person it is the Apostles argument therefore let none dislike the Logick As in Adam all die so in Christ all shall be made alive 1 Cor. 15.21 Christs resurrection is a seale of the resurrection of all good and bad Nay Christ being risen all shall rise and come to judgement to this height the Apostle carries this point Because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousnesse by the man whom he hath appointed whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead Act. 17.31 I collect from the Scripture that Christs resurrection sealeth two things to us that all shall rise and that all shall come to be judged by him And O wicked man how dreadfull will this judgement be to thee 'T is dreadfull for a Christian to be brought now before Christ in the Court of conscience as he sits there and makes that weake part of man to speak against one in his stead as I gather by that of Ioh And dost thou open thine eye upon such a one and bringest me into judgement Job 14.3 and calls man a shadow Man here is indeed but a shadow gone of an instant as flower and yet to bring this shadow into judgement before Christ as he sits in the Court of conscience here O how unsusserably dreadfull it is to a good man but how dreadfull then to a bad but how dreadfull will it to be a wicked man hereafter when brought before Christ personally and in all his glory as Judge of all the world with ten thousand of his Saints as Iude speakes when neither Judge nor Judged a shadow when every wicked man shall be brought in a durable condition and state of body as well as of soule to beare a blow a bruise a wound and the rankling of it in every veine from head to foot to all eternity Severall things lead me to thinke that the great day of Christs judicature will be very dreadfull to all the wicked One because man shall appeare then not as a shadow but as a substance as an everlasting substance to beare the height of Gods displeasure Secondly because his sinnes also shall not then appeare as a shadow Alas 't is but the shadow of sinne that revives and appeareth in conscience now and yet when this resurrection is of the shadow of sinne man dies is feare round about but then sinne in its substance the heart of sinne yea sinne with all its demensions longitude latitude height depth bredth every secret which now no eye sees the bookes shall be then opened and every idle word and idle thought shall be set in order and all the dead stretched out and layd naked before him with whom we have to doe yea and set in order before the soule it selfe and conscience made to say all this is true When there shall be such a resurrection of the dead of all the dead sinnes dead and gone out of memory for many scores of yeeres all together made to revive in conscience at once with all their circumstances of time place and the like in their full strength and Christ by in all his glory and all the Saints and holy Angels seeing all as plainly as the man himselfe these things make me think 't will be then a very dreadull day to all ungodly wretches The Apostle Paul was possest with this thing better by far then I am and laboured to possesse his hearers with it as now I do you Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we perswade men 2 Cor. 5.11 What is this terror why the point I am upon read the Verse foregoing For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we perswade men Christ being risen all shall rise all men and all their actions good and bad and these shall be proclaimed all over the world at once all over two worlds at once met together this to the wicked will be terrible indeed the very glimpses of this are terrible therefore sure the thing it selfe farre more When Paul reasoned with Faelix about judgement to come Faelix trembled Acts 24.25 When Herod did but thinke that Iohn the Baptist was risen again whom he had murthered how it affrighted him Herod feared Iohn when alive but much more after he arose and lived again Mark 6.15 16. one from the dead is terrible Persons in their resurrection are other persons for majesty and terrour so sinnes in their resurrection are other sinnes for bignesse dread and horror all these meeting will make horripilation in perfection every haire of thy head stare every eye-string stretch and every heart-string twist together and teare and yet no eye shall pity thee of all that innumerable company of just men made perfect that then shall appeare and sit upon thee Let no wile cause you to evade the weight of things And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead some mocked and others said we will heate thee again of this matter Acts 17.32 Doe not in your hearts scoffe at this truth though weakly held out unto you doe not put farre from you the evill day doe not in your hearts deny the resurrection or say it is past already as Hymenens and Phyletus who overthrew the faith of some and their words did eat as a canker 2 Tim. 2.8 Thus doe some men now who tell us that the resurrection is past and they introduced into a new world and the day of judgement past making things of the greatest