Epistle writes to Saints though he doth not describe or decipher them by their names condition or the places of their habitation as Paul and Peter and other Apostles doe yet he styles them by a glorious title viz. Beleivers as you may see 1 John 5. 13. These things have I written unto you that beleive on the name of the Sonne of God c. And in writing thus to beleivers his scope as I conceive was twofold or he aimes principally at two things as you may clearely see if you peruse the whole Epistle First to build them up in their holy faith to raise their faith to an higher pitch or degree whereby they might have and injoy more fellowship with God the Father and his Sonne Jesus Christ and so by consequence be more joyfull holy and obedient This you shall see if you compare 1 John 5. 13. with this 1 John 1. The other thing that the Apostle aimes at is to increase Christian and spirituall love betweene one beleiver and another And this he speakes much of throughout the Epistle especially in the 3. and 4. chap. I shall not at all at this time meddle with this latter my businesse lieth wholly in the former Now the only meanes and way that the Apostle here takes to attaine to this his aime is by discovering or laying open Jesus Christ clearely and fully unto them as we see ver 1 2 3. That which was from the beginning which wee have heard which wee have seen with our eyes which wee have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life c. He takes this as the chiefe meanes to build them up in faith joy love and holinesse a discovery I say or laying open of Jesus Christ unto them and that not simply or carnally but in his spirituality and glory And therefore he useth an elogie for his person which of all other is the most comprehensive that I know in Scripture he calls him the Word and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 withall he sets him out with his graces and the priviledges we have by him comprehending them all in the word Eternall life For as of all the titles that doe expresse the personall excellencies of the Lord Christ that is the most glorious 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word so of all that hold forth the priviledges that wee have by him there is not one word that expresseth them so fully as this of Eternall life for it containes and comprehends all the grace and glory wee have with him This is the course and meanes that he takes to wind up the Saints to a higher pitch of faith holinesse c. Neither doeth he propose Christ to them though in his glory as a thing uncertaine but he sets him forth with a great deale of evidence and assurance therefore he saith That which was from the begininng which we have HEARD which we have SEEN with our eyes which we have looked upon c. The meaning is not properly that John having been an Apostle with Christ did sometimes handle him sometimes lay in his bosome and so this to be understood in a corporall way but the meaning I conceive is this we have knowne Jesus Christ he hath been so revealed to us with that fulnesse of assurance with that perspicuity and clearenesse that as in naturall things you have many senses concur together to discover them as eyes eares hands c. these things are very sure and certaine so Brethren saith John that I may build you up in faith c. I would lay open Jesus the word of God that hath eternall life with him as a thing that is as sure and certaine as if yee had seene him and tasted him heard him and handled him as wee our selves have done for as Jesus Christ by the Spirit of God had been made knowne in that cleare manner with that certainty to John so he goeth about to cleare him with the same assurance also to other beleivers that they also might have fellowship with the Father and with Iesus Christ as he had I will detaine you no longer in the coherence of the words In the words themselves there are three things to be observed First an Assertion our fellowship is with the Father and his Sonne Jesus Christ It is a glorious one as any I know in this blessed booke Secondly an Asseveration if I may so call it to this blessed Assertion TRVLY saith he and truly our fellowship is with the Father c. though I confesse the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not so emphaticall as our word truly in English yet as it stands here in its coherence comparing it with the beginning of the chapter and observing the vehemency of his expression we have seen and tasted and handled the word of life we may well call truly a kind of Asseveration to this Assertion Thirdly the end that the Apostle hath to speake thus highly of this his fellowship is not out of pride or vaine-glory as the Pharisee Luke 18. I thanke God I fast twice in the weeke I am not as other men John did not speake thus out of pride of spirit when he saith Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Sonne Jesus Christ as if he should meane all others are punyes or carnall people in comparison of himself no but with humility and love out of a desire to doe my brethren good these things I write unto you that your joy may be full I write not these things to boast of and make a shew but I am forced to write these things because I see with so much certainty the excellency that is in Jesus Christ and doe taste so much sweetnesse in communion and fellowship with him that I cannot chuse but write thus unto you that you also may have fellowship with him I will stand no longer upon the explication and division of the words there is enough already said to lead us to many wholsome blessed truthes that lie in and about these words if God give us his Spirit and we had time to looke into them there are many truthes I say that well become Iohn the Divine as he is called they are all divine transcendently divine and spirituall I will only touch 3. or 4. Observations and then pitch upon one The first is this The more spirituall or divine Christians are the more Obser 1 they wil be taken up and imployed about spirituall worke John is called John the Divine not as wee call Divines from Office but from the excellency of Grace and the clearenesse of divine manifestations therefore the Ancients compare him to an Eagle now John in his whole Epistle medleth not with controversies especially about outward and externall things but being wholly spirituall he writes altogether spiritually about spirituall substantiall things from the beginning to the end Mistake me not I doe not say that it is not lawfull and sometime convenient for Ministers and others to have to
