His Life and Intercession applying His merits unto us and presenting our services unto His Father as lively sacrifices cleansed from those mixtures of deadnesse and corruption which as passing from us did cleave unto them Having thus unfolded our Life by Christ wee are in the last place to inquire into that Proprietie which wee have unto Christ which is the ground of the Life wee receive from Him For one thing cannot bee the principle and seede of Life unto another except there be some union and fellowship which may be the ground of the conveyance and this is that which the Text call's the having of Christ which is the same with that of Saint Iohn To as many as received Him He gave power to be called the Sonnes of God So then there must bee a mutuall Act Christ exhibiteth Himselfe unto us and wee adhere and dwell in Him whereby there is wrought a Vnitie of will 's a Confederacie of affections a Participation of natures a concurrence to the making up of the same bodie so that Christ accounteth Himselfe incomplete without His Church This union of the faithful to Christ being one of those deepe things of God which are not discernable without the Spirit is yet set forth unto us in the Scriptures under sundrie vulgar and obvious similitudes which I will but touch upon It is first set forth by the expression of a Bodie consisting of diverse members Rom. 12. 4 5. 1. Cor. 12. 12. 13. Eph 1. 22 23. In which places the purpose of the Apostle is to shew how the proportion that is betweene Christ and His Church answereth to that relation which is betweene the members of a Body and the Head For as in the naturall Body all the members are joyned by nerves and vitall ligatures unto the Head from whence they receive their strength and sensation and doe by vertue of that union to the Head retaine a fellowship and communion amongst themselves So is it betweene Christ and His Church Every member of the true and mysticall Body of Christ is by a secret knot of his Spirit so fastned unto him and so compacted with the other members by that which every joynt supplieth as that the whole world of Elect from Christ the Head and first borne of the Creatures uâ—…to the lowest and meanest of all His members doe make up but one Body unto which Christ by being the Head hath these principall relations First He is the principle of all Spirituall Influences as the Head of naturall All the Grace in us is but an overflowing and measure from His fulnesse Secondly He is the principle of all governement and direction all the wisedome and prudence of the Church is from Him He is the everlasting Counsell or the Light that inlightneth every man that commeth into the world the power and the wisedome of God unto us Thirdly He is conformable to the members for Christs Church is no monster and maketh them conformable unto Him Hee to us in our infirmities tempted in all things as we are and we to Him in His holynesse He that Sanctifieth and they that are Sanctified are all of one Now as in a body wee resolve the whole into no parts but those which are integrall and proper to it in the nature of a living and organicall Body namely the members though many things else are in the Body yet nothing belongs integrally unto it but the members So many men are in the Body of Christ onely by an externall and sacramentall admission or by some false and presumptuous perswasions and professions as wennes or excrements in the naturall body they doe no services they exercise no vitall and spirituall functions but rather cumber and infest the members Secondly this union is compar'd unto a building or house Eph. 2. 20. 21. 1. Tim. 3. 14. 1. Pet. 2. 5. whose stones are knitte together by the juncture and bond of Love and are firmely grounded upon the Elect pretious and sure foundation who as He doth by His power uphold all things so much more those that are built upon Him Now as in a structure the stones cannot subsist in the building by any qualities or inherent vertues of their owne but onely by that direct and perpendicular dependence and subsistence which they have upon the foundation so in the Church no graces no carvings no inherent excellencies doe hold men up but onely that full and sole reliance and subsistence of the Soule upon Christ. If a man have any other bottome that holds him up if he be not even and full upon Christ if hee be not in all things levelled and proportioned unto him by the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets which is therefore likewise called a foundation because by it wee are set right upon Christ who is the Foundation of foundations as the Scripture spcakes Hee cannot abide in the building for ever the wall and the foundation must all have the same center and there must bee the same propensions and affections in us which were in Christ His Rule must be ours and His Ends ours and His Will ours If there be any such exorbitancies and swellings out as make the heart have quite another point and center to move to other grounds to fixe upon if men will despise the Word will not be par'd and regulated to the foundation but will trust in oppression and perversenesse and stay on that this iniquitie will at length prove a breach which commeth suddenly at an instant Thirdly this union is coÌ„par'd to an ingrafture of a branch in a tree whereby the juice and nourishment of the stock is conveyed and the branch thereby quickned to bring forth fruite Where by the way it is worth our noting that the Church is most vsually in this particular compared to a Vine and the branches of a Vine to note that there is nothing of worth or expectation in Christians but their fruite A man cannot make a pinne to fasten in a wall of the branch of a vine An unfruitefull Christian is the most unprofitable Creature that is there are no secondarie uses which can mediate as I may so speake for a dead vine to keepe that from the fire either it must be for fruite or for fuell to all other purposes it is utterly improper and unprofitable Now wee must observe that a Branch may bee in a Tree two wayes First by a meere corporeall adherencie or continuation with the stocke by cleaving and sticking to the bodie of the Tree and so every dead branch is in the Tree as well as those that live but this alone is not that which our Saviour requires for such branches the husbandman will cut off and cast 〈◊〉 fire Secondly by a reall participation of the life sappâ—… and influences of the roote which unto the former sort of branches though offered yet is not received because of the inward deadnesse and indisposition that is in it thus it is betweene Christ
but after his prayer hee triumphed in the midst of death David full of heavinesse and of gronings in his prayer but after as full of comfort against all his enemies Secondly as Irregular Cares are needlesse and superfluous so they are sinnefull too First In regard of their obiect they are worldly cares the Cares of the men of this world therein wee declare our selves to walke in conformitie to the Gentiles as if wee had no better foundation of quietnesse and contentment then the heathen which know not God And this is Christs argument after all these things do the Gentiles seeke We are taken out of the world wee have not received the spirit of the world and therefore wee must not bee conformable unto the world nor bring forth the fruits of a worldly spirit but walke as men that are set apart as a peculiar people and that have heavenly promises and the Grace of God to establish our hearts Illi terrena sapiant qui promissa coelestia non habent It is seemely for those alone who have no other portion but in this life to fixe their thoughts and cares here Secondly they are sinnefull in regard of their Causes and they are principally two First Inordinate lust or coveting the running of the heart after covetousnesse Secondly Distrust of Gods providence for those desires which spring from lust can never have faith to secure the heart in the expectation of them Lastly they are sinnefull in their Effects First They are murthering cares they worke sadnesse suspicions uncomfortablenes and at last death Secondly They are Choaking cares they take of the heart from the word and thereby make it unfruitfull Thirdly they are Adulterous cares they steale away the heart from God and set a man at enmity against him In all which respects wee ought to arme our selves against them Which that we may the better doe wee will in the last place propose two sorts of directions First How to make the Creature no vexing Creature Secondly How to vse it as a vexing Creature for the former First pray for conveniencie for that which is suteable to thy minde I meane not to the lusts but to the abilities of thy minde Labour ever to sure thy occasions to thy parts and thy supplies to thy occasions If a ship out of greedinesse be overloaden with gold it will be in danger of sinking notwithstanding the capacity of the sides be not a quarter filled on the other side fill it to the brimme with feathers and it will still tosse up and downe for want of due ballasting so is it in the lives of men some have such greedy desires that they thinke they can runne through all sorts of businesse and so never leave loading themselves till their hearts sinke and be swallowed up with worldly sorrow and securitie in sinne others set their affections on such triviall things that though they should have the fill of all their desires their mindes would still be as floating and unsetled as before Resolve therefore to do with thy selfe as men with their ships There may a Tempest arise when thou must be constrained to throw out all thy wares into the Sea such were the times of the Apostles and after bloudy persecutions when men were put to forfake Father Mother Wife Children nay to have the ship it selfe broken to pieces that the Marriner within might escape upon the ruines But besides this in the calmest and securest times of the