled them he leadeth them to their shame and his glory in the sight of God and his Angels openly in a triumph hee sitting as it were in his triumphing chariot the crosse more glorious then all the chariots wherein any triumphing Emperour euer triumphed from the beginning Now brethren in this text which we haue read the Apostle returneth to his former purpose and vpon the former doctrine containing that fact of Christ vpon the crosse in nailing the hand-writing to the crosse and putting it out of the way and vanquishing the diuels he gathers this admonition Seeing this hand-writing of ordinances all rites ceremonies and all are abolished by the crosse of Christ therefore ye Colossians let no man condemne you for these things They are not they are all abolished and put away therefore beware of the false teachers that would condemne you for not vsing of such things I meane saith he new Moones Sabboths meates drinkes and such other ceremonies If wee will weigh these words well wee shall finde in them not onely a simple admonition giuen to the Colossians that they should not suffer themselues to bee condemned in such things but also we shall finde an inhibition giuen to the false teachers forbidding them to condemne the Colossians or any of the Gentiles in any of these rites that were alreadie abolished forbidding them streightly vnder the paine of their condemnation to vrge them with the same The very forme of the words sheweth that it is a very law for it is giuen after the manner of a law Let no man As if he would say I inhibite that no man condemne you for these ceremonies of the law alreadie abolished in the death of Christ Then briefly brethren ye see there is a law giuen the holie Spirit giueth it the Apostle proclaimeth it the law is this An euangelicall law that no man condemne them whom God absolueth When God absolueth a man let no man condemne him no if it were all the Kings in the earth they are ouer bold to condemne the silliest creature that God absolueth Paul to the Rom. chap. 8. 33. 34. commandeth and vrgeth Who will intend any crime who will be so bold to doe it it is God that iustifieth who then dare be so bold as to condemne him whom hee iustifieth and absolueth The law is giuen in generall But to come to the particulars There is a law giuen concerning the Iew that after God hath rent his hand-writing and abolished all the rites that hee was subiect vnto let no man condemne him for not obseruing of these ceremonies And as concerning the Gentile there is a law let no false teacher condemne a Gentile for not obseruing any of these ceremonies considering the Gentiles neuer receiued them they were imposed vpon the Iew. As for the Gentile they were not imposed vpon him and therefore it is a great presumption to impose these rites vpon them who neuer had receiued them But to come neere and speake plainly There is a law against the Pope and Papists that they condemne no Christian man vnder paine of condemnation for not obseruing of such rites as their festiual daies ceremonies of their owne inuention And in the name of the same Iesus as the Apostle intimateth this law so doe I intimate the same to them and you that heare me let no man condemne you for not keeping of such things as the Papists would impose vpon you The Lord hath made you free of them The Lord hath giuen you libertie He is too impudent to binde you with the obseruation of such things But let vs particularlie see the things in the which he will not haue the Colossians and the rest of the Gentiles vs this day condemned He calleth them in meate drinke and holy daies apparantly he vnderstandeth the feasts that were most solemne as the Passeouer the feast of Tabernacles and such others And then he commeth to them that were not so solemne as the new Moones and the rest And if you will marke the manner of speaking he speaketh of these rites with a disdaining of them They are of no worth after the body is come I will not insist to speake of the rites of the Iewes onely thus farre concerning their meates Before the Lord came and was manifested Leuit. 11. 1. Deut. 14. there ye shall finde that among the Iewes there was a difference of meates some cleane some Of the Iewish obseruation of meates vncleane and forbidden All was to signifie the difference betweene the Iewe and the Gentile that the Iewe should not communicate with the Gentile But that partition wall was throwne downe by Iesus Christ at his comming and all difference was taken away Now the false teachers did as much as they could to haue raised vp the partition wall and so to make voyde the crosse of Iesus Christ As concerning holy daies I onely touch it among the Iewes there were many feasts obserued but all were figures of Christ Holy daies and when he came they all tooke end And therefore the false teachers that pressed the obseruation of those daies did what they could to annihilate the comming of Iesus Christ as though he had neuer yet come into the world And here yee may cleerely perceiue the nature of erronious spirits that incline Erronious spirits to heresie for the most part they are occupied about trifling things things indifferent as meate drinke holy dayes and such like O as the Papists
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
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
