they shall bee free from all weaknesse from ill compâ—nie from temptation the lambe shall be all in all glorious things are spoken of thee thou Citie of God Fifthly they speake one language the language of Canaan the language of the beast they abhorre And lastly their carriage is alike grave like Citizens of heaven their faces are still as they were going to Ierusalem their continuing and abiding Citie for while they are in this life they are still as it were in the Suburbs Hence we may gather divers grounds that while we live in this world a Christian is but a Pilgrim and stranger heaven is his home and this life is but a way and he a passenger And thus David accomptâ—d of himselfe though a King yet but a stranger both himselfe and his fathers and therefore as a passenger hee provides for his journey he stands not for ill usage cares not to looke after delights in the way but uses them as advantagious to his journey And secondly hee is inquisitive after the way fearing he should goe amisse and furnisheth himselfe with cordials to cheere him and strengthen him in his journey he inquires after the guide of Gods spirit to be as the pillar of fire to guide him in the darknesse of this world Thirdly Hee is well provided of weapons against such enemies as hee shall meet with in the way he hath the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God The second ground that arises hence is that a Christians indeavours are of a high nature his looke is high his soule and minde are ever upward casting all burthens of earthly cares and delights from him that hee may freely mount up in the presence of his maker Thirdly this carriage of a Christian is not by fits but it is his trade his conversation and course of life in all things he lookes to heaven his course is by rule and by law whatsoever he does he does as in obedience to God chiefly with all his power as approving himselfe to God in whose sight he ever sets himselfe briefly hee doth all things as a Citizen of heaven Fourthly we may also ground hence that a Christian may have his conversation in heaven even while he is here alive for hee is borne anew having received the life of grace God requires not impossibilities but alwayes gives abilitie to the discharge of that which hee injoynes But in particular how may a Christian bee said to be in heaven or to have his conversation in heaven I answer a Christian may be said to bee in heaven first as in his head Christ Iesus who is in heaven already beeing gone to prepare a place for us Secondly he is there by faith which makes things absent as present and so it is that Abraham saw Christs day and was glad and therefore is faith called The evidence of things not seene Heb. 11. Thirdly a Christian is in heaven by his hopes Fourthly he is there by his desires animus est ubi amat Fifthly a Christian is in heaven when as his meditations are there when his thoughts are thereon continually busied as St. Paul was when in admiration of those joyes he crieth out O the depth both of the riches and wisedome of God! Rom. 11.33 Sixthly hee is there when by continuall prayers to God he hath an inward admittance to the throne of grace where hee may freely open his heart to his God and therefore it is that those that are Christians indeed are often in this dutie Fifthly hence we may gather that the glorious estate in heaven is of the same kinde with this life of grace onely differing in degrees of happinesse both estates are free there onely a freedome of glory here a freedome of grace both are estates of redemption there wee are redeemed from sinne and death and the divell here we are onely redeemed from the power of them there have we the full harvest here we have the first fruits here wee are heires by faith there by full possession to all of us Christ is all in all onely there hee rules immediately here he rules by meanes by his deputies There they have communion with the Saints here we also have communion though we live amongst the wicked There they praise God continually here we indeavour it continually There they have communion with the beatificall vision here wee have communion with the ordinances which will bring us to it And therefore let such as intend to be Saints hereafter be Saints here and live by the lawes that are given us from heaven and that they live by in heaven for the kingdome is in such sort one and the same the kingdome of grace the preaching of the word is called the kingdome of heaven as well as the kingdome of glorie and men doe thinke in vaine ever to enter into glorie without comming in at the gates of grace as appeareth out of the Apostles argument 2 Pet. 1.10 11. Give diligence to make your calling and election sure for so an entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ. And to this end amongst many other observe with me these following directions First for a preparation heare the word of God for by this wee are in heaven in part already for where the word is preached there is the presence of the blessed Trinitie and the holy Angels bringing downe heaven it selfe to us teaching us in the lawes of that Kingdome Vse reading also for even thereby wee talke with the Saints who wrote those things for our instruction and that spirit that guided them in writing will also guide thee in reading Receive the Sacraments often for these ordinances are the heavenly Manna to us and and strengthen us in our way to the spirituall Canaan