The Christians End, Sermon 1
THE CHRISTIANS END. OR, The sweet Soveraignty of CHRIST over his members in life and death.
VVherein is contained the whole scope of the godly MANS life, with divers Rules, Motives and Incouragements, to live and die to IESUS CHRIST.
Being the substance of five SERMONS preached to the Honorable Society of Grayes Inne, by that Learned and faithfull Minister of Gods Word, RICHARD SIBBES D. D. and sometimes Preacher to that Honorable Societie.
1. COR. 6. 20. Yee are bought with a price, &c.
HEB. 11. 4. He being dead, yet speaketh.
LONDON, Printed by Thomas Harper, for Lawrence Chapman, and are to be sold at his shop at Chancery lane end next Holborne, 1639.
THE FIRST SERMON.
ROM. 14. 7, 8.
None of us liveth to himself, and none of us dyeth to himself, for whether we live, we live unto the Lord, and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: Whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lords.
THe sc…pe of the Chapter in …he former part of it, is to discover to the Romans, and in them, to us all; how to carry our selves to others in matters of indifferency. As there is difference of things in the world, some good, some ill, and some of a middle nature; so there are different affections in men, about these things of a middle nature, some are strong, and they are prone to despise the weaker; for they know their liberty. Some more weak, and they are prone to censure, and complain of them that be strong: as all weaknesse is full of impatience. Thus it was with the Romans, the strong despised the weaker, as ignorant; the weaker censured, and in their hearts condemned the strong, as too adventurous
The Apostle sheweth here an excellent peaceable spirit, hating contention, as an evill thing in a Church. In a Fa…ily, when children fall together by the eares, the father taketh up the quarrell, by beating them both, So in a Church while people fall a contending, and breaking the bonds of love, God taketh them in hand. And therefore the Apostle taketh them off from this danger, of despising one another; and presseth it by a reason in the fourth Verse drawn.
First, from their relations. Who art thou that judgest another mans servant?
Secondly, from their aimes. They doe it both out of religious respects. Hee that eateth, eateth to the Lord, he that eateth not, eateth not to the Lord; hee that regardeth not a day, regardeth it not to the Lord; he that doth it, doth it to the Lord. And therfore if both have a Religious respect, censure may be forborn.
There is that force in a good aime, that in some actions of an indifferent nature, they may be done, or not be done, & God may beare with both, though hee allow not of eithers carelesness in searching out the truth; Till the …ime of growth, God beareth with them, so their aimes be gracious, their fault being simple ignorance, not malicious pertinacy. When S. Paul saw the hypocriticall aimes of the Galathians, in things of indifferent natures, he would not yield a whit to them. But the defect of the Romans was in their knowledge, not in their wils: they did it with respect to the Lord. And therefore as in Acts 13. 18. God is said foreign (an excellent word) to beare with their manners in the VVildernesse, dispencing with many things, as putting away of wives, &c. not that hee liked that course, but hee would set up a meek kinde of government, not taking advantage to cast them off. So he dealt with the Romans. Now shall God be mercifull, and indulgent, and man severe?
In the text you have a generall reason, why they that did it, or did it not, did, or did it not, to the Lord. For none liveth to himselfe, or dieth to himselfe, but whether we live or die, we are the Lords.
In this reason here is first a generall negative None of us liveth to himselfe, none of us dieth to himselfe, a figurative speech, and Rhetoricall expression, beginning and ending alike.
Secondly, there is a generall affirmative, when hee hath taken them off from themselves, hee assigneth them to a true Lord. Whether we live, we live to the Lord whether wee die, wee die to the Lord. And this is set downe with a disjunction, wee neither live to our selves, nor die to our selves.
And, thirdly, a generall ground that wrappeth …p all, Whether we live or die, we are the Lords. And therfore in reason wee should live to him, and die to him.
Fourthly, there is the ground of all, in that, that followeth, For to this end Christ died, and rose againe, that bee might be Lord of life and death. So here is reason upon reason, and ground upon ground.
