Light from Heaven, Part 9
Iustified in the Spirit.
Then first of all,Vse 1. Christ will at length justifie himselfe;Christ will justifie himself at length. this is a ground of Faith. How-ever he be now as a Signe set up, that many speake against, and contradict; yet the time will come, when he will gloriously justifie himselfe to all the World. Now some shut their eyes willingly, and the opposites of Christ seeme to flourish; yet Christ will be justified by his Spirit to all his Elect, in every Age, especially in the Resurrection: For, when he shall come and appeare to be glorious in his Saints, it will appeare who he is indeed. Now he suffers many to tread upon his Church, and he suffers many Heretikes to denie him, sometimes in one nature, sometimes in another, and so to offend against him; but the time will come, that he will trample all his enemies under his feet; he will be justified by his Spirit, that is our comfort. There are many Schismatikes, and Heretikes, and Persecutors; but Christ will be justified at length, the Kingdomes of the Earth will be the Lord Iesus Christs. Are they not now so? They are: but truly they appeare not to be so; but, at length, they will appeare to be so: at the conversion of the Iewes, and the confusion of Antichrist, then it will appeare more and more, that he is King of the World indeed. Now (as it were) his Offices are darkened; his Kingly Office is darkned, and his Propheticall Office is darkned: but at length it will appeare, that he is King of the Church; and all Kingd…mes will be Christs. There are glorious times comming, especially the glorious Day of the Resurrection; Christ at le…gth will be cleared he will be justified. Simile.The Sunne at length, will scatter all the clouds: In the morning they gather about the Sunne, as if they would cover it; oh, but the Sunn… breakes thorow all, and gloriously appeares at length: so Christ will scatter all clouds, and gloriously appeare to be that which the Word sets him forth to be.
Againe, as Christ will justifie himselfe, so he will justifie his Church and children, first or last, by his Spirit: His children are now accounted the off-scouring of the World, they are trampled and trod upon, they are the objects of scorne and hatred; and who accounted so base? Will Christ endure this? No: he that justified himselfe, that is, that declared himselfe, and will more and more declare himselfe to be as he is; will he not justifie his Church, his Mysticall Body, to be as they are indeed? Certainely, it shall appeare to the World, that he will justifie them, to be Kings and Priests, to be Heires, to be glorious, to be so neere and deare to him, as the Scripture sets them forth to be. Whatsoever the Scripture hath spoken of the Saincts, and children of God, the time will come, that all this shall be justified and made good by that Spirit of Christ, whereby he made good whatsoever he had said of himselfe.
Comfort in disgraces.Therefore in our eclipses, and disgraces, let us all comfort our selves in this; Let the World esteeme us for the present, as the reffuse of the World, as persons not worthy to be acquainted with, not worthy to be regarded; we shall be justified, and cleared, and glorified, especially at that day, when Christ shall come to be glorious in his Saints. There is a hidden life of the Church, and every Christian; they have a life in Christ, but that life is hid in Christ, Simile.in Heaven. As the Flowers in Winter, they have a life, but it is hidden in the root; When Christ shall appeare, as blessed S. Paul and S. Iohn say, then it shall appeare who we are: Then our glorious life, that now is in our Head, shall appeare; then we shall be justified to be so glorious, as the Scripture sets us forth to be; the Church shall be glorious within and without too, at that Day. Therefore, let us comfort our selves; this hidden life, though it appeare not now, yet we shall be justified. And hence we may answer some objections likewise.
Some may say,Object. How doth it appeare, that Christ is King of the Church? We see how the Church is trampled on at this day. Where is the life and glory of the Church? What! his Spouse, and thus used? What! his Turtle, and thus pulled and plucked by the Birds of prey?
I answer:Answer. Looke with other Spectacles, with the eye of Faith, and then you shall see a Spring in the Winter of the Church; how-ever she be now abased, and eclipsed, yet she shall be justified; and it will appeare, that Christ regards his Church, and people, and children, more then all the World besides; onelyonly, there must be a conformitie.
Affl…ctions conforme us to Christ.It was fit there should be a time of Christs abasement; how should he have suffred else? the World would never have crucified God, they could not have done it. Therefore he was abased, he veiled his God-head under his manhood, under a base condition; so he passed thorow suffering to glory. So it must be in the Body of Christ; it must passe thorow the veile of infirmities, of weakenesse, affliction and disgrace; how else should it be conformable to Christ? If Christ had justified himselfe at all times, in his humiliation, he could not have suffered; if we should be justified now, and appeare to all the World who we are; who would persecute us, how could we be conformable to Christ? Therefore let us quietly and meekely a while endure these things, that are nothing but to conforme us to our Head; knowing this, that as he was justified by little and little, till he was perfectly justified, when he was raysed from the dead; so we shall be perfectly justified and freed from all imputations at the last day, when by the same Spirit that raysed him; wee shall be raysed up too.
