that cannot speake as the Apostles and Saints of God did wee should learne how to speake of God Paul the more he insists in speaking of Christ and his fulnes the more his heart aboundeth and the more How to speake of Christ with grace his mouth is filled with words to his praise degree by degree So the mans heart being filled with Iesus his mouth is filled a full mouth speaking of Christ wil fill the harts of the hearers Then brethren learne the more y t one speakes of the fulnes of Christ and of his glorie the more more shall he finde his hart abound his mouth filled And it is impossible if thy heart be full of him but thy mouth must be full and thou wilt speake of him with a full mouth and not lightly a word and away And then who wots but the Lord will make that fulnes to fill some of the hearts of the hearers Blessed is that heart that can get any part of that fulnes of Iesus for thy heart was neuer stablished with grace that neuer got no part of the fulnes of Iesus All this speaking tels thee Christ is no winde nor vanitie If thou hadst no other thing to know stedfastnes by this same speaking of Paul tels thee that all soliditie and fulnes is in Iesus Christ Therefore when thou readest this marke it and say I see here a fulnes Alas that there should be such fulnes in Christ and I hauing so small part of it Lord let me finde this fulnes in some measure Cease not while thou finde it for it stands thee vpon life and life and the heart that is not filled with Christ here in some measure shall neuer be filled with his presence and ioyes in heauen hereafter And therefore thou that wouldest haue that onely fulnes which shall be in heauen by the sweete presence of Iesus there where thou shalt see him as hee is in our nature full of glorie and maiestie which sight shall make thee reioyce exceedingly looke as thou wouldst haue ioy for euermore that thou be filled with Iesus here on earth in some measure otherwaies away with thee thou art a cast away and thy end shall be in euerlasting woe woe vpon woe and euer in woe So then you may see all the glorie in heauen is in Iesus Christ there is not a iot of glorie out of him but all is in him that is in thy Sauiour Wouldest thou haue a Sauiour where wouldest thou get one if thou misse this Sauiour See the honour of thy nature in him All the glorie of heauen shines through the vaile of thy nature in him thy nature is the very vaile that hangs about that glorious Christ God manifested in our flesh maiestie that light that hath no accesse and it shines to thee through the vaile I speake this for this cause that thou presse not to seeke heauen nor no ioy nor glorie therein but in this Lord Iesus Christ No looke not here nor there but directly set thine eye vpon him that sits at the right hand of the Father For in him is all the glorie of the Father and looke that thou imagine not to see any glorie but that that is in thy head Where is thine heauen Iesus is thine heauen All thy heauen here and hence is as it were included in him Seeke it where thou wilt thou shalt finde no heauen without Christ Now to come to the next verse the Colossians might haue said What is that to vs that thou hast told vs of the great fulnes that is in him he is full but we are emptie what vantage haue wee by it Euen as if one would tell of a glorious King another will answere what is that to me The Apostle meetes with this obiection and saith In whom ye are complete who is the head of all principalitie and power As if he would say O Colossians in him ye are filled his fulnes is yours it serues for your profit So you see that not onely all fulnes of glorie is in Iesus Christ in his owne person but with the beames of it as it were all creatures are filled yea heauen it selfe is filled with his glorie and the earth is filled with his glorie and this is the felicitie of all the creatures in the world Wherein trowest thou stands the blessednes of the earth of the heauen and of all the elements Note Looke the eight chapter to the Romanes vers 21. 22. and there you shall finde that the blessednes of the creature stands in the gloriousnes of Rom. 8. 21 22 Christ one day to be reuealed And therefore Paul saith that the world groanes sighing for the reuelation of his glorie for the glorie of the earth and heauen is not yet reuealed Peter saith in his second Epistle chap. 3. 12. 13. When that the Lord shall come in his glorie that the heauens shall burne and be dissolued and the elements shall melt then there shall be new heauens A new heauen and a new earth made and a new earth So that thou shalt see another glorie in heauen and earth then euer was before or is now seene But to speake of man especially they that would beleeue and would be in him they shall be ingrafted as it were into him and set as it were in his fulnes aboue all other creatures for they shall be filled with his own fulnes If thou be set in him as the Sunne is in the firmament the fulnes of the glorie that is in him shall shine in thee aboue the earth aboue the Moone aboue the Sun it selfe So that this is felicitie to haue a share and portion of the grace and glorie of Christ to receiue of his fulnes for he is full of grace and veritie saith Iohn 1. 14. It is true indeed and so long as wee liue here this appeares not There is neuer a one that beleeues but he is a Kings sonne and a Kings daughter But saith John 1. Ioh. 3. 2. it appeares not as yet but when hee comes then it shall appeare wee shall all shine in glorie And the reprobate that thought thee but a lost creature shall wonder that euer there should be such a glorie prepared for thee Albeit thou shine not now yet if thou beleeue thou hast this vantage all that glorie that is in Christ is thine I say to thee a man is not so surely clad with his shirt as thou that beleeuest in Christ art clad with him He is a garment to thee haue what clothing thou wilt if thou hadst but a ragged coate yet if thou beleeuest in him thou art clad with him Goe where thou wilt if thou cast off thy coate Iesus will sticke by thee There is neuer a faithfull Saint wants Iesus And therefore thou maist say The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance Onely beleeue in him be ingrafted in him by faith Onely possesse him in thy heart Thou hast all his glorie and maiestie
and vncleannes and mortalitie out of thy former parents Adam and Eue euen so beleeuing in Iesus thou shalt draw out of him the sappe of life and sanctification But the words following make the words plaine What is meant by this new man There are three things in the words following Three things in the new man There is first the making him new againe Secondly there is the nature what it is wherein he standeth And thirdly there is the paterne according to the which hee is made the Lord had made him according to a paterne First it is said He is renued That is he is created a new againe Then it must follow that he was once made before and that in the creation and if he be made againe hee was once lost and so it was Now after this losing the Lord renueth him againe and therefore ye see a wonderfull mercie of God and it is the will of the spirit that thou shouldest conceiue this in thy heart and say O that exceeding mercie of God! that the Lord of mercie hath shewed on thee this mercie Looke to Paul Ephes chap. 2. vers 4. But God who is rich in mercie according to his great loue wherewith he hath loued vs euen when we were dead in sinnes hath quickened vs together in Christ. There he looketh in through the grate of renouation and therein hee seeth a wonderfull mercie in God Ye shall finde the life of this in the Epistle to Titus Alas wee want this eye there is such a dulnes in vs that we cannot passe vp to see this mercy of God Thou shouldest not so soone heare of mercie but thou shouldest euer looke vnto God and his mercie and thanke him for it What Angell could euer haue thought that God would haue created that new man againe They all wondred when they saw it Alas it is long ere wee can wonder Now what is his nature Which is renued to knowledge What is he I answere he is knowledge the light of the minde thou hast a new minde would ye know what is knowledge Paul Ephes chap. 2. telleth you that the eyes of your minde are opened O if the eye of thy minde bee closed thou art yet in nature Whereto That ye may know that hope Yet he goeth higher and that riches of his grace And yet he groweth higher and that excellent greatnes In a word it is the sight of faith full of that glorie that shall be reuealed I remember the Apostle to the Eph. chap. 4. vers 24. addeth to these two things righteousnes and holines so that in all his members he is light to see God Iesus Christ and all the glorie of heauen there There is the renuing that is spoken of here he is then sincere in heart in his body and in hand he is righteous in dealing with his neighbour If thou haue this new man he will cloathe thee within and without if thou were cloathed with gold and thou haue not this cloathing on thee thou art but a lumpe of stinking dirt The last thing is the paterne hee is created to one paterne Now what looketh God to in making of him looketh he to an Angell and saith I will make this new man like an Angell or looketh hee to the Sunne and Moone to the beasts and elements or to any creature in heauen or earth No no but hee looketh to his owne glorie and maketh thee according to that forme he looketh to that light that is in himselfe and maketh thy light like to his owne light and thy holines like to himselfe Looke the first of Genesis when hee had created all things the heauen the earth and the rest ye shall not finde such a word that he created any to his owne image But when he commeth to man with a consultation saith elohim Let vs make man like to our selues Gen. chap. 1. vers 26. So then O man there is thy first glorie the Lord honored thee in thy creatiō but thou hast lost it And the renuing of this image it is passing excellent it is double more glorious then it was at the beginning O that mercie that renued it Thou deseruedst to be turned into a stone or into the vilest brute beast or vermin that is Therefore it must be a passing great mercie that in renuing thee hee renueth thee in an higher measure then hee created thee in No in the renuing of thee in Christ he doubleth his image in thee And if hee made thee like himselfe at the first now he doubleth it a thousand times more The glorie of Adam was great but now that is farre greater which wee haue in Christ If Adam had kept his glorie yet it would haue bin nothing but an earthly paradize y t he would haue bin in but al the earth is not capable of one glorified bodie in Christ So then striue to beleeue in him and certainly the fall of Adam shall be so farre from thy heart that thou shalt blesse the time that he fell if thou gettest this renued creature in thee through the Lord Iesus otherwise thou shalt curse the time that he fell So beleeue in Iesus Christ and all things shall worke to thy good felicitie and blessednes in Iesus To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be honour and praise for euer and euer Amen THE XXVIII LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 3. vers 11. 11 Where is neither Grecian nor Iew circumcision nor vncircumcision Barbarian Scythian bond free but Christ is all and in all things THis whole place is an exhortation to the mortifying of these earthly members these sinfull lusts and affections and to the putting off of them for we haue been ouer long cloathed with them so that they be not put on again Ye haue heard these daies past sundrie sorts of them and likewise sundrie arguments to moue vs to this mortification To come briefly to the purpose The last argument was from our regeneration begun in this life standing in two Coherence parts that is first in putting off the old man that is corruption of nature that we haue drawne not onely out of our mothers wombe but haue suckt out of the loynes of old Adam so that looke how hee is it is as old It sitteth on and pearceth through the skinne to the heart and there is none that is free from it The second part was the putting on of the new man For certainly as I shewed you no man is able to stand naked before God cloathed must thou be or els there is no appearance for thee being naked before that tribunall seate all must be cloathed with that righteousnes and sprinkled with the bloud of Christ and then next with this new man that is with that inherent holines that floweth out of the bloud of Christ For he that is iustified by his bloud must be sanctified by his spirit Ye heard a description of this new man he is new made againe In the
ceaseth not to doe good to the liuing and to the dead but euen to all the Saints and Seruants of God in this world you manifesting it to these especiallie by sending abroad other fruitfull labours of his for the blessed building of them vp in sound knowledge stedfast faith and all vnfeined obedience of truth Assure your selfe good Sir that this labour of loue in you towards them shall not be left vnrequited neither of God himselfe nor of his deare people for besides that God who leaueth not a cuppe of colde water vnrecompensed giuen in his name to one of the little ones that beleeue in him will render it seuen folde into your bosome euen in this life as hee shall see good but speciallie in the resurrection of the righteous his Saints vpon earth will more and more pursue you with all holy loue and as a sure pledge thereof vouchsafe you their dailie prayers and performe all other fauours and furtherances that they can Nay I will say more the Saints in Heauen and particularlie our ROLLOK shall abound not onely in right and sound but in perfect affection to you and good reason because if when the Saints that dwell here amongst vs doe vnfeinedlie loue one another they cannot but in Heauen perfectlie loue all that are there and their fellow-seruants on earth as well because Heauen freeth vs from all corruption bodilie and spirituall as also because it is the place to and in which God hath appointed fulnes of all ioy and perfection of all graces But whither am I caried It is time to end speciallie sith I doubt not but the wisdome of the Word will teach you and the power of the blessed spirit will inable you to performe these and all other good things to the glorie of God the good of his people and the comfort of your owne conscience thorough Christ In whom I rest assuredlie yours now and for euer Iames Hamelton The Epistle to the Christian Readers THe Citie Colosse was a very auncient populous rich a Zenophon lib. 1. de expeditione Cyriminoris ad Colossas venit celebrem vrbē magnam opulentam Plin. lib. 5. c. 32 and flourishing Citie but much b Herodotus lib. 7. qui inscribitur Polymnia Xerxes praetergressus vrbem Anaua inuenit Colossas Phrigiae oppidum So Strabo li 12 decayed as some report long before the birth of Christ. And since this Church of Christ was founded among the Colossians these three Cities mentioned in this Epistle Laodicea Hierapolis and Colosse were much shaken if not vtterly ruinate with an Earthquake which happened in c Paulus Orosius lib. 4. c. 10. Ioh. Cal. ep ad Coloss Neros time a fearefull spectacle and iudgement sent of God for the d Exod. 5. 3. 1. Cor. 11. 30. Num. 14. 11. contempt of the Gospell as we may see the Citie of Corinth for the same cause euen then smitten with the Pestilence for the instruction no doubt of all succeeding ages to the worldes ende As touching the writing of this Epistle albeit this blessed Apostle had trauailed twise or e Acts. 15. 32. 16. 18. 23. thrise thorough Phrigia where these three Cities were yet came he not to Colosse for that Epaphras Onesimus Tychicus with others had first planted the Church of Christ in those parts The reason is rendred by himselfe when he saith I f Rom. 15. 20. 1. Cor. 3. 9. enforced my selfe to preach the Gospell not where Christ was least I should haue built on another mans foundation Being therefore afterwards occasioned as is most like by Epaphras and Tychicus with other seruants of Christ he wrote this worthy Epistle being prisoner in Rome to the Colossians for their further instruction and confirmation in the faith of Christ. The argument is this in effect Because the turbulent and superstitious Iewes disquieted the peace of the Colossians intending as else where often to make a mixture of the Lawe and the Gospell therefore the Apostle giues The argument of the Epistle to the Colossians in this Epistle a short abridgement of all the heauenly doctrine of our saluation describing vnto vs in a most liuely manner what Christ is in his natures and offices working most powerfully in all his liuing members vnited vnto him and not to be as the world imagineth a dead deformed idle painted Popish Christ. So that this Epistle will teach Christians soundly and truly to discerne betweene the shadow and substance of true Religion betweene the true Christ and fained and consequently betweene the true and false professors of the Gospell There are seuen parts of this Epistle I finde them so Seuen parts of the Epistle to the Colossians set downe in Maister Rollocks latine Commentarie very briefely and truly obserued as followeth The first part is the Salutation chapter 1. verse 1 2. The second is the Preface wherein he reioyceth for their faith in Christ and loue to the Saints from the 3. verse to the 12. The third part containes his doctrine of Christs benefits to the Saints namely their calling and redemption where the Apostle proceedeth vnto an high description of the Sonne of God into whose kingdome they were called and translated by the Gospell applying all things to the Colossians from the 12. verse of the first chapter to the 23. of the same In the fourth part he exhorteth to perseuerance in the faith and admonisheth that they take heede of false teachers from the 23. verse of the first chapter to the end of the second chapter In this part he intermingleth admonition with exhortation for verse 23. of the first chapter he exhorteth to perseuerance in the faith verse 4. of the second chapter he admonisheth them to take heede of false teachers and in the sixt verse of the same chapter he returnes againe to his exhortation but verse 8. he fals againe to his admonition and doth insist therein to the end of that chapter The fift part begins at the third chapter verse 1. and continueth to the seuenth verse of the fourth chapter This part containeth exhortations to holinesse of life And here yee haue againe admonitions partly generall concerning all Christians from the first verse of the third chapter to the 18. of the same partly speciall which concerne certaine particular states of men as of Husbands and Wiues Children and Parents Seruants and Maisters from the 18. verse of the third chapter to the second verse of the fourth chapter where he returnes againe to generall exhortations which be continued to the seuenth verse of the fourth chapter The sixt part is from the seuenth verse of the fourth chapter to the tenth of the same wherein he signifieth to the Colossians that as touching his priuat affaires he had committed them to Tychicus and Onesimus who should report of all things vnto them as they desired The seuenth and last part is the conclusion of the Epistie containing Salutations mixt with some Apostolicall iniunctions and this is from the