The summe of all is,Conclusion. wee cannot certainly conclude of life or death: For wee live but for a while, and when wee have acted our part upon the Stage, we die, and go to another world. Of life and death we can make no reckoning. Assoone as wee begin to live, we begin to die. For some part of our life is taken away daily, as it is with sum, the more you take away, the lesse remayneth. But certaine it is, living and dying, we are the Lords. VVee ought therfore to have a conjunctive consideration. I now live, yet that is not my comfort, but sure I am, Whether I live or die, I am the Lords.
He riseth from a generall to a particular, which may teach us this point of wisdome.
First,The first generall observation, or doctrine. that to have good generall truths is an excellent point of wisdome, for they have affluence into all particulars. A comprehension of principles is the ground of prudence for direction in particular cases. There is no art, but hath some generall maxims, as in Law, in Physick, and in the Mathematicks. There be canons or principles (call them what you will) that have influence into all particulars. So Religion hath general rules, which should be deposited in memory at all times; that on all occasions wee may see how particulars spring from, and agree to the generals. Therefore wee should labour to treasure up in our memory good principles, for men worke in all things according to their principles. If they have good principles, or general truths, they work answerably. And the reason of any errour in a Christians life, is from false principles.
Men of a bad conscience, whose synteresis (being the part of the soul that preserveth principles) is corrupt, they think they do God good service in killing of men, from an abominable principle. As in Popery which is grounded upon false principles, making mens traditions a rule of faith.
Therefore it is good to have generall true grounds: Marke how the Scripture is frequent this way. What an excellent generall rule is that of Christ? Seeke the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse, and all other things shall be cast upon you. Carry that along, and what a light doth it give into all our actions. VVhat need wee by indirect courses seeke to bee great in the world, if we take Christs method▪
Again, our Saviour Christ in his ordinary speech delivered it, a generall rule, It is better to give, then to receive. VVhichWhich containeth a direction to men to be publike and liberall, Saint Pauls ordinary course was so, Knowing therfore the terrour of the Lord, wee perswade men, &c. VVhat an influence hath this into our conversations, That I must do, as I must give account at the day of judgment. And so what use made hee of the glorious state to come in that house, and building of God, not made with hands, not seen but apprehended onelyonly by faith. It inabled him to do, and suffer all things that became a Christian to do and suffer. If a man have that principle, and mindeth it, that all things worke together for the best, to them that love God, what can discourage him? he knoweth in the issue all sh…l be for the best, and God will not fail him, nor forsake him in his way, but giveth his Angels… charge over him So Christs direction. One thing is necessary, how may it rectifie us? when we trouble our selves about many impertinencies. If these generalists were always present, upon sollicitations to sin, or discomfort. It shall goe well with the righteous, and it shall not go well with the wicked, if wee take good courses it shall be well, if ill courses, sinne will be bitter: it would be a marvailous helpe and advantage in all particulars of our lives.
The second general observation is this.The second generall observation. That as we must get good principles, laid up in store upon all occasions; so we must specially have gracious aimes. Men are as their aimes are; Noble spirits have noble aimes: Christians are of an higher ranke then ordinary men, and therfore they have higher aimes. Religion giveth command to all other particulars, and prescribeth to them a general end; it taketh a man off from a false end, and pitcheth him upon a true end. It taketh him from himselfe, th… great Idoll that Man naturally sette…h up above God; and above Christ▪ and above Heaven and Happinesse, and telleth him that the true end of all, is to live to Christ, and that on good grounds, for we are his, and his by good title, hee died for us, that he might be Lord both of quick and dead. As in state Policy, those that are Governours in a state, they prescribe ends of Trades, and reduce them to a serviceablenesse of state. If they finde any thing hurtful, they look to it, as it stands in reference to the common good: So Religion considereth of all particulars as they have reference to Christ, and the mayn end, taking us off from false ends, and prescribing the last, and best end, and directing all particulars to that end. But wee shall see this better in the unfolding of the words.
The first thing hee begins in the general is, to take us off from false ends, None of us liveth to himselfe.
First, to live to our selves, is not altogether to be taken in a civil sense. A man liveth to himself, when he liveth privatly, or retiredly, Benè vixit, qui bonè latuit. So a man may do in some things, especially in times of persecution, but this ordinarily is not good. A man is a creature for communion, & God hath fitted him for communion by speech & other endowm…nts, that there may be preserved a communion of Saints. But because a retired life is sometimes good, it is not here maynly aymed at.
