England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 18
Coloſs. 1.16. For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, viſible and inviſible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities or powers, &c.
I Have given you the reſpect which this verſe bears to thoſe which precede; and I am now to give out to you as I am able, what it hath in it ſelf. If you read this verſe, you will find it to conſider creation, in reference to two parts, and two cauſes: two parts, heaven and earth, viſible and inviſible: two cauſes, efficient and finall; the firſt is in the beginning of the verſe, and the ſecond is mentioned in the latter end; the one ſaith, all things were made by him, and the other ſaith that all things were made for him.
Chriſts method pleaſeth me beſt. I will therefore take terms as they lie, and ſuck as much out of them as I can for my ſelf and you. For by him were all things, &c.foreign. in him were all things created, ſaith the originall, Chriſts method and Chriſts expreſſion pleaſeth me beſt. God doth create and new-create in Christ. God doth all things reſpecting the creature in his Son; the Father works in the Sonne, the Sonne in the Spirit, and the Spirit in your ſpirits. The order of divine action is admirable; the beauty of God in his out-goings is held out to us. Chriſt is the wiſdome of the Father; all that God doth he doth in wiſdome. The Lord by wiſdome hath founded the earth, and by underſtanding hath eſtabliſhed the heavens, Prov. 3.19. a like place to this you have Jeremy 10.12. He hath made the earth by his power, he hath eſtabliſhed the world by his wiſdome, and hath ſtretched out the heavens by his diſcretion.
Divine action is made with delight: you have many prime agents, but God hath but one; you look more at abilitie to your work, then ſuitableneſſe to your ſpirits in the agents you imploy, but God doth not: you can beare diſcontent in the agent, ſo his work be well done, but God cannot: he ſo moveth as to have delight in both, not onelyonly in the work done, but in the agent that doth it, and therefore doth all in Chriſt. I was daily his delight, rejoycing alwayes before him, ſaith Chriſt, ſpeaking of God when in the creation of all things, Prov. 8.
Succeſſe.The comfort of the godly is in this point: all divine action going forth in Chriſt, we may conclude ſucceſſe; ſucceſſefulneſſe to their good. Chriſt is mighty in ſtrength and wiſdome, our agents are unſucceſſefull for want of power, and for want of wiſdome; but the agent in and by whom God acts, is mighty in both. God is mighty in strength and wiſdome, he preſerveth not the life of the wicked, but giveth right to the poore, Job 36.5. Where great humane power is (it is Elihu his ſpeech to Job) men think to evade the bent and force of divine action, and to ſhun what God intends, as they ſhun what man intends, to get out of his reach as out of ours; but no ſuch matter, for all his action ſhall acquire his intention, and no man ſhall evade it; for he works in him who is mighty in ſtrength and wiſdome. God intended a world, did he miſſe the accompliſhment of it? Godly ſouls, you look much in and by whom the king acts, ſuch and ſuch skilfull men, and mighty men, and ſhake and fear; but look in and by whom God acts, and comfort your ſelves. Hath the king ſuch an agent as Chriſt is for ſtrength and wiſdome?
Full ſucceſſe.All divine action going forth in Chriſt, we may conclude full ſucceſſe, that is, in the thing, and in the circumſtance of time: Chriſt doth ſo much as God intends, and in ſuch a time; in ſo many dayes he was to make the world, and he did it to a punctum of time, and reſted with his Father: and in ſo many years he is to make a new world,Firſt and ſecond reſurrection are timed in word, & ſo ſhall be in work; the two beloved cities wil be built one after another, in their predicted time. and he will do it exact to a punctum of time, and then give it up all to his Father, and reſt with him and his Church for ever. Time is in Chriſts hand as well as the work of time: the Father hath put all into his hand, my times are in thy hand. The great world may ſay to Chriſt, My times was in thy hand, in ſo many dayes didſt thou bring me forth, and ſo many years wilt thou uphold me. And the new world may ſay, My time is in thy hand, in ſo many years thou wilt bring me forth. You murmure that things go no faſter on, the time of the new world is in Chriſts hand, and it ſhould be reſt enough to a ſaint in all troubles, to look up and conſider in whoſe hands worlds are tranſacted. God moveth in one that anſwers his will exact, that obſerveth his work and his time. Lo I come, as it is [written] in the volume of thy book. Search how it is written concerning Chriſts creating this new world, and you ſhall ſee that he will come and do it exactly. Lo I come, as it is written, ſaith Chriſt, but not as impatient ſpirits expect: inſtruments muſt be blamed when they take not their time, (I mean inſtruments which we imploy for our good in this time of diſtreſſe) but the heart muſt be quieted in this, that Gods agent exactly keeps his time,
This is not all your conſolation: you may argue for the choiſeſt mercies upon this ground, that God is your Creatour in Chriſt, Thy hands have made me and faſhioned me give me underſtanding that I may live, Pſal. 119.73. from ſuch power you may argue to ſuch love; from great power you may argue for great love: Thou didſt create me in Chriſt according to ſuch a noble being, do thou new create me in Chriſt, for the reſtauration of this being, as if the Pſalmiſt had ſo ſaid: this I think may be his meaning, and the ſtrength of his argument. Many of you are weary of your being, you do ſo ſinne, but you might have more comfort in your being, if you did look up and conſider who gave it, and what obligement lies upon him by it; he gave your being in Chriſt, and he will reſtore this being in Chriſt, if you plead it to him as David. Thine hands have made me and faſhioned me; give me underſtanding that I may live. Thus do thou ſay to God. A child of God may argue love and compaſsion from any thing that Gods hand doth to him, upon this very ground, becauſe he doth all that he doth to him, in Chriſt.
To ungodly perſons.Sinners, the Scripture preſſetn obedience to Chriſt upon you from this point upon pain of death, that all things are made in and by him: how able is he to take away being from all, which gave it to all. Reade Proverbs 8.31.32. After that Chriſt is there mentioned in ſtate as the Creatour of all, this he inferreth upon it: viz. Now therefore hearken unto me O ye children, that is, children by creation; for bleſſed are they that keep my wayes. Heare instruction and be wiſe and refuſe it not. He that ſinneth againſt me, wrongeth his own ſoul. So he concludeth, as Chriſt is complete to attract love, the ſame will be his ſufficiency and advantage to aggravate our ſliding off him: for thus Chriſt will ſay to ſinners at the great day, I am a firſt-born, I am the Image of the Father, I am a Redeemer, I am a Creatour, and yet though all theſe thou regardeſt me not; all excellencies ſleighted ſhall be turned into ſo many rods to laſh your dead ſouls. The ſins you love will deſtroy your being, and your being, being deſtroyed, you will fall into your Creatours hand again, and what being do you think he will give you then. God dealeth with you as you are; you are naturall, and he fetcheth argument againſt you from nature, as what is more naturall to you then your being: the lower God ſtoupes to ſtirre you and you yet unmoved, the more obſtinate you are; you are no new creatures, therefore God argueth with you ſimply as creatures, and then you ſhew your ſelves blocks: you uſe no art about a block but to burn it, and ſo doth God when ſinners become ſots and blocks and underſtand not ſo much as the principall of their naturall being, though opened and urged upon them by a God: blockiſh ſouls think on this, you will have a very hot ſermon to warm you when you come to your place.