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THere is not so much need of Learning, as of Grace, to apprehend those things which concern our ever∣lasting peace; neither is it our brain that must be set on work here, but our heart; for true happinesse doth not consist in a meer speculation, but a
fruition of good: However therefore there is excellent use of Scholar-ship in all the sacred imployments of Divi∣nity, yet in the main act which imports salvation, skill must give place to af∣fection. Happy is the soul that is possessed of Christ, how poor so ever in all inferiour endowments: Ye are wide, Oye great wits, whiles you spend your selves in curious questions, and learned extravagancies; ye shal finde one touch of Christ more worth to your souls, then all your deep, and la∣boursome disquisitions; one dram of faith more precious then a pound of knowledge: In vain shall ye seek for this in your books, if you misse it in your bosoms: If you know all things, and cannot truly say, I know whom I have beleeved, (2 Tim. 1. 12.) you have but knowledge enough to know you•• selves truly miserable. Wouldst tho•• therefore, my son, finde true and so¦l••d
comfort in the hour of temptation, in the agony of death? make sure work for thy soul, in the daies of thy peace; Finde Christ thine; and in de∣spight of hell, thou art both safe, and blessed; Look not so much to an ab∣solute Deity, infinitely and incompre∣hensibly glorious: alas, that Maje∣sty (because perfectly, and essential∣ly good) is, out of Christ, no other then an enemy to thee; thy sinne hath offended his justice, which is himself; what hast thou to do with that dread∣full power, which thou hast provoked? Look to that mercifull, and all-suffi∣cient Mediator betwixt God and man, who is both God and man, Jesus Christ the righteous: (1 Tim. 2. 5. 1 Joh. 2. 1.) It is his charge, and our duty, Ye beleeve in God, be∣leeve also in me. (Joh. 14. 1.) Yet look not meerly to the Lord Jesus, as con∣sidered in the notion of his own eter∣nall being, as the Son of God, co-equall
and co-essentiall to God the Father, but look upon him, as he stands in reference to the sons of men: and herein also look not to him so much, * 1.1 as a Law-giver and a Judge, (there is terror in such appre∣hension) but look upon him, as a gra∣cious Saviour and Advocate; and last∣ly, look not upon him, as in the gene∣rality of his mercy, the common Sa∣viour of mankinde, (what comfort were it to thee, that all the world ex∣cept thy self were saved?) but look upon him, as the dear Redeemer of thy soul, as thine Advocate at the right hand of Majesty; as one, with whom thou art through his wonder∣full mercy, inseparably united: Thus, look upon him firmly and fixedly; so as he may never be out of thine eies; and what ever secular objects interpose themselves betwixt thee and him, look through them, as some slight mists, and terminate thy sight
still in this blessed prospect: Let nei∣ther earth, nor heaven hide them from thee in whatsoever condition.
ANd whiles thou art thus taken up; see if thou canst without wonder and a kinde of ecstatica••l a∣mazement, behold the infinite good∣nesse of thy God, that hath exalted thy wretchednesse to no lesse then a blessed and indivisible Union with the Lord of glory, so as thou, who in the sense of thy miserable mortality, maist say to corruption, Thou art my father, and to the worm, Thou art my mother and my sister, (Job 17. 14.) canst now through the priviledge of thy faith, bear the Son of God say unto thee,
Thou art bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh (Gen. 2. 23. Eph. 5. 30.) Surely, as we are too much subject to pride our selves in these earthly glories, so we are too apt, through ignorance, or pusillanimity, to undervalue our selves in respect of our spirituall condition; we are far more noble and excellent then we account our selves. It is our faith that must raise our thoughts to a due estimation of our greatnesse; and must shew us how highly we are de∣scended, how royally we are allied, how gloriously estated: that only is it, that must advance us to heaven, and bring heaven down to us: Through the want of the exercise whereof, it comes to passe, that, to the great prejudice of our souls, we are ready to think of Christ Jesus as a stranger to us: as one aloof off in another world; apprehended only by fits, in a kinde of ineffectuall specu∣lation, without any lively feeling of
our own interesse in him; whereas we ought by the powerfull operation of this grace in our hearts, to fidne so heavenly an appropriation of Christ to our souls, as that every beleever may truly say, I am one with Christ, Christ is one with me. Had we not good warrant for so high a challenge, it could be no lesse then a blasphemous arrogance to lay claim to the royall bloud of heaven; but since it hath pleased the God of heaven so far to dignifie our unworthinesse, as in the multitudes of his mercies to admit and allow us to be partakers of the d••vine nature, (2 Pet. 1. 4.) it were no other then an unthankfull stupidity not to lay hold on so glorious a priviledge, and to go for lesse then God hath made us.
KNow now, my son, that thou art upon the ground of all consola∣tion to thy soul, which consists in this beatificall union with thy God and Saviour, think not therefore to passe over this important mystery with some transient, and perfuncto∣ry glances; but, let thy heart dwell upon it, as that which must stick by thee in all extremities, and chear thee up, when thou art forsaken of all worldly comforts: Do not then con∣ceive of this union, as some imagina∣ry thing, that hath no other being but in the brain; whose faculties have power to apprehend, and bring home to it self, far remote substances; pos∣sessing it self in a sort of whatsoever it
conceives: Do not think it an union meerly virtuall, by the participation of those spirituall gifts and graces which God worketh in the soul; as the comfortable effects of our happy conjunction with Christ; Doe not think it an accidentall union in respect of some circumstances and qualities wherein we communicate with him who is God and man; nor yet a me∣taphoricall union by way of figurative resemblance; but know that this is a true, reall, essentiall, substantiall uni∣on, whereby the person of the beleever is indissolubly united to the glorious person of the Son of God; know, that this union is not more mysticall then certain; that in naturall unions there may be more evidence, there cannot be more truth; neither is there so firm and close an union betwixt the soul and body, as there is betwixt Christ and the beleeving soul: for as much as that may be severed by death,
but this, never Away yet with all gross carnality of conceit; this union is true, and really existent, but yet spi∣rituall, & if some of the Ancients have tearm'd it naturall and bodily, it hath been in respect of the subject united, our humanity, to the two blessed na∣tures of the Son of God met in one most glorious person; not in respect of the manner of the uniting: Nei∣ther is it the lesse reall, because spiritu∣all. Spirituall agents neither have, nor put forth any whit lesse vertue, be∣cause sense cannot discern their man∣ner of working; Even the Loadstone though an earthen substance, yet, when it is out of sight, whether under the Table, or behinde a solid partiti∣on, stirreth the needle as effectually, as if it were within view: shall not he contradict his senses, that will say, it cannot work because I see it not? Oh Saviour, thou art more mine, then my body is mine, my sense feels that pre∣sent,
but so as that I must lose it; my faith sees and feels thee so present with me, that I shall never be parted from thee.
THere is no resemblance, where∣by the Spirit of God more de∣lights to set forth the heavenly union betwixt Christ and the beleever, then that of the head and the body: The head gives sense and motion to all the members of the body; And the body is one; not only by the conti∣nuity of all the parts held together with the same naturall ligaments, and covered with one and the same skin; but much more by the animation of the same soul quickning that whole
frame; in the acting whereof, it is not the large extent of the stature, and distance of the lims from each other, that can make any difference; The bo∣dy of a childe that is but a span long cannot be said to be more united, then the vast body of a giantly son of A∣nak, whose height is as the Cedars; and if we could suppose such a body as high as heaven it self, that one soul which dwels in it, and is diffused through all the parts of it, would make it but one intire body: Right so, it is with Christ and his Church; That one Spirit of his which dwels in, and enlives every beleever, unites all those far-distant members, both to each other, and to their head; and makes them up into one true mystical body: so as now every true beleever may, without presumption, but with all holy reverence, and all humble thankfulnesse, say to his God and Sa∣viour; Behold, Lord, I am (how un∣worthy
soever) one of the lims of thy body; and therefore have a right to all that thou hast, to all that thou doest; Thine eye sees for me; thine ear hears for me; thine hand acts for me; Thy life, thy grace, thy happi∣nesse is mine: Oh the wonder of the two blessed unions! In the personall union, it pleased God to assume and unite our humane nature to the Deity; In the spiritual and mysticall, it pleases God to unite the person of every belee∣ver to the person of the Son of God: our souls are too narrow to blesse God enough for these incomprehensible mercies: Mercies wherein he hath pre∣ferred us (be it spoken with all godly lowliness) to the blessed Angels of hea∣ven; Forverily he took not upon him the nature of Angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham; (Heb. 2. 16.) Nei∣ther hath he made those glorious spi∣rits members of his mystical body, but his Saints; whom he hath (as it were)
so incorporated, that they are become his body, and he theirs; according to that of the divine Apostle; For as the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that one body being many, are one body, so also is Christ. (1 Cor. 12. 12.)
