I am of Christ Thus they expounded it thinking it not matter of reproof for any to say they were of Christ and they say Pauls arguments would hold for this as much as they did against glorying in men For though Paul was not crucified for them yet Christ was Though they were not baptized into Pauls name yet they were into Christs But to answer this It 's true absolutely and simply it 's not a sinne but a duty for every believer to say he is of Christ To call no man Master but Christ therefore he is called a Christian because a worshipper of Christ And the Apostle 1 Cor. 3.22 useth this Argument The believers were not Pauls or Apolloes but on the contrary Whether Paul or Apollo c. all are yours but then mark he doth not say Christ is yours but you are Christs So for believers to say They are Christs is in the general a duty but that which the Apostle here reproveth is such a setting up of Christ as doth oppose the Instruments that Christ also hath appointed and that the Apostle blameth those who said They were Christs it's plain by the Context It 's told me by the house of Chloe That there are divisions and contentions This was a fault complained of And then he instanceth in the matter of the contentions I am of Paul I am of Apollo I am of Christ This is in the same manner reckoned as the former whereas if the Interpretation of the Ancients were true the expression must have been adversative But I am of Christ And then the Argument following is plain Is Christ divided viz. Is the Doctrine or Person of Christ divided Hath Peter one Christ Apollo another or these immediate pretenders another Christ Now these that set up Christ thus in a sinfull way may be either those that pretended immediate teachings by Christ for such were in the Apostles dayes therefore he bids them Try the Spirits or such who happily might have heard Christ himself teaching in his own person and so did wrest those Doctrines that Christ taught and yet in their sense made Christ the teacher of them both may be included Although I must adde That a further thing also is to be comprehended in this factious exalting of Christ vâ—z not only thereby to exclude Instruments but also to conclude that they only had Christ amongst them For this is the property of many Sects to appropriate Christ to themselves as if none had Christ but they Thus the Donatists did monopolize the word Christians to themselves Observe That although Christ onely is to be relied upon as the Head of his Church yet it is not his will that under this pretence wee should despise or contemne his Ministry and the means of grace he hath appointed So that this Text with the former doth excellently bound the spirit of believers that though they delight and rejoyce in the gifts and office of the Ministry reaping much spiritual benefit by it yet they are still to look up to Christ in the Ministry as the author of all increase And on the other side Though the Ministry can do no good without Christs teaching and it 's the Spirit that giveth grace not the Ministers yet we must not so immediately depend on Christ and his Spirit as to neglect the instruments and means he hath appointed Our Saviour cleareth this when in one place He sends his Disciples to preach commanding all to hear them And yet again Bids us call no man master upon earth Here is no contradiction but if a Christian be wise he may excellently compose them No man is to be called Master principally and authoritatively yet Christ hath appointed Teachers and Doctors by whom we are to believe So that it 's the errour and foolishnesse of men when they runne into extreams even as in the Doctrine of Grace and Free-will The Marcionites and Manicâ—ees they denied the Natural Liberty of a man and the Pelagians on the contrary the efficacious grace of God To understand this Consider That there are principal and efficient causes of grace and salvation and there are subordinate and instrumental and these must not be confounded A sound mind must not make instrumentals principals as ignorant people doe thinking the very Sacrament will save them Nor yet must we exalt the principal to exclude the instrumental as Enthusihsts do The Efficient Cause of all grace is attributed onely to God or the three Persons the Father Sonne and holy Ghost in their appropriated way So that it 's true Every good and perfect gift comes from God the Father of lights Jam. 1. No man can come to Christ unlesse the Father draw him John 6.44 And Christ saith He will draw all men to him John 12.32 He is the chief shepherd of our souls He is the truth way and life John 14.6 The Spirit of God also that leadeth into all truth that sanctifieth that inlightneth the mind So that when we have to do with a people that do rest upon outward meanes As some thinke the Ministers gifts the Ministers parts or the very coming of a Minister to them and praying for them while sick is enough to send them to Heaven To such hearers we are much to preach of the efficient principal cause of grace We are to cry Sursum corda we are to say as the Angel to the women looking for Christ in the Sepulchre He is risen Look up to Heaven so to such who rest upon external meanes and Instruments Why look ye downwards look upwards We see among the people of Israel yea and Christians in the New Testament too so great a pronenesse to relie on Instruments but as in civil things we must not relie on an arme of flesh so neither in Church matters on a tongue or mouth of flesh as the Ministers are In the next place There are Subordinate and Instrumental means of Grace which God though he could doe all spiritual things immediately for us and in us yet he hath obliged us to the use of them So that it is an high contempt of God and such may never expect the workings of his Spirit or virtue from Christ that doth not use those instituted meanes he hath appointed Now there is a three-fold Instrumental cause of Grace When we call them a Cause we mean not a natural Cause producing Grace by any inherent power as fire doth burn no but onely instituted Causes God in the faithfull use of these will worke Grace in us And they are three especially First There is the Scripture the Word of God This as it is written and consigned into a Canon is a Rule by which all must believe worship and live Insomuch that if a man pretend any Revelations or teachings which are not warrantable by this written Word he is to be held as accursed To the Law and to the Testimony Isai 8.20 Christ himself still directeth to the Scripture Paul directs Timothy to the Scriptures and
for the most part is spiritual and supernatural and partly because as the Prophets and Pen-men spake or wrote as they were moved by the holy Ghost even to every syllable and word so the same Spirit of God is required though not in such a measure to the understanding of it Hence the Spirit of God is promised To lead us into all truth John 16.13 Alas the greatest men of parts and learning have many times been the greatest Heretiques and most ignorant of the Scripture because destitute of the Spirit Yet on the other side you must not runne into another extremity as if the Spirit alone without those helps God hath required would lead us into truth for that were to tempt God and to expect a miracle For give a Bible in Hebrew or Greek to a man though enjoying Gods Spirit yet he is not able to understand this or that Text without the interpretation of the language I have been more large on this because it 's necessary to shew with how much prayer and earnest application to the throne of grace the Ministers of God should addresse themselves to their work without the Spirit of God guiding and leading of them they are the ship that wants a winde yea though they have many excellent gifts and much humane learning They are but as a swift horse without a rider while they want Gods Spirit and the faster they runne the more they are out of the way So then put the Spirit of God and other helpes appointed by him together and then you will never split at any Rock Secondly As the gifts of the Ministry are thus efficiently from God So directively also they are from his Spirit The guidance and ordering of the whole Ministry is from the Spirit of God When Paul was resolved to go to some place to preach the Gospel he was sometimes forbidden by the Spirit and directed to go to others Acts 16.6 9. Thus in the word of God preached by the Apostles the Spirit of God did demonstrate it self because the Jews are said to resist it Acts 7.51 therefore though it was first dispensed to the Jews yet upon their neglect it was transplanted to the Gentiles And thus truly every Congregation every particular person may wonderfully observe the divine guidance of the Ministry that it should come to such a people and not to such that those who are unworthy and trample upon it as swine do the pearl should have it and many a poor hungring and thirsting people can never enjoy have or such a Ministry especially every godly hearer may observe a divine guidance of the Word in the matter preached how near and seasonably it comes to him The unbeliever that came to the Church ordinances saw his heart and thoughts so judged and discovered that he cried out Verily God is among you 1 Cor. 14.25 Thou sittest and wonderest how the Minister should fall on such a point how he should be directed to such a particular that doth so nearly concern thee this makes thee say Verily God is here Thirdly Which is the last and greatest The efficacy and spiritual benefit of the Ordinances and gifts of Officers is wholly from the Spirit of God Hence it is called the holy Spirit not only essentially as the other Persons are or by way of opposition to the unclean spirit the Devil but effectively because by way of title and Office as it were it belongs to him to sanctifie the gifts of the Minister and to make them powerfull in the hearts of the hearers So that although parts and abilities should be in the Officers choice and power yet the successe and benefit is not When Paul hath planted Apollo watered it 's God that giveth the increase 1 Cor. 3. And certainly if the Physician cannot give health the Gardener cannot make any fruit only disposeth and prepareth in these things much lesse can spiritual Officers in the Church cause the Word to open the eyes of the blinde or soften the heart of those that are hardened Thus we have seen how the Spirit of God dwels in the Church by reason of gifts only and to be more affected with this though that of Graces be more excellent consider First That the end of all these gifts thus vouchsafed by the Spirit is only to profit withall as the Apostle argueth 1 Cor. 12.7 They are not for vain oftentation neither are we to seek our selves by them but they are to be improved for edification Now that cannot be called profit which is onely to please the ear to tickle the fancy but what is to convince the conscience and change the heart and lives of men Oh that this were considered both by Minister and all people It 's spiritual profit that is to be looked at Hence the Word is compared to food which is not for the eye but the stomack The more usefull and profitable the gifts of any are either for instruction or reformation the nearer they come to their due end Secondly Consider the plenty of these gifts under the New Testament The Spirit of God inabled to all those gifts and graces in the Old Testament but because they were in a little pittance or measure therefore the Gospel is said to be The time of the manifestation of the Spirit So that it 's a great shame and sinne if both Ministers and people partake not more of the gifts of Gods Spirit than in the Old Testament and that so much grosse ignorance and beastly prophanenesse doth overflow is a great reproach unto the times of the Gospel Thirdly The variety of them is also very admirable The Apostle reckons up the diversity of them So that as it was an argument of Jacob's love to give Joseph a party-coloured coat Thus it is of Gods favour to bestow such diversity of gifts This makes the Church indeed to be in imbroidered garments Fourthly The wisdome of the Spirit is seen in that no one man hath all As all men have not the same face but some difference there is which makes Gods providence admirable in this particular So all have not the same gifts some are for the word of Doctrine some for the word of Exhortation and all this is that there being a mutual excelling of one another there might be no envy or schisme in the body Vse of Instruction What cause we Ministers and you people have to pray for this Spirit of God without which we preach in vain and you hear in vain As Moses said to God Vnlesse thou go along with us we will not go up O Lord if the presence of thy Spirit be not with us we cannot discharge those duties who is sufficient to preach Who is sufficient to hear Oh it should be like a sword in our bowels to think we feel no more of him in our Assemblies Arise O North winde and blow O South saith the Church that the spices may send forth their smell Cantic 4.16 Oh that the Spirit of God would thus arise
in our hearts that our gifts may be successefull that our graces may flourish And that the Spirit of God dwels in you The first sort of the Spirits inhabitation in us viz. by Gifts hath been dispatched We now come to the more noble and excellent way which doth inseparably accompany salvation and that is the sanctifying graces of Gods Spirit By which indeed we may gather That God dwels in us For as when Daniel could so wonderfully open and interpret the Kings dreames they said The Spirit of the most high God was in him So if you see a people heavenly mortifying sinne walking in close communion with God you must needs conclude the Spirit of the most high God is in that man It 's not nature or moral virtues could raise him up to such an high Pinacle as this is And before we come to the particular effects of Gods in-dwelling after this manner it 's good to observe the Emphatical expressions that the Scripture useth equivalent to this of dwelling in us As Rom. 8. there it 's called Being in the Spirit as here The Spirit is in us So there we are in the Spirit Now that phrase is very emphatical and doth denote that all our lusts and sinnes yea our very selves are as it were swallowed up and nothing but the Spirit of God works and moveth in us To be in the Spirit denoteth the great efficacy and powerfull dominion in us as men are said to be in sinne because they no longer live but sinne nothing but sinne doth appear so it should be with the godly The Spirit of God not flesh not corruption not carnal or worldly principles should appear in them As the Prophets in the time of their Prophesie were said to be in the Spirit in an extasie minding no earthly or worldly thing Thus ought we to be emptied of our selves and filled with the Spirit of God Therefore John 3. it 's said Whatsoever is born of the Spirit is Spirit in the very abstract We have also Gal. 4 pregnant expressions To live in the Spirit to walk in the Spirit to be led by the Spirit Oh let such expressions as these make you ashamed to see so much of a man or carnal affections stirring in you What believer hath these things in the full power thereof But to the Particulars First The Spirit of God dwels in us after a saving manner in the general By way of sanctification of the Spirit soul and body even the whole man 1 Thess 5. This is the general Every man is all over unclean filthy polluted full of enmity to what is holy Now the Spirit of God that makes an universal sanctification of all these Hence by way of Office it 's called The Spirit of sanctification and the holy Spirit as Creation is appropriated to the Father and Redemption to the Sonne so Sanctification to the Holy Ghost So then as Christ in respect of his body is said to be conceived by the Holy Ghost there was a preparing and sanctifying of it for the Personal Union and the work of Redemption So the Spirit of God sanctifieth the soul of every godly man it makes every part and faculty prepared for holy Duties in an holy man for as the soul is the life of the body that can doe no vital action without it So the Spirit is the life of the soul and that can doe no spiritual action without it Oh then consider this all ye that heare and ponder it in your hearts Have you thus been conceived and borne of the Spirit of God Thy other birth will availe nothing though borne rich or noble Yea Couldst thou be borne a thousand times in a naturall way thou wouldst still be a miserable wretched man What is a good or ingenuous nature What are excellent and choice abilities if thou art not sanctified by the Spirit of God Doe not thinke these things are fancies and notions The Spirit of God may as well be called a fancy as his operations fancies But more particularly The Spirit of God dwels in a saving manner First By Illumination and opening of the darke minde of every man Every man is darknesse it selfe he cannot discerne of spiritual things revealed in the Word till the Spirit of God enlighten him Therefore the worke of Gods Spirit is great upon the minde and understanding of a man it convinceth the soul of a man of those things it never believed before John 16.9 of sinne it makes a man see the woefull and damnable estate he is in It 's so plaine that he cannot deny it he believed and judged no such thing once in him but now such light shineth in his breast that he is a very dung-hill a very hell to himself and then he convinceth of righteousnesse viz. a Gospel-righteousnesse by Christ Now all his workes all his good duties are dung and drosse all that Religion he put confidence in is abandoned by him the Spirit of God convinceth him of a glorious righteousnesse without him which onely is able to cover his nakednesse Againe Another special worke on the understanding is To teach to guide and leade into all truth We cannot say Jesus is the Christ without the Spirit as you heard 1 Corinth 12.3 Spiritual things must have a spirituall ability to discerne them It 's true he leadeth in and by the use of meanes appointed but yet he onely doth efficiently dispell the darknesse and worke faith to holy Truths So then we see it 's the speciall worke of Gods Spirit not humane ability to be directed into truth And we must not onely study Books but pray to God and take heed of such sinnes which may drive Gods Spirit from us for then we are as a wilde horse without a rider like a ship in the midst of the sea without a Pilot. Secondly The Spirit of God quickens and reviveth those graces that by Regeneration were infused to us compared therefore to the winde as the blowing of that makes the flowers of the Gardens to send forth their sweet smels So it 's here It 's not enough to have the habit and principles of grace within us but we need a fervent and vigorous actuating of them And therefore is the Holy Ghost compared to fire and hence that phrase To be filled with the Holy Ghost which is applied to the godly sometimes doth as learned men observe denote some actual and vigorous impression upon their hearts Their graces were now put forth in a lively vigorous way Oh this is a blessed life when a Christian is constantly filled with the Holy Ghost that doth actually make his heart fervent and burning in all its duties towards God! If this were the life of the godly man there would not be such complaints such feares such doubts Oh they cannot tell what to say to themselves They are dull heavy earthly Alas all this is because the Spirit of God filleth not thy heart if this were working thou wouldst be like Ezekiels wheeles that
