greater sinners then those that perish greater sinners are in heaven then some in hell Alas what are we may we say as Mephibosheth said to David that the Lord should look upon such dead dogges as we are to dye pro vermiculis vernaculis for bondslaves for base wormes compounded of slime and dust and the Devils poyson a lyon for a dog the Kings sonne for a traytor a man for a worme nay for some Snake or Serpent that had stung his friend to death Yea and when he died not for Angels but passed by those vessels of gold and embraced us vessels of clay CHAP. V. We must study to know Christ in his Satisfaction ANd thus we have heard how we are to study to know Christ in his crucifixion It followes thirdly and lastly We must study to know Christ in his satisfaction in two particulars 1. That there is no other name under heaven whereby we can be saved but onely by the name of Jesus Christ Not by Saints Angels our merits or Opera nostra sunt dona dei per pauca multis malis per mixta Aug. Quisquiâ— enumerat merita sua quid enumerat nisi mertia tua Aug. good works Alas what could we merit that were ungodly sinners enemies Or what good thing could we doe to inherit eternall life If wee could scourge out rivers of bloud out fast Moses and Elias glaze our eyes with teares naile them to heaven with devotion weep a sea of tears yea of bloud Should we pray never so much yea weare out our knees in prayer read never so much the Word of God and other good books heare never so many sermons refraine from all grosse sins build Hospitals give all our goods to the poore and our bodies to be burned yet can we not make God satisfaction thereby or obtain salvation Mich. 6. 8. 1 Cor. 13. 1. 2 Nay Though we should attaine to never so great a degree of repentance and sanctity of life yet could we not obtain salvation thereby nay our perfect holinesse in heaven is not the meritorious cause of our salvation there but the righteousnesse of Christ much lesse a Christians graces here on earth which made Paul desire with the loss of al his own righteousnesse to be found in Christ Not having Phil. 1. 9. 6. Tutius est c. â—ell his own righteousnesse but that which is in him by faith It s true Christians may look to their graces as evidences of their part in Christ and salvation and the clearer they are the greater will be their comfort but not as causes They may likewise make use of duties as meanes to bring them to Christ and salvation but not to be saved by them As the Dove made use of her wings to fly to the Ark but trusted not in her wings but in the Arke Suppose those that were stung with fiery serpents had used any other remedies or medicines to cure the poyson besides looking upon the brazen serpent had they not been of no value Or as those that in the time of Noahs flood trusted to their own houses the highest trees or mountains or any other thing besides the Ark were they not all drowned so must they all perish that expect salvation by any other name but only by the name of Iesus Christ whether Turks Iews Pagans Papists ignorant and civill persons among our selves or whoever 2. As we are to believe there is no salvation out of Christ so we are to know that Christ is a sufficient Saviour to save Heb. 7. 25. perfectly those that come to him and trust in him from these two grounds First because he hath perfectly fulfilled the law for us whereby we stand as 1 Joh. 4. 17. 2 Cor. 5. 21. Rom. 5 19. righteous in the sight of God as Christ was for us and God accepteth of us as if we had fulfilled the law in our owne persons And secondly because he hath fully satisfied the wrath of God for all our sins and pacified him towards us as if we had never sinned or as if we our selves had suffered for them in hell for ever Col. 2. 14. blotting out the hand-writing of ordinances against us so as now nothing can be read against us And this appeares by his resurrection Ascension and sitting at the right hand of God in his glory triumphing over all his enemies which were not for satisfaction but to make application of our redemption for testification of the sufficiency of his satisfaction Hence saith Paul it is Christ that died yea Rather that is risen Rom. 8. 34. again thereby shewing the sufficiency of his death that God is satisfied and all is finished Nay certainly Christ hath satisfied God more abundantly for us then if we our selves had gone to hell for ever for we had been but alwaies satisfying and God had not been fully satisfied but in Christ he is fully and for ever satisfied so as now we may plead pardon not only from mercy but from righteousnesse and justice it self Rom. 1. 