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 Apostle saith mortifie that same word is a word of mortification euen so he mortifieth men by example Hee will take a slaine soule and Examples of the faithfull ought to moue vs. set it vp as a spectacle to thee and bid thee that art a sinner looke to that slaine soule he will point it out to thee and bid thee take an example of it of mortification and so well art thou that preachest by thy life howbeit thou neuer preach Heb. 12. 1. 2. 3. one word with thy mouth for thou wilt be able to edifie by thy life as another will be by y e word Now howbeit that the Lord vseth both the word and example to teach vs mortification yet for all this it is not effectuall in euery one of vs for where one will be moued by example two will scorne at it Know yee not how a naughtie packe sold to wickednes will scorne when he seeth the life of a godly man or woman propounded to him he wil scorne at him what matter if he were a Lord or whatsoeuer he be if hee scorne at the life of a godly man I say he is but an impious man void of grace 1. Pet. chap. 4 vers 4. 5. it is said Because yee will not runne on with them they blaspheme But what addeth he Who shall render an account to him that is readie to iudge both quick and dead thou scorner shalt first render an account of thy prophanenes and then of thy blasphemie against the Saints To come now to the fourth that is to be marked here which is the time put away now saith he that is while it is to day before it was night and darknes and therefore yee walked in darknes but now it is day and fie on thee that wilt liue in the day light as it were in the night Brethren there is no small force in the time to doe this or that Ye know by experience when it is night and when the clowdes couer the earth it prouoketh men to doe that which they would not doe in the day and prouoketh a man to sleep A man that is inclined to drunkennes will goe to it in the night and he that desireth harlotrie he craueth the night for he that doth euill hateth the light And by the contrarie there is no small force in the day light it will shamethee and will make thee to wake and compell thee to put to thy hand to doe some good thing But to come to the spirituall night and day if this day hath this force hath not the spirituall night a great force Thou that liest vnder the clowd of ignorance thou art more heauily opprest therewith then the clowd of the night doth the bodie this clowde will cause thee to runne to all mischiefe in the world And by the contrarie when once that light the sunne of righteousnes shines when the shining of the Gospell beginneth to breake vp it prouoketh men to goe to heauenly workes which are the workes of the light Therefore Paul saith The night is past and now is the day walke then as in the day time Rom. 13. vers 12. Fie on thee that euer thou shouldest let this glorious light of Iesus shine vpon thee and then walkest in the workes of darknes and in the night Better were it for any in Scotland that they had neuer seene the light of the Gospell then to haue seene it For there are many in Scotland that the more they heare of the Gospell they are the wickeder for except this Gospell be forcible to the slaying of sinne in thee it shall be forcible to the workes of darknes which shall worke thy damnation If it make thee not the better it will make thee the worse for it shall be either the sauour of life vnto life or els the sauour of death vnto death either Christ shall quicken thee and slay thy sin or els he shall slay thy selfe In a word neuer Turke nor Pagan was so wicked and so euill a liuer as a Christian man and yet he will heare the word and turne vp his eare and listen to the preaching now if this word alter him not it shall harden him And therefore I giue thee my counsell except thou finde a mortification in thee of thy affections by the hearing of this Gospell neuer lend thy eare to heare the word of Christ for it shall be a sealed booke vnto thee And therefore take good heed that the Gospell be powerfull to life to thee and crie O Lord let the word of life be powerfull to life that I may finde life in me by it Now brethren I haue ended these first words When hee hath generally exhorted them to put away all these things he commeth on in particular and besides the members that hee hath rehearsed before he reckoneth more of them but not all And in this text he reckoneth vp seauen wrath anger as it is turned malice blasphemie or cursed speaking filthie speaking lying-speaking Let vs heare of euery of them as they are set downe Onely I shall touch them so farre as shall serue for the purpose The first foure are contained vnder the generall Sixe common iniuries Foure degrees sin called iniurie or wrong done against our neighbour they are set downe in degrees and passe vp in degrees The first is wrath that is the lowest degree anger is the second and a firie malice is the third and cursed speaking is the fourth To come to the first he termeth it wrath that is the first member of the argument that hee will haue them to put away from them This wrath is the first commotion sinfull in thy heart against thy neighbour to this end to be reuenged on him An angry man is euer reuengefull and there is nought in him but vengeance and the vengeance of God shall ouertake him I call it a sinfull commotion because there is a commotion that is holie God forbid that men want wrath the Lord hath wrath the Angels haue wrath and the godly man hath wrath Holy wrath and that a holie wrath I call it so when it is not so much thou that art angrie as it is the holie Spirit that dwelleth in thee that is when the holie Spirit so ruleth gouerneth thy wrath that in wrath thou sinnest not in any circumstance Wrath in it selfe is a thing indifferent but if thou faile in circumstance it is a sin Some will be angrie without a cause for the turning vp of a straw thou sinnest if thou passe measure in anger thou sinnest if thou be angrie when it is no place nor time thou sinnest if thou bee angrie with one with whom thou shouldest not bee angrie So it is a sinfull commotion when there is fault committed in these circumstances either in one Eph. 4. 30. or all And then when thou failest it is not the spirit of God in thee that directeth thee in thy anger but it is thou thy selfe in thy corruption And