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A03336
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A sermon preached at Pauls Crosse the third of March, 1610. By Theophilus Higgons. In testimony of his heartie reunion with the Church of England, and humble submission thereunto. Published by command
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Higgons, Theophilus, 1578?-1659.
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1611
(1611)
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STC 13456; ESTC S104096
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44,137
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62
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wanted vessels to receiue it 2. King 4.6 so there is no end of Gods mercy toward vs till wee want faith to apprehend the same Secondly concerning the Loue of God what shall wee render vnto him for the same Loue for loue That is most fit since it is like for like But though it bee like yet it is lesse For as he goeth before vs in time hee loued vs first 1. Ioh. 4 19. so hee excelleth vs in degree He loueth vs more then wee doe or can loue him Hee loueth vs as a Father we loue him as Children Ours is an ascending his a descending loue But though we cannot loue him so much as we ought and as he loueth vs yet let vs loue him aboue all things Whom haue I in heauen but thee and in earth I haue desired none in comparison of thee Psal 73.25 Finally let vs loue nothing but for him Minùs te diligit ô Domine qui praeter te aliquid diligit quod propter te non diligit saith Augustine O Lord he loueth thee lesse then other things who loueth any thing besides thee which he loueth not for thy sake Thirdly concerning the Grace of God it taketh away all our reioycing but in him alone who voluntarily without our desire and freely without our desert and entirely without our cooperation hath saued vs by his grace euen by his louing fauour towards vs in Iesus Christ our Lord. Therefore as I will not nay I cannot attribute any thing vnto my selfe but weakenesse and sinne which truly and properly are my owne and if I must needs reioyce I will reioyce of mine infirmities 2. Cor. 11.30 so I will not put my confidence in man for none is so great or so good that I may rest securely vpon his grace But contrariwise let the foolish deride me the malitious depraue me the insolent contemne me the mighty oppresse me it is enough for me that I am in the grace and fauor of my Lord. Sufficit mihi gratia tua O Lord thy grace is sufficient for me I condlude therefore with S. Paul Reioyce in the Lord alway againe I say reioyce Phil. 4.4 Thus I haue discoursed briefly vpon three circumstances of my text The Author of our saluation GOD. The Motiues in him Mercy Loue and Grace The Persons vpon which he hath conferred his benefits and fauours Vs dead in sinne Of the Benefits NOw 〈◊〉 the fourth place ensue the Benefits themselues the first whereof is Viuification in the soule Hee hath quickened vs together in Christ Here is spirituall life opposed vnto spirituall death It is comfortable because Life but more because Spirituall for this doth eleuate vs aboue our mortall condition and is the pledge of our eternity in heauen This spirituall life we haue partly in Christ partly in our selues In Christ by iustification through his bloud In our selues by regeneration from the spirit First by Iustification through the bloud of Christ For he with all his merits is ours Thus I liue yet not I now but Christ liueth in me and in that I now liue I liue by faith in the Sonne of God Gal. 2.20 I am grafted into him and so I liue by the life of the roote His is the primitiue mine a deriuatiue life Secondly by regeneration from the Spirit who sanctifieth vs and reneweth vs by grace For as before wee had imputed righteousnesse in Christ so now wee haue inherent righteousnesse in our selues though we are not thereby iustified in the sight of God nor dare in any confidence thereof appeare securely in his presence Tutior mihi iustitia data quam innata saith Bernard the imputed righteousnesse of Christ is more safe for me then inherent righteousnesse from the spirit that which is on me then in me Iacob had not obtained the blessing but in the garments of Esau Gen. 27.23 which was a type and figure of our happinesse in the sole righteousnesse of Iesus Christ our Lord. Therefore S. Paul hauing esteemed all things as dung that he might win Christ addeth That I might be found in him not hauing my owne righteousnesse which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ Phil. 3.9 Here then is life to liue in him who is life it selfe I am the Way the Truth and the Life Iohn 14.6 I am the Way without which you wander I am the Truth without which you erre I am the Life without which you die Let vs not therefore by sinning any more kill the Lord of life within vs in whom and by whom we liue neither let vs greeue the Spirit by whom wee are sealed vp vnto the day of redemption Let vs not liue after the flesh and extinguish the spirit for the wisedome of the flesh is death but the wisedome of the spirit is life and peace Rom. 8.6 It followeth he hath quickned vs together in Christ Here is not onely life in vs but a community of life with others by a mysticall vnion in Christ and in our selues For there is a double communion The first of the members with Christ For as we haue a spirituall vnion iointly with all the persons He that cleaueth vnto God is one spirit saith S. Paul 1. Cor. 6.17 so we haue a mysticall vnion peculiarly with Christ as being made Man in nature a Redeemer in office and consequently our Head The second of the members amongst themselues For we being many are one body in Christ and euery one one anothers members Rom. 12.5 The members are not diuided in the body nor the body from the head The members are ioined with Christ by liuely faith in themselues by ardent loue So there is a common life in them all a mutuall sense and participation in all things The honour of Christ by any is our comfort his dishonour by any is our grief The good and prosperity of our brethren is ours their euill and calamity also is ours Who is weake saith S. Paul and I am not weake Who is offended and I burne not 2. Cor. 11.29 So much of the first benefite to wit viuification in the spirit The second is Resurrection of soule body He hath raised vs vp together There is the first the second resurrection The first in respect of the Subiect is of the soule the 2. of the body The first in respect of Quality is by grace the second to glory The first in respect of Time is in this life the 2. in the end of the world So that the first is a praecursor aforerūner vnto the second prepareth a way thereunto Finally as there is a death in sin a death for sin so there is a double resurrection the first à culpa from sin the second à poenae from the punishment which followeth thereupon Anima corrupta in culpā fecit quoque vt corpus corrumperetur in poenam saith S. Bernard The soule was corrupted by sinne the body by the punishment thereof So saith he mors mortem operata est