Church these two things thou must ever looke to if thou tender thine owne tranquillity First fill not thy selfe onely with light things Such are all the things of this world in themselves besides the roome and cumbersomenesse of them as light things take up ever the most roome they still leave the soule floating and unsetled Doe therefore as wise Mariners have strong and substantiall ballasting in the bottome faith in Gods promises love and feare of his name a foundation of good workes and then what ever becomes of thy other loading thy ship it selfe shall bee safe at last thou shalt be sure in the greatest tempest to have thy life for a prey Secondly Consider the burden of thy Vessell All ships are not of an equall capacity and they must be fraighted and mann'd and victualed with proportiō to their burden Al men have not the same abilities some have such a measure of grace as enables them with much wisedome and improvement to manage such an estate as would puffe up another with pride sensualitie superciliousnesse and forgetfulnesse of God Againe some men are fitted to some kinde of employments not to others as some ships are for merchandise others for warre and in these varieties of states every man should pray for that which is most suteable to his disposition and abilities which may expose him to fewest temptations or at least by which he may bee most serviceable in the body of Christ and bring most glory to his Master This was the good prayer of Agur give me neither poverty nor riches feed me with food convenient for me this is that we all pray Give us Our daylie Bread that which is most proportion'd to our condition that which is fittest for us to have and most advantageous to the ends of that Lord whom wee serve Secondly labour ever to get Christ into thy ship hee will check every tempest and calme every vexation that growes upon thee When thou shalt consider that his truth and person and honor is imbarked in the same vessell with thee thou maist safely resolve on one of these either he will be my Pilot in the ship or my planke in the Sea to carry me safe to Land if I suffer in his companie and as his member he suffers with me and then I may triumph to be made any way conformable vnto Christ my head If I have Christ with me there can no estate come which can be cumbersome unto me Have I a load of misery and infirmity inward outward in minde body name or estate this takes away the vexation of all when I consider it all comes from Christ and it all runnes into Christ. It all comes from him as the wise disposer of his owne bodie and it all runnes into him as the compassionate sharer with his owne bodie It all comes from him who is the distributer of his Fathers gifts and it all runns into him who is the partaker of his members sorrows If I am weake in body Christ my head was wounded if weake in minde Christ my head was heavie unto death If I suffer in my estate Christ my head became poore as poore as a servant if in my name Christ my head was esteemed vile as vile as Beelzebub Paul was comforted in the greatest tempest with the presence of an Angel how much more with the Grace of Christ when the Thorne was in his flesh and the buffets of Satan about his soule yet then was his presence a plentifull protection my
shewed me in my distempers but I am but a ioynt of the foote or a meane dishonourable and lesse serviceable member therefore though I am tormented with a goute or stone the tongue will not speake the head will not worke the hand will not distribute any thing for me The Children in a family would not so argue my father is carefull to provide physicke and cure the diseases of my brother because hee is growne up to doe him credit and his countrie service but I am but a childe that lie upon him and doe no worke I am unable for any employments and therefore I shall perish in my disease without care or regard Surely if the members of a body or the children of men who are evill would not thus argue how much lesse reason have any of Christs who have a head entrusted with the care of his meanest members and a father tender of the fals and failings of his weakest children Thus rather should the soule resolve Though Paul had more grace then I yet he had no more meâ—…t then I. All the compassion which was shewed unto him was out of favour and mercie not out of debt or dutie and my wants and miseries make me as fit for mercie as he was and the compassion of a father is most commended toward the unworthiest and most unprofitable childe Secondly ' Promises in themselves are certaine but the wayes of performance are often undiscernable and hidden therefore wee must live by Faith and not by reason and measure the Truth of Gods Words by the strength of his Power and not by our owne conceits or apprehensions When wee looke upon God in his Promises wee must conceive of him as a God infinite in wisedome to contrive and in Power to bring about the execution of his owne will There is a Promise made of calling the Iewes unto Christ and causing them to turne from their transgressions The Redeemer shall come unto Sion and unto them that returne from transgression in Iacob Esai 59 20. But hee who should consider the extreme obstinacie and stubbornnesse of that people against the Gospell would thinke it impossible that they should ever bee pull'd out of the sâ—…are of the Divell therefore the Apostle makes Gods Power the ground of certaintie in this promise They also shall be grafted in againe for God is able to graffe them in As it is written There shall come out of Sion the deliverer and shall turne away ungodlynesse from Iacob Rom. 11. 23. 26. The Sadduces and Gentiles derided the Doctrine and Promise of the Resurrection from the deade and our Saviour carrieth the one from their owne prejudice unto Gods Power ye erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the Power of God Math. 22. 29. And Saint Paul the other from their reason unto Faith in God Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the Dead Act. 26. 8. Therefore wee shall finde mens unbeliefe in Scripture hath risen partly from apprehension of power in those whom they feare and partly from apprehension of impotencie in those whom they should trust When the Israelites heard of Giants and sonnes of Anâ—…k in the promised laâ—…d presently they murmâ—…ed against the Lord and his Servants and provoked him by their unbeleefe of his mighty power which they had had so frequent experience of How long will this people provoke mee How long will it be ere they beleeve me for all the signes which I have shewed amongst them Numb 14. 1 11. They provoked him againe by infidelitie in the wildernesse when they asked meate for their Iust and that was by calling the Power of God in question They spake against God they said can God furnish a table in the Wildernesse Behold hee smote the Rocke that the Waters gushed out and the streames overflowed but can hee give bread also can he provide flesh for his people Psal. 78. 19. 20. They measured God by their owne reason and charged God with that impotencie which they found in themselves This was the sinne of that noble man who attended upon the king of Israel in the great famine at Samaria when the Prophet foretold a marvellous plentie which should suddenly come to the place hee measured Gods Power by his owne conceits of possibility in the thing If the Lord would make windowes in heaven this thing could not be 2. King 7. 2. There was a Promise made unto Israel to restore them out of that great captivity of Babylon and this seemed to them as incredible as for men to bee raised out of their Graves after so many yeeres consumption therefore they said our bones are dried up and our hope is lost and we are cut off for our parts Wee have no more reason to beleeve any promise or to rest upon any expectations of deliverance then dead bones have to revive againe Therefore the Lord acquainteth them with his Power together with his Promises O my people ye shaâ—â— know that I am the Lord that is that my wayes and thoughts are infinitely above your shallow apprehensions when I shall have brought you out of your Graves Ezek. 37. 11. 13. Though there should bee famine and mountaines betweene Gods people and his promises famine to weaken their feete that they could not crawle away and mountaines to stop their passage which they could not climbe nor overpasse yet when there was no might nor power left in them the Spirit of the Lord should be their strength their feete should be like Hindes feete to skippe over the mountaines and the mountaines should be as a plaine before them Hab. 3. 17. 18. 19. Zach. 4. 6 7. All doubts and distrusts arise from this that men make their owne thoughts the measure of Gods strength and have low and unworthy conceits of his Power This therefore in all difficulties wee must frame our hearts unto to looke of from second causes from the probabilities or possibilities which are obvious to our reason and admire the unsearchablenesse of Gods Power and wisedome which is above all the thoughts of man If a rich man should promise a begger a great summe of money and hee should discomfort himselfe with such plodding scruples as these Alas these are but the words of a man who meanes well and takes compassion on my povertie but how can hee possibly make good this promise If I should engage my selfe thus to another poore man I should be sure to faile his expectations and â—…latter him with winde what quiet or comfort could he have but he would have more wisedome then to measure rich men by his owne povertie and basenesse So should we doe in any difficulties and distresses either from sinnes afflictions or temptations As Abraham did 〈◊〉 not at the Promise of God through unbeliefe but was strong in faith giving glory to God being fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able to performe Rom. 4. 19 20. And after he offered vp his Sonne in faith because he