them instantly Paul was oft on his knees praying Men wot not what it is to haue to doe with God I bowe my knees to God for you Ephes 3. 14. So learne of him that it is not enough to thanke God for the prosperous estate of his Church that is but an halfe dutie to thanke him but with the thanking of God thou must ioyne prayer for the continuance of the blessing of God vpon that person Church and Common-wealth for whome thou thankest God There is no man so perfect in happinesse or in any blessed estate whether it be spirituall or temporall but yet so long as he liues in the world he hath want there is a lacke euen in the greatest Emperor and King yea euen in temporall things And he that hath begun well will fall backe againe a hundreth times in a day yea hee will runne faster backeward then euer he went forward if the Lord withhold him not Therefore pray for him that he goe not backeward Then when he is going forward in the good course begun he may not stand still but he must run euer looking to the end There is no man so long as he liues that putteth an end to his course his course ends with his life Hath any man a life He is in the race he is in the way and iourney towards the But or as the Apostle calles it the price of the high calling of God Phil. 3. 14. In the progresse he is not able to go one foote forward except the Lord take him by the hand and leade him Therfore seeing there is no progresse to heauen without God his especiall grace nor thou art not able to lift thy foote without him with euery foote that thou liftest thanke God for his owne benefit and pray to God for the continuance and increase thereof Pray feruently for thy selfe and for those that thou wouldest haue to continue Thus much for the proposition Now followeth the declaration of that wherfore he thankes God he thanketh God for them but not without cause he saw matter of thankes giuing in them and a vaine thing it is to thanke God for that that is The matter of the thankes giuing not in a man What saw he in them We heare saith he of your faith first and then of your loue to al the Saints without exception It is not possible but if thou loue one Saint thou must loue all And if thou hatest one Saint as a Saint it will Loue to the Saints passe thy power to beare affection of loue to any so loue one and loue all otherwise thou canst not loue one Then he seeth matter in them wherefore hee thanketh God and it is for no earthly thing but that these Colossians were conquered to that kingdome of Christ It is better for thee to bee conquered to Christ then to conquer the whole world Then the spirituall matter of reioycing if thou wouldest reioyce congratulate and praise God standeth in spirituall graces if thou wouldest reioyce for thy friend looke if he haue spirituall graces looke if he haue faith and loue if he hath not To reioyce for friends these neither hast thou matter to reioyce for nor he if he had all the world away with all thy gratulation all his prayses and congratulations are as many curses if he want faith and charitie for there is no blessing where they are not Wot ye what faith is It ioynes thee with the head woe is thee that art seuered from him and if thou hadst all the world woe is that soule that is not ioyned with Christ and being ioyned with him then art thou fast The earth shall be shaken and the heauen passe away before thou shalt loose thy gripe and holde of Christ or he twine and part Who shall separate vs from the Faith apprehends Christ loue of God saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 24 there is faith and the vertues thereof What doth loue againe As faith maketh the vnion with the head so loue is the band that makes the communion with the Saints which you rehearse in your beleefe and if thou be not ioyned here with his Church there is no saluation for thee nor life thou shalt neuer see the life of Christ Then when wee see a man standing first in this vnion with Christ and secondly in this communion with the Saints we may say blessed is that soule for cursed are they that are not ioyned this way Conioyne thy selfe with the head and the members there is not a member of the body with whom thou ioynest thy selfe by this communion but so fast as thy heart cleaues to it so fast will it cleaue to thee againe Wherefore reioyceth Paul with the Colossians because they loued the Saints so he being a Saint his heart ioynes with them Thou art a cursed body when a man loues thee if thou will not loue him againe Wherefore was it that they had first this faith in Iesus Christ next this loue towards the Saints what gained they by faith and loue the Apostle saith For that hopes sake that is laide vp in heauen it is not for nothing there is a rich reward of faith and loue Faith and loue will get thee a fairer thing and richer reward then all the things in this world Fye vpon them they are but durt and doung onely see that thou haue faith and loue Sticke by these two and thou shall get thee a richer and more glorious thing then al the things of this world can be to thee You may learne thē it is the respect that a man hath to a rich reward and hope that is of the riches of glorie Ephes 1. and not of this peltry in the earth that makes a man to sticke with Christ and to haue a communion with the Saints Otherwise if thou haue not this to looke vnto and this respect to that ioyfull end fye on thee it is kept to thee Heb. 11. 26 well enough as Peter saith thou hast no more to doe but to hold thine eye vpon it if thou haue it not it shall passe thy power to keepe thee with Christ and to be ioyned with the Church militant for there shall come such iawes and billowes of temptation iaw vpon iaw and billowe vpon billowe that thou shalt perish But contrariwise holding thine eie Phil. 3. 20. euer wayting for the comming of thy Sauiour the Lord Iesus I confesse there be a thousand things to drawe it downe but if thou striue to holde it vp certainely thou shalt sticke fast with Christ and stand with the Saints of God but if thou carry thine eye from heauen like a moule or muddewart grountling on this earth thou shalt tyne and lose Christ and the vnion with his Saints Thou shalt lose thy life and that faire heritage and then wo is thee for euer more To come forward how got they their sight and knowledge of this life Note It is a looking to this life that must keepe
the gripe and holde of Christ and make thee to loue the Saints But how got they it of the which you haue heard saith he looke the word Then they got it by hearing Well you that count so little of hearing take heede to your selues they got it by the very eare and that of the Lord. They knewe it not before they heard of it No knowledge of life euerlasting by nature Thou shalt not know that Thou that wouldest liue after this life and after the fashions of it Indeede thou shalt know that thou shalt perish and dye euerlastingly Adam knew this when hee fell from God death seased on him and this was his knowledge of good and euill that he got that he knew what blessing he had lost and into what damnation he hath fallen But no sight of his rising before he heard so no light by nature of life after this life but a sight of euerlasting death and damnation Long may a sinner lye still dead in sinne before he thinke of life he is no more able to thinke of it then a dead body How got they it then by hearing What heard they a word the obiect to the care is a word or sound What word not a word of lyes of men of dreames of fables No how be it thou heare a thousand yeeres all the inuentions and dreames that Monkes in their cloisters haue dreamed build and rest on them as thou wouldest yet thou shalt neuer see life by them What kinde of word must this be then the word of truth a true word must let thee seethe heauenly life What truth is this the truth of the Gospell Euery science hath it owne truth but there is no truth that will saue thee and make thee see that inheritance but onely the truth of the Gospell and therefore the Gospell for the excellencie thereof is called the word of God and for the excellencie of the truth of the Gospell it is called the word of truth Then in a word to speake homely and familiarly to you the charter and the euidence of that heauenly inheritance is the Gospell of Christ Thou hast no other euidence looke The Gospell is the onely euidence of saluation to thy charter chest in heauen earth or hell thou shalt neuer get an euidence of thy saluation but the euidence of the Gospell Wilt thou keepe the charters of thy land and heritage on earth and close them fast vp in a sure chest and reade them at all times and forget this onely euidence of thy saluation and not care for it nor take pleasure to reade on it I denounce vnto thee what euer thou bee that thou shalt neuer see life but thou shalt bee shut out of heauen To doe this it is not a worke of thine own power nor of thine own nature and grace to drawe thee with some delight to turne ouer the euidence of the Gospell to heare it and to take pleasure in it in some measure so long as thou art from the full fruition of heauen and life euerlasting Thou shalt neuer brooke it in heauen and thy pleasure be not in some measure on this euidence whilest thou art here on earth I denounce ouer againe and that by the ministrie of this word thou shalt be shut out thou shalt not haue a furrow of land in heauen Count of hearing as you wil by hearing is your life and there is no pleasure but in the word of life and the oft turning of it ouer When he hath spoken of this Gospell he falleth out in a commendation of the Gospell you shall finde this in Paul when he falles in speaking of the Gospell he cannot be easily drawne from it No question he found the power of it so forcible in himselfe and sawe it also so effectuall in others that where hee speakes of it he cannot goe lightly from it He loued it so well and it was so sweete to him yea as it is said Psalm 119. It was sweeter to him then the honey and the honey combe Well then he commendeth the Gospell to them and there are three arguments of the commendation thereof First which saith he is come to you Brethren the Gospell commeth to vs and wee The Gospell commeth to vs and we goe not to it neuer go to it and it comes vnsent for it would bide long from vs if it stayed till we went for it and though thou wentst for it I tell thee thou art no more able to bring it then thou art able to bring the sunne out of the heauen For except the Lord send it to thee in his mercy and free grace thou shalt neuer get it But to come to the purpose Doe you scar at this Gospell that you haue heard because it is Epaphras that hath founded you you doe euill would he say Therefore he saith ye heard of him nothing but that which is spread throughout the world And Epaphras his Gospell is that that is my Gospell which I haue preached vnto others which is the Gospell of Iesus Christ Take out here a lesson wouldest thou haue a note or token whereby thou wouldest knowe that the Gospell which thou hearest and that we preach this day is the true Gospell the Gospell that must saue the world looke if it be the same Gospell that was spread through out the world in the dayes of Obserue these Apostles or if it be that Gospell that Paul and Peter preached How shall you know if it be that Gospell of the Apostles It is a long time since where shall you knowe it better then by their owne writ Paul nor Peter preached nothing but that which they wrote Neuer a sentence of saluation was preached by Paul but all is written He preached the whole counsell of God Act. 20. I say and will affirme and will dye with it that Paul preached the whole counsell of God and wrote euery word of the same Away with the clouted inuentions of the Papists and that rabble of the cloyster Then I pray you examine all our preachings by the rule of this written word And would to God brethren that they would suffer that to be the onely touchstone Oh vaine Papist thy cause would perish if thou wouldest take thee onely to this touchstone Thou shouldest finde all their inuentions to be but lyes But thou wilt hold thee by lyes and therefore thou shalt perish and they both Then thou that findest this Gospell that is preached to be the written word of the Apostles hold thee by it and take it for the true word of God the word of life and saluation Now I pray thee as thou wouldest find life and grace in it put away all preiudice of the minister whether he be come Preiudice against the Preacher from Rome from the Pope or not and the Gospell that he preached be as good as the Gospell of Paul and Peter if it be no other stand not vpon the man if thou countest more of the man or of
his calling then of the Gospell thou shalt neuer see that life Looke ye euer to the truth how euer it shall please Notes to knowe the true ministerie God either ordinarily or extraordinarily to send it to thee with whatsoeuer man thrust out for that effect The second argument of the commendation of the Gospell is the fructifying of the Gospell and the effectuall working of it in the hearts as if he would say skar not at the Gospell preached by Epaphras I shall giue you an argument that it is the Gospell that I haue preached looke if it brought out fruites in you as it hath done in the world of life and regeneration if it hath done this scar not at it There is another note to knowe the truth of the Gospel if the Gospell taught at this day brings out in some I will not say all for many are called but fewe are chosen whose hearts it pleaseth the Lord to open as he did the heart of Lydia this true regeneration renewing the soule how few soeuer the number of them be as it did in the dayes of the Apostles O this Gospel must be the true Gospell for this is sure false doctrine will neuer regenerate thee The inuentions of men will neuer renew thee Nay further good morall precepts will neuer alter thy hard heart Reade Plato Isocrates Cicero reade them if thou wilt tenne thousand yeares all thy reading and hearing of them will not worke in thee the obedience of the heart to God They may well make thee an Hypocrite What Reading of prophane authors their best morall can not conuers the heart Psal 19. 7. were all the Philosophers as many Hypocrites counterfeiting humilitie and the rest of the vertues This ground shall stand then that there is no renewing doctrine which can change the soule but onely the Gospell of Iesus Christ because it is accompanied with the spirit I shall send to you the comforter saith Christ and he shall giue you my word Iohn 14. Onely this Gospell then hath the priuiledge to make thee a new man Therefore let thy rest bee on this Gospell if thou wouldest be renewed and renewed must thou be or else no life for thee nor sight of Christ and of heauen and of the ioyes thereof Sticke fast I say to this blessed and glorious doctrine of the Gospell that must renewe thee by the spirit of the Lord Iesus Christ to whom with the father and the holy spirit be all honour praise and glory Amen THE SECOND LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians beginning at the end of the sixt verse COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 6 7 8 9 10. 6 From the day that ye heard and truly knew the grace of God 7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our deare fellow seruant which is for you a faithfull minister of Christ 8 Who hath also declared vnto vs your loue which ye haue by the spirit 9 For this cause wee also since the day wee heard of it cease not to pray for you and to desire that yee might bee fulfilled with the knowledge of his will in all wisedome and spirituall vnderstanding 10 That ye might walke worthie of the Lord and please him in all things being fruitfull in all good workes and increasing in the knowledge of God THe last day Brethren we intreated of the preface of this epistle of Paul to the Colossians and to the end that his doctrines exhortations and admonitions should be the more effectuall in them he conciliateth to himselfe their fauour and good will and that by two arguments the first shewing that hee thanked God for them the next shewing that hee prayeth continually for them that they should continue perseuere and grow in that grace receiued We entred into the declaration of these two arguments of beneuolence to call them so And first we begun to declare the first argument of his thankesgiuing as it is first in order in the text The thing that moued him to thanke God for them was nothing in this world no no earthly grace or benefit but first their faith in Iesus Christ next their loue to the Saints He setteth downe the cause of their faith and loue They had a respect and to-looke to that euerlasting life glorious in heritance that was laid vp for them and all that beleeue in Iesus and kept to them with Christ in God as the Apostle speaketh teaching vs that except we haue respect to another life and glorie when this life is done it cannot be possible to cleaue to Christ and loue his Saints because there are so many impediments and temptations to drawe vs from him and from the loue of the Saints Then he goes forward and sheweth by what meanes they had this respect and to-looke to this life and glorious inheritance It bred not in their brest first but by hearing and if thou heare not thou shalt not vnderstand that there is another life And what a hearing whereof Of a word What word not of lyes and vanities of the inuentions of men nay heare till the day of doome these vanities thou shalt neuer get by it the hope of another life and of glorie hereafter What a hearing then is this the hearing of the word of veritie which he calleth the Gospell of the blessed God which for the excellencie thereof for it excelles all the words of the Philosophers yea the lawe of Moyses it selfe it is called the word of truth Then he recommendeth this Gospell which they heard by the ministerie of Epaphras least the person of the man should make them to despise the doctrine As for the Gospell which ye haue heard doubt not of it it is the true Gospell and I shall giue you a token confer it with the Gospell that hath past through the world if it be the same Gospell that hath past through the world let not the person of the minister scar you from receiuing it Then hee giues another argument of this commendation of the Gospell looke if it fructifye in you and bringeth forth such fruites as sanctification humilitie charitie and such fruits of the spirit as it doth in the rest of the world doubt not of it for it is the true Gospell of Iesus Christ And therefore let not the person of the minister scar you Then he commeth to the last argument whereat we left you the last day and he calleth them to the remembrance of the sudden effectualnes of the Gospell preached by Epaphras amongst them of the continuance which it had with them and saith from the day that ye heard and truely knew the grace of God Vers 6. remember you not that the first day ye heard of it it begun to fructifie in you and euer since it fructifies in you Therefore if you will looke to the suddennesse of the effect and the continuance of it amongst you it argueth plainely that it is the truth of God Vpon this last argument learne this beside the fruite
