The Merchant Real, Sermon · Lesson 12
The tvvelfth leſſon. Suos, Sua, ſe negare.
Our Chriſtian readines is to deny our ovvne frends, our ovvne goods, our ovvne ſelues, & as ſtrangers and pilgrims vve muſt continue conſtantly to hold on our courſe tovvards this kingdome of heauen.
The light of this appeares That as Abraham the grandfather muſt forſake his ovvne country,Gen. 12.1. & goe to a land that god should shevve him; And as Jacob the grandchild muſt trauell to Padan Aram from his fathers houſe to liue vvith his vncle Laban in Meſopotamia, & there to be enriched, So muſt eueryevery Chriſtian ſoule forſake his ovvne frends here as doth the kings daughter vvhichwhich is a figure of he church, & of eueryevery true ſoule in the church. Forſake her ovvne people,Pſal. 45.10 & her ovvne father houſe, ſo shall the king of heauen hauehave great delight in her beauty, & he vvill become her lord. In the ſecond place vve ſee James,Mat. 4.2…. & Iohn left the ship, & their father to follovve Chriſt.Mat. 19.27 The apoſtles, & diſciples left, & forſooke all to follovve him in the regeneration;Act. 4.34. And the primitiue church in the tyme of the apoſtles caſt dovvne their goodes at the apoſtles feete.
In the third place vve ſee Paule denies himſelfe for albeit Agabus had foretold his death, yet he was reſolute to goe on, & told the Elders of Epheſus, & others at Miletum that they should not vexe, & trouble him vvith vveeping for him. For he vvas reſolued that albeit he knevve that in eueryevery city euill did abide him, yet he vvould not only ſuffer, but die for the lord Ieſus.Act. 10 & 11 He had learned this leſſon of his maſter vvho had taught him That if any man vvould come after him he muſt deny himſelfe take vp his croſſe,Matth. 16.24. & followe him. What other things then denying our ovvne frends, our ovvne goods, our ovvne ſelues doth that myrhe & mortification, that dying, & burying vvith Chriſt ſignifie vvhereof ſo oft is made, mention in ſcripture. For vve are but ſtrangers, & pilgrims like the children of Iſraell, in vvhoſe tvvo & forty ſtations is figured, & reſembled the race of a Chriſtian. For they came to Rameſes the ſtore houſe of the Egiptians, & from thence to Succoth, & ſo to Etham in the edge of the vvildernes. From thence to Pihiroth at the red ſea before Migdoll So on to Marah vvhere they vvere three dayes vvithout vvater, & there they murmur. From thence to Elim vvhere they found tvvelue fountaines, & ſeauenty palme trees. Thence to the red ſea in the deſert of Syn vvhere they had quailes, & Manna, & ſo on till they had finished forty tvvo ſtations, a cloud by day, & a pillar of fire by night being their pilotts to guide them.Matth. 1. And as Chriſt had in his generatiō three fourteenes From Abraham to Dauid, from Dauid to the captiuity, from the Captiuity to Chriſt, vvhichwhich in all make forty tvvo. So if vve hauehave ſo many fleetings as Dauid calls them in the pſalmes in our regeneration yet muſt vve goe on, & continue vntill vve hauehave finished our courſe. We ſee it vvas ſo in Chriſt. For being yet an infant he muſt flie into Egipte, back againe into the land of Iſraell, & turne a ſide into the parts of Galilee for feare of Archelaus the the ſonne of Herod. In all his life, from the crach to the Croſſe vvhat ſee vve, but ſtations of vvoe, & ſorrovve? He that shall but caſt his eie to ſee Paules peregrination from place, to place, to Cyprus, to Iconium, Lyſtra, Der be, Antioch, to Theſolonica, Beraea, Athens, Epheſus, Miletū, Ieruſalem▪ tovvard Rome, ſuffered shipvvracke at Mileta novve called Malta, & Laſtly vvas beheaded at Rome. What ſees a man I ſay in all this his peregrination, but a ſea of ſorrovve, & ſobbs, & ſighes, a perfect reſemblance of the travaile of regeneration.