17. and Rom. 3. 15. 16. So then we must conclude that Christs satispassion is our satisfaction as Luther pleaseth to call it for by Christ crucified we are justified and if the least of his sufferings were meriti infiniti of infinite Non moriendo Greg. Sine Christi adventu Athanas Minima Christi poena So Cypr. and Bern. merit so that God could have saved us without Christ as Athan. or with Christ not dying for us as Greg. or with the least degree of his sufferings as Cypr. yet I am sure all his sufferings were meriti definiti determined of God and now we are sure all is finished CHAP. VI. We must study to know Christ with Application ANd thus I have finished the first particular mentioned namely how we ought to know Christ by speculation viz. to know him in his incarnation 2. In his crucifixion 3. In his satisfaction which though it be the lowest forme of knowledge yet many remain ignorant of it and without this knowledge we cannot attain to the higher forme of knowledge of application 2. And so we proceed to the second particular we must study to know Christ with the knowledge of application not only to know Christ as a Saviour but that he is my Saviour stood in my room bare my sins suffered the wrath of God for me wherby God is as wel pleased with me as if I had suffered for them in my own person in hell eternally To be able to say with Job a Iob. 19. 25. I know that my Redeemer liveth and with Thomas b Ioh. 20. 28. my Lord and my God and with Paul c Gal. 2. 20. he loved me and gave himselfe for me and with Simeon mine eyes have seen thy salvation d Luk. 2. 30. First This is the sweetest knowledge The sunne is sweetest when it shines out and not when hid in a cloud so God is sweetest when he lifts up
None but CHRIST Or A Plain and Familiar Treatise of the Knowledge of CHRIST exciting all men to study to know JESUS CHRIST and him crucified with a particular Applicatory and saving Knowledge in diverse Sermons upon 1 Cor. 2. 2. By JOHN WALL B. D. Preacher of the Word of God at Mich. Cornhill LONDON Christ is all in all Col. 3. 11. Nullus animae suavior cibus Lact. lib. 2. c. 3. LONDON Printed for Ralph Smith at the signe of the Bible in Cornhill neer the Royall Exchange 1648. I have perused this ensuing Treatise entituled None but Christ and finding it very usefull for all sorts of Christians especially for weak Beleevers I allow it to be printed OBADIAH SEDGWICK May 12. 1648 To the much honoured and most worthy Sr Herbottle Grimston Baronet J. Wall wisheth all present and future happinesse RIght worshipful Your religious stedfastness in these times of change adhering to your fixed principles and not bending like a reed with every wind as many have done makes your name deservedly honoured of all that know you What you have suffered by false calumniations God hath in a great measure already cleared And I doubt not but in his due time your light shall break forth like the Sun out of a cloud more glorious then ever before How great your love hath been to Godly and Orthodox Ministers your pains and labours to helpe them out of their troubles which in these broken times they have fallen into you have ample testimony Your indefatigable paines as a Member of the Honourable House of Commons the Kingdome cannot but take notice of And SIR How much my selfe am obliged to you for your countenancing of and respect you bare to my Ministry when I lived in Colchester And your continued favour and respect towards me ever since I desire with all humble thankfulness to acknowledge and testify to the world And as a testimony of my gratitude I humbly dedicate this Treatise unto your Patronage SIR I observe in these erroneous licentious distracting and dividing times that men spend their thoughts and studies for the most part in needless questions tending onely to strife and contention but not to edification whereas our Lord Christ hath taught us there is but one thing especially needfull for us to busy our heads about and that is to know Jesus Christ and him crucified and to be able to say with Job I know that my redeemer liveth If it shall please you so far to honour this Treatise as to grace it with your favour and to bestow the perusall of it and if your noble spirit and the Church of God shall thereby be the more inflamed with the love of Christ and longings to inâ—oy him As it hath been my desire and indeavour according to my talent received to set forth the riches and excellencies that are in Christ to draw the heart of his spouse to be sick of love to him I shall desire to give God the glory And this shall be a sufficient refuge against the captiousnesse and carping of the curious the slanders and reproches of the malicious and the sharpest censures of the Criticall From my Study at Mich. Cornhill March 25. 