The Merchant Real, Sermon · Lesson 3
The third leſſon.
The former was a kingdome, but novve a kingdome of heauē is ſett before vsus wherein we may learne That God hath prepared a kingdome of heauen for thoſe that in hope thereof purge themſelues in the kingdome of grace.
By heauen vve vnderſtand not that place betvvixt the earth,Gen. 1.28. & the Moone, for thats the heauen of fovvles for they are called the foules heauen,Geneſ. 1. nor yet the firmament vvherein are placed the ſunne, the moone,2. Cor. 12.2 & ſtarres, but that third heauen into vvhichwhich Paule vvas taken vp, vvhere Chriſt ſitteth at the right hand of god the father, vvhere the ſoules departed are in reſt, vvhere all the elect in the end of the vvorld shalbe as the angels, & shal shine as the ſunne in brightnes, & glorie of god the father. Of vvhichwhich kingdome of heauen if you aske me vvhat it is I anſvvere it is a creature made of god in the begining vvhē he created the earth.Gen. 1.1. If you aske me vvhere it is, I anſvvere it is aboue theſe viſible heauens. If you aske me vvhy god made it? I anſvvere for to shevve his glorie vntounto his ſaincts, & therefore it is called a paradiſe of all delectable, & deſireable things in the preſence of god. The houſe of god vvherein all the elect are gathered. A kingdome vvherein god is king, & Chriſt is the prince, & the church the queene, & the ſubjects all the angells, & ſaincts.Luc. 6.38. And it is called the kingdome of glorie vvherein not only vve receaue glory in good meaſure, but preſſed dovvne, & heaped vp, & running ouer. In hope vvhereof all gods children purge, & prune themſelues that they may bring forth much fruite.1. Ioh. 2.3. For vvhat vvill not a Chriſtian ſoule doe, & labour, & ſtriue, & ſtruggle vvhile he is here, that here after he may ſitt in heauenly places vvith Chriſt Ieſus.Eph. 2.6.
The right of this learning the reaſon of ſcripture shevves.Apoc. 21.8. For noe vncleane thing entereth into this holy city, nor any abhomination. The meanes is therefore offered,1. Ioh. 1.7. euen the bloud of Ieſus Chriſt vvhereby vve may be purged frō all our ſinnes, that vve may be cleane. And gratious is the converſation of all gods children, for their conuerſation is in heauen allbeit they be in earth.Phil. 1.20. Firſt by liuing in chriſtian charity. For he that liueth in charity liueth in god.
Matt. 6.21.Secondly in affection for their hart is in heauen vvhere their treaſure is.
Thirdly by right of inheritance for vvhere the head is there muſt the members be Chriſt our head is in heauen, & chriſtians the members clayme their intereſt in him,Gorranus in locum. Or as our contryman ſayth the conuerſation of Chriſtians on earth is in heauen, 1. By meditation in the ſtrength vvhereof they fly daily into heauen, 2. By daily conference for they ſpeake continually of thoſe things that belong to the kingdome of heauen, 3. By holy admiration for vvho knovveth the order of the viſible heauens, therefore much leſſe can vve vnderſtand the glory of the inviſible. 4. By ſpeaking to our ſoules in holy ſoliloquies ſaying. Who is, or vvhat is there in heauen, or in earth that vve deſire, but thee o, lord god. Laſtly by attending gods leaſure, & as the Patriarches did,Gen. 49.18 ſoe doe they daily vvaite for their ſaluation.
The life of this learning conſiſts in practiſe. Practice. 1 Firſt of greuance for it is a thouſand greeuances to ſee the madnes of the vvorld,that vvhen as god hath prepared vsus a kingdome, & this kingdome is preached daiely vntounto vsus, yet it is sleigthed, & neglected as if vve told thē tales of Virginia,Iob. 4.19. 2. Pet. 1.14. 1. Pet. 2.11. or of the Bermuthaes vvhere they neuer meane to goe. And for aſmuch as vve knovve, that vve dvvel here in houſes of clay, & in tabernacles of earth, & are but ſtrangers, & pilgrimes, yet that vve should hauehave noe more deſire to goe to our manſions, to repaire to our tabernacle made vvithout hands, & to reſide in our ovvne country is a ſtraine of extreame madnes. Practice. 2 Secondly of contentation in vvhat eſtate,or condition ſoeuer vve are either vvith Abraham dvvelling in tents,Heb. 9.10. yet ſtill to hauehave an eie to the land of promiſe or vvith Paule not to looke on the things that are ſeene,2. Co. 5.1.2 but to knovve that if this earthly tabernacle be deſtroyed, vve shalbe ſure of a better made vvithout hands.