Secondly Rejoyce in often communicating with the Saints these earth moles that are delighted in Coeno not in Coelo all companie is alike to them but a Christian will here converse with such as hee shall be with hereafter and the Saints have found much helpe this way even Saul in the companie of Prophets became a Prophet and the most earthly man that is amongst good men in good discourse will sute himselfe to them and indeed good discourse is of much availe this way if it bee frequent as it should be I inforce it not as a dutie to be done at all times but it should be oftner than it is Thirdly Vse such meanes as are of force to subdue the hinderances of this disposition such as are lusts of youth which ought to be tamed by fasts and such watchfulnesse that may make us at the length wise for so â—acre as wee overcome our lusts so farre we have our conversation in heaven and therefore wee must often in private watch and in private pray as the Scripture saith we must watch unto prayer Fourthly Vse much meditation bee ever setting our
to force men tyrannically to our opinions in lesser matters but leave them to Gods time of revelation And lastly as this hope of revelation is promised so are wee to expect it and waite for it for to him that hath more shall be given and therefore let them that have beginnings of grace bee comforted to walke on and for those that are not entred let them not be discouraged God will reveale But upon what condition it followes VERS 16. Neverthelesse whereto wee have already attained let us walke by the same rule THe word Neverthelesse some reade it Onely as if it were a condition but it implyes both a precept and a condition shewing that those that looke for revelation of further knowledge and goodnesse they must walke according to that measure of knowledge they have The word Rule implyes in generall the Scripture more particularly a company of sound truthes concerning faith love and hope There is a great Bible which is the whole Word of God the little Bible is the grounds of Religion and these are not onely to be understood in the Booke but comprehended and invested in our understanding and affections and according to these we must walke Truth is no guide to us being onely in the Booke but as it is seated in the heart But le ts come to some observations first we may learne that God out of his goodnesse hath left to his Church a rule of faith and manners there is a rule whereby men must walk otherwise should we be in a labarinth of errors continually having no other light but this torch-light of Nature to guide us in this thick darknesse wherein we are by nature The properties of this rule are divers First it s a fixt and unchangeable rule and therefore we must bring all to it not it to all Secondly this rule is a perspicuous and cleere rule thy word is a lanthorne to my steps and a light to my pathes Thirdly this rule is homogeneall all things therein are spirituall all holy all pure and therefore when the question is about Religion we must have recourse thereto as the onely absolute compleat rule And therefore we must know this rule and then be led by it for the word Rule implyes that there must bee a thing to be ruled else what needs rule or to what use should it serve an instrument is in vaine without use its true many men make religion and Scripture but a meere object of discourse But their example ought to be no rule to us if we looke to be saved it must be by walking according to this rule and therefore a Christian life is no licentious life though hee be freed from the law yet must he serve God day and night therefore it is that the Christian prospers not nor thrives in this world because he will not lie nor sweare nor have a broad conscience as the children of this world have that take all occasion and scope to bee rich but a Christian lives by rule he hath little and it is blest to him for he lookes at riches and profits of another kinde In the second place wee may observe that a Christian walketh by this rule he thinkes it not sufficient to take a step but keeps a right course stedfastly onward But how may this bee done may some men say I answer let us use the meanes as first let us treasure up the word in our consciences let us get the rule within us get the articles of faith and assurance of the promises and let this bee betimes whiles we are yong it s the ordinarie cry the Scriptures are hard they cannot understand them But what 's the reason they are bred up in earthly businesses and are stuffed with them so as they finde no place for the Word and its a miracle to see men thus brought up to live by this rule Secondly when wee have once treasured up the knowledge of these things wee must learne to apply them upon severall occasions for where no practice is there knowledge is idle and makes us worthy of more stripes many have generall truthes in their mindes but comming to apply them they finde a great want David knew adulterie was a sinne and Peter knew it was dangerous for a man to relye on himselfe yet how foulely did they fall Thirdly let us compare our experience with our rule wee shall finde there is nothing therein but is fulfilled that there is no suffering but for some sinne or other and that besides heaven hereafter God rewards particular obedience here with particular rewards and particular sin with particular corrections we shall know that his judgements are not scarcrowes the worke of the wicked