England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 55
COLOSSIANS 1.22. To preſent you holy, and unblamable, and unreprovable in his ſight.
TErmes here are multiplied, one thing meant, but not to be expreſſed to us, to wit, our ſtate with God in another world. The end and ſcope of all Chriſts induſtry is exegetically expreſt in this clauſe, (i) one word explaining and opening another. To preſent you holy, (i) without ſpot, and without reproofe, ſo as not to be diſliked, nor reproved in the leaſt kinde, by perfect juſtice it ſelfe, but honoured and advanced as a compleat being for ever, in the preſence of God.
To preſent you holy and unblamable, &c. This tranſlation and the originall run along together throughout almoſt, onelyonly they part in the laſt word: You read, in his ſight, the text is, before him, and unreprovable [before him] Actions and perſons come before God, and the purity of both is exactly lookt after, but neither to be found in us, but both in and from Chriſt; from Chriſt not ſimply as the Son of God, the ſecond perſon in the Trinitie, but from Chriſt as Mediator, as the Father hath deputed the Son to take our nature, dye, riſe, and ſtand before him with us in his hand, preſenting himſelfe before the face of Juſtice firſt, and then us in his nature, in the body of his fleſh, &c. To preſent you holy, &c.
Divine preſentation muſt be our ſubject now to ſtand upon, which I will proſecute according to this method; Firſt more remotely, and then proximately. The object of divine preſentation is God: All preſents under the Law, they were brought before the Lord, but the goat, which was the ſcape goat, was preſented alive before the Lord, Levit. 16.10. Preſents of this nature, are our homage, wherein we lively teſtifie who is the Lord of all, which is none but God: their offerings under the Law, they were a certain tenth of ſeverall kinds, and theſe of the beſt, and theſe brought to the Tabernacle, or tent of Gods preſence, for divine acknowledgement: ſo 'tis at this day. All is ours, onelyonly a certain tenth of the beſt, to wit, the heart, muſt be brought to the Tabernacle of preſence, (i) to God, and to Heaven, and preſented to him. My ſonne give me thy heart.
Wiſdome ſo orders the courſe of things, as to preſerve proprietie, that every thing ſhould returne to him who is the Lord of all, a certain tenth of it, to wit, the ſpirit of every thing, the ſpirit in eating, the ſpirit in drinking, the ſpirit in preaching, in praying, in living, in dying; the ſpirit returnes to him that gave it. Wiſdome hath ſo ordered, that all things in the ſpirit and vigour of them, ſhould be preſented to God. Man is a poſſeſſor of much, but not an abſolute poſſeſſor, ſo as to acknowledge no ſuperior title, he hath poſſeſſion with injunction, fruition upon condition, he muſt extract the ſpirit of all the things he uſes, and bundle them up in his owne ſpirit, and bring them to the Father of ſpirits, and to him onelyonly, for a preſent of thankeſgiving. [Offer to God] the ſacrifice of prayſe.
Wiſedome ſo orders the courſe of things, as to preſerve ſtate: the Sea ſo gives out, as to returne all againe into it ſelfe; to preſerve its own ſupreame greatneſſe, that how ever proprieties are ſcattered, yet the grand propriety to reſt ſtill where it firſt did. Wee have many things given unto us, to play the ſpirituall artiſt with them, to make jewels and bracelets, odors and crownes, and to put them all upon God, and upon him onelyonly, to advance his ſtate: as the choiceſt things that could be got in all the holy Land, or any where elſe, farre or neare, were for the Prince of Judah, and for him onelyonly, to raiſe his ſtate and glory: which was a type of Chriſt, who is the glory of all the earth, who is a King higher then the Kings of Judah, higher then the Kings of the Gentiles, higher then Agag. Divine preſentation is adoration, adoration is proper to God, and proper to Chriſt onelyonly as God; as he ſits upon the throne, managing the greatneſſe of the God-head in the world, ſo crownes are brought and laid at his feete.
