amongst the Jews did falsly accuse Christ with being a vicious person the men of that generation those who were the men of the times then they said of the Son of Man Behold a gluttonous person and a wine bibber a friend of Publicanes and sinners But saith he Wisdom is justified of all her Children All the Children of Christ and the Gospel know that this is but a slander Luk. 7. 31-35 Matt. 11. 16-19 There is no other Doctrine besides that so sheweth the vileness of sin and necessity of our being washed therefrom in the blood of Christ as doth this Doctrine of the Gospel For the grace of God that bringeth Salvation to all men hath appeared teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Titus 2. 11-14 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. Rom. 5. 18. with chap. 6. 1-3 But this slander of theirs is the issue of their ignorance and prejudice and what better fruit can be expected from such evil and bitter roots 3. This instruction may also shew unto us the great evil of those that deny that Christ hath died for all and by the grace of God tasted death for every man for these render it impossible for the greatest part of men to be made partakers of that darable riches and righteousness in Christ The Doctrine of the Gospel maketh the gate unto life strait enough and yet no straiter then is needful But these shut up the kingdom of Heaven against men and neither enter in themselves nor suffer them that are entring to enter The little finger of this Doctrine is heavier then the loyns of the Gospel to the greatest part of man kind Nay indeed as with respect to one part of men there is no straitness in the gate at all and with reference to the other and greatest part there is no gate open for them at all were their doctrines as true as they are counted by many But these herein are false witnesses of God and like the evil spies that brought an evil report upon the Land of Canaan and thereby discouraged the hearts of many of their brethren Take we heed and beware of those evil and pernicious doctrines that cause to err from the words of knowledg and way of truth 4. Seeing we cannot have these heavenly commodities without buying in selling all that we have let us so seriously consider the excellency of them that we may be made willing to let go all things as loâ—s and dung 〈◊〉 for the excellency of the knowledg of them that we may be made partakers of them For the great and eternal worth and excellency of these considered will make this yoke easy ano this burden light And this leadeth us to the last instruction propounded to be considered by us viz. 4. That to the end the wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked may buy this gold tried in the fire and this white raiment here commended to us it is good and neeful for them that they anoint their eyes with eye salve that they may see This though the last mentioned and counselled unto is surely needful to the former for without knowledg the soul cannot be good Prov. 19. 2. How should any man so highly prize any commodity as to part with all his substance for it that seeth no worth or excellency in it And how should Christ's Angels and Churches part with all they have for those heavenly treasures if they see no beauty in them why they should desire them There is no earnest desire after or high prizing of that which we are ignorant of and see no worthiness in Now then in this Instruction here propounded we shall speak unto these three things contained therein which may be usefully and profitably considered by us As to say 1. That Christ's Angels and Churches may be blind and ignorant of the excellency of Christ and those treasures in him 2. That there is eye-salve prepared for such blind ones also wherewith anointing their eyes they may see 3. That to the end they buy Christ and that in him it is neeful they anoint their eyes herewith that they may see 1. That Christ's Angels and Churches may so depart from him as to become blind and ignorant of the excellency of Christ and of those treasures hid in him Thus it appeareth here in this place in which our Lord saith to the Angel Thou art blind and counselleth every one that hath an ear to hear what the spirit saith to the Churches as intimating this was spoken to them all for their admonition and that it might so befall them also if they did not look diligently lest they failed of or fell from the grace of God God's people may become foolish and not know him they may be sottish children and have no understanding Jer. 4. 22. Yea the Pastours may become brutish and not seek the Lord. Jer. 10. 19-21 The blindness here spoken of is not the being destitute of natural or artificial wisdom the wisdom of this world for this men may have and yet be sufficiently blind in this consideration we have to speal of for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God Where is the wise Where is the Scribe Where is the disputer of this world Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world 1 Cor. 3. 19. and chap. 1. 