the children of Ammon thus should Gods children covenant together and help each other against their corruptions and temptations every man endeavouring the welfare of another mans soule as his owne Were the soules of Gods children thus happily and graciously united they would undoubtedly prove a flourishing common-wealth a glorious people and a great honour to Christ who reignes as King over them CHAP. X. Pressing the seeking of the welfare of Christs Church 4. THis likewise presseth on us the ministration of our best help and assistance to the Church of Christ The members of a common-wealth endeavour the welfare and safety of the common-wealth they preferre it above their owne private good The members of Christs spirituall common-wealth should doe the like for Christs Church It is the Lords injunction pray for the peace of Jerusalem be instant with God for the prosperity safety increase and flourishing estate of his Church What though God watch over it and have promised protection to it yet thou must also pray for and labour the prosperity thereof otherwise how canst thou rejoyce in the welfare of the same To this duty the very relation between us and the Church should leade us the Church is the body whereof we are members doe not all the members in the body naturall labour the welfare of the whole How can the members of the mysticall body of Christ doe lesse unlesse they will prove themselves unnaturall Our Sympathy with the Churches afflictions should perswade us to this we must apprehend the calamity which resteth upon the Church as resting upon our owne persons If one member saith Saint Paul doe suffer all the members suffer with it A dead member indeed hath no sympathy with the rest but the living member hath a fellow-feeling a quicke and exquisite sence within when any of the members are pained or hazarded Who is weake saith Paul and I am not weake who is offended and I burne not The blessing which is attendant on our endeavouring the welfare of the Church is an Argument of great force to move us to this worke hereof the Lord saith they shall prosper that love thee They that love thee they that are carefull for thee solicitous and studious to maintaine soundnesse of Doctrine and purity of divine worship in thee they that humble themselves in thy behalf when troubles are upon thee they that put themselves forth to the utmost to relieve thee in thy wants to comfort thee in thy sorrowes to assist thee against thy opposers they shall prosper it shall be well with them they shall not goe without a blessing their worke and labour of Love shall not be forgotten Besides our welfare is very much dependant upon the welfare of the whole Church of Christ The welfare of every member in a common-wealth and in a body naturall is deeply interested in the prosperity and good successe of the whole Thus the prosperity or fall of the Church in generall is our fall or prosperity in particular The strengthening of some part of a building is a strengthening and a beautifying of the whole building the fall of any part is a weakning a disgrace a prejudice to the whole and thus it is in this case We live saith Paul if ye stand fast in the saith if ye abide in Christ thrive in grace and make a gracious progresse in the wayes of life then we live then we rejoyce and are full of comfort then our hearts are much strengthened in the Lord. Our Subjection to changes miseries and troubles should very much quicken us to the present commiseration of the rest of Christs afflicted members the Lord may make us drinke of the same cup as in the prophecye of Jeremy the Lord caused the cup of his wrath to goe round he made all the Nations to drink thereof and if we have no compassion on others now who shall have compassion upon us then if we withdraw our helping hand from others who shall reach forth the hand of assistance unto us for God doth so order it in the course of his providence that look what measure we meet to others in their distresse the same shall men measure againe to us in our necessity Besides this is a work very acceptable to God and very profitable to the Church of God doubtlesse it pleased David well when Joab sought to bring home Absolon to him and when Abner undertooke to bring about all Israel Thus when we endeavour to reconcile God and his Church to bring men about to God by our prayers exhortations and their repentance is a worke very pleasing unto God and herein we prove instruments of the greatest honour game and comfort to our fellow brethren O therefore I as we are all one common-wealth let us labour the good of this our common-wealth Let Magistrates and Ministers be to the Church like the siery pillar to Israel a light and a defence Let Ministers like Bees make the honey compose sweet and wholesome Doctrine gathered from the flowers growing in the garden of the sacred Scriptures and so frame it that it may be sweeter then the honey or the honey-combe unto the palate of the Church and let Magistrates like hives preserve this honey of wholsome Doctrine that nothing doe adulterate it Let Ministers by the executive power of the Word and Sacraments and Magistrates by their directive and coactive power demeane themselves to the great behoofe and benefit of Gods Church and as Moses and Aaron brought Israel out of Egypt so let both Magistrate and Minister labour the spirituall and corporall freedome of the Lords people And as every member joynt and sinew in the body naturall performes his office for the good of the whole so let Christs members from the highest to the lowest according to their severall places stations and abilities promote the welfare of Christs Church and servants CHAP. XI Treating of Carnall mans Alienation from Christs Church THe second thing is the Exemption of all prophane men from this common-wealth from the Church of Christ and all the spirituall prerogatives and priviledges belonging thereunto The Gentiles before the comming of Christ were altogether aliens hereunto having no place at all in this common-wealth Prophane men since the comming of Christ though they be in this common-wealth living within the pale of the visible Church as the uncleane beasts within the Arke yet they are also aliens to this common-wealth aliens to that holy and eâ—ectuall vocation wherewith this common-wealth is called aliens to the heavenly and saving power of that Word and Spirit by which this common-wealth is ruled and guided aliens to that sweet and gracious Communion which the members of this common-wealth have with Christ by faith and among themselves by love and this is one great misery of all corrupt and carnall men being without Christ they are also aliens to the common-wealth of his Israel as he that is an alien to the King is an alien to that common-wealth which is under the
of old was upon Mount Gerazim the blessing is now upon the Gospell He that savingly entertaines the Gospell enjoyes a most blessed condition a condition of divine and heavenly wisedome Gods Ministers feed him with knowledge and understanding and make him wise unto salvation a condition of holinesse and sanctification the ministery of the word doth wash him like water and purifie him like fire a condition of liberty and freedome Moses freed Israel from Pharaohs bondage Gods Minister frees the soules of his children from the servitude of Satan the world and their owne corruption the word makes them free from ignorance in their understandings from perversenesse in their wils from vanity in their thoughts from infidelity servile feare worldly love and carnall joy in their affections the word makes them free to know God as the cleare eye is free to see the Sunne to receive Christ as the strong and open hand is free to receive a gift to love Christ as the bride hath an open and enlarged heart to love the bridegroome to attend Gods Ordinances to run the way of Gods Commandements as he whose feet and ankle-bones received strength by the ministery of Peter was free to stand and leap and walke and enter into the Temple and free to move and come to God by faith and love and joy as the rivers are free to move and flow unto the sea a condition of honour and exaltation the Gospell making them Sonnes of God by regeneration the friends of God by love the members of Christ by faith and heires annexed with Christ for their present title to and future participation of the same inheritance with Christ Jesus a condition of fulnesse and satisfaction they are satisfied with the goodnesse of Gods house the Gospell leads them unto Christ the Sunne in whom is all light the tree on whom growes all fruit the fountaine from whom flowes all refreshment the rocke in whom is all strength the pearle in whom is all worth and the Paradise in whom is all pleasure and peace very sweet and wonderfull gracious and overflowing are the comforts and contentments derived from Christ to Gods children under their enjoyment of the Gospell Lastly a condition of permanency and duration though the grasse wither and the flower fade yet the word of the Lord abideth for ever Though worldly fulnesse change like the Moone and vanish like a vapor and wither like the flower and the grasse yet the estate of grace into which men are called by Gods Ministers is an estate of firme and sure continuance they are sonnes abiding alway in their fathers house they are trees planted by the water side never withering they are houses built upon the rocke never sinking their graces like the light shine more and more to the day of their perfection the excellency of their estate who enjoy and make best use of the Gospell abundantly declares Gods dispensation of very great sweet and heavenly blessings by the labours of his Ministers CHAP. XV THe Lords dispensing of sweet and heavenly blessings unto man by the labours of his holy and faithfull Ministers shewes what the estate and condition of man is without the Lords Ministers even an estate of woes of myseries and curses Mans condition without the ministery of the Gospell is very wretched and miserable an estate of death without spirituall life the earth without the Sunne is but a dead and fruitlesse lump the soule without the Sunne of Righteousnesse shining in the Gospell is dead in sinnes and trespasses a tree twice dead oncce by originall corruption and secondly by actuall transgression and plucked up by the roots wholly separate from all the meanes of life he that hath not the Sonne externally in the Gospell internally in his heart ministerially in his word and efficiently in his worke of grace he hath not life Such are farre from the life of grace and sanctification as are strangers to Christ in his Gospell The woman of Shunems sonne remained dead according to the body till the Prophet came and raised him the soule of man continues dead in respect of the inward man untill the Minister of the Lord comes to quicken him 2. An estate of darknesse Man without the ministery of the word is in darknesse and the shadow of death a darke body without an eye a darke house without a Lamp The soules clearest light is nothing else but darknesse as long as the Gospell doth not shine into it to irradiate and enlighten it There was once no light in all the land of Egypt onely the children of Israel had light in their dwellings there is no spirituall and heavenly light in all the world but among Gods Israel there is light only in their dwellings who enjoy the Gospell In Judah is God knowne and his name is great in Israel God is truly and savingly knowne only by that people who enjoy the light of the Gospell 3. An estate of servitude and bondage Israel continued under hard bondage untill Moses and Aaron came to deliver them untill the Lord raised a fiery pillar to conduct them out of Egypt unto Canaan Man abides under the hard bondage of Satan and his owne corruption untill the Lord sends his Minister to free him and sets up the fiery pillar of his word to lead him out of this servile and slavish condition Man without the Gospell is in prison and hath no key to open it he is taken captive and hath no weapon to resist his enemy to procure his freedome he is manacled with many fetters and hath no hammer to dissolve and loose them Mans condition without the ministery of the Gospell is very base and servile When and where the Gospell shineth then and there as the Prophet speaketh The eyes of the blind are opened the prisoners are brought out from the prison and they that sit in darknesse out of the prison-house 4. An estate of emptinesse and barrennesse The field without the dew is unfruitfull the soule without the dew of divine and heavenly doctrine distilling thereupon beares no good fruit there is no lawfull conception without an husband all the fruit of the soule not espoused to Christ by the Gospell is illegitimate and a very abomination there is no reaping where is no sowing The soule which is not sowne with the seed of the word yeelds no harvest of grace they are barren ground nigh to burning who are strangers to the Gospell 5. An estate of pollution and uncleanesse The house without the besome is overspread with slime and cobwebs Naaman continued leprous untill he went seven times into Jordan and washed the Temple was a den of theeves till Christ came with his whip and drove them out the heart of man is an unclean house without the besome of the word sweeping it the soule of man is oversread with the lothsome leprosie of sin untill he bathe himselfe in the Jordan of
them his love and all the comforts of his Spirit but to prophane men Christ is as a sealed fountaine of whom they drinke not a hidden Manna of whom they taste not he that is an alien to the Church is without the protection and salvation of Christ they that were without the Arke had no safety from the waters and surely they that are without the Church I meane without that faith holinesse love and gracious communion which is proper to Gods children are without salvation And this is the misery of carnall men living in the Church and not living the life of them that are the true Church of Christ indeed and such men indeed are a great dishonour to the Church as spots in the face spots and blemishes as Saint Peter termes them a burthen to the Church as dead members to the body a trouble to the Church as Ionah to the ship raising the stormy tempest of Gods wrath against it and therefore should be wiped away cut off and cast out by the censures of the Church not for everlasting condemnation but for their humiliation and reformation for the destruction of the flesh that their spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus according to the Apostles rule This opens the impossibility of the salvation of corrupt and carnall men as such and as long as they continue such for being such they are aliens to the Church of Christ to the spirituall common-wealth of Christs Israel As all that were out of the Arke perished in the deluge of waters so all that are out of the Church not living members of this common-wealth doe perish in the deluge of Gods wrath Such as are by the power of their prophanenesse alienated from the Church of Christ the company of them that are effectually called and sanctified they are 1. Without God He that hath not the Church for his Mother hath not God for his Father he that is not of the new Jerusalem whom the Apostle termes the Mother of us all for her bringing forth children spiritually unto God he that is not of her is not of God he that is not a childe in this spirituall and heavenly family is not borne of God therefore the Apostle saith of them that are the true members of this Church Ye are no more strangers and forrainers but fellow-Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God 2. He that is by his prophanenesse an alien to the Church of Christ is an alien to Christ he that is an alien to the common-wealth is an alien to the King he that is not one of Christs flocke cannot have Christ for his Shepheard and without Christ there is no salvation 3. He that is an alien to the Church of Christ is estranged from regeneration renovation illumination sanctification remission donation of the Spirit and the promise of the eternall inheritance Effects and fruits of the Word and Spirit in them that are effectually called properties and prerogatives belonging onely to Christs holy and gracious people and without these there is no salvation These saith Chemnitius God the Word Faith the Church salvation and life eternall are very intimously knit and ioyned together and accordingly the Apostle there is one Body and one Spirit one Calling one Lord one Faith one Baptisme one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all To him therefore that is not of this sacred company and Church of Christ the Spirit is no Sanctifier Christ no Redeemer God no Father Baptisme no Seale and Faith no Instrument of Justification and therefore unlesse man be of this sacred company there is no salvation they that leap out of the ship into the Sea perish they that forsake the ship of Christs Church and hold not communion by faith and love with Gods Saints perish in the Sea of this world all the Citizens of Iericho who were out of Rahabs house perished with fire and the sword All that are out of Gods house or to speake in the Apostles words who are not built up a spirituall house to God are liable to the fire and sword of Gods wrath CHAP. XIV Discovering the vanity of carnall mans applauding and pleasing himselfe with being borne within the Church HEre may we likewise see how vaine nay how dangerous it is for man to applaud and please himselfe in being borne within the pale of the Church and having the externall use of Gods Ordinances continuing under the power of sinfull lusts because remaining under the command and power of sinne he is an alien to the Church even whiles he lives within the Church blesse not therefore your selves in this build not your salvation upon such sandy ground There was in Abrahams house a childe of the bond-woman as well as of the free they are not all children saith Saint Paul because they are Abrahams seed There are within the house of the visible Church children of Hagar as well as of Sarah they who are the bondmen of corruption as well as they who are the Lords free-men Mans outward participation of Gods Ordinances is no assured evidence of his inward participation of Christ Jesus The hearts of Ezekiels hearers went after their covetousnesse Herod lived in incest when he attended the ministery of the Baptist the Sadduces were a very generation of vipers when they came to the Baptisme of Iohn the very City of Jerusalem even whiles it had the glorious name and title of Gods Church was become an harlot her silver was become drosse and her wine mixt with water It is an easier thing to wait on Gods Ordinances then it is to lay aside our corruptions Mens outward profession is not alwayes seconded with a spirituall change and reformation Iether had a sword but he had no strength no courage to draw it to slay Zeba and Zalmunna with it Many have the Word and Sacrament the Oracles of God the Sword of the Spirit but they have no heart to use them they doe not apply them to the mortification of their corruptions It is not the having but the gracious working of the word of God which proves a man to be the childe of God The lame man lay many yeares at Bethesda his lameship not cured many live many yeares within the pale of the Church under the powerfull ministery of the word and yet no spirituall cure wrought upon their soules the disease of sinne still continues and increases upon them Doe not therefore boast and glory that you are the children of the Church as the Pharisees sometimes boasted that they were the children of Abraham for as Christ said to them if you were the children of Abraham you would doe the workes of Abraham Thus if you were the genuine and naturall children of the Church you would doe the works of them that are the Church and children of God and be assured of this though
of affliction take not thy leave of Christ as Orpah did of Naomi for any distresse that doth befall the Church or cause of Christ doe not leave the Sun for a Gloc-worme the favour of God for the love of men doe not change the Arke for Dagon the â—heat for chaffe the Doctrine of Christ for the tradition of Antichrist pure Religion for fordid and slavish Superstition Forsake not the bridegroome of thy soule for a Harlot the Lord Iesus for the creature perfidiousnesse to Christ is the shame of all shames to a Christian God and man friend and foâ— abhorre him that proves unfaithfull to the Prince of his salvation It was the saying of the Father of Constantine the great occasioned by some of his housholds sacrificing to Idols upon a Commandement which he gave for tryals sake Eos Regi suo nunquam fideles fore qui Deo infideles ex it ssent He that will be false to God will never be true to man for conscience sake He that breaketh faith with God is worthy of least credit with man Take heed therefore let not thought arise within thee of departing from the living God but presse forward draw nearer and nearer unto God breake thorow all the Armies of opposition and discouragement which doe or shall encounter thee as Davids worthies brake thorow the Army of the Philistines and came to the wels of Bethel grow in Knowledge as the light shining more and more to the perfect day grow in faith as the Tree in rootes increase in love as the fire in heat having much wood Be not terrified with any comminations bee not disheartned with any losses revolt not for feare of any sufferings there is enough in Christ to make a super abundant recompence In him thou hast a living Spring when all thy bottles are empty an iron pillar when all thy withered reeds are broken a wall of fire when all the refuges and hiding places of chaffe and stubble are scattered like the dust before the wind in him thou hast a glorious Sun when all the blazing stars of thy worldly comfort are extinguish'd and come to nought a bridegroome the fairest of ten thousand when all thy friends according to the flesh are put to perpetuall silence in the grave O then suffer thy self now to be guided by Christ prostrate thy self under the feet of Christ be contented with Christ repose thy self upon Christ increase thy interest in Christ live wholy to Christ and be ready to suffer and dye for Christ that so thou mayest for ever tryumph with Christ So prayeth The most unworthy of them that serve the Lord Christ A. G. SWEET AND Soule-Perswading INDVCEMENTS Leading unto CHRIST CHAP. I. Psal 1 â—8 26 Blessed be he that commeth in the name of the Lord we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. CHrists triumphant comming into Ierusalem is a lively Embleme and cleare representation of his gracious comming in the Gospell to his people and in his spirituall and heavenly kingdome to the soules of his chosen Christ comming into Ierusalem sent two of his Disciples to loose the colt which was tyed and to bring him unto Christ Christ comming in his spirituall kingdome sends his Ministers by their preaching to loose and free the soules of men which are fast chained and fettered to sinne Satan and the world All men in their naturall estate and condition are slaves to the world servants of corruption and bondmen to Satan Christ by the labours of his Ministers in the Gospell communicates spirituall liberty and freedome to the soules of Gods chosen We all continue fast tyed with the cords and bands of carnall lusts and affections till Christ sends his Ministers amongst us The colt was first loosed and then brought to Christ The powers of sinne and ungodlinesse must first be dissolved within us before we can come to Christ Iesus We must be loosed and set free from the power of sinne Satan and the world which formerly ruled and swayed like Masters over us or else we are unfit for Christs service He that will not be untyed and loosed from his sinne cannot be united unto Christ the labours of Christs Ministers in respect of us are fruitlesse if they doe not loose us from the power of ungodlinesse Christ commandeth the two Disciples to bring the colt to him not to keep him to themselves not to imply him in their owne service It is the duty of Gods Ministers to draw the soules of men not unto themselves but unto Christ They are corrupt and carnall Ministers that seeke to exalt themselves and not the Lord Iesus in the eyes and hearts of their hearers the drawing and working home of the soules of men to Christ Iesus is the chiefest crowne and honour of all ministeriall labours they who make either their owne profit or applause the end of their ministeriall service are certainly deceitfull workers The Lords and owners of this colt though they questioned with the Disciples why they loosed him yet at their word they readily let him goe Christ makes his word in the mouth of his Ministers powerfull and effectuall in the hearts of his people to move them to resigne themselves and all that they have to Christ and his service Christ makes the soules of such as belong to Gods Election to obey the voice of his Ministers in the Gospell Christ sent not his Disciples to loose and bring unto him some magnificent and stately horse such as Princes and Nobles use to ride on but the fole of an Asse an ordinary dull and plaine beast Christ doth most usually set up his spirituall throne and kingdome in the hearts of men of meane and low condition and of little of no esteeme in the world Men most eminent for their morall and temporall endowments are often found the greatest strangers to Christ and his service Christ is many times carried in triumph in the hearts of poore and despised people when such as have the fulnesse of the world will not vaile and stoop to him The Disciples did not onely bring this colt to Christ but they also spread their cloathes upon him and so prepared and fitted him for Christ to ride thereon Gods Ministers must by their doctrines garnish the soules of men that they may be fit for Christ to raigne in them Nothing should be of such esteeme or use with us but we should readily spare it for Christs service be ready to strip our selves of all even our very garments to exalt the Lord Iesus we should rather chuse to make our selves naked then suffer Christ to be dishonoured The Disciples having cast their garments upon the beast they set up Christ thereon The exaltation of Christ must be the prime intendment and labour of every Minister of Christ they must never rest nor please themselves in their labours till they have set up Christ and caused him to raigne in the hearts of their hearers That man is very low and base in his
undertakings who strives not to make Christ glorious Christ being by the Disciples set upon this colt a great multitude spread their garments in the way and others cut downe branches from the trees and strawed them in the way When Christ is by his Ministers exalted and lifted up in the preaching of the Gospell many soules vaile and bow to him embrace and reverence him as their spirituall King and Soveraigne prostrating themselves and all that is theirs under him The multitude did not only straw the way with their garments and branches but they also cryed Hosanna to the sonne of David Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest Humble and beleeving soules receive and entertaine the Lord Iesus with very great ioy and gladnesse The blessed presence of Christ in the Gospell ministers matter of very great rejoycing here is such a sunne of heavenly light shining such a streame of consolations flowing such a store-house of spirituall treasure set open and such dewes of grace mercy and peace distilling that every man that hath an eye of wisedome to discerne Christ a hand of faith to lay hold on Christ and a heart of love to embrace Christs comming in the Gospell must needs say with the Psalmist Blessed be he that commeth in the name of the Lord. We are blessed out of the house of the Lord. The words are an Acclamation of the people declaring and setting forth the welcome of Christ to all beleeving soules their ioy and rejoycing conceived upon the comming of Christ among them their gratulation and thanksgiving for Christs appropinquation and comming nigh unto them their vote and exoptation of all prosperity blessed and happy successe to Christ in his kingdome Christs comming proves most ioyfull to them that lovingly receive and entertaine him All true beleevers are holy and hearty welwishers to the Gospell and Kingdome of Christ Iesus all manner of blessings attend and wait on the Lord Iesus in the humble and gracious use of his ordinances True Christians have such experience of the benefits and blessings mercies and comforts flowing from Christ in the ministery of his Gospell that with great joy and thanksgiving they cry out Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord. We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. In the words we have in the generall two things considerable 1. A Gratulation uttered by the people Blessed be he that commeth in the name of the Lord. 2. A Benediction pronounced by the Ministers of the Lord We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. In the gratulation there is 1. the Agent the people they blesse they rejoyce they are thankfull for Christs comming Man hath greatest cause of all creatures to reioyce in and for the comming of Christ Jesus 2. there is the Act Blessed praised exalted magnified be Christ Christ is worthy to be celebrated with all praises for his comming to us 3. there is the manner of their gratulation Blessed expressed 1. by way of thanksgiving and rejoycing and 2. by way of exoptation and wishing Whosoever truly reioyceth in Christ doth also wish well to the cause and kingdome of Christ 4. there is Movens or the party comming He who is the sonne of God by eternall generation and by grace of hypostaticall union the Prince of the Kings of the earth by authority and dominion He who is the head of the Church by spirituall Jurisdiction He who is the Redeemer of man by the merit of his obedience and passion He who is the Conquerour over hell death sinne and Satan by his Resurrection He who by his office is the Prophet instructing us the King commanding and defending us and the Priest offering himselfe a sacrifice for us He who is the Mediator between God and us by his intercession the fountaine of all mercy grace and peace unto us by divine ordination Blessed be he welcome be he in him let our soules rejoyce his comming let us entertaine with the chiefest and strength of our rejoycing The Lord Jesus ought to be the prime and compleat obiect of mans joyfulnesse 5. Here is his Motion Commeth Christ as God is every where and neither goes nor comes but fils all places yet he commeth by his Lawes and ordinances as a Prince by his Proclamations He commeth by his Ministers as a King by his Embassadours He commeth by his Incarnation as a brother taking our nature upon him He commeth by his gifts and graces best owed on us as a friend commeth by his love-tokens He commeth by his Word and Gospell as the Sun commeth by his light enlightening us as a King commeth by his Scepter binding bowing and inclining our hearts unto obedience as a Generall commeth by his military weapons casting downe the strong holds of sinne within us as the Cloud commeth by his dew watering refreshing and fructifying us as the Master of a feast commeth by his dainties feeding and feasting us as a Bridegroome commeth by his voice solacing and comforting us He commeth by his Sacrament as the King by his Broad Seale sealing to us the remission of our sinnes and justification of our soules through his righteousnesse he commeth by his holy and gracious operation upon our soules as the Sunne by casting a sweet and heavenly influence into our hearts as a King setting up his throne within us as a heavenly and Almighty Work-man new moulding new framing and fashioning us all these wayes comes the Lord Iesus to the soules of his servants Blessed is that person that knowes the way and manner of Christs spirituall and gracious comming Here is the terme from whence he commeth from God in the name of the Lord by the ordination and appointment of God with authority and commission from God every way fitted and furnished for the administration of his kingdome and accomplishment of the worke undertaken by him CHAP. II. I Will not insist on all these particulars but onely upon the peoples gratulation and Christs authority or commission First the peoples gratulation Blessed be he that commeth expressing their rejoycing and thanksgiving for Christs comming in his Gospell and spirituall kingdome Man blesseth man by making prayer and supplication for him God blesseth man by bestowing good things upon him by removing evill things from him and by turning all for good unto him and man blesseth God and Christ by thanksgiving to God and Christ well speaking of God and Christ holy and hearty rejoycing in God and Christ gracious and unfained wel-wishing unto the cause of God and Christ and thus the people in this place blesse Christs comming in the name of the Lord and hence we learne That Christ comming in his Gospell spiritual kingdome ought to be received and entertained with much thanksgiving reioycing The Arke was a type of Christ David at the comming of the Arke into the Tabernacle danced with all
