A Discourse of Christian Religion, Title page – Errata
A DISCOURSE OF CHRISTIAN RELIGION, In Sundry Points: Preached at the Merchants Lecture in Broadstreet. By THOMAS COLE Minister of the Gospel in London.
LONDON: Printed by R. R. for Thomas Cockerill, at the Three Legs in the Poultrey, over-against the Stocks-Market. MDCXCII.
THE Preface to the Reader.
I Dictate nothing to thee, I only offer my thoughts about some Points; if you find them agreeable to the line and measure of the Word of God, receive them; if not, you cannot do either your self, or me, a greater kindness then to reject them. To take all for truth that we read in humane Authors, hath filled the world with Error; therefore search the Scriptures, whether things are so or no; and impartially pronounce that judgment which the Word gives of them, whether for, or against them. I pretend to no new discoveries, neither do I affect to be wise above what is Written; an improvement of known truths, is all I aim at: Here is no new unscriptural Light hung up, I only snuff the Candle that is already burning; seeking to free the Truth from some Obscurities, that hinder a right perception of it.
I am persuaded, the chief, if not the only cause of difference among real Christians, lies not so much in different thoughts, as different expressions; they mean right, but are understood wrong: We are not so Angelical yet, as to have an intuitive knowledge, that looks Truth directly in the face, and judges of it, as it is. But we range about in a discoursive way▪ inferring one thing from another; the least error in the Premises, affects the Conclusion, and leaves a blemish upon it, that renders it suspected by all wise men. If our more refined thoughts aud speculations in some abstracted notions of truth that we please our selves with, lose something of their beauty and lustre when put into Words, we must allow for the grossness of the medium thorough which they pass, all things being handed to the Intellect by our senses; we must phansy something, before we know any thing. Common sense that rises from particulars, may present very unintelligible species to the understanding, and occasion much confusion there, by those false images of things, upon which right notions of truth cannot well be built. To avoid these Vncertainties, Ambiguities, and indistinct Conceptions, that our own words are apt to lead us into; our surest way is to ground our judgment upon the Infallible Word of God, not receeding from the literal Interpretation of Scripture, so far as it agrees with the Analogy of Faith, and the general scope of the Bible in other places. We must not suppose a Figure, where there is none; nor Allegorize plain Texts into a foreign sense, not intended by the Holy Ghost. In all our Expositions of such plain Scriptures, we should justifie the Letter of the Text, and not force a sense of our own upon it, which the words will not bear; this is the real cause of those unscriptural Expressions, that some men cloath their false Conceptions with: They cannot speak as the Scripture speaks, which argues thoughts within, very disagreeable to the Word of God; all their Labour and Study, is, to distinguish the Scripture out of its own sense into theirs, that they may have some shew of Divine Authority to maintain their brain-sick Notions, which this giddy Age abounds too much with.
The use of Reason in Divine Mysteries, lies in Three things: 1. In observing what is plainly laid down in Scripture; that it is so and so Written. 2. In understanding the true sense and signification of Scripture-terms. 3. In discerning the natural consequences of plain truths, how one thing follows by a rational deduction from another. But as some men would have it, we must first look into the nature of the most incomprehensible Mysteries of the Gospel, and draw up a Rationale of the Bible, that reason may judge what is fit to be believed, before we give any credit to the Word of God; which is to make our selves the first judges of Gospel-truths, and in effect to slight all Divine Testimony.
If I keep not always the common road, but now and then step out of it, all I have to say is this, I count not my self obliged to go thorough thick and thin for Company, especially when I see a nearer and a cleaner way: There is some latitude, even in the narrow way to Heaven; we may take a compass and go wide of each other, yet have our faces fixed upon the same point, and meet at the same place at night. Where there is the greetest agreement among Saints in any point of Doctrine, yet we may find some difference in their conceptions of the same thing; we are not yet come to that Vnity of knowledge, which will make us intirely one in our perfect state: In the mean time, let us not except against that diversity of gifts and operations, that flow from the same Spirit: One may follow another, though his pace be slower, though he tread not directly in his steps, who goes before; nay, short steps often repeated, may rid more ground than long deliberate paces; one shows how far he can stride, the other how fast he can go; and a nimble Feet, is better than a long, lazy Leg, that out-strides those, whom it cannot out-go.