Saviour to those that do not find themselves lost to commend a Physician to those that find themselves whole to pour oyl where there are no wounds is to pervert all order Ho every one that thirsteth saith our Saviour Joh 7.37 And Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden Mat. 11.28 The Spirit of God convinces the world of sin and then of righteousness Oh but how much unwise and unfaithfull preaching is there in this respect How many are there that strengthen wicked mens hearts and make them not sad whom God would have made sad That daube with untemppered morter that say to every prophane man if he do but cry Lord have mercy upon me Be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiven thee It 's this daubing and soothing up people in their wickedness striking out all fear of hell and damnation that makes them wallow like swine in their filth To such to preach no comfort but the Law and Threatnings but to those that are broken in heart a tongue of the learned is required to speak a word in season How carefull was Paul that the incestuous person should not be overwhelmed with grief 2 Cor. 2 And here is the more wisdome because Satans temptations are subtile and insinuating We are not ignorant of his devices of his schismes what false circumventions and appearances he will have Now How many are there that are not acquainted themselves with the depths of Satan that are no better Comforters then Jobs Friends were Christ himself was affected with all our temptations that he might know how the more feelingly to pity others Thus a Minister that hath himself been in the deep matters of God that hath himself been exercised with all kind of temptations he can only tell how to speak to the heart of another So that you see much wisdome is required in the giving of comfort Alas every sick man every dying man looks we should give comfort and they would have a word of comfort Oh but what hath thy life been What truth of grace is there in thee Have not some wicked men cryed out of their sinnes in fear of death and publique judgments as Pharaoh did Therefore we must take heed what we do we must not comfort whom God would not have comforted Here is great wisdome required A third part of his Doctrinal Key is To rebuke and reprove for sinne Now how great a skill is it wisely to reprove to have zeal and knowledge together Some must be reproved sharply Tâ—t 1.13 cuttingly We must not spare Thus John called some a generation of vipers Mat. 3.7 and our Saviour Wo to ye Scribes Pharisees Hypocrites many times repeating that upbraiding of them These were obstinate impenitent Hypocrites Mat. 23.13 14 15. and little blows will not move them Others again are tender tractable meekness will do more than austerity So that there is scarce any thing requireth more wisdome than publique and private reproofs Men can so hardly bear them Genus quoddam Maritirii est reprehensionem patienter ferre It is a kind of martyrdome to bear a reproof patiently And Ministers are either apt to be too awfull and pleasing of men or else too boisterous or passionate So that the Shepherd of irrational Sheep have a farre more easie task then spiritual Shepherds of men especially in superstitious Customes in false waies of worship Here an Angels wisdome will scarce suffice What a trouble was that to the Church in her infancy about the retaining or leaving the Jewish Ceremonies The Questions and differences grew so hot that it had almost torn the Church in pieces The Council of Jerusalem was called about this many still Judaizing thought that if you took the observation of times and outward Ceremonies away you took away all Religion Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians and Rom. 14. is very diligent to inform them about this endeavouring to make them spiritual and to draw up their hearts from those beggerly elements Paul was circumspect how to walk in this slippery Controversie To the Jew I became a Jew 1 Cor. 9.20 Not that he was a dissembler or an Hypocrite or humoured them in their superstitious weakness but he took upon him all sweet affections he was as a Jew to a Jew as weak to weak he would consider them as if he were in their case Yea to walk in these Controversies was so hard that Peter gave great occasion of offence yea Barnabas was also laid aside for he did not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which made Paul resist him to the face with this dissimulation Gal 1. Now if the Apostle was so industrious to root out the practice of those Rites and Ceremonies which yet God himself had once commanded how much rather should we those things which were brought into the Church without any command of God or warrant of Scripture but meerly by the will of man As for the other kind of Keyes Church-Government the wise managing of that is far more difficult then Political But I shall wave that as not so proper to this Text. Let us consider the Reason Why this Doctrinal feeding requireth such skill and Prudence And First Because divine truths are not to be managed by humane wordly wisdome but by spiritual wisdome As it 's God that teacheth people to profit Isa 48.17 so it 's God that teacheth the Minister to preach profitably Hence the word of wisdome is reckoned among the gifts of Gods Spirit 1 Cor. 14. and the Apostle saith We are not able of our selves to think a good thought 2 Cor. 2.5 as some expound it in the way of our Ministery we cannot think that which is good and profitable to mens soules without God Hence as of Christ the cheif sheepherd it is said the Spirit of wisdome counsell and understanding shall rest on him Isa 11.2 so it would be happy if the same Spirit proportionably did rest on inferiour shepherds I have caught you with an holy guile 2 Cor. 12.16 There are divine stratagems to win mens soules and if Aholiab and Bezaliel are said to have the Spirit of wisdome given them to build the material Tabernacle how much more do others need it to edifie this spiritual one Exod. 36.1 Seeing then the managing of holy truths is not had by humane prudence but by wisdome from above we must be Scribes instructed to the kingdome of heaven we are not born but made Preachers of the Gospel by God no marvel if this be so great a work Secondly Therefore is wisdome necessary in our preaching of divine things because the miscarriage of these precious truths is a farre greater loss then any earthly loss It 's pity for want of skill in any calling to miscarry in a mans wordly affairs but much more in heavenly there needs not only faithfulness but wisdome A wise and faithfull steward it is that makes five multiply to ten If the Prophet speaking of the Husbandmans skill about his several graines tithes and
thy own self Those that at first believed Christ upon the woman of Samaria's report did afterwards believe Christ for his own sake The Ministry is that by which we do believe but we doe not believe in it Now that is the reason many do so stagger and know not what to say or do They are not stedfast and immoveable in faith The just shall live by his faith by his faith in particular And then though the whole world should turn Sceptick yet he would be as resolute as a Stoick in the matters of God 4. Humble your selves under these differences when they goe not the same way when they preach not the same things Let these things fear and wound thy heart as much as they do the Churches peace Say as he did Why do we fall out seeing we are Brethren Say Oh Lord it 's for our sins that are the hearers our unprofitablenesse our barrennesse and vanity that God hath raised up such a contentious spirit amongst us But because this is more necessary for us than you though necessary for both let us see what Use you ought to make of it And First Is the Ministry thus one Then when any doth set upon this maine worke they meddle not with other things they preach not about other thins How inexcusable will you be if you answer not God thus calling of you You cannot plead Lord we heard nothing but disputes nothing but controversies we were puzzled with one side and with another side Oh no! The plain and necessary things without which thou couldst not be saved have every day sounded in thy eares Preaching hath not distracted hath not filled you with troublesome Disputations but wholesome Exhortations It will therefore be thy greater wickednesse if thou refuse Oh then as all the Ministry are to be one in this way so that all that hear were one also that their thoughts affections study and utmost endeavours were for the main necessary things Oh consider you frustrate the Ministry of the proper end it hath your edifying your conversion For this God hath appointed us to labour in preaching to you and if you fail here all is lost Vse 2. Ought all ministerial abilities to be imployed in one way Then no wonder if the Devil when he cannot destroy preaching yet makes it uselesse and unprofitable and that is by raising divisions and enmity And thus he takes the old Rule Divide impera while he divides others he himself reigneth alone and his Kingdom is advanced Vse 3. Are they all to agree in one in the same ends in the same Doctrine Then take heed of itching after sinfull novelties Faith is but one faith and if thou art weary of it it is as if a man should be weary of the Sunne because it 's not a new Sunne Why do you not desire a new Scripture and a new Bible as well Oh it 's a grievous thing to be weary of old truths because thou knowest them already This is to despise Manna and God in judgement giveth thee up to an inconstant spirit to have Reubens curse Vnstable like water And every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour The former part of the verse was an Argument against Divisions amongst Teachers and People When all are one there they ought not to be divided Now this later part is a kind of an anticipation or answer to an Objection thus How can they be one who are so different in their parts abilities and labour The Apostle therefore doth by way of explication adde this although they are one in their Office Institution and End yet there is a diversity of Gifts and Labour as also a diversity of Reward So that the words contain a Proposition wherein you have 1. The Subject with the Note of Universality Every man If you take it strictly in relation to what went before then the meaning is of Teachers and Officers Every Church Officer shall receive according to his labour But it is also a truth concerning every man in any way God hath appointed him to work 2. You have the Predicate or Attribute He shall receive a Reward 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Here the Popish Writers triumph pleading for the merit and causality of works it 's a reward but the Scripture speaks of a two-fold reward 1. Of Debt Rom. 4.8 To him that laboureth the reward is of debt and that is when a man by his own power doth those things which have an inward condignity and proportion with the reward as it is in the paiment of a day-labourer 2. There is a Reward of Grace and meer Promise When such a reward is a sure consequent of such an antecedent not that it was a Cause or Merit but God hath appointed such a necessary order and connexion as between grace and glory glory necessarily followeth not by causality of our works though from grace but by the fidelity of the promise Hence God is said to be Debitor sibi not nobis reddit debita nulli debens and therefore this eternal life which is called a reward is in other places called a gift and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Inheritance very frequently in allusion to the Land of Canaan where several Tribes had their several portions of Land by lot not according to any worth and that the Ancients did meane no more by Meritum our learned men shew at large 2. Consider the Appropriation and Distinction of this Reward He shall receive his reward implying by this that there are degrees of reward and glory in Heaven There are some learned men that think there are no degrees of glory in Heaven but all are alike And certainly there are many places which are usually brought to prove it which when throughly understood do not convince it yet I believe the different Degrees of glory to be a truth and this Text among others may confirm it where you have an excellent Appropriation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not here opposed to a contrary species as in other places He shall receive according to his works good or evil but to degrees in the same kind one labours in the good work of the Lord more and another lesse now according to this gradual diversity shall be gradual differences of glory Lastly There is the Measure and rule of this reward According to his labour he speaks it of the Minister he doth not say According to his successe according to the fruit of his Ministry If he labour and take pains God will reward him though no man hath believed the Word preached I shall consider this Proposition generally and not limited to the ministerial labour Observe That according to a mans labour and working for God he is sure to have a proportionable reward Although the Wiseman inscribes this Motto upon all the labour under the Sunne That it is vanity and wearisomnesse yet spiritual labour hath a sure recompence It 's not praying in vain
