Sermons in One Volume, Sermon 13
THE CHRISTIANS Practiſe.
Rom. 12. 2.
Be yee changed by the renuing of your mindes, that yee may prooue what is the good will of God, acceptable and perfect.
WHen Chriſt ſent foorth his Diſciples, he ſaid vntounto them, Goe preach and baptize, Mat 21. 29ioyning theſe two together, Preaching and Baptizing. This being the occaſion of our exerciſe, becauſe I am to ſpeake of Baptiſme, which is the Sacrament of Regeneration, I could not chooſe a fitter Scripture then this which I handled laſt, which ſpeakes of the renu…ng of our mindes: for when our mindes are renued, then the vow which we made in Baptiſme is performed.
When Paul had forbidden the Romanes to faſhion themſelues vntounto the world, he ſheweth them another faſhion, which hee calles The renuing of the minde. Pſal. 103. 5.As the Eagle renueth her youth, ſo men muſt renue their mindes. This faſhion is called the Wedding garment,Mat. 22. 12 which eueryevery man muſt weare that comes to the banquet of the King. As when men hauehave gone ouer one faſhion after another, at laſt they come to the olde faſhion againe: ſo here Paul calles them to the olde faſhion again,Gen. 1. 26. which was vſed in Adams time, that is, the Image and faſhion wherein they were created. Nowe the reaſon followeth,
That they might proue what the wil of God is, as if hee ſhould ſay, This ſhall be the fruit of your regeneration, when your mindes are renued, you ſhall know many thinges, which are hid from you; you ſhall bee able to iudge doctrines, who preach truth, and who preach error; and you ſhall vnderſtand the will of God, what he would hauehave you doe, and what hee would hauehave you flie, as if you were in his boſome. As new wine will not abide but in new veſſels; ſo this new knowledge will not abide but in new mindes.Mat. 9. 17. The minde renued knoweth God; ſo that this Scripture may be called the path to knowledge, or the waie to ſound the minde of God, which is a ſecret that eueryevery man longs to know, but the moſt turne a wrong leafe to finde it, as Paul ſayth of Peter,Gal. 2. 14. He lookes a wrong way to the Goſpel. When the ſerpent taught knowledge, he ſaid If ye eate the forbidden fruite, your eyes ſhalbe opened, and you ſhall knowe good and euill: but Paul ſayth,Gen. 3. 5. If ye will not eate the forbidden fruite, your eyes ſhal be opened and you ſhall know good and euill. This is one reaſon why Paul would hauehave them renue their mindes, That they might know the will of God Why? doth not the word of God teach vsus the wil of God? Yes, but no man doth vnderſtand this word, but hee which hath a new minde: becauſe as the Sunne is not diſcerned by any light, but by his owne light: ſo no ſpirite can interpret the Scripture, but the ſame ſpirite which wrote it,1. Cor. 12. 3. which is called the holy ſpirite, becauſe it is holy, and becauſe it makes holy. Sinne was the firſt vaile which obſcured mans vnderſtanding,Gen. 3. 7. and till the cauſe of this eclipſe be taken away, the Apoſtle ſayth, that we ſhall ſee but in part:1. Cor. 13. 9. that is, as the Sunne may be ſeene in his eclipſe, but he ſeemes liker to darkneſſe then to light: ſo vnderſtanding may be ſeene in the wicked, but it is liker ignorance then knowledge: therefore Paul makes knowledge one of the fruites which bud out of righteouſnes.
They which hauehave renued their mindes, ſaith he, ſhall proue what the will of God is: that is, they ſhall trie all that they doe heare, and learne by all that they ſee, vntill they tract out the will and meaning of GOD. As the water ingendreth Ice, and the Ice againe ingendreth water, ſo knowledge begets righteouſnes, and righteouſnes againe begetteth knowledge, according to that in Eccleſ. 2. 26 To a man that is good in his ſight, God giueth wiſedome and knowledge; therefore though ye hauehave ſeene cunning Lawyers by much reading; and expert Phiſitians by long ſtudy; yet you could neuer ſee a perfect and ſound, and iudiciall Diuine without holyneſſe. I cannot tel how, this knowledge is rather feeling than learning in the aboundance of the heart, or an extreame ſtudy ſent by God vntounto good men, like the Ramme which was brought vntounto Abraham,Gen. 22. 13 when he would ſacrifice his Sonne.