I shall give thee only this brief Account of the ensuing discourse: I suppose thou hast read the Title Page; if thou thinkest thy self concerned in so weighty a Subject, read on; if not, I fear thy hope is only in this life. Paul will tell thee what a miserable man thou art, 1 Cor 15. None in the world more wretched than thy self. So I leave thee, to give thy self a reason, if thou canst, why thou slightest the Hope of Glory, and art so unconcerned in the next state of things, when this world shall be no more.
The Knowledg of God in Christ, requires frequent and fervent Prayer, serious Meditation, and diligent searching the Scriptures, which testifie of Christ: God never made himself visible to man, but in the person of Christ Incarnate, who is the express Image of the Father, best able to make the truest representation of God to man, being himself both God and man.
What is occasionally spoken of some other Points, viz. Of the Law; of the New Covenant; of the Instrumentality of Faith in Justification; of Repentance and New Obedience, as required in all who are Justified, though not unto the Justification of any, I refer to thy serious consideration: My design is not to satisfie the captious reason of the Disputers of this world, but to speak to the experience of humble Christians: If I do that, I shall have witnesses enough to the truth of what I say. Though some may not understand, in a Christian, Faith is the best understanding: Were there more of this among our men of Reason, Gospel-Mysteries would not seem such unintelligible Notions as they do to many, who think there is no ground of certainty, but Logical Evidence: The Divine Authority of the Scripture stands for little with such men, who resolve to believe themselves, leaning in all things to their own understandings: And under that Spiritual slumber I must leave them, till it pleases God to awaken them.
As for those who make previous Conditions performed by themselves, the ground of their Faith in Christ for Pardon, not daring to trust in Christ for Salvation, 'till they have first prepared themselves by such doings of their own, as may give them a right and title to it, and encourage them to trust in Christ for that Salvation; whereas I conceive the bare offer and tender of Grace made to sinners in the Gospel, is sufficient to give them a right and title to it, who thankfully accept the offer, though they come without Money, have no Righteousness of their own to make way for them, coming as they are in their nakedness and Poverty, casting themselves upon Christ for all, looking for acceptance only in the Beloved. Besides, to require such preparatory works before believing, I mean, before we close in with Christ by an act of justifying-Faith, is to put natural men upon supernatural acts, which they have no strength to perform; and doth suppose, that in their natural state, they may be brought to true holiness; may reform their lives, and attain to some degree of Sanctification, before their hearts are changed, and purified by Faith: There must be a change of state, before there can be a change of life; in a real turning to God, by a sincere obedience: In Preaching the Gospel, we exhort and press our Hearers to holiness; not as if we thought to bring them to it, while in their natural state, but because there is a converting Power in the Gospel to make them new Creatures, that must be first done, before any acceptable obedience can be performed: 'Tis Faith that unites us to Christ, and being so united, all principles and habits of holiness are infused, which the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us, draws into act upon all occasions. Some carry it, as if all holy dispositions and inclinations were acquired by our own endeavours: But as original Corruption was propagated by our descent from the first Adam, so the first seeds and principles of true holiness, are propagated by our descent from the second Adam in our new birth: Let us not think to become holy any other way than by Faith in Christ, in whom we are sanctified, and by whose Spirit, the Saints are stirred up and quickned to all those duties that tend to the perfecting of holiness in them. Christ is the root that bears us, our fruit is found in him, all our springs are in him; without me (says Christ) you can do nothing; we shall be sorry doers of Righteousness, if we set about it in our own strength; therefore I conclude, we must begin our Religion with Faith in Christ, and Pray that we may be led by his Spicit, in all ways of holiness to our lives end. I see no ground in all the new Testament, to press and exhort Sinners to humiliation, repentance, and reformation of life, from any other motive, than that of Gospel Grace, which must be received and taken in, in some degree of Saving-faith, before we can heartily set about the foresaid duties; and this is all I contend for: This reception of▪ or faith in Christ, must go before all things that are afterwards to be received from Christ: That which leads many into a mistake in this matter, it their putting too great a difference between saving Evangelical Conviction of sin, and true saving-Faith; as if such a Conviction of our lost undone state by nature, were but a preparative to saving-Faith; whereas it is an essential part of justifying-Faith to convince us of sin, from which we are justified by Christ; they are always concomitant, and cannot be separated in any act of saving-Faith we put forth upon Christ: What is Faith, but a Conviction of sin, and righteousness, shewing us our sins, that we may seek after righteousness in Christ? As for legal Conviction and repentance, that is but a common work. As God pleases to awaken natural Conscience, by setting home the threats and terrors of the Law; this may, or may not be previous to Conversion; and is wrought in whom, and in what degree God pleases: Some lie in a spiritual slumber all their days, without any legal touch upon their Consciences, are fast asleep, 'till they awake in Hell; which is full of legal Convictions: Sometimes God reserves the whole of Conviction for saving-Faith; he lets in a sense of sin, and of the remedy at once; and this Faith may first shew it self in some, more in an humbling Conviction of sin, than in the comfortable application of Christ's righteousness, that may come afterwards, when Faith has done its humbling work, under which, there is a secret looking unto Christ, tho not with that comfortable sense of our interest in him, as we are made afterwards to understand.
