The Unsearchable Riches of Christ, Title page – Dedication
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THE Unſearchable Riches OF CHRIST.
OR,
| Meat | for | Strong men. |
| Milke | Babes. |
Held forth in Twenty two SERMONS From Epheſians 3. 8.
By THOMAS, BROOKES, Preacher of the Word at Margarets New-Fiſhstreet.
Ipſe unus erit tibi omnia, quia in ipſo uno bono, bona ſunt omnia. Aug.
It pleaſed the father, that in him ſhould all fullneſſe dwell, Colloſ. 1. 19.
In whom are hid all the treaſures of wiſedome and knowledge, Chap. 2. 3.
LONDON: Printed by Mary Simmons, for John Hancook, at the firſt Shop in Popeſ-head-Alley, next to Cornhill. 1655.
The unſearchable Riches of Chriſt.
TO ALL TRƲE ISRAELITES, In whom there is no guile.
Grace, Mercy, and Peace, from God the Father, through our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, be multiplied.
Dear hearts;
MY deſign (in appearing once more in Print) is not to pleaſe the captious Critick, or the ſullen Cinnick, but to heighten your fellowſhip with the Father, 1 John 1. 3, 4.and the Son, and to further you in a cloſer walking with God, and to ripen you more and more for Reigning with God, when you ſhall be here no more.
Beloved in our Lord, there are two ſad and great evills (Oh that there were no more!) among the Saints this day, The ſtrong are very apt, yea, they make little of offending the weak; And the weak are as Rom. 14. 1. …ult.apt, and make as little of judging and condemning the ſtrong. The ſerious and conſcientious peruſall of this Treatiſe, may (by Invalidum omne naturâ queru'um. Sen. Weake ſpirits are ever quarrelling and contending.the bleſſing of the Lord) contribute much to the preventing of thoſe ſad evills. You that are weak, may, in this Treatiſe, as in a Glaſſe, ſee your weakneſſes, your mercies, your graces, your duties, your priviledges, and your comforts. You that are weak in grace, may here find many Queſtions anſwered, and doubts reſolved, that tend to the ſatisfying, quieting, ſettling, and eſtabliſhing of your precious ſoules in peace, joy, and aſſurance. You that are weake in grace, may here find a ſtaffe to ſupport you, a light to direct you, a ſword to defend you, and a Cordiall to ſtrengthen you, &c. And you that are ſtrong in grace, may here ſee what is your way, what is your work, and what at laſt ſhall be your reward. Here you will find that which tends to the diſcovery of ſpirits, the ſweetning of ſpirits, the uniting of ſpirits, the healing of ſpirits, and the making up of breaches, &c.
Here you will find Meat for ſtrong men, and Milke for Babes. Here you will find who is more motion, then notion; more heart then head, more ſpirit then fleſh, more inſide then outſide, &c.
Here you will finde The Ʋnſearchable Riches of Chriſt (which of all boxes of precious Ointment, is the moſt precious) opened, and Oh how ſweet muſt he be, that is the ſweeteſt of ſweets! In Chriſt are riches of Juſtification, in Chriſt are riches of Sanctification, riches of Conſolation, and riches of Glorification: And this following Treatiſe may ſerve as a key (I ſay not as a golden one) to open the doore, that you may come where theſe Treaſures lye. Chriſts riches are like the eternall Springs of the earth, that cannot dry up, but are and ſhall be diffuſed by his ſpirit and Goſpel, untill his whole houſe be filled with them.
The excellency and uſefullneſſe of the Riches of Chriſt, and Anſwers to many weighty Queries about his Ʋnſearchable Riches, is more then hinted at in this Tract. In this Tract much is ſpoken concerning the Nature, Properties, and Excellencies of Humility, which is both the beautifier and preſerver Humility is (Conſervatrix virtutum, ſaith Barnard) that which keeps all graces together. Humil…as ani mi, ſubtimitas Chriſtiani.of all other graces.
