Fifty Sermons, Sermons · Sermon 39
SERMON XXXIX.
Preached at Saint Pauls.
PHILIP. 3. 2.
Beware of the Concision.
THis is one of those places of Scripture, which afford an argument for that, which I finde often occasion to say, That there are not so eloquent books in the world, as the Scriptures. For there is not onelyonly that non refugit, which Calvin speaketh of in this place, (Non refugit in Organis suis Spiritus Sanctus leporem & facetias, The Holy Ghost in his Instruments, (in those whose tongues or pens he makes use of) doth not forbid, nor decline elegant and cheerfull, and delightfull expression; but as God gave his Children a bread of Manna, that tasted to every man like that that he liked best, so hath God given us Scriptures, in which the plain and simple man may heare God speaking to him in his own plain and familiar language, and men of larger capacity, and more curiosity, may heare God in that Musique that they love best, in a curious, in an harmonious style, unparalleled by any. For, that also Calvin adds in that place, that there is no secular Authour, Qui jucundis vocum allusionibus, & figuris magis abundat, which doth more abound with perswasive figures of Rhetorique, nor with musicall cadences and allusions, and assimilations, and conformity, and correspondency of words to one another, then some of the Secretaries of the Holy Ghost, some of the authours of some books of the Bible doe. Of this Rule, this Text is an example. These Philippians, amongst whom Saint Paul had planted the Gospell in all sincerity, and impermixt, had admitted certain new men, that preached Traditionall, and Additionall Doctrines, the Law with the Gospell, Moses with Christ, Circumcision with Baptisme. To these new Convertites, these new Doctors inculcated often that charm, You are the Circumcision, you are they whom God hath sealed to himself by the Seale of Circumcision; They whom God hath distinguished from all Nations, by the marke of Circumcision; They in whom God hath imprinted, (and that in so high a way, as by a Sacrament) an internall Circumcision, in an externall; and will you breake this Seale of Circumcision? will you deface this marke of Circumcision? will you depart from this Sacrament of Circumcision? You are the Circumcision. Now Saint Paul meets with these men upon their haunt; and even in the sound of that word which they so often pressed; he sayes they presse upon you Circumcision, but beware of Concision, of tearing the Church of God, of Schismes, and separations from the Church of God, of aspersions and imputations upon the Church of God,Verse 3. either by imaginary superfluities, or imaginary defectivenesse, in that Church: for, saith the Apostle, We are the Circumcision, we who worship God in the Spirit, and rejoyce in Christ Iesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. If therefore they will set up another Circumcision beyond this Circumcision, if they will continue a significative, a relative, a preparative figure, after the substance, the body, Christ Jesus is manifested to us, a legall Circumcision in the flesh, after the spirituall Circumcision in the heart is established by the Gospell, their end is not Circumcision, but Concision: they pretend Reformation, but they intend Destruction, a tearing, a renting, a wounding the body, and frame, and peace of the Church, and by all means, and in all cases Videte Concisionem, Beware of Concision.
First then,Divisio. we shall from these words consider, the lothnesse of God to lose us. For, first, he leaves us not without a Law, he bids and he forbids, and then he does not surprise us with obsolete laws, he leaves not his laws without proclamations, he refreshes to our memories, and represents to us our duties, with such commonefactions as these in our Text, Videte, Cavete, this and this I have commanded you, Videte, see that ye do it, this and this will hinder you, Cavete, beware ye do it not, Beware of Concision.
