The Kings Bath, Section 10
In whom I am well pleased.
Sect. 10.
HEre is the fruit of this neere relation,The Fathers delight in that his Sonne. declaring to vsus, that God is not onelyonly pleased with Christ, his person, his actions and perfections: (for hee saith not, with whom:) but that in him whatsoeuer is presented is accepted, and hee is pleased with that also.
Neuer is God appeased with any man,Doct. but in and through his Christ, whom hee so loueth, as that all his wrath is appeased with all that are in him. Eph. 1. 6. We are accepted in his Welbeloued. Col. 1. 20. In him are all things reconciled, and set at peace through the bloud of his crosse, both in earth and in heauen; that is, the whole bodie of the Church, which is partly in earth, and partly in heauen, by Christ vnited to God. Luk. 2. At his birth the Angels sang, Glory to God, peace on earth, & good wil to mē; teaching vsus, that now by Christ, Gods good will was turned towards men. Add hereto, that all the fauors we receiue from God, are ascribed vntounto him. Ephes. 1. We are elected in him, adopted in him, called with an holy calling, iustified, but all in him: and vers. 3. He hath blessed vsus with all spirituall and heauenly blessings in Christ.
For 1. If God look on vsus in our selues,Reasons. & in the common masse, wee are so couered ouer with sin, as he must needs pronounce of vsus, as once hee did of mankinde, It repenteth me that I hauehave made man: he must needes bring the curse of the Law vponupon our neckes: But looking on vsus through Christ, he changeth his voyce, that as when wee behold a thing through a red or greene or coloured glasse, eueryevery thing looks as the colour of the glasse; so God beholding vsus through Christ, we receiue the dye and tincture of his bloud and obedience, and so are iustified and accounted innocent and pure. And thus, as it is said of the Church, Ezek. 16. 14. we recouer our former beautie, which is made perfect through his beautie.
2. This was shadowed in the old Testament, Ge. 8. 21. When the earth was destroyed, and Noah came out of the Arke, hee offered burnt-offerings to the Lord, and the Lord smelled a sauour of rest, and said, I will no more curse the earth, &c. A notable type of Christ, the Mediatour and maker of atonement betweene God and man, from whose meritorious sacrifice God only smelleth a sauour of rest. So likewise in Aaron the high Priest, Exod. 28. 38. Aaron must beare the iniquitie of the offerings of the children of Israel, and [Holinesse to the Lord] shall be alwaies vponupon his forehead, to make them acceptable to the Lord: here (saith Caluine) must all our senses bee fixed vponupon the forehead of the only high Priest, from whom all holinesse floweth foorth to his Church: neither could the Priest make the people acceptable in his owne person, but as hee stood a type of Christ.
3. Consider Christ 1. in himselfe: God was so pleased in him, as hee was neuer displeased, nothing was euer found in him displeasing, no guile in his lips, no spot in his person, but was euer a beloued Sonne: it is not so with vsus, who were before, the sonnes of wrath, and Lo-ammi, Lo-ruhamah. 2. Consider him as Head of the Church and Mediatour, his obedience was so voluntary, and satisfactory, so full and meritorious, as must needs appease his fathers wrath; in him the Father hath his Law wholly fulfilled, euen all righteousnes; in him he hath the curse borne & carried away; in him he hath a new righteousnes of faith restored to beleeuers, and a new image repaired vponupon them: so as now beholding them, not in the first Adam, but in the second; not in the old roote, but in the new plantation; he loueth the members, because he loueth the Head, & accepteth them as sons through his beloued Sonne.