even as a nurse her infant Secondly Holynesse must needes consist in a Conformitie unto Christ if wee consider the nature of it Wee are then Sanctified when wee are re-endued with that Image of God after which we were at first created Some have conceived that we are therefore said to bee created after Gods Image because wee were made after the Image of Christ who was to come but this is contradicted by the Apostle who saith that Adam was the figure of Christ and not Christ the patterne of Adam yet that created Holynesse is renewed in us after the Image of Christ. As we have borne the image of the earthly Adam who was taken out of the Earth an image of sinne and guilt So wee must beare the Image of the Heavenly Adam who is the Lord from Heaven an Image of Life and Holynesse We were predestinated saith the Apostle to be conformed unto the Image of the Sonne Conformed in his Nature Holynesse in His End Happynesse and in the way thereunto Sufferings We all saith he beholding with open face as in a glasse that is in Christ or in the face of Christ the Glory of God are changed into the same Image with Christ He the Image of his Father and we of Him from glory to glory that is either from glory inchoate in obedience and grace here for the Saints in their very sufferings are glorious and conformable to the Glory of Christ The Spirit of Glory is upon you in your reproaches for Christ unto Glory consummate in Heaven and Salvation here after or from glory to glory that is Grace for Grace the Glorious Image of Gods Holynesse in Christ fashioning and producing it selfe in the hearts of the faithfull as an Image or species of light shining on a glasse doth from thence fashion it selfe on the wall or in another glasse Holynesse is the Image of God now in an Image there are two things required First a similitude of one thing unto another Secondly A Deduction derivation impression of that similitude upon the one from the other and with relation thereunto For though there bee the similitude of snow in milke yet the one is not the image of the other Now then when an image is universally lost that no man living can furnish his neighbour with it to draw from thence another for himselfe there must be recourse to the prototype and originall or else it cannot bee had Now in Adam there was an universall obliteration of Gods Holy Image out of himselfe and all his posteritie Vnto God therefore Himselfe wee must have recourse to repaire this Image againe But how can this be The Apostle tels us that He is an Inaccessible an unapproachable God no man can draw neere him but hee will be licked up and devoured like the stubble by the fire and yet if a man could come neere him as in some sense he is not farre from every one of us yet He is an Invisible God no man can see Him and live no man can have a view of his face to new draw it againe Wee are all by sinne come short of His Glory as impossible it is for any man to become holy againe as it is to see that which is invisible or to approch unto that which is Inaccessible except the Lord be pleased through some vaile or other to exhibite His Image againe unto us and through some glasse to let it shine upon us we shall be everlastingly destitute of it And this Hee hath beene pleased to doe through the vaile of Christs flesh God was manifested in the flesh in that flesh He was made visible and we have an accesse into the Holyest of all through the vaile that is to say Christs flesh in that flesh He was made accessible By Him saith the Apostle wee have an accesse unto the Father He was the Image of the Invisible God He that hath seene Him hath seene the Father For as God was in him reconciling the World unto Himselfe so was Hee in Him revealing Himselfe unto the World No man hath seene God at any time the onely begotten Sonne which is in the bosome of the Father Hee hath revealed Him Thirdly consider the quality of the mysticall body It is a true rule That that which is first and best in any kinde is the rule and measure of all the rest And therefore Christ being the first and chiefest member in the Church He is to bee the ground of conformitie to the rest And there is indeede a mutuall suteablenesse betweene the Head and the Members Christ by compassion Conformable to His Members in their infirmitie We have not an high Priest who cannot be touched with a feeling of our infirmities And the members by communion conformable to Christ in His Sanctity Both he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are of one Fourthly Holynesse in the Scripture is called an Vnction All the vessels of the Tabernacle were sanctified by that Holy Vnction which was prescribed Moses Ye have received an ointment saith S. Iohn which teacheth you all things It is an oyntment which healeth our wounds and cleanseth our nature mollyfieth our Consciences and openéth our eyes and consecrateth our persons unto royall sacred and peculiar services Now though Christ were annointed with this Holy Oyle above his fellowes yet not without his fellowes but all they are by his unction sanctified Light is principally in the Sunne and sappe in the roote and water in the Fountaine yet there is a derivation a conformitie in the beame branches and streames to their originals Onely here is the difference in Christ there is a fulnesse in us onely a measure and in Christ there is a purenesse but in us a mixture Fifthly and lastly Christ is the Summe of the whole Scriptures and therefore necessarily the Rule of Holynesse For the Scripture is profitable to make a man perfect and to furnish him unto all good workes Saint Paul professeth that he with-held nothing which was profitable but delivered the whole Counsell of God and yet elsewhere we finde the Summe of his preaching was Christ crucified and therefore that which the Scripture calles the writing of the Law in our hearts it calles the forming of Christ in us to note that Christ is the summe and substance of the whole Law Hee came to men first in his Word and after in his Body fulfilling the types accomplishing the predictions performing the commaunds remooving the burdens exhibiting the precepts of the whole Law in a most exemplarie and perfect conversation Now for our further applycation of this Doctrine unto use and practise we may hence first receive a twofold Instruction First touching the proportions wherein our holynesse must beare conformitie unto Christ for conformitie cannot be without proportion Here then we may observe foure particulars wherein our holynesse is to bee proportionable
gives an excellent reason in the same place No man can by any meanes redeeme his brother nor give to God a ransome for him for the Redemption of their Soule is Pretious And secondly it may teach them as not to Trust so not to Swell with these things neither It is an argument of their windinesse and emptinesse that they are apt to make men swell whereas if they cannot change a haire of a mans head nor adde an inch to his stature they can much lesse make an accession of the least dramme of merit or reall value to the owners of them And surely if men could seriously consider That they are still members of the same common bodie and that of a twofold body a civill and a mysticall body and that though they haplie may bee the more honorable parts in one body yet in the other they may be the lesse honorable that the poore whom they despise may in Christs body have a higher roome then they as the Apostle saith Hath not God chosen the poore in this world Rich in faith Iam. 2. 5. I say if men could compare things rightly together and consider that they are but the greater letters in the same volume and the poore the smaller though they take up more roome yet they put no more matter nor worth into the word which they compound they would never suffer the tympanie and inflation of pride or superciliousnesse of selfe-attributions or contempt of their meaner brethren to prevaile within them Wee see in the naturall body though the head have a Hat on of so many shillings price and the foot a Shooe of not halfe so many pence yet the head doth not therefore despise the foot but is tender of it and doth derive influence as well unto that as to any nobler part and surely so should it be amongst men though God have given thee an Eminent station in the body cloath'd thee with purple and scarlet and hath set thy poore neighbour in the lowest part of the body and made him conversant in the dirt and content to cover himselfe with leather yet you are still members of the same common body animated with the same spirit of Christ moulded out of the same dirt appointed for the same inheritance borne out of the same wombe of natural blindnesse partakers of the same great and pretious promises there was not one price for the Soule of the poore man and another for the rich there is not one table for Christ's meaner guests and another for his greater but the faith is a Common faith the salvation a Common salvation the rule a Common rule the hope a Common hope one Lord and one Spirit and one Baptisme and one God and Father of all and One foundation and One house and therefore wee ought to have Care and Compassion one of another Secondly consider that Goodnesse and value which is fix'd to the being of the Creature implanted in it by God and the institution of nature and even thus we shall finde them absolutely unable to satisfie the desires of the reasonable and spirituall soule God is the Lord of all the Creatures they are but as his severall monies he coin'd them all So much then of his Image as nay Creature hath in it so much value and worth it carries Now God hath more communicated himselfe unto man then unto any other Creature in his Creation we finde man made after the similitude of God and in his restauration we finde God made after the similitude of man and man once againe after the similitude of God And now it is needlesse to search out the worth of the Creature Our Saviour will decide the point What shall a man gaine though he winne the whole World and lose his owne soule or what shall a man give in exchange for his soule To which of the Creatures said God at any time Let us create it after our image of which of the Angels said He at any time Let us restore them to our image againe there is no Creature in heaven or earth which is recompence enough for the losse of a Soule Can a man carrie the world into hell with him to bribe the flames or corrupt his tormentors No saith the Psalmist His glory shall not descend after him Psal. 49. 