England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 56
COLOSS. 1.23. If you continue in the faith, &c.
AS God turnes all to the good of his, ſo Satan labours to turne all to their hurt. The beſt people have one too many ſtill at their table, though they are not aware of him, and he drops ſomething ſtill into every diſh to curdle and ſower it in their ſoules, how ſweet and precious ſoever in its own nature. When the words of Chriſt wound, Satan then drops in gall and vineger, to turne convictions into deſpaire; when they comfort, he ſophiſticates and makes the doctrine of felicitie, a medium to forget piety: this in ſome words of this text is hinted, in others prevented. Heaven lengthens out a holy life to all eternitie, it doth ſo in its proper nature; 'tis a laying of our ſoules in his boſome, who hath us but by the hand here: 'tis not in it ſelf, nor under any conſideration to end grace here, or hereafter, but to conſummate it. If you continue, &c.
Two things of weight take up this text: the doctrine of perſeverance, and apoſtaſie, cleaving to Chriſt, and caſting him off; both theſe circumſtanced, and ſo drawne out, that their aſpect ſpeakes them to the life. To abide ſweet a while, and then to putrifie with the heat of times, and ſmell carrionly, this is not perſeverance, 'tis not foreign, permanere, continuing in the faith, or through abiding of the faith: what's that? This is anſwered in the next words, foreign, founded, foreign, fixed. One terme alludes to a houſe founded upon a rock, that is unmovable. The other term alluding to ſtarres, which continue holding forth their glory and vertue; let what ſtirres will be in theſe lower regions, they never fall from their orbe, nor faile in it of any influence or luſtre, for any filthy vapours or fogges, that come from the earth, they are above them all, and are faithfull and firm as the Heavens; this is the propertie alſo of ſtarres of the terreſtriall globe. Apoſtaſie is alſo here drawn out to the life: every fall doth not kill, but falling away, falling away from truth received, glorious truth, truth raiſing ſweet hope, glad Goſpel expectation, and be not moved away from the hope of the Goſpel, &c. That truth which hath had its demonſtration before all ſorts of men.
Through abiding of, or in the faith, is the firſt thing that we are to ſtand upon. By faith is meant the Goſpel, as is explained in the next clauſe, Chriſt as revealed in his Word. Truth hath a latitude within and without it ſelf; the obſervation of both is a through purſuit. Truth hath a latitude within it ſelf, that is, in the matter of it; 'thas many precepts, and all theſe their proper extent. Thy commandements are exceeding broad: The Goſpel hath many rules directory, many conſolatory; when the ſoul ſets before it ſelf all as a rule of life, then doth it throughly abide in the faith; then are you my Diſciples, if you do whatſoever I command you. The whole boſome of Chriſt is the ſeat of the ſoul hereafter, and the whole will of Chriſt, is the ſeat of the ſoul here; when the ſoul doth not make it ſo, it is wanton and wilfull, and doth not throughly abide in the faith. Chriſt had a materiall garment when materially preſent, and it had many threads, but all weaved into one web and robe, without ſeam or ſigne of one: ſo Chriſt now ſpiritually preſent, hath likewiſe a ſpirituall garment of like form. The Goſpel hath many rules, when all theſe are weaved together by a Chriſtian in his life, and made a ſpirituall robe of ſtate for the glory of Chriſt, and not one thread left out, when the ſoul doth put on all Chriſt, and clothes himſelf with him from head to feet, then doth he throughly abide in the faith.
