The Excellency of the Gospel Above the Law, Treatise · Part 15

The Excellency of the Gospel Above the Law · Treatise · Part 15

p. 444From Glory to Glory.

By glory is meant especially grace here, and that which accompanies the grace of God, the favour of God, when wee are perswaded of it by the Spirit, by which grace is wrought in us, upon grace p. 445in us there followes peace, and joy, and comfort, and many such things which the Scripture accounts to be glory.

We say there are foure degrees of the glory of a Christian.Foure degrees of the glory of a Christian.

First initiall glory, in his first conversion, and thereupon the knowledge of his deliverance from that cursed and damnable state that he is in, the knowledge likewise of his title to life everlasting, he comes to have friendship with God, he comes to have his nature renewed that he may be friends with God, there must be an assimulation by the Spirit like God in a holy p. 446disposition: Now upon the favour of God wee come to be friends with God, and to have our natures altred, and hereupon comes those glorious qualifications, as peace, and joy, and consolation in all conditions, and liberty, and boldnesse to the throne of grace, this is glory beloved. Is it not a glory to be friends with God, and to have God deale with us as friends, to reveale his secrets to us of his love, and grace in Christ, to discover the hidden mysteries of his love to us, that was hid from the beginning of the world? we never know it till our effectuall calling, p. 447till our first conversion, for God to be friends with us all our life, Abraham was the friend of God, and then to have our nature renewed, to have our shame layd aside:Sin makes us shamefull. indeed sin makes us shamefull, it is the dishonour, and abasement of the soule: The very change of our nature to bee such as God may delight in, this is glory, the Image of God is glory, therefore in Rom. 3. it is sayd we are stripped, and deprived of the glory of God since the fall, that is, of the Image of God by Adams sinne, whereby we resembled God in holinesse, so grace whereby we resemble God is p. 448the Image and likenesse of God, and that is the glory of man; If one should aske what is the best glory of a man? that intrinsicall glory, that charactarizeth a man indeede, it is the stampe of Christ upon him, the Image of the second Adam, in his soule to be like him.

And hereupon those glorious qualifications that follow upon it,Glorious comforts in religion. glorious peace, and glorious joy, glorious and unspeakeable comfort, above all discomforts whatsoever, as indeede the comforts of religion, are comforts triumphing, and prevayling above all discomforts, p. 449there are no comforts but those in religion; that are above the discomforts we meete with in this world, for what can bee set against the wrath of God, against hell and damnation, but the comforts of the Gospell, now when a man is in the state of grace, and hath these glorious things following him, sweete and glorious peace that passeth understanding, that all the world, and all the devills in hell cannot shake, and joy in the holy Ghost, and comforts above all discomforts whatsoever. And then glorious liberty he hath to come into the presence of God upon all p. 450occasions, being a friend of God, are not these things glorious beloved? and these belong to every Christian.

Now as a Christian growes in assurance of his Salvation,Growth in grace glory. and further friendship with God, and further peace, and joy, and comfort, there is a further degree of glory, the growth of grace is glory, therefore in 2 Pet. 1. hee followes the point at large when we adde grace to grace, he saith it gives a further entrance, into the kingdome of God: for the Kingdome of God is begun in grace here, and the further we grow in grace, the more we enter p. 451into the kingdome of grace, and the further we enter into that, the nearer we are to the Kingdome of glory.

The next degree of glory 3is when the soule enjoyes the presence of God in heaven,The glory of the soule in heaven. then the upshot and conclusion, the closure, and consummation 4of all, at the day of judgement,Of bodie, and soule at the resurrection. when body and soule shall bee united againe, then is perfect glory, here it is insinuated, when hee saith we are changed from glory to glory, that is, from grace to grace, till all end in glory, which is the perfection of all in heaven, when body and soule shall bee p. 452both glorious, From glory to glory.

In this is considerable, first that grace is glory;

And then that grace being glory, is growing in a continuall course till it come to perfection, wee grow from glory to glory, from one degree of grace to another.

Grace whereby wee resemble 1Christ is glory,Grace is glory. and indeed so it is,It is Gods image. for the Image and likenesse of God is our glory, what was Adams glory; but his likenesse to God? he was created in Gods Image, and what is our glory? to be like Christ, p. 453therefore grace is our glory.

Mans perfection is his 2glory,Mans perfection. but the renewing of Gods Image in grace is mans perfection, therefore it is his glory.