And this, thus derived, and digested into these three branches: first, Gods lothnesse to lose us; and then his way of drawing us to him, by manifestation of his will in a law; and lastly his way of holding us with him, by making that law effectuall upon us, by these his frequent commonefactions, Videte, Cavete, looke to it, beware of it, this will be our first part. And then our second will be the thing it self that falls under this inhibition, and caution, which is Concision, that is, a tearing, a renting, a shredding in peeces that which should be intire. In which second part, we shall also have, (as we had in the former) three branches; for, we shall consider, first, Concisionem corporis, the shredding of the body of Christ into fragments, by unnecessary wrangling in Doctrinall points; and then, Concisionem vestis, the shredding of the garment of Christ into rags, by unnecessary wrangling in matter of Discipline, and ceremoniall points; and lastly, Concisionem spiritus, (which will follow upon the former two) the concision of thine owne spirit, and heart, and minde, and soule, and conscience, into perplexities, and into sandy, and incoherent doubts, and scruples, and jealousies, and suspitions of Gods purpose upon thee, so as that thou shalt not be able to recollect thy self, nor reconsolidate thy self, upon any assurance, and peace with God, which is onelyonly to be had in Christ, and by his Church. Videte Concisionem, beware of tearing the body, the Doctrine; beware of tearing the Garment, the Discipline; beware of tearing thine owne spirit, and conscience, from her adhaesion, her agglutination, her cleaving to God, in a holy tranquillity, and acquiescence in his promise, and mercy, in the merits of his Sonne, applyed by the holy Ghost, in the Ministry of the Church.
For our first consideration,1 Part. Vult omnes. of Gods lothnesse to lose us, this is argument enough… That we are here now, now at the participation of that grace, which God alwayes offers to al such Congregations as these, gathered in his name. For, I pray God there stand any one amongst us here now, that hath not done something since yesterday, that made him unworthy of being here to day; and who, if he had been left under the damp, and mist of yesterdayes sinne, without the light of new grace, would never have found way hither of himself. If God be weary of me, and would faine be rid of me, he needs not repent that he wrapped me up in the Covenant, and derived me of Christian parents, (though he gave me a great help in that) nor repent that he bred me in a true Church, (though he afforded me a great assistance in that) nor repent that he hath brought me hither now, to the participation of his Ordinances, (though thereby also I have a great advantage) for, if God be weary of me, and would be rid of me, he may finde enough in me now, and here, to let me perish. A present levity in me that speake, a present formality in you that heare, a present Hypocrisie spread over us all, would justifie God; if now,Luke 18. 8. and here, he should forsake us. When our blessed Saviour sayes, When the Son of man comes, shall he finde faith upon earth? we need not limit that question so, if he come to a Westminster, to an Exchange, to an Army, to a Court, shall he finde faith there? but if he come to a Church, if he come hither, shall he finde faith here? If (as Christ speaks in another sense, That Iudgement should begin at his owne house,) the great and generall judgement should begin now at this his house, and that the first that should be taken up in the clouds, to meet the Lord Jesus, should be we, that are met now in this his house, would we be glad of that acceleration, or would we thank him for that haste? Men of little faith, Iob 1. 6.I feare we would not. There was a day, when the Sonnes of God presented themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also amongst them; one Satan amongst many Sonnes of God. Blessed Lord, is not our case far otherwise? do not we, (we, who, as we are but we, are all the Sonnes of Satan) present our selves before thee, and yet, thou Lord art amongst us? Is not the spirit of slumber and wearinesse upon one, and the spirit of detraction, and mis-interpretation upon another; upon one the spirit of impenitence for former sinnes, and the spirit of recidivation into old, or of facility and opennesse to admit tentations into new upon another? We, as we are but we, are all the Sonnes of Satan, and thou Lord, the onelyonly Sonne of God, onelyonly amongst us. If thou Lord wert weary of me, and wouldest be rid of me, (may many a soule here say) Lord thou knowest, and I know many a midnight, when thou mightest have been rid of me,Ier. 27. 28. if thou hadst left me to my selfe then. But vigilavit Doninus, the Lord vouchsafed to watch over me,Prov. 8. 31. and deliciae ejus, the delight of the Lord was to be with me; And what is there in me, but his mercy? but then, what is there in his mercy, that that may not reach to all, as well as to me? The Lord is loth to lose any, the Lord would not the death of any; not of any sinner; much lesse if he do not see him, nor consider him so; the Lord would not lose him, though a sinner, much lesse make him a sinner, that he might be lost: Vult omnes, the Lord would have all men come unto him, and be saved, which was our first consideration, and we have done with that, and our second is, The way by which he leads us to him, that he declares and manifests his will unto us, in a Law, he bids, and he forbids.