17. but can hee buy out his pardon before he comes thither no neither the Redemption of a Soule is more pretious vers 8. we know the Apostle counts all things Dung Phil. 3. 8. and will God take dung in exchange for a soule Certainely Beloved when a man can sow grace in the furrowes of the field when he can fill his barnes with glory when he can get bagges full of salvation when he can plow up heaven out of the earth and extract God out of the Creatures then he may bee able to finde that in them which shall satisfie his desires But till then let a man have all the exquisitest Curiosities of nature heap'd into one vessell let him be moulded out of the most delicate ingredients and noblest principles that the world can contribute let there be in his body a concurrency of all beauty and feature in his nature an Eminence of all Sweetnesse and ingenuity in his minde a conspiration of the politest and most choice varieties of all kinde of learning yet still the spirit of that man is no whit more valueable and pretious no whit more proportionable to Eternall Happinesse then the soule of a poore and illiterate begger Difference indeed there is and that justly to bee made betweene them in the eyes of men which difference is to expire within a few yeeres and then after the dust of the beautifull and deformed of the learned and ignorant of the honorable and base are promiscuously intermingled and death hath equall'd all then at last there will come a day when all mankinde shall be summon'd naked without difference of degrees before the same tribunall when the Crownes of kings and the shackles of prisoners when the robes of princes and the ragges of beggers when the gallants braverie and the peasants russet and the statists policie and the Courtiers luxurie and the schollers curiosity shall be all laid aside when all men shall be reduc'd unto an equall plea and without respect of persons shall bee doom'd according to their workes when Nero the persecuting emperor shall be throwne to Hell and Paul the persecuted Apostle shall shine in glory when the learned Scribes and Pharises shall gnash their teeth and the ignorant and as they terme them cursed people shall see their Saviour when the proud antichristian prelates that dyed their robes in the bloud of the Saints shall be hurried to damnation and the poore despised martyrs whom they persecuted shall wash their feet in the bloud of their enemies when those puntoes and formalities and cuts and fashions and distances and complements which are now the darling sinnes of the upper
momentarie and vanishing First by the Law of their Creation they were made subject to alterations there was an enmitie and reluctancy in their entirest being Secondly this hath been exceedingly improved by the s◅ne of man whose evill being the lord of all Creatures must needs redound to the misery and mortalitie of all his retinue For it was in the greater World as in the administration of a private family the poverty of the Master is felt in the bowels of all the rest his staine and dishonour runnes into all the members of that society As it is in the naturall body some parts may be distempered and ill affected alone others not without contagion on the rest a man may have a dimme eye or a withered arme or a lame foot or an impedite tongue without any danger to the parts adjoyning but a lethargie in the head or an obstruction in the liver or a dyspepsie and indisposition in the stomake diffuseth universall malignity through the body because these are soveraigne and architectonicall parts of man so likewise is it in the great and vast body of the Creation However other Creatures might have kept their evill if any had been in them within their owne bounds yet that evill which man the Lord and head of the whole brought into the world was a spreading and infectious evill which conuey'd poyson into the whole frame of nature and planted the seed of that universall dissolution which shall one day deface with darkenesse and horror the beauty of that glorious frame which wee now admire It is said that when Corah Dathan and Abiram had provoked the Lord by their rebellion against his servants to inflict that fearefull destruction upon them the earth opened her mouth swallowed not only them up but al the houses and men and goods that appertained to them Now in like maner the heaven and earth and al inferior Creatures did at first appertaine to Adam the Lord gave him the free use of them dominion over them when therefore man had committed that notorious rebellion against his maker which was not only to aspire like Corah and his associates to the height and principality of some fellow Creature but even to the absolutenesse wisdome power and independency of God himselfe no marvell if the wrath of God did together with him seize upon his house and all the goods that belongd unto him bringing in that cōfusion and disorder which we even now see doth breake asunder the bonds and ligaments of nature doth unjoynt the confedera◅ies and societies of the dumbe Creatures and turneth the armies of the Almighty into mutinies and commotion which in one word hath so fast manicled the world in the bondag◅ of corruption as that it doth already groane and linger with paine under the sinne of man and the curse of God and will at last breake forth into that universall flame which will melt the very Elements of Nature into their primitive confusion Thus wee see besides the created limitednesse of the creature by which it was utterly unsuteable to the immortall desires of the soule of man the sinne of man hath implanted in them a secret worme and rottennesse which doth set forward their mortalitie and by adding to them confusion enmity disproportion sedition inequalitie all the seeds of corruption hath made them not onely as before they were mortall but which addes one mortalitie to another even momentary and vanishing too When any Creature loseth any of its native and created vigour it is a manifest signe that there is some secret sentence of death gnawing upon it The excellency of the Heavens wee know is their light their beauty their influences upon the lower World and even these hath the sinne of man defaced Wee finde when the Lord pleaseth to reveale his wrath against men for sinne in any terrible manner hee doth it from Heaven There shall be wonders in the Heauen blood and fire and pillars of smoake the Sunne shall be turned into darkenesse and the Moone into blood and the day of the Lord is called a day of darknesse and gloominesse and thicke darknesse How often hath Gods heavy displeasure declared it selfe from Heaven in the confusion of nature in stormes and horrible tempests in thick clouds and darke waters in arrowes of lightning and coales of fire in blacknesse and darkenesse in brimstone on Sodome in a flaming sword over Ierusalem in that fearefull Starre of fire to the Christian World of late yeeres which hath kindled those woful combustions the flames whereof are still so great as that wee our selves if wee looke upon the merits and provocations of our sinnes may have reason to feare that not all the Sea betweene us and our neighbours can bee able to quench till it have scorched and singed us Wee find likewise by plaine experience how languid the seeds of life how faint the vigor either of heavenly influences or of sublunary and inferiour agents are growne when that life of men which was wont to reach to almost a thousand yeeres is esteemed even a miraculous age if it be extended but to the tenth part of that duration We need not examine the inferiour Creatures which we find expressely cursed for the sinne of man with Thornes and Briers the usuall expression of a curse in Scripture If we but open our eyes and looke about us wee shall see what paines Husbandmen take to keepe the earth from giving up the Ghost in opening the veines thereof in applying their Soile and Marle as so many Pills or Salves as so many Cordials and preservatives to keepe it alive in laying it asleepe as it were when it lyeth fallow every second or third yeere that by any meanes they may preserve in it that life which they see plainely approching to its last gaspe Thus you see how besides the originall limitednesse of the Creature there is in a second place a Moth or Canker by the infection of sinne begotten in them which hastens their mortalitie God ordering the second causes so amongst themselves that they exercising enmitie one against another may punish the sinne of man in their contentions as the Lord stirred up the Babylonians against the Egyptians to punish the sinnes of his owne people And therefore wee finde that the times of the Gospell when holinesse was to bee more universall are expressed by such figures as restore perfection and peace to the Creatures The Earth shall be fat and plenteous there shall be upon every high hill Rivers and Streames of water the light of the Moone shall be as the light of the Sunne and the light of the Sunne sevenfold as the light of seven dayes And againe the Wolfe shall dwell with the Lambe and the leopard shall lye downe with the kid and a Calfe and a young Lion and a fatling together c. Which places though figuratively to be understood have yet me thinks thus much of the letter in