As Salomon ſayth, The knowledge of good things, Pro. 9. 10.is vnderſtanding: ſo none but they which are holy hauehave this vnderſtanding. He which can ſay with Dauid,Pſal. 119. 117. I louelove thy lawe, and I keepe thy precepts, may follow with Dauid, I hauehave more vnderſtanding than my teachers, and know more then the auncient. Pſal. 45. 1.Hee which cannot ſay with Dauid, My heart meditateth a good matter, cannot follow with Dauid, My tongue is the penne of a ready Writer. This is, the equitie of God; they which are vnwilling to obey, are not thought worthy to knowe: for what ſhould he doe with his talent,Mat. 25. which will not vſe it? He which forbiddes vsus to caſt pearles before ſwine, doth ſtay his own hand from caſting knowledge to the vngodly, they may know ſo much as ſhall condemne them, but they neuer knowe what will ſaue them. When Chriſt heard Peter ſaie,Mat. 16. 16 Thou art the Sonne of the liuing God: Chriſt anſwered; Fleſh and blood hath not taught thee this; 17.ſhewing, that carnall men hauehave not this knowledge.Mat. 19. 17 This is the word of which Chriſt ſaith, All men doe not receiue it, It is true, that the Spirite breatheth where it will: Iohn. 3. 8.but it will breath vponupon none but her louers. Wiſedome is like the daughter of God, which hee marrieth to none but to him which loues her, and ſues for her.Pſal. 73. 17 As Dauid could not vnderſtand why the wicked proſpered vntill he entered into the ſanctuary of GOD; and as Aaron might not enter the Sanctuary where GOD did anſwere, vntill he had ſanctified himſelfe; ſo if we will vnderſtand myſteries, and heare God himſelfe ſpeake; wee muſt put off our ſinnes,Exo. 3. 5. as Moſes put off his ſhooes, or elſe we ſhall be like images which hauehave eares,Pſal. 115. 6. & can not heare. When Paul heard myſteries, hee was rapt into the third heauen,1. Cor. 12. 2. when GOD would talke with his Church, hee ſaith, I will take her aſide into the wildernes, Oſe. 2. 14.and then I will ſpeake friendly vntounto her: ſo when wee will learne Diuinitie, we muſt goe aſide from the world, and ſequeſter our ſinnes, & lift vp our mindes aboue the earth, or els it will not ſtay with vsus. As the ſpirit went from Saul when he ſinned; ſo when knowledge hath ſaluted the wicked, ſhe bids them farewell; like vntounto a Martin, which will not builde but in faire houſes. It is ſaid in Iohn 14. 15. When Ieſus went to eate the Paſſeouer, hee came to a chamber which was trimmed: ſo the chamber that receiued God, the hart which ſhould lodge knowledge muſt bee trimmed, and all the ſinfull corners ſwept;1. Sa. 15. 26 or elſe, as Samuell would not come to Saul, ſo Wiſedome will not come to that hoſte. There is an harbinger which goeth alway before the knowledge of God, to prepare the houſe, & this is louelove, the bond of perfection.1. Ioh. 4. 7. They which hauehave louelove (ſaith Iohn) knowe GOD, but they which hauehave not louelove know not God, though they hauehave neuer ſo much knowledge beſide. VntoUnto good Nathaniell, Chriſt ſaide, Thou ſhalt ſee greater things than theſe: but vntounto the obſtinat Iewes he ſaide,Mat. 13. 14 Seeing, Gen. 21. 19.you ſhall not ſee; like Hagar, which had the wel before her, and did not ſee the water. He which cannot ſaie with Paul, We hauehave the ſpirit of Chriſt, 1. Cor. 2. 12.cannot ſay with Paul,1. Cor. 8. 1. We hauehave knowledge.
