Balm for Bleeding England and Ireland, Sermon 6
USEFULL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THESE Evill Times.
COLOSS. 1.11.
—According to his glorious power, or according to the force of his glory.
Doct. DIvine things are ſo mentioned, as to make beſt impreſſion upon the ſolue of man. The Holy Ghoſt ſpeaks as one in Heaven, to make his auditors ſo: he ſpeakes gloriouſly, to take, to raiſe, to raviſh dead & dull man; to worke and force way for Chriſt into every heart. —according to the power or force of his glory.
Tis an expreſſion of energy and divine force, moulded and ſhaped with ſuch glittering letters and words, with ſuch varniſh and beauty from Heaven as to take and carry every heart thither. Words of glory, and workes of glory, all things of glory, are of great power and force with fallen man; in a glorious ſtile therefore doth the Holy Ghoſt here ſpeake.—according to the power of his glory.
The Holy Ghoſt doth ſpeake as like himſelfe, and to man as like himſelfe. Hee ſpeakes as one in Heaven, as one wrapt up in God and in glory, to whom the language of the holy Land is naturall: and he ſpeakes to man as on earth, in earth, wrapt up ſoule and body in earth; cold, dull, heavy, and hard to be lifted up to Heaven, unleſſe Heaven and glory be brought to his doore, to his eye and eare, if anything be of power and force upon a dead creature this will—according to the force or power of his glory.
God ſpeakes to man, as man yet moves according to the ruines and remainders of his firſt ſtate. Mans firſt ſtate was glory, and he is a creature leaning and ſtrugling that way ſtill, to get and make a ſtate of glory; he gropes after it in every thing, and as any thing carries glory and luſtre to any ſenſe, eye or eare, ſo hee lookes after it and hearkens to it. Things of naturall glory, of glory to the ſenſe, they are very ſwaying with a broken glorious creature. This the Divell knowes right well, and therefore hee beſpangles his expreſſion with Heaven, and glory, and the ſtate of a God, when he has to doe with man. So he did to the firſt Adam, ſo he did to the ſecond Adam, hee ſhewed him all the Kingdomes of the World and the glory of them ſaith the Text; he knowes words and works inlaied with glory, are very working and winning upon humane nature, who ever weare it. Therefore doth he at this day gild all his deadly pils, and makes them golden and glorious things to looke upon; and daily workes in his beſt apparrell as an Angel of light; he puts faire white ſleeves upon his arms when he is going to butcher the ſoule; he makes every toole and inſtrument of death looke as glittering and as glorious as may be, hee hath had long experience that golden glorious things are of great force, upon a broken glorious Creature. As Satan doth ſpeake and worke towards man, as man moves according to the remainders of his firſt ſtate; ſo doth God. Hee knowes that fallen man is much leaning and gropeing after glory, and therefore ſhall yee finde the Holy Ghoſt ſo leaning to this way of ſpeaking in the word, and working in the World, namely, to cloath expreſſion with words of glory, and actions, with workes of varniſh and glory. As when Chriſt was to come in the fleſh, and ſent his Herauld's to the Shepards, The glory of the Lord ſhined round about them ſaith the Text. Man is taken with a ſurrounding glory; once he had ſuch a glory; in Chriſt he was to have it againe: therefore came the meſſage ſo viſibly, and ſo ſtrongly inſtructing this way. Glory to any ſenſe workes mightily, and be but glory to the eare, glorious words; but glory round, to eare to eye, to many ſenſes at once, this makes Heaven, and carries all before it, ſwallowes up the ſoule. So when Chriſt ſhall appeare againe, you have the Holy Ghoſt telling man, that he ſhall appeare in glory. The Holy Ghoſt knowes that man is a creature much taken with glory, therefore doth he cloath his actions and words with glory.—according to his glorious power.
God ſpeakes to man as to a creature of ſtate. Perſons of ſtate and majeſty mind glory as their neereſt kinſ-man, and take in things onelyonly as they come in glory, and cannot ſtoop to owne and embrace any elſe; as Kings and perſons of ſtate can embrace nothing but what comes in ſtate, and preſented with glory, ſuitable to their majeſty. Man is a creature of ſtate; of a big ſpirit; of a very big ſpirit in a very bad ſenſe: words muſt be big when the ſpirit is big, or elſe they will not beare down all before them. One ſpirit ſpeakes high and loftily to another: man will not open the everlaſting-doores unleſſe the King ſpeake, and ſpeake as a King, in ſtate, in glory, and therefore doth he ſo ſpeake —according to [his glorious power.