The laborers in the Vine-yard took it ill at the Stewards hand,Lex. Mat. 20. 22. and at his Masters too, that those which came late to the labour, were made equall with them, who had borne the heate, and the burden of the day. But if the Steward, or the Master had never meant, or actually never had given any thing at all, to them that had borne the heate and the burden of the day, there had been much more cause of complaint, because there had passed a contract between them. So hath there passed a contract between God, and us, Beleeve, and thou shalt live, Do this and thou shalt live. And in this especially hath God expressed his love to us, and his lothenesse to lose us, that he hath passed such a contract with us, and manifested to us a way, to come to him. We say, every day, in his owne prayer, Fiat voluntas tua, thy will be done; that is, done by us, as well as done upon us. But this petition presumes another; the Fiat suposes a Patefiat voluntas, if it must be done, it must be known. If man were put into this world, & under an obligation of doing the will of God, upon damnation, and had no meanes to know that will which he was bound to doe, of all creatures he were the most miserable. That which we read,Psal. 144. 3. Lord what is man that thou takest knowledge of him? the Vulgat edition; and the Fathers following the Septuagint, read thus, Quia innotuisti ei, Lord what is man that he should have any knowledge of thee, that thou shouldest make thy selfe known to him? This is the heighth of the mercy of God, this innotescence, this manifestation of himselfe to us. Now what is this innotescence, this manifestation of God to us? It is, say our old Expositors, the law. That's that, which is so often called the face of God, and the light of his Countenance; August.for, facies Dei est, qua nobis innotescit, that's Gods face, by which God is known to us, and that's his law, the declaration of his will to me, and my way to him. When Christ reproaches those hard-hearted men, that had not fed him, Mat. 25. 44.when he was hungry, nor clothed him, when he was naked, and that they say, Lord when did we see thee naked, or see thee hungry? (inconsiderate men, or men loth to give, the penurious and narrow soule, shall not see an occasion of charity, when it is presented, which is a heavy blindnesse, and obcaecation, not to see occasions of doing good) yet those men doe not say, when did we see thee at all, as though they had never seen him? The blindest man that is, hath the face of God so turned towards him, as that he may be seen by him; even the naturall man hath so; for, therefore does the Apostle make him inexcusable,Rom. 1.12. if in the visible worke, he doe not see the invisible God. But all sight of God, is by the benefit of a law; the naturall man sees him by a law written in his heart, the Iew, by a law given by Moses, the Christian, in a clearer glasse, for, his law is the Gospell. But there is more mercy, that is, more manifestation in this text, then all this. For, besides the naturall mans seeing God, in a law, in the faculties of his owne nature, (which we consider to be the work of the whole Trinity, in that Faciamus hominē, Let us make man in our own Image, let us shine out in him, so as that he may be a glasse, in which he may see us, in himselfe) and besides the Iews seeing of God in the law written in the stone tables, (which we consider to be the worke of the Father) And besides the Christians seeing of God, in the law written in bloud, (in which we consider especially the Sonne) there is in this text an operation, a manifestation of God, proper to the holy Ghost, and wrought by his holy suggestions and inspirations, That God does not onelyonly speake to us, but call upon us; not onelyonly give us a Law, but Proclamations upon that law, that he refreshes to our memories, generall duties, by such particular warnings, and excitations, and commonefactions, as in this text, Videte, Beware, which is the last branch of this part, though it be the first word of our text, Videte, Videte.Beware.
