and everlasting Covenant Matt. 26. 28. Heb. 10. 29. 13. 20. 9. 15 16. Those great and precious promises appertaining to Life and godliness yea to this life and that to come are not only assured by the word of God and confirmed by his Oath which yet are two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lye and therefore might quicken and encourage lukewarm ones to flee for refuge to lay hold on that hope set before them but actually made firme by the blood of the Testatour who is also in the virtue thereof raised and as the forerunner entred into Heaven and is the Mediatour of the New Testament that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions under the first Testament they which are called may receive the promise of the eternal Inheritance He Mediateth and maketh Intercession for the taking away the iniquities of those that come to God by him and that the contents of that Covenant may be dispensed to them according to their needs and capacities God hath promised and Christ hath actually said and is the Amen to them Rev. 1. 18. Heb. 8. 6. and 9. 15. It may seem in that Jesus Christ doth first describe himself by this title of the Amen that these likewarme ones did not keep in believing remembrance the promises and the firmeness and immutability of them and certainty of their performance according to the tenour of them being ratified by such precious blood and ascertained by such a faithful and true witness and therefore they grew sluggish remiss and indifferent and there was a great abatement of their former fervency either fearing they should be left in sufferings or not provided for or dispensed unto according to their wants and therefore to recover them he telleth them his name is the Amen The consideration hereof is powerful to stirr up to diligence and to recover us from our decays to cause us that we shall not be slothful but followers diligent followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises Heb. 6. 10 20. To strengthen us to hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering and to consider one another to provoke to love and good works not forsaking the assembling of our selves together Heb. 10. 22 25. To ingage us to come out from amongst men and to be separate and not touch the unclean thing but to cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. 2 Cor. 6. 16 18. 7. 1. if these exceeding great and precious promises given to the Apostles to minister and ministred by them in and with the glorious Gospel be in us received and entertained by us and abound if they be suffered to dwell richly in us and to have their perfect work so as we limit them not nor hold them in unrighteousness they make us that we shall not be idle or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ They will provoke us to flee from and escape the corruption that is in the world thorow lust and besides giving all diligence thereto they will inable and stir us up to add to our faith virtue courage zeal resolution of spirit magnanimity to be as bold as lions and to virtue knowledg that we may use our fervour and zeal aright and that not about meat and drink and days and places and gestures in which the kingdome of God consisteth not but in contending earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints and to knowledg temperance to have sober thoughts of our selves of our knowledg vertue parts gifts attainments and to be temperate in our use of and exercise about the things of this world in which there may be excess and in our joys and griefs thereabout and to temperance patience patiently continuing in well doing in faith in virtue in knowledg in temperance c. Patiently induring whatever reproches and persecutions we may meet with in walking in Christ and in the exercise of those efficacies of his grace and resting in the Lord and waiting patiently for him and to patience godliness worshipping him in the spirit and rejoycing in Christ Jesus and having no confidence in the flesh and imitating and following him as dear children according to the light and instructions of his grace and to godliness brotherly kindness loving the brethren with delightful and peculiar manner of love not pretending we are right worshippers of God while we are without brotherly kindness to those borne of him For every one that loveth him that begat loveth them also that are begotten of him For if a man say I love God and hateth his Brother he is a liar for he that loveth not his Brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen and to brotherly kindness charity that free manner of love which is exercised towards others not because of somewhat lovely and amiable in them but from an higher reason and motive even from the constraining operation of the love of God in Christ and thence to have fervent charity among our selves and to love all men To these things will these precious promises confirmed by such precious blood enliven and quicken us if they be suffered to dwell richly in us for hereby we shall be made partakers of the Divine nature in union and fellowship with it interest in it usefulness of it and conformity to it 2 Pet. 1. 4 9. Oh exercise we our selves to godliness to Christ who is the root and fundation of godliness for it is profitable unto all things having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come 1 Tim. 4. 8. with chapt 3. 16. Oh! how effectual were the promises with the Patriarchs in former times when they were not so confirmed as now to make them forsake their Countrey Kindred and Fathers house To confess themselves strangers and pilgrims on the earth c. These believed caused Abraham the Father of the faithful not to consider his own body now dead neither yet the deadness of Sarah's Womb but was strong in faith giving glory to God and being fully perswaded that what God had promised he was able also to performe and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him who hath performed the promise made to the fathers in raising Christ from the dead who was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification Gen. 12. 1 3. Heb. 11. 13 16. Rom. 4. 16 25. with Act. 13. 32 33. Heb. 11. 17 19. The Apostle Paul to recover the Galatians from their wandrings setteth before them that Christ is the Amen to him the promises are made and in him confirmed and with him assured to those that receive him so as in being Christ's they are Abraham's seed and Heits according
