England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 41
COLOSSIANS 1.20. And having made peace by the bloud of his Croſſe, &c.
CHriſt had diſpenſation made to him, in order to uſe: God meant to doe much by him, and therefore gave much to him. Chriſt had full reception, and full imployment; of the one you have heard, and of the other you are now to heare. Chriſt had all fulneſſe, all in Heaven, and all in earth, to reconcile all that are in heaven, and that are in earth; as full as Chriſt was, God emptied out all, he drew out grace, he drew out nature, to the laſt drop of bloud that was in him. And having made peace by the bloud of his Croſſe, &c.
Doct. Obſerve the condition of this world; here God gives and God takes. Every condition in this world, hath mutation. A man weares a Jewel in his breaſt, twentie, thirtie yeares, fortie, fiftie yeares, and then 'tis ſnatched away againe. The ſpirit returnes to God that gave it. Yea Chriſt, and all that Chriſt hath, return to God that gave him: Chriſt lives, and then dies; dies, and then riſes. Where is Chriſt now, and all the fulneſſe that he hath, but in that boſome from whence he came forth? Hath not Chriſt bled out all into the hand of the firſt Doner? 'tis a brave condition which they have above, there is all giving, and no taking away, every ones life is everlaſting: and as the ſilver coard is, ſo are the Jewels that are hung upon it. Above, all things are everlaſting, but here nothing is ſo, no not Chriſt whilſt in this world. Yet a little while, and the world ſeeth [me] no more. This world hath, and then loſeth the biggeſt bleſſings; ſeeth [me] no more. This world is a little while rich, and hath all, and then a great while poore, and ſtript of all. Seeth [me] no more.
Thou ſhalt ſee an enemy in [my habitation] ſaid God to Eli, 1 Sam. 2.32. Chriſt is Gods habitation, his ſpeciall habitation, yet is an enemy there,Sin of man. whilſt Chriſt is here. The nobleſt life, dies: Sin hath brought death over all, over Chriſt. Felicitie at firſt was fixed; no mercy Adam had, died; tranſgreſſion hath made mutation, this is the worme that lies at the roote, and gnawes and killes the greeneſt and pleaſanteſt Goard that growes over us here. The ſin of the firſt Adam, hath ſucked the bloud of the ſecond, and not onelyonly his bloud, but the bloud of all things elſe. That which followes in the place forecited, is here applicable. Thou ſhalt ſee an enemy in my habitation, and in all the wealth which God ſhall give Iſrael, &c. Much was made in a little time, and marred in leſſe. Sin hath ſubjected the whole creation to vanitie; the fall of the body of Chriſt, which was ſo firmly knit, is the livelieſt demonſtration of it in the world. Saul ſlew his thouſands, and David his ten thouſands, but ſin hath ſlaine its millions, hath wounded every thing to the heart, Chriſt not excepted, he together with all the creation groanes, bleeds, dies; Some things are venemous and deadly within ſuch a limited compaſſe, the deſtructive propertie of ſin is univerſall, it poyſons and killes all the world over; it changes times, ſeaſons, Kingdomes, worlds; hath ſwept one world away, and 'twill ſweepe another world away. Sin makes the Heavens waxe old, and paſſe away, yea, that which is more firme then the Heavens, Chriſts glorious and heavenly bodie, which was not as the Apoſtle ſaith, of this creation.foreign.
Sin hath its influence into the mutation of things; ſo hath the will of God. Mutation ſpeakes affliction,Will of God. affliction ſprings not out of the duſt, but from the will of God: God ſets one thing againſt another, and makes fighting between creature and creature, between man and man unto death. I ſet all men every one againſt his neighbour, Zach. 8.9, 10. I ſet all men, &c. That there were men againſt Chriſt, and took away his life; that there were ſuch men againſt Chriſt, neighbours, one in his owne familie, &c. God ſet them againſt him. Chriſt was delivered by the determinate counſell of God. Things are ſet their courſe; divine determination, byaſſeth every ſtate to ſuch an end: conditions can be no otherwiſe then they are. Knowne to the Lord are all his workes from the beginning. The age of a man is ſet; the age of the world is ſet; it ſhall be an hundred and twentie yeares, ſaith God. Sin provokes, juſtice decrees, this makes condition vary neceſſarily: every thing ſhall die, rather then divine juſtice; this overturnes all, to keepe up it ſelfe, Angels, men, the world, he which is greater and better then the world, Chriſt.