them in the waters this gives them occasion in a holy and triumphant manner to say the Lord hath triumphed gloriously the horse and the rider hath he throwne downe together He cannot but rejoyce in Christs comming that partakes of the victory comming by him In regard of the spirituall and heavenly peace hence arising to the soule Christs comming to the soules of men in the Gospell is like the comming of the Dove to Noah with an Olive branch in her mouth certifying the soule of the abatement and removall of Gods wrath of the speedy departure of the deluge of present sorrowes and the happy returne and re-appearance of spirituall and heavenly comforts Here Christ as a bright and shining Sunne dispels the clouds of sorrow from the soule Here Christ as a valiant Captaine removes the siege which the infernall Princes lay against the soules of his servants as Joshuah drove the Amoritist Princes from the Gibeonites Here Christ as a Physitian heales the wounded consciences and binds up the broken hearts of his children as he sometime healed the diseased woman whom no Physitian could cure Here Christ as an absolute Commander appeaseth the inward stormy troubles of the heart as by his voice he appeased the stormy tempest and gave a calme to his Disciples Here Christ as a King of mercies assures the soules of men of the pardon of their sinnes and gives them the sence of his love and so fils them with sweet and blessed peace therefore Christ is stiled a Sunne of Righteousnesse appearing with healing in his wings in the wings of his ordinances without and in the wings of his grace within and it was prophecyed of him that he should preach good tidings to the meeke bind up the broken-hearted proclaime liberty to the captive and open the prison to them that are bound to comfort all that mourne and God hath created the fruit of the lips to be peace to be the instrument of peace and the Gospell is called the Gospell of peace for the Author of it the God of peace for the Subject of it Christ the Prince of peace for the parties receiving it the children of peace and for the fruit of it spirituall and heavenly grace In regard of that blessed and soule-refreshing Communion which wee attaine with God through Christ comming in the Gospell Josephs brethren were brought nigh to the King of Egypt by Ioseph Man is brought nigh to God by Christ Christ preached in the Gospell is like Iacobs ladder by him God descendeth unto us and through him we ascend unto God the Arke was an assurance of Gods presence among the people and God dwelled there Where Christ is preached in the Gospell there God is in mercy present with his people there is the Lords dwelling in Salem is his Tabernacle and his dwelling place in Zion In the Gospell men are regenerate and made the children of God men are humbled and made loyall Subjects to God men are endowed with faith wrought into Gods Covenant and made the friends of God Men are separated from the world and gathered home to God and made the sheep of his pasture so that now they have communion with him as children with a father as favourites with a King as schollers with a teacher as the members of a house with the master of the house Now they are made nigh through Christ nigh in knowledge nigh in faith nigh in love nigh in likenesse nigh in conformity and obedience nigh in the participations of spirituall comforts and in the enjoyment of the light of Gods countenance very pleasant and comfortable is a gracious soules communion with God in the Gospell Christ is most worthy of all acceptation for that communion which we have with God through him CHAP. 3. THis discovers their sinne their miserable and wretched condition who are not thankfull for who rejoyce not in the comming of Christ in his Gospell and in the kingdome of his grace among them There were children of Belial that said of Saul when he was set up King over Israel How shall this man save us they despised him and brought him no present There are many children of Belial in the world that say of Christ comming in the Gospell comming in his word to reigne and rule over them how shall Christ save us by this preaching of the Gospell the preaching of Christ seemes foolishnesse unto them a darke doctrine wherein is no light no wisedome no excellency of learning an empty doctrine wherein is no fulnesse no worth a very babling a weake doctrine wherein is no power The false Apostles said of Paul his bodily presence is weake and his speech contemptible Many false and counterfeit Christians say of Christ in the closet of their owne hearts Christs presence in the Gospell is weake and his speech in the Gospell is contemptible and thus they despise Christ in his offices in his Ministers in his Ordinances in his members they bring him no present they present not themselves in Christs schoole as schollers to learne Christ they present not themselves in Christs house as children to feed on those dainties which Christ hath there prepared for them they present not themselves in Christs Courts as Subjects to receive his Lawes and doe his will they present not their soules and bodies as a living holy and acceptable sacrifice unto Christ But as the men of the old world said in the Atheisme of their hearts unto God so say these in the ignorance infidelitie pride and prophanenesse of their soules unto Christ Depart from us we care not for the knowledge of thy wayes What is Christ that we should serve him and what profit shall we have if we pray unto him if we attend him preached in the Gospell surely Christ preached in the Gospell is very strangely and shamefully undervalued by many people In stead of rejoycing they grieve at the preaching of Christ among them as Herod and all the men of Ierusalem were troubled to heare of Christs being borne King of the Jewes and of the appearing of a starre declaring the comming of Christ the true light of the world the cleare and full opening of Christ and the setting up of Christ to reigne and rule over the hearts and wayes of men is very troublesome to many people like those evill citizens in the parable they will not have this man Christ to raigne over them they will not have him reigne over their understandings as a light guiding them over their wils as a Prince commanding them over their affections as a Lord and Master ruling and ordering them over their lusts as a Physitian lancing purging mortifying and taking them off Many men delight to talke much of Christs salvation but they have no pleasure to heare of his kingdome it is acceptable to them to be saved by Christ but very troublesome to serve Christ But what a shame what an abomination what
comming in the Gospell was shadowed by the feast of solemnity called blowing of Trumpets signifying the spirituall joy and gladnesse occasioned and raised in the hearts of men by Christs comming in the flesh and in the preaching of the Gospell the Lord Jesus being the gladsome body and substance of all the Leviticall and Ceremoniall joyous festivals this was also foretold and often prophecyed How beautifull saith the Prophet Esay are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings that publisheth peace and bringeth good tidings of good that publisheth salvation that saith unto Sion thy God raigneth which Prophecye the Apostle referres to the preaching of the Gospell the feet carry the body in motion and going the ministery carry Christ in the preaching of the Gospell the feet lift and beare up the body the Ministers lift up and carry Christ aloft and make him conspicuous in the eyes of the people by their holy and wholsome doctrine the feet of him that brings tidings of a pardon to a condemned person tidings of redemption to a captive tidings of supply to him that is in want are very beautifull in the eyes of such people the feet of Gods Ministers bringing tidings of forgivenesse tidings of deliverance tidings of all fulnesse in and by Christ Jesus are very beautifull in their eyes who know and feele the danger of their owne sinfull condition therefore breake forth into ioy saith the Prophet sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem for the Lord hath comforted his people he hath redeemed Jerusalem The comming of the Sunne comforteth him that sits in darknesse the comming of the Physitian comforts him that is opprest with sicknesse the comming of the ransomer comforts him that is in bondage the comming of Christ in the Gospell like the comming of the light comforts men with knowledge like the comming of a Physitian with healing in his wings comforts men with spirituall health and like the comming of a ransomer gives the comfort of spirituall freedome sweet and blessed and full of refreshing is the joy arising from Christ his comming in the Gospell This makes the wildernesse like Eden and the desart like the garden of the Lord. This fils the desolate sad and sorrowfull soule of man full of joy and gladnesse thanksgiving and the voice of melody and to this joyfull entertainment of Christs comming in his spirituall kingdome Let us all provoke our hearts and frame and dispose our soules as the eye is disposed to a joyfull entertainment of the light the eare to a joyfull entertainment of musicke and the bride to a joyfull entertainment of the bridegroome And that we may give Christ comming in the Gospell a Christian and wel-pleasing entertainment there are three things in the generall observable 1. Modus the manner how we must entertaine him 2. Medium the meanes which we must use to entertaine him and 3. Motivum the inducements perswading thus to entertaine Christ 1. The manner how Christ must be entertained and received and thus Christ must bee entertained received 1. Spiritually The entertainment of the King is sutable to the condition quality and nature of the King earthly entertainment is given to earthly Kings Christ is a spirituall and heavenly King his kingdome is not of this world and therefore he must not be carnally but spiritually entertained the Tabernacle into which the Arke was received had in it the two Tables of the Law it was overlaid within with pure gold and the Arke had a crowne of gold about it Hee that will entertaine Christ must have the Law of God written in his heart his soule within and his life without must be overlaid with the gifts and graces of the Spirit more pure and precious then the gold which perisheth holinesse and righteousnesse must crowne the soules of such persons as will entertaine Christ Jesus slimy sluttish and filthy houses are fitter to entertaine swine then Princes corrupt and carnall unsanctified and ungracious soules are fitter to entertaine Satan the prince of darknesse then to entertaine Christ the King of Righteousnesse The Kings daughter the Spouse of Christ the Type of all that truly entertaine Christ was all-glorious within Heavenly graces are the peculiar glory of Gods servants making their soules a fit receptacle for the Lord Iesus As men therefore to receive and entertaine an earthly King cleanse their houses perfume and garnish all their roomes and prepare such delicacies as the King delights in Thus wee to entertaine and receive Christ the heavenly King must cleanse our soules of all sin we must put all iniquity farre from us as a spot from our faces a disease from our flesh and a theefe from our house we must garnish all the roomes of the house of our soules with spirituall ornaments our understandings with spirituall knowledge our wils with gracious liberty and freedome to embrace and chuse Christ our imaginations with holy thoughts and medetations upon Christ our affections with filiall feare to offend Christ with lively faith to beleeve in Christ with pure and fervent love to Christ with heavenly joy and delight in Christ He that is most holy and gracious is most capable of Christ Iesus the soule which abides under the sway and power of prophanenesse cannot receive the Lord Iesus the swaying presence of ungodlinesse nullifies the gracious presence of Christ Iesus No man receiveth Christ with true and sollid comfort in the Gospell but only he whose soule is endowed with purity and sanctification 2. Speedily The servant speedily opens the doore of the house when the Master knocks and readily entertaines him Christ is the great Lord and Master of the house of mans soule at the doore whereof he knocks by the ministery of the Gospell and man must speedily open to Christ so knocking Behold saith Christ I stand at the doore and knocke the heart of unregenerate man is a doore shut a hard a stony doore God and Christ are shut out to this doore Christ knocks by the preaching of the Law threatning destruction to him that will not open by the preaching of the Gospell promising pardon to all that speedily and sincerely open by the rod of affliction and terrour of conscience on all that doe delay to open by the inward motion and powerfull operation of his Spirit on Gods chosen repairing and disposing their hearts to open to him If any man saith Christ heare my voice speedily without delay unfainedly without hypocrisie humbly without disdaine beleevingly without unbeleefe joyfully without repining and obediently without rebellion If any man thus heare my voice and open unto me by understanding me and my will by beleeving me and my promises by loving me and my testimonies by embracing me and my benefits by dedicating himselfe to me and my service I will come into him I will make his soule my temple and holy habitation I will enter into a neare and sweet communion with him and I
will sup with him I will accept and delight in his knowledge faith repentance and new obedience and he shall sup with me I will communicate unto him justification sanctification peace the joy of the Holy-Ghost the heavenly treasure of all saving grace their blisse and happinesse is very great and comfortable who give a full and speedy entertainment to Christ comming in the Gospell It is a point of Christian and choisest wisedome according to the charge of the Prophet to seeke the Lord while he may be found and to call upon him while he is neare at hand The Sunne of heavenly light which now shineth may set and we be left in darknesse the Well of salvation now opened may be sealed up and we perish with want of spirituall water to refresh us the gate of mercy now opened to us may be shut against us Christ may withdraw himselfe and refuse to be found of us the things belonging to our peace may be hidden from us It is just with Christ to withdraw himselfe from them that delay to receive him Christ will be to them as a deafe man that heares not in the day of their trouble and afflictions who are deafe to Christ and will not heare him in his Gospell in the day of his mercifull visitation O therefore to day if ye will heare his voice harden not your hearts behold now is the accepted time now is the day of salvation Now while Christ is preached in the Gospell salvation pardonall mercy is offered now if ever is the time to accept it therefore as Zaccheus made haste and came downe from the Sycamine tree and received Christ into his house joyfully So let us make haste and come downe every man from all high thoughts of our owne worth and joyfully receive Christ into the house of our heart When Christ appeared unto Abraham in the plaine of Mamre in the forme of an Angell and two other Angels with him it is said that Abraham ranne to meet them from the tent doore and hasted to his tent to make provision for them he used all speed in their entertainment Thus when Christ appeares in the Gospell and comes to us by his Ministers we should run from our tent doores from our selves by Christian denyall from the world by desertion from our sinnes by mortification Thus we should run to meet Christ comming in the Gospell and hasten every man into his tent into his heart and there make all spirituall provision to entertaine him The use of hast and speed in the entertaining of Christ comming in his Gospell is more necessary and commendable then in any other undertaking 3. Cordially With much and fervent affection the heart is Christs house where he must dwell Christs throne where he must raigne and the pallace whereinto he must be received the place of the Arke was not in a corner but in the midst of the Tabernacle Christ must not be thrust into a corner of the soule his dwelling must be in the midst thereof in the heart of man he must have the best and choisest roome of mans affection this Christ requires My sonne give me thy heart not thy head barely to know me nor thy memory nakedly to remember me nor thy tongue formally to speake of me nor thy foot onely to come outwardly unto me but thy heart to love and embrace me to surrender and yeeld up all unto me This was the Apostles prayer in the behalfe of the Ephesians that Christ might dwell not onely in their care or in the tongue the outward roomes of the body nor in the head or memory the upper roomes of the soule but in their heart the middle and choisest roome of the soule of man Our prayers are but empty and fruitlesse untill wee have prayed Christ into our hearts and affections Christ commeth in the Gospell as a King of mercies to pardon us as a bridegroome to marry us and we must entertaine him with love much strong and fervent love as a malefactor his King comming to him with a pardon or the bride the bridegroome our love to Christ must be like the love of Ionathan to David a love passing the love of women our soule must be knit to Christ as Ionathan seeing what David had done for Israel in the overthrow of Goliah his soule was knit to David so we seeing what Christ hath done for us in the overthrow of Satan our soules must be knit to Christ our soules must long for Christ as the soule of Shechem longed for Dinah our soule must delight in Christ as the soule of the rich in his treasure and the soule of the bride in the bridegroome thus the Spouse expresseth her selfe shew me O thou whom my soule loveth whom I love fervently unfainedly and with a longing desire to enjoy and in the banqueting house in the ministery of the word she found her selfe sicke of love ravished with love to Christ The entertainment of Christ into the heart is the glory of a Christian as the entertainment of the King to a house is the glory of a Subject This is the fulnesse of the soule as the entertainment of the Sunne into the eye is the fulnesse of the eye the heart is an empty vessell untill Christ hath the possession of it this is the defence and safety of the soule as the being of the Pilate in the ship is of the safety of the ship the being of the keeper in the Castle is the safety of the Castle the being of Christ in the ship in the stormy tempest was the safety of the Disciples the being of Christ in the soule is the safeguard of the soule in all the stormy tempests of trouble the soule where Christ hath no dwelling lyeth open to all the assaults of Satan This brings the soule to a sweet communion with Christ in the Gospell as Iehu said unto Iehonadab comming to meet him Is thy heart right as my heart is with thy heart if it be give me thine hand and he gave him his hand and he tooke him up to him into the charet Thus when we come to meet Christ in the Gospell Christ looketh to the integrity of our hearts if our hearts be right with Christ and we give him the hand of faith and the hand of love then he takes us up into his charet then he takes us to himselfe then he brings us into a neare a sweet and comfortable communion with himselfe the soule which doth not love Christ hath neither cleare discerning of Christ nor gracious fellowship with Christ 4. Cheerfully Old Jacob seeing the waggons which Joseph had sent to carry him to Egypt to bring him to himselfe it is said his heart revived Man seeing Christ in the Gospell comming by the labours of his Ministers as by a charet to take and carry him of from the world to bring him nigh unto himselfe and to the
defiles the heart of man with covetousnesse Thine eyes and thy heart saith the Lord to Jehoiakim are not but for thy covetousnesse and for to shed innocent bloud and for oppression and for violence to doe it it defiles the affections with idolatry and with spirituall fornication and adultery the covetous man is an idolater saith Saint Paul and the adulterers and adulteresses saith Saint Iames to such as embrace not Christ but the creature know you not that the love of the world is enmity with God and that he that is a friend to the world is an enemy to God The world fils that mans soule with most shamefull uncleannesse that embraceth not the Lord Iesus therefore as Hagar seeing the emptinesse of her bottle came readily to the fountaine as the mariner feeling the tempest and troublesomnesse of the seas comes willingly to the haven as the Israelites feeling the cruelty of Pharaohs task-masters and the insupportablenesse of his burthens willingly embraced Moses and as the diseased woman feeling the loathsomnesse of her bloudy issue and having experience of the vanity of all Physitians came gladly unto Christ so we seeing the emptinesse feeling the uncomfortablenesse and knowing the inthralling and defiling nature of the creature without Christ let us readily willingly joyfully and thankfully receive and embrace Christ that our soules may be freed sanctified and filled with all saving graces and heavenly comforts Experience of the vanity trouble bondage and evils which attend the naked having of the creatures should marvellously endeare unto us the Lord Iesus and make his comming in the Gospell surpassingly sweet and welcome 2. Let us throughly view and consider the state of man without Christ Man not receiving Christ in the Gospell hath no spirituall life but is dead in sinnes as the body is dead without the soule he hath no saving knowledge but is in spirituall blindnesse as he that is without the Sunne is in darknesse he hath no heavenly gift or grace but is empty of all the fruits of the Spirit as the branch which is separated from the vine hath neither juice nor fruit he hath no Christian liberty or freedome but is a bondman to sin Satan and the world as Peter lay in Herods prison in fetters and under the custody of the souldiers before the Angell came and freed him he hath no interest in Gods promises but as Adam was shut out of the garden of Eden so is man shut out of Gods Covenant Gods promises are a sealed well whereof his soule drinks not he hath no garment of righteousnesse to cover him no jewell of grace to adorne him no spirituall treasure to enrich him but is poore blind naked miserable and wretched As the Egyptians were led away by the King of Assyria prisoners captives naked barefoot with their buttocks uncovered to the shame of Egypt so man without Christ is led away by the prince of darknesse a spirituall prisoner and captive his soule bare naked uncovered to the shame of mankind he hath no holy and heavenly peace but as the Disciples were tossed upon the tempest till Christ calmed the waters so is man like the troubled sea when it cannot rest whose waters cast up mire and dirt untill Christ ministers comfort Man without Christ is like a blind traveller that hath no guide to leade him like a dead man in the grave putrifying in sinne having none to raise him like an empty cisterne having no fountaine to fill him like a bondman having no ransomer to free him like a woman in travell having no midwife to help her lik a sheep in the midst of wolves having no shepheard to conduct and defend it and like a besieged City in the midst of many enemies having no wall to protect it no captaine to fight for it Miserable is mans condition that receives not Christ in the Gospell did man know and feele his unhappinesse without Christ he would never be so regardlesse of Christ never so carelesly let Christ passe but would meet Christ where he commeth in his word as the blind men went out and stood by the high-way side where Christ was to passe and cry after Christ as they did as the woman of Shunem hasted to the Prophet for the raising of her dead son and laid hold upon the Prophets feet and would not let him goe untill he came with her and raised her sonne againe to life so would man hasten unto Christ lay hold upon Christ in the Gospell and bring Christ home into his heart he would be at no rest untill Christ had raised freed purged and comforted his dead captived polluted and comfortlesse soule He would as joyfully entertaine Christs comming in his Gospell to free him from the power of his corruptions as ever the Gibeonites gladly entertained Ioshuah comming to rescue them from the Amoritish Princes it is mans unsensiblenesse of the misery of his owne condition that causeth Christs comming to bee unwelcome 3. Meditate the soules apprehension of God without Christ God who to the soules of them that savingly embrace Christ is looked on rejoyced and delighted in as a father for his love as a gracious King for his mercies as a sure and sweet friend for his comforts as a loving husband for his amiable and soule-refreshing presence as a shield for the defence as a rocke for the supportment and as a full fountaine for the satisfaction which he ministreth This thrice blessed and gracious God is apprehended considered and lookt upon by him that doth not embrace Christ in the Gospell as a severe Iudge to condemne him as an enemy full of displeasure against him as a man of warre bending his bow and whetting his sword to destroy him as a rocke ready to fall upon him and grinde him to pouder as a tempestuous sea ready to swallow him and as consuming fire and everlasting burning ready for ever to consume and to destroy him Very dreadfull and soule-amasing and frightening is mans meditation and apprehension of God that doth not savingly apprehend him in Christ such a man flies from the thought of God the voice of God and the presence of God as Adam fled into the thicket as a silly sheep flies before the Lyon a guilty malefactor before the hue and cry or a Partridge before the Hawke This makes them cry to the hils to cover them and to the rocks and the mountaines to fall upon them to hide them from the day of the Lord and the wrath of the Lambe God lookt upon without Christ Iesus is the terrour of all terrours to a guilty soule and accusing conscience Were men truly apprehensive and sensible of the wrath of God without Christ their soules would be at no rest untill they had assured interest in Christ the fiercenesse and terrour of God against sinners doth exceedingly endeare and sweeten the Lord Iesus to the soules of his faithfull servants had we frequent and right consideration of the
Church and children in the dissipation of all adversary powers victorious be he in the subjugation and conquest of his enemies glorious be he in the conversion of sinners in the multiplication and increase of his holy and loyall subjects beautifull and amiable be he in the eyes of all persons Let his Gospell shine like the Sun from the one end of heaven unto the other Let his name be as an oyntment powred out casting a sweet smell throughout this great house of the world to him let all the Kings and kingdomes of the earth vaile and stoop become truly obedient and subject This is the prayer desire and endeavour of all that rejoyce in Christ aright teaching us That It is the duty of all people unfainedly to desire and earnestly to endeavour the welfare promotion and advancement of Christ his spirituall kingdome and Gospell David and all the house of Israel joyned together in erecting and setting up the Arke in the Tabernacle Kings and Subjects Masters and servants parents and children the people of every calling and condition should unite their forces their hearts and hands their counsels and tongues their affections and endeavours to set up Christ to advance his Gospell to honour and enlarge his kingdome This was shadowed in the building of the Temple to the building thereof concurred Solomon and his servants Hyram of Tyrus and the Sydonians who did hew the timber for it to the building of the Church of Christ to the setting up of Christ and his Gospell there should be an universall unanimous full and sweet concurrence of men of all nations of Kings and subjects of Lords and servants of Ministers and people every man in the place and calling wherein God hath set him according to the gift and endowment which God hath bestowed on him must concurre in his prayers and endeavours to advance the honour and kingdome of Christ Jesus This was also figured in the neighbouring Kings payment of tribute unto Solomon desiring his friendship and by variety of gifts and presents making their peace with him All people comming from all the Kings of the earth to heare his wisedome the whole as in a shadow presignifying mens payment of the spirituall tribute of feare and reverence faith and obedience love and thankfulnesse unto Christ their entring into a Covenant of peace with Christ their seeking of the love and friendship of Christ their attendance upon the Gospell to heare and learne Christs wisedome their dedication of themselves and their substance to the service of Christ their spirituall subjection unto Christ and their holy and gracious endeavours to make the name of Christ glorious This was foretold by the Psalmist they that dwell in the wildernesse shall bow before him and his enemies shall licke the dust they shall humble themselves under the mighty hand of Christ they shall acknowledge and receive him as their Lord they shall feare and reverence him as their King they shall vaile and bow to his scepter they shall put themselves and all that is theirs under Christ they shall give themselves to the exaltation and setting up of Christ The Kings of Tharsis and of the Isles shall bring presents the Kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts they shall consecrate their abilities to Christs service they shall communicate of their substance to the maintenanne of Christs Church and Ministers to the preservation and increase of Christs kingdome All Kings shall fall downe before him all nations shall serve him All shall adore and serve him as their King all shall exalt and honour him as loyall subjects their heavenly Soveraigne all persons from the highest to the lowest must serve the Lord Jesus and study to make him glorious grace works obedience in the hearts of Princes as well as in the hearts of beggars The Sun as well as the stars did obeysance unto Joseph in his vision Kings as well as inferiour persons doe obâ—â—â—ance unto Christ under his kingdome and Gospell The foure and twenty Elders in Saint Johns vision fell downe before him that sate on the throne and worship him that liveth for ever and ever and cast their crownes before the throne Godly Kings and Governours cast their crownes their dominion dignity power honour and jurisdiction and all that they have before Christ they make all serviceable to the exaltation of Christ and his kingdome This was like prophecyed by the Prophet Esay the abundance of the sea multitudes of men dwelling in Islands shall be converted unto thee shall be gathered unto the Church and kingdome of Christ and the forces great troupes and companies of the Gentiles shall come to thee shall be joyned to the people of God embrace their Religion and enter into a sweet and gracious fellowship with them They shall bring gold and incense they shall contribute liberally to the maintenance of the Gospell and Christs poore members they shall dedicate their earthly abundance to Christs service and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord they shall be very industrious and studious to make the name of the Lord Jesus glorious The sonnes of strangers shall build up thy wals become members in thy house and fellow-helpers in thy worke and their Kings shall minister unto thee shall serve Christ and labour the welfare of his Church and kingdome The glory of Lebanon shall come to thee there is nothing so excellent which shall not put it selfe under Christ and be made serviceable to his Gospell and kingdome and thus our Saviour taught his Disciples to pray that Gods kingdome might come that the Gospell might be preached and men filled with the light thereof As the aire is filled with light upon the comming of the Sunne that the Holy-Ghost might be powred out and the hearts of men inspired with the knowledge love and obedience of the truth that all the lusts of men the impediments of Gods gracious kingdome in the soule of man might be crucified and utterly extinct and that God might universally spiritually and fully reigne in the hearts of men all the weapons of their rebellion laid aside and their soules brought into a gracious subjection and it is the Apostles charge pray that the word of the Lord may run have a free and a speedie passage running as the Sun shining to all the corners of the world and running as the rivers to water the earth and be glorified by the pure and powerfull preaching of it by the holy and gracious working of it by the ready and cheerfull entertainment of it and by the holy and humble subjection of the soules of men under it Mans obedience makes the word very glorious and the free and speedy passage and powerfull working of the Gospell should be earnestly prayed for by the Lords people this is the charet on which Christ rideth in spirituall triumph this is the scepter by which he swayeth in the soules of his chosen and the welfare of this doe all the
