The Excellency of the Gospel Above the Law, Treatise · Part 7 – Part 9

The Excellency of the Gospel Above the Law · Treatise · Part 7 – Part 9

p. 294We behold, &c.

God when he made the World, this glorious frame of the creatures, and all their excellencies, he created light, to discover it selfe, and all other excellencies: for light is a glorious creature, it discovers it selfe, it goes with a majesty, and discovers all other things, good and bad whatsoever; and together with light God created sight in man, and other sences, to apprehend the excellencie of the creation, what were all this goodly frame of creatures, the sunne, and moone, and starres, and glory of p. 295the earth, if there were not light to discover, and sight to apprehend it by? Is it so in this outward creation of the old heavens, and old earth that must be consumed with fire, and is it not much more in the new creation? there is excellent glory, mervailous glory, wondrous grace, and Christ, &c. must there be light, and must there not be an eye to discover this? surely there must, therefore it is sayd here We behold.

God puts a Spirituall eye by his Spirit into all true beleevers, whereby they behold this excellent glory, this glorious p. 296grace, that God may have the glory, and wee the comfort, those are the two maine ends, God intends his owne glory, and our Salvation, there must be a beholding, how should he have glory, and wee comfort, unlesse all were conveyed by spirituall sight? Well then the Spirit creates, and workes in us Spirituall sences; with Spirituall life there are Spirituall sences, sight, and taste, and feeling, sight is here put for all; We behold.

There are many degrees of sight,Degrees of sight. it is good to know them, therefore I will name some of them.

p. 297We see God in his 1creatures,In the creatures. for The heavens declare the glory of God, they are a booke in folio, there God is layd open in his creatures, that is a goodly sight, but what is this to the knowledge of him in his will to us, what he meanes to us? the creatures discover not what he meanes to us.

Besides therefore the 2sight of God in the creatures,In the Word. there is a sight of God in his will, in his Word and promises, there we see what he is, his grace is revealed in Christ and what his good will to us is, and his will from us, what he will doe to us, and what he will have p. 298from us againe, there wee see him as a spouse sees her husband in a loving letter, which concernes her selfe, we see him as the heire sees a deed made to him with an inheritance, he sees with application, it is not a bare sight, but a sight with seeling, and discovery of a favour, so the sight in the Word and Sacraments, it 3is a higher sight,Of Christ in the flesh. there was a sight of Christ when he was in the flesh, when hee was covered with the vaile of our flesh upon earth, it was a swee…e sight, Abraham desired to see it, and Simeon when he saw it, was willing to be dissolved, and to depart p. 299he had enough, but that outward sight is nothing without another inward sight of faith.

There is a sight therefore 4of faith,Of faith. and other sights are to no purpose if they be without this, a sight of God shining in Christ, and this is perfected in heaven, in the sight of glory, when we see him as hee is: Now there is a comfort in all these sights to see him in his Word and workes, it was a glorious thing to see him in his bodily presence, and by faith to see God in Christ, to see his face in Christ, oh it is a sweete and lovely sight to see God shining in Christ, oh p. 300but what is all this to the sight of him after in glory? Now this beholding meant here especially, is the beholding of faith in the Ordinances, in the Word and Sacraments; We all behold, as in the glasse of the Word and Sacraments, by the eye of faith; faith is expressed by beholding, by knowledge, for indeede faith is nothing but knowledge with application, therefore faith includes knowledge, what is faith but o know God and Christ, and the promises as mine, Christ in the Sacrament as mine as verily, as the outward things are mine, knowledge, with application p. 301is faith, therefore, when I …ay faith, I include knowledge, We behold.

The knowledge of the minde is compared to the eye of the body,Faith compared to sight. knowledge and faith is compa…ed to seeing, and beholding, for many reasons.

First, because sight is 1the most g…orious,It is the noblest sence. and noble sence, it is the highest in situation, and the quickest in apprehension, for in a moment, presently sight apprehends its obj…ct in the highest heavens, so it is with faith, it is the most noble sight of all, and it is quicke as sight is, for faith is that Eagle in the cloud, it breakes through all, and sees in a p. 302moment Christ in heaven, it lookes backeward, and sees Christ upon the crosse it lookes forward, and seeeth Christ to come in glory, faith is so quicke a grace, that it presents things past, things above, things to come, and all in a moment, so quicke is this Eagle-eye of Faith.

