The Dead Saint Speaking to Saints and Sinners Living, Treatise 2 · Application 2
Uſe of Exhortation.
1. To them of his Church.
2. To them who are not of the Church.
1. To them of his Church.
Is it ſo that the heart of Chriſt is ſo much taken with his Church and People?
1. Direction to them of the Church.1. Walk ſuitably to this love. Dignities, and ſuitable walkings to dignities muſt go together.
Now this ſuitable walking wee will expreſs in theſe five things.
1. Walk chearfully. 2. Walk thankfully. 3. Walk humbly. 4. Walk watchfully. 5. Walk obediently.
1. Walk chearfully. Walk as Heirs of ſuch a Mercy. Here is a truth ſpeaks comfort, when all the world ſpeaks nothing but terrour.
2. Direction to them of the Church.2. Beware of abuſing this love. Precious things are committed to us by a word of Caution. This is a precious Truth; and therefore let mee adde to it this word of Caution. Beware of abuſing this Love of Chriſt.
Chriſts Love are his bowels, and hee will never indure to have his bowels injured, his love abuſed. You know a man will not have his Love injured; the abuſe of his power, of his wiſdome, greatneſs, doth not touch a man ſo nearly, as the abuſe of his Love. This is an injury men cannot indure.
So to ſpeak after the manner of men; Christ can leaſt indure his Love ſhould bee abuſed. There is no abuſe like it. Therefore beware of it.
Now this Love of Chriſt is injured theſe wayes, and beware
1. When wee ſlight the intreaties, reject the tenders, caſt aſide the offers and beſeeches of his Love.
When love ſtoops to you, when the mercy and goodneſs of Chriſt doth as it were, come on its knees to you, and intreats you to do this, or not to do that.
And yet you will ſtop your ears, pull back your ſhoulder, ſlight the intreaties. This is an abuſe.
2. When the Love of Chriſt doth ſlacken our hearts to duty, looſen our ingagements, makes us more remiſs to or in ſervice. This is to abuſe his Love.
Wee ſhould reaſon from Mercy to Duty; and not from Mercy to Liberty. Abundance of Grace calls in for abundance of Duty.
The Love of Chriſt ſhould conſtrain us; as the Apoſtle, 2 Cor. 5.
This ſhould make us live more humbly, more actively, more ſtudious to pleaſe, more diligent to obey, more carefull to ſerve him.
This ſhould make us live at higher rates for Heaven, more ſpiritual, more heavenly minded. It is a Cord let down from Heaven, to fetch our ſouls up thither.
And doth this cauſe us to bee more remiſs, more careleſs? Doth this, which ſhould quicken, ſlacken our hand to duty? Oh baſe ungrateful neglect of Love!
3. when wee take heart to ſin thereby. Grow more looſe, careleſs. This is an high abuſe of this Love.
Becauſe God is Good, wilt thou bee Evil? becauſe hee is Merciful; wilt thou bee ſinful? becauſe hee is Gracious, wilt thou bee impious? What fearful abuſe of Love is this! This is to wound Chriſt in the houſe of his friends.
To return good for good, is but Humane.
To return evil for good, is Wicked.
To return good for evil, is Chriſtian-like. But
To return evil for good, and the greateſt evil for the greateſt good, Sin for Love; this is deviliſh.
Were you his enemies, hee knew how to deal with you; hee could revenge himſelf, and the abuſes of his love upon you: but you are his friends, and thoſe bowels which you wrong, are ſtirred in him, when hee goes about to puniſh you. Oh Ephraim! How ſhall I give thee up! how ſhall I deliver thee, Iſrael! my bowels are turned within mee. My repentings are kindled together, Hoſ. 11.8.
The greatneſs of God prevails with wicked men; that awes them often, that they dare not ſin againſt him. But the goodneſs of God; this ſhould prevail with us, There is mercy with thee; therefore thou art to bee feared,
It is ſet down as the Principle in ſuch, with whom the heart of Chriſt is taken, Hoſ. 3. ult. They ſhall fear the Lord, and his goodneſs, in the latter dayes.
None but venimous ſpirits will ſuck poiſon from ſuch a ſweet, as thence to draw incouragements to ſin, from that which is the great incouragement to ſervice.
The Love of Christ had ſo prevailed with Chryſoſtome, that hee uſed to ſay, Ego ſic cenſeo, ſic aſsidue praedicabo.
And Anſelme. That if on the one hand hee ſhould ſee ſin, and on the other, the torments of Hell: hee had rather chuſe to fall into Hell, than fall into ſin.