Nothing exalts Gods goodnesse towards us, more then this, that he multiplies the meanes of his mercy to us, so, as that no man can say, once I remember I might have been saved, once God called unto mee, once hee opened mee a doore, a passage into heaven, but I neglected that, went not in then, and God never came more. No doubt, God hath come often to that doore since, and knocked, and staid at that doore; And if I knew who it were that said this, I should not doubt to make that suspitious soule see,Psal. 62. 11. that God is at that doore now. God hath spoken once, and twice have I heard him; for the foundation of all. God hath spoken but once, in his Scriptures. Therefore doth Saint Iude call that fidem semel traditam, Verse 3.the faith once delivered to the Saints; once, that is, at once; not at once so, all at one time, or in one mans age; the Scriptures were not delivered so; for, God spoke by the mouth of the Prophets, that have been, since the world beganne; But, at once, that is, by one way, by writing, by Scriptures; so, as that after that was done, after God had declared his whole will, in the Law, and the Prophets, and the Gospell, there was no more to bee added. God hath spoken once, in his Scriptures, and wee have heard him twice, at home, in our owne readings, and againe and againe here, in his Ordinances. This is the heighth of Gods goodnesse, that he gives us his Law, and a Comment upon that Law, Proclamations, declarations upon that Law. For, without these subsequent helpes, even the law it selfe might be mistaken; as you see it was,Mat. 5. when Christ was put to rectifie them, with his Audiistis, and Audiistis, this you have heard, and this hath been told you, Ego autem dico, but this I say, ab initio, from the beginning it was not so, the foundations were not thus laid, and upon the foundations laid by God in the Scriptures, and not upon the superedifications of men, in traditionall additions, must wee build. In stormes and tempests at sea men come sometimes to cut down Galleries, and teare up Cabins, and cast them overboard to ease the ship, and sometimes to hew downe the Mast it selfe, though without that Mast the ship can make no way; but no soule weather can make them teare out the keele of the ship, upon which the ship is built. In cases of necessity, the Church may forbeare her Galleries, and Cabinets, meanes of ease and conveniency; yea, and her Mast too, meanes of her growth, and propagation, and enlarging of her selfe, and be content to hull it out, and consist in her present, or a worse state, during the storme. But to the keele of the ship, to the fundamentall articles of Religion, may no violence, in any case, be offered.
God multiplies his mercies to us,Psal. 19. 2. in his divers ways of speaking to us. Caeli enarrant, says David, The heavens declare the glory of God; and not onelyonly by showing, but by saying; there is a language in the heavens; for it is enarrant, a verball declaration; and, as it followes literally, Day unto day uttereth speech. This is the true harmony of the Spheares, which every man may heare. Though he understand no tongue but his owne, he may heare God in the motions of the same, in the seasons of the yeare, in the vicissitudes and revolutions of Church, and State, in the voice of Thunder, and lightnings, and other declarations of his power. This is Gods English to thee, and his French, and his Latine, and Greek, and Hebrew to others. God once confounded languages; that conspiring men might not understand one another, but never so, as that all men might not understand him. When the holy Ghost fell upon the Apostles, they spoke so, as that all men understood them, in their owne tongues. When the holy Ghost fell upon the waters, in the Creation, God spoke so, in his language of Workes, as that all men may understand them. For, in this language, the language of workes, the Eye is the eare, seeing is hearing. How often does the holy Ghost call upon us, in the Scriptures, Ecce, quia os Domini locutum, Behold, the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it? he calls us to behold, (which is the office of the eye) and that that we are to behold, is the voice of God, belonging to the eare; seeing is hearing, in Gods first language, the language of works. But then God translates himself, in particular works; nationally, he speaks in particular judgments, or deliverances to one nation; &, domestically, he speaks that language to a particular family; & so personally too; he speaks to every particular soul. God will speak unto me, in that voice, and in that way, which I am most delighted with, & hearken most to. If I be covetous, God wil tel me that heaven is a pearle, a treasure. If cheerfull and affected with mirth, that heaven is all Ioy. If ambitious, and hungry of preferment, that it is all Glory. If sociable, and conversable, that it is a communion of Saints. God will make a Fever speake to me, and tell me his minde, that there is no health but in him, God will make the disfavour, and frowns of him I depend upon, speake to me, and tell me his minde, that there is no safe dependence, no assurance but in him; God will make a storme at Sea, or a fire by land, speake to me, and tell mee his minde, that there is no perpetuity, no possession but in him; nay, God will make my sinne speake to me, and tell me his minde; even my sinne shall be a Sermon, and a Catechisme to me; God shall suffer mee me to fall into some such sinne, as that by some circumstances in the sinne, or consequences from the sinne, I shall be drawn to hearken unto him; and whether I heare Hosannaes, acclamations, and commendations, or Crucifiges, exclamations and condemnations from the world, I shall still finde the voice and tongue of God, though in the mouth of the Devill, and his instruments. God is a declaratory God. The whole yeare, is, to his Saints, a continuall Epiphany, one day of manifestation. In every minute that strikes upon the Bell, is a syllable, nay a syllogisme from God. And, and in my last Bell, God shall speake too; that Bell, when it tolls, shall tell me I am going, and when it rings out, shall tell you I am gone into the hands of that God, who is the God of the living and not of the dead, for, they dye not that depart in him. Dives pressed Abraham to send a preacher from the dead,Luke 16. 