of heauenly inheritance of the Saints thou must come creeping to that communion of Saints be ioyned with them here if thou mind to haue any part with them in heauen separate thy selfe from that societie of the Church of God thou shalt be debard from heauen thou shalt neuer get a sight of it Looke the epistle to the Ephesians where he sheweth wherein the riches of the glorie of this inheritance is Where is it he saith it is among the Saints Ephes 1. 18. So then associate thy selfe to the society of the Saints in earth Men may passe their time and what reckon they of a Church It smelles in their nose what should they speake of it it is a stinking word mockage and scorne to them but I say glad shalt thou be to be of that number or else I shall debarre thee from all societie of the Saints in heauen Thou shalt be excommunicated out of heauen if thou excommunicate thy selfe here from the Saints Now where lies it you take heed where your heritage lyes and you will looke to your charters and euidences diligently for that cause you will looke the scituation of it Hee saith that this heritage of the saints is in the light there is the place a lightsome and a ioyful pleasant place The line of pleasant places saith Dauid Psalm 16. 6. is fallen to me It lyeth then in the light it is in heauen as Peter saith in his first Epistle 1. 4. It is kept and laid vp where God dwelleth it may well content thee to dwell where God himselfe dwelles Yet where is it Thy life is hid with God saith he O then thy heritage is in God! what can bee said more A faire heritage lying in so faire a light euen in heauen with God and in God I see then all our life and ioy either in this life or in the life to come is in that light of knowledge in that spirituall knowledge so that a man that hath his minde inlightened to see as the Apostle saith to the Ephesians the hope of his calling the riches of the glorie of the inheritance of the Saints the man that hath this light he liues and enioyes a great inheritance howbeit he hath neuer an ynch in this earth and his ioy is a true ioy And againe a man that is in darknesse not seeing the face of God in no measure knowing nothing that man liuing hee is dead if hee were an Emperor a King and a Lord. This countrie is full of dead stinking carrions because they want this light and they would pull out their eyes that they should not see this light But woe to them in the end when this darknesse shall bring an vtter darknesse when thou shalt be a dead stinking dog in hell Get thou this light if euer thou wouldest see heauen and haue a part of it which is not in darkenesse but in the light of God To whom we giue all honour praise and dominion for euer Amen THE FOVRTH LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 13 14 15. 13 Who hath deliuered vs from the power of darkenes and hath translated vs into the kingdome of his deare sonne 14 In whom we haue redemption through his bloud that is the forgiuenes of sinnes 15 Who is the image of the inuisible God the first borne of euery creature THe last day welbeloued brethren the preface of this epistle being ended we entred into the doctrine The Apostle in his doctrine begins at the first grace that a man or woman getteth in this world in Iesus Christ The first grace or blessing of God in time after they are borne into the world for our grace mercie begins before all time ere we be borne our election began before the foundation of the world was laid but the Apostle begins at y e first grace in time the first grace in Iesus Christ for all is in him nothing without him is this christian calling from darkenesse to light frō that foule puddle of sinne wherein we lye by birth and nature nay if thou wert borne a king thou liest in the foule puddle of sinne we are taken out of hell for our birth is in hell and to hell we goe if we haue no more but nature Thou art taken out of hell and put into heauē there is the first grace in time Now to come to the text ye heard y e father he getteth the first glorie of our calling Thanking saith he the father He is the fountaine Then we heard wherein the calling consisteth not in a bare naming as one man would call another but the Lord in calling vs maketh vs meete of vnsufficient for heauen he makes vs sufficient of vnable he makes vs able of dead men he maketh vs liuely that is the effectualnes of our calling Then we heard whereunto we are called Our calling is not in vaine we are called to a lot a fairer heritage then all the kingdomes of the world nay y e poorest soule is called to be an heire of heauē Such as are called are called to the kingdome of heauen all other heritages are but dirt and draffe And who oweth this kingdom It is the kingdom of y e Saints It is distributed among the Saints and if thou be not a holy one and in their societie thou shalt neuer see that heritage laugh at them so much as euer thou wilt Where lieth this heritage To wit in the light of God thou neuer sawest such a light It lieth in God for God is thy light and thy life and if thou be an heire of this kingdome thy life is hid with God in Christ To goe forward yet the Apostle insisteth in this first blessing of our effectuall calling and maketh it more plaine in this verse His words are who hath raught vs out that is the force of the word From whence From the power of darknes What more And he translated vs. Whereto To the kingdome What kingdome Of his sonne the sonne of his loue his deere sonne the Lord Iesus Now brethren it is cleere but I shall briefly insist on the words to let you see the force and power of euery word for they are of weight For the words that speake of heauenly things are not the words of men Then the word he hath puld vs out with a force or strength with a constraining I hold it not a simple deliuerie Then look to thy calling It begins at haling of thee Thou art so fast holdē bound whē thou art called that if thou beest not pulled out with a strong hand thou wilt neuer come out and that Christ himselfe saith No man commeth to me no not one except the father draw him Ioh. 6. 44. Thou wilt neuer see heauen if thou be not drawne So our calling must begin at our drawing all the powers in the earth will not draw thee to heauē if the hand of the Lord draw thee not To goe forward He hath drawne vs out
not once get a sight of their king in all their life time but being translated to the kingdome of Christ we are ioyned neere to our king nay neuer Courtier was so neere a king of this earth as wee shall be when we are translated to the kingdome of Christ Iesus hee will not rest till he haue vs in him O the tender affection of Iesus Christ that hee beareth to them that are in his kingdome hee will haue vs ingrafted in him as the grafts in a tree he will not let thee stand behinde him but he will haue thee in his bodie and ioyned with him as a member of his bodie and he will haue thee feeding in him that is vpon grace flowing from him as from the head So blessed is the estate of that bodie that is translated to the kingdome of Christ as by the contrary miserable is their condition and estate that abide in darknes and ignorance When thou art in him what wilt thou get he saith we haue redemption It is impossible but if thou be once in him thou must haue grace of him once effectually called to his kingdome which is that first grace of force thou must passe to the next grace which is the Redemption and all the graces that are in him and so no end of grace to thee Get me the first grace get thy heart once entred I shall promise there shall be no end of grace vntil thou be glorified without end O then what is the next grace which followes thy calling It is a blessing called Redemption A word sounding in our tongue commonly would to God you vnderstood it aright As soone as thou findest in thy heart thy selfe to be effectually called as soone will the father say O sinner I absolue thee from thy sinnes That is the next blessing There is none who findes themselues effectually called but they will finde as it were this sound I absolue thee from all thy sinnes If thy conscience testifie thy calling it will testifie also that thou art absolued and redeemed from sinne Let no man speake of these things but they who feele in their hearts daily their effectuall calling Now I shall speake of this Redemption as the Lord will leade me not digressing into a common place What is then this Redemption to speake it plaine it is nothing but a deliuerie The redemption of a sinner is nothing but a deliuerie of a sinner a setting of him at libertie So a sinner when once he be translated vnto the kingdome of Iesus Christ when the father looketh as it were from his tribunall and sees the sinner ingrafted into Iesus so soone will hee shake the fetters from him For in this kingdome there can be no captiuitie no slauerie no bondage of sinne and death they cannot be in the kingdome of Christ Indeede in the kingdome of Sathan there is nothing but slauerie and all are but slaues but in the kingdome of Christ there is nothing but libertie The kingdome of libertie cannot abide a slaue but all must be free free from sinne and death The next thing in this redemption if we be deliuered from what is it that we be deliuered a man that is deliuered is deliuered from some thing from slauery if thou wert a King thy horse rubber is not so ill as thou art if thou be not translated from thy nature and from sinne Thou art deliuered from this when once thou art called for after we be called and translated sinne hath no more dominion ouer vs. Yet Rom. 6. 12 when we are in Christ we are not free of bands * 1. Ioh. 3. 78. A sinner in his conuersion albeit his sinnes be pardoned with God yet there is a time of further humiltation giuen him to feele the seale of the pardon of sinnes put to his hart Confer 2. Sam. 11 with Psal 51. Rom. 8. 15. Ephes 4. 30. Hebr. 6. 1. no neuer till the sentence of the absolution come out from the tribunall of God and say to thee I absolue thee But to goe forward how is this procured vpon what ground proceedeth it it is no small matter to get absolution at the mouth of God What procures it then thou must be ransomed thy ransome is not without a price The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports a ransome and deliuerance by a price of redemption For brethren you must vnderstand that the iustice of God cannot be impaired the infinit iustice of God cannot suffer the deliuery of a sinner except there be a ransome paid Thou art conceited of mercie and neuer hast recourse to that bloud that hath ransomed thee No no seeke to the price and bloud of Iesus otherwise thou shalt neuer be absolued yet this ransome preiudiceth nothing the mercy Indeede if the ransome were taken of thee out of thy owne purse then thou shouldest neuer haue got mercy but because it is the Lord Iesus that paid the ransome therefore it is mercy and grace to thee What ransome must this be you thinke much of siluer and gold and would to God the bloud of Christ was as much esteemed of by you as you esteeme of your gold and siluer But I tell thee be thou a sinner all the kingdomes of the earth will not ransome thy life the whole kingdomes of the world will not ransome the life of one sinner yea not of the poorest lad and lasse in the world I speake thus plainely to teach you to thinke of better things then the things of the earth Fye on those things we should not esteeme them pretious to vs but to be paltry the dirt of this earth and vanitie of this world What must be the ransome then It must be bloud It is impossible that a sinner can be ransomed without bloud the silliest of you all cannot come to heauen without you be ransomed with bloud Therefore in the epistle to the Hebrewes 9. chap. 22. it is said Without bloud no remission of sinnes And if there were but an euill thought no ransome of it without bloud else shalt thou dye euerlastingly and the wrath of God shall feede on thee as fire vpon stickes or else thou shalt bring for thy ransome the bloud of another Then whose bloud must this be surely one must dye the iustice of God must be satisfied it must not be thy owne bloud nor the bloud of any sinner in the world take them altogether and offer a sacrifice of them all crucifie them all all shall not make a ransome for sinne Indeede it is true the wrath of God must feede vpon the bloud of a sinner and vpon the reprobate but that shall not be a ransome for one sinne so hee shall neuer be redeemed by his own bloud A ransome must haue a redemption but the bloud of a sinner will not doe this for sinners are in hell and in hell there is no redemption So wilt thou be ransomed say not I will reedeme my selfe with my owne bloud The Lord will take the bloud
father and the father in me nay no sonne in the earth how verely so euer he represent his father may say so as Christ saith so the likeliest the quickest and the best representing of the image of God is the sonne of God There is no comparison and therefore in Iohn 14. 9. to Philip he saith In that thou hast seene me thou hast seene the father also Why because I am the brightnes of his glorie so that if thou seest me thou seest the father and without the sight of the father there is no life And thou must begin that sight of him here or else thou shalt neuer see him And if the sonne were not so liuely an image of God it were impossible to be content with the sight of the sonne but because he represents the whole maiestie of his father therefore the sight of the person of the sonne contents vs and we reioyce in him O if we had that sight of him as we should haue it then should we reioyce vnspeakably so to end the words imports this when he saith that he is the image of the inuisible God that he is visible Then I aske the question how is the sonne of God visible marke briefly in his manhood that is in our flesh he is visible because Iesus Christ in the flesh is as well seene with the bodily eye as a man and when we shall see him in heauen we shall see him in the very body so there is no question of his humane nature But how is that Godhead seene in the sonne that is a greater question I will assure thee it must be seene or else no life for thee But how is it seene first I answere with the eye of the mind A man hath a bodilie eye in his head and againe he hath another eye in his soule which when once it is illuminated by the spirit of Christ then that eye shall see better than a thousand bodily eyes it will pearce vp through the very heauens and neuer rest till it come to the sight and presence of God Indeede if it be not illuminated it will see nothing but being illuminated it will pearce through the very heauens and enter into the light of God see him So the sonne of God is seene in his Godhead by the eye of the minde and held fast by the heart and felt of the heart What meanes this sweete apprehension that a man will haue of the mercie of God of the wisedome and iustice of God what meanes it Nothing but a sense of the Lord Iesus Christ all is in the feeling of Iesus Christ who dwels in the heart by faith as the Apostle to the Ephesians 3. 7. saith so there is the first way how he is seene But yet would not the eye of the bodie see him Certainly I would see him with this same bodily eye And there is no faithfull man but their yearning is to see him with their bodily eye Now how shall I get a sight of him with a bodily eye I shall tell thee how thou shalt get a sight of him with the bodily eye Indeede thou wilt not get it immediatly but thou must looke in through the vaile There must be a vaile hung downe ouer betwixt thee and that glorious maiestie now through that vaile that glorie of God shines in that flesh of Iesus so the beames strikes so farre that they pearce within thee because thou wilt see the glorie of God through this vaile and thou wilt not onely see the person of the sonne in the vaile but through him thou wilt see the glorious father So in a word when thou commest to heauen thou wilt now goe here and there on the earth to see glorie and wilt gaze on heauen I say vnto thee all the glorie of heauen will be closed in Iesus Christ if thou turne thy eye from him no sight of glorie so all thy pleasure then will be to hold thy eye vpon that glorious son of God and that wil be our heauen and our ioy through the sonne to see the father and to see the glorie of the Lord Iesus clad with our nature sitting at the right hand of his father To whom with the holie spirit be all praise honour and thankes for euen Amen THE FIFT LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 15 16 17. 15 Who is the image of the inuisible God the first borne of euerie creature 16 For by him were all things created which are in heauen and which are in earth things visible and inuisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created by him and for him 17 And he is before all things and in him all things consist WE shewed you the last day welbeloued in the Lord Iesus the Apostle when he ended his preface he entred into the doctrine and in it he beganne at the first grace and blessing that wee get in Iesus Christ in time which is our effectuall calling and deliuerance from vnder the power of darknes wherein we are conceiued and borne Euery man and woman is borne naturally a slaue to the diuel hell and darknes The best of vs all a slaue to hell the diuell and darknes so by this benefit of our calling wee are taken out from vnder this slauerie and translated to another kingdome not of slauerie but of libertie and light to the kingdom of his deere sonne the Lord Iesus Christ that is the first grace and benefit which the Apostle handleth Then from this hee comes to another benefit and he calleth it redemption or otherwise remission of sinnes Being now by your effectuall calling translated to the kingdome of Christ Iesus and being ingrafted into him the next benefit and grace we get is absolution we get a free remillion of all our sinnes and consequently we are freed from death and damnation that followes vpon sin This absolution and setting of vs at libertie from sinne and death is not without a price The iustice of God the wrath of God against sinne cannot suffer a sinner to be absolued without a ransome and price so our remission and absolution must be by a price and paying of a ransome But let vs see who paies it Indeede if wee our selues were bound to pay the ransome neuer any of vs could be safe no all the bloud of men and Angels and it were all shed to be a price for sinne would not redeeme a sinner Then who paies the ransome It is said we haue redemption not through our bloud but through his bloud It is then the bloud of Christ that is the ransome for our sinnes the Lord Iesus hath bought vs deere There was neuer from the beginning of the world nor shall not be vnto the end of the world such a deere price giuen as is the price of our ransome which the Lord Iesus hath giuen for vs. So that which he hath deerely bought to vs is nothing but a free
