a Christian by his proper act Worship and by the proper object thereof God and by his most proper part in spirit And the word Worship is taken for the inward worship of God commanded in the first Commandement also comprehending our feare love of God and joy in him issuing from the knowledge of the true God All our obedience issuing herefrom is worship of God including our duties to man in obedience and relation to Gods Commandement The ground of this obedience and worship is the relation betweene God and the reâ—sonable creature being the Image of God now this image being lost in the fall of our first parents wee must worship him not onely as our creator and maker but as reconciled to us in Christ as he hath made us anew Secondly we are to worship him as the well-spring of all grace goodnesse excellencie and greatnesse Thirdly As he doth communicate all unto us he is ours Christ is ours all is ours this should carry our soules to love him be his as he is ours especially to be his in Spirit By which is meant the reasonable soule understanding will and affections And Secondly with sanctified understanding sanctified will and sanctified affections Thirdly with all our strength spirit life and chearfull readinesse Wherefore God is the proper object of spirituall worship Trust on him love him joy in him invoke and pray to him and to him onely not to the Virgin Mary Saints or Images as the Papists doe Mat. 4.10 Him onely shalt thou serve as Christ saith because our commandement is onely from him and extends onely to him The promises are onely from him he onely is present in all places he onely supplies our wants and he onely knowes what our wants are and how to helpe Saints are not present in all places they cannot heare many at once nay they cannot heare our prayers unlesse they be present they are finite creatures they have no infinite properties Christ he bids us invites us to come to him he hath promised to heare us and to ease us And further God knowes the secret wants which the Saints cannot know no wee our selves know them not and therefore are we to goe onely to God in all our necessities because it is most gainfull for us to goe to him that can helpe us nay we owe him this honour by going to him to acknowledge his omnipresence his willingnesse and ability to doe good VERS 3. In Spirit THe Apostle in these words shewes the manner of true worship by the most proper and fit part of a Christian to wit his Spirit that is as soule truely sanctified lively and cheerfully with a willing and ready mind fitly disposed Contrary to outward false and hypocriticall worship And the reason is Because God is a Spirit and therefore must be worshipped in spirit Secondly it is the best part of a man and God who challenges all and that justly looks especially that he hath the best part Thirdly the Spirit hath a being of it selfe and praiseth loveâ—h and rejoyceth in God when it s out of the body and the body is stirred up to this duâ—y onely by the spirit it being of it selfe senselesse as a blocke and outward worship without inward is but the carkasse of worship The Prayer of a wicked man is abominable because he regards iniquitie in his heart Psal. 66.18 And this spirit of ours without the spirit of God cannot worship him and therefore every one that is not changed makes God an Idoll This may deprive all such of comfort as care not for this spirituall worship thinking they have done enough if they have mumbled a few idle words over God accepts it no more than if they had sacrificed a dogges head as he saith Esay 66.3 And verily what other is Poperie but a bodie without a soule when they worship in blinde sacrifices in a strange language Is this a spirituall worship when they neither know what they doe nor say Let us shew that we are not of their number Come we with love and with the intention of all our affections and this will sway the whole man body and soule and so shall we worship him in truth and not in hypocrisie as many doe that bring their Idols with them their mindes are on their pleasures and riches though their body be present before God And it hath ever been an error in the world this limiting and tying Gods worship to outward worship of the body with a kinde of ceremonious gesture and it is very much liked for such like Reasons as these are First the outward gesture as holding up hands bending the knee casting up the eyes they are things that may easily be done Secondly they make a glorious shew in the eyes of the world its a commendable and good quality to be religious especially if they bee observed so to be Thirdly its beneficiall to men when as hereby they are knowne to be no Atheists and therefore not that way uncapable of preferment or the like Fourthly outward worship satisfies conscience a little men know they must worship God and goâ— to Church that these are means to save men and thâ—y thinke that in doing so they stoppe the cryes of their consciences Alas Alas these sleepie blinded consciences of theirs will â—t length awake and will accuse them for the outward ceremonious hypocriticall worship of him that requires the spirit to worship him with But some men may say how shall we know whether we serve God in spirit or no I answer observe these properties First Wâ—ether thou lamentest thy defects in the best actions thou dost and art not puffed up with conceit of the sufficiencie of thy performances Paul found this in him for although he lived being a Pharisee as concerning the Law unrebukable yet when he was converted he saw much corruption which before he knew not and laments and bewailes it Rom. 7. Secondly Examiâ—e thy selfe whether thou makest conscience of private closet duties Of prayer in thy studie when none sees thee Of thy very thoughts Dost thou serve God with thy affections and thy very soule Dost thou weepe in secret for sinnes yea for thy secret sinnes Dost not thou doe good duties to be seene of men as the Pharisees did Contrariwise wilâ— thou omit no place nor time but alwaies and in all places thou wilt worship God This must be done for God is alwayes and for ever God and he is in all places in private as well as publike and therefore a Christians heart must be the Sanctum Sanctorum where God must remaine present continually and therefore he makes conscience of and is humbled for the least sinnes yea those that the world esteemes not of and counts them as niceties and that in as great a measure as ordinarily men are for the greatest sinnes they commit Thirdly Canst thou indure the search of thy selfe and thy infirmities by all meanes by thy selfe by others by the word
