Page  [unnumbered]Page  399

THE LIFE OF CHRIST.

HAving shewed the Insufficiencie of the Creature to make man happie, as being full of vanitie, and the Insufficiencie of Man to make himselfe Happie, as be∣ing full of sinne; we now proceede in the last place to discover first the Fountaine of Life and Hap∣pinesse, Christ; and secondly the Channell by which it is from him unto us conveyed, the Instrument whereby wee draw it from him, namely the knowledge of him, and fellowship with him in his resurrection and suffe∣rings.

These words we see containe a Doctrine of the grea∣test consequence to the Soule of Man in the whole Scrip∣tures, and that which is indeede the summe of them all. They containe the summe of mans desires, Life, and the summe of Gods mercies, Christ, and the summe of mans dutie, Faith; Christ the Fountaine, Life the Derivation, and Faith the Conveyance.

Page  400Whatsoever things are excellent and desireable, are in the Scripture comprised under the name of Life, as the lesser under the greater; for Life is better then meate, and the body then ray ment. And whatsoever Excellen∣cies can bee named, wee have them all from Christ. In Him, saith the Apostle, are bid the treasures of wisdome*and knowledge. H•…d, not to the purpose that they may not be found, but to the purpose that they may bee sought. And we may note from the expression, that Christ is a Treasurer of his Fathers Wisedome; He hath Wisedome, as the Kings treasurer hath wealth, as an Officer, a De∣positarie, a Dispenser of it to the friends and servants of his father. a He is made unto vs Wisedome. The Apostle saith that in him there are bunsearchable riches, an in∣exhausted treasurie of Grace and Wisedome. And there had neede bee a treasure of riches in him, for there is a treasure of sinne in us: so our Saviour cals it, c the trea∣sure of an evill heart.d He was full of Grace and Truth. Not as a vessell, but as e a Fountaine, and as f a Sunne; to note that Hee was not onely full of Grace, but that the fulnesse of Grace was in Him. gIt pleased the Father that in him should all f•…lnesse dwell.hGod gave not the Spirit in measure unto Him. And as there is a fulnesse in Him, so there is a Communion in us, iOf his fulnesse wee receive Grace for Grace, that is, as a Childe in generati∣on receiveth from his Parents member for member, or the paper from the Presse letter for letter, or the glasse from the face image for image; so in regeneration Christ is fully kformed〈◊〉 a man, and he receiveth in some mea∣sure and proportion Grace for Grace: there is no Grace in Christ appertaining to generall sanctification which is not in some weake degree fashioned i•… Him Thus there is to Christ a fulnesse of Grace answerable to la fulnesse o•… sinne which is in us. The Prophet cals him ma Prince of Peace, not as Moses onely was a man of peace, but a Prince of peace. If Moses had beene a Prince of peace, Page  401 how easily might he have instill'd peaceable and calme affections into the mutinous and murmuring people? But though hee had it in himselfe, yet hee had it not to distribute. But Christ hath Peace, as a King hath Ho∣nours, to dispense and▪ dispose of it to whom hee will. Peace I leaue with you, my Peace I giue unto you. If I* should runne over all the particulars of Grace or Mercy, we should finde them all proceede from him; He is our*Passeover, saith the Apostle. As in Egypt wheresoever there was the blood of the Passeover there was life, and where it was not, there was death; so where this our Passeover is, there is life; and where hee is not, there is* death: To me to live is Christ, saith the Apostle; and againe, now I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life that I live, I live by the Faith of the Sonne of God, who loved me, and gvae himselfe for me.

To consider more particular this Life which we have from Christ. First, It is a Life of Righteousnesse: for aLife and Righteousnes are in the Scripture taken for the same, (because sin doth immediatly make a man dead in law, bHe that beleeveth not is condemned already, andcin the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt die the death.) And this Life (being a Resurrection from a preceeding death) hath two things belonging unto it. First, there is a Li∣bertie and Deliverance wrought for us from that under which we were before held. Secondly, there is an In∣heritance purchased for us, the Priviledge and Honour of being called the Sonnes of God conferr'd upon us. There are three Offices or Parts of the Mediation of Christ. First, his Satisfaction as hee is ourdSuretie, whereby hee e paid our debt, f underwent the curse of our sinnes, g bare them all in his body upon the Tree, h became subject to the Law for us, in our nature, and representatively in our stead, i fulfill all righteousnesse in the Law required, both Active and Passive for us. For we must note that there are two things in the Law Page  402 intended; One principall, obedience, and another secon∣dary, malediction, upon supposition of disobedience; so that sin being once committed, there must be a double act to justification, the suffering of the curse, and the fulfilling of righteousnesse a new. Vnto a double appre∣hension of Iustice in God there must answere a double act of righteousnesse in man, or in his surety for him; To Gods punishing Iustice a righteousnesse Passive, whereby a man is rectus in curia againe; and to Gods commanding Iustice a righteousnesse Active, whereby he is reconciled and made acceptable to God againe. The one a satisfaction for the injury we have done unto God as our Iudge; the other the performance of a ser∣vice which we owe unto him as our Maker. Secondly, In Christ as a Mediator, there is a merit likewise belong∣ing unto both these acts of obedience in Him, by vertue of his infinite person which was the Priest, and of his Divine nature which was the Altar, that offered up and sanctified all his Obedience. By the redundancie of which Merit (after satisfaction thereby made unto His Fathers Iustice for our debt) there is further, a purchase made of Grace, and Glory, and of all good things in our behalfe. He was made of a woman, made under the law; First, toredeeme those that were under the Law, which is the satisfaction and payment He hath wrought. Se∣condly, That we might receive the Adoption or the inhe∣ritance of Sonnes, which is the Purchase He hath made for us. Thirdly, there is the Intercession of Christ as our Advocate, which is the presenting of these his Me∣rits unto his Father for us, whereby He applyeth, and perpetuateth unto us the effects of them, namely our de∣liverance, and our Adoption or Inheritance. So then the life of righteousnesse consists in two things. First, The remission of sinne, and thereupon deliverance from the Guilt of it, and curse of the Law against it; which is an effect of the satisfaction of Christs Merit. Second∣ly, Page  403Adoption, or the acceptation of our persons and ad∣mittance into so high favour as to be heires of Salvation and Happinesse, which is the effect of the Redundancie of Christs Merit; there being a greater excesse and pro∣portion of vertue in his obedience, then of malignitie or unpleasingnesse in our disobedience.

To consider both these together; wee are delivered, First, from Sinne and the Guilt or Damnation thereof: There is a no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus; their b sinnes are blotted out, and c forgotten, and d cast into the depth of the Sea, and e done away as a cloud or mist by the heate of the Sunne, they are f forgiven and covered, and not imputed unto us, g they are finished and made an end of, h they were all laid upon Christ, and Hee hath beene a i propitiation for them, and his flesh a vaile betweene them and his Fa∣thers wrath; and in opposition hereunto, His obedience and righteousnesse is made ours. Hee iskmade unto us righteousnesse, and wee are the righteousnesse of God in Him, we are l cloathed with Him, and appeare in the sight of God as parts and portions of Christ himselfe; for m the Church is the fulnesse of Him that filleth all in all.

Secondly, wee are consequently delivered from the Law, so farre forth as it is the n strength of sinne; and are constituted under another and better regiment, which the Apostle calls oGrace, or the pLaw of Faith. First, we are delivered from the Law as a Covenant of righteousnesse; and expect Iustification and Salvation onely by faith in Him who is qThe Lord our Righte∣ousnesse.rChrist is the End of the Law for Righteousnes. We are righteous by the righteousnesse of God without the Law; that is, not that righteousnesse by which God as God is righteous, but by a righteousnesse which we have, not by nature, or in our selves, or from any prin∣ciples of our creation, (which Saint Paul calls MansPage  404own righteousnes) but from the meer grace & gift of God.*

Secondly, hereupon consequently wee are delivered from the rigor of the Law, which consisteth in two things: first it requireth perfect obedience: secondly,*perpetuall obedience. Wee must doe all things that are written in the Booke of the Law, and we must continue to doe them. Now from this we are delivered, though not as a Dutie, yet as such a necessity as brings death upon the faile in it. When a mans conscience doth sum∣mon him before Gods tribunall to bee justified or con∣demned;* he dares not trust a his owne performances, because no flesh can be righteous in Gods sight. Though the Gospell both command, and b promise, and c worke holynesse in us; yet when wee goe to finde out that to which we must stand for our last tryall, by which wee resolve to expect remission of sinnes, and inheritance with the Saints, there is so much pollution and fleshly ingredients in our best workes, that we dare trust none but Christs owne adequate performance of the Law, whereby wee are delivered from the rigor and inexora∣blenesse thereof. That inherent and habituall exact∣nesse which the Law requireth in our persons in suppli∣ed by the merit of Christ: that actuall perfection which it requireth in our services, is supplyed by the incense, and intercession of Christ. And though wee are full of weaknesse, all our righteousnesse as a menstruous cloth, many ragges and remnants of the old Adam cleave still unto us, and we are kept under that captivitie and una∣voydable service of sinne which hee sold us under: yet this Priviledge and Immunitie we have by Christ, that our desires are accepted, that God spareth us as Sonnes,* that Christ taketh away all the iniquitie of our Holy things; that when we faint he leads us, when we fall he pitties us, and heales us, when we turne and repent he forgives, accepts, welcomes, and feasts us with his compassions.

Page  405Thirdly, we are delivered from the curse of the Law,* Christ being made a curse for us, and the chastisement of our peace being laid on him. From punishments eter∣nall, He hath delivered us from the wrath to come, and from punishments Temporall, as formall punishments. When we are judged of the Lord, we are chastened, but wee are not condemned; they are for declaration of Gods displeasure, but not of his fury or vengeance; they are to amend us, and not to consume us; blowes* that polish us for the Temple and conforme us unto our Head, and weane us from the world, not tastes and forerunners of further wrath. They are like Iobs dung∣hill set up to see a Redeemer upon. And besides this, as Sons of promise we are blessed with faithfull Abraham, have interest in that pretious vertue of the Gospell which makes all things worke together for the best to those that love God.

Lastly, we are hereupon consequently delivered from those effects of the spirit of bondage which come along with the Law. And they are principally three. First, aTo manifest to the Conscience that a man is in a desperate and damnable condition, in stead whereof there comes along with Christ to the Soule a Spirit of b Adoption, and ofc a sound minde, which sayes unto the Soule that God is our Salvation, settles the heart to rest and cleave unto Gods Promises; d te•…ifies, seales, secures, certifies our inheritance unto us. Secondly, toestoppe the mouth, and drive out of Gods presence, and leave utterly f unexcusable, that a man shall have nothing to alledge why the curse should not be pronounced against him, but shall in his conscience subscribe to the righte∣ousnesse of Gods severity. In stead whereof we have in Christ a gfree approach into Gods presence; words put into our mouthes by the h spirit of supplications to re∣veale our requests, to debate, and plead in Gods Court of mercy; to i cleere our selves from the accusations of Page  406 Sathan; to appeale from them to Christ, and in him to make this just apologie for our selves. I confesse I am a grievous sinner, (and there is not a Soule in Heaven Christ onely excepted which hath not beene so, though I the chiefe of all) In Law then I am gone, and have nothing to answere there, but only to appeale to a more mercifull Court. But this I can in truth of heart say, that I deny my owne workes, that I bewaile my corrup∣tions, that the things which I doe I allow not, that it is no more I that doe them, but sinne that dwelleth in me; that I am truly willing to part from any lust, that I can heartily pray against my closest corruptions, that I de∣light in the Law of God in mine inner man, that I am an unwilling captive to the Law in my members, that I feele, and cry out of my wretchednesse in this so una∣voydable subjection, that I desire to feare Gods Name, that I love the Communion of his Spirit and Saints; and I know I have none of these affections from nature (in that I agree with Sathan:) these are spirituall and hea∣venly impressions, and where there is a piece of the spi∣rit, where there is a little of heaven, that will undoub∣tedly carry the soule in which it is to the place where all the Spirit is. If God would destroy me, hee would not* have done so much for my Soule; he would never have given me any dramme of Christs Spirit to carry to hell, or to be burnt with me. No man will throw his jewels into a sinke, or cast his pearles under the feete of swine: certainely God will send none of his owne graces into Hell, nor suffer any sparkle of his owne holynesse and divine nature to be cast away in that lake of forgetful∣nesse. If He have begun these good works in me, He will fi•…sh them in his owne time; and I will wa•…e upon him and expect the Salvation of the Lord. Thirdly, toater∣ri•… and 〈◊〉 the Soule, with a fearefull expectation of fiery 〈◊〉 and execution of the curse. In stead whereof the soule is calm'd with a spirituall serenity and Page  407b peace, which is the beginning of Gods Kingdome, ar∣med with a sweete securitie, and c Lion-like boldnesse, against all the powers and assaults of Men or Angels; crowned and refreshed with the d joy of Faith, with the first fruites of the Spirit, with the clusters of the Heaven∣ly Canaan, with the earnest of its inheritance, with the prefruition and preapprehension of Gods presence and Glory. This is the Life of Righteousnesse which we have from Christ; e〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a Redemption and deliverance from sinne and the Law; f and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a Priviledge, right and interest in the purchased possession.

Secondly, He that hath the Sonne hath Life, in regard of Holinesse, as he hath g received Christ Iesus the Lord, so he walketh in Him:hwe are in Him created or raised up from the first death, unto good workes, that we should walke in them. Of our selves we are i without strength, without love, without k life; no power, no liking, no possibilitie to doe good; not any principle of Holynesse or Obedience in us. It is Hee that l strengthens, that m winnes, that n quickens us by His Spirit to His Ser∣vice.

Wee should here consider Holinesse something more largely, and shew when good workes are Vitall, and so from Christ; and when onely mortall, earthly, and up∣on false principles, and so from our selves. But having done this before in the doctrine of the raigne of sinne; I will onely name some other discourses of a Vitall Opera∣tion, and so proceede.

First, Life hath ever an Internall principle, a seede within it selfe, a naturall heate, with the fountaine there∣of, o by which the body is made operative and vigo∣rous: and therefore in living Creatures the p heart first liveth, because it is the forge of spirits, and the fountaine of heate. So Holynesse which comes from Christ be∣ginnes within, proceedeth from an q ingraffed and im∣planted seede, from the r feare of God in the heart, and Page  408 the s Law put into the inner man. The t Conscience is cleansed, u the spirit of the minde is renewed, the x de∣lights and desires of the heart are changed, the bent and bias of the thoughts are new set, y Christ is formed, and dwelleth within, the whole man is z baptized with the Holy Ghost as with fire, which from the Altar of the heart, where it is first kindled, breaketh out, and quick∣neth every facultie and member. Fire when it prevailes will not be hidde nor kept in.

Secondly, Life hath ever a nutritive appetite ioyned with it, and that is most set upon such things as are of the a same matter and principles with the nature nourished: so where a man is by the spirit of Christ quickned unto a Life of Holynesse, he will have a bhungring▪ thirsting, and most ardent affection to all those sincere, uncorrup∣ted, and Heavenly Truths, which are proportionable to that Spirit of Christ, which is in him.