To note the miserable conditionVse 1. of all them that are without Christ, because they are as the Gentiles, without God in the world, without hope: for nothing else in the world can put backe the wrath of God, there is no name else vnderunder heauen in which a man can be saued. How fearefully is the wrath of God come vponupon the Iewes to the vttermost, who reiect this Corner stone, and yet expect a Messiah of their owne making? Neither the cleere testimonies of the Prophets, nor of Iohn, nor Heare this voyce of the Father, nor his own mighty works, hauehave moued them, because hardnesse is come vponupon them till this day, and the vaile is vponupon their hearts, which wee must pray that God would in his time remooue. Those mightie kingdomes of Turkes and Heathens, who refuse the Sonne of God, and will not acknowledge him more than a man, lye vnderunder Gods wrath, and in the power of the diuell, and reiect the onelyonly meanes whereby they should come into fauor with God: which when we consider, as we are to pitie and pray for them, so with praise and gladnesse wee are to acknowledge Gods goodnesse, whose prouidence watched ouer vsus to be borne in the places and times wherein Christ rideth most gloriously in the chariot of his Gospell, that vnlesse we will wilfully shut our eyes, and make our condemnation heauyer than theirs that neuer heard of him, we must needs see the light shining so brightly.
The like may bee said of all those damnable heretikes, who hauehave denied Christ either in his natures or offices: and here wee must for euer renounce the damnable heresie of the Church of Rome, who, though in word they hold the doctrine of faith, yet in deed and by expresse consequent deny both the natures and all the offices of Christ, and so professe a false christ, in whom they cannot meete with saluation. The case of worldly and carnall gospellers is no better, who professe Christ their Iesus, not their Lord, denying him their hearts and liues, and yet with their mouthes say, Lord, Lord.
Againe,Vse 2. seeing God hath professed, that Christ is that his Beloued in whom he is onelyonly well pleased, away with other mediatours, other intercessors, none can be foreign but he, He onelyonly was found worthy to open the booke, Reuel. 5. 5. God neuer professed himselfe well pleased in any but he, though with many hee hath been. Away with those fond deuices of merits, and workes of supererogation; away with Popes pardons, vnlesse wee can bring such a voyce from heauen for any other man: away with foreseene faith and foreseene workes, with which some men say God was pleased, and so moued to elect his people. No, no, onelyonly Christ is the delight of God, hee is delighted in nothing but him, and that which he sees through him: giuegive him the honour of a sufficient Sauiour, able to appease and please his Father, able to tread the Wine-presse alone; or else giuegive Gods testimonie the lye, as all they doe, that dote vponupon any other meanes of pleasing and appeasing God than Christ alone.
Lastly,Vers. 3. seeing our selues out of him can finde no acceptance, let vsus labour to be found in him, and to know that we are in him, which must be our onelyonly comfort both in life and death; then let the law curse, the deuill accuse, sin stand vp against vsus, hellgates set themselues wide open for vsus; if wee can say Christ is ours, wee shall be vpheld, while other Iusticiaries fall.
But how shall wee know that we are in Christ?Quest.
By these rules: 1.Answ. If wee be led by his Spirit, Rom. 8. 9. 2. If wee crucifie the affections and lusts, Gal. 5. 24. 3. If we be new creatures, 2. Cor. 5. 17. 4. If we perseuere in the obedience of faith, Heb. 3. 14.Obser. 1. Filius pronūciat quae Deus pater dictat, Iob. 8. 26. et spiritus sanctus obsignat, Ioh. 16. 26.
The generall vse of this whole testimony, is set downe, Math. 17. 5. Heare him: for by this voice Christ is now appointed both, 1. The Doctor and chiefe Prophet of the Church, more excellent then Moses; for He is faithfull as the Sonne in all the house of God. 2. The high Priest of our profession, whose lips must preserue knowledge, infinitely aboue Aaron, a most mercifull high Priest, able to saue them that come vntounto God by him, seeing he liueth for euer to make intercession for vsus. 3. The only King of his Church, a greater than Salomon, of whom all the Kings of Israel were but shadowes; who only maketh Lawes for his Church, and of such power as they binde conscience, which no King nor Lawes can doe.
1.Reasons. Hee is the Angell of the great counsell, the chiefe Doctor and Interpreter of holy Scripture, the Iudge of all controuersies and interpretations, and therefore onelyonly to be heard. What? is not the Church to be heard? the Preachers of the Word to be heard? yea, the one as the Spouse of Christ, the other as Ministers of Christ: only Christ himselfe as receiuing this dignity,Mat. 23. 8. to be the onelyonly Master of his Church; they had streams, but hee the fountaine of wisedome, hee had treasures of wisedome hid in him.