18-21 But the blindness here spoken of is a being without the wisdom that is from above a being destitute of spiritual understanding And so this Angel was blind if not wholly yet in a great measure and in so great a measure as that our Saviour the wisdom of God signifieth that he was blind Those that are watchmen amongst God's people and who have high conceits of themselves for knowledg and piety may yet have their eyes blinded with darkness His watchmen saith the Lord are blind they are all ignorant there may be blind guides blind leaders of the blind and how sad is it when it is thus Then surely their leaders cause them to err and they that are led of them are destroyed Isa 56. 10. 3. 12. 9. 16. Matt. 15. 14. 23. 24. Jer. 2. 8. This Angel and Church might be in such a condition as the Apostle Peter speaketh of when he saith He that lacketh these things to wit these great and precious promises ministred in and with the Gospel he in whom these are not and abound not dwell not richly so as he addeth not to his faith virtue and to virtue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godliness and to godliness brotherly-kindness and to brotherly-kindness charity such an one is blind and cannot see afarr off he is poreblind He may see some things near hand but he is so blind he cannot see these things afarr off he cannot see within the vail he cannot see into Heaven where Christ is nor those things above where he sitteth Deut. 30. 11 12.
the body of our Lord was laid That his Raiment was white as Snow Mat. 28. 2 3. Mark 16. 5 The like also is said of the Angels that spake to Christs Disciples when he was taken up into Heaven Acts 1. 9 10. And of that which appeared to Cornelius Acts 10. 3-30 See also Rev. 15. 6. And it is needful that the Angels of the Churches especially should be arayed with White raiment and not with works of darkness and in putting on Christ as their righteousness and the fruits of righteousness they have those Garments as is before shewn and are therein in some measure like to Angels meetly apparalled to carry the glad tidings of the Gospel and to be Instruments of of good to others in word and conversation Tit. 2. 2-8 Isa 52. 7-11 1 Tim. 3. 1-7 4. 12. Tit. 1. 6-9 2. More particularly this Raiment is said to be White to note the purity of it So those White Garments of the Priests in former times are said to be holy Thus is it is said Aaron shall put on the holy linen Coat and he shall have the linen Breeches upon his flesh and shall be girded with a linen Girdle c. These are the holy Garments Lev. 16. 4-32 Ezek. 44. 16-19 So Clean and White and Pure and VVhite are put together to signifie that whiteness and cleanness or purity do meet together here Rev. 19. 8. 15. 6. And so this VVhite Raiment is holy the Priests in former times were so legally and typically but this is so in truth they were clothed in white linen but Christs Angels and Priests that minister unto him are cloathed with righteousness Holiness becometh his house for ever Psal 93. 5. The righteousness of Christ or Jehovah our righteousness is holy Christ is the holy one 1 Joh. 2. 20. VVithout spot and blemish 1 Pet. 1. 19. There is no pollution in this righteousness of his 't is called the righteousness of God without the Law which he hath prepared and accepted and it must therefore necessarily be pure and spotless For he is a God of purer eyes then to behold evil Habak 1. 13. And the fruits of this righteousness as produced by Christ are holy and pure and though as put on and worn by us there are mixtures cleaving to them yet Christ is daily cleansing them and making them acceptable and welpleasing to God 1 Pet. 2. 5. Heb. 13. 15 16. And the believers are instructed daily to cleanse themselves 2 Cor. 7. 1. And when one of the Elders demandeth what are these that are arayed in white robes Himself answereth These be they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their Robes and made them White in the blood of the Lamb. Rev. 7. 9-13 14. And indeed this is white raiment the purity and whiteness whereof is inward as well as outward it is white throughly as in white linen it is sincerely pure and this is compleatly true of the righteousness of God without the Law which Christ hath brought in for us without us and imputeth to him that believeth in him and in a measure true of the fruits of righteousness those Garments are entirely pure and white and not like those things which are so outwardly only but inwardly are black and uncomely yea loathsom and abominable some of them The Apostle calleth Ananias the High-priest whited VVall he sAt to judge him according to the Law and appeared righteous when as he was indeed and truly inwardly unrighteous Acts 23. 1 3. Our Saviour saith of the Scribes and Pharisees that they were like unto whited Sepulchres which indeed appear beautiful outward but are within full of dead mens bones and of all uncleanness even so they also appeared righteous unto men but within they were full of hypocrisie and iniquity Mat. 23. 25 28 But whatever cloathing they had and how white soever it appeared to man on the outside they had not on this VVhite Raiment here commended for this is throughly and entirely VVhite not like a whited Wall or Sepulchre but white as Snow Mat. 28. 3. or Wooll Rev. 1. 14. 3. This Raiment is white as the light Mat. 17. 2. Shining and glistering Mark 9. 3. Luke 9. 