That which makes a 3man terrible to all opposites whatsoever is glory,Terible to al opposites. but grace makes a man terrible to the Devill, and to wicked men, both grace in one man, and grace in the Church, for the Church is Terrible like an army with banners, when the Ordinances of God are set up in glory, and there is glorious obedience to them in the Church, it is terrible to the enemies as an army p. 454with banners, for there is a luster and glory in all that is Gods, both in the persons of beleevers, and likewise in the Ordinances of God; grace is glorious as the wise man saith,Wisedome. Wisedome makes a mans face to shine. Is not wisedome a glorious thing, to see a wise understanding man able to guide himselfe and others? it puts a beauty upon a man, to be a wise, and understanding man:Humility. humility makes a man glorious, for it makes God put glory upon a man when a man is glorious, and understands it not, as Moses when his face shined, he knew not that it shined himselfe, many p. 455humble men are glorious and thinke not so, they are glorious, and they shine, though they see it not.

It is not a glorious thing to be taken out of our selves,Selfe denia…l. to deny our selves, to offer a holy violence to our selves, and to our corruptions, is not this a glorious thing, when others lye grovelling like slaves under their corruptions, to stand vnmoveable in all the changes of the world, and in all entercourse of troubles to stand as a rock in the middest of all unmoveable, founded upon the love of God in Christ, and the hope of glory after, not to be shaken with the winde of temptations p. 456from his standing, at least not to be shooke off his standing, this is glorious to have a constant Spirit.

Is it not glorious to have admittance boldly by grace,Boldnesse with God. to goe into the presence of God at all times, to be prevailer with God, faith overcomes, not onelyonly the world but God himselfe, it bindes him with him owne promise? is not faith a glorious grace that triumphs over the great God himselfe, binding him with his owne Word and promise?

Is not love a glorious grace,Love. that melts one into the likenesse of Christ? beloved p. 457get love, it is the onelyonly artificiall worker of imitation, it melts us into the likenesse of Christ it constraines, it hath a kinde of holy violence in it, no water can quench it, wee shall glory in sufferings, for that we love, nothing can quench that holy fire that is kindled frō heaven, it is a glorious grace.

Hope,Hope. what doth it? when it casts anchor in heaven, it keepes us in all the waves, it purgeth our natures to bee like the thing hoped for, there is no grace but it is glorious, so that grace is glory, the Image of God is glory, it makes a man glorious, it makes him shine.

p. 458Beloved doe but represent to your thoughts, such a one as Ioseph, of a sweete, wise, and loving Spirit, it is an excellent state, to see a man in his place, in the common wealth, what a glorious sight is it to see a Ioseph, a Nehemiah, to see a man like Paul, all on fire for the glory of God, and the good of the Church, the care of all the Churches lay upon him, the conceite of a man shining in grace, what a glorious representation in our thoughts is it.

And so in men now living, when we see wisedome, and love tending to the common good, p. 459when wee see a spirit of mortification, when wee see a Spirit of love, that is not for it selfe but for other men, a Spirit of love above selfe-love, all for the good of others, as Christ went about doing good, It makes them so lovely and glorious, as that no object in the world is so glorious, as to see a man in whom the Image of Christ is, it puts a glory upon him.

Besides it puts an inward glory upon a man, when it makes him rejoyce, The Spirit of glory rests upon him; nay in imprisonments and abasements, take a p. 460good man in any condition he is glorious, his carriage is glorious, you shall not see flesh and blood, no revengefull humor,The glorious condition of a Christian. when flesh and blood is subdued, and nothing appeares in a man, but the Image of Christ, he is a glorious creature, in the greatest abasement that can be, when Paul was in the stockes, what a glorious condition was he in, when he sung at midnight when the Spirit of glory was upon him, to see the Martyres suffer without revenge, to pray for their enemies, that they had a Spirit that conquered all wrongs, and feare of death, and displeasure of p. 461men, a triumphant Spirit above all things below, to r…yse them above incouragements, and discouragements, what a glorious thing was this, to see a man in his right principles, with the Image of God upon him, he sees all things below beneath him, this is glorious to see a man that overcomes the world, that cares no more for the offers of preferment on the right hand, or for threatnings on the other hand, all is nothing to him, he breakes it as Sampson did his cords, to see such a victorions spirit, is not this glorious? to see a glorious soule, that is above all earthly things p. 462whatsoever, that tramples the world under foote, as the Woman cloathed with the Sunne, treades the moone under her foote; the Church cloathed with Christ, who is the glory of the Church, tramples all earthly things under feete, grace is victorious and conquering, prevayling over those corruptions that prevayle over ordinary men. A Christian as David, when he had Saul in the Cave, overcomes himselfe, it is an argument of a great deale of strength of grace. Christ overcame himselfe on the crosse, he prayed for his enemies, so when the nature of man is so p. 463subject to the power of grace, that though there be rebellions in us (as there will be, while we are in this world) yet they cannot overpower the principle of grace, all this while a man is a glorious Christian, because he is not subject to the common humors, and infirmities, and weakenesses of men, therefore that makes a Christian glorious, when he brings every thought, and affection, and every corruption as much as may be, to the subjection of the Spirit of glory, to the Spirit of Christ in him, though old Adam stirre in him, yet he brings him downe that hee doth p. 464not discover himselfe to the scandall of the Gospell, and profession, and to the weakening of the love of good things, in the hearts of others it shall not break out, he subjects these rising thoughts, here grace is glorious.