The will of God, the wiſdome of God,Wiſdome of God. hath its influence into the mutation of things here below. The being of all things is ſuch, that no man may be ſecure. Mutation moulds up time into opportunitie, and duty preſſes hard upon a mans ſpirit, under ſuch a notion, it did upon Chriſt. I have but a day to worke in, ſaith Chriſt, things will change quickly, night will come, and then there will be no opportunitie to worke. If Chriſt made uſe of motive from the changeableneſſe of his condition, fallen man may much more. God is wiſe, condition is ſquared to quicken dutie. God would have any thing die, rather then your grace. Were nothing dying, holy action would not be lively. Man is confident; if not powred out from veſſel to veſſel, he ſettles upon his lees. Becauſe they have no changes, therefore they feare not God, ſaith the Pſalmiſt. Fallen man is purſued in his own way, to wit, with the falling of things; now one thing crackes, and anon another thing crackes, and theſe all eccho to one another, and ſpeake joyntly and lowdly to the ſoule, that all will crack anon and fall. Wherefore looke about thee ſinner, not a thing, not a perſon comes into thy boſome, but breakes there, to breake the heart. You mourne at the funerall of things; groanes beget groanes. The bloud and death of things, when that cryes and preaches to us, if there be any grace, if there be any nature, the heart cannot but ſtirre. Wiſdome hath ordered every thing, to preach it ſelfe to death to you; plants, brutes, men; the choiceſt man that ever was, that ever came into the world, went out of it againe in his bloud, to move, and ſo to ſave the world. Having made peace by the bloud of his Croſſe. All runs into this, All conditions here below have mutation.
Ʋſe. This point preaches ſubmiſſion. It hath been a long time of giving, and receiving, now 'tis a time of taking away, and peoples hearts riſe at it. God is diſhonoured much by diſcontentedneſſe. Had we ſaid nothing to prove the point; that all things here below are mutable, the times in which wee live are a ſad demonſtration of it. View how like himſelfe God ſtill moves, this ſhall be our uſe of the point. What condition but is full of mutation? Brave eſtates, brave Kingdomes bleeding to death, and brought almoſt to nothing; our ſin is ripe, wrath is gone forth, England that was as the Queen of Nations for all fulneſſe, is waſting to nothing. Natives that for a while have left us, and now return'd to viſite us, ſcarce know their mother-Land, her face which looked ſo pleaſantly, is now ſo beſmeared with bloud. Here was the ſeat of my anceſtors, but 'tis burned; there had I brave and ſweet kindred, but now they are ſlaine; and thoſe that live, wiſh for death, becauſe nothing left to live upon. Wee had treaſure as the flints of the brooke, eſtate to accompliſh any thing, but now we faint in every undertaking, for want of ſilver-ſinewes. Wee had many callings, as ſo many ſeverall ornaments and pillars of ſtate, now all is turned into one, all grave-makers one for another, every one with his ſpade by his ſide, to dig into the heart of his brother, to dig out a ſubſiſtence. Light was little, but love was much; truth could not be found, but if it could, O how ſweet (ſaid wee) ſhould it be to us, dearer then all? Truth now ſhines in our conſciences, and we care not for it: Ah Lord! this is the ſaddeſt change of all. The living are dead; the ſoul-living are ſlaine, with an evill time. Gods vowes were upon us, but now throwne off, and becauſe the times will not beare them. Outward changes are bad, but inward changes are farre worſe. England, where are thoſe flames of love, which blazed ſo gloriouſly a few yeares agoe? Brethren in New-England, were precious: O that we had Ilium in Italium, New-England in old. Brethren in Holland were precious: O that wee had them againe, and the mercies which there they injoy, and now they are with us, they are trampled upon as the dirt, and all their paines to hold forth Chriſt and truth to us. Are not theſe ſad changes? Englands outſide, inſide, all changed; from vertue to ſin, from love to malice, from wrath to bloud, and thus lies weltring, and no eye pities her, neither Gods eye, nor her own. Is this Naomi? 'Twas Naomies friends ſpeech to her; her condition was ſo altered, that they knew her not. Is this pleaſant? O no, ſaith ſhee, call mee not pleaſant, call me Mara, bitterneſſe, for the Lord hath dealt very bitterly with me. So may I ſay now; Is this England? Pleaſant England? O no, call it Mara, bitterneſſe, for affection is turned into gall and wormewood, ſhee deales very bitterly with God and his people, and the Lord deales very bitterly with her.