Holie men were alwayes interpreters of Gods word, becauſe a godly minde eaſelieſt pearceth into Gods meaning, according to that, The pure in heart ſhall ſee God: and that in Iohn 7. 17.Mat. 5. 8. If any man will doe Gods will, he ſhall vnderſtand the Doctrine whether it bee of God, or no: and that in Pſalm. 111. 19. They which keepe thy precepts, hauehave a good vnderſtanding; & that in 1. Cor. 2. 15. The ſpirituall man vnderſtandeth al things. Pro. 1. 7And therfore the feare of the Lord is not onelyonly called the beginning of wiſedome; but in Pro. 2. 5. it is taken for wiſdome it ſelfe. As when Chriſt taught in the Temple they asked, Howe knoweth this man the Scriptures, Iohn 7, 15ſeeing hee neuer learned them. So it is a wonder what learning ſome men hauehave, which hauehave no learning, like Priſcilla and Aquilla poore tent-makers,Act. 11. 15. which were able to ſchoole Apollos that great Clerke, a man renowmed for his learning. What can we ſay to this but as Chriſt ſaide,Luk. 10. 21. Father ſo it pleaſed thee: as when Iacob came ſo ſoone with the veniſon, and his Father asked him, how he came by it ſo ſodainly?Gen. 27. 20 Iacob anſwered, becauſe the Lord thy God brought it ſodaynly to mine hand, ſo the holy & righteous men cannot giuegive any reaſon, why they conceaue the words of God ſo eaſily, and the wicked doe conceaue them ſo hardly, but that GOD brings the meaning ſodainly to their hearts as we read in Luk. 24. 45. When the Diſciples were ſetled in the profeſſion of Chriſt, it is ſaid, that Chriſt opened their vnderſtanding, and made them vnderſtand the Scriptures; ſo ſodainly came their knowledge. So we read in Prouerbs 1. 23. Wiſedome promiſeth to the righteous, If you will turne at my correction, I will powre out my hart vntounto you, and make you vnderſtand my words. A Schoolemaſter might ſay to his ſchollers, I will powre out mine hart vntounto you: but he cannot ſay as God ſaith, I will make you vnderſtand mine heart.1. Kin. 10. 8 Therefore if the Queene of Sheba thought the ſeruants of Salomon happie, becauſe they heard his wiſdome: how happie was Salomon himſelfe, that ſerued God which gaue him wiſdome. Come vntounto me (ſaith Chriſt) all ye which are wearie, Mat. 11. 28and I will refreſh you. As Chriſt hath no comfort but for the wearie, ſo hee hath no wiſedome but for the righteous.Mar 3. 35. They are his brethren, and ſiſters, and father, and mother. There is a kinde of familiaritie betweene GOD and the righteous, that hee makes them of his counſaile, as Salomon ſaith, Prouerbes. 3. 32. His ſecrets is with the righteous, and Pſalme 25. 14. His ſecrets are reuealed vntounto them that feare the Lord.
They are like Iohn the beloued Diſciple which leaned in his boſome;Iohn 13▪ … like Moſes,Exod. 3. to whom he ſhewed himſelfe,Luk. 25 like Simeon, that embraced him in his armes;Luk. 9. 28. like the three diſciples, which went vp to the Mount to ſee his glorie. So we reade of Abraham, Gen. 18. 17. Shall I hide it from Abraham, ſaith God? As though this were an offence in God, if he ſhould tel the righteous no more then he tels the wicked: therefore becauſe Abraham was a good man he told him more than he ſhewed all the reſt. As Adams knowledge was perfect, ſo long as his righteouſnes was vntainted; ſo the neerer we come to that righteouſnes againe, the more things come to our knowledge; according to that, Prouerbes 28. They that ſeeke the Lord, vnderstand al things. Such an heart God hath giuen to his ſeruants like a touchſtone, or a lampe to goe before them, to examine all thinges, as they goe in this darke wilderneſſe, leaſt they ſhould take error for trueth, euill for good, or their owne wil for the wil of God; that they which hate euill might be preſerued from euill, as Dauid was from the bloud of Nabal.1. Sam. 25. Nowe, becauſe none but the righteous hauehave this lamp before them, you ſee what a difference there is betweene the knowledge of the godly, and the knowledge of the wicked.