ye see the bodie accomplisheth the person of a man the head will not make a man but the bodie ioyned with the head makes vp a man euen so the Church fils vp the whole man Christ made of the head the Lord Iesus himselfe and of the bodie This for the words If this point of the glorie of Christ be weighed that he is the head of the Church it is a high point of glorie The Lord hath greater glorie by this that hee is the head of the Church of the godly and holy ones men and Angels then by that that he is the Dominator ouer all creatures ouer the diuell and all the multitude of reprobates And as it is high so it is in communicable no not the Angels gets this honour to be called the head of the Church Let be stinking flesh wilt thou set vp a Pope and call him the head of the Church A plaine derogation of Christs honour Thou wilt come out with a ministeriall head in the Church Away with thee and thy ministeriall head both there is no such thing Looke the whole Scripture No ministerial head in Scripture through thou shalt reade of a Minister in the Church but thou shalt neuer reade a word of a ministeriall head or Vicar of Christ But would you know how he comes to this glorie Yea to speake it so before hee came to this glorie there was much adoe and great stirre and busines in heauen and earth and a great hardnes The Pope he will start vp to it at the first dash before Christ came to this glorie heauen and earth was moued with a wonderfull motion before hee was exalted to it he was wonderfully humbled If you will make a comparison it was an easie thing to be the image of the inuisible God to haue created all things and to preserue them all was easie but when he comes to this there must be a great change this sonne of God is humbled and his glorie is wonderfully obscured Reade Philip. 2. 6. 7. and there you shall see the whole manner of it Iesus saith he was in the forme of God and hee thought it no robberie to be equall with God yet hee is not the head of the Church what doth he then The Apostle saith he emptieth himselfe of his owne glorie he makes himselfe of no reputation How doth hee that In taking on him the shape of a seruant What an humbling is this to clothe himselfe with the forme of an abiect seruant Thou thinkest it nothing but surelie it a wonderful matter if ye consider it rightly so then there is a wide step a strange step that he steppeth downe from his glorie wherein hee stood equall with the Father Yet he goes another step downward being found in the habite of a man he to whom all other creatures giues obedience of his owne will becomes obedient to his father Wherein stands this obedience not in doing only but in dying What death The death of the Crosse an execrable death the bitterest death that euer was nay neuer man died so bitter a death as Christ died All the death of men and Angels is not comparable to that death of Iesus Christ that he died for the redemption of sinfull man There is his humiliation Looke now to his exaltation Therefore saith the Apostle the father raised him vp to a wonderfull highnes and gaue him a name aboue all names that at his name all knees should bow In the Epistle to the Ephesians 1. 20. 21. the degrees of his glorie are set downe first he raised him from death secondly he hath set him at the right hand of his father that is he hath giuen him all power of heauen and earth and he declares this power Then he turnes to the Church in particular and calles him head of the Church for he could not haue been the head except hee had had flesh and bloud Trowest thou that thou canst come to that honour to bee a member of his bodie before thou bee humbled first No no thou must answere in proportion to him in his humilitie otherwise thou shalt neuer bee partaker of his glorie This for the sixt part of the description of the Lord Iesus in the which marke this as before wee heard many grounds of redemption made by his bloud so in this point of the glorie of Christ there is another ground of our redemption As thy Redeemer is the image of God the creator of all things and so foorth as you heard him defined before so thy Redeemer he is the glorious head of the Church yea he is thy owne head and thou art a member of him so thou seest not onely a glorious Redeemer but a sib a kinsman redeemer Therefore precious must that bloud be and of necessitie if thou beleeue in this bloud thou must be redeemed To goe forward Here followes the seuenth part of his description and the seuenth point of his glorie The beginning and the first begotten of the dead Yee heard he was called the first borne of all creatures because he was before them all and not for that onely was he called so but because he gaue the being to all creatures All creatures were created by vertue of him and by participation of that being that is in him for the first borne in the families of old communicated the speciall blessings to their brethren euen so Christ because he communicates to the rest of his creatures such speciall blessings as pleaseth best his wisedome he is called the first borne of many brethren Now he is called the first borne of the dead because he was the first that rose from the dead for there was neuer man that died that rose before the Lord Iesus 1. Cor. 15. 20. He is called the first fruits of them that sleepe because that al y t shall rise they shall rise by vertue of his resurrection Then what will you haue He was the beginning of the creation now he is the beginning of the resurrection of the dead Then all mercie and glorie must come out of him No creation without him no resurrection without him If you will consider this it is a great matter when he had created man man by his fall lost the creation nay by thy fall in Adam thou hast lost thy creation and as thou wast made of nothing so by this fall of Adam thou turnest to nothing and well were that man that is out of Christ if he were turned into nothing No no he shall not be turned to nothing but he shall be turned to worse then nothing So man by his fall lost his creation and death seased vpon him and leaues him not till he turnes him into dust and powder And if Iesus comes not in now after that man hath lost his creation he would neuer be a creature againe Therefore the second benefit which is greater then the first is that my bodie shall rise againe so in comes Iesus Christ and that creature that was brought
his fellowes neuer man gat or will get such graces as the man the Lord Iesus hath gotten neuer a one hath gotten such wisedome such knowledge and such holines nay all the Angels haue not gotten such graces as he hath But it is not onely these graces wherein this fulnes stands but he is filled with the fountaine of all grace The fulnes of the Godhead it selfe is in him that is his fulnes such as neuer creature got or shall get in heauen or earth It is a vanitie to speake of the graces of Angels in comparison of him all the graces of men or Angels they are as it were but riuers and streames that flow from that glorious head that is full of God So there is no comparison of his fulnes Wee haue receiued saith Ioh. 1. 6. all of his fulnes So all our fulnes stands in his fulnes that is deriued into vs. As this is the reason prouing his dominion so it is a part of his glorie Looke to the glorie of that personage thy Redeemer he is not only a man but a man full of God and so must not this bloud y t comes from him be precious Therefore it is called the blood of God Acts 20. 28. Yet only beleeue and I assure thee in his name of thy redemption if thy sinnes were neuer so great Fasten thy heart once on him and thou shalt finde mercie Take his bloud in thy hand and sprinkle thy heart with it and thou shalt finde grace Heb. 9. 14 and mercie to flow to thee through the same otherwise it had bin better for thee that this bloud had neuer been shed As for the rest I leaue it till the next day concerning the Mediatour onely thus farre As the glorie of the image of the inuisible God and the rest ye haue heard me speake of is infinitly excellent so this that he is a man full of God this is the glorious personage of thy Redeemer It tels thee that that bloud that came out of that bodie was more precious then al the things in the world That bloud y t was powred out of his foot out of his hand and side al tels thee that it is excellently precious and beside that of great necessitie And further it tels thee that sinne against God is great and greater then thou canst consider Fie on thee vile creature if thou wist what it were to sinne against God thou wouldest shake and tremble nay neuer a ioynt of thee would bide fast for feare of that fierce wrath to come on thee And againe if thou knew the vertue of this bloud that takes away thy sinne thou wouldest cleaue fast to it and make much of it but thou considerest not this and therefore thou knowest not the preciousnes of this bloud for if thou knowest not thy sinne thou shalt not know the preciousnes of that bloud of Christ that takes away sinne And againe it tels vs of that passing iustice and of that infinitnes of the wrath of God O that infinitnes of the wrath of God! O wretch thou wottest not The wrath of God for sinne what it is but if it lighted on thee it would rush thee to hell So the precious bloud that was shed for sinne without the effusion of the which thou couldest not be redeemed It tels thee I say that the wrath of God for sinne is infinite and if it were but an euill thought It strikes vpward and strikes the Lord in the nose and kindles his wrath against thee therfore feare and studie to mortification And more I tell thee that notwithstanding thou art once redeemed and by this bloud of Christ freed from sinne and death by such a ransome yet if thou take delight in sinne the murtherer in his murther the oppressor in his oppression being once redeemed thy sinne if it were but an euill thought it is a thousand times the greater by reason of thy redemption For why it brings with it the contempt of the bloud of Christ And thou sinner who takes pleasure in weltring in the foule puddle of sinne what doest thou thou goest on with thy foote and treads the pretious bloud of the Lord Iesus vnder thy foule feete And therefore thou shalt be chalenged in that day not onely because thou wast a murtherer an oppressor and a harlot no no there shal be thy chalenge villaine thou treadest vnder thy foote the bloud of the couenant the precious bloud of thy Sauiour that should haue redeemed thee from thy murther and sinne and therefore wel were it for thee if thou hadst been a Gentile that neuer had heard of this couenant and therefore if thou mindest not to leaue off thy sinne in paine of thy life thou come not to heare a word of Christ For why the more thou hearest the greater shall be thy damnation And there is not one word spoken this day but if it be not effectuall to chaunge thy euill life so that thou begin to leaue off thy sinne but it shall increase thy damnation in that day Therefore take my counsell either amend your liues or els come not to heare one word of this Gospell For this word as the Apostle saith shall be either a sauour of life vnto life or els a sauour of death vnto death and it shall slay thee with a greater dead stroke then if a thousand rapiers were thrust through thee I beseech the Lord Iesus to touch thee with his word that it may be effectuall in the hearts of the hearers so that they may amend their liues to their owne weale and his glorie To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be praise Amen THE SEVENTH LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 20. 20 And through peace made by the bloud of that his crosse to reconcile to himselfe through him through him I say all things both which are in earth and which are in heauen YE remember beloued brethren the Apostle when he had set downe that great benefite of the redemption of mankinde by the bloud of Iesus Christ hee fals out into a high descriptiō of the sonne of God tending to this end to let vs see the preciousnes of that bloud He set him to be first the image of the inuisible God a high stile Secondly he stiles him to be the first borne of all creatures Thirdly hee stiles him to be the Creator himselfe by whom all things in heauen and earth were created Fourthly he calles him to be the end of the said creation of all creatures for whose honour and glorie all creatures were made Fiftly he stiles him to be the preseruer and keeper of all the creatures made by him Sixtly he comes forward and considereth him not onely as he is the sonne of God God from all eternitie but as he is man also and he makes him to be the head of the Church as he is God and man Then he cals him the first borne of the dead as hee is
the Mediatour came and ioyned them with man So you may see the care of God towards mankinde to haue been very great and very louing The Apostle to the Hebrues 11. vers 39. 40. comparing the old Church with the new saith That the Saints that suffered before they got not the thing promised because God had a respect to vs Euen so he did with the Angels hee would not giue them their full blessing without vs vile stinking sinners What regard is this that thy God should haue of thee Lastly I will speake this to thee that esteemes so little of the communion with the bodie of the Church O miserable creature vaine lowne thou shalt neuer bee blessed till thou bee ioyned with the Saints of God in the Church Vaine soule if thou be not ioyned with the bodie of Christ which is his Church thou shalt perish for euer thou shalt goe to hell I giue thee this doome Now followes the fift circumstance of this reconciliation The fift circumstance To whom is it made It is said to himselfe not to another It hath pleased him to reconcile all things to himselfe Then all blessednes is in that coniunction with God ioyne thy selfe with Blessednes wherein it consisteth him and thou shalt be blessed if thou be not ioyned with God thou shalt neuer be blessed seeke blessednes here and there yet no blessednes but with God The Angels haue no blessing but in that they are conioyned with God through the Lord Iesus Christ yea I tell thee the earth and the heauen haue no blessing but in that amitie and friendship with the creator O what vanitie is it to thinke thou hast any blessing without the coniunction with the creator But to speake of man thy reconciliation must be with the father with whom thou art at enmitie to whom thou wast an enemie whom thou offendedst therefore thy reconciliation must be with God Marke it a sinner sinne against whom he will slay and it were all the world in so doing he sinnes not so much against man as against God No no it is against God himself as Dauid saith Against thee O Lord haue I sinned and done euill in thy sight Psal 51. For sinne is the transgression of the law 1. Ioh. 3. 