some present exigencies it makes them seeme necessary and â—…avoydable Fifthly Its violence and importuniâ—…e for sinne is so wilfull that as he once answered the Persian king when it cannot finde a law to warrant that which it requires yet it will make a law to command what it will and it will beset and pursue and importune the soule and take no answere Balaams ambition was sufficiently nonplusd by the severall answeres and parables which God put into his mouth and yet still it pursues him and will put him upon all experiments make him try the utmost of his divelish wit to curse Gods people and promote himselfe Ioâ—…h his fretfulnesse had beene once put to silence and could reply nothing when God charged him yet upon a second occasion it gathers strength and becomes more headstrong even to dispute with God and to charge him foolishly Dalilah we know was an Allegorie or type of lust and wee know how violent and urgent she was with Sampson till she grieved and vexed his soule with her dayly importunities Sixtly its provisions those subsidiary aâ—…des and materials of lust which it fetcheth from abroad those things of the world with which the heart committeth adulterie for the World is the Armorie and store-house of lust Lastly its instruments which willingly execute the will of sinne and yeelde themselves up as weapons in the warre In these things principally doth the strength of lust consist Having thus discovered wherein the strength of lust lies set your selves against it in these particulars thereof First for the wisedome and deceite of lust First set up a spirituall wisedome which may discover and defeate the projects of the flesh Christs teaching is the onely way to put off the old man and to be renewed in the spirit of the minde Secondly mutuall exhortation is a great helpe against the deceitfulnesse of sinne Exhoâ—…t one another while it is called to day lâ—…st any of you be hardned by the deceitfulnesse of sinne Silence is the best advantage an Enemie can have when one doth not warne nor give notice to another If a Cheate or cunning Spie should come to a place and apply himselfe with severall insâ—…nuations unto severall persons for the better managing his purposes and sifting out those discoveries which he is to make the best way to disclose the plots and mischiefes of such an Enemie would be to conferre and compare his severall passages and discourses together so Christians mutuall communicating of the experiments temptations conflicts victories which they have had in themselves to one another is a sure way to discover and prevent the deceit of lust Rahabs hiding and concealing the spies did much advance their project against Iericho and so the keeping of the divels counsell and stifling his temptations and the deceits of lust is one of the greatest advantages they can have Thirdly receive the Truth with love for lies and delusions are the doome of those men who receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved Secondly for the perswasions and suggestions of lust entertaine no Treatie have no commerce with it be not in its company alone let it not draw thee away sit not in counsell with it Qui deliberant desciverunt if it prevaile to get our eare and make us listen unto it it will easily proceed further As soone as ever Saint Paul was called he immediately refused to conferre with flesh and blood which relation elsewhere making he useth another expression Whereupon O King Agrippa I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision intimating thus much that but to hold a conference with the flesh is a beginning of disobedience If our first mother Evah had observed this rule not to deliberate or admit any dispute with the Serpent but had at first offer rejected his motion with this peremptorie answere We have a Law given us and servants must be rul'd by their master and not by their fellowes It is fitter to obey God then to dispute against him to execute his commands then to interpret them she might have prevented that deluge of sinne and calamitie which by this one over-sight did invade the world Therefore the Lord strictly commands his people that when they were to succeed the nations whom God would cast out before them and should dwell in their land they should take heed that they were not snared by following them neither should they enquire after their Gods saying How did these nations serve their Gods The very acquanting themselves with the formes of other mens idolatries might ensnare them Therefore as soone as lust stirres and offers to perswade thee start away from it as Ioseph did Come not nigh the doore of a strange womans house though the first allurements seeme modest and moderate yet if the Serpent get in but his head he will easily draw in the rest of his body and if he should not yet his sting is in his head Thirdly for the promises and threats of lust first beleeve them not for lust is a Tempter and it is given to all Tempters to be liers too When God hath said one thing let no arguments make thee beleeve the contrarie As we are to beleeve above hope so above reason too for though sophistrie may alledge reasons for a false conclusion which every understanding is not able to answer or evade yet there is a voyce of Christ in all saving truth which his sheepe are apt to heare and subscribe unto in which there is an evidence to make it selfe knowne and to difference delusions from it though haply a man have not artificiall logick enough to distinguish it from every captious and sophisticall argument If an Angell from heaven saith the Apostle preach any other Gospell let him be accursed we know what it cost the man of God when he gave credit to the old Prophet of Bethel though pretending an Angels warrant to goe backe and eate with him contrary to the commandement which he had received before Secondly get security of better promises for all the promises of the flesh if they should bee perform'd will perish with a man learne to rest upon Gods All-sufficiencie see thy selfe rich enough in his wayes there are more riches in the persecutions much more in the promises and performances of God then in all the treasures of Egypt Lust can promise nothing but either thou hast it already and the same water is farre sweeter out of a fountaine then when it hath passed through a sinke the same monie farre better when it is a Blessing from God then when a bribe from Lust when it is the reward of a service then when 't is the price of sinne when it is given by the Owner then when deposited by a thiefe or else thou art farre better without it thou walkest amongst fewer snares hast an over-plus of spirituall goods for thy earthly defect hast thy poverty sweetned and sanctified
that Spirit revealeth and confirmeth unto us so every smaller sinne doth in its manner and measure grieve this spirit even as every distemper in the body doth bring paine in some measure unto the naturall soule A living member is sensible of the smallest pricke whereas a body in the Grave is not pained nor disaffected with the weight and darknesse of the earth the gâ—…awing of wormes the stinch of rotteâ—…nesse nor any violences of dissolution because the principle ofsense is departed so though wicked men lie in rotten and noysome lusts have the guilt of many millions of sinnes like so many rockes and mountaines of Lead on their soules doe dayly cut and teare themselves like the Lunaticke in the Gospell yet they feele nothing of all this because they have no spirit of life in them whereas another in whom Christ is formed would bee constrain'd with teares of blood and most bitter repentance to wash the wound of spirit which but one of those fearefull oathes or uncleane actions which the others multiply and wallow in with delight would make within them Now Hee who hath the Sonne hath holynesse upon two grounds according to that double relation which Holinesse hath unto Christ. For it respecteth Him as the Principle and Fountaine from whence it comes and as the rule or patterne unto which it answeres Holynes is called the Image of God now as the face is both the Fountaine of that Image or species which is shed upon the glasse and likewise the exact patterne and example of it too so Christ is both the Principle of Holinesse by whom it is wrought and the Rule unto which it is proportioned First Christ is the Principle and Fountaine of Holinesse as the head is of sense or motion from him the whole body is joyned together and compacted and so maketh encrease and edification of it selfe in Love The oyntment ran downe from Aarons head unto the skirts of his garment to note the effusion of the spirit of Holinesse from Christ unto his lowest members Ye have received an unction from the holy One saith the Apostle What this influence of Christ into his members is wee shall more particularly open in the consequent parts of this discourse Secondly Christ is the Rule and Patterne of holinesse to his Church Our Sanctification consisteth onely in a conformitie unto his wayes For more distinct understanding of which point we must note first that Christ had severall waies and workes to walke through Sometimes we finde him walking to Golgotha and the Garden which was the worke of his merit and passion Sometimes to the Mount with Peter Iames and Iohn which was the worke of his glory and trans-figuration Sometimes upon the sea and through the midst of Enemies which was his worke of power and miracles Sometimes in the midst of the seven golden Candlestickes which was his worke of government guidance and influence on the Church Lastly we finde him going about and doing good submitting himselfe unto his parents going apart by himselfe to pray and in other the like workes of his ordinary obedience Secondly of these workes of Christ we must note that some are uncommunicable others communicable Vncommunicable are first his workes of Merit and Mediation There is but one Mediator betweene God and man the man Christ. There is no other name under heaven by which a man may be saved but