Thirdly, Life is Generative and Communicative of it selfe, all living Creatures have some seminarie of genera∣tion for propagating their owne kinde; so that spirit of Holynesse which wee have from Christ, is a fruitfull spirit, that endeavours to shedde, multiply, and derive himselfe from one unto another. Therefore he descended in fiery tongues, to note this multiplying and communi∣cating property which he hath. The tongue is a member made for Communion, and nothing so generative of it selfe as fire. They that feared the Lord spake often to one*another, saith the Prophet. Many people shall gather to∣gether, and say come yee, and let us goe to the Mountaine of the Lord, &c.

Lastly, where there is perfect life, there is sense too of any violence offered to it: so where the Spirit of God is, will bee a tendernesse, and griefe from the sinnes, or temptations which doe assault him. As that great sinne, which the Scripture calls blaspheming of the Holy Ghost, and despighting of the Spirit of Grace, is after a more Page  409 especiall manner called the sinne against the Holy Ghost; as being a sinne which biddeth open defiance to the Truth, Grace, Life and Promises, which that Spirit re∣vealeth and confirmeth unto us; so every smaller sinne doth in its manner and measure grieve this spirit, even as every distemper in the body doth bring paine in some measure unto the naturall soule. A living member is sen∣sible of the smallest pricke, whereas a body in the Grave is not pained, nor disaffected with the weight and dark∣nesse of the earth, the g•…awing of wormes, the stinch of rotte•…nesse, nor any violences of dissolution, because the principle ofsense is departed: so though wicked men lie in rotten and noysome lusts, have the guilt of many mil∣lions of sinnes like so many rockes and mountaines of Lead on their soules, doe dayly cut and teare themselves like the Lunaticke in the Gospell, yet they feele nothing of all this, because they have no spirit of life in them: whereas another, in whom Christ is formed, would bee constrain'd with teares of blood, and most bitter repen∣tance to wash the wound of spirit, which but one of those fearefull oathes, or uncleane actions, (which the others multiply and wallow in with delight) would make within them.

Now, Hee who hath the Sonne, hath holynesse upon two grounds, according to that double relation which Holinesse hath unto Christ. For it▪respecteth Him as the Principle and Fountaine from whence it comes, and as the rule or patterne unto which it answeres. Holynes is called the Image of God; now as the face is both the Fountaine of that Image or species which is shed upon the glasse, and likewise the exact patterne and example of it too: so Christ is both the Principle of Holinesse, by whom it is wrought, and the Rule unto which it is pro∣portioned.

First, Christ is the Principle and Fountaine of Holi∣nesse, as the head is of sense or motion; from him the Page  410 whole body is joyned together and compacted, and so maketh encrease and edification of it selfe in Love. The oyntment ran downe from Aarons head unto the skirts of his garment, to note the effusion of the spirit of Holi∣nesse from Christ unto his lowest members. Ye have re∣ceived an unction from the holy One, saith the Apostle.* What this influence of Christ into his members is wee shall more particularly open in the consequent parts of this discourse.

Secondly, Christ is the Rule and Patterne of holinesse to his Church. Our Sanctification consisteth onely in a conformitie unto his wayes. For more distinct under∣standing of which point we must note, first, that Christ had severall waies and workes to walke through. Some∣times we finde him walking to Golgotha and the Gar∣den, which was the worke of his merit and passion. Sometimes to the Mount with Peter, Iames and Iohn, which was the worke of his glory and trans-figuration. Sometimes upon the sea and through the midst of Ene∣mies, which was his worke of power and miracles. Sometimes in the midst of the seven golden Candle∣stickes, which was his worke of government, guidance, and influence on the Church. Lastly, we finde him go∣ing about, and doing good, submitting himselfe unto his parents, going apart by himselfe to pray, and in other the like workes of his ordinary obedience.

Secondly, of these workes of Christ we must note, that some are uncommunicable, others communicable. Vncommunicable are, first, his workes of Merit and Me∣diation. There is but one Mediator betweene God and man, the man Christ. There is no other name under hea∣ven by which a man may be saved, but the name of Christ. There is no Redemption nor intercession to bee wrought by any man but by Christ. None have to doe with the Censer to offer incense, who have not to doe with the Altar to offer Sacrifice. Secondly, his worke Page  411 of Governement and Influence into the Church, his di∣spensing of the spirit, his quickning of his Word, his sub∣duing of his enemies, his collecting of his members, are all personall Honours which belong unto Him as Head of the Church. Those which are Communicable, and wherein wee may be by his Grace made partakers, are such as either belong to the other life, or to this. In the* other life our Bodies shall bee made Conformed to the transfigured and Glorious body of Christ; when Hee appeareth wee shall be made like unto Him, by the po∣wer whereby Hee subdueth all things unto Himselfe. Here, some are againe extraordinarily Communicable, being for ministery and service, not for sanctity or Salva∣tion. Such were the miraculous workes of the Apostles, which were unto them by way of priviledge and tempo∣rary dispensation granted. Others ordinarily, and uni∣versally to all his members. So then it remaines that our formall and complete Sanctification consists in a Confor∣mitie to the wayes of Christs ordinary Obedience. The whole Life of Christ was a Discipline, a Living, Shining, and exemplary Precept unto men, a Visible Commentary on Gods Law. Therefore wee finde such names given unto Him in the Scriptures, as signifie not onely Preemi∣nence, but exemplarynesse; A a Prince, b a Leader, c a Governour, d a Captaine, an e Apostle and high Priest, f a chiefe Sheepeheard and Bishop, g a Forerunner, or Conduct into Glory, a h Light to the Iewes, i a Light to the Gentiles, a k Light to every man that entereth in∣to the World. All which titles as they declare his Dig∣nitie, that He was the first borne of every Creature, so they intimate likewise that Hee was proposed to be the Author and Patterne of Holynesse to his people. All other Saints are to be imitated onely with limitation un∣to Him, and so farre as they in their conversation expresse his Life and Spirit; Be ye followers of me even as I am of Christ. But l we must 〈◊〉 pinne our obedience to the Page  412 example of any Saint, lest we happen to stumble and breake our bones, as they did. Wherefore are the falls and apostacies, the errors and infirmities of holy men in Scripture registred? Certainely, the Lord delighteth not to keepe those sinnes upon record for men to gaze on, which himselfe hath put behinde his owne backe, and wiped out of the booke of his owne remembrance. Hee delighteth not in the dishonour and deformities of his worthies. But m they are recorded for our sakes, set up for landmarks to warne euery man to take heed of ad∣venturing (on any mans authority) upon those rockes where such renowned and noble Saints have before mis∣carried. Children of light indeed they are, but their light is like the light of the Moone subject to mixtures, wainings, decayes, eclipses. Christ onely is the Sunne of righteousnesse, that hath a plenitude, indeficiencie, un∣erring holinesse, which neither is deceived, nor can de∣ceive.

Now further this conformity unto Christ must be in all his obedience. First, in his actiue obedience unto the Law, nLearne of me, saith he, for I am meeke and lowly.oI have given you an Example that you should doe as I have done unto you. The action was but temporarie, and according to the custome of the place and age, but the affection was universall, the humility of his heart. pLet the same minde, saith the Apostle, be in you, which was in Christ, that is, have the same judgement, opinions, af∣fections, compassions, as Christ had. qAs he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversati∣on. Secondly, in his passive obedience, though not in the end or purposes, yet in the manner of it, Runne with pati∣ence, saith the Apostle, the race which is set before you, looking vnto rIesus, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the crosse, despised the shame, &c. If the head be gotten through a strait place, all the members will venture after. Therefore since Christ hath gone Page  413 through shame, contradiction, death, to his glory, let us not be wearied, nor faint or despaire in our mindes. The head doth not thinke all its worke ended when it is got∣ten through it selfe, but taketh care, and is mindefull of the members that follow. Therefore the Apostle cals our sufferings A fulfilling or s making up of the sufferings of Christ. The Resolution of all is briefely this, We must follow Christ in those things which hee both did and com∣manded; not in those things which he did, but not com∣manded.*

But heere it may be objected, Christ was Himselfe voluntarily poore; tHee became poore for our sakes, and he commanded poverty to the young man, goe sell all that thou hast, and give it to the poore. Is every man to be herein a follower of Christ? To this I answere in generall, that poverty was not in Christ any act of Morall Obedience, no•… to the yong man any command of Morall Obedience. First, for Christs poverty we may conceive that it was a requisite preparatorie act to the worke of redemption, and to the magnifying of his spirituall po∣wer in the subduing of his enemies, and saving of his peo∣ple; when it appeared that thereunto no externall ac∣cessions nor contribution of temporall greatnesse did concurre. And secondly for the command to the yong man, it was meerely personall, and indeede not so much intending obedience to the letter of the precept, as triall of the sinceritie of the mans former profession, and con∣viction of him touching those misperswasions and selfe∣deceits which made him trust in himselfe for righteous∣nesse like that of God to Abraham to offer up his Sonne, which was not intended for death to Isaake, but for tryall to Abraham, and for manifestation of his faith.

It may be further objected, How can wee bee Holy, as Christ is Holy? First the thing is impossible, and second∣ly, if we could, there would be no neede of Christ; if we were bound to bee so Holy, righteousnesse would come Page  414 by a Law of workes. To this I answere; the Law is not nullyfied, nor curtall'd by the mercy of Christ: we are as fully bound to the obedience of it as Adam was, though not upon such bad termes, and evill consequen∣ces as he; under danger of contracting sinne, though not under danger of incurring death. So much as any justi∣fied person comes short of complete and universall obe∣dience to the Law, so much hee sinneth, as Adam did, though God be pleased to pardon that sinne by the me∣rit of Christ. Christ came to deliver from sinne, but not to priviledge any man to commit it: though hee came to be a curse for sinne, yet Hee came not to be a Cloake for sinne. Secondly, Christ is needefull in two respects: First, because we cannot come to full and perfect obedi∣ence, and so His Grace is requisite to pardon and cover our failings: Secondly, because that which wee doe at∣taine unto, is not of or from our selves, and so his spirit is requisite to strengthen us unto his service. Thirdly, when the Scripture requires us to be Holy and perfect as Christ and God, by as, we understand not equalitie in the com∣passe, but qualitie in the Truth of our Holynesse: As when the Apostle saith, That we must love our neighbour*as our selves, the meaning is not that our love to our neighbour should be mathematically equall to the love of our selves; for the Law doth allow of degrees in Love according to the degrees of relation and neerenesse in* the thing loved: Doe good unto all men, specially to those of the houshold of Faith. Love to a friend may safely bee* greater then to a stranger; and to a wife or childe, then to a friend: yet in all, our love to others must be of the selfe same nature, as true, reall, cordiall, sincere, solid as that to our selves. Wee must love our neighbour as wee doe our selves, that is, unfainedly, and without dissimu∣lation.

Let vs further consider the Grounds of this point tou∣ching the Conformitie which is betweene the nature andPage  415spirituall life of Christians and of Christ (because it is a Doctrine of principall consequence.) First this was one of the Ends of Christs comming. Two purposes He came for; A restitution of us to our interest in Salvation, and a restoring our originall qualities of Holynesse unto vs. Hee came to sanctifie, and cleanse the Church, that it should be Holy and without blemish; unblameable and un∣reproveable*in his sight: To Redeeme, and to purifie his people. The one is the worke of his Merit which goeth up∣ward to the Satisfaction of his Father; the other the worke of his Spirit and Grace, which goeth downe∣ward to the Sanctification of his Church. In the one He bestoweth his righteousnesse upon us by imputation; in the other He fashioneth his •…mage in us by renovation. That man then hath no claime to the payment Christ hath made, nor to the inheritance Hee hath purchased, who hath not the Life of Christ fashioned in his nature and conversation.

But if Christ be not onely a Saviour to Redeeme, but a Rule to Sanctifie, what use or service is left unto the Law? I answere, that the Law is still a Rule, but not a comfortable, effectuall, delightfull rule without Christ applying, and sweetning it unto us. The Law onely comes with commands, but Christ with strength, love, willingnesse, and life to obey them. The Law alone comes like a Schoolemaster with a scourge, a curse along with it; but when Christ comes with the Law, He comes as a Father, with precepts to teach, and with compassi∣ons to spare. The Law is a Lion, and Christ our Samp∣son that slew the Lion; as long as the Law is alone, so long it is alive, and comes with terrour, and fury upon every Soule it meetes: but when Christ hath slaine the Law, taken away that which was the strength of it, namely the guilt of sinne, then there is honie in the Li∣on,* sweetnesse in the duties required by the Law. It is then an easie yoke, and a Law of libertie, the Comman∣dementsPage  416are not then grievous, but the heart delighteth* in them, and loveth them, even as the honie and the honie combe. Of it selfe it is b the cord of a Iudge which bindeth hand and foote, and shackleth unto condemna∣tion; but by Christ it is made theccord of a man, and the band of Love, by which He teacheth us to go•…, even as a nurse her infant.

Secondly, Holynesse must needes consist in a Confor∣mitie unto Christ, if wee consider the nature of it. Wee are then Sanctified when wee are re-endued with that Image of God after which we were at first created. Some d have conceived that we are therefore said to bee crea∣ted after Gods Image, because wee were made after the Image of Christ, who was to come; but this is contra∣dicted by the Apostle, who saith that eAdam was the fi∣gure of Christ, and not Christ the patterne of Adam; yet that created Holynesse is renewed in us after the Image of Christ.f As we have borne the image of the earthly Adam, who was taken out of the Earth, an image of sinne, and guilt: So wee must beare the Image of the Heavenly Adam, who is the Lord from Heaven, an I∣mage of Life and Holynesse. We were g predestinated, saith the Apostle, to be conformed unto the Image of the Sonne; Conformed in his Nature, Holynesse; in His End, Happynesse; and in the way thereunto, Sufferings.h We all, saith he, beholding with open face as in a glasse, that is in Christ, or i in the face of Christ, the Glo∣ry of God, are changed into the same Image with Christ, (He the Image of his Father, and we of Him) from glory to glory, that is, either from glory inchoate in obedience and grace here (for the Saints in their very sufferings are glorious and conformable to the Glory of Christ▪ ThekSpirit of Glory is upon you in your reproaches for Christ) unto Glory consummate in Heaven, and Salvation here. after: or from glory to glory, that is, Grace for Grace, the Glorious Image of Gods Holynesse in Christ fa∣shioning, Page  417 and producing it selfe in the hearts of the faith∣full, as an Image or species of light shining on a glasse, doth from thence fashion it selfe on the wall, or in ano∣ther glasse. Holynesse is the Image of God; now in an I∣mage there are two things required. First, a similitude of one thing unto another. Secondly, A Deduction, deri∣vation, impression of that similitude upon the one from the other, and with relation thereunto. For though there bee the similitude of snow in milke, yet the one is not the image of the other. Now then when an image is universally lost, that no man living can furnish his neighbour with it to draw from thence another for him∣selfe, there must be recourse to the prototype and origi∣nall, or else it cannot bee had. Now in Adam there was an universall obliteration of Gods Holy Image out of himselfe, and all his posteritie. Vnto God therefore Himselfe wee must have recourse to repaire this Image againe. But how can this be? The Apostle tels us, that He is an Inaccessible, an unapproachable God, no man can draw neere him, but hee will be licked up and devoured like the l stubble by the fire; and yet, if a man could come neere him (as in some sense he is mnot farre from every one of us) yet He is an nInvisible God, no man can see Him, and live; no man can have a view of his face to new draw it againe. Wee are all by sinne come o short of His Glory; as impossible it is for any man to become holy againe as it is to see that which is invisible, or to ap∣proch unto that which is Inaccessible; except the Lord be pleased through some vaile or other to exhibite His Image againe unto us, and through some glasse to let it shine upon us, we shall be everlastingly destitute of it. And this Hee hath beene pleased to doe through the p vaile of Christs flesh, q God was manifested in the flesh; in that flesh He was r made visible, and we have an accesse into the Holyest of all through the vaile, that is to say, Christs flesh; in that flesh He was made accessible. Page  418 By Him saith the Apostle wee have an s accesse unto the Father. He was the Image of the Invisible God. He thatthath seene Him hath seene the Father. For as God was in him reconciling the World unto Himselfe, so was Hee in Him revealing Himselfe unto the World. No man hath seene God at any time; the onely begotten Sonne*which is in the bosome of the Father Hee hath revealed Him.