4. O foule butcher O oppressor and sacrilegious theefe Thou that dost any euill against a man thou dost it not so much against the In euery sin a man fighteth against God person of the man as against God himselfe that is in heauen and so man that sinnes must be reconciled with him because it is against God that the sinne is committed The creatures also that stood and fell not are at enmitie with thee for when thou wast enemie to God thou wast enemie also to the very creatures and God and the creatures were enemies to thee O well had it been for thee who art a Reprobate that thou hadst been made a stone when thou becamest an enemie to God through thy sinne for thou madest not onely God to be thy enemie but thou madest all the good creatures of God to be thy enemie the Sunne the Moone the Starres and firmament the Angels in heauen yea these very senceles things of the earth and the beast and the foule of the ayre the earth grones vnder thee and it would be quit of thee as of an enemie it will not binde vp friendship with thee if thou be an enemie to God So if thou be an enemie to God thou art an enemie to all the good creatures of God and they are enemies to thee but if thou be in band and coniunction with God the heauen and all the creatures will be friends to thee The enmitie and friendship that stands with any creature it depends vpon the feude and friendship with God so that if thou All the creatures in enmitie with all vnbeleeuers be at feude with God all the creatures will be at feude with thee and if thou be at friendship with him all the creatures will be thy friends Marke this well marueile not that the Sea should drowne thee and thy house smother thee that art at strife with God through thy villanous life wonder not it is a wonderfull thing that they that are at feude with God dares enter into a house or go out of it or venter on the sea But the consciences of men are so locked vp that they will not vnderstand nor feare this but the vaine sleeping lowne saies peace peace Oh but the iudgement comes with such a rattle about the eares of the lowne that hee cannot get once space to say God is mercifull Haue you not marked this in these bloudie murtherers and the rest Nay thou that criest peace to thy soule when thou art doing all the mischiefe and villanie thou canst and if thou goe on so the fierce wrath of God and terrible iudgement shall oppresse thee ere euer thou be aware of thy selfe Now followes the sixt poynt or circumstance to be considered in reconciliation By whom is it made There must be a mediator or else it cannot be made Indeed the first friendship was made without a mediator because man and woman they were created at the beginning holy without spot of sinne but at the making of the next friendship because of the offence there must needs be a mediator to passe betwixt thee and that fire that was readie to deuoure thee for thou thy selfe darest not appeare and sue for it immediatly for thou art not able to stand in the presence of that terrible God before whose face there goes a fearefull fire that would consume thee at an instance So there must be a Mediator It is true that the Father made this reconciliation of his free mercie and of a passing grace hee bare to mankinde Would to God wee had a sense of it but I tell thee this grace and mercie was deere bought it is not an easie thing to a sinner that hath violated so holy a maiestie to get accesse againe This mercie from whence this reconciliation comes it springs out of the Lord Iesus as a faire greene tree in a garden it springs out of the very bloud of the Mediatour the Lord Iesus For why the mercie could neuer haue been nor had place if the wrath and iustice of the Father had not bin satisfied with that bloud there could neuer haue been such a thing as mercie to the world if that bloud had neuer been shed and so say I this mercie and grace springs vp sweetly and gratiously out of the bloud of Christ So wouldest thou haue mercie lay hold on the bloud of Christ and as thou wouldest haue part in heauen rest neuer while thou finde that bloud sprinkled in thy conscience thy heart washed with it Now from whence comes this Mediatour how is he giuen to thee The father saith the Scripture loued the world Iohn 3. 16. So the Mediatour vpon whom this new band of mercie and grace riseth is giuē of
if faith ioyne them not if thou wert all my kinne if thou haue not one faith with me we cannot be ioyned together And therefore considering this whatsoeuer thou bee that wouldest labour to conioyne a bodie with the Church striue day and night to bring that person to the faith of the Church For he will neuer be conioyned with the body that hath not this faith of the body But let vs marke the words All riches a high word of the full assurance of vnderstanding To begin at this hee calles faith Faith is an vnderstanding The wofull state of such as be ignorant of the Gospell an vnderstanding Faith is not ignorance and blindnes but it is an vnderstanding and thou that art altogether ignorant of God and of Iesus Christ thou hast no more faith then a dogge Bragge as thou wilt of it ignorant men will begin to crake of faith as though they knew it Faith is an eye that seeth more cleerely then all the eyes of the world It is a light Faith is an eye and vnderstanding the eye of the soule whereby we see God and his sonne Iesus Christ our Sauiour yea faith is more then an vnderstanding it is a certaintie of the whole truth of God especially of the promises in Iesus Christ When thou art sure that euery word of the Gospell is true that is the assurance of faith and with this there is conioyned a heartie imbracing of the heart for when thou art sure of the promises O how the heart wil fold about y e promises of God! Haue you not assaied it yet Whē the heart hath assurance of the truth O how it wil cleaue to it For as it is said A true saying is worthie to be imbraced Now faith is not onely this full assurance but it is a riches The beleeuer most rich and most ioyfull Ye that would be rich take heede faith is not a poore thing a beggerly thing A faithfull bodie is no begger but he is rich But yet more he calles it not only riches but he calles it all riches So there is no riches without it thou that hast not faith hast no riches for howbeit thy hand be full yet if thou want faith thy hand is emptie He that hath not faith is euer poore and the beggerliest creature that is but he that hath faith giue him but a coate on his backe he is rich enough and he is the ioyfullest body that euer was ioyfuller by ten thousand times then these worldlings that gruntle on this pelfe of this world Well well then get faith and thinke that without it thou art not rich for if thou haue an emptie bag in thy hart thou art but a poore miserable creature Brethren ye heard how Paul speaking of this mysterie of the Gospel he called it the riches of God hid now speaking of faith he calles it riches also and all riches So I see all is riches Iesus is riches all things concerning Iesus be riches That mysterie of him is the riches of glorie This faith and full perswasion is riches And therefore wilt thou be rich seeke to Christ seeke to this Gospell swallow it vp seeke to faith And be not content till thou hast got a heartfull of this faith of Iesus Christ and then I promise thee thou shalt be rich and more ioyfull then if thou hadst all the world howbeit thou leaue not a peny behind thee Now to come to the rest of the words that I haue read they tend to the declaration of that that is spoken especially of the riches of faith Defining first the riches of faith hee cals it the knowledge that was hid vp in a mysterie and at last reuealed to the world to the euerlasting consolation of the world Then I see this faith is a relatiue to the mysterie that is to the Gospel and to speake it so the obiect of faith which faith seeth and vnderstandeth is the Gospell Now concerning this mysterie you heard before it was the riches of glorie Well if the obiect of faith bee the riches of glorie of necessitie thy faith must be glorious rich For a rich obiect makes a rich knowledge The Gospel the obiect of faith Knowest thou all the Sciences in the world all is but beggerly knowledge if thou want the knowledge of faith Therefore thou who wouldest know striue to know this rich mysterie for it shall giue theefull riches Now in the words God the subiect of the Gospel following he insists vpon this subiect of faith It is the mysterie of God then the subiect of it is God O that is a faire science that speakes of God! All other sciences that speake of the creatures it is but of dirt they speake of in respect of him who made them all One will come of and speake of the earth of fishes and paint out a faire storie of this King or that King of cornes of lands and that will be his subiect Another will goe vpward and speake of the heauen and starres but what is all that in respect of that glorious Creator but dirt So this Gospell of Iesus Christ is onely the eminent science that mounts The Gospel the science of sciences vp aboue all sciences And therefore this mysterie and this Gospell that speakes of this subiect must be glorious albeit the coate of it be but sober and simple howbeit it be preached by simple men and therefore our great men thinke nothing of it But if thou saw the glorie and riches that is in this Gospell O thou wouldest seeke it before all riches and all glorie It would be thy ioy day night teach it who will Well then take the Lord Iesus who is offred to thee in this base clothing as thou wouldest be partaker of him in glorie when this coate shall be shaken off The Apostle hauing made mention of God he leaues not off so but laies him out in two glorious personages and saith God euen the father and of Christ. God saith he that stands in these two personages glorious and equall in glorie the Father and the Sonne So what place would ye haue to know the Christ proued very God Godhead of the Lord our Sauiour if this place will not tell you For when hee hath set downe the Father to be the onely true God he sets down his sone Iesus Christ to be God equall with him in all things euery way So that Iesus thy redeemer he is so man that he is God glorious for euer I see againe there is no true vnderstanding of God but that whereby hee is knowne distinct in persons It is not enough to know that he The true knowledge of God is one in essence but if thou know him well thou must know him distinguished in three persons the Father Sonne and holy Spirit all eternall all equall in power glorie and maiestie onely one true and euerliuing God If this brethren be the true knowledge of God as
And againe you see no man needes to enuie the glorie that Christ hath in him for he communicates that glorie to vs you see we enuie the glorie of earthly Princes This wee haue by nature we would haue it all our selues and the seed of ambition is in the beastliest bodie that is vpon earth which Ambition raiseth all these seditions tumults warres and vprores that is now adaies and hath been from the beginning Such is the enuie that euery man hath against another mans preferment his honour and estimation that hee cannot away with it except he haue all in himselfe And therefore hee leaues nothing vndone if it were to cut his throte so be it he may get his glory and renowne But thou that beleeuest needs not in such wise to enuie the glorie of Iesus Christ A King will not communicate his glorie with thee no not a iot of it but Iesus Christ communicates all his glorie with thee and therefore thou shouldest loue him the more yea and the faithfull man the more he sees God glorified the more is his ioy but a reprobate wil enuie the glorie of God Nay there was neuer such a subiect that enuied the glorie and honour of a Prince or of his master as a reprobate will enuie the glorie of Iesus Hee would if he might plucke him from his glorie such is the malice of his heart against Iesus Christ Yea the reprobate would The reprobate if it were possible bereaue the Saints of their glorie and whē this glorie of the Saints shall be reuealed the reprobate shall fret and fume they desire not to heare tell of the glorie of Christ and of his Saints And when they heare of it for they shall heare of it in despite of their teeth they heare it with the sadnes of their heart it is no comfort nor consolation to them to heare of it And by the contrary the faithfull one reioyceth when he heares of it it makes his hart to leape for ioy as Iohns did in his mothers belly when Mary the mother of Christ A sure token of election spake to Elizabeth Luk. 1. 41. Therefore if thou canst reioyce when thou hearest of Gods glorie in Iesus Christ it is a good and sure token of thy election And againe seeing that in Iesus there is this fulnes thou needes neuer to be emptie or feare to want Thou that findest any wastnes or emptines put out thy hand to the ambrie of the Gospel wherein this fulnes of grace The Gospel is the meane whereby Christ communicates his fulnes vnto vs. and glorie is to be had A contemner of the Gospell if he were a King he shall not taste of this fulnes and of this glorie of Iesus for there is no way to be partaker of this fulnes but by the Gospell It is the ambrie wherein it is contained And if thou misse it thou shalt neuer get a cheekefull or morfell of any fulnes in thy soule When hee hath said And in him ye are filled he subioynes a glorious description of him who is the head of all principalitie and power He cannot leaue of to speake of that glorious maiestie he said before In him are hid all treasures of wisedome and knowledge and againe in him dwelleth the Godhead bodily and so foorth as you haue heard now againe when he hath cast in a word of him he leaues him not so but hee will yet paint him out in his glorie Then learne to speake fully of Christ Alas this hungry speaking of Christ testifies the emptines and voidnes To speake fully of Christ of God in our hearts It is a true saying Of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh If thy heart were full of him as I haue said thy mouth would be full and thou wouldest speak fully of him but thy heart being so emptie what marueile is it to heare thee speake coldly of this Lord full of glorie Well there is no question but by this description wherein he makes him Lord ouer all both in heauen and earth hee meanes this that he is not onely Lord aboue them all but that also they are cast downe vnder his feete hee is mounted aboue them all Now there be two things that will make vs chiefly to account of this gloriousnes that is in Christ Iesus The one Two things do cause vs to thinke highly of Christ thing is his highnes a maiestie about all maiesties There is not a maiestie but that maiestie The other thing is thy lowlines and thy basenes thou art but a worme on earth hee is aboue all heauens Is not this a great goodnes that he that is so high should so lowly humble himselfe so that he should abase himselfe as it were to become a worme Men would wonder that euer the God of glorie should so haue humbled himself yea the Angels wonder at this that euer sinfull man should haue gotten a share or portion of that grace of God So this is my counsell if thou feele a smacke of grace of consolation or A speciall consolatiō of faith if it were but as a mustard seede count more of it then of all the kingdomes of the earth For it will weigh downe all keepe it well in thy heart and lose thy life and all before thou wilt lose it I counsell thee to looke vp to heauen first and say yet this Lord will giue me more of his grace and glorie when I shall see him with this eye of the bodie then the Lord will fill me with glorie and I will hope and be content to lose all before I should lose this Keepe this earnest peny for it is the ioy of the creature to keepe this earnest peny for one day thou shalt get the full summe and fulnes of ioy If thou keepe it not and haue no regard of it and hold not vp thy eye by night and by day by looking to Iesus in this Gospell thou shalt neuer get the full summe and entire payment The sucking of the hearts of the faithfull and the drinking in this milke of the word is the way to get Iesus to The way to get Iesus into the heart thy heart and to keepe him night and day yea it is the way appointed from all eternitie Abraham sought for him and got faith in him by the word of promise which is the Gospell Therefore it is said that he sawe him and reioyced Ioh. 8. 56. Nay Abraham neuer suffered himselfe to be seuered from that grace that was in him So the Gospel is the way to bring Christ out of heauen to thee and to fill the elect with all ioy and glorie To him therefore be euerlasting glorie praise and dominion for euer Amen THE SIXTEENTH LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 2. vers 11. 12. 11 In whom also yee are circumcised with circumcision made without hands by putting off the sinfull bodie of the flesh through the circumcision