is accursed but it shall goe well with the righteous and by this meanes we shall bee incouraged to good and scared from bad courses Fourthly bee inquisitive and watchfull over our particular steps take and heare admonitions and instructions and bee inquisitive after them those that are otherwise minded no marvaile if they like libertines spurne against all instruction and advice and accordingly feele the smart of their wayes before they see it Fifthly get a wonderfull jealousie over our hearts wee often offend in thoughts and desires which God the searcher of the heart lookes into and we must therefore be jealous of idle thoughts and words not only of othes for so an hypocrite may be But loose persons will say O this is an unpleasant course we must bid all joy farewell when we come to this I answer no the wayes of wisedome are wayes of comfort and pleasure God approves of them and our consciences will tell us so and thereby will fit us for life or death and will so settle us that no estate shall bee unwelcome to us and as Psal. 50.23 To such as order their conversation aright God will shew his saluation and as in the text fore-going God will reveale himselfe more and more so as if we be faithfull and conscionable in little wee shall have greater matters revealed to us and and contrarily if we be unfaithfully and carelesse God will take from us the key of knowledge and the use thereof and will give us up to foule vices even sinnes against nature as he punished the Gentiles and to beleeve lyes as Paul sayes 2 Thes. 2.11 And will answer us as he did the Idolaters even according to their multitude of Idols Ezek. 14.4 So as would we have favour in our sinnes and teachers that shall bolster us up in them and not crosse our vaine courses God will let us have our hearts desire but we must know this is an unevitable way to a desperate estate and therefore marvaile not so much at the loose liver because of his good breeding for as they desire the ill so they have and are justly punished therewith VERS 16. Let us minde the same thing OBserve here that wee are not only to walke sutable to others but wee must minde the same
abasement for us and shall not wee indure for a while here seeing it is also for our owne good and we are gainers thereby and considering that Christ called us to suffer for while wee live here and imbrace true religion there will ever be a crosse and shame in the world accompanying the profession thereof if it bee sincere Preachers therfore that preach not Christ plainly and boldly and hearers that come to the hearing of the Word rather for Rhetoricall flourishes wittie sentences fit onely for discourse sake even thus farre they are enemies For if Christ bee not preached mainly and chiefly to this end to amend the lives of men to winne soules to Christ. And if men comming to heare come not even for this end mainly to be bettered in their salvation to bee strengthened in grace they shall be damned as enemies for this that the meanes of salvation they prophane and despise And therefore let us abase our selves for our sinnes and magnifie Gods goodnesse in affording meanes of salvation Labour also to shew how wee profit by suffering for the Gospell and count it an honour and rejoyce that wee are worthie to suffer for Christ labour to overcome the world and our lusts and to honour Christ even in his meanest children If the love of Christ will not constraine us no motives will draw us VERS 19. Whose end is destruction THe word signifies a rewâ—rd and is translated and taken often for an end because reward is given at the end of the worke and thus is salvation called a reward for goodnesse because it is given at the end of a holy life The other word signifies damnation or destruction which implyes all things tending to or accompanying the punishment of a wicked life and the connexion of these words with the former may be thus framed hee that is an enemie to the cause of life is an enemie to life but those that are enemies to the crosse of Christ are enemies to the cause of life and to that which saves them and therefore they must needs be destroyed this made the Apostle judge of them thus and withall be saw they were void of grace and were incorrigible and from hence we may inferie That wee may in some sort judge of the spirituall estate of men even while they are alive for as Astronomers can judge of eclipses and statesmen of the continuance or danger of the state and Physitians of the event of diseases by the course of naturall causes so in religion there are predictions on good grounds what will follow of ill courses tending to dam nation But more particularly there is a three-fold judgement First one by Faith which concerning our selves brings certainty and so wee are able to judge of our selves Secondly there is a judgement by fruits comparing mens disposition and state with their fruits and so wee say if men walke riotously we can inferre surely he is in no good estate by their fruits shall you know them saith Christ. Thirdly there is a particular revelation of Gods spirit this the Prophets and Apostles had but now we have no such rule yet by the fruits and course of men it s an easie matter to judge what the end of those men will be following those courses for Gods word is the same now that it was then Indeed when wee judge men in things indifferent this is rash and condemned by the Apostle Rom. 14. For Use hereof let us learne to judge our selves and know if wee breake wilfully the knowne rules of salvation we are in a fearfull estate And we should also submit to the judgement of Gods ministers while we are here and amend for else looke assuredly for the sentence of death hereafter from God himselfe when there will be no revoking thereof For though punishment may be deferred a while yet assuredly it shâ—ll not goe well with the wicked Eccles. 