England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 28
1. Coloſſ. 18. and he is the head, &c.
MAnna lies in a heap in this word, as I have formerly told you: Head ſpeaks every office of Chriſt; as King Chriſt is Head, as Prieſt he is Head; he is foreign head-prieſt, Prince-Prieſt, as the Greek word notes both, and as the authour to the Hebrews uſeth the word. Chriſt bears office to the creature, but no inferiour office: he doth officiate to rule the body, but 'tis as the chief Commander: he doth officiate to ſave the body, but 'tis as chief-prieſt, as head-prieſt, as prince-prieſt, as king of Salem. There was a principalitie in the prieſt-hood under the Law, there was a holy crown put upon the mitre Exod. 29.6.
I will demonſtrate the principality of Chriſts Prieſthood or Prieſts office. The deſignation of Chriſt to his Prieſtly office is noble: we are ſacrificers, according to the law of a carnall commandment, our ordination is from men, but his from God; the Counſel of State above ſets out this embaſſadour of peace; called of God, an high prieſt, Heb. 5.10. Chriſt had princely ordination, ordination as noble as his perſon: the Father ordain'd the Sonne: He testifieth thou art a Prieſt, &c. foreign conteſtatur, ſo the learned render that Greek word, as noting a joynt act, two ſpeaking together with one mouth, to wit, the Father and the holy Ghoſt, which is a moſt acute tranſlation. Chriſt had not onelyonly his ordination by joynt proteſtation, but by oath. What a man is inveſted with by word from the kings own mouth, is very noble; the word of a king hath a great ſtate in it, but the oath of a king added makes double and treble majeſty; yet ſo is Chriſt inveſted with his Prieſtly office: The Lord hath ſworn and will not repent, Thou art a Priest for ever.
As Chriſts Prieſtly ordination was princely, ſo his tabernacle in which he officiates princely, it is as ſtately as heaven. Chriſt doth officiate his princely office in heaven, which was ſhadowed out by Aarons officiating in the inward court, in the moſt holy place yearly. We have ſuch an high prieſt which is ſet on the throne in the majeſtie in the heavens, Hebr. 8.1. A miniſter of the Sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle. Chriſt hath upon his mitre a crown in heaven, and he ſits upon a throne of ſtate at the right hand of God, as a princely Prieſt, ſacrificing in a princely tabernacle, ſprinkling the mercy-ſeat, where offended juſtice himſelf fits, to make all communication to man. Aarons tabernacle the Apoſtle calls foreign umbra, a ſhadow, as rather the ſhadow of a tabernacle, then indeed a tabernacle, then a true tabernacle; a houſe of boughs, a leafie houſe: Chriſt is miniſter of the true tabernacle. There was gold and ſtate in the firſt tabernacle, but it was all but painting, as it were; in the tabernacle where Chriſt ſacrifices, there is true ſtate, the gold that is in heaven is true gold; the golden cenſer that is there is true gold, the golden altar that is there is true gold. Truth is the principality of things, ſuch is Chriſts tabernacle, 'tis as true as heaven. Chriſt hath his tabernacle as he hath ordination, after a very immediate, and a very ſtately way: Aarons tabernacle was pitched by man, bur Chriſts by God himſelf: He is a miniſter of the true tabernacle which the Lord hath pitch'd, and not man. Aarons tabernacle was pitch'd with hands, and made with hands, but Chriſt is a high Prieſt in a more perfect tabernacle, foreign, not of this creation, of another creation, and of another fixation.
Chriſts ſacrifice is noble, and princely as well as the tabernacle: he offers like a Prince, royall bloud, not the bloud of bulls and goats, which is bruitiſh bloud; but his own bloud. Neither by the bloud of goats and calves, but by his own bloud he entred in once into the holy place, &c. Life is a noble thing, you have not ſuch another jewell about you; but a ſpotleſſe life is doubly noble, ſuch bloud did Chriſt offer. Life is a jewell in which all is wrapt up, a man offers all when he offers this, and that's a noble offering indeed. The widow threw in all, which was a noble offering, ſo hath Chriſt. 'Tis noble action for a great Peere, to take his life in his hand, and ſay, This ſhall go for my kingdome, Chriſt is the greateſt Peere that ever the world ſaw, and yet he took his life in his hand, and ſaid, This ſhall go for my kingdome, and my people: I lay down my life for my ſheep. If Chriſt had laid down the life of all creatures for man, it had been a noble ſacrifice, but he ſaith, I lay down [my life,] and then tell me what nobility is in this offering? Judas valued this bloud baſely, but God that values things as they are, takes it of more price then all your ſouls, and yet every one of which is of more price then the world.