earnest in keeping and hearing such doctrine as concerneth life euerlasting and when thou hearest this doctrine of dirt turne thy eare away from it for there is no godlines in it And I giue you my counsell heare him not that speaketh of such things but heare him that will speake of Christ Iesus and his doctrine which shall feede thee to life euerlasting It will not be meate and drinke and the doctrine thereof which will feede thee but it must be this doctrine of Christ wherewith thou must be fed and thou must still feede on it vntill thou be glorified in him and with him for euer and euer To whom with the Father and holy Spirit be al praise and honour now and euer Amen THE XXIII LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 3. vers 1. 2. 3. 1 If ye then be risen with Christ seeke those things which are aboue where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God 2 Set your affections on things which are aboue and not on things which are on the earth 3 For ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God WE haue heard in this Epistle beloued brethren in Iesus Christ first the inscription of the Epistle Secondly The parts of this epistle alreadie handled the preface Thirdly the doctrine touching Christ and his benefits And then fourthly wee haue heard how he passed from the doctrine to the exhortations and admonitions exhorting the Colossians to perseuerance in that faith which they had receiued admonishing them to beware of the false Apostles their doctrine and mens traditions In this admonition hee insisteth throughout the whole second chapter Now brethren in this third chapter taking occasion of the vaine and corruptible things as meate drink and such things of which are the traditions of men from the which he had disswaded them in the former chapter he begins to exhort them to other things not corruptible but euerlasting not earthly but heauenly in the which true godlines and holines standeth Throughout all this whole chapter he insisteth vpon this first in general and then he cōmeth to his exhortation in speciall And he continueth so to the seuenth verse of the next chapter The particulars I remit to the diduction of the text and I come to the words presently read In thē there are two exhortatiōs to one thing together with sundry arguments hee exhorteth in both to the things aboue to heauenly things and the foresaid exhortation which he vseth for this purpose is to seeke them and the second exhortation is to know them to be wise in them and to vnderstand them for that is the force of the word Then to come to the first exhortation If ye be risen with Christ seeke the things that are aboue There is the exhortation and the first argument which is ye are risen with Christ to life after that ye were dead to all these beggerly ceremonies to mens traditions of meate and drinke and such like Now after ye were dead to these ye are risen againe to a life and to an heauenly life therefore seeke the things that are in heauen Now to insist vpon euery word Ye see here and in the chapter before mention is made of a dying of Christ and of a buriall with him and of a rising and liuing with him so that when he dieth wee die and when hee riseth and liueth we rise and liue Marke it well In a word as he altereth wee alter so many as beleeue in him of necessitie they change as he change when he dies they die by vertue of his death to sinne and to the world and sinne dieth in them when he riseth they rise with him vnto that heauenly life This alteration is wonderfull What man is high in the world which wil draw others after him after this manner that when he dieth wil cause another to die with him that neuer saw him bodily in this life What is he I say looke through the whole world and to all the Kings of the world whom will ye find in heauen or earth that will alter men after this manner by his death and life This is one common doctrine but it would be considered well for there are few which vnderstande this doctrine Then of necessitie in Iesus Christ there must be a great force and vertue Ye see now the Heauens Planets Sunne Moone and the rest because they by their operation do make alteration in these inferiour things as in plants grasse fields and euen in the bodie of man because I say of this operation in these inferiour creatures wee ascribe a great vertue to them But all these celestiall bodies cannot worke such effects as Iesus Simile his death and life can worke No no if thou were once dead these celestiall signes and planets will not make thee liue againe The Sunne nor the Moone cannot make thee liue when once thou art dead but when thou art dead Iesus will raise thee vp more liuely then euer thou werst before So there The power of Christs death and resurrection must be in him a force aboue all the force and power that euer God made or gaue to any creature But marke brethren concerning this power he must be a man in whom this power is because this vertue cannot come to thee but through the nature of man man cannot die to sinne and liue to righteousnesse but by that vertue that commeth through man yet he must be more then a man and that a holie man without al spot of sinne He must be more then this I say he must be God to Rom. 8. 11 Phil. 3. 10. 11. make thee die to sinne and rise vnto righteousnes This commeth of the special power and vertue of God for none is able in heauen or earth to worke such a strange worke as this except hee be God Yet there must be more of necessitie there must be a coniunction betwixt thee and him he must be ioyned Our communion with Christ to thee and thou to him otherwise his vertue will not come to thee either to thy death or to thy life he must bee thy husband and thou his spouse yea hee must be more then thy husband for the husband cannot draw the wife after him by vertue of his death or life either to liue or to die as Christ can doe He must be then thy head he must be as neere as thy head is neere thy bodie That is the familiar similitude of the Scripture When the head dieth the bodie dieth with it and when the head is liuely the bodie hath sense and being So when Iesus dieth the bodie dieth when Iesus riseth the bodie riseth also So the meetest thing to expresse him and his coniunction with vs is the head bodie of man and yet he must be more then the head for there came neuer such vertue from the head of a man to the bodie as there shall come from thy head Iesus Christ
vnto thy soule when thou art ioyned to him by faith He must haue vertue and power to giue thee whereby thou maist be able to die or to liue Now brethren if there were no more but these effects to flow from Iesus into vs it telleth vs plainly that there was neuer giuen such a power to any in heauen or earth as there was giuen to Iesus Christ man our Regeneration head It telleth that as hee is man so is he God Looke if thou haue regeneration in thee and thou shalt feele this to be true if wee haue it it will tell vs that Iesus Christ is the neerest to me and thee of all others There is none that will make thee to die with them but Christ only no thy father and mother will not be able to doe that none will draw thee after him in death and life saue onely Christ So if thou be ioyned with Christ it is impossible to separate thee from him as thou maist be from thy wise and children and the deerest things thou hast no no if thou be once ioyned to him as thy head there is no separation for thee he shall be all things to thee Now this much for the first argument the exhortation followeth If ye be risen with Christ saith he seeke those things which are aboue There is an action required and life and euery kind of life must haue an action otherwise it cannot be a life The naturall life must haue an action the earthly life must haue an action Then this heauenly life that we are risen to with Iesus it must haue an action otherwise it cannot be a life Note Thou that art quickened with him must be a doer otherwise thou hast not his life for as his life is the quickest thing that is or euer was for it is the life of God so it must haue the quickest action that is This action is first a seeking with the whole hart and all the affections and members of the bodie There is the first action seeking Euery life ye know seeketh for the things VVhat the spirituall life of Christ workes in his members that serue for the sustaining of it This naturall life that perisheth so long as it abideth it is occupied in seeking for the maintenance of it by night and by day by al meanes possible Should not then this heauenly life haue a seeking Shouldest thou sit when thou seest this man catching here and there seeking for the maintenance of this naturall life Wilt thou not take an example of these earthly things and earthly creatures to seeke for heauenly things to the confirmation and preseruation of thy spirituall life O if thou hadst a sparke of heauenly life thou wouldest seeke more earnestly for the entertainment of it then euer any creature did for the maintenance of this naturall life Well then by the example of these earthly things that are occupied in seeking for the meanes of this present life learne thou to seeke spirituall graces and say to the Lord O Lord grant that I may seeke heauen and heauenly things for the preseruation of this my spiritual life as al these earthly bodies seeke for these perishing things Now come to the things that they should seeke Seeke saith he what nothing beneath meate drink and the rest of these things No what should they seeke Things aboue in heauen that are in Iesus Christ O the fulnes that is in him Brethren all grace first is in heauen yea aboue these visible heauens where that glorious bodie is then it commeth downe to the earth Therefore he sendeth thee vpward to heauen for to seeke Ye know euery kind of life seeketh things proper and meete for such a life The life of a beast will seeke for that that is proper for the life of a beast the life of a tree for that that is meete for such a life and the life of a man for such things as are meete for the life of a man Euery life will seeke for things which serue for the preseruation of it euen so if thou hadst this life of God thou wilt seeke things proper for this life Thou wilt seek things from heauen because heauenly things are proper for such a life For heauenly things are proper for an heauenly life Iesus Christ after his death and buriall or euer his bodie was in heauen the heart of him was in heauen So if thou haue the life of Iesus of necessitie thy heart must goe to heauen for looke whither his heart went if thou bee risen with him of necessitie thy heart must goe thither and by thine action measure thy life in Iesus for if thou haue not a heart to heauen and heauenly things alas thou hast not the life of Iesus but if thou haue it thou wilt euer be seeking for heauenly things and then in some measure thou art in heauen Then to conclude this first exhortation and first argument thereof in a word and so to come to the second argument If there were nothing more to moue thee to seeke after heauen and heauenly things but this spirit of regeneration the life of the spirit in Iesus Christ it should lift thee vp to heauen as heauie as thou art For it is true thou art a lumpe but if thou haue the spirit if thou werst neuer so heauie he will raise thee and giue thee strength to flie vpward though the body be neuer so clogged If thou haue a sparke of that life it will cause thee to mount aloft Indeede this bodie will draw thee downe and must doe so yet bee assured if thou haue one sparke of that spirituall life it will raise thee vp when the other is pulling thee downe and in the end when mortalitie is so shaken off of thee then in a wonderfull manner the bodie shall be lifted vp and that soule and bodie of thine shall be glorified Therefore marke euer this life by the effect if thou findest thy heart in heauen and heauenly things say thou hast the life of Iesus but on the contrarie if thou finde not thy heart set A true note of the life of God in vs. on heauen and seeking for heauenly things thou hast not to doe with the life of Iesus and woe be to thee for euermore When thou risest in the morning if thou findest thy heart vpward O thou risest with ioy therfore neuer rest till thou hast Eph. 4. 18. gotten the life of God Lord make vs carefull to haue a sense of this life without the which there is no glorie nor ioy for the soule of any person liuing Now to come to the next argument which is taken from Christ himselfe and the place where hee is Seeke saith he those things that are aboue where Christ is As if he would say Christ is aboue that glorified bodie with all the spirituall graces and that fulnes is aboue yea aboue these visible heauens Therefore let thy heart goe where he is let it be lifted vp
aboue these heauens Brethren the presence of Iesus and the loue of that presence should make vs to loue heauen and make vs oftentimes to cast vp not onely the eye of the soule but also the bodily eye to these visible heauens if we loue the presence of Iesus who is aboue these heauens and to striue to pearce through them as to his owne presence For if hee were not there what reckoning is there of these heauens I would not reckon of them more then of the earth which wee tread on and I had rather dwell with Iesus in the earth then in heauen for all the glorie thereof without Iesus for all the pleasure that is either in heauen or earth is in Iesus and without him away with heauen and earth both I will giue nothing for them And therefore the loue of that presence should make vs to loue heauen Ye know if a man loue another entirely he will loue the place where he dwelleth and as we say hee will A note of loue loue the ground hee goeth on so if thou loue thy Lord thou wilt loue the place hee treads on nay thine eye would not be off these visible heauens at the least once in the day for hee is aboue them and shall abide there till his last comming So if thou loue him thine eye would follow him where he is But alas for the lacke of the loue of his presence this loue is not to be found in many mens hearts and of this it commeth to passe that men are so loth to die nay if the loue of thy soule were with him thy soule would say with Paul I groane to be with the Lord it will groane within thee to be out of the bodie And take this for a token where there is not an eye to heauen alas there is no loue of Iesus Christ in thy soule and alas what good thing can possesse thy soule if it be emptie of the loue of Iesus Christ Now followeth in the end of the verse the third argument taken from the estate of Christ in heauen but what is his estate He is sitting at the right hand of God As if hee would say he is in heauē but not there as a seruant or an Angel there are sundrie in heauen but in diuers rankes He is in heauen exalted to that height hee hath such glorie as thou neuer The glorie of Christ in heauen sawest All the Angels bow their knees hee is Lord ouer them all euen as he is man Then as the presence of Iesus and loue of him should draw our heart to heauen so the estate he standeth in presently that passing glorie and that kingdome he is in should draw our hearts vpward to heauen If his glorie were deare to thee thy heart would be where his glorie is and thou wouldest not be content vntill thy heart were lifted vp to him and the eye of thy soule set on him yea this bodily eye would euer pearce to get that presence of Iesus in the heauens glorified in our nature Ye know if a man vpon whom our life and comfort dependeth were in a strange land and promoted A sweete similitude to be a Lord thou wouldst neuer rest vntill thou were with him and thy thought would be euer vpon his glorie Now I would to God wee could haue that affection to Iesus the King of glorie It is true we cannot loue him as we should but I say blessed is that soule that hath any loue towards him pearcing through this bodie of clay Blessed is that heart that can giue once but a sigh either by night or day if it were after neuer so small a measure for the presence of Iesus for be assured that soule shall be glorified with the Lord of glorie Note This for the first exhortation with the three arguments the life whereunto we are risen the presence of Iesus and his glorious estate in heauen al which should make vs set our eye vpward to heauen and bee occupied in seeking of heauenly things meete for the spirituall life Now to goe to the next exhortation and it is to these same things that are aboue Before hee exhorted the Colossians to seeke them now he exhorteth them to be wise in them to fill themselues with them to * Or to desire that they may affect all their senses sent them with all their senses to see them with their eyes and to feele them sensibly as it were with their hands This exhortation is grounded vpon the first argument If ye be risen with Christ c. Then be * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wise in the things that are aboue that is a common ground to both This is so ioyned with the first that there can be no seeking without wisedome How canst thou seeke that that thou knowest not If thou haue no knowledge of heauen heauenly things how canst thou seeke them what desire canst thou haue of them for the prouerbe is true Ignoti nulla cupido there is no desire of that wee know not Then as before he exhorteth to seeke so now hee exhorteth to know and knowledge goeth Knowledge before seeking And therefore thou that wouldest seeke heauen and for heauenly things know them first and when thou hast gotten a knowledge of them then let thy affection come after for if thou seeke without knowledge thou shalt neuer finde them Therefore euer seeke the knowledge of Iesus and of that fulnes of grace that is in him and thinke not that thou hast enough of knowledge alreadie No crie euer Lord open the eye of my soule to see thee and the things that are with thee that I may see the things I haue not seene and that I should see Heare the word of the Gospell for knowledge is gotten by the word of the Gospell Seeke that thy mind may be instructed but to the purpose Bewise As seeking is an action so wisedome is an action There is no action without some sense and knowledge The life of a beast is not without some sense take it away the beast perisheth The life of a man cannot be without some sense and knowledge therefore thou canst not haue the life of God except thou haue a sense and smelling of God and of heauenly things It is a thing impossible that thou that hast no taste of things aboue canst either seek or see them and if thou thinkest otherwise thou art deceiued Can the life of Iesus be in thee without a knowledge of heauenly things No no deceiue not thy soule it is vnpossible for Iesus liueth not in the soules of men altogether ignorant So that if thou get not a portion of this knowledge of this heauenly life and of things aboue thou shalt neuer seeke for them nor haue a desire of them no I say to thee if thou want knowledge thou shalt neuer get them Come forward Let vs see of what things must this knowledge be He answereth of things aboue that