Truth hath a latitude without it ſelf; 'tis to live as long as we. We are to be faithfull to the death, ſo in every truth; no truth is ſhort lived, to laſt a ſeaſon only, as 'tis ſaid of them, they rejoyced in his light for a ſeaſon: if we make any truth ſhort lived for any temptation whatſoever, we abide not throughly in it. 'Tis in our ſpirituall marriage, as in our naturall, we are not freed from the carefull and painfull obligation of it, till death. The obſervation of Gods will ſimply conſidered, never ceaſes; they in heaven do Gods will, and are propoſed as our pattern on earth, they are ſo exact in the obſervation of it; but the painfull obſervation of Gods will, which is by reaſon of corruption within us, and wicked ſpirits without us, this ceaſes as ſoon as we ſtep out of this vile body, but not before. They move to Chriſt above, as Chriſt doth to them, with the ſame ſpirit of freedome, joy, triumph, and glory. That they may be one as we are. There is no ſighing and groaning, mourning, dying, to accompliſh Gods will above, all move there as the Angels, with delight; every one milks out love from the breaſts of Chriſt, and ſings over the Pail, to behold how full 'tis, and how free it comes; and yet, though it coſt all theſe to obey any truth of God here, we are not to ceaſe our courſe. Every childe is brought forth with pain, but ſome with more then others, it coſts life to bring forth ſome, yet it's horrible wickedneſſe for any to ſtrangle the birth, to prevent the pain. Benjamin muſt be born, though it coſt Rachel her life. She was a ſhadow of the Church, which muſt bring forth Chriſt in all his will, though we die in travell; if you abide throughly of the faith.
Ʋſe. You ſee how heaven bears, break truth, and break your back, and what groaning will that make; no groaning ſo ſad to do, as that which is by not doing Gods will. Heaven and Gods will, are linked together, break the link, if it be but one link, and the jewel falls, and is loſt. Heaven is a Jewel, hanged in a golden chain, break one link of the golden chain, and you loſe the Jewel: 'Tis nothing to deſperate ſouls to make void Gods Law; I wonder at them; Is it nothing to loſe heaven? to untwiſt the golden chain upon which your eternall treaſure hangs? Tranſgreſſion ſtupifies, this is the killing quality of ſin. Sinners mind not what they do, when they throw off the will of Chriſt, any part of the will of Chriſt, you throw away your life. Heaven lies wrapt up in truth, in that truth which you will not ſubmit to. Would ſomething would work upon wicked hearts, upon the deſperate wicked hearts of this age, that ſin might abate amongſt us, or elſe the ſword of Gods wrath is like to eat us out. Alas, for us all! I know not what hand of God is upon us, wrath findes a great deale of matter among us to work upon, and we can finde none. When we preſſe love to Chriſt, and obſervation of his will, every man waſheth his hands. I do it, ſaith one, and I do it, ſaith another. Will you lie before the face of the Judge of all the world, now he ſitteth upon the bench, upon the life and death of the kingdome? Men are worſt which think themſelves beſt; if there be any plague that kill thee England, 'twill be thy Laodicean temper, that thou thinkeſt thou art clean, and art not waſhed from thy filthineſſe; that thou needeſt nothing, and yet obſerveſt nothing Euangelically, that looks like a lovely State. Our point ſets us too high a great deal, to ſpeak to this generation; it calls for exact obſervation, and we are by the hand of God upon us; caſt into the quite contrary, a generation that had a little conſcience, but now have none. Looſneſſe and lewdneſſe overſpread the multitude, brawnineſs and benummedneſs the more ingenious; good men become bad, bad ſtark naught, and ſtink above ground. 'Tis worſe then blood and death, to heare and ſee in every place where one comes, what mire and dirt our troubled waters caſt up, as if war were a ticket under Gods own hand to diſpence with all wickedneſſe. O the oaths, the execrations, whoredoms, oppreſſions, outrages of all ſorts, that the very highwayes and villages are filled with where ever one comes! The ſtink of your camps, enough to kill a good heart, at a great diſtance. 'Tis ſad, that the blood and bodies of the dead, ſhould taint and poiſon the living; that we ſhould die ſwearing and blaſpheming. If there be any tender hearts among you, carry theſe things home, and mourn, for I am fearfull what they preſage.