Another man cannot doe this,Difference betweene a Christan and another man. he cannot love God, he cannot deny himselfe, hee cannot resist temptations not inwardly, he may forbeare an action out of feare, but a Christian can love, and feare, and delight in good things, and he can resist, and hee can enjoy the things of this life, in a subordinate manner to better things, a worldling cannot doe it, p. 465there is a glory upon a Christian, a derivative glory from Christ, for we shine in his beames, wee are changed according to his Image from glory to glory.

Object. The thing is not much questionable that grace is glorious, but it may bee objected doth grace make one glorious, then how comes the world to despise such as have grace? such as are like Christ?

I answere it is from blindnesse, Answ. from Spirituall drunkennesse,Why the world despise those that are gracious. and madnesse, they cannot discerne of things, they are besotted, 1they see no difference;From blindnesse of carnall men. therefore they cannot discerne things that are excellent, p. 466but take a man in his right principles, take a sober man, and he will see an excellency in a Christian above himselfe.

2Againe grace is not made so much of oft times in the world,From Saints infirmities. because it is joyned with so many infirmities, our life is hid with Christ, it is hid under infirmities, and under afflictions oft times, and being hidden it doth not appeare so much in this world.

3And then againe however men force upon themselves a contempt of grace,It is but a forced contempt. and of the best things, yet notwithstanding it is but forced, for p. 467their conscience stoopes at it, witnesse conscience when it gives evidence on their death bed, take a man when he is himselfe, when he is sober, when he is best able to judge, when those things are taken from him, that obscured and darkened his judgement, and then you shall have him justifie all things that are good, both grac… and the meanes of grace.

Againe it must be so, 4that we may bee conformable to Christ,We must be conformed to Christ. the world misguideth the state of a Christian, they thinke them vile and base persons, so they did Christ the head of the Church, you see how Christ was p. 468esteemed, his glory was vayled with our nature, and with misery a while, but it sparkled out oft times in his miracles: Now this was that hee might suffer, and performe the worke of Salvation, for the devill nor the wicked world would never have done that they did to him, if his glory had broken forth to the full luster of it.

So it is with the body misticall of Christ, the world misjudgeth of them, it appeares not now what they shal be hereafter, nor what they are now indeed, because God will have them conformable to Christ: If so bee that p. 469the glory of Christians were discovered in the true lustre, who would wrong a Christian if they did see him indeede to be a member of Christ, and an heire of heaven, the care of Angels, and the price of Christs death, if they did see him in his excellency, all the world would admire him, and make another man of him, then of Potentates, and Monarches; but how then should he be conformable to his head in afflictions? the head was to save us by death, hee must be abased, the world must take him as a strange man, and we that must be conformed to him, wee must p. 470passe as unknowne men in the world,Grace in others either imitated or envied. but not so unknowne, but that grace breakes out sometimes to admiration, and imitation, and when it hath not imitation, it stirres up envy, and mallice in others, in the children of the devill, therfore, notwithstanding all objections, grace is glory, it makes us like Christ, who is glorious, who is the Lord of glory.

And then it drawes glory with it glorious peace, and glorious comfort, and joy in the Holy Ghost, the attendants of grace in the hearts of Gods people, is it not as I said a glorious thing, for a man to have that peace in him that passeth p. 471all understanding, that shall settle, and quiet his soule in all tumults in the world, when all things are turned upside downe, for a Christian to stand unmooveably built upon the Rocke: Whence comes this glorious pitch, but from grace, grace, and peace, one follow another, then for a man to have inward joy and comfort in the midst of afflictions, and disconsolations in the world, it is a wonderfull and a gloriousthing, it in called joy unspeakeable, and glorious grace, therefore in regard of that that followes it, in this world it is glory.