is of such things as are proper for such a life I tell you this earth and all the things in it your siluer gold drinke and all the rest the knowledge of these things serueth not for the life of heauen but if thou wilt haue such a life thy knowledge must reach to heauen and howbeit thy knowledge be finite yet it will compasse things infinite if thou haue the spirit of Iesus saith the Apostle it compasseth the breadth and depth of him Ephes chap. 3. verse 18. 19. Knowledge of heauenly things necessarie if we be in Christ So this heauenly life requires wisedome in heauenly things Iesus Christ when hee rose the eye of him went vp to heauen he knew no more these carnall things all went away and the minde of him was occupied vpon heauenly things so if thou rise with him thy minde will to heauen and in some measure thou wilt vnderstand things and thou wilt be wise in God If thou haue not this I say thou hast not risen with Iesus but art yet filthie wallowing in thy owne bloud to thy eternall damnation Now he is not content to exhort them that they be wise in these things aboue but hee excludeth things of this earth to teach thee that thou canst not be wise in these heauēly things in case thou be wise in these things beneath yea these heauenly things shall bee but foolishnes to a wise man in earthly things for they shall be but as a dreame and imagination to such the speech of the Gospell shall be follie to him So think not to take both in thy armes when thou art looking downe how canst thou looke vp Thinke not to compasse heauen and earth both together for in compassing the one thou shalt lose the other Therefore the Apostle sundreth them This seemeth to be hard for how can we cast all care of this world away we must eate drinke and be cloathed and haue some care of these things so long as we abide in the earth The Apostle answereth in the first Epistle to the Corinth chap. 7. vers 29. for hauing spoken of mariage he saith the time is shortned As if hee would say ye will not be long in this life Therefore ye that haue wiues be as though ye had them not By the which he meaneth not that we should cast all care away of this world but that we should take the things of this earth by the way as it were that is to say let not thy chief care be on them but so farre as they serue for heauen Doe euen as though thou were going on a pilgrimage yee will take meate drinke gold siluer and such other things to helpe you forward in your iourney yet your care will not bee on them but your care will bee chiefly on your iourney euer hauing your eye vpon the end of it Thou wilt not sit downe vpon thy riches vpon thy meate and the rest Simile while thou art in iourneying but wilt be euer going forward in thy iourney vsing these things by the way euen so the Lord in this our iourneying to heauen hee will not haue vs to sit downe and set our care chiefly on these things in the earth but to take them as it were by the way hauing thy chiefe care Matth. 6. on him and the things with him therefore sit not down vpon any thing in this earth if thou doe thou shalt neuer come to thy iourneys end yea thou shalt lose the remembrance of it Now to goe forward in the words following There are two arguments to this purpose set downe by the Apostle the first is to disswade them from earthly things ye are dead The next is to seeke heauenly things your life is hid with Christ in God To speake then of the first argumēt which is ye are dead to the earth therfore striue not to be wise in y e earth Ye knowe that a mā that is dead supposing that he had neuer so great care of this world and could neuer get a fill of the things in it so long as he liued yet when life is gone the bodie lieth still and will not giue a peny for all the world all pleasure goeth away and Simile as a man dieth he will begin to spit at the world yea a man full of the honour of it he will at his dying day spit at it Euen so brethren the soule dying with Iesus spiritually as the bodie dieth naturally to sinne to the earth and to all earthly things to what end should it care for these earthly things Nay if thou didst finde that death of Iesus thou wouldest loath these things In deede it is vnpossible to be altogether voyde of the care of these things of the earth as long as we are in the bodie here but if thou be buried with him certainly thou wilt loath all these things beneath and despise the wisdome of them and begin by little and little to seeke the things of heauen And if thou be thus wise dead it is a sure argument thy soule is mortified lying as it were in the buriall of Iesus vntill the time thou rise glorious in that great day As by the contrarie if thou be not buried with Iesus in thy soule and bodie thou art liuing to sinne thou wantest the life of God and hast nothing but a sinfull life Brethren ye heard before he sayd they were liuing now he saith they are dead How can these two stand Obiection Answere together I answere a spirituall death in the soule when it dieth to sinne to foule affections and to earthly things such a death as that standeth very well with a spirituall life yea this death is so ioyned with the spirituall life that except the spirituall death precede the life of Iesus will not enter into thee Thinke not to enioy both together at once the life of sinne and the life of God but ere thou get the life of God the eye thou hadst to earthly things must be closed no thinke not to looke vp and downe together at once No no be dead to the world ere euer thou minde to open an eye to heauen So then the death to the world and the life to heauen standeth well together The last argument followeth perswading to the things aboue your life is hid aboue with Christ. There are the words and why should ye not follow him and set your heart and your eye vpon him where your life is Brethren I see there are many things to moue vs to seeke heauen and to be wise in heanenly things Now I would to God one of them could moue vs but alas as for a stonie heart speake and reason with it as ye will and conuince it as ye please it will abide hard and will not be moued Wouldst thou goe downe to the things of this life that death that thou diest forceth thee vp to heauen it giueth thee wings to flie vpward and closeth thine eyes from the world
desire of riches then in ouer little Looke thou through this age thou shalt finde that it inclineth to ouer great seeking of riches Againe ye shall finde that a thousand faileth in ouer great desire of pleasure and so it tendeth more to an excesse then to a defect And therefore this mortification hath more adoe to hold downe these affections then to draw them forward seeing they set vpon excesse on euery side Bridle then your affection for will you goe to your owne experience ye shall finde more adoe in drawing backe your affections from this world the pleasure and riches of the same then in putting them forward Now to come to the arguments ye haue heard the first from that life hid vp in God he pointed it out to them which should moue them to mortifie their members as they would looke for the reuealing of it Now in the verse that followeth the second argument is set downe on the contrarie Before he set downe heauen now hee setteth downe damnation before them Note For the which things saith he the wrath of God commeth on the childrē of disobedience They are tumbled into hell for vncleannes of any sort men and women are thrust daily into hell not onely for them altogether but also for any one of these sinnes if it raigne in them And indeede there are few in whom some one of these vices if not the whole number doth not raigne so that if he be not auaritious yet it may be he is a fornicatour and giuen to this filthie vncleannes of the flesh or some other of these sinnes And I say to thee there is not one of these sinnes if it raigne in thee but it will draw thee to hell that is his meaning So he closeth in this mortification betwixt heauen and hell heauen on the one side and hell on the other mercie on the one side and iudgement on the other to let thee vnderstand that if heauen will not moue thee hell will get thee if that life will not moue thee iudgement and hell shall deuoure thee In the world we are allured with heauen and threatned with hell if thou wilt not be moued with the one the other shall oppresse thee if thou were a King thy estate shall not helpe thee And therefore slay thy foule affections as thou wouldest haue heauen and eschue hel And in that he setteth hel before them it letteth vs see the canker of our nature yea euen of the regenerate Thou art not so well renued but thou hast neede to be chased and compelled to thy grace and to haue the terrors of hell and of the wrath The best haue neede to be awakened with Gods terrors of God obiect to thee to chase thee to heauen as the Apostle 2. Cor. chap. 5. vers 11. saith knowing this terror of the Lord therfore I am faithfull in my vocation bring others to the faith A Minister if he were neuer so good yea if it were Paul himselfe yet ye see hee hath neede of this terror of the wrath of God to be obiected to him that he may be faithfull and waite vpon the glorie of heauen Then againe ye see fornication will procure the wrath of God euerlasting much more the temporall Well thou thinkest simple fornication a single man with a single woman it is but a smal fault but the Apostle saith fornication if thou lie in it it will thrust thee downe into hell Sinne in any sort or measure will procure the wrath of God There is no sinne but it will bring the wrath of God against thee and in the end shut thee in hell But this is to be marked For the which cause saith he the wrath of God falleth vpon whom vpon the children of disobedience that is vpon these persons that will not repent Therefore it is not euery fornication and vncleannes that will cause thee goe to hell but it is fornication vnrepented for and vncleannes vnrepented for that is the sinne which will put thee in hell and vpon that sinner that is impenitent the wrath of God falleth Auarice that is not repented for and a man that is hardened in heart that is he and that is the sinne that will put thee in hell So to speake it properly it is not so much harlotry fornication vncleannes and auarice or other sinne in it selfe that procureth the wrath of God as it is the impenitencie of the person that cannot nor will not repent Alas could the harlot repent him of his sinne hee would be saued Could the murtherer repent him of his murther he would be saued Could the auaricious repent him of his auarice hee would not be vnder the wrath of God For there is no sin so great but if repentance follow there is grace The greatest sinne is pardonable to the penitent for thee Repent thee then of thy sinne as thou knowest it and aske mercie in the Lord Iesus and if thou doe this thou shalt be saued and free from the wrath of this great God for of all sinne in the world the sinne that is accompanied with impenitencie is the greatest Therefore set your heart euer to repent The least sinne vnpardonable to the impenitent as thou wilt declare thy faith in Iesus for faith in Christ can not be without true repentance If we should liue Methusalahs daies all is little enough to repent of sinne yea euen the smallest that euer thou diddest or art guiltie of Thou that hast bin an harlot spend the rest of thy life in repentance and thou shalt finde grace and saluation And so likewise thou that hast been a murtherer an oppressor an auaricious bodie spend the time ye haue behinde in heartie repentance and I assure you ye shall finde mercie and saluation otherwise I debarre you out of heauen Or I leaue these words marke he saith For the which the wrath of God commeth vpon the children of disobedience Supposing that the Colossians had been such men as had walked in all the sinnes he spake of yet this wrath commeth not vpon them Then it is not the elect that be made a spectacle to the world of the wrath and iudgements of God but they are the reprobates that are made the spectacles of Gods wrath and iudgements for they are the children of disobedience As for the elect none of them falleth vnder this wrath O happie is the estate of the chosen number and if thou be not one of the number of Gods elect in the Lord Iesus woe is thee thou shalt be made a spectacle of Gods wrath But as for the elect he chuseth them out to let them see his wrath rather in others then that they should experiment it in their owne persons He will take a slaue and torment him in the sight of his elect and Psal 50. teare him as it were in pieces O the terrible hand of God! to make them to stand in awe for all the reprobate if they were Kings they are
meeting is much more worth to vs then it is to him for what haue wee but all of him and so Christ is in steed of all because he is all otherwise he could not be in steed of all What is this that Christ is all He hath said in the first chapter of this Epistle vers 19. that in him dwelleth all fulnes And in the second chapter he saith in him dwell all the treasures and againe in him dwelleth the Godhead bodily And yet to come more particularly 1. Cor. chap. 1. vers 30. hee saith hee is made to vs wisedome and righteousnes and holines and redemption So wantest thou these things he is all to thee if thou beleeue in him he is full of all Yet brethren some will think there wanteth yet somethings I finde not all I seeke saith the auaricious riches I would haue house and chests full The ambitious saith I want honour I cannot get this in him The leacherous saith I cannot get my lust he is an enemie to me in that and so forth as man is inclined he would haue Christ made thereafter to him But vnderstand this brethren he speaketh not of a foule old man but of a new man not of an auaricious man and such others but of a new sanctified man and this man findeth all in him there is nothing that he wanteth but he findeth it in his Christ And I say suppose thou get not these earthly things in that measure that others get yet thou gettest better in him What and if thou get the better what hast thou lost Thou art a seruant yet thou art a freeman of the Lord Iesus And yet thinke ye that the Lord Iesus wanteth these earthly things Think ye that riches are not at his disposition He that diuideth acres is aboue the earth the Lords all are at his commaund if it were to wring them in peeces Therefore hee saith Seeke first the kingdome of heauen There is the first that wee should be occupied about if we would haue Christ to wit that we busie our selues about heauenly things and what shall follow He maketh a faire promise and all these earthly things shall be cast to you What are they worth they are but bits that are cast to thee There is no comparison betwixt them they are but things Matth. 6. that are adiected They are as it were additaments and yee will not thinke when this kingdome is gotten how small a thing of this world wil giue cōtent to a creature No he will vse it with greater contentation of mind then any hauing all this world wanting Christ will doe No if thou hast Christ thou lackest nothing all our want is that we cannot get him get him and thou shalt find that thou hast no want Now it might be said Christ is all but what is that to me he is full of glorie maiestie and power what is that to me He answereth he is all to all that is his grace is thy grace his abundance is thy abundance In the second chapter vers 9. when he had said that in him dwelleth all the fulnes of the Godhead bodily he addeth ye are full in him Note It is to be marked that he saith not Christ is all to some but to all The riches that are in Iesus extend not onely to some they are not contained within the compasse of one nation within Iewrie it could not hold them No tenne nations The riches of Christ common to all nations could not hold the riches of Iesus but it behooued that they should reach to the vtmost corners in the world yea I say if it were to tenne thousand millions of nations the riches of Iesus is so infinite that they are sufficient to serue all His glorie also is infinite so that it would fill infinite worlds All these things are but plain speech but would to God they were weighed Againe hee saith not onely to all but in all meaning Iesus himselfe is in vs first ere any thing of his be in vs. And as he saith to the Ephesians chap. 3. vers 17. he must dwell in thy heart first or euer thou get any thing that is his now where he is in proper person there of necessitie thou hast all his graces Thou needest not to goe here and there to seeke grace And this is the difference betwixt the sufficiencie of the old and new man if thou bee an old man Iesus nor his grace is not within thee Where is the honour of the King in his own bosome No it is out of him if he want Christ he will stand vp stript starke naked of all things Where is his riches and strength where is his dinner all are without him and he hath nought if he be an old man and hee will dye for hunger if it be not giuen to him But to come to the new man where is his riches in his bosome in the heart of him It will passe the power of all the Tyrants in the world to take that from him so all his sufficiencie is within him by faith It is written that a certaine Philosopher said Omnia mea mecum porto Christ is his sufficiencie O the aduantage that a Christian man hath in respect of one that is not in Christ for there is such sufficiencie in Christ as no tongue can expresse Now there are one or two things that I will speake of This is a great word Christ is all in all before that day of the great resurrection For looke 1. Cor. chap. 15. it is said that God shall not be all vntill then at what time this shall come to passe But the answere is easie There are two estates of the elect here they are called the faithfull and in the life to come they are called the blessed O that blessing who shall abide to see it In deede so long as we are the faithfull Christ is not perfectly all in all so long as we stand in the estate of faith only he beginneth in thee by faith to be all in all and that is the Apostles meaning here But in the estate of that celestiall blessednes it shall be farre otherwise then Christ shall be all in all in full perfection there is the difference Yet to make this more plaine There are two things required to make Christ all in al. A perfection of grace a perfection of glorie First there is required a perfection of grace And secondly there is required a perfection of glorie that there be nothing but the Lord Iesus Christ when he is al in al. There is nothing but he and the fulnes of his glorie These are the two things required that Christ may be all in all Now brethren to applie this to the two estates So long as wee abide in earth howbeit there be no grace in Iesus but that we haue some share of it yet the perfection in the degrees of grace is not yet thou art holie in him but it is not perfected