1648. SIR Your Worships in all humble and respective observance JOHN WALL And to the vertuous and most worthy Lady the Lady Mary Grimstone his wife Daughter of the ever honoured grave judicious and religious Judge SIR George Crook now deceased J. Wall wisheth increase of true honour and happinesse I Make bold likewise worthy Lady to joyn you with your dear and much honoured Husband craving your tuition of this Treatist of the knowledge of Christ being the first fruits of my weak indeavours And that you would be pleased to accept of so small a present as a little monument of that great respect I deservedly beare you And although I know Noble Lady your holy and dayly communion with God your humblenesse of mind and tender affections mourning under sin your zealous longing after and delight in the word of God when most sincerely taught your heavenly communication and conversation do render you elect holy and beloved amongst all the Saints that know you and your works praise you in the gates Yet good Madam give me leave I humbly beseech you to stirre up and warn your pure mind that you take heed of loosing your first love and the things that you have done but that your works may be more at the last then at the first that you may shine as the Sun which shineth more and more unto the perfect day that you may grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that he may be your all in all that so you may at last receive your full reward The Lord grant this poore little Treatise of mine may kindle a fire within you to warme your heart with the love of Christ be as a means with the blessing of God upon it to increase your joy and comfort in him to sweeten your dissolution when God shall please to finish the period of your dayes and to fill your heart dayly with more and more longings to be with Christ which is best of all So prayeth From my study at Mich. Cornhill March 25. 1648 MADAM Your Ladyships most humbly devoted JOHN WALL Christian READER IT is the great unhappinesse of our times that the greatest part of men busie themselves most in that which least concernes them whilest some Athenian-like spend their time in hearing and telling newes others mole-like are alwayes rooting and digging in the earth though gold can no more fill their hearts then grace their purses others eagerly pursue the worlds vanities as children do painted butterflies which after all their paines they may misse and if they chance to catch it s but a fly that besmeares their hands others bende all their studies and discourses about controversies tending little to edification and READER Thou shalt find through the neglect of the Printer or those that he betrusted many mistakes in the pointing of this Treatise as also many literall errors which I crave thy patience to passe over without censure and likewise not to be offended with other greater errors thou mayest meet withall but rather thus to amend them ERRATA PAge 8. margin for Scholon read Schoolm p. 19. for o r. â— for weares r. wore p. 33. l. 2. for cold r. called p. 34. for three houres r. six houres p. 37. for Vest r. Dest p. 43. dele first for knowes r knew p. 53 for it heats r. heat p. 55. for stob r. stab p. 59. for er r. ae p. 62. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â— p. 145. for Ps r. Phil. p. 162. for wayes r. wares p. 190. for other any r. any other p. 193. for 3 r. 2. p. â—â—3 for insensus r. infensus p. 242. for the r. her p. 257 l. penult for after r. after him p. 262. l. penult for because r. but p
saw Christ in Lazarus and not in Dives Iob 34. 19 Act. 10. 34. Gal. 6. 3. Mal 3. 17. Tamberlaine in his wars one having found a great pot of gold digd up as I remember he brought it to Tamberlain who asked whether it had his fathers stamp but when he saw it had the Roman stampe he would not own it So God will own none but those that have the stamp of Christ and his image upon them But he will own the poorest and meanest of his servants that have Christ shining in them as his Iewels as the apple of his eye to whom he sends his holy Angels to attend upon them For in heaven their Angels behold the face of my father which is in heaven Matth. 18. 10. And as God respects nothing in any man but Iesus Christ so likewise the Saints of God have esteemed of men only as they have seen Christ in them So David professeth that all his delight was in the Saints that were on earth in whom Christ appeared Psalme 16. 