NExt hereunto, there is no re∣semblance of this mystery either more frequent, or more full of lively expression, then that of the conjugall union betwixt the husband and wife; Christ is, as the head, so the husband of the Church; The Church and eve∣ry beleeving soul is the Spouse of this heavenly Bridegroom; whom he marrieth unto himself for ever
in righteousnesse, and in judgement, and in loving kindnesse, and in mer∣cies; (Esai. 62. 5. Hos. 2. 9.) and this match thus made up, fulfils that de∣cretive word of the Almighty, They twain shall be one flesh: (Eph. 5. 31. Gen. 2. 24.) O happy conjunction of the second Adam, with her which was taken out of his most precious side; Oh heavenly and compleat marriage, wherein God the Father brings, and gives the Bride; (Gen. 2. 22.) (All that the Father giveth me shal come to me, saith Christ (Joh. 6. 37.) wherein God the Son receives the Bride, as mutually partaking of the same na∣ture; and can say, This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; (Joh. 1. 14. Gen. 2. 23.) wherein God the ho∣ly Ghost knits our wils in a full and glad consent, to the full consumma∣tion of this blessed wedlock: And those whom God hath thus joyned together, let no man (no Devill can)
put asunder: What is there then, which an affectionate husband can withhold from a dear wife? He that hath given himself to her; what can he deny to impart? He that hath made himself one with her, how can he be divided from his other-self? Some wilde fancies there are that have framed the links of marriage of so brittle stuffe, as that they may be knapt in sunder upon every sleight oc∣casion, but he that ordained it in Paradise, for an earthly representa∣tion of this heavenly union betwixt Christ and his Church, hath made that, and his own indissoluble. Here is no contract in the future, which up∣on some intervenient accidents may be remitted; but, I am my welbeloveds, and my welbeloved is mine, (Cant. 6. 3. Cant. 2. 16.) And therefore each is so others, that neither of them is their own; Oh the comforta∣ble mystery of our uniting to the Son
of God! The wife hath not the power of her own body, but the husband. (1 Cor. 7. 4.) We are at thy dispo∣sing, O Saviour, we are not our own; Neither art thou so absolutely thine, as that we may not (through thine in∣finite mercy) claim an interesse in thee. Thou hast given us such a right in thy self, as that we are bold to lay challenge to all that is thine; to thy love, to thy merits, to thy bles∣sings, to thy glory: It was wont of old, to be the plea of the Roman wives to their husbands, Where thou art Cai∣us, I am Caia; and now, in our pre∣sent marriages, we have not stuck to say, With all my worldly goods I thee endow; And if it be thus in our im∣perfect conjunctions here upon earth, how much more in that exquisite one∣nesse which is betwixt thee, O blessed Saviour, and thy dearest Spouse, the Church? What is it then that can hinder us from a sweet and heavenly
fruition of thee? Is it the loathsome condition of our nature? Thou sawst this before, and yet couldst say, when when we were yet in our bloud, Live: (Ezek. 16. 6.) Had we not been so vile, thy mercy had not been so glori∣ous: thy free grace did all for us; Thou washedst us with water, and anoin∣tedst us with oyle, and cloathedst us with broidered work, and girdedst us about with fine linnen, and coveredst us with silk, and deckedst us with ornaments; and didst put bracelets upon our hands, and a chain on our neck and jewels on our fore-heads, and ear-rings on our ears, a beautifull crown on our own heads; (Ezek. 16. 9, 10, 11, 12.) What we had not, thou gavest; what thou didst not find, thou madest; that we might be a not-unmeet match for the Lord of life: Is it want of beauty? Behold, I am black but comely: (Cant. 1. 5.) what ever our hiew be in our own, or others eyes; it is enough that we
are lovely in thine. (Cant. 1. 16.) Be∣hold thou art fair, my beloved; behold, thou art fair, yea pleasant; (Cant. 1. 16.) Thou art beautifull, O my love, as Tir∣zah, comely as Jerusalem. How fair and how pleasant art thou, O Love, for de∣lights! (Cant. 6 3. & 7. 6.) But, oh Sa∣viour, if thou take contentment in this poor unperfect beauty of thy Spouse the Church, how infinite pleasure should thy Spouse take in that absolute perfection that is in thee, who art all loveliness and glory! And if she have ravished thy heart with one of her eyes, (Cant. 5. 16. & 4. 9.) how much more reason hath her heart to be wholly ra∣vished with both thine, which are so full of grace and amiablenesse? and in this mutuall fruition, what can there be other then perfect blessedness?
THe Spirit of God, well know∣ing how much it imports us both to know and feel this blessed union whereof himself is the only worker, labours to set it forth to us by the representations of many of our familiar concernments which we dai∣ly finde in our meats and drinks, in our houses, in our gardens and or∣chards; That which is nearest to us is our nourishment; what can be more evident, then that the bread, the meat, the drink that we receive, is in∣corporated into us, and becomes part of the substance whereof we consist? so as, after perfect digestion, there can be no distinction betwixt what we are, and what we took: Whiles that bread
was in the bing, and that meat in the shambles, and that drink in the ves∣sell, it had no relatian to us, nor we to it; yea, whiles all these were on the Table, yea, in our mouthes; yea, newly let down into our stomachs, they are not fully ours; for upon some nauseating dislike of nature, they may yet go the same way they came; but if the concoction be once fully finished; now they are so turned into our bloud, and flesh, that they can be no more distinguished from our former substance, then that could be divided from it self; now they are di∣spersed into the veins, and concorpo∣rated to the flesh; and no part of our flesh and bloud is more ours, then that which was lately the bloud of the grapes, and the flesh of this fowl, or that beast: Oh Saviour, thou who art truth it self hast said, (Joh. 6. 51.) I am the living bread, that came down from heaven. (v. 55.) My flesh is meat
indeed, and my bloud is drink indeed; and thereupon hast most justly infer∣red; (v. 56.) He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my bloud, dwelleth in me, and I in him: and, as a necessary con∣sequent of this spirituall manducation, (v. 54.) whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my bloud, hath eternal life: Lo, thou art bread indeed; not the cōmon bread, but Manna; not the Israelitish Manna; alas, that fell from no higher then the region of clouds; and they that are it died with it in their mouthes; but thou art the living bread that came down from the hea∣ven of heavens, of whom whosoever eats lives for ever: Thy flesh is meat, not for our stomachs, but for our souls; our faith receives and digests thee, and makes thee ours, and us thine: our materiall food in these corruptible bodies runs into corrupti∣on; thy spirituall food nourisheth purely, and strengthens us to a bles∣sed
immortality; As for this mate∣riall food, many a one longs for it that cannot get it; many a one hath it, that cannot eat it; many eat it, that cannot digest it; many digest it into noxious and corrupt humours; all that receive it, do but maintain a perishing life, if not a languishing death: but this flesh of thine, as it was never withheld from any true appe∣rite, so it never yeelds but wholesome and comfortable sustenance to the soul, never hath any other issue then an everlasting life and happinesse. O Saviour, whensoever I sit at mine own Table, let me think of thine; whensoever I feed on the bread and meat that is set before me, and feel my self nourished by that repast, let me minde that better sustenance, which my soul receives from thee, and finde thee more one with me, then that bodily food.
LOok but into thy Garden, or Orchard; and see the Vine, or any other fruit-bearing tree how it growes, and fructifies; The branches are loaden with increase; whence is this, but that they are one with the stock; and the stock one with the root? were either of these severed, the plant were barren and dead: The branch hath not sap enough to main∣tain life in it self, unlesse it receive it from the body of the tree; nor that, unlesse it derived it from the root; nor that, unlesse it were cherished by the earth: Lo; (Joh. 15. 5, 6.) I am the Vine, (saith our Saviour) Ye are the branches; He that abideth in me,
and I in him; the same bringeth forth much fruit; If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is wi∣thered; were the branch and the bo∣dy of the tree, of different substan∣ces, and only closed together in some artificiall contiguity, no fruit could be expected from it; it is only the abi∣ding in the tree as a living lim of that plant, which yeelds it the benefit and issue of vegetation. No otherwise is it betwixt Christ and his Church; the bow and the tree are not more of one piece, then we are of one sub∣stance with our Saviour; and bran∣ching out from him, and receiving the sap of heavenly vertue from his pre∣cious root, we cannot but be accepta∣bly fruitfull: But if the Analogie seem not to be so full, for that the branch issues naturally from the tree, and the fruit from the branch, where∣as we by nature have no part in the Son of God; take that clearer resem∣blance,
which the Apostle fetches from the stock and the griffe, or cion: The branches of the wilde olive (Rom. 11.) are cut off; and are graffed with choice cions of the good olive; those imps grow, and are now, by this insition, no lesse embodyed in that stock then if they had sprouted out by a natu∣rall propagation: neither can be any more separated from it then the stron∣gest bough that nature puts forth: In the mean time that cion alters the nature of that stock; and whiles the root gives fatnesse to the stock, and the stock yeelds juice to the cion, the cion gives goodnesse to the plant, and a specification to the fruit: so as whiles the impe is now the same thing with the stock, the tree is different from what it was; so it is be∣twixt Christ and the beleeving soul: Old Adam is our wilde stock, what could that have yeelded but either none, or sowre fruit? we are imped
with the new man, Christ; that is now incorporated into us, we are be∣come one with him; our nature is not more ours, then he is ours by grace; now we bear his fruit, and not our own; our old stock is forgotten, all things are become new; our na∣turall life we receive from Adam; our spirituall life and growth from Christ, from whom after the improvement of this blessed incision we can be no more severed, then he can be severed from himself.
Look but upon thy house (that from vegetative creatures, thou maist turn thine eyes to those things which have no life) if that be uniform, the foundation is not of a different matter from the wals; both those are but one piece; the superstructure is so raised upon the foundation, as if all were but one stone; Behold Christ is the chief corner stone, (1 Pet. 2. 6.) elect and precious; neither can there be any
other foundation laid then that which is laid on him; (1 Cor. 3. 11. 2 Pet. 2. 5.) we are lively stones built up to a spiritual house, on that sure and firm foundation; some loose stones perhaps that lye unmortered upon the battle∣ments, may be easily shaken down, but whoever saw a squared marble laid by line and levell in a strong wall upon a well-grounded base, flye out of his place by whatsoever violence; since both the strength of the foun∣dation below, and the weight of the fabrick above, have setled it in a po∣sture utterly unmovable? Such is our spirituall condition, O Savi∣our; thou art our foundation, we are laid upon thee, and are therein one with thee; we can no more be dis∣joyned from thy foundation, then the stones of thy foundation can be dis∣united from themselves: So then, to sum up all; as the head and mem∣bers are but one body, as the hus∣band
and wife are but one flesh, as our meat and drink becomes part of our selves, as the tree and branches are but one plant, as the foundation and wals are but one fabrick; so Christ and the beleeving soul are indivisibly one with each other.
WHere are those then that goe about to divide Christ from himself; Christ reall from Christ mysticall; yeelding Christ one with himself, but not one with his Church: making the true beleever no lesse separable from his Saviour, then from the entire∣nesse of his own obedience; dreaming of the uncomfortable, and self-con∣tradicting
paradoxes of the totall and finall Apostasie of Saints: Certainly, these men have never thorowly dige∣sted the meditation of this blessed uni∣on whereof we treat: Can they hold the beleeving soul a lim of that body whereof Christ is the head; and yet imagine a possibility of dissolution? Can they affain to the Son of God a body that is unperfect? Can they think that body perfect that hath lost his lims? Even in this mysticall body the best joynts may be subject to strains, yea, perhaps to some painfull and perillous luxation; but, as it was in the naturall body of Christ, when it was in death, most exposed to the cruelty of all enemies, that (upon an over-ruling providence) not a bone of it, could be broken; so it is still and ever with the spirituall; some scour∣gings and blowes it may suffer, yea, perhaps some bruises, and gashes, but no bone can be shattered in pieces,
much lesse dissevered from the rest of the body: Were we left to our selves, or could we be so much as in conceit, sundred from the body where∣of we are, alas we are but as other men, subject to the same sinfull infir∣mities, to the same dangerous and deadly miscarriages: but since it hath pleased the God of heaven to unite us to himself, now it concerns him to maintain the honour of his own body by preserving us entire.
