England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 29
Coloſs. 1.18. He is the head of the body, &c.
FRom Chriſt as head we have gathered many things, and I truſt ſweet to your heart, and yet there are more. As King, Chriſt is head; as Prieſt, Chriſt is head; (and of theſe we hove ſpoken) as Prophet, Chriſt is head. Chriſt ruleth, none like him; Chriſt ſacrificeth, none like him: Chriſt teacheth, none like him. He ſpake as never man ſpake, Learned men were aſtoniſhed at his doctrine. Whence hath this man theſe things, and what wiſdome is this given unto him, Mark, 2.6. Chriſt is foreign, that Prophet, a Prophet indeed, aboundantly more then a Prophet. John was a teacher farre beyond all the Prophets before him, and therefore ſaid to be aboundantly more then a Prophet: but Chriſt was a teacher farre beyond John, farther beyond John then John was beyond any of the Prophets before him, and therefore he may well be called, foreign, aboundantly more then a Prophet. Matth. 11.9. Concerning his Kingly office, he is ſaid to be greater then Solomon ſo I may ſay concerning his Propheticall office, he is greater then John or any Prophet.
I will demonſtrate the ſuperiority of Chriſts propheticall office. Chriſt doth otherwiſe receive and otherwiſe imparts then ever any Prophets or Teachers did. Viſions were tranſient to the Prophets, the word of the Lord came to them, and then went away again. Balaam in a trance could ſee much, and then of a ſudden ſaw nothing no more then another man: ſo it was with the greateſt Prophets; ſeers, and then in the dark again; the ſpirit of the Lord was tranſient, and came and went from one to another. That bad man intimateth this truth that I tell you, which ſtruck the Prophet, and ſaid, Which way went the ſpirit of the Lord from me to thee, Viſion is an abiding thing in Chriſt: light abideth in the Sunne; it doth ſo to day, it doth ſo to morrow, and it doth ſo for ever. Chriſt ſeeth much to day, as much to morrow, and as much to all eternity: his eye is not darkned, the ſpirit of the Lord is not accidentally but naturally in him: the Sonne lieth in the boſome of the Father. No man hath ſeen God at any time, the onelyonly begotten which is in the boſome of the Father, he hath revealed him. I think theſe terms of Father, and Sonne, and boſome, they point at the naturalneſſe of Chriſts ability, to explicate infinite excellency. There is no new thing to Chriſt under the Sunne, no nor above the Sun; no new thing to Chriſt in earth, nor in Heaven, nor in the boſome of God: Chriſt is never at a loſſe, reſpecting the knowledge of things above or below, preſent or to come; he never needeth inſtruction from any in this thing or that; Who hath instructed him? The lamp in the Tabernacles went out, and Viſion did fail, or at leaſt it is conceived ſo by ſome of the learned, which undertake to interpret theſe things, but the lamp in the true Tabernacle never goeth out, nor viſion never fails. Light dwelleth with him, Daniel 2.22. As the ſpirit dwelleth in the body, as the eye dwelleth in the head, which confirmeth me more in that which I ſaid before, concerning the naturalneſſe of Chriſts abilities.
Viſion to the Prophets was of this or that particular thing. The greateſt ſeers, were not cunctis oculati, ſeers in all things; in ſome things they knew much, and in other things nothing. David a great Prophet, and a very knowing man, yet in ſome points a beast. The greateſt Doctours knew but in part, skild in this knowledge or that, each had their particular eminency. But Chriſt hath all wiſdome, and all knowledge: He is not onelyonly skild in all the wiſdome of the Egyptians to uſe that alluſion, but he is skild in all the wiſdome and learning that is in this world, or in any other world. In Chriſt is all wiſdome and all knowledge; yea all the treaſures of theſe: the ſpring of whatſoever is admired for light and skil amongſt the Sonnes of men. In him are hid all the treaſures of wiſdome and knowledge, Coloſs. 2. His eyes runne through the earth, ſo they do Heaven, and he maſters all he looks upon; his underſtanding is infinite, and this without ſtudy primo intuitu, at the firſt look. There are but few things that lie naked before you, you are fain to make a ſtand at every thing, to make underſtanding but Chriſt makes a ſtand at nothing, for all things are naked [before him, that is, he looketh upon all, and underſtandeth all preſently, his beholding of a thing, and underſtanding of it are the ſame; He is quick of underſtanding ſaith the Prophet. The Lamb opens ſealed books; and though all dark ſayings to every one elſe, yet he readeth and underſtandeth preſently; when there was none found to open the book, the Lamb could, and therefore called Palmoni by Daniel, the revealer of ſecrets. Dark things and plain things, day and night are all one to him. He revealeth deep and ſecret things, he knoweth what is in the darkneſſe, Dan. 2.22. the revelations delivered by John, are called the revelations of Christ; The revelation of Jeſus Chriſt, which God gave unto him, &c. Revel. 1.1.