4. When wee ſtagger and doubt, give way to miſgiving thoughts of Chriſts Love, and unbeleevings of our own hearts: wee abuſe this Love.
What is it poſſible that Chriſt ſhould do or ſuffer more than hee hath done and ſuffered to perſwade your hearts of his Love?
If Chriſt ſhould ask the queſtion of you, who doubt moſt of his Love. What ſhall I do to anſwer your ſcruples: to ſatisfie your ſouls for ever, in this, that I love you? could you rationally deſire more than what hee hath expreſſed in his words, and to your heart, and if notwithſtanding all bee in vain,1 Sam. 25.21. may hee not juſtly ſay as David of Nabal. Surely in vain have I done all this, when this all commeth to nothing.
3. Direction to them of the Church.3. Bee much in the contemplation of this Love of Chriſt. Dwell upon this. This Love of Chriſt will bee matter of eternal peruſal in Heaven. Wee ſhall do nothing but read over this Love. Oh! let us not bee ſtrangers to it now.
View it in the
1. Fulneſs.
2. Freeneſs.
3. Bounty.
4. Perpetuity thereof.
1. Meaſure it in the Fulneſs of it. It is a Love which reacheth to every neceſſity.
A love able to make you holy, and able to make you happy. Thou art under guilt and ſin; thou art terrified by the one, and aſhamed and confounded becauſe ſo loathſomely defiled by the other. Why
It is a pardoning, a purging, a ſanctifying Love; it is a Love as large as himſelf, though the perſons beloved bee finite.
2. Read it over in the Freeneſs of it.
1. It was an undeſerved,
2. It was an unſought-for Love.
1. It was an undeſerved Love. Wee may provoke him to anger, but wee cannot tempt him to love.Amat Deus, non aliundè hoc habet. The former doth ariſe from our ſins, the latter from himſelf.
His chuſing, juſtifying, adopting, ſaving love, all are free.
2. It was an unſought-for Love. Never a prayer put up for it. I am found of them that ſought mee not, Iſa. 65.1.
3. Read it over in the Bounty and Expreſsions of it.
1. What hee did.
2. What hee ſuffered.
3. What hee hath given to his Church.
4. Look upon it, in the Perpetuity, Permanency, and continuance thereof. A Love which reaches from Eternity to Eternity. From Eternal chuſing, to Eternal glorifying. An unchangeable Love.
Let us then peruſe this Love. Read it over in all the Dimenſions. Dwell upon the thoughts of it till your hearts bee
Humbled, melted, inabled, in-nobled, winned, quickened, comforted, &c.
The Thoughts of this Love are
1. Soul-humbling Thoughts. Nothing layes the ſoul lower than Love. The conſideration of this will vile a man to Hell, Ezek. 36.25, to 33. where you may read ſome expreſſions of love, how it affects.
Theſe would bee
2. Soul-melting Thoughts. They will not only humble, but melt; not only break, but diſſolve the heart. Nothing doth melt the ſoul more than Love.
The Law may break us; but it is as the breaking of a flint; every duſt retains hardneſs: but it is the Goſpel that melteth us.
The thoughts of Gods Justice do ſtone the heart, make it more hard: but the thoughts of Gods Mercy do melt the heart.
You know you never mourn indeed, till Love, till Mercy do melt you. Every drop of tears ſticks like an hailſtone, and congeals in the eyes: but when Love comes in, then all the ſprings are opened, and a man is diſſolved into waters.
So much apprehenſions of this Love of Chriſt: ſo much godly ſorrow. They are like the Fountain and the Stream, whereof the one doth riſe no higher than the other.
The thoughts of this Love have
3. A Soul-inabling Power. It will not only ingage us to ſervice; (as the Apoſtle. The Love of Chriſt conſtrains mee.) But it will inable us to ſervice; make us pray, and pray with affections, pray with life; make us hear, and hear with ſtrength. This puts us upon work, and puts life, vertue and vigor into our actions.
No actions ſtronger than thoſe that come from Love: Things incredible and impoſſible to others, are yet eaſy to them who love.
See what the Saints have gone through, what they have done, what they have ſuffered. Let but the thoughts of this love lye on your ſpirits a little, and you will finde that Love is ſtrong as death, Cant. 8.6. and will mightily carry us through that, which otherwiſe may ſeem impoſſible.
