England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 48
COLOS. 1.21. Being enemies in your mind, &c.
SUch a tree, ſuch fruit; what a ſad ſtate alienation from God is, appears by the effects, which are here to the life expreſſed; it makes a man all over naught; inſide, outſide, heart, hand; it caſts all into a reſolute poſture of defiance againſt God. Enemies in your mind by wicked works; or, enemies with your mind, in wicked works; not nillingly, but willingly wicked; not ſo in affection only, but in action; not in one action only, but in many actions; enemies in their mind, in wicked [works].
The words of God are of weight, every one hath much in it, 'twill appear ſo, being diſtinctly conſidered, which hath been, and ſhall be, our method and manner of following of him who is ſo far above us, and will not let one tittle of his will fall to the ground. Alienation is here anatomiſed, we muſt reade lectures diſtinctly, upon diſtinct parts. They are enemies, &c. We muſt open this. They are enemies with their mindes; or, in their mindes, &c. We muſt reade upon this alſo: They are thus not only in affection, but in action, in their works. We muſt conſider this too, and by that time you will ſee much of a bad condition, and it may be, ſomething of your own. The Land is overrun with enemies againſt Chriſt, therefore it bleeds and dies; 'twill be very ſeaſonable therefore, to lay open to you, what an enemy to Chriſt is, which is our firſt work here in the Text, to follow the words as they lie. And ye which were ſometimes alienated, enemies, &c.
Sin was Gods firſt enemy; a ſteady purſuit of this, renders men and Angels the next. The worſt man alive as a creature, ſimply as a creature, is not accounted Gods enemy, but as theſe noble creatures above all others, proſtituted themſelves to ſomething beſides Gods will. God had no enemies till ſin came into the world; as long as all obeyed Gods will, there was love and friendſhip all the world over. Sin hath a legall and a Goſpel conſideration: conſidered according to the former, the leaſt tranſgreſſion of rule, the eating of any fruit forbidden, enough to render man an enemy, and to be purſued ſo with all the plagues written in Gods Book. Sin hath a Goſpel conſideration, and ſo the naked acting of ſin, doth not preſently denote an enemy, but the going on in it, as a conſtant intended and approved courſe. God ſhall ſmite the head of his enemies, and the hairy ſcalp of ſuch as go on ſtill in their treſpaſſes, ſaith the Pſalmiſt. Sin is an unwearied courſe to ſome, what ever rubs they meet with from the hand of God, by blows or otherwiſe, yet they ſtep over them all, and go on ſtill: That's an enemy, the ſpirit of an enemy is in him. Enemies fear no colours, blows, blood, death, will not divert their deſign againſt one another. The expreſſion in the originall, ſpeaks not only reſolution, but delight in ſin, and there are not two fuller properties more infallibly to expreſſe an enemy ambulandis dilictis, ſuch as walk in ſins: a mans walk is his pleaſure, 'tis made and contrived of purpoſe with much art, to ſuit fancy, and to give a complacency. As the outward man, ſo the inward man has his walks, ſomething that with much induſtry he makes & ſhapes, to ſuit and delight it ſelf, and this is preferr'd before all other wayes; now if this be any thing diſſonant to Gods will, this ſpeaks the man an enemy.
Some words of Chriſt ſet out an enemy more generally, others more particularly; I ſhall touch both: Chriſt is ſet as King over the ſons of men, his Lawes are written and divulged, and ſuch as obey him not according to theſe, he calls his enemies: Bring thoſe mine enemies, which would not that I ſhould raign over them, (i.) ſuch as will not obey my will. Some diſobey one part of Gods will, and ſome another. Chriſt hath many ſorts of enemies, but all ſo called from one ground, to wit, diſobeying of his Lawes. The Lawes of Chriſt are ſaid to be diſobeyed, when careleſly neglected, ignorantly oppoſed, or maliciouſly rejected. Truth is truth with ſome men, and that's all, as one would ſay; it bears little or no price in affection, how plain and convincing ſoever to judgement; they ſee, and do not ſee (i.) ſee, and do not regard. O that thou hadſt known in this thy day, &c. Did not Iſrael know the will of God? yes, there was light, but no love to it, which was as no light in the account of Chriſt, and this went to his heart. Such as ſtab Chriſt to the heart, are ſurely his enemies. 'Tis as if Chriſt had ſaid, O that thou hadſt regarded! and ſo it notes an ignorance of opportunity, a defect in affection, and not ſimply an ignorance of the thing it ſelf. Love naught, and the heart is ſo too; hatred in the ſeeds of it, lie in ſuch a ſoul which will ſpring up with a little more rain. A man naught at heart, is Gods enemy. Neutrality hath the ſeeds of enmity; there is the buddings of hatred where love is but cold to Chriſt. Men that love not, hate truth: They that are not with me, are againſt me, ſaith Chriſt; and all that are againſt Chriſt, though never ſo gently, neutrally, and indifferently, yet are his enemies. Judas was an enemy when no hearty lover, as well as when an actuall betrayer of Chriſt. Enmity is ſown deep, it lies long under ground, and puts up with a very little blade at firſt, no body takes it for ſuch a deadly weed as 'tis, it may be not the party in whoſe heart it lies; but the Lord of the vineyard, who knowes all grain in its firſt bud, calls men and things as they are; this is a Serpent by kinde, though it do not ſting yet, he will do. Falſe love is true hatred; Cinders will burn out anon, when blown.