The right of this appeares to gods children. For they knovve that here they are but pilgrimes in reſpect of their ſtay, pay, & vvay. Noe ſtay.Iob. 14. Thou shalt ſeeke me to morrovv, & I shall not be. In reſpecte of pay, Noe peny, noe PATER NOSTER, Poore is the entertaynement that a traueler shall find that hath noe mony. Laſtly in reſpecte of our vvay for eueryevery day vve goe forvvards. Secondly gods children knovve that they muſt not be here allvvaies,1. Cor. 15. in reſpect of their ſinne vvhichwhich cauſeth death, For the angell of paradiſe muſt vvith his ſvvord cut the tvvine of this life before vve can taſt the tree of the other life. Thirdly in reſpect of the place wherein they liue, vvhichwhich Iob calls cottages of clay.Job. 4. God calls the land of the curſe,Geneſ. 3. Dauid calls the land of the dead, The philoſophers tearmed the ſublunary region vvhere vve enquire ſtill vvhat ſtate the moone is in; And Barnard calls it the place vvherein vve liue by deaths; for vvhatſoeuer flyes in heauen, or goes vponupon the earth, or glides in the vvaters that is eateable vve bury in our ſtomackes, ſo vve liue by their deaths. Againe right reaſon shevves this that there muſt needs be a diſſolution, & vve muſt goe from our ſelues. Firſt becauſe our bodies are compoſed of diuerſe qualityes vvhichwhich cannot endure.
For a kingdome deuided againſt it ſelfe cannot ſtand. Secondly from the morall cauſe, vvhichwhich is ſinne, & ſinne cauſeth death. Thirdly from the counſellor to ſinne, vvhichwhich vvas the deuill, by vvhoſe enuy ſinne entered, & death by ſinne. Laſtly by the decree, & ſentance vponupon that ſinne. For as there vvent a decree from Auguſtus Ceſar that all the vvorld should be taxed,Luc. 2.1. So there is a ſtatute in heauen concluded by the great Ceſar of heauen, & earth that all men muſt once die.Heb. 9. Fourthly gods children knovve that vvhen they goe from themſelues they goe to their holy burgeshipe,Phil 3.20. Ephe. 2.19. 2. Cor. 5. Ioh. 14. to their ſacred ſeruice, to their heauenly entertaynment, & to their abiding place.
In a vvord this light of the ſcripture, & right of reaſon shevves this concluſion. That if vve vvil not by denying our ovvne frends, our ovvne goods, & our ovvne ſelues in reſpecte of Chriſt, be buried vvith CHRIST, be crucified vvith him, ſuffer vvith him, & be made conformable vntounto him, vve shal neuer liue vvith him, raigne vvith him, or be glorified by him.
Practice. 1 The practice of this is firſt of direction. For in a Chriſtianslife there is no faring delitiously eueryevery day.Luc. 16. Matth. 7. Noe going on in a broad vvay, CHRIST directs it & ſaith If ye vvere of the vvorld the vvorld vvould louelove his ovvne, but becauſe ye are not of the vvorld, but I hauehave choſen you out of the vvorld,Ioh. 15.19. therefore the vvorld hateth you, but a reall Chriſtian muſt caſt avvay all that hindereth his race, as the blind man caſt avvay his cloke▪ Heb. 12.1. Ma…. 10.& follovved Chriſt, For eueryevery child of god muſt knovve that this a rule caſe, that eueryevery citizen of heauen is a ſtranger on earth ſo Jacob ſpeakes to Pharoh. So Dauid to god.Gen. 4….9. And Peter exhorteth therevnto that vvee should paſs the tyme of our dvvelling in feare,1. Chro. 29 15. 1. Pet. 1.17. 1. Pet. 2.11.12. & againe he ſaith Dearly beloued, I beſeech you as ſtrangers, & pilgrims, abſtaine from fleshly luſts vvhichwhich fight againſt the ſoule, & hauehave your conuerſation honeſt among the Gentiles, that they vvhichwhich ſpeake euill of you as euill doers may by your good vvorkes vvhichwhich they shall ſee glorifie your father in the day of your viſitation.