by private friends Nay canst thou desire this search that thou maist know thy â—inne more and more for this end that thou mayst truely hate it with a more perfect hatred Canst thou truely appeale to God as Peter did to Christ thou knowest that I love and preferre thee above all It is a sure signe of thy sinceritie which the world cannot have and therefore when they see their sinnes laid open they spurne at the ordinances and spite the Minister and their true friends that put them in minde of their faults accounting them as their onely enemies Surely they shall never be able to indure the search of God hereafter and the last day when he shall lay them open they shall be overcome with shame A fourth signe is That at the houre of thy death this spiritual worshipping of God will give thee content when nothing else can Thou mayst say with comfort as Hezekiah did Lord remember how I have walked before thee in sinceritie When down-right affliction comes outward verball profession vanisheth with all the comforts thereof then perisheth the hope of the hypocrite Two things upheld Iob in comfort in his great extremity he was first assured that his redeemer lived and secondly he knew his innocency in those things that his friends charged him with and such times will fall on us all either at the time of death or before when nothing but innocencie and sincerity shall be able to uphold us Labour therefore for sincerity and spirituall worship Worship God in spirit but let it be done outwardly also But first bring thy heart and intention to what thou dost and that will stirre up the outward man to its duty and for the performance hereof follow these directions First learne to know God aright For worship is answerable to knowledge for how can we reverence God aright when we know neither his goodnesse nor his greatnesse how can we trust on God when we see not his truth in the performance of his promises in the Scriptures and in our owne experience those that doe not these know not God for as the heart affects according to knowledge So also its true in divinitie as we know his justice wee shall feare as we know his mercy wee shall love him and as we know his truth we shall trust on him Psal. 9.10 They that know thy name shall trust in thee and in other places of the said Psalme the Lord is knowne in the judgement he executeth vers 16. Secondly know God to be the first mover and cause of all men ordinarily feare the creature attributing that to it which belongs to the Creator But God he is the giver of all and Christians looke on the secondary means as to the first author and ground of all the rest they behold the Magistrate as in God feare them no otherwise but in the Lord. Atheists they will not sticke at any sinne whatsoever to get the love of those that may bring them any worldly commodity A Christian hee pleases and seekes the love of him that can make enemies friends when he lists and when it s for our good he knowes in him we live move and have our being Thirdly make much of spirituall meanes God he works by meanes by his word attend to it it works love feare joy and reverence in us and therefore no marvaile if those that neglect these meanes are not acquainted with these graces of Gods spirit 4 Fourthly Lift up thy heart to Christ the quickening spirit 1 Cor. 15. Our hearts naturally are dead Christ is our life when thou art most especially called to love to feare to humilitie pray to him to move thee and yeeld thy selfe to him and then shalt thou pray in spirit as it is said in Iude 20. heare in spirit doe all in spirit doe outward workes of thy calling in spirit for a true worshipper will out of spirituall grounds doe all outward works of his particular calling as well as the workes of his generall Christian vocation Let us therefore doe all things from our hearts to God and to our neighbour else will not God accept of our workes It is the Iew inwardly who shall have praise of God The want of this sincerity hath extinguished the light of many a glorious professour and thereby hath brought a great scandall upon the true worshippers of God in spirit VERS 3. And rejoyce in Christ. THe word rejoyce implyes a boasting or glorying of the heart manifesting it selfe in outward countenance and gesture as also in speech it also implies a resting on and contenting in the thing we glory in proceeding from an assurance that we glory in a thing worthy of glory for they are fooles that delight in bables Observe hence therefore That those that will worship Christ aright must glorie in him For the worship of Christ is a thing that requires incouragement and nothing can worke this incouragement like the glorying in Christ and therefore Paul in the first part of his Epistle to the Romans having shewed that God had elected them freely and had begun the worke of sanctification in their hearts he comes in the 12. Chapter I beseech you saith he present your selves as a holy living and acceptable sacrifice to God And in Tit. 2.11 The grace of God teacheth by incouraging us to deny ungodlines to walk unblameably soberly righteously and godlily in this present world And therefore whensoever wee grow dull or dead think of the great benefits that we have by Christ and it will quicken us and all our performances In the next place observe That Christ is the matter and subject of true glory and rejoycing and onely Christ for they well goe together a full and large affection with a full and large object boasting is a full affection the object is every way as full First as he is God and man he is God full of all things he is man full of all grace and void of all sinne he is Christ anointed to performe all his offices he is a Prophet all-sufficient in all wisedome in him are the treasures of wisedome he teaches us not onely how to doe but he teaches the very deed he is our High-priest he is the sacrifice the altar and the Priest and he is our eternall Priest in Heaven and on earth on earth as suffering for us in Heaven as mediating for our peace Who shall condemne us it is Christ that dyeth yea rather that is risen againe who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Rom. 8.34 He is also our King he is King of all King of kings and Lord of lords a King for ever and at all times subduing all rebellions within us and all enemies without us and he is all these so as none is like him and therefore is worthy of our glory Secondly Christ is communicative in all these he is Prophet Priest King for us he is God man he is Christ for us he