spirituall welfare of his children The Psalmist having mentioned and set forth the felicity and prosperity of the faithfull servants of God In the multiplication of their seed in the increase of their wealth in the Lords dispensation of joy in heavinesse of safety in dangers of deliverance in distresses of exaltation after all oppositions to Gods Church and children concludes thus The wicked shall see it and be grieved he shall gnash with his teeth and melt away the desire of the wicked shall perish Wicked men are more grieved at good mens prosperity then at their owne misery It is a sure argument of raigning prophanenesse to sorrow for the welfare of the righteous All Hamans honours and preferments availe him nothing while he sees Mordecai sitting in the gate Wicked men often lose the comfort of all their owne earthly fulnesse whiles they behold the prosperity and welfare of Gods Church and righteous servants The exaltation of Christs Kingdome and flourishing of the Gospell doth fill some men with such vexation that all their wealth honours and high places seeme to them as nothing No doubt it much troubled the Philistines to see the Arke of the Lord stand upright and Dagon broken to a stump It is a great trouble to many people to see the Kingdome of Christ stand and the Gospell to flourish and the Dagon of superstition usury drunkennesse c. disgraced shamed and cast to ground the Priests the Captaine of the Temple and the Sadduces were grieved that the Disciples taught the people and preached through Iesus the resurrection from the dead and the two Prophets in the Revelation are said to torment them that dwell on the earth The glorious shining of the Sunne is a trouble to diseased eyes the bright and cleare shining of the truth is a torment to prophane and ungracious soules such as grieve not for their sin grieve at the Gospell the meanes of mortifying sin such as most rejoyce in superstition prophanenesse and the vanities of the world are most grieved and troubled at the powerfull preaching of the Gospell O how great is mans blindnesse how strange is mans perversenesse that he should be most grieved and troubled at the presence of that which God hath ordained to be the instrument of mans greatest honour profit and comfort CHAP. X. ALl men should learne by this to worke their hearts to imploy their thoughts and to give themselves to the utmost of their abilities to the advancement of Christs Kingdome and Gospell to the setting up of Christ upon his throne in his Church here on the face of the earth Zadok the Priest Nathan the Prophet Benaiah the sonne of Jehoiada and the Cherethites and the Pelithites caused Solomon to ride upon the Kings mule they anointed him King in Gihon and all the servants of King David came and said God make the name of Solomon better then thy name and his throne greater then thy throne All Kings and rulers all Ministers and teachers should set up Christ and cause him to ride in spirituall triumph upon Gods Church and all the servants of the Lord from the highest to the lowest should pray for the prosperity successe honour and enlargement of Christs Kingdome All Magistrates as representative gods should be in stead of God to Christs Church as shepheards they should see that spirituall pastures be provided for Christs flocke and that all wolves beares and foxes all instruments of annoyance be kept far from them as nursing fathers and nursing mothers they should be carefull that provision be made for Christs family and as they are stiled the shields of the earth so they should be carefull to minister defence to Christs Church and people against the power and fury of all that offer any injury to them Thus they must kisse the sonne with the kisse of love and affection with the kisse of honour and exaltation with the kisse of reverence and subjection with the kisse of congratulation and rejoycing with the kisse of prayer and wel-wishing endeavouring to the utmost of their power the propagation of Christ and his Gospell All Ministers as builders in Christs house as stewards in Christs family as teachers in Christs schoole as labourers in Christs vineyard as under-rowers in Christs ship as burning lamps in Christs Temple as watchmen in Christs City should by their frequent preaching wholsome doctrine sharp reprehension wise admonition seasonable and gracious consolation and holy walking propagate the Gospell advance the Kingdome and increase the number of Christs people and make the Lord Jesus every day more and more glorious in the eyes of all beholders All Masters and rulers of families should strive the exaltation of Christs Kingdome by being as Kings Prophets and Priests within their domesticall wals by their godly government Christian instruction and holy prayer and supplication with and for them that are under their jurisdiction teaching them with Abraham to know the Lord bringing them with Cornelius to the ministery of the word and making their houses with Philemon a Church of God All private persons should likewise put their hands to this worke and labour the setting up of Christs Kingdome and Gospell by flowing to the house of God as rivers to the ocean by comming speedily and unanimously as the doves unto the windowes as the Eagles to the carkasse or the lame unto Bethesda by growing in all spirituall gifts and graces as children grow in stature as trees in fruitfulnesse and as the light shineth more and more unto the perfect day by consecrating themselves to Christ and his service as souldiers to their Generall as servants to their Lord and Master and as a Spouse to their husband to fight Christs battels to doe Christs worke to love Christs name and to bring forth all their fruit to Christ as a wife brings forth all her children to her husband and by holy exhortation and gracious counsell perswading and drawing others to Christ to the knowledge faith love and obedience of Christ leaving other imployments at convenient seasons as the woman of Samaria left her water pot to bring other men to Christ as she brought her fellow citizens Considering as the Apostle saith one another and provoking one another to love and to good works being to their fellow brethren as spurres quickning them and as loadstones drawing them daily nearer and nearer unto Christ labouring to make Christ appeare more amiable and glorious in the eyes of all their fellow-servants As all the rivers great and small empty themselves into the sea to the filling up of the sea so let us all high and low young and old rich and poore bond and free empty our selves and all our abilities and endeavours into Christ to the filling up of Christ his Church his Kingdome his mysticall body which is the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all As all the people who were willing hearted both men
exaltation of Christs Gospell The setting up of the Arke in the house of Obed-Edom caused all that he had to prosper The setting up of the Gospell brings great and singular prosperity to the people Christs Gospell the revelation of Christ and the mysteries of his kingdome is a great blessing Blessed saith our Saviour are the eyes which see the things which ye see having the Gospell preached to them the tydings of salvation published among them Christ revealing and opening himselfe unto them These are blessed in the illumination of their understandings having the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ communicated to them Blessed in the vivification of their soules having the word of life quickning them Blessed in the sanctification of their hearts the Gospell cleansing their sinne as Jordan cleansed the leprosie of Naaman Blessed in their Conquest over sin Satan and the world the Gospell overturning all the holds of Satan as the sounding of the rammes hornes overthrew the wals of Jericho Blessed in 〈◊〉 pacification of their consciences the Evangelicall voice of Christ quieting their perplexed consciences as his personall voice quieted the stormy tempest and blessed in the sweetning of their afflictions the Gospell sweetens all tryals and troubles to Gods children as the tree sweetned the waters of Marah to Israel Blessed in their very temporall possessions and bodily undertakings Where God gives his Gospell the food of the soule he will also give the staffe of bread the food of the body Christ did not onely feed the soules of them who followed him with his doctrine but he also miraculously fed their bodies with corporall provision the Gospell is indeed even the choisest of all blessings where this goes all goes that is behoofull for the welfare of Gods children therefore blessed saith the Psalmist is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his owne inheritance God is the God of all by creation by absolute dominion by common preservation but he is their God to whom he gives his Gospell by gracious manifestation heavenly instruction spirituall regeneration familiar and comfortable habitation sweet and celestiall dispensation of heavenly fulnesse to them God is there alone sweetly and spiritually knowne and enjoyed where his Gospell is erected and for this cause we should mightily endeavour the advancement of the Gospell King David being told how the Lord had blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that pertained to him because of the Arke of the Lord went and brought the Arke into the City of David with gladnesse Men hearing of the prosperity and blessing which doth attend the Gospell should with great care and diligence with much alacrity and cheerfulnesse endeavour the erection of the Gospell among them He is altogether unsensible of the manifold and singular benefits and mercies accompanying the Gospell that doth not heartily desire and effectually labour the welfare thereof As the Gospell excels all temporall endowments so should we endeavour the successe and stability of the Gospell more then of any or all other possessions CHAP. XI ANd for the disposing framing and working our hearts thus to advance the Gospell and kingdome of Christ there must be 1. A distasting disrellishing and being weary of sinne The Gospell never seemes sweet untill that sinne seemes bitter he will never effectually endeavour the setting up of Christ and the Gospell that desires not the deposition of sinne the Philistines having a desire to maintaine and uphold Dagon set the Arke below Dagon on the left hand of Dagon Man having a desire to uphold sinne abaseth Christ and his Gospell puts them below his lusts gives preheminence to his lust above the Gospell and above Christ Herod not disrellishing his incestuous sinne not being weary of it but intending the maintenance thereof cut off the head of the Baptist the forerunner of Christ Man can neither truly desire nor faithfully endeavour the advancement of Christ and his Gospell that is not weary of his sinne as of a heavy burthen Man to whom sinne is pleasant and delightfull is very impatient and weary of the presence and power of the Gospell he alone consecrates himselfe to Christ and the advancement of his kingdome to whom sinne is distastefull as gall to his palate gravell to his teeth a disease to his flesh or fetters to his feet When Abner was wroth with Ishbesheth the sonne of Saul then he came to David to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah from Dan even to Beersheba When man is wroth with sinne full of indignation against sinne then he comes to Christ then he joynes himselfe in a holy and solemne Covenant with Christ then he labours to set up the throne of Christ over his soule and body then he prayes and strives that Christ may raigne from Dan to Beersheba from the highest to the lowest faculty of his soule and from the greatest to the smallest undertaking of his life Man is ever so much the more industrious to set up Christ and his kingdome by how much the more his corruption doth grieve and trouble him 2. A holy and filiall feare towards Christ making loath to offend Christ willing in every thing to please Christ All the Rulers of the Provinces the Lievtenants Deputies and Officers of the King helped the Iewes when the feare of Mordecai fell upon them When the holy and gracious feare of Christ doth fall upon the soules of men enter into and take possession of the hearts of men then they joyne themselves to the help of Christ to the help of the Gospell and Church of Christ then they study and endeavour the advancement of Christ and his kingdome therefore serve the Lord with feare saith the Psalmist rejoyce before him with trembling and kisse the sonne embrace the son rest and relye upon the son acknowledge exalt and magnifie the son put your selves with all readinesse and fulnesse upon the service of the sonne true feare ever makes the Lords servants subject and serviceable to Christ Iesus I will put my feare into their hearts saith the Lord and they shall not depart from me they shall not depart from my knowledge by ignorance from my promises by unbeliefe from my precepts by disobedience from my covenant by unfaithfulnesse nor from my worship by prophanenesse Such as doe not truly and throughly apply themselves to Christs service are prophanely fearelesse A servants true and ingenuous feare makes him labour his Masters welfare the matrimoniall feare of a wife moves her to desire and endeavour her husbands honour feare came upon every soule saith S. Luke and what followed thereupon All they that beleeved were together there is their unity in affection in divine invocation They sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men as every man had need There is their communication to Christs members their putting of themselves and their
abilities upon Christs service He that truly feares Christ will withhold nothing which may tend to the exaltation of Christ his Church and Gospell 3. Lively sence and feeling of the necessity of Christ and his Gospell Mens exaltation of Christ is according to their apprehension of the necessity of Christ When the Elders of Gilead saw the necessity they had of Jeptha then they made him head and Captaine over them When men see and feele the want of Christ the perill of their estate without Christ then they put themselves under Christ then they exalt and magnifie Christ then they labour the setting up of Christ and his Gospell Sence of sicknesse famine siege bondage makes physicke food an army a ransomer very precious Physitians were of great esteeme with the woman troubled with a fluxe of bloud she spent all her substance upon them Christ and his Gospell are of great price with the man to whom sinne is a torment a griefe a trouble he will withhold nothing which may tend to the exaltation of Christ and his Gospell to the working out and removing of the sinne which doth molest him When Josephs brethren were in want and had no bread to sustaine them then they came and bowed themselves before Joseph and when they called to mind their great trespasse against him then they besought his favour and were very submissive to him Mans sence of his owne emptinesse drives him to Christ and causeth him to vaile and stoop to Christ to put himselfe under the feet of Christ and readily to exalt and set up Christ selfe-opinion ignorance of mans want of Christ and the Gospell is a great impediment to our setting up of Christ and his kingdome 4. Elevation and raising of the heart of man to a holy spirituall and noble frame and temper The heart of man naturally is very base carnall and earthly delighting like the swine in the mire and mud of the world rellishing and savouring nothing but that which is worldly and fleshly his spirit is very low and ignoble and his highest aime is but to ascend some mole-hill or mountaine of the earth like the prodigall he is a companion of swine and feeds on the huskes of worldly vanities his longings like the besotted Israelites is after the onyons and flesh-pots of Egypt poore things unworthy and empty things of the earth Man like Nebuchadnezzars image how ever deckt with gold and silver authority and dominion and glorious in outward appearance to the world yet his feet are yron and clay his thoughts his affections the motions and goings of his heart are very base and dishonourable The spirit of man must be therefore sublimated and refined by Christ the great refiner of the soule Mans drosse and tin must be purged out the earthinesse and basenesse of his spirit must be taken away and man endowed with a more spirituall sublime and noble disposition and temper of soule or he can never intend Christ exalt Christ and his Gospell It is recorded in Ezra that the chiefe of the fathers rose up with all them whose spirits God had raised to goe up to build the house of God in Ierusalem First God raised their hearts put willingnesse alacrity enlargement opennesse and courage into their hearts to doe the worke and then they went to build Thus God must raise our hearts innoble our spirits make us spiritually heroicall or we shall never build Ierusalem never labour the advancement of Christ and his â—ospell Christ raised Lazarus out of the grave and then he followed him Christ must raise our spirits from their earthlinesse and basenesse or they will never be serviceable to him The Spirit of the living creatures was in the wheeles and they moved where the living creatures moved Christ must put his Spirit into us or we shall never follow him never seeke his honour and the welfare of his Gospell It is said of Saul when the Lord had made him King that he went home to Gibeah and there went with him a band of men whose heart God had touched God hath set Christ his King upon his holy hill of Sion but there is no man followes him no man exalts and honours him as a King but such whose hearts the Lord doth touch with the gracious finger of his Spirit the basenesse cowardlinesse and earthlinesse of our spirits must be put away and our hearts throughly refined otherwise we cannot discerne Christ we cannot rellish Christ we cannot love Christ we cannot prize Christ we can never put our selves upon the exaltation of Christ his Kingdome and Gospell but when old things are past away and all become new when we are renewed in the spirit of our mind when the Spirit of God like Eliahs fiery charet hath taken us up from the earth and hath raised our hearts thoughts desires and affections to the things which are above then shall we rejoyce in Christ and his Gospell then shall we put our selves and all that we have upon the service of Christ and the Gospell then shall we pray for the prosperity welfare and advancement of Christs Gospell and kingdome then shall we say Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord. CHAP. XII CHrist came not as the false prophets of old in his owne name he had his calling and commission from above No man saith the Apostle speaking of Christ taketh this honour to himselfe but such an one as is called of God as Aaron was and this is the second particular in the first generall part of these words Christs Calling and Commission He came in the name of the Lord Christ is said to come in the name of the Lord. 1. In respect of Ordination Christ as Mediator was appointed of old to minister salvation to Gods chosen fore-ordained saith Saint Peter before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times A lambe slaine from the foundation of the world saith Saint John slaine from the foundation of the world in the eternall preordination of God in the promise of the seed of woman to breake the serpents head in the legall sacrifices in the faith of the fathers and in the sufferings of his members in whose sufferings Christ suffered their sufferings then shadowing Christs suffering to come 2. In respect of preparation Christ as Man and Mediator is prepared and furnished with all abilities to execute and accomplish his office it pleased the Father saith Paul that in him should all fulnesse dwell fulnesse of wisedome power grace righteousnesse and worth to minister to his Church whatsoever appertained to the salvation welfare or peace thereof he having the Spirit poured out upon him above measure 3. In respect of Calling designation and investiture into his office The Lord saith Christ as Mediator hath called me from the wombe from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name and I
saith God the Father unto Christ will preserve thee and give thee for a Covenant of the people to establish the earth and when Christ was baptized and solemnly entred upon his calling He was confirmed by a voice from heaven saying This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased 4. In respect of the doctrine which he taught no private nor humane doctrine but the doctrine of God his Father I am come saith Christ in my Fathers name declaring his truth and seeking his glory and ye receive me not if another shall come in his owne name preaching his owne invention exalting and magnifying himselfe him ye will receive to him ye will adhere him you will admire and adore And againe elsewhere I have not spoken of my selfe saith Christ but the Father which sent me he gave me a commandement what I should say and what I should speake and I know that his commandement is life everlasting whatsoever I speake therefore even as the Father said unto me so speake I. 5. In respect of benediction Christ is come in the name of the Lord accompanied with the fulnesse of all blessing from God In thy seed said God to Abraham speaking of Christ shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed unto you first saith Peter God having raised up his son Jesus sent him to blesse you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities and God saith Saint Paul hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly places in Christ 6. In respect of the end which Christ proposed to himselfe his Fathers glory he came in the name of the Lord not seeking his owne but his glory who sent him I seeke not mine owne glory saith Christ I honour my Father if I honour my selfe my honour is nothing And thus Christ came in the name of the Lord ordained prepared called of the Lord declaring his Fathers will accompanied with the fulnesse of his Fathers blessing intending and seeking his Fathers glory The whole shewing That Christ is furnished with authority and all divine abilities to minister all peace and salvation to Gods servants This was tipyfied in Joseph Joseph was sent of his father to visit his brethren in the wildernesse Christ was sent of God his Father to visit mankinde sinfully straying in the wildernesse of the world Joseph was set over the whole land of Egypt and over the Kings house by Pharaoh King of Egypt Joseph was furnished with wisedome understanding and the Spirit of God to rule the people and with all the store and fulnesse of Egypt to minister to the necessities of the people Christ is set by God his father the King of Kings over the whole world in generall over the Church of God in speciall Christ is furnished with treasures of all wisedome to guide the people and with all divine and heavenly fulnesse to minister to the severall necessities of Gods servants to fill them with all spirituall fulnesse This was also figured in Josuah Josuah was confirmed in his calling by the dividing of the waters in Iordan at the presence of the Arke standing therein Christ was confirmed in his calling by the opening of the heavens and the Spirit descending in the forme of a Dove upon him when he was baptized in Iordan Moses being dead Joshuah was made the Captaine of Gods people Moses leading them to the land Joshuah entring them in the land the Law ceasing and the Ceremonies thereof vanishing Christ is appointed the Captaine of Gods Church and people the Law leading to Christ Christ by his death and conquest giving men entrance into the heavens Joshuah overcame the enemies of Israel and going before them brought them into the land of Canaan allotting to each one their portion Christ hath overcome the enemies of his Church and is ascended into heaven before us there to prepare for all the Lords servants It is not the Law but Christ that ministers salvation to the Lords people Christ Iesus is the authour of our spirituall conquest there is no way for man to heaven but onely by Christ who came from heaven Christ is the Iacobs ladder by whom God descends to us in his grace and through whom we ascend to God by our faith This was likewise typified in David David was anointed King and Ruler over Israel Christ is anointed King and Ruler over Gods Church David delivered Israell from the great Goliah he slew him with his owne weapon Christ overcame the infernall Goliah the Devill and brought deliverance to Gods chosen Christ by death Satans weapon destroyed him that had the power of death The power of all opposers is meere weaknesse to the power of Christ Jesus Such is the transcendent fulnesse of Christs abilities that he turnes the instruments of mans destruction to further mans salvation this calling preparation and mission of Christ was prophecyed by the Psalmist His dominion shall be from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth There is Christs universall jurisdiction and kingdome over men of every nation I will give thee saith the Lord by the Prophet for a Covenant of the people a light of the Gentiles There is Christs ordination to be the publisher of the Covenant of peace the Author of reconciliation between God and man the revealer of the mystery of mans salvation and the Spirit of the Lord saith the Prophet in the person of Christ is upon me and he hath anointed me to preach glad tidings to the meeke There is the calling the preparation unction and full furnishing of Christ with all abilities to execute his Mediatory office and in this respect Christ is sometimes termed by the Prophets a servant for his calling and obedience to his fathers will an Angell for his mission being sent of God and for his publication of the tydings of salvation a stone a tryed stone a precious corner stone a sure foundation for his strength to sustaine them that are built upon him a noble Ruler for his sacred prescription and gracious administration of Gods Church and kingdome a fountaine for his efficacy to purge out sinne and for his fulnesse to satisfie the thirsty soules of all beleevers a Sun of righteousnesse for the fulnesse of the light of knowledge and comfort which he dispenseth and for his blessed influence into the soules of his servants The Sunne doth not shine more clearly in the starres then the authority and ability of the Sunne of righteousnesse to save us doth shine in these Propheticall predictions and this calling mission full and through preparation of Christ to this office of mediation between God and man is plainly declared by the Evangelists and Apostles Saint Mathew speaks of Christ as of a Shepheard sent to gather the sheep which are lost Saint Marke as of an Embassador sent with tydings of peace as of an heire sent to rule