Can they acknowledge the faithfull soul marryed in truth and righteous∣nesse to that celestiall husband; and made up into one flesh withthe Lord of glory; and can they think of any Bils of divorce written in heaven? can they suppose that which by way of type was done in the earthly Pa∣radise, to be really undone in the hea∣venly? What an infinite power hath put together, can they imagine that a limited power can disjoyn? Can
they think sin can be of more preva∣lence then mercy? Can they think the unchangeable God subject to after thoughts? Even the Jewish repudia∣tions never found favour in heaven: They were permitted, as a lesser evill to avoid a greater, never allowed as good; neither had so much as that toleration ever been, if the hard∣heartednesse, and cruelty of that peo∣ple had not enforced it upon Moses, in a prevention of further mischief: what place can this finde with a God, in whom there is an infinite tender∣nesse of love and mercy? No time can be any check to his gracious choice; the inconstant minds of us men may alter upon sleight dislikes; our God is ever himself; Jesus Christ the same yesterday, & to day, and for ever; (Heb. 13. 8.) with him there is no variable∣nesse, nor shadow of turning; (Jam. 1. 17.) Divorces were ever grounded upon hatred; (Mal. 2. 16.) No man
(saith the Apostle Eph. 5. 29.) ever yet hated his own flesh: much lesse shal God do so, who is love it self: (1 Joh. 3. 16.) His love and our union, is like himself, everlasting: Having loved his own (saith the Disciple of Love, Joh. 13. 1.) which were in the world, he loved them to the end. He that hates putting away, (Mal. 2. 16.) can never act it; so as in this relation we are indissoluble.
Can they have received that bread which came down from heaven, and flesh which is meat indeed, and that bloud which is drink indeed, can their souls have digested it by a lively faith, and converted themselves in∣to it, and it into themselves, and can they now think it can be severed from their own substance?
Can they finde themselves truly ingraffed in the tree of life, and grown into one body with that hea∣venly plant, and as a living branch
of that tree, bearing pleasant, and wholesome fruit, acceptable to God, (Rev. 22. 2.) and beneficiall to men; and can they look upon themselves, as some withered bough fit only for the fire?
Can they finde themselves living stones surely laid upon the founda∣tion Jesus Christ, to the making up of an heavenly Temple for the eter∣nall inhabitation of God, and can they think they can be shaken out with eve∣ry storm of Temptation?
Have these men ever taken into their serious thoughts that divine prayer and meditation which our bles∣sed Redeemer now at the point of his death left for an happy farewell to his Church, in every word where∣of, there is an heaven of comfort, (Joh. 17. 20, 21, 22.) Neither pray I for these alone; but for them also which shall beleeve in me through their word▪ That they all may be one, as thou Fa∣ther
art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one with us; And the glory that thou gavest me, I have gi∣ven them, that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and thou in me. Oh heavenly consolation! oh in∣defeasible assurance! what room can there be now here for onr diffidence? Can the Son of God pray and not be heard? For himself he needs not pray, as being eternally one with the Father, God blessed for ever; he prayes for his; and his prayer is, That they may be one with the Fa∣ther and him; even as they are one. They cannot therefore but be par∣takers of this blessed union; and be∣ing partakers of it they cannot be dis∣severed: And to make sure work, that glory which the Father gave to the Son of his Love, they are alrea∣dy (through his gracious participa∣tion) prepossessed of; here they have begun to enter upon that heaven,
from which none of the powers of hell can possibly eject them: Oh the unspeakably happy condition of be∣leevers! Oh that all the Saints of God, in a comfortable sense of their inchoate blessednesse, could sing for joy, and here beforehand begin to take up those Hallelujahs, which they shall ere long continue (and never end) in the Chore of the highest Heaven.
HAving now taken a view of this blessed union, in the nature and resemblances of it; it will be time to bend thine eyes upon those most ad∣vantageous consequents, and high pri∣viledges, which do necessarily fol∣low
upon, and attend this heavenly conjunction. Whereof the first is that, which we are wont to account swee∣test, Life: Not this naturall life, which is maintained by the breath of our nostrils; Alas, what is that but a bubble, a vapour; a shadow, a dream, nothing? as it is the gift of a good God, worthy to be esteemed precious; but as it is considered in its own transitorynesse, and appendent miseries, and in comparison of a better life, not worthy to take up our hearts. This life of nature is that which ariseth from the union of the body with the soul, many times enjoyed upon hard termes; the spirituall life which we now speak of, arising from the union betwixt God and the soul, is that wherein there can be nothing but perfect con∣tentment, and joy unspeakable and full of glory. Yea, this is that life which Christ not only gives, but is:
he that gave himself for us, gives him∣self to us, and is that life that he gives us; When Christ, which is our life, shall appear; saith the Apostle (Col. 3. 4.) And Christ is to me, to live: (Phil. 2. 21.) and most emphatically, (Gal. 2. 20.) I am crucified with Christ; Neverthelesse I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; Lo, it is a common favour, that in him we live, but it is an especiall favour to his own, that he lives in us: Know you your own selves, (saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 13. 5.) how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? and wheresoever he is, there he lives; we have not a dead Saviour, but a living, and where he lives, he animates: It is not there∣fore Saint Pauls case alone; it is eve∣ry beleevers; who may truly say, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: now, how these lives, and the au∣thors of them are distinguished, is worth thy carefullest consideration.
Know then, my son, that every faithfull mans bosome is a Rebeceaes womb, (Gen 25. 22.) wherein there are twins: a rough Esau, and the seed of promise; the old man, and the new; the flesh, and the spirit; and these have their lives distinct from each other; the new man lives not the life of the old, neither can the old man live the life of the new; it is not one life that could maintain the op∣posite struglings of both these: cor∣rupt nature is it that gives and conti∣nues the life of the old man, It is Christ that gives life to the new; we cannot say but the old man, or flesh is the man too: For I know (saith the chosen Ves∣sell Rom. 7. 18.) that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing: but the spiritual part may yet better challenge the title. For I delight in the Law of God after the inward man: (Rom. 7. 22.) That old man of ours is derived from the first Adam: as we sinned in him,
so he liveth in us; The second A∣dam both gives, and is the life of our regeneration, like as he is also the life of our glory; the life that followes our second resurrection: I am (saith he) the resurrection and the life. What is it then whereby the new creature lives? surely no other then the Spirit of Christ, that alone is it, that gives beeing and life to the renued soul. Life is no stranger to us, there is no∣thing wherewith we are so well ac∣quainted; yea, we feel continually what it is, and what it produceth; It is that, from whence all sense, action; motion floweth, it is that, which gives us to be what we are: All this is Christ to the regenerate man: It is one thing what he is, or doth as a man; another thing what he is, or doth as a Christian: As a man, he hath eyes, ears, motions, affections, under∣standing, naturally as his own: as a Christian he hath all these from him
with whom he is spiritually one, the Lord Jesus; and the objects of all these vary accordingly: His naturall eyes behold bodily and materiall things; his spirituall eyes see things invisible; his outward ears hear the sound of the voice; his inward ears hear the voice of Gods Spirit, spea∣king to his soul; his bodily feet move in his own secular wayes; his spiritu∣all walk with God in all the wayes of his Commandements. His naturall affections are set upon those things which are agreeable thereunto; he loves beauty, fears pain and losse, rejoyces in outward prosperity, hates an enemy; his renued affections are otherwise, and more happily bestow∣ed; now he loves goodnesse for its own sake; hates nothing but sin, fears only the displeasure of a good God, rejoyces in Gods favour, which is bet∣ter then life: his former thoughts were altogether taken up with vanity,
and earthed in the world; now he seeks the things above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God; (Col. 3. 1.) Finally, he is such, as that a be∣holder sees nothing but man in him, but God and his soul finde Christ in him, both in his renued person and actions; in all the degrees both of his life, and growth of his sufferings, and glory: My little children (saith Saint Paul, Gal. 4. 19.) of whom I travell in birth again untill Christ be formed in you. Lo, here Christ both concei∣ved and born in the faithfull heart; Formation followes conception, and travell implies a birth: Now the be∣leever is a new-born babe in Christ, (1 Cor. 3. 1. 2 Pet. 2. 2.) and so mutu∣ally Christ in him; from thence he grows up to (1 Joh. 2. 14.) strength of youth; & at last to perfection, even towards the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ; (Ephes. 4. 13. 2 Cor. 13. 9. Heb. 1. 6.) And in this con∣dition
he is dead with Christ; (Rom. 6. 8.) He is buryed with Christ; (Rom. 6. 11.) He is alive again unto God through Christ; (Col. 3. 1.) he is risen with Christ, (Rom. 8. 17.) and with Christ he is glorified; Yea, yet more then so, his (Col. 1. 24.) suffe∣rings are Christs, Christs sufferings are his; (Rom. 8. 17.) He is in Christ an heir of glory, (Col. 1. 27.) and Christ is in him, the hope of glory.
DOst thou not now finde cause (my son) to complain of thy self (as, I confesse, I daily do) that thou art so miserably apt to forget these intimate respects between
thy Christ and thee? art thou not ashamed to think, how little sense thou hast had of thy great happinesse? Lo, Christ is in thy bosome, and thou feelest him not; It is not thy soul that animates thee in thy renued estate, it is thy God and Saviour, and thou hast not hitherto perceived it; It is no otherwise with thee in this case; then with the members of thine own body; there is the same life in thy fingers and toes, that there is in the head, or heart, yea, in the whole man, and yet those lims know not that they have such a life. Had those members reason as well as sense, they would perceive that, wherewith they are en∣lived, thou hast more then reason, faith; and therefore mayest well know whence thou hast this spiritu∣all life, and thereupon art much wan∣ting to thy self, if thou dost not en∣joy so usefull and comfortable an ap∣prehension: Resolve therefore with
thy self that no secular occasion shall ever set off thy heart from this blessed object; and that thou wilt as soon forget thy naturall life, as this spiri∣tuall: and raise up thy thoughts from this dust, to the heaven of heavens: Shake off this naturall pusillanimity, and mean conceit of thy self as if thou wert all earth, and know thy self advanced to a celestiall condition, that thou art united to the Son of God, and animated by the holy Spirit of God; so is the life which thou now livest in the flesh, thou livest by the faith of the Son of God, who loved thee and gave himself for thee (Gal. 2. 20.)
See then and confesse how just cause we have to condemn the dead∣heartednesse wherewith we are sub∣ject to be possessed: and how many worthy Christians are there in the world who bear a part with us in this just blame; who have yeelded over
themselves to a disconsolate heartles∣nesse, and a sad dejection of spirit; partly through a naturall disposition inclining to dumpishnesse, and part∣ly through the prevalence of tempta∣tion: For Satan well knowing how much it makes for our happinesse chearfully to reflect upon our interest in Christ, and to live in the joyfull sense of it, labours by all means to withdraw our hearts from this so comfortable object, and to clog us with a pensive kinde of spirituall sul∣lennesse: accounting it no small ma∣stery if he can prevail with us so far as to bereave us of this habituall joy in the holy Ghost, arising from the inanimation of Christ living, and breathing within us: So much the more therefore must we bend all the powers of our souls against this dan∣gerous and deadly machination of our spirituall enemy; labour, as for life, to maintain this Fort of our
joy against all the powers of darkness; and, if at any time we finde our selves beaten off, through the violence of temptation; we must chide our selves into our renued valour: and expo∣stulate the matter with our shrinking courage, (with the man after Gods own heart) Why art thou cast down O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance and my God. (Psal. 42. 11. 43. 5.)