27. to his brethren. This was to put God to a new language, when he had spoken sufficiently by Moses, and the Prophets. And yet, even in this language, the tongue of the dead, hath God spoken too. Saint Hierome says, that that Prophet Ionas, Prooemium in Ionam. 1 Reg. 17.who was sent to Niniveh, was the same man, whom, beeing then a child, and dead in his mothers house, the widow of Zarepta's house, Elias the Prophet raised to life againe; and so, God spoke to Niniveh in that language, in the tongue of the dead. But be that but Problematicall, wrapped up in a Traditionall, and Historicall faith, this is Dogmaticall, and irrefragable, that God hath spoken to the whole world in the tongue of the dead, in his Sonne Christ Iesus, the Lord of life, and yet the first borne of the dead. God is lothe to lose us, at worst, and therefore, did not, surely, reject us, before we were ill, (And that was our first) God hath drawn us to him, by manifesting his will, and our way in a law, and therefore, will not judge us at last, by any thing never revealed to us, (And that was our second) God holds us to him by these remembrances, these common manifestations in our text, Videte, Cavete, and therefore let no man that does not heare God speaking to him, in this present voice, despaire that hee shall never heare him, but hearken still, and in one language or other, perchance a sicknesse, perchance a sinne, hee shall heare him, for these are severall Dialects in Gods language, severall instruments in Gods Consort; And this is our third consideration, and the end of this first part, the Prohibition, the Commonefaction, Videte, Cavete; And wee passe to our second generall part, and the three branches of that, that that falls under this Prohibition, Videte Concisionem, Beware the Concision.
Saint Paul embraces here,2. Part. Concision. that elegancy of language familiar to the holy Ghost, They pretend Circumcision, they intend Concision; there is a certaine elegant and holy delicacy, a certaine holy juvenility in Saint Pauls choosing these words of this musicall cadence and agnomination, Circumcision, and Concision; But then this delicacy, and juvenility presents matter of gravity and soundnesse. Language must waite upon matter, and words upon things. In this case, (which indeed makes it a strange case) the matter is the forme; The matter, that is, the doctrine that we preach, is the forme, that is, the Soule, the Essence; the language and words wee preach in, is but the Body, but the existence. Therefore, Saint Paul, who would not allow Legall figures, not Typicall figures, not Sacramentall figures, not Circumcision it selfe, after the body, Christ Jesus, was once exhibited, does not certainely allow Rhetoricall figures, nor Poeticall figures, in the preaching, or hearing of Christ preached, so, as that that should bee the principall leader of hearer, or speaker. But this Saint Paul authoriseth in his owne practise, and the holy Ghost in him, That in elegant language, he incorporates, and invests sound and important Doctrine; for, though he choose words of musicall sound, Circumcision and Concision, yet it is a matter of weighty consideration that he intends in this Concision. Saint Chrysostome, and Saint Hierome both agree in this interpretation, That whereas Circumcision is an orderly, a usefull, a medicinall, a beneficiall pruning and paring off, that which is superfluous, Conciditur quod temere, & inutiliter decerpitur, Concision is a hasty and a rash plucking up, or cutting downe, and an unprofitable tearing, and renting into shreds and fragments, such, as the Prophet speaks of,Ier. 19. 11. The breaking of a Potters vessell, that cannot be made up again. Concision is, at best, Solutio Continui, The severing of that, which should be kept intire. In the State, the aliening of the head from the body, or of the body from the head, is Concision; and videte, it is a fearefull thing to be guilty of that. In the Church, (which Church is not a Monarchy, otherwise then as she is united in her head, Christ Jesus) to constitute a Monarchy, an universall head of the Church, to the dis-inherison, and to the tearing of the Crownes of Princes, who are heads of the Churches in their Dominions, this is Concision; and videte, it is a fearefull thing to be guilty of that, to advance a forein Prelate. In the family, where God hath made man and wife, one, to divide with others, is Concision; and videte, it is a fearefull thing to be guilty of that. Generally, the tearing of that in peeces, which God intended should be kept intire, is this Concision, and falls under this Commonefaction, which implies an increpation, videte, beware. But because thus, Concision would receive a concision into infinite branches, we determined this consideration, at first, into these three; first, Concisio Corporis, the concision of the body, dis-union in Doctrinall things; and Concisio vestis, the Concision of the garment, dis-union in Ceremoniall things; and then Concisio Spiritus, the Concision of the Spirit, dis-union, irresolution, unsetlednesse, diffidence, and distrust in thine owne minde and conscience.
