England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 61
COLOSSIANS 1.23.
Whereof I Paul, &c.
'TIs for ſome ſpeciall emphaſis certainly, that the Apoſtle doth here articulate his perſon, with his name, I Paul; onelyonly wee are various at gueſſing at it. Some thinke he points at the ſignification of his name, foreign ceſſare, which ſignifies to ceaſe. As if he had ſaid, I that am ſtopped and ceaſed from deſtroying the Goſpel, and now made a publiſher of it. Divine love can quench hell-fire, check violence, ſtop and turne a man when in the height of rage againſt Chriſt. This bloudy ſinner, had a remarkable ſtop, by a word of love from Heaven, Why doſt thou perſecute me? Upon which his name was changed, to print and perpetuate providence, from Saul to Paul, (i) one ſtopped and ceaſed. No cords ſo ſtrong as love, a mad-man cannot break them, when catched with them. Paul was a mad-man, a devill, yet catched and tamed preſently, by a ſweet voice from heaven. If you would conjure a devill quiet, if you would quench hell-fire in any ones breaſt, if you would make cords ſtrong enough to hold a Bedlam, imitate Chriſt, ſpeake as one from Heaven, in the ſweetneſſe and ſtrength of the Goſpel; lay a mountaine of love in the mad-mans way. Why ſinner? Why wilt thou goe over Chriſt? This will foreign, ceaſe his courſe.
Others thinke the Apoſtle points at the ſignification of his name, as a Roman name. Paulus, from the adjective Paulus, which ſignifies little: as if the Apoſtle had ſaid, Of which great myſteries, I that am little and poore in gifts, in place, in eſteeme, little and baſe every way, yet am made a diſpenſer; and ſo an expreſſion of great humilitie. The more grace, the leſſe in our own eye. The ſight of God is humbling, his majeſtie and glory is ſuch, that the ſoule neceſſarily fals at his feete. The leſſer and lower in our own eye, the greater and higher in Gods; all that he raiſes, is out of the duſt: out of the duſt he raiſeth ſeed to Abraham; and out of the duſt he raiſeth officers to look to this ſeede; out of the duſt he raiſed our Saviour; and out of the duſt he raiſeth thoſe Saviours, which are in his ſtead, Leaders in Iſrael. He giveth grace to the humble, (i) much grace, grace enough for the man himſelfe, and many more. Chriſt doth plow and ſow altogether in low grounds, theſe prove very fertile. Mountaines are curſed: if proud men be drawne out and ſet high, 'tis to be hanged by their preferment, as Haman.
I think both ſignifications may be eyed in this ſpeech, and the Apoſtle conſidered as one much admiring the way of God throughout, that would look towards one ſo much, as to intruſt him with the care of all the Churches, who a little while ſince was ſet againſt them all; and now turned from ſo great wickedneſſe, yet poſſeſſing but little goodneſſe, to diſcharge ſo great a truſt. That I ſhould be turned, is wonderful; but that I ſhould be ſo imployed, is more wonderfull. The freeneſſe of God, in all his diſpenſations of grace and place, ſhould be matter of admiration.
Doctr. 'Tis a brave eye that can tell all the rayes of the Sunne, and all the vertues they worke, and command all powers to ſit downe and warme themſelves, in the conſideration of them. The heart is in frame, when taken with goodneſſe, with all the goodneſſe of God. Thou haſt been very pleaſant to me (ſaith David to Jonathan) Thy love to me is wonderfull: This he ſpake with an eye to all the love he had received from him, which is the right frame of the ſoule, in order to Chriſt and his: Thou haſt been very pleaſant to me, O Chriſt, throughout my courſe, and thy love to me hath been wonderfull, to my ſoule, to my body, in perſon, in office, in every condition. They are in a perfect frame above; the ſpirts of juſt men above, are all in a rapture, becauſe of all the love that ſhines upon them; there is not a beame over-looked; not a beame ſhines upon any ſoule in Heaven, but 'tis obſerved much, and warmes him much; our hearts are in frame as they ariſe, to this. Heat is the right temper of the ſoule; I wiſh thou wert hot. Heat is active, activitie is a ſoule gathering up all the goodneſſe of God, and feeding upon it, and then is the ſoule healthy and proſperous, and not otherwiſe. The conſtitution of grace, is ſomewhat as the conſtitution of nature, it feeds upon varietie, but varietie of God; God in riches, God in honours, God in every thing: if God be miſſing in any perſon, in any diſh at the Table, it ſtinkes.