this means they who are indeed of this building of this field they are more happy then all others in the world for God is in covenant with them To them only God is their God and they his people And when the Psalmist had spoken of all external felicity saying Happy are the people that are in such a case he addeth Yea happy are the people whose God is the Lord Psal 144.15 So then we cannot name a greater Prerogative and Priviledge then to be in such a relation all that God hath is their's his wisdom power and goodness Only by the way take notice that many are externally of this husbandry this building that are not internally and therefore such have not the Promises made good to them in all respects How hardly can we say of many people They are Gods building Yea they are rather the Devils Den and his Hell But more of this hereafter Fourthly It supposeth care love and protection This floweth from the other Propriety causeth care and love among men What cares a man for another mans Field another mans Corn but he looketh to his own He weedeth that he fenceth that he keepeth that from all violence And this certainly should encourage the godly in their conflict with sinne Oh! they complain of the weeds thornes that grow up in their heart that choak the good seed let them remember they are Gods as well as their own and it belongs to him It 's for his honour and glory to have these thornes pulled up It makes for Gods praise that thy heart be a room swept and kept clear for him to lodge in Oh! urge this in Prayer O Lord am I not thy husbandry Is not my soul thy building Why then lieth it thus ruinous Why is it neglected by thee It 's not only my comfort my happiness but thy glory and honour is interested in this Come we in the next place to consider the several similitudes And First Ye are Gods Husbandry Take notice that he doth not here speak of the invisible and mystical Church of Christ but as they were a visible Church at Corinth As there was a visible company of men openly and publiquely professing the Faith of Christ and joyning together in an external Communion in holy Ordinances Here is much in this for it sheweth how all our particular Congregations should be what manner of Societies even such as are Gods Husbandry Gods Tillage Building and House This is the great truth that people should hearken after that they walk worthy of such glorious Titles and Relations This Relation of being Gods Husbandry implieth something on his part and many things on ours On his part First That he finds all people of themselves like a barren wilderness and fruitless desert The Curse upon the ground is fulfilled in them to bring forth nothing but briers and thornes All the things of grace and godliness are not only above our natures but contrary to them Even as if a man should see a piece of ground like the very rocks that no Husbandry could ever do any good on it The same are all people when the Word comes at first to them In other expressions it 's called raising up Children to Abraham out of stones And as wild beasts delight to be in the wilderness that is their habitation Thus are all men till converted by the Word so many wild beasts carried away with bruitish lusts in the wilderness of the world which makes the Scripture compare them so often to such things Oh then bewail the roughness and obstinacy in thy heart to what is godly Secondly It supposeth that grace and godliness is wholly planted by God in their souls for this floweth from the other Seeing we are such a barren wilderness what fruit can ever be expected from us All the fruit then of righteousness and godliness doth come wholly from him We of our selves stand like so many rotten fruitless trees to be cursed by God and cut down for the fire but it 's the grace of God that works the beginnings and increase of all godliness in them Marvell not then if you see a people under the sweetest and best seasons of grace to be yet barren and unprofitable for this fruitfulness is only of God Oh we would wonder that a people who know so much who hear so much that have clouds so often raining on them should yet be like so many stones and rocks Oh this is the wrath and judgment of God to be trembled under it For he makes one to grow and not another He causeth grace to spring up in one and not another Thirdly This supposeth that God likewise giveth all the seasons and opportunities of growth and fruitfulness As the Gardiner he looketh to his times when he must water the Plants lest they die The season of the year helpeth to grow as well as the nature of the soil Annus non ager fructificat Hence God when he is angry he threatneth that he will command his clouds not to rain Isa 5. God threatens it as the greatest judgment to deprive a people of the Ministry and sâ—ason of grace how low and slight thoughts soever people have of it Observe that place Ezek. 7.26 Mischief shall come upon mischief one calamity upon another And what then They shall seek for a Vision of the Prophet but the Law shall perish from the Priest Thus Amos 8.11 When God will make a people a barren and desert Nation then he makes those spiritual heavens like brasse and iron Oh then know that as the natural seasons and times are of his appointment so much more the gracious ones On our parts who are the field to be tilled there are these things First A willingness to have the Word of God prepare and wound our souls even tearing our heart to pieces that so the Word as seed may fructifie This is that the Scripture cals plowing up the fallow ground Jer. 4.3 That is when the Law and Threatnings of the Word enter into our very bowels is like the Plough that makes deep furrows in the heart Oh then that the secure confident and quiet heart that hath thus many years layen quiet and at ease feeling no grief nor trouble may at last be wounded and cut assunder This is not an acceptable pleasing work to you but very necessary it is Could the ground be sensible it would feel the plow making torments and rents in the bowels of it Thus it is here the Law of God the Word of God that comes like a two-edged sword in thy bowels that bloweth like a strong tempest and shakes thy sinnes at the very root Oh expect not healing and peace and comfort till you have been thus disquieted Do not then quarrell at the Word of God but rather bless him for the power of it when it changeth the whole face of a Congregation filleth thee with many sad and anxious thoughts sends thee home enquiring Lord what shall I do What will
consciences be not black or pale through guilt but that we be the sweet savour of Christ as Paul speakes it 2 Corinth 2.15 Now this cannot be unlesse they discover the falsenesse and weaknesse of any unjust aspersions Thus Christ himself when the Jewes talked of stoning him For which of my good works do you stone me John 10 32. And so the Ministers of God may plead Why are you become enemies and adversaries Is it because we convince of sinne we inform of duty we labour the eternal salvation of mens souls In such a case as this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is no sinne though Aristotle make the affected vain glorious discourse of a mans self his fault Secondly When there arise false Teachers that under specious and fair words would draw away their people to errours and falsehoods it is then lawfull to justifie themselves This you shall observe very frequently in Paul The ground of saying this in this Text was that the people might not regard other foundations then he had laid And so in another place especially 2 Corinth 11.22 23. he doth at large reckon up both his excellencies and also his indefatigable sufferings for the Gospel sake and is very copious in it yet all this was no vain glory Why because it was in opposition to false Teachers who laboured to bring him into disesteem who endeavoured to represent Paul contemptible And this makes him exalt himself Thirdly When their is an undermining or open endeavouring to overthrow the very Office of the Ministry to make it common Herein also we see how men farre from any pride and wild fire have been zealously inflamed Numb 16.3 There some took upon them to invade the Priests Office Ye take too much upon you all the Congregation is holy as well as you Wherefore lift you up your selves above the people of God How did this fact provoke Moses that was the meekest man upon the earth and farre from self-seeking and revenge If these men die a common death the Lord hath not sent me And immediately the earth swallowed them up all and all that appertained to them Those that did sinfully strive to be as high as others God throweth them lower then others They lifted up themselves to Heaven and he casteth them lower then the earth Hence the Apostle Let a man account of us as the Ministers and Stewards of God 1 Cor. 4.1 Let a man he speaketh indefinitely though never so great a man so learned a man so gifted or gracious a man Thus you see there is a necessary cause of vindication when the Office it self is shaken Fourthly In these two general Cases which may comprehend all the rest they may set up their work and Ministry 1. When the glory of God is apparently concerned in their sufferings and debasement when it is plain that reproach and dishonour will redound upon God himself then it 's no modesty or humility to hold their tongue And the Reason is they are Embassadours and Messengers sent by God Now whatsoever reproach and scorn is cast upon them redounds to him that sent them And 2. When there is an evident utility and profit for the people Paul in many of his Epistles speaks so much about himself not that he regarded applause or had any carnal designes no he could appeal to God and had the testimony of his Conscience but it was for the good of Believers that they might not be seduced or led aside in damnable waies So that it is for your good and not ours if these things be spoken off But now here are Cautions in such self-justification First We must attribute nothing to our selves as of our selves Paul in this very Text speaks of the grace of God He is but the Trumpet that sounds not of it self but from the mouth that breatheth in it He is but the Pen of the Writer And therefore see how carefull he is in another place lest any man should think of him above what he ought to think 2 Cor. 12.6 Oh this is an admirable convincing way When what we say is still with the acknowledgement of grace and we are afraid men should look to our parts to our abilities more then to Christ himself Secondly It 's so to be done that it may plainly be seen we seek not any earthly greatness or glory of our own but only that Christ and his own way may be acknowledged We see Christ himself though he thought it no robbery to be equall with God yet looking upon himself as sent by the Father he saith I seek not my own glory Joh. 8.15 but the glory of my Father that sent me Oh admirable pattern for us to follow And when Paul had spoken of this authority and power he had and pressed them so to walk as that he might not come with a rod and was afraid he should come to them otherwise then they desired addeth Though we be accounted as Reprobates Cor. 1.2 Undervalue and despise us as you please yet if you be holy and keep in the truth I shall rejoyce in my debasements Lastly It must be necessarily not voluntarily even compelled to it Thus Paul when he had exalted his sufferings I speak as a fool you have complled me 2 Cor. 12.11 Could he have done his duty without it he would Especially you have a notable instance of Paul's modesty 2 Cor. 12. where being to relate some extraordinary Visions and Revelations see with what humility he doth it you cannot tell whether it was Paul or no I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago He had kept it silent all that while Certainly by this we see that whosoever God giveth extraordinary dispensations he fils the persons with much modesty They do not boast of them They do not despise others And thus John the Evangelist whereas the other when they speak of the Disciple beloved by Christ named him John himself doth not because he was the man Vse of Instrustion to people To take heed how the Devil or his Instruments ever seduce you so as to contemn or withdraw from the faithfull and powerfull Ministry of the Word No marvell the Devil assaults it because it is the only Engine to batter down his Kingdom I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning said Christ when he sent his Disciples to preach Luk 10.18 Certainly thou hast never got good by it or hast forgot it in that thou doest reject it Paul useth this Argument to the Corinthians that they should remember the proof of Christ speaking in him to themwards was not weak but mighty 2 Cor. 13.3 And let not this happily take thee off Thou hearest no more then thou knowest already I would come if every day I might have new things new questions and new opinions For what is this but to be weary of the old Bible and to desire a new To write the same things saith Paul to you it 's safe Phil. 3 1. It 's a safe and sound way to hear the
of private persons though they also are to take heed they put no false or erroneous sense upon the Scripture but he speaks of publick Teachers who by their calling and Offices are to build Now the Object of this Exhortation is To take heed what they build To build after the foundation is laid is the same with watering after planting And it implieth a further continuation and illustration explication and application as also a clearer confirmation of that matter which is already laid down by the Apostles So that observe The Ministers of God are greatly to take heed that they preach no other thing than what is already contained in the Scripture Or It 's a dangerous thing to put that sense and meaning on the word of God which is not the true genuine sense of it They are with much care fear and trembling to consider how they build upon the Scriptures And if Ministers are thus to take heed then likewise all others who reade and search the Scriptures are to take heed of presumptuous boldnesse and irreverent ignorance in the perverting of it The Scriptures are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Testament or Will of Christ Now as it 's a dangerous thing even by the Laws of a Land to corrupt forge or falsifie a mans will No lesse capital is it to the soul of a man any wayes to pervert the Doctrine of the Word of God 2 Pet. 3.16 They that are unlearned wrest the Scriptures unto their own destruction See here a man may damn his soul by wresting and tormenting the Scripture as it were upon a rack to a contrary sense then what it intended Oecumenius on the place saith It 's as great a sinne to pervert the writings of the Apostles as it was to cut and mangle or murder their bodies To amplifie this consider There may be a two-fold building or ADDITION to the Word of God either Destructive and Corruptive such as wholly overthroweth the true meaning and sense of the holy Ghost And this is a very dangerous sinne Or else Perfective and Explicative Thus the New Testament was added to the Old as a perfective addition not corruptive though it could not have been added as Scripture but that the Authors thereof had a divine infallibility And now what the Ministers of God in their Ministerial labours do it must be an addition explicative of the foundation though it be not with divine infallibility We see here God thought it not enough to plant a people but he will have in all ages men to water not enough to lay a foundation but he will alwayes have builders who are to build on this For indeed we must not strain the Metaphor too farre Paul did not only lay the foundation but did also build up all the necessary parts of the house also onely by this similitude he would shew That there must be alwayes in the Church publick persons who by their Office are to build up people in faith and godlinesse but they are not left to their own imaginations to their own thoughts They must dresse every Sermon at the glasse of the Word they must preach as they reade in Scripture Secondly The word of God which containeth the foundation that the Apostles have laid may be either considered in respect of the words only or in respect of the sense cloathed with the words Now indeed it 's not the holy Scripture but when both the sense and the words go together if a man take the words only contrary to the sense he abuseth it and so promoteth the Hereticks and the Devils interest not Gods glory For the sense that is the internal for me and life of all the words So that it is not enough to alledge the words of the Scripture It 's not enough to be able to say The Scripture saith such words but the true sense and meaning that is the soul the words are the body only yet the words must be diligently attended unto as that by which we come to find out the sense The Devil brought Scripture but he perverted it applying it to an ill sense and so all Heretiques have alledged words but not the true sense breathing in them In the next place Let us consider Why we ought so to take heed and that is to be manifest in many respects First From God himself his glory and honour is greatly concerned herein For when we come in his Name and pretend his Word and indeed it is our own What is this but an high offence to God God doth severely threaten those Prophets that broached their own thoughts and preached the lies of their own imaginations yet said Thus saith the Lord. It 's no dallying matter it 's a matter wherein much prayer much humility and many graces are to be exercised lest we should highly dishonour God Oh if this were written in mens hearts they would be more tender and fearfull in delivering their opinions in saying This is the sense or that is the sense For when thou sayest This is the meaning of the holy Ghost This is the truth of God it behoveth thee again and again to consider lest thou put thy lie thy falshood thy sinfull imagination on God Secondly On Gods part we are to take heed Because he hath so severely threatned all those that adde or detract to his Word Any that shall alter these foundations or change these bounds If it be so hainous a matter among men to remove a land-mark and to confound such bounds how much more here That command not to adde or take away is set home with a terrible threatning Revel 22.18 If any shall adde God shall adde unto him the plagues that are in this book Oh see then what thou deliverest out of Scripture as Gods word for the judgments of God are threatned to such as offend herein And Prov. 30.6 Adde not unto his words lest he reprove thee Thou challengest any adversary to confute thee see here God will confute thee he will reprove thee and thou be found a liar Thou thinkest happily such and such an adversary will reprove thee take heed God doth not become thy enemy for such an opinion Oh then while we are preaching and delivering our heavenly message to you we are under a dreadfull account we are to pray and fear and consider lest God find us liars and reprove us at last Secondly On the peoples part Therefore we ought greatly to take heed For 1. The word of God in the true sense of it is the onely food and nourishment of the soul That onely doth nourish and cause to grow So that all those who build up any thing but Scripture-truths they give poison to a people to live upon How great a crime is it to poison any fountain where all people fetch their water And thus all they do and if it be not poison yet it 's but chaff What is chaff to the wheat said the Prophet Jer. 23.28 All