4 While Gods children live here they have ever a mixture of the two affections of joy and griefe to temper one another for fulnesse of joy is onely in Heaven this life will not indure perfect joy but ever when there is cause given of joy we have something to humble us and to keepe us from being exalted above measure As Paul had some base temptation which he cals the pricke of the flesh who therefore bids us to feare and tremble that we lose not the sense of Gods spirit by the prevailing of our corruptions But it will be objected that the Christian is fuller of sorrow than joy To which I answer it arises either from ignorance of the grounds of comfort or from want of application of them When a man is a youâ—g Christian newly begun he knowes not nor understands what grounds he hath of joy they are as children that know not their inheritance at the first nor their fathers love especially if he correct them they thinke he loves them not Even those that are growne Christians faile too often in this either by mis-applying the grounds and mis-judging of their estate or sometimes through the distemper of their body through melancholly These judge of Grace by the measure when they should judge by the truth of it be it never so little For it is not the measure that is the evidence of the childe of God but truth of grace For there are degrees of grace in some more in some lesse and in one more in one time than in another Take therefore a Christian in his right estate one that is a growne Christian whom neither melancholy nor temptation doth trouble take him I say as he should be he doth rejoyce more soundly with true ioy and hearty than any one can being an ungodly man be he never so merry How ever this we may be sure of a Christian hath the greatest cause to reioyce and as I sayd before hee ought to stirre it up in him by all meanes And therefore how ever undisposed he be thereto he ought to search what good things God hath wrought in him if he doth not know his estate he cannot praise God as he should He must meditate also of the vanitie of all worldly things they vanish and they that put their trust in them ever failed of any true joy it never comes to the heart of a man they are not deep enough to comfort men that meet with afflictions they only touch the fancie as the fancie of a beast may be delighted Let him also compare all discomforts that can come with this ioy in the Lord and hee shall finde that it countervailes a world of sorrow this has no end they are momentany they last but for a night this is in the Lord in whom is fulnesse of ioy This made the Saints of God so resolute that they set light by all afflictions whatsoever and therefore in their greatest afflictions they have the sweetest ioy and greatest comforts And let him also consider that by this he avoides the reproach of religion and shewes the force and efficacie thereof to be such as is formerly declared And let him take heed of the hinderances of this joy As first of all of sinne committed and not repented let him repent betimes else it keeps a man dead and dull and backward so long as this Achan is unfound it will keep him in discomfort Let him take heed of secret purposes either to sinne or to favour himselfe in any one sinne how small soever for time to come This will robbe him utterly of comfort for joy cannot lodge in such a heart If I regard iniquitie in my heart the Lord will not heare me saith David Psal. 66. Furthermore let him take heed of negligence in good duties For it is not enough to doe them but he ought to stirre up the graces of God in him to doe them thorowly and he must strive against his corruptions For Christians have never so much joy as when they have laboured with their endeavours to overcome their imperfections in good actions Lastly let him take heed of casting himselfe into dull or dead acquaintance It is true we cannot avoid conversing with them but we must have no secret and inward acquaintance but with the best a companion of fooles shall be beaten and the wise with the wise will learne wisedome We are all travellers to Heaven let us therefore chuse such company as may as it were be a chariot to carry us thither with their good example and discourses And with the Prophet David thinke it a great griefe when we have not such society as may doe us good Woe is me that I am constrained to dwell in the tents of Meshech And therefore if heretofore any of us have beene faulty let us take warning of this hereafter VERS 1. To write the same things to you to me indeed is not greevous but for you it is safe ALthough the Apostle had formerly bidden them to rejoyce in the former chapter 18. and 28. verses Yet notwithstanding he bids them rejoyce againe saying that it is safe for them to heare the same thingâ— often and it is not grievous to him to write the same things twice Besides he doth also bid them to beware of such as may hinder their joy as Dogges and those of the Concision Preventing thereby secret objections which they might make against repeating the same things Whence we may in generall observe The wisedome of the Word and spirit of God to know secret objections that might bee made and to prevent them turning away thereby whatsoever might hinder the force of the Word And in the second place it teaches us That it is the dutie of those that meane to prevaile by instruction to know the secret dispositions of those they deale withall For when their mindes are not quieted or cleered from doubts and hindrances they are not fit to entertaine any good counsell at all And Thirdly for I cannot stand on these things it shewes our disposition by nature to count repetition of the same things to bee tedious and irksome For since the fall of man we wander in our thoughts affections and intentions and it is a part of our losse to lose our constancie and setled disposition Wherefore we find it noted of the Israelites that they were weary of one kinde of food although it is called Angels food In the fourth place which I intend more to stand upon observe with me That dwelling on the same things is necessarie even for the best Christians And the reasons are First Because truth is supernaturall and our mindes are carnall and that which must change these our mindes must be assiduous or else our mindes will 〈◊〉 into their first estate Wee are naturally changeable and therefore had neâ—d to have the truth as at the first to change us even so to be continually presented to our soules to keep us perpetually in