Practice. 3 Thirdly of confutation of thoſe hellish ſpirits that make haſt vntounto the kingdome of darknes, For ſay, & preach vvhat the lord Ieſus vvill in his holy Teſtamēt that they should purge, and purifie themſelues for the hope of this kingdome,Hosh. 5.4. yea if Hoshea preach neuer ſoe earneſtly, yet the Spirit of vvhordome vvilbe in the middeſt of ſome.Exod. 16.5.
If Moſes, & Aarō preach of this kingdome, & shevve. Signes & vvonders,2. Ti. 4.10. yet the ſpirit of gluttony vvill deſire the flesh potts of Egipte, & if Paule preach neuer ſoe povverfully, yet the ſpirit of coueteouſnes vvill cauſe Demas to forſake him,Matt. 5.22. & imbrace this preſent vvorld & the ſpirit of vvrath vvill call his brother Racha though he be in dainger of a counſell,Eph. 4.29.30. the ſpirit of enuie vvill ſell innocent Ioſeph, & the ſpirit of lying, of peruerſnes, & peeuishnes vvill greeue the ſpirit of god vvith rebellion vvhat ſoeuer can be ſayd to the cōtrary. Practiſe. 4 The fourth is of purgation vvhichwhich directeth vsus hovve vve may be cleanſed laying dovvne this firſt as a ground, that noe man shall ſee god vvithout a purgatory, but this is noe popish, foolish cōceite of purging after this life vvithout ground, or vvarrant of the vvord, but our invvard, & effectuall purging by baptiſme, the lavacre of regēeratiō, the vvashing of the nevve birth by Chriſts paſſiō where in he hath vvashed vsus in his bloud, by the vvord vvhichwhich maketh vsus cleane,Aquinas. by grace vvhichwhich purgeth vsus from all our ſinne, & by doctrine vvhichwhich cleereth vsus from ignorance.
Practice. 5 Fiftly of eleuation to beſtovve our vvhole man in ſearching, & ſeeking to lift vp our ſelues both outvvardly, & invvardly to this kingdōe, our eies to vvaite, & vvatch for it, our eares to liſten to gods counſells, our hands to be lift vp in pure prayer, our feete to ſtand in the gates of the lords houſe, our ſoules to thirſt after the the righteouſnes of this kingdome, for all chriſtiā ſoules doe ſoe, vvhoſe minds are illuminated vvith this knovvledge, vvhoſe vvills the holy ghoſt hath moued vvhoſe deſires are thereto ſanctified.Lilia terrae Ilia terrae. Ludibria venti. Yea thoſe ſoules ouerlooke, Baca, & Baſan that is all croſſes, & loſſes accompting the pleaſures thereof to be but the lillies of the earth, & gold, & ſiluer but the garbage of the earth, & the fauors of great ones to be but as the turnings of the vnconſtant vveather cockes.
Practice. 6 Laſtly the practiſe of this tends to motion, that vve should vſe the meanes to fitt our ſelues for this kingdome of heauen.
The firſt is our readines to be vvith our loynes girt, our hart allvvaies vponupon our treaſure in heauen, & our earneſt deſire to be diſſolued.
Pſal. 84.10Secondly to louelove the congregation of gods people, & to choſe rather to be a dore keeper vvith Dauid, then to be out of the congregation vvith Miriam the ſiſter of Moſes, or to complayne in the great miſery of Cain that vve are caſt out from the face, & fauour of god.Gen. 4.14.
Thirdly to vveane our ſelues from the vvorld, that our ſoules may be humbled as a vveaned child.
And laſtly to diſpoſe our ſelues for death, that vvhen the lord calleth vve may ſay as Samuel ſayd here I am lord, & as the ſpouſe ſayth Come lord Ieſus Come quickly, & being thus diſpoſed, & fitted, & made meete for this kingdome of heauen vve shall neither much feare our ovvne death, vvhenſoeuer it commeth, or vvhereſoeuer, nor ouermuch lament the death of others, for vve shal meete in this kingdome of heauen, & be bleſſed for euer in Chriſt our lord.