A THREE-FOLD CORD To unite Soules for ever unto GOD 1. The Mysterie of Godlinesse opened 2. The Imitation of Christ proposed 3. The Crowne of afflicted Saints promised As it was compacted by M. Richard Head M. A. and sometimes Minister of the Gospel in his Labours at Great Torrington in Devon Published now after his Death for publike profit ECCLES. 4.12 A three-fold Cord is not quickly broken LONDON Printed by E. P. for Fr. Coles and are to be sold at his shop in the Old-Bayly at the Signe of the Halfe-Bowle 1647. To the Readers HOnest Readers for I dare bespeak no other This Posthumous Worke of the Reverend Author given to my perusall by his surviving Consort with desire to make it of publike benefit is fit for none so much as for you who are delighted in Honest Things Other Histrionicks Athenian and wanton Readers are taken up with Play-Bookes Newes-Bookes and Scandalous Pamphlets yet would they turne their eyes upon Spirituall and serious Discourses it might prove better worth their labour even to make them better To all therefore that desire to be good or to doe good I shall commend this little Worke as not unbeseeming their view The severall Tractates are not large as perhaps the subjects of them might desire they being of great extent yet a short and sweeâ— representation of them will make none losers who may reade some of them in larger Volumes set out to the full If the Mysterie of Godlinesse the Imitation of Christ the Crowne of afflicted Saints be matters delightfull to you you may passe through this little Garden and crop sweet Flowers growing upon every Root The Subjects doe garnish enough the Labour of the Author and his Labour enlighten's them My prayer is that by this Light your Soules may be guided to obtaine this Mysterie this Christ this Crowne here blazoned Your labour then will not be lost in Reading nor mine in perswading you thereunto The God of Spirits write in your hearts what you reade here in him I am Yours bound to serve you for Jesus sake GEO HUGHES August the 7. 1647. I Have read these three pious and profitable Sermons the first intituled The Saints Inheritance the second The Mysterie of Godlinesse the third The reward of Imitation and doe license them to be printed and published JOHN DOWNAME THE SAINTS INHERITANCE A Sermon Preached in Torrington the second of February 1642. JAMES 1.12 Blessed is the man that endures tentation for when he is tryed he shall receive the Crowne of Life which the Lord hath promised to those that love him WEE have here an Argument unto patience and chearefull suffering verse 10. Let the rich man rejoyce when brought low to an ebbe like a River emptied Durus hic Sermo this is a hard saying who can beare it 't is hard for any especially for a great man to endure vexations per se harder yet to endure them with joy True 3 and therefore that the man brought low may not onely endure his pressures but endure them with joy the Apostle encourageth him thereunto propter aliud from or for something else and this no lesse then a Crowne of immortall Glory and so would have him to goe chearefully on assured that his labour shall not be in vaine in the Lord In the words we have first a proposition and then secondly the proofe thereof In the proposition first the subject or person spoken of and secondly the 〈◊〉 or thing a firmed of him First the subject 〈…〉 The 〈…〉 dinariâ— pitch {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} looke a little back and you shall see him vers. 9. Let the brother of low degree rejoyce when exalted and let the â—ch man rejoyce when brought low 'T is then some great man the Text here speakes of some great man in adversitie and yet not simply so but one who being in adversitie is there by tempted and yet which is worse {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} enduâ—eth the remptation neither shrinking from it nor sinking under 〈◊〉 and there lyes the point of Christian braverie and gallantrie By tentation in this place then we are to understand afflictions whether from within by a prick in the flesh and the bufferings of Satan or whether from without by the molestations of malicious and malignant enemies by the revisings and reproaches of the ungodly by unkindnesse of friends and the â—tinesse of such as have beene neere and deare unto 〈…〉 king from us the choyse of our affection 〈…〉 24.16 calls the pleasure of the heart and 〈…〉 fo the eyes or whether the Lord lay his hand upon our bodies in some painefull and pining Sicknesse in a word whatsoever affliction the Lord be pleased to lay upon us suppose it be that wee cannot make lesse by imparting it to others all is to â—rie us Afflictions are but Tryals Dear Deâ—r 8.2 And thou shaft remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these fortie yeares in the Wildernesse to humble thee and to prove thee to know what was in thine heart whether thon wors◠〈…〉 