in generall to try the spirits and the Apostle 1 Thes. 5.21 bids them prove all things and hold fast the good if they were then all of them bound to try and prove they were no doubt bound to know the rules by which they were to try which rules are only laid downe in the word of God But some Popish heart may aske How common people should know the Word to be the word of God For answer I would aske such an one How they know the Popes Canons or any Booke of his Constitutions to be the Popes they will say their teachers brings them in the Popes name and they beleeve their teachers So say wee We beleeve our Teachers and Ministers who tell us this is the Word of God But they object and say that wee make every one a Iudge I answer there is a three-fold manner of judging First a judging whereby we discerne of anything and this every Christian must have so as it cannot be any plea to him at the day of judgment to say my Teacher did mislead me No both the leader and he that is led if they be blind shall fall into the ditch Matth. 15. Then there is a second kinde of judging which is by way of direction this is required principally in the Pastor to direct his flocke And there is a third kinde that is of jurisdiction this belongs to the Church and the Magistrate yet every one must have a judgment to discern the good from the bad For hee that knowes not his Masters will shall be beaten In the second place Not onely the young ordinary Christians but euen the best setled Christians had need to beware also The Philippians were a Church established in the truth Eve was seduced being in her innocent estate but I need not stand on this at this time I proceed To the dutie which is to beware Which word signifies First to discerne of then to avoid and because those that are aware of evill by nature will avoid it therfore beware here intends both discerning and avoiding of evil For the Church of God in this world is ever subject to danger and God suffers it to be so First to try who be true and who false And secondly to try them that are good and to be as an evidence to them of their owne estates so as where such triall and danger is it is true ingeniosum est esse Christianum But concerning the words Dogges Concision Evill workers they all signifie the same thing and he repeats the word beware thrice to shew the necessitie thereof take heed of them that urge workes of the law with Doctrines of faith especially of Pastors Nay take heed of these for so the word in the originall is these Dogges By Concision he meanes those that urged Circumcision when it was out of date and when it was dangerous to be admitted of But observe the terme the Holy Ghost calls these Dogges a strange terme and such an one as I should not have dared to have given them had not the holy Spirit led the way thereunto and therefore since it is so let us not be more modest than he is but boldly affirme that wicked men are Dogges Now wicked men are eyther without the Church or within Without the Church all are Dogges Matth. 15.26 It s not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to Dogges Of this number are all Turkes and Iewes who were Filii Children but are Canes Dogges We were Canes buâ— now through Gods mercy are come to be Filii All therefore that are without the Church are Dogges But there are also Dogges within the Church and therefore the Philippians were bidden beware of them which St. Paul needed not to have done if they had not beene troubled with them And those Dogges he describes in that they joyne workes of the law and Christ together in matter of salvation these are in St. Pauls esteeme Dogges And the reason hereof may be grounded on Gods esteeme on their behaviour towards other men and in regard of themselves For Gods esteeme we may see it in Esay 66.3 he detests them as dogges For their behaviour towards men whom they goe about to seduce they fawne on them and use all manner of inticing flattering and false alluring words Rom. 16.18 See the picture of a Iesuited Papist a pleasing humane fawning nature they creepe into houses and when these dogges cannot prevaile by flatterie then they snarle and barke against them by false calumnies and slanders and railings and bitter scoffes and the like and this they doe when they cannot bite But having gotten power in their hand they persecute with fire and sword and the most exquisite torments that they can devise In regard of themselves also they are Dogges rotten in nature corrupt in life filthie in their owne Courts devouring their owne vomit and God justly punishing them by suffering of them to heape up wrath in store 2 Pet. 2.22 and to returne with the sow that was washed to wallow in the mire of corrupt courses Hence wee may observe and see what a man is now brought to by sinne he that would be like to God is justly compared to the beasts that perish Now all by nature are no better than dogges who are all for their bellies for present contentments an envious and currish disposition against any that shall indeavour to crosse them in their unlawfull lusts and that rule of reason which should over-rule him and amend him he so abuses it as thereby he is made more like a Divell than a Dogge Would wee be then changed let us attend on that word that is able of Lions to make Lambes it can cleanse us throughout Ioh. 15.3 It sanctifies and alters us Morall precepts may restraine and alter outward practises the Word that alters the condition and nature of men it is the word of him that workes all with his spirit And therefore take heed of them and deale not more with them than thou must needs They will fawne they will not be dogged at the first but till Religion altereth him assuredly hee hath a currish nature But to proceed Hee saith not onely beware of Dogges in generall But beware of these Dogges of the Concision and these also ought we to beware of for there is a perpetuall lâ—tâ—er of them though those that the Apostle spake of are gone yet the same spirit is now a dayes in many fawners they are and flatterers yet doe they barke at Protestants and of this sort are our Iesuited Papists and Seminaries Our Fathers were troubled with them let these take heed for were these men dogges that presse Circumcision with Christ and shall not such be also that presse merits with Christ Saints with Christ and equall traditions with the Word of God The dogges in St. Pauls time had some excuse Circumcision they urged but it was first founded by God but these men out of
