that God would teach him that God would open his eyes and give him understanding Psal 119. which expressions shew a remainder of ignorance in him a trouble at it and a desire after a more perfect instruction 2. Holiness at present is imperfect in the best of men as well as Knowledg Other Graces cannot be perfect if Knowledge be not He that does not know the evil of sin so fully as he ought cannot hate it so much as he should He that is imperfect in his knowledge of God and Christ must needs fall short in his Faith and Love and holy Fear and Reverence There is not one sanctifying Grace in us but needs further degrees The Apostle makes it the constant work of Believers here below to be cleansing themselves from all filthiness both of the flesh and spirit and to be perfecting holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7. 1. 3. The victory over spiritual enemies is not yet fully obtained by militant Saints They are combating but they have not conquered they resist Satan and force him many times to flee but he returns again and renews his assaults and the God of peace has not yet done it though he has promised to tread him under their feet shortly Rom. 16. 20. They have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts but though the flesh is fastened to the Cross of Christ and therefore the old man is said to be crucified with him yet the flesh struggles upon the Cross the Body of Sin is not quite destroyed some fleshly and worldly lusts and affections are stirring which are not totally mortified Militant Saints are not as yet compleat Conquerours for their enemies still make a head and continue the war though at length they shall be made more than Conquerours through him that loved them Rom. 8. 37. 4. The Joyes of believers also are imperfect All tears shall at last be wiped away from their Eyes but at present their Eyes are full of them The worlds wickedness and folly in that wickedness professors degeneracy the Churches divisions and distresses and corruptions the dreadful tokens and signs of Gods displeasure if not of his departing finally their own spiritual distempers which are so far from being perfectly cured alas these are enough to hinder their joy from being perfect 5. Their Happiness is as yet but an imperfect Happiness All the world are miserable besides and the Saints are the only happy ones and yet these by many degrees are not so happy as they shall be This sad effect sin has by coming into the world that not a man not the best man can be fully happy till got out of the world The Churches true members are happy indeed because God is theirs Psal 144. ult because Christ is theirs but they must needs be happy only in part because God and Christ are but in part enjoyed In the second place I am to shew in what sense the Church should be continually increasing I. The Church should endeavour to increase in numbers and that the stone cut out without hands may become a great mountain and fill the whole earth Dan. 2. 34 35. 'T is the worlds misery that it hates and keeps at a distance from the Church of Christ But if this world were but taken into the Church and were brought to believe in the same Jehovah in the same Jesus and to yield Subjection to the same Gospel what a New and Happy world would there be presently This increase of the Church in numbers is to be endeavoured several wayes 1. Prayer should be constant and very fervent for this increase All the Sons and Daughters of Sion should be importunate that the City of God may be enlarged that the Church may not have a barren womb or dry breasts but that by reason of her numerous Offspring she may enlarge the place of her tent and without sparing she may lengthen her cords and strengthen her stakes and stretch forth the curtains of her habitation Isa 54. 2. There is mercy enough in God though the miserable sinners that come to him are never so great a multitude The fulness of Christ is so infinitely unmeasurable that 't is sufficient to supply and to enrich the whole empty and beggar'd race of Adam Heaven is of capacity to contain millions of inhabitants more Let us therefore pray that the conversion of Souls may be by thousands and that they may flie as a cloud and as doves to their Windows Isa 60. 8. 2. The promises of the Churches increase are to be believed and pleaded In what a strain does God speak unto his Church what Promises does he make her Isa 60. 3 4 5. The Gentiles shall come to thy light and Kings to the brightness of thy rising Lift up thine eyes round about and see all they gather themselves together they come to thee Thy Sons shall come from far and thy Daughters shall be nursed at thy side Then shalt thou see and flow together and thy heart shall fear and be enlarged Because the abundance of the Sea shall be converted unto thee And the Forces of the Gentiles shall come to thee And v. 11. Thy Gates shall be open continually they shall not be shut day nor night that still there may be greater confluence And v. 16. Thou shalt also suck the Milk of the Gentiles and shalt suck the breasts of Kings and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer the mighty One of Jacob. These and such like Promises are certain that God who has made them is easily able to make them good His Glory and Name and his Sons Honour are much concern'd in fulfilling them And he is delighted to see his Saints desirous with a respect to his Name that these Promises may be performed 3. The Church is to be increased by the powerful preaching of the Gospel This Preaching by all means is to be encouraged for Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Rom. 10. 17. Those that most preach Christ and least themselves are likeliest to enlarge the Church of God Those that are most skilful to convince men of sin that are wise to win Souls that know Christ themselves and how to reveal him to others and with greatest zeal do press the love and practice of Holiness these are the Pastours after the Heart of God and are likely to do as Jacob did to Laban vastly to increase the Flock of Christ The Apostle was so far from hindring the preaching of the Gospel that he was glad it was preached by those that did not preach sincerely Surely the Church may have some benefit and enlargement by such Phil. 1. 15 16 17 18. Some preach Christ even of envy and strife and others also of good will the one preach Christ of contention not sincerely supposing to add affliction to my bonds but the other of love knowing that I am set for the defence of the Gospel What then I Notwithstanding every way
