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A75703
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Christ the riches of the Gospel, and the hope of Christians. A sermon preached at the funerall of Mr William Spurstow the only childe of Dr Spurstow at Hackney near London, Mar. 10. By Simeon Ashe preacher of the Gospel, and lecturer there.
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Ashe, Simeon, d. 1662.
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1654
(1654)
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Wing A3950; Thomason E744_11; ESTC R207025
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34,966
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48
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the handling of the point of doctrine here propounded And because the doctrine hath two branches the one necessarily implied the other openly expressed I shall distinctly speak unto them both The truth implied in the first branch of the doctrine is 1. Branch of Doctrine Joh. 1. 12. Eph. 3. 17. this viz. that Christ is in Beleevers As beleevers do receive him so he dwelleth in their hearts by faith And therefore it is noteable that the Apostle having moved the Corinthians to prove themselves whether in the faith he addeth Know 2 Cor. 13. 5. ye not that Jesus Christ is in you This in-being of Christ in beleevers is to be understood not of an abode in them or any where else on earth corporally for in that sense the Heavens must receive him until the time of the restitution of Act. 3. 21. all things but of an habitation spirituall according to the testimony of the Apostle Because ye are Sonnes God hath Gal. 4. 6. sent forth the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts Thereby intending to teach us that Christ is in beleeving Christians spiritually And this truth is by various metaphors suggested in the holy Scriptures 1. By being compared unto showrs which descending from heaven do sink and soak into the bowels of the earth He shall come down like rain 2. And his Name Psa 72. 6. Cant. 1. 3. Psa 109. 18. is like unto ointment poured forth which worketh it self into the bones not staying upon the outside of the person receiving it 3. He is meat and drink indeed unto the soul from Joh. 6. 55 56. whence he himself concludeth my doctrine He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud dwelleth in me and I in him 4. Hereto might be added that he is the soul of our souls whereby we live spiritually Christ is our Life And mans life Col. 3. 4. Dan. 7. 15. is said to be in him 2 Sam. 1. 9. The body is called the sheath of the Soul which expression hinteth that the soul is in the body as the sword in the scabbard In like manner Christ who is the Christians life is in all them whom he enliveneth Having thus cleared the truth that Christ is in beleeving Vse 1 Christians I proceed to the application of it under three heads of Uses First For Instruction in four particulars 1. Hence the Godhead of Jesus Christ may be concluded undeniably for this spirituall ubiquity of Christ in the souls of all reall Saints in all the places of the world cannot belong unto any meer creature whatsoever This argument Saint Paul produced Act. 17. 23 24 27 28. to distinguish the true God from all Idol-gods He is not far from every one of us Omnipresence proveth Deity And the conclusion followeth with like strength when beleevers assert this truth He is in every one of us 2. This discovereth the unparellel'd condescentions of Jesus Jesus Christ being willing to abase himself thus low as to be within poor sinfull creatures This was a matter of admiration 1 King 8. 27. Mat. 8. 8. unto Solomon But will God indeed dwell on earth The good Centurion said Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof And the Psalmist with much affection calleth upon all the servants of the Lord to praise him and Psa 113. 1 3 5 6. praise him again upon this account Who is like unto the Lord God who dwelleth on high who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth Did God humble himself in looking out of himself off from his own infinite beauties and perfections to view either men on earth or Angels and Saints in heaven How much greater is this condescention in Christ to make his abode in the souls of sinners Let me here dart only two thoughts into your mindes 1. That Christ came out of his Fathers bosome where he Joh. 1. 18. Prov. 8. 30. was daily his delight rejoycing alwaies before him 2. That the hearts of the best upon earth wherein he inhabits are like dark dungeons in regard of the clouds of ignorance not dispersed 1 Cor. 13. 12. Isa 64. 6. and like unsavoury dunghils in respect of many noysome lusts not fully subdued Therefore guess with gratitude how low our blessed Lord doth stoop in being content to dwell in us even in us every way so vile and so unworthy 3. This giveth us to understand the dignity of all true beleevers As they are precious excellent more excellent then Isa 43. 4. Psa 16. 2. Prov. 12. 26. others in many other respects which I now have not occasion to mention so upon this account that the Lord Jesus Christ is in them Moses the man of God judgeth Israel in this regard in a condition farre better then any other people For what Nation hath God so nigh unto them And how Deut. 4. 7. much was Zacheus affected with the apprehension of this favour this honour when Christ promised to abide at his house When he had climed into a tree to take a view of Luk. 19. 5. Christ and Christ telleth him that he should not only have a transient sight of him but also enjoy him as his guest oh how was Zacheus think you elevated by this entertainment Now such and greater honour have all his Saints Psa 149. 9. It was no doubt a very great honour put upon the blessed Virgin Mary both in her own account and in the judgement Luk. 1. 42 43 48 49. of all Christians that she did bear the holy body of Christ in her womb for a time He that is mighty hath magnified me and certainly the inhabitation of Christ by his Spirit in the souls of his servants is not a priviledge inferiour 4. This whispereth the madnesse and misery of all such who do dare to make opposition against beleevers for seeing Christ is in them therefore in so doing they seek as it were to pluck down Christ his house upon his head I shall not enlarge this Use 1. Either by shewing the various waies whereby wrong is done unto the servants of the Most High viz. by secret plots and open persecutions either by abating their comforts or encreasing their sufferings either by corrupting their judgements or drawing them to sin 2. Or by manifesting Christs knowledge and sensiblenesse of these their injuries together with his severity against their enemies witnessed both by judgements threatned in his Word and executed in the world from generation to generation But I only wish those who are herein guilty to minde the Item given by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Corinthians If any man defile the Temple of God him will God destroy 1 Cor. 3. 17. for the Temple of God is holy which Temple ye are The second Use is for the comfort of all true beleevers Vse 2 seeing Christ is in them I remember what is recorded concerning Paul that the