NEither is here more place for an heavenly joy, then for height of spirit, and raptures of admiration at that infinite goodnes & mercy of our God, who hath vouchsafed so far to
grace his elect, as to honour them with a speciall inhabitation of his ever-blessed Deity: Yea, to live in them, and to make them live mu∣tually in, and to himself; What ca∣pacity is there in the narrow heart of man to conceive of this incompre∣hensible favour to his poor creature? Oh Saviour, this is no small part of that great mystery wherinto the An∣gels desire to look, (1 Pet. 1. 12.) & can never look to the bottome of it! how shall the weak eyes of sinfull flesh ever be able to reach unto it? When thou in the estate of thine humane infirmity offeredst to go down to the Centuri∣ons house, that humble commander could say; Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof: What shall we then say, that thou in the state of thine heavenly glory, shouldst vouchsafe to come down and dwell with us in these houses of clay; and to make our breasts the
Temples of thy holy Ghost? (1 Cor. 6. 19.) When thine holy mother came to visit the partner of her joy, thy fore-runner then in the womb of his mother, sprang for the joy of thy presence, (Luk. 1. 44.) though dis∣termined by a second womb; how should we be affected with a ravi∣shment of spirit, whom thou hast pleased to visit in so much mercy, as to come down into us, and to be spiritually conceived in the womb of our hearts, and thereby to give a new and spirituall life to our poor souls; a life of thine own, yet made ours; a life begun in grace, and ending in eternall glory?
NEver did the holy God give a priviledge where he did not ex∣pect a duty: he hath more respect to his glory, then to throw away his fa∣vours; The life that ariseth from this blessed union of our souls with Christ, as it is the height of all his mercies, so it cals for our most zealous affe∣ctions, and most effectuall improve∣ment. Art thou then thus happily united to Christ, and thus enlived by Christ? how entire must thou needs be with him, how dear must thy va∣luations be of him, how heartily must thou be devoted to him? The spirit of man (saith wise Solomon, Prov. 20. 27.) is the candle of the Lord sear∣ching
all the inward parts of the belly; and therefore cannot but be acquain∣ted with his own inmates; and finding so heavenly a guest as the Spirit of Christ in the secret lodgings of his soul, applies it self to him in all things: so as these two spirits agree in all their spirituall concernments; The spirit it self (saith the holy Apo∣stle, Rom. 8. 16.) beareth witnesse with our spirit, that we are the children of God; and not in this case only, but upon whatsoever occasion the faith∣full man hath this Urim in his breast, and may consult with this inward O∣racle of his God for direction, and resolution in all his doubts: neither can he, according to the counsell of the Psalmist, (Psal. 4. 4.) commune with his own heart, but that Christ who lives there, is ready to give him an answer. Shortly, our souls and we are one; and the soul and life are so near one, that the one is
commonly taken for the other; Christ therefore, who is the life and soul of our souls, is and needs must be so intrinsecall to us, that we cannot so much as conceive of our spirituall being without him.
Thou needest not be told, my son, how much thou valuest life; Besides thi••e own sense, Satan himself can tell thee, (and in this case thou maist beleeve him) Skin for skin, and all that a man hath will he give for his life; (Job 2. 4.) What ransome can be set upon it, that a man would stick to give? though mountains of gold; (Psal. 49. 7.) though thousands of rams, or ten thousand rivers of oyle? (Micah 6. 7.) Yea, how readily do we expose our dear lims, not to ha∣zard only, but to losse for the preser∣vation of it? Now alas, what is our life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away: (Jam. 4. 14.) And if we do
thus value a perishing life, that is go∣ing out every moment, what p••ice shall we set upon eternity? If Christ be our life, how precious is that life, which neither inward distempers, nor outward violences can bereave us of; which neither can be decayed by time, nor altered with crosse events▪ Hear the chosen Vessell; (Phil. 3. 7, 8.) What things were gain to me, those I counted losse for Christ; Yea doubtlesse I count all things but losse for the ex∣cellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the losse of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win Christ; and, as one that did not esteem his own life dear to him, in respect of that better; alwayes (saith he Act. 20. 24) bearing about in the body, the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus, might be made manifest in our body: (2 Cor. 4. 10.) How chear∣fully have the noble and conquering
armies of holy Martyrs given away these momentany lives, that they might hold fast their Jesus, the life of their souls? and who can be o∣therwise affected that knowes and feels the infinite happinesse that offers it self to be enjoyed by him in the Lord Jesus?
Lastly, if Christ be thy life, then thou art so devoted to him that thou livest, as in him, and by him, so to him also; aiming only at his service and glory, and framing thy self wholly to his will and directions: Thou canst not so much as eat or drink but with respect to him; (1. Cor. 10. 31.) Oh the gracious re∣solution of him that was rapt into the third heaven, worthy to be the pat∣tern of all faithfull hearts; According to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shal be ashamed, but that with all boldnesse, as alwayes, so new also Christ shall be magnified in my
body, whether it be by life or by death: For to me to live is Christ, and to dye is gain. (Phil. 1. 20, 21.) Our naturall life is not worthy to be its own scope; we do not live meerly that we may live: our spirituall life, Christ, is the utmost and most per∣fect end of all our living; without the intuition whereof, we would not live, or if we should, our naturall life were no other then a spirituall death: Oh Saviour, let me not live longer then I shall be enlived by thee, or then thou shalt be glorified by me: And what rule should I fol∣low in all the carriage of my life but thine? thy precepts, thine examples, that so I may live thee, as well as preach thee? and in both may finde thee, as thou hast truly laid forth thy self, the way, the truth, and the life; (Joh. 14. 6.) the way wherein I shall walk, the truth which I shall beleeve and professe, and the life which I shall
enjoy: In all my morall actions therefore teach me to square my self by thee; what ever I am about to doe, or speak, or affect; let me think: If my Saviour were now upon earth, would he do this that I am now put∣ting my hand unto? would he speak these words that I am now uttering? would he be thus disposed as I now feel my self? Let me not yeeld my self to any thought, word, or action which my Saviour would be ashamed to own: Let him be pleased so to manage his own life in me, that all the interesse he hath given me in my self may be wholly surrendred to him; that I may be as it were dead in my self, whiles he lives and moves in me.
BY vertue, of this blessed union, as Christ is become our life; so (that which is the highest improve∣ment not only of the ra••ionall, but the supernaturall and spirituall life) is thereby also made unto us of God, Wisdome, Righteousnesse, San∣ctification, and Redemption. (1 Cor. 1. 30.) Not that he only works these great things in and for us, (this were too cold a construction of the divine bounty) but that he really become; all these to us, who are true partakers of him.
Even of the wisest men that ever nature could boast of, is verified that character which-the divine Apostle gave of them long agoe, (Rom. 1. 21,
22.) Their foolish heart was darkned; professing themselves to be wise, they became fools; and still the best of us (if we be but our selves) may take up that complaint of Asaph: (Psal. 73. 22.) So foolish was I and ignorant; I was as a beast before thee; and of Agur the son of Jake; (Prov. 30. 2, 3.) Sure∣ly I am more brutish then man; and have not the understanding of a man; I neither learned wisdome, nor have the knowledge of the holy: and if any man will be challenging more to himself, he must at last take up, with Solomon; (Eccl. 7. 23.) I said I will be wise, but it was far from me; But how defective soever we are in our selves, there is wisdome enough in our head, Christ, to supply all our wants: He that is the wisdome of the Father, is by the Father made our wisdome: In him are hid all the trea∣sures of wisdome and knowledge, saith the Apostle: (Col. 2. 3.) So hid, that
they are both revealed, and commu∣nicated to his own: For God who com∣manded the light to shine out of dark∣nesse, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glo∣ry of God in the face of Jesus Christ: (2 Cor. 4. 6.) In and by him hath it pleased the Father to impart himselfe unto us; He is the image of the invisible God, (Col. 1. 15.) even the brightnesse of his glory, and the expresse image of his person. (Heb. 1. 3.) It was a just check that he gave to Philip in the Gospell; (Joh. 14 9.) Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me, hath seen the Father: And this point of wisdome is so high and excellent, that all humane skill, and all the so much admired depths of Phi∣losophy are but meer ignorance and foolishnesse, in comparison of it; A∣las, what can these profound wits reach unto, but the very outside of
these visible and transitory things? as for the inward forms of the meanest creatures, they are so altogether hid from them, as if they had no beeing; and as for spirituall and divine things, the most knowing Naturalists are ei∣ther stone-blinde, that they cannot see them, or grope after them in an E∣gyptian darknesse: For the naturall man perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discer∣ned; (1 Cor. 2. 14.) How much lesse can they know the God of Spirits, who (besides his invisibility) is infinite, and incomprehensible? only he, who is made our wisdome enlightneth our eyes with this divine knowledge; No man knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will re∣veal him. (Mat. 11. 27.)
Neither is Christ made our wis∣dome only in respect of heavenly wisdome imparted to us; but in re∣spect
of his perfect wisdome imputed unto us: Alas, our ignorances and sin∣full misprisions are many and great, where should we appear, if our faith did not fetch succour from our all-wise, and all-sufficient Mediator? Oh Saviour, we are wise in thee our head, how weak soever we are of our selves: Thine infinite wisdome and goodnesse both covers and makes up all our de∣fects; The wife cannot be poor, whiles the husband is rich; thou hast vouchsafed to give us a right to thy store; we have no reason to be dis∣heartned with our owne spirituall wants, whiles thou art made our wisdome.
IT is not meer wisdome that can make us acceptable to God; if the serpents were not in their kinde wiser then we, we should not have been ad∣vised to be wise as serpents: That God, who is essentiall Justice, as well as Wisdome, requires all his to be not more wise, then exquisitely righteous: Such, in themselves they cannot be; For in many things we sin all; such therefore they are, and must be in Christ, their head, who is made unto us of God, together with Wisdome, Righteous∣nesse; Oh, incomprehensible mercy! He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him; (2 Cor. 5. 21.) what a marvellous and happy exchange is here? we are nothing but sin; Christ is perfect righteousnesse;
He is made our sin, that we might be made his righteousnesse; He that knew no sin, is made sin for us; that we who are all sin, might be made Gods righteousnesse in him; In our selves we are not only sinfull, but sin; In him we are not righteous only, but righteousnesse it self; Of our selves, we are not righteous, we are made so; In our selves, we are not righteous, but in him; we made not our selves so, but the same God in his infinite mercy who made him sin for us, hath made us his righteousnesse: No otherwise are we made his righteousnesse, then he is made our sin: Our sin is made his by Gods imputation; so is his righ∣teousnesse made ours; How fully doth the second Adam answer, and tran∣scend the first; By the offence of the first, judgement came upon all men to condemnation; by the righteousnesse of the second, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. (Rom. 5.