Chriſt doth officiate a very noble covenant, he offers faultleſſe bloud, and he officiates a faultleſſe covenant. The covenant which Aaron did officiate was faulty; not faulty in it ſelf, but weak through the fleſh it was a covenant in the externall diſpenſation of it ſo fleſhly, that frail fleſh could ſee little of Chriſt to better it ſelf. Chriſt hath obtained a more excellent miniſtery, the way into the holieſt of all is now via propalata, ſpread open; miniſtration is clear, and things miniſtred full the laws are opened unto our eyes, and given into our hearts foreign.
Every thing about Chriſts prieſthood is noble, ſo is his proſecution. The prieſts under the Law had their ignorances, their foreign errata's, and therefore were to ſacrifice for themſelves as well as for others; but Chriſt had none, he did all things well, he did live well, and die well: when he offered up that great ſacrifice, he did it perfectly. Chriſt ſpake truth when he looked over all his works, and ſaid, foreign, it is perfected all ſides give teſtimony of the noble diſcharge of Chriſts office; God ſmileth to look upon him, and our conſcience ſmileth aſſoon as it can look upon him; he maketh the worſhipper perfect, as pertaining to the conſcience. Chriſt ſcarlet garment takes heaven and earth, God and his people. Who is this that comes from Edom, with garments died red from Bozra, &c. That expreſſion may be applied either to the Father admiring the Son, or the Churches admiring of him,
Uſe. You ſee what a complete Prieſt, what a Prince-prieſt you have, and what uſe do you make of him? You cannot come to the Father without Chriſt, his Prieſtly office is abſolutely neceſſary to life. Your duties fall ſhort of heaven, and ſo will your ſouls if you think that theſe, ſhall bring them thither: my heart bleeds to ſee how ſome ignorant perſons labour much to bring all to nothing, make hard at heaven, and yet live in hell. They have their foreign, juſtices of worſhip as the Apoſtle ſpeaks of thoſe legall Chriſtians, and juſtices of the fleſh, as he elſewhere ſpeaks, they faſt and pray, and are very juſt and exact in houres and times, and all externall obſervance, and yet like the young man, at their wits end every foot, about their eternall condition; they run to one preacher, and to another, Good Sir, What ſhall I do to be ſaved? I am a damned man. They are foreign as he calls them there, which comes from foreign, which ſignifies to tremble, trembling worſhippers to do all exact, and yet their conſcience ſhakes, as if hell were at the doore to receive them, aſſoon as they have done their duties. Their juſtices of worſhip, and juſtices of the fleſh, their exactneſſe according to the letter, make them not perfect as concerning their conſcience: they pray no more, they give no more, and yet full of fear, and none more: they run to this miniſter and that, Sir, I fear all is naught. And ſo do I too, for thou makeſt no uſe of the Prieſtly office of Chriſt, thou doſt not put thy ſelf and all thou doeſt into the hand of a Mediatour; this is talked of as poſſible, but if it were done indeed, it would ſoon ſet thy ſoul in a better condition.
'Tis hard to convince men that they truſt in their works, though the thing ſpeaks it ſelf in moſt mens conſciences. Two things will diſcover this ruining cheat. Firſt, conſider what doth move you to duty: ſome perſons would never pray, nor never do any holy duty, were it not for mere fear: they open their mouths heaven-ward now and then, to ſtop the mouth of hell, that is, juſtice in their own conſcience. This man makes his holineſſe his high prieſt, his own action his interceſſour to bring him to heaven, which if it do, then I will anſwer for him at the great day. Obſerve are ſpring of action, and nothing will more plainly ſpeak, whether you make a Jeſus of action. I am afraid there are ſouls very ignorant amongſt you: blind wretches, ſo they be but doing ſomething that is called holineſſe, 'tis enough to them, here they reſt and look their ſouls: when affrighted by a ſremon, by the word, or the rod of God, then they down upon their knees, and howl and cry, like the mariners in the ſhip that Jonah ſailed in. A toſſed condition is the onelyonly mother of moſt mens devotion, toſſed without, or toſſed within, and therefore ſo good, and yet alas all is ſtark naught. Chriſt is no prieſt to this man, no chief prieſt, no prince-prieſt, his own action is his prime prieſt, becauſe 'tis truſted in. Blind wretches, conſider what kindles your zeal, your conſcience will be burnt elſe in your offering, your fire is an ignis fatuus, a ſtrong fooliſh fire.
