The Principles of Christian Practice, Tract
THE PRINCIPLES OF CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.
MATTH. 16. 24.
Then said Jesus unto his Disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himselfe, and take up his crosse and follow me,
25. For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake, shall finde it.
26. For what is a man profited, if hee shall gaine the whole world, and lose his owne soule? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soule?
27. For the Sonne of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his Angels, and then hee shall reward every man according to his workes.
28. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man comming in his Kingdome.
THe occasion of these Occasion of the words.words was the offence that the Apostle Peter took, when our Lord Jesus Christ had preached the doctrine of the Crosse, & had fore-told his own passion and suffering shortly at Jerusalem. Hereupon Peter (as a Politician, turning himselfe to carnall counsels) draweth his Master aside, and wisheth him to look better to himselfe, and wisely to prevent these troubles, Ver. 22. Our Saviour now perceiving that hee went about to disswade him from that great worke, for which hee came into the world, & on which the salvation of the whole world depended, most sharply reproves him, as a most speciall agent of Sathan, though hee were his Disciple a thousand times, Ver. 23. And yet, not forgetting his wonted compassion, taketh occasion thence to instruct him, and all the rest of the Disciples; yea, and with them all Beleevers, that they also after his example must bee in a readinesse to deny themselves, and take up his crosse and follow him.
The words containe in them Summe of them,the institution of a Christian man, or of a Disciple of Christ; who is here, 1. Informed: 2. Confirmed in the first Principles of his holy profession.
The Information is in Ver. 24.Parts.
The Confirmation in all the rest to the end.
The former is an universall Canon for all that meane to give their names to the profession of Jesus Christ, consisting of three branches, wherein they must bee soundly initiated:
1. Selfe-deniall.Three duties.
2. Taking up the Crosse.
3. Imitation of Christ.
If any man will bee my Disciple, or, will follow mee.] Which words concerne us all, not excepting or exempting any that intendeth soundnesse in Christianity: and no calling, no sexe, no age, nor condition of life can free any Christian from the rules following.
Object. Christ spake them only to his Disciples, as the words before.These belong to all.
Answ. 1. Saint Mark saith (cha. 8. 34.) Christ called the people 1.or multitude, and said. Hee spake it to all, as concerning all. 2. By a 2.Disciple or Follower of Christ in our Text, is not meant onelyonly those twelve Apostles, who are foreign.so called in a peculiar manner, because they were chosen to bee trained up & instructed in Christs own family in the future service of the Church: Nor onelyonly those faithfull men and women, whom Christ honoured to follow his owne person in the daies of his flesh; but all faithfull ones that shall learne, beleeve, and practise holy doctrine, and follow his holy life to the end of the world: for these himselfe hath honoured with this name, Luke 14. 26. If Nimirùm in libertate nostra nobis relinquens, utrùm amplecti maluerimus. Jansen. in loc. The Text makes not for free-will. 1any man come to me, and hate not all for me, hee cannot be my Disciple. Act. 11. 26. the Christians and Disciples were all one.
If any will follow mee.] The Papists gather, that it is in our free-will to follow, or not. But
1. Christs scope is not here to shew how we come to him, but who they be that come; and not from the cause of their comming, but from the effects.
2. If wee will learne from 2.Christ the cause of our comming to him, he will not have us find it in our selves, but without us. Joh. 6. 44. None comes to me, unlesse the Father draw him: his free-will drawes him not, Nature drawes him not, but the grace of the Father: And Ver. 45. Hee that hath heard and learned of the Father, comes unto me: Where this comming is not ascribed to the will or study of him that is taught, but to the excellency of the Teacher.
But a more pertinent question is, how wee may know that wee Notes of a Disciple of Christ.are Disciples and Followers of Christ. And beside the signes in the Text, wee shall discerne it by sundry markes: as
1. The Disciples were called by Christs owne voice, and depended 1.on the mouth of Christ. Respect to the word, and dependance on it.By the word of Christ must thou also bee made a Disciple; thou must be called by his voice in the Ministery. Doest thou then cleave to the means of growth in grace, & listen attentively to the word of Christ? so did the Disciples, and so wilt thou. But if thou carest not for the preaching of the word, if thou desirest not to grow in knowledge, but contentest thy selfe in thy ignorance, or with some confused knowledge: If the word bee neere thee, thou runnest from it; if it bee absent, thou runnest not after it: thou hereby shewest thy selfe to be no Disciple.
2. The Disciples being called, 2. Mat. 4. 22. & 23. 8. Joh. 6 68. Respect to Christ, & dependance on him alone.left all for Christ, and acknowledged no Master but him, because he had the words of eternall life. If thou also bee a Disciple, thou renouncest all other Masters, and all employments that will not stand with Christianity. If thou be a Disciple, thou knowest the truth, and the truth hath set thee free, Joh. 8. 31. Of a servant of sin, thou art a freeman in grace. The Disciples walked in a course of mortification; they sought not the world nor themselves: they were no swearers, gamesters, deceivers, usurers, haters of grace, lyers, or slanderers; and if thou be so, thou art no Disciple.
3. The Disciples were called to be neere Attendants of Christ, 3. Attendance and obedience to him.to abide and continue with him, and performe all his commandements. John 8. 31. If yee abide in my word, yee are verily my Disciples: that is, if yee continue both in the faith and obedience of my word. Art thou a neere friend unto Christ? so were they. Yee are Joh. 15. 14.my friends (saith Christ) if yee doe whatsoever I command you. The best triall of thy friendship to Christ is in difficult, costly, and dangerous commandements: So Melius est habere paucos discipulos, quàm mulios auditores. Thriv. apoph. 105. Luk. 6. 46.the Lord tried Abrahams friendship. Otherwise, Why callest thou him Lord, as if thou wert a Disciple, and doest not the things hee commands thee?
