England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 14
Coloſs. 1.15. Firſt-born] of every creature.
FIrſt-born, notes two things, precedence in affection, and precedence in being, in reference to all the creation: Chriſt is before all choſen, beloved, and indued with grace, and in this ſence is called the firſt-born. Whom he fore-knew, he predeſtinated to be conformed to the image of his ſonne, that he might be the first-born among many brethren. Chriſt and all the elect are here reſembled by a family, and Chriſt the firſt brought forth, in the image of the Father of this family, and all the reſt conformed to this image; Chriſt the firſt choſen and indued, and then all others choſen and indued in him. In this ſence, namely, in regard of precedence in affection, is Iſrael called Gods firſt-born, that is, in reference to all other people, the firſt choſen and beloved: And thou ſhalt ſay unto Pharaoh, thus ſaith the Lord, Iſrael is my ſonne, even [my firſt-born] Let my ſonne, my firſt-born go, or elſe I will ſlay thy firſt-born, Exodus 4.22.
Firſt-born, notes precedencie in being: there is a firſt coming into the kingdome of God, and a firſt coming into this world. Firſt was the word begotten, and then all other things begotten by him; before any thing had being Chriſt had. The Lord poſſeſſed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old: I was ſet up from everlaſting, from the beginning, when there were no depths, I was brought forth, &c. Proverbs 8. He ſpeaks you ſee in reference to the creature, and challenged priority of being, in reference to them all, and therefore called in the Revelation, the beginning of the creation of God: and therefore here alſo called the firſt-born of every creature. Birth-right you ſee by this hath a double conſideration, naturall, and ſpirituall, and both honourable, and to beheld up and maintained, and ſo doth the ſpirit of God here inferre.
Doctr. Birth-right is an honourable thing, and to be holden up, and maintained. 'Tis taken for granted to be honourable, and to be maintained, and therefore is ſo uſed and proſecuted in reference to Chriſt: what is due to him by birth in a ſpirituall ſence, is held forth and maintained, to wit, that he is the first-born of many brethren; and what is due to him by birth in a naturall ſence is held forth, and maintained alſo, that he is the firſt-born of every creature: all his priviledges are proteſted.
Right is the priviledge of being, and felicity falls as this falls; a being without priviledge, is a being without felicity; and a being without felicity, is hell. Birth-right contains much: 'tis a bundle of priviledges bound up by God and man, as many as grace and nature affords, to make ſuch a being bleſſed, both here and hereafter. Conſider a man as born, and he hath ſuch naturall priviledge from nature: and conſider a man as new born, and he hath ſuch ſpirituall priviledge from grace. That which carries the felicity of life in it, its own worth neceſſarily calls for ſtanding for; if I muſt ſtand to maintain my life againſt deadly creatures which invade it, much more that which is the felicity of my life: right and priviledge, is the felicity of life, the felicity of naturall life, and the felicity of ſpirituall life.
Right not maintained, inſtitution is deſpiſed; all runnes to ruine neceſſarily, for one devours another. Priviledge gives not onelyonly felicity, but proper felicity, that is, every one his happineſſe ſo, as not to be the leaſt unhappineſſe to another. Priviledge makes many heavens; a heaven for maſter, and for ſervant; a heaven for father and for child; a heaven for prince and for people; and ones heaven not anothers hell. Birth-right is God and nature, giving diſtinct proprietie. This temporall good belongeth to this, and not to that; this ſpirituall good, belongs to this and not to that. Propriety confounded, Ahabs and Naboths vineyard become one, heaven and hell become one, children and dogges would fare alike, which is ſad confuſion, and which nature abhorres, and grace much more. What is peculiar and proper to Chriſt, birth-right gives him, he is the firſt-born of every creature.
Uſe. I am to ſpeak to two ſorts of perſons from this point; to you which have a naturall birth-right, and to you which have both a naturall and a ſpirituall birth-right. You which have but a naturall birth-right onelyonly, it were well if you did look for more, that you were as high in priviledge as Chriſt, that ye had a naturall and a ſpirituall birth-right; he was the firſt-born of every creature, and the firſt born among many brethren. Naturall priviledge makes naturall felicity, and this becomes a ſnare oft times; accommodations of nature make men ſlight grace, which was Eſaus ſinne and ruine; birth-right in the ſpirituality of it, he deſpiſed, obtaining carnall content. The more of the world enjoyed, the leſſe is Chriſt cared for, this is a common plague, and conſider how 'tis with you. Are you beloved of God, or do you look after it? they are his firſt-born, his prime birth, which iſſue out of the wombe of love. There is a child and a pleaſant child: is he not a pleaſant child? So there are ſonnes, and firſt-born ſonnes. All men are Gods ſonnes in ſome ſence. We are his off-ſpring; but ſome are choſen out of the world, and have ſpeciall love ſet upon them, they are called a firſt off-ſpring, a prime birth, becauſe born of love, their birth being not onelyonly from the hand of God, but from the heart of God, born of water and the spirit, brought forth to the obedience of the Goſpel, by a ſpirituall efficacy in the word: if this be not your condition, your honour is not full, whatever your worldly priviledge be, and you will ſoon know it; for though you ſeem to be ſons made much of, you will quickly be caſt off; none but firſt-born are written in heaven, and imbraced for ever. To the Church of the firſt-born [written in heaven.