29. Such as being bought by his Angels and Churches and put on and found in is powerful to give light to such as have their understandings darkened and to discover and Cure their errours and mistakes and so tendeth to the profit and benefit of those that are without to open their eyes and Cure their ignorant thoughts and imaginations concerning the disciples of Christ and the Gospel professed by them While men see them cloathed with and appear before God onely in the righteousness of another even of Christ who was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification it preserveth them from having idolatrous esteems of them and worshipping them for herein they may see that they are sinners in themselves and men of like passions with others and that they could not work righteousness for themselves nor have they any other righteousness to be cloathed with and rejoyce before God in then that which is manifested by the faith of Christ to be for all poor sinners aswell as themselves Act. 14 15. Rom. 3. 22. and hereby men may be convinced that the true and unfeigned beelivers have nothing in themselves to glory in but in their gloryings they glory in the Lord where others may glory with them and be also incouraged to come unto Christ Jesus for forgiveness and righteousness And while they put on and are cloathed with the fruits of his righteousness and shew by a good conversation their works with meekness of wisdom it tendeth to stop the mouths of such as are ready to say that Christ is the minister of sin and his Gospel a 〈…〉 Doctrine and ministry of unrighteousness and giveth men incouragement to be licentious for when they see that the Grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men is so heartily received by them as that thereby they deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and put on bowels of mercy kindness humbleness of mind meekness long-suffering c. and walk soberly righteously and godly in this present world this cutteth off occasion from them that desire occasion and maketh them ashamed that falsly accuse the Gospel and hearty belivers and is a powerful means for the winning them into Christ who will not be won by the word Whereas on the contrary when those that profess to be Christ's disciples receive his grace in vain and walk dishonestly they give occasion to the adversaries of the truth to blaspheme the name of God and his Doctrine Hence the Apostle Paul exhorteth the believers to do all things which God in the Gospel is working in them both to do and to will of good pleasure without murmuring and disputing that they might â—e blameless and harmless the Sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation among
had nothing to give or part with that might in the least be compared unto or valued with this Gold tried in the fire and white raiment and yet they are counselled to buy and it is intimated in the counsel that such may have it and therefore it is supposed and signified that they may have it freely This provision was freely prepared as with respect to us all was of grace and not of or from any merit of ours we had deserved nothing of good from the hand of God nay we had deserved to have been utterly expelled from the favour and merciful presence of God 2 Sam. 14. 14. We were dead at Law condemned to dye and dead in sins and trespasses filthy and polluted ones and altogether unable to help our selves as water spilt upon the ground that cannot be gathered up again 2 Cor. 5. 14. But the God of all grace without any goodness of ours to move him thereto and contrary to our deservings so loved us as to give his Son by his grace his free love to tast death for every man Heb. 2. 9. And in him who is raised again from the dead for our justification all that have sinned and come short of the glory of God are justified freely by his grace through that redemption in Christ Jesus They are redeemed without money Isa 52. 3. Rom. 3. 23 24. And in Christ before we know it there is freely prepared the forgiveness of our personal sins in which we sin after the likeness of Adam's transgression The free gift is of many offences unto justification Rom. 5. 15 16. And a full fountain of grace and truth yea there God hath freely given to us all things Joh. 1. 14-16 1 Cor. 2. 12. Psal 68. 10. And proclamation is made and invitation given to men of this preparation freely and men are invited to come that have no money nor price no goodness nor worthiness of their own yea he that is a Thirst and whosoever will may come and take of the water of life freely Isa 55. 1. Rev. 22. 18. 21. 6. Our Lord Jesus in the last day the great day of the feast of Tabernacles stood and cried even with a loud voice that all might hear If any man thirst whether out of necessity or from a former tast of his graciousness let him come unto me and drink There was that in him prepared for any Thirster that might cool his thirst refresh and comfort him And it might be freely had by any Thirster by such an one as had no gracious frames or qualifications Joh. 7. 37. And to those that receive Christ Jesus he giveth with him all things freely Rom. 8. 32. Yea he is ready to forgive and accept and love freely such as he hath been provoked with for their treacherous departing from him upon their returning again to him from whom they have revolted As he saith I will heal their backslidings I will love them freely Hos 14. 