Thirdly, consider the quality of the mysticall body. It is a true rule, That that which is first and best in any* kinde is the rule and measure of all the rest. And there∣fore Christ being the first and chiefest member in the Church, He is to bee the ground of conformitie to the rest. And there is indeede a mutuall suteablenesse be∣tweene the Head and the Members. Christ by compas∣sion Conformable to His Members in their infirmitie, (We have not an high Priest who cannot be touched with a*feeling of our infirmities) And the members by commu∣nion conformable to Christ in His Sanctity; Both he that sanctifieth, and they that are sanctified are of one.*

Fourthly Holynesse in the Scripture is called an Vncti∣on. All the vessels of the Tabernacle were sanctified by that Holy Vnction which was prescribed Moses. Ye have received an ointment, saith S. Iohn, which teacheth you all*things. It is an oyntment which healeth our wounds, and cleanseth our nature, & mollyfieth our Consciences, and openéth our eyes, and consecrateth our persons unto royall, sacred, and peculiar services. Now though Christ were annointed with this Holy Oyle above his fellowes, yet not without his fellowes; but all they are by his un∣ction sanctified. Light is principally in the Sunne, and sappe in the roote, and water in the Fountaine; yet there is a derivation, a conformitie in the beame, branches, and streames to their originals: Onely here is the difference; in Christ there is a fulnesse, in us onely a measure; and in Christ there is a purenesse, but in us a mixture.

Page  419Fifthly and lastly, Christ is the Summe of the whole Scriptures, and therefore necessarily the Rule of Holy∣nesse. For the aScripture is profitable to make a man per∣fect, and to furnish him unto all good workes. Saint Paul professeth b that he with-held nothing which was pro∣fitable, but delivered the whole Counsell of God; and yet elsewhere we finde the Summe of his preaching was c Christ crucified: and therefore that which the Scrip∣ture* calles d the writing of the Law in our hearts, it calles e the forming of Christ in us; to note that Christ is the summe and substance of the whole Law. Hee f came to men first in his Word, and after in his Body; fulfilling the types, accomplishing the predictions, performing the commaunds, remooving the burdens▪ exhibiting the pre∣cepts of the whole Law in a most exemplarie and perfect conversation.

Now for our further applycation of this Doctrine un∣to use and practise: we may hence first receive a twofold Instruction. First, touching the proportions wherein our holynesse must beare conformitie unto Christ; for confor∣mitie cannot be without proportion. Here then we may observe foure particulars wherein our holynesse is to bee proportionable unto Christs. First, it must have the same principle and seed•… with Christs, namely his Spirit. As in Christ there were two natures, so in either nature there was Holynesse after a severall manner. In his Divine na∣ture he was holy by essence and underivatively▪ in His humane by consecration, and unction with the Spirit; and in this wee are to beare proportion unto him. Our holynesse must proceede from the same Spirit whereby he was sanctified; onely with this difference. The Spi∣rit of Holynesse was Christs, Inr•… proprio, by vertue of the by postaticall union of the humane nature with the divine in the unitie of his person. By meanes whereof it was impossible for the humane nature in him not to bee san∣ctified, and filled with Grace. But to us the Spirit be∣longs Page  420 by an inferior union unto Christ as our Head, from whom it is unto us derived and dispensed in such propor∣tions as Hee is in mercy pleased to observe towards his members. But yet though wee have not as Hee a pleni∣tude of the Spirit, yet wee have the same in Truth and substance with Him. As it is the same light which brea∣keth forth in the dawning of the day, and inhereth in the Glorious body of the Sunne, though here in fulnesse, and there but in measure: So the Apostle saith we are all* changed into the same Image with Christ by the Spirit of our God. And he that is ioyned unto the Lord is one spirit, and that there is but one Body and one Spirit be∣tweene Christ and his members.

Secondly, our Holynesse must bee conformable to Christs in the Ends of it. First, the Glory of God: Father,* saith hee, I have gloryfied thee on earth, I have finished the worke which thou gavest me to doe. Wherein there are three notable things for our imitation First that God must first give us our workes, before we must doe them. We must have his warrant and authoritie for all we doe. If a man could bee so full of selfe-zeale (if I may so call it) of irregular and unprescribed devotion, as to offer rivers of oyle, or mountaines of cattell, or the first borne of his body for the sinne of his soule, should neglect and ma∣cerate* his body and dishonour his flesh into the gastly∣nesse, and image of a dead carcasse; yet if the Lord have not first shewed it, nor required it of him, it will all prove but the vanitie, and pride of a fleshly minde. Se∣condly,* as wee must doe nothing but that which God requires, and gives us to doe, so we must therein aime at* his Glory; as his Authoritie must bee the ground, so his Honour must be the End of all our workes: and third∣ly, God is never glorified, but by finishing His workes. To beginne, and then fall backe, is to put Christ to shame.

Secondly, all Christs workes were done for the good of the Church. He was given and borne for us. He was made*Page  421sinne and curse for us. For our righteousnesse and redemp∣tion* he came, and for our expediencie he returned againe. When the Apostle urgeth the Philippians not to looke to their owne things, but every man also on the things of*others, hee presseth them with this argument, Let the same minde bee in you which was in Christ Iesus. Hee thought it no robbery to be equall with God, and therefore to him there could be no accession; all that he did was* for his Church; and this Saint Paul sealeth with his owne example: If I be offered upon the sacrifice and ser∣vice of your faith, I ioy and reioyce with you all. And else▪* where, I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though the more aboundantly I love you, the lesse I beloved. One∣ly here is the difference, Christs obedience was merito∣rious for the redemption of His Church, ours onely mi∣nisteriall for the edification of the Church: we doe all things, saith the Apostle, for your edification. When the* Apostle saith, I fill up that which is behinde of the af∣flictions of Christ for his Bodies sake, which is the Church: We are not to conceive it in our adversaries glosse, that it was to merit, expiate, satisfie for the Church; but on∣ly to benefit and edifie it. Let him expound himselfe.*The things which happened vnto mee, namely my bonds in Christ, have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the Gospell: and againe, I endure all things for the Elects sake, that they may also obtaine the Salvation, not which my sufferings merit, but which is in Christ Iesus. To note that the sufferings of the Saints are ministerially service∣able to that Salvation of the Church, unto which the sufferings of Christ are alone meritorious and availe∣able.

Thirdly, our holinesse must bee Proportionable to Christs in the parts of it. It must be universall: the whole* man must bee spiritually formed and organiz'd unto the measure of Christ. Every part must have its measure, and every ioynt its supply. Holynesse is a resurrection;Page  422 all that which fell must be restored; and it is a generati∣on, all the parts of him that begetteth must be fashioned. The God of peace sanctifie you throughout, and I pray God that your whole spirit, soule and body may bee preserved blamelesse unto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ.

Lastly, our Holinesse must bee proportion ed unto Christ in the manner of working: I shall observe but three* particulars of many. First, it must be done with selfe∣denyall; He that will follow Christ must deny himselfe: Christ for us denyed himselfe, and his owne will; His naturall love towards his owne life yeelded to his merci∣full love towards his members; not as I will in my na∣turall desire to decline dissolution, but as thou wilt in thy mercifull purpose to save thy Church. Many men will be content to serve God as long as they may with all advantage themselves: but to serve him and deny them∣selves is a worke which they have not learned. Ephraim*loveth to treade out the corne, saith the Prophet. You know the mouth of the Oxe was not to be muzled that trod out the corne, he had his worke and reward toge∣ther. But plowing is onely in hope: for the present it is a hungry and a hard worke. So, saith he, while Ephraim may serve me and himselfe, make religion serve his other secular purposes, he will be very forward: but when he must plow, that is, serve in hope of a Harvest, but in paine for the present, hee hath an easier plow going of his owne, as it followes, ye have plowed wickednesse.

Secondly, it must bee done in obedience unto God.* Christ emptied himselfe, and became obedient; It was his meate and drinke to doe the Will of his Father: even unto that bitter worke of his Passion he was annointed with the oyle of gladnesse; to note that though as made of a woman, partaker of the same passions and naturall affections with us, hee did decline it, and shrinke from it; yet, as made under the Law, hee did most voluntarily and obediently undertake it. Thou hast prepared mee a*Page  423bodie. In the volume of thy booke it is written of me, Lo I come to doe thy Will O God.

Lastly, our holynesse must have growth and proficien∣cie with it, grow in grace. Let these things be in you and abound; as it is said of Christ, that He increased in wise∣dome*and favour with God and men, and that He learned obedience by the things which Hee suffered. If it bee here objected, that Christ was ever full, and had the Spirit without measure even from the wombe; For in as much as his Divine nature was in his infancie as fully united to his humane as ever after, therefore the fulnesse of grace, which was a consequent thereupon, was as much as ever after: To this I answere, that certaine it is Christ was ever full of Grace and Spirit; but that excludes not his growth in them, proportionably to the ripenesse, and by consequence capacitie of his humane nature. Suppose* we the Sunne were vegetable and a subject of augmen∣tation, though it would be never true to say that it is ful∣ler of light then it was, yet it would be true to say that it hath more light now, then it had when it was of a lesser capacitie: Even so Christ being in all things save sinne like unto us, and therefore like us in the degrees and pro∣gresses of naturall maturitie, though he were ever full of Grace, may yet be said to grow in it, and to learne, be∣cause as the capacitie of his nature was enlarged, the spring of Grace within him did rise up and proportiona∣bly fill it.

Secondly, from this Doctrine of our conformity in Holinesse to the life of Christ we may be instructed tou∣ching the vigor of the Law, and the consonancie and concurrencie thereof with the Gospell. True it is that Christ is the End of the Law, and that wee are not under the Law, but under Grace: Yet it is as true that Christ came not to destroy the Law, and that no jot nor tittle thereof shall fall to the ground. Wee are not under the Law for Iustification of our persons, as Adam; nor for Page  424satisfaction of Divine Iustice, as those that perish; but we are under it as a document of obedience, and a rule of living. It is now published from mount Sion, as a Law of libertie, and a new Law; not as a Law of condemnati∣on and bond age. The obedience thereof is not removed, but the disobedience thereof is both pardoned and cu∣red. Necessarie is the observation of it as as a fruite of Faith, not as a condition of Life or Righteousnesse, Necessarie, necessitate praecepti, as a thing commanded, the transgressing whereof is an incurring of sinne; not necessitate medy, as a strict and undispensable meane of Salvation, the transgression whereof is a peremptorie obligation unto death. Three things Christ hath done to the Law for us. First, He hath mitigated the rig•…r and removed the curse from it, as it is a killing letter, and ministery of death. Secondly, Hee hath by his Spirit conferred all the principles of obedience upon us; wis∣dome to contrive, will to desire, strength to execute, love to delight in the services of it. The Law onely commands, but Christ enables. Thirdly, Hee hath by his exemplary holinesse chalked out unto us, and con∣ducted us in the way of obedience: for all our obedience comes from Christ, and that either as unto members from his Spirit, or as unto Disciples from his Doctrine and Ex∣ample. We see then the necessitie of our being in Christ, not onely for righteousnesse, but for obedience: for we must have Life, before we can have Operation. If we live*in the spirit, let us walk•… also in the spirit. Whereas out of Christ a man is under the whole Law, as an insuppor∣table yoke, as an impossible and yet inexorable rule; as a Covenant of Righteousnesse, and condition by which he must be tried, by which he must everlastingly stand or fall before the tribunall of Christ, when he shall come in flaming fire to take vengeance on those who, though convinced of their iusufficiencie to observe the Law, have yet disobeyed the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ. Page  425 Thirdly we may hence learne the necessitie of diligent attendance on the holy Scriptures and places where they are explained: there is a no abiding in Christ but by walking as he walked: there is no walking as hee wal∣ked, but by knowing how he walked: and this is onely by the Scriptures, in which Hee is b yet amongst us, c walking in the middest of his Church, d Crucified be∣fore our eyes, set forth and e declared unto us: fmany other signes Iesus did which are not written saith the Apo∣stle, but these are written that you might beleeve, and that beleeving you might have life. Wee know not any of Christs wayes or workes but by the Word; and therefore they who give no attendance unto that, de∣clare that they regard not the wayes of Christ, nor have any care to follow the Lambe wheresoever he goeth.

Secondly, we must from hence bee exhorted to take heede of usurping Christs honour to our selves, of being our owne rule or way. The Lord is a jealous God, and will not suffer any to bee a selfe mover, or a God unto himselfe. It is one of Gods extreamest judgements to give men over to themselves, and leave them to follow their owne rules. When hee hath first wo•…d men by his Spirit, and that is resisted; enticed them by his mercies, and they are abused; threatned them with his judge∣ments, and they are misattributed to second causes; cried unto them by his prophets, and they are reviled; sent his owne Sonne to perswade them, and hee is trampled on and despised: when he offers to teach them, and they stoppe their eares; to leade them, and they pull away their shoulder; to convert them, and they hardned their heart; when they set up mounds against the Gospell, as it were to non-plus and pose the mercies of God, that there may be no remedie left; then after all these ind•…g∣nities to the Spirit of Grace, this is the judgement with which God useth to revenge the quarrrell of his Grace and Covenant, to leave them to the hardnesse and im∣penitenciegPage  426 of their owne hearts, to be a rule and way un∣to themselves. My people would not hearken to my voyce,*and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their owne hearts lust; and they walked in their owne counsels. Let us therefore take heede of a will-holynesse. We are the servants of Christ, and our members are to bee the instruments of righteousnesse; and servants are to be go∣verned by the will of their masters, and members to bee guided by the influence of the head, and instruments to bee applyed to all their services by the superiour cause. h Every thing which Moses did about the Tabernacle was to be done after the patterne which he had seene in the mount; and every thing which we doe in these spi∣rituall Tabernacles, we are to doe after the patterne of him who is set before us. The services of Israel, after their revolt from the house of David, when they built Altars and multiplyed sacrifices, were as chargeable, as speci∣ous, and in humane discourse every whit as rationall, as those at Ierusalem; yet wee finde when they would bee wiser then God, and prescribe the way wherein they ment to worship him all i ended in shame and dishonor; Bethel which was Gods house before is turned into Bethaven, a house of vanitie: kIsrael hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth Temples saith the Prophet. One would thinke that hee who buildes temples had God, who was in thē to be worshipped, often in his mind; but to remember God otherwise then hee hath required, to build many temples, when hee had appointed but one temple and one altar for all that people to resort unto, this was by forgetting Gods Will and Word to forget likewise his service and worship, because to serve him otherwise then he requireth is not to worship but to rob and mocke him. 1 In Gods service it is a greater sinne to doe that which wee are not to doe, then not to doe that which we are commanded. This is but a sinne of omissi∣on; but that a sinne of sacriledge and high contempt: in Page  427 this we charge the law onely with difficultie, but in that with folly; in this wee discover our weaknes to doe the will, but in that we declare our impudence and arrogan∣cie to controle the wisedome of God: In this wee ac∣knowledge our owne insufficiencie, in that we deny the all-sufficiencie and plenitude of Gods owne Law. But what ever opinion men have of their owne wisedomes, and contributions in Gods service, yet he esteemes them all but as •…udicrous things, as games, and playes, and acting of mimicall dancings: lThe people sate downe to eate and drinke and rose up tomplay.

