The Christians Apparelling, Part 3 · Section 67
Section. 67.
And thus much of this firſt propertie of putting on Chriſt, which is, that it muſt be whole, & wholly. The other property is,2 The ſecond propertie of putting on Chriſt, is, that this putting on is conſtant, ſo that the ſound Chriſtian ſo puts on Chriſt, as that (according to the property of this ſpirituall clothing) he neuer puts him off again but weares him conſtantly and perpetually.
Conſtancy. 1 In putting off ſinne.This implies a conſtant putting off ſinne and the old man; for ſo indeed doe good Chriſtians; they ſo put off their ſinne, as that they reſume it not againe, neither put it on, in their affections at leaſt: for elſe there is not the beſt nor the moſt wary, but is in danger to bee brought back againe and inſnared in the ſame ſinnes; yet hee hauing once in his heart & affection, and in the reſolution of his ſoule, put it off, and caſt it away he neuer ſo takes it vp againe, as to delight himſelfe with it. He ſo puts it off as the begger doth his rags, when once he growes rich, and gets better apparell; or as men infected with the plague, being once cleanſed, throwe their infected clothes (eſpecially being courſe) into the fire, or els ſo part with them, as reſoluing for euer not to cloth them ſelues therewith againe: whereas the hypocrite and vngodly hauing once eſcaped the pollutions of the world, 2 Pet. 2.20 22.ſuffer themſelues again to be intangled therein, yea & ouercome,- being like the dog which turnes to his owne vomit again, and the ſow, which being waſhed, turnes to her wallowing in the myre.
But he not only puts off ſin for euer,2 In putting on Chriſt. and ſo giues it a Bill of Diuorce, but ſo puts on Chriſt, as that hee marries himſelfe vntounto him for euer, & neuer caſts him off again; which hee doth not by his owne power, but by the mercy and conſtant louelove of Chriſt whom he puts on,Hoſ. 2.19. who betroths him vntounto himſelfe for euer. This is from hence, becauſe Chriſt to him is ſuch a garment as neuer either weares (being yeſterday and to day, Heb 1.12. True Chriſtians ſo put on Chriſt that they put him not off againe.and the ſame for euer) or wearies him that puts it on, being euer needfull, and neuer out of faſhion with him. In theſe and in other regards differing frō ordinary clothes, which both weare with vſing, and with long vſing prooue noyſome, as wee ſee it in beggars, and the poorer ſort; as alſo if eſpecially we ſpeake of our owne nation, in a few yeares grow out of faſhion: ſo that in that regard hee ſhall be accounted to be out of faſhion; that, the faſhion altering, ſtil vſeth that faſhion, which not very many yeares before, ſome ſwaggerer began, and firſt tooke vp.
As doe hypocrites:But we may obſerue that many who yet in name are Chriſtians, accounting but meanly of Chriſt and of his righteouſnes and holines,who put him on & off at their pleaſure, and often quite lay him aſide, vponupon like occaſions as they doe their owne apparell.
Some men ſo put on Chriſt,1 Are day Chriſtians. as they doe their vpper garments, as their clokes or gowns; which ſerue their vſe when they goe abroad in company; but when they returne home, they caſt them off againe; or as their beſt clothes, which they put on only on good daies, as they ſpeake, and on holy dayes: ſo theſe men are Saints in the company of Saints, and when they are in the eye of the world; but when they are only themſelues, and in ſecret, they are quite other men, their ſecret practiſes and affections are quite other then were their outward pretences and ſemblances. Such are thoſe whom wee may call Holiday-Chriſtians, Or 2 holyday Chriſtianswhoſe holines and religion they both put on and put off at the Church doore, or at leaſt at night on the Sabbaths, with their clothes. The next day, and all the weeke after they put on againe, with their older clothes, the old man, and thinke their formall ſeruice on the Lords day, may ſerue and excuſe them, if all the weeke long they, in their ordinary imployments, looke not to Chriſt at all or to his word.
3 So ſuch as put of Chriſt in the heart of perſecution.When the heat of Sūmer comes, men caſt off ſuch clothes as they kept on formerly, as now prouing but thenſome, & a wearineſſe vntounto them; euen ſo, many who in the Churches peace made faire ſhewes of conſtant profeſsion, and that they put on Chriſt, yet they being, as the times perhaps ſerued, of a luke-warme and Laodican temper, when, with Peter they come to warme themſelues in the high Prieſts Hall, & to bee threatned with fire and fagot, then with him, Chriſtis denied, and quite put off; though in ſuch caſe, if any be as Peter was, Chriſt will not finally ſuffer himſelfe to be caſt off, but in mercy will ſticke cloſe to them,Luk 22.55.56.57-61 and keepe himſelfe on, by remembring them of their dutie; whereas ſuch as are wholly vnſound, though they caſt off Chriſt as Peter did, yet they put him not ſurer on againe as he did, and therby ſhew their vnſoundneſſe.4 So ſuch as whoſe graces were out. The like is alſo done when mens apparell either weare away into holes, or weare out of faſhion, (ſtrange apparell comming more in faſhion) and ſo they becomming aſhamed therof, caſt them off, and take other. Euen thus it is with hypocrites, whoſe beſt graces being but in hypocriſie, and not deepely rooted in the heart, ſoone weare out, when occaſion requires they ſhould be much vſed: their Faith prooues temporary, their LoueLove cooles, their Hope languiſheth, their Patience is ſoone wearied, and generally being long holden to it, they weary of well doing; the waters of their Ciſterne are ſoone dried vp with the heate of the Sun, and their haſtie crop ſoon withereth, like the graſſe on the houſe top; their thinne and fine clothes ſoone weare to pieces, when they come to labour and worke in the furnace of affliction for the Goſpell. Or otherwiſe, before perſecution comes, ſtrange outlandiſh apparell,3 Such as change good cuſtomes for bad. Heatheniſh or Popiſh cuſtomes of ſeruing God, come in faſhion with men of this world, and ſo they grow aſhamed of their older, but better clothes, and putting them off by littles, take on them the Popiſh guiſe and habite, being told, hee is no Gentleman that is no Papiſt: and thus ſhaming to profeſſe Chriſt in the ſimplicitie of the Goſpell, and to be clothed as he himſelfe was clothed on earth, with a plaine coat, without ſeame, welt or gard, they now ſerue God according to the pompe & pride of Popery, where, in their Prieſtes veſtments Chriſt is put on onelyonly on the backe and outſide, not in the heart, and in the puritie of his worſhip, & ſo when they, in their Maſsings or otherwiſe, hauehave played their pageants, they put him off againe, till the next act comes to be plaid.