stoutest trees to tremble The sayings of any men in the world though never so eminent are not brought in religious matters for confirmation but illustration And it 's a great proficiency in hearers when they affect and delight in such preaching Austin while a Marcionite and a great Humanist had much ado to delight in the Scripture because he did not find such humane eloquence but when he came to find the words thereof like fiery darts and arrows in his soul then he was ravished with the excelleâ—cy of it Sâ—condly It 's to preach them with Scripture gravity and solidity As the Oracles of God 1 Pet. 4.11 he doth not say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the words but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the oracles implying the power and efficacy of Gods Spirit upon us aâ— having more of divine inspirations than humane acquisitions The more of mens wits fancies and conceits the lesse of God and so carrieth the lesse reverence and awe And this the Apostle doth greatly aim at Those false teachers came with cunning and enticing words and so deceived whereas the Apostle speaketh to the contrary That the Gospel came unto them not in humane eloquence but in demonstration of the Spirit and of the power of God Indeed humane parts and humane arts they are to be used but as servants not as mistresses It 's Austins allusion concerning Cyprian The Israelites took gold and jewels and earings from the Egyptians and turned them to their own use and so we may take humane abilities and excellencies and make them contribute to the Gospel only they must not be affected nor made the principal As the flowers that may be in a Corn field all the plowing and sowing was not for them but for corn Christs truths you see are precious stones and they need no painting Thirdly They are to be preached with Scripture simplicity in respect of aims and ends For though a man should build gold and silver yet if it be for humane glory and earthly greatnesse he builds hay and stubble though this be known to God only But this fire will discover the secrets of mens hearts And therefore we are not only to look to what we build but why we build Is it the glory of God the salvation of mens souls This will be comfortable at the day of revelation of all things Vse of Instruction With what delight and holy covetousnesse you should receive the truths of Christ they are no lesse worth than gold than precious stones The Tabernacle was covered all oveâ— with gold and they brought precious stones to it and thus is the Church of God still to be built Revel 21.19 And as in Solomons dayes God made gold as common as the stones in streets So in these later dayes those golden truths which before were rare and precious now are common but the common familiarity of them hath brought contempt and neglect of them else thou wouldst take up every truth of Christ as a precious pearl These are the best Jewels in the ear Oh but who can bewail the swinish lusts of men who had rather have their drosse than those pearls No wonder God hath brought so many terrible judgements upon us for we have been wanton under the choisest and most precious mercies even the holy truths of God Every Sermon hath been throwing pearl to some swine to bruitish wicked men that in stead of loving of them have turned again and rent them as much as lieth in their power If any man build hay wood and stubble The Apostle in this Text describes two Buildert the wise one and he builds gold and precious stones viz. the excellenâ— truthâ— of God And the foolish one he builds wood hay and stubble You heard by these later are meant all errours and false doctrines although they be not destructive of the foundation For the Apostle alludes to some kind of building which a man may imagine in his mind whose foundation and chief parts is of gold and silver but all the superstructure wood hay and stubble This would be a most deformed and incongruous sight as the Poets Mulier formosa supernè but aesinit in piscem Now do but observe what contemptible unprofitable and vain matter all false doctrines though never so gloriously dressed are by these similitudes even like Nazianzens Ape in mans cloaths It 's but Michals Image of straw that she put in Davids room for David Observe That all errors and falshoods in Religion though not fundamental are no better than hay and stubble Thus the Apostle Be not carried away with every wind of Doctrine Ephes 4.14 Errours are a sudden gust of winde Philosophers say It 's a dry exhalation from the earth and violently beaten back again from Heaven So is any false Doctrine it comes from earthly and carnal lusts and desires and it is beaten back by God from Heaven he doth not own it Quid vento levius and so these winds of Doctrine are uncertain sometimes they blow in the North sometimes in the South even as necessity and carnal advantages drive them and which is more not only the Doctrine is thus light and empty but the builders are such as their Doctrine the Doctrine is stubble and they are stubble therefore he saith Be not carried away with them as if the persons were nothing but straw Even as the Psalmist saith They that made Idols were wholly like them Thus it is here Let men therefore that broach falshoods and people that receive them never so much dote and be inamoured with their own false opinions as if they were gold and precious stones yet the Scripture cals them no lesse than hay and stubble such as God will raise a fire to consume and devour Thus the Prophet Jeremiah What is the chaff to the wheat saith the Lord Jer. 23.28 The Doctrine of the false Prophets that is the chaff and of the true that is the wheat To amplifie this truth Consider First Though all errours in opinion and religion have no better a name and no better a nature yet those that build them do not think so They judge what they build gold and silver they think their monsters beautifull and comely The false Prophets in the Old Testament they would presumptuously call their dreams and imaginations the word of the Lord and Zedekiah the false prophet struck Micaiah the true saying Which way went the Spirit of the Lord from me to thee 2 Chron. 18.23 Now the Apostle Peter tels us That as there were false Prophets in the Old Testament so there shall be in the New who shall bring in damnable heresies 2 Pet. 2.1 Not that they judge them so for happily they might speak as Paul saith he thought he was bound to do what he did against Christ and his way And our Saviour speaking of the bitterest enemies the Christians should meet with he saith They think they shall do God good service by their persecuting of them John 16.2 Every
more A poor man thinketh a little summe of money great treasures For the day shall declare it c. This Text you heard containeth the proportionable Effects or successe which builders wise or foolish have in Gods house And the Apostle first layeth down a general Proposition Every mans work shall be made manifest which hath already been dispatched We therefore now proceed and for this manifestation the Apostle informeth us of the time first and then the manner how The time first in these words For the day shall declare it and of this at this present All the doubt is What the Apostle doth mean by the Day There are some understand it of the Day of death when every man receiveth his particular judgement he shall then know whether his building will abide or no. Others understand it of the Day of Judgement which is called the day of the Lord and that day by an emphasis Bellarmine indeed is positive in this because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used with an Article which signifieth the Day of Judgment but that is false For the time of the Gospel is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 13.12 The night is past the day is at hand c. So that we cannot close with this interpretation because the Apostle carrieth it all the way for this life while we are in this world as will be shewed when we come to explain what is meant by the fire We take therefore Day for no more than Time such a day hath God in his wisdome appointed for the blowing away all this chaff As we see a covering of thatch doth not ordinarily hold long but fire or winde ariseth and cosumeth all Thus the Septuagint sometimes render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Time So that the meaning is Howsoever these errours and false Doctrines may continue yet time at last will discover the vanity and weaknesse of them The Grecian said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Time was the Touchstone the trial of all things And the Latines say Veritas est temporis filia Truth is the daughter of Time The day will declare it that is time will make them manifest onely the Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Day doth denote the appointed and set time which God hath for the taking of all such disguises whereas it is the clean contrary with truth The longer that lasts the more it is believed the sufficiency and evidence of it is the more entertained Now although we thus understand it of time in this world yet it cannot be denied but at the Day of Judgement there will be a full discovery of all the works and Doctrines of men Observe That God hath his time when he will discover the errours and falshoods of mens Doctrines A day shall declare it You have a parallel expression Their folly shall be made manifest and they shall proceed no further 2 Tim 3.9 he compareth false teachers to Jannes and Jambres as they did miracles like Moses for a while but at last their folly and sorcery were discovered So it 's here God will put a stop to the torrent of errours he will shew a great difference between his truth and mens inventions the one shall be received and the other rejected This Gangrene that spiritual Physician can stop from further contagion God that could stop the infection of the plague on a sudden that the arrow should kill no more at mid-day hath done this also wonderfully in his Church The day did declare Arianism Pelagianism Nestorianism and the like To enlarge this Doctrine consider these things First In that the Scripture cals the time of manifestation a Day wherein is light and the Sunne beams it doth excellently imply That all the while there are corruptions in Doctrine and Worship that time is a time of darknesse Let men never so much rejoyce in them and count them happy times yet the Scripture cals them dark times So that to take away the truths of God the pure worship of God is indeed Solem è mundo tollere to take the Sunne out of the firmament All the while the Church of the Jews was without the Law and the Prophet without true teaching of the Word of God they were in a worse condition than the Egyptians in their Egyptian darknesse for that hindred them onely in their bodily motions and outward accommodations but this tends to the destruction and damnation of soul and body The true Ministers of Gods word are compared to light and to salt Matth. 5 13. Nihil Sole sale utilius both are necessary and usefull They are called the Starres and it must needs be a dark night when no starres shine Since the Apostles times the Church of God hath many times come under such dark times that it hath been like the old Chaos when darknesse covered the deep Take we heed then of calling darknesse light there is a woe to those that do so Isa 5.20 as some do the times of Reformation the times of Deformation If these corrupt Doctrines which come from the prince of darknesse thou callest light as coming from the Father of lights Thou intitlest God to the Devils work and that is no mean â—in This should teach the godly what to think under the overflowing of errours to account them dark and sad times Secondly There are no foolish builders that thus deform Gods Temple but they are by Gods permission in his wrath and anger because men have abused his truth and waxed wanton under it therefore hath he sent the spirit of delusion and errours amongst men 2 Thess 2.10 For this you must know though God be not the Authour of any evil and it were blasphemy to ascribe sinne to him as the cause of it yet as a just Judge he doth not onely suffer but also order that heresies and corruptions shall be in the Church They are of the Lord by permission and ordination though not efficiency and approbation Thus in Deut. 13.3 If there arise a false Prophet I the Lord do it to try you And in Ahabs time you may reade of many lying spirits in the false Prophets yet they could not goe to delude such or such till God gave them leave 2 Chron. 18.21 Thus 1 Cor. 11. There must be heresies Why must there be so God to punish mens corruptions their pride their ignorance their wilfull abuse of his knowledge will suffer such things to be Though he hath a gracious end That the approved may be made manifest That as all the persecutions which have been in the Church were from God as a just Judge to exercise the patience of it So all the heresies and errours which have been were to exercise the wisdome and true faith of the Church So that howsoever times of overflowing of errours be dark and uncomfortable times yet to consider the cause is farre more uncomfortable for these came from mens corruptions and Satans instigations as also from a provoked God in Heaven who punisheth our former
though all flesh and the flower thereof doth perish It 's true indeed Davids grace and Peters grace in the fiery tryal of sinne seemed to be quite extinct but they were as the trees in winter which have life in the root though no signes of life appear by fruit or leaves If therefore you see any who seemed to have been regenerated by the Word totally Apostatize and fall off take the Scriptures saying up They went from us because they were not of us Joh. 2.19 No true Starres can indeed fall from Heaven meteor's may Thus not only the truths we preach but even you that are Hearers ought to be our work and an abiding work The Apostle cals the Corinthians his Epistle to be seen and read of all men 2 Cor. 3.2 You are to be as walking Sermonâ— and no temptations or persecusecutions yea The gates of Hell are not to prevail over you Mat. 16.18 The forgetfull or unprofitable Hearer doth as much as lies in him to make the truths of God of no more durable operation then humane figments Now to this Doctrine there is an obvious and palpable Objection How can we say that the true and Orthodox building in Christs Church will abide all stormes Do we not read frequently that in the Church truth hath been condemned errour owned All those Martyrs that lost their lives for the truths of God were they not condemned as heretiques Hath not errour alwaies found more upholders then the truth Was not the Lord Christ condemned and that by a Council of the Priests and Elders of Jerusalem Was not the whole world turned Arrian And in our forefathers daies was not the Aegyptian darknesse of Popery covering the whole world Was not the Masse Transubstantiation and Image worship set up as the principal truths of God And are there not men that write the time will come when the Word Trinity Co-essential or Consubstantial shall be as much hated as Masse and Transubstantiation To this Objection we Answer That those matters of fact cannot be denyed and yet the Doctrine is true for those oppressions and overwhelmings of the truth were but for a while The truth of God did abide the fire even then and afterwards prevailed more then ever The Sunne for a while may be in an Eclipse and hidden by black cloudes but at last it's light doth prevail We do not say that in every place and at every time truth alwaies is extolled and errour condemned but in time it will be It 's with the truths of Christ as it was with Christ himself he seemed to be overcome by his adversaries he was dead and buried yet he had a glorious Resurrection and Ascension So that as God would not suffer his holy one to see corruption so neither will he let his holy Truths But as in Christ his bones by Gods providence were not to be broken the seat of strength so neither can the bones of Truth be The Apostle saith The Day shall declare it that is the time appointed by God 2. This abiding or decaying must not be judged by carnall reason but by the eye of Faith It 's enough that to the godly and Believers though but a few truth is acknowledged though the greater part of the world vote for an errour Christ himself was not owned for the Messiah but by a very few that had the eye of Faith the greater part denyed him To every mans eye the Sunnne is lesse then the whole world but to art it is farre bigger That therefore is said to abide the fire which indeed and to the eye of Faith doth so Wisdom is justified of her Children Mat. 11.19 3. We told you Though the day of Judgement was not principally intended yet we could not wholly exclude it neither And then the truth and sound principles of faith will abide when errours