necessarily die and how can we receive grace from Christ as our head but by union of our selves to the bodie whereof Christ is the head It must be our dutie to beware of all manner of seducers and to this end let us First get fundamentall truthes into our hearts affect and love truth for want hereof the Easterne Churches were given up to Mahomet and Antichrist ruled over many in these Westerne Churches because they loved not the truth 2. Thes. 2.10 For none are seduced that are not cold in love Secondly let us labour to practice that wee know and God will give us a fuller measure of knowledge whereby we shall learn to finde and know seducers Ioh. 7.17 If any man will doe his will he shall know Thirdly Pray to God for wisedome to discern of Schismes and Heresies and ill disposed persons God hath promised us any thing that is necessary for our strengthening and bringing us to Heaven God will not deny us so necessary an aide as this is Fourthly let us looke that we keepe in us a holy feare and reverence of God Psal. 15.12 What man is he that feareth the Lord him shall he teach in the way he shall chuse And those things are we duly to observe the rather because we shall ever finde seducers it will ever be a hard matter for men to finde the way to Heaven And though the doctrine and profession of Religion be not ever in all places opposed yet shall we ever finde the practisers thereof maligned As it is in these dayes where none are accounted of to be Protestants that are not loose libertines and thus instead of Concision from Religion they joyne that with it which is quite contrary to the power thereof Beware also of such for their courses of life are as pernicious as fundamentall errors for none shall be saved for his knowledge VERS 3. For wee are the Circumcision IN these words and those that follow our Apostle describes who are truely circumcised We are the true Israel the circumcised Sonnes of Abraham who are members of Christ. The Philippians they were not circumcised outwardly yet were they truely circumcised they had the truth of it even as they that were under the cloud and in the Sea were said to be truely baptized in the Cloud and in the Sea The Sacraments therefore before and after Christ were in substance all one as the Church was one and the same they may be said to be baptized as we and we circumcised as they the difference was only in the outward Ceremony and shew which the Church being then young had need of It is the same Religion cloathed diversly Bellarmin saith that their government was carnall the promises to them were carnall but it is carnally spoken of him Heb. 11. The Fathers before Christ had respect to the recompence of reward and in vers 35. they accepted not deliverance that they might obtaine a better resurrection are these carnall promises The Anabaptists they presse rebaptizing not considering that the same Covenant was before Christ and after in substance So as every true Christian is spiritually circumcised being once regenerate before indeed he is uncircumcised and a spirituall leprosie over spreads all his frame of body and minde which must be washed pared and cut off Wee must part with uncircumcised hearts eares and lippes that is such eares as doe delight themselves to heare corrupt lewd discourse such a tongue and lippes as delight to uâ—ter and let out words savouring of a rotten and uncircumcised heart such eyes as doe delight thâ—mselves in the beholding of lustfull and sinfull â—bjects whereby the heart is kindled inâ—o vaine dâ—sires I say a Christian must circumcise himselfe his heart and those parts that are uncircumcised before hee can ever thinke to goe to Heaven whither nothing that is corrupt or uncleane entreth Religion therefore is no easie thing Circumcision is painfull and bloody Mortification is very hard corruption it must be cut off though the blood follow else it will kill thee at length Wherefore wee are also to labour for circumcised hearts to understand Gods truth his will and commandements Cut off all extravagant desires who by litâ—le and little take away comfort and communion with God it s no mercy therefore to spare them Circumcise thy eyes pray with David Turne away mine eyes from regarding vanity Stoppe thy â—ares at the charming of such objects as may infect thy soule we can never injoy that beatificall vision hereafter if we weane not our selves from the liking of these things And though we cannot while we are in this house of clay come to that perfection we should yet indeavour to it earnestly and God will accept our very indeavours and will further them yea we shall get the victory at length If sinne begins to fall it shall surely fall the house of David in us shall grow stronger and the house of Saul shall dayly be weakened The meanes to this dutie are First know thy sinne and thy particular sinne by thy checks of conscience and by the checks we receive from our enemies who will spie what they can in us thereby to scandalize us As also observe what thy thoughts worke most upon what is the maine thing that generally takes up your cogitations When thou hast found out thy sinne Make it as odious as thou canst For Circumcision implies a thing that is odious and superfluous now all sinnes that be cherisht in us may well be odious to us for that it hinders us from all good and clothes us with all evill and makes all outward things evill to us who otherwise are no further ill than as they strengthen our corruptions It hinders us from all good duties pride of heart and corruption doe dogge us this made Paul cry not of temporall bonds but of the bonds of sinne and of death Who shall deliver me wretched man that I am saith he Rom. 7.23.24 Thirdly having found out thy sinnes and the abominablenesse of them Complaine of them to God as Hezekiah did of the blasphemous letter that Senacherib wrote and challenge the fruit of Gods promise For hee that bids us circumcise Deut. 10.16 Promised that he himselfe will doe it Deut. 30.6 Faith in the promises is an effectuall meanes to attain to them Men come with doubtings they see a great deale of corruption they think their labour is vaine they cannot be releeved against them they are deceived Touch but thou the hemme of Christs garment flie to God in his name and thou shalt finde this issue of sinne though not wholly dried up yet much abated And here is the excellencie of Faith that assures us of all the promises concerning sanctification here as concerning glory hereafter VERS 3. Which worship God THe Apostle places â—ircumcision before worship for unlesse there bee a cutting off we cannot bring our corruption to performe duties of Gods worship aright The words containe a description of