The Holy Ghoſt ſpeakes ſo to man, as to make man know his diſtance; he ſo, as to make him know him that ſpeakes to be God, and him that is ſpoken to, but man: God ſpeakes ſo as to make man admire, tremble, ſtoop. Man is a creature conceited, and yet of no reach: his conceptions and expreſſions leſſen the dimenſions of God, his wiſdome, his power and the like, and in this way man growes upon God by ſinfull boldneſſe; and therefore God is faine to put titles and epithites upon his things himſelfe; to name things according to their nature himſelfe, which fallen man could have done once, but now cannot; to call love, — Love paſſing knowledge: and wiſdome, infinite: his wiſdome is infinite ſaith the Pſalmiſt: and power, glorious *To call an Angel, an Angell: and gold, gold.: he is faine to cloath every attribute himſelfe with royall apparell, with titles ſuitable, that ſo man may know and keepe his diſtance; heare and feare: heare and admire: heare and ſtoop to him that is ſo glorious and ſo far above him in every Limb; that hath ſuch a glorious Arme —glorious power.
Finally God ſhapes expreſſion ſo to man, as to hint him of, and move him to, his higheſt ſtate, He fetches expreſſion from Heaven and from glory, to minde man what ſhould take him up, and whither hee ſhould drive in all hee ſayes and does: he goes before man in glory, to draw man after him, he ſpeakes gloriouſly to man, that man may eccho to him, and call divine power as hee does, and be taken with divine power as he is; that man may looke about, and turne away his eye from things that are vaine-glorious, to that which is indeed glorious, and will indeed make man ſo, being ſtrengthened with it. Strengthened with all might according to his—glorious power.
Ʋſe. God ſpeakes as one in Heaven, how doe you heare? He makes his ſword two-edged, one terrible t'other glorious, how does it cut? He uſes his rod and his ſcepter, ſharpe words and glorious words, what doe they worke? His ſcepter hee in layes, and gilds and makes a glorious Scepter and ſo holds it forth to your ſenſes, to your eyes to your eares, what impreſſion doth it make upon your hearts? Can yee heare God ſpeake gloriouſly and yet not be ſtird'd? Can yee heare God ſpeake from Mount Sina and yet not ſhake? Can yee heare him ſpeake from Mount Zion, as one in Heaven, and yet not admire him, adore him, and be taken with him?
To unſtir'd ſoules I muſt firſt ſpeake from this point, certainly you are dead. This is the firſt principle that ſprings from this point. Unſtir'd ſoules are dead ſoules; he that ſpeakes, ſpeakes ſo gloriouſly ſo movingly, that all men unleſſe they be dead muſt needs be ſtirr'd. Were your ſoules alive the words of Chriſt are ſo ſweete, ſo full of glory and divine force, that they muſt needs ſtir and take you: were you but aſleepe the words of Chriſt are ſo glorious and ſo ſhining in your eyes that they would awake you. Tis a remarkeable place to this purpoſe Cant. 7.9.— and the roofe of thy mouth like the beſt Wine that goes down ſweetely, cauſing thoſe that are aſleepe to ſpeake. Chriſts glorious words are very taking, they goe down ſweetely; if there be any principle of life in the ſoule twill ſtir it: If the heart be aſleepe in the lap of any lower ſweete, in the lap of any low delights, if onelyonly aſleepe, and not dead in the neſt, this higher ſweete and glory, will awaken it, and make it ſpeake to the praiſe of him that ſo exceeds all, in ſweetneſſe and love. Solomon was aſleepe for a while in the lap of low delights; but when once Chriſt began to ſpeake in a glorious ſtile to his ſleepy ſoule, hee awoke preſently, and made ſonges of that glory, that tranſcendent glory which he ſaw. Surely therefore I conclude that they are dead men whom words of glory, words full of Heaven cannot ſtir.
How glorious the expreſſion of Chriſt is here, yee heare: how gloriouſly Chriſt hath ſpoken upon it, out of the mouth of a babe, out of the mouth of a Worme and no man, yee have likewiſe heard: of what force and power all hath been upon your hearts yee know: how much more in love with Heaven and with the Word of Chriſt, and how much leſſe in love with the World and with your luſts then you were, you know; yee that yet are as yee were, not a jot better, ſurely yee are dead: yee that are yet dead, ah Lord! when when will yee bee alive? Let every heart attend, I will ring the Funerall of the dead.