shall call for the mountains and hils to cover them Vse 1. Of Exhortation to us Ministers Seeing we are builders How behoveâ—lliâ— it to build such sound solid matter that will abide Oh that this Text were written in the heart of every one that undertakes to maintain or preach any thing in Religion It is a Babel or Jerusalem thou buildest and God will discover so at last But Secondly Of Instruction what you hearers should be such in whom the truths we preach should live and abide How can we say All flesh is grasse but the Word of God abideth for ever in your hearts Nay rather the Word and all preaching withereth as the grasse and the works of sinne and the world abide for ever with you Well know this that whatsoever we preach out of Gods word it is of everlasting abode it will go to the grave with you it will go to Hell or to Heaven with you Do you forget it never so much that will not forget you The Word will judge and condemn you And how can that be but because it will be alive and come forth at that great day against thee Verse 15. If any mans work shall be burnt he shall suffer loss but he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire THis Text containeth the contrary event of the foolish builder to the wise We would think hay and stubble should be no such great matter that God would not much stand upon such small things But this Text will sufficiently inform to the contrary In the words then consider The evil worke supposed and the sutable Reward threatned The evil worke supposed is to be such that cannot endure the tryal but will be burnt If any mans Doctrine be hay and stubble which cannot endure the fire but will immediately be burnt Then there is a two-fold reward even resembling that of an hell There is Poena damni a punishment of losse 2 Sensus He shâ—ll be saved but so as by fire There is no difficulty in the former For though it may be thought to referre to the work yet it is farre more probable that it doth relate to the person whose work it is So that as metal cast into the fire loseth its dross and so cometh out lesse then it was thus it shall be with him he shall be afflicted yet so that it shall turn to his good But the later is much vexed And First You see the Apostle speaks not of fundamental Heresies such as are damnable in their nature and carry the party without repentance to destruction but of such as are consistent with salvation Learned men apply it to the Gnosticks the famous Heretiques of those times who did not deny Christ but superstructed many evil and sinfull Doctrines upon this rock or foundation In the second place They are such as make a mans salvation very difficult Even as you have an expression of a righteous man A righteous man is scarcely saved 1 Pet. 4.18 For this phrase So as by fire is a proverbâ—al expression to denote the extream danger a man is in and yet escapes as those three Worthies in the fiery furnace
active and diligent thou art speaking of thy opinion to all but art thou a Bee making honey or a Wasp stinging others Never care to company with those that you perceive have a sting onely and no honey The Pharisâ—es what a deal of pains did they take to disciple others to themselves They compassed â—ea and Land as Merchants to get wealth and when all was done they made themselves and their hearers in greater danger of damnation than before Thus the Jesuites are as industrious as the Devil compassing the whole world to make a prey of mens souls But all this labour will accuse them the more The Wiseman observeth great vanity in all worldly labour but especially in matters of Religion to labour in vain there to lose all thy nights and thy dayes and thy study and thy pains is beyond expression miserable Fourthly They will lose their inward peace and comfort of conscience How many that have turned aside from the truth to errour have found tormenting worms gnawing their conscience They have not found it a light sinne witnesse Spira and many others He that denieth me saith our Saviour him will I deny before the Father and the holy Angels and the whole world Mat. 10.33 And indeed there can be no sound comfort but upon Scripture truths for Gods presence will go along only with his own truths Even as it is in his Sacraments Gods grace will be exhibited and true comfort conveyed only in his instituted Sacraments if men should appoint any of their own head they cannot look for his presence and efficacy So it is here If men broach errours and false wayes God will not own them a fire of straw and stubble will give but short and little comfort to a cold man Fifthly They lose though not the total seed of grace yet the degree and fervency of it yea in regard of outward appearance all seemeth to be lost They have not that tendernesse that strictnesse they once had Hence the Apostle couples The shipwrack of faith and a good conscience together 1 Tim. 1.19 Lose one and you lose the other How carefull is the Apostle to forbid all those disputes which do not tend to godlinesse and which do not edifie 2 Tim. 2.16 The shell-fish was unclean it had but little meat in it and a great deal of difficulty to get it Men given wholly to dispute do not mind the affectionate part of godlinesse Grapes do not usually grow on such thorns This then should make every one look to what he buildeth take heed thou art not falling into a noisom pit look lest that when thy eye groweth dark thy whole body will quickly grow dark and to decay in grace is a great provocation of God To decay in thy estate in thy health are sad things but in thy love to God in thy fervency in thy zeal is much more miserable Remember from whence thou art fallen and do thy first works Rev. 2.5 It 's our duty to grow in grace and for thee to do the clean contrary to decay in grace must needs provoke Now part of this growing in grace is to keep stedfastly to the truth That is very observable 2 Pet. 3 17. They must not fall from their stedfastnesse And how shall that be By growing in grace and knowledge Yea lastly Men lose their parts and gifts They have not that clearnesse and soundnesse of understanding as they had Hence errour doth corrupt the mind as rust doth the iron To him that hath shall be given it 's spoken of the right using of our talents and from him that doth not use it in a right manner shall be taken away all that he hath Mat. 25.29 Vse 1. Of Exhortation to us Ministers to be much in prayer and diligent study in attending unto the word of God You see here unsound and false preaching may bring us to great and sad losses worse than of outward substance and maintenance even of inward comfort and peace with God and this we are the more to attend to by how much we know but in part and understand but in part As the bodily eye is subject to a world of diseases and any distemper there is very dangerous So the mind of a man is subject to much corruption blindnesse ignorance injudiciousnesse vain and false reasonings insomuch that it 's a proverbial expression Humanum est errare what is that but as much as humanum est damnari if God prevent not Seeing therefore we are thus compassed about with infirmities which may prove destructive this should make us humble modest to say as Hierom Nunquam meipsum habui magistrum I never was my own master If others will be bold and presumptuous yet do thou tremble then thou wilt gain when such shall lose Vse of Admonition to you the people see that in the matters of Religion you be no losers Religion is every mans study the Bible should be every mans book Though God doth not require of you controversal and sublime Divinity yet the knowledge of such Doctrines as are fundamental and necessary to salvation you are to be acquainted with yea you are not to be alwayes in principles but as the Apostle saith To be carried on to further perfection Heb. 6.1 Now in all your study you may be losers You may have a vain faith a vain Religion and that is when it 's not upon the Scripture-foundation every man hopes he shall not lose The Turk thinketh he shall not lose by believing his Alcoran The Jew that he shall not lose his expectation of a Messiah The Papist hopes that all his Image worship all his fastings and pilgrimages shall not be lost but the Word speaketh contrary He shall be saved yet so as by fire A two-fold losse you heard was here threatned to erroneous teachers And the first part we have dispatched and now proceed to the later and the phrase is already explained To be saved as by fire signifieth The great extremity and danger such a man is in of damnation He is like a fire-brand pulled out of the fire For that explication of some of the Greek Fathers especially Chrysostome who in many other places of the New Testament doth often judiciously interpret is in this particular very incredible He shall be saved saith he that is he shall be kept alive and yet in hell fire So that he thinketh the Apostle saith he shall be damned yet this damnation is a kind of a living death and a dying life he shall be alwayes in hell fire yet saved alive He doth use saith Chrysostome a good word in a sad and evil matter Every one may see this is forced We stand therefore to the former explication as that which is most genuine And two things may be observed very material 1. Whereas you see erroneous and false Doctrines though not overthrowing the foundation do yet dangerously shake a mans salvation puts it to a great hazard Observe That even errours of judgement may endanger a
erre or be of this or that opinion is no great matter is as much as to say faith is no great matter the truths of the Scripture are no great matter It was well said of Austin Veritas Christianorum est incomparabiliter pulchrior Helenâ Graecorum The Christians truth is more lovely than the Grecians Helena for whom there was much strife Hence the Apostle commands us To strive earnestly for the faith once dâ—livered to the Saints Jude v 3. Thirdly They endanger salvation Because all errours come from a damnable cause Gal. 5.20 Heresies are said to come from the flesh as opposite to the Spirit and therefore are reckoned in the same Catalogue with grosse sinnes So that if you go to the first fountain you shâ—ll find errours in Doctrine and loosnesse in practice boâ—h came from the same ground they are both fruits of the flesh though they be different streams yet they are united in one â—pâ—ing Though they may struggle one with another yet both are twins in the same womb Oh what an antidote would this be against these soul-infections that are abroad to think that errours and ungodly practices come both from the same fountain They are all fruits of the flesh and therefore have a damnable cause Fourthly Errours in judgement endanger salvation Because they lead into sinfull and dangerous practices In Philosophy we are â—old of the great connexion that is between the understanding will and affâ—ctions Now the understanding that is the Sunne in this firmament and if that be in an Eclipse you know that evils are portended thereby The understanding is the counsellour and if that be corrupt the will and affections must be very sinfull and unruly Vse of Admonition To take heed we be not led aside with any errour or corrupt Doctrines You see death is in these things as well as in lusts yea if the mind be corrupt all else will be corrupt If the eye be dark the whole body will be dark Errours will breed loosnesse and prophanenesse of life They are a disease in the choisest part of a man and know it is not thy wisdome thy care can preserve thee It 's the Spirit of God through his Word that leadeth us into truth Christ is the truth the way and the life John 14.6 The greatest learning and knowledge will not keep a man learned men have been Heretiques but two things will especially keep us 1. Humility and lowlinesse of mind To such God giveth grace To babes and sucklings he revealeth himself And 2. An holy conformity to Gods will so farre as we know When we do not detain truth as a prisoner in our lives Doct. 2. Whereas you see an eminent Officer in the Church building but hay and stubble is yet hardly saved We may hint this Doctrine though not insist on it That every godly man though never so eminent yet is very difficultly saved If hay and stubble will put us to such danger what then will evident poison If these errours of the mind which are so hardly prevented what will the constant lusts and daily infiâ—mities even of all men Which makes the Apostle Peter say The righteous man is scarcely saved 1 Pet. 4.18 Which although some understand of a temporal salvation he is very hardly delivered from those temporal afflictions that fall out in this life yet by consequence it reacheth to eternal salvation Hence is that command To work out our salvation with fear and trembling Phil. 2.12 Yea Paul who had one foot in Heaven yet he said He kept under his body lest while he preached to others he himself should be a reprobate 1 Cor. 9. ult Now the Grounds of these truths are First From the exactnesse and strictnesse that is in the way to Heaven Godlinesse is on the high hill as he placed virtue Strive to enter in at the strait gate Luke 13.24 Be in an agony yea how strait is it as in Matth 7 14 by exclamation few do enter therein To lay out the nature of a godly man or godlinesse from Scripture-rules would be almost like Tullies description of a perfect Orator or Plato of a Commonwealth Our Saviour speaking of the difficulty of a rich man to be saved that is one who trusteth in them as one Evangelist saith Mar. 10.24 The Disciples cry out Who then can be saved They do not say What rich man but who can be saved because every man hath something or other be trusteth in as well as the rich man in his riches Secondly The difficulty doth appear from that remainder and relique or corruption that is in every man which is in danger to break out Our Saviour bid hiâ— Dâ—sciples Beware of drunkennesse and surfeting though they seemed to be â—arre from it Luke 21.34 Paul how doth he mourn under the powerfull vigor of sinne still abiding in him Rom. 7. Yea the Apostle speaking of a combate in all The Flesh lusteth after the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh Gal. 5. So that by this means he is in constant danger of being undone There is heart against heart affections against affections c. Thirdly There are many afflictions and tribulations which God brings on his people and they do much endanger Did not God break out upon Aaron Eli David and Moses very dangerously as if he would have cast them quite off and therefore the Apostle brings in the difficulty of the righteous mans salvation upon that Judgement must begin at the house of God 1 Pet. 4.17 So that if we consider the tempests and rocks in the sea of this world it 's a wonder any can come to the haven Vse of Exhortation Be quickned up to more exact strict and diligent walking If Paul that knew how to abound and want and to do all things who was like a gyant running his race and yet hardly gets to Heaven Where wilt thou appear Hear what he saith I presse forward I forget what is behinde if I may attain to the prize of the high calling Oh then how inexcusable is thy negligence thy dissolutenesse Is thy life a striving an agony Art thou like one in a combate and conflict By this we may see the number of men that shall be saved is very few there are so few that strive that pray that work with fear and trembling that are violent for the Kingdom of Heaven and get it by force Verse 16. Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you THe Apostle though he alter his Metaphor yet continueth in the same matter In the verses before he compared the Church of Corinth to a building here he sheweth what kind of building it is even a sacred holy building The Temple of God So that as in the Temple of old which was consecrated to God whosoever did bring in any unclean and unconsecrated things to the Temple he did pollute it and was to be punished thus all corruptions in Doctrine Worship or