They will bee
4. Soul-innobling thoughts. They will make you like themſelves. Whatever the ſoul feeds on, the ſoul is digeſted into the nature of it. So here, feed on the thoughts of this love, and your ſpirit will bee digeſted into it. Whiles wee behold as in a glaſs the glory of the Lord; wee are changed into the ſame Image, from Glory to Glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord, 2 Cor. 3.18.
In nature the meat is digeſted into the nature of the eater. Here the eater is turned into the nature of the meat. The contemplation of his Glory makes you glorious.
They will bee
5. Soul-winning Thoughts. Love you know is of an attractive nature. Amor amoris Magnes.Nothing wins more than Love. Love is the Loadſtone to draw Love again.
As the Sun ſhining upon a Glaſſe begets a reflection of the beams back again: ſo the love of God ſhed abroad in our hearts, begets a reflection of love back again toward God. You ſee Mary. Much was forgiven her; ſhee had taſted of much love from God; and ſhee returned much love again to him. Shee loved much.
The Power of God doth ſhake the heart:
The Majeſty of God doth dread the heart:
The Juſtice of God doth awe the heart:
But it is the Mercy of God, the Love of God, which doth perſwade, win, and draw the heart. Nothing wins a mans heart to God but his Love.
The fear of God, dread of God, may bring a mans feet into his wayes: but it is the Love of God, which brings his Heart into his wayes.
They are
6. Soul-quickening. 7. Soul-comforting thoughts.
Oh then! that wee were but wiſe to improve this Doctrin, this truth, to the good of our ſouls!
I tell thee Chriſtian, if thou wouldeſt give this truth but ſcope in thy heart, it would help thee, and relieve thee of all the burdens under which thou groaneſt.
1. Doſt thou labour under a proud heart? this would humble thee.
2. Doſt thou labour under a dejected heart? this would raiſe thee.
3. Under a dark heart? this would comfort, revive thee.
4. Under a dead heart? this would quicken thee, and put the Spirit of Heaven into thee, whiles thou art on earth.
5. Under an hard heart? this would break thee. Nay this would melt thee, diſſolve thee into waters.
I ſay, the more thou gets up (with Elijah) into this Chariot of love, the more would the mantle of ſin and corruption depart from thee.
6. Under a worldly heart? This would dead thy heart for ever to the World, and ſet thee all on flame with the fire of heavenly affections.
I am confident of it; whatever a Chriſtian deſires to injoy; whatever a Chriſtian deſires to bee rid of, if hee can but dwell upon this truth, and bee able to manage it: Hee ſhall have it more fully, hee ſhall have it more quickly than any other way.
Wouldeſt thou bee rid of a proud heart? wouldeſt thou have an humble heart? wouldeſt bee rid of a dead heart, and deſireſt a quick heart? wouldeſt bee rid of an hard heart, and have a broken heart? wouldeſt bee rid of an unbeleeving, of a doubting, of a dejected heart, and wouldeſt bee mighty in Faith, full of comfort? Why, do but let thy ſoul bee carried captive with this Truth: bee but content this Truth ſhould maſter thee; bee but willing to entertain it, beleeve it, imbrace it. I am confident on it, all this will bee done. I may ſet down a probatum eſt, to it. Oh! That wee were wiſe to manage this Truth!
There are many look upon this but as a pleaſant dream, a Chimera, a fiction.
And ſome beleeve it; but ſlightly; there wants depth of earth.
And ſome there are (poor ſouls!) to whom the comfort of this truth belongs, who think this is too good news for them. They think, if they ſhould own it, it would bee but too great a ſale for too ſmall a Boat; rather overturn them, than do them good; rather ruine them, than help them. And therefore they muſt feed upon black thoughts, upon Hell, upon juſtice, upon ſin, upon their corruptions.
Ah! Poor ſouls! Satan deludes you; you take a way to undo your ſelves. Either to diſcourage you, to ſay there is no hope; or elſe to break you, that you ſhall never bee able to do God ſervice.
Look as long as you will into Hell: pry as long as you will into the dark vaults of your ſouls: rake as long as you will into the kennel of your hearts. You ſhall finde nothing in Hell, but Hell, in your hearts but ſin; and having found it, run from him.
That man looks too much on ſin, who ſhutteth his eyes from a mutual interview of love between God and his ſoul.
And hither you muſt come at laſt. Free-Grace muſt bee owned; Free-Mercy muſt bee acknowledged, and advanced by you; if ever you would bee ſaved; if ever you would bee comforted.