First, for this Concision of the body, Concisio Corporis.of the body of Divinity, in Doctrinall things, since still Concision is Solutio continui, the breaking of that which should be intire, consider we first, what this Continuum, this that should be kept intire, is; and it is, sayes the Apostle, Iesus himself. Omnis spiritus qui solvit Iesum, (so the Antients reade that place) Every spirit which dissolveth Iesus, 1 Iohn 4. 3.that breakes Jesus in peeces, that makes Religion serve turnes, that admits so much Gospell as may promove and advance present businesses, every such spirit is not of God. Not to professe the whole Gospell, Totum Iesum, not to beleeve all the Articles of faith, this is Solutio continui, a breaking of that which should be intire; and this is truly concision. Now with concision in this kinde, our greatest adversaries, they of the Romane heresie, and mis-perswasion, do not charge us. They do not charge us that we deny any article of any antient Creed: nor may they deny, that there is not enough for salvation in those antient Creeds. This is Continuitas universalis, a continuity, an intirenesse that goes through the whole Church; a skin that covers the whole body; the whole Church is bound to beleeve all the articles of faith. But then, there is Continuitas particularis, Continuitas modi, a continuity, a harmony, an intirenesse, that does not go through the whole Church; the whole Church does not alwaies agree in the manner of explication of all the articles of faith; but this may be a skin that covers some particular limbe of the body, and not another; one Church may expound an article thus, and some other some other way, as, in particular, the Lutheran Church expounds the article of Christs descent into hell, one way, and the Calvinist another. Now, in cases, where neither exposition destroyes the article, in the substance thereof, it is Concision, that is, Solutio continui, a breaking of that which should be kept intire, for any man to breake the peace of that Church, in which he hath received his baptisme, and hath his station, by advancing the exposition of any other Church, in that. And as this is Concision, Solutio continui, a breaking of that which is intire, to break the peace of the Church, where we were baptized, by teaching otherwise then that Church teaches, in these things De modo, of the manner of expounding such or such articles of faith, so is there another dangerous Concision too. For, to inoculate a forein bud, or to engraffe a forein bough, is concision, as well as the cutting off an arme from the tree; to inoculate, cleaves the rinde, the bark; and to engraffe, cleaves the tree: it severs that which should be entire. So, when a particular Church, in a holy, and discreet modesty, hath abstained from declaring her self in the exposition of some particular Articles, or of some Doctrines, by faire consequence deducible from those Articles, and contented her self with those generall things which are necessary to salvation, (As the Church of England hath, in the Article of Christs descent into Hell) it is Concision, it is solution Continui, a breaking of that which should be intire, to inoculate a new sense, or engraffe a new exposition, which howsoever it may be true in it selfe, it cannot be truly said, to be the sense of that Church; not perchance because that Church was not of that mind, but because that Church finding the thing it self to be no fundamentall thing, thought it unnecessary to descend to particular declarations, when as in such declarations she must have departed from some other Church of the Reformation, that thought otherwise, and in keeping her self within those generall termes that were necessary, and sufficient, with a good conscience she conserved peace and unity with all. David, in the person of every member of the Church, submits himself to that increpation, Let my right hand forget her cunning, and let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I prefer not Ierusalem before my chiefest joy. Psal. 137. 