doe with such things but this is that I only ayme at whereas divers conceive that it is their spiritualnesse the excellency of their grace that they are carried on in Pulpits and Presses so vehemently in wrangling and striving about external things it is to be feared that much of that zeale violence and labour is fleshly and were wee more spirituall hundreds I beleive of those Questions would be removed that lie now like stumbling blocks in our way according to that in the 2. of this Epist ver 10. He that loves his brother abideth in the light and there is no occasion of stumbling in him And were wee filled with the knowledge of God the love of Christ humility and selfe-deniall preferring each other before our selves certainely a world of these controversies would soone vanish away As those that are spirituall can speake by experience A second thing I would have you to observe is this The best way to bring either a Sinner to God or to build up a Saint in any grace or in any point of godlinesse whatsoever Obser 2 is the spirituall promulgation manifestation or declaration of Jesus Christ in his person excellencies and Priviledges doings and sufferings c. This is the best meanes therefore John useth onely that he layes down Jesus Christ as one that had beene seene heard felt as it were to be the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the eternall word that brought eternal life and he expects that this should worke in the soule faith joy c. I beseech you beare with mee beloved I feare we spend a great deale of our time almost in vaine and waste much of our labour when we would bring our owne hearts or others to a duty or stir up a grace we use and urge so many morall Motives and Meanes not that I say but wee may use motives and meanes spirituall and morall but if we did study to open Iesus Christ fully to the soule Iohn 3. 14. if we did lift up the Brazen Serpent so as poore people might behold him we should not need the tenth part of those meanes exhortations and paines that we now take For in the Gospel wee shall see and it is our wisdome to follow the scripture the neerer that the better the Apostles when they went forth to preach they told them a story if I may so speake with reverence of one Jesus Christ that was the word of God and that was become man and how he was crucified at Jerusalem and how he was raised from the dead and all this in a plaine simple spirituall way and manner and while they were telling these blessed stories the Spirit fell upon people and they beleived and had faith wrought in them Faith is not wrought so much in a rationall way I meane in a way of ratiocination as by the Spirit of God comming upon the soules of people by the relation or representation of Christ to the soule and this our Lord himselfe hintes As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the wildernesse even so must the Sonne of Iohn 3. 14. man be lifted up that whosoever beleiveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life You know the very beholding of the brazen Serpent when people were stung God so ordered it that the very beholding should bring help though we know not how to those that were wounded and stung by those Serpents so God hath ordained in his blessed wisdome that the discovery of Jesus Christ the beholding of him the eying of him by faith should be that which shall transforme us into his image and so conforme us to any duty as the Apostle saith wee are transformed while wee behold him with open face to his glory Hence it is that in Scripture 2 Cor. 3. 18. all godlinesse and every point of godlinesse is often called the knowledge of Christ For instance justification in Scripture is called the knowledge of Christ By his knowlede shall my righteous servant justifie many So also sanctification Esay 53. 2 Pet. 3. 18. Grow in grace in the knowledge of Christ After that by the knowledge of Jesus Christ they were cleansed from their sins c. Truly Beloved every grace is 2 Pet. 2. comprehended in the knowledge of Jesus Christ did we know Jesus Christ aright savingly spiritually effectually we should be full of faith full of godly feare full of humility full of self-deniall full of diligence and readines to every good word and worke so that our maine defect is in that but I passe by that also A third thing be pleased to observe from the coherence of these words that Divine objects seene by faith if it be a saving and right faith carries with them as much evidence certainty and assurance as any naturall thing that wee apprehend by any or all our naturall senses We have seen heard and tasted the more of our senses are imployed to apprehend a thing the more assurance confidence and evidence it carries with it Put the five senses together to discover any naturall object whatsoever that cannot be more sure and certaine to us then all spirituall objects apprehended by a spirituall Christian through a lively faith are to him therefore it is said that faith is the evidence of things not seen Heb. 11. 1. of things invisible he doth not say that faith is an opinion a probability a conjecture or a wild guesse but faith saith he is the evidence of things not seen that is of things that by naturall reason you cannot see yet making them as reall and as evident as any thing wee doe see by reason sense and all And thence Beloved you see that godly men in all ages have been so free to part with their credit to renounce their profit to lay downe their lives for spirituall things sake now did they not apprehend a reality and certainty in them surely they were no lesse then mad men to forgoe substances for shadowes It were no lesse then madnesse for a man to give himselfe up to be a prisener when he might be free to be a foole when he might be accounted wife to be poore when he might be rich if he did not see a reality in spirituall things for which he willingly forsakes and leaves all these other The Saints in all ages have done so wee read in the Epistle to the Hebrew of Moses and Abraham how Heb. 11. they forsooke all Abraham forsooke his countrey Moses forsooke Pharaohs house and they were no children for Moses was forty yeares old saith the Scripture when he refused the pleasures of Pharaohs house to imbrace afflictions with the poore Saints Whence was this thinke you Moses saw him that was invisible how by faith for all that chapter hath reference to and is but an illustration of the first verse Faith is the Heb. 11. evidence of things not seen and all the rest are examples of the same He saw him that is invisible and by the same
