Forty-nine Sermons upon Colossians, Part 3 · Sermon 32
SERMON XXXII.
CHAP. III. Verſes I. II.
Verſe I. If then ye be riſen again with CHRIST, ſeek the things which are above, where CHRIST ſitteth at the right hand of GOD.
II. Mind the things, which are above; not thoſe, which are on the earth.
DEar Brethren; If the ſtudy and practiſe of true holineſs, which conſiſts in the love of God, and our Neighbour, had filled, as it ought, the hearts and lives of Chriſtians, they would never have amus'd themſelves in thoſe minute devotions, and carnal ceremonies, wherewith ſuperſtition hath alwaies fed, and doth ſtill to this day feed the World. This ſecond ſort of ſervices was not invented and introduced in Religion, but to be a ſupply in defect of the other: For man well knowing, that the Majeſty and Beneficence of GOD obligeth us to ſerve Him; and the charms and tentations of the earth turning away his heart from the legitimate ſervice we owe Him, which is that of a true and real ſanctity; that he may not appear empty in the preſence of this ſoveraign Deity, he preſents it inſtead of that which it requireth of us, with certain corporeal, childiſh, and ſpurious devotions, which, for that they are of our own invention, are naturally pleaſing to us. Accordingly, they are commonly called ſatisfactions; becauſe they are performed to content GOD, and pay Him for the omiſſion of what was due to Him: An evident ſign, that if men had fulfill'd their duty, there would have been no need of their buſying themſelves in theſe other exerciſes. Hence there proceeded, at the beginning, thoſe abſtinences from certain meats, and thoſe diſtinctions of daies, and that worſhipping of Angels, which ſome ſeducers would have ſet up among Chriſtians, in the very daies of the Apoſtles. From the ſame ſource alſo iſſued afterward, the ſtations, the xerofagies, and other diſciplines of the Montaniſts, and of divers hereticks, that ſometime diſturbed the ancient Church. In fine, from this very original have ſprung the obſervances, and voluntary ſervices of Rome; thoſe Orders and Rules of ſo many Monks, as do now a-daies fill the World; quadrageſimal rites, faſts and vigils, auricular confeſſion, pilgrimages, whippings, feaſtivals, jubilees, chappelets, and fraternities, with a multitude of ſuch other devotions, which have overwhelmed Chriſtian Religion. We may confidently ſay, there would never have been recourſe to ſuch things, if mortification of the old man, if true piety towards GOD, and true charity towards their neighbour, had exerciſed, and continually taken up the affections, and whole life of Chriſtians. So likewiſe you ſee their greateſt Zealots confeſs, that their rules and diſciplines have no place in Heaven, where holineſs is perfected; and never had leſs on earth, than among Chriſtians of the firſt age, that is, the beſt, and moſt holy; all theſe humane devotions being evidently ſprung from a relaxing of the piety of Chriſtians, and the corruption of their manners.
Therefore the Apoſtle St. Paul, having refuted in the precedent Chapter, as you have heard, the pretended ſervices, and mortifications of the falſe Teachers of his time; that the faithful, to whom he writes, might utterly be diſguſted at, and turned away from the ſame; does now lay before them the juſt offices, and legitimate exerciſes of Chriſtian piety; the body of holineſs, inſtead of ſhadows; the ſolid doctrine of the LORD JESUS, inſtead of the vain, and childiſh leſſons of ſuperſtition; the true mortifying of the fleſh, inſtead of the ſeducers unprofitable macerations; and an abſtinence from ſin, and the luſts thereof, inſtead of abſtinence from certain meats; in fine, Heaven, inſtead of the earth: As a prudent gardiner, who after he hath pluck'd up the bad, or unprofitable herbs of his garden, and well cleans'd the ground, caſts in good ſeeds, that are worthy to take up the earth, and capable of yielding fruits uſeful for the food of men. Withal, the Apoſtle, by this means, prevents an objection, that ſuperſtition uſually makes. For being not able to