18.) As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous; (Rom. 5. 19.) righteous not in them∣selves, (so death passed upon all, for that all have sinned, Rom. 5. 12.) but in him that made them so, by whom we have received the atonement: (Rom. 5. 11.) How free then, and how perfect is our justification? What quarrell may the pure and holy God have against righteousnesse? against his own righ∣teousnesse? and such are we made in, and by him: what can now stand be∣tween us and blessednesse? Not our sins; for this is the praise of his mer∣cy, that he justifies the ungodly; (Rom. 4. 5.) Yea were we not sinfull, how were we capable of his justification? sinfull, as in the term from whence this act of his mercy moveth, not, as in the term wherein it resteth; his grace findes us sinfull, it doth not leave us so: Far be it from the righteous,
Judge of the world to absolve a wick∣ed soul continuing such: He that justi∣fieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are an abomina∣tion to the Lord: (Prov. 17. 15.) No but he kils sin in us whiles he remits it; and, at once cleanseth, and accepts our persons: Repentance and remis∣sion do not lag one after another; both of them meet at once in the pe∣nitent soul: at once doth the hand of our faith lay hold on Christ, and the hand of Christ lay hold on the soul to justification: so as the sins that are done away, can be no bar to our hap∣pinesse: And what but sins can pre∣tend to an hindrance? All our other weaknesses are no eye-sore to God, no rub in our way to heaven; What mat∣ters it then how unworthy we are of our selves? It is Christs obedience that is our righteousnesse: and that obedience cannot but be exquisitely perfect, cannot but be both justly ac∣cepted
as his, and mercifully accepted as for us. There is a great deal of difference betwixt being righteous, and being made righteousnesse; eve∣ry regenerate soul hath an inherent ju∣stice, or righteousnesse in it self; He that is righteous, let him be righteous still, saith the Angell: (Rev. 22. 11.) But at the best this righteousnesse of ours, is like our selves, full of imper∣fection; If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? (Psal. 130. 3.) Behold we are before thee in our trespasses, for we cannot stand before thee, because of this; (Ezra 9. 15.) How should a man be just with God? If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand. (Job 9. 2, 3.) So then, he that doth righteousnesse is righteous, (1 Joh. 3. 7.) but by par∣don and indulgence, Because the righteousnesse he doth is weak and imperfect; he that is made righteous∣nesse, is perfectly righteous by a
gracious acceptation, by a free impu∣tation of absolute obedience. Wo were us, if we were put over to our own ac∣complishments; for, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them; (Gal. 3. 10. Deut. 27. 16.) and, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive our selves, and the truth is not in us; (1 Joh. 1. 8.) Lo, if there be truth in us, we must confesse own have sin in us; and if we have sin, we violate the Law; and if we vio∣late the Law, we lye open to a curse. But here is our comfort, that our sure∣ty hath paid our debt: It is true, we say forfeited to death; Justice had said, The soul that sinneth shall die: (Ezek. 18. 4.) Mercy interposeth, and satisfies; The Son of God (whose eve∣ry drop of bloud was worth a world) payes this death for us: And now, Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect? It is God that justifieth,
who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that dyed, yea, rather that is risen a∣gain, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (Rom. 8. 33. 34.) Our sin, our death is laid upon him, and undertaken by him; He was wounded for our trans∣gressions, he was bruised for our iniqui∣ties; the chastisements of our peace were upon him, and with his stripes we are healed; (Esa. 53. 5.) His death, his obedience is made over to us; So then, the sin that we have committed, and the death that we have deserved is not ours; but the death which he hath endured, and the obedience that he hath performed, is so ours, as he is ours, who is thereupon made of God our righteousnesse. Where now are those enemies of grace that scoffe at imputation; making it a ridiculous paradox, that a man should become just by another mans righteousnesse? How dare they stand out against the
word of truth, which tels us expres∣ly that Christ is made our righteous∣nesse? What strangers are they to that grace they oppugn? How little do they consider that Christ is ours? his righteousnesse therefore by which we are justified, is in him our own; He that hath borne the iniquity of us all (Esa. 53. 6.) hath taught us to call our sins our debts; (Mat. 6. 12.) those debts can be but once paid; if the bounty of our Redeemer hath staked down the sums required, and cancel∣led the bonds; and this payment is (through mercy) fully accepted as from our own hands, what danger, what scruple can remain? What doe we then, weak souls tremble to think of appearing before the dreadfull tri∣bunall of the Almighty? we know him indeed to be infinitely, and infle∣xibly just; we know his most pure eyes cannot abide to behold sin; we know we have nothing else bnt sinne
for him to behold in us: Certainly, were we to appear before him in the meer shape of our own sinfull selves, we had reason to shake and shiver at the apprehension of that terrible ap∣pearance; but now that our faith as∣sures us, we shall no otherwise be presented to that awfull Judge then as cloathed with the robes of Christs righteousnesse, how confident should we be, thus decked with the garments of our elder brother, to carry away a blessing? whiles therefore we are de∣jected with the conscience of our own vilenesse, we have reason to lift up our heads in the confidence of that per∣fect righteousnesse which Christ is made unto us, and we are made in him.
AT the bar of men many a one is pronounced just who remains in∣wardly foul and guilty; for the best of men can but judge of things as they appear, not as they are; but the righ∣teous Arbiter of the world declares none just whom he makes not holy. The same mercy therefore that makes Christ our righteousnesse, makes him also our sanctification; of our selves, wretched men, what are we other at our best, then unholy creatures, full of pollution and spirituall unclean∣nesse? It is his most holy Spirit that must cleanse us from all the filthinesse of our flesh and spirit, (2. Cor. 7. 1.) and work us daily to further degrees of sanctification, (He that is holy, let him be holy still▪ Rev. 22. 11.) neither can
there be any thing more abhorring from his infinite justice and holinesse, then to justifie those souls which lie still in the loathsome ordure of their corruptions. Certainly, they never truly learnt Christ, who would draw over Christs righteousnesse, as a case of their close wickednesses; that sever holinesse from justice, and give no place to sanctification, in the evidence of their justifying: Never man was justified without faith; and wheresoe∣ver faith is, there it purifieth and clean∣seth; (Act. 15. 9.) But besides that the Spirit of Christ works thus pow∣erfully (though gradually) within us, That he may sanctifie and cleanse us with the washing of water, by the word, his holinesse is mercifully imputed to us, That he may present us to himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that we should be holy and without blemish: (Eph. 5. 26, 27.) so as that inchoate
holinesse, which by his gracious ino∣peration grows up daily in us towards a full perfection, as abundantly sup∣plyed by his absolute holinesse, made no lesse by imputation, ours, then it is personally his: when therefore we look into our bosoms, we finde just cause to be ashamed of our impurity, and to loath those dregs of corrupti∣on, that yet remain in our sinfull na∣ture; but when we cast up our eyes to heaven, and behold the infinite holi∣nesse of that Christ, to whom we are united, which by faith is made ours, we have reason to bear up against all the discouragements that may arise from the conscience of our own vile∣nesse, and to look God in the face with an awfull boldnesse, as those whom he is pleased to present holy, and unblameable, and unreprovable in his sight: (Col. 1. 22.) as knowing that he that sanctifieth, and they than are sanctified are all of one. (Heb. 2. 11.)
REdemption was the great errand for which the Son of God came down into the world; and the work which he did whiles he was in the world; and that, which (in way of ap∣plication of it) he shall be ever accom∣plishing, till he shall deliver up his Mediatory Kingdome into the hands of his Father; in this he begins, in this he finishes the great businesse of our salvation: For those who in this life are enlightned by his wisdome, justified by his merits, sanctified by his grace, are yet conflicting with mani∣fold temptations, and strugling with varieties of miseries and dangers, till upon their happy death, and glorious resurrection, they shall be fully freed, by their ever-blessed and victorious
Redeemer: He therefore, who by vertue of that heavenly union, is made unto us of God, Wisdome, Righte∣ousnesse, Sanctification; is also upon the same ground made unto us our full Redemption. Redemption implies a captivity; We are naturally under the wofull bondage of the Law, of sinne, of miseries, of death: The Law is a cruell exactor; for it requires of us what we cannot now do; and whips us for not doing it; for the Law wor∣keth wrath; (Rom. 4. 15.) and, as ma∣ny as are of the works of the Law, are under the curse. (Gal. 3. 10.) Sinne is a worse tyrant then he, and takes ad∣vantage to exercise his cruelty by the Law; For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the Law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death; (Rom. 7. 5.) Upon sin necessarily followes misery, the forerunner of death; and death the upshot of all miseries; By one man
sin entred into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. (Rom. 5. 12.) From all these is Christ our Redemp∣tion; from the Law; for Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us: (Gal. 3. 13.) From sin; for we are dead to sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord; (Rom. 6. 11.) Sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the Law, but under Grace. (Rom. 6. 14.) From death, and therein from all miseries: O death where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the Law: But thanks be to God which giveth us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1. Cor. 15. 55, 56, 57.) Now then let the Law do his worst, we are not under the Law, but under Grace. (Rom. 6. 14.) The case therefore is altered betwixt the law and us. It is not now a cruell Task∣master,
to beat us to, and for our work; it is our Schoolemaster, to di∣rect, and to whip us unto Christ: It is not a severe Judge, to condemn us, it is a friendly guide to set us the way towards heaven. Let sinne joyne his forces together with the Law, they cannot prevail to our hurt; For what the Law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likenesse of sinfull flesh, condemned sin, in the flesh, that the righteousnesse of the Law might be ful∣filled in us, who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. (Rom. 8. 3, 4.) Let death joyn his forces with them both, we are yet safe; For the Law of the spirit of life, hath freed us from the Law of sin, and of death; (Rom. 8. 2.) What can we therefore fear, what can we suffer, while Christ is made our Redemption?
Finally, as thus Christ is made un∣to us Wisdome, Righteousnesse, San∣ctification,
and Redemption; so what∣soever else he either is, or hath or doth, by vertue of this blessed union, becomes ours; he is our riches, (Eph. 1. 7.) our strength, (Psal. 27. 1. 28. 7.) our glory, (Eph. 1. 18.) our salvation, (1 Thes. 5. 9. Esa. 12. 2.) our all: (Col. 3. 11.) he is all to us; and all is ours in him.