Hence it is, that the p. 472wise man saith, that the Righteous is more excellent then his neighbour, The excellency of Christians above others.hee is more glorious then another man, as pearles are above pebbles, he is more excellent in life, in death, and after death especially, for there is a growing from glory to glory, he is glorious in life, more glorious in death, when his soule shall be put into glory in heaven, and most of all glorious, when Christ shall come to be glorious in his Saints, as it is in … Thess. so he is excellent in life, and in death, and for ever, for another man, that is but a man, a man, said I, nay, if a man be but a man, hee is either like a p. 473devill in subtilety, or a beast in sensuallity, hee carries the image either of a beast, or of the devill, besides a man,Two sorts of carnall men. a righteous man therefore that hath the Image of God stamped upon him, hee is better then another man every way, for hee is in a higher ranke of creatures, grace sets a man as farre above other men, as other men are above other creatures. At the first the creatures reverenced God in Adam, they came and tooke their names from him, they were subject to him, so grace is a glorious majesticall thing, wicked men, even Herod reverenced grace in Iohn Baptist, p. 474and evill men reverence it in their hearts, in Gods people, though their mouthes speake against it, a Christian is a Spirituall man, as reason lifts a man above other creatures, so the Image of God set upon a man, it lifts, & raiseth him above other men.

Vse. 1 If grace, and the Image of God,To labour for grace that we may be glorious. and Christ, in us be glory, and make us excellent, let us all labour for grace above all things, we all as I said before, desire liberty, and as we desire liberty, so wee desire glory, but we know not the way how to come to it, in seeking liberty, wee seeke licensiousnesse, in seeking glory, we seeke it p. 475from men, that cannot give it, we seeke glory in outward things that are nothing, what is the glory of all outward things, but the shining of a rotten peece of wood, in the night time? or as a glowworme? what is all this glory, but a flash? it is nothing, if we would seek true glory indeed, as naturally all doe, let us seeke grace, thereby we resemble Christ, the Lord of glory, thereby wee are glorious in the eyes of Christ, thereby wee are glorious both without and within, though this glory for the present bee hid, thereby we are terrible to the devill, and all enemies: p. 476For ever since his head was crushed by Christ, that broke the Serpents head, he is afraid of mans nature in Christ, he is afraid of Christians, as knowing that they be better then himselfe, and hee shall bee judged by them ere long, the devill shall be judged by Christians, therefore let us studdy for this glory,No man glorious but a Christian. a man is never glorious till he be a Christian.

It is said of Antiochus that he was a vile person, what, though hee was a King? yes; let a man be never so great in the world, if he be a wicked man, a man that dishonoureth his tongue, that shold p. 477be his glory, that hath not the language of Canaan, that dishonors, and defiles his body, that should be the Temple of the Holy Ghost, a man that carries a malicious, and malignant Spirit, that hath the image of the devill in his soule, if hee bee never so great a person, he will be vile ere long, when all relations shall end in death, all excellencies must bee layd downe in death, therefore seeing all other excellencies cannot keepe a man from being a vile person, let us labour for that that will put a glory upon us, labour for the Image of Christ to be stamped upon our soule. There p. 478is a great humour in this age in looking to peeces of workemanship, if a man have skill to discerne a peece as they call it, it is more then ordinary: Beloved, what a vanity is this (though these pictures be lawfull, they are a kind of mute poetry) but what is this to the having of the glorious Image of Christ stamped upon us, to bee glorious in the eye of God and in the very judgement of carnall men?

There is nothing so excellent as grace, and nothing so base as sinne, indeed there is nothing base but sinne, and nothing excellent but grace, so that Gods children, not onelyonly p. 479in their glorious riches, and prerogatives to be the Sonnes of God and heires of Heaven, are glorious, but they have an inward glory: The Spouse of Christ is glorious within: Insomuch that Christ is in love with his owne graces, he wonders at his owne graces in his children.

Vse 2 Againe, oppose this to the scorne and hatred of the world,Oppose this glory to the base esteem of carnall men. base minded persons that disgrace goodnesse, that their illnesse may bee the lesse discerned, they labour to make all alike, all they can by slaunders, at least that their illnesse may not appeare, oppose the judgment of Gods Spirit that p. 480esteemes grace glory a gainst all the judgement of the base world: Beloved, they shall know one day, that those that they despise shall judge them, and their hearts secretly tell them so, what makes them maligne men better then themselves? they have a secret conceit, he is above me, The spirituall man judgeth all things, he is a man that discernes by a spirituall eye, he judgeeth and condemneth my wayes, and hereafter he will judge mee, a secret conscience in him, makes him feare a good man, though hee deprave and maligne him, yet his heart stoupes.