maintain its petty ſervices, as holy, and neceſſary in themſelves, it hath been wont to alledge, that whatever they be otherwaies, it is yet better for Chriſtians to employ themſelves in them, than to abide idle. The Apoſtle takes from it this vain colour, ſhewing the faithful, that they have another task, which is much more worthy, and much more noble, to wit, the ſtudy and practiſe of true ſanctity: ſo that ſuperſtition is guilty not only of a ſuperfluous diligence, but of a pernicious temerity, in diverting Chriſtians from their legitimate and neceſſary work, by thoſe voluntary exerciſes, wherewith it pretends to charge them. Let us then, Dearly beloved Brethren, keep off from the vain inſtitutions of ſuperſtition, whether ancient, or modern; and keep to the diſcipline of St. Paul. Let us meditate, let us ſtudy, and practiſe what he enjoyneth us; and aſſure our ſelves, that in following, and obſerving his rule exactly, we ſhall have neither time, nor will, nor need to buſie our ſelves after the rules of men. He employes all the remainder of this Epiſtle in theſe Divine documents; and in the beginning of this Chapter, after he hath raiſed our hearts to Heaven, he repreſents unto us, the general duties of ſanctification; that are neceſſary for all Chriſtians: thence paſſing unto particulars, he inſtructeth married perſons, children, fathers, ſervants and maſters, in what they owe to one another, as you ſhall hear, if GOD pleaſe, in the ſequel of theſe actions. For the preſent, to explain the exhortation, which he hath plac'd at the head of this excellent tract, and the words whereof we have read to you, we will conſider, by the grace and aſſiſtance of the Holy Ghoſt, firſt the precept, it containeth, that we do ſeek the things which are above; and then in the ſecond place, the two reaſons upon which he foundeth it; one taken from our being riſen again with CHRIST; and the other from J. CHRIST His ſitting on high, at the right-hand of GOD; and we ſhall obſerve upon each particular, as briefly as we may, the inſtructions and leſſons they afford us, either for our edification, and conſolation in general, or particularly for our preparation to that holy, and myſtical repaſt, unto which the LORD JESUS invites us againſt the next LORD'S Day.
The ancient Greeks e're-while aſcribed to that Philoſopher of theirs whom they moſt eſteemed, the glory of having brought down wiſdom from Heaven to the earth; becauſe he was the firſt that fixed the minds of his Scholars on the conſidering of their own nature, and what we owe, either to our ſelves, or to other men; whereas the Sages, that liv'd before him, buſied themſelves in nothing but the contemplating of Heaven, and its motions, and the natural things that depend upon the ſame. But the LORD JESUS, the true Prince of Wiſdom and Verity, inſtructs us quite otherwiſe than that man did, who verily was but a blind leader of the blind. For all the Philoſophy of JESUS CHRIST is, to looſen us from the earth, and lift us up to Heaven, and ſo fix our minds and affections there, as we may dwell even for the preſent, and converſe, and have our ſouls inceſſantly there, how far diſtant ſo-ever our bodies be from that happy habitation. It is very true, as that poor Pagan judged, that the contemplating of the Sun, and the Planets, and the other Stars, and the ſearching out of their motions, and the admiring of their beauty, their light, their greatneſs, and other qualities (which was all the employment of the Heathens firſt Philoſophy) doth not much conduce to the perfection of our manners, and the felicity of our lives. But neither is it upon that, that JESUS CHRIST doth fix us. He hath diſcovered to us other things, on high within that nobler part of the World, which are infinitely more excellent, and more neceſſary; and ſuch, as if that Pagan had ſeen them, he would have made no difficulty to confeſs, that true wiſdom conſiſteth, not in ſtaying ones ſelf here below on the earth, but in aſcending up to Heaven, for the viewing, the loving, and admiring of them continually.