one death wrought or brought forth another Spiritualis corporalem culpabilis poenalem voluntaria necessariam c. The spirituall a corporall the culpable a penall the voluntary a necessary death But now wee are raised vp from the one and other FIRST we are raised vp from the death of the soule by the spirit of illumination and the spirit of sanctification two works but one and the same spirit enlightning the darkenesse of our vnderstanding and cleansing the corruption of our hearts This is the resurrection of which S. Iohn speaketh Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection for on such death hath no power Apocal. 20.6 For though death remaine in act yet it is destroied in effect Death died in Christ and by Christ O death where is thy sting O graue where is thy victory The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the law But thanks be vnto God who hath giuen vs the victory through Iesus Christ our Lord 1. Corinth 15.55.56.57 So that Non est malum in morte nisi malum post mortem There is no euill in the first death all the euill that is is in the second Blessed then indeed holy is he whose first life secureth him from the second death SECONDLY how are we raised from the death of the body who are not yet dead therein For the Apostle saith not God will raise vs vp but God hath raised vs vp as though it were not to come but past I answere first that our corporall resurrection is already past in the preuision of God to whom al things which are to come are actually present and in the purpose of God which changeth not I am the Lord and I change not Mal. 3.6 So the Prophets in the Law and the Apostles in the Gospel do speake of things which are yet to come as if they were already past Propter certitudinem euentus for the certainty of the euent Thus Esay the Euangelicall Prophet saith expressely of Christ He hath borne our infirmities He was wounded for our transgressions Hee was afflicted c. Esay 53. These sufferings of Christ were already past in the eternall destination of the Father but were yet to come in the actuall oblation of himselfe J answer secondly that wee are risen in Christ as in our Head betwixt whom and vs there is an indissoluble connexion and an inseparable bond For as there is a naturall vnion in Christ of his body and soule an hypostaticall vnion of the humane nature with his diuine person a sacramental vnion of the bread with his body so there is a mysticall vnion with vs he being the Head and we the members Therefore as in the ceremoniall Law the first fruits being blessed all the residue was blessed therein so Christ who was the first fruits of them that slept 1. Cor. 15.20 being raised from the dead we are also raised vp in him And this is a singular comfort against the feare of death though it bee the most terrible of all terrible things Why should we feare to die who are already raised frō the dead Our life is hid with God in Christ Col. 3.3 Will he not keepe it safely who bought it so dearely Therefore I will lay mee downe and sleepe in peace for thou Lord onely makest mee to dwell in safety Psal 4.8 With which comfortable sentence Gorgonia the blessed sister of Nazianzen commended her soule into the hands of her Redeemer Thus much of the second benefit to wit Resurrection of soule and body The third ensueth namely the Session of both in heauen Before we were quickned then raised now seated in heauen hee hath made vs sit together in the heauenly places in Christ O happy life to be so quickned ô happy resurrection to be so raised ô happy session to bee so placed First hee hath made vs to sit This is a signe of our tranquillity and rest aboue after much trouble and motion heere both in body and soule We are Pilgrimes vpon this earth as all our fathers were We are in via in our way to mooue not in patria in our countrey to sit downe We may not stand still for that is reproued Quid statis hîc otiosi Why stand you here idle Mat. 20.6 We can not sit for that is reserued vnto an other and better life when many shall come from the East and West and shall sit downe with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen Mat. 8.11 SECONDLY then he hath made vs sit together in heauenly places that is to say in the heauen of blessed Angels and Spirits to whom God reuealeth himselfe in the abundance of his glory For though God filleth the heauen and earth with his essence presence and power yet hee sheweth not the like effects thereof in euery place He is peculiarly in his elect by grace peculiarly in heauen by glory which is the Chamber of presence wherein we shall see him as he is and behold him face to face But what the qualities of these heauenly places are or what are the ioies therein as also how the degrees of ioy are vnequall since there are many mansions in heauen Joh. 14.2 and that may be here implied by the plurality places I neither can conceiue them as they are nor yet expresse what I conceiue thereof I will therefore conclude this point with that excellent speech of S. Augustine concerning the ioy of heauen Profectò in me totum non intrabit sed ego in illud totus intrabo truely it will not enter wholly into me by knowledge that I may apprehend it but I shall enter wholly into it by fruition that I may enioy it for euer and euer Now for the matter it selfe We sit in the heauenly places How Not by plenary possession but by the right of inheritance Not by personall fruition but by assurance of faith Finally not in our selues but in Christ our Head So saith my text he hath made vs sit together in the heauenly places in Christ For as Ioseph dreamed Genes 37.9 and it was a true dreame that the Sunne and the Moone to wit Iacob his father and Rachel his mother did reuerence vnto him which yet she neuer performed in her selfe for Rachel died before Genes 35.19 but in the person of Iacob her husband when he came downe into the land of Egypt so wee are already seated in the heauenly places not in our selues but in Christ our Head who as a Man tooke our nature from his mother and as a Redeemer vndertook our persons with his Father and so what he hath receiued for vs we enioy in him He being in heauen we are in heauen also he being ascended wee are ascended thither with him For though he descended alone yet he is ascended with vs. Therefore whereas our Sauiour saith No man ascendeth into heauen but he that descended from heauen the Sonne of man who is in heauen Joh. 3.13 S. Bernard meditateth vpon it in this