As the windowes of the Temple were large within, but narrowe without; ſo they which are within the Church, hauehave greater light than they which are without. They ſit like Pharaoh in the darkenes of Egypt, when the other dwell like Iſrael in the light of Goſhen. Knowledge is eaſie to him which loueth knowledge, ſayth Salomon: but the ſcorner ſeeketh knowledge, and findeth it not, ſaith Salomon, Pro. 14. The ſpiritual man (ſaith Paul) ſearcheth the deepe things of God: 1. Cor. 2. 14but The naturall man (ſaith Paul) perceiueth not the things of GOD. Thou haſt reuealed theſe things to babes (ſaith Chriſt) but thou haſt hid them from the wiſe of the world If any man will doe Gods will, Luk. 10. 21…he (ſaith Chriſt) ſhall vnderſtand the doctrine: but to the obſtinate Iewes Chriſt ſaith, you cannot vnderſtand my talke. My ſheepe heare my voice ſaith Chriſt: but to the wicked Chriſt ſaith, you cannot heare my words. Beleeuest thou for this? ſaith he to Nathaniel, thou ſhalt ſee greater things than theſe: but If ye beleeue not ſayth Eſay,Eſay. 7. 8. ye ſhall not vnderſtand.
That theſe Scriptures might bee fulfilled, you ſee that as ſin is called blindnes. 2. Chro. 6. 18. ſo ſinners are called blind, Eſay. 56. 10. and may be called Strangers in Iſrael. Vntill we be borne again, we are like Nichodemus which knew not what it was to bee borne againe. Iohn 3.
Vntill we become zealous our ſelues, we are like Feſtus, which thought zeale madnes, Act. 26. Vntill we be humble our ſelues, we are like Michol, which mocked Dauid for his humilitie, 1. Sam. 6. 16. It was true then, and it is true now, and it will bee true alwayes which Paul obſerueth, 1 Corin. 1. 18. that to ſome religion ſhall ſeem fooliſhneſſe. The reaſon of all this Paul layeth downe in a word. If ye aske why the wicked cannot vnderſtand heauenly things, he ſayth, Becauſe they are ſpiritually diſcerned, 1 Corin 2. 14. therefore, how ſhould he diſcerne them, that hath not the ſpirite?
For this cauſe, wiſedome is not ſaid to bee iuſtified of any, but of her owne Children, Mat. 11. 19. neither doth Chriſt ſay, that any ſheepe heare his voyce, but his owne ſheepe. My ſheepe (ſayth hee, Iohn 12. 27) heare my voyce: they followe their ſhepheard, they heare his voyce, they vnderſtand his Lawe, they iudge of his iudgements, they hauehave the meaſure of his Wordes, all is open, and plaine, and manifeſt and cleare vntounto them: they ſearch deeper, and iudge righter, and know ſooner, and though they hauehave no learning, yet they hauehave better iudgements, than the learned: wheras the other that labour and ſtudy without God, walke in a labyrinth, & fall into doubts, while they ſeeke reſolutions. When a wicked man reads the Scriptures, he ſeeth no difference betweene the worde of God,Luk 24. 16. and the wordes of men, like Cleopas which talked with Chriſt, & knew not Chriſt. When he ſpeakes of Religion, he flutters like a young bird which cannot flye becauſe her wings are not growen: when he prayeth, his prayer is like a childes grace, that vnderſtandeth not one word that he ſaith: hee which hath but a ſhew of holines, hath but a ſhewe of wiſedome: a little knowledge is in his head, but there is no knowledge in his heart. An euill man may knowe ſome thing, and ſpeake ſomething of his reading & hearing, as Iob ſaith,Iob. 32. 8. There is a ſpirit in man, that is eueryevery man hath a kind of knowledge, but the inſpiration of the Lord giueth vnderstanding: as though the ſinners vnderſtanding did not deſerue to be called vnderſtanding.