Here you may ſee, that Thoſe that are loweſt in their owne eſteeme, are higheſt in Gods eſteeme. Here you may ſee, that Humble ſoules are not ſo low and contemptible in the eyes of the world, as they are honourable in the eyes of God.
And if ever there were an Age ſince Chriſt was on earth, wherein 'twas needfull to Preach, preſſe, and print this great doctrine of Humility, of ſelfe, of ſoule-abaſement, this is the Age wherein we live. Oh the pride, the ſtatelineſſe, of the profeſſors of this Age! But becauſe this point is largely ſpoken to in this Tract, I ſhall ſatisfie my ſelfe with this touch.
There are many other weighty things treated on, which for brevity ſake I ſhall omit: OnelyOnly give me leave to acquaint you with a few things about this enſuing Tract, and then I ſhall draw to a cloſe.
Firſt, That it is the ſubſtance of twenty-two Sermons Preached by me about three yeares agoe, on the Lecture nights at this place where now I Preach.
Secondly, That there is in it ſeverall other things of no ſmall concernment to ſoules, that I did not then deliver, but have been given in ſince from that Fountaine that fills all in all.
Thirdly, That though I have been much A Sermon Preached ſer…eth but an Auditory, a Sermon Printed may ſerve many Auditories.preſſed to Print theſe Sermons, yet I ſhould never have yeelded, had I not been throughly convinced and perſwaded in my judgement and conſcience, that they may (by the bleſſing of the Lord upon them) prove many wayes uſefull and ſerviceable, to all thoſe honeſt Nithanaels, into whoſe hands they may fall. Elſe they had been buried in the dark, and never come to publick light.
I have onelyonly a few Requeſts to make to you, and then I ſhall take my leave of you.
And my fi…ſt Requeſt is this, That you would meditate and dwell upon what you read, otherwiſe your paines (I ſay not your ſoules) and mine will be loſt.Lectio ſine meditatione arida eſt, meditatio ſine lectione err…na eſt, oratio ſine meditatione tepida eſt Aug. ſimely
'Tis a Law among the Perſees in India, To uſe premeditation in what they are to doe, that if it be bad, to reject it, if good, to act it. The Application is eaſie. The more any man is in the contemplation of truth, the more fairer and firmer Impreſſion is made upon his heart by truth. Chriſtians muſt be like the clean Beaſts, that parted the hooſe, and chewed the cud: They muſt by heavenly meditation chew truths, and concockt truths, or elſe they will never taſt the ſweetneſſe that is in Divine truths.
Mary pondered the ſayings of the Shepheards in her heart, Luke 2. 19. Not they that eat moſt, but they that digeſt moſt, are The Angels are much in meditation.the moſt healthfull. Not they that get moſt, but they that keep moſt, are richeſt: So not they that hear moſt, or read moſt, but they that meditate moſt, are moſt edified and inriched.
My ſecond Requeſt to you, is this, That Your actions in paſſing paſſe not away; for every good work is a grain of ſeed for eternall life.you will make conſcience of living out thoſe truths you read.
To read much, and practice nothing, is to hunt much, and catch nothing.
Suetonius reports of Julius Caeſar, That ſeeing Alexanders ſtatue, he fetched a deep ſigh, becauſe he at that Age had done ſo little.
Ah! what cauſe have moſt to ſigh, that they have heard ſo much, and read ſo much, and yet done ſo little? Surely 'tis more honourable to doe great things, then to ſpeak or read great things. 'Tis the doer that will 'Twas a ſaying of Auguſtine, one thouſand two hundred years agoe, That we muſt take heed (leaſt whilſt we fear our exhortation being cooled) prayer be not …amped, and pride inflamed.be moſt happy at laſt, John 13. 17. In vitae libro Scribuntur qui quod poſſunt faciunt, & ſi quod debent, non poſſunt. B…rn. They are written in the Book of Life, that doe what good they can, though they cannot doe as they would.
