A Gospel Glass, Treatise · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. Their taking Chriſt partially: without conjugal affections: and without conſidering the coſt they may be at.
5ly. Many take Chriſt partially.IF at length men are perſwaded to come to Chriſt, yet they take him partially, both as King, Prophet, and Prieſt. As their King. They are contented he ſhall rule in many things, but not in all. Their drudgery to one or two luſts muſt be preferr'd before Chriſts Scepter and Government: Some part of Chriſts Yoak of Commandements they will ſubmit to; but are not pleaſed that Chriſt ſhall impoſe what they will; they pick and chooſe: here they will obey, in another thing I pray have me excuſed: few are brought to ſay, Lord what wilt thou have me to do? Any thing Lord, I am called to thy foot, as the man of the Eaſt was, ready to trudge after thee to the ends of the Earth. As their Prophet. Here they divide too; many things they will learn of Chriſt, but they muſt partly lean to their own underſtandings, and be taught for Doctrines, the Traditions of men, They are alſo partial in their cloſe with Chriſt as their Prieſt. They hope to be ſaved partly by his mediation, and partly by their own. As the Papiſts, ſo many Proteſtant Profeſſours are for a divided Chriſt; few are for exalting Chriſt alone, ſo as to renounce all other Lords, who have had Dominion over them, and to count all other Teachers beſides Chriſt as vain, abſurd, unſound, and weak. Few renounce all their own righteouſneſs, as dung, to put the Crown on Chriſts head alone, to make Chriſt their alone Mediatour, their alone Interceſſour. No, they muſt have Ciſterns of their own to keep their water in, and Sands of their own to build upon, and ſo Chriſt, the Elect precious Stone, is refuſed by the Builders. How many hope to be pardoned, partly by Chriſt, and partly by their Civility, and new Obedience? They lay their title to God, Heaven, and Glory, partly from Chriſts merits, and partly from their own deſerts; few whoſe hopes are founded on Chriſt's ſatisfaction alone; but their hopes riſe or fall according to what they do for him, rather than according to what he hath done and ſuffered for them: their hopes of acceptance with God are more from their reformations, than from Chriſts entring within the Vaile: If they have peace of Conſcience, they aſcribe it to their Prayers, rather than to Chriſts Interceſſion, and if they Pray in ſecret in their Cloſet, and in their Family too, when both before were neglected, they hope to paſs by this Bridge to Heaven; but if it be too ſhort, they will ſet Chriſt to patch up what is wanting, that they may land on the other ſhore. Hence it is that many Profeſſors are much more conſciencious in their obedience to the moral law, than they are to the Law of Faith, for that they hope their obedience will ſteed them aſmuch, if not more than Jeſus Chriſt; but if they underſtand that without Faith there is no pleaſing God, then they will labour for a faith that may juſtifie them, rather as an act of theirs, than in reſpect of the object Christ. Chriſt is ſtill uſed only upon neceſſity, and to make up the want of ſomewhat elſe; but very few dare reſt on the merits of Chriſt alone, ſo as to ſee all their righteouſneſs to be as filthy rags. To few …s Chriſt made of God Wiſdom, Righteouſneſs, Sanctification, and Redemption. Let me ring a peal in your Ears, Totum Chriſtum et totum Chriſti.You muſt receive Chriſt entirely, all Chriſt, and all of Chriſt, or you are not Chriſtians, though you have a name to live. Chriſt is coming to diſtinguiſh names from things, and then you will curſe the day you had the Name, or heard of the Name; you will have your portion with Hypocrites. Theſe are indiſpenſible terms on which Chriſt will inſiſt, All, or none; Chriſt as a Refiner, as well as a Saviour; Chriſt as a Lord, as well as a Sacrifice.
Sixthly. Many cloſe with Chriſt without coniugal affections.If men are perſwaded in the horrours of their Spirits to take Chriſt as Prieſt, Prophet and King, as a meer ſhift, to ſhift off their troubles and ſorrows, and their ſins (the occaſions of them;) yet their hearts ſtand off from Chriſt, as an Husband, they have not conjugal affections to him, their hearts are not brought over to him, they receive him not into their boſomes, into their choiceſt affections all this while. There is ſtill ſome ſecret luſt more precious than Chriſt; he is not the chief Corner-Stone, whereas to them that believe he is precious, exceeding precious. Few, like Paul, determine to know nothing elſe ſave Chriſt, and him Crucified. One Chriſt was enough to take up Pauls thoughts to eternity; Si Chriſtum noſcis, &c.he did not care what he was ignorant of, ſo he knew Chriſt. Though he was brought up at Gamaliels feet, he laid down all his knowledge at Chriſts feet.
1. Are your hearts ſo drawn to Chriſt, From eſteeming Chriſt the moſt neceſſary good.as to count him the moſt neceſſary good in all the World? And all other things to be but adjuncts, ſo that you are able to live without them, but not without Chriſt? Liberty is ſweet to a believer; but he can live in a Priſon, yea and live merrily too, he can ſing there, if Chriſt be within the grate: Bread is ſweet, but he can live in a Wilderneſs (a deſolate houling deſart) and ſing there too, as Moſes did, if Chriſt be there, yea and preferr it before Canaan. If thy Preſence go not with us, carry us not hence. A Wilderneſs with Chriſt is more precious than a Canaan without him. If ye were through Believers, the World would not be accounted among the Neceſſaries. One thing is neceſſary, One, not many. Other things may divert, or may a little refreſh, but Chriſt is the Neceſſary.