of Christs authority and divine abilities doth presse upon us is a duty of Dependance Christ is no withered reed no sandy foundation no weake poore and empty person but one endowed with all power and authority with all abilities therefore depend upon him cleave to him when you are in darknesse and have no light Trust in the name in the power truth faithfulnesse and al-sufficiency of the Lord Christ is a hiding place from the wind and a covert from the tempest as rivers of waters in a dry place as the shadow of a great rocke in a weary land Christ is a comforter in all sorrowes a helper at all needs a deliverer in all distresses a counsellor in all doubts and a supply in all wants therefore stay upon the Lord He can command a deliverance for Jacob when there is no deliverer as he commanded the stormy tempest and restored a calme to the Disciples He can support man when he is ready to sinke as he supported Peter sinking in the water he can provide as he made provision for the Disciples attending him and having nothing to eat as he prepared a Well for Hagar when her bottle was empty he can comfort when all the starres of consolation are set he can give light in darknesse as he gave Sampson honey out of the Lyon therefore looke unto Christ fasten the eyes of your faith upon him commit your selves to him trust your selves with him and you shall see in due season a ministration of whatsoever is behovefull A third duty whereunto this presseth us is a duty of Love to Christ In Christ is the fulnes of all abilities whatsoever is worthy of love is in Christ in the highest perfection therefore this should much endeare Christ to man and make him very amiable and glorious in the eyes of man He indeed is worthy of all love he is the King that rules over us the guide that leads us the shepheard which watcheth over and feeds us the ransomer that redeemes us the builder which new makes us the Captaine that overcomes for us the teacher that instructeth us the treasury that enricheth us and the husband who betrotheth himselfe unto us therefore he should be in our eye the fairest of ten thousand our soules should be sicke of love towards him and in our love we should prostrate our selves and all that is ours under him A fourth duty whereunto this doth presse us is a duty of Acquiescence in Christ and contentation with Christ in Christ are all divine abilities he that hath Christ hath all he that hath the Sunne hath all light he that hath the fountaine hath all water he that hath Christ may say as Jacob did I have enough Elkanâ—h gave to Hanna a worthy portion he hath the choisest portion to whom God gives Christ he that possesseth most of Christ hath the richest the sweetest the most noble and sure possession he hath no cause to complaine of want who hath the fruition of Christ the soule which enjoyeth Christ as his King as his counsellor as his friend as his treasure as his bridegroome as his shield and fountaine hath the highest honour the choisest wisedome the sweetest comfort the best riches the most heart-reviving love the surest defence and the chiefest and most abiding and soule-contenting fulnesse Of all the gifts of God Christ is the worthiest of all the estates of men theirs is the sweetest and most comfortable who have Christ for their possession CHAP. XIV THe second generall part in these words is a benediction uttered by the Ministers of the Lord We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord wherein we have 1. the parties blessing the Ministers of the Lord we who are called of God to this sacred function who are appointed to make prayer and supplication for you to pronounce a blessing upon you Holy and faithfull Ministers are the instrumentall causes of great blessings to Gods Church and servants 2. here is their Act an act of blessing We have blessed Ministers blesse the people sometime by way of vote and exoptation prayer and supplication sometime by way of vocall pronunciation pronouncing good things in the name of God upon them sometime by way of prophecye and prediction foretelling great blessings to come sometime by way of doctrine and instruction They declare and open the blessings which God hath prepared for them and the Lord by them as by his ministeriall instruments communicates his grace and blessing to the people It must be the care of Ministers so to demeane themselves in their function that they prove a blessing to the people 3. Here is the Obiect or parties blessed You you to whom Christs comming is acceptable you who wish well to Christs kingdome you who readily endeavour the exaltation of Christs name and Gospell we have blessed you The labours of Gods Ministers prove a blessing onely to such people as reioyce in and endeavour the advancement of the Gospell 4 Here is the place from whence they blessed the people out of the house of the Lord the place of Gods publike worship where his Saints are assembled his ordinances sincerely handled his name invocated his word preached and religious duties celebrated God useth to dispense his spirituall blessings in the publike and sacred assemblies From all these particulars knit together we may gather That God by his holy and faithfull Ministers dispenseth every great sweet and heavenly blessing to his Church and servants The Lord by Joseph brought great prosperity to the house of Pharaoh he blessed the Egyptians house for Josephs sake the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house and in the field the Lord by the presence and labours of his Ministers blesseth his Church and servants his blessing is upon their soules and upon their bodies upon all their labours and upon all their possessions the estate and persons the undertaking and possessions of men are made very prosperous through the prayer and labours of Gods Ministers This was prophecyed by the mouth of Esay in that day in the day of the Gospell when salvation shall be preached and published in and through Christ There shall be an Altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt and a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord an Altar and a pillar the worship of God shall be erected the word preached the Sacraments administred Christ the true Christians Altar and pillar shall be clearly manifested his name published his kingdome established his truth propagated among the people of Israel Egypt and Assyria whom the Lord of Hosts shall blesse saying blessed be Egypt my people and Assyria the worke of my hands and Israel mine inheritance There is the blessing attendant on the Ministery of the Gospell a blessing of regeneration renovation remission and sweet reconciliation with God in Christ they are the choisest and best blessings which God communicates
Stars in the night season communicate the fulnesse of the Sunne to the aire and inhabitants of the earth the Ministers as Starres in the right hand of Christ the Sunne of Righteousnesse communicate to the soules of men the fulnesse of Christ Jesus in the night of this world we are all strangers to Christ Jesus without the Lords Ministers Christ is hidden from that people which enjoy not the ministery of the Gospell Gods Ministers by their labours communicate the knowledge of Christ as the Embassador communicates the knowledge of the King and of his mind God saith the Apostle who commanded the light to shine out of darknesse hath shined into our hearts to give the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus God is knowne in and through Christ as a man is knowne in and by his face We know an earthly Father in the face of his Sonne begotten by him we know God as a father of mercies only and through the face of Christ Jesus we see the face of man in a glasse in the Gospell in the labours of Gods Ministers we behold as in a glasse the face of Christ Jesus Christ is a storehouse in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisedome The Ministers have the ministeriall key of knowledge to open Christ unto the people Christ is a living fountaine a well of salvation a well sealed and shut up in the Scriptures Jacob rowled away the stone from the mouth of the well and gave Labans flocke water to drinke the Minister rowles away the stone removes the obscurity of the Scripture opens and interprets it and makes the people drinke of Christ the true and everliving fountaine the Ministers communicate the faith of Christ as Gods instruments the worke of faith in men the man of God by his prayer restored Jeroboams withered hand the Minister by his preaching and prayer restores the hand of faith in the heart of man formerly withered dryed up and of no use Faith commeth by hearing Who is Paul and who is Apollo but Ministers by whom ye beleeved even as the Lord gave to every man The Ministers communicate the life of Christ to men Christ by his corporall voice called Lazarus out of his grave by his Evangelicall voice by his word in the mouth of his Ministers he cals the soules of men out of the grave of sinne the dead in sinne heare the voice of the Sonne of God in the Gospell and they that heare live The ministery of the Gospell is the instrument of the soules vivification a meanes of Christs living in them that are Gods children the Ministers communicate the love of Christ Christ gives his love to the soule of man in the ministery of his word Isaac gave the pledges of his love to Rebeckah by Eleazar his father Abrahams servant Christ gives the pledges of his love to his Spouse the Church by the Ministers God his fathers servants by them he woeth and espouseth them unto himselfe and in the banquetting house of his ordinances his banner over them is love the Ministers communicate the peace of Christ the Embassador speaks words of peace from the King and communicates the Kings peace unto the people the Minister the Embassador of Christ the Prince of peace preacheth peace by Iesus Christ to the soules of men The Lord hath created ordained and appointed the fruit of his lips to be peace to them that are nigh and to them that are afar off Christ feeding the multitude corporally distributed bread unto them by his Disciples Christ feeding the soules of men spiritually with himselfe the true bread of life come downe from heaven communicates himselfe to men by the labours of his Ministers Abraham by the hands of his servants ministred jewels and bracelets to Rebeckah God by his Ministers communicates many spiritual and heavenly jewels even the whole treasury of Christ Jesus to his faithfull Church and servants whom he joynes in wedlocke with his sonne Manifold sweet and gracious are Gods dispensations of his Sonne by the labours of his Ministers Christ in and by the ministery of the Gospell is made very conspicuous and glorious in the eyes of the people very great is their blessednesse who have Christ communicated to them by the labours of Gods Ministers 2. In regard of the evils from which God delivers man by the labours of his Ministers God delivered the woman of Shunems sonne from bodily death by the ministery of the Prophet the Lord delivers the soule of man from spirituall death from being dead in sinnes by the labour of his Ministers the ministery of the Gospell is the instrumentall cause of the first resurrection the word is termed a word of life declaratively revealing life and operatively as an instrument working life God delivered Paul from his bodily blindnesse by the hands of Ananias he delivers man from spirituall blindnesse by the doctrine of his messengers by their instruction he opens their eyes and turnes them from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan unto God The Lord delivered Peter from Herods prison by the ministery of the Angell He delivers man from Satans prison and bondage by the worke of his Ministers by this as by a warlike weapon he casts downe the holds of sinne Satan fals like lightening from heaven and the soules of men partake of spirituall freedome as Goliah fell before David with a stone out of Davids sling so doth Satan before the Minister of the Lord with the word of God out of their mouth God delivered Naaman from his leprosie in Iordan and the impotent from their infirmities in Bethesda The Lord in and by the Gospell sanctifies the soules of his children this washeth away their uncleannesse this heales their infirmities this makes them new creatures Christ by his voice appeased the stormy tempest and gave a calme to his Disciples Christ by his Gospell appeaseth the tempestuous and perplexed consciences of his servants and brings them into a haven of spirituall peace and quietnesse He makes his Ministers as an Angell of God and one of a thousand to the afflicted soule comming like Noahs Dove with an Olive branch quieting him that is tossed upon the deluge of trouble turning his perplexity into peace his feare into confidence and his sorrow into sweet rejoycings God abundantly declares his dispensation of blessings by his Ministers through the removall of evils by their labours The Gospell is the choisest instrument averting evill foule and shamefull perplexing and mortall are the plagues and miseries resting upon them that neither enjoy nor regard the labours of Gods Ministers 3. In regard of the blessed state and condition whereinto God puts man by the labours of his Ministers The estate of man under the Gospell making a true use of the doctrines and instructions of Gods messengers is an estate of blessings The blessing
and sinke of the foulest and basest misery The man in the parable fell among theeves which stripped him of his rayment and wounded him leaving him halfe dead Man is fallen among three great theeves the Devill sinne and the world and these have stripped man of all his spirituall rayment these have taken all grace and holinesse from man which once covered him like a rich and costly garment and they have also wounded and left man halfe dead in his very naturall abilities The fall of man hath totally stript him of all grace and holinesse and also given a mortall wound to his morall and naturall faculties Hee that abides not with God at Jerusalem makes himselfe a prey to sinne the Devill and the world There came a Priest and a Levite passing by and looking upon the man thus stript and wounded but neither of them had compassion upon him neither of them ministred any consolation nor lent an assisting hand unto him Neither the Priest nor the Levite neither the Morall nor Ceremoniall Law can deliver sinfull man from Satans bondage nor heale his wounded conscience neither the works of the one nor the Rites and Ceremonies of the other can restore man to his originall happinesse nor justifie him in Gods presence Mans best abilities and all-humane devises are miserable comforters to sinfull and perplexed soules in their anguish Though the Priest and the Levite had no compassion upon him yet there came a Samaritan which had compassion upon him though the Law shew no pitty nor minister no comfort to wounded soules and afflicted consciences yet the Lord Jesus communicates both great and sweet mercies to broken hearted sinners The Samaritane a man from whom this distressed man could not expect any mercy had compassion upon him and helped him Christ is become the Authour of mans comfort and salvation beyond all humane and Angelical thought conceit or imagination the wisedome worke and love of God in providing a Saviour for distressed sinners was farre above the reach and comprehension of all creatures The Samaritan bound up this poore mans wound and poured in wine and oyle the Lord Jesus binds up the broken-hearted and gives the oyle of joy for mourning to them whose soules are truly humbled the Samaritan set the man upon his owne beast Christ communicates his owne honour to the penitent and broken-hearted sinner sinne is the cause of mans dejection Christ is the Authour of mans exaltation the Samaritan brought this distressed man to an Inne and tooke care for him gave two pence to the Hoast charged him to take care of him and promised payment of whatsoever he should spend more The Lord Jesus brings perplexed soules to God as to their spirituall Hoast and to the ministery of the Gospell as to an Inne full of spirituall provision gives his Ministers the two Testaments the Law and the Gospell out of them to minister to the soules of his people and chargeth them as the ministeriall Hoast of poore and perplexed soules to make all necessary and plentifull provision and in the end by his merits his active and passive obedience his two great pence he dischargeth the debt of all penitent and beleeving sinners The whole of a sinfull and grieved soules happinesse flowes from the Lord Jesus all the supply of mans want and emptinesse is derived from Christs super-abundant fulnesse All the myrrh and odours and instruments of Hesters purification and all her rich and costly apparell were given her out of the Kings house and the royall crowne was put upon her head by the Kings hand All the purity and perfection all the righteousnesse and justification all the dignity and excellency of a holy and gracious soule is drawne from Christ the spirituall and heavenly King All mans holy and heavenly excellencies are borrowed from the Lord Jesus Man is an empty cisterne and hath all his fulnesse from Christ the true and everliving fountaine Christ is the root by whom he is sustained the spring by whom he is filled the Sun by which he is enlightened the garment wherewith he is covered the crowne with which he is honoured the head by which he is guided the eye by which he seeth the hand by which he worketh the foot by which he walketh yea the very soule by which he liveth Whatsoever goodnesse or excellency is in a Christian it is Christs and not his owne his very life is nothing but the living of Christ in him he must say with Paul Neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me The words are a declaration of a Christians life Christ living in beleeving man and man living unto Christ The Apostle setting forth how he was dead to the Law that he might live to God tels us that he was crucified together with Christ Christ being crucified for us and we being by faith ingrafted into him doe dye to sinne and mortifie our earthly members which are upon earth the death of the Lord Jesus is the death of sinne in all beleeving Christians they live no more as formerly they did they have Christ now living in them and communicating himselfe unto them He that hath not experience of Christs living in him in the way and worke of sanctification presumes in vaine of being saved by his death and suffering no man knowes the benefit of Christs death but he that feeles the vertue of Christs life Man hath no further assurance of Christs dying for him then as he feeles Christ living in him He that knowes the power of Christs death in the mortification of his lusts knowes also the vertue of Christs life in the quickning of his soule and can say with Paul now I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me In the words not to trouble you with many particulars we have two generall things proposed 1. Christian abnegation I live yet not I. 2. Holy and gracious vivification but Christ liveth in me In the abnegation we have 1. the Subiect I Paul the Apostle a man chosen and called of God a man filled and furnished with the fulnesse of Christ and in and under him is understood all beleeving Christians Such alone as are truly sanctified and gracious people are the compleat and proper Subiect of that life which is heavenly and spirituall Onely the living body is the seat and subject of the soule and that man alone that is spiritually quickned hath Christ residing and dwelling in him communicating holy and heavenly life to him 2. Here is the Predicate or thing affirmed Life and that is two wayes proposed 1. affirmatively I live 2. Negatively yet not I. First affirmatively I live I lived once under the Law which made me a persecutor of the Church of God convinced me of sinne wrought in me all manner of concupisence and slew me and I then found my selfe to be dead in sinne but now I have embraced Christ and am crucified with him now I am no more the man I was but now
owne soules for whiles they promise themselves liberty they make themselves the servants of the creature and of their owne lusts for of whom a man is overcome of the same is he brought in bondage The Lord sometime threatened Israel because they would not serve him they should serve their enemies they that deny holy and cheerfull service to the Lord Jesus make themselves miserable and wretched slaves to the creatures and many base affections Man ever make that a Lord and Master over him which he will not deny to make himselfe Christs servant the service of Christ is spirituall freedome the denyall of obedience to Christ is accursed thraldome 5. Annihilation of the fruit and benefit of Christs death A ransome is paid in vaine for him that will not put off his fetters and come forth of the house of bondage Christs death without self-denyall is no way beneficiall he that puts not off his lusts as fetters and comes off from the world as from a house of bondage hath no benefit by the ransome which Christ hath given For this end saith Saint Paul hath Christ dyed that we that live should live no mere unto our selves but unto Christ who died for us 6. Deprivation of the heavenly fruit and soule-refreshing comfort of the ordinances of God and labours of Gods Ministers The reserving of one moate in the eye frustrates the shining of the Sunne the allowing of thornes in the field makes the sowing of the seed fruitlesse the Word Sacrament Ministers can doe you no good unlesse you will deny your selves and resigne your selves wholly unto Christ Jonah being kept in the ship the mariners rowed in vaine they could not bring the ship to the shoare without an universall self-denyall the Minister cannot bring the soule to Christ he cannot wave and worke it into the haven of everlasting peace 7. The losse which attends the want of self-denyall and subiection unto Christ Achan exalted the golden wedge and Babylonish garment in his heart and thereby losed both that and all his substance with his life Adam overprized the fruit of the forbidden tree and eat of it against Gods precept and thereby lost both the tree and all the garden That which man gaines with Christs dishonour and with the neglect of Christ proves mans greatest losse soulelosing is the fruit of self-seeking they that seeke their owne things and not the things which are Jesus Christs lose both their owne things and the things which are Jesus Christs He saith Christ that will save his life that is by denying Christ by preferring man above Christ that man shall lose his life so he that will save his goods his credit his peace among men with the neglect of Christ by shunning the crosse of Christ that man shall lose his goods the comfort of them he shall eat the bread of sorrowes he shall lose his credit with men he shall be a slave to men he shall be reputed vile in the eyes of men they shall no more esteeme him then the High-Priests did Judas He shall lose his peace with men who will trust him or have communion with him that proves unfaithfull to his God in the midst of his sufficiency he shall be in straights every hand of the wicked shall be upon him and all darknesse shall be hid in his secret places everlasting confusion shall be his last portion The gaine of all is a very fearefull losse to him that for gaine doth lose Christ He that for worldly honours and outward riches denies and loses the Lord Jesus is the most poore base and contemptiole of all persons 8 Apostacy and falling away from Christ He that cannot throughly deny himselfe and all things else for Christ he will never hold out with Christ he will fall a lusting after his old wayes as the Israelites did after the onyons and garlicke of Egypt retaining still his corrupt and carnall nature he will returne like the sow to his wallowing in the mire when trouble and affliction comes he will repine and wish himselfe in his former estate as the Israelites repined at the red Sea and wished they had tarried in Egypt He that began to build in the parable and considered not the cost before hand left off with shame He that takes upon him the profession of Christ and considers not what it will cost him resolves not to deny all to leave all to suffer all and to content himselfe with Christ alone can never hold out with Christ to the end A horse of unsound feet may travell well a few miles but at length his feet faile him and he can travell no further a rotten vessell may row speedily upon the Seas for some houres but as soone as a storme ariseth the ship sinketh Thus man of a rotten and unsound heart may make a glorious profession be very zealous for a season but not having throughly denyed himselfe he faints and fals away he makes shipwracke of faith and a good conscience at length 9. Christs denyall and rejection of such as will not deny themselves for him and his sake He saith Christ that shall deny me before men him will I deny before my Father which is in Heaven He that shall deny Christ in his Gospell refusing to attend and embrace it in his Ministers refusing them and their doctrines in his members denying love and fellowship to them in his offices refusing to heare him as a Prophet to obey him as a King and to rest upon him as a Priest and Mediator for salvation He that shall deny Christ in his promises refusing to beleeve them or in his precepts neglecting to observe them he that shall deny him in his understanding not caring for the knowledge of Christ in his will not chusing and taking Christ unto himselfe in his imagination not delighting in the thought of Christ in his affections not fearing trusting loving and rejoycing in Christ He that shall deny him before men for the feare of mens displeasure or game of mens favour him will Christ deny he will deny him his blessed presence and power in his ordinances audience to his prayers deliverance in his distresses peace in his conscience pardon of his sinnes justification in the sight of God and at the last day before the face of his Father in the presence of all men and Angels he will deny them to be his he will not offer them unto God as his owne very fearefull is their estate that want self-denyall if Christ deny us who but the Devill will acknowledge them what more dishonourable and discomfortable to a childe then to be denyed of his father or to a wife then to be denyed of her husband It is the greatest dishonour and shame of a man professing himselfe a Christian to be denyed of Christ Better deny our selves and all the world now then be denyed of Christ at the last CHAP. VII THis must therefore perswade us to worke our hearts
also to apply himselfe againe wholly to Christ to the wisedome of Christ to be guided by it to the authority of Christ to obey him to the truth of Christ to beleeve in him to the al-sufficiency of Christ to be filled with all spirituall and heavenly fulnesse He applyes himselfe to Christ in his understanding to know Christ in his will to chuse and embrace Christ in his thoughts to meditate upon Christ in his feare to serve and honour Christ in his faith to trust and depend upon Christ in his love to affect Christ in his ioy to delight in Christ in his desires to long after Christ in his endeavours to exalt Christ in all his possessions abilities and endowments to make them serviceable unto Christ he applyes himselfe to the ordinances of Christ as to a light guiding food feeding and physicke healing his soule to the precepts of Christ as to the rule directing him and to the promises of Christ as to the staffe sustaining him Mans full application of himselfe to Christ doth minister cleare and comfortable evidence of mans denyall of himselfe for Christ 4. The humble and hearty ascribing of all the good which is in man or done by man unto the grace of God He that denyes himselfe translates the doing of all that good which he doth from himselfe unto God as the proper Authour thereof he puts all from himselfe as being nothing in himselfe and ascribes all to God as to the fountaine whence all grace flowes as to the almighty hand by which all good is accomplished He acknowledgeth his owne insufficiency without God as the cisterne is insufficient to minister water without the fountaine and the branch to beare any fruit without the root or the toole to worke without the hand Self-denyall abaseth man and the abilities of man and exalteth God and his grace A humble man will not endure the glory of any thing to be ascribed to himselfe but referres all to God and Christ and strives to raise the eyes and hearts of men to God and his grace Paul and Barnabas perceiving the men of Lystra had too high thoughts of them reputing them as Gods when they were but the Lords instruments they rent their cloathes and ran in among the people crying out and saying why doe ye these things we also are men of like passions with you and preach that ye should turne from these vanities to the living God The immoderate honouring of men is a great dishonouring of God a humble and gracious man is not so much displeased to heare himselfe unjustly traduced as to see himselfe inordinately magnified he that doth deny himselfe that he may exalt God cannot but much grieve to see himselfe by the applause of vaine men set in the roome of God and made a dishonourer of God It is questionlesse the study of him who sees his owne vilenesse emptinesse and unworthinesse to make the name of God glorious he is very willing and ready to be abased that God may be the more glorified When God hath made him the instrument of any excellent worke he is jealous of being deified and idolized and therefore saith with Peter why marvell ye at this or why looke ye so earnestly on us as though by our owne power or holinesse we had done this The God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob hath glorified his sonne Jesus and his name through faith in his name hath done this thing Be he never so well qualified and fitted for the worke of the Lord yet as the Lord said of Israel so he conceives of himself that without the Lord his strength is to sit still He that is most fully furnished with spirituall abilities is most sensible of his owne emptinesse most free and ready in the magnifying of God and his grace Who more eminent then Paul for his gracious and ministeriall endowments yet who more effectuall in self-denyall and in the exaltation of the grace of God Are ye not carnall saith he and walke as men for while one saith I am Paul and another I am of Apollo are ye not carnall who then is Paul and who is Apollo but Ministers servants and not Lords instruments and not supreame agents by whom ye beleeved as God gave to every man I have planted Apollo watered but God gave the increase so then neither is he that planteth anything neither he that watereth not any thing of no ability of no efficacy of themselves but God that giveth the increase The choisest instruments prove unprofitable without the hand of God assisting The soule which knowes and feeles its dependancy upon God cannot but referre the fruit and worth of all its labours to the grace of God There was not a greater borne of woman then the Baptist he farre surpassed all the Prophets yet how low doth he abase himselfe to exalt Christ how freely doth he referre the whole efficacy of his ministery to the grace of Christ I indeed saith he baptize with water unto repentance but there is one that commeth after me is mightier then I whose shooes I am not worthy to beare he shall baptize you with the Holy-Ghost and with fire He that hath low thoughts of the grace of God and high thoughts of his owne abilities is far from the self-denyall which is proper to Gods children 5. A low prizing and Christian undervaluing of mans selfe and all things else in comparison of Christ He that denyes himselfe looks upon himselfe as a crucified man In a crucified man there is no beauty no dignity no excellency to be seene no pleasure to be taken He that denyes himselfe sees no beauty no worth no excellency in himselfe he taketh no pleasure no delight in himselfe he looks on his owne flesh as on an empty house wherein dwelleth no good thing he is dead with Christ for the mortification of his flesh for his low opinion and denyall of himselfe he is crucified to the world willingly contented for Christs sake to have no honour no favour no esteeme among the men of the world as a crucified man hath no place no authority no esteeme in the world he is willing to be traduced reproached and rejected of the world for the love he hath to Christ as a crucified man is despised and accounted odious in the world David being vile in the eyes of Michal for dauncing before the Arke said I will yet be more vile then thus and will be base in mine owne sight He that denyes himselfe being vile in the eyes of men for his profession of Christ for his subjection and obedience to Christ for his zeale and earnestnesse for Christ is willing and ready to be more vile to be more reproached more traduced more despised and will be base in his owne sight neglect himselfe abase himselfe and make himselfe as nothing that he may exalt and honour Christ True self-denyall makes a man neglect and abase himselfe below the very dust for the