The work of this point is not only to winde you off from prophaneneſſe, but wind you up to exactneſſe, to through walking with Chriſt. We halt; the fruit of it is upon us, the hand of God will not yet cure it, what it may, Chriſt only knowes. The heart muſt have its latitude, 'tis every ones ſaying this. To hit the white, is not needfull; one may ſhoot well, that doth not this. But can one ſhoot well that aimes not at this? I preſſe towards the mark, I forget what is behinde, if by any means I may obtain the reſurrection. Here is the property of grace in life, it owns nothing but perfection; makes at nothing elſe; 'tis in aim and induſtry all Chriſts. Men are charmed with their own unſoundneſſe; the heart ſecretly ſinfully ingaged, aim and induſtry are really correſpondent hereunto, what ever verball flouriſh be made to better ſpirits, and perſons that ſtand by; here is a man ſtrangling himſelf in his bed, which is a condition that makes little noiſe, every thing is ſo artificially managed to deſtruction; yet alas, it is the common profeſſion of this time. How far will theſe times beare with a profeſſion of Gods will? How far will Chriſts honour and mine conſiſt? Here the ſoul waſts its ſtrength: If there be any intenſe through action now on foot, it lies here, ſo to ſhape the courſe and poſture to the right and left, that the man may take in all worldly advantages of both ſides, along as he …es. There is much art in this, but 'tis all curſed: 'twere well if the man had leſſe policy, and more integrity. There is much advange in this, but it comes to nothing: the plague of an hypocrite is upon this condition, which will eat a man out, if he had all the world: There is more of heaven in a plain heart in a moment, then this man ſees in all his dayes. The advantage of through action is this:
A man gets much of Chriſt, much grace, much glory. Some mens religion is a principle of jugling with conſcience and the world, 'tis a temptation upon thouſands at this day; theſe loſe what they ſeem to have, Chriſt and all grace quite: Chriſt kicks off every Judas quite, that kiſſeth him, and kiſſeth enemies to him too, for his own advantage: but a ſoul that cleaves throughly to Chriſt, hath much of him, the diſpenſations of Angels. Stephen ſhined like an Angel, owning Chriſt in the face of deadly and bloody oppoſers. Externall diſpenſations cannot be ſtood upon; how Chriſt appears to honour the perſons of men, that will go to the grave with him, is more uncertain; they have the face, the tongue and the food of Angels, when it may do them good, and torture devils that vex them. Externall concurrence is ſure for the thing, though uncertain for the manner: Chriſt doth number our haires, at all times: but what doth he do then when the head is going to be cut off? He doth make all our darkneſſe light, that which is upon nature, ſtate, perſon. Chriſt is with us alwayes, according to an externall goodneſſe, one way or other. They have Roſemary and Bays, or ſome ſweet thing or other in their hand, in the view of all, that go to the grave with Chriſt.
But internally they have much of him indeed, that cleave cloſely to him. What a box of raviſhing odors did Chriſt open to Maries ſoul, which did perfume his body and go along with him to his grave? Can any one explain the depth of divine love, wherewith her ſoul was filled? That was heaven in hell: What's heaven? but the love of Chriſt without meaſure, powred into the heart. To hearten on Abraham to follow the commands of God throughly, to forſake Chaldea, Babel, and all the confuſion of a blind proud generation, and to go to the land of divine ordinance, obſerve how God heartens him, Thou ſhalt have exceeding much of me without, and within; I am thy ſhield, and thy exceeding great reward. And this promiſe repeated to him and his …ſterity in all ſtraits and dangers. Can you meaſure that love which exceeds all bounds? Through action makes through reception: through action is a ſoul giving up all to Chriſt, againſt all oppoſition from men. When we give all to Chriſt, hee gives all to us; and what a deal is Chriſts all? I have all, ſaith the Apoſtle, when he wanted for Chriſts ſake, All: What all? A divine all. When you ſpeak of your all, (i.) of all you have, it riſes ſometime to a great deal, to many thouſands; but what Arithmetick will expreſſe Chriſts all? Shall I call his eſtate thouſands? millions, millions of millions? I ſhall miſ-call it; 'twas never told, never gueſſed, nor never will, by all thoſe exquiſite beholders and enjoyers above; 'tis infinite: Can any finite creature gueſſe, what infinitneſſe is? Can you tell the ſtarres? all their numbers, all their influences? Then may you tell all the ſmiles, kiſſes and embracements, which Chriſt gives to ſuch as follow him to death. This is Chriſts all; he ſits at the right hand of God, embraced with that glory he had with his father, before the world was, and embracing all with the ſame glory which are with him.