FRom these primary and intrinsecal priviledges therefore, flow all those secondary and externall, where∣with we are blessed; and therein a right to all the blessings of God, both of the right hand and of the left; an interesse in all the good things both of
earth and heaven: Hereupon it is that the glorious Angels of Heaven be∣come our Guardians, keeping us in all our wayes, and working secretly for our good upon all occasions; that all Gods creatures are at our service; that we have a true spirituall title to them; All things are yours (saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. 3. 22, 23) and ye are Christs, and Christ Gods.
But take heed, my son, of mis∣laying thy claim to what, and in what manner thou ought'st not. There is a civill right, that must regulate our pro∣priety to these earthly things; our spi∣rituall right neither gives us possessi∣on of them, nor takes away the right and propriety of others; Every man hath and must have what by the just Lawes of purchase, gift, or inheritance is derived to him; otherwise there would follow an infinite confusion in the world; we could neither enjoy nor give our own; and only will, and
might must be the arbiters of all mens estates; which how unequall it would be, both reason and experience can sufficiently evince. This right is not for the direption or usurpation of that which civill titles have legally put over to others; there were no theft, no robbery, no oppression in the world, if any mans goods might be every mans: But for the warrantable and comfortable injoying of those earthly commodities in regard of God their originall owner, which are by humane conveyances justly become ours; The earth is the Lords, and the fulnesse of it; in his right what ever parcels do lawfully descend unto us, we may justly possesse, as we have them legally made over to us from the secondary and immediate owners. There is a generation of men who have vainly fansied the founding of Temporall dominion in Grace; and have upon this mistaking outed the
true heirs as intruders, and feoffed the just and godly in the possession of wicked inheritors; which whether they be worse Common-wealths∣men, or Christians is to me utterly uncertain; sure I am they are enemies to both; whiles on the one side, they destroy all civill propriety, and com∣merce; and on the other, reach the extent of the power of Christianity so far, as to render it injurious, and de∣structive both to reason and to the Lawes of all well-ordered humanity. Nothing is ours by injury and inju∣stice, all things are so ours, that we may with a good conscience enjoy them as from the hand of a munifi∣cent God, when they are rightfully estated upon us by the lawfull conven∣tion or bequest of men. In this regard it is that a Christian man is the Lord of the whole Universe; and hath a right to the whole creation of God: how can he challenge lesse? he is a son; and in
that an heir; and (according to the high expression of the Holy Ghost) a co-heir with Christ; As therefore we may not be high-minded, but fear; so we may not be too low-hearted in the under-valuing of our condition; In God we are great, how mean soever in our selves: In his right the world is ours, what ever pittance we enjoy in our own; how can we go less when we are one with him who is the possessour of heaven and earth?
It were but a poor comfort to us, if by vertue of this union we could only lay claim to all earthly things: alas, how vain and transitory are the best of these? perishing under our hand in the very use of them, and in the mean while how unsatisfying in the fruition? All this were nothing, if we had not hereby an interesse in the best of all Gods favours, in the hea∣ven of heavens and the eternity of that glory which is there laid up for his
Saints; far above the reach of all hu∣mane expressions, or conceits; It was the word of him who is the eternall word of his Father; Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may be∣hold my glory which thou hast given me; (Joh. 17. 24.) and not only to be meer spectators, but even partners of all this celestiall blisse together with himself; The glory which thou gavest me, I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one. (Joh. 17. 22.) Oh the transcendent and incom∣prehensible blessedness of the belee∣vers, which even when they enjoy they cannot be able to utter, for mea∣sure infinite, for duration eternall! Oh the inexplicable joy of the fun and everlasting accomplishment of the happy union of Christ and the belee∣ving soul, more fit for thankfull wonder and ravishment of spirit, then for any finite apprehension▪
NOw that we may look a little fur∣ther into the means by which this union is wrought; Know, my Son, that as there are two persons be∣twixt whom this union is made, Christ and the beleever; so each of them concurs to the happy effecting of it; Christ, by his spirit diffused through the hearts of all the regene∣rate, giving life and activity to them: the beleever, laying hold by faith upon Christ so working in him; and these do so re-act upon each o∣ther, that from their mutuall operati∣on results this gracious union whereof we treat. Here is a spirituall marriage betwixt Christ and the soul: The li∣king of one part doth not make up
the match, but the consent of both. To this purpose Christ gives his Spirit; the soul plights her faith: What in∣teresse have we in Christ but by his Spirit? what interesse hath Christ in us but by our faith?
On the one part; He hath-given us his holy Spirit, saith the Apostle; (1 Thes. 4. 8.) and (in a way of correla∣tion) we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; (1 Cor. 2. 12.) And this spirit we have so received, as that he dwels in us; (Rom. 8. 11. 1 Cor. 5. 2. Gal. 2. 20.) and so dwels in us, as that we are joyned to the Lord; and he that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit.
On the other part, we have accesse by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoyce in hope of the glory of God, so as now the life that we live in the flesh, we live by the faith of the Son of God; who dwels in our hearts by faith. (Ephes. 3. 17.) O the grace of
faith (according to Saint Peters style, 2 Pet. 1. 1.) truly precious; justly re∣commended to us by Saint Paul (Ephes. 6. 16.) above all other graces incident into the soul; as that, which if not alone yet chiefly transacts all the main affairs tending to salvation: for faith is the quickning grace, (Gal. 2. 20. Rom. 1. 17.) the directing grace, (2 Cor. 5. 7.) the protecting grace, (Ephes. 6. 16.) the establishing grace, (Rom. 11. 20. 2 Cor. 1. 24.) the justi∣fying grace, (Rom. 5. 1.) the sanctify∣ing and purifying grace; (Act. 15. 9.) faith is the grace that assents to, ap∣prehends, applies, appropriates Christ, (Heb. 11. 1.) and here upon the uniting grace, and (which comprehends all) the saving grace. If ever therefore we look for any consolation in Christ, or to have any part in this beatificall uni∣on, it must be the main care of our hearts to make sure of a lively faith in the Lord Jesus, to lay fast hold upon
him, to clasp him close to us, yea to receive him inwardly into our bo∣somes; and so to make him ours, and our selves his, that we may be joyned to him as our head, espoused to him as our husband, incorporated into him as our nourishment, engraffed in him as our stock, and laid upon him as a sure foundation.
HItherto we have treated of this blessed union as in relation to Christ the head; It remains that we now consider of it, as it stands in re∣lation to the members of his mysticall body, one towards another; For as the body is united to the head, so must the members be united to themselves
to make the body truly compleat: Thus the holy Ghost by his Apostle: (1 Cor. 12. 12.) As the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that one body being many, are one bo∣dy, so is Christ. From this entire con∣junction of the members with each o∣ther, arises that happy communion of Saints, which we professe both to be∣leeve and to partake of; This mysti∣call body of Christ is a large one, ex∣tending it self both to heaven and earth; there is a reall union betwixt all those farre-spred lims: between the Saints in heaven; between the Saints on earth; between the Saints in hea∣ven and earth.
We have reason to begin at heaven, thence is the originall of our union and blessednesse; There was never place for discord in that region of glo∣ry, since the rebellious Angels were cast out thence; the spirits of just men made perfect (Heb. 12.) must needs a∣gree
in a perfect unity; neither can it be otherwise, for there is but one will in heaven; one scope of the desires of blessed souls, which is the glory of their God; all the whole chore sing one song, and in that one harmonious tune of Allelujah. We poor parcell∣sainted souls here on earth professe to bend our eyes directly upon the same holy end, the honour of our Maker and Redeemer, but, alas, at our best, we are drawn to look asquint at our own aims of profit, or pleasure; We professe to sing loud praises unto God, but it is with many harsh and jarring notes; above, there is a perfect accor∣dance in an unanimous glorifying of him that sits upon the throne for ever; Oh, how ye love the Lord, all ye his Saints, (Psal. 31. 23.) Oh how joyfull ye are in glory! (Psal. 149. 5.) The hea∣vens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord; thy faithfulnesse also in the congregati∣on of the Saints: (Psal. 89. 5.) O what
a blessed Common-wealth is that a∣bove! The City of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (ever at unity within it self, Psal. 122. 3.) and therein the innumerable company of Angels, and the generall Assembly and Church of the first-born, which are written in hea∣ven; the spirits of just men made per∣fect, and (whom they all adore) God the judge of all; and Jesus the Me∣diator of the New Testament: (Heb. 12. 22.) All these as one, as holy: Those twenty thousand chariots of heaven (Psal. 68. 17.) move all one way; When those four beasts full of eyes, round about the throne give glory, and honour, and thanks to him that sits up∣on the throne, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come; then the four and twen∣ty Elders fall down before him, and cast their crowns before the throne; (Rev. 4. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.) No one wears his crown whiles the rest cast down theirs,
all accord in one act of giving glory to the Highest. After the sealing of the Tribes, A great multitude, which no man could number, of all Nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues stood before the throne, and before the Lamb cloathed with white robes and palmes in their hands, And cryed with a loud voice, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb; And all the Angels stood about the throne, and about the Elders, and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces and worshipped God, saying, Amen; Blessing, and glory, and wisdome, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might be unto God for ever and ever. (Revel. 7. 4, 9, 10, 11, 12.) Lo, those spirits which here below were habited with severall bodies, different in shapes, statures, ages, complexions, are now above as one spirit rather distinguished, then divided; all united in one perpetuall
adoration and fruition of the God o•• spirits; and mutually happy in God in themselves, in each other.
OUr copy is set us above; we la∣bour to take it out here on earth; What do we but daily pray that the blessed union of souls, which is emi∣nent in that empyreall heaven, may be exemplified by us in this region of mortality? For, having through Christ an accesse by one spirit unto God the Father, being no more strangers and forainers, but fellow-Citizens with the Saints, and of the houshold of God, (Eph. 2. 18, 19.) we cease not to pray, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in hea∣ven: (Mat. 6. 10.) Yea, O Saviour,
••hou, who canst not but be heard, hast prayed to thy Father for the accom∣plishment of this union; That they ••••••y be one even as we are one; I in them, and thou in me; that they may be perfect in one. (Joh. 17. 22, 23,) What then is this union of the mem∣bers of Christ here on earth, but a spi∣rituall onenesse arising from an happy conspiration of their thoughts and af∣fections? For whereas there are two main principles of all humane actions and dispositions, the brain & the heart, the conjuncture of these two cannot but produce a perfect union; from the one our thoughts take their rise; our affections from the other; in both, the soul puts it self forth upon all matter of accord, or difference. The union of thoughts is, when we minde the same things, when we agree in the same truths: This is the charge which the Apostle of the Gentiles layes upon his Corinthians, (1 Cor. 1.