gracious heart 5. From the end of his Ascention We all do beleeve that Christ is received up into glory And himself before his 1 Tim. 3. 16. departure from earth said I go to prepare a place for you and if I go to prepare a place for you I will come again and receive Ioh. 14. 2 3. you unto my self that where I am there ye may be also Here is good Anchor-hold for hope which entreth into that within the veil whither the forerunner is for us entred Christ Heb. 6. 19 20. is gone into Heaven as our Harbinger to provide glorious mansions for us and to take possession in our behalf And the Apostle Peter writeth thus unto the scattered Christian Jews God raised Christ from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God From all these considerations jointly considered this conclusion is confirmed by Scripture-strength and evidence That Christ is unto beleeving Christians the hope of glory The application followeth Vse 1 Therefore without Christ there cannot be any well-grounded 1 Pet. 1. 21. Extra Christum non gloria sed ignominia expectanda est Hun. in Text. Eph. 2. 12. Iob 21. 7 13. Psa 73. 7 Iob 7. 6. expectation of future glory As this smart inference followeth undeniably from the Text under hand so the same Apostle is open and expresse for this truth elsewhere Suggesting to the Ephesians their sad condition in an unchristian estate he connecteth these two particulars viz. ye were without Christ having no hope Although prophane godlesse and Christlesse men may have their expectations of outward comforts accomplished and possesse more then heart could wish yet in regard of spirituals and eternals we may be confident that they spend their daies without hope In which respect they should rather be looked upon as objects of pity then of envy when they are in their greatest jollity and prosperity because being Christlesse they are poor hopelesse creatures Take man in his best estate imaginable out of Christ and upon the serious Survey of himself he shall have cause to say What is my strength that I should hope Iob 6. 11. And as Paul said in reference to himself and them who sailed with him in a sad Sea-voyage that when neither Sunne nor Starres in many daies appeared and no small tempest lay on Act. 17. 20. us all hope that we should be saved was then taken away So let the chiefest Sonnes of men with their highest parts be laid under the storms of divine displeasure without Gospel-light discovering Christ and all hope of salvation will be quite removed Hence fair occasion is offered to discover their dangerous Vse 2 delusion who build their hopes of heaven upon creaturefoundations As the Papists who in their Ave-Maries call Spes nostra the Virgin the mother of Christs humanity Our Hope who also trust unto their works as meritorious causes of Salvation So others also who imagine happinesse attainable from the right improvement of Natures abilities without the meritorious satisfaction of Jesus Christ whereas the Scripture doth not only assert that there is not salvation in Act. 4. 12. Gal. 5. 4. Sclus Christus is est per quem vitam aeternam expect are licet Piscat in Text. any other besides Christ but doth also affirm that Christ is become of no effect unto you whosoever of you are justified by the Law Oh that this short sharp expression from an Apostolical pen might warn the wanton wits of these unwary times to take heed of crying up Nature and morall abilities with the neglect of Jesus Christ who alone is the foundation hope of future glory Vse 3 Therefore the communication of glory is from meer mercy Rom. 6. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Donum gratis datum Eternall life is the gift of Gods grace through Jesus Christ Although I touched upon this before yet I take it up again upon a double account partly because the Apostle in this Text intends a check unto them who mixed their own righteousnesse with Christ and partly because many in these daies not only Papists but other proud Opinionists do derogate from Gospel-mercy by ascribing too much unto mans naturall strength morally improved whereby Gods design in making man happy by Christ is directly crossed and disappointed Let the words of the Apostle Paul be seriously considered Ye are in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto 1 Cor. 1. 29 30 31. us wisedom and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption that no flesh should glory in his presence that according as it is written He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord Our All in tendency unto peace comfort and glory is therefore from Christ according to divine project and purpose that man when at the highest might be abased in himself being necessitated to acknowledge that all his advantagious incomes both in regard of glory begun on earth and compleated in heaven are from Christ Now that I may more clearly advance Gods rich grace and free mercy in bringing beleevers to glory by Christ I heartily desire that these three things may be observed viz. 1. That Christ himself was the gift of God Vnto us a Isa 9. 6. Sonne is given saith the Gospel-Prophet And our Saviour himself in his conference with the woman of Samaria calleth himself That gift of God by way of superlative eminency Ioh. 4. 10. being the richest and freest gift that ever God bestowed upon the children of men 2. That the grace of faith whereby the Soul receiveth Christ and happinesse by him is the free gift of God likewise To you saith Saint Paul to the Philippians it is given to beleeve Phil. 1. 29. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 18. 27. The Originall suggests that it was given of grace which our Translation doth elsewhere expresse Apollo is said to help them much who had beleeved through grace And this our Apostle in his Epistle to the Romans affirming that our Justification is from mercy not merit addeth these words Therefore it is of faith that it might be of grace Rom. 4. 16. 4. That all our spirituall priviledges received from Christ himself are from him upon terms of mercy and grace Forgivenesse Eph. 1. 7. Tit. 3. 7. Eph. 1. 6. Joh. 17. 22. Jude 21. of sin is according to the riches of his grace We are justified by his grace We are accepted in the beloved to the praise of the glory of his grace And himself in his prayer to the Father saith The glory which thou gavest me I have given them Answerable hereunto is the advice of Saint Jude Keep your selves in the love of God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternall life It 's meer mercy not merit that holdeth up the heart in expectation of Heaven All these particulars being put together will undenably evidence the strength of this my Inference viz. That Because the Christians hope of glory