For firſt, He hath revealed to us there, an holy, and a glorious City, ſeated above nature, and all its elements; a City, not mutable, and ſubject to periſh, as inferiour things; but founded, permanent, and eternal; the ſanctuary of life, and immortality; which GOD hath builded, and in which He hath diſplayed all the wonders of His power, and wiſdom; the dwelling, place, which He hath prepared for ſuch among men, as embracing His promiſes by Faith, ſhall live here below in His fear, and obey His commandments; and where He hath aleady gathered in, and conſecrated in His reſt, the ſpirits of ſuch of the faithful, as He hath fetch'd out of the preſent World. CHRIST hath made us ſee, that it is there thoſe bleſſed ones do dwell, with the armies of holy Angels; and that it's thither He went Himſelf, when He had finiſhed the work of our redemption upon earth. It's in this myſtical Paradiſe, that the true Tree of Life doth grow. It's there, that the rivers of pleaſure do run. There ſhineth the true Sun, that never ſets. There are kept thoſe divine flowers, that can neither be fouled, nor fade, with which the piety, and patience of Saints ſhall be one day crowned. It's there, that GOD manifeſteth himſelf to His ſervants, and ſhews them the mervails of His countenance unveiled: and feeds them, and fills them with joy, and transforms them, by this viſion, into ſo many living images of His eternal, and bleſſed nature. It's there, is true glory, and true pleaſure; an honour, a felicity, and a magnificence, the idea whereof never entred, either into our ſenſes, or into the very thoughts of our heart: in compariſon whereof, all the pomp of the Earth, and the glory of this Heaven, in which we ſee the Sun and the Stars go their rounds, is but a ſhadow, and a vapour. Again, as the creatures there poſſeſs true glory, ſo do they exerciſe true ſanctity: All of it, that's ſeen here below, is but a little ſparkle of the perfection of thoſe bleſſed inhabitants of that coeleſtial City. The love they bear to their LORD, is there perfect, as well as the knowledge they have of Him. Charity towards our neighbour, concord, union, truth, do there reign abſolute. Their ſouls have neither affections, nor deſires, but which are conform unto the will of GOD. The light of his face governeth all their motions, and ſhedding abroad its ſelf continually upon them, maintains them in an eternal holineſs, peace and bleſſedneſs. The LORD JESUS hath diſcovered to us all theſe wonders above the Heavens, having brought life and immortality to light by the Goſpel. But further, He hath certified us to, that theſe are things which concern us, and pertain to us? and opened, by His croſs, and reſurrection, the way that will moſt aſſuredly bring us to them. If we have the courage to follow Him, of what condition or quality ſo-ever we may be, He will congregate us to this holy company of His ſervants; receiving our ſouls into His boſome, upon their departure from this earth, and raiſing up our poor bodies themſelves one day, reveſted with His immortality and His glory.
Theſe be, Dear Brethren, the things which are above, that the Apoſtle willeth we do ſeek; in the ſame ſenſe that our Saviour commands us in the Goſpel, Matth. 6.33.to ſeek the Kingdom of GOD, and His righteouſneſs; ſignifying by that term, Firſt, that we propoſe Heaven and Eternity to our ſelves, for the utmoſt end of our whole life, and place our ſupreme happineſs in this rich poſſeſſion; that we make it our grand, and only deſign. And ſecondly, that we employ, in this noble perſuit, all the might we have, ſeriouſly uſing all the means that the Word of GOD preſcribeth us, faith, invocation, piety, ſanctity; and flee as a mortal peſt, every thing that keeps us off, or turneth us aſide from this mark. For, Prov. 21.25.as to the ſlothful, who does nothing all day but deſire, and ſets not his hand to the work, he hath no part in thoſe heavenly things. His deſire kills him, ſaith the wiſe man; as one that feeds on nothing but wind; there muſt be knocking; there muſt be ſeeking; there muſt be working out our ſalvation with fear and trembling. This treaſure is not for cold and languid wills, that evaporate altogether in vain wiſhings. It ſhall be that man's prize, who ſhall take it with an ardent, and a generous courage; and impulſed with a violent affection, ſpare neither pain, nor watching, nor labour to obtain it.
That which the Apoſtle commandeth us in the following verſe, namely, to mind the things which are above, doth amount to well-neer the ſame ſenſe. For the word he uſeth, comprehends the two actions of our ſouls towards objects we love; the one, a conſidering them, and thinking on them; the other; a deſiring, and embracing them in our affections. So you ſee, he obligeth us, firſt, to liſt up our hearts to Heaven, where the LORD JESUS is, and to have that bleſſed Kingdom continually before our eyes, which GOD hath there prepared for us, together with all thoſe great eternal good things wherein it conſiſteth. He requireth, that this thought do fill our ſouls day and night; that it be the thought that hath ſuperiority in them, that governs all the motions of them; the thought that regulateth our reſolutions, and decideth all our doubts. That in all things which ſhall preſent themſelves, we ever reflect hereon, to ſee how they refer unto it, and whether they be compatible with it. Such was the practiſe of the Father of the faithful. He looked (ſaith the Apoſtle) for a City that hath foundation. And Moſes, the grand legiſlator of the Jews, He had regard (ſaith the ſame Apoſtle) unto the recompence; that is, as he explains himſelf in the Text, They minded the things which are above. And this thought (as you ſee) is alſo neceſſarily conjoynt with affection; with an ardent deſire of poſſeſſing ſuch amiable and excellent things, and with a ſtedfaſt hope of enjoying them at length.