Hearts dead and unſtir'd when Chriſt ſpeakes lively and gloriouſly, have certainly ſtopt their eares againſt the charmer; this ſoule is a priſoner to perverſe will, there is no damnable priſon but this; hee is reſolved that nothing ſhall ſway that is holy; that his heart ſhall rule truth, and not truth his heart, which will damne a man if he had a thouſand ſoules. This man hath the plague in his heart, and hath ſhut up himſelfe that none may come at him, no not the King of glory, not words of glory: write Lord have mercy, upon this mans doore, upon his forehead, for he will die in his ſinne, all the World cannot ſave him. Whom truth cannot ſtir, nothing can; whom glorious words of truth cannot ſtir, nothing ſhall; the man is ſtretcht out for dead, I am now ringing his knell, does any dead ſoule heare me?
A Scepter of gold, a glorious power held out gloriouſly, the God of glory ſpeaking in glory, and yet the heart of man not taken nor ſtir'd, ah Lord! this heart is taken already; this heart is certainly catcht with ſome fading glory. Were there any ſoule at home when the King of glory, and the King in glory knocks, certainly 'twould open. What anſwer can be made? who can open when no body is at home? Dinah is gon abroad and raviſh't by the Shechemites; the heart is gadded abroad, taken and loſt in a lie, in a fading vexing glory, that will be the death of it. An unſtird ſoule is a dead ſoule; a dead ſoule is a loſt ſoule; a loſt ſoule in ſinne will be found in judgement, ſeldome any where elſe.
I have not yet done ringing the Funerall of the dead, one peale more and I have done. Yee dead ſoules, Chriſt is making your grave doe yee not ſee it? he is comming to take the length of your corps with a ſword, he will bleed you firſt and then burie you afterward. Yee have bled your ſoules dead, and Chriſt will bleed your bodies dead, and then will yee be twice dead and pluckt up by the rootes. When yee are gaſping for life, will yee be taken and ſtird with that mortall power which wounds you? when yee are deſcended to your long home, will yee be taken and affected with that power that ſends you to Hell? Surely glorious power gloriouſly expreſſed will take your ſoules, or deſtroy them. In what ſtile God ſpeakes, according to it will he make operation in every man, upward or downward. GODS Words ſhall have their force, and make iſſue according to their majeſty and glory in the hearts of you all: words of majeſty and glory; reſplendent words, which are ſo ſhaped above, as to make ſtrong reflections of the Sunne, upon ſoules here below, will make very ſaving or very killing influence.
God ſpeakes gloriouſly to take, affect, and ſave the moſt obdurate heart, let him have his deſigne; this is the laſt thing that I would preſſe upon you, and this concernes us all. God makes his words glorious, his workes glorious, that the heart may be melted and moulded to a glorious forme by them, doe not fruſtrate divine art. Words which goe forth with much of God from Heaven, let them leave much of God in your hearts. When viſion is glorious the ſoule ſhould be in a tranſe: when the ſpeaker is in Heaven, the hearer ſhould be there too. The Lord ſpake in glory, in ſhining light, to Saul; he caſt the beauty which he uſes above, upon his words; and theſe wrought indeed, and made Saul cry out Lord what wilt thou have me to doe? Methinks this expreſſion in the Text, is as if there were ſuch another Heaven opening, and ſuch another ſhining word to ſome Saul here, to ſome bloudy malicious ſinner. Sinner, ſinner, why doeſt thou ſhut thine eyes and thine eares, againſt glorious words of Chriſt? Some glorious Meteors they render the Heavens to us, as if they did gloriouſly open; Heaven me-thinks opens in this expreſſion, glorious power; how can any heart keepe out of Heaven, when Heaven opens to it? How can any heart but be taken with that which is full of nothing but taking luſtre? what man can paſſe over ſuch an expreſſion, without laying his hand on his heart, with ſuch a quaere, what is that power which the Holy Ghoſt admires? Surely there is glory indeed, in that which he calles glorious; O that my ſoule could ſee this glory. Where Chriſt ſets a hand in the margent, pointing to the obſervation of any thing of his, that ſurely is, very remarkeable, there the ſoule ſhould ſtand ſtill, ſit down and dwell:
The very accents and aſpirations of truth muſt have their place in the heart of man; the heart is to hold all: not a tittle of truth muſt fall to the ground, our hearts muſt catch it and keepe it from falling and dying. Power, and Love, and Wiſdome, they are accented and aſpirated; glorious power, infinite wiſdome, love, paſſing knowledge, &c. Theſe titles and aſpirations, this duſt of gold muſt not be throwen away, but adde to the impreſſion of truth; for 'tis God ſetting all his ſtrength, to thruſt things into the heart; 'tis God uſing his beſt ſoule-ſaving art, to get into Sanctum ſanctorum. As the heart behaves it ſelfe, ſo Divine truth lives or dies in it; as Divine words, die or live in the heart, ſo God dies or lives in the World. Much of God dies, when glorious expreſſions make not glorious impreſſions: much God-dying makes much man dying: that God is ſo much dead in England, makes ſo many men dead. Man is leſſe then a tittle of truth; yea, the World is leſſe then a tittle of truth:Spretis punct…s expira… Anglia. tittles of truth kill'd by the Chriſtian World, kille the Chriſtian World ſo generally at this day. As truth hath apparel'd it ſelfe ſo let it goe in the World, and live in our hearts; let us not take the leaſt ſpangle from Her attyre; Truth, and Wiſdome, and Love, will otherwiſe loſe their dimenſions; and God will loſe the glory of his heights and depths of divine diſpenſations.