12. He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life They that by faith receive the Lord Jesus are purified are regenerated and shall live for ever but as many as through unbelief reject him remain dead in sin and doom'd to Hell Union with Christ is a most necessary a most happy union The Churches life from this has its beginning and continuance unto consummation 2. The Head has a mighty influence upon the Body There is a powerful influence from Christ upon his Church and what good it does is done by vertue of this influence He is said to be exalted far above all Heavens that he might fill all things Eph. 4. 10. Whatever grace and strength and comfort is communicated to believers it is really and all from Christ He fills Ordinances with efficacy mercies with sweetness afflictions with light and usefulness and Souls with greater degrees of Grace and Holiness out of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all-fulness it has pleased the Father should dwell in him Col. 1. 19. Our Lord tells his Disciples they must abide in him for separated from him they can do nothing Joh. 15. 5. No wonder the Apostle professes That Christ is all and in all Col. 3. 11. Though the Body the Church should be never so much increased a deficiency in the Head Christ need not be feared neither is it indeed possible for in him there is all the fulness of the Godhead And consequently his Rightousness and Grace must needs be sufficient for the whole 3. The Body has many Members and these members have different Offices The Church likewise has various members and their different stations relations callings diversify their work and duties and yet the doing of these duties is both comely and advantageous and the more every one does his own work the more all are benefited Rom. 12. 45. the Apostle tells us That as we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office so we being many are one body in Christ And from thence infers that All should use the gifts they have received which are differing according to the grace and good pleasure of God the Giver It would be unreasonable for the Ear to attempt to speak like the Tongue or the Hand to see like the Eye The several members have their uses and work proper to them All are not Apostles all are not Prophets all are not Teachers all are not Governours 1 Cor. 12. 29. There are many indeed most in the Church that have need to be taught and governed and those that think themselves wise enough to instruct and govern themselves and so despise their spiritual Guides usually are the most ignorant and unruly and hugely need the help and conduct of others The members must abide in their place and calling Masters Servants Parents Children Husbands Wives Magistrates Subjects Pastors People doing their duties which the Scripture in their several stations and relations calls for 4. The Body is fitly joyned and thus fitly joyned is the Church of Christ The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies that there is a congruous order among the members of Christ Without Order an Army would be a Rout and not an Army a Kingdom would become a confused self-destroying multitude The Churches God is the God of Order and not of confusion 1 Cor. 14. 33. There is a rule for Order and Government and a subordination in the Church 't is not a body of levellers if there were a perfect parity all would affect to rule none would care to be ruled The reproof of two or three is more than the reproof of one the Churches admonition and censure is still with greater authority The flock is to submit themselves â—o their Pastors who are over them in the Lord. Heb. 13. 17. and both Pastors and people are to submit especially unto Christian Magistrates who are prophetically promised in the Old Testament that they should be Nursing Fathers to the Church under the New A right Order in Churches and Families will have a mighty influence to make believers stedfast against temptations both to Error and Wickedness The Apostle rejoyced in the Colossians chap. 2. 5. when he beheld their order and the stedfastness of of their faith in Christ 5. The Body is compact together so is the Church of Christ the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shews that the Church is firmly knit unto Christ the Head and the members one unto another The hypostatical Vnion between the Natures of Christ shall never be dissolved neither shall the mystical union between him and his members and if so then his true members must needs remain closely knit together There are ligaments joynts bands whereby the Body of Christ is held together The Spirit of Grace and Love unites the body to Christ and members to members The Ministers of Christ are subservient unto this union and ought to be preaching and commending love which is a grace of an uniting nature The Apostle had a concernedness for the Colossians which he expresses by a great conflict and that which he wisht so vehemently for was this that their hearts might be comforted beingknit together in love Col. 2. 1 2. Where is the member of the natural Body that grows weary of its fellowship and is willing to be cut off The Arms the Hands the Leggs the Feet are desirous to keep their places and and nature makes them abhor to be severed True grace makes the members of the Church to dislike separation As they believe so they very well like and are desirous of the communion of Saints A very black mark is set upon them who are of a contrary inclination 1 Joh. 2. 19. They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest they were not all of us 6. God hath set the Members in the body as it pleased him the different gifts and graces which are in the Church of Christ and the members of it are according to Gods will and pleasure He bestowes larger gifts upon some and less upon others and yet those that have less are not unuseful Some Saints receive greater measures of Grace others smaller but all have that grace which is true and which at last will end in glory Some members of the Church are higher others lower and yet they should not envy or despise one another for God has assigned their place unto both the higher may direct the lower the lower may serve the higher The eye cannot say to the hand I have no need of thee nor the head to the feet I Have no need of you and those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary 1 Cor. 12. 21 22. By the grace of God the members of Christ are what they are They have nothing but what they have received and the more