amongst the Jews did falsly accuse Christ with being a vicious person the men of that generation those who were the men of the times then they said of the Son of Man Behold a gluttonous person and a wine bibber a friend of Publicanes and sinners But saith he Wisdom is justified of all her Children All the Children of Christ and the Gospel know that this is but a slander Luk. 7. 31-35 Matt. 11. 16-19 There is no other Doctrine besides that so sheweth the vileness of sin and necessity of our being washed therefrom in the blood of Christ as doth this Doctrine of the Gospel For the grace of God that bringeth Salvation to all men hath appeared teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Titus 2. 11-14 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. Rom. 5. 18. with chap. 6. 1-3 But this slander of theirs is the issue of their ignorance and prejudice and what better fruit can be expected from such evil and bitter roots 3. This instruction may also shew unto us the great evil of those that deny that Christ hath died for all and by the grace of God tasted death for every man for these render it impossible for the greatest part of men to be made partakers of that darable riches and righteousness in Christ The Doctrine of the Gospel maketh the gate unto life strait enough and yet no straiter then is needful But these shut up the kingdom of Heaven against men and neither enter in themselves nor suffer them that are entring to enter The little finger of this Doctrine is heavier then the loyns of the Gospel to the greatest part of man kind Nay indeed as with respect to one part of men there is no straitness in the gate at all and with reference to the other and greatest part there is no gate open for them at all were their doctrines as true as they are counted by many But these herein are false witnesses of God and like the evil spies that brought an evil report upon the Land of Canaan and thereby discouraged the hearts of many of their brethren Take we heed and beware of those evil and pernicious doctrines that cause to err from the words of knowledg and way of truth 4. Seeing we cannot have these heavenly commodities without buying in selling all that we have let us so seriously consider the excellency of them that we may be made willing to let go all things as loâ—s and dung 〈◊〉 for the excellency of the knowledg of them that we may be made partakers of them For the great and eternal worth and excellency of these considered will make this yoke easy ano this burden light And this leadeth us to the last instruction propounded to be considered by us viz. 4. That to the end the wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked may buy this gold tried in the fire and this white raiment here commended to us it is good and neeful for them that they anoint their eyes with eye salve that they may see This though the last mentioned and counselled unto is surely needful to the former for without knowledg the soul cannot be good Prov. 19. 2. How should any man so highly prize any commodity as to part with all his substance for it that seeth no worth or excellency in it And how should Christ's Angels and Churches part with all they have for those heavenly treasures if they see no beauty in them why they should desire them There is no earnest desire after or high prizing of that which we are ignorant of and see no worthiness in Now then in this Instruction here propounded we shall speak unto these three things contained therein which may be usefully and profitably considered by us As to say 1. That Christ's Angels and Churches may be blind and ignorant of the excellency of Christ and those treasures in him 2. That there is eye-salve prepared for such blind ones also wherewith anointing their eyes they may see 3. That to the end they buy Christ and that in him it is neeful they anoint their eyes herewith that they may see 1. That Christ's Angels and Churches may so depart from him as to become blind and ignorant of the excellency of Christ and of those treasures hid in him Thus it appeareth here in this place in which our Lord saith to the Angel Thou art blind and counselleth every one that hath an ear to hear what the spirit saith to the Churches as intimating this was spoken to them all for their admonition and that it might so befall them also if they did not look diligently lest they failed of or fell from the grace of God God's people may become foolish and not know him they may be sottish children and have no understanding Jer. 4. 22. Yea the Pastours may become brutish and not seek the Lord. Jer. 10. 19-21 The blindness here spoken of is not the being destitute of natural or artificial wisdom the wisdom of this world for this men may have and yet be sufficiently blind in this consideration we have to speal of for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God Where is the wise Where is the Scribe Where is the disputer of this world Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world 1 Cor. 3. 19. and chap. 1. 18-21 But the blindness here spoken of is a being without the wisdom that is from above a being destitute of spiritual understanding And so this Angel was blind if not wholly yet in a great measure and in so great a measure as that our Saviour the wisdom of God signifieth that he was blind Those that are watchmen amongst God's people and who have high conceits of themselves for knowledg and piety may yet have their eyes blinded with darkness His watchmen saith the Lord are blind they are all ignorant there may be blind guides blind leaders of the blind and how sad is it when it is thus Then surely their leaders cause them to err and they that are led of them are destroyed Isa 56. 10. 3. 12. 9. 16. Matt. 15. 14. 23. 24. Jer. 2. 8. This Angel and Church might be in such a condition as the Apostle Peter speaketh of when he saith He that lacketh these things to wit these great and precious promises ministred in and with the Gospel he in whom these are not and abound not dwell not richly so as he addeth not to his faith virtue and to virtue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godliness and to godliness brotherly-kindness and to brotherly-kindness charity such an one is blind and cannot see afarr off he is poreblind He may see some things near hand but he is so blind he cannot see these things afarr off he cannot see within the vail he cannot see into Heaven where Christ is nor those things above where he sitteth Deut. 30. 11 12.