10.) and in their persons, upon 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Christians; Now I beseech you, brethre•• by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing; a•••• that there be no divisions among yo•• but that ye be perfectly joyned togeth•••• in the same minde and in the sa•••• judgement: And this is no other th•••• that one faith, (Eph. 4. 5.) which make up the one Church of Christ upo•• earth; One, both in respect of tim•• and places. Of times: so as the Fa¦thers of the first world, and the Pa¦triarchs of the next, and all Gods peo∣ple in their ages, that lookt (togeth•••• with them) for the redemption of Isra•••• are united with us Christians of the la•••• dayes in the same beleef, and make 〈◊〉〈◊〉 one entire body of Christs Catholi•• Church: (Luk. 2. 23.) Of places▪ 〈◊〉〈◊〉 as all those that truly professe th•• name of Christ (though scattered in¦to the farthest remote regions of th•• earth) even those that walk with the••••
feet opposite to ours, yet meet with us in the same center of Christian faith, and make up one houshold of God.
Not that we can hope it possible that all Christians should agree in all truths; whiles we are here, our minds cannot but be more unlike to each others, then our faces: yea, it is a rare thing for a man to hold constant to his own apprehensions. Lord God! what a world do we meet with of those, who mis-call themselves seve∣rall Religions, indeed severall profes∣sions of one and the same Christiani∣ty? Melchites, Georgians, Maronites, Jacobites, Armenians, Abysines, Coph∣ti, Nestorians, Russians, Mengrellians; and the rest that fill up the large Map of Christianography; all which, as whiles they hold the head Christ, they cannot be denyed the priviledge of his members; so being such, they are, or should be indissolubly joyned to∣gether in the unity of spirit, and main∣tenance
of the faith which was once delivered unto the Saints. (Jude 3.) It is not the variety of by-opinions that should or can exclude them from having their part in that one Catho∣lick Church; and their just claim to the communion of Saints: whiles they hold the solid and precious foun∣dation, it is not the hay, or stubble, (1 Cor. 3. 12.) which they lay upon it, that can set them off from God, or his Church: But in the mean time, it must be granted, that they have much to answer for to the God of peace and unity, who are so much addicted to their own conceits, and so indulgent to their own interesse, as to raise and maintain new Doctrines, and to set up new Sects in the Church of Christ, varying from the common and recei∣ved truths; labouring to draw Di∣sciples after them, to the great distra∣ction of souls, and scandall of Chri∣stianity: With which sort of distur∣bers,
I must needs say, this age into which we are fallen, hath been, and is above all that have gone before us, most miserably pestered. What good soul can be other then confounded to hear of, and see more then an hun∣dred and fourscore new, (and some of them dangerous and blasphemous) opinions broached, and defended in one (once famous and unanimous) Church of Christ? Who can say o∣ther, upon the view of these wilde thoughts, then Gerson said long since, that the world now grown old, is full of doting fancies; if not rather that the world now near his end, raves, and talks nothing but fancies, and fren∣zies? How arbitrary soever these self-willed fanaticks may think it, to take to themselves this liberty of thinking what they list; and venting what they think, the blessed Apostle hath long since branded them with an heavy sentence; (Rom. 16. 17.) Now I be∣seech
you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences, contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, and avoid them; For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words, and by fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
But notwithstanding all this hide∣ous variety of vain and heterodoxall conceptions; he who is the truth of God, and the Bridegroom of his Spouse the Church, hath said, (Cant. 6. 9.) My Dove, my undefiled is one. One, in the main, essentiall fundamen∣tall verities necessary to salvation; though differing in divers mis-raised Corollaries, inconsequent inferences, unnecessary additions, feigned traditi∣ons, unwarrantahle practises: the bo∣dy is one, though the garments dif∣fer; yea, rather (for most of these) the garment is one, but differs in the dres∣sing; handsomely and comly set out
by one, disguised by another; Nei∣ther is it, nor ever shall be in the power of all the fiends of hell, the professed make-bates of the world, to make Gods Church other then one; which were indeed utterly to extinguish, and reduce it to nothing: for the unity, and entity of the Church, can no more be divided then it self. It were no lesse then blasphemy to fasten upon the chaste and most holy husband of the Church any other then one Spouse; In the Institution of Marriage did he not make one? yet had he the re∣sidue of the spirit; and wherefore one▪ that he might seek a goodly seed: (Mal. 2. 15.) That which he ordained for us, shall not the holy God much more observe in his own heavenly match with his Church? Here is then one Lord, one Faith, one Baptisme; One Baptisme, by which we enter into the Church, one Faith, which we pro∣fesse in the Church, and one Lord
whom we serve, and who is the head, and husband of the Church.
HOw much therefore doth it con∣cern us, that we who are united in one common beleef, should be much more united in affection; that where there is one way, there should be much more one heart? (Jer. 32. 39.) This is so justly supposed, that the Prophet (Amos 3. 3.) questions, Can two walk together, except they be agreed? if we walk together in our judgments, we cannot but accord in our wils: This was the praise of the Primitive Christians, and the pattern of their successors; The multitude of them that beleeved were of one heart,
and of the soul; (Acts 4. 32.) Yea, this is the Livery which our Lord and Sa∣viour made choice of, whereby his meniall servants should be known and distinguished; By this shall all men know that ye be my Disciples, if ye have love to one another: (Joh. 13. 35.) In vain shall any man pretend to a Disciple∣ship, if he do not make it good by his love to all the family of Christ. The whole Church is the spiritull Tem∣ple of God; every beleever is a li∣ving stone laid in those sacred wals; what is our Christian love but the morter or cement whereby these stones are fast joyned together to make up this heavenly building? without which that precious fabrick could not hold long together, but would be subject to dis-joynting by those violent tempests of opposition, wherewith it is commonly beaten up∣on: There is no place for any loose stone in Gods edifice; the whole
Church is one entire body, all the lims must be held together by the li∣gaments of Christian love; if any one will be severed, and affect to subsist of it self, it hath lost his place in the bo∣dy; Thus the Apostle, (Eph. 4. 15, 16.) That we being sincere in love may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ; from whom the whole body fitly joyned together, and compacted by that which every joynt supplyeth; according to the effe∣ctuall working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body, unto the edifying of it self in love.
But in case there happen to be dif∣ferences in opinion, concerning points not essentiall, not necessary to salva∣tion, this diversity may not breed an alienation of affection. That charity which can cover a multitude of sins, may much more cover many small dissensions of judgement: We cannot hope to be all, and at all times equally
enlightned; at how many and great weaknesses of judgment did it please our mercifull Saviour to connive, in his domestick Disciples? They that had so long sate at the sacred feet of him that spake as never man spake, were yet to seek of those Scriptures, which had so clearly foretold his re∣surrection; (Joh. 20. 9.) and after that were at a fault for the manner of his kingdome; (Acts 1. 6.) yet he that breaks not the bruised reed, nor quenches the smoaking flaxe, fals not harshly upon them for so foul an er∣ror, and ignorance, but entertains them with all loving respect, not as followers only, but as friends: (Joh. 15. 15.) And his great Apostle, after he had spent himself in his unwearia∣ble endeavours upon Gods Church; and had sown the seeds of wholesome, and saving doctrine every where, what rank and noisome weeds of erroneous opinions rose up under his hand, in
the Churches of Corinth, Galatia, E∣phesus, Colosse, Philippi, and Thessalo∣nica? These he labours to root out, with much zeal, with no bitternesse; so opposing the errors, as not aliena∣ting his affection from the Churches; These, these must be our precedents, pursuing that charge of the prime A∣postle, (1 Pet. 3. 8.) Finally, be ye all of one minde; having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitifull, be courteous: and that passionate and adjuring obtestation of the Apostle (Phil. 2. 1, 2.) of the Gentiles; If there be any consolation in Christ, if any com∣fort of love, if any fellowship of the spirit, if any bowels and mercies; Ful∣fill ye my joy, that ye be like minded, ha∣ving the same love, being of one accord, of one minde.
This is it that gives beauty, strength, glory to the Church of God upon earth; and brings it nearest to the re∣semblance of that triumphant part
above, where there is all perfection of love and concord; in imitation where∣of, the Psalmist sweetly; Behold, how good and joyfull a thing it is brethren to dwel together in unity! (Psal. 133. 1.)
SO much the more justly lamenta∣ble it is to see the manifold and grievous distractions of the Church of Christ, both in judgement and affecti∣on. Woe is me, into how many thou∣sand pieces is the seamlesse coat of our Saviour rent? Yea, into what numberlesse atomes is the precious body of Christ torn and minced? There are more Religions, then Na∣tions upon earth; and in each Religi∣on as many different conceits, as men.
If Saint Paul, when his Corinthians did but say, I am of Paul, I am of Apol∣lo, I am of Cephas, could ask, Is Christ divided? (1 Cor. 1. 12, 13.) when there was only an emulatory magnifying of their own teachers, (though agreeing and orthodox) what (think we) would he now say, if he saw hundred of Sect∣masters and Heresiarchs (some of them opposite to other, all to the Truth) applauded by their credulous and divided followers? all of them claiming Christ for theirs, and deny∣ing him to their gain-sayers; would he not ask, Is Christ multiplied? Is Christ sub-divided? Is Christ shred into infinites? O God! what is be∣come of Christianity? How do evill spirits and men labour to destroy that Creed which we have alwayes con∣stantly professed? For, if we set up more Christs, where is that one? and if we give way to these infinite distractions, where is the communion of Saints?
But be not too much dismaid, my son; notwithstanding all these cold dis∣heartnings, take courage to thy self: He that is truth it self hath said, The Gates of hell shall not prevail against his Church: (Mat. 16. 18.) In spight of all Devils, there shall be Saints, and those are, and shall be as the scales of the Leviathan, whose strong pieces of shields are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal; one is so near to another, that no air can come betwixt them; They are joyned one to another, they stick to∣gether, that they cannot be sundred: (Job 41. 15, 16, 17.) In all the main prin∣ciples of Religion, there is an universal and unanimous consent of all Christi∣ans, and these are they that constitute a Church: Those that agree in these, Christ is pleased to admit (for matter of doctrine) as members of that body whereof he is the head: and if they ad∣mit not of each other as such, the fault is in the uncharitablenesse of the refu∣sers,
no lesse then in the error of the refused: And if any vain and loose straglers will needs sever themselves, and wilfully choose to go wayes of their own; let them know that the union of Christs Church shall consist entire without them; this great Ocean will be one collection of waters, when these drops are lost in the dust: In the mean time it highly concerns all that wish wel to the sacred name of Christ, to labour to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace; (Eph. 4. 3.) and to renue and continue the prayer of the Apostle for all the professors of Chri∣stianity; Now the God of patience and consolation, grant you to be like-minded one towards another, according to Christ Jesus; That ye may with one minde, and one mouth glorifie God, even the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ. (Rom. 15. 5, 6.)