Viſion to the Prophets was by a borrowed power, their light was not connaturall, but ſupernaturall to them. Light is connaturall to the Sonne, it is not onelyonly naturall, but connaturall, my meaning is, equally naturall to the Sonne, as to the Father. The Father and the Sonne are one, their power one, their wiſdome one, they are one in hand, one in tongue, one in viſion and ſight. Chriſt ſees of himſelf, with his own eyes he ſees all things, and as exquiſitely as the Father, as exquiſitely as he from whom he receives. What Chriſt hath as an officer, he hath it not in way of talent, intereſt, and inferiority, as you have things; but he hath it as his own, and as his own joyntly and equally with the Father. Moſes was faithfull as a ſervant, but he as a Sonne in [his own houſe. The Church militant here, and the Church triumphant above, that is to ſay, grace and glory, they are all Chriſts own, even as they are his Fathers; and if there be any thing beyond theſe, it is Chriſts own too, even as it is Gods own: which I think that expreſſion points at, where he ſaith, Glorifie me with [thine own ſelf] with the glory that [I had with thee] before the world was. Grace is as properly Chriſts own, and as fully Chriſts own, as ſinne is ſaid to be the devils own; when the devil tells a lie, he tells it of his own, that is, he doth that which is naturall to him, and that wherein there can be no ſuperiour to him, to lie more facilly nor more exquiſitely then he. So what truth Chriſt ſpeaks, he ſpeaks it of his own, that is, that wherein he is naturall, and not ſupernaturall, and as it were above himſelf, and that wherein he is equally full and paralell to any ſpeaker of it connaturall with any that ſpeaks this language. The paralell ſtate of Chriſt with the Father, in point of imparting ſpirituall things, is hinted methinks in that form of ſpeech which the Apoſtle James uſeth, chap. 1. 18. Of his [own will] he begat us [with the word of truth] that we ſhould be a kind of firſt fruits of his creatures. Propagation here, which ſpeaks all ſpirituall excellencies, is made coaction, or conaction in order to the perſons of the Trinity, that wherein they are joynt and equall, and do with one another, as two eyes which are conviſive, ſeeing together, and ſeeing equally together, without the leaſt ſuperiority that can be diſcerned: Of his own will [he begat us [with the word] of truth.
As Chriſt doth otherwiſe receive, ſo he doth otherwiſe impart light, then any other teacher. Chriſt was taught none like him, and he teaches none like him. Chriſt teacheth internally, eternally, inſtantly. Our teaching is diſcurſive, we can do nothing within. Chriſts words are of authority, and make their impreſsion upon the heart, not a word that Chriſt ſpeaks but goes to the heart; though many words which we ſpeak come not to the heart, yet every word that Chriſt ſpeaks goes to the hearts Did not our hearts burn within us whileſt he talked with us? Chriſt ſets the ſoul on fire with his breath, blows up internall powers, and breaks open everlaſting doors. The prince of darkneſſe fortifieth within us, and Chriſt can mount ordnances where the forts are, & ſhoot off terribly within, and deſtroy the works of the devil, that is, ſinne, or the ſoul at every ſhot: Chriſt doth with his cannon within, as you do with yours without, rend and tear wofully: You take off bodies in the very midſt, ſo doth Chriſts cannon take off ſinnes and ſouls in the very midſt, as Beza renders that word foreign, which the Apoſtle uſeth. I will destroy the wiſdome of the wiſe, 1. Cor. 1.19. tollam è medio, I will cut it off in the midſt. Sinne is in the midſt of the ſoul, and Chriſt can mount ſuch gunnes, as to cut it off in the midſt.
As Chriſts miniſtery is internall, which none of the Prophets, was, ſo it is eternall. Chriſts words are words are words of eternall life, or eternall death, and this ſimply as his words. We ſpeak words, and they ſtick but a moment, Chriſt ſpeaks words and they ſtick for ever. We make wounds, and you lick them whole in an alehouſe; Chriſt makes wounds that no art can heal; Thy arrows ſtick faſt in me, ſaith the Pſalmiſt. The arrows which Chriſt ſhoot, they ſtick faſt, none can pull them out but that hand that ſhot them. Chriſt can inſtruct and ſeal it. That is, make things ſo impreſſive, as beyond obliteration. O God, thou haſt taught me from my youth, and hitherto I have declared thy wondrous works, Pſal. 71.17. ſo Pſal. 119.102. I have not departed from thy judgements, for thou haſt taught me. Chriſt can teach beyond all other teachers, he can open the underſtanding, that is, open powers to take in, and then cloſe up theſe powers to keep in for ever.