This is then, my Brethren, the firſt of thoſe two duties which the Apoſtle requireth of us, to wit, that we ſeek the things which are above. Now unto it he annexeth a prohibition, which follows neceſſarily from it, namely, that we ſeek not the things which are upon the earth; Heaven and earth being ſo oppoſite, as it is is not poſſible, but they who ſeek the things of the one, muſt renounce the things of the other. The things of the earth are, as you know, the goods of the World, riches, gold, ſilver, honours, pleaſures, and the like; all that which earthly men, the children of this generation do eſteem, and paſſionately love. He does not mean we ſhould have no care at all about the neceſſaries of the preſent life; for the good things that refer thereto, being gifts of GOD, which we cannot be without, one may both acquire, and ſerve himſelf of them with thankſgiving, yet not cleave unto them, and uſe them, yet not abuſe them. And the Apoſtle you know, other-where commands us to have care of our families, and to do every one his own buſineſs, and to labour with our hands, that we may carry our ſelves honeſtly towards them that are without, and that we may have lack of nothing. But he forbids us to ſeek the things of the earth, in the ſame ſenſe that he commanded us to ſeek thoſe of Heaven: that is, to place our chief good in them, and to deſire them with choiceſt affection, and prefer them before any other conſideration. It's thus that thoſe men ſought the things of the earth, Phil. 3.12. Luke 14.of whom the Apoſtle ſaith elſewhere, that the belly was their God, and they gloried in their ſhame; and thoſe in the Goſpel-parable, who preferred the care of their fields, and of their oxen, and the love of their wives, before the call of Heaven. Such a one, in the Old Teſtament, was that Eſan, who choſe a little pottage of lentils, rather than his primogeniture. Such, in the New, were thoſe ſordid Gadarens, who would have the Son of GOD be gone, becauſe He had made them loſe their ſwine; and thoſe that love their fathers, or mothers, or brethren, or other alliances, or their worldly poſſeſſions more than the LORD JESUS; or that prefer the praiſe of men before the praiſe of GOD. Such a one alſo was that beſotted rich man, who thought himſelf happy enough, becauſe he had goods laid up for many years, and dreamt of nothing but enjoying them.
Now, though the bare dignity of heavenly things, and the meer meanneſs and unprofitableneſs of earthly things, ſhould be ſufficient to recommend the former, and to diſguſt us at the latter; yet the Apoſtle, for the ſwaying of us to duties ſo juſt as theſe, ſets before us two excellent reaſons, the firſt whereof is drawn from our reſurrection with our Saviour. He had touched it already, in the twelfth verſe of the precedent Chapter; and 'tis from thence he reſumes it, and reminds us of it here, ſaying, If then ye be riſen again with CHRIST; that is to ſay, ſince you are riſen again with the LORD, as I have ſaid, and ſhewed a-fore. For the particle, if, is uſed here, as often elſe-where by way of illation, and concluding, not in way of doubting; and imports as much, as if the Apoſtle had ſaid, ſince that, or ſeeing that. For the reſt, you plainly ſee, that the Reſurrection he ſpeaks of, is not that of our bodies, which ſhall not be till the laſt day; but another myſtical, and ſpiritual one, already accompliſhed in us, by the virtue of our LORD'S reſurrection, and the efficacy of His Spirit. Eph. 2.5.6.He ſpake of it a-fore, at the place we noted; and in the Epiſtle to the Epheſians, where he ſaith, that GOD hath quickened us together with CHRIST, and raiſed us up together, and made us ſit together in heavenly places in Him. He explains us the myſterie of it elſe-where, in theſe words. Rom. 6.We are (ſaith he) buried with Him by Baptiſme into His death, that as CHRIST is raiſed from the dead, by the glory of the Father, ſo we in like manner ſhould walk in newneſs of life. Every reſurrection preſuppoſeth a death preceding. For to riſe again, is nothing elſe, but for one to be reſtored to life, who before was dead. Now the eſtate that men are in, under the dominion of ſin, the Scripture calleth Death, becauſe therein they have no ſenſe nor motion, in reſpect of piety and ſanctity; no more than the dead that reſt in the grave, have any for the actions of this life. Eph. 2.1.Ye were dead in your ſins and offences (ſaith the Apoſtle to the Epheſians, ſpeaking of the time of their ignorance.) Whence is that which our Saviour ſaith in the Goſpel; Let the dead bury their dead: and which St. Paul ſayes, 1 Tim. 5.6.the widow that liveth in pleaſure, is dead while ſhe liveth. When therefore by the efficacy of the vocation of the Spirit, and Goſpel of the LORD, a man comes to paſs out of this miſerable condition into the eſtate of grace; receiving the light of Faith into his underſtanding, and Charity and Sanctification into his heart; the Scripture, to expreſs this wonderful change, ſaith, that he is riſen again. This is preciſely the reſurrection that St. Paul intendeth in this place.
