that men receiue that word it growes the greater and the more it increaseth continually It is not ordained to bee hid vp and smothered but to be giuen out Now to come to the text and to goe through it briefly When he hath spoken of this word which he hath receiued to dispense he leaues it not but stickes on it and immediatly he termes it a mysterie A mysterie to speake of it briefly it signifies a thing hid from the eyes of men so that it cannot be seene so A mysterie long as it is hid especially it signifies a holy thing concerning religion and the worship of God that is the proper signification of a mysterie and in this place Paul takes it so as he doth 1. Tim. 3. 16. where he saith Great is the mysterie of godlines that is not the mysterie of euery religion but of the true religion which hath been hid from the beginning and now is manifested among his Saints Then marke briefly You see this word of God it is a mysterie a thing hid and so kept close that the naturall man could neuer so much as haue a thought in his 1. Cor. ◠14. minde of it or once to thinke that there was such a thing in the world as this Gospell that we preach to you this day that the naturall soule could not doe so much as once suspect that there was a Sauiour It is a folly to thinke that the knowledge of Christ is naturall nay by nature thou wouldest neuer haue once dreamed that there hath been such a thing If God had let Adam alone after his fall he would not haue euer once so much as dreamed of redemption or that there was a Christ or a Sauiour and therefore this Gospell it must be precious that was kept so close If a man get a precious iewell hee will keepe it close and will not let it see Sunne nor winde The Gospell of all iewels in the world it is the most precious and it hath been kept secret and close this long time yea men knew not what it meant til the Lord Iesus Christ the wisedom of the father reuealed it and opened it to the world and to his Disciples and therefore it being so precious if we had eyes to see and hearts to consider O how highly would wee esteeme of it yea euen thou that now lookes so lightly to it but alas the world perisheth for fault of sight and consideration But to leaue this and to goe to the next point In the words following he defineth the time of the hiding of it he saith Hid since the world began that is from all eternitie Secondly it was hid from all generations of men The first word meanes that before or euer this world was made it was hid in God Ephe. 3. 9. The second word meanes that after this world was created it was hid from so many generations euen till Iesus Christ was manifested in the flesh and then it was reuealed Then marke this This word is an ancient thing a thing before all things It The antiquitie of the word came not this day or yesterday but it was before the world was and looke how old God himselfe is the Gospell is as old hid in that secret counsell from all eternitie And if you compare it with the world it selfe before this world was made it was hid and consequently it was in rerum natura Then brethren if antiquitie if age will recommend a thing let eternitie recommend the Gospell It had not a beginning no more then God in whose breast it lay hath a beginning and it is the same Gospell we preach to you this day Let them call it a new Gospell O vaine men this Gospell is the same Gospell that was hid from the beginning Then marke againe I see here this world hath lien long in darknes after the creation and hath wanted the light for a long time For brethren I neuer counted of the light of the Sun when the light of Iesus Christ is lacking Woe is thee better it were thou hadst neuer been borne nor seene this light of the Sunne that shines in the firmament The light of Christs Gospel how precious if thou haue not seene the light that is in the Gospell of Iesus Christ All light in comparison of that light is meere darknes So then this world hath been long without the light of the Gospell and it hath been a long night euen from Adam to Christ in a manner there hath neuer any thing been al that time but darknes and night As for the Gentiles they saw neuer one glimse but dyed in miserable darknes they were led blindfold to death and damnation As for the Iewes their case was better yet their light was but a glimmering they had 2. Pet. 1. 19. not the light of the Sunne The greatest they had it was but the light of a lantorne that is the light of the Prophets O then this behooued to follow that in the old world before Christ came many dyed in miserable darknes for without light and life in Iesus there is nothing but death Remoue thy light thy life is remoued remoue the Gospell thou dyest and perishest incontinently And therefore Paul Rom. 5. 21. speaking of this estate from Adam to Christ he saith Sinne raigned vnto death where the light of Christ is not there is nothing but the raigning of sinne to death and damnation Well then this tels vs how we should esteeme of the Gospell Alas if thou wist what miserie they were in that wanted this Gospel then thou wouldest account all thy blessing to be in the hauing of it To goe forward When he hath shewed how long it was kept close then he shewes when it was reuealed and brought to light Now saith he it is reuealed to his Saints Now that is in the fulnes of time as it is said in the Epistle to the Galathians chap. 4. 4. and Ephe. 1. 10. In the dispensation of the fulnes of time that is whē Christ was comen into the world that was brought to light Yet this word now reacheth further euen to the whole time that the Gospell is preached and shines in the world And it is that that in Heb. 3. 7. is called the day saying while it is day harden not your hearts and in 2. Cor. 6. 2. it is called that acceptable time Then here I see the world since Christ came into the world as we say is the blessedest come that euer came It hath bin a lightsome world and I see the Sunne hath euer shined and that there hath neuer been night but euer day no no interchaunge nor coursing about but where Christs Gospell is there is euer day Therefore it must follow that since Christ came there haue bin many saued They died and perished in multitudes before his comming but after his comming when that light and that Sunne of righteousnes rose vp looke as in huge heapes before they perished
not barely a mysterie but a glorious mysterie and not that onely but he cals it the riches that is the infinitnes of the glorie of this mysterie Then ye haue a glorious mysterie and a rich mysterie of glorie a plentie of glorie such as neuer was I remember in the Ephesians 1. 18. Paul speaking of that inheritance he calles it not barely a heritage but the glorie of his inheritance and not that only but his inheritance glorious among the Saints This let vs see first that all the graces wee haue in Christ are good in substance they are profitable and not that onely but also it The riches of Christ lets vs see the gloriousnes of them in qualitie and not that only but also it lets vs see the infinitnes of them in quantitie So what would you haue in Christ In him thou hast good things in him thou hast glorious things in him thou hast infinite things infinite in length breadth and heighth infinite in deepnes incomprehensible euery manner of way So in Christ all things glorious and neuer a thing we haue in Christ but it is a thing of infinite weight yea the least thou hast it is of infinite weight All these earthly things in comparison of these are of no value the least bit of thy regeneration is worth them all so the grace of Christ is incomparable Howbeit the Apostle borroweth the speeches to expresse the same in some manner yet the grace of Christ is vnspeakable O if we could take some apprehension in heart and but once thinke of it no the heart is not capable of it no more then the tongue can expresse it And in the day of the Lord we shall see these things to be verified and happie shal we be if we can striue to know these things of Christ and striue to haue them in vs in some measure All our strife should be to prease forward to take euer a further and further apprehension of these gifts of Christ in our hearts then next to speake of them with a full perswasion Alas our speech is but a tastelesse word which testifies How we should speake of Christ that thou wotst not what the grace of Christ meanes When wilt thou learne to call it a glorious Gospell Yet brethren marke this Gospell for as sillie as it seemes to you it is a rich thing it is the riches of God Wouldest thou bee rich Seeke the Gospell Wouldest thou be wise Seeke the Gospell For if thou hadst all the riches vnder the Sunne if thou want Christ thou art a poore wretch And if thou hadst al the glorie in the world if thou want Christ thou art an ignominious bodie full of shame If thou want the Gospell thou hast no wit thou art a foole if thou wert neuer so fine a Mathematician a Phisitian and a Lawyer O foole if thou hast not the reuelation of Christ thou hast a foolish head and thou shalt be shut vp in hell as a foole So brethren there is nothing to make choise of besides this Gospell and one day it shall proue so And one day you shall see it either to your shame or to your glorie Now to goe forward Among whom is this so glorious and so rich a Gospell reuealed He saith among you who are Gentiles Not among the Iewes and their nation onely for brethren so great a light craueth greater bounds who will goe draw in the Sunne into a house to make a house the seate of it and make it as it were a candle shining in the house O this passing light of the Gospell it must not bee drawne into one nation onely but this light that would illuminate a thousand worlds it must be set vp on high to shine on all the nations in the world And therefore hee saith it is manifested among the nations and so it is extended to this sillie vnworthy nation of Scotland O Scotland thy onely light is the Gospell and thy onely glorie is the glorie of the Gospell and shame and darknes shall come to thee if euer thou let this glorious light of the Gospell depart And I say to thee let this glorious Gospell slip and then of all the iudgements that euer came vpon a nation or countrey the most fearefull and terrible shall light on thee And therefore as euer thou wilt haue life and the ioyes of heauen striue euer to hold in this light But here the goodnes of God appeares that to condemned creatures he should haue suffered this light to shine all were condemned creatures the sentence was pronounced against all We of Scotland were of that number Gentiles Alas if we could once consider this O wretched man that euer thou shouldest haue seene this sight of the Sunne of righteousnes if thou reioyce not in it If thou couldest consider the benefit that thou art borne in the daies of light that y e beames of Iesus Christ goe into thy heart thou wouldest count more of it then of al the kingdoms in the world yea thou wouldest say euery morning and euening Blessed be God that I was borne in this lightsome time and among all things y t should make thee thankful this should be the chiefest that thou wast borne in the time of the light and grace of Iesus Christ offered to the world Hitherto wee haue spoken of these foure circumstances In euery one of them shines the glorie of God and that so wonderfully that God got not to himselfe in the creation such a glorie as he hath gotten by the reuelation of this mysterie of Iesus Christ For aboue all his workes the worke of this his mercie is the greatest Now in the end of the verse hee makes this more plaine that hee spake of the riches of God and the Gospell And hee comes downe more homely to their vnderstanding as if he would say O ye Colossians would you know what I meane by these riches I meane nought but Christ as these riches be nothing but Christ What was hid in this mysterie of the reuelation nothing but Christ when it was reuealed and the glorie of it laid out abroad as merchandise is vsed to be there was nothing in it but Christ For brethren all this word of the Gospell is nothing but Christ Al our preaching what is it but Christ The word of the crosse and then of his ascension all our Gospell hath no other matter nor substance And when he hath drawne these riches to Christ and made him all then hee comes neerer them and drawes in Christ to them to their consolation It is not enough that they should heare of Christ and him preached but he applies the same vnto their hearts and soules so the lesson is All the heauenly glorie and riches which thou hearest tell of draw it into In Christ consists all fulnes of glorie Christ for there is no glorie but Christs glorie For the glorie of the Father and of the holy Ghost dwels in him bodily and thou shalt neuer
tenth verse of the last chapter to the end Moreouer as concerning Maister Rollocke and his workes because this is the first fruite of his labours published in the English tongue he was as may appeare by many testimonies a most reuerend and faithfull seruant of Iesus Christ His name is very pretious and great in all reformed Churches and Nations which haue receiued the Gospell of Christ His learned and holy Commentaries on the Prophecie of Daniel on the Gospell of Iohn on the Epistle to the Romans Ephesians Galathians Colossians Thessalonians with his other workes extant in the Latine tongue testifie aboundantly of his gifts and graces And least any should except against my iudgement Epistola in Tractar de vocatione efficac ad D. Iohnston which I confesse is but meane or nothing heare one to speake for all whose wisdome and learning is reuerenced of all the godly Churches I meane Maister BEZA concerning this mans workes He saith That his labours on the Epistle to the Romans and Ephesians be as a rich treasure sent from God to his people Next saith he without all flatterie be it spoken I haue neuer as yet read any thing written in this kinde more briefe more eloquent and more indicious And then he proceedeth saying When I had viewed his workes I could not containe my selfe but as I was bound I gaue God thankes for him reioycing for his blessing on the Churches This part of his workes I meane these Lectures on this Epistle they were first preached in the Scottish tongue not much differing from our speech specially in the North parts of this land but now they are published in the most common and vsuall English phrase for the comfort and edification I trust of all such as vnderstand not the Latine tongue in both kingdomes I could wish in mine heart that all Preachers in both Churches would learne of this man to Preach the Gospell of Christ who wanting neither wit nor learning to set forth his exercises yet respects he as the Apostle taught him neither excellency of words nor humane wisdome nor desires to sauour of any thing but of Iesus Christ and him crucified His continuall care is so to speake as that the spirituall power and grace of the 1. Cor. 2 1 2 3 4 5 6. Gospell might speake onely to the consciences of the hearers to worke in them and not himselfe by any perswasions of his learning and eloquence These workes are now published after his death so that he hath not performed what he could and would haue done if his owne hand had been last vpon them The Christian readers will therefore pardon I doubt not all faults louingly which haue past in this first impression And thus hauing commended this worke vnto thee recommend me and it vnto the protection and blessing of the Almightie in Christ Iesus Thine in Christ Iesus Henry Holland MAISTER ROLLOCKS LECTVRES VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians THE FIRST LECTVRE COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 1 2 3 4 5 6. 1 Paul an Apostle of Iesus Christ by the will of God and Timotheus our brother 2 To them which are at Colosse Saints and faithfull brethren in Christ Grace be with you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Iesus Christ. 3 We giue thankes to God euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ alwaies praying for you 4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Iesus and of your loue toward all Saints 5 For the hopes sake which is laid vp for you in heauen whereof ye haue heard before by the word of truth which is the Gospell 6 Which is come vnto you euen as it is vnto all the world and is fruitfull as it is also among you from the day that ye heard and truly knew the grace of God I Haue chosen brethren this Epistle which the Apostle Paul lying in bands at Rome wrote to the Church that was at Colosse euen for this cause chiefly because as you shall see in the deduction it sheweth all grace to be in Christ Iesus our Lord all wisdome knowledge mercy and whatsoeuer a sinfull creature standeth in need of is to be sought and found in Iesus Christ and nothing to be sought without him But to come to the purpose briefly the Colossians were so called of Colosse a towne in Phrygia in Asia the lesse whom Epaphras not an Apostle but an Euangelist inferior in ranke to an Apostle had conuerted to the faith of Iesus Christ After him enters in certaine deceiuers to subuert the ground of faith which faithfully and truly Epaphras had laid mingling with the Gospell vaine Philosophie the rites of the Law of Moses voluntarie worshipping as it is called not content with the simplicitie of the Gospell In the meane time the Apostle lyeth at Rome in bandes he had neuer seene them nor been among them because they were not founded by him but by Epaphras who comes to him and communicateth to him the estate of the Church at Colosse how he had founded it and how false teachers had crept in Wherefore he desires the Apostle to write this Epistle to them to exhort them to stand to the true doctrine that Epaphras had taught them and not to beleeue the false teachers And this is the occasion of the writing of this epistle The Principall parts of it are these First the salutation of Parts of the Epistle the Apostle with Timothie to the Church of Colosse Secondly the preface wherein he indeuoureth to purchase the good will and attention of the Colossians Thirdly the doctrine it selfe short but exceeding effectuall of the Lord Iesus and his office as we shall heare hereafter Fourthly after the doctrine he comes to the exhortation exhorting the Colossians to constancie and perseuerance in the faith and doctrine of Iesus Christ Fiftly he admonisheth them to beware of false teachers these things are handled in the first two chapters Sixtly he commeth to certaine precepts partly generall partly particular Seuenthly he endeth his epistle with some salutations As touching this first chapter first we haue to obserue in it the salutation secondly the preface of the Epistle thirdly the doctrine fourthly the exhortation As for the salutation because it is common to the rest of his epistles therefore I shall passe through it briefly The persons that wish health and welfare to the Church of Colosse are first Paul the Apostle sent immediatly by Iesus Christ by the will of the Father first the will of the father goeth before then the sonne the Lord Iesus sendeth out this Apostle for he did nothing without the will of the Father The second person is Timothy a brother so he names him not an Apostle but an Euangelist and fellow labourer following Paul watering where he had planted for the office of euery Euangelist was to water where the Apostles before had planted and to build where they had laid the foundation of the true doctrine of Iesus Christ the Sauiour The persons vnto
whom this health and welfare is wished are those that were at Colosse to wit the saints the faithfull brethren in Iesus Christ that is to say the Church of God that is made vp of faithfull men and saints all brethren in Iesus Christ at that time in Colosse The thing wished by Paul and Timothy is first grace euen that grace euen that mercy that is shewed vpon the world in Iesus Christ the Lord of grace and mercy without whom there is no grace to any nation tongue nor person vpon the earth Then the second thing is peace that followeth on grace for his grace once obtained in the remission of sinnes vpon it then followeth that inward peace of the soule and conscience especially towards God and all felicitie both spirituall and corporall And without that grace there is no true peace nor blessing of God all is but a curse to thee though thou hadst all the world Now to come to the preface vpon the which we minde by Gods grace to insist passing ouer the salutation and the rest before In the preface of the Epistle the Apostle procureth and conciliateth to himselfe the good will and affection of these Colossians to this end that they liking of the person of the writer should esteeme the more of the doctrine exhortations precepts and directions that after followe For the liking of the person of the teacher and writer serueth much to the imbracing of the doctrine that is taught and by the contrarie the misliking of the person that teacheth the word of God hindereth the faith of the hearer The Apostle knew this and begins with a preface to allure and conquer their fauour and good will The arguments whereby he laboureth to doe this are two The first is he lets them vnderstand that he thanketh God for them The second argument is he letteth them vnderstand that as he thanketh God for them so immediatly he prayeth for their happie and prosperous estate in Christ Iesus So there are the two arguments whereby hee will procure their good will and attention to this his doctrine We thanke God saith he euen the father of our Lord Iesus Christ there is the first argument alwayes praying for you there is the next argument In the text following he expounds euery one of them in their owne roome Then to come to the proposition of the argument we thanke God saith he euen the Father In thanking God for them he congratulateth with them for that blessed state that they stoode in in Iesus Christ Obser ∣ uation 1 Ye see brethren his reioycing with them for that estate stands not in thankesgiuing to them or praising of them for that estate but in praising and glorifying of God to teach vs in all our congratulating together for the prosperous estate of any people or person in particular not to forget God but to make our congratulation a thankesgiuing to God and praising and glorifying of him and why should we not if we looke aright on the matter whatsoeuer thing ioyfull or prosperous falles out in this world either vpon our selues or vpon others temporall or spirituall all are his benefits and falles downe from heauen from him and therefore why should we not when we reioyce for any thing either giuen to our selues or vnto others remeber our God and giue thankes to him for the same Note Our reioycing should goe vp to heauen from whence that blessing descended and came downe This manner of congratulation is not in this place onely but through all his epistles and it is far different from the reioycing of the Ethnickes that neuer speaketh one word of God The flattering Lowne will say to the Emperor it is your wisedome you haue done this or that and neuer a word of God So that as many congratulations as you reade in these prophane men they are all as many blasphemies against God giuing the praise due to God to a creature that is but vile and stincking though he were an Emperor or a monarch ouer the whole earth And as this was the fashioning of the Ethnickes congratulation that knew not God it is euen so with men in praysing men now in our dayes forgetting God How many be there which flatter men as though all were done by them and not by the author of grace what is that but blasphemie against God Obser ∣ uation 2 Marke secondly for whom it is that he thanketh God and prayeth not for himselfe praying saith he ardently for you We are not bound to pray only for our selues but we are bound to pray for others also Selfe-loue draweth vs so neere our selues Selfe loue that it maketh vs forget others Thou art not bound onely to pray for thy selfe but if thou be a member of Christ thou art bound to pray for the body in generall and particular and all the benefits of God bestowed on any person on the earth temporall or spirituall should be to thee a matter of praysing God Brethren if we had that zeale to the glorie of God and that loue to our neighbours which we ought to haue there would not be a blessing of God that fell to our neighbour but we would glorifie God for it as if it had fallen to our selues These are the latter dayes and worst dayes wherein zeale to God and loue to man is cleane departed out of the hearts of men This is a cursed generation To whom giues hee the thankes We thanke God saith he euen the father of our Lord Iesus Christ marke the wordes he saith not God onely but he telleth vs what a God this is God said he that is the Father of Iesus to let vs see that it is vnlawfull for thee to acknowledge another God but onely that God that manifesteth himselfe in the sonne The knowledge of God in Christ is the very key Seeke the face of God in Christ and Christ in the Gospell that opens the gate of heauen maketh thee to get entry into that light that hath no accesse Knowest thou God in Christ then hast thou an entry to him Otherwise thou knowest him not nor thou shalt neuer be able to enter into heauen The Turke for all his speaking of God got neuer accesse to God The Iewe for all his boast of the knowledge of God knoweth him not nor neuer shall knowe him nor see him without Iesus Christ God that sittes in heauen will not looke vpon thee without his sonne he is no father to thee neither will be neither will he shew any sparke of loue to thee but in his onely sonne the Lord Iesus Therefore say not that thou knowest God or that he is thy Father except first and aboue all thou knowe the Lord Iesus thou shalt neuer knowe him but to thy vtter ouerthrowe and wracke if thou knowest him not in Iesus Christ Now to come to the second part of the proposition contayning his prayer hee thinks it not enough to thanke God for them but hee will pray for
the gripe and holde of Christ and make thee to loue the Saints But how got they it of the which you haue heard saith he looke the word Then they got it by hearing Well you that count so little of hearing take heede to your selues they got it by the very eare and that of the Lord. They knewe it not before they heard of it No knowledge of life euerlasting by nature Thou shalt not know that Thou that wouldest liue after this life and after the fashions of it Indeede thou shalt know that thou shalt perish and dye euerlastingly Adam knew this when hee fell from God death seased on him and this was his knowledge of good and euill that he got that he knew what blessing he had lost and into what damnation he hath fallen But no sight of his rising before he heard so no light by nature of life after this life but a sight of euerlasting death and damnation Long may a sinner lye still dead in sinne before he thinke of life he is no more able to thinke of it then a dead body How got they it then by hearing What heard they a word the obiect to the care is a word or sound What word not a word of lyes of men of dreames of fables No how be it thou heare a thousand yeeres all the inuentions and dreames that Monkes in their cloisters haue dreamed build and rest on them as thou wouldest yet thou shalt neuer see life by them What kinde of word must this be then the word of truth a true word must let thee seethe heauenly life What truth is this the truth of the Gospell Euery science hath it owne truth but there is no truth that will saue thee and make thee see that inheritance but onely the truth of the Gospell and therefore the Gospell for the excellencie thereof is called the word of God and for the excellencie of the truth of the Gospell it is called the word of truth Then in a word to speake homely and familiarly to you the charter and the euidence of that heauenly inheritance is the Gospell of Christ Thou hast no other euidence looke The Gospell is the onely euidence of saluation to thy charter chest in heauen earth or hell thou shalt neuer get an euidence of thy saluation but the euidence of the Gospell Wilt thou keepe the charters of thy land and heritage on earth and close them fast vp in a sure chest and reade them at all times and forget this onely euidence of thy saluation and not care for it nor take pleasure to reade on it I denounce vnto thee what euer thou bee that thou shalt neuer see life but thou shalt bee shut out of heauen To doe this it is not a worke of thine own power nor of thine own nature and grace to drawe thee with some delight to turne ouer the euidence of the Gospell to heare it and to take pleasure in it in some measure so long as thou art from the full fruition of heauen and life euerlasting Thou shalt neuer brooke it in heauen and thy pleasure be not in some measure on this euidence whilest thou art here on earth I denounce ouer againe and that by the ministrie of this word thou shalt be shut out thou shalt not haue a furrow of land in heauen Count of hearing as you wil by hearing is your life and there is no pleasure but in the word of life and the oft turning of it ouer When he hath spoken of this Gospell he falleth out in a commendation of the Gospell you shall finde this in Paul when he falles in speaking of the Gospell he cannot be easily drawne from it No question he found the power of it so forcible in himselfe and sawe it also so effectuall in others that where hee speakes of it he cannot goe lightly from it He loued it so well and it was so sweete to him yea as it is said Psalm 119. It was sweeter to him then the honey and the honey combe Well then he commendeth the Gospell to them and there are three arguments of the commendation thereof First which saith he is come to you Brethren the Gospell commeth to vs and wee The Gospell commeth to vs and we goe not to it neuer go to it and it comes vnsent for it would bide long from vs if it stayed till we went for it and though thou wentst for it I tell thee thou art no more able to bring it then thou art able to bring the sunne out of the heauen For except the Lord send it to thee in his mercy and free grace thou shalt neuer get it But to come to the purpose Doe you scar at this Gospell that you haue heard because it is Epaphras that hath founded you you doe euill would he say Therefore he saith ye heard of him nothing but that which is spread throughout the world And Epaphras his Gospell is that that is my Gospell which I haue preached vnto others which is the Gospell of Iesus Christ Take out here a lesson wouldest thou haue a note or token whereby thou wouldest knowe that the Gospell which thou hearest and that we preach this day is the true Gospell the Gospell that must saue the world looke if it be the same Gospell that was spread through out the world in the dayes of Obserue these Apostles or if it be that Gospell that Paul and Peter preached How shall you know if it be that Gospell of the Apostles It is a long time since where shall you knowe it better then by their owne writ Paul nor Peter preached nothing but that which they wrote Neuer a sentence of saluation was preached by Paul but all is written He preached the whole counsell of God Act. 20. I say and will affirme and will dye with it that Paul preached the whole counsell of God and wrote euery word of the same Away with the clouted inuentions of the Papists and that rabble of the cloyster Then I pray you examine all our preachings by the rule of this written word And would to God brethren that they would suffer that to be the onely touchstone Oh vaine Papist thy cause would perish if thou wouldest take thee onely to this touchstone Thou shouldest finde all their inuentions to be but lyes But thou wilt hold thee by lyes and therefore thou shalt perish and they both Then thou that findest this Gospell that is preached to be the written word of the Apostles hold thee by it and take it for the true word of God the word of life and saluation Now I pray thee as thou wouldest find life and grace in it put away all preiudice of the minister whether he be come Preiudice against the Preacher from Rome from the Pope or not and the Gospell that he preached be as good as the Gospell of Paul and Peter if it be no other stand not vpon the man if thou countest more of the man or of
grace He prayeth that they should be filled with knowledge with light euen with that that they haue most neede of O the darknesse that is in man naturally he is full of that blacke smoake of darkenesse he is choked full of it lying wallowing in it so that of all things he hath greatest misse of light If thou were lying in a pit thou wouldest thinke it a great benefit to get a glimse The naturall blindnes of man Ephes 6. 12. 13. of light O but if thou sawst thy owne darkenesse in thy soule thou wouldest neuer bee ioyfull whilst thou gatst this light which the Apostle prayeth for So thē the thing we need most is the spirituall light of God for God is light and dwelleth in light that hath no accesse 1. Tim. 6. 16. What is then thy blessednesse to be filled with this light to be partaker of it in some part as thou art able to be filled with it So the thing promised in the scripture is knowledge and light and the first thing the Apostle prayeth for is to get knowledge of this mysterie of Christ The second word is to be marked that you may be filled with all knowledge This speech letteth vs see that it will not be a part of knowledge that will fill a man but he must be filled with all knowledge how beit the heart of man be but of a small roome and capacitie yet if his heart be sanctified it is a wonderfull thing the length and the depth of the grace that it will receiue howbeit it be finit yet vnspeakable how infinite a thing it will receiue God shall dwell and be all in all in that heart that is once sanctified so infinite a thing it will be capable of Take it in the owne nature thereof ye finde it in A sanctified heart experience in common sciences it is not capable of things that are finit but get it once sanctified it will take apprehension of that infinit maiestie and riches in him That you may be filled with all knowledge whereof there are many things better not to be knowen then to bee knowen Adam would faine haue knowne the mysterie of the forbidden tree and it had been wel for him that he had neuer knowne it Whereof then must this knowledge be of his will what a will is that Euen that will that Iesus his sonne comming out of the bosome of the father hath reuealed to the world that was the best and ioyfullest reuelation that euer was So it must be the knowledge of the will of God reuealed Where was this will some will aske all the time preceding the comming of Christ looke 1. Cor. 2. 7. It was a wisedome in a mysterie hid and neuer fully reuealed while Christ came which was appointed reade the place vnto our glorie Then he comes to that that was contained in that mysterie The things saith he that the eye neuer saw the eare neuer heard neither entred into the heart of man loue him if thou wilt which God hath prepared and reuealed to vs by his spirit If thou haue his spirit thou wilt pierce into the gulfe of his loue towards thee in Iesus Christ and of his riches And in the epistle to the Ephesians 1. hee opens the mysterie more cleerely well it is no small matter to get the eye of thy minde opened Thou wilt thinke it a great matter to get the eye of thy body opened that thou mightest see the visible creatures of God But what is that sight and the opening of the bodily eye to the sight of the soule and opening of the eye of thy soule whereby thou shalt see God and the things of God for thy weale There is no match here Therefore the Apostle to the Ephesians explaines this mysterie more cleerely where he saith that You may see what is the hope of his calling yet he goeth further and what is the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints and then he goeth further And what is the exceeding greatnes of his power towards vs. And if thou hast faith thou shalt tast of such an excellent grace that thou shalt wonder that that same sory and sillie heart could gripe and attaine to such vnsearchable riches The effect of his will is this the way of redemption to the lost world is reuealed the way of remission of sinnes how to be made holy and the rest of the graces reuealed in Iesus Christ True wisedome This is the will of God Note then what call you true wisdome Men would be wise man inclines to nothing more then to haue knowledge Then what is true knowledge To know the way of thy redemption And if thou want this the greater knowledge thou hast the greater foole Be a foole man to come to this knowledge Come down thou art that scansing soring I wot not where come downe come downe I say if thou know not Iesus thou art a foole thou shalt neuer reach to the wisdome of Christ thou must come down and leaue thy foolery and proud conceite of knowledge if thou wilt be truly wise In the end of the verse when generally he hath spoken of this knowledge he laieth it out abroad and saith With all wisdome and vnderstanding By wisdome briefly he vnderstandeth all that knowledge that consists not so much in doing as in contemplation By vnderstanding he meanes such knowledge as stands in doing for religion and that true Philosophie and wisdome is not a bare meditation for a man to sit in his chamber all the day and like a Cloister Monke and in the meane time to doe nothing thereby to profit the Church of God it is nothing it auailes not But religion is a knowledge and a meditation and a doing Practise thy religion or else it is not worth a penny And if it shine not in thy life it is but durt so you haue the parts of this knowledge wisdome Wisedome in meditation vnderstanding in practise in meditation vnderstanding in practising to profit the world You see first this knowledge is spirituall in quality not earthly It is of things that neuer shall take end it is parted it stands in wisdome and stands in practising will you come to degrees It is perfect in degrees and then it is perfect in parts in the which there is nothing that wants or is superfluous This is that knowledge that we haue in Christ howbeit the Apostle would seeme that he prayeth that they should get this faith here yet is it sure that it is neuer gotten in this life if thou shouldest liue Methusalems daies It must be that thou grow in filling vp this faith euery day thou liuest more and more but so long as thou brookest this mortalitie this fulnes whereof the Apostle speakes shal neuer be for this mortalitie must be swallowed vp of life If thou wouldest haue this faith thou shalt neuer get it till the day of the resurrection at which time God shall be all in all 1.