2Againe,It is largest it is the largest sence, for we can see, almost the whole hemisphere at one view, that a little thing in the eye shold apprehend so much in a moment, as it is quick in apprehension, so it is large in comprehension.

3Againe,It is the surest. it is the most sure sence, sight more then hearing, therefore, p. 303that divine act of knowledge is compared to seeing, beleeving is compared to beholding, when faith lookes upon God in the glasse of the word, and promises, it is as certaine as the object is certaine; Now how certaine is the object? the mercy, and love of God in Christ, who is truth it selfe, is most certaine.

Then it is that sence, 4that workes most upon the soule,It is most working. sight: for what the body seeth, the soule is affected and mooved with the affections of desire, and love, rise out of sight, it workes upon the affections most; therefore the knowledge that p. 304stirres up the affections, and works upon the heart, is compared to sight, it affects us marveilously, for answerable to our faith, we love, and joy, and delight, it alters the frame of the whole man, therefore it is expressed here, by beholding, divine, spirituall knowledge, it workes upon the heart. So wee see why this beholding spirituall of the understanding, and soule is compared to outward sight, it is called beholding, because it is a most noble spirituall act of the soule, and it is most certaine and sure, faith is the evidence of things not seene, and it workes upon the heart and ſoule.

p. 305Ʋse.Therefore, wee should labour to cleare this eye of the soule, that wee may behold the glory of God, in the glasse of the Gospell.

Quest. How shall wee have the eye of our soules fit to behold the glory of God?

Answ. Wee must fixe the eye of the soule, fixe our mediation upon the glory of God,How to keepe the eye of the soule cleare. and the excellency of Christ; a moving,To …ixe it on the object. rouling 1eye seeth nothing, therfore we must set some time apart to fixe our meditations upon these excellent things in the Gospell.

Then againe,Remoove hinderances. wee must 2labour to have the hinderances remooved both p. 306within, and without.

1Sight within,Inward. is hindred by some inward suffusion, wee must labour that the soule be cleansed and purged from all carnall passions and desires, and base humours, that wee may clearely behold this spirituall object, unlesse the soule be spirituall, it can never behold spirituall things, the bodily eye cannot apprehend rationall things, nor the rationall eye, beholds not spirituall things, therfore there must bee a spirituall eye, the soule must be purged, and sanctified by the Spirit, there must bee some proportion betweene the soule and spiritual things, p. 307before the soule can behold them, therefore as the soule must bee fixed upon this meditation, so the Spirit of God must sanctifie and purge the soule.

OutwardOutward. hindrances of sight, as dust in the eyes, 2and clouds, &c. they hinder sight, Sathan labours to hinder the sight of the soule from beholding the glory of God shining in the Gospell, with the dust of the world, as the Apostle saith in the next chapter: The God of this world blindes the eyes of men, that they behold not the glory of God shining in the Gospell, therefore if the Gospel be hid, it is hid to them p. 308that perish, that are lost, in whom the god of this world hath blinded their mindes, that they beleeve not, least the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ should shine upon them, therefore take heed of too much worldly things, of fixing our soules upon the dust of the world, upon things here below, the sight of Christ, and of God in Christ, it is not gotten by looking below, by fixing the soule upon base things below, let us looke therefore that our soules be inwardly cleansed, and fixed upon spirituall things, and then we shall the better behold the glory of God shining in p. 309the Gospell.

And we should preserve this sight of faith by hearing,Spirituall sight presered by hearing. begets seeing in Religion, death came in by the eare at the first; Adam hearing the Serpent, that hee should not have heard, death came in by the eare, so life comes in by the eare, we heare, and then wee see, as we have heard, so have wee seene, say they in the Psalme: It is true in Religion, most of our sight comes by hearing, which is the sence of learning, God will have it so; therefore wee should maintaine all we can, this beholding of the glory of the Lord, in the glasse of the Word, p. 310and for that end heare much.