Again, secondly, VVe live to our selves, when we minde our selves altogether, and not one another. VVhen we have more respect to our selves, then to God, or to our Christian brother. And this is even contrary to nature, wee see in nature, that a particular nature wil in some cases yield to a general, and thwart it self. The fire is a light body, and in the natural motion of it, mounteth upward, yet this body wil go downwards to preserve whole the uniuersal nature from a vacuum from emptinesse, that the fulnesse and solidity in nature may not be disturbed. And we see heavy bodies goe upward for the same end. As a man wil venture the hand to save his head, and to save his body; so it should be in society and government, particular men should venture themselves for the Prince or State, for the head or for the bodie.
But in a more large and religious sense. To live to a mans self is, to make himselfe his last end; his Terminus reductivus to reduce all to himself: and make Religion & every thing serviceable to himself. When a man will serve himself of God for base ends, because his service will advance him. As the Sichemites were circumcised for Dinah.
And to die to our selves is much like it.
A man dyeth to himselfe, when he regardeth himself in death, and is regarded much of no body else. Persons that have an absolute being of themselves, that have no kindred, not much acquaintance, or have been little fruitful in their lives, die to themselves in a civil sense. That is, no man mourneth for them, saying, Ah my brother, They were of little use in their lives, and so little mist in their deaths.
And usually they that live thus to themselves, they die to themselves, little regarded, little lamented. OnelyOnly this often times, they do most good when they die, as we say of Swine, They are never good till dead.
But this is meant in a theological higher sence, No Christian dieth to himselfe, that is dieth unregarded of God, and of good men. As hee liveth not to himselfe but to Christ, so he dieth not to himselfe, Precious to the Lord is the death of all his Saints. He is not Despotos, without Lord and Master, but whether he liveth or dieth he is the Lords▪ So much for the negative part which wee see may be taken both actively and passively.
But this clause w…l be better understood by adding the other. Whether wee live, wee live to the Lord: Or whether we die, we die to the Lord.
What is it to live to the Lord?Quaest.
First, Answ.to acknowledge the Lord in all our wayes, to be our Lord, to whom we owe our selves.
And secondly, Therupon to resigne our selves to the Lord in our whole carriage, so as to obey him, to give up our selves to be disposed of him, and directed by him, as hee pleaseth.
And then Thirdly, to refer all things to his glory as our last end, and to endevour that God and Christ may be known, and magnified in the VVorld. VVhen wee labour to practise what we pray for, according to that first Petition, (hallowed be thy name) his Religion and truth; and whatsoever else is Gods, may be advanced, set high, published and inlarged, that he may be known and worshipped, that he may be to us, what he is in himselfe, the great God, Lord of quick and dead. So by our giving respect to him, sutable to our knowledge of him.
Fourthly, and lastly, He that liveth to the Lord, comfor…eth himself, in this, that the Lord taketh notice of him in every thing. For it is a phrase impor…ing a direction to a duty. And likewise to confirme, and comfort us in this, that we do our duty. VVee doe not serve a dead Master, but one that taketh notice of us, living and dying.
So to die to the Lord, is to acknowledge Christ to be the Lord of life, and the Lord of death of death,Revel. 1. 18 as well as of life. Hee hath the keyes of Hell and of Death, and the disposing of both. Therefore wee must resigne up our selves to him in death.
And then study to honour him by death in any kinde, yea, by Martyrdome, if he shal cal us to seale; the truth of Religion with bloud.
And then to acknowledge him to be owner of us, and one that wil receive us dying. As he took notice of us living. And so the words are a privilege, as well as a duty. As it is sealed up in the last words. Whether wee live or die, wee are the Lords. Thus I have unfolded the text.
Hee first promiseth the general negative. No man liveth to himself, no man dieth to himselfe. You must apply this to Christians onelyonly, that are true Professors, and members of Christ. For other men that are not in Christ, & have not the spirit of Christ, they live to themselves, and die to themselves, and ayme at themselves in all things, and therefore they are not the Lords. Therfore it is a fearful condition to live, and die to our selves.