Cor. 15. 28. thou shalt rise vp glorious and this vile body shall be made like to his glorious body Matth 13. and then it shall shine more brighter then the sunne at noone day O the glorie of the Saints when he shall fill them so that they shall not neede a temple nor meate or drinke as it is said in the Reuelation 21. but he shall be al to thee because he shall be in thee and thou shalt be are him in thee thou shalt be a tabernacle to him then shall this fulnesse be and vntill then it shall be but in a growing to that perfection Blessed be that soule that growes and feeles that heauenly liquor dropping day lie into the soule be assured thou shalt get this fulnesse of the light and God shall dwell in thee for euer You see then he hath prayed for wisedome and knowledge to what end is all this will God giue a man knowledge or wisedome or will a man pray for it except hee wot wherefore wherefore is it then That you may walke saith he Wherefore is light giuen but that a man should walke wherefore shines the sunne but that thou mightest walke The sunne is not giuen thee to Similitude sleepe he is but a swinger but a lubber that will lye idle in the day light and the sunne shall witnes against him in that day much more that heauenly light that sunne of righteousnesse shines he for nothing If thou hast gotten this shining light walke goe and trauell be exercised in thy calling and be Vocation not idle will this sunne in the firmament testifie against thee if thou bee idle what will the light of the sonne of man doe trowest thou if thou be idle in thy profession O woe worth thee that euer thou sawst it I see there must be a walking but thou must not walke as thou wilt In deede there be many that are ouer busie and that were better sleeping in their beds then walking as they doe in wantonnesse and wickednesse And there is ouer many reeling here and there as wantons about I wot not what The very day light craues that thou walke according to the light Rom. 13. 12. thou must haue a very comely behauiour in the shining of the sunne and thou must not play the foole the drunken man the harlot the murtherer and the theefe I tell thee and thou doe it the sunne shall witnesse against thy euill deede to thy condemnation And if the sunne in the world and firmament craues this comely behauiour of thee and that thou walke orderly then much more must thou walke by a rule in thy light Iesus What is the rule Walke worthie of the Lord as if he would say is it the Lord that shines staine not that Lord of light by your euill behauiour This importeth as this light shines in thee so thou shouldest see him See him as thou wilt he shines on thee and if thou get a sight of this light blessed art thou Alas these filthie persons if they saw theeye of God trowe ye that they would puddle on this sort all stands on this that howbeit God see them they see him not Happie art thou if thou canst say when thou risest Lord thou seest me now Lord giue me an eye to see thee and Heb. 12. 14 Gen. 17. 1 by the seeing of thee to walke as it becommeth me in thy presence neuer to staine that glorious light by my prophane life Now in the next words he telles more plainely what it is to walke worthie of the Lord it standeth in this to please him in the whole actions of our life Well is that heart that can in any measure be set to please God and well is the mouth that can say I would please thee O Lord Lord giue me grace to please thee No no let not a thought that thou thinkest will displease him break out hold it in and say Lord slay it by thy Thoughts spirit but fye on thee when thy filthie thought falleth out into a filthie deede Therefore set thee to please the Lord in thought word and deede O the ioy in thy heart when thy conscience beareth witnesse to thee that thou wouldest please the Lord thou shalt neuer haue ioy in thy heart while then When we haue set our heart to please him it is but a meeting of the 2. Cor. 1. 12. Lord. The Lord hath set himselfe before thee to pleasure thee fye fye then that thou wilt not set thy selfe to pleasure him Do what thou canst thou shalt neuer be able to pleasure God in respect of his pleasuring of thee Thou art but an vnprofitable seruant yet happie art thou if thou endeuor to pleasure him as he will and wrestling and striuing as it were through a thornie hedge to get this cankered heart subiect to pleasure thy God and say as thou hast pleasured me Lord giue me grace to pleasure thee Note Now the Lord giue euery one grace to please him in some measure To whom be praise and honor Amen THE THIRD LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians beginning at the middest of the tenth verse COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 10 11 12. 10 Being fruitfull in all good workes and increasing in the knowledge of God 11 Strengthened with all might through his glorious power vnto all patience and long suffering with ioyfulnesse 12 Giuing thankes vnto the Father which hath made vs meete to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light WE heard brethren the preface of this epistle it standeth first in thankesgiuing and secondly in prayer We haue heard this other day of thanksgiuing and of the causes of it We entred into the prayer The Apostle sheweth that the first day that euer hee heard of the grace of God which the Colossians had receiued he not onely thanketh God for it but immediatly prayeth for them The effect of his prayer was that they should be filled they were not full yet wherewith with knowledge and not simply that but with all knowledge of what thing not of euery thing but with all knowledge of his wil of the will of God reucaled most cleerely to the world by the sonne himselfe who is in the bosome of the father and who manifested himselfe in the fulnes of time in the nature of man and with his owne mouth reuealed the will of his father Then he layeth out this knowledge in the parts of it In all wisedome saith he which consisteth in contemplation of heauenly things and in all vnderstanding which consisteth in practizing that contemplation All wisedome not earthly but spirituall all vnderstanding not earthly but heauenly touching the loue of God and the saluation of man in the bloud of Iesus Now to what end should they be filled with all this wisedome that they should sit idlie in the world no no but that they should walke and trauell and how according to the rule A misruly life dowes not it auailes
of heauenly inheritance of the Saints thou must come creeping to that communion of Saints be ioyned with them here if thou mind to haue any part with them in heauen separate thy selfe from that societie of the Church of God thou shalt be debard from heauen thou shalt neuer get a sight of it Looke the epistle to the Ephesians where he sheweth wherein the riches of the glorie of this inheritance is Where is it he saith it is among the Saints Ephes 1. 18. So then associate thy selfe to the society of the Saints in earth Men may passe their time and what reckon they of a Church It smelles in their nose what should they speake of it it is a stinking word mockage and scorne to them but I say glad shalt thou be to be of that number or else I shall debarre thee from all societie of the Saints in heauen Thou shalt be excommunicated out of heauen if thou excommunicate thy selfe here from the Saints Now where lies it you take heed where your heritage lyes and you will looke to your charters and euidences diligently for that cause you will looke the scituation of it Hee saith that this heritage of the saints is in the light there is the place a lightsome and a ioyful pleasant place The line of pleasant places saith Dauid Psalm 16. 6. is fallen to me It lyeth then in the light it is in heauen as Peter saith in his first Epistle 1. 4. It is kept and laid vp where God dwelleth it may well content thee to dwell where God himselfe dwelles Yet where is it Thy life is hid with God saith he O then thy heritage is in God! what can bee said more A faire heritage lying in so faire a light euen in heauen with God and in God I see then all our life and ioy either in this life or in the life to come is in that light of knowledge in that spirituall knowledge so that a man that hath his minde inlightened to see as the Apostle saith to the Ephesians the hope of his calling the riches of the glorie of the inheritance of the Saints the man that hath this light he liues and enioyes a great inheritance howbeit he hath neuer an ynch in this earth and his ioy is a true ioy And againe a man that is in darknesse not seeing the face of God in no measure knowing nothing that man liuing hee is dead if hee were an Emperor a King and a Lord. This countrie is full of dead stinking carrions because they want this light and they would pull out their eyes that they should not see this light But woe to them in the end when this darknesse shall bring an vtter darknesse when thou shalt be a dead stinking dog in hell Get thou this light if euer thou wouldest see heauen and haue a part of it which is not in darkenesse but in the light of God To whom we giue all honour praise and dominion for euer Amen THE FOVRTH LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 13 14 15. 13 Who hath deliuered vs from the power of darkenes and hath translated vs into the kingdome of his deare sonne 14 In whom we haue redemption through his bloud that is the forgiuenes of sinnes 15 Who is the image of the inuisible God the first borne of euery creature THe last day welbeloued brethren the preface of this epistle being ended we entred into the doctrine The Apostle in his doctrine begins at the first grace that a man or woman getteth in this world in Iesus Christ The first grace or blessing of God in time after they are borne into the world for our grace mercie begins before all time ere we be borne our election began before the foundation of the world was laid but the Apostle begins at y e first grace in time the first grace in Iesus Christ for all is in him nothing without him is this christian calling from darkenesse to light frō that foule puddle of sinne wherein we lye by birth and nature nay if thou wert borne a king thou liest in the foule puddle of sinne we are taken out of hell for our birth is in hell and to hell we goe if we haue no more but nature Thou art taken out of hell and put into heauē there is the first grace in time Now to come to the text ye heard y e father he getteth the first glorie of our calling Thanking saith he the father He is the fountaine Then we heard wherein the calling consisteth not in a bare naming as one man would call another but the Lord in calling vs maketh vs meete of vnsufficient for heauen he makes vs sufficient of vnable he makes vs able of dead men he maketh vs liuely that is the effectualnes of our calling Then we heard whereunto we are called Our calling is not in vaine we are called to a lot a fairer heritage then all the kingdomes of the world nay y e poorest soule is called to be an heire of heauē Such as are called are called to the kingdome of heauen all other heritages are but dirt and draffe And who oweth this kingdom It is the kingdom of y e Saints It is distributed among the Saints and if thou be not a holy one and in their societie thou shalt neuer see that heritage laugh at them so much as euer thou wilt Where lieth this heritage To wit in the light of God thou neuer sawest such a light It lieth in God for God is thy light and thy life and if thou be an heire of this kingdome thy life is hid with God in Christ To goe forward yet the Apostle insisteth in this first blessing of our effectuall calling and maketh it more plaine in this verse His words are who hath raught vs out that is the force of the word From whence From the power of darknes What more And he translated vs. Whereto To the kingdome What kingdome Of his sonne the sonne of his loue his deere sonne the Lord Iesus Now brethren it is cleere but I shall briefly insist on the words to let you see the force and power of euery word for they are of weight For the words that speake of heauenly things are not the words of men Then the word he hath puld vs out with a force or strength with a constraining I hold it not a simple deliuerie Then look to thy calling It begins at haling of thee Thou art so fast holdē bound whē thou art called that if thou beest not pulled out with a strong hand thou wilt neuer come out and that Christ himselfe saith No man commeth to me no not one except the father draw him Ioh. 6. 44. Thou wilt neuer see heauen if thou be not drawne So our calling must begin at our drawing all the powers in the earth will not draw thee to heauē if the hand of the Lord draw thee not To goe forward He hath drawne vs out
From whence From vnder a power then the cause of thy drawing is this Thou art holden streight and thou art holden by a strong power There was neuer man holden in iron bands and prison so streight as thou art holden by sinne for as light as thou wilt skipt and leape and as nimble as thou seemest when thou art leaping lightest thou art fast holden and the more thou leapest in sin the faster and the faster thou art holden so ere thou get out there must be a power and a greater power then it that holds thee No man saith Christ will enter into a strong mans house before he haue first bound the strong man and then deuide the spoyle Mark 3. 27. No man will take thee out of sinne that strong man except he haue a power that is stronger then sinne What a power is this The next word tels thee It is the power of darknes Alas that darknes of Ignorance O that terrible clowd of darknes and ignorance that is in the soule of euery man naturally without the knowledge of God of Iesus Christ of life and saluation O miserable is that soule that lies in that darknes Then it is the power of darknes a strong power and the strongest power in this world that holdeth thee fast If thou be fettered with darknes then in deede thou maist say thou art fettered fast Brethren there is but two great powers only as for the power of a King out out it is nothing but draffe and dirt the power of the flesh is nothing There are but two kingdomes only The first is the kingdome of God the kingdome of light is a kingdome in deede The second is the kingdome of darknes the kingdome of hell to call it so yea and all the Kings of the world shall be vnder one of these two either a slaue of darknes or els a sonne and heire of the kingdome of heauen Now the kingdome of darknes next after the kingdome of light it is the strongest in this world and to speake plaine to you this kingdome of darknes is but the pit of God a dungeon and a prison house wherein the diuell first lies all chained of the which they are princes lying in bandes abiding their damnation and next them are the reprobate Caine Iudas and the rest and in the which the diuels and the reprobate shall be tormented euerlastingly So the kingdome of darknes serueth to this kingdome of light and they who are in it are but the executioners of God and rods of his fierce wrath Now then it is Iesus Christ that Prince of light that hath drawne vs out of that dungeon of darknes and ignorance He is that strong man whose strength is aboue all strength of the diuell sinne and hell It is he then that hath done this and what more hath he done He saith he hath translated vs taken vs from one place and remoued vs to another place nay it is not enough to bee pulled as it were out of hell except thou be taken away and translated as farre from it as thou maist looke to it Thou wilt goe backe againe if thou be not translated and kept farre from it Whereunto hath be translated vs he saith to a kingdome we shall heare more of this kingdome hereafter A kingdome must keepe thee It is impossible to be kept if thou be not kept in a kingdome The power of a King is required to keepe thee Whose kingdome is it not Caesars no Emperours in the earth nay the kingdome of Spaine Fraunce England and Scotland will not keepe thee flye as thou wilt flye Whose kingdome must it be then that must keepe thee The kingdome of his owne sonne and more of his owne deere sonne the sonne of his loue that is the kingdom of his sonne that he loueth so deerely Well and if that bee the kingdome that thou be translated vnto thou shalt be well kept it is the onely kingdome that is able to keepe thee For first behold the King Who is the King The King is the sonne of God a strong King Ioh. 10. 28. No man shall take you out of my hand O the strength of the son of God! He is God himselfe then he is more a sonne and a king that is so loued of the father and in him he loueth all within the bounds of this kingdome So see first the power and then the loue and no question thou maist say that thou shalt be well kept Blessed is the soule that comes to this kingdom And if thou be not yet translated to it striue to it as thou wilt be safe In a word will you haue wherein our effectuall calling standeth I say to you it standeth in this In taking vs out of one kingdome and putting vs into another in translating of thee from the kingdome of darknes and putting of thee into the kingdome of heauen in translating of vs from a kingdome wherein we liue as slaues fie on it thou liuest as a slaue here a bondslaue to Sathan and thy own foule affections to a kingdom wherein thou raignest like a king There is neuer a slaue there but all are kings in this kingdome neuer a slaue there all are sonnes and if they are sonnes they are heires as Paul reasons Rom. 8. 17. It is a translation from a kingdome of smaller power howbeit of a great power to a kingdome that is infinite No kingdome is infinite but Christs this is comfortable Findest thou thy selfe translated and called to be one of this kingdome See the infinite power of it that is able to keepe thee that thou shalt neuer fall backe againe to the kingdome of darknes And if a man be effectually called it is impossible that euer he shall fall backe againe no more then the diuell is able to take the sheepe out of Christs hands Therefore in the Epistle to the Romanes 11. 29. Paul saith The gift of God is without repentance so that the gift of thy calling is without repentance Blessed is that soule that findes it To come to the next verse In whom to wit in Iesus Christ the sonne of God What haue wee in him A faire grace we haue redemption Through what Through his bloud a deere price What is this Redemption Remission of sinnes Well well thinkest thou it a smal thing to haue thy sinnes forgiuen thee Now weigh the words for in the words he comes to another blessing a second blessing euen the remission of our sinnes that is the effect of the former but to begin at the first word In whom This second blessing is not without Iesus no no no grace no mercie no blessing without Christ this is plaine talke would to God wee could fasten to him so he saith In whom that is in the deere sonne of God Brethren being once translated that is effectually called and drawne to him wee liue not as other subiects vnder a king Subiects would be far Similie from their king and some there is that will
but thou shalt neuer be ransomed but die euerlastingly Whose bloud must it be then By his bloud hee saith not by our bloud that is the bloud of the sonne of God And this bloud of Iesus Christ is that bloud onely that can be the ransome none in heauen or earth but his bloud onely is able to make thy ransome and this bloud standeth best both with the iustice of God and mercie of God because it is the only bloud of Christ that satisfies the iustice of God Why by reason of the worthines of the person he is a man a holy man without all spot of sinne It will not be thy stinking rotten bloud it must be that bloud of Christ that holy bloud that must satisfie the wrath of God It standeth with the mercie of God for when the wrath and iustice of God hath gotten that precious bloud then it is well satisfied then mercie reacheth from heauen to the sinner if thou canst present that bloud then the Lord will say I haue nothing to say against thee I haue nothing but mercie and grace to giue thee I forgiue thee all thy sinnes Many thinke this but words but you shall see one day what these words meane In the last words of the verse that that he hath spoken of redemption he sets out in a plaine terme and common word euen the remission of sinnes In the Epistle to the Ephesians 1. 7. when hee hath spoken as hee hath done here of the remission of sinnes he sheweth that it is through the riches of his grace What is all thy remission to thee but a free remission through the riches of his grace thou hast not paid a mite for it but Christ hath paid the price So these two stand in thy redemption In respect of him thou art redeemed by a price and in respect of thy selfe it is nothing but free pardoning So giue him the glorie and praise for I assure thee it is of an vnspeakable mercie and loue that he hath forgiuen thee and taken the bloud of his deere sonne for thy sinne Hast thou not great matter of praising and glorifying of him O would to God this cankerd generation could see and consider this worke of our redemption Now you haue heard of your calling and redemption two great workes and benefits of God bestowed on his elect in Iesus Christ his deere sonne There followes now a higher point of doctrine speeches of the highest things in the world are either of Kings or Queenes or els of some other great nouelties yet all are but dirt in respect of this speech of the Apostle vttered according to the spirit of God For he speaks of the highest things that is euen of the king of glorie so this speech must be a high speech and yet not so high but a man may attaine to the knowledge of it so farre as may serue to their saluation when he hath spoken of this great king and of his bloud by the which wee are redeemed to let vs see how great a king he is and how precious his bloud is he fals out into a digression and he brings out an high description of the Lord of glorie He may well blabber of him but more he cannot he is so high and excellent in all maiestie All the wits of men and Angels are not able to expresse the excellencie of the glorie of the sonne of God but I leaue that The first part of his description is from his Godhead Who is saith he the image of the inuisible God the first begotten of euery thing created Here wee haue to consider first how God is called inuisible And next how the sonne is called the image of the inuisible God vnderstanding these two we shall get the meaning of the Apostle Wee finde this oft in the Scripture especially in the new Testament that God is called inuisible No man saith Iohn in his first chapter vers 18 hath seene God at any time in another place he saith No man hath knowne him And Tim. 6. 16. He dwelleth in light that hath no accesse How is this then to be vnderstood Looke how he is inuisible This is to be vnderstood of the Father the first person of the Trinitie Note He is inuisible he cannot be seene neither by Angell nor all the Angels in heauen neither by man nor by the eye of the bodie of man no not by the eye of his minde No creature no manner of way can see him yet God forbid but wee see him But how is it that he cannot be seene He cannot be seene immediatly in his owne person no not all the Angels can get a sight of him immediatly It is only the sonne of God that hath that sight for he is in the bosome of the Father and therefore no man nor Angell gets a sight of God I say immediatly because that all the sight that man and Angell hath is by a mediate person the sonne of God This is the first Secondly how is it that the sonne is called the image of the inuisible God I will not insist here to bring in all the differences and sorts and images because it pertaines more to the Schooles then to this place But thus farre I tell you I cannot get here in the earth a better example to let you see how Iesus Christ is the image of the inuisible God in some measure for who can see it in a fulnes then the example of an earthly son You see an earthly sonne will represent the person of his father in the shape of his bodie and in the linaments thereof and that not onely in the outward accidents but in the very substance that he hath taken from him and out of him No image will come so neere as that image so that he will represent him in all these three in stature shape and substance Now to come to the sonne of God you must vnderstand there are no accidents in God All is substance and essence He will then represent him first in his personage euen in a kind of portraiture for how be it he be distinct in person yet nothing is so like the person of the father as the person of the sonne Therefore in the epistle to the Hebrewes 1. 3. He is called the character and the very stampe of the father and he will not onely represent him in person but in substance also So that secondly he representeth God the father in a substance taken from him for the sonne of God hath taken his substance from his father in that eternall generation And thirdly which is higher and this passeth all comparison he represents him not onely in a substance but in that same substance in number so that there is not two Gods but one God Nay the father and the sonne is but one substance and one God in number and therefore he saith the father and I am one in the gospell of Iohn 10. 30. No earthly sonne may say so I am in the
father and the father in me nay no sonne in the earth how verely so euer he represent his father may say so as Christ saith so the likeliest the quickest and the best representing of the image of God is the sonne of God There is no comparison and therefore in Iohn 14. 9. to Philip he saith In that thou hast seene me thou hast seene the father also Why because I am the brightnes of his glorie so that if thou seest me thou seest the father and without the sight of the father there is no life And thou must begin that sight of him here or else thou shalt neuer see him And if the sonne were not so liuely an image of God it were impossible to be content with the sight of the sonne but because he represents the whole maiestie of his father therefore the sight of the person of the sonne contents vs and we reioyce in him O if we had that sight of him as we should haue it then should we reioyce vnspeakably so to end the words imports this when he saith that he is the image of the inuisible God that he is visible Then I aske the question how is the sonne of God visible marke briefly in his manhood that is in our flesh he is visible because Iesus Christ in the flesh is as well seene with the bodily eye as a man and when we shall see him in heauen we shall see him in the very body so there is no question of his humane nature But how is that Godhead seene in the sonne that is a greater question I will assure thee it must be seene or else no life for thee But how is it seene first I answere with the eye of the mind A man hath a bodilie eye in his head and againe he hath another eye in his soule which when once it is illuminated by the spirit of Christ then that eye shall see better than a thousand bodily eyes it will pearce vp through the very heauens and neuer rest till it come to the sight and presence of God Indeede if it be not illuminated it will see nothing but being illuminated it will pearce through the very heauens and enter into the light of God see him So the sonne of God is seene in his Godhead by the eye of the minde and held fast by the heart and felt of the heart What meanes this sweete apprehension that a man will haue of the mercie of God of the wisedome and iustice of God what meanes it Nothing but a sense of the Lord Iesus Christ all is in the feeling of Iesus Christ who dwels in the heart by faith as the Apostle to the Ephesians 3. 7. saith so there is the first way how he is seene But yet would not the eye of the bodie see him Certainly I would see him with this same bodily eye And there is no faithfull man but their yearning is to see him with their bodily eye Now how shall I get a sight of him with a bodily eye I shall tell thee how thou shalt get a sight of him with the bodily eye Indeede thou wilt not get it immediatly but thou must looke in through the vaile There must be a vaile hung downe ouer betwixt thee and that glorious maiestie now through that vaile that glorie of God shines in that flesh of Iesus so the beames strikes so farre that they pearce within thee because thou wilt see the glorie of God through this vaile and thou wilt not onely see the person of the sonne in the vaile but through him thou wilt see the glorious father So in a word when thou commest to heauen thou wilt now goe here and there on the earth to see glorie and wilt gaze on heauen I say vnto thee all the glorie of heauen will be closed in Iesus Christ if thou turne thy eye from him no sight of glorie so all thy pleasure then will be to hold thy eye vpon that glorious son of God and that wil be our heauen and our ioy through the sonne to see the father and to see the glorie of the Lord Iesus clad with our nature sitting at the right hand of his father To whom with the holie spirit be all praise honour and thankes for euen Amen THE FIFT LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 15 16 17. 15 Who is the image of the inuisible God the first borne of euerie creature 16 For by him were all things created which are in heauen and which are in earth things visible and inuisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created by him and for him 17 And he is before all things and in him all things consist WE shewed you the last day welbeloued in the Lord Iesus the Apostle when he ended his preface he entred into the doctrine and in it he beganne at the first grace and blessing that wee get in Iesus Christ in time which is our effectuall calling and deliuerance from vnder the power of darknes wherein we are conceiued and borne Euery man and woman is borne naturally a slaue to the diuel hell and darknes The best of vs all a slaue to hell the diuell and darknes so by this benefit of our calling wee are taken out from vnder this slauerie and translated to another kingdome not of slauerie but of libertie and light to the kingdom of his deere sonne the Lord Iesus Christ that is the first grace and benefit which the Apostle handleth Then from this hee comes to another benefit and he calleth it redemption or otherwise remission of sinnes Being now by your effectuall calling translated to the kingdome of Christ Iesus and being ingrafted into him the next benefit and grace we get is absolution we get a free remillion of all our sinnes and consequently we are freed from death and damnation that followes vpon sin This absolution and setting of vs at libertie from sinne and death is not without a price The iustice of God the wrath of God against sinne cannot suffer a sinner to be absolued without a ransome and price so our remission and absolution must be by a price and paying of a ransome But let vs see who paies it Indeede if wee our selues were bound to pay the ransome neuer any of vs could be safe no all the bloud of men and Angels and it were all shed to be a price for sinne would not redeeme a sinner Then who paies the ransome It is said we haue redemption not through our bloud but through his bloud It is then the bloud of Christ that is the ransome for our sinnes the Lord Iesus hath bought vs deere There was neuer from the beginning of the world nor shall not be vnto the end of the world such a deere price giuen as is the price of our ransome which the Lord Iesus hath giuen for vs. So that which he hath deerely bought to vs is nothing but a free
to nothing he creates him anew againe and raiseth him vp more glorious then euer he was before And if thou be in Christ thou shalt be made more glorious then euer Adam was in the first creation Then would you haue another ground of your redemption Would you now haue the preciousnes of it Thy Redeemer is the first borne amongst the dead All dead bodies shall rise by vertue of him and so that bloud is precious and if thou beleeue in that bloud of necessitie thou must be saued Yet he leaues not of for who can speake enough of the glory of Christ Iesus He subioynes That in all things he should haue the preheminence Euen as he is man he goes before al the Angels of heauen and they are subiects to him This is one dominion and lordship he hath You heard before that hee is the Lord of his Church but in these words is vnderstood a more vniuersall dominion reaching euen to all creatures that euer were created that among all he should be the first and haue the preheminence This is that vniuersall dominion that hee takes to himselfe There is giuen to me saith he all power Matth. 28. 18. And Roman 4. 9. He died and rose againe to the end that he should be Lord ouer both the dead and the quicke Such like to the Ephesians 1. 2. He was placed farre aboue all empire and dominion And in the Epistle to the Philippians 2. 9. Hee was raised vnto a wonderfull height So this is a generall Lordship and it is not onely as he is God but as he is man This is a great glorie to a man to be set aboue al the creatures and to rule them with a fleshy hand The Lord Iesus Christ he rules all creatures euen with a fleshy hand now glorified Whereof comes this dominion so large of his resurrection He rose to be Lord nay be thou sure if Resurrection thou risest from the dead thou shalt rise to be a Lord. For the end of thy rising from the dead is to be a Lord a King greater then Caesar But Iesus Christ he rose not onely to be Lord but to be the Lord of lords because he rose first from the dead Who euer rose or shall rise they rise by vertue of him and his resurrection and it must follow therefore by good consequence that he by whose vertue we rise must be Lord of lords he must be the first and formost in the ranke The Lord Iesus he goes before all creatures that euer were created So wouldest thou haue another ground of thy redemption Thy Redeemer is not only the head of the Church and Lord of it but he is Lord ouer all creatures yea euen ouer the diuell thy very enemie The very hand of the Lord Iesus hales him hither and thither as it were in a rope he carries him he puls him he drawes him here and there as he pleaseth where he will Must not that bloud be precious must not thy redemption be sure Onely beleeue in that bloud and thou shalt be saued Rom. 3. vers 25. God hath set foorth Christ to be a reconciliation through faith in his bloud Away with merits paltrie fie on thee and thy merits both Thou thinkest thou canst not be saued but by thy merits as though the bloud of Christ were not able to redeeme thee without thy merits away with such vanitie The bloud of Christ is sufficient to redeeme ten thousand worlds yea ten thousand millions of worlds To come to the end In the verse that followes the Apostle insists vpon this dominion vniuersall of Christ and lets thee see by two arguments that the Lord Iesus must be first of all creatures haue the preheminence ouer al. The first argumēt is taken from that faire and glorious personage The second argument is taken frō that excellent office that he beares Neuer creature bare such an office to be the Mediatour and reconciler of God and man In this doing hee meetes with that that might be obiected Is he not a man what office hath he aboue other men and what a large dominion is this He answeres indeede he is a man but a man full of God and as for his office he is the great Mediatour such an office as neuer Angell bare and therefore he is the Lord of Lords Then the first argument prouing the dominion vniuersall is in these words For saith he it hath pleased the father that in him should allfulnes dwell there is the words The ground both of the excellencie of the personage and also of his office is this It hath pleased God the father If you will aske how is it that he is so excellent a personage He answers it is of the good pleasure of God It is a pleasure and a good pleasure that blessed will that decree that hath passed from all eternitie before all time It pleased the father that Iesus Christ should be such a worthie personage and a Mediatour so the person of Christ and his office hath a farre fetch and it comes of a decree as old as God himselfe euen from the eternall good will and pleasure of God from his eternall decree So then wee learne it comes not by chance that Iesus was made such a personage as men think of things in the world but it was ordained from all eternitie Then againe it comes not by chaunce that Christ should be a Mediatour but there is a decree past on it In a word neuer thing fell to him but by a counsaile and plat from all eternitie The crucifying of him past by a decree There was neuer a naile stroken into his hands or feete but all was done by a decree Then not to bee curious to aske why was it that Christ should be filled with God the Apostle will haue thee to leaue thy curiositie and he answers thee that it was the pleasure of the father so this one word cuts away these thorny questions concerning the mysteries of Iesus Christ For there is a thousand things in him that should not be inquired of And it were almes to ding thy teeth in thy throte that curiously wilt goe Curiositie in vaine questions and search out the reasons of all things in Christ and why he did this and that and suffered this or that Maist thou not vaine bodie be content with this answere It hath pleased the father so It hath pleased him that the fulnes of the Godhead should bide still in Iesus Christ for euer for it is said that the fulnes of God dwels in him And ye know that hee that dwels bides still Now what a fulnes this is you shall heare hereafter In him saith he chap. 2. 3. of this same Epistle is all treasure of wisedome and knowledge And againe vers 9. In him is the whole fulnes of the Godhead bodily dwelling Then the fulnes that is in Christ it stands not onely in these graces with the which the man Iesus Christ is indued aboue
