England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 38
COLOSSIANS 1.19. That in him ſhould all fulneſſe dwell.
O Lord, how great are thy workes, and thy thoughts are very deep, ſaith the Pſalmiſt, Pſal. 92.5. Wee are vaſter in thoughts, then wee can be in words or workes; 'tis not ſo with God, he is as profound in expreſſion, as in conception, and in action as in either; admirable great and deep in both. How great are thy workes, and thy thoughts very deep. The depth of divine expreſſion in action, we are now to fathome, fulneſſe, all fulneſſe: The worke is above us, but God will be mercifull to weakneſſe, if wee loſe our ſelves in him. If we can but admire thoughts, words, and workes, of bottomleſſe depth, as David did, and as the Apoſtle here doth, wee ſhall doe ſomething on-ward of our dutie, and follow the footſteps of the flocke. For it pleaſed the Father, that in him ſhould all fulneſſe dwell, &c.
Man is a creature, rather induced, then forced; as things are indowed, ſo they draw. What hath much, moves a little; what hath very much, moves a little more; what hath all, fetches oft ſome from all, to imbrace this: this propertie onelyonly hath Chriſt, he hath all fulneſſe. The expreſſion ſpeakes admirable perfection, reception, and fruition unto the higheſt bleſſedneſſe; which that Chriſt hath, I will demonſtrate to you, that I may purſue the ſcope of the holy Ghoſt, and gaine you all, if it may be, to love him.
Communication in relation to Chriſt is immediate; water at the Well-head, is pureſt, plentifulleſt, ſweeteſt. At the Well-head, water is for qualitie and quantitie full, one cannot ſo eaſily be deceived there in either, one cannot drinke a ſpring dry: Chriſt lies in the boſome of the Father, he is in God; the Leviathan tumbles in the deepe; the heart of God is deepe, what is in this, Chriſt onelyonly knowes; what he determins and meanes within himſelfe, Chriſt imparts and none elſe. What Chriſt ſeeth the Father doe, that doth he, Joh. 5.19. Chriſt is in word and action, the revelation of what was hid in God from the beginning of the world. The Apoſtle to the Epheſians, when he would tell you what is the riches of Chriſt, ſaith, that it is immediate riches, ſomething that he hath, which all the world beſide hath not, ſomething that lies hid where none can come at but himſelfe, ſomething that is hid in God, Epheſ. 3.8, 9. You have many inſtructers, but Chriſt hath none; Who hath inſtructed him? He dwels in light. Nothing is hid from Chriſt, not the things which are in Gods breaſt, for he lies there. Chriſt hath immediate communication, which is full, as full as God. Chriſt hath vaſt braines, for God is his head, and none elſe. I would have you know, that the head of every man is Chriſt, and the head of the woman is man, and the [head of Chriſt is God] 1 Cor. 11.3. that's a brave head-piece indeed. The like place is that, 1 Cor. 3.23. And yee are Chriſts, and Chriſt is Gods. Chriſt hath immediate reference to none but God.
Communication in order to Chriſt is immediate, and it is univerſall. All fulneſſe empties all into him. God is in Chriſt reconciling the world, &c. Some things will hold much, but are not filled; nothing will hold all but Chriſt, and he hath actuall communication, according to his utmoſt capacitie. God is in Chriſt, doing what he doth in this world. There is communicatio eſſentiae, according to which Chriſt and his Father are one. There be many things have God in them, but none as Chriſt hath, none have all God in them, none have ſo much of God, as that they can ſpeake and doe as God, and ſo as that without blaſphemy they may be called God; yet ſo may Chriſt, 'tis no blaſphemy to call Chriſt equall to God, to call him God. Chriſt is God, and moves as God. Whatſoever things the Father doth, theſe alſo doth the Sonne. There is a univerſalitie of communication, you ſee, to Chriſt. Whatſoever things the Father doth, &c. Life is quid eſſentiale & quid univerſale, it comprehends all. As the Father hath this in himſelfe, ſo hath he given to the Sonne. As the Father hath life in himſelfe, ſo hath he given unto the Sonne to have life in himſelfe, Joh. 5.26. There is a univerſalitie that lies ſcattered in many things, as well as compriſed in one, and if you heed this, this alſo is communicated to Chriſt. All the 'promiſes are in Chriſt, yea, and in him amen, (i.) they are fulfilled in him firſt, and then by him to all others.