The object of divine preſentation may be conſidered as more diſtant or leſſe diſtant, leſſe viſibly or more viſibly preſent; as 'tis held out in the text to be conſidered, 'tis to be conſidered under the moſt immediate notion, as preſents are made to him above. Perſons and actions are oft preſented to God in way of dutie here, with the concurrence of Chriſt; hereafter both ſhall be brought before God in way of office, onelyonly by Chriſt, we being wholly paſſive. Chriſt ſhall appeare firſt, and then all that are in him; Chriſt as Mediator preſents himſelfe firſt, and then we are preſented by him. Here am I, and the children which thou haſt given me. This preſentation ſhall be made very accurately, every perſon and action; every act externall, to a cup of cold water; every act internall, every good thought ſhall be laid open before God, every good purpoſe, that we would have built a houſe for God, and that we would have done this and that, ſhall be preſented before God as done: all good intentions, and the perſon that hath them; the perſons ſhall be preſented, as the perſon of Chriſt, & his intentions, as the very actions of Chriſt; as perfect in both as Chriſt, in his perſon and life; ſo as the Father and Chriſt are one, Chriſt and we ſhall be one, and ſo be imbraced for ever. We ſhall be preſented to God, ſo one with Chriſt, as a wife is one with her husband, as a chaſte Spouſe without ſpot; throughly one in love with our husband, and ſo fully one in priviledge.
The properties of this preſentation are theſe:
'Tis very ſolemne; God, all the Saints and glorious Angels of Heaven, beholders of it. Things are very publikely carried above, Jewels are not ſecretly given and hanged in the breaſt, as Chriſt doth here; every ones inſtalment is with all the traine and ſtate of Nobles in bliſſe, every ones preſentation is matter of a new ſong, and all the quire of heaven have it in their mouths preſently, not one ſits ſad and mute, as unacquainted with the matter, when the reſt ſing; every preſent is opened, all the myrrhe ſeene and ſmelt, by every one above, and ſo all ſing at once, as equally revived, and reviving the reviver. Every preſentation brings new acts of God; not a ſoule that is ſet before God by Chriſt, but peculiar wayes of love and workings of Gods grace found in him, and all theſe laid open before God, and all the Saints and Angels in heaven, and ſet to ſeverall ſongs, for all the quire of heaven to ſing unto all eternitie. There is joy in heaven, at the turning home, and coming in of a ſinner, that is, in this lower heaven, to wit, the kingdome of grace; all the Saints rejoyce exceedingly, as any one comes into God, as a ſhadow of that which is gloriouſly done above. O if a man could but ſee what a ſmiling heaven that above is all over, when any ſoule is brought and ſet downe before God, by the Lord Jeſus Chriſt!
'Tis an eternall act. Where the ſoule is ſet by Chriſt when it goes hence, there it abides for ever. The things which God doth internally, are eternall; he bleſſeth, and curſeth for ever: to whom the ſoule is preſented hereafter, there it abides for ever; ſoules that are ſet before Satan, there they abide for ever; and ſuch as are ſet before God, there they abide for ever, to behold the glory of his countenance. God when he hath his children brought home, he puts them out no more, he gives them their inheritance, and this lies all before him, and there they ſit down upon it, and feed upon the ſweet of it for ever. 'Tis a large inheritance that every one hath above, and yet it doth not occaſion any that are brought before God, to be placed far off from him; Manſions and thrones are all prepared, and they lie all before Gods throne, and ſtand as long as his; the windows were open towards Jeruſalem, becauſe there was Gods preſence; ſo every ones manſion is ſo prepared and ſhaped, that the windows all open towards God, they can fit in their chambers of reſt above, and look God full in the face. Bleſſed are they that ſtand before thee, they alwayes behold thy face, ſaid that royall perſon, it hints one ſtate above, and rather ſpeakes that, then this below. Bleſſed, yea bleſſed indeed are they that ſit before the Lord for ever, which ſit in ſtate as Kings, even as Solomon himſelf, which ſit upon thrones for ever, as that greater then Solomon doth, which are joynt in concurrence in all acts of ſtate, and triumph together for ever, that where one goes tother goes, and ſo ever with the Lord, ever before the Lord. Your laſt houſe, your laſt habit, your laſt condition, hath no ſhadow of change; not a thought that any degree of felicitie ſhall waſte and end, ſo much as enters into any ſoule before the Lord, that they ſhall ever be ſet one haires breadth out of their place.