Chriſt can teach internally, eternally, & he can do all this inſtantly: his miniſtery is an inſtantaneous miniſtery. We are long hammering and beating to make perſons underſtand, and yet all will do nothing; but when Chriſt takes the work in hand, he makes the moſt ignorant creature that is, wiſe to ſalvation preſently. Then] opened he their underſtandings, &c. Luk. 24.45. Then at that inſtant he made them ſee throughly what they never ſaw.
Uſe. You ſee what an able teacher Chriſt is, what hath he taught you? The wiſdome of the world is fooliſhneſſe with God: I do not ask you how knowing you are in your particular calling, as ſuch and ſuch tradeſ-men; but how knowing you are in your generall calling as Chriſtians; how knowing of Chriſt and your ſouls? Light is come into the world, a great light: Do you ſee the way to heaven? Confidence ſpeaks not ſaving light, but deſperate blindneſſe; many ignorant men conceit they know much, when they know nothing as they ought. The fool is wiſe in his own conceit, and the world is full of theſe fools; yea, the Chriſtian world is full of theſe fools; but Chriſt is emptying it. Blindneſſe and confidence makes us all bloudy at this day, and the Lord grant it make us not bleed to death. We have a Laodicean plague upon us, and God ſeems to be ſpuing us out of his mouth, and yet our Laodicean ſpirit lives in the midſt of us. We all of us think highly of our ſelves, that we are rich in all ſpirituall excellencies, and they that contradict our conceits are fools. We are fools, ſaith the Apoſtle, but you are wiſe: How ſtrong, and how generall this ſpirit is now, you that are ſpirituall may ſee, and what it preſages Chriſt will explain fully, if you can but hold faſt a little.
Let every man look without, and look within, look abroad and look at home: the plague of the multitude, is it not your plague? Are not you wiſer in your conceits then your preacher? is not ſpirituall preaching babbling? When things touch your conſciences, then you rage, and then the Miniſter is mad, becauſe you are mad. Alas for us! Lord thou makeſt us men of contention, our life is a fighting with beaſts that will not underſtand us nor thee. If you had no other Prophets but us, or did reject no other prophet but us, ſome diſpute might be made in the day of account; but we will not judge you to the Father, there is another prophet which you hear in us, and yet will not heare, and it is he that will judge you to the Father, and to your own conſciences. If this will not beat off men from deluding themſelves, and from bearing off Chriſt, I will go on.
Some ſpirits are wanton: as there be light bodies, ſo there be light ſouls, ſuch as go a whoring after lies. Fanſie ſick, longs after freſh ſpeculation, if this may be had it ſatisfies, let it be in what it will, in things as farre from Chriſt as earth is from heaven, yea as hell is from heaven. It is otherwiſe with the ſoul that is taught of God, he hath a little light of Chriſt, and now cares for no other viſion; all light is darkneſſe, and all wiſdome folly, that relates not to make Chriſt more known: I purpoſe to know nothing but Chriſt, and him crucified. Paul had many endowments, but they were all ſleighted. Chriſt teacheth the heart, as the heart is taught, love burns; nothing ſatisfies love, but what ſtird it: if ſuch an object made love, nothing but the fruition of that object will ſatisfie it. You may know whether Chriſt hath opened any thing of himſelf to you, by your love to him: the purity of your light will ſpeak out it ſelf in the purity of your love, and the purity of your affection in the purity of your action. Should you ſay nothing, yet a man that ſtands by you, may tell what your light is, and who hath taught your hearts, Chriſt or the devil. Some of you will ſwear, and curſe, and lie; ſome of you your love as fleſhly, as baſe as the earth it ſelf: Hath Chriſt taught ſuch things as theſe? No certainly, the devil is the tutour of theſe, and they will take their degree in hell. I have a word to you all, and conclude. A looſe life broadly ſpeaks out an uninſtructed heart: what ſecretly ſwayes, Chriſt ſees, and ſo ſhall all the world, uſe what art you will to hide it; wherein you are intractable to the teaching of Chriſt, God will diſcover it, and require it. Reade theſe words over and over, I will raiſe them up a Prophet from among their brethren like unto thee, and will put my words into his mouth, and he ſhall ſpeak unto them all that I ſhall command him. And it ſhall come to paſſe, that whoſoever will not hearken unto my words which he ſhall ſpeak in my name, I will require it of him, Deut. 18.18, 19.