He ſaith, that we are riſen again with CHRIST; Firſt, becauſe this bleſſed change that's brought to paſs in us by His grace, is like that change which betided Him, when from the grave, where He had lain for the ſpace of three daies, He was raiſed unto life by virtue from on high. For as He then received the faculties of moving, and ſenſation, of which He was deprived in the Sepulchre: ſo we, in our regeneration, do receive a ſpirit, and a principle of life, which we had not before. Again, as the LORD was reſtored unto life by the glory of the Father, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks, that is by virtue of the exceeding great and glorious power of GOD; in like manner are we renew'd, and put into the ſtate of grace, by the efficacy of the might of GOD, and not by the arm of man, or the operation of fleſh and blood. In fine, as the LORD, upon His riſing again, did recover, not ſimply that life which He laid down in His dying, but another much more excellent and glorious, a ſpiritual, a coeleſtial and an immortal life: in like manner we reſume in our regeneration, not the life of the firſt Adam before ſin, from which we were fallen, and which how excellent ſo-ever, was nevertheleſs animal, and mortal, that is, capable of being loſt, as appeared by the iſſue: but another much more exquiſite and perfect, a life eternal, immutable, and like that the bleſſed Angels live. Thus you ſee, the Reſurrection of the LORD CHRIST is the idea and pattern of ours. But I add in the ſecond place, that we are ſaid to be riſen again with CHRIST, becauſe it is in Him, and from Him, that we have this grace; it being evident, that Faith, which is the firſt faculty of the new life, doth ingraff and incorporate us into JESUS CHRIST, and as the vine-branch doth not live, but in its ſtock; ſo man cannot live that divine life, but in his Saviour.
In fine, we are riſen again with CHRIST, becauſe His reſurrection is the cauſe of ours; in ſuch ſort, as if He had not riſen from the dead, we ſhould have remained lying in the darkneſs of our ſpiritual death. CHRIST coming forth out of His grave, hath opened, and enlightened ours, and hath adminiſtred out of His own ſtore, all things neceſſary to deliver us out of the miſerable eſtate wherein we were, and to put us in poſſeſſion of the life of Heaven. His reſurrection hath founded our Faith, ſhewing us clearly that He is the Son of GOD, and that His Goſpel is true. His reſurrection hath aſſured our ſouls, giving us full proof, that His death did fully ſatisfie and content the judge of the World. It hath ſtrengthened our hopes, making us to ſee by example of our Head, that death, the dreadfulleſt of our enemies, cannot impede our happineſs. Hereupon it hath kindled love of GOD, and deſire of ſo great glory in our hearts; and finally, produced in them the principles, the habitudes, and diſpoſitions of the new life, which are neceſſary for our attaining unto bliſsful immortality. Since therefore JESUS CHRIST in riſing again, did thereby raiſe up our life, which had been ingulfed in hell, and the curſe, and brought to light the cauſes of Faith, Hope, and Charity, the principal faculties of that new life we now have; it's evident that we are riſen again in Him, and with Him. From whence, that which the Apoſtle infers upon it, doth no leſs clearly follow, to wit, that we ought to mind henceforth the things which are on high, and ſeek them with all our affection. For the life unto which we are raiſed up with our LORD, is heavenly, and not earthly; divine, and not natural; eternal, and not corruptible. Since therefore every creature employeth all the ſenſe and affection it hath, about things ſuitable to its life; who ſees not, that the faithful are obliged, by the honour they have to be riſen again with the LORD, neither to breath after, nor embrace other things, but thoſe that are on high, in which their new life doth properly conſiſt? And ſuch is the example He hath given us. For being riſen, he abode but a very little time here below, only ſo long as the work of our ſalvation did require; and forthwith aſcended into Heaven, to draw up our thoughts and affections thither, untill our bodies alſo follow one day, being raiſed up thither, as His was, unto higheſt glory.