instruct us And thirdly it teaches us the benefit of his offices exercising them in his state of humiliation and exaltation Fourthly It teaches us to know our duties to entertaine him rest on him glory in him only and that all other things are losse in comparison of him This knowledge is better than other knowledge in the effects it hath it being a transforming knowledge 2 Cor. 3.18 It makes glorious happy full of comfort carrying the spirit with it which changes us into his similitude and therefore is it called the word of the spirit In the fourth place it s better than other knowledge In regard of the depth of the knowledge and therefore called The manifold wisedome of God Ephes. 3.10 That a virgin is a mother God is become man this is farre above naturall reach and therefore Christ may well be called wonderfull Esay 9.6 who being God should be also man die rise and ascend farre above all power Fifthly This knowledge is a sweet knowledge and therefore excellent It telles us who were miserable and lost it telles us also of redemption of a kingdome of a Saviour How sweet are thy testimonies to my mouth Psal. 119.103 And if the promises here bee so sweet to us what shall then the accomplishment of them be to us hereafter This knowledge furthermore is excellent In regard of the continuance thereof the knowledge of other things dies with the things the world must perish and what use is there then of our skill in the nature thereof onely this knowledge abideth for ever working grace love heavenly mindednesse and brings us t is to glorie In the seventh place This knowledge of Christ teacheth us to know God aright his justice in punishing sinne his wisedome and mercie in reconciling us to him and in willing that Christ should become man and dye for us Neither could we know these things but by knowing Christ who is the ingraved image of his father Furthermore It teaches us to know our selves our filthinesse our ignorance in esteeming triâ—lingly of sinnes counting them veniall But great surely must the sore be that necessarily requires such a salve and such a Physitian as Christ and his blood to be shed for the curing thereof In the next place This knowledge is altogether sufficient in it self without all other knowledge and none without this to make a man wise to salvation both of soule and body and all men without this are but fooles For Use hereof This improves the shallow conceit men have of Divinitie that the knowledge is but shallow that every man may know it and that any man may soone have enough thereof But alas St. Paul had a large heart and had more inâ—ight into the deepe mysteries of this knowledge than such how ever they boast and yet he desires more and could not pierce to the depth therof for none ever could doe it but Christ Iesus onely Nay the very Angels they desire to pry and look into and to know more of these deepe mysteries 1 Pet. 1.12 It s therefore no shallow knowledge In the second place This ought to put us in minde to put apart times to meditate of the excellencie of this knowledge and to this end we are to emptie our selves of whatsoever fills us Especially we are to emptie us of sinne and of care for the world and the vanities thereof and the knowledge of them because both it and they shall all perish make no excuses of venturing displeasure or suffering discommodity true love pretends no delayes nor will indure them Behold Lord halfe of my goods I doe give to the poore and I doe restore to every man his owne said Zacheus In the next place We must call upon God to open our eyes that we may see and know his nature his offices his benefits and our duties to know more distinctly effectually and setledly to see the wonders of his law that we may be even ravished when we behold his fulnesse We In the fourth place are to frequent places where we shall have a fuller knowledge of Christ such places where the commerce is betweene Christ and the Church in the 5. Cant. 1. vers Christ had made love to his Church and woed her by his gracious promises she in the 2. ver being drowsie pretends excuses Hereupon Christ goes away but leaves a gracious scent of his quickening spirit enough to stirre her up to seek after her well-beloved that was gone to the 8. vers who asking after her well beloved those whom she enquired of enquired of her who he was and upon her description of him are enamoured with him and stirred up to seeke him also where by the way marke the benefit of conference Cant. 6.1 and are told that he is gone into his garden to the beds of spices that is into the congregation and assembly of his Saints If we will know Christ therefore wee must goe into these gardens where hee is ever present and there will he teach us And then shall we be stirred up to magnifie Gods goodnesse and mercie that hath reserved us to these times of knowledge and this marvailous light wherein we are more blessed than Iohn who was the greatest of those borne of women we see more than he saw Christ our Saviour already ascended to bee our eternall high-priest VERS 8. My Lord. THis is the end of all our knowledge to know Christ to be our Lord for else the Divels knew Christ Paul I know and Christ I know said he to those Conjurers but he could not know Christ to be his Lord. My Lord. Not onely for his title that he hath in me but My Lord for the title I have in him My Beloved is mine and I am his Mine he is for he made himselfe mine by redeeming me and paying the price for me My head from whom I receive force and vigour my husband my head of eminenciâ— briefly my Lord making me his and stirring up in me a love and desire to make him mine and to rest upon him by faith In the Covenant of grace therefore there is a mutuall consent betweene God and us he is ours we are his by faith to trust on him and by love to imbrace him which stirres up the whole man to obedience we may not think that this proceeded from a spirituall pride in the Apostle as though he thought himselfe the onely darling of Christ no they are the words of a particular faith and love in the Apostle not excluding others from the like for every Christian must labour for this faith that we may know Christ to be our Iesus our Saviour which we shall be assured of for if he makes us his hee will make us to love him and to say from our hearts my Lord and my head his love of us is the cause of our love to him we love him because he loved us first hiâ— knowlâ—dge is the cause of ours he chose us and therefore we chuse him and