8.13 at the last In the next place observe There is an end to every way for it is taken for granted that they have an end and surely wee will not nor cannot be alwayes as we are wee are labourers and there is a time of payment of our wages And therefore wee should looke whether our wayes doe tend there will bee an end of this life but damnation shall be without end We should also bee inquisitive to see if wee be out of this way that we may be reformed for these worldly pleasures must end in eternall vengeance and this life is but a way to that end And in the third place learne to bee patient when wee see the wicked runne on in a broad high way what though they be admired here and lifted up they are but condemned persons and therefore envie them not seeing we would be loath upon serious deliberation to change estates with them Observe wee further from these words that God will judge eternally not onely for grosse scandalous sinnes in the course of our life but even for errors in judgement For wee must judge aright as well as affect aright and God hath no service from corrupt judgements Those that joyne mans merits with Christs merits they cannot relye on God alone neither can they rejoyce in Christ Christ hath but halfe of them therefore let us keepe the virginitie of our judgements prostitute them not to lyes but reserve them chaste and pure to Christ. And secondly take we heed how wee converse with such as are of corrupt judgements they are Gods and Christs enemies and will labour to bring us into their wayes and then assuredly let us looke for their end It s reason that those with whom we converse here wee should converse withall hereafter VERS 19. Whose God is their belly THese words doe partly shew the inward disposition of these mâ—n by Bellie in this place hee meanes in generall all contentments and worldly pleasures whereof these Teachers being satisfied they lived at large and at ease But how may they be said to make their bellie their God I answer we may be said to make any thing our God First when we count it one as some of the Papists have esteemed of the Pope as of an essence betweene man and God and some Emperours have required themselves to be so esteemed and adored as a Dietie Secondly when wee give such affections to it as are onely due and proper to God as to trust in it to repose content in it to joy in it and so is that sentence true amor tuus Deus tuus Thirdly when wee use actions of invocation and adoration thereto and thus the Papists make Saints their God attributing such power in working to them as is onely proper to God Fourthly when wee bestow all labour to givâ— satisfaction thereunto for explication these men gave the intention of their most inward affections to procure content to their lusts all their labour was to this end and so quieted themselves in the injoyment of them and as they made their bellie their God so
of the soule and accepts of it Thirdly this justly layes open the folly of mens censures if a man breake not out into open outragious sinnes they esteeme and commend such for good men though it may bee his soule is full stuffed with Atheisme revenge and all manner of villanie Fourthly this should teach us to condemne our selves even for our sinfull thoughts for know though thou livest without danger of mans law thou maist have a rebellious minde opposite to the divine law of God by which thou shalt be judged Yet seeing for this present life wee stand in need of earthly things and are not to cast off all care of them let us hearken to some directions in the use of them For riches and other necessaries God sends them unto us to be as meanes to sweeten our pilgrimage here In the using them take heed they doe not possesse and take up our whole heart immoderately labouring after them and before any spirituall grace This the Apostle blames in these men he saw they made religion to bee subordinate and to give place to their worldly lusts and that as he cared not if by any meanes he could attaine to the resurrection of the dead so they contrarily cared not if by any meanes through any crosse or losse whatsoever they could attaine to riches honour or the like yea if religion stood in their way though it were with the losse of Religion and a good conscience Secondly we must take heed that wee use these earthly things so as to draw good out of them and to imploy them to good labour we to see God in pleasure in richâ—s and in our abundance knowing and esteeming of them as a beame of the bright Sun-shine of Gods favour to us and thus to be lifted up to admire and praise his goodnesse Thirdly make them instruments of mercie and bountie it s an excellent way to further our accompts so receive the good as wee avoide the snare the way is not to hide our talents in a napkin to enter into a Monasterie to live idle but to occupie use and imploy them in the service of God and of our neighbours To conclude let us so use them as they be helpers of us to a better life not binderers for wee are in an estate betweene