And this is the ſecond conſideration that the Apoſtle here lays before us, to perſwade us unto ſo juſt a duty. Seek the things which are above, where CHRIST (ſaith he) ſitteth at the right hand of GOD. For it (as our LORD ſometime ſaid) where our treaſure is there be our hearts alſo; where ſhould our ſouls be but in Heaven, ſince it is in that bleſſed dwelling place that their treaſure doth reſide? JESUS, their good, their life, and their joy, in whom is hidden all our felicity? In time paſt, under the Moſaical Law, the faithful alwaies turned their eyes and thoughts towards the Temple at Jeruſalem, becauſe it was the abiding place of the pledges of GOD's covenant with them, and of the moſt precious ſymbols of His preſence and glory. Judge what our affection and earneſtneſs ſhould be for Heaven, which containeth the true Ark of GOD, where all the fulneſs of His Godhead dwelleth, not in ſhadow, and figure, but really, and bodily? But there is more yet; JESUS CHRIST is our Head, and we His members. How can we conſerve this honour, but in keeping cloſe to Him, and following Him faithfully, without ever ſeparating from Him, or withdrawing from that Sanctuary where He dwelleth? And indeed, He expreſly aſſures us in the Goſpel, that He willeth we ſhould be where He is; and that where the dead body is, there alſo the Eagles gather together; ſo as if we be truly of the number of His Eagles, it is not poſſible but we ſhould take our flight to Heaven, ſince this divine body of our LORD and Saviour is there.
And hereby you ſee, dear Brethren, to note it by the way, how diſtant the doctrine of St. Paul is from that of Rome. For whereas the Apoſtle elevateth our hearts from earth to Heaven, Rome brings them down, as far as in her lyeth, from Heaven to the earth, faſtning the hearts of her zealots, on her material altars and ciboires, which, ſhe pretends, the LORD is encloſed in; againſt the ſuffrage of the whole Church, who hath ever conſtantly applied theſe words of the Apoſtle, particularly to the Sacrament of the Euchariſt, exhorting the faithful, when they celebrate it, to have their hearts above. Sure, if JESUS CHRIST be here below, as Rome would have it, the Apoſtle does ill, to command us to mind the things which are above: and worſe again, in urging for a reaſon of it, that it's above that JESUS CHRIST reſideth. If for that the LORD is in Heaven, we ought, according to the Apoſtles inſtruction, not to ſeek any thing on earth; how much leſs, I beſeech you, ought we to ſeek the LORD Himſelf there? I do not advertiſe you, that this is to be underſtood of the preſence of the humane nature of JESUS CHRIST; For you know, that He is every where, as to the eſſence, and providence of His Divinity; And as to the grace of His Spirit, and the efficacy and virtue of His will and inſtitutions, we readily confeſs, that the ſame is not confined to the Heavens; and doth extend, and ſhew its ſelf whereſoever He pleaſeth, according to the promiſe He hath made us, to be in the midſt of us, when we are aſſembled in His Name.
But the Apoſtle doth not barely ſay, that JESUS is in Heaven. He adds, that He ſitteth at the right hand of GOD. Divers Doctors have belaboured themſelves much in the explicating of theſe words; and at length, there are ſome that have ſtrangely diſguiſed them; as if they ſignified, that our LORD's humane nature had been inveſted with all the properties of the Divinity, which would be no other thing, but that it was transform'd into a Divine nature; a conceit which all true Chriſtians have horrour for, confeſſing that the two natures do remain, each of them in its integrity, having been united in JESUS CHRIST, but not blended together, nor confuſed; The Apoſtle, if we pleaſe to hear him, will tell us in two words what it is to ſit at the right hand of GOD. For in the 15th. Chapter of the firſt Epiſt. to the Corinthians, ſpeaking of the eſtate, to which JESUS CHRIST hath been exalted in the Heavens, and in which he ſhall abide conſtantly unto the end; inſtead of its being ſaid by the Prophet, from whom the expreſſion was taken, in Pſal. 110. that the LORD ſhould fit at the right hand of the Father; he ſaith ſimply, that He ſhall reign till He hath put all His enemies under His feet; an evident ſign, that this ſitting at the right hand of the Father, is nothing elſe, but that ſupreme dominion which hath been given Him over all things, and which He doth, and ſhall exerciſe unto the end of all ages; inaſmuch as GOD hath made Him LORD, Acts 2.36.and CHRIST, as St. Peter ſpeaks. And this conſideration doth again mightily ſtrengthen the holy Apoſtle's exhortation. For ſince Heaven is the throne, on which the Prince of the Univerſe doth ſit, and from which He diſpenſeth, and governeth all things at His will; there is great reaſon we ſhould turn our eyes thither-ward, and have this Royal Court of our Soveraign in mind night and day, to comfort our ſelves under the trouble, that either the iniquity of men and devils, or the intemperateneſs of other creatures, does give us, and to form our manners, and all the parts of our life, after the will, and by the example of ſo great, and ſo holy a Monarch.