the love of Christ he doth glory in tribulation and though he is in heavinesse through manifold temptations yet beleeving in Christ he reioyceth with ioy unspeakable and full of glory Christ to him that denyes himselfe is a crowne in disgrace to honour him a friend in heavinesse to solace him a Sunne in darknesse to enlighten him a precious pearle in poverty to enrich him a helper in all desertions to sustaine him and a fountaine in all wants to supply him sweet and pleasant satisfactory and soule-ravishing are Christs ministrations to mortified and humble soules in their Christian sufferings 8. The prizing and valuing of Christs Crosse above the worlds Crowne He that indeed denyes himselfe esteemes it more happy more excellent and more honourable to partake of Christs sufferings then of the worlds rejoycings to be conformed unto Christ in holy sorrowes and afflictions then to be conformed to the world in carnall pleasures and fleshly exaltations he preferres the poverty reproach exilement bondage and death which doth usually attend Christ in the Gospell above the riches honour favour liberty and life which the world ministers to her followers Thus Moses denying himselfe esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt The reproach of Christ the disgrace losse trouble and persecutions with which the world doth pursue Christ truly preached and sincerely professed in the Gospell was of more esteeme with Moses then all the treasures of Egypt then all the honours riches favours and contentments which the world can affoord without Christ Christs poverty prison contempt hatred persecution is of greater price with him that denyes himselfe then the riches liberty crowne favour and peace which the world bestowes upon her choisest favourites and followers There is more dignity in the contempt of a Christian then in the crowne of a worldling there is more joy in Christian sufferings then in worldly pleasures The losse which man sustaines for Christ is greater gaine then the winning of the whole world without Christ the Devill and the world are much mistaken in their offering of violence wrongs and injuries to Christs members the poverty sorrow shame trouble bondage which they impose upon them prove riches joy honour peace and freedome to them Men are much deceived in their judgements supposing Christian sufferings miserable and contumelious the wife subject souldier servant repute it an honour to suffer for their Husband Soveraigne Generall Lord and Master and doubtlesse he that denyes himselfe cannot but account it as an honour to suffer for his spirituall Husband King Captaine Lord and Saviour He that denyes himselfe will chuse with David to be a door-keeper in the house of God rather then dwell in the tents of wickednesse to live in any low poor contemptible and despised condition enjoying communion with Christ rather then partake of all worldly fulnesse without Christ The Lord Jesus is a humble souls fulnesse whether it hath much or little of the world a little with Christ is honourable and full of contentation the greatest abundance without Christ is shamefull and attended with much distraction therefore the Apostle saith of himselfe and such as he was men denying themselves and enjoying Christ that they were as unknown and yet well known as dying and behold we live as chastened and not killed as sorrowfull yet alway reioycing as poore yet making many rich as having nothing and yet possessing all things God is wonderfull in honouring protecting delivering rejoycing and satisfying the soules of the humble in sanctifying and sweetning their low poore and sad condition The Lord makes them see such glory springing out of their ignominy and such light shining out of their darknesse that they reioyce they are accounted worthy that they are vouchsafed this honour to suffer for Christs name they rejoyce in filling up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ suffering for Christ being thereby made conformable to Christ and having thereby communion with Christ and Christ taking their sufferings as his sufferings Christ suffering in them and they for him they are very joyfull in suffering the more a man denyes himselfe the more he rejoyceth in the crosse of Christ in Christ crucified for his sake and in his owne sufferings for Christs sake 9. Man making it his greatest honour to honour Christ He that denyes himselfe is 1. so inflamed with love to Christ that as a wife reputes it her choisest matrimoniall honour to advance her husbands honour to be according to Solomons phrase a crowne to her husband by her subjection under him by her choise sober and pious carriage towards him by her fidelity to him and by her industry and labour for him so the man that denyes himselfe reputes it his highest honour to honour Christ to be a crowne to Christ his spirituall husband by his gracious subjection under Christ by his holy walking towards Christ by his godly labour and industry for Christ 2. He that denyes himselfe hath his heart put into such a holy and humble frame made so graciously subject unto Christ and is so strongly and fully devoted to the service of Christ that as a good servant takes it as his prime glory to honour his Master to advance his Masters credit and profit so he that denyes himselfe like the good servant of Christ taketh it for a speciall honour to serve Christ to have his fruit unto holinesse to please Christ and not himselfe or others 3. He that denyes himselfe is so so sensible of so experienced in the vanity emptinesse basenesse and fugitivenesse of the honour that comes from men so out of love and liking with and so low prizing and esteeming the applause and praise of men that he accounts all other honour as no honour to that which ariseth from the honouring of Christ He esteemes it a greater honour to serve Christ in true holinesse in the lowest and poorest condition then to command nations and rule kingdomes remaining a stranger to Christs Scepter and service for he that in these things saith the Apostle in holinesse and true righteousnesse serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men Gods acceptation and good mens testimony is a crowne of much honour to them that serve the Lord Jesus in true righteousnesse 4. He that denyes himselfe is so wrought out of himselfe so taken off from himselfe from minding intending and seeking himselfe that he reputes all his labour lost if it doth not bring some glory to Christ it is in his eye an arrow below the marke a casting of seed upon the sand a sowing to the flesh he reputes it a base and unworthy service which terminates in himselfe and not in Christ it is an abomination to him to be of their number who serve their owne belly their owne lust of pride pleasure or covetousnesse and not Christ 5. He that denyes himselfe is so taken up with the thought of Christ with
emptinesse in the greatest worldly fulnesse straights in the midst of all sublunary sufficiency and a tempepestuous Sea of dismall agitations tossings and terrours in the soule of man Looke upon all self-seekers from the first to the last and you shall find them all self-losers Adam sought himselfe the bettering of his condition but lost that blessed Image in which God created him and that pleasant Paradise wherein the Lord had set him Cain sought himselfe and slew his brother Abel but he lost himselfe he became a fugitive and vagabond upon the earth Absolon sought himselfe he strove much to seat himselfe in his Fathers Throne but he lost his life in the battell Gehazi sought himselfe he ran after Naaman for two change of garments but he proved a shamefull loser he sought change of rayment but God changed his cleane into a leprous skinne The Babylonish King sought himselfe he said he would exalt his Throne above the Starres of God and ascend above the height of the clouds and be like the most High But he lost himselfe he was brought downe to hell to the sides of the pit cast out of his grave like an abominable branch and as a carkaise troden under foot Judas sought himselfe he sold his Master to gaine a few pieces of silver but he lost himselfe in the issue and upshot he went away and hanged himselfe Invaluable is the losse of self-seeking heerby men loose their spirituall freedome and become bondmen to their own lusts to Satan and the world hereby they loose their communion and acquaintance with God and goe out like Caine from the presence of the Lord and are spirituall vagabonds upon the Earth hereby they loose the benefit of all Gods ordinances living under them as the blind man under the Sun receiving no light from them as Rocks in the midst of a River no way softned nor made fruitfull by them hereby they loose the love of God as a woman that seeks strange lovers looseth the love of her husband hereby they loose the peace and comfort of their soules and pierce themselves thorough with many sorrowes they make their bed a bed of thornes and their feast becomes gravell to their teeth and gall to their palate and at last they loose their soules and bodies forever Happy is that mans losse that looseth all with the gain of Christ cursed is that mans gain that wins the world with the losse of Christ he that hath Christ hath also the true sweet and comfortable use of what he doth possesse he that hath not Christ is a very slave and bondman in the midst of his greatest possession the self-seeker neither truly enjoyes himself nor any thing els 11. Selfe-seeking works the heart of man to a base and slender esteeme of holy and heavenly things Christ his ordinances and benefits are nothing precious in the eyes of selfe-seekers their eyes are blinded and see not the beauties of Christ their palats are distempered and tast not the sweetnesse of Christ their hand is withered they cannot receive Christ they commit spirituall adultery with the world and cannot love Christ nothing but the creature is precious in the eyes of self-seekers Esau preferred a messe of pottage above his birth-right the men of Shechem esteemed the bramble above the Vine the Olive and the Fig-tree the self-seeker prefers the poore low and empty things the very bramble of the world above Christ the true and living Vine above the ordinances of Christ whose fruit is better then the fruit of the Olive and the Fig-tree and above the holy and heavenly inheritance the blessed birth-right of Gods new-borne children the Pharisees were great self-seekers they loved the praise of men more then the praise of God they did all their workes to be seene of men and as they were great seekers of themselves so they were strange undervaluers of Christ they saw no beauty nor comelinesse in him for which they should desire him they despised and esteemed him not they derided his doctrine they nourished in themselves a dishonourable opinion of his person they said of him Is not this the Carpenters sonne is not his mother called Mary and they were offended in him they reviled and despised him by reason of the externall humility of his person they drew matter of calumniation from the lownes of his outward condition such as judge of Christ and his ordinances according to the outward appearance are ever filled with base and contemptible apprehensions the Gaderines were great Swine-masters and like their Swine they were fall of swinish dispositions groveling upon the Earth and minding only things earthly trampling under their feet like Swine the precious things which Christ did cast before them and when the uncleane spirit which Christ cast out carried their Swine into the Sea headlong they desired Christ to depart from them self-seekers value the basest things of the world above the choisest things of God they had rather be deprived of Christ Jesus then of the least and lowest of the creatures 12. Self-seeking shortly is a root of many unhappy branches a spring of many bitter streams 1. It imbondageth men to their corrupt and carnall lusts makes them the servants of corruption and puts them under the power and command of the world it robs them as the thieves in the Parable did the man travelling betweene Jericho and Jerusalem of all their spirituall abilities it wounds them in their understandings that they cannot see God as the Philistines put out Sampsons eyes and made a slave of him it wounds them in their wils that they have no liberty no inclination no disposition to choose or imbrace Christ it wounds them in the hand of their faith that they cannot believe in Christ they cannot imbrace nor lay hold on Christ it puts them under the creature as a servant under the command of his Master as an adulterer under the power of the Harlot 2. Self-seeking filleth man with enmity against his fellow brethren other mens successe and happinesse is a self-seekers anguish Josephs brethren being led by a self seeking spirit hated him because his Father loved him the increase of their indignation against him was according to the increase of his Fathers love towards him this moved Saul to envy and eye David to lay snares for his life he that is given to self-seeking is farre from all true love to his fellow-brethren their prosperity is a great eye-sore unto him 3. Self-seeking makes men mercilesse and cruell the lives of them who ecclipse the honour or hinder the gain or disturbe the pleasure of self-seekers are of no esteem with them Why did Esau plot the death of Jacob Why did Josephs brethren conspire against him and cast him into the pit but by reason of that dominion which self-seeking lusts had within them Self-seeking dissolves the strongest bonds and obligations of naturall affection and turns fraternall unity into
no spirituall beauty on him but altogether deformed and defiled with the contagion of sinne he would with the Leper in Leviticus lay his hand upon his mouth and cry out uncleane uncleane uncleane Paul while he saw not the basenesse and badnesse of his naturall estate put no price upon Christ walked as an adversary against Christ being filled with high thoughts of himselfe but after the commandement came presenting his spots like a glasse before him he humbled himselfe he was in his owne apprehension as a dead man in whom was no life no beauty no excellency then he was an abhorring to himselfe and Christ was precious in his eyes then all was dung and drosse in comparison of the excellent knowledge of Christ then he did no more exalt himselfe but Christ then hee determined to know nothing but Christ and him crucified then he preached Christ and not himselfe then he put himselfe wholly upon the service of Christ and made it his crowne and comfort to draw men unto Christ He that is most ignorant of himselfe is most proud and most studious to exalt himselfe Mans ignorance of his necessity of Christ makes him regardlesse to exalt Christ 2. Mans inconsideratenesse of his receivings He considers not that he is a cisterne and God the fountaine a branch and Christ the root that all that he hath is a gift a borrowed thing the Lords and not his He remembers not that he hath nothing of his owne besides his sinne that all his sufficiency is of God both naturall and morall temporall and spirituall as all the bright and lightsome sufficiency of the aire is from the Sunne He cannot sensibly confesse with David riches and honour come of thee and thou reignest over all and in thy hand is power and might and in thy hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all Vaine man lookes on all that he hath as Nehuchadnezzar on his Babel as on a house of his own building as on a tree of his owne planting He sacrificeth to his owne net and burneth incense to his owne dragge and therefore like Nebuchadnezzar he exalts and magnifies himselfe and not Christ He that doth not see and feele Christ in his receivings can never admire Christ in them nor be drawne to Christ by them but is vainly puffed up against Christ in the presence of them When Jesuran waxed fat was filled with all earthly abundance he kicked rebelled against God refused the Lawes and ordinances of God he forsooke God which made him and lightly esteemed the rocke of his salvation And why so whence proceeded this exalting of himselfe and this sleighting of his God The reason is tendred He was unmindfull of the rocke that begate him and forgot the God that formed him He remembred not that God was the authour of his being the rock of his preservation and the fountaine that ministred all his fulnesse to him The great receivings which should move man to walke humbly with God through inconsideration doe often occasion man to exalt himselfe against God 3. Forgetfulnesse of mans place and station Man remembers not that his place is not the place of a Master but of a servant not of a King but of a Subject not of a Lord but of a Steward The greatest earthly Potentates are under God as servants lyable to an account for all their receivings bound to imploy their talents to Christs advantage to minister to others of their abundance and not to exalt themselves above others because they possesse more then others The Mother hath full breasts given her not for insultation over the childe but for ministration of milke to the childe God fils the breasts of some with great abundance not to magnifie themselves above others to trample and tread downe others but to communicate to others necessities Kings and Queenes are the nurses of the Church no mans greatnesse exempts him from obedience unto God and serviceablenesse to the Church of God On some God bestowes but little to try their patience on others he conferreth much to exercise their humility and meeknesse But mans forgetfulnesse of this doth often occasion him to walke insolently towards his poore brethren and in stead of being an Olive a Vine a Fig-tree to his brethren to shadow feed refresh and cheere them He becomes a bramble to vexe and annoy them in stead of honouring God with his substance he labours to honour himselfe in the eyes of others 4. Misprision of the true glory of man Mans honouring Christ is the truest honour of man Holy and humble obedience is the honour of a Christian The honouring of the Father Husband Soveraigne is the honour of a Sonne a Wife a Subject and the honouring of Christ is the glory of them who are the Children the Spouse and Subjects of Christ He saith Saint Paul that in these things in righteousnesse peace of a good conscience and spirituall joy serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men Very honourable in the eyes of God and good men but vaine and carnall man thinks no honour comparable to the honour which men give he loves the praise of men more then the praise of God and therefore labours more to worke himselfe into the hearts of men then into the favour of God doth more to draw the eyes of mens vaine admiration then the eyes of Gods gracious approbation towards him and strives more to have the testimony of man applauding him then the witnesse of Gods Spirit sealing him up unto the day of redemption and for this he studies to exalt and make himselfe appeare Simon Magus like Some great one in the eyes of the people for this he many times shunnes Christ and declines him in his ordinances in his heavenly truths in his members in his prescriptions so farre as he discernes them to prejudice his reputation in the eyes of the people 5. Vnsensiblenesse of the evill and unhappy fruits of self-exaltation Many men have no thought no apprehension of the wretched and shamefull effects of this exalting and magnifying themselves above that which is convenient they perceive not how it makes their soules the Subiect of all uncleannesse the slaves of Satan the servants of men the enemies of God strangers to Christ an abomination in the eyes of God uncapable of all benefit and comfort by the ordinances of God impatient of crosses despicable in the eyes of men discerning their ambition unteachable receiving no instruction of wisedome from them that teach them no reproofe from them that admonish them hypocriticall in their profession of Christ like a Sepulchre whited without but full of dead mens bones within envious and full of griefe to see the welfare prosperity and honour of others unsavoury in the nostrils of their brethren through the rotten and loathsome breath of their self-commendation and at last the Subiect of all shame and confusion
One that inhabiteth Eternity whose name is holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite Ones God ministers most spirituall consolation to him that is most low and base in his owne eye and apprehension 2. This makes the soule of man most invincible The low shrub endureth all the gusts and blasts of wind abiding fast rooted No winds of trouble or temptation can over-throw the humble though they may a little shake him The humble soule puts a low price upon the world the gaine of it doth not much affect him the losse of it doth not much disquiet him He leanes not on himselfe or any other arme of flesh his whole dependance is upon Christ Christ is the strength by which he standeth the light by which he walketh the crowne and portion in which he rejoyceth and nothing can separate him from Christ Satan hath least opportunity to fasten a temptation upon him The proffers of the world have no rellish with him the menaces of men raise no terrour in him Christ is every way so compleat in his apprehension that he accounts both the favour and the hatred of the world as nothing being crucified to the world and the world also unto him Bede relates a poeticall fiction of a man whom they called Terrae filius who fought with a tyrant named Hercules This Terrae filius when he was weary cast himselfe on the ground and recovered his strength which Hercules perceiving lifted him up into the aire and so overcame and slew him In like manner man fighting with Satan humbling and abasing himselfe abhorring himselfe with Job below the dust and ashes reneweth his strength and remaineth invincible but Satan lifting him up filling him with high and proud thoughts of his owne worth prevailes against him obtaines victory over him Pride makes man a slave to Satan humility makes man victorious over him The meek according to that of the Prophet shall increase his ioy in the Lord. The soule which is truly humble drawes matter of consolation out of all suffering and from every estate and condition wherein the Lord sets him 3. This exceedingly indeares man unto God He that is least in his owne eye is greatest in the esteeme of God He is best beloved of God who is most out of love with himselfe The humble soule is most capable of spirituall instruction The best scholler in Christs schoole most obedient unto Gods precept the best servant in Christs family most fruitfull in every good worke most apt to every good duty the choisest Tree in Gods Orchard most sincere and full in the intendment of Gods glory the truest lover among all the friends of God most thankefull for all blessings the best receiver and improver of Gods mercies most apprehensive of Gods perfections most affected with Gods goodnesse the greatest admirer of Gods and Christs excellencies and therefore most deare to God of all others To this man saith the Lord will I looke with the eyes of my love solacing and accepting him with the eyes of my mercy pardoning and forgiving him and with the eyes or my care and providence sweetning and disposing all for good unto him Even to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word To him will I looke when he heareth my word dispensing my grace into him when he prayeth returning a gracious answer to him when he mourneth putting all his teares into my bottle comforting him when he is in distresse delivering him and when he is in want supplying him God is very wonderfull in his gracious manifestations to soules filled with humility and meeknesse to men denying themselves and their owne affections The ornament of a meeke spirit is in the sight of God a thing of great price a contrite and a broken spirit God will not despise Mans estimation with God is sutable to his disestimation of himselfe 4. This doth very wonderfully exalt a man He that is most humble is most honourable Mans self-denyall ever tends to his exaltation It is Christs promise he that humbleth himselfe shall be exalted The humble soule is the vessell which God filleth with the wine of his choisest grace the Temple in which the Spirit of God dwelleth the servant whose worke the Lord accepteth the Petitioner in whose prayer the King of mercies delighteth the Favourite whom the King of Kings honoureth the Spouse whom the Prince of peace receiveth in wedlocke and the friend to whom the Secret of the Lord is imparted God communicates great honour unto them who for his honour are contented to abase themselves in the eyes of men David was content to appeare outwardly vile yea more vile that he might honour God and God made him more honourable confirming and strengthening him in the kingdome Moses was the meekest man on earth a man that had low thoughts of himselfe a man of singular perfection in the way and worke of self-denyall refusing all the honour of Egypt and chusing to endure affliction with Gods people But God made him most honourable called him up unto himselfe in the Mount and made him the leader of his people It is good losing for God the incurment of dishonour for God is recompenced with the greatest honour from the hand of God The Baptist abased himselfe very low to exalt Christ he told the people that such was Christs dignity worth and excellency that he was not worthy to stoop downe and untie the latchet of his shooe and Christ very highly honoured him telling the people that there was not a greater borne of women then the Baptist Man is ever so much the more precious in the eyes of Christ by how much the more despicable he is in his owne and other mens eyes for the love and cause of Christ There is more honour in the humble mans ignominy then in the proud mans pomp and glory He that is least through self-denyall holy abasement and unfained humiliation shall be greatest in Gods Kingdome Greatest in spirituall liberty and freedome in the measure of Sanctification in Gods account and acceptation and in the degree of future glory communicated to him 5. This ministers a very sweet and blessed freedome to the soule He that is most humble is the choisest Freeman in the world Self-denyall is a very great and happy freedome He that is most humble hath the greatest measure of grace conferred on him and wheresoever is most grace there is most freedome Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty saith the Apostle The humble man is free from ignorance in his understanding with the lowly there is wisedome saith Solomon and God doth guide the humble in iudgement saith the Psalmist He that is most humble hath the most cleare and
in himselfe but all his glory is in Christ the very whole of true Christians is from Christ Jesus Christ is both the fountaine filling and the life quickening them they cannot but acknowledge with Paul It is Christ lives in them In the words we have 1. A terme of opposition But 2. An Agent or Authour Christ he is the Author of this spirituall life 3. An Act liveth Christians live not the life of grace by themselves it is received from Christ 4. A Subâ—ect in me True believers are the only subject of spirituall life First of the terme of opposition but a word signifying an opposition of things in that sense in which things are opposed Labour not for the meat saith Christ which perisheth but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life and again lay not up for your selves treasure on earth but lay up for your selves treasures in Heaven And so likewise it is the Apostles charge be not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is And be not drunke with wine wherein is excesse but be filled with the Spirit And thus the Apostle here I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me I live indeed but it is not of my selfe but from Christ it is not of nature but of grace Christ is the root of spirituall life in me It is plaine and manifest to the feeling and experience of Gods children that they have not the life of Grace and holinesse from themselves but from Christ Jesus they know that Christ is the authour and finisher of their salvation they know that Christ is in them Examine your selves proove your selves know yee not that Christ is in you except yee be reprobates saith the Apostle We know saith S. John that we are of God quickning regenerating enlightning and sanctifying us and we know that the sonne of God is come and hath given us an understanding to know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his sonne Jesus Christ this is the true God and eternall life they know that Christ is in them as a root enlivening them as a Sun illuminating them as a Refiners fire purging them The woman of Shunem knew that the Prophet had raised her dead son to life the children of God know that Christ hath raised their soules which were dead in sinnes and trespasses the blind man knew that whereas he was blind he did now see and that Christ had opened his eyes Gods children have experience of Christs opening the eyes of their understanding Naaman knew that Jordan had washed away the leprosie which clave unto him Gods servants know that they are washed sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God Gods children know that of themselves they are dead in sins and trespasses and that Christ is the authour of spirituall life unto them they know that of themselves they are empty of all spirituall good and that Christ is the fountaine filling them they know that in their naturall estate they are the slaves of Satan the bond-men of the world the servants of corruption and that Christ alone is the worker of their freedome the beginning and the end of their salvation The life of grace and holinesse is not of man but of Christ no child in the course of nature can beget it selfe but is begotten of another Parent no child of God in the way of grace is the authour of his owne regeneration and new birth but is begotten again by the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Spirit of God perswading them of the truth informing them in the virtue and applying to them the power and efficacy of Christs resurrection begetteth them againe unto a lively hope mans receiving of Christ is the receiving of spirituall life and new-birth As many saith the Evangelist as received him to them gave he power to become the sonnes of God which were borne not of blood not by the Nobility and dignity of their Parents according to the flesh nor of the will of the flesh not by the ability and strength of nature not by any activity liberty or freedome of their owne nor of the will of man not by the art or industry education or instruction of man but of God It is not in the power of man to regenerate man God useth man as his instrument but God himselfe accomplisheth the worke as a supreme and free agent when and where he pleaseth Man is an alien to the life of God and can no more raise himselfe to a spirituall life then Lazarus could raise himselfe to a naturall life Mans conversion is a new creation which is as farre beyond the power of man as the forming of himselfe of nothing All the instruments of spirituall life are dependant no more able to quicken the soule of man then Gehazi with his Masters staffe was able to raise the woman of Shunems sonne to life without Elisha himselfe the life of the soule is hidden in Christ and he that hath not Christ is farre from all spirituall life Such therefore as have no experience of Christs communicating the life of grace and holinesse unto them are none of Gods children their life is a naturall a worldly a carnall and not a spirituall a heavenly and holy life they live by a fleshly and not by a spirituall principle by a corrupt and humane and not by a divine and heavenly rule they live unto themselves and not to Christ they are of themselves and they incline and move to themselves as to their proper Center they confine themselves within themselves they can nor looke nor move beyond themselves That which is of the flesh of a fleshly originall compounded wholy of fleshly principles having no other then fleshly ingredients in it that is flesh discerning after a fleshly and carnall manner and not perceiving the things of God which are spiritually discerned savouring and relishing only things carnall and fleshly minding only that which is vaine corrupt and earthly walking by a fleshly rule the imagination of their owne hearts and proposing a fleshly end the satisfaction of their owne corrupt and sinfull lusts they are not of God as a childe is of his Parents they beare not on them the Image of God as a child doth beare the image of his Father they depend not upon God as a child depends upon his Parents they abide not with God as a child with his Parents they receive not Gods instruction as a childe receives his fathers instruction they love not God as a child his Parent they delight not in God as a child rejoyceth in his Parents the meditation of God is not sweet the thought of Gods presence is not pleasant to them they frequent not Gods house they make it not their dwelling and place of their delight as children doe their Fathers house He that is without Christ is without God