the enmitie who was the cause of the variance where begun it Man himselfe he begun the variance But who begun the friendship began man it againe Ioh. 3. 16. began Adam the reconciliation thought he of it No he neuer thought of it to begin it againe God the father who called vpon him when he was runne away began the friendship Thou begans it not nay there was neuer such a thing as a thought of it The father he began it euen when thou wast running headlong to thy destruction turning thy backe vpon God Thou maist be at oddes with God when thou wilt but thou wilt not be the beginner of the friendship againe except The loue of the father the fountaine of reconciliation hee of mercie begin it with thee so it is the father that is the authour and fountaine of our reconciliation Yet brethren what is this that the father begins the friendship being the partie aduersarie and the greatest and the worthiest partie This is a rare thing that one of two parties aduersaries and the worthiest should seeke reconciliation of the other that is nothing in comparison of him So this lets vs see a passing loue and mercie in God that began first to seeke thee But yet what a partie aduersarie was he to wit he was that partie aduersarie that was offended by man he did no offence to man but man offended him Indeede there had been lesse matter of marueiling if hee had begun the feude and enmitie but hee brake not a iot to man of his part of the couenant made with him But man false man kept neuer a point of his part and therefore as man is called a lier after that breach of promise to God his maker so this is found that he who hath receiued the wrong and the more strong and worthie partie that that partie will begin the amitie againe This is that incomparable loue that in the Rom. 5. 18. is spoken of There is not such a loue to be found in heauen or earth that the partie that is offended and hath done no offence that he should beginne the peace yea more should giue his onely begotten sonne his deere sonne to be a ransome for the offence done to him There is that incomprehensible loue of God towards man What tongue is able to expresse y t thousand part of that loue Nay al the wit of men and Angels is not able once sufficiently thinke of it Let be to expresse it as it is in thy selfe Thus far for the second Now the third is what moued the father to enter into new friendship with man saw hee ought in me in thee or in any man to moue him to be reconciled with me or thee or any man It is said It hath pleased him then it was his owne pleasure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beneplacitum eius this was it that moued him to be reconciled with vs. This pleasure it was not a thing in time What the loue of the father is but it was a decree that past in heauen from al eternitie A decree that proceeded of meere loue and grace and not of a foresight of any good that either he saw thē presently in man or that he foresaw should be in man hereafter but it was of a free grace without any merit of man And therfore in his own time for the fulfilling of this decree of reconciliation hee sent his onely begotten sonne into the world to preach this word of reconciliation to the world So this word It hath pleased him excludes all merit and worthines in man and it lets thee see that that friendship was without thy merit yea to speake Merit it so against thy merit I know not a merit that thou hast but the merit of hell and damnation Come to the fourth circumstance who were they that were reconciled It is said It hath pleased him to reconcile all things The fourth circumstance And then in the end of the verse he laies this vniuersalitie in the parts of it All things both in heauen and earth This vniuersall particle All things extends not to all creatures yea it extends not to all reasonable creatures it extends not to the diuels no reconciliation with the diuell nor with the Angels that made that foule defection I tell you more it extends not to all men and women no reconciliation with the reprobate for euer they are in ranke with the diuell himselfe This reconciliation it extends then to the blessed Angels who haue stood from the beginning It extends to men and women not to all but to the chosen and elect ones from all eternitie Now there is no question of sinfull man All will graunt that man who was chosen to life howbeit before hee was an enemie to God yet now in time he is reconciled to him But all the question is about the blessed Angels that fell not from God How can it be said that they are reconciled to God Well I will not be curious if you will consider these blessed Angels in themselues Whether the elect Angels be reconciled to God by Christ or what benefit they haue by him apart from the bodie which is the Church indeede it is true they cannot properly be said to be reconciled because they were neuer at feud or enmitie with God for reconciliation as yee haue heard imports a feud but if you consider them in the bodie in a manner they may be said to be reconciled in the bodie for howbeit they be bound vp without the bodie yet they must euer be considered to be in the bodie and so in the bodie they get a new coniunction with God through the Lord Iesus Christ The estate of the blessed Angels before the comming of Christ it was this They hung as it were by the head to speake it so by a stitch as certaine members seuered from the body when Christ comes in he couples them together he makes man and Angell all vp together faster then euer they were before So to leaue this you may see the very blessed Angels who fell not from God they got a benefit by the Mediatour as man doth I say the blessednes of the Angels was not perfected till Christ came They were indeed blessed but they had not a firme blessing while Christ came who established their blessednes And therefore as it is said y e Abraham long before the Lord Iesus came into the world saw him and reioyced so the Angels they saw the Lord Iesus long ere he came and when he came they reioyced at his comming And it is said in 1. Pet. 1. 12. that it is their pleasure to looke in through that vaile to see and behold the Lord Iesus Thus much concerning the Angels Then the thing I note for our selues is this Will you marke what care God hath had of man God he would not perfect the blessednes of the Angels without man he would not giue them that blessing till Iesus Christ the man
the Mediatour came and ioyned them with man So you may see the care of God towards mankinde to haue been very great and very louing The Apostle to the Hebrues 11. vers 39. 40. comparing the old Church with the new saith That the Saints that suffered before they got not the thing promised because God had a respect to vs Euen so he did with the Angels hee would not giue them their full blessing without vs vile stinking sinners What regard is this that thy God should haue of thee Lastly I will speake this to thee that esteemes so little of the communion with the bodie of the Church O miserable creature vaine lowne thou shalt neuer bee blessed till thou bee ioyned with the Saints of God in the Church Vaine soule if thou be not ioyned with the bodie of Christ which is his Church thou shalt perish for euer thou shalt goe to hell I giue thee this doome Now followes the fift circumstance of this reconciliation The fift circumstance To whom is it made It is said to himselfe not to another It hath pleased him to reconcile all things to himselfe Then all blessednes is in that coniunction with God ioyne thy selfe with Blessednes wherein it consisteth him and thou shalt be blessed if thou be not ioyned with God thou shalt neuer be blessed seeke blessednes here and there yet no blessednes but with God The Angels haue no blessing but in that they are conioyned with God through the Lord Iesus Christ yea I tell thee the earth and the heauen haue no blessing but in that amitie and friendship with the creator O what vanitie is it to thinke thou hast any blessing without the coniunction with the creator But to speake of man thy reconciliation must be with the father with whom thou art at enmitie to whom thou wast an enemie whom thou offendedst therefore thy reconciliation must be with God Marke it a sinner sinne against whom he will slay and it were all the world in so doing he sinnes not so much against man as against God No no it is against God himself as Dauid saith Against thee O Lord haue I sinned and done euill in thy sight Psal 51. For sinne is the transgression of the law 1. Ioh. 3. 4. O foule butcher O oppressor and sacrilegious theefe Thou that dost any euill against a man thou dost it not so much against the In euery sin a man fighteth against God person of the man as against God himselfe that is in heauen and so man that sinnes must be reconciled with him because it is against God that the sinne is committed The creatures also that stood and fell not are at enmitie with thee for when thou wast enemie to God thou wast enemie also to the very creatures and God and the creatures were enemies to thee O well had it been for thee who art a Reprobate that thou hadst been made a stone when thou becamest an enemie to God through thy sinne for thou madest not onely God to be thy enemie but thou madest all the good creatures of God to be thy enemie the Sunne the Moone the Starres and firmament the Angels in heauen yea these very senceles things of the earth and the beast and the foule of the ayre the earth grones vnder thee and it would be quit of thee as of an enemie it will not binde vp friendship with thee if thou be an enemie to God So if thou be an enemie to God thou art an enemie to all the good creatures of God and they are enemies to thee but if thou be in band and coniunction with God the heauen and all the creatures will be friends to thee The enmitie and friendship that stands with any creature it depends vpon the feude and friendship with God so that if thou All the creatures in enmitie with all vnbeleeuers be at feude with God all the creatures will be at feude with thee and if thou be at friendship with him all the creatures will be thy friends Marke this well marueile not that the Sea should drowne thee and thy house smother thee that art at strife with God through thy villanous life wonder not it is a wonderfull thing that they that are at feude with God dares enter into a house or go out of it or venter on the sea But the consciences of men are so locked vp that they will not vnderstand nor feare this but the vaine sleeping lowne saies peace peace Oh but the iudgement comes with such a rattle about the eares of the lowne that hee cannot get once space to say God is mercifull Haue you not marked this in these bloudie murtherers and the rest Nay thou that criest peace to thy soule when thou art doing all the mischiefe and villanie thou canst and if thou goe on so the fierce wrath of God and terrible iudgement shall oppresse thee ere euer thou be aware of thy selfe Now followes the sixt poynt or circumstance to be considered in reconciliation By whom is it made There must be a mediator or else it cannot be made Indeed the first friendship was made without a mediator because man and woman they were created at the beginning holy without spot of sinne but at the making of the next friendship because of the offence there must needs be a mediator to passe betwixt thee and that fire that was readie to deuoure thee for thou thy selfe darest not appeare and sue for it immediatly for thou art not able to stand in the presence of that terrible God before whose face there goes a fearefull fire that would consume thee at an instance So there must be a Mediator It is true that the Father made this reconciliation of his free mercie and of a passing grace hee bare to mankinde Would to God wee had a sense of it but I tell thee this grace and mercie was deere bought it is not an easie thing to a sinner that hath violated so holy a maiestie to get accesse againe This mercie from whence this reconciliation comes it springs out of the Lord Iesus as a faire greene tree in a garden it springs out of the very bloud of the Mediatour the Lord Iesus For why the mercie could neuer haue been nor had place if the wrath and iustice of the Father had not bin satisfied with that bloud there could neuer haue been such a thing as mercie to the world if that bloud had neuer been shed and so say I this mercie and grace springs vp sweetly and gratiously out of the bloud of Christ So wouldest thou haue mercie lay hold on the bloud of Christ and as thou wouldest haue part in heauen rest neuer while thou finde that bloud sprinkled in thy conscience thy heart washed with it Now from whence comes this Mediatour how is he giuen to thee The father saith the Scripture loued the world Iohn 3. 16. So the Mediatour vpon whom this new band of mercie and grace riseth is giuē of
the father to the world and that in loue There is nothing in this new band but mercie vpon mercie mercie in the beginning mercie in the progresse and mercie in the end Indeede it is not without iustice and wrath but thou art spared and the iustice and wrath it strikes on the Mediatour so that that is iustice and wrath in the Mediatour it is mercie and grace to thee Nay he hath not spared his owne sonne yet he hath spared the stinking sinner Wilt not thou be thankfull for this benefit Well if there be not a sense of the mercie of God in Iesus Christ looke not for heauen I warne thee that art a King an Earle a Lord a Baron a subiect man wife lasse and lad if ye haue not a sense of this mercie of God in Iesus Christ ye shall neuer see heauen Now to come to the last circumstance after what manner is this reconciliation made with sinfull man The manner is set downe in these words making peace by his bloud shed on the crosse The father reconciles vs to himselfe after this manner by making peace with vs in the bloud of Christ Brethren when two men are at variance the third man will step in and intreate the person that is at variance with the other to be friends with him and he will obtaine it especially if he be an intire man But O that sonne of God! that deere and that welbeloued when he comes in it is not faire words it is not supplications that will doe the turne but him it behooued to go to suffer death and that dead stroke of hell that should haue lighted on me and thee and should haue brused vs euerlastingly he casts in his head and that stroke lights on him It cannot be holdē off thee by no other buckler but by his head and bloud shedding without bloud no remission Heb. 9. nay nay either shall thy bloud passe for it or els the bloud of the Mediatour O it is a terrible thing to haue to doe with the wrath of an infinite God! there is nothing can satisfie him but the precious bloud of his own deere sonne and no other death can satisfie him but a cursed death the death of the crosse a painfull death to be nailed quicke to a crosse It was the figure of the death of hell He was pained vpon the crosse with the paines of hell If he could not escape such a death who was an innocent how wilt thou who art a sinner escape that terrible death O what death shall abide thee if thou be not in him These words then teach vs two things first the greatnes of the enmitie that could not be remoued but by the bloud and execrable death of the Mediatour For if this enmitie had bin but a sillie and small feude what needed all this that the sonne of God should dye such a death Wherefore should all this adoe haue been wherefore should he haue suffered such extremitie So if there were no more to tell thee the greatnes of sin the death and the bloud of Iesus Christ shed on the crosse tels thee O sinne is great and yet the world will not heare it but the soule stinking sinner will wallow in it more and more O sinner sinne is foule and fearefull An euill thought is a great and terrible mountaine The first world had experience of this greatnes of sinne being without Christ Our Gentles in Scotland with the rest felt it I tell thee before this bloud came and the full time came there was nothing to hold off the dint of the wrath and stroke of God that that world found before the comming of Christ What was it a small matter to be an enemie to God was it a light thing to sinne No no for all that time before Christs comming for the greatest part God was doing no other thing but striking and hashing on sinners slaying her and slaying him Sinne raigned all the time to death saith Paul Rom. 5. in the end all perished and went to hell for the most part except some very few And I tell you this world thinkes there is no hell and very few get this grace for so long as that olde Tabernacle stoode few got entrie to grace So they miserable soules that lie now in torment they testifie and crie the horriblenes of sinne and O the preciousnes of the bloud that hath freed now the soules of men from sinne Now when he came into the world I put it out of question The calling of the Gentiles increased the number whereas one was saued before hundreds were saued after For Christ saith for once the bloud was shed men and women thronged into heauen Matth. 11. So all tels thee the blessednes of thy estate that hath fallen in this time If thou hadst any sense if thou wert sent out naked to begge thy meate thou art happie considering this time wherein thou art borne O the happines of this time when the bloud of Christ runnes abroad as a riuer to saue sinners but wee are blinded and as I said before that number is drawne in and beginning to be abridged and the force of the bloud is drawne in and begun to bee lessened and the force of faith is nothing now in respect of the former time of the Primitiue Church and daies of the Apostles and therefore as it began with a handfull so it shall end with a very handfull and blessed is that man that can striue to throng into heauen through this bloud of Iesus Now the Lord worke this in our hearts that as wee seeke for the kingdome of heauen so we may throng in at it through this bloud of Iesus To whom be praise and honour Amen THE EIGHT LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 21 22. 21 And you which were in times past strangers and enemies because your mindes were set in euill workes hath he now also reconciled 22 In that bodie of his flesh through death to make you holy and vnblameable and without fault in his sight THese daies past beloued in Iesus Christ wee haue heard a high description of the Sonne of God the Lord Iesus in the which he is painted out in a marueilous glorie In the last part of this description ye heard it was said that by him as the Mediatour it pleased the Father to reconcile to himselfe all things both in heauen and earth making the peace by the bloud of his crosse In the which words the Apostle turnes ouer vpon the whole Church that hee hath spoken of the sonne of God For all his glorie tends to the weale of his Church all to the reconciling of the Church with God the head in him as the Mediatour Now brethren in this text that we haue read vers 21. he applies this blessing of reconciliation to the Church of the Colossians in speciall And you also saith he hath he reconciled In the which words as before he turneth ouer
as was betwixt God and vs before the reconciler came there was neuer Before the calling of the Gentiles by the Gospell so much bloud shed as was from the time of the fall of Adam to the cōming of Iesus Christ So there is a higher degree of miserie not onely strangers but enemies fighting against heauen with an vplifted hand This degree must follow the former It is not betwixt God and man as it is betwixt man and man One man may be a stranger to another and yet not his enemie but if thou be a stranger to God thou art his enemie A stranger to God is an enemy to him For Christ saith He that is not with me is against me Beware then of the first Turne not so much as thy foote from him but striue to be at home with him and to creepe to his house and to creepe vnder his boord otherwise thou shalt take vp a banner against him Now to goe to the words where begunne this strangenes and enmitie where is the first seate of it which is the fountaine whereof it springs It is not the bodie first it is not in the eye howbeit it be an enemie to God if thou stand in nature thou wilt lift vp a proud eye testifying that thou art an enemie to God it is not in the mouth howbeit thou blaspheme God therewith it is not in thy hand suppose thou fight therewith against the heauens but it begins within thee and the chaire wherein it sits is thy soule If thy soule were not an enemie thy eye and the rest of thy members of thy bodie could not be enemies It comes out of the heart that defiles the man saith Christ Matth. 15. 18. Then againe it begins not at the inferiour powers of thy soule at the sensuall appetite it goes further it begins at the minde of man so saith the Apostle that is to say at the chiefest power of the soule the Ephes 2. 3 minde the eye and the light of thy soule The Mistrisse the Queene that should haue kept all cleane she hath set vp a vile whore and troubles the whole soule This reason which should haue made the soule to see and know God she is the first enemie Very reason in the naturall man an enemie to God of God The very reason whereby thou not onely excels the beast but euen thy selfe is become a whore and greatest foe that God hath in man and abuseth the whole soule of man with her foule cogitation and it defiles the whole parts of the bodie the eye the hand and all the rest with her motion What is the cause of this that the first seate of this enmitie is in the minde and reason of man because all her musing is vpon euill workes she is set vpon them Nay muse what thou wilt if thou bee but in nature all thy musing and thinking shall be but enmitie against God For thou shalt muse nothing but of euill workes Ye know brethren the first deuiser of any mischiefe is the first enemie and not the executor he that abuseth others is the first enemie and lowne and should first dye But so it is the first deuiser of all euill workes is this corrupt minde of man If it come not first in thy mind would thy hand cōmit the euill No no it is first in thy minde and then she puts it out into the inferiour parts of the bodie And therfore if thou gets not grace the first thing that the Lord shall torment shall be thy mind and he shall so torment it y t thou shalt crie would to God when I had had a reasonable minde that I had been a beast Let the Philosophers speake of it as they please as Plato that sets vp the minde as a Queene and the Pope with his philosophicall reason disputing so finely as he troweth extolling nature and free will to good Note That mind of his and his rabble shall one day be wrung and rent in peeces with such torments as the tongue of man and Angell can not expresse And therefore it is that Paul commaunds so earnestly the Ephesians to bee first renued in their minds Eph. 4. 23. The greater reason not sanctified an argument of greater damnatiō It is the mother of all mischiefe and Idolatrie thou hast not to glorie in thy reason if so be it be not sanctified yea the greater conceit thou hast in reasoning the greater damnatiō except it be sanctified in that spirit of Iesus Christ This is the estate they were in before they were reconciled which the Apostle remembers them of that it should neuer go out of their minde Let neuer the stinke of nature goe out of thy mind but Let neuer the soule sent of thy naturall corruption goe out of thy minde weigh it diligently that thou maist giue thankes and praises to God for his grace and deliuerie Next he sheweth the manner how he reconciled them to himselfe and his father for all is alike marke the manner It is two-fold First in that bodie with an emphasis of his flesh The meaning is this he reconciled you by assuming and taking to him a true fleshy bodie hee calles it The bodie of the flesh to let vs see that the bodie which Iesus Christ bare in the world and that hee beares now in glorie at the right hand of the father is not a phantasticall bodie or an appearance of a bodie without soliditie as the Heretikes called it a mathematicall bodie a maiestaticke bodie All is but vanitie but it is a reall bodie as reall as euer the bodie of man was or is of flesh bloud and bones otherwise The bodie of Christ a reall bodie hee could neuer haue been a Mediatour to vs and wee could neuer haue been the better for him either in his death or life Then the first manner of our reconciliation is the assuming of this flesh of this bodie of man hee is first the sonne of God Bodie and soule then he takes to him the bodie the flesh and the soule of man The next word is by death that is by becomming a sacrifice in that bodie which he tooke to him For otherwise if hee had not offred vp his bodie he could haue done vs no good for it is the pearced bodie the shed bloud the vexed soule the tormenting of the man that redeemes and saues thee And therefore Christ suffered in soule when thou hast recourse to Christ goe not to him as hee is in heauen or as he was going vp and downe in Iewrie but goe to him hanging on the Crosse that is to his bloud to sprinkle thy soule otherwise he shall neuer profit thee The Father was not appeased in his wrath vntill hee got his bloud nothing will pacifie the conscience but onely this bloud of Iesus Now marke the Father reconciles vs to himselfe the Sonne againe he reconciles vs to himselfe This is common but in this worke there is a great
she that is holy that gets the presence of God If thou be not sanctified if thou liue not in some measure in a holy life here I Heb. 12. 14 Mat. 5. 4. 5 giue thee this for doome thou shalt neuer see the face of God that is thou shalt neuer be blessed but shut in hell for euer But to sticke vpon the words the word in it owne language to present a man personally in such sort that he hath the eye of him vpon the Iudge and the Iudge vpon him then these words import that wee shall one day be personally with the same bodie and soule and no other presented before the Lord Iesus Christ No no there shall not be such a thing as one shall Euery man must personally present himselfe naked before God appeare for thee but thou shalt personally present thy selfe and stand naked before God there If thou stand vp in holines and see thy Lord thy Iudge with a holy eye hee looking on thee with a holy eye there shall be a mutuall pleasure for if thou be presented holy thou shalt finde such a ioy in thy heart as it is wonderfull to speake of and God shall reioyce of thee Luk. 15. So there shall be mutuall ioy on both parts we shall be presented before Iesus not as before a Iudge but as a The faithfull presented to Christ as a bride to the bridegroome bride before the bridegroome so speakes Paul 2. Cor. 11. not as folke to abide the triall nay there is no iudgemēt for thee that shalt be presented as a bride to thy bridegroome with whom thou shalt liue in ioy and pleasure for euer You see when a bride is presented to a bridegroome there is ioy O the ioy that thou shalt haue when thou shalt be presented to thy Sauiour Iesus Christ as a bride who can expresse and thinke of the greatnes and excellencie of that ioy Then as thou wouldest haue this infinite and vnspeakable ioy with thy husband Iesus striue to holines and seeke to be presented to him and then it shall be well with thee Now in this Iesus with the Father and the holy spirit be all praise Amen THE NINTH LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 23. 23 If ye continue grounded and stablished in the faith and be not moued away from the hope of the Gospell whereof ye haue heard and which hath been preached to euery creature which is vnder heauen whereof I Paul am a minister WE haue heard brethren from the beginning of this Epistle first the salutation the Apostle vseth to the Church of Colosse Secondly his preface before the doctrine Thirdly we came to the doctrine it selfe wherein ye heard propounded briefly the benefit we haue in Iesus Christ our calling to this estate of grace our redemption in the bloud of the sonne of God Then after to let vs see the pretiousnes of this bloud and the necessitie of this redemption by this bloud hee fell out into a faire and high description of the sonne of God setting him out in many points of his glory partly as hee is God the sonne of God onely partly as he is both God and man the Mediatour the Lord Iesus Christ Of the which whole points of his glorie we concluded the bloud of such a glorious personage must be exceeding precious and so it behooued that this bloud should ransome vs and ransome the world Yea if we looke to the preciousnes of it it is not only sufficient to ransome a world but to ransome ten thousand worlds Now brethren wee ended the doctrine the last day it followes in this text that we haue now read in your hearing that Vers 23. wee speake of the exhortation that the Apostle vseth and subioynes to the doctrine The exhortation is in a word Abide in the faith perseuere stand and keepe it fast for it is a precious thing The first argument hee vseth to perswade them to this Perseuerance in the faith and constancie in religion an infallible argument of our reconciliatiō with God perseuerance abiding in the faith is from that benefit of reconciliation wherof he spake before And he reasons after this manner If you abide in y e faith you are reconciled you stand in amitie with God you are friends to him and he to you and therefore if you count of such a benefit stand fast in the faith Now to come to the faith and to marke such things as God will giue the grace and time will suffer If so be saith he you abide in the faith As if hee would say you are reconciled and stand in friendship with God vnder this condition and restriction If you stand in the faith if you stand in the faith you shall perseuere in the friendship with God Then ye see it is the perseuering in the faith of the Mediatour the sticking fast by the Lord Iesus Christ who is the Mediatour of our reconciliation that makes a man to stand in the reconciliation and friendship with God Sticke to him by whose bloud thou art reconciled to God and thou shalt stand fast in that friendship with God As by the contrary so soone as a man lets the hold goe of the Mediatour hee shall fall from the friendship of the father and falling his last estate is worse then the first If he were miserable before the reconciliation he becomes tenne times more miserable then euer hee was And it had been better for him that he had neuer beleeued nor bin reconciled to God but as he was an enemie so he had continued an enemy So you see what it is to sticke to Iesus Christ by faith in him vnto the end Againe he saith not if you perseuere in well-doing in holines 2 Perseuerance in the faith Sundrie kindes of perseuerance but in the faith The perseuerance he craues is in the faith of Iesus Christ There be sundrie sorts of perseuering wee are said to perseuere in faith in hope in holines in weldoing in a godly life and finally there is not a grace but wee are said to perseuere in it and exhorted to perseuere in it But the first ground of all perseuerance is In the faith of Iesus Christ Marke it well And if this ground be laid downe the abiding in Iesus by a true faith all the rest followes willingly Keepe me faith and stand in faith thou shalt keepe hope of necessitie keepe Faith the eye and light of the soule faith that eye and light of thy soule thou shalt keepe holines thou shalt walke in the light and bring out the works of light On the contrary let goe or forsake faith thou shalt let goe hope of life let Christ goe out of thy eye once he shall go out of thy hand and looke neuer to doe any good turne A faithlesse bodie cannot doe a good turne to pleasure God yea though it should seeme the best thing in the world yet wanting faith
all is but dung before God So you see what should be the first thing we should begin at to wit at a standing and perseuering in the faith of the Mediatour Abide in this and all shall follow of their owne will holines weldoing and the rest In the words following he shewes vs the way how to perseuere in faith If so be that you abide in the faith grounded founded The word is borrowed from building on a ground stone How to perseuere in faith the second word is and established euen as you see a man set down in a chaire resting without mouing or wagging sitteth still immoueable If thou wilt abide in faith thou must bee grounded and set downe and must not goe wagging fleeting and flowing as you see some doe Then what is this foundation whereupon thou must be grounded It is euen this same faith Thou must be grounded on it or else thou shalt not abide in it and if thou bee not built vpon it as vpon a building thou shalt not abide in it Faith then must bee the ground It must not be built as it were vpon thy heart it is the falsest ground The heart must be built and rest on faith that euer was but thy heart must be built on faith For faith in Iesus is a fast and established ground Now what is the seate euen this same faith Faith must not sit vpon thy heart which is but a ioggling seate a loose seate but thy heart must be turned ouer vpon the faith of Iesus Christ that is a fast seate so that all the powers in the world will not moue it In a word if Rest not night nor day till thou seele thy faith lying vnder thy heart and thy heart resting firme and stable on it thou abide and perseuere in the faith of Iesus Christ bee built on it rest neuer while thou rise vp vpon it as a building Rest not night nor day till thou feele it lying vnder thy heart rest not till thou finde thy heart setled without staggering sitting downe as it were on a fast stoole and seatc If thou be once setled and builded all the waues of temptations shall not once moue thee thou shalt stand fast like a house built on a strong rocke but if thou be not built and setled on it the least blast of winde of false doctrine and of affliction wil blow thee from Matth. 7. 24. 25. thy faith thy faith from thee like chaffe Alas see we not this inconstancie in fleeting and flowing A vaine lowne he is here to day and away to morrow a Protestant to day a Papist to morrow a Christian to day a Turk or Pagan to morrow and what ye will haue him What is the cause of this O that heart of thine was neuer established by grace A vaine and emptie heart was neuer grounded vpon faith in Iesus Christ And therefore it is that these miserable creatures are caried away as they are and be assured let thy heart abide in that miserable estate of inconstancie till the Lord come thou and it shall be turned into hell headlong as the lightest and rottennest thing in the world Thus much for this first perseuerance in faith He ads to another perseuerance and he saith If you be not 2 Perseuerance in hope of the Gospell moued from the hope of the Gospell that is if you perseuer in the hope of all these faire graces and mercies especially of that life euerlasting promised in the Gospell Now brethren would you know what this Gospell is The Gospell of Iesus Christ is like a mirror or looking glasse so the Apostle cals it 2. Cor. 3. 18. In the which we may see many faire things First we see Iesus Christ the Lord of glorie and then all the faire graces that followes on him thy remission of sinnes thy iustification 2. Cor. 4. 3. 4. thy sanctification the heauen and life and all things what wouldst thou haue more Now the eye that lookes in it is not the eye of the bodie but the eye of faith quicker and cleerer than all the bodily eyes in the world The hand that holds vp that mirror is faith faith is an eye and a hand it sees and holds Now as faith is looking in the mirrour to Iesus Christ and to all the graces that followes him and to that life and glorie that neuer shall haue end in comes this hope and she awaiteth constantly for the accomplishment of all those graces Hope what and of that life euerlasting that faith sees in the mirror and she awaites till Christ come with that life in his hand with the glorie in his hand that he shall bring with him for them who awaits for him As soone as he comes the mirror fals downe The word goes away there shall be no more preaching when he comes And as thou sawst him before in the mirror so then thou shalt see his glorious face as he is so the mirror shall goe away that faith of thine shall goe away What shall be then in steed of all this Thou shalt get that that Paul saies 2. Cor. 5. 7. Now we walke by faith but then we shall walke by sight Our reioycing shall be in the sight of him for euer Now brethren you shal marke here briefly it is not enough to abide in the faith of the promise wherein thou hast promised to thee life euerlasting but with the faith thou must haue a hope awaiting constantly for the thing promised as thou beleeuest the promise that is the word so thou must hope for himselfe and his comming and that life he brings with him Ioyne these two together faith in the promise and hope in the performance of necessitie thou shalt get life That hope shall Faith and hope companions Rom. 5. 5. 6. neuer make thee a shamed It is a thing impossible that a man that waits for Christs comming can be disappointed for heauen and earth shal perish ere that man be disappointed of that he hoped for so then saith he if you be not moued from the hope of the Gospell I say then so long as we liue we must not want Take away the Gospel yee take away faith and hope this mirror of the Gospell Take away the mirror thou shalt see nought Take away the Gospell thou shalt not haue faith Take it away wherein shines all these heauenly graces thou hast nought to hope for and if thou hearest not of a life after this life thou canst not hope for it So these men in the world not onely among Pagans but amongst Christians Lords Barons that haue no pleasure in hearing of the Gospell to looke into Iesus that is in it trowe yee if thus they continue that they shall goe to heauen thinke ye that they can haue faith and hope no no more then a dog hath and their death shall be worse then a dogs death As euer then you would haue life faith and hope keepe the