Behold the Leſſon, Beloved Brethren, which the Apoſtle gives us at this time, that we ſeek not low, but high things; not thoſe of the earth, but the things of Heaven; ſince we are riſen up with JESƲS CHRIST, who is ſat down on high, in Heaven, at the right hand of GOD. What would there be in all the World more happy than we, if we took up a good and a firm reſolution to obey Him, and practiſe the thing He enjoyneth us? Theſe fears, and theſe deſires, and ſo many other vain paſſions which trouble our whole life, would have no more place in us. We, elevated far above that, which men unprofitably covet, or poſſeſs, or apprehend, ſhould, with Angels, enjoy a Divine contentment. From that glorious Heaven, where we ſhould be, we ſhould deſpiſe the vanities and variations of the earth, and ſee its ſeaſons paſs on, and its elements roul about, and its idols periſh, and its pleaſures fleet away, without any perturbation, being ſecure, that none of its ſtorms can ever reach that high and inacceſſible region where our hearts and lives would be. We ſhould look upon death without terrour, knowing that it could not take any of thoſe things from us, which we poſſeſs on high. We ſhould ſuffer all the accidents of this life without emotion; becauſe they can change no part of the things we have in Heaven. The charms alſo, and illuſions of the World, would touch us as little, as its menaces, and raging; becauſe the fruition of a greater good would render us inſenſible for leſſer ones; as the preſence of the Sun puts out the ſhining of the ſtars. Being content with Heaven, and its eternity, we ſhould covet nothing more; and ſatisfied with ſo rich a portion, not envy any of the creatures, the perfections, and happineſs they have. Our whole life would be a perpetual feaſtival, whereon, free from the travail and turmoil of worldlings, contemplating in ſpirit the glory of the Palace of our LORD, meditating His promiſes, breathing after His benefits, and enjoying them for the preſent by faith, and Hope, we ſhould, in repoſe, wait for the bleſſed day of our glorious triumph.
But alas! how far are we from ſuch a felicity! This wretched and periſhing earth is the ſole object of our minds. Our ſouls are no leſs faſtned to it than our bodies. It ſwalloweth up all our thoughts; it poſſeſſeth our affections; it takes up our cares, and our labours; and hath the uſe of all our time. We have no deſires, and love, but for the falſe goods, which it ſheweth us; nor fear and horrour, but for the evils wherewith it threatneth us. As for Heaven, and the things it comprehendeth, we are ſo far from ſeeking them, that we not ſo much as think of them, except it be dreamingly, or in manner of a divertiſement, when we are told of them in this place; looking on the ſtately repreſentations which JESUS CHRIST hath drawn us of them, as an empty picture; fair indeed, and pleaſing, but good for nought, ſaving to feed our eyes with a ſhort and bootleſs pleaſure; not attracting, nor engaging our deſires. This is the cauſe why our whole life is miſerable; full of griefs and fears, of weakneſſes, of regrets and infelicities. The leaſt ſtrokes overturn us; the leaſt loſſes, and ſlighteſt afflictions bear us down; becauſe not being faſtned to Heaven, the only firm and ſure place of the World, we fluctuate, expoſed to the mercy of all that comes againſt us. And as children cannot be appeaſed when their puppets are taken from them, becauſe they have ſet all their affection on them: ſo are we ſeized, and do take on, when we come to loſe ſome of theſe toyes of the earth. There is no way to comfort us, becauſe we have faſtned our hearts to them. And to ſay truth, our condition is worſe than other mens; they at leaſt are ſubject but to the evils that either the infirmity of nature, or (as they call it) the inconſtancy of fortune, do bring with them; whereas beſides theſe, the bad Chriſtian, who is not a Chriſtian, but in name, is moreover expoſed to the perſecution of the World; ſo as, to ſay plainly, there is nothing more fooliſh nor more wretched than he, who hath part in the temporal ſufferings and hardſhips of true beleevers, and none at all in their conſolation or bleſſedneſs; inaſmuch as his profeſſion expoſes Him to the hatred of the World, and his vice excludes him from the Kingdom of GOD.