two in a warring and conflicting estate even as a peece of iron betweene two loadstones and know not which way to leane and yet may offend in the excesse of either side And therefore let us observe some signes whereby we may know whether we bee right or not And first of all this affection of love being the primarie and principall part is knowne by other affections If therefore our love bee set on the world we shall greeve and vexe our selves for worldly losses and fret and be chafed when wee are crossed in them and this made Ahab so lumpish as nothing could comfort him but Naboths vineyard Secondly let us observe whether our labours and indeavours are carried what wee talke of most what thinke we or meditate wee on first and last morning and evening if wee observe our carriage it will discover our minde Such are also opposite to any religious good course he that is rich bitterly opposeth goodnesse and therefore it is that Christ said Yee cannot serve God and Mammon and concludeth It is harder for a rich man to get into heaven than for a Camell to passe through a needles eye But to cure this sore Let us fetch arguments from the nature of the soule of man and the nature of these things and consider the incongruitie betweene the soule a pure heavenly spirituall essence and base earthly corrupt things dust was made meate for the serpent by a curse and not for man And remember The God of truth hath threatned vengeance against his dearest children that doe not mortifie their carnall lusts Abhorre we therefore the first thoughts of this sinne and divert our soules to higher thoughts and bee humbled shaming our selves for debasing our soules in that manner else will God take us in hand for he will not suffer his children to surfeit on the world but will bring them backe that they shall see and know all is but vanitie and vexation of spirit VERS 20. For our conversation is in Heaven Tâ—e word translated here For in the former translation is But and so it depends on the fore going words some walke as enemies to the crosse of Christ c. But our conversation is in heaven If it be as it is here translated For then doth it follow the 17. ver Mark them that walke as ye have us for an example for our conversation is in heaven Shewing the reason why he was so confident in propounding his example to bee imitated which way it be taken it is not much materiall onely from the opposition between those examples he speakes of immediately going before and is propounded in this verse Note that in the Church there are alwayes men of divers dispositions some ever goe with the current into Mare mortuum and others ever against the streame like the starres that are carried with a secret motion of their owne notwithstanding that in this world they seeme to be carried by the violent motion of the common course of men And this was first in Gods eternall decree that their should be perpetuall enmitie between the seed of the woman and of the serpent Secondly There is a difference in calling some onely outwardly some inwardly by his spirit Many are called but few are chosen Thirdly they differ in their rulers one are governed by the Divell and led captive to doe his will others by God Fourthly in regard of their conversation some are heavenly minded others are altogether earthly Fifthly their ends are different the way of one is upwards to heaven the way of the other is downward tending to the gates of death even to hell But to come to the words The Apostle saith not my conversation but our conversation implying that those that meane not to bee of the number of those that have their end in damnation they must bee of the number of those of a holy conversation The word in the originall signifies most properly a freedome or a Burgership So as from the metaphour we may gather thus much That Heaven is a Citie and all true Christians are Citizens and inhabitants of this Citie for as it is in the Citie of this world so may it be said comparatively of this Citie and the inhabitants First it s under a governour who is the Lord Christ. Secondly it s governed by law which is Gods law Thirdly it hath a store-house of all good things as of food and of other of the like sort which is heaven for it hath bread of life it hath rich and plenteous treasure Fourthly it hath liberties they are free from Sathans tyrannie free from the lawes curse and condemning power and are all Kings and shall all raigne
here wee must entertaine it well into this house of our bodie it s but a guest use it not basely it s no ill guest it gives us sight taste speech motion when it goes away our body is but a dumbe dull base lumpe of earth Nay when it is gone whilst the body is in the ground the soule having a most vehement and earnest desire to be knit to it again puts God continually in minde of raising it up at the last day of the generall resurrection and of glorifying it in a holy eternall and happy estate Secondly out of the words wee may observe That these vile bodies of ours shall bee changed this we receive as anarticle of our faith and yet were it beleeved truely as it ought it would worke a strange alteration in the mindes and manners of men contrary to that they are now and howsoever it is not imbraced yet it remaines a grounded truth that these bodies of ours sowne in corruption shall rise incorruptible 1 Cor. 1.15 It was foretold in way of consequence in Paradice for the head of the serpent could not bee