Chriſt is diſobeyed, when ſtubbornly oppoſed: Some are fighters againſt God, and will be ſo, theſe are deadly enemies. Deliver me from my deadly enemies, ſaith David, Pſal. 17.9. There is fighting againſt God within, and fighting againſt God without; ſtrong art and induſtry to kill conſcience, in a mans ſelf and others; this is a bloody enemy. Chriſt knocks at moſt mens doors, though he can have entrance into few. Not a ſoul where the Goſpel comes, but he ſtrives and wreſtles with it, to gain it to God: pravity cannot bear theſe conflicts, ſomething is taken to deſtroy conception, vineger is uſed to prevent vomiting, to ſtay and ſtill the wambling ſtomack, that it may hold what it hath; acts of violence ruſhed upon, to darken that light that troubles, and any medium good, that may but ſtupifie that faculty that ſtings; when the ſoul chooſeth his own way, this is called reſiſting the Holy Ghoſt; this is a fight under deck, a murthering Chriſt in the cradle, theſe are Chriſts bloody enemies. Chriſt layes the axe to the root of ſome ſinners, and ſome ſinners lay the axe to the root of Chriſt; as ſoon as ever any word of Chriſt begins to take hold of the heart, as ſoon as ever Chriſt begins to ſtir in the conſcience, or affection, (as if the ſoule were on fire on hell) all means are uſed to quench the Spirit, hell is ſent for to keep out heaven, many bad ſpirits to keep out one good; there are ſad iſſues of this: men kill themſelves ſometimes, rather then Chriſt ſhould live in them.
Oppoſition hath rejection folded up in it, this is diſtinguiſhed from that, as it carries deſpight againſt the ſpirit of grace, & makes the hand bloudy, if need be, as well as the heart and tongue, with the bloud of Gods deareſt ones, theſe are Eſaus, red all over. And the firſt came out red all over, like an hairy garment, and I called his name Eſau, Gen. 25.25. The ſumme of all is this, An enemy is one that with reſolution, and delight, diſobeys the will of God.
Ʋſe. What is your ſtate? This is my errand from this point to you; Are you enemies, or friends to God? Amongſt Chriſtians this may ſeeme a ſtrange queſtion, yet needfull: all are not Iſrael, who are of Iſrael. Chriſt hath enemies in his own houſe, would we knew them; would they knew themſelves. 'Tis a time of much oppoſition, party againſt party, this ſide againſt that; if wee ſhould all be found oppoſite to Chriſt, we are undone. Heate tranſports, ſo doth ſelf-ends; ſuch perſons doe they know not what, and are they know not what themſelves; one while this, and another while that, conſtant in nothing, but enemies to Chriſt, being ſecretly ſway'd, by blind and baſe principles. Say we not well, that thou art ſo and ſo, and haſt a Devill. Hypocriſie knowes every one but her ſelf, exactly, knowes another to be a Devill, an arch enemy to Chriſt, but knowes not her ſelfe to be ſo. To miſtake others, proves ſometimes afflicting; but to miſtake our ſelves is damning; O how ſhould we beg to be delivered from this. In a trying time, wherein many prove rotten, let us doe as Chriſts diſciples, lay our hand upon our own heart, is it I? Tell me, O Chriſt, is it I that am an enemy to thee? A man that looks into his heart, and then looks up to God, he will know much. He that tasketh himſelfe but to know one, will certainly finde him out; but he that tasketh himſelfe to know many, and to call them by their names, as hypocrites, or the like, will certainly miſtake them, or himſelfe, or both. Truth and the heart compar'd, ſpeake out one another. Chriſt puts us all upon an exact way to know the thing in queſtion: Yee are my friends, if yee doe whatſoever I command. A friend loves not onelyonly in word, but in deed; what you are in action for Chriſt, ſpeakes out what you are in denomination, whether friends or enemies. Yee are my friends if yee doe, &c. Good talke is cheape, hath a great many friends, if this were it. But what doe yee doe for Chriſt? Action alſo muſt have its latitude, or els doing is nothing neither. The will of Chriſt runs forth into many precepts, that's obedience which excepts againſt none. Then are yee my friends, if yee doe whatſoever I command you. Truth is Homogeniall, one precept ſweet, and all precepts are ſo, when the heart is right: the heart is naught, the man an enemy to Chriſt, that is partiall in his Law. Yet this is the plague of moſt mens hearts: Surely Chriſt hath more enemies a great many then we are aware of. We are for dividing the living childe, therefore are diviſions and rumors amongſt us; it ſpeakes ſtony hearts unnaturallneſſe to Chriſt, he anſwerably handles us; the truths we ſcorne, are the ſwords which kill us as Gods enemies, as a generation of hypocrites.