Firſt-born have a propriety in eternall felicity, they are written in heaven, and others are written in hell; they are joynt heirs with Chriſt, which a ſtate worth the looking after. You ſee how all things go here, tyrannie tramples your priviledge under foot; you are born to much, and it comes to nothing but bloud and miſerie; you dare not go where your revenue lies, to challenge your birth-right, the ſword is ſo furbiſht and ſet againſt you: had you a ſtate in grace, were you a generation of firſt-born as Chriſt, there were ſomething ſure to take too, let times and things work as they will. The folly of men is great, this world is onelyonly prized, and men will not be reclaimed, which is a deſtructive thing. Let me ask the children of this world, doth the bloudy ſword make you queſtion your ſtate, whether you are the children of God or no? born of the ſpirit, to an inheritance eternall, immortall, that paſſeth not away? New-born are firſt-born: you are as you were in life, and you will be as you never were in death. Do ye ſee children of this world, how black and bloudy this world is? But what's that to come, where your names are written, and unto which, you are heirs! Look about you children of this world, your miſery gathers every day more and more, and nearer and nearer, and it will ſwallow you up, and feed upon you for ever, if not prevented; your birth-right is barely naturall, that is, ſuch priviledges, in ſuch a kingdome; and you had need fight hard for theſe; for you have no more, theſe gone, and all gone, looſe what you are born to of fleſh and bloud, and you looſe all: fight hard carnall creatures, or you will be quite undone elſe.
Birth-right is honourable and to be maintained: you that have this honour in a full ſence, in a naturall and in a divine ſence, as Chriſt had, hold up your honour, and maintain it as Chriſt doth here by his ſpirit, in my text: aſſert your ſtate, as Chriſt doth here, and not deſert it: tell the children of this world what you are, children of ſuch men, and children of ſuch a God, that you are born to ſuch ſecular priviledge by man, and to ſuch ſpirituall priviledge by God, and will maintain it in his way, as long as bloud is in your veins. 'Tis below a man to be a ſlave: uſurped power, makes illegall yokes, and the man that will put his neck into theſe, is an aſſe, a ſilly beaſt, and not a man: as the poſterity of Iſſachar are called upon this very ground. The ſoul is baſe, as it yields to baſeneſſe, it fears man more then God, which will be its ruine without remedy: a ſubdued ſpirit in this ſence, is a ſilly dove, without heart, of weak principles, and of an unſound mind: ſo many trialls, and ſo many plagues to this man, all that is ſhot at him hits him to the heart, and kills him dead: this is our miſery at this day, we have a great many perſons, but a few men, a great deal of ſtirre but no action; the enemy at the gate, birth-right giving up, corporall priviledge, and ſpirituall priviledge, wounded at the heart, and yet we have no heart to do our duty; ſomething loſt makes us conclude all is loſt; every one kills himſelf with deſpair, that there is none to kill them, which kill Law, Religion, and all goodneſſe. Our colour is fallen ſtrangely of a ſudden: what a deal of bloud and life had we to ſtand for the honour of our birth-right, a little while ſince! and what's now become of it? hath harlots got it all away from our army, and from our citie too? I can look upon no mans face, but their ſits a pale deadly ſpirit. Ah Lord! how gaſtly 'tis! What doth it preſage? the death of all? Londoners, what do you mean? will you let frogges and toads creep into your houſes, and up into your beds, ere you will ſtirre and put forth for your birth-right? ſhall the enemy come and write up your baſeneſſe at your doore, in your own bloud.
Braveneſſe of ſpirit for the maintenance of our priviledge is much wanting, and yet I doubt will be, there is ſo much carnall bravery. Our armies ſwagger, every ſtreet ſtares upon their pride; pride ſeeks it ſelf, and not Chriſt, nor any thing that's noble. Men go forth to maintain themſelves, and not to maintain right: how much do many men ſwagger, now Chriſt is turned out of all! Unſound hearts ſwell: pride is a fruit of rottenneſſe, rotten wretches intruſted, have undone all: are not our lives now in as much danger as our liberties? We may thank our ſelves, ſhould we not have choſen ſincere humble men to lead us forth, to ſtand for our birth-right in the field? Humility and integrity are the foundation of true valour; others vapour, but theſe will be brave indeed. Look to your hearts every one, I think it will come to every mans turn to ſtand for his birth-right. When man by man ſhall be ſingled out, triall will be quick: When the ſword is at the breaſt, for whom art thou? for the King, or for the Parliament? for Antichriſt or for Chriſt? Your hearts will ſhake unleſſe very ſound. As you find your unſoundneſſe, make out for healing, you will betray all elſe when put to it to ſtand for your birth-right; you will like Peter, in ſtead of profeſſing Chriſt, profeſſe that you know him not.