thus truly with thee if thou runnest into any excesse of ryot that the world greedily pursueth Thou hast made thy self like a Dunghill not Gods Temple Thirdly The Temple was full of external glory A magnificent place admired by Heathens And we see what weeping there was of the old men that the glory of the latter Temple was not like that of the former Ezra 3.10 Now the glory of Christians is likewise great but in a spiritual and heavenly way The Church is all glorious within Psalms 45 13. The Gospel that is preached is stiled a glorious Gospel 1 Tim. 1.11 And the Spirit of God The Spirit of glory 1 Peter 4.14 It 's promised That the glory of the second Temple should farre exceed that of the first Hag. 2.9 Now how was that made good not in any outward glory but because Christ in a spiritual manner did reform all those corrupt Doctrines and did sit as a refiner to purifie the Sonnes of Levi. This was glory to have the spiritual worship of God It 's true this is not the glory of the world which the Devil sheweth and so many do fall down and worship it but to a spiritual eye that judgeth spiritually these things are the greatest glory Who would think that the Preaching of of the Gospel deserved such a Title as a Kingdom and a Kingdom of Heaven The most sublime and transcendent perfection that can be Yet What is more ordinary in Scripture then to dignifie it by that Name Do not then account the glory of the Church to lye in goodly Edifices in glorious Ornaments in stately Images but in pure Doctrine Godly Government and an Holy life Such times are glorious times such Administrations use to ravish a godly heart David cryed out How amiable were the Tabernacles of the Lord of Hosts Psalmes 84.1.10 And one day there was better then many any where else And all because of the Spiritual enjoying of God in them It 's the excellency of a Pearl to be in its native lustre to paint that would disgrace it so it 's the excellency of all spiritual Ordinances and Institutions to be in their pure native appointment and to adde to them by goodly Inventions is but to disparage them Jesus Christ had no external glory yet to the Spiritual Believer Christ is precious as Peter saith 1 Peter 2.7 Fourthly The Temple was in a peculiar manner holy in respect of other buildings as the Apostle saith in the next verse Now when we say it was Holy we do not mean an holinesse inherent as Angels and men are holy but of Dedication and Consecration a relative holinesse being set apart by Gods special Command to such an use And therefore the Synagogues of the Jews neither our material Churches have such an holinesse as is to be shewed when we come to the 18 verse For that is a necessary point to handle to take of men from superstitious thoughts about holy places Among the Jews there was a relative or typicall Holinesse The Temple was an Holy Temple Jerusalem is called the Holy City yea every Jew is called an Holy person Mat. 4.5 and Gentiles are unclean as appeareth by that Vision to Peter Call no man unholy or unclean Acts 10.38 But of this more This is enough to shew that the Temple was peculiarly dedicated to God and had a relative Holinesse Thus all Believers they are in a spiritual manner Dedicated to God They are separated from the world and sinne They are not to live in the same wickednesse and impiety as men of the world do Oh Beloved What a strong Obligation is this to us all to live holily We are separated from the world We are not to have such thoughts such lives such affections as the world hath Procul O Procul esse prophani they would cry in respect of their heathenish Temples and this is much more true of the Church of God Moses was commanded to pull off the shooes of his feet because the place was holy Exodus 3.5 Oh much rather must thou pluck off thy sinfull lusts thy carnal pleasures For God is holy and the Ordinances are holy about which thou art conversant Fifthy Because of this relative Holinesse it was a Capitall crime to defile this Temple There were Porters set at the Gate to keep out all unclean things 2 Chron. 23.19 No unclean thing might be brought therein and so it is here because the people of God are a company joyned in such an holy manner for such holy ends Therefore they are commanded to cast out all unclean persons 1 Cor. 5. ult Here comes in the Necessity of godly Discipline and Excommunication which is meerly medicinal not vindicative for edification not destruction Thus the incestuous person an unclean vessel in this Temple he was to be cast out Cast out from among you that wicked person 1 Corinth 5. The Church should be like an excellent disciplin'd Army Therefore if any man walk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 disorderly note such a man and withdraw from him that he may be ashamed 2 Thessalonians 3.11 14. 1 Corinth 5.7 the Apostle commands them to purge out the old leaven the wicked person that they might be a new lump a choice and holy company worshipping God in Spirit and Truth This spiritual Sword is in the Church as the temporal one in the Common-wealth Neither is this power given in vain but that men who do ill might be afraid In the Primitive times this godly Discipline was admirably executed as appeares by Tertullian and Cyprian but when this weeding-hook was laid aside or abused Gods Garden was runne over with weeds Lastly That which was the glory of the Temple and the life of it was Gods gracious presence From thence he did hear prayer there he accepted Sacrifices thence he commanded blessings His promise was that he would put his Name there and this still continued in Gods Church When two or three are gathered together in my Name I will be there in the midst of them Mat. 18.20 Though God be every where in the world yet his gracious presence is only in his Church This is the Closet or Privy-Chamber this is the Garden wherein he walks Now Gods gracious presence in his Church is discovered these waies First Here only are the Priviledges of grace Here only is Justification Adoption Sanctification This is the Pool of Bethesda wherein the Angel comes down Through all the world be Gods yet his Church is the place of his gracious favoures This is the Ark in which salvation only may be had There is no pardon of sinnes among Heathens God indeed doth many times differ his temporal judgments upon Heathens and he heareth their prayers and groanes as their natural desires even as he doth the young Ravens but their is no gracious answer of any Prayer nor any pardon of the least sinne Thus they are as some places of the earth where they say it is alwaies night Ice and cold alwaies
no Sunne beames to comfort and refresh Secondly Here only is the Foundation of all graces or the Mediatour by whom God is gracious to us As they say in Aegypt there is never any rain from Heaven so all that part of mankind which is without Christ partaketh not of gracious influences of Heaven God is a consuming fire to them There is no death of Christ no Ascention no Intercession no pleading for them they come into Gods presence without Beniamin Thirdly Only in the Church are such persons who are qualified for gracious Priviledges Here only is true Piety here only is Faith Repentance Here only men do in a right manner pray to God All those moral vertues and excellent endowments amongst the Heathens though gilded over were nothing but drosse Vse of Instruction Are the Churches of God thus Temples of God and should every one of us be thus in particular Oh then how holy how godly how orderly should all our Assemblies be What Jeremy can make Lamentations bitter enough to see how this Temple of God is made a dunghill How comes so much ignorance and prophanenesse to be amongst us Are we not places prepared rather for the Devil and his evil Spirits to dwell with us then Temples of the Holy Ghost Know this that your defilements are worse then those of Heathens and therefore it 's said Judgment should begin at the House of God 1 Pet. 4.17 And in Ezechiel's Prophesse The destroying Angel is commanded to begin at the Sanctuary Ezek. 9.6 Yet we sit and hear these things and do not fear and tremble Where is Gods gracious presence discovering it self How few are the men that have God and his Spirit dwelling in them but rather their souls are possessed with Devils Hence cometh that pride that malice that opposition unto all godlinesse Oh then let us so live that we may say Such men have God and his Spirit dwelling in them Be men affected with understanding of these things To see nothing but a man in you nothing of God yea to see nothing but a Beast or a Devil in you how contrary is it to that holy relation we stand in And that the Spirit of God dwels in you We have considered what that is to which the Church of Corinth is compared viz. The Temple of God what more is to be said of that will come in the next verse I proceed to the ground and reason of the Comparison Why they were the Temple of God and that followeth in the next words And that the Spirit of God dwels in you The particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath many significations or uses in the Scripture Here it is Causall as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for ye are In many other places it 's so used Jere. 42. Thou art angry And We have sinned i. e. For Joh. 2. they staid not there many daies and the Passover was at hand i. e. For. So here you are the Temple of God for the Spirit of God dwels in you Thus you see it 's a causall Inference In the Reason consider the Person described Secondly His efficacy or operation The Person described is said to be the Spirit 2. The Relation to whom the Spirit of God Thirdly The operation or effect it dwels in you The Greek word Spirit as the Hebrew Ruach is of a vast signification in the Scripture I know none more boundlesse but when attributed to God it signifieth either absolutely the Divine Nature common to the three Persons Joh. 4. God is a Spirit because of his most pure and simple essence 2. It signifieth the Divine Nature of Christ as when it is said to be dead in the body but quickned in the Spirit 1 Pet. 3.18 3. Sometimes the anger of God and the effects of his wrath Thus we read of a Spirit of judgment and burning Isa 4. And a Spirit of giddinesse c. Lastly Relatively for the third Person in the holy Trinity Baptizing them in the Name of the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost Mat. 28.19 And thus it 's used here because it 's called the Spirit of God Now this Texe doth two waies prove the Divine Nature of the Holy Ghost 1. From the Manner of argunig They were the Temple of God because the Spirit did dwell in them which could be no sound Argument were not the Holy Ghost God And 2. Partly Because Temples wâ—re built to none but God even as Sacrifices were offered to God only And this is so ingrafted a truth in nature and acknowledged so professedly by Papists that when they are charged for Idolatry in dedicating their Temples to such and such Saints they say Temples indeed are to be built only to God but they name such a Saint only for memorial not as a Person they dedicate them to But that distinction is a meer fig leaf if you consider their practice So that we have two Doctrines 1. That the holy Spirit of God is God 2. This Spirit of God dwels in the Church These Points will be very profitable For the first The Holy Ghost is God There have not only Heretiques of old as the Macedonians or of late in other Countries as Polonia and Transilvana Servetus and the Socinians but even some in this land very lately not only maintained privately but have published Books on purpose to prove the Holy Ghost not to be God of the same essence with the Father and the Sonne Indeed there was a long contention whether verball or real it 's disputed between the Greek Churches and the Latin Churches about the procession of the Holy Ghost whether from the Father and the Sonne also or Father only but no doubt at all about the Deity of the Holy Ghost I intend to handle this point Practically yet so as first Doctrinally to inform your judgments about the truth of it and that I may do it the more orderly you must know that those who have denyed the holy Ghost to be God have been divided into two waies Either First Such who have thought him to be no Person but to be an attribute or operation in and from God which in man we would call an accident So that as Gods wisdome Gods anger and power they do not make a distinct Person they say So neither doth this concerning the holy Ghost but is no more than the mighty power of God putting forth it self Secondly Others make him a Person yet not a God but in the fore-front of the Angels they make him the chief Angel as they say there is a Prince of Devils But the Scripture is very clear to overthrow those damnable Heresies And 1. That he is a Person not an attribute appeareth by all those personal operations that are given to him So that by what arguments we can prove God the Father or any man to be a Person by the same we may prove the holy Ghost to be a Person as that form in which we are baptized Into the name
this later way of Gods Spirit as formerly you heard dwelling in us is most comfortable and most to be regarded though the other be more admired The former did especially belong to the Church in its first plantation Hence Acts 2. we reade of the accomplishment of that glorious Prophecy Joel 2. To pour out his Spirit c. but now these miraculous operations are ceased Vse of Instruction What Congregations and what manner of persons we ought to be To be meer men cometh farre short of being spiritual men we ought to be above sense and all humane principles Take the most refined men for morality and civility the choisest for all humane abilities yet without the Spirit of God they are no more than Adams body till life was brethed into him no more than those bones in Ezekiel till the Spirit of God gathered them together Oh that our Congregations consisted of spiritual men Paul complained He could not preach to them but as carnal The Spirit of God would lift thee up to other affections other desires As the Spirit took some mens bodies and lifted them up into the air so would it doe to the soules of men they had the Spirit of God who said Our conversation is in Heaven They had the Spirit of God that did look for the coming of Christ They had the Spirit of God who had prayed with groanes unutterable and who had joy unspeakable But oh we poor worms and not spiritual men cold clods of earth destitute of Gods Spirit And that the Spirit of God dwels in you We have heard what this inhabitation of Gods Spirit in his Church doth imply and how he may be said to dwell in us In the next place let us consider the special Workes and Effects of Gods Spirit in his Church For therefore partly hath he the name Spirit because of that power and efficacy he hath in the Church Hence he came downe in a mighty rushing winde and cloven tongues of fire So that he is called the Spirit internally and externally internally for his personall character whereby he proceeds from the Father and the Sonne Externally because of those admirable effects and demonstrations of his presence in the Church Now I shall not speak of these operations which he hath as God in creating and conservating of the world but what are more peculiar to the Church in which sense he is called The Spirit of Christ Romans 8.9 because Christ by his death did purchase such gifts and graces for his people the efficient whereof in an appropriated manner is the Spirit of God And First The very ministerial functions and abilities to discharge them are of the Holy Ghost in the Church For although Ephesians 4.11 it 's said That Christ after his Ascension and triumph over Death and Hell Gave gifts unto men Even as great Emperours when they ride in glorious triumph after a final Conquest over their enemies use to distribute large favours and many bountifull signes of honour yet because upon his Ascension he promised the Spirit of God in his absence as the divine Vicar of Christ therefore 1 Cor. 12. we find all operations and diversities of them attributed to the holy Ghost And Acts 25. the holy Ghost is said To make those overseers in the Church of Ephesus So that what Church-officers or what Church-ordinances or order we have and what Gifts and Abilities likewise there are to discharge them These are all of the holy Ghost and of the holy Ghost three wayes 1. In respect of their Institution and being For although it 's by man that such and such persons are elected and ordained to this or that Office yet the Office of it self is of the holy Ghost They are not the Institutions of men nor may men appoint some Church-officers which God hath not because their end is wholly supernatural As it 's said 2 Cor. 12.28 God hath set in his Church such Officers even as he hath set the Sunne and starres in the firmament so that all Officers lawfully called are of the holy Ghost either immediately as at the beginning or else mediately by the order and designation of the Church And as for their gifts it 's plain the extraordinary and miraculous gifts in the primitive times were from Gods Spirit The Scripture often attributeth them to it Only now it may be doubted Whether we can say that the gifts and the abilities that Ministers have now are from the holy Ghost because they are got by humane study and industry And is there any more required to understand the Scripture than any other humane Authour Plato or Aristotle Those cursed wretches Julian and Porphyrius who wrote against the Scripture they understood what they were so invective against yet it cannot be thought they were inabled by the holy Ghost Now to answer this even those natural abilities and humane indowments that men obtain by study are a gift of God they are a blessing which we see God giveth to some and not to other It 's Gods mercy thou art not a natural fool a mad man but when thou hast more understanding and better intellectual abilities than other thou hast a greater gift from God than others Hence in our very ordinary phrase we say such an one hath an excellent gift in his memory in his elocution c. And the Scripture is clear James 1.17 Every good and perfect gift cometh from the Father of lights which is to be understood universally both of naturals and supernaturals And what hast thou thou hast not received 1 Cor. 4. Hence in the Parable all abilities whether gracious or natural are called Talents and are given by one Master That is the first thing even those excellent abilities which the greatest Heretiques and enemies to the Christian Religion had were of God though the sinfull use of them came from the Devil and their own corrupt hearts They were talents of gold and they made Idols of them 2. As the gifts and abilities Church-officers have are from God so the right understanding of the Scripture and believing the sense contained therein is in a more particular manner a gift of Gods Spirit For although the Spirit of God doth not give us the sense and meaning of the Scripture in an extraordinary manner viz. without the knowledge of the tongues the comparing of places together c. yet in and by these means the Spirit of God doth help us to understand the Scripture I do not here speak of a saving knowledge of the sense of the Scripture but a meer literal knowledge of the meaning thereof This is plain by the Apostle No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Spirit 1 Cor. 12 3 The very historical believing of Scripture truths is from the Spirit of God So that here is required a more peculiar and particular assistance of Gods Spirit in ministerial abilities for the opening of the Scripture then for any humane Authour because the matter