p. 481Vse. 3 Againe, is grace glory, when God sets it on us, shall wee cast our crowne in the dirt? shall wee defile, and blemish our glory by sinniug against conscience? wee forget our excellency, that grace is glory, it teacheth us how to carry our selves to our selves: If there be grace is us, let us be honorable to our selves. It is a good caveat that wee should be venerable to our selves, that is, Christians should take a holy state to themselves. What? I that am an Heire of Heaven, I that am a King, I that am a Conquerour, I that am the Sonne of God, I that am a Freeman, should I tangle p. 482my selfe with these things, shall I goe and staine my selfe? Is it not an unsightly thing to see a golden pillar daubed with dirt? or to see a crowne cast in the dirt? God hath put a crowne upon me, he hath made me a King, he hath made me an Heire of Heaven, hee hath made me his Sonne, he hath put a glory upon mee, shall I abase my selfe to devillish base courses? No, I will be more honorable in my owne eyes. Let us thinke our selves too good for the base services of Sathan, these thoughts we should take to our selves, these are not proud thoughts, but befitting p. 483our condition, when wee are tempted to any base course whatsoever it is, it is contrary to my calling.

Vse 4 And let us comfort our selves in the worke of grace, though it bee wrought in never so poore a measure,Comfort our selves in the disparagements of the world. in all the disparagements of the world, for those that are besotted with false vaine-glory, they have the eyes of their soules put out, and dimmed, and dazled with false glory, they cannot judge of the glory of a Christian, they want eyes, therefore let us bee content to passe in the world as hidden, Christ passed concealed in the world, p. 484onelyonly now and then, the beames of his glory brake forth in his miracles, so wee must be content, for our glory is hid in Christ, for the most part, and it is clouded with the imputations and malice of men, and sometimes with infirmities, as it will in this world, let us comfort our selves with this, that wee are glorious howsoever, and glorious within, and this glory will breake out in a holy conversation, and it is better to be glorious in the eyes of God, and Angels, and good men, and in the consciences of ill men, then to have glory from their mouthes, mallice will not suffer p. 485them to glorify them with their mouthes, but their consciences must needes stoope to goodnesse, for God hath put a majesty into goodnesse, that any man that is a man, that is not a beast, that hath naturall principles, will reverence it, and the consciences of such men wil make them speake the truth one day, and they shall say We fooles thought these men mad, but, N…w wee see our selves fooles: therefore in the disparagements of worldly men, that know not where true glory lies, let us be content with this, that God hath made us truely glorious, by working a change p. 486in a comfortable measure, let us comfort our selves in this.

Vse 5 Againe, by this wee may know whether wee have grace in us or no; If we thinke grace to be glory,To know whether we have grace by our esteeme of it let us have tha… judgement and conceit of grace 1of the change of our natures,In himselfe (by the Spirit of God, and the truth of God) as the Holy Ghost hath here, calling it glory, that very judgement shewes that there is an alteration in our affections, that we are changed, in the spirit of our minds, that we have a right conceite of heavenly things: for none but a Christian indeed can judge grace to be glory, p. 487that can truely thinke so: for if a man thinke grace to be glory truely, if hee be convinced by the power of the spirit, he will be gracious: for there is an instinct in all men by nature, to glory in something you have the gulls of the world, they glory in somthing, in swaggering, beastly courses, you have devillish men glory that they can circumvent others, rather then men will have no glory, they will glory in that that is shame indeed, man having a disposition alway to glory in something, if hee be convinced that grace is glory he will be gracious:

Therefore, I beseech p. 488you enter into your owne soules, and see what conceites you have of the Image of God, of the graces of Christianity, and then certainely it will raise a holy ambition, to have that stampe set upon you.

2Againe, this is another evidence that a man is gracious,In others. if he can looke upon the life of another that is better then he, with a conceite that it is glory, and loving of it as glory, many men see grace in other men, but with a maligning eye, they see it to disgrace it, for naturally this is in men, they are so vaineglorious, and ambitions, that when they see p. 489the lives of other men outshew theirs, instead of imitation, they goe to base courses, they obscure and darken that light with slanders, that they will not imitate in their courses. This is in the better sort of men, the prouder, and greater sort of men, what grace they will not imitate, they will defame, they will not be outshined by any thing; therefore, those that can see so farre into the life of another man, as they love it, and honour the grace of God in another man, it is a signe there is some worke of glory begunne in them, men can indure good things in bookes, and by p. 490reports, and good things of men that are dead, &c. but they cannot indure good things running in their eies, especially when it comes in a kind of competition, and comparison, they love not to bee outshined.