blessednes to suffer with Christ Looke not to raigne with him except in some measure thou be a companion with him in suffring Yet to sticke vpon the words The word in the owne language is not simply to fulfill but to fulfill course about as he would say my head hath gotten his course now comes in my course in suffring So the word affoordeth a good lesson true all these afflictions go by courses al men and women are not afflicted at once but Afflictions in the Saints goe by course euery man hath his turne euery man his course about Christ begun and hee is afflicted first The Apostles are looking to him their course was not come but soone after came their course Others stood looking to them but soone after their owne course came also Brethren we are but lookers on now we look to France and to men suffring for this Gospell we are looking to Italy and Spaine for our time is not come yet The Lord hath seene that we are not yet ripe as soone as thou art ripe hee will plucke thee like a ripe apple Prepare thee prepare thee O Scotland for thou shalt finde one day thy part of the suffrings of Christ thy course is approching He saith not simply he fulfilled the afflictions of Christ his course about but that in his course he fulfilled the rest of the afflictions of Christ The words import the reliques and hinder part or the residue of the afflictions of Christ So all the suffrings of Paul and the rest of the elect were but as small reliques and remnants of Christs suffrings What we suffer yea if it were but in the little finger we thinke it great but if thou wert pained in all thy bodie and soule that is but a remnant of the afflictions of Christ And where this remnant is there the bodie is but the greater part the heape and multitude went before Who suffered the former part who was he that suffered the multitude if Paul suffered the hinder part who but the head Iesus Christ The heape of afflictions was heaped on him The dint lighted vpon him The waue or billow of Gods wrath tumbling down from heauen lighted vpon the head Iesus Christ All that wee suffer are but flashes breaking off from that waue and billow that lighted vpon Christ So that if you will compare the afflictions of the Church to the end of the world all is nothing in comparison of that that Christ suffered Therefore compare thy selfe neuer with him in affliction but when thou seest thy selfe afflicted then consider what Christ hath suffered When thou seest a little thing so bitter then consider what bitternes was in the whole suffrings of Christ He drank out the full cup of bitternes of Gods wrath but thou onely tasts it to teach thee to count what he hath suffered for thy redemption Now in the rest of this verse he sets downe the cause wherefore he suffered No man suffers for nothing as the head Iesus Christ did not suffer for nothing so neuer a member of his suffers in vaine For whose cause then suffered Paul or Christ in him for the bodie What a bodie The bodie which is his Church All these afflictions saith he that Iesus Christ suffers in me are all for the bodie of Christ Well there haue been many suffrings for this bodie The Lord Iesus suffered the extremitie for this bodie Paul and al the Martyrs suffred for this bodie but there is a great difference betweene the suffrings of the head and of the members The head suffered for the redemption The difference betweene the suffrings of Christ and of his mēbers of the bodie which was in hell vnto the time that heredeemed it out of hell Paul Peter this Martyr that Martyr they suffered not for the redemption their bloud could not be the price of redemption all the bloud in Paul and Peters bodie cannot furnish out a farthing of redemption but onely the bloud of that immaculate lambe is the price and only the price of our redemption in despight of all the Papists in the world onely the bloud of God makes out that redemption These base bodies they haue dreamed a dreame of Indulgences and pardons and say that the people will be safe with Popish pardons the Pope that lownes pardons he shall not get pardon himselfe What are these Pardons and Indulgences which these vaine heads haue found out to deceiue the sillie people with The Pope hee calles it the remission of sinnes by the bloud of the Martyrs this Saint and that Saint O vaine lowne is a pardon a remission of sinnes by the bloud of Peter and Paul this Martyr or y t Martyr What a vanitie is this that they think that a man should not be content with the bloud of Iesus onely and esteeme it sufficient but they must seeke to their workes and where they faile in this they must seeke to the merits of the Martyrs setting this with the rest of their works And this merit of the Martyrs he calles the Treasurie he will send out this his vanitie and this his doctrine through the world Woe to thee Scotland if euer this come among thee And againe I see here plainly that there can come nothing to the church without suffering As for her redemption which is the remission of sinnes it is not without the bloud of the Lambe the bloud of God that is a great matter except this bloud of God had bin shed thou shouldest neuer haue been redeemed out of hell But this is a strange matter when thou art redeemed by this bloud when thy righteousnes is bought yet thou canst not get it without suffring and it cannot be ministred to thee except the minister of it die Paul it behooued to die it Peter behooued to dye and all for the saluation of the bodie The diuell hath such an enuie to the saluation of man would to God thou knew it that there is none that would preach to thee of this saluation but he wil stand vp and seek the slaughter of that man So that this that wee call the Church which now is come in contempt the name of the Saints is scorned at this Church is a precious iewell the spouse of Iesus Christ be what she will be in her selfe yet the bridegroome counts much of her otherwise there would neuer haue been so much bloud shed for her Christ had notsuffered Peter Paul had not suffred if thou hadst not bin precious in the eye of Christ Darest thou then offer to destroy that that Christ hath dyed for How darest thou thou dog offer it He is called an Earle and a Lord and a King and an Emperour and what will hee doe He will oppresse the professors of the Gospell of Iesus he will burne and scald the members of the bodie but if thou knew what Christ is and what a member of his Church meanes thou wouldest hold vp thy hand But there are many false
see so much as a iot of glorie without Christ Therefore when thou hearest speaking of glorie and riches call it all Christs and then sticke not here but when thou hast drawne all to Christ then take him to thy selfe What auailes me all the glorie of God and of Christ if I haue no part of it for it is the greater damnation to thee if thou haue no part of it The more power he hath the greater terror is it to thee the greater mercie the greater sadnes to thee So take him and put him in thy heart and trowest thou not that God will dwell in thy heart The Scripture saith he dwels in the heart Eph. 3. 17. Well then take him and put him in thy heart and thou shalt get the fulnes of glorie and all his glorie shall be in euery one So getting Christ thou shalt get all glorie It is a small matter to know that in Christ is all glorie except thou get Christ applied to the heart him applied to thy heart O the consolation that will be in the heart that hath Christ and without him fie on thee and thy stinking heart both All the things vnder heauen shall not minister ioy to thy soule if thou want Christ in thy heart Alas all other ioy is but vanitie and from the teeth forward Now in the last words when hee falles out in speaking of Christ hee cannot leaue him Would to God wee could finde Christ as powerfull as Paul did Alas wee haue nought but a castlesse word of him and away with him If he were in thee as he was in Paul thou wouldest not speake of him so slenderly but thy mouth would euer speak of him in great aboundance and thou wouldest thinke that thou couldest neuer speake enough of him And why should wee not learne of Paul and such holy men to speake as they spake of Christ Then I say he falles out and calles him that hope of glorie as if he would say that glorie that is hoped for Iesus Christ is that glorie that is reuealed in mysterie Iesus is the riches of that glorie and is that same thing that wee looke for Hee is glorie here in this life and he is that glorie we hope for in the life to come Think not that thou shalt see another glorie in substance but that thou seest now in the Gospell as in the mirrour of all glorie Seest thou not this glorie of Iesus Christ in the reuelation of the mysterie thou shalt neuer see this glorie after this life Looke if this be a streight band it bindes thee with life and death As euer then thou wilt see Christs glorie after this life looke that thou see his glorie in the mirrour of the Gospell We must see Christs glorie in the Gospell if we will see him after this life O vaine foole wilt thou take pleasure to looke in a mirrour to see thy vaine foule face and wilt thou take no pleasure to looke in the mirrour of the Gospell to see the sweete face of Iesus that casts his beames not to thy face onely but downe to thy heart also and makes it light and illuminates thy blinde minde and makes a faire soule Well is the man that hath a lightsome soule O foole thou wilt be carefull to haue an eye in thy head but it had bin good if thou neuer hadst had one if thy soule abide blind It is y e light of Iesus that makes a soule a soule When he shall come in his owne person thou shalt see him no more in a mirrour thou shalt heare no more of the Gospell but in steede of it the Lord Iesus shall stand vp in proper person and the beames of his glorie shall transforme thy face and all the parts of thy bodie shall begin to bee more glorious then the Sunne in the noone day Thou shalt be made conformable to his glorious bodie Phil. 3. 21. Hold on therefore To looke on Christs face in the Gospell till we see him face to face in looking on the mirrour till hee come He is comming behinde he is at thy backe he is at thy hand the mirrour will away and then he shall shine on thy face Hold on therefore and looke in the mirrour till he come and fill thy soule with glorie and honour for euer Now to this Iesus with the Father and the holy spirit be euerlasting praise Amen THE TWELFTH LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 28. 29. 28 Whom we preach admonishing euery man and teaching euery man in all wisdome that we may present euery man perfect in Christ Iesus 29 Whereunto I also labour and striue according to his working which worketh in me mightily I Shewed you brethren the Apostle in the end of this chapter he speakes especially of his owne person to the end he might gaine authoritie and reuerence to his doctrine and exhortation First ye heard he spake of his sufferings The sum of the last Sermon remouing the offence which the Colossians might haue taken at them Secondly he speakes of his ministery that he was a Minister of the Church according to the dispensation giuen to him from God for the Colossians in speciall to this end to fulfill the word of God After this he speakes of that hid mysterie for he defines the word which he preached to be that mysterie so long time hid and at last reuealed to the saints and he interprets it to be of Iesus Christ who is said to be the riches of the glory of this hid mysterie Thus far we haue heard When he hath spoken of the mystery he returnes and speakes of his owne person And in the first part of these words to speake of them word by word as they lye he saith whom we preach that is the which Iesus Christ that hope of glorie as he tearmed him before we preach that is I and the rest of my fellow laborers So no question in these words he endeuours to purchase authoritie to his ministry from the subiect of his preaching All his preaching was of the most glorious things that euer were or shall be in this world All his preaching was of Christ the riches of that glorie that so long was hid and at the last was reuealed Briefly we see of these words of Paul a Minister of the Gospell of Christ hath gotten in trust committed to him a faire and precious thing He hath vnder his hand The word of reconciliation committed to the Ministers of the Gospell the riches of the glorie of God to wit Iesus Christ He is a treasurer to speake of it so and hath in his custodie a treasure but such as is the richest that euer was is or shall be in the world And he hath a commission not to keepe it close but to giue it out and deale it to the world that euery one should haue their portion of it And therefore what is the glory of the Minister
the Preacher what is his estimation All his glorie 2. Cor. 5. 19. 20. and his estimation all his honour is in this treasure Iesus Christ that he hath in custodie Marke it And in what thing consists his honour and glorie and estimation As it is his honor to distribute this rich treasure to thee and to the world so here is all thy glory to put out thy hand and take in these riches to thy selfe Thou hast more honour to doe this then if thou wert aduanced and promoted to the highest honor and dignitie vnder the sunne then if thou wert made a King of all the world for when thou art made a King if thou haue no part with Iesus thy end will be miserable and woe is thee for euermore To goe forward in the next words he laies down his preaching in the parts of it admonishing and instructing euery man there be the parts admonishing them that were out of the way instructing them that had entred in the right way It is Admonition and instruction how they differ not enough to tell a man that he is in the way but to counsell and instruct him to hold on which if he doe to assure him of life euerlasting Then briefly all the preaching of Christ stands in these two points in admonishing the sinner and telling him his fault that he is in the wrong way if he were a King admonish him of his error either in manners or doctrine And then tell him the high way of his manners and doctrine wherein he should walke If the Minister cannot doe this yea if it were to a King if he cannot admonish instruct and teach him he cannot preach Christ let him therefore be silent and neuer speake a word of Iesus Christ And what euer they be of the people that will not suffer admonition and will not receiue instruction they shall neuer be rich in Christ if they had all the riches in the world they are but beggers and shall dye like beggers Who are these that he admonisheth and who are these whom he instructs and teacheth Marke euery word he saith not one man two men this sort or that sort of men onely but euery man and al sorts of them Iew Gentile Grecian and Barbarian wise vnwise Kings subiects poore rich There is neuer a one exempted from admonition neuer a soule exempted from instruction Wherein brethren you may see that vniuersall dominion and lordship that Christ Iesus hath ouer euery man and euery estate of them ouer Kings and subiects rich and poore ouer them that be in honour and dishonour Whatsoeuer ranke thou be of thou maist well exempt thy selfe from his dominion but thou art not exempted in deede though thou wert a King or a Monarch the Gospell hath a Lordship ouer thy head If thou draw out thy necke from vnder the yoke of the Gospell thou shalt one day vndergoe the heauie yoke euen of Gods vengeance and fearefull wrath so then we see the vniuersalitie of the Gospell of Iesus Christ ouer man and how this ministry that seemes so contemptible to all men is extended to all And if thou wert a King thou art vnder the ministry of the word thou must suffer of the Minister admonition and thou must receiue instruction If thou wert neuer so learned in thy owne conceit thou art but a scholler to this ministry and oughtst to sit with reuerence and to heare And lastly ye see the common miserie that all stands in in this world all is out of the way thou art out of the way by nature Euery man by nature in the high way to damnation and in the high way to damnation And therefore if thou lay not hold on admonition thou shalt goe to damnation By nature thou art ignorant like an Asse and therefore perish shalt thou if thou receiue not instruction by this ministry of the Gospell All haue sinned saith the Apostle Rom. 3. 23. and fallen Ephes 2. 1 2. 3. Psal 32. from the glorie of God and therefore admonition and instruction extends to all men But I would aske who is he that can admonish teach and instruct effectually Paul saith We teach Christ admonishing and instructing all men I answere then Who can admonisis none can admonish but hee that can teach Christ Will you say that a prophane Philosopher could euer admonish or instruct any to frame their life aright howbeit he will take it vpon him No no onely the man that can speake of Iesus Christ that man can admonish and teach others because he onely can speake to thy heart For brethren it is the word of Psal 19. 7. God that is able onely to reforme the heart All the words vnder the sunne will not doe it For this word of the Gospell hath onely the concurrence of the holy spirit of Iesus that causeth this word to goe downe to thy heart Now what doctrine is this he teacheth Instructing saith he euery man in wisdome so wisdome is his doctrine O but in what measure in all wisdome saith he It is perfect wisdome there is no lacke or want in that wisdome that he teacheth He teacheth euery man and euery ranke and sort of men wisdome and a perfect wisdome whole wisdome and full wisdome euen that fulnes of wisdome that was in Christ O the treasure of wisedome and knowledge that is in him In the second chapter of this epistle vers 3. it is said he is full of wisdome and knowledge Neuer any had all wisdome except Christ no not all the Philosophers onely Iesus hath this prerogatiue This wisdome this full wisdome I say is giuen to the Apostlés and to Paul in a high measure but so that they haue it of Christ and not of themselues And therefore Christ as I haue said hath onely this prerogatiue to haue all wisdome in himselfe Looke next who teacheth this wisdome Paul an infirme weake man he teacheth all wisdome Then marke Iesus Christ he hath put these treasures in earthen vessels as it is said 2. Cor. 4. 7. In a weake brittle bodie so that if thou take it not out of this vessell Ministery thou shalt neuer get it out of Christ if thou contemne this treasure for the frailtie ignominie of the vessell wherein it lies thou shalt neuer get this riches of God For the Lord hath ordained that thou shalt take it out of the hand of a silly man Againe you see the blessednes of the schollers of Christ O blessed is the soule that is a scholler to Christ It was counted a blessed thing to be a scholler in Platoes schoole or Aristotles schoole by reason of the wisdome they taught but Plato nor Aristotle neuer taught all wisdome nor true wisdome but Wisdome thou who art a scholler in Christs schoole thou hast the true wisdome and that not in a measure but thou hast all wisdome to make thee perfect in knowledge that is thy blessednes Alas this miserable world knowes not
if faith ioyne them not if thou wert all my kinne if thou haue not one faith with me we cannot be ioyned together And therefore considering this whatsoeuer thou bee that wouldest labour to conioyne a bodie with the Church striue day and night to bring that person to the faith of the Church For he will neuer be conioyned with the body that hath not this faith of the body But let vs marke the words All riches a high word of the full assurance of vnderstanding To begin at this hee calles faith Faith is an vnderstanding The wofull state of such as be ignorant of the Gospell an vnderstanding Faith is not ignorance and blindnes but it is an vnderstanding and thou that art altogether ignorant of God and of Iesus Christ thou hast no more faith then a dogge Bragge as thou wilt of it ignorant men will begin to crake of faith as though they knew it Faith is an eye that seeth more cleerely then all the eyes of the world It is a light Faith is an eye and vnderstanding the eye of the soule whereby we see God and his sonne Iesus Christ our Sauiour yea faith is more then an vnderstanding it is a certaintie of the whole truth of God especially of the promises in Iesus Christ When thou art sure that euery word of the Gospell is true that is the assurance of faith and with this there is conioyned a heartie imbracing of the heart for when thou art sure of the promises O how the heart wil fold about y e promises of God! Haue you not assaied it yet Whē the heart hath assurance of the truth O how it wil cleaue to it For as it is said A true saying is worthie to be imbraced Now faith is not onely this full assurance but it is a riches The beleeuer most rich and most ioyfull Ye that would be rich take heede faith is not a poore thing a beggerly thing A faithfull bodie is no begger but he is rich But yet more he calles it not only riches but he calles it all riches So there is no riches without it thou that hast not faith hast no riches for howbeit thy hand be full yet if thou want faith thy hand is emptie He that hath not faith is euer poore and the beggerliest creature that is but he that hath faith giue him but a coate on his backe he is rich enough and he is the ioyfullest body that euer was ioyfuller by ten thousand times then these worldlings that gruntle on this pelfe of this world Well well then get faith and thinke that without it thou art not rich for if thou haue an emptie bag in thy hart thou art but a poore miserable creature Brethren ye heard how Paul speaking of this mysterie of the Gospel he called it the riches of God hid now speaking of faith he calles it riches also and all riches So I see all is riches Iesus is riches all things concerning Iesus be riches That mysterie of him is the riches of glorie This faith and full perswasion is riches And therefore wilt thou be rich seeke to Christ seeke to this Gospell swallow it vp seeke to faith And be not content till thou hast got a heartfull of this faith of Iesus Christ and then I promise thee thou shalt be rich and more ioyfull then if thou hadst all the world howbeit thou leaue not a peny behind thee Now to come to the rest of the words that I haue read they tend to the declaration of that that is spoken especially of the riches of faith Defining first the riches of faith hee cals it the knowledge that was hid vp in a mysterie and at last reuealed to the world to the euerlasting consolation of the world Then I see this faith is a relatiue to the mysterie that is to the Gospel and to speake it so the obiect of faith which faith seeth and vnderstandeth is the Gospell Now concerning this mysterie you heard before it was the riches of glorie Well if the obiect of faith bee the riches of glorie of necessitie thy faith must be glorious rich For a rich obiect makes a rich knowledge The Gospel the obiect of faith Knowest thou all the Sciences in the world all is but beggerly knowledge if thou want the knowledge of faith Therefore thou who wouldest know striue to know this rich mysterie for it shall giue theefull riches Now in the words God the subiect of the Gospel following he insists vpon this subiect of faith It is the mysterie of God then the subiect of it is God O that is a faire science that speakes of God! All other sciences that speake of the creatures it is but of dirt they speake of in respect of him who made them all One will come of and speake of the earth of fishes and paint out a faire storie of this King or that King of cornes of lands and that will be his subiect Another will goe vpward and speake of the heauen and starres but what is all that in respect of that glorious Creator but dirt So this Gospell of Iesus Christ is onely the eminent science that mounts The Gospel the science of sciences vp aboue all sciences And therefore this mysterie and this Gospell that speakes of this subiect must be glorious albeit the coate of it be but sober and simple howbeit it be preached by simple men and therefore our great men thinke nothing of it But if thou saw the glorie and riches that is in this Gospell O thou wouldest seeke it before all riches and all glorie It would be thy ioy day night teach it who will Well then take the Lord Iesus who is offred to thee in this base clothing as thou wouldest be partaker of him in glorie when this coate shall be shaken off The Apostle hauing made mention of God he leaues not off so but laies him out in two glorious personages and saith God euen the father and of Christ. God saith he that stands in these two personages glorious and equall in glorie the Father and the Sonne So what place would ye haue to know the Christ proued very God Godhead of the Lord our Sauiour if this place will not tell you For when hee hath set downe the Father to be the onely true God he sets down his sone Iesus Christ to be God equall with him in all things euery way So that Iesus thy redeemer he is so man that he is God glorious for euer I see againe there is no true vnderstanding of God but that whereby hee is knowne distinct in persons It is not enough to know that he The true knowledge of God is one in essence but if thou know him well thou must know him distinguished in three persons the Father Sonne and holy Spirit all eternall all equall in power glorie and maiestie onely one true and euerliuing God If this brethren be the true knowledge of God as
in him are hid all treasures of wisedome and knowledge therfore be not wise without him seeke not wisdome without him There are false teachers entred in that make you thinke there is wisedome without him but I say vnto you if you would not be deceiued seeke no wisedome without him for in him is the treasure of all wisedome and knowledge There is the force of the argument briefly Now marke the order of the Apostle Before hee exhorted them that they should not be deceiued by the inticing of mens words and doctrine and hee laies out the reason taken from the treasure and riches of wisdome and knowledge that is in Christ So the Apostle to the Hebrues 13. 8. being about to exhort them that they should not be carried about with sundrie and strange doctrine hee laies downe this ground Christ is today and yesterday c. therfore be not carried away from him As if hee would say there was neuer saluation without him from the beginning of the world and there shall be no saluation without him to the end thereof therefore sticke to him This order teacheth vs this lesson that after wee haue let men see what is in Christ after we haue opened as it were and laid abroad before the eyes of the world all that store of wisedome and knowledge that is in him then it is time to exhort men to leaue all their doctrine and vanitie and inticing words of men and to sticke by this Christ in whom there is such wisedome and knowledge For brethren you must vnderstand men if they see not true wisedome they will drinke in vanitie the heart must be filled with The heart must be filled vvith something something if thou see not the truth thou must drinke in lyes And more when thou hast begun to receiue the truth as these Colossians did except that truth be opened and laid before thy eyes as it were to be seene what is in it and what is the meaning and true sense of the same except this Gospell I say be continually taught O vaine man thou wilt goe to the puddle of mens fancies thou wilt fall againe to mens doctrine The preaching of the Gospell must be cōtinued traditions and vanitie thou wilt be a Papist yea and an Atheist to And therefore there is nothing more needfull then this that these riches of Christ be laid out before our eyes and euer tolde to vs that in Christ is all wisdome and knowledge I aske what is the cause that this miserable world all men and all nations for the most part be so drunke in mens dreames what is the Popes doctrine but dreames and poyson drinke it in thou shalt be poysoned with it I tell thee because these false deceiuers close vp the Gospell and swaddle vp Christ in the swaddle bands this is the cause that these poore soules see no better and therefore they are led to damnation blindfolded O miserable bodies these foule spirits send out their poyson to dampne the world withall as alas the greatest part of Europe this day can tell But to sticke to the words The Apostle saith I speake this least any man should beguile you with inticing words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are set out in faire flattring talke Then ye see here he opposeth to all the treasures of Christ inticing words to wisedome he opposeth flattring words There is no wisedome without Christ all is plaine sophistrie as it is called in the Schooles Then in a word all wisdome being in Christ if thou y t wilt be wise without him seeke thy wisedome where thou wilt runne to Rome runne here and there to the Iesuites to get wisedome out of them thou shalt be filled with dreames thou shalt finde nothing but sophistrie thou shalt not meete with wisedome All that thou shalt see and finde shall be but inticing words And what wilt thou winne by this He saith that ye be not deceiued and tooke in a grin Thou shalt be taken in a grin as a beast if thou seeke ought without him Alas brethren when I remember Antichrist and his wofully deceiue soules this miserable world it is a pitie to see how it is abused by these traitors and deceiuers of mens soules O that damnation and iudgement that shall fall on that cursed kingdome of Antichrist For I assure you this world for the greatest part are taken in the grins by Antichrist and so reserued to iudgement And the more miserable are they that are in the grin of Antichrist that they thinke that they are in sweete bands for the end shall let ye see how bitter the bands were let them now be to thee as sweete as they will thou shalt finde in the end that of all bands in this world they are the worst To goe forward He hath vttered a great care to the Colossians whom hee neuer saw nor knew Therefore they might haue said what care is this thou hast of vs thou neuer sawst vs nor we thee He meetes with this in the next words O ye Colossians saith he though I be absent from you in the flesh yet am I with you in the spirit Then ye see the Saints the true members of Christ they haue a sight and knowledge of others that the world knowes not of This world and naturall men that haue Iudgement and loue of the world concerning other men not the spirit of Iesus thinke that none can reach out to the worlds end and can haue knowledge of another nor any care ouer him if he see him not with his bodily eye but al is vaine For a spirituall man will send his soule to the end of the world and vpon this hee will vtter his care vnto him by his exhortation And this is a token of a greater thing euen of this ioyning of the godly together that one day they shal be together soule and bodie If thou haue a heart and care with the Church of God thou shalt raigne with her in heauen for euer And in deede if thou haue not this it is a venture if euer thou raigne with her Now when he hath set downe this spirituall presence with them he subioynes the effect of it reioycing saith he there is the effect of that spirituall presence his soule was with them Spirituall presence of the faithfull one with another and with ioy hee reioyced to see them So this presence spiritual whē the heart of the faithfull is with others it is no fantacie as a vaine head will thinke but I say thou hadst neuer such ioy as the faithfull will haue with others in a spirituall presence Thou neuer knewest this ioy that hast not this spiritual presence And brethren it is euen with the Church as it is with Christ 1. Pet. 1. 8. he saith you haue not seene Christ with your eyes yet beleeuing in him who is farre from vs in his bodily presence and louing him howbeit he be away ye reioyce with a ioy that is
vnspeakable and glorious It is euen so with the Church howbeit wee see not the members of Christ in the bodie yet if we haue the spirituall eye we shall see them and they vs and shall haue this spirituall ioy spoken of in this place And this same ioy that is in this life with the Saints is a sure argument of a passing ioy that wee shall haue with the Church when we are gathered to our head Iesus Christ when with the eye of the bodie we shall see those glorified bodies O vaine bodie thou neuer wist what ioy glorie and beautie meaneth if thou attaine not to this to be a member of Iesus Christ and to haue a spirituall presence with others Now followes what matter of ioy he heard in them Beholding saith he your order then the stedfastnes of your faith Hee saw this in spirit and not with the eye of the bodie Brethren certainly the thing that man walkes in if it be in the ioy of the heart it must be pleasant it must be a pleasant sight that will make a man to reioyce Ye see when a man sees a thing that is not pleasant he wil not reioyce So that except the man of God see that that is pleasant he will not neither can he reioyce in heart Now what is more beautifull then the spouse of Iesus sauing the Lord himselfe who is the bridegroome There is nothing more beautifull to the spirituall eye then the Church of Christ howsoeuer she seemes to be vile in this world The first part of this beautie is Order that is a well ordered The beautie of the Church life holines of manners according to the rule of the Gospell so holines of life is the order he saw among them and thou shalt neuer see a face so pleasant as holines is when it is vttered by a well ordred life That is the fairest beautie that a man or woman can haue if thou want this wash and decke thy selfe as well as thou canst thou art no better then dirt and dung that is troden vnder feete If a man looke vpon thee with a spirituall eye if thou wert a Queene pamper thy selfe vp as thou wilt want thou holines thou art but dirt and filthie dung for all thy outward brauerie of attire The second thing that made him to reioyce with them in Faith spirit it was deeper then the first Holines is outward therefore he goes further downe and in through their life he looks and sees the faith that lay in the heart that is to say of the outward behauiour he gathers more of their inward faith from the which holines proceedeth For certaine it is that thou canst not be holy if thou haue not a good action in thy hand nor an holy word in thy mouth if faith be not in thy heart So when a man hath a spirituall eye hee will presse into the heart and not stand vpon outward appearances O then how great is the beautie of faith Thy outward actions are nothing without this faith in thy heart and it is a thing most pleasant to God when hee seeth faith in thy heart and that thou beleeuest in Iesus He calles it not simply faith but hee calles it that solidnes that stedfastnes of faith in Iesus Christ Well thou that wouldest haue faith thou must haue a solide faith if thou be wagging and wauering nodding here and there so that when thou art in Scotland thou art of the religion there professed when thou art in France Germany of Trauellers into Spaine and Italy the religions professed there and when thou art in Spaine Italy and Rome thou art of their religion Is that thy faith That faith of thine shall doe thee no good thou art but a vaine bodie there is no stedfastnesse in thee and except there bee stedfastnesse of faith in thy heart thou shalt neuer be a holy liuer Many will professe at this day I haue faith in Christ Iesus I beleeue but to come to their life there is no such thing and this is because there is no sound faith in their heart but their faith is onely in the tip of their tongue For thou that leadest a life contrary to faith thou hast no faith at al. For the Apostle seeing a godly life in these Colossians hee gathers that there was a solide faith in them Then in a word there is the matter of ioy that the godly haue when they see first that outward How wee may truly ioy in our brethren when vve see them stand fast in faith liue godly and righteously beautie of holines and godlines of conuersation in thee or in any man and then that stedfast faith from whence it springs there is matter of ioy When wee see a Church liue godly and then haue faith stedfast in Christ here the ioy of the heart will arise and by the contrary there cannot be a greater displeasure then to see a Church out of order liuing a life directly contrary to their profesion there is the displeasure and grief of the faithfull And so to come to our selues if we would be pleasant to others that neuer saw vs let vs liue after this order and seeke to haue faith in Iesus otherwise be sure they that neuer sawe thee will be witnesses against thee to thy iust damnation that thou professest one way and hast liued cleane contrary to thy profession In the next verses hee returnes to his exhortation and gathers his conclusion Therefore saith the Apostle as ye haue receiued Christ Iesus the Lord and begun exceeding well both in life and faith so walke in him perseuere in him there is the exhortation Note heere first the thing that should moue a Church or any person to perseuerance What should moue thee to hold on to the end Hast thou begun in holines of life and faith in the heart The beginning should moue thee to goe forward to the end A good beginning would haue a good end otherwise it had been better thou hadst neuer begun I shall giue thee a faithfull counsell either minde neuer to be a Christian man or woman or else beginning once and taking that name vpon thee hold on perseuere for euer For if thou Perseuerance perseuere not thy damnation shall be double and thou shalt curse the day that euer thou heardst of Iesus so Iesus shall be either saluation to thee or damnation Peter saith in his second Epistle chap. 2. 21. It had been better for them not to haue knowne the way of righteousnes thē after they haue knowne it to turne from the holy commaundement giuen vnto them It had been better for thee neuer to haue receiued this word and doctrine of the Gospell then to haue fallen backe from this holy doctrine Then I note the manner of perseuering Euen as thou hast receiued him walke in him As if he would say ye haue receiued him in simplicitie of heart ye haue receiued the Gospell without the traditions of