2 3. And Saint Paul tels us he regarded no man after the flesh or in fleshly respects as they were wise learned rich honourable 2 Cor. 5. 16. No not Christ himselfe that is as he was a Iew borne of their natition or so as to expect great things from him on earth as the Iewes did but only spiritually Nay he would not so much as write a letter or Epistle to the greatest Monarchs in the world that were not in Christ but to the poore Saints in Corinth Ephesus Galatia c. And to Philemon Indeed he wrote to one Lady but she was an Elect Lady the Master for a poore servant Onesimus sake Mr. Fox when a great Lord and wicked met him in London in the streets and askt him how do you Mr. Fox he said little Do you not know me said the great Lord No not I said Master Fox I am such a one said he Sir I desire said Master Fox to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified Policarpus at a certaine time meeting with Marcion the Heretick he said unto him do you not know me Yea said Policarpus I know thee to be Primogenitum Diaboli the first begotten child of the divell Euseb Indeed naturall men are ready to despise a Christian though Christ shines in him never so gloriously if he be poore and admire the rich Jam. 2. As Aigalond King of the Moores when he came to the King of France to be baptized and saw a great many poore tatterd people at his dore asked what they were It was answered these are the servants of Jesus Christ he went back in a fury and discontent and said he would never serve such a Master that could keep his servants no better But Ingo King of the Veneeds contrarily at a great feast to shew his love to Christs Saints set his Pagan Nobles in his Hall and certaine poore Christians with himselfe in his Parlour 5. Fiftly the excellency of all our works is from our knowledge of Christ which though never so excellent in themselves as Prayer Preaching Almes c. God regards them not they stand for nothing they are but Cyphers till Christ be joyned with them They are at best but umbrae virtutum shadowes of vertues nay splendida peccata faire and shining sins beautifull abominations Absque Christo omnis uirtus in vitio est Luther in a man out of Christ Like as the Phoenix gathers sweet odoriferous sticks in Arabia together and then blowes them with her wings and burnes her selfe with them just so we burn our selves with our own good workes be they never so sweet and good if separated from Iesus Christ It is Christ and Christ alone that sweetens and perfumes all our prayers hearing almes and all our duties and makes them acceptable As Apothecaries Rev. 8. 3. sweeten all their Confections and Cordials with Muske and Sugar The Persians had certaine trees that bare poysoned fruit and they by stealth had planted abundance of them among the Turkes hoping thereby to poyson them but with the change of the soile the fruit changed its quality and instead of poyson became wholsome food So our workes that were poyson before are sweet and good when they proceed from a man planted into Christ Seest thou not how Faith wrought with his workes saith Saint James Jam. 2. 22. It was Faith made Abrahams workes accepted which else had not been regarded CHAP. X. The knowledge of Jesus Christ and him crucified is the most profitable knowledge 2. NOw followeth the 2 reason why we ought to study to know Iesus Christ and him crucified because it is the most profitable knowledge in the world It s better to know Christ thine then to know all the riches in London nay all the kingdomes in the world thine As one pearle is better then a great deale of lumber so one Christ weighs down all the kingdomes in the world for what should it profit a man to winne the whole world and lose Christ and lose his owne soule Matth. 16. 26. This is the Pearle of great price for which the rich Merchant sold all that he had and bought it and found more joy in this one Pearle alone then ever he did Mat 13. 44 46. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 3. 8. with all that he had without the Pearle Nay more Saint Paul tels us there are unsearchable riches in Christ such as can never be traced or found out no more then we can find the way of a ship in the Sea or of an Eagle in the ayre But as the word signifyes in the Original we are like hunting dogs that have lost their game having neither footstep nor sent left to pursue As Gods wayes so the riches of Christ are past finding out Rom. 11. 