Yet you have some kinde of men, not onelyonly in their particular persons, but in their callings are all for themselves, but why should I call it, calling? for there is no calling, but it is for publike good. As an Vsurer, (for whose good is he?) Let all sink or swim, what careth hee, so times hold, and moneths, and yeeres continue, hee wil have his returns. And such are they, that live in a cours… of oppression, that live by the ruine and spoyle of others.
But there is a more subtile living to a mans selfe,The actions of wicked men end in self. as all men doe, that have not the spirit of Christ, they live within that circle selfe▪ the Devil keepeth them that they goe not out of it: so that s…lfe doth run through all their actions, their civill a & ions, yea, their religious actions; which are all tainted with self-respects.
Ever since the fall, it is so Man withdraweth himself from Gods government, and setteth up himselfe instead of God; & thought to have a secured happines from God, in eating the forbidden fruit, and therfore would not depend upon God to be happy. He saw another way to be like God. God hath highest place in our heart, by order of Creation, and according to the degrees of excellency in things, should our esteeme of them be, every thing being beautifull in his place. But where God is put down, (as he is in all men, till they be in Christ) something self-love sets up in the heart above God. Hence commeth the necessity of this method of taking us off from our selves, before wee can live to Christ, because self-love is an impediment, and blocke in the way betweene us and Christ, heaven end happines. And therfore Christ begins the Gospel with self-denial. Whosoever will be my Disciple, let him take up his Crosse, and follow mee.
Now there be foure degrees of selfe.
There is
1. Naturall
2. Civill
3. Sinfull
4. Religious
Selfe.
First, naturall selfe, is the state wee are in, as men.
Secondly, Civill, as we are poor, or rich, or honourable, according to our severall places in the Common-wealth.
Thirdly, sinfull selfe is, as we are carried to sinfull lusts, and the Cr…ature.
Fourthly, Religious self is our Condition in Christ, when we are ingreaffed into him, and made new Creatures.
Now we must not live to our selves.
First, not to our naturall selfe. VVe must not live, onelyonly, to live. For as all other Creatures are to serve us, so wee are to serve something else, that is better. For that, that is not of it selfe, cannot be for it self. Now we have not beings from our selves, but from God; he giveth us beings, and a being in that ranke of Creatures, wherin we are. Therfore our naturall self must be to a higher end. A man is not the end of things, there is another end then he; and that is God, who is of himselfe, & hath made all other things for himselfe.
And therfore riches and honours, and the like: wee should not live to our civill selfe. Nature teacheth us that having spirits, we are not for any thing meaner then our selves. We do not live here to be rich, to be great, to command others; for these things do not answer the soule of man.
First, Nothing that hath an end, can be a chief end. That, that hath …inem consummatum, cannot be finis consummans. That, that hath an end, consuming it self, cānot be an end, perfecting it self. We have a journy beyond all things▪ and that cannot be our end, that leaveth us in the way. Riches and honour are determined in death. Let our preferments be never so great, thogh to the Monarchy of the whole World: yet we have a being beyond them They have consumptions in themselves.
And then they be inferiour. No truth in them, can fill up the understanding, no good in them, can fill up the will. But the understanding can pierce through them. And the will in rellishing, and tasting the good of them, can looke on them as cast commodities. It can quickly suck out all the sweet that is in them. Therfore they cannot be a mans end: because hee hath larger parts then they can fill.
That, that must be mans end, must be larger then the soule, and that wherin hee can rest, it must be some universall good, fit for all turns and purposes. Now there is nothing in the VVorld that hath more then a particular service, for mens particular service, for mens particular ends. Honour can doe something, but not all things. Riches cannot command health, they cannot cure a fit of an ague: they be for a particular good onelyonly. They can command many things, but not al things Men consider what they can do, & therfore desire them. But they consider not what they cannot do, and therefore they rest in them. That which is a mans last end, must be a satisfying general, universal good, an immortal good, of equal co…tinu…ance with hi…; as nothing in the world is.