And thus generally doe many Chriſtians clothe themſelues with Chriſt, as Actors on the Stage,6 Such as hauing acted their parts put off their apparell, and are vnmasked going of the ſtage of the world. (from whence, as is ſaid, they hauehave their name of Hypocrites) in borrowed apparell, whereby they act the parts of great men and holy, of the ſonnes it may bee of the moſt High; but, if not before, yet when by death they goe off the ſtage of this world, they leaue their masks and diſſembled habit, & go as naked of Chriſt as they came. Others againe,7 Such as laying aſide profeſſion faſhion themſelues to the company. in companies where they would not be knowne, diſſemble themſelues to bee what they are (and I wiſh euen good Chriſtians otherwiſe did not practiſe this too much) and ſo putting off the vpper garment of profeſsion, faſhion themſeles, if not to the religion, yet to the corrupt and ſinfull faſhions of the company, being to the eye of any indifferent beholder duplicate page duplicate page as profane as the company is, bee it as profane as it will be, and yet the ſame againe, out of ſuch companies, take to them the habit of ſober and good Chriſtians. Of all others the diſſembling of the Familiſts is moſt wicked and odious: who, (pretending ſuch a perfection on earth as Adam had in his innocencie yet) frame themſelues to the cuſtomes, yea religions of the place where they pleaſe to liue, in ſo much that (if one, once an Anabaptiſt & very nigh as he confeſſeth one of themſelues,Edm. Ieſſop in his discouery of the errors of the Engliſh Anabaptiſts, towards the end of the point. doe not bely them) they amongſt vsus Proteſtants will performe the Office of Miniſters, (I wil not ſay as he doth, in the Kings Chappell, but) in our Church, and amongſt Papiſts will exerciſe the place of Popiſh Prieſts. Some againe put off Chriſt, as men put off their clothes when they goe to their bedds and reſt, namely when they meane to giuegive themſelues to their eaſe and ſecurity, and to take no paines in the waies of God. Others, through a careleſſe keeping of their garments and graces,9 Such as through careleſneſſe loſe their graces. ſuffer them to bee ſtolne from them, whiles they ſleepe ſecurely, and are not ſo carefull to profit by Gods Word, which they daily heare, by ruminating and remembring it: for thus Satan ſteals away the Word out of their hearts, and ſo they are as men falling among theeues,10 Such as account the wayes of God too ſtrict. who leaue them wounded and naked. Laſtly, as men trying on their apparell, and finding them either too wide or too ſt…ight, put them off againe, and get them made fit for their bodies or elſe they will not weare them at all: euen ſo is it with many Chriſtians, with whō their Chriſtian profeſsion and cloathes are ſeldome indeed too wide and large (for they willingly take as much libertie and more then God giues them) but vſually the lawes and waies of God are accounted too ſtraight, narrow & ſtrict, ſo that hauing a little tryed on this apparell, and, being too ſtraite laced, finding it to ſit cloſe and pinch in their great bellies of Gluttony and Drunkenneſſe, their ſwellings of Pride, their corns of ſearedneſſe of conſcience, & hardneſſe of heart, &c. they herevpon throw it off, and will either hauehave it made wider for them, that they may hauehave more ſcope, and take more libertie in it, or elſe they neuer ſuffer it to come on their backs againe. Whereas Chriſt is ſuch apparrell, as being ſhaped for vsus by the beſt skilled Artificer, God himſelfe, who knowes our mould, muſt not be thought either too wide or too ſtraight, too long or too ſhort, that it ſhould be taken in, or inlarged at our pleaſure; it herein differing from ordinary apparell, which may and muſt be fitted to our bodies, not our bedies to it: but we muſt bee fitted to this garment, caſt in a new mould, and muſt ſubmit and faſhion our ſelues vntounto his will,Par. 3. §. 68 not he to vsus, and our will.
And thus much alſo of this other propertie of putting on Chriſt, which is, that we muſt ſo put him on as neuer to put him off againe; in regard of which, as alſo of the former propertie, true Chriſtians differ from falſe and counterfet,
Wee are now to ſhew the ſame or like difference from thoſe other two Heads formerly named, to wit from the effects, and from the Meanes of putting on.