You m…y think what you will; but ſure I am,
1. There are no Chriſtians more chearfull.
2. None are more thankfull.
3. None are more humble.
4. None are more beleeving.
5. None are more active.
6. None are more couragious.
7. None more ſerviceable and uſefull toward God and men, than they, who lye continually at the breast of the promiſe; than they, who ſet up Gods Free-Grace; and own that good which God makes out to them.
Thou mayeſt bee a Chriſtian; but thou wilt bee a ſad Chriſtian, an uncomfortable Chriſtian, a dark Chriſtian, a deſerted Chriſtian, a dead Chriſtian, an unſerviceable Chriſtian: if thou doſt go on to feed upon black thoughts; and wilt not own that comfort which Chriſt tenders; imbrace that good which Christ ſpeaks, and beleeve the Riches of his Grace and Mercy to poor ſinners.
Do but ſit down, and from the ſight and ſenſe of thine own unworthineſs, take but occaſion to advance Free-Grace and Mercy. Let there bee place for that to come in. Let thoſe thoughts finde entertainment. And thou ſhalt quickly finde a ſtrange change in thy ſpirit.
1. Thou, who couldeſt not mourn before, ſhall now bee able to poure our tears, as if thou wert all turned to water.
2. Thou, who before couldeſt not beleeve, couldeſt not bee comforted, wilt even think it a wonder, that ever thy heart ſhould bee ſo dark, ſo doubtful.
3. Thou, who before waſt dead, ſhalt now finde a ſpirit of life come into thee, and make thee active in the work of the Lord.
Make but the Experiment, and thou wilt converſe more with the promiſe, with the Love of Chriſt, with the Free-Grace of God, whiles thou liveſt; if you would but remove your unbelief.
But who ſhall remove this ſtone? God alone muſt do it. But if this were done, this truth would let in a flood of mercy upon you; and even ſink and over-whelm you in a Sea of mercy and glory; where now you go drooping, and hang down your heads, becauſe you will not own that portion, which Chriſt hath left you; nor that comfort which Chriſt doth tender and ſpeak to you.
4. Direction to them of the Church.
4. Direction to them of the Church.4. Labour for a reciprocall affection, a mutual taking between Chriſt and us. Is Chriſts heart taken with you? Oh! let your hearts bee taken with him. Doth Chriſt love you: Oh! do you love Chriſt. Are you dear? are you precious to him? let him bee dear and precious to you.
Whatever God doth to the ſoul, it makes an impreſſion in the ſoul of the ſame to God. Hee loves us, and thereupon wee love him; ſo his heart is taken with us, thereupon our hearts are taken with him. You ſee here the mutual Indeerments betwixt Chriſt and his Church, Cant. 5.16.
Pauls heart was ſo much taken with Chriſt, that hee was ever in his thoughts, ever upon his tongue. Hee names him ſixteen, or ſeventeen ſeveral times in one chapter, 1 Cor. 1.1. as Chryſoſtome notes.
Peter did but let a word of Chriſt fall, and it is a door to open to further diſcourſe of him. Hee takes occaſion upon the naming of him, to enter into diſcourſe concerning him. As you ſee, 1 Pet. 1.7, 8. So greatly were their hearts taken with Chriſt, that they could think nothing but Chriſt, ſpeak nothing but Chriſt. No ſentence compleat, wherein Chriſt was not part of it.
Hee was the one of their eſteems; the one of their affections; the one of their deſires; the one of their delights. And ſo ought hee to bee of ours.
Get your hearts taken with Chriſt, this will make you Chriſtians indeed; this will make you humble, active, chearful Chriſtians.
An heart taken with Chriſt is Heaven on this ſide Heaven. An Heaven on Earth. Glory in Clay.
It is the Paradiſe, where Chriſt delights to walk.
It is the Houſe, where Chriſt delights to dwell.
It is the Throne, where Chriſt ſits in his glory.
It is the Habitation of the bleſſed Spirit.
It is the Delight of all the bleſsed Trinity.
An heart taken with Chriſt is the humble ſoul indeed, is the active ſoul, the living ſoul, which breathes forth nothing but love and deſire after Chriſt.
It is an heart dead to the world; for the World can never take that heart which once is taken with Chriſt. All is empty to him, whom fulneſs fills. All is blackneſs where Beauty ſhines.
Oh! then get but an heart taken with him, and thou liveſt a Life of Glory, and a Life of Grace. This is the Porch of Glory, the ſuburbs of Heaven.
I told you before, there were four ſpeciall times in which the heart was taken with Chriſt. I might adde a fifth, which I hope is our times. — When Chriſt goes forth in his glory, for the redemption and deliverance of his Church, and puniſhment of his enemies: Then is the heart taken with him.