33. He is the one thing needfull whom obtaining we need no more to make us happy c Luk. 10. ult Ipse unus erit tibi omnia quia in ipso uno bono bona sunt omnia One Christ will be to thee instead of all things else because in him are all good things to be found 1. And this appeares in foure respects first because Christ will give us better things then the world hath Alas what do we find in the world but a bundle of Thornes and vanities d Eccles 1. 2. we feed upon ashes e Ier. 44. 20. and good enough to feed dust and ashes which was the Serpents curse on thy belly thou shalt go and dust shalt thou eat Gen. ◠They are but pits and broken empty pits that can hold no water f Ier. 2. 13. They are but Cabull dirty Cities our fathers dunghil not inheritance g Esa 55. 2. windy husks the Prodigals fare not solid bread g a hard shell and a dry kernell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bitter sweets Yea they that find most sweetnesse in the world find it like a Bee-hive wherein they have tasted a little hony
when Christ is so plainly preached in their own law search the scriptures saith Christ for they are they which testify of me John 5. 39. And yet they remain as judiciarily so wilfully blind and ignorant 2 Cor. 3. 14. as a just punishment of their own imprecation when they cryed His bloud be on us and our children 4. Papists who nourish ignorance teaching it to be the mother of devotion when as we know that ignorance is the cause of sin Matth. 22. 29. and punishment of sin Rom. 1. 21. Esa 6. 9. surely that religion cannot be good which hateth the light He that doth evill hateth the light John 3. 10. Neither is it likely that that should be the mother of devotion that is the mother of Atheisme idolatry and superstition as appeares Act. 17. 22. Psal 10. 4. Gal. 4. 8. But thus they pul out the peoples eyes as the Philistims did Sampsons and then they make sport with them And further though they know Christ to be a Saviour yet they make him not the alone Saviour but joyne with Christ their owne workes and make themselves at least in part their owne saviours But if wee adde but one mite to Christs treasure we say Christ is not rich enough to save us and so we make him no Saviour Rom. 10. 3. Gal. 5. 4. 5. And lastly it reproveth all ignorant An ignorant man little differs from a beast Psal 32. Ier. 4. 22. Esa 1. 2. Eph. 4. 17. persons among our selves a man would wonder how they can make a shift or study to be so ignorant who are even like the horse and mule that have no understanding As in the creation Darknesse covered the face of the earth so of their soules Ask them what Christ is They answer some of them that he is a God some a man some an angel a spirit c. Learned Master Pemble reports of a man dying being asked what Christ was he said he thought he was a towardly young youth c. But let all thus grosly ignorant consider first their ignorance is inexcusable because the Gospell shines so clearly in their faces The light shineth in the darkness but the darkness comprehendeth it not Joh. 1. 10. There is a three-fold ignorance 1. A privative ignorance 2. A wilfull ignorance 3. A negligent ignorance Now their ignorance is not ignorantia privationis invincibilis that is negative or invincible ignorance but first it is ignorantia pravae affectionis as the Schoolmen speak That is wilfull from corrupt affection It is one thing nescire not to know and another thing nolle scire not to be willing to know And these are they that shut their eyes least they should see with their eyes Math. 13. 15. Depart from us say they for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes Job 21. 14. Or secondly at least it is supina ignorantia supine careless or negligent ignorance when men will use no meanes nor take any paines for knowledge these are said to hate knowledge Prov. 1. 19. And this ignorance doth much aggravate their sin and make it without any cloake or colour of excuse if I had not come among you saith Christ you had had no sin but now you have no cloake for your sin John 15. 22. How shall you escape that neglect so great salvation saith Paul Heb. 2. 3. 2. An ignorant heart is an evill heart Iohn 9. 41. without knowledge the mind is not good saith Solomon Prov. 19. 2. surely if the head be leprous the body cannot be sound If the head be giddy the body must needs stagger If the eye be dark all the body is dark Matth. 6. 22. 