into the Temple The Greek words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an elegant allusion The sinne and the punishment shall be both alike some have rendered it corrupt some vitiate others destroy This of our Translators is very good For seeing the truths of God and his Ordinances are pure then it followeth all errours and false Doctrines are a pollution as if you should put drosse to gold or cast mud into a pleasant spring Some Interpreters think the Apostle doth intend to an higher sinne then he named before For say they vers 15. he speaks of such false Doctrines that did not overthrow the foundation now such a man may be saved though difficultly but vers 17. he nameth such as strike at the very root and destroy the very Temple it self So that they make this the meaning If any man bring such corruptions of Doctrine as destroy the Temple of God overthrow Religion and make it no Church he shall not be saved at all There is no fire to cleanse him but to consume him Thus some But it 's more consonant to take the words more general and so they do better cohere And this destruction spoken of is to be understood unlesse he repent or pro subjectâ materiâ if it be onely hay and stubble then the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is no more than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before a destruction partial not total but if they be damnable heresies than they meet with a total destruction Observe That those men who defile the Church of God with corrupt Doctrines do highly provoke God to punish them The Text is an Argument à minori ad majus If the defilers of the material Temple did not escape Gods punishments as Athaliah for prophaning the Temple and Belshazzar the holy vessels of the Temple then much lesse shall they escape who pollute the Church of God by any such falshoods And we reade that our Saviour did in this shew his anger and wrought a miracle by way of indignation and another particular namely cursing the fig-tree In these two cases did Christs miracles tend to destruction or punishment all the other were full of mercy and healing For when they had defiled the Temple and made it a den of thieves twice our Saviour made a whip and scourged them out which Hierom doth admire as a greater miracle than any other our Saviour did that a man unarmed and contemptible should chase away such a multitude of men and in that matter of their profit making no resistance but barely asking By what power he did these things No doubt the City of Jerusalem was then guilty of many horrible and grievous crimes of injustice adulteries but Christ takes no notice of that but goeth presently to the Temple to reforme there and this is attributed to the godly zeal that was in him which did even eat him up John 2.17 For the opening of the Doctrine let us consider Why false Doctrines are a defiling why they are called corruptions For so in the Old Testament Idolatry is often called men are said to have corrupted their wayes by false worship and this will be good to take off that lovely painting and alluring dresse which some would put upon their errors and superstitions Now they are called defilings and corruptions First From the pure nature of Gods truth and his worship which falshoods do staine and take away the glory of You see the Apostle compareth them to gold and precious stone Now to take these and to throw them into the dirt is a debasing of them Gods word is said to be more pure than gold seven times refined yea more to be desired than fine gold Psal 19.10 Christ commends his Doctrine under the notion of living water John 4.10 the pure running streams of the brook Now all false Teachers they throw in mud and dirt to these as the Philistims did earth into those Wells that Isaac digged for his cattel Every pure thing is made impure when mingled with any thing of a more sordid and inferiour nature as gold with leade wine with water water with mud So then though men give glorious Titles and Names to their falshoods as excellent Truths glorious Lights yet indeed they are no more than defilements and pollutions Oh then how humble tender and carefull ought men to be Are the Truths and Ordinances of God by institution and in their original so pure Come not then with thy soul hands to handle such precious things Secondly They are called defilements and pollutions Because the truths and Church of God are not only pure but dedicated and appropriated to him as the only object So that they are holy as well as pure and in this notion the Apostle considers them So that it 's a sacrilegious defilement to take the Truths and Ordinances or worship of God and by thy carnal and sinfull imaginations to pervert them And here we may say in another sense Thou that abhorrest Idols doest thou commit sacriledge Thou that art against Popery against the Idolatry of the Masse and other abominable things Doest thou sacrilegiously pervert the holy Truths and Ordinances of God by sinfull and corrupt opinions Certainly if this were believed men would not so prophanely dispute and dally in the holy things of God Thirdly Errours and heresies may well be called defilements Because they are a disease and so spread over the Church The Scripture compareth them not to every kind of disease but that which is most mortal and dangerous even a Cancer Thus Paul of Hymenaeus and Philetus Whose word eateth like a canker 3 Tim. 2.17 The Leprosie in the Old Testament of which Levit. 13. there is so much spoken is acknowledged by Divines to typifie heresie and errours and as that did infect and make the very garments unclean that they were to be washed or burnt so the Apostle alludes to this Jude vers 23. Hating even the garment that is spotted by the flesh See what thoughts we are to have of all errours and heresies we are no to touch the garment of the flesh that is we are not to come near such as it 's said Come out of Babylon because of her Church-corruptions and touch no unclean thing 2 Cor. 6.17 Thus you see that you are not only to take heed of defâ—â—ng your selves with errours but because they are a Leprosie a spreading filthinesse you are not to come near the temptations be as much afraid of such an one as of one with a plague sore running upon him That very phrase Whose word eats like a canker should much terrifie women who by seeming pretences are apt to be mis-led What a dangerous thing is a canker in thy brest But as soon as thou hast received any errour thou hast got a canker in thy heart So that if it were onely a pollution it was not so terrible but here is a killing disease with this pollution If therefore thou lovest thy soul flee from
errours and the more difficult it is to know when it is an errour the more art thou to be afraid In Levit. 13. you see it was a very hard matter to discern between the Leprosie and any other distemper some had not the Leprosie it was only a scab so some do not runne into grosse and damnable heresies but yet they have a scab a loathsome distemper upon them These things being the truths of Scripture and not the words of men pleading for their own interest and reputation should much prevail with you Fourthly They are defilements Because they pollute the conscience minde heart and whole life of a man Hence you have that phrase Men of corrupt minds 1 Tim. 6.5 2 Tim. 3.8 Destitute of the truth Thus mens consciences also are said to be defiled Tit. 1.15 So that the corruption of a man by errours is a Metaphore from the body which through sicknesse or death is corrupted Thou wilt not suffer thy holy one to see corruption Act 2.17 That as from the dead body worms and putrid vermine grow and live So from minds corrupted and destitute of truth do flow these erroneous Doctrines Thus not only wickednesse may denominate men to be dead Let the dead bury the dead Mat. 8.22 And the wanton widow is dead while she liveth 1 Tim. 5.6 but even the erroneous and heretical minde is dead while it seemeth to have much 〈◊〉 And truly bodily corruptions in some sense are not so great as the corruptions of minde and conscience The Apostle in the second Epistle makes lustfull and libidinous waies to defile the body of a man which is Gods Temple but here you see errours and corrupt opinions defile the soul that is the more noble Temple of the Holy Ghost So that these mind-defilements make thy disease the more â—â—câ—rable This putteth out the eye this kils the spy and monitor of all thy actions Lastly Corrupt Doctrines are called defilements to shew how loathsome and abhominable they should be to us To hear the Scripture say That by false Doctrines the Church is polluted and defiled should make a man presently abhorre such waies Thou canst not abide dirt or vomit upon thy garments and canst thou endure these deformities upon thy soul Thou canst not endure to see a drunkard wallowing like a swine in the mire but to see men stagger and reel and even be drunk with giddy and vile opinions this should be a more loathsome sight Labour then for a Scripture judgment in these things and do not thou have more indulging thoughts towards errours then the Scripture alloweth I do not forbid thy charity to some persons erring but to errours If a godly man should be overtaken with drunkennesse or uncleannesse thou wouldst say the sinnes were abhominable though thou wouldst pitty the man and pray for him so it is here Vse of Instruction Wherein lyeth the purity of Churches Even in pure and sound Doctrine as well as in pure lives Some they cry out against purity in lives they love not such Puritans they cannot endure such strictnesse Others they love not this purity of Doctrine The Remonstrants deride the word Orthodox as if it were a spell used by some Writers Now in both waies we overthrow the purity of Churches To have pure Doctrine pure Ordinances and yet men to be impure in lives is a very dolefull sight Again to have men appearing with pure lives yet impure Doctrines is also very grievous to him who is endowed with a sound Faith If any man defile the Temple of God him shall God destroy We have dispatched the sinne supposed we come to the punishment proposed Him shall God destroy A terrible sentence and that which may make all those who grow wanton in the matters of Religion like Belshazer to quake and tremble In the Greek it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same word with defiling the Temple They defile Gods Temple and God will defile them This is the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in other places God will destroy Now this is meant of eternal destruction without repentance The Scripture cals eternal punishment destruction not in the sense of the Socinians heresie as if both body and soul were totally annihilated for that cannot be called a torment but rather a freedom from torment but because both body and soul are deprived of all comfort and happiness and so are exposed to all the curses and the tormenting wrath of God without ceasing So that this Text doth represent corruptions in the Doctrine and Worship of God under as terrible a consideration as any great sinnes committed For look upon the threatnings against the vilest monsters of sinners they can be no more then this Those will God destroy And so it is here of such as defile the Truths of God with errours even as Nadab and Abihu were wonderfully and terribly destroyed for offering strange fire upon Gods Altar though men may suffer them Though the parties themselves may blesse their condition yet God will destroy them if they do not recover out of these snares of the Devil Now that God will destory eternally such as defile this Temple without reformation will most fully appear by 2 Pet. 2.3 4. which Chapter should be an Allarum to these times For First Her fore-tels that as in the Old Testament there were false Prophets so in the New Testament notwithstanding all the light of the Gospel and the Truths of God revealed in his Word there should be false Teachers here you see it 's expressely fore-told that it should be no stumbling block to us we should not be offended at the truth nor at reformation out of Popery and superstitions because of such events Now these are described by their Actions They shall bring in damnable heresies Connder that expression All heresie is not innocent It 's not excusable as the Remonstrants plead for here are damnable heresies 2. The Manner how they shall privily bring in There is great craft and subtilty there is underworking as Moles do under-ground Then you have the consequent evil of this They bring upon themselves swift destruction Here is more then in my text not only destruction but swift destruction That is two waies swift First Because God will not delay He is so provoked that he cannot bear them long And then Secondly Swift in regard of their thoughts It comes before they thought of or expected any such thing And whereas it may be said They prosper they meet with no such visible wrath of God see verse 4. Whose judgment lingereth not and whose damnation sleepeth not All the while they are secure their judgment doth but watch the time the fittest time to make their destruction more dreadfull Now that still people may be afraid of errours and heresies he instanceth in three the most horride Examples of Gods vengeance and argueth thus that if God were so severe against them let not such as bring in damnable heresies expect better The
Let us not do at upon a meer feigned and invented holinesse of things and places but let us magnifie personal moral holinesse to this the promise is made This is the true and blessed glory This makes us like Angels and our Churches like Heaven Verse 18. Let no man deceive himself if any man seemeth to be wise in this world let him become a fool that he may be wise THe Apostle having sufficiently declared the sinfulnesse and punishment attendant of those who defile the Church of God by corrupt Doctrines he doth begin in this verse to remove those obstructions in the way that may hinder the good use of what he had said For though the food be never so good yet if the stomack be sick and undisposed we cannot look for good nourishment Now the first stone that was to be rolled out of the way there could be no sowing of this divine seed with hopefull successe till that was removed was the self-conceit of their own wisdome and the admiring of the worldly humane excellencies that they saw in their false teachers Till this Goliah be killed the Apostle doth not expect their obedience to what he had said Hence in this eighteenth verse he beginneth to dehort from all self-conceit and earthly wisdome and in the Text he declareth a two-fold pernicious and dangerous effect thereof First That it is a meer deceiving of a mans self Let no man deceive himself That which the proud wise men of the world applaud for gold will prove but drosse he will see it was a meer empty swelling not a man-child they travelled with Secondly The necessity of relinquishing and abdicating this wisdome as the great enemy to true and heavenly wisdome which is the other dangerous effect Let him become a fool that he may be wise So that this Text is an hammer to beat down all those high and lofty things that are in our carnal understandings and to lead all our thoughts and apprehensions captive into the obedience of faith Now this Dehortation doth belong both to the Teachers he had reproved and to the Auditors For if ye ask What made the Doctors defile the Temple with errours and heresies It was only humane wisdome and proud understandings And What made the Disciples so factiously preferre one above the other But still that doting upon humane and earthly wisdome Thus the Text is an excellent Antidote against the proud flesh or rather proud spirit that may be either in teacher or hearer For the first Effect A mans self-deceiving that is coincident with the other subject I am insisting upon therefore I wave it and come to the duty of Abdication and renouncing of this humane wisdome If any man seem to be wise let him become a fool This bunch upon the Camels back must be levelled ere it can go thorow the eye of a needle The first Doctrine which is implyed only shall be That humane and earthly wisdome is a great enemy to all the heavenly things of Christ The Kingdome of Heaven and the Ministry of the Gospel hath not a greater adversary in