1. Taken with his Wiſdome.
2. With his Juſtice.
3. With his Power.
4. With his Mercy and goodneſs. Which are the viſible attributes Chriſt doth manifeſt in the deliverance of his Church.
You ſee this, Iſa. 25.9. when God went forth in his Glory, to deliver his Church, the Saints were taken with him, even to admiration, and ſpeak glorying. Loe, This is our God, wee have waited for him, and hee will ſave us. This is the Lord; wee have waited, and will bee glad in his ſalvation.
Here was a Triumphant ſong of the Church. This is our God; This who appears ſo glorious, ſo full of Majeſty. This, This is our God, not yours. And good reaſon.
1. Chriſt never appears in his Glory to his Church; but hee makes his Church glorious.
You ſee, when God delivered his Church from Babylon, hee did appear in his Glory. Pſal. 102.16. When the Lord ſhall build up Zion, hee ſhall appear in his glory.
And you ſee, as hee appeared in his Glory, ſo hee made the Church glorious, Iſa. 54.11, 12, 13. (ſpeaking of the ſame time.) Behold I will lay thy ſtones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with Saphires. I will make thy windows of Agates, and thy gates of Carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleaſant ſtones.
2. Chriſt now comes in, with the Performance of Promiſes; and needs then muſt he be glorious, and the Church be taken with him.
If Chriſt were ſo glorious, when hee made thoſe promiſes: what is hee, when hee comes in to make good thoſe Promiſes? Chriſt hath reſerved abundance of his viſible Glory to bee ſeen by his Church; now at the end of the World.
Our Fore-Fathers have ſeen him but an obſcured Chriſt, a perſecuted and kept-down Chriſt. Though glorious, yet humble-glory. But it will not bee long before the Church ſee him in his Glory, when hee comes to deſtroy that man of ſin with the brightneſs of his comming.
Bleſſed bee God for what our eyes ſee. Let us follow him with admiration with the Church. This is our God; follow with ſpiritual triumph. This is our God. And let our hearts bee taken with his goings forth; who is ſet forth in his glory now to redeem, and to deliver his Church and People.
A TREATISE OF THE NATURE AND ROYALTIES OF FAITH.
BY SAMƲEL BOLTON, D. D. And MASTER of C.C.C.
LONDON: Printed by Robert Ibbitſon, for Thomas Parkhurſt, and are to be ſold at his Shop over againſt the Great Conduit in Cheapſide, 1656.
A TREATISE OF THE NATƲRE & ROYALTIES OF FAITH.
JOHN 3.15.
That whoſoever believeth in him, ſhould not periſh, but have eternal life.
I Have intended (with Gods aſſiſtance) to enter upon a Diſcourſe of Faith, which might laſt till we come to the place, where faith ſhall be no more. And although my preaching of faith may end before, yet your practiſing of it muſt not. The just ſhall live by faith, and the juſt muſt dye in faith.
This Text I have choſen for the foundation of this Diſcourſe: Which, before I come to handle in particular, I ſhall ſhew what coherence and dependance it hath with the former words. For which purpoſe, you muſt know that this Chapter, from the beginning to Verſe 22. contains a diſcourſe between Chriſt and Nicodemus. In which you may obſerve,
1. The Occaſion of the Diſcourſe.
2. The Diſcourſe it ſelf.
1. The occaſion of this Diſcourſe moſt likely, was a Queſtion put by Nicodemus, which is not here expreſſed; but is probably implyed in Verſe 3. in that it is ſaid, That Jeſus Anſwered; and by the Anſwer, you may gueſs what the Queſtion was. It may be, ſuch an one as this, What he must do that he might be ſaved?
2. We have the Diſcourſe it ſelf: Which was partly continued, and partly interrupted. Continued by Chriſt, and partly interrupted by Nichodemus, in divers places, by his Objections, Cavils, and fleſhly Reaſonings.
This Text is a part of Chriſts continued diſcourſe, and hath ſpecial relation to the foregoing verſe, As Moſes lift up, &c. ſo must the Son of man be lifted up: Verſe 14. That whoſoever believeth in him, be he who he will, Jew or Gentile, bond or free, Barbarian, Scythian, &c.
Or be his ſins what they will, for nature, never ſo hainous; for number, never ſo many; for continuance, never ſo long practiſed: Yet whoſoever believeth, &c. if they believe, they ſhall be as readily and certainly pardoned and ſaved, as other leſs offendors.