Contemplate truth ſadly fulfill'd, and then ſet your ſelves to draw inſtruction from it. Mutation preaches ſubmiſſion; Doth God give and take? bleſſe him, 'tis wis way: he doth ſo with Chriſt. God filled Chriſts veins with brave blood, and then drew it out all; he prepared him a body, and then deſtroy'd it; he gave him a being on earth, and then turn'd him into hell. Chriſts tranquillity was turned into the ſtrongeſt extremity; outſide and inſide changed: he that heard that ſweet voyce, This is my beloved Son, &c. cryes My God, my God, why haſt thou forſaken me? Condition varies, rich are made poor, whole are wounded; men cannot beare this, therefore the land is full of diſcontent. Sin multiplies and hightens it ſelf as miſery doth; if God be not very mercifull, 'twill make miſery laſt, till there be not a man of us left. We feel the rod, but do not beare it; ſenſe ſtirs up paſſion, we rage, and this foments divine diſpleaſure; the heart liſtens not after Gods meaning in his dealing, to accompliſh that, and when is it likely that our calamities will ceaſe? God makes changes without, to make changes within: he makes broken eſtates, to make broken hearts; he brings much to nothing, that he may make you contented with any thing, with mean things. There are many turnings in your heart, do you conſider them? No, God writes them out in your life, that you may: God takes a copy from within, for all that he does to us without. Mariners are cheerfull when toſſed, if their Ship be good, becauſe they know the nature of the ſeas. The Ark is very good which a Chriſtian ſails in, 'tis Chriſt: the things we meet with here, are common to men, much more common to holy men; toſſings, tempeſts, All men are partakers of theſe, ſaith the Apoſtle; Chriſtians therefore ſhould be cheerfull.
Finally, the point in hand ſhould commend the life to come to us, and make us long much for it. Job from a toſſed ſtate here, falls a commending the ſtate of the dead: They that are in the grave, are at reſt, &c. The earth is the grave of the body, heaven or hell will be the grave of the ſoul; they that are in heaven are at reſt. I pity the ſtate of men that live in their ſins, they are toſt and tumbled here, and will be worſe toſt and tumbled hereafter. Wicked men, you will never have reſt; there is no peace to you, none here, nor none hereafter. Godly hearts, be cheerfull, you ſhall have a condition without all diſtraction, you ſhall be toſſed and tumbled no more. Labour and ſorrow the Scripture makes the proprium of this life, incident to it, as the ſparks flie upward; but there is no labour above, much leſſe ſorrow, leaſt of all greateſt ſorrow, which falls out by great changes. Every ones labour follows him, and they ſit ſtill above, and eat the fruit thereof, they ſolace themſelves, in the travell of their ſouls, as Chriſt doth; as for changes, they above know none, there are no miſty foggy dayes above, no clouds, no clapping in and out of the Sun, they are above thoſe regions which make ſuch mutations of weather. Were one above thoſe impure regions of aire we breath in, and cloſe by the Sun, one ſhould have the ſtrong influence and glory of it alway, every day alike. Here we ſojourn, and God ſojourns; God is as a wayfaring man, that ſtays here but a night; but above we ſhall all dwell together, and no ſojourning to make alteration of condition. If there be any felicity here, 'tis to know that our miſery ſhall end: Lord let me know my [end] and the number of my dayes, how long I have to live, &c.