be vaine all the fables of the Poets be not so vaine or will not make thee so vaine as the vaine traditions of the Papists called their vnwritten verities O vaine Papist I giue thee the soueraigntie of the vainest creature that euer stepped vpon the ground In the words following he declares it yet more particularly according to the rudiments of the world This is one sort of mens traditions In this chapter ye shall see two sorts of mens traditions one that neuer was knowne such as the holy Ghost Two kinds of traditions here specified neuer gaue nor was ordained to be preached as the inuocation vpon Angels or Saints Satisfactions Purgatorie such as God neuer knew Another sort called the Rudiments of the world or the elements of the world that is the elements and shadowes of the law ceremoniall that God gaue to his people which hee willed should be abolished when the truth it selfe which they shadowed should come I meane the Messias whē he came into the world all these ceremonies ceased Learne heere that euen those ceremonies that were giuen by God to be obserued before Christ came into the world now when Christ is come are to be counted the doctrine and traditions of men And now if God will not know these ceremonies which he himselfe gaue O vaine Papist will he acknowledge thee and thy dreames and the rest of that peltrie No in that great day thou shalt finde the Lord shall say I know neither thee nor thy doctrine In the last of these words opposing to mens traditions and specially to the ceremonies of y e Iewes he saith not after Christ that is that Christ and his Gospell hath not to doe with them Then wouldest thou haue two opposite things that will not stand together where wilt thou seeke them Thou thinkest water and fire a wolfe and a lambe be most contrarie No I must tell thee what is more contrarie yea that it will neuer be glewed together the sincere word of the Gospell the written word of the Scriptures and their vnwritten verities Let the Papists endeuour as they will to glew and to soder them together they shall neuer agree together Heauen and hell shall bee as soone put together as thou shalt put them together And looke how soone thou puttest to a part of mens traditions to the Gospell so soone thou puttest to a peece of sower leauen to sweete and so all is made sower to thee So thou hast no sweete bread in the Gospell Put me in a tradition to Iesus Christ paint him out in as good intention as thou canst I say in mans tradition Iesus Christ is nothing but a maine Idol and thou art an Idolater and thy death shall be with Idolaters When he hath giuen them the admonition that they should beware of false teachers their doctrine whereby they were led away captiue as a pray to perdition he subioynes a good reason in the next verse wherefore they should not feede vpon vanitie For in Christ saith he dwels all the fulnes of the Godhead bodily As if hee would say would ye be filled And certainly The heart desires to be filled with something the harts of mē naturally craue to be filled either with one knowledge of God or other yea and ere it will want a filling it wilinuent a God to it selfe Nature tels this So would ye be filled saith he Leaue not the full plenitude that is in Iesus Christ and runne to puddles that will turne to poyson in the end Then before I come to the words in particular marke this There is such a fulnes in Christ that thou needest not to be emptie or to seeke to be filled without him with any thing in this world Thou art bound to seeke out of this plenitude to be filled and not elsewhere That fulnes in him is offered to thee and if thou seeke without him to be filled his fulnes shall make thy damnation double Remember I tell thee the fuller he is of grace and glorie if thou get not a share of it the greater shall be thy damnation in that day either shalt thou get grace or else his fulnes shall aggrauate thy iudgement In whom saith he dwels the fulnes of the Godhead bodily Then what is in him First not onely grace as we say by participation as it is in vs but in Iesus is the God of grace himselfe The deitie the Godhead Gods owne essence and nature is in Iesus Christ He saith not simply the Godhead is in him but hee saith the fulnes of it not a part of it so that one part is here and another there one part in him and another part without him but hee saith the fulnes of the Godhead is in Ioh. 14. him He is full of God the perfect God is in him yea the Godhead of the Father is within him The full Godhead is in him in substance nature and essence Hee saith not simply looke euery word that the fulnes of the Godhead is in him but hee All the fulnes of the Godhead is in Christ saith all the fulnes is in him as if hee would say The fulnes of the Godhead in euery sort and manner of way is in him The fulnes not in wisedome onely in power onely in iustice only in mercie only but the fulnes in all these together and euery propertie of the Godhead is in him In a word the whole glorie and maiestie of God is in him And not this onely but hee saith it dwels in him God is not in Iesus simply to speake it so in him today and tomorrow out of him but he abides in him euerlastingly He shall neuer leaue him Then he saith he dwels in him How not after a common manner but bodily that is to say essentially So that the very substance of the Godhead in Iesus Christ is become corporall in the person of the sonne The word was made flesh Ioh. 1. 14. The very essence of God is become incarnate as it were a marueilous coniunction there is of two natures in Christ For that the nature of man in Iesus Christ is conioyned with the nature of the Godhead and the two natures are become one person to wit the person of God is become one ioyned with the nature of man No creature hath this prerogatiue only Iesus hath it and so in this respect it is said the Godhead dwels bodily in him This is the meaning of the words This is the third time that he hath spoken of his fulnes Note In the first chapter vers 19. he saith In him dwels all fulnes and then in this second chapter vers 3. In him are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge Where ye see in his second speaking hee speakes more fully then he did in the first Now lastly in the third roome hee saith In him dwels dwels all the fulnes of the Godhead bodily there is a more full speaking then before So by his example wee
that cannot speake as the Apostles and Saints of God did wee should learne how to speake of God Paul the more he insists in speaking of Christ and his fulnes the more his heart aboundeth and the more How to speake of Christ with grace his mouth is filled with words to his praise degree by degree So the mans heart being filled with Iesus his mouth is filled a full mouth speaking of Christ wil fill the harts of the hearers Then brethren learne the more y t one speakes of the fulnes of Christ and of his glorie the more more shall he finde his hart abound his mouth filled And it is impossible if thy heart be full of him but thy mouth must be full and thou wilt speake of him with a full mouth and not lightly a word and away And then who wots but the Lord will make that fulnes to fill some of the hearts of the hearers Blessed is that heart that can get any part of that fulnes of Iesus for thy heart was neuer stablished with grace that neuer got no part of the fulnes of Iesus All this speaking tels thee Christ is no winde nor vanitie If thou hadst no other thing to know stedfastnes by this same speaking of Paul tels thee that all soliditie and fulnes is in Iesus Christ Therefore when thou readest this marke it and say I see here a fulnes Alas that there should be such fulnes in Christ and I hauing so small part of it Lord let me finde this fulnes in some measure Cease not while thou finde it for it stands thee vpon life and life and the heart that is not filled with Christ here in some measure shall neuer be filled with his presence and ioyes in heauen hereafter And therefore thou that wouldest haue that onely fulnes which shall be in heauen by the sweete presence of Iesus there where thou shalt see him as hee is in our nature full of glorie and maiestie which sight shall make thee reioyce exceedingly looke as thou wouldst haue ioy for euermore that thou be filled with Iesus here on earth in some measure otherwaies away with thee thou art a cast away and thy end shall be in euerlasting woe woe vpon woe and euer in woe So then you may see all the glorie in heauen is in Iesus Christ there is not a iot of glorie out of him but all is in him that is in thy Sauiour Wouldest thou haue a Sauiour where wouldest thou get one if thou misse this Sauiour See the honour of thy nature in him All the glorie of heauen shines through the vaile of thy nature in him thy nature is the very vaile that hangs about that glorious Christ God manifested in our flesh maiestie that light that hath no accesse and it shines to thee through the vaile I speake this for this cause that thou presse not to seeke heauen nor no ioy nor glorie therein but in this Lord Iesus Christ No looke not here nor there but directly set thine eye vpon him that sits at the right hand of the Father For in him is all the glorie of the Father and looke that thou imagine not to see any glorie but that that is in thy head Where is thine heauen Iesus is thine heauen All thy heauen here and hence is as it were included in him Seeke it where thou wilt thou shalt finde no heauen without Christ Now to come to the next verse the Colossians might haue said What is that to vs that thou hast told vs of the great fulnes that is in him he is full but we are emptie what vantage haue wee by it Euen as if one would tell of a glorious King another will answere what is that to me The Apostle meetes with this obiection and saith In whom ye are complete who is the head of all principalitie and power As if he would say O Colossians in him ye are filled his fulnes is yours it serues for your profit So you see that not onely all fulnes of glorie is in Iesus Christ in his owne person but with the beames of it as it were all creatures are filled yea heauen it selfe is filled with his glorie and the earth is filled with his glorie and this is the felicitie of all the creatures in the world Wherein trowest thou stands the blessednes of the earth of the heauen and of all the elements Note Looke the eight chapter to the Romanes vers 21. 22. and there you shall finde that the blessednes of the creature stands in the gloriousnes of Rom. 8. 21 22 Christ one day to be reuealed And therefore Paul saith that the world groanes sighing for the reuelation of his glorie for the glorie of the earth and heauen is not yet reuealed Peter saith in his second Epistle chap. 3. 12. 13. When that the Lord shall come in his glorie that the heauens shall burne and be dissolued and the elements shall melt then there shall be new heauens A new heauen and a new earth made and a new earth So that thou shalt see another glorie in heauen and earth then euer was before or is now seene But to speake of man especially they that would beleeue and would be in him they shall be ingrafted as it were into him and set as it were in his fulnes aboue all other creatures for they shall be filled with his own fulnes If thou be set in him as the Sunne is in the firmament the fulnes of the glorie that is in him shall shine in thee aboue the earth aboue the Moone aboue the Sun it selfe So that this is felicitie to haue a share and portion of the grace and glorie of Christ to receiue of his fulnes for he is full of grace and veritie saith Iohn 1. 14. It is true indeed and so long as wee liue here this appeares not There is neuer a one that beleeues but he is a Kings sonne and a Kings daughter But saith John 1. Ioh. 3. 2. it appeares not as yet but when hee comes then it shall appeare wee shall all shine in glorie And the reprobate that thought thee but a lost creature shall wonder that euer there should be such a glorie prepared for thee Albeit thou shine not now yet if thou beleeue thou hast this vantage all that glorie that is in Christ is thine I say to thee a man is not so surely clad with his shirt as thou that beleeuest in Christ art clad with him He is a garment to thee haue what clothing thou wilt if thou hadst but a ragged coate yet if thou beleeuest in him thou art clad with him Goe where thou wilt if thou cast off thy coate Iesus will sticke by thee There is neuer a faithfull Saint wants Iesus And therefore thou maist say The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance Onely beleeue in him be ingrafted in him by faith Onely possesse him in thy heart Thou hast all his glorie and maiestie
hereof and those that neuer mourne for their sinnes doe suppose that they shall rise laughing The promise is made to them that mourne Blessed are they saith Christ that mourne to wit for sinne for they shall receiue comfort Matth. 5 4. Men thinke they shall come to heauen before their feete be colde and yet they delight themselues in their sinnes Nay goe thy way crucifie thy sinne and thy selfe to sinne or else thou shalt neuer see heauen nor come to glorie Would to God this were as well felt as it is knowne Now the meanes whereby this dying is wrought is Baptisme instituted by Iesus Christ that put away and abolished Baptisme not only representeth the crucifying and burying of Christ but also is powerfull in the baptized in the whole course of his life Circumcision and placed Baptisme in steede thereof I will speake somewhat of Baptisme but as it concerneth the matter we haue in hand It not onely representeth the death and buriall of Christ and as oft as thou seest it so often thou seest or at the least shouldest see Iesus crucified and buried it hath not onely the naked representation hereof but the vertue of that death and buriall It crucifieth the bodie that is baptized it burieth the old man it is the very power of God to the mortification of thy sinfull nature and the Lord is powerfull in it not onely at that instant when thou art baptized as the Papists say but also continueth so in thee in the whole course of thy life Thou thinkest it is but for children onely nay it is euen for old bodies also and if thou keepe it in thy sight and remembrance thou maist be perswaded that the Lord will worke most assuredly thy mortification as long as thou liuest Therefore neglect not thy Baptisme as thou wouldest goe forward in the mortification of thy sinne and thinke euer and The vse of baptisme in our whole life say O Lord I was baptized in thy name Lord let it not be gone out of my minde make it powerfull in me to the mortification of sinne and it shall haue force euen in thy very death I speake this because men thinke there is no more required but an outward shew but if thou knewest the force and powerfull working of the Lord thou wouldest remember thy Baptisme euen as long as thou liuest and if thou diddest finde it to haue any working in thee thou wouldest reuerence it more and more And so much for the first part of the likenes of Iesus Christ Then he proceedeth to the second part of this conformitie that is by Baptisme In whom ye are also raised vp This followeth vpon the other as the Apostle Rom. 6. 5. proueth this consequence where euer this buriall goeth before all the world cannot stay thee from life Thou that findest any mortification of sinne assure thy selfe of life but if thou finde not the death and buriall of sinne looke not to finde life And I say more there shall be no deferring of time for thy comfort as if thou shouldest first dye a long time before thou rise to Iesus Christ Indeede the last resurrection shall be in the last day but I say When the life of God begins in vs. thou shalt begin no sooner to dye to sinne in this life and find any compūction and heauines in thy heart for it but with the death of sinne and the buriall and slaying of it immediatly shall come life This life breaketh vp through death and ioy breaketh vp through sadnes al heauenly ioy riseth vp through an heanie heart so that thou shalt not feele ioy vnlesse thy heart be pressed downe with the heauines of sinne And this ioy as Peter 1. Epist 1. 8. saith is vnspeakable so that when a man is sighing most for sinne drawing sighes from the bottome of his heart then the quickest and sweetest ioy ariseth but whē thou art laughing and singing there is no such thing as ioy at thy heart Wherefore should I speake of these things Onely learne this to be sad and to sigh for sinne that with it thou maist get some ioy of thy heart which is an earnest peny that thou shalt be filled with it at the sight of that glorious maiestie Now to goe forward How is this resurrection wrought Euen as death was wrought by Baptisme for as it representeth the death of Christ so so often as thou seest Baptisme ministred thou seest in it the resurrection of Christ Yea and it raiseth vp the bodie of him that is baptized to life by vertue of the resurrection of Christ who is also manifested in Baptisme Immediatly and in one instant the Lord will work two contrary things he will cast thee downe to hell and then in the same moment he will raise thee vp to heauen And Baptisme hath this force continually so long as thou liuest if so be thou remember it looke for the vertue of it to the last houre of thy death In the words following least they should haue thought this signe of Baptisme should haue had this force as we say virtute operis operati to haue buried sinne and quickened a man againe without any more he ioyneth by faith not onely by Baptisme as if he would say we are buried to sinne and raised Faith required in baptisme to apprehend Christ and to receiue vertue from him to righteousnes but this great worke is wrought also by faith so that if thou haue not faith apprehending and taking hold of God if thou send not faith to heauen in the ministerie of the Sacrament and the word preached and if thou want faith to applie grace to thee the Sacrament and the word preached shall neuer doe thee good And if thou get not this faith at one time or other this Sacrament shall be a seale to thy damnation and the word preached shall aggrauate thy iudgement So if there were no other place to condemne the Papists error of opus operatum this place were sufficient to condemne it for Opus operatum the Apostle meaneth plainly that Baptisme hath no force without faith and this Gospell hath no power to thy saluation without faith Away then with that erronious doctrine of these vaine babling fooles of opus operatum It is diuellishnes and lying In the next words he sheweth the obiect of faith It must lay hold vpon something for faith is an holding fast an hand that taketh hold apprehendeth something It is an anchor cast out to hold thee by so this faith must haue some obiect to leane vpon otherwise thou wouldest be dasht on euery side Obiect of faith with each waue till thy ship be broken What is then the obiect of faith The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an effectualnes The Apostle to the Ephesians chap. 1. 19. taketh it to bee the effectualnes of the strong power of God that must be the thing to stay thee that must hold thy heart that it fleete not nor flow not
COLOS. Chap. 2. vers 13. 14. 13 And ye which were dead in sinnes and in the vncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickened together with him forgiuing you all your trespasses 14 And putting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against vs. REmember brethren the last day we had in hand the circumcision not made with the hands of man but standing in a putting off of the bodie of the sinnes of the flesh he tooke it vp in one word and termed it the circumcision Summe of the last Lecture of Christ that is an inward circumcision made by him and by his vertue Now to make this more plaine he insisteth in the next verse on the circumcision of Christ and hee made it to stand in a conformitie betweene Christ and vs that as Christ after his death was buried so wee should be buried with him that is our old man and the corruption of nature should be buried with him Next as after his death and buriall he was raised vp to life so we being dead and buried to sinne should rise vp to newnes of life in him Now this is obtained not by the Sacrament of Baptisme onely but by faith laying hold on God and his mightie power After this when he had spoken of the effect of this strong power of God he abides on it describing God himselfe his omnipotent power The description ariseth of the effects that proceede from him The effects of Gods power You haue heard the first effect it was in raising Christ from death in which worke the power of God chiefly appeared there was neuer a worke that God wrought from the creation to this houre or will worke to the end of the world in the which so mightily appeared the power of God as it did in the raising of Christ because there was neuer a creature so humbled and so bound with the bands and dolor of death as was Iesus Christ Now in this that we haue read presently followeth the rest of the description of God in his power and first wee haue his The second effect of Gods power description from the second effect and worke of his power It is the quickening of the Gentiles that were dead with Iesus who was first quickened namely the Colossians to whom he writeth Then followeth the third effect the quickening of the The third effect Iewes that were as well dead as the Gentiles But to speake of the quickening of the Gentiles and namely of the Colossians and so to come to the words he saith And you that is you Colossians and all the rest of the Gentiles when you were dead in sinnes and in the vncircumcision of the foreskin of your flesh then he quickened you and raised you vp from the death that ye lay in with him meaning Iesus Christ whom hee raised vp first and that in this order He hath freely forgiuen you all your sinnes these are the words Now brethren this is to be considered he setteth not downe the quickening of the Colossians and of the rest simply but he setteth it downe in a comparison with their former estate wherin they were before their quickning calling them to remembrance that before they were quickened they were dead life followeth death the first gate to life with Iesus is to be dead with him so it behooued that before they were quickened they should be found dead Now in the comparison and example set downe here mark first it is the will of God whatsoeuer grace hee giueth vs wee doe much esteeme it and if he giue thee life he will haue thee highly account of it The spirituall grace that is gotten in Iesus Highly price the least grain of the grace of Christ Christ it cannot be highly enough thought of in the heart of man For when thou hast put it in a ballance with al earthly things all is nothing the least graine of this spiritual grace gotten in Iesus Christ is worth them all Therefore the Lord that giueth thee it will haue thee to make much of it Now the way to weigh aright this heauenly life receiued in Christ is this to cast thy eye back and looke ouer thy shoulder to that death wherein thou latest before thou gottest it looke what thou wast before looke whether thou wast dead or quicke before thou gatest this spirituall life And therefore there is nothing more required then a sanctified memorie in a Christian Remember wealth and woe both good estate and ill what euer it hath bin Now looke to the working of God for rather then his own elect shall be forgetfull of their former estate of their death they lay in before they got life he wil make y e very stink of their sinful nature wherof they haue yet a remnant he will make it I say to strike them in their nose and make them feele that stinking sauour For he keepeth still the remnant stinking The remnant of sin in the regenerate what vse is hath in them that they may remember what estate they were in before they got this life in Iesus Christ that they might remember the life they haue gotten to be the sweeter Nay marke it thou shalt neuer feele the sweete odour of the life in Iesus Christ except thou feele the stinke of thy nature And if thou take a delight to looke into thy owne nature and thinke it delicate thou neuer thoughtest what grace meant yea thou shalt neuer account of it but once tasting of the life of Iesus and the sweetnes of it then thou shalt abhorre that stinke of nature wherein thou before delightedst For whē once thou hast tasted of that sweetnes for all this world thou wouldest not returne againe to that death of sinne wherein thou liuedst before it was taken away by the quickening power of God But to insist vpon the words When ye were dead as if hee should say ye Colossians did imagine that you were quicke but I say ye were dead not onely ye but all the Gentiles were dead Then brethren ye may see a man if hee were neuer so quicke being out of Christ he is but dead as Paul speaketh of the wanton widow 1. Tim. 5. 6. and the quicker thou thinkest thy selfe if thou be out of Christ thou art the deader But here is our miserie wee feele not that we are dead alas these miserable creatures that wallow in sinne they haue dead bodies but they feele it not and certainly there is no man that getteth the sense of the bitternes of that death or that loathes and is squeamish at the filthines of his nakednes vntill he be in Christ and vntill he feele the sweetnes of the life of Christ hee The sweetnes which the faithfull feele by Christ in their regeneration neuer knoweth himself to haue haue been dead or vnder the power of death And therefore whatsoeuer ye be which he dead without Iesus striue to get a feeling of the sweetnes of that life which is in him I
Gods children and of Christs and to haue place in heauen if thou be not borne anew againe by the spirit and water as saith Ioh. 1. Epist 5. 6. And so much for the second effect of the strong power of God Now followeth the third effect in quickening of the Iewes The third effect of Gods power there must be something supplied in the text And vs that is the Iewes so I shall stand vpon these words where he saith he hath put out the hand writing Note The order whereby the Gentiles were quickened was the remission of their sinnes but the order whereby the Iewes are quickened is otherwise before euer they gate life there must be an hand writing blotted out and if we looke to it the Iewes were more bound to death then the Gentiles because they had subscribed to their death and that publikely in the face of the world But to come to the words We haue to marke these things first who is this that blotteth out and scrapeth away this hand writing Secondly what is meant by the blotting out Thirdly what is the thing that is blotted out Fourthly wherefore serued this hand writing he telleth it was against them it serued to their condemnation I shall goe through these foure as time shall serue As for him that is the blotter out his name is not expressed it is Iesus Christ the sonne of God for I see here that which I noted Foure points in the 14. verse in the first chapter the person is changed he said it is God the Father that quickened the Gentiles now he changeth the person There is no fault in this for that that the Father doth the Sonne doth To let you see that all is common to the Father and to the Sonne The Father worketh and I worke saith Christ Ioh. 5. 17. Then what is meant by this blotting out The word in the originall signifieth a perfect scraping out as it were of an obligation so that there remaineth not behinde any memorie of that that is scraped out there rests not one letter or tittle vnscraped out Then Christ Iesus is made a Chauncellor of the Father to cancell to blot out at his pleasure and as hee pleaseth Hee hath rent the obligation and drawne lines through it so thou that wouldest haue thy obligation cancelled get thee to him for wee haue bound our selues to him Thirdly what is that that is blotted out The handwriting standing in ordinances that is in rites and ceremonies Then it is the ceremonies or rites that be blotted out which was an obligation of the Iewes subscribed with their owne hands Now wherfore serueth it He saith it was against vs not for vs it did vs no good but euill It bound and tyed vs to death and sealed vp to vs the guiltines of death and damnation He exempteth not himselfe from this death hee subscribeth it with his owne deede To make this plaine the Iew in vsing of circumcision he protested hee had originall sinne and so was guiltie of damnation in vsing of these washings he protested and proclaimed hee was all filthie and so guiltie of the curse of the law and so subscribed to his owne death How the Iewes in the vse of the ceremoniall law proclaimed their owne guiltines and death And last of all in sacrificing hee protested hee was sinfull and that he had deserued that death which the innocent beast sustained for his cause and therefore guiltie of iudgement and damnation and so subscribed to his owne death Brethren this was marueilous the rites and ceremonies were figures of Christ and serued to leade them to Iesus Christ to see that bloud of Iesus in a figure which washeth away the sinnes of the world How is it then a handwriting against them I answer it is true if their ceremonies be taken as figures of Christ they were no handwriting against them if they had an eye to the bodie that is Christ and sought not life in the ceremonies but in the thing figured But brethren take them from Christ take washings and sacrifices as a kinde of religion without Hovv the ceremonies vvere an handwriting against the Ievves Christ all was but a handwriting against them And whatsoeuer Iew he was that looked not to Christ in his Circumcision in his washing and rubbings and in sacrificing that Iew perished and all his doings was but the subscribing to his owne death Now to come to the Apostle hee taketh the ceremonies as separate from Christ and so they were a handwriting against them He was a rare Iew that vsed them with respect to Christ but the multitude tooke them as a religion without Christ and therefore the greater multitude perished And so I say that outward ceremonies cannot saue vs. In comming to the Church thinke not to get life except thy heart pearce into Christ Iesus all thy outward worshipping shall not helpe thee but shall be an obligation to thy owne condemnation as the outward Ceremonies of the Iewes were to them a handwriting against them to their owne destruction And if thou abuse these Ceremonies which we haue in religion in preaching Spirituall vvorship praying and outward meeting I assure thee thou shalt not escape the iudgement of God And therefore beware and neuer content thy selfe with the outward worshipping fie on it all if thou haue not an inward worshipping in thy heart Againe I see no man that goeth to hell but before hee goe hee subscribeth to his owne death I subscribe with my owne hand that I am worthie of death The obligation passeth against thee either secretly or openly in thy owne conscience and then thy mouth shall be closed and the Lord shall cast thy handwriting before thee and shall say Seest thou not thy owne handting knowest thou not that thou subscribedst this And if thou werst an Emperour thou shalt keepe thy mouth close then and goe from him with howling and scritching And therefore neuer rest as thou wouldest haue life till thou get that handwriting taken away Thou wouldest be busie to get that handwriting taken away which thou seest and knowest will doe thee euill here and that may trouble thee in thy person goods or lands fie on thee that shouldest be so busied about trifles and vanities and forgettest to take away this fearfull handwriting which if it stand vntaken away may doe and shall doe thee more harme then the losse of this whole world can doe Seeke therefore continually night and day to haue this handwriting of thy sinne and guiltines taken away as thou wouldest stand with ioy in the presence of thy maker at that day To whom with the Sonne and holy Spirit be all honor for euer Amen THE EIGHTEENTH LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians beginning at the midst of the 14. verse COLOS. Chap. 2. vers 14. 15. 14 Which was contrary to vs he euen tooke it out of the way and fastened it vpon the crosse 15 And hath spoyled the