Finally, Communication is exact. Chriſt is eſſentially and ornamentally the ſame with his Father, He is the expreſſe image of his perſon, and the brightneſſe of his glory. Chriſt hath the ſame life, and the ſame felicities of life; he hath the ſame meate, the ſame habite, and the ſame dwelling; one Sunne hath as many raies as tother, and riſeth as high as tother; they move both in one ſpheare, they dwell in the ſame houſe, they have the ſame traine and attendance; where one goes, tother goes. My Father and I will come and ſup with him. Chriſt and his Father ſup together, lodge together. Eſſe & radiatum eſſe, is communicated; Glory is communicated, the very glory which God perſonally weares, is communicated to Chriſt. Glorifie me with thine [owne ſelfe] with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. All Chriſts is Gods, and all Gods is Chriſts; All mine are thine, and thine are mine. The very glory that God weares himſelfe, the glory which he weares in heaven, that which he wore before all the world was, is Chriſts. Whatſoever is under the whole Heaven, is Chriſts, Job 41.11. Yea, whatſoever is above the whole Heaven, whatſoever is in Heaven, is Chriſts: glory is his; thine is the kingdome, power, and glory. What glory? Why, that glory which is at the right hand of God; The choiceſt glory in Heaven, in the Heaven of Heavens, is Chriſts, and at his diſpoſe.
Ʋſe. What is ſo compleat, and yet not gaine the heart, ſpeakes that heart very naught; and yet this is very common; though Chriſt have all fulneſſe, yet emptie creatures care nothing for him. When coſt is liberally laid out, and when all laid out will bring nothing in againe, that's ſad: when all in ſtocke is out, and brings in nothing, this goes to the heart of God. I planted a goodly vine, a noble plant, a right ſeede, and yet that trampled under foote, ſaid God. Fulneſſe runs out, Mens ciſternes are broken, ſo that fulneſſe can fill nothing; ſuch broken ciſternes muſt be mended, or elſe they will be broken to pieces. 'Tis wonderfull that Chriſt is ſo full, and we are ſo emptie; the fault is not in him, 'tis in us; it muſt be found out and laid to heart, it cannot goe well with us elſe. I muſt ſpeake to three ſorts of men, ſome have nothing, and ſome have but a little, not one of a thouſand full, with the fulneſſe of Chriſt: all have their fault, and muſt be told on't.
Some have no grace, nor no good nature; farre from righteouſneſſe, as the Prophet ſpeakes; full of pride, and full of malice: Solomon ſpied it in his time, ſo doe I now. The heart of the ſonnes of men is full of evill and madneſſe, Eccleſ. 9.3. Men watch not their hearts, and they pleaſe themſelves in it, as loving eaſe, and are undone ere they are aware. Evill is a growing thing, but when dunged a little by remiſneſſe, the heart will grow full of it preſently, and then the next ſtep is, madneſſe, as Solomon ſaith, full of evill and madneſſe. The heart full of evill, and the man grows mad to maintaine it, and to ſpread it. Alas for thee England! thou art in a ſad condition, full of mad-men, men whoſe hearts are full of evill, and mad to maintaine it: men emptie their cheſts of gold, yea they emptie their veines of bloud, to fill their ſoules and lives full of wickedneſſe, which they love. The heart full of evill, cannot hide it ſelfe; the curſe of God is upon ſin in ſtrength, to cut off the ſinner that is white to Harveſt. Things will ſtruggle for life, though they die for it: full ſtreames have their adventitious occurrences, which make overflowings. Were you at Oxford, you would ſee ſpring-tides every day, hearts full of evill, and over-flowing, and running out at their mouth, in blaſphemies as blacke as hell. 'Twere well if ſuch a great plague were at ſuch a great diſtance from us as Oxford: but alas for us! Oxford is full, London is full, England is full, ſcarce a heart amongſt us but is full of evill, and mad to maintaine it. What will become of us all? Hearts are full of ſinne, God is full of wrath, the Land is full of bloud: Ah Lord! are we not in hell on earth? And yet emptie hearts conſider nothing.