And what may he not perswade those that are in ignorance to do And whither may he not lead them Through ignorance he prevailed with the Jews to prefer a murderer before the Prince of life and at last to kill him with wicked hands Acts 3. 14 15 17. 1 Cor. 2. 8. Through ignorance Saul was a Persecutour blasphemer and injurious and verily thought he ought to do many things contrary to the Name of Jesus Acts 26. 9. 1 Tim. 1. 13. Through ignorance men worship stocks and stones and prefer vain things before Christ and those durable and most excellent treasures hid in him and are enemies unto and haters of him and of those that call upon his name Isa 44. 17-20 45. 20-22 John 15. 18-22 16. 1-3 Through ignorance men are establishing a righteousness to themselves Rom. 10. 2 3. Yea not to inlarge hereto while men are blind they are in a condition to sleight Christ and to follow all that is evil according to their proper inclination and to prefer their sins and idols before him When the Apostle giveth us an account of the sadness of the condition of himself and others before the Grace of God was received by them he first telleth us they were foolish Tit. 3. 3. As intimating to us that that leadeth to all that is evil This was doubtless a great cause of the evil found with this Angel and Church of undervaluing Christ and preferring other things before him to wit their blindness they had in a great measure lost or let go the knowledge and sight of Christ and of all other things as discovered in him which sometimes they had had All which shew unto us in some measure why it is needful for us to anoint our eyes with this Eye-salve that we may see And this instruction as thus spoken to may be usefully considered by us 1. To shew unto us the great evil and sad judgment of them who endeavour to bring men into and keep them in blindness and ignorance these are not like-minded after the example of our Lord Jesus who instructeth the blind to anoint their eyes that they may see nor like the Apostles who instructed the Believers to adde to their faith vertue and to vertue knowledge and to grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 1. 6 3. 18. and endeavoured their helpfulness hereto But they are rather like to those thieves spoken of against whom the Lord was and is who did steal away his word every one from his neighbour Jer. 23. 29 30. Or like unto them unto whom our Saviour saith Wo unto you Lawyers For ye have taken away the key of knowledge Ye entred not in your selves and them that were entring in Ye hindred Luke 11. 52. They serve Satan's design and do his lusts 2. It sheweth unto us the wickedness and abominableness of that saying That Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion It may be indeed the Mother of that which they call Devotion to wit of their Idolatry and Superstition But of that which is true Devotion and Religion it is not but an enemy thereto and that which keepeth men there-from When the Believers to whom the Apostle Peter writeth were in darkness they then walked in lasciviousness lusts excess of wine revellings banquetings and abominable idolatries 1 Pet. 2. 9 10. with Chapter 4. 3 4. 3. And let it exhort us all to cry after knowledge and to lift up our voice for understanding and to apply our eyes to Gods testimony and not let that depart from them that we may look to Christ that we may be enlightened and our faces may not be ashamed Prov. 2. 1-6 4. 1-8 8. 10 11. 16. 16. I shall adde no more to this but to pray God to give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ to open the eyes of our understanding and to reveal Christ to us and there-through to make us willing for the excellency of the knowledge of him to suffer the loss of all things and to count them but dung that we may win him and be found in him and abide in him that when he shall appear we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming Even so Amen Amen December 19. 1670. The End
While we behold this Gold this enriching Gold and see and consider how it hath been tried in the fire and how proper it is to make us truly rich and how certainly and infallibly it enricheth them that have it this is apt and powerful to draw the love and heart thereto and to cause us to covet after it As it is a powerful Cord to us naturally to draw our hearts to the riches of this world to behold and see them with our eyes As he confessed who said When I saw two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold then I coveted them and took them Josh 7. 21. 1 John 2. 15 16. So when we see in this Glass this excellent Gold the price whereof is above Rubies yea above all the riches of this world it is a forceable motive to engage our hearts to seek to be made partakers hereof If thou knewest the gift of God saith our Saviour and who it is that saith unto thee give me to drink thou wouldst ask c. John 4. 10. How did the knowledge and consideration of this better and enduring substance in Heaven make the Hebrews willing in the days of their first Illumination to take joyfully the spoiling of their goods and to endure reproch and shame and to be companions of them that were shamefully intreated Heb. 10. 