empty of God a stranger to God an enemy against God Christ is the Jacobs ladder by whom God cometh unto man and man ascendeth unto God God is knowne as a Father of love God is beleeved in as a king of mercies God is felt and tasted as the fountaine of grace and goodnesse only in and thorough Christ Jesus He that knowes not Christ working the life of grace and holines in him is under the death of sin and hath no cleare knowledge no comfortable remembrance no blessed taste and feeling no honourable and soul-ravishing apprehensions of God no delight in God no comfortable communion with God we discerne and apprehend God loving mercifull and gracious onely in and thorough Christ working in us the life of true holinesse mans thoughts of God are more or lesse joyous and delightfull according to the measure of Christs working within him CHAP. XIX THe second thing in these words is an agent or Author and that is Christ Christ liveth in his Saints he is the worker of this life the life of Gods children hath a very honourable originall it is not from a naturall but from a spirituall seed the life of nature is farre inferiour to the life of grace Life communicated by earthly Parents is an unworthy life in respect of that life which Christ doth minister unto us a life which goes not by generation but by regeneration a life communicable by no creature dispenced only by him who lives of himselfe and gives life to others at his pleasure according to S. Pauls open profession that Christ lived in him was the authour of the life of grace to him shewing us That Christ is the Authour of spirituall life to all Gods children he raised the body of Lazarus to a bodily life he rayseth our soules to a spirituall life he quickens whom he will he hath power to quicken all his will is to quicken only some when he was on earth he could have raysed all the dead to life yet he raysed but only a few thus now he hath power to quicken all men to a spirituall life but his will is to quicken only some such as God the Father hath chosen to salvation Christ saith S. John hath power over all flesh that he should give life to as many as God the Father hath given him all that partake of the life of grace derive and borrow the same from Christ who is the way leading the truth enlightning and the life quickning unto life everlasting and the Apostle saith our life is hid with Christ in God as the life of the branch is hid in the root and Christ is called our life by S. Paul and our life or the authour of spirituall life he is in us by way of Revelation he opens and shewes the way to life without Christ we are all in darknesse and the shadow of death and no man knows the Father but the Sonne and he to whom the Sonne will reveale him Our life he likewise is by way of meritorious impetration he hath purchased life for us Our life by way of originall the life of grace is originally in Christ and from him communicated unto us Our life by way of opeâ—ation he quickneth us by the powerfull worke of his Spirit And our life by way of conjunction he unites himselfe communicates himselfe and all his benefits to us as the Prophet applyed himselfe to the woman of Shunems sonne and raysed him to life And that Christ is the Authour of spirituall life to Gods children is apparent 1. By mans alienation and estrangement from the life of grace without Christ the branch without the root the body without the soule hath no life man without Christ is a withered branch a dead carcasse dead in sinnes and trespasses twice dead and plucked up by the roots and it is in Christs hand alone to quicken him Lord said Peter to our Saviour whither shall we goe thou hast the words of eternall life the word revealing promising and working life in all that are ordained unto life 2 By Christs ordination and appointment to minister all things to Gods chosen the fullnesse of light is dispenced to the ayre by the Sun fulnesse of water is dispenced by the Sea unto the earth the fulnesse of Aegypt was dispenced to the people by Joseph the fulnesse of God is dispenced to the soules of men by Christ Christ is the Sunne by whom they are enlightned the root by whom they are enlivened the Store-house by whom they are enriched the fountaine by whom they are replenished they are blessed with all spirituall blessings in Christ God convayes all in mercy unto man thorough Christ nothing proves a blessing unto man but what he hath by vertue of his conjunction with Christ there is no relation of love and peace betweene God and the soule of man but only in and through Christ Jacob and his sonnes found favour with Pharaoh only for Josephs sake Christ is the only Medium of mans favor and acceptance with God he alone is made of God to be wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption unto man God hath put the very whole of mans happinesse in Christ Jesus 3. By the insufficiency of any created power to minister the life of grace to man this is above the power of men and Angels the dispensation of life is peculiar to him that is Lord of life the industry of man is used indeed as an instrument of spirituall vivification but the efficacy is from Christ to this worke all created strength without Christ is like the strength of Aegypt in another case to set still the diseased woman in the Gospell spent all her substance upon the Physitians and yet there was no healing man may spend all his time and substance upon the creature and the creature may spend all its ability about man and yet when all is done without Christ there will be no spirituall quickning Am I a God said the King of Israel to Naaman to kill and to make alive that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosie Thus may the holiest Saint and most glorious Angell say Am I a God to kill and to make alive to kill sin and to enliven the soul that man should looke to me for spirituall vivification the sufficiency of the choysest creatures is a borrowed sufficiency derived from Christ and the efficacy and working thereof is wholy dependant upon Christ 4. By the dignity and excellency of spirituall life a life of that noblenes and eminency that none but Christ who is life it self can communicate it a seed which none but Christ can sow a tree which none but Christ the great Husbandman of the soule can plant the life of grace ariseth from a principle farre more noble then the life of nature Saul was head and shoulders above the residue of the people the life of grace is head and shoulders very high and farre above the life
past feeling being unsensible of their sinne as a dead man of his disease unsensible of the misery of their estate and perilousnesse of their condition as the drunkard in Salomon had no apprehension of his danger unsensible of the word of instruction as a deafe man that heares not is unsensible of advice and counsell They heare saith the Prophet but understand not they see but perceive not they heare outwardly but not inwardly they see confusedly but not clearly the light shines upon them but not within them they walke not in the light they are not guided in their goings by the light they are unsensible of the characteres symptomes of destruction which are upon them as Ephraim had gray haires here and there upon him howbeit he knew it not Unsensible of the goodnesse and sweetnesse of Christ as a distempered palate is unsensible of the sweetnesse of the wine given him to drinke unsensible of the comfort and pleasantnesse of spirituall life as the dead are unsensible of the joyes of the living and being thus past feeling they regard not the life of grace it is of no esteeme with them 4. Their corruption doth oppose the life of grace by causing them to give themselves over to lasciviousnesse to worke uncleannesse disposing and inclining them to evill as heavy things incline downeward the whole current of their affections moving towards sinne strongly speedily undefatigably and unchangeably as the Rivers move towards the Sea soaking and surfeting themselves with carnall delights and pleasures as the drunkard soakes his flesh with strong drinke and the glutton surfets himselfe with sweet meat delighting and sporting themselves in sinne as the fish in the water drinking iniquity as Job speaks like water as the dry ground drinks in the water and looks for more giving themselves over unto sinne as the souldiers to the Centurion to be commanded by it to be wholly subject to it as the harlot to the adulterer prostituting and laying themselves open unto sinne and bringing forth all their fruit to sinne and this their serviceablenesse to sinne delight and pleasure in sinne voluntary and full subjection under sinne doth mightily oppose the working of the life of grace within them so opposing it that none but Christ can worke it Besides Satan doth also with much force and fraud hinder this worke holding the winds that they may not blow endeavouring to the utmost to stop the ministery of the word the meanes of begetting this life in the soules of men blinding the understandings of men that the glorious light of the Gospel may not shine into them labouring by all meanes to hinder the regeneration of Gods children represented in Saint Johns vision of the Dragon ready to devoure the womans childe as soone as it was borne This worke the world also hinders by distracting men with worldly cares by priding men with worldly wealth by ministring many prophane and soule-bewitching examples by with-holding men from attendance upon Gods ordinances the meanes of life by choaking the word of God the instrument of life with worldly cares by disabling men to discerne and judge aright of Christ the Authour of life Such is the opposition made against the worke of grace in the soules of men that there is a meere impossibility of attaining spirituall life without the mighty worke of Christ the Lord of life CHAP. XX. SEe then in this the pride and vanity of such men as dreame of a power and ability in themselves to restore themselves unto spirituall life As Sampson burst his wit hs and went out when Dalilah cryed the Philistines are upon thee Sampson Thus they thinke to breake the chaines of sinne to come forth of the grave of their corruption at their pleasure having the word of exhortation to call them Man indeed indowed with true and saving grace may come when God cals him as Sampson went forth at the voice of Dalilah while his lockes were upon him but as Sampson had no power to preserve himselfe when his lockes were cut off no more hath man destitute of saving grace any power to restore himselfe to the life of grace or to defend himselfe against the adversaries of his peace The branch cannot live without the root nor the soule a spirituall life without Christ Man is wholly disabled unto this worke having no feed nor principle of grace remaining in him being as fully under the dominion of sinne as the dead are under the dominion of death at as great a distance from the life of grace as they who have been long dead and divers dayes like Lazarus in the grave are from the life of nature 2. Being so blinded that they cannot discerne the things which belong to their spirituall vivification from the things which tend to their destruction the wayes of death are wayes of life in their apprehension as the Assyrians smitten with blindnesse thought the way leading to Samaria to be the way leading to Assyria Thus they repute the way which leadeth unto death to be the way leading unto life they call evill good and good evill 3. They decline the meanes of their spirituall quickning they stop their cares against the voice which should awaken and enliven them they shut their eyes against the light which should illuminate them 4. They are full of enmity against the ministery which should convert them they make warre against the ministery of the word as Saul against David This troubles them as the Star troubled Herod the Minister is their enemy because he tels them the truth 5. Sinne is a sweet dish to their palate they are insatiable in the commission of it their soules are wedded to it they have made a Covenant with it they boast and glory in it 6. The life of grace and holinesse is dishonourable and contemptible in their eye Nothing with them is beautifull and amiable excellent and honourable but that which is either for the matter or for the circumstances sinfull And therefore when the dead can raise themselves out of their graves when the stones can turne themselves into flesh the thornes into vines when the Leopard can change his spots and the Blackamoore his skinne then may man by his owne power without the mighty worke of Christ raise himselfe to a new life turne his hard into a tender heart his barren into a fruitfull soule and his uncleane into a pure conversation Were man sensible of his emptinesse of all spirituall good of his obstinacy against grace of his strong and unchangeable bent to evill of the desperate disposition of his heart to sinne of his through subiection under Satan and of the prophane antipathy which is in his heart against grace and of his inability to receive it when it is proffered he would never exalt himselfe into Christs roome and take upon him to be the workman of his owne conversion he would never continue in sinne presuming to repent at last when he list
to burne within them in hearing as the hearts of the two Disciples did this fire this heavenly heate is wanting and therefore all their service is but as a sacrifice without fire of no use of no acceptance with the Lord. 4. Their services if you observe their end are arrowes levelled to a low marke A dead man cannot lift himselfe up from the earth A man without Christ and empty of spirituall life cannot looke above himselfe and his owne flesh in any thing he doth The effect ever suites with the cause the thorne cannot beare figges the fruit is answerable to the nature of the Tree He that hath nothing of God in him cannot intend God in his undertaking he that is alienated from the life of God cannot worke for God That saith our Saviour which is of the flesh is flesh fleshly disposed intending the flesh and nothing else doing all for himselfe seeking his owne things and not the things which are Christs his owne profit his owne ease his owne applause he serves not the Lord Jesus but his owne belly as Saint Paul speakes and thus the originall the nature adjunct and end of a carnall mans works demonstrate them to be dead works of no esteem with God how glorious soever in the eyes of men As Christ is the Author and worker of Spirituall life so the glory and the praise of all grace and holinesse of the whole spirituall life of Christians is to be attributed unto Christ Jesus Christ is the everlasting Father from whom we have our new birth the high and heavenly workman from whom we have our spirituall being and new Creation the life by whom we are quickened the Sun by whom we are enlightened the Physitian by whom we are healed Christ Jesus is the fountaine of all grace and goodnesse life and holinesse to true beleevers they are all members enlivened by this head Stars enlightened by this Sunne fields manured by this husbandman houses builded by this Architect and vessels filled by this fountaine the praise of all mans grace and holinesse is due to Christ Jesus Art thou awakened out of thy spirituall sleep and slumber it is Christ hath done it as the Angell awakened Peter the Lyon by his cry awakens his young Christ the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah by his mighty voice in the Gospell awakens Gods chosen Are the eyes of thy understanding enlightened Christ is the light who hath enlightened thee as he opened the eyes of him that was borne blind Art thou cleansed from thy sinne it is Christ who is the refiners fire and the fullers sope that hath purged thee as Jordan cleansed Naaman from his leprosie Art thou delivered from the prison of thy corruption and the bondage of Satan it is Christ hath brought thee forth as the Angell brought Peter out of Herods prison Hast thou liberty to come to God by faith and love it is Christ hath made thee free in thy understanding to discerne the things of God in thy will to chuse and intend God in thy imagination to thinke upon God in thy memory to remember God in thy affections to feare trust love and rejoyce in God in thy eares to attend to the word of God in thine eyes to behold God in his works in thy tongue to speake of God to the edification of others and to celebrate God for his mercies Christ is the Authour and workman of all Christian freedome Art thou filled with the gifts and graces of Gods Spirit Christ is the fountaine that hath filled thee all thy receivings are of Christs fulnesse as the branches are filled by the root and the Starres by the Sunne Hast thou reconciliation and acceptation with God it is Christ that hath brought thee nigh to God procured favour for thee with the Lord as Joseph procured favour for his brethren with the King of Egypt Christ is the beloved in whom thou art accepted Art thou able to endure temptation to undergoe the heavy burthen of affliction Christ is the rocke that sustaines thee as the rocke in the Parable sustained the house from sinking when the winds and waves did beate and blow upon it Christ is the Arke that beares thee up as Noah was borne up in the Deluge Christ is the shield and buckler and wall of fire that defends thee it is Christs power in thee it is Christs presence with thee as with the three children in the fiery furnace that strengthens and inables thee to hold out that makes thee victorious over all opposing powers In a word it is Christ that works all thy works of grace and peace faith and love hope and patience constancy and perseverance in thee he begins the life of grace within thee and continues it to the life of glory Ascribe therefore to the Lord Jesus the praise of all thy goodnesse acknowledge him to be the giver of all thy gifts the Authour of all thy holy and gracious works the Sunne that hath enlightened thy darknesse the quickning Spirit who hath enlivened and freed thee from thy deadnesse the Physitian who hath healed thy diseases the Counsellor who hath resolved thee in all thy doubtings the fiery pillar who hath gone before thee protecting and guiding thee in all thy goings the Moses rod which hath divided the waters and made a passage for thee through the red Sea of all thy afflictions the Captaine who hath overcome for thee in all thy Conquests and the King who of his owne mercy crownes thee and his owne works in thee after all thy tryals Let Christ have the glory of all from thee because he accomplisheth all for thee by his living in thee CHAP. XXI THe third thing in these words is an Act liveth Christs living in man the soule liveth in the body enlivening preserving and strengthening the body and Christ liveth in man enlivening man with the life of grace preserving man in the estate of grace strengthening him with all might according to his glorious power Christ is the soule of our soules the quickning Spirit by whom we are spiritually enlivened Christ by the supernaturall gracious and powerfull operation of his Spirit raising us to newnesse or life and living in us by this powerfull and holy worke of his Whence observe That Christ lives in Gods children by his holy and powerfull worke of Sanctification The Spirit of the living creatures in Ezekiels vision was in the wheeles and when the living creature went they went and when the living creature was lifted up they were lifted up because the Spirit of the living creature was in the wheeles Thus the Spirit of Christ is in the children of God and they live as Christ lives they move according to Christs prescription because the Spirit of Christ is in them because Christ lives in them and works effectually by his Spirit upon them putting a Principle of spirituall life into them The Prophet Elisha applyed himselfe to the woman of
a Christian to have Christ living in him The more we are assured of this the more sweet and comfortable will the meditation of Christ be unto us and the greater our courage against all opposing powers and the more cheerfull shall we be in Christs service And this we shall discerne 1. By the purity of our conversation The order of our life without is sutable to the root and Principle of our life within he that hath a humane soule and life within him doth outwardly walke speake and worke as a man he that hath Christ living in him converseth walketh worketh doth all things outwardly as a Christian conformeth himselfe to Christ is acted moved and guided by Christ living in him as the body is moved and guided by the soule living in the same Christ living in him writes his Law in his heart new moulds new fashions and frames his whole man and makes it sutable to the Law causing him to be holy in all manner of conversation as he that hath called him is holy making him alive to God receiving all his direction from God to be wholly subject unto Gods will totally devoted to Gods service to doe every thing for God and to intend God above himselfe or any thing else as Christ in the dayes of his flesh did all according to the Commandement his Father gave him he sought not his owne but his Fathers honour Thus he in whom Christ lives makes Gods word the rule that guides him he seekes God and not himselfe he purifieth himselfe as Christ is pure and strives what in him lies that he may approve himselfe to God by walking humbly and holily with God 2. By mans invinciblenesse He that hath Christ living in him is very victorious even as Christ is victorious Christ is his life and as Christ is invincible so is the life of Christ in them that are his sinne and Satan may now and then foile them but can never extinguish the life of grace in them because Christ who liveth in them is stronger then all that doth oppose them Ye are of God saith Saint John endowed with the life of God and have overcome because greater is he that is in you then he that is in the world Christ living in his children is greater then Satan who lives in carnall men and therefore they are invincible We know saith the same Apostle that whosoever is borne of God sinneth not is not under the power of sinne gives no allowance to sinne makes not a trade of sinne but he that is begotten of God keepeth himselfe and that wicked one toucheth him not he keepeth himselfe that which is proper unto God is transferred to the children of God and they are said to keep themselves who indeed are kept of God being kept as Saint Peter saith through the power of God unto salvation having Christ living in them the whole armour of God put upon them the gifts of the Spirit communicated to them giving themselves to the study and practise of godlinesse and being frequent and fervent in holy and humble supplication unto God they are kept that the evill one doth not touch them his temptations are resisted he cannot extinguish the life of Christ in them in all assaults afflictions temptations and tryals they are more then Conquerours through Christ loving them and living in them Christ sustaines them in the deluge of affliction as the Arke sustained Noah in the deluge of waters And though they sometimes slip through the infirmity of the flesh yet they grieve under the burthen of their corruption they are displeased with themselves they depart not from the feare of the Lord they recover and revive they prevaile as Joshuah over the Amalekites they grow stronger and stronger like the house of David they goe forward like Israel in the way to Canaan from strength to strength untill they appeare before the Lord in Sion they shine more and more like the light unto the day of perfection The longer Christ liveth in them the more perfection of life is ministred to them 3. By mans preserving and keeping himselfe from sin and from the world Life preserves the body from putrefaction when the life is gone the body putrifies and rots but whiles life is strong and vigorous in the body the body is fresh and comely Man without Christ doth putrifie and rot in sinne he growes worse and worse but Christ living in man he is preserved from sinne sinne doth not reigne over him they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and dusts their soules are purified by Christ as the gold by the refiners fire and the cloath by the Fullers soape they are kept by Christ as the Garden by the dresser as the house by the dweller they are purged from sinne as the aire is purged from clouds and vapors by the wind and Sun they are washed and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God Christ communicates spirituall health and heavenly beauty to their soules he purifies them to be a peculiar people to himselfe he makes them shine as lights he will not suffer sinne to remaine like a mortall wound or loathsome ulcer upon them but he ministers spirituall healing to them by the wings of his ordinances outwardly and of his grace inwardly Secondly they in whom Christ lives are preserved from the world life inables man to lift up his body from the earth to tread upon it with his foot they in whom Christ lives have their conversation in Heaven they mind the things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God they first seeke the kingdome of God and the righteousnesse thereof This is the fountaine after whose waters they thirst the Sunne in whose light they rejoyce the treasure with which they desire to be enriched the thing which they desire suites with the quality and nature of their life Christ living in them they chiefly desire the things of Christ their hearts and thoughts are taken off from the world they prize it as a thing which is not they undervalue it as dung and drosse in comparison of Christ and the things of Christ and they use it as if they used it not Like Gideons three hundred men they lap a little but bow not downe to these waters Christ doth marvellously innoble their disposition in whom he lives he will not suffer them to be carnally affected nor worldly minded The world is crucified to that man in whom Christ liveth 4. By mans oppugning and expelling out of himselfe whatsoever is contrary to Christ It is the property of life to expell what is contrary to it whatsoever doth oppose or prejudice it The life of nature labours to the utmost the expulsion of diseases tending to the dissolution of nature and the life of grace or Christ living in man expels what is contrary to Christ and to the life and worke of grace
and reverence by returning to your tongues a pure language that your speech may minister grace to the hearers by restraining your eyes from beholding vanitie by disposing your hands to worke that which is good and by making your feet swift to every good duty as you discerne your soule living in your humane body moving all the members to humane services so discerne Christ living in your bodily members disposing and framing them to religious duties Feele Christ living in all your services as the chiefe worker of them and inabler of you to them doing all in his name by his assistance and for his glory Feele Christ living in the Prayer which you make praying by the Spirit of Christ in the name of Christ and for the honour of Christ Feele Christ living in the Word which you heare making it an immortall seed to regenerate you a sacred Fire to purge you a heavenly Light to guide you and a message of peace to comfort you Feele Christ living in the Sacrament which you receive making it a Coelestiall Manna feeding you a Seale of Righteousnesse assuring you of your Justification an obligation binding you to new obedience and a pledge of Gods unchangeable love towards you All holy Ordinances if Christ live not in them shew not himselfe powerfull by them are but an empty shell without kernell and a dry breast without milke ministring no nourishment All the Religious Duties wee performe if Christ live not in them are but a Sacrifice without Fire a dead Carkasse of no esteeme with God Our affections if Christ live not in us are a charet without wheeles they sinke and fall unto the earth they cannot encline nor move towards the Lord All our best abilities if Christ live not in them are as standing Waters without a living Spring they putrifie and rot and prove unprofitable If Christ live not in us our knowledge is ignorance our wisedome foolishnesse our faith presumption our love dissimulation and our obedience no better then rebellion If Christ live not in us our understandings are blinded and wee cannot savingly know God our will is inthralled and wee cannot intend God our faith like Jeroboams arme is withered and wee cannot lay hold upon the promise of God The whole sufficiencie of a Christian is from Christs living in him Christs living in man makes him wise in discerning the things of God sincere in intending the glory of God powerfull in withstanding what doth oppose him in the wayes of God fruitfull in the worke of God meeke and humble in submitting to the hand of God faithfull in keeping the Covenant of God joyfull in hearing the Word of God fervent in invocation upon the Name of God patient in waiting for the Comforts of the Lord contented with the portion God giveth constant in running the race which God hath set before him and graciously perswaded of living the life of Glory for ever in Heaven * ⎠* MANS MISERY WITHOVT CHRIST OPENING The sinfull perplexed dishonourable and Soul destroying Condition of Man without CHRIST tending to the driving and drawing of every man out of himselfe unto CHRIST By Alexander Grosse B. D. Minister of the Gospell and Pastor of Bridford near Exon in Devon-shire Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God 2. Epist Ioh. ver 9. If ye beleeve not that I am he ye shall dye in your sins Ioh. 8.24 If any man abide not in me he is cast forth as a branch and is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned LONDON Printed by G. M. for John Bartlet at the Signe of the Gilt Cup near Saint Austins Gate 1642. MANS MISERY WITHOVT CHRIST OPENED EPHES 2.12 At that time ye were without Christ being aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world CHAP. I. Shewing mans alienation from CHRIST misery without CHRIST and opening the scope of the words ADam after his eating the forbidden fruit was without the Garden of Eden disabled to come to the tree of life man feeding on the forbidden fruit of sinne is a stranger to the Paradise of all spirituall and heavenly comforts wholy excluded from the true tree of life Christ Jesus There is no sweet and gracious communion betweene the Lord Jesus and carnall persons The men of the old world were without the Arke and perished in the deluge of waters men who are in their old corrupt estate who have not put off that old man which is corrupt according to divers lusts are without Christ and shall certainly perish in the deluge of their impieties and the Lords vengeance the fruition of Christ is mans happinesse mans crowne and comfort alienation from Christ is mans misery mans shame and the soules great distraction and trouble of all estates on Earth mans naturall and corrupt condition is most wretched and miserable a condition of death without spirituall life of darknesse without divine and heavenly light of bondage without Christian freedome of uncleanenesse without sanctification of emptinesse without all celestiall fulnesse of alienation without all comfortable communion with Christ without all interest in Christ and his benefits without either claime or title to Gods Promise to Heaven or eternall happinesse an estate of exclusion from all holy and gracious society with Gods children an estate of profanenesse without God without the knowledge of God without faith in God without love to God and without zeale for God for at that time in that estate and condition We are without Christ being aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world The Apostle in these words declares and amplifies the miserable and wretched estate of man the uncomfortable and dishonourable condition of the soule of man without Christ without the knowledge of Christ without faith in Christ without incorporation into Christ without participation of Christ and his benefits And this misery and wretchednesse of man the Apostle doth open set forth and amplifie by a five-fold alienation 1. An alienation from Christ at that time yee were without Christ Christ was not preached to you Christ was not knowne of you Christ was not imbraced nor beleeved in by you this is the first alienation and the ground of all the rest Hee that is an alien to the Lord Iesus is a stranger to all things appertaining to life and happinesse mans interest in Christ gives him interest in God and in all good things of God there is no way for man to come to God and eternall happinesse but only by and thorough Christ Jesus the neglect of Christ is the lesse of all 2. An alienation from the Common-wealth of Israel from that forme of Religion and divine worship which God had prescribed to the Israelitish people they alone at that time having the oracles of God among them Very miserable