6.Our chiefest joy, is, for the most part, our own opinions, especially when they concur with other learned and good men too. But then, Ierusalem is our love of the peace of the Church; and in such things as do not violate foundations, let us prefer Ierusalem before our chiefest Joy, love of peace before our own opinions, though concurrent with others. For, this is that, that hath misled many men, that the common opinion in the Church is necessarily the opinion of the Church. It is not so; not so in the Romane Church : There the cōmon opinion is, That the blessed Virgin Mary was conceived without originall sin: But cannot be said to be the opinion of that Church; nor may it be safely concluded in any Church : Most Writers in the Church have declared themselves this way, therefore the Church hath declared her self, for the declarations of the Church are done publiquely, & orderly, and at once. And when a Church hath declared her self so, in all things necessary and sufficient, let us possess our souls in peace, and not say that that Church hath, or presse that that Church would proceed to further declarations in lesse necessary particulars. When we are sure we have beleeved & practised, all that the Church hath recōmended to us, in these generals, then, and not till then, let us call for more declarations; but in the mean time prefer Ierusalem before our chiefest joy, love of peace by a generall forbearance on all sides, rather then victory by wrangling, and uncharitablenesse. And let our right hand forget her cunning, (let us never set pen to paper to write) Let our tongue cleave to the roofe of our mouth, (let us never open our mouth to speake of those things) in which Silence was an Act of Discretion, and Charity before, but now is also an Act of Obedience, and of Allegiance and Loyaltie. But that which David said to the Lord, (Psalme 65. 1.) Let us also accommodate to the Lords anointed, Tibi laus silentium, our best sacrifice to both, is to be silent in those things. So then, this is Concisio corporis, that Concision of the body, which you are to beware in Doctrinall things, first, non solvere Iesum, not to dissolve, not to break Jesus in pieces, not to depart, in any respect, with any fundamentall Article of faith, for that is a skin that covers the whole body, an obligation that lies upon the whole Church, and then for that particular Church, in which you have your station, first, to conform your self to all that, in which she had evidently declared herself, and then not to impute to her, not to call such articles hers, as she never avowd. And our next consideration is Concisio vestis, the tearing of the garment, matter of discipline, and government.
To a Circumcision of the garment, Concisio Vestis.that is, to a pa…ing, and taking away such Ceremonies, as were superstitious, or superfluous, of an ill use, or of no use, our Church came in the beginning of the Reformation. To a Circūcision we came; but those Churches that came to a Concision of the garment, to an absolute taking away of all ceremonies, neither provided so safely for the Church it self in the substance thereof, nor for the exaltation of Devotion in the Church. Divide the law of the Iews into 2 halfs, and the Ceremoniall will be the greater; we cannot cal the Morall law, the Iews law; that was ours as wel as their, peculiar to none; but of that law wch is peculiar to the Jews▪ judicial & Ceremonial, the Ceremonial is far the greater part. So great a care had God, of those thing, which though they be not of the revenue of Religion, yet are of the subsidy of Religion, and, though they be not the soule of the Church, yet are they those Spirits that unite soule and body together. H's man did but shave the beards of Davids servants,2 Sam. 10. he did not cut off their heads; He did not cut their clothes so, as that he stripped them naked. Yet, for that that he did, (says that story) he stanke in Davids sight, (which is a phrase of high indignation in that language) and so much, as that it cost him forty thousand of his horsemen in one battell. And therefore as this Apostle enters this Caveat in another place, If yee bite one another, cavete, take heed yee be not consumed of one another, so cavete, Gal. 5. 15.take heed of this concision of the garment, lest if the garment be torne off, the body wither, and perish. A shadow is nothing, yet, if the rising or falling Sunne shine out, and there be no shadow, I will pronounce there is no body in that place neither. Ceremonies are nothing; but where there are no Ceremonies, order, and uniformity, and obedience, and at last, (and quickely) Religion it selfe will vanish. And therefore videte concisionem, beware of tearing the body, or of tearing the garment, which will induce the other, and both will induce the third, concisionem spiritus, the tearing of thine owne spirit, from that rest which it should receive in God; for, when thou hast lost thy hold of all those handles which God reaches out to thee, in the Ministery of his Church, and that thou hast no means to apply the promises of God in Christ to thy soule, which are onelyonly applied by Gods Ordinances in his Church, when anything falls upon thee, that overcomes thy morall constancy (which morall constancy, God knowes, is soon spent, if we have lost our recourse to God) thou wilt soon sinke into an irrecoverable desperation, which is the fearfullest concision of all; and videte, beware of this concision.