What ever action therefore you goe about, doe it by Rule, enquire out of the scriptures whether Christ would have done it or no, at least whether he allow it or no. It is true, somethings are lawfull and expedient with us, which were not suteable unto the person of Christ. Mar∣riage is honourable with all other men, but it did not befit his person who came into the world to spirituall purposes onely, to beget sonnes and daughters unto God, and to be mystically married unto his Church. To write bookes is commendable with men, because like Abel being dead they may still speake, and teach those who never saw them. But it would have beene derogatory to the person, and unbecomming the office of Christ. For it is his prerogative to bee in the midst of the seven candlestickes, to be present to all his members, to teach by power and not by ministery, to teach by his Spirit,* and not by his penne, to teach the hearts of men, and not their eyes or eares. He hath no mortalitie, distance, or absence to be by such meanes supplyed. It became him to commit these ministeriall actions to his servants, and to reserve to himselfe that great honour of writing his Law in the hearts of his people, and making them to be his epistle. But yet I say as in these things wee must re∣spect his allowance, so in others let us ref•…ect upon his ex∣ample. When thou art tempted to loosenesse, and im∣moderate Page  428 living, aske thy conscience but this question, would Christ have d•…unke unto swinishnesse, or eaten unto excesse? would hee have wasted his pretious time at slewes, stages, or tavernes, or taken delight in sinfull and desperate fellowships? Did Christ frequently pray both with his Disciples, and alone by himselfe, and shall Inever either in my family or in my closet thinke upon God? did Christ open his wounds, and shall not I open my mouth? was not his blood too pretious to redeeme, and is my breath too good to instruct his Church? was Christ mercifull to his enemies, and shall I bee cruell to his members? Againe for the manner of Christs obedi∣ence; did Christ serve God without all selfe-ends, meere∣ly in obedience, and to glorifie him; and shall I make Gods worship subordinate to my aimes and his religion serve turnes? shall I doe what I doe without any love or ioy, meerely out of slavish feare, and compulsion of conscience? Thus if we did resolve our services into their true originals, and measure them by the Holynesse of Christ, and have him ever before our eyes, it would be a great meanes of living in comfort and spirituall confor∣mitie to Gods Law.

And there are, amongst diverse others, two great en∣couragements thereunto. First, while we follow Christ wee are out of all danger, his Angels have us in their armes, we are under the protection of his promises, as every good subject in the kings way is under the kings protection. Peter never denyed Christ, nor was assaul∣ted* by the servants of the high priest till hee gave over following him. Secondly, the more wee follow Christ the neerer still we come unto him. Because Christ is en∣tered into his rest, he is now at home, hee is not now in motion, but he sitteth still at his Fathers right hand, and hath no higher nor no further to goe: and therefore so long as I hasten and presse forward in his way, I must needes be the neerer unto him. Your Salvation is neerer,*Page  429 saith the Apostle, then when you first beleeved.*

But a man will say, how shall I doe to follow Christ?* I answere in one word, denie thy selfe, and thou dost then follow him: get out of thine owne way and thou canst not misse of his. The world never rules us but by our* owne lusts; Sathan never overcomes us but by our owne willes, and with our owne weapons; when he is resisted hee flyes. As Hanibal was wont to say that the onely way to fight against Rome was in Italie: so the other enemies of our salvation know that there is no conque∣ring the soule but in its owne waye. As soone as any man forsakes his owne way, Christ is at hand to lead him into his. He will bee wisedome to those that denie their owne reason; he will be Redemption to those that despise their owne merits; hee will bee sanctification to those that cast of their owne lusts; hee will be salvation to those that relinquish their owne ends; he will be all things to those that are nothing to themselves. Now we have (as I may so speake) two selfes. A selfe of nature, and a selfe of sinne; and both must be denyed for Christ. This wee must ever cast away as a snare, and that wee must be ever ready to lay downe, as a sacrifice, when he is pleased to set himselfe in competition with it. And so much for the Life of Holynesse which wee have in Christ.

Lastly, he that hath the Sonne hath the Life of glory assured to him. For Hee a hath made us to sit together with him in Heavenly places: and b when He appeares we shall bee like him. Hee shall change c our vile bodies into the similitude of his Glorious bodie. When d Hee comes we shall meete him, and be ever with him. e Hee is ascended to his Father and our Father, to his God and our God, and therefore to f his Kingdome and g our Kingdome: His by personall proprietie, and hyposta∣ticall union; ours by his purchase and merit, and by our mysticall union and fellowship with him. He is gone to Page  430 prepare a place for us. In Earth Hee was our suretie to answere the penaltie of our sinnes; and in Heaven, He is our Advocate, to take seifin and possession of that King∣dome for us; Our Captaine, and Forerunner, and high Priest, who hath not onely carried our names, but hath broken off the vaile of the Sanctuary, and given us accesse into the Holyest of all. And hee that hath the Sonne, hath this life alreadie in three regards. First, in p•…etio, he hath the price that procured it esteemed his. It was bought with the pretious blood of Christ in his Name, and to his use, and it was so bought for him that he hath a present right and claime unto it. It is not his i•… Reversion after an expiration of any others right (there are no lease•… nor reversions in Heaven) but it is his as an inheritance is the heires after the death of the Ancestor, who yet by minoritie of yeeres, or distance of place may occupie and possesse it by some other person. Secondly, Hee hath it in promisso, He hath Gods Charter, his Assurance sealed with an oath, and a double Sacrament, to establish his heart in the expectation of it. By htwo immutable things, faith the Apostle, namely the Word and the Oath of God, wherein it was impossible for him to he, we have strong consolation, and great ground of hope; which hope is sure and stedfast, and leadeth us unto that place which is within the vaile, whither Christ our Forerunner is gone before us. Thirdly, He hath it iniprimitijs, in the earnest, and first fruites and hansell of it; in those k few clusters of grapes, and bunches of figges, those Graces of Christs Spirit, that peace, comfort, serenitie, which is shed forth into the heart already from that Heavenly Canaan. The Holy Spirit of Promise is the earnest of our inheritance, untill the Redemption or full fruition and Revelation of our purchased possession to the prayse of his Glory. The Graces of the Spirit in the soule arel as certaine and infallible evidences of Salvation, as the day starre or the morning aurora is of the ensuing day, or Page  431 Sunne-rising. For all spirituall things in the Soule are the beginnings of Heaven, parcels of that Spirit, the fulnesse and residue whereof is in Christs keeping to adorne us with when he shall present us unto his Father.

But this Doctrine of the Life of Glory is in this life more to be made use of, then curiously to bee enquired into. O then where the m Treasure is, let the heart be; n where the body is, let the Eagles resort; if wee are al∣ready free men of heaven, let our thoughts, our language, our o conversation, our Trading be for Heaven. Let us set our faces towards our home. p Let us awake out of sleepe, considering that now our salvation is neerer then when we first beleeved. If wee have q a hope to be like him at his comming, let us purifie our selves even as hee is pure; since there is a r price, a high calling, a crowne before us, let us presse forward with all s violence of de∣votion, never thinke our selves farre enough, but prepare our hearts still, and lay hold on every advantage to fur∣ther our progresse: Since there is t a rest remaining for the people of God, let us labour to enter into it, and to u hold fast our profession, that x as well absent as present we may be accepted of him.

Secondly, since we know that if our y earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternall in the Heavens; Let us feele the burden of our fleshly corruptions, and* groane after our redemption. Let us long for the reve∣lation of the Sonnes of God, and for his z appearing, as the Saints under the Altar, aHow long Lord Iesus, Holy and Iust.

Thirdly, let us with enlarg'd and ravish'd affections, with all the vigor and activitie of enflamed hearts re∣count the great love of God, who hath not onely deli∣vered us from his wrath, but made us Sonnes, married his owne infinite Maiestie to our nature in the unitie of his Sonnes person, and made us in him b Kings, Priests, Page  432 and Heires unto God. cBeloved what manner of Love, How unsearchable, How bottomlesse, how surpassing the apprehensions of Men or Angels is the Love of God to us, saith the Apostle, that wee should be called the Sonnes of God.

Lastly, if God will glorifie us with his Life hereafter, let us labour as much as wee can to glorifie Him in our lives here. It was our Saviours argument (who might have entered into Glory as his owne without any such way of procurement, if his owne voluntarie underta∣king the office of Mediator had not concluded him.) Glorifie me with thy selfe, with the glorie which I had with*thee before the World was; for I have gloryfied thee on Earth, I have finished the worke which thou gavest mee to doe. If we are indeede perswaded that there is laid up for us a Crowne of righteousnesse, we cannot but with Saint Paul resolve to fight a good fight, to finish our* course, to keepe the faith, to bring forth much fruite that our Father may be glorified in us.

And now having unfolded this threefold Life which the faithfull have in Christ, wee may further take notice of three attributes or properties of this life, both to hum∣ble and to secure us; and they are all couched in one word of the Apostle, your life is hid with Christ in God.* It is in Christs keeping, as in the hands of a faithfull de∣positary, and it is a Life in God, a full Life, a derivation from the Fountaine of Life, where it is surer and sweeter then in any Cisterne. Here then are three properties of a Christians Life in Christ; first, Obscuritie; secondly, Plen∣tie; thirdly, safetie or Eternitie. First it is an obscure life, a secret a•d mysterious life; so the Apostle calleth aGodlynesse a Mysterie. As there is a mysterie of iniqui∣tie, and the hidden things of uncleannesse: so there is a Mysterie of Godlynesse, and the b hidden man of the heart. The Life of Grace first is hidden totally from the wicked. cA stranger doth not intermeddle with a righte∣ousPage  433mans joy;d The naturall man knoweth not any things of Gods spirit; Saint Peter gives the reason, be∣cause he is cblinde, and cannot see a farre off. Now the things of God are deepe things, and high things, upwardf they have too much brightnesse, and downeward they have too much darknesse for purblinde eyes to appre∣hend. Secondly, It is hid in some sort from the faithfull themselves. First, under the prevalencie of their corrup∣tions, and adherencie of concupiscence, as Corne under a heape of chaffe, or a wall under the Ivie, or mettall un∣der the rust which overgrowes it. Secondly, under the winnowings and temptations of Satan. As in sifting of Corne the branne being lightest gets upmost, so when Satan disquiets the heart, that which is finest, and should most comfort, will sinke and bee out of sight. Thirdly, under spirituall desertions, and trials; as in an Eclipse, when the face of the Sunne is intercepted, the Moone looseth her light: so when God, who is our light, hideth his Countenance from us, no marvell if we can discover no good nor comfort in our selves.

Secondly, the life of glorie is much more obscure and secret; for notwithstanding the first fruites and inchoati∣ons thereof bee in this life begun in the peace of Consci∣ence, and joy in the Holy Ghost (as in an Eclipse of the Sunne some dimme glimpses doe glance from the edges of the interposed body) yet in regard of the plenarie in∣fusion of glorious endowments, and those prerogatives of the flesh which belong unto it at the redemption of the bodie, it is a hidden mysterie; It is a light which is*onely sowed for the righteous; though we expect a revela∣tion of it, yet now it is but as corne in the ground, cove∣red over with much darknesse. Now we are Sonnes, saith* Saint Iohn, we have Ius ad rem, right unto our Life and Crowne already; but we are in a farre countrie like the prodigall, absent from the Lord; and therefore It doth not yet appeare what we shall be: we can no more distinctly Page  434 understand the excellencie of our inheritance by these seales and assurances which ratifie our right thereunto, then one who never saw the Sunne could conjecture the light and lustre thereof by the twinckling of a litle starre, or the picture thereof in a table; Onely this wee know, that when he shall appeare, wee shall be like unto him; not onely in true holynesse, for so we are like him now (wee are already created after him in righteousnesse and true holynesse) but in full holynesse too; we shall be filled with* all the fulnesse of God, as the same Apostle speakes: Such a fulnesse as shall satisfie us: when I awake I shall bee satis∣fied with thy likenesse. Therefore the last day is by an emphasis called a Day of redemption. First, in regard of the manifestation and Revelation thereof. The Lord shal then appeare and bee revealed from Heaven, all those curtens shall bee drawne, those vailes betweene us and our Glory, those skinnes with which the Arke is over∣laid, shall be torne and removed: our sinnes, our earth∣ly condition, our manifold afflictions, the seeming po∣vertie and foolishnesse of the ordinances, shall be all laid aside, and then wee shall see our Redeemer, not as Iob did from a dunghill, nor as Moses through a Cloude, but we shall know even as we are knowne.

Here then wee see one of the maine reasons why wic∣ked men despise religion, and a abominate the righteous, as b signes and wonders to bee spoken against. They judge of Spiritual things as blind men do of colors. These are hidden mysteries to them, no marvell if they count it a strange thing, and a very madnesse that others runne not to their excesse. But our comfort is that our hope is Germen, a growing thing, a stone full of eyes, a hidden Manna, (sweete though secret) a new name, which* though no other man can know, yet he that receiveth it is able to reade.

And this is the reason too why the Saints themselves are not enough affected with the beautie of Holynesse, Page  435 because it is in great part hidden even from them by cor∣ruptions, and admixture of earthly lusts. Lift up your*heads, saith our Saviour, for your redemption draweth nigh: noting unto us, that so long as the thoughts and affections of men are downeward, their redemption is out of their sight. Open thou mine eyes, saith David, that*I may behold the wondrous things out of thy Law: I am a stranger on earth, O hide not thy Commandements from me. When a man makes himselfe a stranger unto earthly things, and setteth not any of his choisest affecti∣ons and desires on them, he is then qualified to see those mysteries and wonders which are in the Law. If there were no earth, there would bee no darknesse (for the shadow of the earth is that which makes the night, and the bodie of the earth which absenteth the Sunne from our view) It is much more certaine in spirituall things, the light of Gods Word and Graces would not bee e∣clipsed, if earthly affections did not interpose themselves. This is the reason why men goe on in their sinnes and beleeve not the Word, because they have a vaile over their eyes, which hides the beautie of it from them. Who*hath beleeved our report, or to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed? saith the Prophet: intimating unto us, that the Word will not be beleeved, till it bee revealed.*The Lord opened the heart of Lydia to attend unto Pauls preaching. As soone as the vaile is taken away by Christ, and the Truth, Goodnesse, and beautie of the Gospell discover'd, there is immediately wrought a cleare assent and subscription in the minde, an earnest longing and desire in the heart, a constant purpose and resolution in the will to forsake all things as dung in comparison of that excellent knowledge. As in the discoverie of mathe∣maticall conclusions there is such demonstrative and in∣vincible evidence as would make a man wonder he had not understood them before: so in the discoveries of Grace unto the Soule, the Spirit doth so throughly con∣vince Page  436 a man, that hee wonders at his former stupiditie, which never admired such things before.