the name of Christ. There is no Redemption nor intercession to bee wrought by any man but by Christ. None have to doe with the Censer to offer incense who have not to doe with the Altar to offer Sacrifice Secondly his worke of Governement and Influence into the Church his dispensing of the spirit his quickning of his Word his subduing of his enemies his collecting of his members are all personall Honours which belong unto Him as Head of the Church Those which are Communicable and wherein wee may be by his Grace made partakers are such as either belong to the other life or to this In the other life our Bodies shall bee made Conformed to the transfigured and Glorious body of Christ when Hee appeareth wee shall be made like unto Him by the power whereby Hee subdueth all things unto Himselfe Here some are againe extraordinarily Communicable being for ministery and service not for sanctity or Salvation Such were the miraculous workes of the Apostles which were unto them by way of priviledge and temporary dispensation granted Others ordinarily and universally to all his members So then it remaines that our formall and complete Sanctification consists in a Conformitie to the wayes of Christs ordinary Obedience The whole Life of Christ was a Discipline a Living Shining and exemplary Precept unto men a Visible Commentary on Gods Law Therefore wee finde such names given unto Him in the Scriptures as signifie not onely Preeminence but exemplarynesse A Prince a Leader a Governour a Captaine an Apostle and high Priest a chiefe Sheepeheard and Bishop a Forerunner or Conduct into Glory a Light to the Iewes a Light to the Gentiles a Light to every man that entereth into the World All which titles as they declare his Dignitie that He was the first borne of every Creature so they intimate likewise that Hee was proposed to be the Author and Patterne of Holynesse to his people All other Saints are to be imitated onely with limitation unto Him and so farre as they in their conversation expresse his Life and Spirit Be ye followers of me even as I am of Christ. But we must 〈◊〉 pinne our obedience to the example of any Saint lest we happen to stumble and breake our bones as they did Wherefore are the falls and apostacies the errors and infirmities of holy men in Scripture registred Certainely the Lord delighteth not to keepe those sinnes upon record for men to gaze on which himselfe hath put behinde his owne backe and wiped out of the booke of his owne remembrance Hee delighteth not in the dishonour and deformities of his worthies But they are recorded for our sakes set up for landmarks to warne euery man to take heed of adventuring on any mans authority upon those rockes where such renowned and noble Saints have before miscarried Children of light indeed they are but their light is like the light of the Moone subject to mixtures wainings decayes eclipses Christ onely is the Sunne of righteousnesse that hath a plenitude indeficiencie unerring holinesse which neither is deceived nor can deceive Now further this conformity unto Christ must be in all his obedience First in his actiue obedience unto the Law Learne of me saith he for I am meeke and lowly I have given you an Example that you should doe as I have done unto you The action was but temporarie and according to the custome of the place and age but the affection was universall the humility of his heart Let the same minde saith the Apostle be
of â—…ther else the Bodie of Christ would be a mangled and a maimed thing and not as Saint Paul calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fulnesse of Him that filleth all in all In the Body of Christ there is a supply to every joynt a measure of every part an edification and growth of the whole compacted body from Him who is equally the Head to all Being thus united unto Christ first the Death and Merit of Christ is ours whatsoever Hee really in His humane nature suffered for sinne wee are in moderated Iustice reputed to have suffered with Him The Apostle saith that we were crucified and dead with Christ and that as truely as the hand which steales is punish'd when the backe is beaten and surely if a man were crucified in and with Christ by reason of His mysticall communion with him then he was crucifi'd as Christ for al 〈◊〉 which should otherwise have laine upon him Hee was not in Christ to cleanse some sinnes and out of him to beare others himselfe For the Apostle assures us that the Merit of Christ is unconfined by any sinne The blood of Christ cleanseth from all sinne As Saint Ambrose said to Monica the mother of Austen when with many teares she bewailed her sonnes unconversion Non potest tot lacrymarum filius perire that is that it could not be that the Sonne of so many teares should perish so may I more certainely say to any Soule that is soundly and in truth humbled with the sense of any grievous relapse non potest tot lacrymarum frater perire It cannot bee that the brother of so many teares and so pretious blood which from Christ trickled downe with an unperishable soveraigntie unto the lowest and sinfullest of his bodie should perish for want of compassion in Him who felt the weight of our sufferings or for want of recovery from him who hath the fulnesse of Grace and Spirit Secondly the Life of Christ is ours likewise Christ liveth in me saith the Apostle Now the Life of Christ is free from the power and the reach of death If death could not hold Him when it had Him much lesse can it reach or overtake Him having once escaped Hee died once unto sinne but Hee liveth unto God likewise saith Saint Paul reckon you your selves to be dead unto sinne but alive unto God and that through or in Iesus Christ by whom wee in like manner are made partakers of that Life which Hee by rising againe from the Grave did assume as we were by AdaÌ„ made obnoxious to the same death which heby failing did incurre and contract For Christ is the second Adam and as wee have borne the Image of the earthly in sinne and guilt so must we beare the Image of the Heavenly in Life and righteousnesse and that which in us answereth to tâ—…e Resurrection and Life of Christ which Hee ever liveth is our holynesse and newnesse of life as the Apostle plainely shew's to note that our Renovation likewise ought to be perpetuall and constant not fraile and mutable as when it depended upon the life of the first Adam and not of the second Thirdly the Kingdome of Christ is ours also Now His Kingdome is not perishable but eternall a Kingdome which cannot be shaken or destroyed as the Apostle speakes Heb. 12. 28. Fourthly the Sonneship and by consequence â—…tance of Christ is ours I speake not of His personall Sonneship by eternall generation but of that dignitie and honour which He had as the first borne of every Creature and Heire of all things That Sonneship which Hee had as Hee was borne from the Dead Thou art my Sonne this day have I begotten thee namely in the Resurrection in which respect He is called the first borne and the first begotten of the Dead In this dignitie of Christ of being Heires and a kinde of first borne unto God doe wee in our measure partake for wee are called the Church of the first borne and a kinde of first fruites of His Creatures For though those attributes may be limited to the Iewes in regard of precedencie to the Gentiles yet in regard of the inheritance which was usually and properly to descend to the first borne they may bee applyed to all for of all beleevers the Apostle saith If you are Sonnes then are ye heires Coheires with Christ. We hold in chiefe under his guardianship and protection as his sequele and dependant Now from hence our Saviours argument may bring much comfort and assurance The Sonne abideth in the house for ever and the House of God is His Church not in Heaven onely but on Earth likewise as the Apostle shewes Fifthly Christs victories are ours Hee overcame the World and Temptations and Enemies and Sinnes for us And therefore they shall not bee able to overcome Him in us Hee is able to succour them that are tempted Hee who once overcame them for us will certainely subdue them in us Hee that will overcome the last Enemie will overcome all that are before for if any be left the last is not overcome Lastly we have the benefit of Christs Intercession I have prayed for thee that thy Faith faile not It is spoken of a saving Faith as the learned prove at large And I have shewed before that particular promises in Scripture are universally applyable to any man whose case is paralell to that particular If then Peters 〈◊〉 did not by reason of this prayer of Christ overturne his Salvation or bring a totall deficiencie upon his faith why should any man who is truely and deepely humbled with the sense of relapse or consciousnesse of some sinne not of ordinary guilt or dayly incursion but indeede very hainous and therefore to be repented of with teares of blood yet why should he in this case of sound humiliation stagger in the hope of forgivenesse or mistrust Gods mercie since a greater sinne then Peters in the grosse matter of it can I thinke hardly be committed by any justified man These are the comforts which may secure the Life of Christ in a lapsed but repenting sinner the summe of all is this Since we stand not like Adam upon our owne bottome but are branches of such a Vine as never withers Members of such a Head as never dies sharers in such a Spirit as cleanseth healeth and purifieth the heart partakers of such promises as are sealed with the Oath of God Since we live not by our owne life but by the Life of Christ are not ledde or sealed by our owne spirit but by the Spirit of Christ doe not obtaine mercie by our owne prayers but by the Intercession of Christ stand not reconciled unto God by our owne endevours but by the propitiation wrought by Christ who loved us when wee were enemies and in our blood who is both willing and able to save