When God hath made himselfe one body with me,Concisio Spiritus. by his assuming this nature, and made me one spirit with himselfe, and that by so high a way, as making me partaker of the divine nature, 1 Cor. 6.17.so that now, in Christ Iesus, he and I are one, this were solutio Iesus, a tearing in peeces,2 Pet. 2. 4. a dissolving of Jesus, in the worst kinde that could be imagined, if I should teare my selfe from Jesus, or by any jealousie or suspicion of his mercy, or any horror in my own sinnes, come to thinke my selfe to be none of his, none of him. Who ever comes into a Church to denounce an excommunication against himselfe? And shall any sad soule come hither, to gather arguments, from our preaching, to excommunicate it selfe,Numb. 16. 30. or to pronounce an impossibility upon her owne salvation? God did a new thing, Says Moses, a strange thing, a thing never done before, when the earth opened her mouth (and Dathan, and Abiram went downe quicke into the pit. Wilt thou doe a stranger thing then that? To teare open the jawes of Earth, and Hell, and cast thy self actually and really into it, out of mis-imagination, that God hath cast thee into it before? Wilt thou force God to second thy irreligious melancholy, and to condemne thee at last, because thou hadst precondemned thy selfe, and renounced his mercy? Wilt thou say with Cain, My sinne is greater then can be pardoned? This is Concisio potestatis, a cutting off the power of God, and Treason against the Father, whose Attribute is Power. Wilt thou say, God never meant to save me? this is Concisio Sapientiae, a cutting off the Wisdome of God, to thinke, that God intended himselfe glory in a kingdome, and would not have that kingdome peopled, and this is Treason against the Son whose Attribute is wisdoms? Wilt thou say, I shall never finde comfort in Praying, in Preaching, in Receiving? This is Concisio consolationis, the cutting off consolation, and treason against the holy Ghost, whose office is comfort. No man violates the Power of the Father, the Wisedome of the Sonne, the Goodnesse of the holy Ghost, so much as he, who thinkes himselfe out of their reach, or the latitude of their working. Rachel wept for her children,Mat. 2. 18. and would not be comforted; but why? Because they were not. If her children had been but gone for a time from her, or but sicke with her, Rachel would have been comforted; but, they were not. Is that thy case? Is not thy soule, a soule still? It may have gone from thee, in sins of inconsideration; it may be sicke within thee, in sins of habit and custome; but is not thy soul, a soul still? And hath God made any species larger then himself? is there more soul, then there is God, more sin then mercy? Truly Origen was more excusable, more pardonable, if he did beleeve, that the Devill might possibly be saved, then that man, that beleeves that himself must necessarily be damned. And therefore, videte concisionem, beware of cutting off thy spirit from this spirit of comfort, take heed of shreading Gods generall promises; into so narrow propositions, as that they will not reach home to thee, cover thee, invest thee; beware of such distinctiōs, & such subdivisiōs, as may make the way to heaven too narrow for thee, or thegate of heaven too strait for thee. 'Tis true, one drop of my Saviours bloud would save me, if I had but that, one teare from my Saviours eye, if I had but that; but he hath none that hath not all; A drop, a teare, would wash away an Adultery, a murder, but lesse then the whole sea of both, will not wash away a wanton looke, an angry word. God would have all, and gives all to all. And for Gods sake, let God be as good as he will; as mercifull, and as large, as liberall, and as generall as he will. Christ came to save sinners; thou are sure thou art one of them; At what time soever a sinner repents, he shall be heard; be sure to be one of them too. Beleeve that God in Christ proposes conditions to thee; endevour the performing, repent the not performing of those conditions, and be that the issue between God and thy soule; And lest thou end in this concision, the concision of the Spirit, beware of the other two concisions, of the body, and of the garment, by which onelyonly, all heavenly succors are appliable to thee.