Integrity hath a double univerſalitie in it; all Gods precepts are obeyed, alwayes: a friend loves at all times; it doth not divide Chriſt, to day, nor to morrow, nor never will; his bowels will not beare it: all truth is of everlaſting ſweetneſſe, in a ſound ſoule. Chriſt is the bright morning Star: a Star holds its glory, 'tis alwayes admirable, a man admires it to day, and admires to morrow, and ſo as long as he liveth; So is Chriſt, in the eye of him, which indeed ſeeth him. The Land in which wee live is ſtony ground; Love withers, it doth ſo very frequently; men that were friends fall off, and become enemies: Apoſtate are the worſt enemies Chriſt hath, yet how many doth this time make! The Land is full of Apoſtates, therefore it groanes; God is avenging himſelfe upon theſe enemies firſt, fire goeth before him, and burnes up theſe enemies round about, Pſal. 97.3. The moſt notorious are made examplary amongſt us; 'tis ſo in the proceedings of God. All the adverſaries of the Lord ſhould tremble, when ſome are executed, and learne inſtruction by his judgements: that wrath is kindled which will burne you all; ſuch of you as are not burnt here, will be burnt in hell. Wrath is a flame that never goes out; it runs all along upon the earth, as 'tis ſaid of the fire which burnt every greene thing in Pharaohs time; ſo this burnes every flouriſhing wicked perſon, firſt or laſt, here or hereafter.
Adverſaries of the Lord, ceaſe your courſe: could one ſay nothing of the abilitie which Chriſt hath, to right himſelfe upon his enemies, yet 'tis pitie he ſhould have any enemies he is ſo good: he keeps up the earth you goe upon, the heavens you breath in, they would come together elſe, and cruſh you in the midſt; Heaven and earth are full of Gods goodneſſe, though you be bad: you live in the fruition of theſe, and thouſands more as bad as you, and yet he doth not grudge your enjoyment: Chriſt beds you, and boards you; where ever you make a meale, you ſit at his Table, and live upon his expence every day: he gives you your daily bread, all comes out of his Treaſure, who ever be the purſe-bearer, and he payes the Reckoning, who ever carries it to the hoaſt. And now will you, nay, can you be enemies to ſuch a friend, and cut his throat like Judas at his own Table? Chriſt is the ſpirit of your bloud, the red bloud of your cheeks, the white ſinewes of your joynts, the marrow of your bones, the breath of your noſtrills, and can you be enemies to ſuch a friend? Chriſt numbers your haires, writes downe your members, preſſes all the creatures in the world, to ſerve and defend you, and will ye not love him? Can you be enemies to him, or any of his? Chriſt is naturally good, and he is morally good; he is patient, long-ſuffering, abundant in this goodneſſe. You have been tranſgreſſors from the wombe, from the Cradle you have fought againſt Chriſt, making your members your weapons, & you would have killed him long ago if you could, & yet he hath not killed you. You have multiplied your tranſgreſſions, ſo that you have made the heavens weepe now for many dayes together; and the earth to bleed now for many moneths together, you have preſſed the Lord, and all the Creation with your ſins, and yet you are at eaſe, though all theſe be in paine. You have been prodigalls, following exceſſe of riot, chambering, and wantonneſſe, and yet Juſtice hath not eate the noſe off your faces, the fleſh off your bones, nor rotted you limbe by limbe alive, to defraud the grave of her due; and yet can you be enemies to this God? Finally, Chriſt is not onelyonly naturally good, and morally good, but divinely good, he is not onelyonly patient, but mercifull, not onelyonly ſlow to wrath, but ready to forgive; though you have been bloudy enemies, yet he is ready to cleanſe your ſcarlet ſinnes; during all the times you have continued enemies, plotted againſt him, he hath not plotted againſt, but for you. When wee were enemies, God gave his Son. Let my Son goe out of my boſome, ſaith the Father, and let him goe to a wretched world, amongſt millions of enemies, and let him preach to them, pray for them, bleed over them, die for them, that they may not die. Can you now doe any other, but love this God, and love this Chriſt? I can ſay no more, would I could weep out the reſt, for all the enemies of the Lord, which theſe words will not work upon.