labour to put the feare of God in their hearts Nay it is no marueile though ye haue theeues and whores in your houses and families when as ye put not in this ground of sincere seruice in their hearts the feare of God Now followes the fountaine of all seruice What euer you do doe it heartily As if hee would say begin not at the hand or foote to doe thy seruice but begin thou at thy heart let it be The fountaine of good seruice the ground of all thy seruice All good actions should begin at the heart Therefore if thou wert but casting out the ashes looke thou doe that turne with thy heart so that thy heart be as well occupied as thy hand otherwise it is but a counterfeit action and I will not put a difference betwixt thy action and the action of an oxe drawing in the plough Indeede thy master may be profited by thine action yet if thy heart be not with it thou hast lost thy trauell The Lord that sits vpon thy conscience shall turne thy action to thy damnation In the next place the Apostle sets downe how they shall come to this way of seruice It is no small matter to get thy heart to serue thy master for thou that gettest a freedome to serue thou hast gotten thine hire in thy hand It is a rare grace then to get thy heart to concurre with thy action The way is How to serue heartily Doe it heartily as to the Lord. As if hee would say when ye are doing and labouring think not with your selues I am seruing man or woman a creature though he were a King in my seruice but say I am seruing my Lord Iesus Christ Then ye seruants whatsoeuer thing ye doe though it were but sweeping the house say all this that I am doing how vile soeuer it be I am doing it to my Lord Iesus Christ Haue thy eye lifted vp when thy hand is downe I shall tell thee how thou shalt get it If thou haue a respect to his will howbeit immediatly it be not done to him yet if thou haue the knowledge that it is his will that thou shouldest doe so the Lord takes that seruice rather done to himselfe then to thy master Therefore the Apostle saies Seruing Christ and not men Well is that seruant that can say I doe this to obey thy blessed will and then the Lord will say I giue thee thy reward Then the lesson is who is he that doth heartie seruice None but the seruant of Iesus Christ If thou be not his seruant thou shalt neuer be a heartie seruant to man nor a true subiect to the King Looke then if your seruants can serue Christ and if they cannot it is an euill token they cannot serue thee for there is not a faithfull seruant but he that is the seruant of Christ and in his seruice hath euer his eye to the will of Christ And if thou haue such a seruant then thou shalt haue a blessing of that seruant though it were but a kitchin lasse O blessed is that house that hath a seruant that feares the Lord and loues the Lord Yea a greater blessing followes that seruant then followes the master oftentimes Now followe the arguments to moue them to this holie Argumēts to moue seruants seruice The first is from the reward that the faithfull seruant shall receiue Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receiue the reward of the inheritance The argument is taken not from an hire they get presently but from a promise of an hire Now certainly thou art a wicked seruant that wilt not doe a turne till thou get thy hire in thy hand thou art a wicked seruant that wilt doe nothing till thou get heauen in thy hand I tell thee thou shalt neuer get heauen if thou cannot depend vpon a promise of heauen There is here then a promise of an hire and a reward From whom The Apostle saies not your earthly masters will pay you no but he saies your Lord of heauen shall reward you Why speakes he so because hee durst not promise of earthly men for all men are lyars they will oft times hold backe the hire of the seruant but he promiseth in the name of the Lord for he is faithfull And therefore seruants you should reioyce in this for howbeit thou want thy earthly hire yet be faithfull in thy seruice and thou shalt not want thy hire What a reward is this what should hee haue his hire in his hand and so fare yee well Indeede this is the fashion of the world but this reward the Apostle speakes of is a reward of an inheritance O thou that wilt haue an eye to the Lord of heauen hee will not reward thee like a seruant thou shalt be a sonne and therefore an inheritour Rom. 8. 17. And Go ye saies Christ inherit that kingdom prepared for you frō the foundation of the world Matth. 25. 34. Yea shall the kitchin lasse be made a Queene and a sillie simple boy a King Yes the Lord will doe that and will giue them a kingdome in heauen So first reioyce for the certaintie of your reward next for the greatnes of it It is not an hire and a bountie that is smal in value Alas it may be thou thinkest little of it because thou hast it not in thy hand but blessed art thou if thou caust waite vpon the promise and beleeue it Now to proue that they shall get this reward first he takes an argument from their owne knowledge Knowing Know ye not I appeale to your owne conscience if there be not a reward laid vp for thee if thou serue faithfully tels not thy conscience thee this I will serue for I looke for a kingdome It is not this small hire No that Lord whom I haue serued from morning to night hee will giue me a kingdome Brethren it is a thing impossible that faith can beguile a man hope then I promise thee thy hope shall not beguile thee yea hope for things thou hast not seene and thou shalt get them It is impossible Note well that thy faith and hope can be disappointed And lay this ground thou hast to doe with a faithfull Lord that can not beguile thee So close thy eyes vpon all other things and rest in hope on Christ and thou shalt see a ioyfull end Blessed is that soule that resteth in hope for it shall receiue glorie The second argument is from the seruice done to Christ Ye serue the Lord. Fie on thee that wilt begin to serue another master and neglect thy dutie to him So the argument is because thou seruest the Lord Iesus Christ therefore thou must haue a reward of him hee will giue thee an heritage because his hand is the hand of an infinit God What are the heritages on the earth he thinkes it ouer little to giue them to thee therefore hee will giue thee the kingdome of heauen Then marke neuer man serued Christ
that my soule may rest in thee Now woe is that soule that knowes not God in Iesus Christ Ye shall not abide here euer therfore seeke to know this God with whom ye must liue foreuer He giues the reason why God should reuenge their cause and wrong done against them by pointing out the nature of God He is a Iudge not like the Iudges of this world They respect the persons of men this is the corruption With God there is no respect of persons of nature but as for this Iudge he respects no person he will not looke to thee who art a King more then to the begger When thou appearest before him come on with robe royall he will not regard thee no more then if thou appearedst in a beggers cloake Therefore looke to him now as thou wouldest see him when thou shalt appeare before his iudgement And there is none of vs but euen now we are before his tribunall howbeit wee see it not There is none of these outward conditions or degrees wee are all alike by nature but wee get sundrie degrees hee of a King and hee of a Lord and so foorth yet none of these outward qualities will be accepted before the Lord no not the outward calling of a Christian if thou haue no more A man may thinke this is a hard matter for all to stand before his tribunall without these outward qualities A King may say shall not my kingdome stand me in steed when I come before that tribunall And the Earle may say shal not my Earldome helpe me when I come before God And the rich man may say shall not my riches helpe me wherewith shall I cloathe me if I cloathe me not with these Now I answere indeed euery man hath this in his mouth I cannot come naked before God Indeede thou must not stand naked thy shame must be hid thou must haue a garment on thee thou must be arayed or els the wrath of the Iudge will deuoure thee Now what a garment shall I get It must bee a bloudie garment no siluer gold or precious stones couering thee from the crowne of thy head to the sole of thy foote yea thou must be died with bloud The high priest durst not enter into the Sanctuary for his life without bloud so on paine of thy life see that thou enter not into the presence of God without bloud Reade the Epistle to the Hebrues ye shall finde this that the high Priest of old durst neuer enter into the Sanctuary except first he had bin sprinkled with bloud and this was the bloud of Bullocks the figure of Iesus Christ So except thou appeare died ouer with the bloud of Iesus no standing for thee before God his tribunall If ye would then haue a garment seeke this garment neuer rest till thou get it And if thou appeare in this garment thou hast this aduantage howbeit thou be full of spots the Lord hath no eye to thy sinne but accepts of thee in that bloudy raiment and forgets all thy sin and thy actions are accepted in that bloud of Iesus But alas the want of the knowledge of sinne this dead conscience that lets vs not feele the weight and burthen A dead conscience of sinne is the cause why wee account not of this bloud of Iesus Now brethren there is a place in the sixt chapter to the Ephesians I would compare with this place recommending the dutie of masters in the ninth verse he vseth the same argument that is here he vseth it there as a terrible argument to the oppressors but heere he brings it in as a comfort to the oppressed Then shal an argument both be comfortable and terrible Yes Then marke the lesson That that is in God terrible to the proud and oppressors in the world the same thing to the poore oppressed ones that are Gods it is so sweete and comfortable as no tongue can tell The firie wrath of God that will terrifie the Kings of the world and which they are not able to looke on will be so comfortable as no tongue can tell to the poore sillie bodie that hee will creepe in vnder it and lurke there yea hee will seeke to the wrath of God to saue him from the wrath of the tyrants of the world So there is nothing in God but is comfortable to his children as by the contrarie there is nothing in him but the wicked abhorre it yea euen his mercie yea they would runne if it were foorth of the world to be out of his sight but they shall not escape Iob. 21. 22 his curse So then acquaint you with God and cloathe you with that garment that he may be comfortable euery way to you This much for the dutie of seruants Now we come to the dutie of masters which is set downe in Here begins the fourth chapter vers 1. the beginning of the fourth chapter Ye masters saith he doe vnto your seruants that which is iust and equall There is the precept The thing he requires is doing the word in the originall is giuing Giue them that which is iust as if hee would say Masters when ye haue commaunded and they haue obeyed meete them with a dutie giue them something This dutie is grounded partly on their poore estate they labour and wearie themselues for their hire so they craue giuing and partly it is grounded vpon the hardnes of masters for looke how faine the one would haue as faine would the other keepe The poore seruant would draw the master holds The Apostle comes in and saith Masters let your hold goe you are ouer holding let your hold goe Brethren ye heard before a faire promise of rewarde made to the seruants now what needes the Apostle considering that reward exhort the masters to giue something of this world which is nothing but dirt in respect of that that is promised and some might haue said so The Apostle answers They serue and obey thee here pining themselues in working for thee therefore thou who art a master must giue them their hire for that is a iust thing so to doe they are men like vnto thy selfe and must be sustained of these earthly things for their labours sake And so the lesson is heauen and heauenly inheritance preiudiceth not a man of his part in this world and worldly things and therefore thou scornest God who saiest thou hast an inheritance whereto shouldest thou haue my poore hire yea thou shouldest be rather moued to part thy pelfe to him if thou knew him to be an inheritour of heauen giue him the rather of thy goods of the earth for an inheritour of heauen is an inheritour of the earth and if thou withhold it from them woe to thee Well I see out of this place that the Lord hath his seruants here to whom he is offering that heauenly inheritance yet so that they should haue their part of this earth also The Minister hath his part of the earth and the
God and praying to his maiestie euen when hee is most opprest Put these graces together in a man and that is the man that pleaseth God And O the liking of God that hee hath of thee when thou art thus occupied Thus far the preface Now followes the third part of the Epistle contayning doctrine both faire and sweete opening a glorious mysterie and that briefly You that would haue riches he opens vp the riches of Iesus Christ to you that was so long hid vp from the beginning to his comming The first thing he begins at in his doctrine it is this christian calling it is the first grace and Our calling The first grace we receiue in time blessing that in time we get in Christ I say in time because our election or predestination is before all time So the first grace we get in Iesus Christ in time is our christian calling In the epistle to the Ephesians he beginneth higher but in this epistle he doth not so he begins not for the height but at this blessing that is first in time to bee called to bee a member of Christ Note Now in speaking of this benefit of our calling to be a christian hee speakes not simply of it but in speaking of it he is thanking the Lord the father who hath made vs meete for a part of that glorie for you shall marke this of the Apostle he can neuer speake of the graces of God but he euer thankes God And in the first epistle of Peter 1. 3. to teach thee when thou speakest of the graces of God to remember to praise him and to giue him hartie thankes for his blessings Now to come on first in this doctrine of this christian calling we haue the author of it Whom thankes he Thanking saith he the father Author of our calling so he giues the glorie of our calling to the father of our Lord Iesus the father of glorie he gets the first praise of our calling The sonne himselfe speaking of his owne calling he giues all glorie to his father So all the godly giue the glorie of their calling first to the father because he is the beginner of all grace Then he cōmeth to the benefit it selfe he saith not thanking the father who hath called vs but in steed of the word calling he putteth the definition of calling the effect of the calling who hath made vs meet or sufficient in effect then marke the words they import first this That then when the father hath put his hand to worke to cal thee thou wast vnmeete if he made thee meete thou wast first vnmeete 2. Cor. 3. 5. thou wast vnmeete euen if it were to thinke a good thought when he began to worke thou hadst no power once to thinke of this calling Then What our calling is wherein stands our calling not in a bare name as you would calaman but it standeth in a change When he calleth thee he changeth thee wonderfully makes thee that that thou wast not Thou wast an old crased creature a faggot for hell thou wast nothing because of thy sinne and except the Lord make thee a new thing better it were for thee to be turned to nothing for thou shalt bee turned downe to hell Rom. 4. 1. he calleth the thing that is not as though it were This is the calling of the Lord when he calleth a man he changeth the heart of him The free-will of the Papists that poysoned doctrine of theirs that a man hath some grace by nature howbeit vnable to receiue grace of God will neuer stand in the day of the Free-will Lord and if thou wilt defend it thou shalt neuer finde this effectuall calling of the Lord. If thou renounce not thy owne sufficiencie thou shalt neuer get grace He thankes God that made vs sufficient of vnsufficient meete of vnmeete of dead men quicke men wouldest thou thanke God from thy heart for thanking of God must rise from the heart there is the first ground of it the feeling of thy owne want of thy owne miserie and that great lacke of grace in it and that must be the deepest sense in thy heart and lye at the roote of thy heart and thy prayer must rise from that steppe and from that Thanksgiuing steppe to come to another steppe to the sense of that mercie that God hath shewed thee that is the next The first is a sense of thy miserie the second is a sense of the mercy of God of these two breakes out the thanksgiuing So that if thanksgiuing beginne not at the sense of thy wants I tell thee it is but a thanksgiuing from the teeth forward Take it for a sure rule if thou haue not a true sense feeling of thy owne wants and miseries and then of the mercie of God thou canst neuer thanke God aright nay thou canst neuer in any measure seeke to God truely So to returne I say as thou wouldest haue grace begin at this that thou art nothing in thy selfe that God may haue the glory there is your calling and the effect of your calling But whereto are we called A man that is called he is called to some thing The Lord calles not but to some end He hath made vs meete for a part whereof A part of a lot that is of an inheritance that falleth by lot Then wouldest thou vnderstand whereto thou art called and made meete to wit for heauen to make thee able to brooke that heauenly inheritance so thou art not called to nothing but to an inheritance So if thou finde that thou art called and a change is made in thy heart of an vnmeete man thou art made meete and if thou finde a change looke certainely for an heritage faile not to looke for it for the heritage shall not faile thee Thy sufficiencie had not been wrought if thou haddest not been propped vp for that heritage yet the word would be noted He calles it not an heritage but a lot by the which he will let thee see that thy heauenly heritage falleth out to be by lot Ye would thinke that a man called should merit to himselfe an heritage that hee might worke for it here No saith the Apostle thine heritage falleth to bee a lot when thou art called So a benefit is not a merit of another benefit our sanctification is not a merit of our iustification but all is of grace and our inheritance is but a lot that is a grace or gift of God without deseruing Yet further whose is this inheritance he saith that it is the lot of the Saints of God God hath giuing it them and none other hath gotten it or shall enioy one foote broad of it but the Saints Thou maist inherit here a kingdome an earldome a Lordship though thou were as a diuell but in heauen thou shalt haue none if thou be not first a Saint and a holy one here on earth Marke this lesson ere euer thou get a share