3. All their workes are evill and workes of darknesse they can yeeld no obedience to God acceptably because it is brutish and not rationall service for how can we shun evill when we know not what is evill Or do our duty when we know not our duty The blind eates many a fly and who so bold as blind Bayard Ignorance made them lay violent hands upon Christ himselfe but had they known him they would not have crucified the Lord of glory 4. Fourthly They can have no repentance for how can we repent and be greived for our sins untill we know them and how can we cry for mercy when we see not our misery Ionas while he was asleepe in the ship feared not the tempest till awakened the child in the dark womb cryes not till it come into the light 5. How full of feare are they that walk Light is sweet but darknesse terrible in the dark The Egyptians when the plague of darknesse was upon them how uncomfortable was their condition But what horrour will possesse thy darke soul in that hour of darknesse how terrible will death be to thee The Sun ecclipsed at the death of Christ was dreadfull but more dreadfull will it be when the face of God is ecclipsed toward thee 6. Sixthly Such have no part in Christ for as in the creation the first work God made was light so in the regeneration Iohn 17. 3. Iohn 4. 10. the first grace God gives is light Awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead and Christ shall give thee light saith the Apostle Eph. 5. 14. The Eagle tryes her young whether they be her owne by this signe if they can endure to look upon the Sun or else she ownes them not as they say but casts them upon the hard stones And certainly thy ignorance or knowledge discovers thee to be a child of light or a child of darknesse for God hath sworne an ignorant person shall never come into heaven It is a people that do erre in their hearts and have not knowne my wayes wherefore I sweare in my wrath they Hos 6. 6. Ioh. 7. 49. should never enter into my rest Heb. 3. 10. Neither will God shew them any mercy which is usually their excuse if they be ignorant as appeares Esa 27. 11. They are a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will have no mercy on them Nay Christ hath said he will come in flaming fire to render vengeance to them that know not God 2 Thes 1. 8. Ignorance will end in vengeance Neither will voluntary or negligent ignorance excuse a tanto but aggravate thy wrath John 3. 19. this is condemnation that is this makes their Ignorantia minuit à peccato quantum minuit à voluntario Aq. 2. 2. Qu. 76. condemnation the greater because light is come among them but they loved darknesse more then light and therefore it is affected darknesse Quest What should ignorant men do to come to the knowledge of Christ and their own salvation I answer First I advise them to get a Catechisme and if they cannot get it by heart yet let them read it over and over againe and againe and for poore servants let this be a part of their Sabbath dayes work I could wish likewise that Parents Masters
Those that honour me I wil honour even here so farre as he sees good for us and in heaven eternally But on the contrary God will staine the pride of all glory Es 23. 9. and turn our glory into shame Prov. 25. 27. As to eat too much honey is not good because it turns into gall and bitternes so for a man to seek his own glory is not glory why because God turnes it into shame and infamy In the last place we must preach 9 Exemplarily Christ examplarily In holy conversation thas life and doctrine goe together and do not crosse each other Be thou an axample to the flock saith Peter 1 Pet. 5. 3. We must say as Gideon to his souldiers Iudg. 7. 17. look on me and do likewise We must not bind hâ—avy burthens upon other mens backs and we our selves not touch them with one of our fingers as did the Pharisees The Priests had on their breast-plates Vrim and Thummim because they were not only to give light of direction by teaching but also to be a patterne of perfection in their practice They had also upon the fringe of their garments bels and pomegranates typifying their sounding doctrine and their fruitfull life but if there be nothing but bels and no pomegranates they may make a noise but it will be like sounding brasse and tinkling cymbals And the disciples when the Holy Ghost came upon them had cloven tongues as it were fingers on their tongues to teach them their words should be their works It was the mark of a bad man but it is the note of a good minister to speak with his feet and teach with his fingers Prov. 6. 13. He must be tota vox not vox praeterea nihil Let the people say As we have heard so we have seen The people should see the preachers voice acted in his conversation Like the Angels that had wings and hands under their wings Ezek 1. 8. 