Againe the faithfull are here to be directed in this state of obscuritie how to carry themselves under those cor∣ruptions, temptations, desertions, which here hide the brightnesse and beautie of their life from them. First, above all preserve sinceritie in the heart. There is no∣thing in us so perfect, so contrarie to our corruptions as sinceritie; that will ever bee to the soule in the midst of darknesse as a chinke in a Dungeon, through which it may discerne some glimmerings of light; whereas with∣out it all other shewes and pretences are but like win∣dowes fastned upon a thicke wall onely for uniformitie in the building; though they seeme specious to the be∣holder without, yet inward they transmit no light at all, because they are laid over an opace body. Secondly, foster not temptations, doe not pleade nor promote the Divels cause, set not forward thine enemies suggestions. Though it bee our dutie to have our sinnes alwayes be∣fore us, so it bee upon the suggestion and proposall of Gods Spirit; yet we must turne our eyes from our very sinnes when Sathan displayes them. Christ will be con∣fessed, but hee forbids the Divels to confesse him; and God will have sinne to be felt and seene, but as a dutie, not as a temptation; in his owne Word, not in Satans false glasses; to draw us unto him, not to drive or de∣terre us from him. When the spirit convinceth of sinne, it is to amend us; but when Satan doth it, it is onely to affright and confound us. And commonly hee drives to one sinne, to cover another. Againe the spirit opens sinne in the soule as a Chirurgian doth a wound, in a close roome, with fire, friends, and remedies about him: but the divell first draw's a man from the Word, from Christ, from the promises, and then strips the soule, and opens the wounds thereof in the cold aire onely to kill and tor∣ment, not to cure or releeve. In such a case therefore the Page  437 Soule should lay the faster hold upon Christ, and when there is no light should trust upon the name of the Lord and stay upon his God. Thirdly, In spirituall desertions exercise faith to see God when Hee is absent: goe into the watch Tower, review thine owne and other mens experiences of Gods dealing; resolve to trust him though he kill thee; resolve to cleave to him, as Elisha to Eliah, though he offer to depart from thee; resolve to venture upon him when he seemes angrie and arm'd against thee; resolve to runne after him when hee hath forsaken thee; endure rather his blowes, then his absence; therefore he removes that thou shouldst crie after him; therefore he hides from thee, not that thou shouldst lose him, but onely that thou shouldest seeke him: And there is most comfort in a life recovered. Difficulties sweeten our fru∣ition; and there is a fulnesse in Chtist which will at last be an ample reward of all preceding discomforts.

Secondly, the life which we have by Christ is a plen∣teous and aboundant life. aI am come, saith he, that they might have Life, and that they might have it more aboun∣dantly.bHee that beleeveth on mee, out of his bellie shall flow rivers of living water, like the c waters of Ezekiels vision which swelled from the ancles to the loynes, and from thence to an unpassable Streame. So the Apostle saith, that the Lord had dshed forth the spirit aboun∣dantly in the renewing of his Saints. And it is an obser∣vation which you may easily make, that sundrie times in the Apostles writings, the Graces of the Gospell are called the eriches of Christ, and the riches of his Grace, and the riches of his mysterie, and the riches of his Glo∣ry, and the riches of his reproaches, and the ftreasure of a good heart; By all which is expressed the pretiousnes, and the aboundance of the Spirit which wee have from the Life of Christ. Therefore the Spirit is compared unto gwater, and that not onely to sprinkle and bedew men, but to wash and baptise them; hye shall be bapti∣zedPage  438with the Holy Ghost. As water knowes no bounds within it selfe, is onely limited by the vessell which holds it; so the Spirit is of a very spreading and unlimited pro∣pertie it selfe, and is onely straitned by the narrownesse of those hearts unto which it comes. iYee are not strait∣ned in us, saith the Apostle, or in our ministery, wee preach aboundance of Grace unto you; but ye are strait∣ned in your owne bowels; you are like narrow mouthed vessels; though floudes of knowledge, fall downe, (kThe Earth shall bee full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the Sea,) yet but drops fall in. This is a great grieving of the Spirit of Life, and indignitie done to the springing and abounding vertue which he brings, for us by our supinnes and securitie to damme up this fountaine, to let this garden of spices be over growne with weedes; to nippe, stifle, and keepe under the Graces of Christ; not to receive a proportionable measure of growth to those meanes, and influences which hee af∣fords us.

Lastly, the Life which we have from Christ is a Safe, an Abiding, an Eternall Life: the longer it continues, the more it aboundes. It is such a life as runnes not into death. Our earthly life is indeede but a dying and de∣caying life: but our Spirituall life is a growing life. It is called in the Scripture our abiding in Christ, to note that our estate in him is a fixed, constant and secure estate.

Life can End in Death but upon two reasons; either by an inward principle and proponsion, carrying it through slow and insensible progresses to a dissolution; or by the assaults and violence of outward oppositions: either it must be a naturall or a violent death. Now the life which we have from Christ hath no seedes of mortalitie in it selfe, because it comes from Christ: and as hee saw no corruption, so nothing that riseth from him doth of it selfe tend to corruption; for Christ dyeth no more, death hath no more power over him. He now liveth ever; not Page  439 onely by himselfe, but over his members; not onely as man, but as a member of his owne Bodie, which Body of it selfe, and as it is His Body, in that Spirituall and Heavenly Constitution, and under that denomination can no more die, then Christ suffer againe. For the Body of Christ, quà tale, hath no seedes of corruption in it from him. For the Apostle saith, that the seede by which we are regenerated is aIncorruptible seede.

All the danger then must be from forren assault, and externall violence. But against all this we have the pow∣er and strength of Christ himselfe to oppose. bHe is able to save to the uttermost those that come unto God by Him. Let us consider more particularly the violences which may be offered to our Life in Christ.

First, the world assaults us with manifold tepmtations; On the left hand with skorne, misreports, persecutions, and cruell mockings, with Giants and sonnes of Anak: On the right hand with allurements, objects, promises, dalliances, and 〈◊〉, with midianitish women. How shall wee secure our lives against such a siege of snares? Our Saviour quiets us in that case; c be of good cheere, I have overcome the World. Alas may the Soule answere, If Sampson should have seene a little childe un∣der the paw of a Lion, and should thus comfort him, be of good cheare for I have overcome a Lion, what safety or assurance could hence arise to him who had not the strength of Sampson. But wee must know that Christ overcame not for himselfe, but for us; and as hee hath overcome the world for us, so he doth it In us likewise by his Grace; dThis is the victorie which overcommeth the World, even your Faith.

Secondly, nay but Sathan is a more powerfull, subtill, deepe, wilie, working adversarie then the world. Where shall I have protection and securitie against him? I an∣swere, in that promise to man, and curse to the Serpent; eThe seede of the woman shall bruize thy head, and thouPage  440shalt bruize his heele. He thy Head, Hee shall teare out thy sting, and crush thy projects and machinations a∣gainst his Church, but thou onely His heele; the vitall parts shall be above thy reach. And this Christ did not for himselfe, but for us. fThe God of Peace, saith the Apostle, shall bruize Sathan under your feete. Hee shall be under our feete, but it is a greater strength then ours which shall keepe him downe. The victorie is Gods, the benefit and insultation ours. If He come as a Serpent with cunning craftinesse to seduce us, Christ is a stronger Ser∣pent, a Serpent of Brasse; and what hurt can a Serpent of flesh doe unto a Serpent of Brasse? If as a Lion, with rage and fierie assaults: Christ is a stronger Lion, A Lion of the Tribe of Iud•…, the victorious Tribe. g Who shall goe up for us against the Cananites first? Iuda shall goe up. If hee come as an Angel of light to perswade us to presume and sinne; The h mercie of Christ begets feare: TheiLove of Christ constraineth us. Sathan can but allure to disobedience, but Christ can constraine us to live unto him. If he come as an Angell of darkenesse to terrifie us with despairing suggestions, because wee have sinned: kIf any man sinne, wee have an Advocate; and lwho shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect? It is Christ that is deade, yea rather that is risen againe, who also sitteth at the right hand of God, to make interces∣sion for us.

Thirdly, but I have an enemie within me which is the most dangerous of all. The World may be if not over∣come, yet endured, and by being endured it will at last bee overcome. The Divell may bee driven away for a time, though he returne againe: but the flesh is an mIn∣habiting sinne, and an nencompassing sinne. If I breake through it, yet it is still within me; and if I reject it, yet it is still about me. Saint Paul who triumphed and insul∣ted over all the rest, over the World,oWho shall separate us from the Love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distresse,Page  441or persecution, or famine, or nakednes, or perill, or sword? nay in all these things we are more then conquerors through him that loved us. Over Sathan and Hell,pO Death, where is thy sting? O Hell, where is thy victorie? Even hee cryes out against this enemie his owne flesh. qO wrethed man that I am, who shall deliver mee from this body of Death? Yet even against this unremoveable and unvanquishable corruption the Life of Christ is safe in us upon these grounds. First, we have his Prayer which helpes to subdue it, and to sanctifie our nature: rSancti∣fie them by thy Truth. Secondly, wee have His Vertue and Power to purge it out, and to cure it: sThe Sunne of righteousnesse hath healing in his wings. Thirdly, wee have His office and sidelitie to appeale unto, and where to complaine against our owne flesh. He undertooke it as a part of his businesse to t purge and clense his people. Fourthly, we have His Spirit to u combate and wrestle with it, and so by little and little to crucifie it in us; and lastly we have his Merits as Sanctuarie to flie unto; to forgive them here, and hereafter to expell them.

Fourthly, for all this I am full of doubts and restlesse*feares, which do continually fight within me, and make my spirit languish and sinke; and that which may decay, may likewise expire and vanish away. To this I answer, that which inwardly decayeth and sinketh at the foun∣dation is perishable: but that which in its operations, and, quoad nos, in regard of sense and present compla∣cencie may seeme to decay, doth not yet perish in its substance. A Cloude may hide the Sunne from the eye, but can never blot it out of his orbe. Nay, Spirituall griefe is to that light which is sowen in the heart, but like har∣rowing to the Earth; it macerates for the time, but with∣all it tends to joy and beautie. There is difference be∣tweene the paines of a woman in travell, and the paines of a goute, or some mortall disease: for though that be as extreeme in smart, and present irkefomenesse as the Page  442 other, yet it containes in it, and it proceedes from a Mat∣ter*of Ioy: And all the wrestlings of the Soule with the enemies of Salvation are but as the paines of a woman in travell; when Christ is fashioned, when the issue i•… victorious and with gaine, the soule no more remembreth those afflictio•…s which were but for a moment.

Fifthly and lastly, I have fallen into many and great sinnes, and if all sinne be of a mortall and venemous ope∣ration, how can my Life in Christ consist with such hea∣vie provocations and apostacies? To this in generall I an∣swer. If the sight of thy sinnes make thee looke to Christ, If •…houacanst beleeve, all things are possible. It is possible for thy greatest b apostacies to vanish like a Cloud, and to be forgotten. Though sinne have weakned the Law, that we cannot be saved by that; yet it hath not weak∣ned Faith, or made that unable to save. For cthe strength of sinne is the Law, it hath its condemning vertue from thence. Now by Faith we are not dunder the Law, but under Grace. When once wee are incorporate into Christs body, and made partakers of the new Covenant,* though we are still under the Laws conduct, in regard of its obedience (which is made sweete and easie by Grace) yet we are not under the laws maled•…ction. So that though sinne in a Beleever bee a transgression of the Law, and doth certainely e incurre Gods displeasure; f yet it doth not de fect•… (though it doe de merito) subject him to wrath and vengeance, because every justified man is a person priviledg'd, though not from the duties, yet from the curses of the Law. If the King should gratiously ex∣empt any subject from the Lawes penaltie, and yet re∣quire of him the Lawes obedience; if that man offend, he b•…ch transgre•…sed the Law, and provoked the displea∣sure of the Prince, who haply will make him some othe•… way to 〈◊〉 it: yet his offence doth not nullyfie his pri∣viledge, nor voyde the Princes grace, which gave him an immunitie from the fo•…feitures, though not from the ob∣servance Page  443 of the Law. Adultery amongst the Iewes was punished with Death, and Theft onely wtth restitution: amongstus Adulterie is not punished with Death, and Theft is. Now then though a Iew and an Englishman be both bound to the obedience of both these Lawes, yet a Iew is not to die for Theft, nor an Englishman for Adul∣tery, because wee are not under the Iudiciall Lawes of that people, nor they under our Lawes: Even so those sinnes which to a man under the covenant of workes do, d•… facto, bring Death if he continue alwayes under that covenant, doe onely create a Merit of Death in those who are under the Covenant of Grace, but doe not actu∣ally exclude them from Salvation, because without * in∣fidelitie no sinne doth peremptorily and quoad eventum condemne.

But it may here further be objected, How can I be∣leeve under the weight of such a finne? Or how is Faith able to hold mee up under so heavie a guilt? I answere, the more the greatnesse of si•…ne doth appeare, and the heavier the weight thereof is to the Soule, there is the Grace of God more aboundant to beget Faith, and the strength of Faith is prevalent against any thing which would oppose it. To vnderstand this, we must note that the strength of Faith doth not arise out of the formall qualitie thereof, (for Faith in it selfe, as a habit and en∣dowment of the Soule, is as weake as other graces;) but onely out of the relation it hath to Christ. Faith deno∣tates a mutuall Act betweene us and Christ; and there∣fore the Faith of the patriarche•… is expressed in the Apo∣stle by asaluting or embracing; they did not onely claspe Christ, but he them againe. So that the strength of Faith takes in the strength of Christ, because it puts Christ into a man, who by his Spirit b dwelleth and c li∣veth in us. And here it is worth our observing, that the reason why the house in the d parable did stand firme against all tempests, was because it was founded upon a Page  444 Rocke. Why? may not a weake superstruction ofrot∣ten and inconsistent materials bee built upon a sound foundation? As a strong house fals from a weake foun∣dation, may not in like manner a weake house by a tem∣pest fall from a strong foundation? Surely in Christs Temple it is not as in ordinary materiall buildings. In these though the whole frame stand upon the foundati∣on, yet it stands together by the strength of the parts amongst themselves, and therefore their mutuall weak∣nesse and failings do prejudice the stabilitie of the whole. But in the Church, the strength of Christ the foundation is not an immanent, personall, fixed thing; but a derivative and an effused strength which runnes through the whole building. Because the foundation being a vitall founda∣tion is able to shed forth and transfuse its stability into the whole structure. What ever the materials are of them∣selves, though never so fraile, yet being once incorpora∣ted in the building, they are presently transformed into the nature and firmenesse of their foundation. To whom comming as unto a living stone, saith Saint Peter, ye also* as lively stones are built up a spirituall house; to note unto us the transformation and uniformitie of the Saints with Christ, both in their spirituall nature, and in the firmenesse and stabilitie of the same.