Church in a flame Some place Purity and all Religion in being for the Liturgy established as if the Compilers of it had been tantum non divinely inspired and all other Prayer were but meer Enthusiasm and contemptible babbling On the other hand some place purity and all Religion in declaiming against the Liturgy as Mass-english the mark of the Beast and the very voice of the Whore of Babylon But neither the one nor the other place purity and Religion right The Scripture no where commands that we should only pray by a form neither does it forbid a form to be used But it requires that our very Hearts and Souls should be in our prayers and faith and holy desires and other graces exercised in our duties and here lies the purity of them Love therefore refuses to be quarrelsome about smaller matters for it knows that peaceableness cements the Church and closes her breaches and it justly fears lest while men are so contentious about ceremonies the substance of Religion be lost in the quarrel 3. Love makes Christians condescending and yielding one to another that hereby edification may be promoted To be Magisterial and self-willed is not to be the Servants of Christ who are employed in building of his Church We are not to be Dictators but all alike to hearken to the voice and command of Christ our Lord and to be mild and gentle one towards another The Apostle Peter charges the Younger to submit themselves to the Elder but withal adds yea all of you be subject one to another 1 Pet. 5. 5. and hereby intimates that to be Lordly and imposing is contrary to the Spirit of Christianity It was love that made the Apostle Paul a Servant to all that he might gain the more 1 Cor. 9. 19. To the Jewes he became as a Jew that he might gain the Jewes to the weak he became as weak that he might gain the weak he did not hereby manifest a carnal compliance through fear but a condescension of love He was not to be charged with Levity or Apostacy he was not to be censured as a Turn-coat as an Hypocrite as a Mungrel minister or a Linsey Wolsey Brother nor to be called Dough-baked a Cake not turned No no the Apostle loved the Gospel and had a mind to spread it he loved Souls and was desirous to save them and understood how far he might yield in indifferent things for the Churches peace and edification Love makes us patient and self-denying hinders us from pursuing petty designs or private revenges The pleasing of God and profiting his Church swallow up such things as these Love will hinder us from minding high things and move us to condescend to men of low estate Rom. 12. 16. Indeed to apply our selves to all the best and most probable ways for their benefit we shall endeavour to help the weak we shall pity the fallen we shall labour to reduce the straying we shall encourage the diligent and honour the stronger Saints and all this is hugely for Edification 4. Love makes Christians highly to esteem the Pastours and Builders of the Church for their works sake and hereby Edification is promoted The Ministry of the Gospel is a special gift which Christ bestowed upon his Church for her unconceivable advantage Eph. 4. 8 11 12 13. Wherefore he saith when he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men And he gave some Prophets and some Apostles and some Evangelists and some Pastours and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the Faith and of the Knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man And since the Ministry is such a gift and token of the Royal bounty of Christ who is ascended far above all Heavens certainly the flock of Christ are to love and encourage their Pastours and the more they do this the more likely 't is that the end of the Ministry's institution should be attained namely the edifying and perfecting of the Church of Christ The Apostle though he might have commanded yet uses intreaties for Ministers sake 1 Thes 5. 12 13. He had bid them just before v. 11. to edifie one another but knowing the work of Edification would go on but lamely without a Gospel-ministry he therefore adds And we beseech you Brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake and bâ— at peace among your selves 6. Love will constrain the Pastours and builders of the Church to mind their work to purpose A Minister that is full of love to Christ and Souls cannot be a Loyterer If indeed he does design preferment and to fill his baggs with wealth be his great aim then he will grudge Souls his pains He will not be concerned though Hell fill never so fast and though himself be going apace thither But if holy love to the Church of Christ does rule in his heart it will constrain him to be a Labourer and to do his work diligently he will watch and pray he will search and study and aboâ—â— all books the Bible He will take heed to himself and to all his flock that he may save himself and them that hear him Nay love will make a Minister labour and suffer also for the Churches Edification Abundant love to the Corinthians made the Apostle say I will very gladly spend and be spent for you 2 Cor. 12 15. And 't is very plain that he did not think much of suffering Phil. 2. 17. Yea and if I be offered upon the Sacrifice and Service of your faith I joy and rejoyce with you all These reasons plainly demonstrate how much Love tends to edifie But a great many reasons more I find all together even a whole cluster of them 1 Cor. 13. 4 5 6 7. which I shall enlarge upon because they are both a trial of our love and a demonstration most evident that love is for Edification The Apostles words are very searching very piercing he reads a kind of Anatomy-Lecture upon this grace of Love and Charity and lays the inside of it open to the view of others He seems to speak a strange word Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing v. 3. What is Charity and Love may some say if feeding the poor be not These outward acts a Pharisee may do meerly out of oftentation Mat. 6. a Papist may do ignorantly hoping hereby to satisfy for his sins and merit Heaven I grant that love without these outward acts of mercy is vain and useless 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Love in deed is love in truth 1 Joh. 3. 18. But though love produce such deeds many outward acts of mercy may be where love is not The Apostle in