followed For brethren the sinnes of the world were laid vpon Christ and for that cause he came into the world to take them of the back of the world and to lay them on his owne backe as is said Esai 53. 5. The Lord laid on him all our iniquities tumbled them on him so that when Christ was lifted vp vpon the crosse there was neuer such a lift lifted vp Take all the mountaines and lay them on one person and there was a heauier burthen lying vpon his backe For the wrath of God was lying vpon him who felt it the Iewes Nay the Lord Iesus felt the weight of that fierce wrath and he hanging on the crosse all hanged with him thy malediction thy obligation thy death and curse were on his backe and hung with him Therefore Peter in his first Epistle and second chapter vers 24. saith that he bare in his bodie our sinnes all hung with him Now brethren think ye that his burthen was light That handwriting of the curse of God for sin thy sinne and euery particular mans sinne that beleeueth or should beleeue in him their death and torments due to them haue they escaped Christ crucified on the crosse No no all were laid on him and al were crucified with him and the same nailes that were driuen into his hands and feet were also really beaten into thy sinnes and into that death due to sinne and they were driuen through hell the last torment for sinne But who did this The Iewes had little minde of this no not of their owne obligation Who was it then that crucified them The Iewes nailed the Lord but the Lord nailed them The very death that Iesus dyed was the nailes that were striken thorow The Iewes nailed Christ on the crosse but he him seise nailed our sinnes the obligation death and hell to that his crosse that obligation and the sins of all the beleeuers to the vtter ouerthrow of all things that before had offended his father in the elect or that should offend him thereafter For in that hee died it was not for sinne done before alone but for sinne also that after should be done by any of his elect for he is the mediatour that taketh away the sinnes of the world for euer and euer as he was the lambe of God that was slaine from the beginning O then let neuer that powerfull death of Iesus goe out of thy minde as thou wouldest be saued and haue comfort in the day of thy death The Lord Iesus in his death was the most blessed agent that euer was the very death of Iesus slew all the sinnes in the world Now to goe to the next verse To the end that they should not doubt of the destroying of the hand-writing the Apostle telleth them what more he did when he was on the Crosse that seeing the greater thing they should not doubt of the lesser for he that can doe the greater he can doe the lesse What did he He tooke all the diuels in hell he disarmed them he spoyled them and led them in a triumph like slaues with their hands bound behind their backes and hee mounted vpon the crosse as vpon a chariot triumphing ouer them and that is more Now to vnderstand this the better we must vnderstand there were two things against vs howbeit he speaketh of the Iewes yet all may be drawne to vs generally first there was thine owne hand it stood vntaken away then there were powers and principalities and diuels there was not one diuell but he Two things against vs all was against thee accusing thee vpon thine owne obligation There is his obligation saith he how can he escape iudgement and condemnation And they neuer cease to accuse thee yea within thy owne conscience and they make it to condemne thee Now what doth Christ He taketh thy obligation and all that may be laid to thy charge and abolisheth it and then hee turneth to the accusers and fighteth with them disarmeth How vainly vaine men speake of Christ crucified thē and leadeth thē captiue in a triumph O would to God we could weigh y e mercie of God! O vaine bodie it is but a word to thee that Christ was crucified as if thou werst speaking of a hanged man so vainely thou speakest of Christs crosse Then this I marke generally I see Iesus Christ when hee was on the crosse dying hee was the most occupied that euer was in any action thou when thou art dying thou doest no more but Iesus Christ when hee was in dying hee wrought and sought most busily So that the death of Iesus was ordained for the abolishing and destroying the aduersest powers in the world thy sinne and hell and whatsoeuer was contrarie to thee and thy saluation Brethren the argument that the Apostle vseth is from the greater to the lesse he hath spoyled the principalities and powers therefore concludeth he be assured he hath taken thy obligation away When thou hearest this doubt not but thy sinnes are forgiuen thee the one thing is the smaller the other is the greater When thou seest the diuell rageth not in the world when thou seest his dominion empayred An argument to assure vs our sinnes are pardoned because that Sathā and sinne doe not raigne in vs. make thy vantage of it and say O my sinnes are forgiuen For be ye assured if there were not remission of sinnes the diuell would raigne and rage and therefore this restraining of him is a sure argument that thy sinnes are forgiuen thee For if thy hand writing were not rent hee would raigne in thee as hee raigneth in such men as rage in their wicked lusts of adulteries and murthers Thou that art exercised in thy pollutions and murthers and such like thou hast no warrant that thy sinnes are forgiuen thee for as yet the diuell raigneth in thee Seeke therfore to this Lord Iesus and the vertue of his crosse that the diuell raigne not in thee O miserable is that creature whatsoeuer it be that walketh in sinne whatsoeuer it be thou maist be assured for that handwriting of thy curse standeth as yet against thee and will condemne thee in that great day It will be dasht in thy teeth to thy shame and confusion for euer He saith Hauing spoyled The word is stripped taken off all that cloathing of theirs Of whom no small creatures but of principalities and powers that is the diuels of whom one is stronger then al the men in the world He were able to destroy all liuing men and there are millions of them O if thou knewest them thou wouldest feare continually Thou wilt looke to a sillie creature and wilt stampe vpon it but thou hast enemies aboue thy head and if thou sawest them thou wouldest take little thought of the enimitie of men looke Ephes chap. 6. vers 12. This power of the diuel is restrained only in the beleeuers for he rageth euery day more and more fiercly in vnbeleeuers towards the end
hath his faith in him for he shall ouercome the diuel find strength in the day of temptation Cast Gorgons head or Medusas so many as did looke on it were turned into stones as Poets faine vp Iesus Christ as it were Gorgonis caput the diuell dare not look vpon thee but if thou appeare in thy own nature without Christ lying in thy stink he will boldly and fiercely set on thee He will cast vp his face assaile thee mightily he shall not leaue thee till he destroy thee for there is no mercie or pitie with him he is more cruell theÌ„ a Tiger Well seek to Christ as ye would be saued and stand fast in the day of temptation He led them through saith he openly That is in the sight of God his Angels and all the world and these that stood about the crosse What auailes a triumph that is done in secret The glorie of this triumph stood in that that it was done so openly I tell thee his crosse was no more open then his triumph was his glorie was as open as his shame But thou wilt say who was this all the Iewes and the nations about saw him crucified ignominiously who saw this triumph alas if they had had eyes they might haue seene it Whereto tended his death but to the vanqâ—â—â—â—â—ng of the diuell so the fault was not in the crosse buâ— in them that they saw not If there were no more but that title Iesus of Nazareth King of the Iewes which Pilate would not alter if they had taken heede to that title they might perceiue hee was triumphing But howbeit they all saw it not yet I doubt not but there were some secret ones that saw it both God and his Angels saw it and Paul looking back againe to the crosse he seeth that triumph There is none of vs but when we looke backe to the crosse of Christ Iesus wee see in the crosse a triumphing King sitting in a triumphing chariot this is Pauls sight and it is the sight of euery faithfull soule They see it and they feele it daily and out of my sight it shall neuer goe nor out of thy sight that beleeuest in the Lord Iesus In the last words he taketh vp in one word the triumphing He coÌ„pares Christs triumph with the Romanes triumphes ouer them ye know the greatest glorie of victorie when men triumph ouer their enemies is to be set aboue them and al the Romane Emperours neuer got so great glorie as when they got a triumph But all is nothing to this glorie of the triumph of our Iesus for he getteth the greatest honour he getteth the triumph which is worthily called a triumph What is his triumph The Romanes got their triumph when they had oppressed men most vniustly and so it was but a tyrannie but the Lord Iesus triumpheth not because hee oppresseth this or that man but he triumphs because hee oppressed principalities and powers that is the diuels Neuer a Caesar ouercame the diuell but the diuell ouercame them when they were in their greatest royaltie so that the diuell was leading them to hell fastest when they triumphed most vniustly but Iesus Christ triumpheth after a iust victorie The spoyling of them was most iust and so it passeth all the triumphes of all the Romane Emperours and Caesars Their Chariots are not to bee compared with that crosse of Iesus So wouldest thou triumph with Iesus Christ and after a iust conquest Alas alas seeke not to triumph ouer men ouer this or that King this bodie or that ouer poore tenants to shed their bloud to wring thy hands in their heart bloud as thou wilt O villaine villaine stay let not that King of Spaine that slaue subiected to that beast of Rome reioyce in that by his crueltie he triumphs ouer many nations O thou wilt call thy selfe a Christian King learnedst thou of Christ to oppresse thy neighbour countries No if thou werst a Christian King thou wouldest learne to oppresse the diuell that raigneth ouer thee But to leaue them and to speake of this victorie of Christ thou that wouldest haue a true triumph seeke to haue the victorie ouer the diuel that seeketh to triumph ouer thee and that in Iesus Christ for without him there is no true victorie To end in a word ye would marueile if you looke to this writing of this Apostle and I doubt not that meÌ„ in this world that know not what Iesus and his crosse meane would scorne all this language for the wisedome of God is foolishnes to this world What is this he is telling He is speaking of an ignominious crosse of Christ and againe he is setting him vp as it were a Caesar There was neuer an Oratour that spake more highly of an Emperour then hee doth speaking of the crosse of Iesus Christ He is making a glorie of an ignominie and a Chariot of a gallowes a triumph of a man that is hanged Brethren this same speech of the Apostle would to God we could see as he saw it is a triumphing speech of a triumph testifieth plainly that hee felt in his heart the power of the crosse and A triumphing speech in the Apostle of Christs triumph death of Iesus Christ as he saith Galath 6. 14. God forbid that I should reioyce but in the crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ It testifieth that his heart was full of the power of God and of the death of Christ and that the obligation was cancelled and the diuell vndone and by this effectuall feeling the mouth and the heart are opened Alas alas he would not haue compared the crosse of Christ with the triumph of Emperours if his heart had not felt the vertue of the crosse of Christ O then seeke a sense of the death of Christ and the power of it otherwise reade not these words for thou wilt scorne the Gospell Againe I say thou wilt scorne the Gospell if thou finde not the vertue and power of the death of Christ in some measure sensibly in thy heart yea and the wiser thou art thou wilt euer account it the greater follie Therefore as euer thou wilt account of it and speake of the crosse of Christ to thy ioy seeke to feele sensibly the power of that death of Christ for it is not like a common death In the death of the man Iesus Christ what was there There was the life of the Sonne of God that quickened the death of the man So that it is more powerfull then all the liues of Angels or men that are or that euer will be So all tendeth to this seeke to finde the power of that death that thou maist reade it with ioy and heare tell of it with ioy And certainly if thou shalt feele the power at the hearing and speaking of it if thine hart shal leape for ioy it is argument for thee that Iesus Christ hath triumphed ouer death to thy saluation To this Iesus with the Father and the holy Spirit be
all glorie and honour for euer and euer Amen THE NINETEENTH LECTVRE VPON THE Epistle of PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 2. vers 16. 17. 16 Let no man therefore condemne you in meate and drinke or in respect of an holie day or of the new Moone or of the Sabboth daies 17 Which are but shadowes of things to come but the bodie is in Christ THe purpose of the Apostle in all this place beloued brethren it is partly to exhort the Colossians to beware of false teachers that had crept in amongst them partly to admonish them Now heretofore ye heard hee fell vpon occasion into a faire description of God and of Coherence the effectualnes of his power which was from the effects first from the raising of Iesus Christ from the dead Secondly from raising vp of the Gentiles and namely the Colossians who were dead in sinnes and in the vncleannes of their flesh from that death they lay in And thirdly from the quickening of the Iewes who had subscribed an obligation against themselues sealing vp that they were guiltie of damnation Therefore Iesus Christ the first thing he doth is the cancelling of the obligation and putting it out of the way by nailing it on the crosse then when he had done this he turneth him vpon the same crosse to principalities and powers who are the diuels that persecuted mankind and accused them vpon that hand-writing He turneth I say to them and fighteth with them spoyling and leading them captiues Then hauing spoyled them he leadeth them to their shame and his glory in the sight of God and his Angels openly in a triumph hee sitting as it were in his triumphing chariot the crosse more glorious then all the chariots wherein any triumphing Emperour euer triumphed from the beginning Now brethren in this text which we haue read the Apostle returneth to his former purpose and vpon the former doctrine containing that fact of Christ vpon the crosse in nailing the hand-writing to the crosse and putting it out of the way and vanquishing the diuels he gathers this admonition Seeing this hand-writing of ordinances all rites ceremonies and all are abolished by the crosse of Christ therefore ye Colossians let no man condemne you for these things They are not they are all abolished and put away therefore beware of the false teachers that would condemne you for not vsing of such things I meane saith he new Moones Sabboths meates drinkes and such other ceremonies If wee will weigh these words well wee shall finde in them not onely a simple admonition giuen to the Colossians that they should not suffer themselues to bee condemned in such things but also we shall finde an inhibition giuen to the false teachers forbidding them to condemne the Colossians or any of the Gentiles in any of these rites that were alreadie abolished forbidding them streightly vnder the paine of their condemnation to vrge them with the same The very forme of the words sheweth that it is a very law for it is giuen after the manner of a law Let no man As if he would say I inhibite that no man condemne you for these ceremonies of the law alreadie abolished in the death of Christ Then briefly brethren ye see there is a law giuen the holie Spirit giueth it the Apostle proclaimeth it the law is this An euangelicall law that no man condemne them whom God absolueth When God absolueth a man let no man condemne him no if it were all the Kings in the earth they are ouer bold to condemne the silliest creature that God absolueth Paul to the Rom. chap. 8. 33. 34. commandeth and vrgeth Who will intend any crime who will be so bold to doe it it is God that iustifieth who then dare be so bold as to condemne him whom hee iustifieth and absolueth The law is giuen in generall But to come to the particulars There is a law giuen concerning the Iew that after God hath rent his hand-writing and abolished all the rites that hee was subiect vnto let no man condemne him for not obseruing of these ceremonies And as concerning the Gentile there is a law let no false teacher condemne a Gentile for not obseruing any of these ceremonies considering the Gentiles neuer receiued them they were imposed vpon the Iew. As for the Gentile they were not imposed vpon him and therefore it is a great presumption to impose these rites vpon them who neuer had receiued them But to come neere and speake plainly There is a law against the Pope and Papists that they condemne no Christian man vnder paine of condemnation for not obseruing of such rites as their festiual daies ceremonies of their owne inuention And in the name of the same Iesus as the Apostle intimateth this law so doe I intimate the same to them and you that heare me let no man condemne you for not keeping of such things as the Papists would impose vpon you The Lord hath made you free of them The Lord hath giuen you libertie He is too impudent to binde you with the obseruation of such things But let vs particularlie see the things in the which he will not haue the Colossians and the rest of the Gentiles vs this day condemned He calleth them in meate drinke and holy daies apparantly he vnderstandeth the feasts that were most solemne as the Passeouer the feast of Tabernacles and such others And then he commeth to them that were not so solemne as the new Moones and the rest And if you will marke the manner of speaking he speaketh of these rites with a disdaining of them They are of no worth after the body is come I will not insist to speake of the rites of the Iewes onely thus farre concerning their meates Before the Lord came and was manifested Leuit. 11. 1. Deut. 14. there ye shall finde that among the Iewes there was a difference of meates some cleane some Of the Iewish obseruation of meates vncleane and forbidden All was to signifie the difference betweene the Iewe and the Gentile that the Iewe should not communicate with the Gentile But that partition wall was throwne downe by Iesus Christ at his comming and all difference was taken away Now the false teachers did as much as they could to haue raised vp the partition wall and so to make voyde the crosse of Iesus Christ As concerning holy daies I onely touch it among the Iewes there were many feasts obserued but all were figures of Christ Holy daies and when he came they all tooke end And therefore the false teachers that pressed the obseruation of those daies did what they could to annihilate the comming of Iesus Christ as though he had neuer yet come into the world And here yee may cleerely perceiue the nature of erronious spirits that incline Erronious spirits to heresie for the most part they are occupied about trifling things things indifferent as meate drinke holy dayes and such like O as the Papists
to Angels to condemne a man for ceremonies much lesse oughtest thou to condemne a man specially for a shadow And yet for all that brethren as I said before this is the nature of an erronious spirit all their censuring Iudging of men by their obseruation of ceremonies proceedes of iudging a man for obseruation of ceremonies and they will send him to heauen and hell for euery trifle at their pleasure So marke an erronious spirit and a deceiuer his head is busie about these trifling things censuring vpon shadowes putting a necessitie where there is none and stepping ouer the necessarie poynts of Religion In a word ye shall finde the diuell hath been a sore enemie to this christian libertie to burden thee with things indifferent But as Paul counselleth thee Gal. 5. 1. Stand fast in the libertie wherewith Christ hath made thee free and count him for a false teacher that would restraine thee But to weigh the words better which are but shadowes that is no substantiall thing There is a great difference betweene the shadow and the body for a man going to the East his shadow striketh to the west so all the shadowes when Christ rose in the East were stricken backe to the precedent times and for the times since his resurrection are abolished and done away The Sacraments that we now receiue are not shadowes but sure seales of Iesus Christ alreadie come Marke what was the estate of the Iewe he liued vpon shadowes vnder the law and yet he was safe not by the vertue of the shadowes but because in the meane time while he is in remembring of the The Iewes before Christ. shadowes his eye lookes out beyond the shadow to that body that was comming So it was hope that saued him As for those that had no eye to the bodie they got no life but death by the shadow Thou shalt neuer haue life by these outward exercises of Religion except thou haue the inward substances for the outward shall euer turne to thy damnation if thou haue not the inward And further the very estate of the Iewes doth recommend to thee the blessednes of thy estate aboue the Kings and all the Prophets of old They embraced the shadow but thou embracest the bodie Iesus Christ is come alreadie crucified in the Gospell so that thy estate is such a blessed estate y t thou canst neuer think enough of it But alas heauēly things are not regarded when thou hast gotten some small preferment in the world thou wilt make much of it but as for this preferment in Iesus Christ thou carest not for it Yet the end will commend or condemne all thy ioyes Now mark the power that riseth from the shadowes of Christ the very shadow of him being rightly taken saueth and comforteth the sinfull soule It was his shadow that saued Adam and all Kings and people before his comming in the flesh but yet as the shadow must be still vnderstood to be accompanied with the bodie and to haue the power from it O what power must be in the bodie when it is standing before thee without the shadow seeing the shadow is so powerfull O the wonderfull power that is offered to me and thee fie on vs that finde it not the blame is in vs that we finde not this power and not in Iesus Seeke to Iesus take hold of him by faith and I doe assure thee there shall come out of him such a power that shall quicken thee so as thou wouldest not want it for all the world Thirdly ye shall see how foolish these false teachers are they are teaching to embrace a shadow when the bodie is come See how vaine they are The Iewes did well that embraced the shadow before Christ came but after his comming it was vaine to doe it and so it was as much as to bid them embrace the thing that was not And admit that the shadow abode still were it not follie to comprize the shadow with the bodie the shadow goeth before the bodie commeth after But brethren such is the follie of these vanishing heads this fellow will seeme to be some bodie a iolly fellow as who but he and yet hee will make thee to thinke that light and darknes may dwell together the shadow and the bodie to be both in one place O but all this is vanitie decline thou once from the truth thou be commest mad thou wilt cause the people to erre So blessed is the man that stickes by Iesus and stands by the scripture of God and if thou doe it thou shalt be safe otherwise thou shalt goe into euerlasting darkenes As the Apostle Rom. 1. 21. testifieth ye shall become mad fooles and in the end perish with the reprobate if yee sticke not to this Iesus Christ and his word Now to come to the end they might haue said if these be the shadowes where is the bodie He answers But the bodie is in Christ. There are two things here first there is the shadow of things to come the second is the bodie which is Christ and followes the shadow The bodie that followes is not this or that bodie not Iohn the Baptist not one of the Prophets but onely Iesus Christ Then note first there was neuer from the beginning nor is nor shall be to the end any other subiect of Religion of godlines but Iesus Christ the Lord seeke it where ye will there is no other foundation of faith No man saith Paul 1. Cor. 3. 11. can lay any other foundation beside that that is laid Iesus Christ. Onely this is the difference amongst the Iewes he was but a shadow now he is the bodie So wouldest thou haue a godly man defined it is he whose heart is occupied about Christ in some measure how he was incarnate and of his passion Thinkest thou that this should goe out of thy thought Alas if thou thoughtest of thy sin thou shouldst neuer get rest till thou thinke of his crosse then of his resurrection This is the godly harted man Paul 1. Tim. 3. 16. when he had said Great is the mysterie of godlines then he comes to the parts of it God manifested in the flesh iustified in the spirit and so forth till he comes to the last receiued vp in glorie where we are taught that the mysterie of godlines is onely in Iesus Christ So that if thou wouldst haue thy heart occupied in godlines fixe thy heart on Iesus Christ for I assure you this thinke of any thing in this world or out of it and leaue out Iesus Christ not thinking of him thou shalt find that thy heart shall not be sanctified but prophane and wicked So there is nothing to make a godly heart but to thinke on Iesus When thou art thinking of many things reserue a peece of thy heart for him giue him a thought if thou wert a King be not so busie in thy affaires if thou wert in Parliament take heed thou forget him not but euer giue him
a thought or a looke otherwaies thou art not sanctified yea if in all thine affaires thou thinke not on Christ and haue not a presence of God the very horse thou ridest on is better then thou and the higher thou art mounted vp the more miserable if thou want a thought of God in Iesus Christ Againe yee see Iesus is called the bodie yee know that by humane reason a bodie is a solide thing with dimensions that thou maist apprehend solidlie In a word Christ hath this prerogatiue to be called a bodie Iesus Christ of all things is the solidest and firmest in comparison of him there is not a bodie in the world I say to thee when thou puttest out thy hand to lay hold on the most solid thing in the world thou shalt not find it so solid as the heart of the godly shall by when it by the hand of faith layeth hold on him for as soone as Iesus toucheth the heart then the heart that before was vaine and superficiall is made a solid bodie so there is not a solid heart but it that hath Iesus closed in it I tell thee thy heart is but as an emptie bagge if thou get not Iesus into it therefore crye euer Iesus fill my emptie heart Neuerthelesse fooles set not greatly by this but I say to thee if thou wert a King thou shalt neuer be solid thy heart shall neuer be solid but a blast of wind shall carrie thee away if thou haue not Iesus Christ in thy heart Lastly I see the religious heart that is occupied vpon Christ is occupied vpon the firmest thing in the world those that faine would bee godly and separate themselues from this world and lay hold on Christ the prophane may well say of him what is this bodie doing he is a sillie foolish bodie But if he were a King if he knew the estate of that bodie he would change his estate with his this you may see in the example of Paul speaking to Agrippa Acts chap. 26. vers 29. Well as I haue said before the end shall trie all and they that in this life followed Iesus and set their eye vpon this solid thing they shall abide because they haue laid hold on him who is eternall and abides for euer and blessed is the soule that apprehendeth this onely solid thing Iesus And thou that laiest holde on the things that are seene on the pleasures of this world O they shall vanish they shall be caried away as dust because the things that are seene are momentanie and passe away Therefore if thou wouldest liue for euer fasten thy heart vpon Christ it will not be honour meate and drinke that will establish thy heart when heauen and earth shall be shaken together nothing shall establish thee but that ankering of thee vpon Christ and therefore seeke to bee ankered vpon him To whom bee all honour and praise Amen THE TWENTITH LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 2. vers 18. 18 Let no man at his pleasure beare rule ouer you by humblenes of mind and worshipping of Angels aduauncing himselfe in those things which he neuer saw rashly puft vp with his fleshly mind THe Apostle brethren throughout this whole chapter admonisheth the Colossians to beware of false teachers and of mens doctrine and traditions The traditions he admonisheth them to beware of are of two sorts the first sort is the olde ceremonies that the Lorde sometime gaue to bee obserued by the people of the Iewes which at Christs comming were wholy abolished and put away and therefore the receiuing of them againe into the Church of Christ it was nothing else but the doctrine of men and not Two sorts oferaditions of God The second sort of traditions are such as God neuer gaue to any people nor will giue to the end of the world to be obserued as this To bid men goe worship Angels to call vpon Saints they are such as the Lord neuer knew of nor gaue to man he neuer commaunded to worship an Angell nor call vpon a Saint Wee heard the last day of the first sort of mens traditions and the doctrine concerning the ceremonies that were abolished by Christs comming Let no man condemne you saith he in meate or drinke there is the first sort The ceremonies of the Iewes in the which the Apostle wils them that they suffer not themselues to be condemned for not keeping them because they are alreadie abolished Now brethren in this text presently read we are admonished concerning the second sort of traditions namely concerning the worshipping of Angels To come then to the purpose and words of the text Let no man saith he to the Colossians at his pleasure beare rule ouer you by submission of minde and worshipping of Angels These are the words Let no man beare rule ouer you The word is to bee considered in the originall it signifieth to play the part of a moderator and of a Iudge and not that onely but it signifieth to beare rule not for men and their will but against them and to their hurt and domage This is the force of the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if he would say Let no man beare rule ouer you that is against you and to your hurt and domage The Apostle vseth sundrie words whereby hee expresseth the action of false teachers and deceiuers First in the eight verse of this chapter he said Let no man spoyle you carrie you away as a pray Then he saies Let no man condemne you sit vpon you to iudge and condemne you Thirdly Let no man beare rule ouer you What meanes this varietie of words and euery one worse then other All tends to this to let vs see False teachers described that there is no kinde of euill that one man can doe against another but a false teacher will doe it against man What thing can any man doe against another bodily but a false teacher will doe against him spiritually and it is worse an hundred times to be hurt spiritually then bodily One man wil come to another and take him and draw him away bodily but a false teacher will draw him away spiritually and that more cruelly then one man will draw away another bodily This man will giue him whom he draweth leaue to breathe and to rest a while but a false teacher if once hee take a man in his snare he will not giue him rest night nor day till he bring him to damnation Againe men will condemne thee bodily but false teachers wil condēne thy soule So in one word there was neuer a tyrant frō the beginning of the world that hath done so much euill to the world as the Pope and his Clergie haue done O the soules of them that he hath made to perish fie on this world that sees not this lowne plainly playing the tyrant daily Alas worldly tyrants destroy the bodies and goods of men only but he destroyeth the soules and
crie for it or els thou shalt die and apprehend the death of Christ for it is the death of Christ that slayeth the flesh and takes away the corruption of thy nature Now to come againe to the false teacher I gaue you a mark Markes of false teachers of him before hee is pert hee is shamelesse and hath a brasen face otherwise hee durst not affirme such points of doctrine Another marke of a false teacher he is proud as proud as the diuell as wee say what were it if hee had matter but hee is proud with the winde of false doctrine for as humble as hee will seeme to thee yet beware of him his heart is blowne vp with pride There is not a false teacher but hee is proud a proud heart in a poore breast he is a poore diuell I remember a sentence of Augustine to Paulinus It is a wonderfull thing that a man should be more proud of humilitie then if he were openly proud and I will assure thee a deceiuer will be prouder in his counterfeit humilitie then he that is openly proud A simple man cannot doe it and of all the proud men in the world the deceiuer is greatest Another thing I marke false doctrine and pride are companions together so that if thou say there is false doctrine I will say there is pride also If thou wilt say there is false doctrine in this heart I will say there is a proud bodie as a man of a foule stomacke will giue a foule belch So a blast of false doctrine is a puffe of pride wherewith the heart is filled vp Therefore it is no marueile though I say a false Doctor is a proud man Be not deceiued with a Iesuite when hee commeth with his side long cloake and his broad brimbd hat who is so humble as hee but I say hee is full of pride and thou shalt bewaile the time that thou sawest him Keepe him in thy chambers as thou wilt hee shall sting thee to death The last argument of the condemning of this false doctrine is in these words he saith He hath not to doe with the head Iesus Christ The third argument of false doctrine He vttereth plainly he neuer wist what Christ was and that hee neuer tasted of that power and vertue which descendeth from the head to the bodie for if hee had tasted of it O for all the world hee would not haue put an Angell betwixt him and Christ VVilt thou put one betweene thee and thy head An Angell is but a stranger to thee in respect of Iesus Is not a mans head the most familiar and best thing that a man hath will he not haue recourse to his head O would the deceiuer put thee from thy head Iesus Christ he plainly testifieth that Iesus Christ thy head stood neuer vpon his necke Iesus stood neuer vpon the necke of a Papist speake of him what he will for if he were thy head O Papist and haddest tasted the vertue that descended from him thou wouldest neuer seeke to Angels and Saints to bid them open their mouth to pray for thee But thou that followest after Saints and huntest after Angels thou shewest that thou neuer tastedst of the head Iesus Christ And therefore thou testifiest that thou art a false teacher and thou that followest such a teacher thou art a false professor of Iesus Christ Here I end onely I request you sticke to Iesus once get him to be thy head and I shall promise thee thou shalt neuer long for Angell nor Saint For thou shalt finde such a power and vertue of life to flow out of him to thee and such a sweetnes as therewith thy soule shall be contented and as thou continuest with him thou shalt finde thy selfe more and more liuely and ioyfull in thy heart thou shalt sucke continually life and ioy out of him till at the last thou shalt see him in his Iob. 21. 22 glorie and be filled fully in him for in his countenance is the sacietie and fulnes of ioy And thou shalt not seeke to Angels and bid one of them goe betwixt thee and him at that day O then acquaint you with him for the Angels are but ministering spirits at his commaund I say O acquaint you with him and sticke by him immutably and thou shalt finde the ioy of thy heart vnspeakable To Iesus Christ with the Father and the holy Spirit be all honour and praise Amen THE XXI LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 2. vers 19. 20. 19 And holdeth not the head whereof all the bodie furnished and knit together by ioynts and bands encreaseth with the encreasing of God 20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the ordinances of the world why as though ye liued in the world are ye burdened with traditions YE heard brethren the admonition of the Apostle that the Colossians should not suffer themselues to be abused by false Apostles especially with the rites and ceremonies that sometimes were giuen to the people of the Iewes and after abolished by Christs comming Secondly that they should not suffer themselues to be abused by no other kinde of traditions which God neuer gaue to any people as the worshipping of Angels whereon wee insisted the last day This kinde of tradition it came in vnder the pretence of Coherence humilitie and it was refuted and condemned by the Apostle as ye heard by three arguments first it comes of shamelesse pertnes of men pretending to haue a knowledge of that they neuer saw nor heard Where sawe they the Angels and their intercession they make in heauen where heard they of it and so it is a false doctrine to propound any thing whereof they haue no warrant The second argument is taken from the pride that is in them for this doctrine concerning the worshipping of Angels it commeth of pride without any cause or knowledge and so it is no more but a blast of a foule proud stinking heart The third argument which is in the beginning of this verse is from the want of Christ the head These doctors neuer tasted that Christ was their head for if they had they would neuer haue sought nor bidden seeke to Angels to bee mediatours betwixt them and God So briefly there be these three arguments whereby this false doctrine is refuted and taken away Yet the Papist defendeth it by the same arguments that the false Apostles defended it It commeth of humilitie to vse them as mediatours that are most familiar and conuersant with God Alas a new heretike is wondrous like to an old heretike So it is but a damned doctrine that they haue raised vp in these daies Now the Apostle hauing spoken of the head Iesus Christ hee falleth out into a description of him from the relation to the bodie and from the effects of the bodie which is the Church all to this end to shew the false teachers and their followers of how great a good