of any thing within us for hee understands all our thought long before Hell and destruction are before the Lord how much more the hearts of the sonâ—es of men But that what is in us may he made 〈…〉 both to our selves 〈…〉 whether it be Pride Impatience or any other whatsoever Rebellions 〈…〉 Faith Hope Love Patience and other the lovelyest Graces of Gods holy and sanctifying Spirit which like the â—tarâ—es in the darkest night are most illustrious in blackest times of trouble and adversitie Thus also would the Lord trie our uprightnesse and sinceritie â—imes of Peace Plâ—nâ—ie and Prosperitie there is rooâ—e for Satans objection against us as against holy jobâ— Doe those and there serve theâ— for nothing 〈◊〉 not thou thus and thus blessed them And it may be that many in those better dayes served God son the blessings of his left hand c. Like little Children who say their Prayers to have their Breakfast But when in times of great afflictions when God is turning his Children our of doores a begging exposing them to eminenâ— dangâ— now to serve the Lord now to adhere unto him chusing rather to have our bodies torne from our soules then our â—es from our Redeemer This demonstrates that we are not base and â—cenarie that though we cannot serve God without wages yoâ— did not serve him for wages but at least primarily for himselfe and the lovelynesse of his Nature Afflictions then are no arguments of Gods displeasure â—ay when blest and sarâ—ctified they are arguments of his love and favour and 〈◊〉 â—ey are when by them God separates what he hates from he person whom he loves I know saith David that out of very faithfulnesse thou hast caused me to be afflicted And againe Blssed is the man whom thou chastisest and â—chest in thy Law Not therefore blessed because afflicted but therefore blessed because by afflictions
Person but one yet may it not be denyed to the Nature which is common to all Now this second Person assumed not the person of one man for then had that onely beene saved which was assumed but Wisdome to the end shee might save many built her House of that nature which is common to all nor did he assume a person alreadie made for then should he have two persons the one assuming the other assumed he tooke mans nature to his Person that is not onely the body but the soule of man that so the whole man body and soule might be saved Yea he tooke not onely the substance but the properties and qualities of our nature Wee may say of him as S. James of Elias he was {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a man of like passions with us in all things like us saving in sinne But how without sinne Hee came not from Adam as wee doe and therefore had not the corruption of Adam as wee have hee tooke the substance of our nature but not by the way of ordinarie generation Hee came of man but not by man hee was the immediate fruit of the wombe but not of the loynes and so is sree from the touch and taint of our corruption hee is the holy thing Moreover hee was conceived by the holy-Ghost As Mary was the passive and materiall principle of this precious flesh so was the holy-Ghost the active and efficient both stopping the course of originall sinne in the Virgin and sanctifying the materials from the first moment of her Conception But is not Christ then the Sonne of his owne Spirit No Fathers indeed beget their Children out of their owne substance but the holy-Ghost onely framed flesh for him from whom he himselfe proceeded They both made the handmaid of the Lord whom from thence all generations shall call blessed It followeth thirdly Bredth Thirdly not onely is God made flesh but made manifest in the flesh hee pitcht his Tabernacle among us The Word saith S. John was made flesh and dwelt amongst us He came faith the Apostle on the forme of a servant he went about doing good Wee have seene him with our eyes wee have heard him with our eares felt him with our hands say his Witnesses And why all this Why made flesh And why made maifest in the flesh first That God might be satisfied in the same nature wherein he was offended secondly That Satan might be destroyed in the same nature wherein he destroyed man Heb. 2.14 See here what God can doe in a piece of Clay To worke curiously in Gold or Silver much commends the Workman but to doe the same in mouldring Earth commend him more so is it here 'T is a Siâ—le borrowed from the Councell of Ephesus Thus also would God restore us to our lost glory All have sinned faith the Apostle and come short of the glory of God For the restoring of this â—age wee must back to God againe But alas there is no comming neere him for he is a cousuming fire and who can dwell with everlasting burnings Besides He faith the Apostle â—wells in laght inaccassible Could wee come neere him wee cannot see him for he is invisible Behold the Sâ—nne of God is made the Sonne of Man that wee