1-4 He frankly forgiveth them whose sins are many Luk. 7. 42-48 And this doth evidence that this provision may be had and is a great consolation to the poor not only to such as are naturally so but to such as are so in a spiritual consideration to such as have no goodness greeness graces who have nothing in themselves to incourage them yet such are invited and may partake of this inriching satisfying covering and adorning preparation proposed to and set before them and may therefore incourage such to come to the waters How many are there that are so poring upon their own unworthiness and nothingness as that thereby they discourage and hinder themselves and at last conclude there is no hope for them This consideration might incourage them and cause them to lift up the hands that hang down and to come to this fountain of the grace of God Joh. 4. 10. And this Instruction as thus demonstrated to wit That Christ and this provision in him may be had by such as are wretched and miserable and poor c. Yea by any sinful worthless creature of mankind while God is exercising longsuffering and vouchsafing means and striving with and calling to them may be of usefulness to us 1. To take us off from listening unto or entertaining those false witnesses of God in Christ who shut up the kingdom of Heaven against men and even in their Doctrines say Christ died not for all men nor by the grace of God tasted death for every man but only for the fewest of mankind and so by necessary consequence there is nothing prepared in Christ for the greatest part of mankind No gold no forgiveness no righteousness c. When our Saviour inveigheth against the scribes and Pharisees the first woe he denounceth upon them in the hearing of the multitudes and his disciples was because they shut up the kingdom of Heaven against men which was indeed their great evil and cause of the following evils for which they are so sharply and severely rebuked Matt. 23. 1-13 And at another time when there were gathered together an innumerable company of people insomuch that they trode one upon another He said first of all to his disciples in their hearing Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees their evil doctrine which is hypocrisie Luk. 12. 1. 2 Pet. 2. 1. Oh! Let us also beware of such doctrines as deny the grace of God in Christ to mankind as declared in the Scriptures and hold we fast those wholesome words the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the doctrine which is according to godliness As well as also it may take us off from others who though they plainly deny not that Christ died for all and is raised again or that any man may in coming to him be inriched by him yet they confess not this they speak it not out nor make it the subject matter of what they say so to exalt Christ that men might run to him but press men first to do such and such duties and then direct them to Christ when they are thus and thus qualified like those teachers to whom God said This is the rest wherewith you may cause the weary to rest even Christ as witnessed in the law and by the Prophets and this is the refreshing but they would not hear but the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept c. And hereby they caused God's people to go astray and to forget their resting place Isa 28. 12 13-16 Jer. 50. 6. Instead of directing men to Christ and calling and moving them to come to this fountain they press men to establish a righteousness to themselves and to be justified by the Law or to perfect by the flesh what was begun by the spirit like those evil workers who came amongst the Galatians chap. 3. 1-4 5. 1-4 1 Joh. 4. 3. 2. Seeing this provision may be had and had freely by such it sheweth unto us the great and admirable grace of Christ and of the Father in him
possessed of That which is said of Wisdom may be said of this also it is more precious then Rubies and all the things we can desire are not to be compared herewith Man knoweth not the price thereof neither is it found in the land of the living It cannot be gotten for Gold neither shall Silver be weighed for the price thereof it cannot be valued with the Gold of Ophir with the precious Onyx or the Saphire c. Prov. 3. 13-15 8. 10 11. 16. 16. Joh. 3. 31. Jam. 3. 17. It is even the Lord himself and what is treasured up in him and all nations are before him as nothing and they are counted to him less then nothing and vanity To whom then shall we liken him or what likeness shall we compare unto him Isa 40. 15-18-25 46. 5 6. The world and all the things thereof and all we injoy and are possessed of are not to be compared to this unsearchably rich treasure which we are here counselled to buy Cant 8. 7. 2. And it also appeareth that by buying is not meant parting with any thing as a valuable consideration if we consider what manner of persons they are that are counselled to buy to wit such as had no worth or worthiness in them such as were indigent worthless creatures such as were wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked and therefore such as could give nothing in exchange for this excellent commodity that might in the least be valuable therewith or comparable thereto And elsewhere such are invited to buy that have no money nor price Isa 55. 