2. yea, the only goodIs he in a ſenſe the only good to your Souls? Is nothing elſe good ſeparated from Chriſt? give a Believer what you will without Chriſt; it weighs nothing, he droops, as the Marygold, when the Sun withdraws. What is all this whilſt I am Chriſtleſs? There is none good but Chriſt. Riches are miſcall'd goods: they are not good ſure in their reference as they relate to Chriſt, as they come from Chriſt, from that boſome of love, and as they advance Chriſt, and bring Chriſt and the Soul to nearer Communion. If the World in its glory, ſplendour, and fulneſs, hinder communion with Chriſt, by deadning; flatning, and diſtracting the heart, it becomes a burthen: He is burthened with friends, relations, enjoyments of all ſorts, that rob him of Chriſt, that ecclipſe the face of the Sun of Righteouſneſs, through their unhappy interpoſals. Phil. 3.7What was gain is counted loſs. As he enjoyeth much or little of Chriſt, thereafter he laughs, or weeps, he riſeth or falleth. In Chriſt are Riches, honours and friends: yea Prayers, Sermons, Sacraments, &c. The Lord is the Temple; He is all in all; Col. 3.11.He is all things, and in all things, not only by way of merit, whatever they have, or expect, is on Chriſts account; nor only by way of conveyance, through him we have all good communicated; nor only by way of cauſality, as he worketh all in all; but he is all virtually, he is inſtead of all things to them, he makes up the defect of all things. If no Eſtate, no Friends, no Liberty, no Health, no Comfort, &c. yet the Believer wanteth nothing: As having nothing, 2 Cor. 6.10.and yet poſſeſſing all things. Thus the Woman told the Perſecutour, when he threatned her, to deprive her of her Husband, Chriſt is my Husband. Profeſſours, look to your hearts, Iſa. 24.16.56.3.to your affections, and then you will have cauſe to cry, My leanneſs, my leanneſs, woe unto me, I am a dry tree.
Seventhly, How few Chriſtians have, Few conſider the Coſt beforehand.in their cloſing with Chriſt, conſidered the Coſt they may be at? They were told of the Croſs, but the Croſs was at a great diſtance, and things, when remote, ſeem little. How many little ſtudied the import of that word Croſs? What a ſhameful, painful, tedious death it imports? Something of trouble they would undergoe for Chriſt, but really they never thought of dying for Chriſt, of ſpilling their hearts blood for Chriſt: So that they did not cloſe with Chriſt underſtandingly, either they were ignorant of Chriſts perſon, or of the conſequents of cloſing with him; that they ſhould be hated of all men for his Names ſake; Mat 10.22. Acts 14.22.that they muſt through much tribulation enter into his Kingdom; that they ſhall be put out of the Synagogues, and that the time cometh, Jo. 16.2.that whoſoever killeth them, will think that he doth God ſervice. Hence when unexpectedly the rain deſcends, Mat. 7.27.the floods come, and the winds blow and beat upon their houſes, (the ſtately ſpiritual buildings, which they have been erecting) they do not only totter, but fall, and great is their fall. Even Cedars are taken up by the roots. How many in ſuch times put away a good Conſcience, and concerning Faith have made ſhip-wrack? 1 Tim. 1.19. Jude v. 12.How many are Trees, whoſe fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots? They ſee not the riches of Chriſt will make them amends for all theſe loſſes and perills: they cannot ballance the troubles of the Fleſh with the comforts of the Spirit; the preſent evil things, with the future inheritance in Heaven: the Temptations they meet with are unexpected. They are like ſome Ladies, that put forth to Sea for pleaſure; they launch forth towards Chriſt, but as the King of Navarre, who ſaid, he would not venture farther, than he could quickly retreat, in caſe of danger. The Storm makes them return to their Harbour; yea, with the Dogg to the vomit, 2 Pet. 2.22.and the Sow to the mire. Theſe poor Souls (O that my heart could bleed for them) were willing to come up to ſome of Chriſts terms, Gal. 3.4.to loſe a little, nay, to ſuffer many things, but they cannot endure to loſe Life. O my Soul! weep in ſecret for them, when thou conſidereſt, that the Children of the Kingdom (Church-Members) ſhall be caſt out into outer daarkneſs, Mat. 8.12.there ſhall be weeping and gnaſhing of teeth. Matth. 5.18. Luke 9.23. Luke 14.26.God will not abate a punctum of what he requires, he expects that we take up the Croſs daily, that we hate Life it ſelf, as well as whatſoever elſe is near and dear unto us. The Conditions impoſed on his fallen Creatures are irreverſible, he will never ſtoop lower. O! this makes many a man to goe away ſorrowful. I beſeech the Reader to goe over with the work of Converſion again, now that the Croſs is in ſight, now that Tribulation ariſeth; Now let him ſee, whether Chriſt is better than Name, Liberty, Friends, Relations, Lively-hood, and Life it ſelf; and whether he can believe, Luke 9.24.that he that will ſave his life, ſhall loſe it, and he that will loſe his life for Chriſts ſake, ſhall find it, and that with advantage.