if he loved me when I hated him surely now I love him he must needs love me Againe we shall know that we are Christs for then there will be a likenesse of Christ wrought in our hearts For that spirit that stirres us up to own Christ doth ever worke the Image of Christ in our soules as a seale it imprinâ—s on our soule the image of Christ in all graces of love meeknesse heavenly mindednâ—sse and goodnesse if we be the spouse of Christ we shall represent and shew forth his glory for the woman is the glory of the man Else what ere we boast wee are therein but hypocrites wee must forsake all in regard of Christ. VERS 8. For whom I have suffered the losse of all things HEre St. Paul confirmes his resolution and judgement of the value of Christ above all other things first he said he accompted him gaine and all other things losse lest men should thinke these were but brags he inferres he had suffered the losse of all for him and therefore did so highly esteeme of him and then it was he was for Christs sake stripped of all he was in want hungry naked went in danger of his death often nay he willingly suffered the losse of his priviledges he was an Apostle yet not worthy of the name as he sayes and for his care in his office though he were very diligent yet by it did hee not looke to merit he suffered the losse of all willingly he wrought this on his heart to lose all for Christ which is the dutie that a Christian must learne not to be onely a patient but willingly to lose to part with all and therefore wee are bidden to examine our selves to judge and condemn our selves and though the Lord hath not called us to the losse of all yet winne thus much of thy minde as to be prepared for to lose all when we shall be called thereunto and that in regard thereof we may say we have parted with all for in that we part with themin our affections God beholdes it and takes notice thereof and likes it and lookes for it and therefore he bids us leave all and follow him and if we forsake not all honour credit yea our lives we cannot be his Disciples VERS 8. And doe count them but dung SHewing his lothing of them and that he could not in dure the thought of them but did abhorre it as dogges vomit or dogges meat accounting it fit meat for none but such dogges as he spake before of if therefore we love Christ there will bee a detestation of those things that crosse the power of Christs merits in the same degree that we love Christ and we will expresse our degree of love of him by expressing the degree of hatred we beare to other things in comparison of him But why doth the Apostle so often inculcate these words To shew the expression of the largenesse of his owne heart and thereby to worke an impression thereof in the hearts of the Philippians Secondly to shew the power of the spirit that where it once leades it leades further and further to a higher degree of love of Christ that the longer he is loved the greater will love grow and more fervent so as the spirit constraines the person where it rules that he cannot but speake Acts 4.20 Thirdly to shew the excellencie of the subject he dwels upon it that we should thinke highly of it Also Fourthly to shew the necessitie thereof without which we cannot looke for salvation Fifthly to shew the difficultie of comming to this esteeme of Christ and to subdue our proud imaginations of our owne selves which however it will prove a hard and difficult matter Lastly in regard of the Philippians he knew it would be a difficult matter for them and therefore he sought out fit words to expresse the nature of the subject and the truth of his esteeme thus did the wise man Eccles. 12.10 11. who knew that the words of the wise man are as goades it s our dutie to take notice hereof therefore and to learne in what respect these outward things are good and to ranke them in their right places VERS 8. That I may winne Christ. TO winne Christ in this place is to get a more neere Communion with Christ a fuller assurance of him and a larger portion in him for St. Paul had Christ already and that made him desire a fuller injoyment of him though his heart was not large enough to entertaine all Christ yet he desired to be satisfied with his fulnesse First then it is here to be granted that Christ is gaine else why should the Apostle desire to winne him He is gaine I say both in himselfe considered and having respect to us In himselfe considered for no jewell is comparable to God-man to a Mediator he was inriched with all graces that the manhood was capable of But much more in regard of us for first he is our ransome from the wrath of God now we know a ransome must bee a gainfull thing and of no small price that must satisfie Gods wrath Secondly He is not only our ransome but our purchase purchasing Gods favour and heaven to us Thirdly he is our treasure for all things for this present life as also for a better in him are the treasures of heavenly wisedome and of his fulnesse we all receive grace for grace he is our comfort in trouble and direction in all our perplexities Fourthly he is of that precious vertue as he turnes all to gold all things are sanctified to us death grave crosses all which though we be not freed from yet he turnes them all to worke our good Fifthly by him we are made heires and have title to all things he is our Lord and hee that hath given Christ to us how shall he not with him give us all things so as in all our wants we may boldly come to the throne of grace Sixthly We by Christ gaine such offices as he himselfe had we are Kings we are Priests we are over the greatest of our enemies no more thrals to lust or to the world we may freely offer sacrifice for ourselves and others in the name of this our high-priest Seventhly we have communion with all that are good the Angels the Saints the Ministers they are all ours to defend and pray for us had the yong rich man this spirit of St. Paul he would have thought it the best bargain that ever he made though hee had parted with all if he had gotten Christ. But it may be said true Christ is gaine but what hope is there for us to attaine hereunto it may be as Paradise in it selfe yet kept from us by a flaming sword I answer no this gaine may be gotten which is the thing I propound to speake of Christ is a treasure in a field if any one will seek he may finde we had a Saviour before we were borne he was elected thereunto