the world amongst mens corruptions then this This is the great mountain in our way Rom. 8 7. A carnal man is enmity against God A mind whose thoughts intentions and reasonings are wholly upon carnal motives it 's enmity in the very abstract it 's as bad as the Devil all that it hath and is is nothing but enmity and that against God the only wise the only great good the only God What hath thy earthy wisdome no other adversary to fall upon but the mighty wise God Yea it 's not only actually rebellious against Gods Law but it hath not the very power to be subject◠There is no actual or potential subjection it cannot be Therefore our Saviour to demonstrate how farre such wise men of the world were from being his Disciples he takes a little child and setting him in the midst of them saith Vnlesse a man become like this child he cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Mat. 18.2 3. Now the holy and heavenly things of Christ may be reduced unto three heads 1. The supernatural Matter and Doctrine to be believed 2. The Manner of promulgation of this in the holy Scriptures 3. The holy and spiritual Duties that are required of us In all these you shall see a man with no more than natural humane wisdom to be the greatest adversary therunto yea and the more parts and the more wisdom he hath the more indisposed subject he is to receive or believe supernatural truths Insomuch that wise men thought no man that had wisdome could ever acknowledge the Christian faith So Tertullian said the Heathens would wonder that such a man a good and a wise man would ever turn Christian Thus what Tertullian said excellently concerning Christs Incarnation in regard of the humane wisdome of the world That a God should be made man be crucified c. Prorsus credibile quia impossibile non pudet quia pudendum It 's true of many others doctrinals and practicals in Christs kingdome yet truly Divinity doth require of us no more than all humane Arts Discentem credere oportet If a man doth not believe before he understands he can never attain to knowledge and so saith Austin in Religion Non intelligendum ut credatis sed credendum ut intelligatis We must not understand to believe but believe to understand Let us consider First What an enemy to the Doctrine believed the fleshly humane wisdome of a man is And First This humane wisdome puffeth a man up with pride that he will not entertain such divine mysteries And this swelling or puffing up is immediately contrary to an act of faith For faith hath an obediential assent namely because God saith it let my understanding cavil and argue never so plausibly yet faith makes it obedientially yeeld unto the testimony and authority of God Wonder not therefore if humane wisdome be such an enemy to Christianity because faith and that are at immediate contrariety faith bids the mind stoop and yeeld humane wisdome bids it lift it self up Hence the Scripture cals it The obedience of or to faith and it 's the captivating of the understanding the beating down the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every high thing that exalteth it self 2 Cor. 10 5. So that faith is a kind of mental martyrdom it puts to death those high and lofty thoughts men naturally have Seeing then humane knowledge puffeth up and filleth a man with pride this putteth a man into an immediate contrariety unto believing which is the Christians knowledge Secondly Humane wisdome as it doth immediately oppose faith in its obediential assent so also humility which is the instrumental grace to receive all the mysteries of Christ Humility is not only a grace it self but a vessel to receive other graces The humble and meek he will teach his way Psal 25.9 I thank thee O Father that thou hast revealed these things
farre surpasseth all their morality First then let us shew Wherein the faith of a Christian commanded by the Scripture doth farre surpasse all humane knowledge and science which men by nature do glory in And First Faith doth surpasse all humane sciences in the dignity of the subject The matter about which a Christians faith is exercised doth farre transcend all that about which humane knowledge doth exercise it self For the highest that they could reach unto is only to the knowledge of natural effects produced by natural causes And if any could prove these by the former this they called a demonstration Though some men say No man ever yet gave a demonstration à priori quoad se but quoad nos So then all the excellent wisdom of the world hath been only to consider the nature of sublunary things or to discourse about the nature of the heavenly bodies and their motions and if they did arise to consider of a God the Maker of these it was in a very uncertain doubtfull way Hence the Apostle speaks of them Acts 17.27 that they were as men in the dark feeling after a thing to find it as the Sodomites smote with blindnesse felt for the door This is all our humane wisdome can help us to but now by faith we have the supernatural mysteries of salvation revealed unto us The Scripture tels us Of a God in Christ reconciling man to himself of mans original misery of Christ the Mediator Alas how poor and contemptible are the highest notions even of Plato though called Divine when you come and read Paul There are such admirable and heavenly truths revealed in Gods word that all humane wisdome was no more able to find or apprehend such things then a dwarf could reach to the Heavens If we then consider the dignity and worth of that subject which the Scripture revealeth and faith is exercised about dirt is not more inferiour to precious pearls than humane knowledge to faith Secondly Faith differs from all their humane science in respect of the excellency of the end For the end of all Scripture wisdom is to bring us to eternal life The Scriptures are able to make us wise to salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 The things of Christ are said to be written That believing we might have eternal life John 20 31. There was never any humane knowledge could teach a man to be eternally happy Platoes Divinity and Aristotles Morality though they have the words of happinesse and have large discourses about it yet wanted the thing it self Oh then let us blesse God for Scripture-wisdome for the treasures of knowledge revealed there Learn of David How wonderfully was he affected with Gods word What light and wisdome did he attain unto thereby The Scriptures will teach thee such a blessednesse and such a way to blessednesse that could not enter into thy heart to conceive before the light thereof came into thee Thirdly Faith doth surpasse all humane knowledge in its certainty and infallibility A man that believeth the truths of God revealed in the Scripture hath more certain knowledge then all the more wise and learned men of the world For the object of faith being Gods testimony and his Divine Authority it 's as impossible for faith to be deceived as it is for God to lie Hence it 's called The full assurance of hope Heb. 10.22 And we believe therefore we speake 2 Cor. 4.13 How could the holy Martyrs witnesse those divine truths even to death had they not been possessed with full and sure knowledge of those things they died for whereas if we look into all humane knowledge there is very little certainty insomuch that some have expresly affirmed Nihil scitur yea that that also was not known and what little certainty they have appeareth by the contrary and different opinions in all their main points Fourthly Faith doth more establish settle and quiet the heart of men then all humane wisdome Solomon observeth a vanity and vexation of spirit even in all humane knowledge but now faith doth establish settle and satisfie the soul Heb. 11.1 It is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen Those that want faith are said to be double-minded men Jam. 1. inconstant as the waves of the Sea Oh the anxiety and perplexities that meer humane knowledge hath cast men into And so those who have no other bottome than the Authority of Church or the power of men to believe These are reeds shaken up and down with every wind Their faith is upon ambulatory and moveable considerations wheras faith makes a man like Christ The same yesterday and to day and for ever Lastly The Christian faith is above all philosophical knowledge Because of the strong and mighty effects it hath to convert the heart and reform the life Acts 15 9. Purifying their hearts by faith How can ye believe when ye seek glory one of another said our Saviour John 5.44 Yet these humane Gnosticks did only aim at glory though Philosophers call them the Liberal Arts yet they could not set them free from their lusts whereas Christ John 8.32 said If my Word abide in you you shall be free indeed Never did humane knowledge make such wonderfull converts and work so great a reformation as the Christian saith hath done And although we have now too many who say they do believe and yet do such things as many of the Gentiles would be ashamed of yet these men have not faith indeed but the name and title of it for as much as faith though but like a grain of mustard-seed would bid such mountains of lusts be removed into the Sea In the next place The moral or practical wisdome of the world cometh farre short of Scripture-wisdome For First The most knowing men were ignorant of original sinne which yet is the fountain of our calamity The Heathens indeed bewailed the mortality and misery of man but they know not our natural pollution the ground of all Yea we see Paul himself though a Pharisee was not acquainted with that Law of sinne within him till inlightned by the Word Rom. 7. Now if men know not their disease or the cause of it they can never be cured So that whatsoever precepts about living well they delivered yet they built on a sandy foundation they did not dig deep enough Secondly All humane wisdome and prudence knoweth not how to mortifie and forsake sinne upon true grounds because they were ignorant of Gods Spirit Rom. 8.13 If ye through the Spirit do mortifie sinne They did not crucifie the body of sinne nor bewail it because it was sinne but for humane respects as it did hinder the publique or as it was prejudicial to their glory and fame but they overcame one lust by another Thirdly All earthly prudence cometh short of this wisdome because it 's circumscribed within the bounds of this world and this life It looketh out no further whereas the Scripture giveth directions for
Of the Holinesse of the Material Temple p. 199 226 See Church Thoughts Thoughts not free p. 166 Evil thoughts shall be brought to light p. 166 Truth Truth of Christ precious p. 157 Compared to Gold c. ibid. Truth two-fold Increated and Created p. 182 The Effects of Divine Truths p. 183 V Vanity VAnity How the word used in Scripture p. 158 Unity Union Disunion Unity not a sure mark of a Church p. 41 In Ministers pressed in Doctrine fections p 98 The sad Effects of the contrary in Ministers p. 99 What people should do when Ministers are divided ibid W Watering WAtering by the Word what p. 82 Wisdome Wisdome Humane an enemy to the things of Christ p. 230 But a shadow compared with Scripture Wisdome p. 247 Contemptible folly before God ibid. True Wisdome but folly in the worlds account p. 239 Things to be believed hoped for and to be done are foolish to humane Wisdome p. 239 True Wisdome only in the Church or Christianity p. 243 Wise men Wise men How God delights to take wise men of the world in their own craft p. 254 The best of their thoughts vain p. 257 Wicked Wicked people spoken to p. 8 19 20 46 47 70 77 104 166 167. Wicked works though never so secret shall be brought to light p. 165 Workes All should do good workes p. 102 Doing good workes two-fold ibid. What to do a good work that God will accept and reward p. 103 Workers How Ministers are Workers with God p. 110 Why God will make use of them ibid. Worship Of the Worship of God p. 129 Word Word of God how that reclaims from sinne and errour p. 179 Of a durable nature p. 182 World World How it is the godly mans p. 275 Z Zeal FAlse Zeal p. 15 FINIS A CATALOGUE Of the Chiefest of those Books as are Printed FOR THOMAS VNDERHILL By Col. Edw. Leigh Esquire A Treatise of the Divine Promises in Five Books The Saints Encouragement in Evil Times Critica Sacra or Observations on all the Radices or Primitive Hebrew words of the old Testament in order Alphabetical Critica Sacra or Philological and Theological Observations upon all Greek words of the New-Testament in order Alphabetical By Samuel Gott Esquire Novae Solymae Libri sex Sive Institutio Christiani 1. De Pueritia 2. De Creatione Mundi 3. De Juventute 4. De Peccato 5. De Virili Aetate 6. De Redemptione Hominis Essayes concerning mans true Happiness Parabolae Evangelicae Latinè redditae Carmine Paraphrastico varii generis Morton His Touchstone of Conversion Mr Hezekiah Woodward Of Education of Youth or The Childs Patrimony The Lives and Acts of the good and bad Kings of Judah A Treatise of Fear A Thank-offering Mr Samuel Fisher A Love-Token for Mourners being two Funeral Sermons with Meditations preparatory to his own expected Death in a time and place of great Mortality Mr Herbert Palmer and Mr Daniel Cawdry A Treatise of the Sabbath in 4 parts Memorials of Godliness and Christianity in seaven Treatises 1. Of making Religion ones Business With an Appendix applied to the Calling of a Minister 2. The Character of a Christian in Paradoxes 3. The Character of visible Godliness 4. Considerations to excite to Watchfullness and to shake of spiritual Drowsiness 5. Remedies against Carelesness 6. The Soul of Fasting 7. Brief Rules for daily Conversation and particular Directions for the Lords-day His Sermon entituled The Glass of Gods Providence toward his faithfull ones His Sermon entituled The duty and Honours of Church-Rest Mr William Barton His Psalms His Catalogue of Sins and Duties implied in each Commandement in verse Mr Vicars Chronicle in four parts Mr Samuel Clark A general Martyrology or A History of all the great Persecutions that have been in the world to this time Together with the Lives of many eminent Modern Divines His Sermon as the Warwickshire mens Feast entituled Christian Good Fellowship Mr Kings Marriage of the Lamb. Mr Shorts Theological Poems The French Alphabet Jus Divinum Ministerii by the Provincial Assembly of London Mr Thomas Blake His Answer to Blackwood of Baptism Birth-Priviledge Mr Cook His Font uncovered Dr John Wallis His Explanation of the Assemblies Catechism Mr Austin's Catechism Mr Vicar's Catechism Mr Pagit's Defence of Church-Government by Presbyterial Classical and Synodal Assemblies Mr Tho. Pagit A Demonstration of Family-Duties Mr Anthony Burgess Vindiciae Legis or A Vindication of the Law and Covenants from the Errors of Papists Socinians and Antinomians A Treatise of Justification in two Parts Spiritual Refining Part 1. or A Treatise of Grace and Assurance Handling the Doctrine of Assurance the Use of Signs in Self-examination how true Graces may be distinguished from counterfeit several true Signs of Grace and many false ones The Nature of Grace under divers Scripture Notions viz. Regeneration the New Creature the heart of Flesh Vocation Sanctification c. Spiritual Refining the Second Part or A Treatise of sinne with its Causes Differences Mitigations and Aggravations specially of the Deceitfulness of the heart of Presumptions and Reigning Sinnes and of Hypocrisie and Formality in Religion All tending to unmask Counterfeit Christians Terrifie the ungodly Comfort doubting Saints Humble man and Exalt the Grace of God His CXLV Sermons upon the whole 17th Chapter of St John being Christs Prayer before his Passion The difficulty of and Encouragements to Reformation a Sermon upon Mark. 1. verse 2 4. before the House of Commons A Sermon before the Court Marshal Psal 106.30 31. The Magistrates Commission upon Rom. 13.4 at the Election of a Lord Maior Remes Cruelty and Apostasie upon Revel 19.2 preached before the House of Commons on the 5th of November The Reformation of the Church to be endeavoured more then the Common-wealth upon Judg. 6.27 28 29. preached before the House of Lords Publique Affections pressed upon Numb 11.12 before the House of Commons Self-judging in order to the Sacrament with a Sermon of the Day of Judgment A Treatise of Original Sinne. An Exposition with Practical Observations on the third Chapter of the first Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians The Godly mans Choice compared with the Natural mans and found to be transcendently the best and both being Characterized by their Desires and Delights this is clearly evinced That the Godly man is the only happy man even in this world Held forth in XIII Sermons upon Psal 4. vers 6 7 8. Mr Richard Baexter Plain Scripture-proof of Infant Baptism The Right Method for getting and keeping Spiritual Peace and Comfort The unreasonableness of Infidelity in four Parts 1. The Spirits Intrinsick witness to the truth of Christianity with a Determination of this Question Whether the Miracles of Christ and his Apostles do oblige those to believe who never saw them 2. The Spirits Internal witness of the truth of Christianity 3. A Treatise of the Sinne against the holy Ghost 4. The Arrogancy of Reason against Divine Revelation repressed The Christian Concord