FAr be it from us to think this uni∣on of the hearts of Gods Saints upon earth can be idle and ineffectuall; but where ever it is, it puts forth it self in a like-affectednesse of dispositi∣on, into an improvement of gifts, in∣to a communication of outward bles∣sings, to the benefit of that happy con∣sociation.
We cannot be single in our affecti∣ons, if we be lims of a Christian com∣munity; What member of the body can complain, so as the rest shall not feel it? Even the head and heart are in pain, when a joynt of the least toe suffers; no Christian can be afflicted alone; It is not Saint Pauls case only; Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? (2 Cor. 11.
29.) Our shoulders are not our own, we must bear one anothers bur∣dens: (Gal. 6. 2.) There is a better kinde of spirituall good fellowship in all the Saints of God: They hate a propriety of passions, Rejoyce with them that rejoyce, and weep with them that weep. (Rom. 12. 15.) Their affe∣ctions are not more communicative then their gifts and graces; those, as they are bestowed with an intuition of the common good, so they are impro∣ved; Wherefore hath this man quick∣nesse of wit, that man depth of judge∣ment; this, heat of zeal, that, power of elocution; this, skill, that, experi∣ence; this, authority, that strength; but that all should be laid together for the raising of the common stock? How rich therefore is every Christian soul; that is not only furnished with its own graces, but hath a speciall interest in all the excellent gifts of all the most eminent servants of God through the the whole world? Surely he cannot be
poor, whiles there is any spirituall wealth in the Church of God upon earth.
Neither are or can these gifts be in the danger of concealment; they are still put forth for the publick advan∣tage: As therefore no true Christian is his own man; so he freely layes out himself, by example, by admonition, by exhortation, by consolation, by prayer, for the universall benefit of all his fellow members; By example, which is not a a little winning and pre∣valent; Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorifie your Father which is in hea∣ven; saith our Saviour in his Sermon upon the Mount; (Mat. 5. 16.) and his great Apostle seconds his charge to his Philippians; (Phil. 2. 15, 16.) That ye may be blamelesse and harmlesse, the Sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked, and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world,
holding forth the word of life; Lo, the world sits in darknesse, and either stirs not, or moves with danger; good ex∣ample is a light to their feet, which directs them to walk in the wayes of God, without erring, without stum∣bling: so as the good mans actions are so many copies for novices to take out; no lesse instructive then the wi∣sest mens precepts. By admonition; the sinner is in danger of drowning; Sea∣sonable admonition is an hand reacht out, that layes hold on him now sin∣king, and drawes him up to the shore. The sinner is already in the fire, sea∣sonable admonition snatches him out from the everlasting burnings, (Jude v. 23.) The charitable Christian may not forbear this (oft times thanklesse, but) alwayes necessary and profitable duty: Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart; thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. (Lev. 19. 17.
By exhortation; The fire of Gods Spirit within us, is subject to many damps, and dangers of quenching; seasonable exhortation blowes it up, and quickens those sparks of good motions to a perfect flame; Even the best of us lies open to a certain dead∣nesse and obdurednesse of heart, seasonable exhortation shakes off this perill, and keeps the heart in an holy tendernesse; and whether awfull, or chearfull disposition; Exhort one ano∣ther daily, whiles it is called, to day; lest any of you be hardned through the de∣ceitfulnesse of sin. (Heb. 3. 13.)
By consolation; We are all natural∣ly subject to droop under the pressure of afflictions; seasonable comforts lift, and stay us up: It is a sad com∣plaint that the Church makes in the Lamentations; (Lament. 1. 21.) They have heard that I sigh; there is none to comfort me; and Da∣vid, (Psal. 69. 20.) sets the same
mournfull ditty upon his Shoshannim; Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am full of heavinesse; and I looked for some to take pity, and there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. Wherefore hath God given to men the tongue of the learned, but that they might know to speak a word in season to him that is weary? (Esa. 50. 3.) That they may strengthen the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees; and say to them that are of a fearfull heart, Be strong, fear not. (Esa. 35. 3.) The charge that our Saviour gives to Pe∣ter, (Luk. 22. 32.) holds universally; Thou when thou art converted, streng∣then thy brethren.
By prayer: so as each member of Christs Church sues for all; neither can any one be shut out from partaking the benefit of the devotions of all Gods Saints upon earth: There is a certain spirituall traffique of piety betwixt all Gods children, wherein they ex∣change
prayers with each other; not regarding number, so much as weight: Am I weak in spirit, and faint in my supplications? I have no lesse share in the most fervent prayers of the holi∣est suppliants, then in my own; All the vigour that is in the most ardent hearts supplies my defects; whiles there is life in their faithfull devotions, I cannot go away unblessed.
Lastly, where there is a communion of inward graces, and spirituall servi∣ces, there must needs be much more be a communication of outward, and temporall good things as just occasion requireth; Away with those dotages of Platonicall, or Anabaptisticall com∣munities; Let proprieties be, as they ought, constantly fixed where the lawes, and civill right have placed them; But let the use of these out∣ward blessings be managed, and com∣manded by the necessities of our bre∣thren; Withhold not thy goods from
the owners thereof, when it is in the power of thy hand to do it: Say not un∣to thy neighbour, Go, and come again to∣morrow, and I will give it, when thou hast it by thee, (Prov. 3. 27, 28.) These temporall things were given us not to engrosse, and hoard up superfluously, but to distribute and dispense; As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good untoall men, especially them who are of the houshold of faith. (Gal. 6. 10.)
Such then is the union of Gods children here on earth, both in matter of judgement, and affection; and the beneficiall improvement of that af∣fection, whether in spirituall gifts, or good offices, or communicating of our earthly substance; where the heart is one, none of these can be wanting, and where they all are, there is an happy communion of Saints.
AS there is a perfect union (be∣twixt the glorious Saints in hea∣ven; and a union (though imperfect) betwixt the Saints on earth: So there is an union partly perfect, and partly imperfect, between the Saints in hea∣ven, and the Saints below upon earth: perfect, in respect of those glorified Saints above; imperfect, in respect of the weak returns we are able to make to them again. Let no man think that because those blessed souls are out of sight far distant in another world, and we are here toyling in a vale of tears, we have therefore lost all mutuall re∣gard to each other: no, there is still, and ever will be a secret, but unfailing correspondence between heaven and earth. The present happinesse of those
heavenly Citizens cannot have aba∣ted ought of their knowledge, and charity, but must needs have raised them to an higher pitch of both: They therefore, who are now glorious com∣prehensors, cannot but in a generality, retain the notice of the sad condition of us poor travellers here below, pan∣ting towards our rest together with them, and in common, wish for the happy consummation of this our wea∣ry pilgrimage, in the fruition of their glory; That they have any Perspe∣ctive whereby they can see down into our particular wants, is that which we finde no ground to beleeve: it is e∣nough that they have an universall ap∣prehension of the estate of Christs warfaring Church upon the face of the earth; (Rev. 6. 10.) and as fellow∣members of the same mysticall body, long for a perfect glorification of the whole.
As for us wretched pilgrims, that
are yet left here below to tug with many difficulties, we cannot forget that better half of us that is now tri∣umphing in glory; O ye blessed Saints above, we honour your memo∣ries so far as we ought; we do with praise recount your vertues, we mag∣nifie your victories, we blesse God for your happy exemption from the miseries of this world, and for your estating in that blessed immortality; We imitate your holy examples, we long and pray for an happy consoci∣ation with you; we dare not raise Tem∣ples, dedicate Altars, direct prayers to you; we dare not finally, offer any thing to you which you are unwilling to receive, nor put any thing upon you, which you would disclaim as prejudiciall to your Creator, and Re∣deemer. It is abundant comfort to us, that some part of us is in the fruition of that glory; whereto we (the other poor labouring part) desire, and strive
to aspire: that our head and shoul∣ders are above water, whiles the other lims are yet wading through the stream.
TO winde up all; my sonne if ever thou look for sound com∣fort on earth, and salvation in hea∣ven; unglue thy self from the world and the vanities of it; put thy self upon thy Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; Leave not till thou findest thy self firmly united to him, so as thou art become a limb of that body whereof he is head, a Spouse of that husband, a branch of that stem, a stone laid upon that foundation; Look not therefore for
any blessing out of him; and in, and by, and from him look for all bles∣sings; Let him be thy life, and wish not to live longer then thou art quickned by him; finde him thy wisdome, righteousnesse, sanctificati∣on, redemption; thy riches, thy strength, thy glory: Apply unto thy self all that thy Saviour is, or hath done;* 1.2 Wouldst thou have the graces of Gods Spirit? fetch them from his a∣nointing; Wouldst thou have power against spirituall enemies? fetch it from his Soveraignty; Wouldst thou have redemption? fetch it from his passion; Wouldst thou have absolution? fetch it from his perfect innocence? Freedome from the curse? fetch it from his crosse? Satisfaction? fetch it from his sacrifice; Cleansing from sin? fetch it from his bloud; Mortificati∣on? fetch it from his grave; New∣nesse
of life? fetch it from his resur∣rection; Right to heaven? fetch it from his purchase; Audience in all thy suits? fetch it from his intercessi∣on; Wouldst thou have salvation? fetch it from his session at the right hand of Majesty: Wouldst thou have all? fetch it from him who is one Lord, one God and Father of all, who is above all, through all, and in all: (Eph. 4. 5, 6.) And as thy faith shall thus interesse thee in Christ thy head: so let thy charity unite thee to his bo∣dy the Church, both in earth, and hea∣ven; hold ever an inviolable commu∣nion with that holy and blessed fra∣ternity. Sever not thy self from it ei∣ther in judgement, or affection; Make account there is not one of Gods Saints upon earth, but hath a proprie∣ty in thee: and thou mayst challenge the same in each of them: so as thou canst not but be sensible of their passi∣ons: and be freely communicative of
all thy graces, and all serviceable offi∣ces, by example, admonition, exhortati∣on, consolation, prayer, beneficence, for the good of that sacred community.
And when thou raisest up thine eyes to heaven, think of that glori∣ous society of blessed Saints, who are gone before thee, and are now there triumphing, and reigning in eternall and incomprehensible glory; bless God for them, and wish thy self with them, tread in their holy steps, and be ambitious of that crown of glory and immortality which thou seest shining upon their heads.
Luther in Gal.
Hier. Zanch. loc. com. 8. de Symbolo A∣post.