Heat hath reſolution: divine reſolution tires not in dutie, though never ſo great. Then is the ſoule well, when it faints not in the praiſes of God. Heaven is up-hill; and to skim off the creame of every creature, and to carry it up to Heaven, and to preſent it to God, is hard worke: to finde out God in every thing here below, and carry him home to Heaven, and ſet him upon his throne, and admire him, is great labour; and yet divine reſolution doth this, doth it in order to all divine diſpenſations, throughout the terme of mans life, and lays not downe the worke; no, lays not down the worke to all eternitie. I will mention the loving kindneſſe of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath beſtowed upon us, and his great goodneſſe towards the hoſt of Iſrael, according to the multitude of his loving kindneſſe, Eſa. 63.7. Nothing is ſo numerous as ſin, and merciemercy, but yet of the two, merciemercy is more numerous. The world hath not ſo many ſinnes in it, as mercies; and to act divinely in order to all theſe, to play upon a Lute, which hath I know not how many ſtrings; to ſtring a mans ſoule, with many thouſand thouſand mercies that befall him, and to play upon this ſweely all ones dayes, and never lay aſide the inſtrument, this is a haile conſtitution; and yet all this but dutie, divine preſident is extant. Divine preſidents of this nature, are doubly binding: what any Saint of God ever did as a Saint, & in order to the rules of ſanctitie, that comes to me with double authoritie to be obſerved; and therefore is the Scripture cited, and the cloud of witneſſes as another ſuperadded motive. Preſidents of ſanctitie, ſpeake not onelyonly the precept to be obeyed, but the poſſibilitie, and honorabilitie of the precept, to be obeyed.
Ʋſe. Saints ſhould live at this height; they have lived at this height: this is good argumentation. How doe you live? Are your ſoules in health? and are you ſtrong? How doe you travaile then up and downe after God? The Land wherein we live is full of mercies, no Land like it. Doe you tread upon them, or take them up? The latter is beaſtly, yet very common. The Land is full of mercies, and full of nothing but brutes, that tread upon them. Brutiſhneſſe in a man, is ſenſualitie; a ſenſuall perſon, is one killed with kindneſſe; one that eats mercies, but doth not taſte them; weares mercies, but doth not feele them; ſeeth mercies, but doth not underſtand the loving kindneſſe of the Lord, nor never will: he is curſed to the duſt, as the ſeed of the Serpent, to goe upon his belly, upon his appetite; and upon no higher principle, through this world; to feed onelyonly upon duſt, and upon no nobler thing, for making a God of this world. You wonder at the plague, and at the ſword, but this is the greateſt judgement in the Land, that no man ſees the merciemercy that ſhines upon him. All the judgements that are in the Land, are but to caſt ſhadowes upon mercies, that you may ſee them well, and carry them and your ſoules to Heaven together. There ſhould not be a judgement more among us, did you ſee mercy as you ſhould: there ſhould not a man more die, did loving kindneſſe live in our hearts. The heart of this Land is eaten out with long tillage, God now dungs it, that things may grow well. 'Tis ſo with our ſoules: Our hearts are eaten out with vanities, nothing will come up that is divine, not ſpring up as high as Heaven. God pluckes up all, to pluck up your hearts to Heaven; 'twill be well if this be effected, although it be not till all be dead. When all is dead, if then a mans ſoule grow alive to God, bleſſed am I, though there be but this one thing alive of all I have. England is dead, God is burying it. Our hearts are quarred with fulneſſe, and become ſtones; no muſick can be playd upon a ſtone. God makes muſick to himſelfe with juſtice, ſeeing wee can make none to him with merciemercy: he ſets us to throw ſtones one at another, hard heart againſt hard heart, to daſh out one anothers braines, to kill a companie of men, Canini appetitus, of a dog appetite, whoſe belly is as the grave, and as hell, which cry, give, give, but never returne.