Practice. 2 The ſecond practice is a full declaration of our miſery, & gods merciemercy. The Iſraelites doe not allvvaies march on forvvards to Elim vvhere are fountaines, & palme trees (as before) but retyres to Marah to the vvaters of bitternes. The navigator doth not allvvaies ſaile before the vvind, for then he vvould neuer learne to bring his tacke a boord.
It appeareth euidently that god vvho knovves vsus, knovves vvhat is beſt for vsus, & therefore preuenteth our peeuishnes vvith his pitty. For hovve vnvvilling hauehave gods deereſt children bine to enter into his ſeruice, & to goe from themſelues. Moſes excuſeth himſelf that he is not elequent. Ieremy ſaith that he is a child. Lot lingereth to gett out of Sodom,Confeſ. lib 8.1, 2, 7. & S Auguſtine hauing a long conflicte at Rome goeth to Millain to heare S. Ambroſe, & yet being not ſatisfied for reſolution. He complaines, & ſayth Hovve long lord? hovve long? shall I ſtill ſay, as the crovv ſayth CRAS, CRAS, shall I ſtill ſay MODO, & M…DO QUAE NON HABENT …ODUM, But the lord at laſt hard him, & shevved him a ſcripture,Rom. 13.14 Not in chambering, & vvantonneſſe not in ſtriffe, & enuying, but put on the lord Ieſus, vvhichwhich ſcripture converted him, and made him an orthodxe chriſtian.
Practice. 3 The third is of Caution to bevvare leaſt vve goe not the rightvvay. For Ieruſalem vvent, but it vvas backward,Ier. 15.6. That is noe vvay for vsus. The euill ſeruant vvent alſo,Mat. 25.18. but he vvent, & diggd in the earth, & hid his talent, that vvas noe good marchant. The young man vvhom Chriſt bid goe,Mat. 27.5. & ſell all, vvent to, but he vvent his vvay ſorrovving for he had great revennevves. Iudas vvent alſo but it vvas to hang himſelfe. Thus vve muſt hauehave a care vvhither vve goe.2. Corint. 5 For vvhiles vve are in the flesh vve are pilgrimes from the lord.
Practice 4 The Fourth vſe is of Expoſtulation Can any man implead god that he hath not shevved him vvhichwhich way he should goe? Hath not your eies ſeene it in greater▪ & leſſer characters in his vvorkes, in his vvord? Hath not your eares hard it by profound Paules, eloquent Apolloſes, & Zealous Cephaſes? Hath not your harts bine often touched vvith holy motions of gods ſpirit, & your conſciences quieted therby. Nay hauehave not your hands handled of the vvord of life? Will you then ſtill reſiſt the ſpirit of god as your forefathers did before?
Practice. 5 Let me move you in the laſt place ſeing vve are going on, & muſt goe on Let vsus doe as trauelers doe goe forvvards ſtill not looking backvvards to Sodom, as Lotts vvife did but keepe our faces tovvards Ieruſalem as Chriſt did.Geneſ. 19. Luc. 24. Secondly let vsus goe on the right vvay ſeeking Chriſt in heauen, & Charity on earth. Thirdly let vsus be ſparing as trauelers are, & not to rūne to exceſſe of riott in ſpending our maſters, & creditors goods, & …uinating our ovvne creditts, & Laſtly let vsus not be detayned by trifles, & gevvgavves, but let vsus ſo runne on the race that vve may obtayne the goale, & shevve our readines to come to Chriſt, & he vvilbe moſt ready to receaue vsus to immortallity, & glory for euer.