I have read of a good man, coming from a publick Lecture, and being askt by one, whether the Sermon was done, anſwered with a ſad ſigh, Ah! it is ſaid, but not done.
My third Requeſt is this, That you will pray over what you read.
Many read much, and pray little, and therefore get little by all they read.
Galen writes of a Fiſh called Ʋrana Scopos, that ha's but one eye, and yet looks continually up to Heaven. When a Chriſtian ha's one eye upon his Book, the other ſhould be looking up to Heaven for a bleſſing upon what he reads.
When one heard what admirable Victories Scanderbeg's Sword had wrought, he would needs ſee it, and when he ſaw it, ſayes he, This is but an ordinary ſword, alaſſe! what can this doe? Scanderbeg ſent him word, I have ſent thee my Sword, but I have the arme that did all by it.
Alaſſe! what can Chriſts Sword, Chriſts word doe without his arm? Therefore look up to Chriſts arme in prayer, that ſo his Sword, his word, may doe great things in your ſoules.
Luther profeſſeth, That he profited more by prayer in a ſhort ſpace, then by ſtudy in a longer; as John by weeping got the ſealed Book open
My fourth Requeſt to you, is this, That Ingratitude (ſay ſome) is a monſter in nature, a ſoliciſme in manners, and a Paradox in grace, damning up the courſe of Donations, Divine and humane.if by the bleſſing of the Lord upon my weake endeavours, any leafe or line ſhould drop myrrhe, or mercy, marrow or fatneſſe upon your ſpirits, that you will give all the glory to the God of Heaven; for to him alone it does belong.
Through grace I know I am a poore Worme, I am nothing, I have nothing, but what I have received. The Crowne becomes no head but Chriſts. Let him who is our all in all, have the honour and the glory of all, and I have my end.
Pliny tells of ſome in the remote parts of India, that have no mouths, and yet live on the ſmell of Hearbs, and ſweet Flowers: But I hope better things of you, even ſuch as accompany ſalvation.
My fifth Requeſt to you, is this, That you would let me lye neere your hearts, when you are in the Mount (eſpecially.)1 Theſſ. 5. 25. 2 Theſſ. 3. 1. Heb. 13. 18. Col. 4. 3. Phil. 1. 19. … Cor. 1. 11. Acts 12. 5.
O pray pray hard for me, that the ſpirit of the Lord may be redoubled upon me; that his word may proſper in my mouth, that it may run, and be glorified, and that I may be high in my communion with God, and holy and unblameable in my walkings with God; and that it may be ſtill day with my ſoule; that I may live and dye in the joyes and comforts of the holy Ghoſt; and that when my Sun is ſet, my glaſſe out, my work done, my race run, I may reſt in the Rev. 14. 13.everlaſting armes of Divine love, &c.
My laſt and leaſt Requeſt to you, is this, That you will pleaſe to caſt a Mantle of love In every Pomgranate there is at leaſt one rotten kernell to be found ſaid Grates the Philoſopher.over the miſtakes of the Preſſe, and doe me that right, and your ſelves the courteſie, as before you read, to correct any materiall faults that you ſhall find pointed at in the Errata.
Gods eaſie paſſing over the many and daily Errata's of your lives, cannot but make you ſo ingenuous as readily to paſſe over the Errata's in this Book.
You are choice Jewels in my eye, you lye neer unto my heart, I am willing to ſpend and be ſpent for your ſakes. My earneſt and humble deſire is, That my ſervice and Rom. 15. 31.labour of love may be accepted by you; and that it may worke much for your internall and eternall welfare. And that an abundant 2 Pet. 1. 11. Ch. 1. 8.entrance may be adminiſtred to you, into the everlaſting Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt. And that you may be filled with joy unſpeakable, and full of glory, and with that peace that paſſes underſtanding. This is, and by grace ſhall be the Prayer of him who deſires to approve himſelfe faithfull to Chriſt, his truths, his intereſts, and his people, and who is
Your ſoules ſervant in all Goſpel Engagements. THOMAS BROOKS.