us to the uttermost and to preserve his owne mercies in us to whose office it belongs to take order that none who are given unto him be lost undoubtedly that Life of Christ in us which is thus underpropped though it be not priviledg'd from temptations no nor from backeslidings yet is an abiding Life He who raised our Soule from death will either preserve our feete from falling or if we doe fall will heale our backflidings and will save us freely Infinitely therefore doth it concerne the Soule of every man to bee restlesse and unsatisfied with any other good thing till he find himselfe entitled unto this happy Communion with the Life of Christ which will never faile him As all the Creatures in the world so man especially hath in him a twofold desire a desire of perfection and a desire of perpetuitie a desire to advance and a desire to preserve his Being Now then till a mans Soule after many rovings and inquisitions hath at last fixed it selfe upon some such good thing as hath compasse enough to satiate and replenish the vastnesse of these two desires impossible it is for that Soule though otherwise filled with a confluence of all the glory wealth wisedome learning and curiositie of Salomon himselfe to have solid contentment enough to withstand the feares of the smallest danger or to outface the accusations of the smallest sinne Now then let us suppose that any good things of this World without the Life of Christ were able to satisfie one of these two desires to perfect and advance our nature though indeede it bee farre otherwise since without Christ they are all but like a stone in a Serpents head or a Pearle in an Oyster not our perfections but our diseases like Cleopatra her pretious stone when she wore it a Iewell but when she dranke it an excrement I may boldly say that as long as a man is out of Christ he were better be a begger or an idiote then to bee the steward of riches honours learning and wisedome which should have beene improv'd to the Glory of Him that gave them and yet to bee able to give up at that great day of accompts no other reckoning unto God but this Thy riches have beene the authors of my covetousnesse and oppression thy honours the steppes of my haughtinesse and ambition thy learning and wisedome the fuell of my pride But now I say suppose that nature could receive any true advancement by these things yet alas when a man shall beginne to thinke with himselfe may not God this night take me away like the foole in the Gospell from all these things or all these from mee May I not nay must I not within these few yeeres in stead of mine honour be laid under mens feete In stead of my purple and scarlet be cloathed with rottennesse In stead of my luxurie and delycacies become my selfe the foode of wormes Is not the poore soule in my bosome an immortall soule Must it not have a being as long as there is a God who is able to support it And will not my bagges and titles my pleasures and preferments my learning and naturall endowments every thing save my sinnes and mine adversaries and mine owne Conscience forsake mee when I once enter into that immortalitie When a man I say shall beginne to summon his heart unto such sad accompts as these how will his face gather blacknesse and his knees tremble and his heart be even damp'd and blasted with amazement in the middest of all the vanities and lyes of this present world What a fearefull thing is it for an eternall soule to have nothing betweene it and eternall misery to rest upon but that which will moulder away and crumble into dust under it and so leave it alone to sinke into bottomlesse calamitie O Beloved when men shall have passed many millions of yeeres in another world which no millions of yeeres can shorten or diminish what accession of comfort can then come to those glorious joyes which we shall bee filled with in Heaven or what diminution or mitigation of that unsupportable anguish which without ease or end must bee suffered in Hell by the remembrance of those few houres of transitorie contentments which we have here not without the mixture of much sorrow and allay enjoyed What smacke or rellish thinke you hath Dives now left him of all his delicacies or Esau of his pottage What pleasure hath the rich foole of his full Barnes or the young man of his great possessions What delight hath Iezabel in her paint or Ahab in the Vineyard purchased with the innocent blood of Him that owned it How much policie hath Achitophel or how much pompe hath Herod or how much rhetoricke hath Tertullus left to escape or to bribe the torments which out of Christ they must for ever suffer O how infinitely doth it concerne the Soule of every man to finde this Life of Christ to rest upon which will never forsake him till it bring him to that day of Redemption wherein he shall be filled with blessednesse infinitely proportionable to the most vast and unlimited capacities of the Creature And now when we can secure our Consciences in the inward true and spirituall renovation of our heart in this invincible and unperishable obsignation of the spirit who knitteth us as really though mistically unto Christ as his sinewes and joynts do fasten the parts of his sacred body together how may our heads bee crowned with joy and our hearts sweetly bathe themselves in the perfruition and preoccupation of those rivers of glory which attend that Spirit wheresoever he goeth Many things I know there are which may extremely disharten us in this interim of mortalitie many things which therein encounter and oppose our progresse The rage malice and subtilty of Satan the frownes flatterles threates and insinuations of this present World the impatience and stubbornnesse of our owne flesh the struglings and counterlustings of our owne potent corruptions the daily consciousnesse of our fall's and infirmities the continuall entercourse of our doubts and feares the ebbing and languishing decaying and even expiring of our Faith and Graces the frequent experience of Gods just displeasure and spirituall desertions leaving the Soule to its owne dumpes and darknesse Sometimes like froward children we throw our selves downe and will not stand and sometimes there comes a tempest which blowes us downe that we cannot stand And now whither should a poore Soule which is thus on all sides invitoned with feares and dangers betake it selfe Surely so long as it lookes either within or about it selfe no marvell if it be ready to sinke under the concurrent opposition of so many assaults But though there be nothing in thee nor about thee yet there is somthing above thee which can hold thee up If there be strength in the merit life kingdom victories Intercession of the Lord Iesus If there be comfort in the Covenant Promises and Oath of
second Adam we are spiritually in Him and from Him as we are naturally or corruptly in and from Adam As Adam was the fountaine of all that are naturally generated and by that meanes transmitted condemnation to all chat are One with Him so Christ is the Head of all that are Spiritually borne againe and by that meanes transmitteth grace righteousnes to al that are one with him From this Vnion of the faithfull unto Christ doth immediately arise a Communion with Him in all such good things as he is pleased to Communicate I will but touch them it having been the subject of this discours hitherto First we have a Communion with Him in His merits which are as fully imputed unto us for Iustification as if His sufferings had beene by us endured or the debt by us satisfied As wee finde in the body medicines often apylyed unto sound parts not with relation to themselves but to cure others which are unsound In a distillation of â—…hewmes on the eyes we cuppe and scarifie the necke which was unaffected to draw backe the humor from the part distempered even so Christ the glorious and innocent Head of a miserable and leprous bodie suffered Himselfe to be wounded and crucified to wrestle with the wrath of His Father to bee One with a wretched people in the condition of their infirmities as He was with His Father in the unitie of divine holinesse that so by his infirmitie beirg joyn'd unto us the Communion of His puritie might joyne us unto God againe He alone without any demerit of His suffered our punishment that we without any merit of ours might obtaine His Grace The paines of Christs wounds were His but the profit ours the holes in His hands and side were His but the balme which issued out was ours the thornes were His but the Crowne was ours in one word the price which He paid was His but the Inheritance which Hee purchased was ours All the ignominie and agonie of His Crosse was infinitely unbeseeming so honourable a Person as Christ if it had not beene necessary for so vile a sinner as man Secondly we have Communion with Him in His Life and Graces by habituall and reall infusion and inhabitation of His Spirit unto Sanctification For we are Sanctified in Him and except we abide in Him we cannot bring forth fruite Christ comes not onely with a passion but with an unction to consecrate us to Himselfe except thou be a partaker as well of this as of that bee as willing to be rull'd as redeemed by Christ In Him indeed thou art but it is as a withered branch in a fruitefull vine while thou art in Him it is to thy shame that thou shouldest bee dead where there is such aboundance of Life and the time will come that thou shalt bee cut off from Him Every branch in me that beareth not fruite He taketh away Lastly we have Communion with Him in many priviledges and dignities But here we must distinguish of the priviledges of Christ some are personall and incommunicable others generall and communicable Of the former sort are all such as belong unto Him either in regard of His Divine Person as to be the everlasting Sonne the word and wisedome of His Father the expresse Image of His Person and brightnesse of His Glory the upholder of all things by the Word of His Power and the