no mixture or glimpse of spirituall light Very sad and sorrowfull is that soules darkenesse which is estranged from the Sunne of Righteousnesse 3. Man that is without Christ is without grace without holinesse Naaman without Jordan was overspread with a lothsome leprosie there is a very filthy leprosie of uncleannesse upon them that partake not of Christ For Christ as the Apostle saith is our Sanctification effectively as the worker of it originally as the head and spring from whence it is derived without whom our soules are as empty of grace as the cisterne of water without the fountaine as full of errour superstition pride and prophanenesse as Baals house of Idolaters as full of earthly mindednesse and covetous practises as the sluggards field of thornes and bryars as full of hypocrisie deceitfulnesse and unrighteousnesse as the Pharisees Sepulchers of dead mens bones or the Temple of money-changers before Christ whipt them out Our soules are indeed a very sinke of uncleannesse untill Christ doth possesse us 4. Man that is without Christ is without Liberty Peter without the Angell continued in Herods prison without the Lord Jesus man remaines the prisoner of Satan the world and his owne corrupt affections Every unregenerate man is a miserable bond-man led away captive at the will of Satan unable to make any resistance against him a voluntary slave refusing liberty tendred to him loving darkenesse more then light and Satans prison better then Christs Palace having no liberty in his understanding to discerne the things of God in his imagination to meditate and thinke upon them in his will to chuse them or in his affections to love prize and delight himselfe in them The Liberty of the soule estranged from Christ Jesus is nothing else but bondage He that is most free to sinne is the greatest slave to Satan where Christ is not there is no Life quickning there is no Sunne enlightening there is no Conquerour dissolving the holds of Satan there is no dew suppling and softening the hard and fallow ground of mans heart There is no fire warming the cold and frozen affections and therefore no liberty from corruption no inclination to the wayes and works of sanctification It is only Christ Jesus that ministers to the soules of Gods servants freedome from uncleannesse and liberty to true holinesse 5. Man that is without Christ is without acceptation with God Christ is Gods beloved in whom man is accepted Man that is out of Christ beares not Gods Image is not Gods gracious workmanship is estranged from Gods Covenant hath no love of God within him is the slave of Satan the servant of the world and a very sinke of corruption He is no Tree of Righteousnesse of Gods planting no childe of Gods begetting no loyall Subject of Gods Kingdome no vessell of Gods gracious filling no partaker of Christs Righteousnesse to cloath and cover him he brings forth no fruit to God but all to himselfe to the flesh and to the world and therefore can have no aceptation with God Joseph his brethren might not looke him in the face unlesse they brought their brother Benjamin with them Man cannot looke God in the face with my confidence or acceptance unlesse he bring Christ with him in the armes of his faith Mans person and service finds acceptance with God only in and through Christ Jesus without Christ man is stubble and God a consuming fire to destroy him Man is a guilty malefactor and God a severe Judge to condemne him the whole of man without Christ Jesus is a very abomination in Gods presence 6. Man that is without Christ is without Contentation In Christ the soule meets with all satisfaction and fulnesse He is a Sun in whom the beleeving soule beholds all fulnesse of light a precious Iewell in whom he finds all fulnesse of worth a rocke in whom he feeles all fulnesse of strength a fountaine from whom he drawes all fulnesse of satisfaction and a Paradise in whom he enjoyes all fulnesse of pleasures but without Christ the soule finds vanity and emptinesse in the greatest abundance the wife findeth an emptinesse in a rich and full house the husband being absent Christ wanting the soule meets with vanity in the largest possession Christ is the marrow and the fâ—tnesse the fulnesse and the sweetnesse of all our endowments separate Christ from them and they are bitter and doe not please us weake and doe not sustaine us empty and doe not fill us dumbe and doe not comfort us It is not the abundance of any thing but Christ comming with it that gives contentation whether the thing be much or little Without Christ the desire is enlarged as hell and never satisfied the Lord Jesus is the choise and onely fulnesse of all Christians 7. Man without Christ is without all spirituall splendor and beauty The Sunne is the glory of the world the eye is the glory of the head the soule of the body the jewell is the glory of the Ring the Flowers Herbs Trees and Fruit are the glory of the Garden and the Field the Arke was the glory of Israel and Christ is the glory of the Christian stiled the light of the Gentiles and the glory of Israel being both the Author and the matter of their glory Their glory in respect of instruction as the teacher is the glory of the Schoole in respect of vivification as the soule is the glory of the body in respect of Redemption as the ransomer is the glory of the captive in respect of Conquest as David was the glory of Israel overcomming the great Goliah in respect of Justification as the garment is the glory of him that weares it in respect of Sanctification as Jordan was the glory of Naaman cleansing him from his leprosie in respect of repletion as the fountaine is the glory of the cisterne and in respect of wise and powerfull gubernation gracious and plentifull ministration as the King is the glory of the Kingdome the shepheard of the flocke and as Joseph was the glory of the Land of Egypt ministring provision to it He that partakes most of Christ Jesus is the most beautifull and glorious of all others but man without Christ is without all spirituall beauty in regard of ignorance as a darke house without light even darkenesse it selfe in regard of nakednesse as a man without a garment naked miserable and wretched having no other cloathing then a menstrous clout to cover him led by Satan like Egypt by the Assyrians naked barefoot his buttockes yea the whole man uncovered in regard of spirituall contagion and foul-sicknes his soule like the body of Lazarus full of sores or like the body of Job full of sore boiles from the sole of his foot unto his crowne loathsome and incurable are the soules-maladies which hath not Christ as a Physitian to heale him in regard of the plenitude and fulnesse of all sinne like the sluggards field in Salomon full of
the Sea of waters 3. He that is empty of the power of Christ is without Christ When the body is empty of the power of the soule the soule is departed from it become a stranger to it thus when man is altogether empty of the spirituall and heavenly power of Christ then is man without Christ a meere stranger to Christ all they that are partakers of Christ have experience of the power of Christ in casting downe the strong and mighty holds of sin in their soules in humbling their hearts in bringing the thoughts of their hearts into the obedience of Christ in overcomming and casting Satâ—n out of their hearts in sanctifying and cleansing their soules in perswading them to beleeve and lay hold upon the promise of life in pacifying and quieting their perplexed consciences in making them able to endure afflictions and in causing them to grow and encrease in all heavenly graces He therefore that hath not experience of this power of Christ in the casting down of the holds of sinne as Israel had experience of the power of the Lord in casting down the wals of Jericho at the blowing of the trumpets he that feeles not this power of Christ in making him victorious over Satan as the man in the Gospell had experience of Christs power in casting the uncleane spirit out of him He that doth not discerne Christ powerfull in sanctifying him as Naaman disâ—rned the vertue of Jordan in purging his Leprosie from him and the lame man discerned the power of the Angell in Bethesda healing him He that knowes not the efficacy of Christ in perswading him to beleeve in reconciling him to God as Josephs brethren discerned the esticacy of his Intercession with the King of Aegypt for them Hee that perceives not Christ pacifying his troubled spirit binding up his broken heart and healing his wounded conscience as the Disciples felt the power of Christ calming the stormy tempest and the wounded man in the Parable felt the Samaritan powring wine and oyle into his wounds and binding up the same He that discerns not Christ strengthning and sustaining him in temptations and tryals as the Arke bare up Noah in the deluge he that feeles not Christ comming downe upon his soule like raine upon the mowen grasse and as showers that water the Earth making him fruitfull in every good gift and grace he that is empty of these powerfull and mighty ministrations of Christ is without Christ under the power of his corruption in his naturall and carnall condition 4. He that is empty of the Liberty which Christ ministreth is without Christ he that doth not feele Christ freeing him from the death of sin as the woman of Shunems son felt the Prophet freeing him from bodily death his flesh waxing warme and his eyes opening freeing him from the thraldome and imbondagement of sin as Peter felt the Angell freeing him from his fetters and Herods prison freeing him from the servitude of the world as Israel discerned Moses freeing them from the servitude of Aegypt freeing their understandings from ignorance as the Sun freeth the ayre from darknesse freeing their wils from perversenesse their thoughts from vanity and their aâ—fections from coldnesse and deadnesse as the fire freeth the house from cold and filleth it with heat making the whole man free to know beleeve love and rejoyce in God as the cleare eye is free to see the Brides heart is free to love the Bridegroome and the Sun free to run the race which is set him Hee that is a stranger to this freedome remaining a captive under the power of his lusts and the world is farre from Christ an empty house in whom Christ hath no dwelling 5. He that is empty of the love of Christ is without Christ He that doth not discerne the love of Christ as the Bride discernes the love of the Bridegroome Hee that perceives not Christ kissing him with the kisses of his mouth it is the Churches expression in Salomons Song applying the doctrines of his Love Mercy and Peace to his conscience making him sensible of his love in the use of his Ordinances as the Bridegroomâ— makes the Bride sensible of his love in his banquetting house making him joyfull in the House of Prayer inabling him to pray with confidence returning a gracious answer to his holy and humble petitions He that perceives not the love of Christ in the cleare and comfortable revelation of his secrets to his understanding in his holy and sanctified working upon his soule in sealing up the pardon and forgivenesse of his sin in the free and plentifull communication of himselfe his gifts graces and benefits unto his heart in the sanctifying and sweetning of all his tryals in making all to worke for the best unto him in giving him water out of the rocke meat out of the eater and sweet out of the sowre He that is thus empty of the love of Christ is without Christ Where Christ is there his love is and his love is not idle but operative manifesting it selfe in the divâ—ne and heavenly fruits and effects thereof to the soule And thus by these marks and characters mans being without Christ mans abiding in his corrupt estate and carnall condition is plainly discernable CHAP. VI. Exhorting to come out of our naturall and corrupt estate 5. THe consideration of mans misery in being without Christ in continuing still in his corrupt and wreched estate should set every man on worke with all diligence with all assiduity and carefullnesse to labour his deliverance and freedome out of that condition the estate of corruption is of all estates the most miserable better live in any servitude misery poverty disgrace or trouble then under the power of sin without Christ better live in ignominy without honour in prison without freedome in hatred without the love of man in poverty without riches in exilement without humane fellowship in famine without bread in darknesse without light in trouble without peace in paine without ease enjoying Christ then to live in all the fullnesse of the world under the dominion of corruption without the Lord Jesus Therefore out of this estate doth the Lord call us Turne you even unto me saith the Lord with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning and rent your hearts and not your garments and turne to the Lord your God Turne from your sin as a Traveller from his wandring path and walke in the wayes of God turne from the service of sin as Rebels from the service of a forrain Prince and serve the Lord your great and highest Soveraigne turne from the love of sin as a Harlot from the love of strangers and love the Lord Jesus your spirituall Bridegroome with all your hearts with all your souls and with all your might This is the labour of all Gods Ministers the fruit and honour of all their
adulterated my worship with many novell and strange inventions these have drawne thy love from me and my truth and thou hast committed adultery with them When humane devices are made ingredients and compounding parts of Gods service they are in Gods account very shamefull pollutions and doubtlesse he that in Gods worship is an admirer of humane inventions is no lover of the Lord Jesus Oile will not mixe it selfe with water nor iron with clay no more will true Religion be mixed with that which is corrupt the Arke and Dagon cannot stand together Religion is not like lead you cannot bow it but like glasse breake it you may bow it you cannot mingle it and you destroy it it is no more Religion but superstition as silver mixt with drosse is no more accounted silver but drosse though it hath some silver in it Besides it is treason in a common-wealth for any man to mingle the Lawes of a forraine Prince with the Lawes of his owne Prince no King will endure it and what is this but spirituall treason against Christ to mingle humane devices and forraine traditions with Christs precepts the Lord will never endure it therefore marke what Christ saith If any man shall adde unto these things God shall adde unto him the plagues that are written in this booke Therefore as we are a spirituall common-wealth so let us observe the Lawes of Christ the spirituall King of this Kingdome Let us walke according to his rule And peace shall be upon us as upon the Israel of God 3. This also teacheth the Church and children of God unity between themselves A common-wealth must be at unity as one body they must joyne as one man Thus the Church the spirituall common-wealth of Christ must be as a City that is compact together that is at unity within itselfe First they must be at unity in judgement of one mind as Saint Paul speaks in all fundamentall and necessary truths as they have one word informing and instructing them one Spirit of God enlightening them so they must be of one mind of one judgement and understanding in things belonging to salvation having as Saint John saith the same anointing teaching them all things the same Spirit though not all in the same measure enlightening them to judge and to discerne aright of the mind and will of God Unity in judgement is very effectuall to breed unity in affection discord and difference in the apprehension of the truths of Christ proposed in the Gospell doth ordinarily make an unhappy breach in mens affections therefore let us all strive for one and the same cleare and through understanding of Gods revealed will as Schollers learning one lesson by one and the same rule Let us as many saith Paul as be perfect as have a true and cleare knowledge of God in Christ be thus minded and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded God shall reveale even this unto you God by degrees so enlightens his children that he makes them at length men of the same understanding in things profitable to their salvation 2. Labour for unity in affection let the sacred fire of Christian and mutuall love be alwayes burning upon the altar of your hearts See saith Saint Peter that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently This is an ointment of a sweet savour in the nostrils of God and men like the ointment which the woman powred on our Saviour that made the whole house where she was to cast a sweet smell Love makes both the persons and services of Gods servants very sweet and odoriferous This argues Gods gracious inhabitation in us regeneration of us and holy workmanship upon us for God is love and he that loveth dwelleth in God and God in him This is the character and cognizance of our being Christs Disciples By this shall all men know saith Christ that ye are my Disciples if ye love one another and as the heate of the body is a Symptome of life in the body and as the light of the Sun assures us of the rising of the Sun so this light and heate of love gives cleare and comfortable evidence of our spirituall quickning and interest in the first resurrection By this saith the Apostle we know that we are passed from death to life because we love the brethren As therefore our spirituall common-wealth is a common-wealth of peace our Prince a Prince of peace our Law of faith and love a Law of peace our Calling a Calling of peace and all our fellow Subjects the Subjects of peace Let us love each other and be at peace amongst our selves 3. Labour for unity in Religion As the whole common-wealth obey the King by one Law so let us worship and serve Christ by one Rule the word of God let us all walked by one Light the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles let us all build upon one rocke Jesus Christ other foundation then this can no man lay Let us all hearken to the voice of one shepheard Jesus Christ speaking to us in his word Let us all feed in one pasture the Ordinances of God Let us all be cloathed with one royal roabe of Christ his Righteousnesse for the justification of our soules Let us all invocate and call on one God in the name of one Mediator Jesus Christ Let us all worship God after one manner in truth and sincerity according to Christs owne prescription not having our minds corrupted and hearts adulterated and alienated from the simplicity that is in Christ by carnall doctrines and humane observations Let us receive all our direction from Christ as the traveller receiveth all his light from the Sun Let us yeeld all our Subiection unto Christ as the souldiers were fully subject unto the Centurion Let us have our full and sole dependance upon Christ as the house in the Parable was wholly built upon the rocke Let us seeke for all perfection in Christ as the people in the famine came all to Joseph to supply their wants and let us referre all our services to the honour and glory of Christ and so shall we give testimony of our happy union in Christs Religion 4. Strive for unity in opposing sinne and Satans Kingdome A common-wealth is united against a publike and common adversary Satan and sinne are the common adversaries of our soules against these let us unite our forces by mutuall watchfulnesse one over another fervent prayer each for other and by the ministration of holy instruction gracious admonition and Christian encouragement one towards another considering one another and provoking one another according to the Apostles rule to love and to good works The children of Israel arose as one man and went up against Gibeah The Lords people should arise as one man against the powers of ungodlinesse to suppresse the Kingdome and works of the Prince of darknesse Joab and Abishai made a Covenant to help one another against the Syrians and
King Whence observe That All Prophane and carnall persons are aliens to the true Church of Christ and all the spirituall priviledges therof The Lepers under the Law were excluded the camp separated from the society of cleane persons shewing the effect of the Law in sinners which driveth them from the communion of God and his people till by repentance and faith they come unto Christ and also figuring the putting and excluding of all uncleane sinners from the Church of Christ and the priviledges thereof according to the charge of the Apostle put away from among your selves that wicked person Adam eating the forbidden fruit was debarr'd from the Tree of Life and shut out of the Garden of Eden The posterity of Adam feedâ—ng upon the forbidden fruit of sinne making a trade and practise of sinne are excluded from Christ the true Tree of Life and shut out of the Church of Christ the inclosed Garden of which Christ is the Keeper and dresser Hence prophane men living within the pale of the Church are likened to chaffe mingled among the wheate in the floore which though it be among the wheate yet it is not of the wheate To a man at the wedding feast without a wedding garment who though he was among the guests yet he was not of the number of the true and welcome guests and therefore was cast out as having of right no place there and to thornes and bryars which thouâ—h they sometime grow within the Orchard yet are not Trees of the Orchard not planted watered and manured by the Keeper of the Orchard as other Trees are And for this the Church is stiled a Garden inclosed in respect of Gods protection and preservation of her in respect of her separation from them that are prophane and carnall by grace and holy calling and for the Churches care and vigilancy that no enemies invade her that no uncleane thing or vitious persons pollute and defile her And for this cause the Church is tearmed a chaste virgin for her internall and externall purity for her holy chastity for her fidelity and fervent love to her husband Christ for her alienation from the world from all idolatry and false worship and for her separation and distinction from all that pollute and defile themselves with Idols the world or any carnall lusts And the Church is charged to preserve and keep her selfe from all intimate and familiar communion with them that are openly scandalous and uncleane I have written unto you saith Saint Paul not to keep company If any man that is called a brother be a fornicator or covetous or an idolater or a railer or a drunkard or an extortioner with such a one no not to eat not familiarly and friendly to converse He forbids not the exercise of the necessary offices of humanity and charity towards them but the having of intimate communion with them And if any man saith the Apostle to the Thessalonians obey not our Word by this Epistle but be rebellious and obstinate against the holy and wholsome Doctrine delivered note that man and have no company with him Whereby we see that the Lord denyes them that are obstinate and carnall communion with such as are truly holy and spirituall there can be no sweet and seemly fellowship between common harlots and chaste virgins What fellowship saith Paul hath righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse and what communion hath light with darknesse Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord and I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my sonnes and daughters Carnall men are not spirituall brethren to them that are Gods children they are not begotten of the same heavenly parent they are not united to the same spirituall head they are not endowed with the same gracious qualities and therefore are aliens to Gods sonnes and daughters And without saith Christ are doggs and sorcerers and whoremongers and murtherers and idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lye these are without without the number of Gods holy and sanctified Church and people without the Prerogatives granted to Gods gracious children without the company of the Citizens of the new Jerusalem here and without glory and happinesse hereafter and of such S. John saith expresly however they have a place within the Church yet they are not of the Church They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had beene of us they would no doubt have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us CHAP. XII Laying downe the grounds of carnall mans alienation from the true church of Christ THe alienation of profane men from the true Church of Christ is manifest 1. By their alienation from the Head of the Church they are strangers to Christ they hold not the Head saith the Apostle from which all the body by joynts and bands having nourishment ministred and knit together encreaseth with the encrease of God they hold not Christ but are strangers to the life of Christ as withered branches are strangers to the life of the root Christ doth not live in them they are strangers to the knowledge of Christ as blind men are strangers to the light of the Sunne the light shineth in the darknesse but the darknesse comprehendeth it not the Gospell is hidden to them they are strangers to the dominion of Christ he doth not reigne spiritually within them though they professe they know Christ yet they be reprobate and disobedient to every good worke they are strangers to the holy and gracious presence of Christ Christ doth not dwell in their hearts by Faith possessing protecting aâ—d beautifying then soules as a dweller his house directing and guiding their goings to the haven of peace as a Pilot his Ship they are strangers to the love of Christ they are not espoused to him as a chast Virgin to the operation of Christ he is not unto them as a Refiners fire and Fullers sope purifying them as gold and silver to offer unto the Lord an offering of Righteousnesse and also to the fullnesse of Christ he is a sealed well of whose waters their soules drinke not though they live within the pale of the Church and come to the ordinaâ—ces of Christ yet as Salomon spake in another case Of the way of a Ship in the Sea of an Eagle in the Ayre and of a Serpent upon a stone so â—â—â—y we say of the way of Christ in his ordinances with the soules of carnall men it leaveth no track behind it worketh no change imprints no character of holinesse they still continue strangers to Christ and having no communion with the Head they are farre from fellowship with the Members 2. By their being dâ—stitute of the Seed of the Church the Church of Christ is begotten of a holy Seed the word of God and vertue of