You will aske mee,The best glasse to know Christ in. what is the best glasse of all to see and know Christ in…

If you aske a Papist, he will shew you crucifixes, and such kinde of things; Oh but to behold Christ in the glasse of the word, with a Spirit of faith, that is the best picture, and representation that can bee, it is skarce worth spending so much time, as to con fute that foolery, to have any grace wrought in the heart, by such abominable meanes as that is, as they use it, take it at the best, it is but a bastardly helpe, and bastardly meanes p. 311breed a bastardly devotion, for will God worke grace in the heart, by meanes of mans devising? If pictures bee any teachers, they are teachers of lyes saith the Prophet, and in the Church of God, till Pastors, and Teachers became Idols, Idols never became Teachers, then came the Doctrine of Idols teaching of simple people, when Idols became teachers a thousand yeares after Christ. So that the best picture to see Christ in, is the Word, and Sacraments, and the best eye to see him with, is the eye of Faith, in the Word and Sacraments, keepe that cleare, and we need p. 312no crucifixes, no such bastardly helpes, of bastard… ly devotion, devised by proud men, that would not be beholding to God for his Ordinances: But a touch is almost too much, for such things that are so cleare to men that have spirituall eyes, in Gal. 3. See what Saint Paul saith, what his judgement was: Oh foolish Galathians, before whom Christ hath been painted and cruci…ied, how was he painted? nothing but by the preaching of Christ crucified in the Gospell, and the riches of Christ in the Gospell, and in the Sacraments laid open, doe you thinke there were any other crucifixes p. 313in the world then?

With open face.

The manner of this beholding is with open face, there must be a double vayle taken away before we can behold the glory of God; the vayle of obscurity, and the vayle of slavery, the vayle of ignorance, and infidelity within▪ and the vayle of the things themselves, these two vayles are both taken a way before we can with open face behold the glory of the Lord: the inward vayle is taken away by the Spirit of God illuminating our understandings, and giving us a p. 314Spirit of faith; the outward vayle of the obscurity, of the things is taken away by the teaching, and ministery of the Gospell, having that helpe to know the meaning of the Scriptures, so that now in these glorious times of the Gospell, both the vayles are taken away, that we may behold without hinderance the glory of God shining in the Gospell, for now we enjoy the ministery of the Spirit, the Spirit is effectuall to shine in our hearts, and then we have the gifts of men, outward gifts, whereby the vayle of ignorance is …aken away in regard of the things p. 315themselves, the things are unfolded.

If the things of themselves be darke,The vayle tooke away. or if they be lightsome, and there be no sight within, or if there be sight, and that sight be vayled, there can be no seeing, but now to Gods elect he takes away all these vayles, he shines in wardly, and gives outward light in the helpe of meanes, and yet not withstanding while we live here, there is alwayes some obscurity, and darknesse,But in part. for the vayle of the Scriptures is not quite tooke away, there is some darkenesse of the Scriptures, and likewise the vayle of ignorance, and p. 316infidelity is not altogether taken away, there are some remainders of ignorance, of infidelity, and hardnesse of heart, but yet in a great measure it is taken away here, and shall by little and little tooke away till wee come to see God face to face in heaven.

With open face.

Coverings had two uses in the Iewish state.Two fold use of a vayle.

They had a use of subjection, therefore the Women had their vayles in token of subjection.

And they had a use likewise of obscurity to hinder the offensive lustre p. 317of that that is glorious, therefore Moses put a vayle on his face, when he came downe from the mount; now in Christ Iesus in the Gospell, both these vayles are taken away in some respects, the vayle of subjection and slavery, so farre as it is a slavery is taken away, the Spirit of Christ workes liberty, as I sayd before, now wee serve God as Sonnes, and not as servants any longer, the vayle of subjection is taken away, onelyonly there is a spouse like filiall subjection, the servile subjection we are freed from.

And then the vayle that hid the things is taken p. 318away too, so now with open face, we behold the glory of the Lord; now the things themselves, Christ and the gracious promises of grace and glory and comfort, they are clearely layd open without any vayle; how comes it then that we see them not?Why men see not though the Gospell be unvailed. there is a vayle over our hearts, the more shame for us, that when the things are unvayled wee should have a vayle upon our hearts, of ignorance and unbeleefe, therefore if any beleeve not, it is because The god of this world hath blinded their eyes; where the meanes of Salvation are, and Christ layd open in p. 319the meanes, if men doe not beleeve, the fault is not in the things, for they are unvayled, they are discovered and layd open, the fault is in us, there is a vayle over the hea…t, there is a cloud of ignorance and unbeleefe, that keepes the heart from beholding the glory of the mercy of God in Christ.