Ʋſe. You that are the people of God, thinke on your bleſſed ſtate, to ſweeten what you meet with in this world. You are here made as the off-ſcouring of all things, fit for a preſent to none, but to a dunghill, to all the reproaches, diſgraces, and puniſhments that may be: this will laſt but a little while; there are other thoughts of you, by great Statiſts and Peeres above; you will be gathered out of the world now quickly, as the myrrhe and frankincenſe of it, and be made a preſent to the King of heaven, which he will embrace above all preſents, and lay in his boſome to ſmell to, and delight himſelfe in for ever. Precious things are in ſome Countries, but not knowne by the Inhabitants, they are ſo brutiſh, and ſo not improved, but trampled upon; 'tis ſo all this world over, in a ſpirituall ſenſe. A brutiſh ſpirit poſſeſſeth this world, ſo that perſons know not the jewels and treaſures which lie hid in the bowels of it. There is ſuch a precious metall amongſt the earth and rubbiſh of this world, that ſhines into heaven, that may make a rich and acceptable preſent, to the great State above, did the world ſee it: their blindneſſe is their plague; & 'tis miſery enough, one would not wiſh them more, what ever one undergoes by them. I am tender of you the Lords people; I know you meet with much evill from evill men, let nothing ſadden nor imbitter you; ſtill conſider what you are in the eye of God, what ever in the eye of man: let not the bitterneſſe of evill men, make you loſe your own ſweetneſſe: ſtill conſider, how precious you are, and to whom you ſhall be preſented for ever. The very influence of heaven, is enough for ſome choice creatures to live upon; ſome ſweet dewes that fall, the Bees picke out of it a ſweet ſtock, and doe well, although theſe dewes fall but now and then: ſo ſome influences of the higheſt heaven, of that ſtate and condition we ſhall have; choice ſpirits me thinkes might live well upon, and wade ſtrongly through all tryals here, though they have theſe influences but now and then; if wee did but pick up the crums from the Table above, if we did but conſider where we ſhall be, and what we ſhall be, we ſhould rejoyce in tribulation; 'twas a ſweet diſh to the prodigall, when he was eating huskes, to thinke what food was in his fathers houſe, though he could not tell whether he ſhould be admitted thither. The world gives us husks and bones to feed on, we may fetch a diſh from heaven to mend the matter well enough, if wee be ſo wiſe and ſo heavenly as wee ſhould be.
We are the ruine of our own life: 'tis hard to get thoughts high enough. Preſent things are the things onelyonly to be minded, we muſt minde this, and we muſt minde it thus, ſo we neceſſitate our minds, and marre all. What muſt I onelyonly thinke of Shimei that curſes? Muſt I onelyonly thinke of povertie? and onelyonly thinke of ſickneſſe that is upon me? What neceſſitie of this? There is no neceſſitie of this, but yet I cannot doe otherwiſe. Wouldſt thou doe otherwiſe? No; I would not do otherwiſe. How canſt thou be remedied then? Some are married to a Blackmore, and will not be divorced; to black melancholy ſpirits and humors, &c. which they love and will not heare to part with. Rachel will not be comforted. There is nothing to be ſaid to theſe ſpirits, till their burdens have more broken and humbled them.
Others are more ripened and mellowed by the rod, to whom my queſtion is, Would you have your thoughts taken off from thinking ſo much of your calamitie? Would you have your ſoules thinke much, what you ſhall be, and where you ſhall be? O yes, rather then any thing in the world. The mercy is neare, yea very neare, which you thirſt after. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. Hungring, longing, and praying, this is opening the mouth wide: believe it, the Lord Jeſus is at hand, he hath ſent his Prodromoi, his forerunners, to lay in ſome proviſion; he will ſup with you anon, and feaſt with you anon, and then all will be well, the ſoule ſtrong, and as high and as noble as its work. Our ſtrength to high duty, is from full preſence, and full communion; The choiceſt advantages to get this, you ſhould carefully uſe, which would doe much in tother world, which would be much above, and before him where you ſhall ever be. Some workes have a great deale of heaven in them, reade them: ſome perſons have a great deale of heaven in them, look out and read them: ſome ordinances have a great deale of heaven, obſerve them. There is a great deale of advantage in ones ſtanding, to look a great way. When David ſtood in Gods houſe, he could ſee into heaven plainly, and behold all the glory above, and where his place ſhould be for ever, and what train ſhould follow, yea he was as if actually poſſeſſed of all. Honour the Inſtitution of Chriſt, how ever deſpiſed by men, or you cannot be ſo heavenly and ſo bleſſed, as you would and ſhould be.