broken but by conquering death which is the last enemie it was figured out unto us in Aarons dead seare rod that budded and Ionahs deliverance out of the bellie of the fish where he had beene 3. dayes and three nights It was beleeved of all the fathers Heb. 12. And for securitie before the floud Enoch and after the floud Elias were taken up in their bodies And besides it is not contrarie to reason I doe not say that reason can reach unto it for Christ he is alive still the dust whereof we are made and whether we goe is preserved it is not annihilated and why cannot Christ raise a body out of the dust as at the first make it out of dust why should he not be as able to quicken dust now as at the first and especially seeing the soule is reserved in heaven to this end till the day of his second comming Nay it is not contrarie to the course of nature we see every yeere summer comes out of winter day out of night youth out of infancie mans age out of youth And the Apostle in the Corinthians Thou foole the corne is not quickned except it die nay wee see what strange changes are dayly wrought by Art and shall wee thinke Gods almighty power cannot worke farre more strange effects The use therefore is to instruct us if we beleeve that Christ shall change these vile bodies Then sure the same bodies shall rise that died for change is of qualities it abolisheth not substances and therfore Iobs confidence herein is remarkable Iob. 19. Whom I shall see for my selfe and mine eyes shall behold speaking of Christ so is it 2 Cor. 15.53 This corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortall must put on immortalitie and the ancient Creeds had credore surrectionem carnis hujus Secondly it s very unequall that one body should honour or defile it selfe and another bodie should be honoured or damned its comfortable therefore to us that love our bodies and honor them that they shall rise againe and wee shall injoy them for ever Thirdly Christ our surety hee raised the same body that was crucified and therefore the same bodies here that fulfill the measure of the sufferings of Christ here shall partake of his fulnesse in glorie A second use is for comfort is this a life of changes let it not daunt us but know they are all to end in glorie and they all tend to bring us thither we ever change for the better and the last change of all is the best of all and therefore let us indure these changes with a light heart In the third place who is the Authour of this change in us the Text saith that Christ shall change us Iob. 6.39 and 40. I will raise them up at the last day saith Christ of those that know him and beleeve on him Hee is furthermore our head now wee know the body must be conformable to the head if it bee crowned the body is crowned and therefore Rom. 8.11 the Apostle saith that if the spirit dwell in us that did dwell in him the spirit that raised him up will raise us up also Thirdly Christ is a whole Saviour he therefore will raise up our bodies as well our soules for he is the Saviour of both he hath delivered both from hell hee will raise up both to heaven Fourthly he is the second Adam as wee did beare the image of the first Adam in corruption so must we beare the image of the second Adam in glorie Fifthly hee is the seed of the wowan that must breake the serpents head and therefore hee must worke this change Sixthly Christ changed his owne bodie being burthened with all our sinnes and therefore as an exemplarie cause shall much more raise us up for sinne being once overcome which is the sting of death what can keepe us in the grave Let this strengthen our faith in the consideration that wee have such a strong Saviour that nothing shall bee able to separate us from his love nor to take us out of his hande Secondly make it a ground how to direct us how to honour our bodies not making them instruments of sinne against him but so to use them that we may with comfort and joy expect and desire his comming to change these our vile bodies Thirdly let us labour to assure our selves of our parts in this change in this resurrection This we shall know if we finde Christs spirit in us the same spirit that raised up him if it bee in us will raise us up also Rom. 8. for the first resurrection is an argument of the second and he that findes his understanding in lightned his will pliable his affections set upon right objects will easily beleeve the second resurrection of his bodie Secondly if wee hope for this change and so hope that we are stirred up thereby to fit our selves for it to cleanse our selves Thirdly if wee grow in grace 2 Pet. 1.11 it is a siâ—ne that wee have an entrance into Christs kingdome for God doth ever honour growth with assurance of a blessed estate Fourthly this should comfort us in time of death considering wee lose nothing but basenesse and our bodies are but sowne in the earth and this depositum which God committeth to the fire ayre earth and the water they must render up againe pure and changed by Christ and therefore it was a foolish conceipt of the heathen to burne the Martyrs bodies and to cast their ashes into the water thereby to put them out of hope of their resurrection not knowing God is as able to raise them out of fire and water as out of earth Fifthly this ought to administer comfort to us at the death and departure of our friends out of this life knowing that they are not lost that the earth is but a house and a hiding place