The Christians Apparelling, Part 3 · Section 10 – Section 12
Par. 3. §. 10
and hauehave this ſtraight vnion with him which wee make ſhew of, or that we dwell in him & he in vsus, we wil further declare this by our louelove to him and to his comming for ſo are true Chriſtians characterized and deſcribed, to bee ſuch, as not only looke for Chriſt the ſecond time, 2 Tim. 4.8.as we now heard, but, as louelove his appearing; 1 Ioh. 4.16.17.18.now bleſſed Iohn thus writeth. God is louelove, and hee that dwelleth in louelove, dwelleth in God, & God in him: herein is our louelove made perfect, that we may hauehave boldneſſe in the day of Iudgment— there is no feare in louelove, To louelove it, a ſigne of Faith.but perfect louelove caſteth out feare, becauſe feare hath torment: he that feareth is not perfect in louelove. Here then is the confidence of Gods Children in Iudgment, that though they bee not in this life without ſinne, (which may bee cauſe of feare) yet, at death and after, they are freed, not only from the guilt of ſinne, (which they were before, it being not imputed to them) but from the being of ſinne in them, ſo that comming before the Barre and Iudgement ſeat of Chriſt as their Iudge, they ſtand cloathed before his Throne, with himſelfe as their Sauior; his righteouſneſſe couers their vnrighteouſneſſe, and they with comfort expect from him the ſentence of abſolution, and acceptation with him for euer, for his owne righteouſneſſe ſake. The aſſurance hereof makes them ioyfull in death, and to louelove the appearing of Chriſt, in the certaine hope of the reſurrection of their bodies to life eternall, and of a Crowne of righteouſneſſe to be giuen them at that day by the Lord the righteous Judge. 2 Tim. 4.8.Theſe, reaſon to their comfort, that if God loued them, and Chriſt dyed for them while they were yet ſinners, much more then being now iuſtified by his blood, Rom. 5.8.9.10.ſhall they be ſaued from wrath through him. &c.
Now the wicked and the hypocrite hath no ſuch comfortable hope in the thought & apprehenſion of the laſt Iudgement; hee either dares not thinke of it at all ſeriouſly, or ſo farre as he thinks of ir, it is not without great horrour and aſtoniſhment. It is no ioy nor comfort to him to looke Chriſt in the face as his Iudge, frowning on him, who heere reiects him as a Sauiour. if any be ſo impudent as now being told of theſe things, to outſtare Chriſt as his Iudge, and to profeſſe a hope to ſpeed as well at that day as any, hee may eaſily bee conuinced hence; namely, by his harſh conceits of Chriſt now in his Word and Meſſengers. Such men cannot now indure Chriſt in the power of his Word; his ſayings are too harſh, his doctrine too auſtere, his diſcipline too ſeuere, his yoke is too heauy for them, & his coards too ſtrait, & may we think they can indure, Chriſt comming vntounto them in the word of his power, by the voyce of an Archangel, in his owne moſt terrible & thundring voice, attended with infinit myriads of Angels,2 Pet. 3.11.12. the heauens all being on fire, and the elements melting with ſeruent heate; they had need bee other manner of perſons in all holy conuerſation and godlineſſe, who looke for, and haſten vntounto the comming of this day of God, then theſe vngodly, at beſt, ciuill men are. If then they cannot away with Chriſt now in his humilitie, and when he comes clouded in the vaile of his Word, how will they indure him in his glory, and when he ſhall ſhew himſelfe and perſon immediatly vntounto them? In a word, if they cannot now indure him as a louing Sauiour, how will they then (for al their impudent brags) indure him as a terrible Iudge? OnelyOnly the iuſtified perſon at that day (and now in the hope of it) may and doth looke vp, Luk. 21.28.and lift vp his head, for his finall redemption draweth nigh. The diſſoluing of the world, and Cnriſts terrible comming, is for their full deliuerance from the power of the graue, and of Satan, and of wicked men, who hauehave beſet and beſieged the godly, and therfore for their comfort: but terrible it muſt needs be to all others, againſt whō Chriſt comes in this terrible manner. It ſhall be then, as it is with men in ſome caſtle or hold, narrowly beſieged by their enemies, when a puiſſant and migthy army is gathered for their reſcue, and to raiſe the ſiege; when it comes neere and in ſight, the very claſhing of the armour, the brightnes of the ſwords, the noiſe of Drummes and Trumpets, yea the very roaring of the Canon; all theſe are comfortable, & as ſweet muſicke to them, for whoſe ſuccor and deliuerance they come; but muſt needs be diſmall and terrible to their enemies. Hee then that cannot now in ſome good meaſure, and preuailing manner ouercome his feares, and reioyce in the hope of his deliuerance frō death, hell, and all infernall enemies, and of his crown of glory to be giuen him by the mercifull ſentence of the Iudge at that day,Par. 3. §. 11 can hardly bee aſſured for the preſent, that Chriſt is his or that he ſtands now clothed with his merits and righteouſneſſe, whatſoeuer in word he otherwiſe pretend.