see this or that Government so cleare in the word or any other circumstantiall truth controverted amongst the Saints these and such like things cut him not off from the head these things doe not un-Saint him Rom. 14. And therefore woe be to thee if thou reject him The second rule is laid downe in the words following my text if ye walke in the light saith the Apostle you have fellowship q. d. Brethren I would have you to have fellowship with us But if we walke in darknesse wee lye and doe not the truth but if wee walke in the light as he is in the light wee have fellowship one with another What is this light It is holinesse of life and conversation If a man doeth righteousnesse he is borne of God 1 Iohn 3. as if he had said this is the rule that I goe by he that walks with God calls on his name teacheth his family hates that which is evill takes paines in that which is good c. him I account to be a man that is borne of God he walkes in the light with whom I ought to have fellowship and communion Beloved I had many more Uses as to examine our selves by what I have said whether wee have commumunion and fellowship with Jesus Christ whether the Image of Christ be on us have wee his graces are wee like Christ remember that word Rom. 8. 9. which will sound terrible in thine eares when thou comest to dye If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his hast thou the Spirit of Christ did Christ walke and talke and plot and designe against the people of God as thou doest Remember if thou be one with Christ thou hast the same Image the same Spirit the same Grace the same life in a word thou doest not Gal. 2. 20. live but Iesus Christ liveth in thee This may comfort us also if wee apprehend it spiritually if wee be poore wee are married to one that is rich if full of wants there is a fulnesse in Christ to supply us if tempted by Satan in him wee are more then Conquerors wee shall tread Satan under feet if trampled on Rom. 16. 20. by the world yet wee are Kings and Queenes The same annointing that is powred on him the head runs downe to the skirts of his garments And it should be an incitement to all of us who professe our selves believers to walke in the light to walke as those that are married to Christ Doeth it become a Sonne of God a member of Christ to be proud to be froward to sharke to cheate to be a worldling as many professors in this adulterous generation are walke therefore I pray as children of the light And so I have done But it may be you will say What is this to Oxford Farringdon or Worcester the businesse of the day Truly Beloved Jesus Christ is good for all things at all times And as touching the mercy of God in these things to us and the Kingdome the Lord hath been pleased to teach you this morning more largely and fully then I am able to doe the Lord sanctifie it to you and me a few words indeed I had concerning that subject but they are for the most part spoken to you already by our Reverend Brother therefore I shall but touch upon them First it is a word of information to us all I am sure I have it from the Lord and his word that wee learne from our mercies Oxford especially that every proud and high thing that exalts it selfe against Christ and his people God will throw downe I my selfe was a spectator an eye-witnesse when the Lord delivered that City that University into the hands of our Army and being there I did study and strive according to the small portion of grace I had received to meditate what I might learne for Gods glory and the good of my soule from that businesse and amongst all the meane thoughts I had this came in with the greatest glory into my soule that beholding that University that I had formerly knowne and heard much of lately I was filled with admiration to see how all the pride of that place was brought downe in one day Thought I surely the designe of God in these dayes is to bring downe one proud thing after another that exalts it selfe against Christ It was a gallant University what a strong impregnable Garrison was it also There was all the Military art of the Kingdom there was the Law learning policy and wit of the Kingdome and some conceive the wealth of the Kingdome too had for a long while been there also there was line upon line and Bulwarke upon Bulwarke and fence upon fence and it was the very Center of all the enemies of God when they had been routed abroad or frighted at home then presently away to Oxford as to a sure refuge yet Oxford though it were never so rich so learned so fortified so filled with Princes Nobles finest witted schollers and best skilled soldiers most experienced Politicians though it was the very Queene of England yet Oxford it must stoope downe and fall And in these times for my part I apprehend nothing with more clearenesse and evidence of Gods meaning in all his worke in these dayes then that it is his glorious designe to bring downe every high looke and every Oh thou opposer of God godlinesse lay this to heart proud thing that exalts it selfe against Christ These are the last times read Esa 2. you shall see it at large and wee have seen by experience also what course God hath taken with many You know foure or five yeares agoe off goes the head of one great man then a little afterwards some others arose and downe they goe also And now at Oxford they had as I said art wit and strength policy nobility wealth and what not but Grace which were the very words of some of them and where are they Take it for a truth of God if any ☜ start up yet in their roome if any grove grow up to eclipse Gods glory or shadow his house if any thing or person will exalt it selfe against Christ I am confident it is Gods purpose and glorious designe to cut them off God will bring them downe to the dust Learne therefore to walke humbly before the Lord and doe not strive any longer against the streame and though the Lord have given you such power and peace that you have no enemies yet take heed least any of you step up in their stead for be assured be you never so great as God is in Heaven and wee are on earth that man family faction or crew that will goe about to oppose God or his people God will throw them downe lie low therefore on the ground and give glory to Jesus Christ I had also a word of exhortation but my Brother hath prevented me and spoke most of my thoughts concerning that already only if you will give