More particularly the strength of Faith preserues us from all our spirituall enemies. From the Divell f Hee that is begotten of God keepeth himselfe, and the wic∣ked one toucheth Him not.g Above all take the shield of Faith, by which you shall be able to quench all the furie darts of the wicked. From the World;hThis is the vi∣ctorie which overcommeth the World, even our Faith. From our fleshly corruptions;iThe Heart is purified by Faith.k The Law of the Spirit of Life in Iesus Christ, (that is, the Law of Faith) hath made mee free from the Law of Sinne, that is, the Law of the members, or flesh∣ly concupiscence. And all this is strengthened by the Page  445Power of God; not by Faith alone are we kept, but lyee are kept, saith Saint Peter, By the power of God through Faith unto Salvation: and that not such a Power as that is wherewith he concurreth in the ordinarie and na∣turall operations of the Creature, which proportioneth it selfe, and condescendeth unto the exigencie of second causes, failing where they faile, and accommodating the measure of his agencie to those materials which the second causes have supplyed (as we see when a Childe is borne with fewer parts then are due to naturall integrity, Gods concurrence hath limited it selfe to the materials which are defective, and hath not supplyed nor made up the failings of nature) but that power whereby hee preserves men unto Salvation doth prevent, bend, and carry the heart of man (which is the secondary agent) unto the effect it selfe, doth remove every obstacle which might endanger his purpos•… in saving the Crea∣ture, and maketh his people a willing people.

But you will say, Faith is indeede by these meanes stronger then sinne when it worketh▪ but not when it slee∣peth; and the working of Faith, being dependant upon the faculties of the Soule which are essentially mutable and incostant in operation, must needes bee uncertaine too: that sinne, though it bee sarre weaker then Faith, may yet, when by our security Faith is fallen asleepe, surprize and kill it, even as Ia•…l a weake woman upon the same advantage killed Sisera a strong Captaine. But though Faith fleepe, yet Hee that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleepe, and we are kept not onely by Faith, but by His Power, which Power worketh all our workes for us and in us, giveth us both the Will and the Deede; * the Gift of continuing in His Feare, and Page  446 the Will so to continue. The heart of the king, saith Salo∣mon, that is the most soveraigne, unconquerable, pe∣remptorie, and unsubjected will in the World, is in the Hand of God, even as clay in the hand of the Potter. So that though our hearts in regard of themselves bee not onely at large and indeterminate to any Spirituall operations, but have an extreme reluctancie to all the motions of Gods Spirit▪ yet considering their subordi∣nation to Gods mercifull purposes, to the Power of His Grace, to His * Heavenly a Call according unto purpose, to the exceeding greatnesse and working of his mighty Power, manifest it is, that they are bvndeclinable migh∣tily, by c a hidden, wonderfull, most effectuall power; yea, by an d Omnipotent facilitie, and yet e most sweet∣ly and connaturally moved unto Grace. They are all the frequent words of Holy Austin, that f Champion of Grace, whose unvaluable industry in that behalfe all after ages have admired, but hardly paralell'd.

Now then for the further establishing the heart of a man, seriously and searchingly humbled with the sense and consciousnesse of some great relapse (for what I shall say can yeeld no comfort to a man in an unrelenting, ob∣durate, and persisting apostafie Let him consider the safety and firmenesse of his life in Christ upon these grounds.

First, Gods Eternall Love and free Grace, which is to∣wards us the Highest linke of Salvation, both in order of time, nature, and causalitie. gWhom He predestinated,Page  447those also He called; and whom He called, those He Iu∣stified; and whom Hee Iustified, those also Hee glorified.h It is not those He will glorifie, but hath glorified. To note that glorification is linked and folded up with justifica∣tion, and is present with it in regard of their Eternall co∣existencie in the predisposition and order of God, though not in effectu operis, in actuall execution. Now i this Eternall Love and Grace of God is not founded upon reasons in the Object; for kHe Iustified, and by conse∣quence loved the ungodly. He lLoved us when wee were his enemies; and enemies we were not but by mwicked workes. Now then if wicked workes could not prevent the Love of God, why should wee thinke that they can nullyfie or destroy it? If His Grace did prevent sinners before their repentance, that they might returne, shall it not much more preserve repenting sinners that they may not perish? If the masse, guilt, and greatnesse of Adams sinne, in which all men were equally sharers, and in which equalitie God looked upon us with Love and Grace (then n which sinne a greater I thinke cannot be committed against the Law of God) If the bloody and crimsin sinnes of the unconverted part of our life, wherein we drew iniquitie with cordes of vanitie, and sinne as it were with cart-ropes: If neither o iniquitie, transgressi∣on, nor sinne; neither sin of nature, nor sinne of course and custome, nor sinne of rebellion and contumacie could pose the goodnesse and favour of God to us then, nor in∣tercept or frustrate his Counsell of loving us when wee were his enemies: why should any other sinnes over∣turne* the stability of the same love and counsell, when*Page  448 we are once his Sonnes, and have a spirit given us to be∣waile and lament our falls. I cannot here omit the ex∣cellent words of P Fulgentius, to this purpose. The same Grace, saith he, of Gods Immutable Counsell doth both beginne our merit unto righteousnesse, and consummate it unto Glorie; doth here make the will not to yeelde to the infirmitie of the flesh, and doth hereafter free it from all infirmitie; doth here renew it Continuo Iuvamine, and elsewhere Iugi auxilio, with an uninterrupted sup∣portance, and at last bring it to a full Glory.

Secondly, Gods Promise flowing from this Love and Grace. qAn everlasting Covenant will I make, saith God, and observe how it comes to be everlasting, and not fru∣strated or made temporary by us: I will not turne away from them, saith the Lord, to doe them good. True Lord; wee know thou dost not repent thee of thy Love; but though thou turne not from us, O how fraile, how apt are wee to turne away from thee, and so to nullifie this thy Covenant of mercie unto our selves! Nay, saith the Lord, I will put my feare into their hearts and they shall not depart from me. So elsewhere the Lord tels us that his Covenant should be as the water of Noah; the sinnes of* men can no more utterly cancell or reverse Gods Cove∣nant of mercie towards them, then they can bring backe Noahs flood into the World againe: though for a mo∣ment he may bee angry and hide His face, yet His mercie in the maine is great and everlasting. The Promises of God as they have Truth, so they have Power in them; they doe not depend upon our resolutions whether they shall bee executed or no, but by Faith apprehending them, and by Hope waiting upon God in them, they frame and accommodate the heart to those conditions which introduce then Execution. * God maketh us to doe the things which He commandeth, we do not make Him to doe the things which He promiseth. aTee are kept, saith the Apostle, by the Power of God through FaithPage  449unto Salvation. Faith is first by Gods Power wrought and preserved (It is the bFaith of the operation of God, namely that powerfull operation which raised Christ from the dead: and cyour Faith standeth not in the wise∣dome of men, but in the Power of God) And then it be∣comes an effectuall instrument of the same power to pre∣serve us unto Salvation. dThey shall be all taught of God, and every man that hath heard and learned of the Father, commeth unto mee. There is a voluntarie attendance of the heart of man upon the ineffable sweetnesse of the Fathers teaching: to conclude this point with that ex∣cellent and comfortable speech of the Lord in the pro∣phet. eI the Lord change not, therefore ye Sonnes of Ia∣cob are not consumed. It is nothing in or from your selves, but onely the immutabilitie of my Grace and Promises which preserveth you from being consumed.

Thirdly, the Obsignation of the Spirit ratifying and se∣curing these promises to the hearts of the faithfull, for the spirit is the f hansell, earnest, and seale of our Redemp∣tion; and it is not onely an obsignation 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, un∣to redemption, arguing the certainty of the end upon con∣dition of the meanes; but it is an g establishing of us 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 too, into Christ as a meanes unto that end; so that from the first fruites of the Spirit a man may conclude his interest in the whole at last, as Saint Paul from the resurrection of h Christ the first fruites argueth to the fi∣nall accomplishment of the resurrection.

Fourthly, the nature and effects of Faith, whose pro∣pertie it is to make future things present to the beleever, and to give them a Being, and by consequence a neces∣sitie and certaintie to the apprehensions of the Soule, even when they have not a Being in themselves. Saint Paul call's it the subsistencie of things to come, and the evi∣dence*and demonstration of things not seene: which our Saviours words doe more fully explaine; He that drin∣keth my blood hath eternall Life, and shall never thirst.*Page  450 Though Eternall Life bee to come in regard of the full fruition, yet it is present already in regard of the first fruites of it; And therefore wee finde our Saviour take a future medium to prove a present Blessednesse, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,* yee are blessed when men shall hate you, &c: for great is your reward in Heaven. Which inference could not be sound unlesse that future medium were certaine by the Power of Faith, giving unto the promises of God as it were a presubsistencie. For it is the priviledge of Faith * to looke upon things to come, as if they were alrea∣die conferr'd upon us. And the Apostle useth the like argument; Sinne shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the Law, but under Grace. This were a strange inference in naturall or civill things, to say you shall not die, because you are in health; or you shall not be rejected, because you are in favour. But the Cove∣nant of Grace, being seall'd by an Oath, makes all the grants which therein are made, irreversible, and con∣stant. So that now, as when a man is dead to the Be∣ing of sinne (as the Saints departed this life are) the Be∣ing of sinne doth no more trouble them, nor returne upon them: so when a man is dead to the dominion of sinne, that dominion shall never any more returne upon him.

Consider further the formall effect of Faith, which is to aunite a man unto Christ. By meanes of which vnion, Christ and we are made b one Bodie: for He that is joy∣ned to Christ is one, and the Apostle saith, that c He is the Saviour of his Bodie, and then surely of every member of his Bodie too; for d the members have all care one of •…∣ther, else the Bodie of Christ would be a mangled and a maimed thing, and not as Saint Paul calls it, e〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the fulnesse of Him that filleth all in all. In the Body of Christ there is f a supply to every joynt, a measure of every part, an edification and growth of the whole compa∣cted body, from Him who is equally the Head to all.

Page  451Being thus united unto Christ, first the Death and Merit of Christ is ours; whatsoever Hee really in His humane nature suffered for sinne, wee are in moderated Iustice reputed to have suffered with Him. The Apostle saith, that we were crucified and dead with Christ, and* that as truely, as the hand which steales is punish'd when the backe is beaten; and surely if a man were crucified in and with Christ, by reason of His mysticall communion with him) then he was crucifi'd, as Christ, for al 〈◊〉 which should otherwise have laine upon him. Hee was not in Christ to cleanse some sinnes, and out of him to beare others himselfe. For the Apostle assures us that the Merit of Christ is unconfined by any sinne. The blood*of Christ cleanseth from all sinne. As Saint Ambrose said to Monica the mother of Austen, when with many teares she bewailed her sonnes unconversion: Non potest tot lacrymarum filius perire, that is, that it could not be* that the Sonne of so many teares should perish; so may I more certainely say to any Soule that is soundly and in truth humbled with the sense of any grievous relapse, non potest tot lacrymarum frater perire, It cannot bee that the brother of so many teares, and so pretious blood, which from Christ trickled downe with an unperisha∣ble soveraigntie unto the lowest and sinfullest of his bo∣die, should perish for want of compassion in Him who felt the weight of our sufferings, or for want of recovery from him who hath the fulnesse of Grace and Spirit.

Secondly, the Life of Christ is ours likewise. Christ liveth in me, saith the Apostle. Now the Life of Christ is free from the power and the reach of death. If death could not hold Him when it had Him, much lesse can it reach or overtake Him having once escaped. Hee died once unto sinne, but Hee liveth unto God: likewise saith Saint Paul, reckon you your selves to be dead unto sinne, but*alive unto God, and that through or in Iesus Christ, by whom wee in like manner are made partakers of that Page  452 Life which Hee by rising againe from the Grave, did assume, as we were by Adā made obnoxious to the same death which heby failing did incurre and contract. a For Christ is the second Adam, and as wee have borne the Image of the earthly in sinne and guilt; so must we beare the Image of the Heavenly in Life and righteousnesse: and b that which in us answereth to t•…e Resurrection and Life of Christ (which Hee ever liveth) is our holy∣nesse and newnesse of life, as the Apostle plainely shew's, to note c that our Renovation likewise ought to be per∣petuall and constant, not fraile and mutable, as when it depended upon the life of the first Adam, and not of the second.

Thirdly, the Kingdome of Christ is ours also. Now His Kingdome is not perishable, but eternall: a King∣dome which cannot be shaken, or destroyed as the Apostle speakes. Heb. 12. 28.

Fourthly the Sonneship and by consequence •…∣tance of Christ is ours. I speake not of His personall Sonneship by eternall generation, but of that dignitie and honour which He had as d the first borne of every Crea∣ture, and Heire of all things. That Sonneship which Hee had as Hee was borne from the Dead; eThou art my Sonne, this day have I begotten thee, namely in the Resur∣rection, in which respect He is called f the first borne, and the first begotten of the Dead. In this dignitie of Christ, of being g Heires, and a kinde of first borne unto God, doe wee in our measure partake, for wee are called the hChurch of the first borne, and ia kinde of first fruites of His Creatures: For though those attributes may be li∣mited to the k Iewes in regard of precedencie to the Gentiles; yet in regard of the inheritance (which was usually and properly to descend to the first borne) they may bee applyed to all, for of all beleevers the ApostlelPage  453 saith, If you are Sonnes, then are ye heires, Coheires with Christ. We hold in chiefe under his guardianship and protection, as his sequele and dependant. Now from hence our Saviours argument may bring much com∣fort and assurance; mThe Sonne abideth in the house for ever; and the House of God is His Church, not in n Heaven onely, but o on Earth likewise, as the Apostle shewes.

Fifthly, Christs victories are ours: Hee overcamesp the World, and q Temptations, and r Enemies and Sinnes for us. And therefore they shall not bee able to* overcome Him in us. tHee is able to succour them that are tempted. Hee who once overcame them for us, will certainely subdue them in us: Hee that will overcome the last Enemie, will overcome all that are before; (for if any be left, the last is not overcome.)

Lastly, we have the benefit of Christs Intercession: I have prayed for thee that thy Faith faile not. It is spoken of a saving Faith, as the a learned prove at large. And I have shewed before b that particular promises in Scripture are universally applyable to any man whose case is paralell to that particular. If then Peters〈◊〉 did not by reason of this prayer of Christ overturne his Sal∣vation, or bring a c totall deficiencie upon his faith; why should any man, who is truely and deepely humbled with the sense of relapse, or consciousnesse of some sinne, not of d ordinary guilt, or dayly incursion, but indeede very hainous, and therefore to be repented of with teares of blood, yet why should he in this case of sound humi∣liation stagger in the hope of forgivenesse, or mistrust Gods mercie, since a greater sinne then Peters, in the grosse matter of it, can I thinke hardly be committed by any justified man.

These are the comforts which may secure the Life of Christ, in a lapsed but repenting sinner: the summe of all is this. Since we stand not, like Adam, upon our owne Page  454 bottome, but are branches of such a Vine as never wi∣thers, Members of such a Head as never dies, sharers in such a Spirit as cleanseth, healeth, and purifieth the heart, partakers of such promises as are sealed with the Oath of God: Since we live not by our owne life, but by the Life of Christ; are not ledde or sealed by our owne spirit, but by the Spirit of Christ; doe not obtaine mercie by our owne prayers, but by the Intercession of Christ; stand not reconciled unto God by our owne endevours, but by the propitiation wrought by Christ, who loved us when wee were enemies and in our blood; who is both willing and able to save us to the uttermost, and to preserve his owne mercies in us; to whose e office it be∣longs to take order that none who are given unto him be lost; undoubtedly that Life of Christ in us, which is thus underpropped, though it be not priviledg'd from temp∣tations, no nor from f backeslidings, yet is an abiding Life: He who raised g our Soule from death, will either preserve our feete from falling, or, if we doe fall, h will heale our backflidings, and will save us freely.