Section. 11.
Now thirdly, for the triall of our vnion with Chriſt,Our vnion with Chriſt by faith, knowen, 3 by Selfe-deniall. it were good for vsus to examine whether wee hauehave made a diuorce from our ſelues by ſelfe-deniall, or whether we be not ſtill wedded to our own ſelues, to our owne opinions, to our owne willes and affections through ſelfe-louelove. If once we put on Chriſt, wee muſt put off our ſelues. By this note we diſcouer the pretended knot which ſeemes to be betweene many, in regard of outward profeſsion, and Chriſt, in as much as the ſame men, who profeſſe they hauehave put on Chriſt, yet reject and caſt him off in his Soueraigntie, preferring their own wils before his; in his wiſdome, preferring their owne reaſon before his Word;Par. 3. §. 12. in his righteouſneſſe, not ſubmitting themſelues vntounto the righteouſneſſe of God, but going about to eſtabliſh their owne righteouſneſſe; Rom. 10.3.in his glory, doing all to their owne praiſe, &c. How hauehave theſe men put on Chriſt, who ſo farre hauehave caſt him from them?
Section 12.
4. If thou beeſt one with Chriſt by putting him on,By other effects of it. then doſt thou receiue warmth and defence from him as he is thy cloathing, ſap and juice, from him as he is the Vine, and thou a branch of him; nouriſhment, food, and refreſhing as he is thy ſpirituall bread, on whom thou feedeſt; and in a word, thou receiueſt vigour and influence from him as thine Head, thou being a member of his body: for ſo doe all ſuch as hauehave vnion with him. Where then we ſee men lie naked and vnarmed, and foyled with eueryevery temptation; where wee ſee nothing but barrennes in the liues of men, whom wee ſee to be drie, withered & vnfruitfull branches; where wee ſee men, after ſo many yeares of plentie in the Goſpel, to remaine in their ſoules, like Pharaohs leane kine,Gen. 41.19. as poore and illfauoured as euer; and laſtly, where we ſee men and women profeſſing Chriſt, to bee without the life of Religion, without faith, and without the ſpirit, (receiued by faith) by which ſpirit our vnion is made with Chriſt; and without LoueLove, by which as members of the ſame body (if we remaine vnited to Chriſt our head) we ſhould bee knit and conioyned together one with another: where wee ſee ſuch things, can we ſay that ſuch men hauehave put on Chriſt, or hauehave any true vnion with him? Oh therfore that men, without partialitie and flattering of themſ;elues, (a moſt dangerous and peſtilent euill to the ſoule) would but throughly trie themſelues and their pretended vnion with Chriſt, by theſe foure aforeſaid notes, that ſo they might truely come to the knowledge of themſelues,Par. 3. §. 13 whether they had indeed put on Chriſt to their Iuſtification, which was the firſt poynt for the triall of Chriſtianity, from our putting on of Chriſt.