4. The Disciples were glad of Christs presence; and when hee 4. Mat. 9. 15. John 16. 6. Joy in him, or mourne after him.was absent, their hearts were full of sorrow. If thou likewise be a Disciple, thy soule rejoyceth in the presence of Christ, in his ordinances, in the directions and consolations of his Spirit: thou art alive when his sweet word drops upon thy soule, and thou droupest when Christ hath withdrawne Cant. 5. 6. Inaudita est dilectio quae amicum diligit. & pr…sentiam ejus non amat. Cassiod. in Psal. 18.himselfe from thee in any of these meanes of his presence. But canst thou be a Disciple (except a Judas) that findest as much sweetnesse in the word of Christ, as in the white of an egge? that professest thou hast no comfort in the word, but it is a perpetuall dropping and molestation? that risest up against Christ for his word (as Judas) because the word of Christ detecteth thy covetousnesse, pride, deceit, treachery, other wickednesses?
5. The Disciples had commission and commandement to make 5. Make Disciples: winne others. foreign. Mat. 2…. 19 Scimuo quòd viri isti nec sibi vixére, nec sibi sunt mortui, sed ei qui pro ipsis mortuus est, magis autem nobis omnibus propter illum. Bern. serm. Petr. & Paul.other Disciples, and so did: They were diligent in their callings, & exercised therin the love of God, and love of men; were sober, godly, humble, walking in the steps of Christ their Lord & Master, spending themselves in doing good to others, departing with dearest things, their names, their liberty, & life for Christ & his Church. So the generall calling of a Christian is, to make Disciples, to bring men to Christ, by instruction, admonition, reproofe, comfort; herein expressing love to Christ and his members: And to walke beseeming the Gospel; for the honour of Christ, making him our patterne, and walking as he walked; of which afterward. 1 Joh. 2. 6.In a word, to be all that wee are for Christ, that Christ may bee magnified by us, whether by doing Phil. 1. 20.or suffering; whether by life or death.
6. A speciall badge of a Disciple 6. Love of the brethren, a speciall badge of a true Christian.is charity: John 13. 35. By this shall all men know yee are my Disciples, if yee love one another. Every mans disciples are known by some speciall badge or cognisance: Moses disciples by circumcision, feasts, and sacrifices. The Scribes and Pharisees disciples by fastings, watchings, phylacteries, long praiers, & the like. But a true note, whereby a Disciple of Christ may be knowne, is christian love; being an immediate fruit of christian faith: where Gal. 5. 6.that fire is, it will appeare in this heat and light; for faith worketh H…b. 2. 4.by love: and hee that walketh by faith, walketh in love; and hee 2 Cor. 5. 7.that is joyned to the Head by faith, is united to the members by Eph. 5. 2.love.
But art thou a Disciple, and livest Rejection of them that want it.in uncharitablenesse, envie, malice, slandering, lying, or any the like sin? Know,
1. A Disciple is borne of God, 1.and beares the image of his Father, who is love, 1 John 4. 8. this then is a birth from hell, and an issue of him, who is a man-slayer John 8. 44.from the beginning.
2. The Disciples had the presence, 2.leading, and inhabitation of the Spirit of God, and consequently, the bond of the Spirit, which is love, the fairest fruit of Eph. 4. 3. Gal. 5. 22.the Spirit, by which Christians are knit together, & made of one spirit. But is the uncharitable wretch led or inhabited by this Spirit, or by the spirit that lusteth Jam 4. 5.after envie? Such may say to Christ, as the Jewes, We are none of thy Disciples, but Moses disciples; John 9. 28.or rather, wee are neither thy disciples nor Moses, but of Jannes and Jambres, and Judas, 2 Tim. 3. 8.who resisted both Moses and Christ.
3. A Disciple is a member of 3.the Church, a chiefe subject in the Kingdome of Christ; but a malicious man is none of Christs Kingdome: for when a man is brought into the Kingdome of Christ, the Lion and Lambe feed Isa. 11. 6. 7. 8.together, the childe and cockatrise: Now he puts off his fierce nature, his lionish, aspish, waspish and poysonfull disposition; he is now of a wolfe and devourer made tame and tractable, as a Lambe of Christs fold, and as a childe of God his Father: inunion both with head & members, and acknowledgeth all the tyes and bonds between himselfe and his fellow-members: They are children of one Father and Mother, God and the Church; brethren of the same elder brother, Jesus Christ; of one houshold of Gal. 6. 10.faith; sit at the same table, clothed with the same suits, heires of the same inheritance; and can John 4. 9.these live as Jewes and Samaritans?
4. The Disciples respected all Christs commandements; but 4. Niltam commendat Christianam animam, quam misericordia. Ambr. offic. l. 1. cap. 11. Joh. 13. 34.that which above all Christ was so earnest in, they would not forget, his new commandement of loving one another: Col. 3. 13. and 1 Pet. 4. 8. Above all things put on love. What, above faith, confidence, prayer, and the like? No; faith is the parent of love: but above all graces that binde man to man, of which the Apostle there speaketh. It is the sinewes in the body, the cement in the house, without which all were but cobling and confusion. He is no Disciple, no living stone, who is not coupled with this cement, called the bond of perfection.Col. 3. 14.
Well, get those graces in truth, and be not discouraged for their weaknesse. (For how weak were the Disciples while Christ was with them?) Christ will yet acknowledge thee a Disciple, if men doe not, and owne thee when thou darest scarce owne him.