32-34 What blessedness did the Galatians speak of And how did they turn from idols to God And how ready would they have been if it had been possible to have plucked out their eyes and given them unto them that were instruments of preaching Christ unto them when he was evidently set forth before their eyes in the testimony of Jesus They were willing then to part with all for his sake Gal. 3. 1. 4. 13-15 And was it not the excellency of the knowledge of Christ that made the Apostle willing to suffer the loss of all things even of those things also that formerly were gainful to him and to count them but dung that he might gain him and be found in him Phil. 3. 7-9 And to this very end That a nation he knew not and nations that knew not him might run unto him he saith Behold me behold me As intimating That the seeing and beholding him is very powerful and prevalent to overcome and perswade us to close with and embrace him Isa 55. 5. 65. 1. And so the beholding and seeing this White Raiment and the excellent and useful nature and property thereof is proper and powerful to incline us to seek that we may have it that we may be clothed therewith that so the shame of our nakedness may not appear Josh 7. 21. Phil. 3. 4-9 Doubtless the beholding with the eyes of the understanding that plenteousness of Redemption in him even the forgiveness of our sins those Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge hid in him that everlasting Righteousness brought in by and treasured in him that eternal Redemption obtained by his Bloud that fulness of Grace Truth Spirit and all things pertaining to life and godliness prepared in him that Eternal Life given us in him As these things are discovered to us in the testimony and his compleat and unparallell d comeliness and amiableness by means hereof it would enamour our hearts on him and inflame us with love to him and even make us sick of Love and unsatisfied in our desires till we more know him win him and be found in him yea till we see as we are seen and know as we are known and be ever with him Cant. 5. 10-16 2. 3 5. Truly the light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun Eccles 11. 7. But how much more pleasant and alluring is it to behold this Pearl of great price this Sun of Righteousness this Robe of Salvation this excellent one who is fairer then the children of men yea who is the true God and eternal life And how powerful is the sight of him to keep us from our sins and idols 1 John 5. 20 21 So also the seeing our sins and idols as discovered in his Cross and Testimony is very powerful to move us to cast them away and part with them as hath been also in part signified before There sin is rendred most abundantly sinful and our idols most evidently unprofitable and vain Hence the Apostle saith Whosoever abideth in Christ in the sight and knowledge of him as appeareth by the opposition sinneth not Though sin be in him and moving for service yet he doth not commit it He doth not willingly yield up his mind or members to the service thereof And on the other hand Whosoever sinneth hath not seen him nor known him He hath not anointed his eyes with this Eye-salve that he might see nor seen with his eyes as thus anointed He that doth evil hath not seen God 1 John 3. 6 8. 3 John 11. He that seeth and abideth in the sight of the end wherefore he was manifested to wit to take away our sins and of his faithfulness therein for in him is no sin he that beholdeth and considereth the bitter Cup Christ drank off and the shameful cruel accursed death he died for our sins who was the Son of God to the end he might redeem us from all iniquity and what a Fountain he is become in whom is all forgiveness righteousness rest refreshing washing and cleansing eternal life c. Such an one is preserved from sowing to and siding with that sin that dwelleth in him he getteth an escape and fleeth from the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 2. 20. So much the Apostle James also signifieth when he saith Whose looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueth he being not a forgetful hearer of the word but a doer of the works this man shall be blessed in his deed The man that continueth looking in this Glass this Testimony of Jesus is a doer he layeth apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness as it is discovered and made to swim aloft Jam. 1. 21-25 This truth known maketh him free from the bondage and slavery of his sins John 8. 31-33 And he is made willing by these arguments contained in the Gospel to sell and part with his iniquities and abominations Rom. 6. 1-3 And so also in beholding Christ crucified and looking upon the Cross of Christ which he hath endured and overcome and the glory which there-thorow he hath received a man may be broken off from his idols The world the wisdom righteousness riches honour glory pomp and splendour favour and friendship customs and fashions of the world is crucified unto such an one as is thus exercised through the Cross of Christ Gal. 6. 14. So as he keepeth himself from those idols 1 John 5. 20 21. Thus when the Apostles preached Christ to men and he was received and beheld in his Gospel by them they then turned to God from