like or in regard of His Office as to bee the Redeemer of the Church the Author and finisher of our Faith the Prince of our Salvation the propitiation for the sinnes of the world the second Adam the Mediator betweene God and Man in which things He is alone and there is none with Him Other priviledges there are which are communicable all which may bee compriz'd under this generall of being fellow members with Him in the most glorious Bodie and societie of Creatures in the world The particulars I touch'd before First we have communion in some sort with Him in His Holy unction where by we are consecrated to be Kings and Priests to subdue our corruptions to conquer spirituall wickednesse to offer up the sacrifices of prayer prayses almes and Holy services for we are by Him a royall priesthood Secondly we have Communion in His victories wee are more then conquerors through Him because in the midst of the enemies insultations and our owne distresses the victorie is still ours The enemie may kill us but not overcome us because our death is victorious As Christ triumphed upon the Crosse and had His governement on His shoulders so we rejoyce in afflictions glory in tribulations and in all of them in a confluence and conspiracie of them all wee are more then conquerors Thirdly wee haue Communion with Christ in His Sonship from whence it comes to passe that Christ and His Church doe interchangeably take one anothers names Sometimes Hee is not ashamed to call Himselfe Iacob and Israel This is the generation of them that seeke thy face O Iacob and Thou art my servant O Israel in whom I will bee glorified saith the Lord speaking unto Christ n yea Hee giveth to the Church His owne Name As there are many members and yet but one body so is Christ that is so is the Church of Christ. And what manner of love is this saith the Apostle that we should be called the Sons of God From hence it comes that wee have fellowship with the Father accesse and approach with confidence for all needfull supplyes assurance of His care in all extremities interest in the inheritance which Hee reserveth for His Children confidence to be spared in all our failings and to be accepted in all our sincere and willing services secret debates spirituall conferences of the heart with God He speaking unto our spirits by His Spirit in the Word and wee by the same spirit speaking unto Him in prayers complaints supplycations thankesgivings covenants resolutions Hee kissing us with kisses of Love and comfort and wae kissing Him againe with kisses of reverence and worship We see then to conclude all what an absolute necessity lyes upon us of having Christ because with Him we have All things and can doe all things without Him wee are poore and can doe nothing And the more necessary the dutie the more sinfull the neglect especially considering that Christ with-holds not Himselfe but is ready to meete to prevent to attend every heart that in truth desires Him If a man have a serious simple sincere will to come wholy to Christ not to be held back from him by His dearest and closest corruptions by the sweetest pleasures or strongest temptations which can allure or assault him he may draw neere unto Him with boldnesse and assurance of acceptation he hath a call Christ inviteth yea intreateth him and therefore he may come he hath a command Christ requireth it of him and therefore
him shall God destroâ—… for the temple of God is holy which temple ye are He promiseth to be Our Father and make us his people and this also is a strong argument why wee should purifie our selves and as obedient children not fashion our selves according to the former lusts in ignorance but as he who hath called us is holy so should we be holy in all manner of conversation And if we call him father who without respect of persons judgeth according to every mans workes we should passe the time of our sojourning here in feare Ye are a chosen generation saith Saint Peter a royall priesthood a holy nation a peculiar people that you should shew forth the vertues of him who hath called you out of darknesse into his marvellous light When yee were of the world ye were then strangers to the Covenant and aliens from the house and Israel of God but now being become Gods houshold ye are strangers and pilgrimes in the present world and should therefore abstaine from the lusts of the flesh which are sensuall and worldly things Those that are a peculiar people are a purged people â—…oo He will purifie to himselfe a peculiar people that they may be zealous of good workâ—…s The consideration of which things should make us labour to settle our hearts to beleeve love and prize the promises to store up and hide the word in our hearts to have it Dwell richly in us that in evill times and dayes of temptation wee may have some holdfast to relie upon In times of plenty security and peace men go calmely on without feare or suspicion but when stonnes arise when God either hides his face or le ts out his displeasure or throwes men upon any extremities then there is no hope but in our aâ—…ker no stay nor reliefe but in Gods promises which are setled and sure established in heauen and therfore never reversed or cancelled in the earth And if this faithfull and sure word had not bin Daâ—…ids delight comfort if he had not in all the changes chances of his owne â—…ife remembred that al Gods promises are made in heaven where there is no inconstancie nor repentance he had perished in his affliction Though David by a propheticall spirit foresaw that God would not make his house to grow but to become a dry and wither'd stocke of â—…esse yet herein was the ground of all his salvation and of all his desire that the Lord had made with him an Everlasting Covenant order'd in all things and 〈◊〉 that he had 〈◊〉 by his holâ—…nesse that he would not faile David so that it was as possible for God to be unholy as for the Word of promise made unto David to fall to the ground be untrue Now that wee may the better apply the Promises to our selves and establish our hearts in the truth and fidelity of God by them wee may make use of these few Rules amongst divers others which might be given First Promisâ—…s generally made and so in medio for all or particularly to some are by the ground of them equally appliable to any in any condition unto which the promises are â—…utable All the promises are but as one in Christ as lines thoâ—…gh severall in the circumference doe meete as one in the center Take any promise and follow it to its originall and it will undoubtedly carry to Christ in whom alone it is Yea and Amen that is hath its truth certainety and stability all from him Now the Promises meeting in Christ cannot be severed or have a partition made oâ—… them to severall men for every beleever hath All Christ Christ is not divided any other wise then the exigence of mens present estates doth diversifie them and so fit them for such promises as now to others or at other times to themselves would be unseasonable and unappâ—…able The Lord in aslenting to Salomons prayer made a generall promise to any man or to all the people that what prayer or supplication soever should be made towards his temple he would heare in heaven and forgive c. 〈◊〉 beiâ—…g after in distresse applied this generall to hiâ—… 〈◊〉 present 〈◊〉 when the children of Ammon 〈◊〉 and Mount Seir came to turne Israel out of their possessions The Lord made a particular promise 〈◊〉 Ioshua that he would be with him to blesse his enterprises against the Cananites and to carry him through all the difficulties and hazards of that holy warre aâ—…d Saint Paul applies the promise to all the faithfull in any straites or distresses of life as the Lord himselfe had before applied it from Moses to Ioshua Let your conversation be without covetousnesse for as God was with Ioshua so will he be with thee He will not faile thee nor forsake thee Christ made a particular promise unto Peter I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not And the same in effect he applies to All his I pray that thou wouldst keepe them from the evâ—…ll And the consequent words to Saint Peter make it good When thou art con verted strengthen thy brethren that is comfort and revive them by thine owne experience that when they are brought â—…nto the like case with thee they may have the benefit of the same intercessor and the sympathy and compassion of the same Saviour who deliver'd thee As our Saviour saith in matter of dutie What â—… 〈◊〉 â—…nto you I say unto All so we may say of him in matter of mercy What he promiseth unto any he promiseth unto alâ—… in an equall estate It is good therefore to observe the truth of God in his Promises to others and when we finde our selves reduced unto their condition to apply it unto our selves that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures may have hope This is the counsell of Saint â—…awes Take my brethren the Prophets for an examâ—…le of suffering affliction and of patience yee have heard of the patience of â—…ob and ye have seene the end of the Lord that the Lord is very pittifull â—…nd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And saint Paul assures us that for this cause God comforted him in his tribulation that he might be able to comfort them who might be in any trouble with the comfort wherewith â—…ee himselfe had beene comforted by God A poore Christian might object Aâ—…as If I were an Apostle if I had such graces such services such wayes of glorifying God as Paul had I might hope for the same power and providence of God in my afflictions as he findes But I am a poore ignorant unfruitfull and unserviceable creature who doe more blemish then adorne my profession of the Gospell of Christ and shall I looke for such care from God as saint Paul Beloved the members in the body would not so argue If I were an eye or a tongue one of the noblest parts of the body haply some compassion and remedy might be