God Therefore seeke it of him He calleth it the growth of God because the furniture is of God for where the furniture is of God there must be the growth of God As the naturall furniture maketh the naturall growth euen so where the spirituall furniture is it maketh the spirituall growth and as the one failes see that the other grow daily Endeuour to grow spiritually otherwise this life is most miserable and a wofull death will abide thee Therefore haue a greater respect to the spirituall growth then to this temporall If it be a great corsiue to this life to be bereft of visible and earthly things what a sore sting shall it be to be depriued of the life to come and the ioyes of heauen and the sight of the spirituall things there There must bee sorow of sorrowes the greatest and wofullest sorrow that euer was Further I see there is set downe here an opposition betwixt this growth of God and the swelling vp of the false Apostles Where Iesus is the head and furniture sent downe from him Where Christ is there is the growth of God where he is not and no furniture from him there is no solid growth there There may well be one blowne vp with a vaine winde of poyson as a bodie that will swell foote and hand he may well swell vp in the wombe of sinne but if there be not a furniture from Iesus thou shalt neuer grow truly either in knowledge or sanctification thy estate shall be as the women learning but neuer come to the knowledge of the truth Our Noblemen will take in Iesuites into their chambers and will giue eare to them but I say to thee heare as thou wilt there is no solid growth to be had of his speech There is no sound spirituall growth in the kingdome of Antichrist It may be ye thinke it growes because the world followeth it for the kingdome of the truth of Iesus is in a narrow bound but I say vnto you there is no good growth in that kingdome of Antichrist therefore flye from them flie from Babylon for Babylon shall be destroyed flie away then from them Shame shall befall them that ioyne with them This for the description of Iesus and the growth in him In the next verse hee returneth to his admonition and he saith be not burthened alas these traditions are a burthen of Traditions such weight that whosoeuer will take them on they shall presse them downe to hell and damnation The argument that he vseth ye are dead with Christ and by his crosse he hath freed you if saith he ye be dead with Christ why should ye suffer your selues to be burthened with such trifles as the false Apostles would haue you berthened with as if he would say it is a great indignitie done to Christ if ye doe so He said before they were buried with him now he saith they are dead with Christ Who euer thou be then that hast any part with Iesus thou must be dead with Iesus There is none but they must be dead in this world with Iesus if they would haue any part with him A man that is quicke in this world giues a token that he hath no part with Iesus But heare this death described Yee were dead saith hee with Christ then hee hath a companion that is a blessed death that hath the fellowship of Iesus It is better to die with Iesus then to liue with all the world The word which he vseth imports further To die by vertue of his death so it is his death that maketh vs to die O there is a double happines blessed is that soule that dieth by vertue of the death of Iesus So then it is not so much thou that diest as it is sinne that dieth in thee by vertue of his death Yet more he saith ye were dead with Christ Where from from the ordinances or elements that is the grosse rudiments of Religion that imported a subiection and a thraldome to the law Looke if this be a burthen or not So in a word there is the greatest happines to die with Christ for to die with him is to be freed of the law and of sinne So wouldest thou haue a blessed death dye this death with Christ for it bringeth to thee a faire libertie It is better to dye with Christ then to liue a slaue with sinne And if thou wouldest liue a free man leaue Libertie sinne and seeke the libertie that is in Christ He saith if ye be dead with Christ why are ye burthened with traditions somewhat sharply and angerly Fie shame fie shame on thee that goest to put thy necke vnder traditions wherefrom thou wast once freed fie on thee man that makest defection to Papistrie why goest thou to be burthened with such vanities Now he lets them see that it was a mischieuous thing that they cast off Christ to liue to this life This is a miserable case with the wofull and sinfull life in this world O thou Papist woe is thee that makest this choice thou that hast dyed with Christ thou wilt begin to liue with the Pope and his vaine traditions It shall neuer make thee to haue life no not in this world as quicke as thou seemest to be I insist so much the more in this that ye that stand should be moued to stand still and not to be chaunged from your Christ as many doe when they goe to these parts of the Popes dominions O it will be a blacke day to you if ye stand not fast euer by Christ and his truth Be ioyfull that ye are crucified with Christ and be not wanton with the world but be sorie for sinnefor if sinne liue in you ye shall dye but if thou leaue it in the teares of repentance thou shalt liue for euer I loue not a wanton sinner be therefore buried and dead with Christ that ye may liue with him To whom with the Father and holie Spirit bee euerlasting praise and glorie for euer and euer Amen THE XXII LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 2. vers 21. 22. 23. 21 As touch not taste not handle not 22 Which all perish with the vsing and are after the commaundements and doctrines of men 23 Which things haue in deede a shew of wisedome in voluntary religion and humblenes of minde and in not sparing the bodie which are things of no value sith they pertaine to the filling of the flesh YE heard the last day welbeloued brethren in Iesus Christ the Apostle when he had set downe that faire description of Christ the head of the bodie he returned to his purpose and that admonition which is through this whole chapter that they should beware of false teachers and false doctrine and especially that they should not take on thē the burthen of ordinances that is to say y e burthen of the rites and ceremonies of the law that sometime had place in the Church of the Iewes
thou shalt be glorified The cause is because hee is thy life and then hee appearing of force thou must appeare because his life is thine Is not this comfortable that the glorie The glorie of Christ and thy life cannot be parted of Iesus and thy life cannot bee parted Thou canst not liue without him and hee will not want thee Againe as soone as his life shall appeare thou shalt appeare It is very comfortable yet the phrase is to be marked He saith not when Christ of whom wee haue our life shall appeare but hee saith when Christ who is our life shall appeare This is a more effectuall speaking and the very manner of speech noteth this that that spirituall life that we begin to liue here is not so much a life different from his life as it is the very life that Christ liueth himselfe Christ hath a life and wee haue the same in number the life of Christ ouershadoweth vs. That same very life and no other extendeth to vs so farre as wee are capable of it Brethren ye may perceiue this to be a similitude Liueth the bodie another life then the head No There is but one life in the man and that that the head hath the same the whole bodiehath and it quickeneth euery member of the bodie Euen so is it to be thought of the life of Iesus our spirituall head There is a neerer coniunction betwixt vs and him then there is betweene this head of ours and the bodie so that of necessitie there is but one life of Christ and ours and we liue that same life of Iesus as members of that mysticall bodie whereof he is the head Paul Galath chap. 2. vers 20. he saith not by Christ I liue but he saith Christ liueth in me And Ephes chap. 3. vers 17. he dwelleth in me So his life is mine And the 2. Cor. chap. 4. vers 10. the life of Iesus is manifested in me The life of Iesus was Pauls life What else then is thy life but this same life of Iesus This is comfortable he hath made thee a fellow companion to himselfe he will not giue thee another life but his owne life O that this miserable world wist what it were to liue the life of God to haue Christ and his life in it It is no small glorie to liue the life of Iesus In the last words he saith not when Christ who is your life shall appeare your life shall appeare but he saith ye shall appeare euen ye your selues in proper person and none others for you but ye your selues shall appeare with Iesus in that day For their demaund would seeme to meane another thing to wit that howsoeuer Christ should appeare who was their life yet they would be farre to seeke as we say But hee answereth them more comfortably ye your selues shall appeare at that day and not your life onely For your life shall not so soone appeare but as soone incontinently thereafter within the space of the twinckling of an eye ye your selues shall appeare so this speech telleth vs that there is a space of time wherein the sonnes of God are not knowne in the world the Lord hath children here and the world knoweth them not yea The world knowes not the Saints scarsely they themselues see it much lesse the world Then againe they haue a time when they are made knowne to be Kings sonnes the least of them euery one is the Kings sonne 1. Ioh. 3. 2. 3. and they themselues will know themselues then When is it that they are not knowne when his glorie is not seene What difference is there betweene a Kings sonne and another when he is not in his own place and dignitie So is it with thee thou art not in thine owne place and honour When shalt thou be knowne to be the sonne of God when the sonne of glorie Simile shall appeare then thou shalt be knowne to be the sonne of God Then the diuell shall be compelled to say there is the sonne of God there is a Kings sonne and an heire of the euerlasting kingdome Then againe when appeares not thine honour when the honour of thy eldest brother appeareth not so long as he is obscured so long thou art obscured When shall it appeare when thy eldest brother shall appeare then thou if thou be first second third fourth yea if ye were tenne thousand the honour of the eldest brother shall reach to all Then in one word the manifestation of the sonnes of God dependeth vpon the appearance of Iesus Christ the first borne our eldest brother When he shall appeare then thy glorie and honour shall appeare Therefore yee pray Let thy kingdome come that is let Iesus appeare in his glorie and let me next appeare This is the effect of the prayer Now to come to the next verse vpon this promise of appearing and life to be manifested he groundeth his exhortation and saith therefore mortifie your earthly members as if he would say your glorie is to bee reuealed yee shall once appeare the sonnes of God in glorie and dignitie what shall ye then doe in the meane time Be occupied saith hee in mortifying the members of your bodie that ye may be found cleane otherwise ye shall not see that life to come Now to obserue this ere wee goe further Such a glorious life requires a death thou shalt neuer get it if there be not a death in thee thinke not to come to it with all thy lusts with thee if thou fall not to the mortification of that hand that hath slaine thy eldest brother the Lord Iesus thou shalt neuer get that life This vaine world thinketh to carrie vp a bloudie hand and a wicked eye to heauen no if thou take it with thee thou shalt not get entrance the gate shall be hurled on thy face The harlot thinketh that she shall get heauen with her harlotrie No she and her harlotrie shall goe to hell no vncleane thing shall enter there if thou be not holie and in some measure sanctified and that filthie 1. Cor. 6. 9 lust of thine slaine thou shalt neuer get heauen deceiue not your selues Yet to marke the words he saith mortifie slay Hee said before they were dead meaning to sinne now hee biddeth them slay on and die on thou that hast begun to die continue otherwise thou wilt not liue This telleth vs sin is not slaine in an instant yea if thou shouldest liue a thousand Sinne is not slaine in an instant yeeres it will liue with thee as long as thou liuest ere thou die it shall not die it hath a quicker life then thou hast thou art but a bubble of water all the Kings of the earth cannot slay sinne yea when this life is gone that same originall sin goeth to the graue with thee and resolueth the bodie into ashes Originall sin liueth after death in the ashes and after that lieth in the ashes and leaueth thee not vntill Christ
12. vers 9. What Idolater Luk. 12. had greater confidence in any thing then this man had in his riches The auaritious man then can haue his confidence in nothing but in his riches Therefore in the first to Timothie chap. 6. vers 17. the Apostle saith Charge the rich men in this world that they be not proud nor put their confidence in vncertaine riches And Dauid in the 62. Psalme vers 10. saith If riches abound set not thy heart vpon them Dauid knew well that man would make a God of his riches Well if he put his trust in his riches and doth worship and honour them he is an idolater For wherein standeth the worship of God but in putting of confidence which is the inward worship of God in him Doest not thou then honour riches when thou puttest thy confidence in them yea certainly yea I say none will goe beyond him in that Looke to him that will put his confidence in an Idoll most an auaritious man shall goe beyond him and ouermatch him Ye will moue another question Is there no other vitious man an idolater Is not the ambitious man an idolater puts hee not his confidence in his honour and the belly-god in his bellie and some in the arme of men put not all these sorts of persons and many more then these their confidence in their seuerall vices like Gods are not these idolaters also I answere it is true indeede thou that art ambitious art an idolater thou that art a belly-god art an idolater and thou that puttest thy trust in the arme of man art an idolater but I say certainly not without cause hee termeth the auaritious to be an idolater before all other euen because it is most common and least counted of by reason that men most naturally are inclined thereto What is he that cannot cloake his auarice It is thriftines will the auaritious man say and why should I giue out my goods to this that why should not I keepe them well when I haue them And so they are most readie to cloake it with a colour And therefore the Apostle to let them see it is but vaine so to doe termeth this vice the greatest and more like to idolatrie then any other So that idolatrie is first and then auarice that is likest to idolatrie succeedeth and then ambition and the rest And to speake the truth it is an harder thing to draw the heart of an auaritious man from this world then it is to draw the heart of any man yea it is easier to winne the idolater from his idolatrie then it is to winne the couetous man from his couetousnes for couetousnes is bred in the marrow of thy bones Then I say againe this vice hath most neede to be insisted vpon and aggrauated For all the world will not satiate the heart of man it is onely the spirit of Iesus that will fill it Now one thing note here and so I will goe forward Certainly this aggrauating of auarice calling of it idolatrie lets vs see that the chiefe sinne in the world is idolatrie When he would make one sinne greater then another he will take the greatest sinne and set with it as here to shew that auarice is a great sinne Auarice and idolatrie compared and greater then many others he setteth it downe with idolatrie that is greater And therefore it must follow that idolatrie is the greatest sinne for that sin that is next to the greatest sinne must needs make that that sinne which is before it to bee the greatest sinne But so it is that couetousnes is next to the greater sinne which is idolatrie therefore idolatrie is the greatest sinne And therefore fie on them that leaue the true God and set vp an Idoll to worship it O that true God Idolatrie shall not leaue of to pursue them while they come home again and all the Kings of the earth shall not make them to prosper except they come home againe O then come home come home or els I pronounce it shall not be the Pope that shall be able to saue thee from damnation It was easie to win the idolatrous Gentiles but to winne false Christians from their Hard to cōuert Papists from idolatrie idolatrie of al things of the world it is one of the hardest Wilt thou not be wonne by the light and truth of the word that iron rod shall bruse thee together Now to speake something of these members will ye see the obiect of these-foule affections The obiects are two in number The first is pleasure the very pleasuring of the flesh The second is profit and gaine There are the two The lust is occupied about pleasure and this desire is occupied about profit and so the two obiects are pleasure and profit Now it is true the Lord that hath created all things hath created thee with these affectations of pleasure and desire of these things in this world so that it is natural to desire the things of this world and to take pleasure in them And the Lord that hath created thee so hee hath giuen thee pleasure and profit and such is his liberalitie towards thee that hee alloweth that thy affections be satisfied so be it that thou vse all to his honour and worship whether thou eate or drinke or whatsoeuer thou doe and that in vsing thy libertie with an vncleane heart thou defile not the good gift of God otherwise of necessitie these foule affections must be double sinnes Thou sinnest doubly not onely in thy lust but in the liberalitie of God thou sinnest in harlotrie and in ingratitude against God The Lord hath permitted thee to haue riches And the Lord shall say to the harlot permitted not I thee to haue pleasure but thou wouldest not take it as I commaunded thee but thou wouldest perseuere in whoredome from one to another and Inordinate affection so pleasure thy selfe in vncleannes which I haue forbidden thee And likewise he shall say to the auaricious permitted not I thee to haue riches but what hast thou done Thou hast made a god of thy riches and serued them whereas thou shouldest haue knowne me for thy God and me onely shouldest thou haue worshipped and therefore thou and thy lust and thou and thy profit shall both to hell in my hot indignation and as one affection that is foule bringeth many sinnes with it so it bringeth double iudgement with it Beware then and marke well these affections that they bee not in excesse and passe measure This inordinate affection to the foule lusts of the flesh and the gaine of the things in this world telleth vs that the corruption of nature and of these affections is more bent to an excesse passing measure then to a defect in nature There are some things that are in excesse and some in a defect but this corruption that is in man tendeth more to an excesse then any other thing Man is readier to offend in ouer great
desire of riches then in ouer little Looke thou through this age thou shalt finde that it inclineth to ouer great seeking of riches Againe ye shall finde that a thousand faileth in ouer great desire of pleasure and so it tendeth more to an excesse then to a defect And therefore this mortification hath more adoe to hold downe these affections then to draw them forward seeing they set vpon excesse on euery side Bridle then your affection for will you goe to your owne experience ye shall finde more adoe in drawing backe your affections from this world the pleasure and riches of the same then in putting them forward Now to come to the arguments ye haue heard the first from that life hid vp in God he pointed it out to them which should moue them to mortifie their members as they would looke for the reuealing of it Now in the verse that followeth the second argument is set downe on the contrarie Before he set downe heauen now hee setteth downe damnation before them Note For the which things saith he the wrath of God commeth on the childrē of disobedience They are tumbled into hell for vncleannes of any sort men and women are thrust daily into hell not onely for them altogether but also for any one of these sinnes if it raigne in them And indeede there are few in whom some one of these vices if not the whole number doth not raigne so that if he be not auaritious yet it may be he is a fornicatour and giuen to this filthie vncleannes of the flesh or some other of these sinnes And I say to thee there is not one of these sinnes if it raigne in thee but it will draw thee to hell that is his meaning So he closeth in this mortification betwixt heauen and hell heauen on the one side and hell on the other mercie on the one side and iudgement on the other to let thee vnderstand that if heauen will not moue thee hell will get thee if that life will not moue thee iudgement and hell shall deuoure thee In the world we are allured with heauen and threatned with hell if thou wilt not be moued with the one the other shall oppresse thee if thou were a King thy estate shall not helpe thee And therefore slay thy foule affections as thou wouldest haue heauen and eschue hel And in that he setteth hel before them it letteth vs see the canker of our nature yea euen of the regenerate Thou art not so well renued but thou hast neede to be chased and compelled to thy grace and to haue the terrors of hell and of the wrath The best haue neede to be awakened with Gods terrors of God obiect to thee to chase thee to heauen as the Apostle 2. Cor. chap. 5. vers 11. saith knowing this terror of the Lord therfore I am faithfull in my vocation bring others to the faith A Minister if he were neuer so good yea if it were Paul himselfe yet ye see hee hath neede of this terror of the wrath of God to be obiected to him that he may be faithfull and waite vpon the glorie of heauen Then againe ye see fornication will procure the wrath of God euerlasting much more the temporall Well thou thinkest simple fornication a single man with a single woman it is but a smal fault but the Apostle saith fornication if thou lie in it it will thrust thee downe into hell Sinne in any sort or measure will procure the wrath of God There is no sinne but it will bring the wrath of God against thee and in the end shut thee in hell But this is to be marked For the which cause saith he the wrath of God falleth vpon whom vpon the children of disobedience that is vpon these persons that will not repent Therefore it is not euery fornication and vncleannes that will cause thee goe to hell but it is fornication vnrepented for and vncleannes vnrepented for that is the sinne which will put thee in hell and vpon that sinner that is impenitent the wrath of God falleth Auarice that is not repented for and a man that is hardened in heart that is he and that is the sinne that will put thee in hell So to speake it properly it is not so much harlotry fornication vncleannes and auarice or other sinne in it selfe that procureth the wrath of God as it is the impenitencie of the person that cannot nor will not repent Alas could the harlot repent him of his sinne hee would be saued Could the murtherer repent him of his murther he would be saued Could the auaricious repent him of his auarice hee would not be vnder the wrath of God For there is no sin so great but if repentance follow there is grace The greatest sinne is pardonable to the penitent for thee Repent thee then of thy sinne as thou knowest it and aske mercie in the Lord Iesus and if thou doe this thou shalt be saued and free from the wrath of this great God for of all sinne in the world the sinne that is accompanied with impenitencie is the greatest Therefore set your heart euer to repent The least sinne vnpardonable to the impenitent as thou wilt declare thy faith in Iesus for faith in Christ can not be without true repentance If we should liue Methusalahs daies all is little enough to repent of sinne yea euen the smallest that euer thou diddest or art guiltie of Thou that hast bin an harlot spend the rest of thy life in repentance and thou shalt finde grace and saluation And so likewise thou that hast been a murtherer an oppressor an auaricious bodie spend the time ye haue behinde in heartie repentance and I assure you ye shall finde mercie and saluation otherwise I debarre you out of heauen Or I leaue these words marke he saith For the which the wrath of God commeth vpon the children of disobedience Supposing that the Colossians had been such men as had walked in all the sinnes he spake of yet this wrath commeth not vpon them Then it is not the elect that be made a spectacle to the world of the wrath and iudgements of God but they are the reprobates that are made the spectacles of Gods wrath and iudgements for they are the children of disobedience As for the elect none of them falleth vnder this wrath O happie is the estate of the chosen number and if thou be not one of the number of Gods elect in the Lord Iesus woe is thee thou shalt be made a spectacle of Gods wrath But as for the elect he chuseth them out to let them see his wrath rather in others then that they should experiment it in their owne persons He will take a slaue and torment him in the sight of his elect and Psal 50. teare him as it were in pieces O the terrible hand of God! to make them to stand in awe for all the reprobate if they were Kings they are
meeting is much more worth to vs then it is to him for what haue wee but all of him and so Christ is in steed of all because he is all otherwise he could not be in steed of all What is this that Christ is all He hath said in the first chapter of this Epistle vers 19. that in him dwelleth all fulnes And in the second chapter he saith in him dwell all the treasures and againe in him dwelleth the Godhead bodily And yet to come more particularly 1. Cor. chap. 1. vers 30. hee saith hee is made to vs wisedome and righteousnes and holines and redemption So wantest thou these things he is all to thee if thou beleeue in him he is full of all Yet brethren some will think there wanteth yet somethings I finde not all I seeke saith the auaricious riches I would haue house and chests full The ambitious saith I want honour I cannot get this in him The leacherous saith I cannot get my lust he is an enemie to me in that and so forth as man is inclined he would haue Christ made thereafter to him But vnderstand this brethren he speaketh not of a foule old man but of a new man not of an auaricious man and such others but of a new sanctified man and this man findeth all in him there is nothing that he wanteth but he findeth it in his Christ And I say suppose thou get not these earthly things in that measure that others get yet thou gettest better in him What and if thou get the better what hast thou lost Thou art a seruant yet thou art a freeman of the Lord Iesus And yet thinke ye that the Lord Iesus wanteth these earthly things Think ye that riches are not at his disposition He that diuideth acres is aboue the earth the Lords all are at his commaund if it were to wring them in peeces Therefore hee saith Seeke first the kingdome of heauen There is the first that wee should be occupied about if we would haue Christ to wit that we busie our selues about heauenly things and what shall follow He maketh a faire promise and all these earthly things shall be cast to you What are they worth they are but bits that are cast to thee There is no comparison betwixt them they are but things Matth. 6. that are adiected They are as it were additaments and yee will not thinke when this kingdome is gotten how small a thing of this world wil giue cōtent to a creature No he will vse it with greater contentation of mind then any hauing all this world wanting Christ will doe No if thou hast Christ thou lackest nothing all our want is that we cannot get him get him and thou shalt find that thou hast no want Now it might be said Christ is all but what is that to me he is full of glorie maiestie and power what is that to me He answereth he is all to all that is his grace is thy grace his abundance is thy abundance In the second chapter vers 9. when he had said that in him dwelleth all the fulnes of the Godhead bodily he addeth ye are full in him Note It is to be marked that he saith not Christ is all to some but to all The riches that are in Iesus extend not onely to some they are not contained within the compasse of one nation within Iewrie it could not hold them No tenne nations The riches of Christ common to all nations could not hold the riches of Iesus but it behooued that they should reach to the vtmost corners in the world yea I say if it were to tenne thousand millions of nations the riches of Iesus is so infinite that they are sufficient to serue all His glorie also is infinite so that it would fill infinite worlds All these things are but plain speech but would to God they were weighed Againe hee saith not onely to all but in all meaning Iesus himselfe is in vs first ere any thing of his be in vs. And as he saith to the Ephesians chap. 3. vers 17. he must dwell in thy heart first or euer thou get any thing that is his now where he is in proper person there of necessitie thou hast all his graces Thou needest not to goe here and there to seeke grace And this is the difference betwixt the sufficiencie of the old and new man if thou bee an old man Iesus nor his grace is not within thee Where is the honour of the King in his own bosome No it is out of him if he want Christ he will stand vp stript starke naked of all things Where is his riches and strength where is his dinner all are without him and he hath nought if he be an old man and hee will dye for hunger if it be not giuen to him But to come to the new man where is his riches in his bosome in the heart of him It will passe the power of all the Tyrants in the world to take that from him so all his sufficiencie is within him by faith It is written that a certaine Philosopher said Omnia mea mecum porto Christ is his sufficiencie O the aduantage that a Christian man hath in respect of one that is not in Christ for there is such sufficiencie in Christ as no tongue can expresse Now there are one or two things that I will speake of This is a great word Christ is all in all before that day of the great resurrection For looke 1. Cor. chap. 15. it is said that God shall not be all vntill then at what time this shall come to passe But the answere is easie There are two estates of the elect here they are called the faithfull and in the life to come they are called the blessed O that blessing who shall abide to see it In deede so long as we are the faithfull Christ is not perfectly all in all so long as we stand in the estate of faith only he beginneth in thee by faith to be all in all and that is the Apostles meaning here But in the estate of that celestiall blessednes it shall be farre otherwise then Christ shall be all in all in full perfection there is the difference Yet to make this more plaine There are two things required to make Christ all in al. A perfection of grace a perfection of glorie First there is required a perfection of grace And secondly there is required a perfection of glorie that there be nothing but the Lord Iesus Christ when he is al in al. There is nothing but he and the fulnes of his glorie These are the two things required that Christ may be all in all Now brethren to applie this to the two estates So long as wee abide in earth howbeit there be no grace in Iesus but that we haue some share of it yet the perfection in the degrees of grace is not yet thou art holie in him but it is not perfected
the Apostle 2. Tim. chap. 2. vers 25. c. speakes but he must be allured by peece and peece out of the bands of the diuell Now followeth the fift part of this garment which is Long suffering The word following in the next verse expounds it when one beares iniuries done of another that is long suffering This long suffering is so requisite that the world cannot stand without it What part is there in this land wherin wrong exceedeth not and wrong would not be met with wrong nor iniurie with iniurie but wrong with long suffering and I say if men were not disposed to suffer the world long since had eaten vp one another It is the patient bodie that beares the iniuries otherwise euery one had deuoured another So this is a faire garment of the beloued and holy ones of God but the vertue that followes is greater Forgiuing one another Long suffering may be without forgiuing as a poore may y t sustaines wrong he must lie vnder the wrong because he is not able to reuenge it Others againe albeit they haue abilitie will not reuenge but will hold it in their heart till they get oportunitie Then remission is a greater vertue it will not onely suffer the wrong but it will put it away it will forgiue thee that hast done the wrong or else if it will not altogether forgiue the man it will call him before the Iudge Remission therefore when it thinkes not expedient to forgiue it will not put to the hand as our men will doe but it will call thee before a Iudge The King should reuenge all these wrongs The Lord should not slay the Esquire should not slay the Gentleman should not slay but in the meane time while he is pleading his cause before the Iudge his anger should be abolished and so God shall be glorified But if the iniurie be done to thee by any man and in the meane time thou haue anger in thy heart albeit he be before the Iudge yet thou art the slayer of him So then there is the sixt part of this garment free forgiuenes This vertue is so needfull that if men forgaue not wrongs the world had perished long agoe And let men thinke as they please that runnes in reuenging it is not they that hold vp the world but the blessed ones of God Now to moue them to this vertue he vseth an argument taken from the example of Christ As Christ hath forgiuen you so forgiue you one another There was not a reason put to the rest what meanes this He lets vs see it is a hard thing to flesh and bloud to forgiue if thou take counsell at flesh and bloud thou wilt neuer forgiue admit thou wert dying But flesh and bloud will euer crye a vengeance and so it is a hard thing to forgiue And it is so necessarie that except thou forgiue and striue against thy nature thou shalt neuer haue part with God in heauen and it shall debarre thee from that societie of Iesus Christ For he that inclines not in no measure to forgiue a wrong but is alwaies set to recompence the like for the like he is not a member of Christ and if thou bee not a member thou hast no life And Christ himselfe in Matth. 6. 14. 15. saith If thou forgiue not thy brother in earth thy heauenly father shall not forgiue thee Then brethren ye shall not finde any one more resembling Christ in any vertue then in mercie and compassion and by the contrarie there is none that more resembles the diuell then the merciles bodie and iudge ye how many in this land bee like the diuell and so few like Christ Hee cannot bee satisfied who hath put hand in man not once or twice but he wil triple and quadriple it and so this vice abounds in this land Now to adde this to that that is spoken I dare say a merciles heart neuer wist what the pitie of God was if thou finde crueltie in thy heart it is an argument thou art not his Thou that hast felt the mercy of God his pitie and compassion powred out vpon thee thou wilt powre it out vpon others I see next in this example of Christ Iesus Christ is to be imitated follow him in thy life Would you haue leaders in the way follow Iesus and put thy footsteps where his was but it is to be taken heede to in what things thou followest him Iesus wrought wonders in the world follow him not in these for if thou followest him so thou puttest thy selfe in Gods roume Iesus Christ wrought the worke of redemption follow him not in that because it is the worke proper to the Creator Will you reade the Scripture you shall not finde the example of Christ propounded to follow him in wonders or to follow him in forgiuing of sinnes But when euer we follow him we should follow him in meeknes in lenitie in gentlenes To what end should I speake of the vaine dreames of the Papists they will say imitate Christ Christ fasted fortie daies therefore you must fast al the Lent but I leaue them to their vanitie and they that are vncleane let them be vncleane still and the Lord keepe vs with his truth Now ye see in expresse termes Iesus Christ hath forgiuen vs our sinnes Ephes 4. 6. it is said that God in Christ hath forgiuen vs eur sins In the one place it is said God hath forgiuen vs in the other place that Iesus Christ hath forgiuen vs. Then Iesus Christ is God the redeemer of the world So it followes of this place Iesus Christ is God blessed for euer Amen For why it is proper to God to forgiue sinnes it is onely proper to the Creator the creature hath no power to forgiue Now in the other place Iesus Christ is the price of our redemption through the which remission of sinnes is purchased he is both the forgiuer of the sinne and the price if Iesus had not been the price there had been no redemption in the world Now followeth the third This benefit of our redemption was deerely bought by our Redeemer It was not a word to say forgiue but it behooued him to die and this benefit which he giues he bought it by his owne bloud Then marke a great difference betweene him and man Iesus he dies but where thou forgiuest thou giuest but a word Looke what a doe the Lord hath with the world and what trauell hee takes to get the offence done by thee taken away he dies for it And therefore the thing we haue to presse to is to feele his loue all ioy and welfare is in the sense of this loue And therefore to this Lord be all honour and glorie now and for euer Amen THE XXX LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 3. vers 14. 15. 14 And aboue all these things put on loue which is the bond of perfection 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts to