Nay, in this World, when it is for his glory, and for our good, he will bring our righteousnesse to light as the Noone-day,Psal. 37. he will free us from the imputations that the World layes on us, he will have a care of our credit: For, as Christ was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God in a fit time; so shall we, when we are fit. Then the World shall see, that we are not the men that prophane, bitter, malicious persons, (led with the spirit of the Devill) charged us to be.
Let us take no scandall at the present afflictions of the Church:Not to take scandall at the Churches afflictions. Christ will justifie his mysticall Body, by his glorious power, in good time; Antichrist shall not alway ruffle in the World: Christ will be justified to be the King and Ruler of the World; All power is committed to him. But we see it now: Antichrist rages in the World, and the Church seemes to be under Hatches. So it is with particular Christians, those that belong to God, and indeed are truly such as they professe themselves to be (though with much weaknesse; we see in what respect and esteeme they are had. Let us comfort our selves, beloved: Christ justified himselfe by his Spirit, and will he not justifie his poore Church, and free it from the tyrannie of Antichrist? Will he not advance those that are troden on now, and made as the dirt in the street, that they shall shine as the Sunne? Therefore, when you heare of the dejected state of the Churches abroade, be not dismayed: Consider there is a glorious King that rules the World, and he will make it appeare ere long, he will justifie himselfe, and his Church; for, he suffers in his Church: He is wise, he sees cause to doe this, he is working his owne worke: he corrects,Christs worke in the afl…ctions of the Church. and rules, and purgeth his Church in the furnace of affliction; but be sure the time will come, that he will bring the cause of Religion to light, and he will shew what side hee ownes; he will justifie his Truth, and tread Satan, and all his members under feet; this frame of things will not hold long. As verily as Christ is in Heaven, as verily as he is justified in his owne person by his Spirit, by his Divine Power; so he will justifie his Mysticall Body: and as he hath conquered in his owne person, so he will by his Spirit conquer for his Church.
Vse 2And as he will overcome for his Church, so he will overcome in his Church;Christ by his Spirit will overcome, in his Church. stronger is he that is in the Church in you, then he that is in the World; and Gods children will be triumphant: though they may be discouraged, in respect of the present carriage of things; yet the Spirit that is in them, above the World, will gather strength by little and little and it will appeare at length, notwithstanding present discouragements: undoubtedly the best things will have a true lustre and glory at length, how-ever they seeme to be carryed for the present: You see as Christ hath justified himselfe to be the true Messias, and as he hath justified himselfe, so he will justifie all his; there is the same reason for both.
We shall be justified of God.For our further instruction and comfort, let us consider, that in regard of God likewise, we shall be justified from our sinnes in our consciences here and at the Day of Judgement, before Angels, and Devils, and men. As Christ was justified from our sinnes himselfe, and he will justifie every one of us, by his Spirit; his Spirit shall witnesse to our Soules, that we are justified; and likewise his Spirit shall declare it at the Day of Judgement; it shall be openly declared, that we are so indeed.Iustification double. There is a double degree of justification, one in our conscience now; another at the Day of Judgement. Then it shall appeare, that we have beleeved in Christ, and are cleansed from our sinnes, when we shall stand on the right hand of Christ, …s all that cleave to Christ by faith: then it shall appeare, that by him we are justified from all our sinnes whatsoever.
Againe,Vse 3. Christ was justified in the Spirit. Then hence we may learne our dutie;To justifie Christ. we ought all of us to justifie Christ. To whom is Christ justified by the Spirit? onelyonly to his owne Church, and Children; not to the reprobate World. We may know, that we are members of Christ, if wee be of the number of those that justifie Christ.
How doe we justifie Christ?Question.
We justifie Christ,Answer. when from an inward worke of the Spirit we feele and acknowledge him to be such an one as he is;How we justifie Christ. Christ is God.1As God. Now, when we relie upon him as our Rock, in all temptations, we justifie Christ to be so: when we kisse the Sonne with the kisses of faith, of subjection, of obedience, of reverence and love; this is to justifie Christ to be the Sonne of God, as it is Psal. 2.Psal. 2. Kisse the Sonne, lest he be angry. Those that in temptation are to seeke for their comfort, they doe not justifie Christ, they doe not live as if he were a Saviour, not as if he were a God; in temptations to despaire, they justifie not Christ.
2As a Prophet.Those that have Christ illuminating their understandings, to conceive the Mysteries of Religion; they justifie Christ to be the Prophet of his Church, because they feele him enlightning their understandings.