You that get no ſatisfaction in this, conſider the next, namely, what upholds in duty, and this will ſpeak out whether you truſt in it. Sence is ſome ſouls onelyonly relief; if duty oyl not its own wheels, the ſoul ſtands ſtill; they can find no ſweet in prayer, therefore pray no more, duty will not conjure their conſciences quiet, and therefore they will to the alehouſe, and ſee whether carnall devils will drive out uncarnall, whether one hell will ſwallow up another; the pleaſures of the fleſh muſt take off the terrours of the ſpirit: Ah Lord! what a black prieſt is here uſed! This ſoul is deſparate, the devil hath ordination to prieſthood, and the alehouſe, or whore-houſe muſt be his tabernacle to officiate in; hands are laid on him ſuddenly, and this made the laſt remedie to eaſe and quiet the ſoul. Here is a ſad condition: O that I could ceaſe preaching, and weep now in the face of ſuch a forlorn wretch. Will that which dames you, ſave you? Will ſinne blot out ſinne? Will adding to tranſgreſſion, plead for mercy in heaven, to quiet your conſciences, and ſave your ſouls? The devil is Abaddon a deſtroyer, no ſaviour, ſo is ſinne. When your ſouls are wounded, will you give them to ſinne and the devil to heal? the ſpirit of God will finally leave you for this, ſo it did Saul for the like practiſe. Rebellion makes wounds, and when wounds heighten rebellion, God will have no more to do with that man. Let the ſoul bleed and bleed, and ordain what prieſt it will, Chriſt will not bleed for him. Hardned hearts, think on theſe things, the bloud of a mediatour will be charged upon you, for trampling it under foot.
Tender hearts, let me turn to you, the ſweet of this point is your portion. Double conſolation ſprings from the prieſthood of Chriſt, firſt in regard of infirmitie. You would be pitied concerning your weakneſſes, and compaſſion is naturall to Chriſt, he is a mercifull high prieſt, and can be no other to you. God hath ordained him to officiate in ſuch a tabernacle, as wherein you dwell, he is in all things like to you: you are in want, and ſo was Chriſt, he had no houſe: you are perſecuted, ſo was Chriſt: ſinne loads you, and ſo it did Chriſt. A Chriſtians condition needs compaſſion, and Chriſt knows how much, and 'tis his work continually to lay it open above. There are infirmities diſtinct from a wounded ſpirit, you know the Scripture makes ſuch a diſtinction, Common diſtreſſes have their weight, and 'tis more then the beſt ſoul can bear theſe, if it maintain not an eye to the compaſſion of Chriſt: men are wolves, dogs, they have no bowels, and the ſoul beats it ſelf to death with this, till it remember the bowels of Chriſt. When good hearts have no compaſſion on earth, they are ready to conclude they have none in heaven, but you cannot injure Chriſt and your ſouls more, then by ſuch concluſions: Chriſt lets men be mercileſſe, that you may look up, and behold how mercifull he is, and that he needs not this channell or that, to convey compaſſion in to you. Weeping eyes, ſight fails them oft, but compaſſion never fails: 'tis mercy that a man can weep to God, and do no worſe, when he can get no mercy from man. Doth not relief ſtrangely come in now and then? Why, write upon the forehead of ſuch favours, I have a mercifull and compaſſionate mediatour in heaven, my interceſſour above ſent me this, and he will ſend me more; Chriſt hath ſounding of bowels. Where are the ſounding of thy bowels you may heare them from heaven to earth, in the moſt diſtreſſed condition, if you liſten and obſerve diligently in all paſſages about you.
Conſolation ſprings from the prieſtly office of Chriſt, as in regard of conditions which are diſtinct from a wounded ſpirit, ſo in regard of a wounded ſpirit it ſelf. Chriſt is able to ſave to the uttermoſt: the dolefull cry of the wounded is, my ſinnes will never be forgiven. Silence unbelief, be not tyrannicall to thy ſelf, for Chriſt will not, ſinne ſhall do thee no hurt, nor Sathan, no nor God, for Chriſt can work him to any thing; if hel but open his wounds in heaven, he will ſo work his father, that thy wounds on earth will cloſe preſently. Chriſt is a perfect mediatour, and being made perfect, he became the Authour of eternall ſalvation, unto all them that obey, Hebr. 5.9. Either the wound of a Chriſtian lies in the greatneſſe of the evill which he hath done, or in the fear of what he ſhall do againſt God, and God againſt him; to all which I ſay onelyonly this, that Chriſt is a perfect mediatour, and being a perfect mediatour, no condition can be deſperate.