substantialitie Doct. allegories chimeras and fancies but now see Christians by this which hath been said that these temptations are not small and light they overthrow that which is the main foundation of mans salvation Many others there are which though Historicall believers of this truth yet believe not that such things beare upon it as I thinke that great man was one of which we read Acts 26.25 26 27. I am not mad most noble Festus but speak forth the words of truth and sobernesse for the King knoweth of these things before whom also I speake freely for I am perswaded that none of those things are hidden from him for this thing was not done in a corner c. a man is judged a mad man when he presseth upon great men especially great and weighty points This point also is much for the consolation of all the children of Christ Vse 2 Christ being risen we are delivered from the obliging power of sinne Christ was delivered for our effences and raised again for our justification Rom. 4.25 As the end of Christs death was to satisfie so the end of his resurrection is to justifie to give testimony before God Angels Men and Divels that he hath gone through all in our stead and person well and to demand an acquittance from God in our name for
AN OLIVE-LEAFE OR A Bud of the Spring VIZ. CHRIST'S RESURRECTION and its end viz. The conversion of Sinners and a Christians compleat Reliefe Opened by NICHOLAS LOCKYER Minister of the Gospell Why seek ye the living among the dead LUKE 24.5 If ye be risen with Christ seek those things which are above COL 3.1 I shall be satisfyed when I awake with thy likenesse PSAL. 17.15 Old things are past away behold all things are become new saith a holy man of our State in Christs resurrection Cyril Tom. 1. de adoratione in spiritu veritate lib. 17. treating upon the First-fruit-offering which he applies to the Resurrection of Christ p. 610. Printed by E.G. for J. Rothwell and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the Sun and Fountain in Pauls Church-yard neere the little North gate 1650. To all the Lords people Grace and peace by our Lord Jesus Christ be multiplied T Is my work as a man more as a Christian most of all as a Minister of the Gospell to search out the secrets of the Gospell in their notion and operation Certaine persons were appointed to stand upon Mount Gerizzim and blesse and yet nothing they did this way is mentioned and certaine others appointed to stand upon mount Ebal and curse and what they did this way set down particularly and largely * 〈◊〉 Dâ—… 〈◊〉 12 13 14. Is God more apt to curse then blesse Why Solomon should make all the instruments of the Temple of Gold and mention them particularly to the very hinge and never mention the Arke doth this abide Wood when all the rest Gold or is Wood as splendid and as precious as Gold The Scripture is full of these Secrets as to the notion of truth but O how full of secrets is truth in its operation in our hearts In this latter I am most a Student and yet least a Proficient though I have but little skill in the notion yet farre lesse in the mysterious operation of the Gospell What experiences Christ hath imparted in much love I here present unto you they may be much added unto by heavenly influences proper and peculiar to every Christian Reader and by his owne travels in these waies of wisdome We are called little ones and indeed so we are whilst here little in all things but ignorance and impotence Yet we little ones have great ones waiting upon us and these have more priviledge then we whom they wait upon which is another secret for they alwaies behold the face of our father * Matth. 18 10. which if we could doe too we should in his light see light understand all mysteries and all knowledge all truth in notion and operation which should make us wait for the appearing of Christ and long till this change come that Lords have as much as their servants which attend upon them Blood carries the life and the exquisite spirit and sence of nature with it and yet hath not sence nor feeling it selfe so truly is it with us Ministers we are the Salt of the earth the blood and spirit of the World such as carry exquisite spirit and sense through the mysticall body and yet feele just nothing upon the matter our selves which makes us so short of what we should be in the revelation of the mysteries of the Gospell I speak in this principally of one who hath his births in divine things to much out of due time and due measure yet hath to blesse God that I can condemne my selfe The more Heavenly in our lives the more the best knowledge falls in of it selfe with us Living creatures which lie hid in the earth long for a great part of the yeere together have we say no blood or very little a drop or two about the heart If our souls lie hid in the earth much as these times tempt this way you will have little good blood or spirit in you a drop about your heart to keepe you from Hell hereafter and that will be all not enough to keepe you from many Hels here much lesse will you have so much blood and brave spirit as to search and finde the deep things