Awake then ye that are worldly, and come once out of ſo dangerous an errour. Let not the trumpet of Heaven, the voice of our great Apoſtle, have founded now in your ears in vain. Do not add this contempt to your other crimes. He hath advertiſed you of your duty. He hath declared the reaſons that oblige you to it. Take heed, leſt if you ſhut your ears againſt JESUS CHRIST, who ſpeaks by His mouth, you periſh in the end with this earth, and the things you ſeek on it. How do you not perceive that you ſhall never find there the happineſs you ſeek? Why hath not the experience of ſo many millions of perſons, who daily ſpend themſelves in this vain labour; taught you, that the things of the earth are all of them but vanities, and illuſions, tranſient figures, which promiſe pleaſure, honour, and contentment, but afford none? which do not cure the maladies of the body, nor of the ſoul? which infinitely toil out thoſe that ſeek them, and never fill the hearts of thoſe that poſſeſs them? multiplying their deſires, and their fears, inflaming and envenoming their paſſions, inſtead of extinguiſhing them? which are ſubject to infinite mutations? which men and elements may bereave you of every moment? and which, conſidering the ſhort and uncertain duration of the life we lead here below, you can enjoy but a very little time, ſuppoſing that nothing does deprive you of them before death? At that time, Matt. 16.26.What will it profit a man to have gained the whole world, and loſe his own ſoul? It is ſure, a blindneſs incredible, to one that ſaw it not; I do not ſay, that a Chriſtian, who hath hopes of the world to come; but that even any reaſonable man ſhould adhere with ſo ardent, and obſtinate a paſſion, unto ſuch wretched and fruitleſs things. We perceive it, and confeſs it, and make the braveſt diſcourſes in the World upon it; and after all, that falſe luſtre which we behold in theſe things, hath ſuch a faculty to bewitch our ſenſes, that not a perſon, but lets himſelf be caught thereby. But the worſt is, that beſides errour and vanity, there's in it a tendency to eternal damnation. For men may not ſlatter themſelves. None can ſerve two Maſters; nor look on Heaven and earth both together. He that ſeeks the one, muſt of neceſſity renounce the other; it being no more poſſible to ſeek, than it's to find at once, the things beneath, and thoſe which are above.
Faithful Brethren, chooſe you, and take the better part, and leaving worldly men, to labour in vain after the things of the earth, and to ſeek in it what they ſhall never find; turn you your hearts and eyes towards Heaven, as the Apoſtle calleth you to do. There, Chriſtian, is the felicity you deſire. There dwelleth reſt, and joy, and immortality, and the perfection of both ſoul and body. Theſe are the only things that are truly worthy of your prayers, and your pains. Seek them, and mind them night and day. Give your ſelves no reſt till you have found them, and do feel the firſt-fruits and beginnings of them in your hearts. Let theſe thoughts ſweeten your ſufferings, and conſolate your loſſes. Tis in vain, that you threaten me, ye people of the World. You cannot deprive me of what I poſſeſs, nor hinder me from finding what I ſeek; ſince upon the things of Heaven, you have no power. Whatever you bereave me of, the beſt part of my treaſure, and the only part that deſerves that appellation, will ſtill remain entire to me. Let the ſame thought arm us againſt all tentations. Thou, Tempter, promiſeſt me the things of the earth; but I ſeek thoſe of Heaven, which thou canſt not diſpoſe of. Though I ſhould loſe all I have here below, even to this fleſh its ſelf, yet ſhall I find it again with a thouſand-fold increaſe in Heaven. Let this thought again keep us continually buſied in the good and worthy actions of piety, charity, and honeſty. Let our manners reſemble thoſe of the inhabitants of that divine City, which wee ſeek. Let the light of their knowledge, the ardency of their love, the purity of their affections, ſhine forth now betimes in our lives. 'Tis that, to which that new nature, JESUS CHRIST hath given us, in raiſing us again with Himſelf, doth oblige us. Theſe thoughts, and works of Heaven, are neceſſary productions of the principles and faculties of that life unto which we have been raiſed up. You can neither be Chriſtians, without having part in the reſurrection of our LORD; nor have part in His reſurrection, except you walk with Him, and wear that lightſome robe of ſanctity, wherewith He veſteth all the aſſociates of His reſurrection. He Himſelf calleth us hereto from that lofty Throne, whereon He ſitteth at the right hand of GOD; Faithful ſoul, (ſaith He to each of us) look unto me, and I will give thee light. Fear not; for I govern the Heavens, and the earth. Only fix thine eyes, thy thoughts, and thine heart on me; and I will guide thee by my counſel, and receive thee one day into my glory. Dear Brethren, this He doth promiſe us, and of this He will give us earneſt next LORD's-day, at His holy table. Let us do what He demands of us, or to ſay better, let us pray Him to do it in us, and He will aſſuredly do what He promiſeth us. Unto Him, unto the Father, and unto the Holy Spirit, the true and only GOD, bleſſed for ever, be honour, praiſe, and glory, to ages of ages. Amen.