3As a Priest.Those that find their consciences pacified, by the obedience and sacrifice of Christ; they justifie him to be their Priest: for they can oppose the bloud of Christ sprinkled on their hearts, to all the temptations of Satan, and to the risings of their owne doubting conscience; their hearts being sprinkled with the bloud of Christ, they can goe to God, and the bloud of Christ speakes for them, Peace; it pleads, MercieMercy, MercieMercy ▪ Thus we justifie Christ as a Priest, when we rest in his Sacrifice, and doe not with Papists runne to other Sacrifices; this is, not to justifie Christ: To justifie Christ, God-man, is to make him a perfect Mediator of intercession, and redemption; to make him all in all. They doe not justifie Christ, that thinke God was made man, to patch up a salvation; that he must doe a part, and we must merit the rest: oh no; take heed of that; account all our obedience, and all that is from us, as menstruous clothes, not able to stand with the Justice of God.
4As a King.In a word, we justifie and declare, and make good that he is our King, and put a Kingly Crowne upon his head, when we suffer him to rule us, and to subdue our spirits, and our rebellions; when we cherish no contrarie motions to his Spirit; when we rest in this World, and not traditions, but stoupe to the Seepter of Christs Word; this is to justifie him as a King. Thus we should labour to justifie, and declare to the World the excellencie and power of Christ in our hearts, that we may make Religion lovely, and make it be entertained in the World, because we shew it to be an excellent powerfull thing. Let us examine our hearts, whether we thus justifie Christ, or no; that by our carriage towards him, we make it good, that he is such an one, as the Scripture sets him forth to be.
In particular,In his Resurrection. we justifie him, that he rose from the dead, when we beleeve that we are freed from our sinnes, our Suretie being out of Prison. We justifie him as ascended into Heaven, when we have heavenly affections, and when we consider him as a publike person, gone to Heaven in our name. We justifie him as sitting at the right hand of God, when we mind the things that are above, and not that are here below; or else we denie these things, wee beleeve them not; we justifie them not, when our conversations are not answerable to the things we beleeve. If we be the children of Wisedome, undoubtedly we shall justifie Wisedome. If we be the members of Christ, we shall justifie our Head; if wee be his Spouse, we shall justifie our Husband. Let us examine our selves, that we doe in this kind; and never thinke our state good, till we can justifie Christ.
In the next place, for our direction: as Christ justified himselfe by his Spirit, by his Divine Power; so let us know, that it is our dutie to justifie our selves, to justifie our profession, justifie all Divine Truth. Let us make it good, that we are the Sonnes of God, that we are Christians indeed; not onelyonly to have the name, but the annointing of Christ; that we may cleare our Religion from false imputations: or else, instead of justifying our profession, we justifie the slanders that are against it. The World is readie to say, None are worse then Christians, and their Religion is all but words, and shewes, and formes: Shall wee justifie these slanders? No: let us, by the Spirit of God, justifie our Religion; let us shew, that Religion is a powerfull thing; and so indeed it is: For Divine Truth, when it is imbraced and knowne, it alters and changeth the manners and dispositions; it makes of Lions, Lambes, it makes our natures mild, and tractable, and sweet; it rayseth a man from Earth to Heaven. Let us justifie this our Religion, and profession, against all gainesayers whatsoever: Wisedome is justified of all her children. Let us justifie our Religion, and profession, by maintaining it, and standing for it, and expresse in our lives and conversations the power of it.
Question.How shall this be?
Answer.The Text sayth, by the Spirit: For, as Christ justified himselfe,How to justifie our profession. that is, declared himselfe to be as he was, by his Spirit; so every Christian hath the Spirit of Christ, or else he is none of his: and by this Spirit of Christ, he is able to justifie his profession; not onelyonly to justifie Christ to be the true Head, &c. but all things he doth, must be done by the Spirit, or not at all. For as Christ, when he became man, and was in the World, he did all by the direction of the Spirit; He was led into the Wildernesse by the Spirit; he taught by the Spirit; the Spirit that sanctified him in the Wombe, guided him in all his life: so a Christian is guided by the Spirit, God doth all to him by the Spirit; he is comforted, and directed, and strengthned by the Spirit, and he againe doth all to God by the Spirit: he prayes in the Spirit, and sighes and groanes to God in the Spirit, he walkes in the Spirit, he doth all by the Spirit. Therefore, by the Spirit let us justifie and declare our selves what we are; that there is somewhat in us above nature, that we have love above carnall men, and patience and meekenesse above the abilitie and capacitie of other men: We justifie our profession, when we do somewhat more then nature, or when we doe common ordinarie things in a spirituall holy manner. Religion is not a matter of forme, but of Spirit: Let us not shew our Religion onelyonly by word, but by the fruits of the Spirit; by love, and merciemercy, and meekenesse, and zeale, when occasion serves. The whole life of a Christian (as farre as he is a Christian) it gives evidence that he is a Christian; the whole life of a carnall formall man, evidences that he is not a Christian, because he hath nothing in him above other men: as our Saviour Christ sayth; What peculiar thing doe ye, to distinguish your selves from other men?Christians doe things above other men. So let us aske our selves. We professe our selves to be the children of God, the Heires of Heaven, What peculiar thing doe we? How doe we justifie our selves? A true Christian can answer; I can justifie it by the Spirit: I finde, I doe things from other Principles, and motives, and inducements, then the World doth; who onelyonly respect tearmes of Civilitie, and aymes of the World, or to content the clamour of conscience: but I finde, I doe things out of assurance that I am the child of God, and in obedience to him. Let us see, what peculiar thing we doe.