The goodneſſe of the heart is, as the words of God make totall impreſſion upon it. Tis the beſt heart in which God can beſt read all that hee hath ſaid to a tittle; and finde glorious impreſſions, ſuitable to the glorious words, in which he deliver'd himſelfe. How you judge of your hearts I know not, God judges of them, as your breath turnes into his; as your ſpirits admire, adore, riſe and aſcend into Heaven with his. That heart which can reade and heare glorious words of Chriſt and not be anſwerably affected, will never be a glorious Chriſtian. Chriſt makes the place of his feet glorious; as he treades in the heart, ſo hee makes it glorious; as his Word makes impreſſion, ſo is ſanctification and no otherwiſe: they that heare and let goe divine words of the the movingſt forme and force, will certainly die looſe Soules.
Men goe to reading and hearing the word with a careleſſe ſpirit, 'tis moſt mens ſinne; all that ſuch get is judgement: they eate and drinke judgement ſaith the Apoſtle reſpecting another Ordinance. So theſe heare and reade judgement to their ſoules, that is, heart hardning and not heart raiſing. The handling of ſuch a glorious expreſſion as this (though by a weake ſervant of Chriſt) muſt needs have ſet your hearts ſomething more Heaven-ward, had yee heard with ſuch preparation as becomes you. A man finds God in his Word, as hee ſeekes him in Prayer and no otherwiſe. Wax receives impreſſion as 'tis prepar'd? Eſther muſt faſt and pray, and come with her life in her hand to the King, to have a glorious Scepter ſtretched out unto her. So muſt we come into the preſence of the King of Kings, with much ſeeking of God and ſelfe-judging: with our lives temporall and eternall in our hands, to finde glorious words worke gloriouſly; to have a glorious Scepter ſtretched out from Heaven to us; a glorious power working in us, in the hearring of glorious things. Hee that minds little about what he is going, finds little but the fruit of his ſinne; he goes away from divine ordinances worſe then hee came to them; he goes away with a ſop; with a heart more poyſoned in malice; more hard, dead and cold; condemned and executed, to wit, tortur'd.
I conclude this point with a note of admiration. That God will put gloſſe upon neceſſary commodities, ſuch as we cannot be without and doe well, to make them off, is wonderfull. Yee doe not uſe to put varniſh upon Bread; that's ſuch a generall neceſſary diſh, that its double and maine uſe to the ſtate of man, ſets it off well enough, without any by-things about the diſh; Such is the Word of God; 'tis as bread to our ſoules; of ſupreme uſe; this, one would think, ſhould be enough to ſet it off with us; and yet becauſe this is not; God paints bread; guilds Loves and ſets them upon the Table to us.*Puts gloſſe upon the words of eternall life. That GOD will put himſelfe into a paſſion, to put us, put Heaven into his words, to put Heaven into our hearts; lets wonder. That Chriſt will let fall his mantle when hee aſcends, that we may aſcend too; make his raiſed ſpirit, breake forth into glorious raiſed words, to raiſe our ſpirits too! let his love and humility be ever before you.
'Tis our great worke, Chriſtians, 'tis our great worke, to admire God in his words and workes, in his ſpeaking and doing, how hee does ſhape all to a gaining and ſaving end of loſt man.—Glorious power; how big-bellied with Heaven are theſe words? what a tranſcendent ſhape have they, to ſave! In what a little can God wrap up much! in what a little, all! in a word, Heaven! in a word, the Heaven of Heavens! in a word he wraps up glory, infinite glory.—According to his glorious power. How ſmilingly doth Heaven look upon us in this expreſſion! God breakes out glory in your very faces here; can yee ſee ſo much of the World to come, and in this World, and not admire?
FINIS.