If the wicked man ſpeake any thing that is good, hee ſpeakes by roate, but hee which ſpeakes not out of the abundance of his hart,Luk. 6. 45. is ſoone drawne drie. The preaching of the Word doth not become him: it is harſh and vnkind in his mouth as though it came out of a wrong bowe: or like vntounto a ſhittle, which flittereth from the hand of a child, he is in the pulpit as the gueſt at the banquet,Mat. 22. 11 which wā ted his wedding garment, he ſpeakes not like one which hath authoritie,Mat. 7 29. but as one that hath no authoritie, and alwaies his conscience ſounds vntounto him,Pſal. 50. 16. What haſt thou to do to take my word in thy mouth, ſeeing thou hateſt to be reformed? Therefore bee renued, that ye may knowe what the will of GOD is: this is the Abce, and Primmer, and Grammar, the firſt leſſon and laſt leſſon of a Chriſtian, to knowe the good and perfect and acceptable will of God, which muſt make vsus good and perfect, and acceptable our ſelues: the will of God is alwaies good and acceptable, & perfect, howſoeuer it ſeeme to vsus: though it condemne vsus of euill, yet it is good: though we ſee not how it is perfect, yet it is perfect: nay, it is ſo perfect, that we cannot ſee the perfection of it, as the Sunne is ſo bright that wee cannot behold the brightnes of it: firſt it ſeemes good vntounto a man before it bee acceptable, when it is acceptable, then it ſeemes perfect and as Gods will doth ſeeme to vsus, ſo we doe ſeeme to him: if his will cannot ſeeme good and acceptable, and perfect to vsus, much leſſe may our will ſeeme good, or acceptable, or perfect vntounto him, for this is our goodneſſe, to acknowledge his goodneſſe. If it be ſuch a contentment, to knowe the will of GOD, what ſhall keepe vsus from the knowledge of it, ſhall ſinne, which is the worſt thing in the world? Becauſe we will not renue our mindes, therefore we are ignorant of ſo many things which we would knowe, and vntill we be willing to followe the word, wee ſhall neuer throughly vnderſtand it, but buzze and grope at it like Owles which prie at the ſunne out of a barne. Oh!1. Kin. 3. 12 what a benefite had Salomon loſt, if he had loſt his wiſedome which God gaue him: as great a benefite doeſt thou looſe, if thou looſe the knowledge of Gods will, for from the day that a man cannot diſcerne the will of Sathan from the will of Chriſt, euerie Hereſie ſeemeth trueth, eueryevery euill ſeemes good, and this hath been the beginning of al errors in the Church, becauſe men did not louelove the trueth, therefore God would not reueale his trueth vntounto them: therefore I conclude as I began, Be ye chaunged by the renuing of your mindes, that ye may proue what is the good will of God, and acceptable and perfect.
Now a word of the Sacrament, there is an infant to be receiued into the Church, which putteth vsus in minde of the promiſe which we made vntounto God, when we were receiued into the Church our ſelues. This Sacrament was inſtituted by Chriſt, when he was baptized of Iohn in the riuer of Iordan, and it ſucceedeth Circumciſion as the Communiō was ordained in ſtead of the Paſſeouer,Matth. 3. 14. ſo ſoone as we are borne we are baptized,Mat. 28. 19 In the name of the Father, the Sonne, and the holie Ghoſt, to ſignifie that we owe a duetie vntounto God, from the day that wee come into the world. In this Baptiſme our bodies are waſhed with water, to ſignifie how our ſinnes are waſhed with Chriſtes bloud: when our bodies are waſhed, they are taken out of the water againe, to ſignifie how we ſhall be raiſed from death to life, by the reſurrection of Chriſt, and how we ſhould riſe from ſinne to righteouſneſſe: thus we begin our life with a ſolemne promiſe to God before the Church, to ſerue him with our bodies and ſoules till death vsus depart.
Now let vsus remember how we hauehave kept this promiſe with the Lord, or rather how we hauehave broken promiſe with him: then we gaue our ſelues to GOD, but ſince we hauehave giuen our ſelues to ſinne: then wee promiſed to renounce the world, but euer ſince we hauehave embraced the world: therefore now let vsus begin to pay that which we ought ſo long, and pray the Lord which hath inſtituted this Sacrament as a ſeale of his merciemercy, to receiue this child into his fauour, as we receiue it into his Church:Ioh. 3. 11. to baptize it with his ſpirit, as wee baptize it with water: and powre vponupon it his grace, as we giuegive it the ſigne of grace.
FINIS.