by this might be made the Sonnes of God 2 Cor. 3.18 Galâ— 4.4 5. Thus also would God advance the nature of man disgraced by sinne and made odicus unto him because wee could not come to him he comes to us in our flesh is made man just as if a King should lovingly and graciously returne to that Citie from whence not long since he turned away in great and just displeasure He faith the Apostle tooke not the seed of Angelr may moâ— he in no wise tooke the sâ— of Angels but the seed of 〈◊〉 Quantite fecit ex his me pro te fact us est agnosce Bern. Thus also would God make our nature terrible to the Devill who overcome by Christ in our flesâ— dâ—es not be so bold with man as a fish that sees or feeles the hooke takes heed of it so c. And in all this would God have us give him the glory of his infinite Wisdome who found out that way of Life the Angels could never thinke of for ever must admire as also of his Justice and Mercie who rather then he would have finne to goe unpunished or minunpardoned would have his owne Sonne to come in the flesh and so to die for 〈◊〉 And because the God head in Christ is made flesh therefore is Christ both God and 〈◊〉 in one Persoh There are in him two distinct natâ—s and these so distinct that they remaine both uncompounded and unconfounded and make both but one Person Now whereas wee say the Sâ—e of God made the world the Soune of man by his death saved the world 〈◊〉 comraâ— the reason of these â—offe and cironlar speeches is the hypostaicall union of both natures in one Person howbeit wee must not ascribe that to the 〈…〉 â—ine challengeth or that to the Divine which the humane hath right unto Understand therefore not the one or the other nature but the Person in whom both natures are In him that is in the Person Coloss. 2.9 â—hvelleth the fulnesse of the God-head {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} The reason of this Union He that must redeeme us must die for us for without bloud no redemption and therefore he must be man He must not onely die but overcome death and apply the merits of his death unto us and therefore he must be God And God is Christ Emannel God with us God and Man in one Person Man to die for us God to vaâ—quish death Man to be bound God to loose the sourowes of death Man to speak from his Father to us God to speak to his Father for us if altogether like Man longe esset a Deo if altogether like God longe esset ab hominibus therefore both August He came to redeame us from Sinne Death and the Devill as God he would not as Man he could not therefore as God and Man he doth it Thus Mercie and Truth are met together Righteonsnesse and Peace hath kissed each other You have here Jacobs Ladder the top whereof reacheth up to Abrahams Bosoms whilest the foot thereof is here below at Jacobs Loynes that wee may ascend up into the New Jerusalem It being with the Sabines and the Romans as wee reade in the Romaâ— Historie as with the Tribe of Benjamsn where every one catcht a Wife of the daughters of Shiloh and as they were joyning battaile the Women being daughters to the one side and Wives to the other interposed themselves and by their peculiar interest on either side tooke up the Quarrell Whatsoever the Cause of the unhappie Quarrels among us may be sure I am wee have greater and dearer Arguments 10 make us Friends if wee could thinke of them But to my purpose
immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto whom no man hath seene nor can see You see if wee could come neere him yet wee cannot see him for he is invisible No man 〈◊〉 see him and live All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God Rom 3.23 So that wee may as easily see that which is invisible and attaine that which is unapproachable as of our selves to become holy againe unlesse the Lord shall please through some veile to exhibit his Image unto us or through some Glasse shall make the same to shine upon us wee shall live and dye without it strangers from the life of God Behold the Sonne of God is made the Sonne of man God made manifest in the flesh 1 Tim. 3.16 So that through his humane Nature as through a veile wee have accesse to the holiest of all Hee is the Image of the invisible God Colos. 