1 2. Luke 14. 21. 3. And it further appeareth that this is not meant by buying because it is highly provoking to God to think that we can purchase the gift of God with any thing we have as a valuable consideration This was the great and hainous iniquity of Simon Magus to think that the gift of God might be purchased with money And therefore Peter said unto him Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter for thy heart is not right in the sight of God Act. 8. 18-23 2. But this is called and compared to buying 1. Because we must part with somewhat that we may be made partakers of Christ As in in buying any commodity a man must part with one thing for another so here We must part with what we have even all that we have of our own We must be like the wise Merchant who when he had found one Pearl of great price he went and sold all that he had and bought it Matt. 13. 44-46 So must we do we must part with and forsake all we have that we may have this Gold and white raiment As to say We must at first and always let go our Pride and high thoughts and conceits of our selves and of our being in a good condition already and without Christ This was the great and fundamental evil found with these as is before noted they said they were rich and increased with goods and had need of nothing and hereby they grew remiss and lukewarm and therefore unless this evil and high conceit of themselves were abstained from and parted with by them how could they with fervency seek the Lord Hence this faithful and gracious counsellour instructeth and admonisheth them Vers 19. Be zealous and repent and the latter is needful to the former And so it is as if he should say that you may with earnestness and intention of spirit seek to know and be made partakers of Christ and those durable riches in him needful it is that you repent change your minds let go your proud and lofty thoughts and conceits of your selves and of the goodness of your present condition that you may seek the Lord the Lord himself and that substantial preparation in him Forsake your unrighteous thoughts without which you cannot return to the Lord with whom is plenteous redemption Isa 55. 1-6 7. Wash your hearts from wickedness how long shall vain thoughts lodge within you Jer. 4. 14. This haughty concert of the goodness of their present condition was that which hindered the leaders of the people in â—orâ—eâ— times from coming to Christ as the rest and refreshing and directing others thereto because they thou â—â—t the evil should not overtake nor prevent them They had made a covenant with Death and with Hell were they at agreement they were not afraid of death or hell they were in an happy estâ—te already Isa 28. 12-15 and this hindred the Jews from entertaining Christ and his Gospel they thought they were whole already and that eternal life appertained to them they had it in the Scriptures assured to them and they knew all already and took it hainously that they should be reproved or faulted for any thing or that the goodness of their condition should be suspected hence they came not to Christ that they might have light life and righteousness Matt. 9. 10-12 Joh. 5. 39 40. 9. 40 41. Luke 11. 45. God doth in due time give grace to us that we might have our high thoughts of our selves subdued and that we might hate them Oh! that it may be received by us to such end and purpose Jam. 4. 5 6 7. 2 Cor. 10. 4 5. So also we must let go and forsake our double mindedness and halting between two opinions This Angel and Church were somewhat polluted herewith they were lukewarm and neither cold nor hot they were not so cold as to leave off all professed waiting upon Christ and use and observance of his ordinances nor so hot as to be chastly and singly for him to be for him and for him only which is a very sad and nauseous distemper and very loathsome and provoking to Christ Jesus and therefore needful it is that we cleanse our selves in the light and strength of God's grace here-from And indeed this is the consequent of pride and high conceits of our selves and of the goodness of our conditions and of our attainments and injoyments as hath been foreshewn and as also appeareth in Jam. 4. 5 6-8 The grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men cometh first to save us from our pride and high thoughts of our selves and then and therewith instruction is given to cleanse the heart from couâ—le-mindeâ—ness This double-mindedness as it is very 〈◊〉 and dangerous so also it is very frequent and ordinary amongst many professours who have a great form of godlineâ—s upon them They have some appearance of love for the grace of God in Christ to man-ward and they will come to hear the Gospel in and amongst the Societies of God's people and seem to take delight therein And yet also they have love to and an heart for those differing and contrary doctrines which deny the grace of God to mankind or confess it not speak it not out openly and all are honest and godly men with them both those that declare and contend for the faith of the common salvation