they shall bee free from all weaknesse from ill compâ—nie from temptation the lambe shall be all in all glorious things are spoken of thee thou Citie of God Fifthly they speake one language the language of Canaan the language of the beast they abhorre And lastly their carriage is alike grave like Citizens of heaven their faces are still as they were going to Ierusalem their continuing and abiding Citie for while they are in this life they are still as it were in the Suburbs Hence we may gather divers grounds that while we live in this world a Christian is but a Pilgrim and stranger heaven is his home and this life is but a way and he a passenger And thus David accomptâ—d of himselfe though a King yet but a stranger both himselfe and his fathers and therefore as a passenger hee provides for his journey he stands not for ill usage cares not to looke after delights in the way but uses them as advantagious to his journey And secondly hee is inquisitive after the way fearing he should goe amisse and furnisheth himselfe with cordials to cheere him and strengthen him in his journey he inquires after the guide of Gods spirit to be as the pillar of fire to guide him in the darknesse of this world Thirdly Hee is well provided of weapons against such enemies as hee shall meet with in the way he hath the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God The second ground that arises hence is that a Christians indeavours are of a high nature his looke is high his soule and minde are ever upward casting all burthens of earthly cares and delights from him that hee may freely mount up in the presence of his maker Thirdly this carriage of a Christian is not by fits but it is his trade his conversation and course of life in all things he lookes to heaven his course is by rule and by law whatsoever he does he does as in obedience to God chiefly with all his power as approving himselfe to God in whose sight he ever sets himselfe briefly hee doth all things as a Citizen of heaven Fourthly we may also ground hence that a Christian may have his conversation in heaven even while he is here alive for hee is borne anew having received the life of grace God requires not impossibilities but alwayes gives abilitie to the discharge of that which hee injoynes But in particular how may a Christian bee said to be in heaven or to have his conversation in heaven I answer a Christian may be said to bee in heaven first as in his head Christ Iesus who is in heaven already beeing gone to prepare a place for us Secondly he is there by faith which makes things absent as present and so it is that Abraham saw Christs day and was glad and therefore is faith called The evidence of things not seene Heb. 11. Thirdly a Christian is in heaven by his hopes Fourthly he is there by his desires animus est ubi amat Fifthly a Christian is in heaven when as his meditations are there when his thoughts are thereon continually busied as St. Paul was when in admiration of those joyes he crieth out O the depth both of the riches and wisedome of God! Rom. 11.33 Sixthly hee is there when by continuall prayers to God he hath an inward admittance to the throne of grace where hee may freely open his heart to his God and therefore it is that those that are Christians indeed are often in this dutie Fifthly hence we may gather that the glorious estate in heaven is of the same kinde with this life of grace onely differing in degrees of happinesse both estates are free there onely a freedome of glory here a freedome of grace both are estates of redemption there wee are redeemed from sinne and death and the divell here we are onely redeemed from the power of them there have we the full harvest here we have the first fruits here wee are heires by faith there by full possession to all of us Christ is all in all onely there hee rules immediately here he rules by meanes by his deputies There they have communion with the Saints here we also have communion though we live amongst the wicked There they praise God continually here we indeavour it continually There they have communion with the beatificall vision here wee have communion with the ordinances which will bring us to it And therefore let such as intend to be Saints hereafter be Saints here and live by the lawes that are given us from heaven and that they live by in heaven for the kingdome is in such sort one and the same the kingdome of grace the preaching of the word is called the kingdome of heaven as well as the kingdome of glorie and men doe thinke in vaine ever to enter into glorie without comming in at the gates of grace as appeareth out of the Apostles argument 2 Pet. 1.10 11. Give diligence to make your calling and election sure for so an entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ. And to this end amongst many other observe with me these following directions First for a preparation heare the word of God for by this wee are in heaven in part already for where the word is preached there is the presence of the blessed Trinitie and the holy Angels bringing downe heaven it selfe to us teaching us in the lawes of that Kingdome Vse reading also for even thereby wee talke with the Saints who wrote those things for our instruction and that spirit that guided them in writing will also guide thee in reading Receive the Sacraments often for these ordinances are the heavenly Manna to us and and strengthen us in our way to the spirituall Canaan Secondly Rejoyce in often communicating with the Saints these earth moles that are delighted in Coeno not in Coelo all companie is alike to them but a Christian will here converse with such as hee shall be with hereafter and the Saints have found much helpe this way even Saul in the companie of Prophets became a Prophet and the most earthly man that is amongst good men in good discourse will sute himselfe to them and indeed good discourse is of much availe this way if it bee frequent as it should be I inforce it not as a dutie to be done at all times but it should be oftner than it is Thirdly Vse such meanes as are of force to subdue the hinderances of this disposition such as are lusts of youth which ought to be tamed by fasts and such watchfulnesse that may make us at the length wise for so â—acre as wee overcome our lusts so farre we have our conversation in heaven and therefore wee must often in private watch and in private pray as the Scripture saith we must watch unto prayer Fourthly Vse much meditation bee ever setting our