1.15 and by him are wee made the Sonnes of God Joh. 1.12 Partakers of the Divine Nature 1 Pet. 4. and 2 Cor. 3.18 Wee all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord So that as Christ is the Image of his Father Heb. 1.3 so are we the Image of God but with this difference Christ us imago equalitatis Christianus imitationis As the Image of an Emperour saith Augustine is aliter in nummo aliter in filio so the Image of God is aliter in Christo aliter in Christiano The renewed are the Image of God Non quantum ad naturalia as the Schooles teach though therein us yet be some remaines of our lost glory but as renewed by Christ Thirdly the quality of the mysticall body where of Christ is the head and Saviour requires this imitation hee is our head Heb. 2.10 11. For it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sonnes unto glory to make the Captaine of their salvation perfect through sufferings For both hee that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all one for which cause hee is not ashamed to call them Brethren and Heb. 4.15 c. Fourthly Christ is the summe of all Scriptures and therefore necessarily the rule of all holinesse as the Apostles did so must wee preach nothing but Jesus Christ How too blame are those who are so farre from following Christ that they follow man any man the worst the most and thinke it their safest way But if great men if men in Authoritie doe so and so then all is out of doubt Their Religion is to them as their Coyne all goes for Currant that is stamped with Authoritie and allowance of the State Nay what phantasticall Spirit so idle and ridioulous that hath not many Disciples What jugling Impostor so despicable and infamous that hath not many followers What rebellious Sonne of Belial or Atheisticall Ruffler so execrable and odious that hath not many observers What Ignatian Viper or devillish Jesuite Monochus Damonnicus so prodigiously wicked so trayterously audacious that hath not many favourers and attendants Habet Diogenes suos parasitas the Cynick is not without his approvers and admirers whilest Christ the Sonne of the living God sits alone like a Pellican in the Wildernesse or a Sparrow on the house top But the men are good c. Yet are they but men and all men are Lyars may both deceive and be deceived Peter was a good man yet once dissembled so was Barnabas yet snatcht away by example into the like dissimulation You see in the Scripture the failings of the Saints to hang on record not that God either delights to see them or others to gaze on them for he hath cast them all behind his back and blotted them out of the Booke of his Remembrance but that the Apostles admonition might ever be thought on Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall Cavenda tempestates flenda naufragia Aug. And that wee might not thinke it safe to follow good men no not the best men in all things nor would good men have us so to doe Follow me saith Paul as I follow Christ 1 Cor. 12.1 Some there are so farre from following Christ that they goe before him These are they that despise Government and speake evill of things they understand not Others worse yet are so farre from following Christ that they runne from him called after they will not returne having nothing to plead for themselves they make their Will their Master and so have as many Lords over them as Affections in them all under the Curse of Chaâ— a slave to their slaves one to his Pleasure another to his Profit a third to his Vanitie c. If God move by his Spirit that is resisted if hee allure by his Mercies they are abused if threatned by Judgements they are neglected if called by Ministers they are reviled c. Oh when men thus pull away their shoulders from Christs Yoake when they turne their back on God set up mounds against the Gospel Non-plus Gods mercies this is an heavie signe that God hath left them unto themselves a very plague of plagues See Psal. 81.11 12 c. What remaines but that wee send them to the Judge with this Scrowle on their fore-heads Domine noluerunt incantari Some there are who follow Christ but not constantly Sequnntur sed non assequuntuâ— Bern. With Orpha they goe a little way and then returne into their owne Countrey Set wee the example of Christ before us in all the things wee doe If the thing be unlawfull and yet wee finde our Lusts swaying us that way aske wee this question Would Christ have done this or doth hee allow it c. If the thing being both lawfull and expedient yet if not sutable to our person wee must here respect Christs allowance in all other things wee must reflect on his example 1 John 2.6 He that saith he is in Christ ought to walke as he hath walked First Religiously Beginning all things with God sanctifying every Creature and every Ordinance with prayer and this longer or shorter as the occasions are more or lesse serious doing all things by the warrant of the Word contemning our owne will that wee may doe our Fathers chusing rather to lose life then our obedience as if there were but one will betweene God and us doing all things for God and reserring all unto his glory Secondly Christ walked holily so must wee for without holinesse noâ—e shall see the Lord if wee live like monsters Christ will never owne us for his members Thirdly Christ walked fruitfully in his Calling Acts 10. Hee went about doing good hee watched and apprehended all occasions of being helpfull unto others to their soules to their bodies Thus should wee spend our dayes and not as the most doe who bring the day to an end without the performance of any thing