Infinitely therefore doth it concerne the Soule of eve∣ry man to bee restlesse and unsatisfied with any other good thing, till he find himselfe entitled unto this happy Communion with the Life of Christ, which will never faile him. As all the Creatures in the world, so man espe∣cially hath in him a twofold desire; a desire of perfection, and a desire of perpetuitie; a desire to advance, and a de∣sire to preserve his Being. i Now then till a mans Soule, after many rovings and inquisitions, hath at last fixed it selfe upon some such good thing as hath compasse e∣nough to satiate and replenish the vastnesse of these two Page  455 desires: impossible it is for that Soule, though otherwise filled with a confluence of all the glory, wealth, wise∣dome, learning and curiositie of Salomon himselfe, to have solid contentment enough to withstand the feares of the smallest danger, or to outface the accusations of the smallest sinne. Now then let us suppose that any good things of this World, without the Life of Christ, were able to satisfie one of these two de∣sires, to perfect and advance our nature (though in∣deede it bee farre otherwise, since without Christ they are all but like a stone in a Serpents head, or a Pearle in an Oyster; not our perfections, but our diseases, like Cleopatra her pretious stone; when she wore it, a Iew∣ell; but when she dranke it, an excrement. I may bold∣ly say that as long as a man is out of Christ, he were bet∣ter be a begger, or an idiote, then to bee the steward of riches, honours, learning and wisedome, which should have beene improv'd to the Glory of Him that gave them, and yet to bee able to give up at that great day of accompts no other reckoning unto God but this: Thy riches have beene the authors of my covetousnesse and oppression; thy honours, the steppes of my haughtinesse and ambition; thy learning and wisedome, the fuell of my pride.) But now I say, suppose that nature could receive any true advancement by these things; yet alas, when a man shall beginne to thinke with himselfe, may not God this night take me away, like the foole in the Gospell, from all these things, or all these from mee? May I not, nay must I not within these few yeeres, in stead of mine honour, be laid under mens feete? In stead of my purple and scarlet, be cloathed with rottennesse? In stead of my luxurie and delycacies, become my selfe the foode of wormes? Is not the poore soule in my bo∣some an immortall soule? Must it not have a being, as long as there is a God who is able to support it? And will not my bagges and titles, my pleasures and prefer∣ments, Page  456 my learning and naturall endowments, every thing save my sinnes and mine adversaries, and mine owne Conscience forsake mee, when I once enter into that immortalitie? When a man I say shall beginne to summon his heart unto such sad accompts as these, how will his face gather blacknesse, and his knees tremble, and his heart be even damp'd and blasted with amaze∣ment in the middest of all the vanities and lyes of this present world? What a fearefull thing is it for an eter∣nall soule to have nothing betweene it, and eternall mi∣sery to rest upon, but that which will moulder away and crumble into dust under it, and so leave it alone to sinke into bottomlesse calamitie? O Beloved, when men shall have passed many millions of yeeres in another world, which no millions of yeeres can shorten or dimi∣nish, what accession of comfort can then come to those glorious joyes which we shall bee filled with in Heaven, or what diminution or mitigation of that unsupporta∣ble anguish which without ease or end must bee suffered in Hell, by the remembrance of those few houres of tran∣sitorie contentments, which we have here, not without the mixture of much sorrow and allay enjoyed? What smacke or rellish thinke you hath Dives now left him of all his delicacies, or Esau of his pottage? What pleasure hath the rich foole of his full Barnes, or the young man of his great possessions? What delight hath Iezabel in her paint, or Ahab in the Vineyard purchased with the innocent blood of Him that owned it? How much po∣licie hath Achitophel, or how much pompe hath Herod, or how much rhetoricke hath Tertullus left to escape or to bribe the torments, which out of Christ they must for ever suffer? O how infinitely doth it concerne the Soule of every man to finde this Life of Christ to rest upon, which will never forsake him till it bring him to that day of Redemption, wherein he shall be filled with blessednesse infinitely proportionable to the most vast Page  457 and unlimited capacities of the Creature.

And now when we can secure our Consciences in the inward, true, and spirituall renovation of our heart, in this invincible and unperishable obsignation of the spirit, who knitteth us as really (though mistically) unto Christ, as his sinewes and joynts do fasten the parts of his sacred body together; how may our heads bee crowned with joy, and our hearts sweetly bathe themselves in the per∣fruition and preoccupation of those rivers of glory which attend that Spirit wheresoever he goeth? Many things I know there are which may extremely disharten us in this interim of mortalitie; many things which therein encounter and oppose our progresse. The rage, malice and subtilty of Satan; the frownes, flatterles, threates, and insinuations of this present World; the impatience and stubbornnesse of our owne flesh; the struglings and counterlustings of our owne potent corruptions; the dai∣ly consciousnesse of our fall's and infirmities; the conti∣nuall entercourse of our doubts and feares; the ebbing and languishing, decaying and even expiring of our Faith and Graces; the frequent experience of Gods just dis∣pleasure, and spirituall desertions, leaving the Soule to its owne dumpes and darknesse. Sometimes like froward children we throw our selves downe and will not stand: and sometimes there comes a tempest which blowes us downe that we cannot stand. And now whither should a poore Soule, which is thus on all sides invitoned with feares and dangers, betake it selfe? Surely so long as it lookes either within or about it selfe, no marvell if it be ready to sinke under the concurrent opposition of so ma∣ny assaults.

But though there be nothing in thee, nor about thee, yet there is somthing above thee which can hold thee up. If there be strength in the merit, life, kingdom, victories, Intercession of the Lord Iesus: If there be comfort in the Covenant, Promises, and Oath of God, beleeve, and all Page  458 this strength and comfort is thine: leane not upon thine owne wisedome, trust not thine owne righteousnesse, arrogate nothing to thy selfe but impotencie to good: no strength of thy selfe but against thy selfe, and Gods Grace; no power but to resist and withstand the Spirit. But rest only upon the Promises and Power of Him who is Alpha and Omega, the Author and Finisher of thy Faith; Who is a Head to take care of his weakest mem∣bers. When thou art as weake as a worme in thine owne sense, yet feare not O worme Iacob, be not dismaide O Men of Israel, saith the Lord, for I am thy God, I will*strengthen thee, yea I will helpe thee, yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousnesse, that is, with the strength of my Truth and Promises. How shall I give thee up Ephraim, It is spoken to backsliding Ephraim; How shall I deliver thee Israel? How shall I make thee as Admah, how shall I set thee as Zeboim? That is, How shall I make mine owne Church as the cities of Sodome? My heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together, and marke the reason of all. I am God, and not man. Though you are Men, subject to many chan∣ges and miscarriages, yet I am not a Man that I should repent of my goodnesse, and therefore I will not turne to destroy Ephraim.

But now as men who looke upon the Sunne, when they looke downward againe upon darker objects, can scarse see or distinguish any thing; so ought it to bee with us, our looking up unto God should make us see nothing in ourselves, but matter to be humbled by, and driven backe unto him againe. If once the strong man beginne to glorie in his strength, or the wise man in his wisedome; If our prosperity and security make us re∣solve with David, that we shall never be moved: If be∣cause we finde our corruptions wounded and mortified, wee beginne to insult over them more with our pride, then with our faith: How easie and just is it with God Page  459 to let in Satan upon us, to remove his hand from under us, to overshadow and withdraw His countenance from us, to set on our very wounded corruptious upon us to burne up our citie, and peradventure to plunge us in the guilt of some such fearefull sinnes, as at the very names and first suggestions whereof wee would haply before have beene startled and amazed? Alas what are wee to David, and Peter, to Salomon and Hezekiah, men of such dayly communion and intimate acquaintance with the Almightie. And yet notwithstanding what fearefull testimonies have they left upon record for all posteritie to take notice what a fraile and inconstant creature man is, when once Gods Spirit departs from him? That the strength of the greatest champions in the Church of God is but like the strength of Sampson, of whom in all his great exployts the Scripture saith, that aThe Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and when hee was overcome, that bthe Lord was departed from him. We should therefore labour to c rejoyce in the Lord with trembling, to d worke out our salvation with feare, to pray that wee may be delivered from our selves, and from the traines of Satan; that wee may never know by our owne feare∣full experience, into what an incredible excesse of sinning our flesh, though otherwise mortified, would breake forth, if God should a little subduct his hand, and give us over a while to the violence of our owne passions, to the treacherie of our owne hearts. Wee should be very watchfull and cautious against our selvees, that wee pre∣sume not to sinne, because Grace hath abounded. eHow shall wee that are dead to sinne, live any longer therein? saith the Apostle. What a monstrous perverting of the grace and mercie of God is this to build straw and stub∣ble upon so pretious a foundation? Surely wee would esteeme that man prodigiously foolish and contumelious unto nature, who should spend his time, substance, and industrie to finde out a perverse philosophers stone, that Page  460 should turne all the gold it touched into lead or drosse: how injurious then and reprochfull are they to the grace of God, who extract their owne presumptions out of His mercie, and turne the redundancie of divine Grace into an advantage and priviledge of sinning? As if Gods mercie had no other use then a dogges grasse, or a drun∣kards vomit, or a f Papists confession to his Priest, to ab∣solve us for some sinnes that there might be roome made for more. Surely Grace teacheth men to make other conclusions from Gods mercie. gDeale bou•…tifully with thy seruant that I may keepe thy Word, was Davids inference from Gods favour. And Saint hPaul assures us that none but hard and impenitent hearts despise the goodnesse and riches of Gods patience and forbearance, not knowing that the goodnesse of God should lead them to repentance. It is the worke of grace to re-imprint the image of God in us, to conforme us unto Christ, to bend and incline the heart to a Spirituall delight in the Law, to remoove in some measure the ignorance of our mindes, that wee may see the beautie and wonders of Gods Law, and the difficultie and frowardnesse of the fleshly will against grace, that Gods Commands may not be grievous, but sweete unto us.

These are the branches and properties of that Life which we have from Christ. And wee have them from Him at the Sonne, as a middle person betweene us and his Father. First, because the Sonne hath His Fathers Seale: Hath iIudgement, Power, libertie to dispose of and dispense Life and Salvation to whom He will. kLabour for the Meate that endureth unto Eternall Life, which the Sonne of Man shall give unto you; for Him hath God the Father sealed. Secondly, because the lSon is in his Fathers bosome, hath His heart, His eare, His affections, and therefore He is mheard alwayes in whatsoever Hee desireth for any of His members: and this interest in His Fathers Love was that by which He raised Lazarus un∣to Page  461 Life againe. Lastly, he that hath the Sonne, hath the greatest gift which the Father ever gave unto the World. Hee cannot denie Life where He hath given the Sonne; He cannot with-hold silver where Hee hath given gold and Diamonds: nIf He spared not His Son, but delive∣red Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him freely give us all things?

Now our life is conveyed from Christ unto us. First, by Imputation of His merit, whereby our persons are made righteous and acceptable unto God. Secondly, by Infusion or communion with His Spirit, which san∣ctifies our nature, and enables us to doe spirituall servi∣ces. For though we exclude workes from Iustification formally considered; yet we require them of every Iu∣stified man; neither doth any Faith Iustifie but that which worketh by Love, though it justifie not under that reason as a working Faith, but under that relative office of receiving and applying Christ. Thirdly, by His Life and Intercession, applying His merits unto us, and presenting our services unto His Father, as lively sacri∣fices, cleansed from those mixtures of deadnesse and corruption, which as passing from us did cleave unto them.

Having thus unfolded our Life by Christ, wee are in the last place to inquire into that Proprietie which wee have unto Christ, which is the ground of the Life wee receive from Him. For one thing cannot bee the princi∣ple and seede of Life unto another, except there be some* union, and fellowship, which may be the ground of the conveyance: and this is that which the Text call's the having of Christ, which is the same with that of Saint Iohn, To as many as received Him, He gave power to be called the Sonnes of God. So then there must bee a mu∣tuall Act, Christ exhibiteth Himselfe unto us, and wee adhere, and dwell in Him; whereby there is wrought a a Vnitie of will's, a Confederacie of affections, a Parti∣cipation Page  462 of natures, a concurrence to the making up of the same bodie; so that Christ accounteth Himselfe in∣complete without His Church. This union of the faith∣ful to Christ, being one of those deepe things of God which are not discernable without the Spirit, is yet set forth unto us in the Scriptures under sundrie vulgar and obvi∣ous similitudes, which I will but touch upon.

It is first set forth by the expression of a Bodie, consi∣sting of diverse members. Rom. 12. 4, 5. 1. Cor. 12. 12. 13. Eph, 1. 22, 23. In which places the purpose of the Apo∣stle is to shew how the proportion that is betweene Christ and His Church, answereth to that relation which is betweene the members of a Body and the Head. For as in the naturall Body all the members are joyned by nerves and vitall ligatures unto the Head, from whence they receive their strength and sensation, and doe, by vertue of that union to the Head, retaine a fellowship and communion amongst themselves: So is it betweene Christ and His Church. Every member of the true and mysticall Body of Christ is by a secret knot of his Spirit so fastned unto him, and so compacted with the other members by that which every joynt supplieth, as that the whole world of Elect, from Christ the Head and first borne of the Creatures, u•…to the lowest and meanest of all His members, doe make up but one Body, unto which Christ, by being the Head, hath these prin∣cipall relations. First, He is the principle of all Spirituall* Influences, as the Head of naturall. All the Grace in us is but an overflowing and measure from His fulnesse. Secondly, He is the principle of all governement and di∣rection; all the wisedome and prudence of the Church is from Him. He is the everlasting Counsell, or the Light that inlightneth every man that commeth into the world, the power and the wisedome of God unto us. Thirdly, He is conformable to the members (for Christs Church is no monster) and maketh them conformable unto Him; Page  463 Hee to us in our infirmities, tempted in all things as we are; and we to Him in His holynesse: He that Sanctifieth and they that are Sanctified are all of one. Now as in a body wee resolve the whole into no parts but those which are integrall and proper to it in the nature of a li∣ving and organicall Body, namely the members; though many things else are in the Body, yet nothing belongs integrally unto it, but the members: So many men are in the Body of Christ, onely by an externall and sacra∣mentall admission, or by some false and presumptuous perswasions and professions (as wennes or excrements in the naturall body) they doe no services, they exercise no vitall and spirituall functions, but rather cumber and in∣fest the members.