to them and to the saving fruit and benefit of this Covenant of Grace Salvation and everlasting life all profane men since the comming of Christ remaining without Christ being no living Members of the mysticall body of Christ no loyall Subjects in the common-wealth of Christ To this Covenant I say they continue strangers it doth not appertaine unto them they cannot claime Salvation by it Whence observe That All corrupt and carnall persons are strangers to Gods Covenant of Grace and Salvation in and thorough Christ Jesus Adam feeding upon the Tree of forbidden fruit was excluded from the Tree of life man feeding upon and filling himselfe with the forbidden fruit of sinne is excluded from Christ and all the promises of God in Christ and all benefit comming by Christ Vnto the wicked to the man whose heart is empty of grace void of the true feare of God and farre from the life and power of godlinesse God saith What hast thou to doe to declare my Statutes to talke of my Doctrine or of the rules and wayes of my worship or that thou shouldest take my covenant into thy mouth that thou shouldest vaunt and boast thy selfe to be of the number of that sacred people whom I have adopted to my selfe by peculiar Covenant or that thou shouldest expect Salvation by my free and gracious promise wherein thou hast no interest Such as keepe not Gods precepts presume in vaine of Salvation by Gods promise he that observes not Gods Commandement hath nothing to doe with Gods Covenant Therefore such men though they live within the pale of the Church are termed Rebels rebellious children and a rebellious house a Rebell though he live within the kingdome yet hath nothing to doe with the priviledges of the kingdome these belong to the loyall and obedient Subjects of the Kingdome under the Law a rebellious Sonne though he had a place of abode in his Fathers House yet had he no title to his Fathers goods nor to any immunities belonging to the House but being stubborne and rebellious a glutton or a drunkard one that would not obey his Fathers voyce he was to be stoned to death Profane and carnall men though they live and have their abode within the pale of Christs Church yet rebelling against Christ breaking the bands in sunder and casting away the cords of Gods Law from them being stubborne and rebellious and refusing to obey the voyce of the Lord the Priviledges of Christs Kingdome the Covenant of salvation by Christ appertaines not unto them Sometimes they are termed bastards bastards have a place within the house with sonnes but the inheritance belongs not unto them Ishmael had a place in Abrahams house with Isaac yet being the sonne of a bond-woman the inheritance came not to him but to Isaac thus carnall men not being regenerate and borne of God not being the genuine and true children of God but hypocrites and bond-men to Satan and their owne lusts they are no heyres nor co-heyres with Christ they are strangers to the Covenant of grace Of them therefore the Lord saith that they like men or like Adam have transgressed my Covenant and have made forfeiture of all as Adam did or they have transgressed my Covenant as the covenant of a man regarding their covenant with me no more then a covenant betweene man and man and they have dealt treacherously against me they have sleighted me they have not desired friendship and consortship with me but they have depraved my worship and apostatized from mee and of such the Prophet Jeremy saith They have forsaken the Covenant of the Lord their God as the Harlot in Salomon forsooke the guide of her youth and forgat the Covenant of her God thus these men committing spirituall fornication with the world forsake Christ the guide of their soules and forget the Covenant of their God become altogether unmindfull of that new obedience which they have vowed and promised losing all claime and title unto and outing themselves of all the benefit which the Covenant of God importeth because as the Psalmist saith they keep not the Covenant of God and refuse to walke in his Law and to this Saint Iohn speaks fully If we say that we have fellowship with Christ interest in Christ communion with Christ promise of salvation by Christ and walke in darknesse live sinfully and converse prophanely we lye and doe not the truth we deceive our selves we presume of interest in Christ and claime to Gods promise which belongeth not unto us The prophane mans estrangement from the Covenant of God is manifest 1. In regard of Ignorance which makes them uncapable of entring into Covenant with God All carnall men are ignorant men the naturall man receiveth not the things of God they are foolishnesse unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned He that wants a bodily eye discernes not bodily things he that wants a spirituall eye perceives not spirituall things where there is no sutablenesse between the sence and the thing to be perceived there is no perception according to the Logicians rule quicquid recipitur recipitur ad modum recipientis The naturall man having no spirituall eye no principle of heavenly and sacred light within him he cannot truly and savingly perceive the things of God Of such therefore the Psalmist saith they are all gone aside they are altogether become filthy all the workers of iniquity have no knowledge they know not their sinnes as a sicke man his disease grieving for them complaining of them and desiring ease and freedome from them they know not their nakednesse and emptinesse of all spirituall good desiring to be filled with the good things of God as Hagar knew the emptinesse of her bottle and wept for water they know not their necessity of Christ hungring and thirsting after him as the Elders of Gilead knew their necessity of Ieptha and desired him to be their Captaine and made him head over them they know not God as a Father regenerating them as a Physician healing them as a King of mercies pardoning them they know not Christ as a Prophet instructing them as a Priest sanctifying them as a Prince of peace ruling within them and reconciling God unto them they know not the word of God as a light guiding them as dew softning their hearts as fire purging their soules as food nourishing and strengthening them in all grace and being thus ignorant they are farre from Gods Covenant such blinde men are in covenant with Satan the Prince of darknesse Nahash the Ammonite would not make a covenant with the men of Iabesh Gilead but on this condition that he might thrust out all their right eyes The God of this world the Devill blinds the eyes of the understanding of all that are in covenant with him that the glorious light of the Gospell may not shine into them but such as are in covenant with God are
left saith the Lord thou shalt multiply abundantly and be very fruitfull a mother of many spirituall children there is the fruitfulnesse of the Church for thy maker is thy husband there is Gods Covenant the soules wedlock with the Lord Jesus is ever attended with spirituall fruitfullnesse but the strangers to this Covenant continue barren like a Woman without a Husband 3. Hee is without the Lords gracious and sure protection God is a Sunne and a Shield to them that are within his Covenant that walke uprightly as the Psalmist speakes to these he is a wall of fire round about them these he keepeth as the apple of his eye these he watereth like a Vineyard every moment and keepeth them day and night least any hurt them but them that are without his covenant he leaveth them as a Vinyard without an hedg as a flock without a Shepheard a City without a Watch-man these the Lord leaveth to their sins as a sick-man to his disease to Satan as a wandring Sheepe to the Lyon as a barren field to the wilde Boare and Beast of the Forrest these he leaveth to their enemies to spoyle them these have no hiding place under the shadow of Gods wings when dangers doe assault them The men of the old world which were without the Arke were left to the waters to swallow them they that are without the Covenant of God in Christ are lyable to a deluge of woes and miseries to surprize them 4. He is without all spirituall claime and title to any blessing The woman which is not in matrimoniall covenant with the Master of the house hath no title to the things of the House Christ is the heire of all things he that is not in covenant with Christ not married to Christ though he hath a civill right in respect of men yet hee hath noe spirituall right in respect of Christ to any thing God as a bountifull Master feeds him as a servant but he possesseth noâ—hing as a Son he can claime nothing he enjoyes nothing as a Son an Heyre and Co-heyre with Jesus Christ 5. He is without the blessing of God Gods blessing goes with his Covenant They saith St. Paul which are of the Faith true beleevers partakers of the Covenant they are blessed with faithfull Abraham they are blessed as in the Justification of their soules so in their persons in their possessions in their civill and religious performances and in all their sufferings and severall changes but such as are without the Covenant are farre from blessing The wrath of God saith St. John abideth on them on their persons on their possessions on their undertakings the Lord sets his face against them for evill and not for good that which is good in it selfe turnes for evill unto them their very blessings turne to a curse as the meat of diseased bodies turnes to evill humours their very Table becomes their snare yea the word of life becomes to them the savour of death unto death and Christ himselfe who is the way the truth and the life becomes a stone of stumbling and a rocke of offence 6. He is without peace there is no peace saith the Prophet to the wicked no spirituall no true peace to them that are not within the Covenant of peace they are as the tossed Sea which hath no rest but is in continuall agitation casting up mire and dirt there is gravell in their bread which makes it bread of sorrowes to them there is a thorne in their bed which causeth their sleepe to depart from them with Belshazar they have a hand-writing appeares in the wall of their Banquetting-house which turnes their merry feasting into dismall feare and trembling and in the midst of their sufficiency they are in straights there is a worme within them continually biting and gnawing them causing their hearts to meditate terrour the thought of God is terrible to them as the thought of a severe Judge to a guilty malefactor the thought of the Word affrights them as the light a theefe having stolne goods about him and by this you may in part at least discerne the uncomfortablenesse of their estate who are without the Covenant CHAP. XVII Proposing certaine markes and characters of mans being within the Covenant CArnall mans estrangement from the Covenant of grace and misery in being without it should occasion every man to examine his owne estate in this behalfe and strive to find in himself sound and cleare evidence of his interest in this Covenant which may be discerned 1. By Gods being all in all to man this is a prime parcell of the Covenant I will be their God the husband is to the woman joyned in matrimoniall covenant with him instead of all and more then all other men God is to him that is in covenant with him instead of al other things as Elkana said to Hannah Am not J to thee better then ten sons thus is God to the soule espoused to him better then all things to such a one God is a Father regenerating a Sun enlightning a dweller possessing a King commanding a Guide leading a Treasure enriching a Friend comforting and a Fountaine filling he is such a soules summum bonum his shield for defence his rocke for supportment his Counsellour for advice his Paradise for comforts his Bridegroome for love his Friend for communion and his Portion for satisfaction he is able to say Whom have J in Heaven but thee and there is none upon Earth that I desire besides thee my flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever God his making himselfe ours in the way of sanctification satisfaction and spirituall comfort is a sweet assurance of our being within his Covenant 2. By mans full application of himselfe to God this is another branch of the Covenant they shall be my people Schollars in my Schoole learning my will servants in my house doing my worke Souldiers in my army fighting my battels Subiects in my Kingdome receiving my Lawes and studying the exaltation of my name Children in my Family abiding in my house delighting in my presence and rejoycing in their communion with me and trees of Righteousnesse in my Orchard bringing forth all their fruit to me they shall be all that they are unto me as a wife is what she is unto her husband bringing forth children unto her husband and caring how to please her husband thus they who are in covenant with God strive to be all that they are unto God doe all for God their full and constant care is how to please God they are not their own they live not after their own fancy they intend not themselves in what they do but they are the Lords in their understandings to know him in their wils to intend him in their imaginations to think upon him in their affections to feare and trust
promising him that a woman should compasse a man contrite and broken hearted sinners are the proper subject of Gods sweetest mercies 3. We must relinquish the world Abner fell out with the house of Saul and then hee entred into Covenant with David Man must first fall out with the world take off his heart from the earth before he can enter into covenant with God because the love of the world as S. James speakes is enmity with God and he that is a friend of the world is an enemy to God the first husband must be dead before the woman can joyne her selfe in wedlocke with a second man man must be crucified to the world and the world unto him before he can be married unto Christ enter into Covenant with Christ when Zacheus received Christ into his house he gave the halfe of his goods to the poore and restored foure-fold to them from whom he had wrongfully taken The world is much slighted where Christ is truely received The soule is never filled with Christ unlesse it be emptied of the earth Dagon fals where the Arke is erected the exaltation of Christ is the prostration of the world Mans communion with Christ is sutable to his separation from the world He that will enter this Covenant and associate himselfe with Christ must with Matthew leave the receipt of custome hee must with Salomon looke upon the world as upon a thing of nought he must according to the Apostles rule use the world as if hee did not use it He must forget his owne people and forsake his Fathers house that will have consortship with Christ 4. We must renounce all intimate communion with corrupt and carnall people come out from among them saith the Lord there is the separation and I will be your Father and ye shall be unto me for sonnes and daughters there is Gods receiving them into covenant and communion with him the Prodigall deserted and repented of his fellowship with Harlots and riotous persons and then his Father lovingly received and imbraced him God is very propitious to such as repent of their sinfull fellowship with his enemies God ministers many comfortable expressions of his love to them who withdraw themselves from such as doe not love him when Moses left Pharaohs Court the Lord appeared to him in the wildernesse saying I am the God of thy Fathers the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob the declination of fellowship with profane persons is usually attended with a sweet enjoyment of Gods presence and the ministration of many spirituall comforts were we more thoroughly alienated from vaine men wee should be more fully and sweetly acquainted with God could we give a bill of divorce to profane persons we should have a blessed and honourable wedlocke with Christ Jesus 5. We must with all diligence attend the Ministry of the word Encline your eare Come unto me saith the Lord Heare and your soule shall live and J will make an everlasting Covenant with you God by the labours of his Ministers brings men into covenant with himselfe by their labours hee opens the beauties and perfections of Christ he makes them see their necessity of Christ their misery without Christ and their happinesse in the enjoyment of Christ by their labours hee woes and perswades them to come to Christ fils their hearts with earnest longings after Christ with fervent and unfained love to Christ and so espouseth them unto him as Abraham by his Servant brought Rebecca to his son Isaac Thus doth God by his Ministers bring men to his Sonne Christ Jesus Did wee not shamefully undervalue and profanely estrange our selves from the labours of Gods Ministers wee could not be such strangers to Gods Covenant nor so empty of those blessings which Christ ministers to true beleevers Attend therefore Gods Word if ever you meane to enjoy the benefit of Gods Covenant 6. We must readily and fully receive Christ Christ is the foundation of the Covenant the promise is in Christ Josephs Bretheren came nigh to Pharaoh by Joseph man comes nigh to God by Christ findes favour with God and partakes of all the mercies of God through Christ through him we are made the Sonnes of God thorough him wee are accepted of God thorough him we receive of Gods fullnesse grace for grace the receiving of the Lord Jesus is the receipt of all mercies in him we are blessed with all spirituall blessings in heavenly places without Christ wee are strangers to all Gods mercies in Christ wee have title to all Gods blessings Iosephs bretheren were lovingly entertained of him bringing Beniamin with them without whom they might not looke him in the face bringing Christ with us God will graciously receive us without Christ God will be a consuming fire to us And therefore let us all labour thus to interest our selves in Gods Covenant for hereby shall we have interest in all Gods Promises as in so many pillars to support us as in so many wel-springs to refresh us in all the creatures as in so many Servants to minister their assistance to us in all the Ordinances of God as in so many Starres to enlighten us as in so many dishes of spirituall dainties to feed us as in so many heavenly Bethesda's to heale us and in all the attributes of God as in so many branches of the tree of life to shelter and shadow us interest in the power of God to uphold us in the wisedome of God to guide us in the mercy of God to pardon us in the presence of God to encourage us in the love of God to solace us and in the All-sufficiency of God every way to satisfie and content us Sweet and sure full and everlasting joyous and honourable are the Prerogatives and comforts which are obtained by interest in Gods Covenant CHAP. XVIII Declaring the misery of naturall Man without Hope THe fourth Alienation declaring naturall and carnall mans misery is an Alienation from Hope Without hope The hope of salvation by Christ from this hope man in his corrupt and carnall estate is estranged Hope is a grace inclining and disposing a regenerate and beleeving soule with assurance and patience to expect and wait for the accomplishment of such good things as God in Christ hath promised and faith apprehendeth Gird up saith Saint Peter the loynes of your minds be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the Revelation of Jesus Christ all grace is dispensed through Christ the full communication hereof is reserved till Christs second comming and hope waits for the receiving of it in and through Christ The cause efficient of this hope is God the Author and giver of all good it is not a worke of nature but of grace not of man but of God Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us againe to a lively hope
and his owne lusts as the Israelites knew Joshuah vanquishing and treading upon the necks of the Kings of Canaan he knowes not Christ sanctifying and cleansing his soule as Naaman knew Jordan washing his leprosie from him he knowes not Christ ministring the fulnesse of God unto him as the people of Egypt knew Joseph ministring to them and supplying their wants Carnall man is very ignorant of Christ far from sweet acquaintance with him and comfortable experience of his soule-saving ministrations There is a way of spirituall poverty and self-denyall wherein a man walks humbly with his God ceasing from himselfe from his owne wisedome will reason purpose and affection abased below the dust in the apprehension of his owne uncleannesse emptinesse and unworthinesse renouncing himselfe his owne gifts abilities and performances going cleane out of himselfe unto Christ labouring to be found in Christ and not in himselfe making Christ all in all unto him seeking his whole salvation from Christ and prostrating himselfe with all that is his under Christ this is a way in which the carnall man treads not he is still full of himselfe he dreames of a self-sufficiency at home and looks not beyond himselfe he stayes in his legall righteousnesse and is shamefully guilty of self-love and self-seeking There is a way of new obedience and true holinesse in which the carnall man walks not he wanders like an erring traveller from this path and stumbles like the blinde their feet saith the Prophet run to evill and they make haste to shed innocent bloud their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity wasting and destruction are in their paths the way of peace they know not and there is no iudgement in their goings they have made them crooked paths whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace He that runs not the race hath no hope to obtaine the prize he that fights not the battell hath no hope to win the crowne he that sowes not his field hath no hope to reape it he that runs not the race of Gods Commandements he that fights not Gods battels hath no hope to win the prize which is eternall life nor yet to weare the crowne of glory He that sowes to the Spirit doth of the Spirit reape life everlasting but he that sowes to the flesh doth of the flesh reap destruction CHAP. XIX Shewing the vanity of prophane Mans hope of salvation THe carnall mans estrangement from the hope of salvation discovers and layes open the vanity and deceitfulnesse of prophane mens hopes of having life and glory by Christ Though they have no true and saving faith in Christ though they have no experience of the espousall of their souls to Christ though they have no fervent and unfained love to Christ no evidence of Christs living in them no knowledge of Christs holy and gracious working upon them no fence of Christs love to them yet they hope Christ will save them Haman hearing that King Ahasuerus had a purpose to honour some man concluded presently that himselfe must be the man whom the King delighted to honour though the issue crost his expectation Carnall man hearing of Gods mercy Christs merits and the Lords purpose to exalt and honour man presently feeds and fils himselfe with hopes that he shall be the man presumes that God will honour him though in the end he meets with Hamans portion a gallowes in hell instead of a crowne in Heaven As the foolish man in the Parable built his house upon the sand so doe all the carnall men in the world build their hopes of salvation upon some sandy and rotten foundation which at length sinks and suffers them to fall shamefully fearefully finally as the house did which was built upon the sand Now if you aske what those false and deceitfull props and pillars are upon which carnall men usually build their hopes I answer 1. Some build their hopes upon superstitious observations they receive for Doctrines the commandements of men the traditions of their superiours and predecessors In the observation of these they are very full and frequent very precise and punctuall and hereupon they promise themselves salvation Thus Paul before his conversion after the strictest sect of their Religion lived a Pharisee and was very zealous and thought himselfe alive when he was dead perswaded himselfe he was in the state of grace when he was in the state of damnation a childe of God when he was one of Satans brood a friend of God when he was an adversary of the Lord a pillar when he was a destroyer of the Church The observers of humane Doctrines are very full of miserable blindnesse possest with an overweaning opinion of the goodnesse of their condition shamefully mistaking their estate perswading themselves that that doth much endeare them and highly commend them unto God which makes them a very abomination before the Lord. 2. Some build their hopes upon a formall profession of Christ and Christian Religion Micah had great hopes that God would blesse him because he had gotten a Levite to his Priest though he continued an idolater Many men promise themselves great peace and glory because they have the Gospell heare the Word receive the Sacrament are called after the name of Christ though they live in all prophanenesse The foolish Virgins were very secure and promised much unto themselves from their lamps though they were empty lamps Many a vaine and foolish man is secure and consident of his salvation by reason of his profession though an empty one though he be an empty vine bringing forth all his fruit to himselfe doing all for himselfe and nothing for God and Christ professing as the Apostle saith that they know God being the meane while disobedient and reprobate to every good worke This is the common foundation on which all carnall Protestants build their hopes like the Pharisees boasting that they were the children of Abraham though they did the works of the Devill being like the Locusts in the Revelation which had outwardly the face of a man and the haire of a woman but within the teeth of a Lyon and behinde the tayle of a Scorpion Thus these men have outwardly the name of Christians a profession of Christ but as savage and indomitable as the Lyon as full of all sinne as the Scorpion of venome and what a fond thing is it for a man to build his hopes upon an empty profession Will a husband delight himselfe in his wife because she professeth him to be her husband living the while in adultery with strangers Will the King honour a man for professing him to be his King not ceasing to plot treason and act rebellion against him Is there any hope that Christ will take pleasure in a man or honour him because he cals him Husband Lord and King in the meane space committing fornication with the world plotting spirituall treason and acting open rebellion against him Surely such men
Note 4. The Lord Jesus ought to be the prime and compleate Obiect of mans ioyfulnesse ib. Note 5. Blessed is that person that knoweth the way and manner of Christs spirituall and gracious comming p. 6. CHAP. II. Declaring the ioyfull receiving of Christ p. 6. Doct. Christ comming in his Gospell and spirituall Kingdome ought to be received with much thanksgiving and reioycing ib. 5. Grounds hereof p. 9. 1. Cleare and comfortable Revelation of God in Christ 2. Spirituall Liberty by Christs comming 3. Heavenly Victory 4. Spirituall peace 5. Soule-refreshing Communion with God obtained by Christs comming p. 9 10 11 12 13 14. CHAP. III. Relating their miserable Condition to whom Christ is unwelcome p. 15. 5. Grounds of Christs unwelcomnesse 1. Ignorance 2 Earthly mindednesse 3. Vnsensiblenesse 4. Contrariety to Christ 5. Infidelity p. 18 19 20. CHAP. IV. Perswading to a ioyfull entertainment of Christ p. 22. Manner how Christ must be entertained 1. Spiritually 2. Speedily 3. Cordially 4 Cheerfully 5. Humbly 6. Chiefly 7. Fully 8. perpetually p. 24 25 26 27 28 29 30. CHAP. V. Prescribing meanes disposing and inabling man to receive Christ ioyfully p. 31. The meanes 1. Full deposition of what is contrary to Christ as sin the world our selfe 2. Holy preparation to heare Christ in the Gospell 3. Gracious interest in Christ 4. Cleare discernement of Christs worth 5. Holy making use of Christ in the Gospell 6. Heavenly sence and experience of Christs worke upon our soules p. 34 to 39. CHAP. VI. Inducements to a ioyfull entertainment of Christ p. 39 6. Inducements 1. The Condition of the Creature without Christ being empty uncomfortable inthralling and polluting 2. A through view of mans estate without Christ 3. The terrible apprehension of God without Christ 4. Frustration of all Gods Ordinances Christ not entertained 5. Excellency and utility of Christ received giving life light health honour riches prosperity sweetnesse comfort satisfaction and abiding substance 6. Fastening thoughts on brevity of life p. 39. to 51. CHAP. VII Manifestations of Christs welcome p. 52. Christs welcome manifested 1. By opening the heart to him 2. By garnishing the heart for him 3. By offering our selves to Christ 4. By exalting Christ 5. By faith and love to Christ conformity with Christ and acquiescence in Christ p. 52 53. Want of ioyfull receiving of Christ shewes want 1. of knowledge 2. Of Love 3. Of Faith 4. Of prizing Christ 5. Of relishing Christ p. 54 55 56. Joy in Christs comming perswaded p. 57. CHAP. VIII The necessity and excellency of advancing Christs Gospel and Kingdome is demonstrated p. 58. Doct. It is the duty of all people unfainedly to desire and earnestly to endeavour the welfare promotion and advancement of Christ his spirituall Kingdome and Gospell ib. 5. Grounds hereof 1. The Covenant between Man and Christ 2. The Relationâ— 3. Christs interest in Man 4. The Subversion of Satan 5. The glory and crowne of the Church p. 62 63 64 65 66 67. CHAP. IX The impiety of three sorts of men is opened p. 68. 1. Non reâ—arders of the welfare of the Gospell 2. Opposers of the Gospell 3. Grievers at the prosperity of the Gospell p. 68 69 70. Grounds of not regarding the welfare of the Gospell p. 69. Grounds of opposing the Gospell p. 70 71. CHAP. X. The setting up of Christs Kingdome and Gospell is perswaded p. 72. Parties by whom Christs Kingdome and Gospell is to be exalted Magistrates Ministers Masters of families private persons p. 73 74. Inducements to the exaltation of Christs Kingdome and Gospell 1. The honour of a Christian 2. Love to Christ 3. The perill of not endeavouring the welfare of Christs Gospel 4 Christs withholding of nothing which makes for the exaltation of man 5. The blessing which attends the exaltation of the Gospell CHAP. XI Proposing meanes to frame and worke the heart of man to advance Christ and his Gospell p. 79. 4. Meanes hereof 1. Distaste of sin 2. Holy feare 3. Sence of the necessity of Christ 4. Inabling and raising the heart to a spirituall temper p. 80 81 82 83. CHAP. XII Christs being furnished with authority and ability to minister salvation is handled p. 84. Doct. Christ is furnished with authority and all divine abilities to minister all peace and salvation to Gods servants p. 85. 4. Grounds hereof 1. Christs power 2. Christs exaltation above all 3. Christs repletion of all 4. Christs proposing his Fathers glory p. 88 89 90. CHAP. XIII The dispensation of salvation by Christ is shewed p. 91. 4. Evils of leaving Christ and betaking our selves to humane traditions 1. A derogation from Christs authority 2. Self-exaltation and Presumption 3. Disparagement of Christs wisedome 4. Perill of the soule p. 93. 94. Christs authority and ability presseth to 4. Duties 1 Subiection 2. Dependence 3. Love 4. Acquiescence in Christ p. 95 96 97 98. CHAP. XIV Gods dispensing of blessings by his Ministers is fully evidenced p. 99. Note Holy and saithfull Ministers are the instrumentall Causes of great blessings to Gods Church and servants p. 99. Note It must be the care of Ministers so to demeane themselves in their function that they prove a blessing to the people p 100. Note The labours of Gods Ministers prove a blessing onely to such people as rejoyce in and endeavour the advancement of the Gospell ib. Doct. God by his holy and faithfull Ministers dispenseth very great sweet and heavenly blessings to his Church and servants ib. 3. Grounds hereof 1. Gods communication of Christ to the soules of men by the labours of his Ministers 2. The evils from which God delivers man by the labours of his Ministers 3. The blessed estate whereinto God puts man by the Labours of his Ministers p. 104. 6. Communications of Christ by the Labours of Gods Ministers 1. The Knowledge of Christ 2. The Faith of Christ 3. The Life of Christ. 4. The Love of Christ 5. The Peace of Christ 6. The whole treasury of Christ p. 104 105. Deliverance from 5. evils dispensed by Gods Ministers 1. From spirituall death 2. From blindnesse 3. From bondage 4. From uncleannesse 5. From soule-tortures p. 106. Man put into a condition of 6. Excellencies by the industry of Gods Ministers 1. Of Wisedome 2. Of Sanctification 3. Of Freedome 4. Of Exaltation 5. Of Satisfaction 6. Of Duration p. 107 108. CHAP. XV. Opening mans unhappines not enioying Gods Ministers p. 109. Mans estate without the Gospell an estate 1. Of Death 2. Of Darknesse 3. Of Servitude 4 Of Emptinesse 5. Of Vncleannesse 6. Of Sorrowes p. 110 111. The folly of Estrangement from the Gospell with the grounds and evils of it p. 112. Cure of Non-estrangement from the Gospell urged Evils of Estrangement opened p. 113 114 113. Gospell not to be â—leighted worthy of full and honourable embracement p. 115. A TABLE of the chiefe things contained in this Treatise on Galathians CHAPTER 2. VERSE 20. CHAP. I. Illustrating the state of man by