It must be such a good, as hee cannot offend, or be defiled with all. Such as hee cannot misuse. And what is there in the World, but Christ, and the best things, but a man is prone to defile himselfe in? Knowledge is the best thing, but that worketh like leaven, it swels as the Apostle saith, Knowledge puffeth up. Therfore wee must live to no worldly thing.
And much lesse must we live to sinfull selfe. Some things are to be denied in way of competition, and in opposition, but somthings are to be denied absolutly. Absolutely, a man must not owne, or live to a base lust, pride, or sensuality. Hee ow…th nothing to these, but mortification. We are not debters to the slesh; saith the Apostle. Therefore when a proud vindictive motion ariseth, say I owe no suite, or service to the flesh. VVhat should these doe in a heart dedicated to God, consecrated to Christ? I am not mine owne, much lesse Satans, or lusts: which be objects of mortification, but no way worthy of my service. Absolute deniall is required here.
Of other things,Deniall for Christ. a deniall is required onelyonly as they stand in competition with Christ. In that case, a man must sacrifice Isaac, not onelyonly his sinful selfe, but natural self also, his life, and bodily liberty, the dearest thing in the world, and whatsoever is sweet for Christ.
He having taken us off from our selves, assigneth us to a true Lord. Wee live to the Lord, and die to the Lord. It had not beene enough to say, Wee ought not to live to our selves, or die to our selves, if he had not told, whom we must live to, and die to. For naturally man will never leave any thing; though but an apparāt good, til he knoweth something better. A man wil not part with a bad Master, til he hath a better service. Therefore he sheweth where to bestow our selves: namely, upon Christ, who hath care of us both in life and death.
This is to be laid down for a ground;Our condition in Christ is better then in our selves. had we not a better being in Christ, then in our selves, hee would never take us from our selves; for God never biddeth us to our losse. We have a better condition in Christ, then we can have in the VVorld. It is our gaine, and advantage to live, and die to Christ: though it be to the losse of naturall self, of civill selfe, and whatsoever else; yet it is our advantage. It is Mercatorium, not a losse, but a trading. VVee have a better for worse. No man ever parted with any thing for Religion, or a publike good, but God made it up in a better kind. Though God should not make it up in this world, in the same kinde: yet in Religion, there be all things better then in the world. If we lose honour here, wee have honour from God. If wee lose riches,All our losse is made up in Cheist. wee have them made up in grace here, in glory hereafter. If wee lose liberty, we have it in the inlargment of a good conscience. If wee lose friends, wee get a God for a friend, who can make our enemies fried̄s. If we lose life, wee are put into possession of eternal life, and therfore wee need not stand at the bargain. Wee have a better being in Christ, then in our selves. VVater is not lost, when it emptieth it self into the Sea; for there it is in its proper element. A Christian is not lost, when he loseth himselfe, in his God, in his Saviour. For in him he hath a better being, then in himselfe. Hee is brought neerer the fountain, I desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is the best of all, saith the Apostle, Religion is a most excellent condition; for as hee that saveth his life, shall lose it, so hee that loseth his life, shall save it.
All our comforts have a better being in Christ,Tobe in Christ is better then in our selves. then in… our selves: and therfore wee should labour to have communion with him, and to strengthen our faith in Christ, and be in love with our happy condition in him; which yieldeth comfort in life and death. And all by vertue of the death of Christ, and the resurrection of Christ. As he saith afterward, Christ both died and rose again, that hee might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
The resurrection of Christ is the consummation of all.Christs resurrection is our onelyonly comfort. If Christ had not risen again, where had our comfort bin? But the very thought of it that we are ingraffed in one, who hath not only purchased us by his death (for we are the price of his bloud) but to make it cleer that it is so, is now in heaven as our head, having overcome death, and intending to bring al his body where he is; as it was his will, That where hee is, wee should be also; is a glorious thought. The glory of Christian Religion is in the resurrection of Christ, and to consider that we that are creeping here on earth, shalbe members of him, that is glorious in Heaven, Lord of heaven and earth, who not onelyonly died for us, but is risen againe; and wil make us all (both in body and soule) conformable to his glorious selfe; (as the Apostle saith to the Philippians) cannot but infuse life and vigour into all our actions, estates, and conditions, be they never so mean. And have a wonderfull influence into the whole life of a Christian.