Secondly, this union is compar'd unto a building or house, Eph. 2. 20. 21. 1. Tim. 3. 14. 1. Pet. 2. 5. whose stones are knitte together by the juncture and bond of Love, and are firmely grounded upon the Elect pretious and sure foundation, who as He doth by His power up∣hold*all things, so much more those that are built upon Him. Now as in a structure the stones cannot subsist in the building by any qualities or inherent vertues of their owne, but onely by that direct and perpendicular de∣pendence, and subsistence which they have upon the foundation: so in the Church no graces, no carvings, no inherent excellencies doe hold men up, but onely that full and sole reliance, and subsistence of the Soule upon Christ. If a man have any other bottome that holds him up, if he be not even and full upon Christ, if hee be not in all things levelled and proportioned unto him by the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets (which is there∣fore likewise called a foundation, because by it wee are set right upon Christ, who is the Foundation of founda∣tions,* as the Scripture spcakes) Hee cannot abide in the building for ever; the wall and the foundation must all have the same center; and there must bee the same pro∣pensions, Page  464 and affections in us which were in Christ, His Rule must be ours, and His Ends ours, and His Will ours. If there be any such exorbitancies, and swellings out, as make the heart have quite another point and center to move to, other grounds to fixe upon, if men will despise the Word, will not be par'd and regulated to the foun∣dation, but will trust in oppression and perversenesse, and stay on that; this iniquitie will at length prove a breach*which commeth suddenly at an instant.

Thirdly, this union is cōpar'd to an ingrafture of a branch*in a tree, whereby the juice and nourishment of the stock is conveyed, and the branch thereby quickned to bring forth fruite. Where by the way it is worth our noting that the Church is most vsually in this particular compa∣red* to a Vine, and the branches of a Vine, to note that there is nothing of worth or expectation in Christians, but their fruite. A man cannot make a pinne to fasten in a wall of the branch of a vine. An unfruitefull Christi∣an is the most unprofitable Creature that is; there are no secondarie uses which can mediate (as I may so speake) for a dead vine, to keepe that from the fire: either it must be for fruite or for fuell; to all other purposes it is utterly improper and unprofitable.

Now wee must observe, that a Branch may bee in a Tree two wayes. First, by a meere corporeall adheren∣cie, or continuation with the stocke; by cleaving and sticking to the bodie of the Tree; and so every dead branch is in the Tree, as well as those that live: but this alone is not that which our Saviour requires, for such branches the husbandman will cut off and cast 〈◊〉 fire. Secondly, by a reall participation of the life, sapp•… and influences of the roote, which unto the former sort of branches, though offered, yet is not received, because of the inward deadnesse and indisposition that is in it: thus it is betweene Christ and Christians. That which makes us to be in Christ after any kinde of way is Faith. Page  465 And according to the differences of Faith are these diffe∣rences of being in Christ to bee discerned. Saint Iames makes mention of a dead Faith, when men are in Christ by some generall acknowledgement, by externall pro∣fession,* by a partiall dependence (comming to Him only as to a Iesus for roome and shelter to keepe them from the fire; not as to a Christ for grace and government in His service) not by any particular and willing attracti∣on of those vitall influences, those working principles of grace and obedience which are from him shed abroad upon true beleevers. And this is the semi-conversion and imperfect renovation of many men, whereby they re∣ceive from Him onely generall light of truth and com∣mon vertues, which make them visibly, and externally branches in Him. But Saint Paul makes mention of a lively, operative, unfained faith, which in true beleevers draweth in the power of Christs death, and the vertue of His resurrection, unto the mortification of sinne, and quickning of Spirit, and bringing forth f•…uite unto God, and this onely is that which is the ground of our life from Him. The Life that I live, I live by the Faith of the Sonne of God.

Lastly, this Vnion unto Christ is compared unto Mar∣riage▪ Psal. 45. Eph. 5. 32, whereby the Church hath a right and proprietie created to the body, name, goods, table, possessions, purchases of Christ, and doth recipro∣cally become all His, resigning its will, wayes, desires unto His governement. Now for the discovery of this we may consider either the essentials, or the consequents of marriage. The former hath for the genu•… the most ge∣nerall requisite, consent: and that must have these diffe∣rencies and restrictions. First, it must bee a amutuall consent: for though Christ declare His good will, when He knocketh at our doores, and beseecheth us in the ministry of His Word; yet if we keepe our distance, re∣ject His tokens of Love and Favour, and stop our eares Page  466 to His invitations, there is then no covenant made; this is but a wooing, and no marriage. Secondly, it must bee a *present consent, and in words de pr•…senti, or else it is onely a Promise, but no Contract. Many men, like Ba∣laam would faine die the death of the righteous, but live their owne lives; would faine belong to Christ at the last, and have nothing to doe with Him ever before; would have Him out of neede, but not at all out of love; and therefo•… for the present they put Him off: Many other suiters they have whom they cannot deferre, or denie; till at last peradventure Hee grow jealous and wearie, departs from them, and turnes unto those who will esteeme Him worthy of more acceptation. a Seeing you put the Word from you, faith the Apostle, and judge your selves unworthy of Eternall Life, Lo wee turne unto the Gentiles. Thirdly, it must be free and unconstrained; for compulsion makes it a ravishment, and not a marri∣age. They b who must be but one Bodie, ought first to agree in the same free and willing resolution. Many men when God c slayes them, will enquire earely after Him; when Hee puts them upon a racke will give a forced consent to serve Him; when Hee d sends His Lions a∣mongst them, will send for His Priests to instruct them how to worship Him; but this is onely to flatter with their lippes, that they may escape the present paine; (like the howling devotion of some desperate Mariner in a storme) not at all out of cordiall and sinceere affection; wicked men deale no better with God, then the froggs in the fable with the blocke which was throwne in to be their king. When He makes a noyse, and disturbes their peace; when He falls heavie upon them, they are sore affrighted, and seeme to reverence His Power: but if He suffer their streame to bee calme about them, and stir not up His wrath, they securely dance about Him, and re-assume their wonted loosenesse. Fourthly, it must be cwithout errour, for hee that erres; cannot consent. If a Page  467 woman take her selfe upon some absence of her husband to be now free from him, and conceive him dead, and thereupon marry againe; if it appeare that the * former husband is yet living, there was a mistake and error in the person, and so a nullity in the contract. So if a man mistake himselfe, judge himselfe free from his former tie unto sinne and the Law, and yet live in obedience to his lusts still, and is not cleansed from •…is filthinesse, he can∣not give any full consent to Christ, who •…ill have a chaste spouse, without adulterers, or corrivals. Lastly, It must g be an universall and perpetuall consent, for all time, and in all states and conditions. This is a great diffe∣rence betweene a wife, and a strumpet: A wife takes her husband upon all tearmes; his burdens, as well as his goods; his troubles, as well as his pleasures: where∣as a strumpet is onely for hire and lust; when the purse is emptied, or the body wasted, the love is at an end. So here, He that will have Christ, must have Him All; (for Christ is not divided) must entertaine Him to all purpo∣ses, must follow the Lambe wheresoever He goeth, must leave Father, Mother, Wife, Children, his owne life for Christ; must take as well His Yoake, as His Crowne; as well His Sufferings, as His Salvation; as well His Grace, as His Mercie; as well His Spirit to leade, as His Blood to redeeme. He that will be his owne Master to doe the workes of his owne will, must, if hee can, bee his owne Saviour too, to deliver his soule from the wrath to come.

The consequents and intendments of marriage are two, Convictus & Proles. First mutuall societie; Christ and a Christian must live together, have intimate, and deare acquaintance with each other; the spirit of a Chri∣stian must solace it selfe in the armes and embracements, in the riches and lovelinesse of Christ; in his absence and removes long after Him; in His presence and returnes delight in Him, and entertaine Him with such pure af∣fections, Page  468 and Heavenly desires, as may make him take pleasure in His Beautie. Secondly, there must be a fruit∣fulnesse in us, we must bring forth unto God. Christ will not have a barren Spouse: every one that loveth Him, keepeth His Commandements.

Now then in one word to unfold the more distinct qualitie of this our union to Christ, wee may consider a h threefold unitie. Of Persons in one nature; of natures in one Person; of natures and Persons in one qualitie. In the first is one God. In the second, is one Christ. In the third, is one Church. Our union unto Christ is the last of these, whereby Hee and we are all spiritually united to the making up of one mysticall Body. The i formall reason or bond of this union is the Spirit of Christ, by which as by immortall and abiding seede we are begot∣ten a new unto Christ. For He being the second Adam, we are spiritually in Him, and from Him, as we are na∣turally, or corruptly, in and from Adam.k As Adam was the fountaine of all that are naturally generated, and by that meanes transmitted condemnation to all chat are One with Him: so Christ is the Head of all that are Spiritually borne againe, and by that meanes trans∣mitteth grace & righteousnes to al that are one with him.

From this Vnion of the faithfull unto Christ doth im∣mediately arise a Communion with Him in all such good things as he is pleased to Communicate. I will but touch them, it having been the subject of this discours hitherto.

First, we have a Communion with Him in His merits,l which are as fully imputed unto us for Iustification, as Page  469 if His sufferings had beene by us endured, or the debt by us satisfied. As wee finde in the body medicines often apylyed unto sound parts, not with relation to them∣selves, but to cure others which are unsound; In a distil∣lation of •…hewmes on the eyes, we cuppe and scarifie the necke which was unaffected, to draw backe the humor from the part distempered: even so Christ the glorious and innocent Head of a miserable and leprous bodie suffered Himselfe to be wounded and crucified; to wre∣stle with the wrath of His Father; to bee One with a wretched people in the condition of their infirmities, as He was with His Father in the unitie of divine holinesse; that so by his infirmitie beirg joyn'd unto us, the Com∣munion of His puritie might joyne us unto God againe. a He alone without any demerit of His suffered our pu∣nishment, that we without any merit of ours might ob∣taine His Grace. b The paines of Christs wounds were His, but the profit ours; the holes in His hands and side were His, but the balme which issued out was ours; the thornes were His, but the Crowne was ours: in one word, the price which He paid was His, but the Inheri∣tance which Hee purchased was ours. All the ignomi∣nie and agonie of His Crosse was infinitely unbesee∣ming so honourable a Person as Christ, if it had not beene necessary for so vile a sinner as man.

Secondly, we have Communion with Him in His Life and Graces by habituall and reall infusion and inhabita∣tion of His Spirit unto Sanctification. For we are cSan∣ctified in Him, and dexcept we abide in Him, we cannot bring forth fruite. Christ comes not onely with a passion, but with an unction to consecrate us to Himselfe: except thou be a partaker as well of this, as of that, bee as wil∣ling to be rull'd, as redeemed by Christ; In Him indeed thou art, but it is as a withered branch in a fruitefull vine; while thou art in Him, it is to thy shame, that thou shouldest bee dead, where there is such aboundance of Page  470 Life; and the time will come that thou shalt bee cut off from Him: Every branch in me that beareth not fruite, He taketh away.

Lastly, we have Communion with Him in many privi∣ledges and dignities. But here we must distinguish of the priviledges of Christ: some, are personall and incommu∣nicable; others, generall and communicable. Of the for∣mer sort are all such as belong unto Him either in regard of His Divine Person, as to be the everlasting Sonne, the word and wisedome of His Father, the expresse Image of His Person, and brightnesse of His Glory, the uphol∣der of all things by the Word of His Power, and the like; or in regard of His Office, as to bee the Redeemer of the Church, the Author and finisher of our Faith, the Prince of our Salvation, the propitiation for the sinnes of the world, the second Adam, the Mediator betweene God and Man, in which things He is alone, and there is none with Him. Other priviledges there are which are communicable, all which may bee compriz'd under this generall of being fellow members with Him in the most glorious Bodie and societie of Creatures in the world.

The particulars I touch'd before. First, we have com∣munion in some sort with Him in His Holy unction, where by we are consecrated to be eKings and Priests, to subdue our corruptions, to conquer spirituall wicked∣nesse, to offer up the sacrifices of prayer, prayses, almes and Holy services; for we are by Him afroyall priest∣hood.

Secondly we have Communion in His victories; wee are gmore then conquerors through Him, because in the midst of the enemies insultations, and our owne distres∣ses, the victorie is still ours. The enemie may kill us, but not overcome us, because our death is victorious. As Christ h triumphed upon the Crosse, and had His go∣vernement on His shoulders: so we i rejoyce in afflicti∣ons, glory in tribulations, and in all of them, in a con∣fluence Page  471 and conspiracie of them all, wee are more then conquerors.

Thirdly, wee haue Communion with Christ in His kSonship, from whence it comes to passe that Christ and His Church doe interchangeably take one anothers names: Sometimes Hee is not ashamed to call Himselfe Iacob and Israel.lThis is the generation of them that seeke thy face O Iacob, and mThou art my servant O Is∣rael in whom I will bee glorified, saith the Lord speaking unto Christ: ⁿ yea Hee giveth to the Church His owne Name. oAs there are many members, and yet but one body; so is Christ:p that is, so is the Church of Christ. And qwhat manner of love is this, saith the Apostle, that we should be called the Sons of God? From hence it comes that wee have fellowship with the Father, accesse and approach with confidence for all needfull supplyes, as∣surance of His care in all extremities, interest in the in∣heritance which Hee reserveth for His Children, confi∣dence to be spared in all our failings, and to be accepted in all our sincere and willing services; secret debates, spirituall conferences of the heart with God, He speaking unto our spirits by His Spirit in the Word, and wee by the same spirit speaking unto Him in prayers, complaints, supplycations, thankesgivings, covenants, resolutions: r Hee kissing us with kisses of Love and comfort, and wae kissing Him againe with s kisses of reverence and worship.

We see then, to conclude all, what an absolute neces∣sity lyes upon us of having Christ, because with Him we have t All things, and u can doe all things: without Him wee are x poore and y can doe nothing. And the more necessary the dutie, the more sinfull the neglect: especial∣ly considering that Christ with-holds not Himselfe, but is ready to meete, to prevent, to attend every heart that in truth desires Him. If a man have a serious, simple, sincere will, to come wholy to Christ, not to be held back Page  472 from him by His dearest and closest corruptions▪ by the sweetest pleasures, or strongest temptations, which can allure or assault him, he may draw neere unto Him with boldnesse, and assurance of acceptation: he hath a call, Christ z inviteth, yea a intreateth him, and therefore he may come: he hath a b command, Christ requireth it of him, and therefore he must come.

And now when we have Christ, how carefull should we be to keepe Him; how tender and watchfull over all our behaviours towards Him, lest Hee be grieved and depart againe. The Spirit of the Lord is a c delicate spi∣rit, most sensible of those injuries which his friends doe him. Let us therefore take heede of violating, afflicting, discouraging, grieving this Spirit (which is the bond of all our union and interest with Christ) in any of those his sacred breathings and operations upon the Soule. But when He teacheth, let us submit and obey, receive the beleefe and the love of His Truth: when He promiseth, let us neither distrust nor despise, but embrace as true, and admire as pretious, all the offers which He makes to us: when Hee contends with our lusts in His Word and se∣cret suggestions, let him not alwayes strive, but let us give up our fleshly affections to bee crucified by Him: when Hee woes and invites us, when Hee offers to lead and to draw us, let us not stop the eare, or pull away the shoulder, or draw backward like froward children, or cast cold water in the face of Grace, by thwarting the motions, and rebelling against the dictates thereof, but let us yeeld our selves unto Him, captivate all our lusts, and consecrate all our powers, and submit all our de∣sires to His rule and government; and then when Hee hath beene a Spirit of union, to incorporate us into Christs Body; and a Spirit of unction, to sanctifie us with His Grace, Hee will undoubtedly bee a Spirit of comfort and assurance, to seale us unto the day of our full redemption.

Page  [unnumbered]Page  [unnumbered]Page  [unnumbered]Page  [unnumbered]