of God belonging to your peace crowne and glory The wind at one point of the Heavens and at one season of the yeere is called a Husband to all things which spring upon the face of the earth ' tath in it then such a spirit of generation and nutrition Favoniâ—… à favendo biâ— viniâ—… vocatâ—â— this wind makes all things in this season so smile upon us and this wind blows all the yeer long and is still with us whilst we have our conversation in Heaven Oh how sweetly how generatingly doth that wind which blows where it listeth blow upon us who are in all our waies travelling homeward Severall things you will finde Christians in this book some about Christs resurrection the blooming of this Tree is judged by some to have been in the Spring if at the fall yet then doe some Trees bloome againe I have seen ripe fruit and blossomes together so is alwaies on Jesus Christ that tree of life ripe fruit for any to feed on at any season and yet vigor still Budding and blossoming againe for more This work speaks that miracle repeated a dry rod blooming and bearing Almonds one blossoming at the fall one after many plunges raised to give witnesse and set seale to Christs resurrection You whom I know and much love well understand my often infirmities and so at what after season I blossome and beare and therefore will I hope for rarity sake keep these blossoms and small fruits to admire Christ the orderer of all times and seasons who can make Spring when he will and in what he will Yours in the bowels of Jesus Christ and labours of his everlasting Gospell Nicholas Lockyer To the Reader HIs grace bestowed upon me was not in vain 1 Cor. 15.10 This Scripture Christian Reader makes much impression upon my Spirit The dew of Christs youth falls little upon my heart yet I receive more then I give but little is mine in all yet much if God hath not judged it too much because in vaine A little of the true Treasure is too much to lie dead yet so it doth very much in my heart I wish it may not be so in thine If one had much he might doe much but when little one can doe nothing We are unthrifty to get and then make excuse for an unprofitable life that we have nothing to impart I confesse that to have and to use are two distinct gifts yet plenitudes will constraine vent dropping and leaking and so weare bigger passage by a continued stil power pushing within I am indeed in a straight whether it be grace in vaine for me to be silent or to speake in print to all the world who can speake so little to any purpose to a farre narrower compasse and capacity Let my weaknesse Christian Reader be covered and
Prophets after him spake of and then further addes Ye are of the blood of those which thus prophesied children of the Prophets children of the same covenant Ye are the children of the Prophets and of the Covenant which God made with our Fathers c. v. 22. ye being a first-born Christ the first-born is first sent to you to you first in his Prophets to you first in his own person to you first after his resurrection Vnto you first God having raised up his sonne Jesus sent him to besse you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities Grace according to its manner of tender and according to the nature of the thing it selfe are the two parts of this verse or the two things contained in this one Scripture for its manner of tender this Sunne did first rise upon the Nation of the Jewes such a temporall station as a Nation doth this terme you here meane To you first c. This Nation God formed from the wombe as he saith Isaiah 44.1 2. i. from the first man out of one loyne he made as many as the staries of Heaven for multitude This Nation which he formed from the womb had the womb of the morning the first tender of the dew of Christs youth which being mentioned here as a priviledge and preferment I note Doct. That priority in Spirituall things is a dignity and honour Who was in Christ before me Rom. 16.7 'T is the fruition of a Virgine love and thus phrased frequently The Lord hath troden the Virgin daughter of Iudah as a Wine-presse for these things I mourn Lam. 1.1.5 What shall I liken to thee O Virgin daughter of Sion thy breach is as the sea Lam. 2.3 Therefore called a Virgin because the first whom God chose and the first of all Nations which chose God and were especially protected by him from such as were destroyers Priority in Spirituall things hath more evidence of love with it and more certainty Tenders which come in the evening are doubtfull in their forme they looke like the season in which they come darkish If God meant me good why did he let me runne so long play the prodigall so long till I had spent all and this a type of the Gentiles and of this truth I am upon 'T was doubtfull to the Prodigall how things would prove when visitations from above began to present themselves to his spirit If God meant me children why did he stay so long till the evening of my life and she laughs and this another type and applied to the Gentiles by the Prophets What comes in the evening hath not with it such a present evidence of love but rather of the