all the graces that are in the bodie that is a great benefit yea the graces that are not in thee thou maist challenge them being in thy brethren members with thee of one bodie Therefore enuie not any mans grace but challenge it as thy owne Euery one would haue al who is he or she that would not haue all graces and perfectiō But I shall teach thee how thou shalt be perfect Wilt thou stand vp thy self alone like an A per se A and say I wil not be in any mans Common and so seuer thy self frō the body I say thou shalt haue no perfection thou shalt be as a rottē branch cast into y e fire if thou were a King the Lord shall cause thee stinke and die in thine owne pollution Away with a proude headed lowne who cannot humble himselfe to creepe in to the bodie Then the way to be perfect is to seeke to the body for there euery member shall supplie thy want Thus for this faire peece of garment Loue or charitie Goe to the rest that followes The eight peece of this garment is set down in these words And let the peace of God beare rule in your hearts So the eight 8 The eight part of the garment of the nevv man peece of this garment is vnitie of minde concord followes vppon charitie for he that loues must be a peaceable man They will not be restles spirits full of enmitie and strife I will not insist much to speake of this peace onely this I call this peace nothing els but a sweete quietnes in the heart of man and woman together with amitie and concord with thy neighbour for when thy heart hath peace within thee then thy heart is in Peace vnitie with thy neighbour and therefore it is opposed to that restlesnesse of the affections of mens hearts Alas what pleasure canst thou haue when thy heart cannot rest within thee The peace of heart comes not of nature no no by nature thy heart is troubled and out of tune and all is vnruly reeling and rumbling within thee From whence comes it then Of grace that God giues in Iesus Christ If thou haue a pacified heart the Lord hath giuen it thee and therefore it is called the peace of God and it is not of one sort for there is a peace Note of the kinds of peace that is with God himselfe and that is the first peace there is another peace that is with thy neighbour The peace that thou hast with God is a pacified heart with God so that thy Peace with God heart is setled with him that it stirres thee not vp to enmitie against God When thou findest that thou art iustified by faith in Christ O the peace of heart that thou shalt haue with God! thou wilt appeare before his tribunall with boldnes Rom. 5. 1. For being iustified by faith wee haue peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ. The peace with man is a pacified heart with man when the affection is ioyned in loue with man This peace comes of the other for being at peace with God thou art at peace with all the world get once a setled heart towards God of necessitie Peace with man thou must be at vnitie and peace with all men O then begin at God! What is the cause of all these variances debates and al these slaughters It is the want of the peace with God O murtherer thou hast no peace with God thou hast nothing to do with God and therefore that wrath of God shall consume thee O murtherer when thou fightest with man thou hast to doe with the great God O restles spirit that canst not rest till thou haue bathed thy selfe in thy neighbours bloud thou art at warres both with thy selfe and with the great God who shall at one time or other meete with thee and plucke off all thy harnesse and then thou shalt neuer get peace nor rest Now to come to this peace that is with man that is spoken of here This peace it must beare rule in thee it must be a commaunder of thee She must sit ouer thee and hold downe thy foule affections when they are fighting within thee Where must she sit In thy heart and not in thy hand for oftentimes when thy hand will be hindred to murther thy heart will be persecuting thy neighbour to death therefore it must be in thy heart Now marke the order When hee hath required all good vertues at last hee requires peace Whereunto To be commaunder of thine affections This teacheth thee that except they be commaunded and put in order looke not that thou Affections must be cōmanded can doe any good turne in the world Canst thou who art disordred in thine affection doe any good to thy neighbour No therefore minde not to doe any good without this peace Then beseech the Lord that hee will put this peace in thy heart to put these affections into an order For when enmitie possesseth the heart what good canst thou doe Well is that bodie that can lie downe in peace with God and man Therefore aske the peace of God that thou maist rest in peace with thy selfe and liue in peace with thy neighbour O villaine thou that liest downe with anger and a restles affection and risest vp and goest out and stabst thy neighbour what disorder is in thee and what peace hast thou with God No thou art in rage with God himselfe when thine affections be not ruled with loue to thy neighbour and peace thou canst not haue with thy neighbour if thou haue not the first peace which is with God And so thou in bearing hatred against thy neighbour tellest plainly thou hast no peace with God and wanting this thou tellest plainly that thou art yet in thy sinnes and therefore vnder the wrath of God Now when hee hath exhorted them to this peace hee subioynes the argument To the which saith he ye are called in one bodie They who are in one bodie should liue in peace together An argument to moue vs to peace The first argument then is from our Christian calling It is a shame to a man not to be answerable to his calling if thou be called to such a thing why shouldest thou not doe it But aboue all a Christian man is called to this peace and therefore woe is to him in that great day if he bee one who hath wanted it Now take the lesson As ye see a man is called to be a member in any citie not to liue at variance or debate with his neighbours no no he is called to peace and to be a quiet man an vnquiet man is an euill neighbour a restlesse spirit a seditious and an vnpeaceable spirit is an euill neighbour euen so a man called to be a member in the citie of God in the kingdome of Christ for that is our calling he is called to be a quiet and peaceable body For saith the Apostle what is
affirme there was neuer more neede to speake to the affections of men to admonish and rebuke then in these times Now hee insists in the second thing in raising vp the heart of the hearer that is ouer farre cast downe and heauie so that it cannot speake to God To cheere it vp I say the meanes are Psalmes that is the first The second is Hymnes The third is Songs Canticles All stands in singing melodie of the voyce The sad heart that is ouer farre cast downe that it cannot rise to glorifie God requires to be raised vp with the melody of the voyce I will not insist Psalmes are songs in generall of what 1. Psalmes argument or purpose soeuer they bee Hymnes are songs of 2. Hymnes praises a speciall kinde of Psalme Canticles or Odes are a 3. Canticles certaine kinde of Hymnes composed and made after a more artificiall manner as the song of Salomon The Lord recommends these as meanes to raise vp the heart of man to God that is ouer sad Then the lesson is this Among all the rest of the meanes whereby the heart is wakened and raised vp to God singing is one This melodie this sweete harmonie whether it be naturall or artificiall Musicke serues to raise vp the heart to glorifie God And therefore the melodie of the voyce it should be applied to the edifying of others Looke how ye vse your voyce ye that haue it the Lord giues it to thee for the edifying of thy brother If any haue a Canticle vse it to the edifying of thy brother the greatest part vse it to the destroying of the hearer and feeding of their foule affections to vanitie Well take heede you who haue voyces to sing for thou shalt giue an account if it be not to the edifying of the hearer In the words following hee insists in a large description of these three First for the matter as concerning it it should be spirituall and heauenly All the matter of Psalmes Hymnes and Canticles should be spirituall For why they come from the riches of the word in the heart If thou haue this substance within thee all thy songs will be of Scripture of heauenly things and all to glorifie thy God and to edifie thy brother Well this that Paul speaks condemnes all these songs of vaine and filthie purposes Fie vpon thee who doest abuse thy voyce in foule bawdrie matters to corrupt and infect the affection of the hearer It had bin better thou hadst not gotten a voyce Then he comes to the forme of singing which is it should be gracious that is it should haue such gratiousnes and grauitie as might conuey grace to the heart of the hearer This condemnes all these light and wanton tunes that mistune the affection of the hearer Besides this it condemnes this chirming and chaunting in the Papistical Church This word grace condemnes all because by their broken notes of Musicke they breake the words of the Scripture and so they darken the sentence that the words cannot be vnderstood and feede not the heart with the words and sentences of the Scripture but feed the eare with a vaine tune and so it condemnes all their singing for al is gracelesse because this singing which the Apostle requires should be such as should not breake the words of the Scripture but should make them more plaine and distinct In the third place he comes on to the chiefe Organ that is the instrument wherewith they should sing It is not with the Organs of the Papists no not with thy tongue but it is with the heart and with the affection of a well ruled heart Therefore as a fidler or any that playes on an Instrument tempers his Simile Instrument that a sweete harmonie may be heard of it Euen so before thou sing temper thou thy heart and let thy song rise not from thy throte but from the depth of thine heart that is from thine affections set vpon God Lastly he sets downe to whom we be to make this musicke and whose eare we be to please in singing He saith it is to the Lord then it is the Lord Iesus Christ to whom thou shouldst direct thy song and whose eare thou shouldest please So that he or she that sings either Psalmes Hymnes and Canticles should set themselues to please the eare of Iesus Christ You see these vaine singers set themselues to please the eares of men but thou that wouldest sing with grace to edification set thy selfe to please Christ Iesus that hath pleased thee O woe to thee that will not endeuour thy selfe to pleasure Whom not flesh but him who hath pleasured thee Fie on thee that shouldest please thy selfe with the displeasure of thy Lord For what hast thou won whē thou hast pleased al the world with displeasing of God When thou singest to the pleasure of God thou giuest grace to the heart of thy neighbour and edifiest the hearer Thus much brethren of the meane whereby these graces are gotten As for the verse that followes taking occasion of the former he sets downe a generall rule of all thine actions to wit that in al Iesus Christ should euer be before thy eye Al should be done to his honour First he saith Whatsoeuer you doe doe all in the name of the Lord Iesus That is by calling vpon his holy name begin with him and looke that thine eye be first on him and say Lord mine eye is vpon thee and all is for thy glorie And in the end of the verse he will not giue thee leaue to thanke the Father without the Sonne for he saith Giuing thankes to God the Father euen by him The lesson is then In all actions and speeches euer respect Iesus Christ his honour and glorie he is a maiestie of maiesties When thou art honoring God the Father misse not Christ by the way otherwise thou shalt haue no accesse to that tribunall of grace and say O my God I thanke thee through my Mediatour Iesus Christ Lord haue mercie on me for my Mediatour the Lord Iesus sake for there is no mercie without Christ The ground of this doing is let be that he is God he hath also a Lordship ouer thee Read Rom. 14. 8. 9. For this end hath hee died and risen againe that hee might be Lord both of the dead and of the quicke So honour him as thy Lord. As Paul 2. Cor. 5. 15. Christ hath died and risen to that end that he who liues liue no more to himselfe but to him who died for him and rose againe Looke that that life of thine bee to him Let all thy life thy words and thy actions be to his glorie Whereto should I insist to recommend this matter to you experience teacheth it What ioy hath a man in any action be it neuer so faire what sweetnes hath any man except in the meane time his eye be vpon the Mediatour the Lord Iesus except his conscience tels him hee speakes to the honour of the
that my soule may rest in thee Now woe is that soule that knowes not God in Iesus Christ Ye shall not abide here euer therfore seeke to know this God with whom ye must liue foreuer He giues the reason why God should reuenge their cause and wrong done against them by pointing out the nature of God He is a Iudge not like the Iudges of this world They respect the persons of men this is the corruption With God there is no respect of persons of nature but as for this Iudge he respects no person he will not looke to thee who art a King more then to the begger When thou appearest before him come on with robe royall he will not regard thee no more then if thou appearedst in a beggers cloake Therefore looke to him now as thou wouldest see him when thou shalt appeare before his iudgement And there is none of vs but euen now we are before his tribunall howbeit wee see it not There is none of these outward conditions or degrees wee are all alike by nature but wee get sundrie degrees hee of a King and hee of a Lord and so foorth yet none of these outward qualities will be accepted before the Lord no not the outward calling of a Christian if thou haue no more A man may thinke this is a hard matter for all to stand before his tribunall without these outward qualities A King may say shall not my kingdome stand me in steed when I come before that tribunall And the Earle may say shal not my Earldome helpe me when I come before God And the rich man may say shall not my riches helpe me wherewith shall I cloathe me if I cloathe me not with these Now I answere indeed euery man hath this in his mouth I cannot come naked before God Indeede thou must not stand naked thy shame must be hid thou must haue a garment on thee thou must be arayed or els the wrath of the Iudge will deuoure thee Now what a garment shall I get It must bee a bloudie garment no siluer gold or precious stones couering thee from the crowne of thy head to the sole of thy foote yea thou must be died with bloud The high priest durst not enter into the Sanctuary for his life without bloud so on paine of thy life see that thou enter not into the presence of God without bloud Reade the Epistle to the Hebrues ye shall finde this that the high Priest of old durst neuer enter into the Sanctuary except first he had bin sprinkled with bloud and this was the bloud of Bullocks the figure of Iesus Christ So except thou appeare died ouer with the bloud of Iesus no standing for thee before God his tribunall If ye would then haue a garment seeke this garment neuer rest till thou get it And if thou appeare in this garment thou hast this aduantage howbeit thou be full of spots the Lord hath no eye to thy sinne but accepts of thee in that bloudy raiment and forgets all thy sin and thy actions are accepted in that bloud of Iesus But alas the want of the knowledge of sinne this dead conscience that lets vs not feele the weight and burthen A dead conscience of sinne is the cause why wee account not of this bloud of Iesus Now brethren there is a place in the sixt chapter to the Ephesians I would compare with this place recommending the dutie of masters in the ninth verse he vseth the same argument that is here he vseth it there as a terrible argument to the oppressors but heere he brings it in as a comfort to the oppressed Then shal an argument both be comfortable and terrible Yes Then marke the lesson That that is in God terrible to the proud and oppressors in the world the same thing to the poore oppressed ones that are Gods it is so sweete and comfortable as no tongue can tell The firie wrath of God that will terrifie the Kings of the world and which they are not able to looke on will be so comfortable as no tongue can tell to the poore sillie bodie that hee will creepe in vnder it and lurke there yea hee will seeke to the wrath of God to saue him from the wrath of the tyrants of the world So there is nothing in God but is comfortable to his children as by the contrarie there is nothing in him but the wicked abhorre it yea euen his mercie yea they would runne if it were foorth of the world to be out of his sight but they shall not escape Iob. 21. 22 his curse So then acquaint you with God and cloathe you with that garment that he may be comfortable euery way to you This much for the dutie of seruants Now we come to the dutie of masters which is set downe in Here begins the fourth chapter vers 1. the beginning of the fourth chapter Ye masters saith he doe vnto your seruants that which is iust and equall There is the precept The thing he requires is doing the word in the originall is giuing Giue them that which is iust as if hee would say Masters when ye haue commaunded and they haue obeyed meete them with a dutie giue them something This dutie is grounded partly on their poore estate they labour and wearie themselues for their hire so they craue giuing and partly it is grounded vpon the hardnes of masters for looke how faine the one would haue as faine would the other keepe The poore seruant would draw the master holds The Apostle comes in and saith Masters let your hold goe you are ouer holding let your hold goe Brethren ye heard before a faire promise of rewarde made to the seruants now what needes the Apostle considering that reward exhort the masters to giue something of this world which is nothing but dirt in respect of that that is promised and some might haue said so The Apostle answers They serue and obey thee here pining themselues in working for thee therefore thou who art a master must giue them their hire for that is a iust thing so to doe they are men like vnto thy selfe and must be sustained of these earthly things for their labours sake And so the lesson is heauen and heauenly inheritance preiudiceth not a man of his part in this world and worldly things and therefore thou scornest God who saiest thou hast an inheritance whereto shouldest thou haue my poore hire yea thou shouldest be rather moued to part thy pelfe to him if thou knew him to be an inheritour of heauen giue him the rather of thy goods of the earth for an inheritour of heauen is an inheritour of the earth and if thou withhold it from them woe to thee Well I see out of this place that the Lord hath his seruants here to whom he is offering that heauenly inheritance yet so that they should haue their part of this earth also The Minister hath his part of the earth and the
it In the last verse he makes plaine the thing he said he declares what a speaking this is That I may make it manifest that is that I may open it and vnfould it as a piece of cloath Take this mysterie in the which Christ and his riches is inclosed lay it open and let the world see it cleerely As to the speaking of it Moses spake of it but he left it foulded vp Then the Prophets spake of it but they vnfoulded it not for they could not doe it because Christ was not yet come in the flesh Then come the Apostles when Christ is crucified and they open it and as it is said in the Ephesians chap. 3. They Euangelize They A mystery make manifest the comming of Christ and his mysterie In a word that which was a mysterie of old they make an Euangell of it and the mysterie and the Euangell is one in effect for the mysterie is nothing els but a closed Euangell and the Euangell is the mysterie opened vp Then the lesson is wherein stands the speaking of the mysterie of Christ To wit in opening vp of it And therfore who euer thou be that takes vpon thee to speake of this mysterie look thou be skilfull to handle it that is that thou cāst vnfould it rightly to let the world see Iesus Christ that was so long hid vp Let them see Christ crucified and glorified looke that thou canst speake with the demonstration of a spirituall power with euidence of the spirit to make it plaine to the world and take Iesus Christ and paint The preaching of the Gospell the vnfolding of a mysterie him out to the eye of the people and let them see him glorified in the heauen and that life flowing out of his bloud If thou inuolue it when thou shouldest lay it abroad woe is thee hold thy tongue and speake not of him Alas then Ministers haue need to take heed to themselues This Gospell would not be handled with vnwashen hands The last words are As it becommeth me to speake or as it is in the owne language as it behooueth me of necessitie whereby he meanes that there was a necessitie imposed vpon him as in the first Epistle to the Corinths chap. 9. 16. and there hee saith Woe is me if I preach not the Gospell in this place he means that same necessitie Then briefly the Apostle here acknowledgeth a necessitie imposed vpon him to vtter the Gospell of Christ The lesson is easie weigh the estate of Pastors and Ministers In a word there is not a Pastor nor Minister that takes in hand to vtter Christ but there is a necessitie laid on his necke as an oxe yoked in a plough and all the Kings of the earth shall not take it off to vtter the Gospell with libertie To hide nothing of the mysterie not to impaire it a whit what euer the Lord requires in the Gospell in paine of thy life see thou impaire it not If the Emperors of y e world should lay an other yoke on thee say with Paul Woe is me if I preach not In deede thou who wouldest close the mouth of a Pastor if thou couldest free him of the necessitie and yoke that God hath laid on him thou wouldest doe something but woe to thee that wouldst lay on thy yoke with the yoke of God! Wilt thou the poore mans perishing Lay on him what thou wilt thou shalt not relieue him of the yoke of god and woe to that Minister that conceales ought of the truth of God for the pleasure of man Will not men consider this necessitie No al the world shall not with Gods grace make me cast off this yoke yea if it come to practise ye shall finde men who will be content to die for this Woe to thee who will impaire a iot of the Gospell Thou dishonourest God and his Gospell Therefore the Lord giue vs grace to suffer all extremitie and death it selfe cre euer we impaire a iot of this Gospell The Lord work this for Christs sake for his yoke is sweete and easie to be borne Now to the Father Sonne and holy Spirit be all praise and honour Amen THE XXXVI LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 4. vers 5. 5 Walke wisely towards them that are without and redeeme the season HAuing spoken brethren of the particular admonitions that were giuen by the Apostle to particular estates of men and women especially dwelling in one familie and household wee returned againe to the generall exhortation pertaining to men and women of all estates high and low poore and rich Princes and subiects masters and seruants and to all alike The first generall wee heard the last day and intreated of it as God gaue the grace it was an exhortation to prayer and perseuerance in prayer It is not enough to pray but thou must perseuere in prayer be ardent and earnest in it night and day for so thou hast neede to doe if thou consider thy wants Vnto perseuerance in prayer he ioyneth watchfulnes which is nothing els but feruentnes and earnestnes to pray with an ardent desire otherwise thou scornest him if thou deale with him for fashion and thou scorner Prayer wilt be met with and shalt finde thy prayer to be but foolishnes Eccles 2. 17. Then when he hath done this in generall he comes in speciall to himselfe and desires them to pray together for him among the rest considering that there was none that needed more then he because he was lying in bands for the Gospell and therefore had an impediment to vtter with libertie that mysterie of Iesus Christ which is nothing els but the Gospell hid vp in a mysterie to the consolation and saluation of the world Now to come to the text here followeth the second generall exhortation and it is to walke but with wisedome so in a word it is an exhortation to vse wisedom in their actions and proceedings whatsoeuer For what auailes it to doe ought except it be done wisely But to weigh the words as the Lord will giue grace Walke saith he You shall finde this oft recommended you are neuer bidden sleepe or sit idle but euer walking Walke occupation busines doing is recommended This Christian calling that wee haue in Christ Iesus it is not to sit idle to be sluggish to sleepe and slumber to sit to lie and to stand still in one place but it is to walke to goe to be on your iourney Wee are pilgrims and a pilgrime would euer be on his feet and if he rest it would be shortly and speedily dispatched and euer to the iourney Our calling is to occupation and labouring here but thou shalt cease from thy labour after this life To whom is this promise made to cease from your labour but to those who are diligently and earnestly occupied here in the vineyard of the Lord euer taking heede to their waies that they offend not the great God of
heauen and therefore thou shouldest labour if thou wouldest rest after this life And I say brethren a true Christian is not a sluggard or The true Christian labours in a lawfull calling an idle bodie but a doing man and of all sorts of men he is the most actiue Take the example of the Apostle he said not only that he walked with a slow pace reposing himselfe in this world but he ranne as a man in a race the first Epistle Cor. 9. chap. with great speed and in that race he ranne so fast that he looked not behind him to look ouer his shoulder he took no time but his eye was still on the marke for standing in the race is the losse of time Therefore sit not downe to count what thou hast done but ouer thy shoulder with it and still goe forward Well saith he walke be occupied be doing it is not enough to be doing euery way for it were better for some to be idle when they are doing The greater part runs to mischiefe and are doing wickedly How should they walke Wisely In the Epistle to the Ephesians fift chapter he expresseth this in more words Walke saith he circumspectly consideratly diligently not as fooles but as wise men these are his words then walking is commended But how with wisedome The Lord giues wisedome to men yea walke so circumspectly that thou take heede to each footstep when thou lifts thy foote take heede where thou sets it The life of a Christian is so precise therefore looke about thee for the world lookes vpon thee Thou walkest in the light walke then in a comely manner Finally in thy walking walke so wisely that thou let passe no circumstance neither of time place nor person but haue an eye to all euen to all Then to giue you the lesson Our honourable calling is to labour walking and occupation but with al wisdome consideration and discretion and a Christian man or woman must be wise as they are laborious They must not be fooles rushing and rumbling running headlong to euery thing without taking any regard which is a shaming of themselues oftentimes Thou must not walke so this is common to euery Christian but especially to those whom God hath set ouer others it chiefly appertaines I meane the ministers they must bee most circumspect The eyes of the world are vpon them they are vpon the mountain nothing can escape them but all is marked therefore this wisedome is specially required of them Paul in the second Epistle to Timothie chap. 2. he Ministers must pray they may walke circumspectly saith consider these things then with a prayer he sayth The Lord giue thee wisedome in all things The Lord giue a Minister wisedome in all things for there was neuer more neede then there is now And Iesus Christ saith Be prudent and wise like Serpents and simple like doues So this wisedome that he craues is not the wisedome of this false double world but wisedome that is in the simplicitie of the heart The Lord saue vs from the wisedome of these politike heads it is not that wisedome Serpentine wisedome with simplicitie that the Lord commends to vs. The Lord shall iustifie our wisdome when their wisedome shall be counted false policie in that great day Would ye haue example of both these wisedomes of the wisedome of the Serpent and of the wisedome of simplicitie like the Doue To make that plaine I shall let you see both in the 23. of the Acts. Paul is accused he is standing before Ananias the high Priest making his defence The first word he vtters he saith In all good conscience I haue serued my God to this day This is the preface here appeares not the wisedome of Serpents but the simplicitie of a doue laying out before them that life hee had led in a good conscience before God We must follow him and must in all delations and accusations stand vp and protest before that God that seeth all that in a good conscience we haue striuen in al things to seeke the glorie of God and his seruice Then Ananias hearing this protestation he commaunds to strike the man on the mouth Alas the world cannot abide to heare that the seruant of God keepes a good conscience Then he saith O whited wall the time 1 The simplicitie of a doue in Paul will come when the Lord shall strike thee so the Apostle stands stiffe in defence of his good conscience before God and will not hold his tongue of that but foretels to Ananias the iudgement that was to come vpon him Well should wee holde our tongues here No brethren so long as the Lord opens our mouthes to speake I say we were traytors aboue all traytors to King Church and Countrey if we foretold not that heauie iudgement that shall follow vpon such proceedings nay if we should hold our tongue the earth and the walles shall crie out that a iudgement shall come vpon sinners Then hitherto he hath vttered his simplicitie and foolish simplicitie as they 2 The wisedome of a Serpent in Paul esteemed it The forest enemies that then pursued him were the Pharisies and Sadduces then the Lord giues him the wisedome of a Serpent and he shewes that he is a Pharisie and the sonne of a Pharisie and that hee was brought there in iudgement for the hopes sake he had of the resurrection of the dead and in this he speakes no lye but speakes the trueth as it was The Pharisies hearing that they fell by the eares with the Sadduces and so he escapes The Lord giue vs this wisedome and simplicitie in the like danger Walke wisely In the Epistle to the Ephesians chap. 5. vers 15. he desires this wisedome and he makes it to be the vnderstanding of the will of God Wisedome then what is it The vnderstanding of Gods will The wise man what is he He that vnderstands Wisedome what it is Gods will the rule of our actions What is our owne will Nothing but crooked and backward and makes an ouerthwart and backward action but Gods will is straight and makes all our actions that are done after his will straight and euen Who is the wise man not he that followes his own will wit and reason but he who in all his doings followes the rule of Gods will and renounceth his owne reason Take thy reason and thy will and binde them and either conforme them to the will of God or else they shall carrie thee to damnation Naturall reason and will and thou who wouldst be wise be a foole There was neuer mā that followed his owne wit and will from the first to the last but in the end howbeit it was plausible for the time he hath lamented miserably and hath found that hee hath run without a rule or marke and that he was a foole Nay if thou follow thine owne will it shall miscarie thee and thou shalt find that thou hast wrastled with thine owne
shadow and it shall disappoynt thee of thy proceedings Would to God that men could consider this To goe forward Walke wisely Toward whom Toward them that are without that is without that bodie of Iesus Christ that are straungers from that folde such as were the Gentiles in those daies for all the Colossians were not conuerted at that Eph. 2. 12 time This is the estate of this world there are some within and domestickes in the house of God through Iesus Christ and there are some without as straungers that want the faith of Iesus as yet This is the diuision of the whole world For the Church of God is compared to a citie that is placed in the middest of a naughtie and crooked generation within this The Church like a citie are the faithfull at the least they that professe the faith without are the faithlesse They that are within are as many lights holding out the light of life and they that are without are in darknes without Christ aliants from the Common-wealth of Israel without the life of God yea without God This is their miserie Woe is them that are without Now wisedome should be vsed in respect of both but especially in respect of the straungers and that for sundrie causes First in respect of the enemies themselues that wee giue not them iust offence to abide out of the Church for who delights to see men keepe away from Christ And I protest I wish that those men that haue gone back that they creepe in againe into the Church of God Our walking with wisedome should be that we giue them not iust offence to keepe backe Next it should be in respect of our selues Thou that hast adoe with prophane men beware of thy selfe forthou that wilt eate and drinke with them and make merchandise with them to speake with them I will assure thee they are able to make thee prophane Beware then there are some that care not what company they haunt Companie well knowes thou of what mettall thou art thy bodie is no more readie to receiue the pestilence and to be infected with Note it then thy soule is to receiue the pestilence of idolatrie and sinne Woe worth euill companie as many haue said at the place of their execution Be not deceiued saith the Apostle euill speeches corrupt good manners 1. Epistle to the Corinthians chap. 15. vers 33. T he third is in respect of this Gospell that the enemie that is readie to blaspeme the Gospell get no occasion to speake euill of it that should be our chiefe respect Make much of this glorious Gospell account of the mysterie of Iesus Christ esteeme it the most precious pearle that euer was For I shall tell you what they are doing thy eye is not so vpon others as their eye is vpon thee to marke thy doings seeking occasion to disgrace thee and through thy sides to smite Christ in blaspheming his Gospell To goe forward This wisedome here commended stands especially in taking opportunitie of well doing when it is offered And therefore the Apostle makes mention of this circumstance that he that would be wise should take the opportunitie He is neuer to be accounted wise who when God offers the occasion misseth the opportunitie and he is the wise man that takes the opportunitie when it is offered For the Lord in that counsell as he hath ordained things to be done so hee hath prescribed the opportunitie and time when each thing should be done Nay if it were but a straw or a haire to fall to the ground hee hath appoynted the time of it Behold the prouidence of God for as he hath ordained the action so hath he prescribed the time of the action in such sort that if men lose the time to doe well and speake well they shall lose Take time when it is offered their turne for let time goe by thee then adiew thou shalt neuer lay hold of it againe Time is painted with a balde hinder part of the head thou canst not draw it backe againe All the Kings of the world haue no power to bring time once past backe againe The worldly wise men consider this when opportunitie is offered O how they wil take hold of occasion and will condemne themselues if they let it slip If this be the wisedome of the world what should be our wisedome for this houre wherein I am speaking is the acceptable time wherein Iesus Christ is offered It is the day of grace and so long as you heare this saluation vnderstand it It is the time of grace therfore lay hold of this time let not an houre escape you and when thou hearest this Gospel take hold of grace and let thy prayer be ardent Mercie is offered Lord giue me the hand to receiue mercie Now brethren this day is passing it is going so they who would be saued let them take hold of grace this day for it will not alwaies be with you And be assured when it shall goe away many shall perish and if it goe away many in Scotland shall goe to hell Therefore foreslow not your time apprehend grace while it may be had Now brethren it is hard to get this season for it is sayd in the Epistle to the Ephes chap. 5. vers 16. that the daies are euill and euill daies will stand vp betwixt thee and this time of grace therefore saith he redeeme the time It will not come to thy hand but many impediments shall stand vp betwixt thee and it yea death it selfe therefore thou must redeeme it The word is borowed from Merchants who when they see opportunitie of merchandise they will goe speedily to it and let all other things goe to get their gaines of it Euen so a good Christian man and woman when they see occasion of well doing they must hazard and if it were their life to get a grip of that occasion And I say rather then wee should lose this occasion of the Gospell if it were to the losse of our life wee should not be slouthfull in it What should we lose thereby nay nothing but we shall be restored a thousand folde So the good Christian will bee busie and vigilant to redeeme the time and will buy the first occasion to doe well because it is not at his hands Paul saith there is a doore opened to me c. but there be many impediments so if thou be a merchant in Christs cause thou shalt neuer repent thee buy the occasion to glorifie God if it were with thy life This lieth not in the hand of flesh and bloud but it must come of God Paul saith be partakers of afflictions c. And seeing it lieth not in thy hand to buy this occasion but that it must come of God therefore be earnest to seeke power of him Now the Lorde strengthen vs in these dangerous daies and grant vs grace to keepe this time and occasion of the Gospell that we hold vp the light of it