1. Ministers are called Angels because perhaps we should be as Angels in our lives in comparison of other men but if Angels fall they turn divels We are cald starres which are the ornaments of the heavens because we should be the ornaments of the Church but if we be spotted and blemished with sinfull lives we are not the starres but stains and blemishes of the Church O then let our care be to be holy as Angels are holy yea as God is holy in all manner of conversation walking with God in our closets in our families in our words and speeches not given to foolish talking and unseemly jeasting but sober and gracious our lips dropping as an honey combe forgetfull of injuries slow to anger patient in afflictions ready to do good to all but harmefull to none and a companion of them that feare the Lord. We areas a city set upon a hill our conversation is narrowly looked into a little spot is soon seen a little hole soon spied in our coat yea if there be none they will make one if they can As Plutarch observs The least blemish in the face be it but a wart is more perspicuous then deformed scars in the rest of the body for a scarr in the body may be covered with garments but a mole in the face is apparent to all Therefore let our light so shine that men Matth. 5. 16. may see our good works and glorifie our father which is in heaven 2. We are called to draw neer unto God and be with God as it were in the mount as Moses was therefore we had need be holy I will be sanctified of them Medius inter deum populum debet esse similimus Rain Panth. Levit. 21. Zach. 3. 4. that comâ— neare me Levit. 10. 3. it was written upon Aarons forehead when he stood before the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 holinesse to the Lord and no man that had any blemish could be made a Priest When Iohoshua the high priest stood before the Lord he was then commanded to put off his filthy garments Unclean hands are unfit to carry Gods ark Alas who are we to speak to God and live much lesse to speak from God to the people that they may live When God appeared in his holinesse wo is me said Isaiah I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips for mine eyes have seen the king the Lord of hosts Es 6. 5. 7. He was afraid to look upon God till God sent an Angel to him that said Thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin is purged How holy had they need be that draw neer to so holy a God who can dwell with everlasting burnings Es 33. 14. that is have coÌ„munion with the holy God Surely none other but he that walketh righteously as verse 15. Hence the Priest in the old law was not to go up by steps unto the altar least his nakednesse should have been discovered thereon Exod. 20. ult and they were appointed linnen breeches from the loynes to the thighs for the same end typifying Exod. 28. 42. 43. how holy we ought to be that draw near unto God that no filthy nakednesse do appeare 3. Then indeed we preach with authority Id â—um imperio dicitur quod priâ—s agitur quà m dicitur Suadet loquentis vua Non oratio when we practise that our selves which we preach to others As our blessed Saviour taught with authority not as the Scribes because he did and taught Act. 1. 1. he taught by example as well as precept Learne of me saith our Lord Christ that I am meek and lowly So Ioh. 13. 15. when he washt his disciples feet I have given you saith he an example that you should do as I have done unto you c. Then is there life in our doctrine when there is doctrine in our life and likely that that comes from the heart goes to the heart and ordinarily affects more then all studied phrases and Rhetoricall flourishes Why did Herod reverence Iohn-Baptist but because he was a just Matth. 6. 20. man and holy in his conversation For holinesse is venerable Godlines with power is full of majesty This made wicked Saul so reverence the Prophet Samuel he was afraid of him And Ahab Elias And Ioash Iehoiada Yea a child or poor man-servant or maid-servant in a family have a throne set up in the heart of a wicked master father c. But on the contrary our words have little power with the people when our lives are contrary as the Scribes and Pharisees taught with little authority because they said but did not Words Dicta factis deficientibus erubescunt Quid verba audiam facta non video blush where deeds faile Physitian heale thy selfe Thou that sayest a man should not steal dost thou steal saith the Apostle Rom. 2. Suppose a man should smite another with a wounded arme alas he would smite but faintly because while he smites another he bleeds himselfe Mr. Dyke on Philem. tels a