2. This is a note of the true Church, both of Iewes and Gentiles. Ioh. 8. 47. He that is of God, heareth the words of God: my sheepe heare my voyce: and Ioh. 10. 16. Other sheepe I hauehave, which are not of this fold, that is, the Gentiles not yet called; these must be brought vntounto me, for they shall heare my voyce.
3. Christ the Lord of the holy Prophets, hath put an end to all prophecies, ceremonies, reuelations, and dreames, & these many, extraordinary meanes whereby he taught his Church of olde: and now God hath spoken vntounto vsus by his Son, to whom all they made way, Heb. 1. 1. He is that Messiah of whom the Samaritan woman said, Ioh. 4. 25. I know that the Messiah will come, and when he shall come, he will declare all things. They that liued before him, made account to heare him, because hee was expected from the bosome of the Father, to reueale all the will of God, and all necessary trueth concerning saluation; how much more should we, who hauehave heard all things, all his doctrine, and seene his miracles, as the Samaritans did, Ioh. 4. 42. We hauehave heard him speake our selues?
4. If wee consider our owne naturall blindnesse, and grosse ignorance in the things of God, how apt wee be to seduction, schisme, heresie, delusion, wee shall see how necessary it is to heare him: nay, seeing God hath of mercy set him out to preserue vsus from these euils, great and detestable shall our vnthankfulnesse be, to turne away from him.
Now if it be asked how wee must heare Christ, the answere is this:
1. Hee must now be heard in the voyce of his Ministers, to whom he gaue gifts at his ascension, and of whom he said, Hee that heareth you, heareth mee: so farre as they can prooue that which they teach, to be his voice, they must be heard, and further we must not heare Fathers, Doctors, Councels, nor the Pope of Rome: for himselfe is still the chiefe Doctor, and chiefe Interpreter of the Scriptures, and Iudge of all controuersies in Religion.
2. To heare him, is not onelyonly to lend him our eares in the ministry, (for many Iewes, Pharises, wicked Romans, &c. heard his owne gracious words, and yet heard him not:) but, to heare him, is, 1. to repent and beleeue the Gospell: for this was the beginning and summe of Christs preaching, Math. 4. 17. and Ioh. 12. 36. Beleeue in the Light, that yee may be the sonnes of the Light. 2. To louelove one another. This is the new Commaundement, That we louelove one another, Ioh. 15. 12. and is most expresse, 1. Ioh. 3. 23. This is the commanment, That wee beleeue in the name of his Sonne Iesus Christ, and louelove one another. 3. To obey him in whatsoeuer he commandeth:Ioh. 10. 27. His sheepe heare his voyce, and follow him: and, Math. 28. 20. Teach them to obserue, and to doe all things that I hauehave commanded you.
Heereby many sorts of menVse are reproued, that heare not the voyce of Christ: Papists heare the voyce of the Church, and of traditions, reuelations, false miracles, yea the voyce of Antichrist: the Atheist heares the voyce of reason, Lawes of men, and perswasions of fleshly wisedome; but the Apostles thought it fitter to obey God then man, Act. 5. 29. The naturall man heares the voyce of the serpent, as Adam did, though Christs voyce be neuer so loud against the touching of the forbidden fruit: Yea, men that professe better things, may heare the voyce of wiues, children, parents, yea, the voyce of profit and vnlawful pleasure, before and aboue Christs voice; Salomon himselfe heard the voyce of his idolatrous wiues, till GOD rent the Kingdome from him: so as the best of vsus had neede be stirred vp by this voyce from heauen, Heare him.
FINIS.
The Errata.
Page 24. margent, for inundatione, reade, mundatione. p. 26. marg. r. sanctificaret. p. 87. liu. penult. put out housholder.
If any other faults hauehave escaped, I desire thee (Courteous Reader) to passe by them.
End of the text · Thomas Taylor, The Kings Bath (1620)