What I urge is this: We must begin our Religion with Faith in Christ, which never fails to produce repentance and new obedience; but how to attain to any degree of either, before we are in Christ, is to me unconceiveable: They who so much contend for these Preparatives, do run upon Rocks, and will be forced to deny such fundamental Points of the Protestant Religion, which I am persuaded they will be ashamed to disown, when closely put to it; many things are required of those who are in Covenant, that are not required as Conditions of our first entring into Covenant: We must not think to bring any Grace to the Covenant, but must fetch all Grace from the Covenant, even Faith it self; a power to believe, being the first thing promised in the Covenant; and by our passive reception of this first Grace, a spiritual Principle of life is let into the Soul, from whence flow all holy and spiritual actions,Qua facultates Animae in calescunt & vivificantur, & potentes fiunt in ordine Spirituali. Tho. Parker, Thes. 43. as the fruits and effects of that habitual Faith, infused at first by God. This reception of Christ by Faith, is our life, 1 John 5. 12. John 6. 53. by which the faculties of our Souls are warmed and quickned, and enabled unto all acts of spiritual life, being now throughly furnished unto every good word and work.
Were Pride and Prejudice laid aside, and did every one study his own Justification, and mind that more; some would find those very Arguments which they take up against their Antagonists, whilst they are acting the part of Opponents, contending more for Victory, than Truth, to make against the inward Judgment of their own Consciences, when once it comes to be their own case. I am persuaded many plead for those opinions and notions, upon which they would be loth to venture their own Souls in a dying hour; I value more the Judgment of a dying Saint about Justification, than all the wrangling Disputes of Learned men, who are under a great temptation sometimes of shewing their parts, in speaking Learnedly against the truth; and whilst they seek to bafflle others, they baffle themselves into a belief of those errors; which for Disputation sake, they at first so stifly maintained, being not able to answer their studied Objections; they are judiciously punished for making so bold an attempt against the truth; God giving them up to strong delusion, to believe lyes.
I conclude, That every Sinner whose heart God inclines by the Preaching of the Gospel, to rely upon Christ for Salvation, hath right so to do; and from this first Faith in Christ habitually disposing the Soul to all holiness, do arise actual repentance, and new obedience, as the fruits and effects of that Faith, evidencing the truth of it, to the great comfort of all sincere Believers.
Thy faithful Monitor, And hearty Well-wisher of thy Soul's Eternal good. T. C.
The Contents of this Book.
1. CHrist in us the Hope of Glory, Col. 1. 27. Page. 1.
2. What it is to know God in Christ, Joh. 8. 54, 55. 113.
3. Christ the only Saviour of his People from Sin, Luke 1. 77. 183.
4. Christ the Great Redeemer of Body and Soul, 1 Cor. 6. 20. 251.
5. Christ the only Mediator of the New Covenant, Heb. 12. 24. 283.
6. Christ the Foundation of our Adoption, Gal. 4. 5. 333.
7. The Necessity of preaching Christ, 1 Cor. 1. 23. 373.
ERRATA.
PAge 5 l. 1. for in glory, r. is glory. p. 12. l. 20. for foreign. p. 19. l. 5. for Believers, r. believers. p. 59. l. 16. for longing, r. longings. p. 74. last line, blot out other. p. 117. l. 6. for put Death, r. put to Death. p. 126. l. 20. for at last, r. at least. p. 189. l. 27. for then his, r. then this p. 286. l. 16. for commed, r. commend.
CHRIST THE Hope of GLORY.
COL. I. 27.
That God would make known what is the Riches of the Glory of this Mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you the Hope of Glory.
IN handling these Words, I shall observe this Method, (1.) Speak to the Coherence. (2.) Explain the Terms of the Text. (3.) Draw both parts of the Text together into one Doctrinal Observation.