Some Christians worse then Pagans.Alas, I cannot but lament the poore profession of many. How doe they justifie their profession? How doe they make good, that they have the Spirit of God raysing them above other men, when they live no be…ter then Pagans, (nay, not so well) under the profession of the Gospel, and Religion? Would Pagans live as many men doe? Did they not keepe their words better? Were they so loose in their lives, and conversations; and so licentious? Would they sweare by their gods idly? Most of our ordinarie people are worse then Pagans. Where is the justifying of Religion? If Turks and Heathens should see them, they would say; You talke of Religion, but where is the power of it? If you had the power of it, you would expresse it more in your fidelitie, and honestie, and merciemercy, and love, and sobrietie. The Kingdome of God, that is, the manifestation of the Government of Christ; it is not in word, but in power. Therefore let us labour to justifie, that we are subjects of that Kingdome, by the power of it.
Meere civill persons,Meere civill men, who. the Apostle sayth of them, 2 Tim. 3.2 Tim. 3. they are such, as have a forme of Godlinesse, but denie the power of it. All that rabblement, that he names there, they have a forme: A forme is easie, but the power of it is not so easie. Therefore let us justifie our Religion, by our conversation: Let us justifie the Ordinances of God, the preaching and hearing of the Word of God, by reverence in hearing it, as the Word of God; and labour to expresse it, in our lives and conversations: or else, we thinke it nothing but the speech of man. Let us justifie the Sacrament, to be the Scale of God, by comming reverently to it, and by finding our Faith strengthened by it: So labour to justifie everie Ordinance of God, from some sweet comforts that wee feele by them; and then we shew, that wee are true members of CHRIST, that we are like CHRIST, who justified himselfe in the Spirit.
Beloved,Great power to make a Christian. it is a great Power that must make a true Christian; no lesse, then the Power of the Spirit, that raysed Christ from the dead: as it is, Ephes. 1.Ephes. 1. Saint Paul prayes that they might f…ele the Power that raysed Christ from the dead. It is no lesse power, for Christ to shine in our darke hearts, then to make light to shine out of darknesse.
Now, what power is in the lives of most men? The power that raysed Christ from the dead? Certainely, no. What power is there in hearing the Word, when many are so full of prophanenesse, that they altogether neglect it? What power is there, now and then to speake a good word, or now and then to doe a slight action? Is this the power that raysed Christ from the dead, when by the strength of nature men can doe it? There must be somewhat above nature, to justifie a sound spirituall Christian: We must have something to shew, that we have our spirits raysed up by the Spirit of Christ, to justifie our profession, in all estates: In prosperitie, to shew that we have a Spirit above prosperitie, that we are not proud of it: Then, in adversitie, then we justifie that we are Christians, by a Spirit that is above adversitie; that we doe not sinke under it, as a meere naturall man would doe; when we have learned Saint Pauls Lesson, in all estates to be content. In temptation,Faith in temptation. we justifie our Christian profession, by arming our selves with a Spirit of Faith, to beat backe the fierie darts of Satan. When all things seeme contrarie, let us cast our selves, by a Spirit of Faith, upon Christ; that argues a powerfull worke of the Spirit, when we can in contraries beleeve contraries.
Thus let us shew, that we are Christians; that we have somewhat in us above nature; that when the course of nature seemes to be contrary, yet we can looke with the eye of Faith through all discouragements, and clouds, and can see God reconciled in Christ; that will justifie us to be sound Christians. Therefore let us labour, not onelyonly for slight, outward performances, that are easie for any to doe; but by an inward frame of soule, and by a carriage and conversation becomming our Profession; that we may walke worthy of our Profession, fruitfully and watchfully, carefully and soberly, as becommeth Christians every way. So much for that. I proceed to the next words;