contrary See an illustration of this Exod. 16.13 the Quailes came in the evening which was a curse and the Manna in the morning which was a blessing Priority in spirituall things hath with it also a more certainty of kindnesse and goodnesse between praesentia futura there is a great deale of difference in poynt of certainty and so every one argues A Bird that is caught is a more certain something then that in the field which may be caught a sinner prickt at heart and turned to God now is a more certaine something then that which may fall out next Summer next Sermon or next yeere as we count and put the order of certainties A Nation that enjoyes the Gospell at present hath a more certain something then they which may enjoy it an hundred yeeres hence if we speak of certainty as we count and put the nature of it for concerning what is behind and yet to come we still are apt to question will it be will it ever come every one at first sets forth good Wine but that good Wine should come at last is not according to the law of custome and order so ordinarily expected Vse If priority in good things be a priviledge count it so and let it work upon your hearts We are of the last of the Nations to whom the bloody cup came and yet of the first from whom removed our blood broacht last and yet God puts his singer upon the rent first Two of us were grinding at the Mill and I was taken first nay the other not taken at all Amongst many thousands which wallow yet in their sinnes I am taken out as a kind of first-fruits to God and to the Lambe O what ingenuity and sweetnesse this should beget in the spirit of man towards God! Preferre God in all things put priority upon him in all his affaires I will seck him first intend him In the morning shall my prayer prevent thee Psal 88.13 I might have been the first of them that went down into the pit I will be of the first that shall goe up like the Tribe of Indah against all Gods enemies there was but one in my fathers house marked out unto Spirituall Kingship and 't was I the unlikeliest and unloveliest there is but one that I marke out to cleave to and advance and that is Christ ACT. 3.26 Vnto you first God having raised up his Sonne Jesus sent him to blesse you c. GRace in its tender and the thing it selfe tendered I made the parts of this Verse of the first I have spoken a little of the next in our next work Grace it selfe is here mentioned in its cause or foundation which is Gods raising Christ from the dead and in its formality blessing him to us to turn us from all our sinnes The blessednesse of man in its cause I am first here led to handle by the order of the words God having raised up his Sonne Jesus sent him c. Doct. The resurrection of Christ is the foundation of mans salvation Hence is that manner of exâ—…ion of the Apostle I am a Pharisee 〈◊〉 the hope and resurrection of the dead c. Act. 23.6 i. for preaching hope and salvation by the resurrection of Jesus Christ which was the thing we know he zealously did was he persecuted by which words we see that the hope of man is founded upon the resurrection of Christ from the dead A like pregnant place Act. 13.32 33. And we declare unto you glad tidings how that the promise which was made unto the Fathers God hath sulfilled the same unto us their children in that he hath raised up Jesus again as it is also written in the second Psalm Thou art my sonne this day have I begotten thee Upon this to wit the resurrection of Christ beares the confirmation of Gods oath to the Elect for the accomplishment of their eternall good Therefore being a Prophet and knowing that God had sworne with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loyns according to the flesh he would raise up Christ to sit on his Throne he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ c. Act. 2.31 David did personate all the Elect as Abraham all believers and in him God sweares to all the elect that
shall please to enable to believe so that the efficacy of the one is necessary and the efficacy of the other to wit the death of the second Adam voluntarily and wholy at Gods pleasure and so argueth nothing against the sense and meaning which I give of my Text every one onely to meane some By this other Texts which in the letter sound as this that I have mentioned and as the Text which I am upon doth are to be expounded God is in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe that is some of all sorts Jews and Gentiles who are given to Christ from eternity Christ is to manifest the purpose of God from eternity to these to die for them to call them to justifie them sanctifie them and glorifie them and to none else but put for their stumbling and their fall and of this no reason to be given but Gods wil having such an absolute power over the creature as the potter over the clay nor wil he beare the striving of man in dispute to any further medium then his wil. Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth c. Finally all may be resumed and rendered for the opening of this clause in other words to the same effect To turn every one of you i. who are by the purpose of God to be turned and so the expression not stricty noting the universality of persons to be turned but the strict propriety of Christ in this worke of turning soules to God Christ is to turne every one that is to be turned this Christ which you so despise and so little esteeme not a soule amongst you can be turned and saved from your sinne but by him Thus doe many of the learned read and render these words and thus doth Christ himselfe open that place Isa 54.13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord c. i. all which are taught are taught by him and can by none else come to learne unto life Thus doth Christ explaine this place of the Prophet as appeares by his words Iohn 6.44 45. No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him and I will raise him up at the last day as it is written in the Prophets and they shall be all taught of God i. all that are taught are taught of God and none else can learn this mystery of comming to Christ and believing on him but such as are taught of God So that this clause of my Text being thus opened the poynt you see to be stood upon naturally ariseth to be this Doct. That it is Christs proper work to turn sinners from their sinnes a businesse devolved by joynt consent upon him the Father and the holy Spirit working in and by him and no otherwaies to this great end the conversion and salvation of man The Scriptures which concurre to this truth are many Isa 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meeke he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted to proclaime liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound c. This place confirmes the point and also what I have before said that Christ is not sent to turne all but a generation of sinners which are turning the meeke and broken in heart i. such as are self condemned and lie under the bleeding sence of their own wretched condition prickt at heart with the sting of sinne which may be and yet in no actuall state of grace to be Physician to these sick wounded bleeding and dying ones is Christs proper place and employment To this may be added Acts 5.31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel and forgivenesse of sinner The like Scripture is 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithfull saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chiefe 'T is Christs proper worke you see and his alone to turn and save sinners from their sinnes The type of this read Rom. 9.10 When Rehecca also concerved by one even by our father Isaac But one in the bed to wit Jesus Christ by whom the holy seed is begotten Christ casts that immortall seed into her wombe by which the generation of the new creature is made and none but he he begets brings forth and breeds up hence called the authour and finisher of our faith and faith is called conversion because indeed it is the formality of it Jesus said unto them except you be converted and become as a little child yee shall not enter into the Kingdome of Heaven And then in the following words saith Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me Matth. 18.6 What he cals conversion before Here he cals faith because faith indeed is conversion the soule crediting Christ in what the word saith of him and so resigning it selfe wholly to him to be ruled by him and by his will and not any longer by his own lusts and sinnes and this is the turning of the soule from sinne which my Text here speaks of There are severall things in faith to understand to credit to submit and simply to submit to submit as a childe who doth not contend or dispute but saith in his heart my father bids be doe thus and this is enough and all these Christ workes in the soule and none else Christ enlightens the soule shines into the heart and makes it see what had never been told ef Isa 52.15 Christ meekens and humbles the soule pricks the heart le ts out all those corrupt things which swel and pusse up the spirit against God Christ takes off headinesse rashnesse and bows the heart to hearken consider and then workes to wil perswades Iaphet O that I had a dwelling in the tents of Shem that I could believe on Jesus Christ Who is he Lord that I might believe on him and then workes to doe to trust in him to deny all and follow him and now is the soule turned from its sinnes But this is but in part This state of soule is called a heart after Gods own one in this world as Christ which is not strictly to be taken as if any whilst in this world were so pure and unmixed in affection and action as Christ so separated from sinne in his nature and life in this world as he was but it meaneth what a converted man is in his intention in his endeavour and in Gods acceptation The heart truely turned to God aimes and intends a course and motion in this world exactly like Christ hath respect to all Christs commandements without distinction of Great and little as the Pharisees and hypocrites were wont to make loves all and would with all his heart all his waies were so direct as to keepe all Gods statutes to this height is his aime his desire