Deluſions deſtroy thouſands; men full of pride, their eyes are ſwelled out; till they feele much, they can ſee nothing amiſſe in their owne wayes. The Land is full of wrath; not a man of you almoſt, but full of diſtreſſe in one kinde or other, and what's this but Gods broad demonſtration, that your hearts and lives are full of ſin, yet can you ſee this? ſenſe is the firſt ſtep to remedie, where this is not, notwithſtanding all meanes, ruine not remedie is neere: ah England! I feare thy condition, but yet ſtill will pray: your hearts are full of ſin, your lives full of miſeries, are your eyes full of teares? O that my heart were full of grace; Chriſt fills the hungry, &c.
Grace in fulneſs, is the felicitie of life, bend not after this heighth, and you cannot be fully happie. Set God his diſtance, and be but never ſo little, and he cannot kiſſe you: unleſſe you take him fully into your armes, he will be jealous of your love, and ſet you at a diſtance every day more then other, till he hath ſhaken you off for ever. Times ſquare mens courſe, yea mens grace; affection and action muſt riſe but ſo high, leſt it ſet all afire, names, ſtate, fortune; if love burne ſo ſtrong as ſome Miniſters would have it, 'twill burne us out of all. The Lord be mercifull to mens baſeneſſe, this earth will not beare us long elſe; hell will be full of ſuch ſoules, ere ſuch ſoules will be full of grace. Let times be what they will, truth muſt be purſued to the full, this fils the ſoule with grace; neglect this, and 'tis impoſſible your hearts ſhould be full of grace, how full ſoever you get your purſes of money. Great things in the world, cut the throats of men, they will rather have emptie ſpirits, then emptie purſes, leane ſoules, then leane cheekes. Ah Lord! how do the dead bury the dead in earth now! Fill one anothers mouths with earth! Little of the world muſt ſerve, if wee would be full of grace. This gold lies not in earth, but in Heaven, not in the world, but in truth; dig theſe mines throughly, and you will find all treaſure, and be filled with all the fulneſſe of God.
Conſolation ſprings from this point; a word of this and I have done. Wee have ſaid much of Chriſts fulneſſe, and yet too little; Chriſtians, comfort your ſelves, 'tis all yours. Chriſt hath all, and is full, ſo have you in him; claime your proprietie, and comfort your ſelves with it, in all your diſtreſſes in this life; as Paul did; Phil. 4.18. I have all and am full, ſaith he, and yet had nothing in the world. The Apoſtle had Chriſt which hath all, heaven and earth:Qui habet habentem omnia, habet omnia. He that hath Chriſt hath all, formally, or eminenter (i.) whatſoever is wanting in the creature at any time, Chriſt makes it up, ſo that the ſoul is ſtill full; full of content, full of joy, and that's a bleſſed life that cannot be made miſerable. Thou haſt no righteouſneſſe, but Chriſt hath enough, which is all thine if thou couldeſt ſee it. Thou canſt not pray, but Chriſt hath the art on't, for he is full of the Spirit, and he makes thy requeſts; thou haſt no ſpirituals, no corporals, but Chiſt hath all: and thou mayſt from hence, as the Apoſtle doth, conclude, that he will ſupply all thy wants, Phil. 4.19. Chriſt will do for you according to his riches, and that will amount to very much, to the ſupply of all your wants, let them be what they will. But now my God will ſupply all your wants according to [his riches in glory] by Jeſus Chriſt. According to that all fulneſſe, which now Chriſt hath in glory, will he diſpence. Lord, how full! how rich! how bleſſed will all Saints be! I leave them to admire this, till I can ſpeak of it more.