Know the ſtate of the generall, and bleed inwardly. Doe you ſee a love returning ſpirit in any ranke, from the higheſt to the loweſt? I England am made a mirror of merciemercy, a thouſand thouſand wounds, and yet not dead; What pen ſhall I take, and what book? Where ſhall I write this love, that it may be ever in Gods eye, and mine owne? Doe you ſee ſuch a ſpirit ſtirring, for the glory of Chriſt? Wee fall in perſon, we fall in purſe, and we fall and flat in ſpirit too: nothing riſes in any man that I ſee, but that which throwes all downe, Pride and ſelfe. Ego magnus, not, ego Paulus, I great, not I little and low, this may be every mans motto. Big ſpirits are the worſt in the world to ſtoop, and to take up every thing of Gods, and give it to him. Big proud ſpirits, admire themſelves: ſuch as are taken up with admiration of themſelves, can never be good at this dutie of admiring God. Look over all the Kingdome, and people in the world, and tell me a people more pinned to, and doating upon its ſelfe, then we are. What a Clergie! What Magiſtracy! What an Armie have we! So big, ſo acute, ſo perfect, as not to be expreſt. This puts by the other quite, what a Chriſt have we! how ſtrong! how wiſe! how gracious! Do ye heare mens mouths filled with this, with admiration of Chriſt? What ornaments doe I weare in my ſoule, or upon my outward man, but Chriſt hath put them on all?
Know the ſtate of the generall, and know your own ſtate in particular. Doe you as Paul here, admire the goodneſſe of Chriſt, in all the goodneſſe that is upon you? That you are ſtopped and ceaſed from wickedneſſe? That you are turned to Chriſt? Yea not nakedly ſo, but turned into noble ſervices for Chriſt? Intruſted with many Talents above your brethren, for the good not onelyonly of your ſelves, but many more? I would willingly admire this, if it were ſo; but alas for me, Ob. I am not yet ſtopped nor turned from my wicked courſe: I am a ſwearer ſtill, a drunkard ſtill, a graceleſſe uſeleſſe wretch ſtill. Why then admire that thou art not in hell: Sol. there is no man alive, no man of this ſide hell, but hath ſome merciemercy, yea, much merciemercy to admire: ſay, that I a ſwearer, am not yet in hell, in the proper place for blaſphemers, O what a merciemercy is this! That ſin and judgement are not cloſed unſeparably all this while, in ſo many yeares, O what a wonder is this! There is not a greater aptneſſe for fire and ſtubble to cloſe, then for ſin and judgement in a wicked ſoule: that the cover of the tinder-box ſhould be open, and ſtriking of fire a great many yeares, and a great many ſparkles falling of both ſides, and ſome in, and yet not take; that thou a naked graceleſſe ſoule, open to the wrath of God, and living in a Land where wrath is powring out, by plague, ſword, and other judgements, and yet that thou ſhouldeſt eſcape, here is a big wonder indeed: blind ſoule canſt thou ſee it? No, I have no more then others have, nor yet ſo much: this cuts the throat of holy admiration. How wofully is this creature plagued! Others mercies are his judgements, he cannot ſee what he has, becauſe others have more. Canſt thou not ſee what thou haſt thy ſelfe? No, hold thy mercies neere thine eyes: Canſt thou not ſee them now? No. Why then I feare that thou art (beſide borne-blind) mad-blind, as thoſe wilfull Phariſees, and Scribes: this is a ſad condition. There is no recovery of ſight, when the eyes are ſtruck out.
If this be not thy plague, there is the more hope; for God will take the buſineſſe in hand to make thee ſee, in a more ſtrong way then now 'tis done by me, if all meanes have not been uſed alreadie; as what a potent courſe is taken up in this caſe, Hoſea 11.3. I taught Ephraim to goe, taking them by the armes, but they knew not that I healed them, I drew them with the cords of a man, and with the bands of love, and I laid meat unto them. God will one time or other, take hold upon thy conſcience, and lead thee about from merciemercy to merciemercy, and point thee to them particularly, one after another. O ungratefull ſoule, I did this for thee, and I did that: I ſaved thee from breaking thy leg ſuch a time, from breaking thy necke ſuch a time, from ſuch a deſperate ſickneſſe, ſuch a time, &c. Thus doth God to perſons that are aſleepe in ingratitude, to awaken them, and thus he doth to them that are dead. Goe and tell David, [I took] thee from the ſheepfold, &c. After that ſoule miſcarriage, God ſet one to talke with him, with a witneſſe, to tell him who raiſed him, and to what, and what uſe was expected of all. God will thus ſpeake within to thy conſcience, ſooner or later. If this be the potent remedie of ingratitude you ſpeake of, I have had this alreadie. I cannot ſleepe ſometimes, theſe things are ſo whiſpered in mine eares. Why, better want ſleepe, then want inſtruction from Chriſt. Doth it not yet doe the thing? Why, beg him then to ſeale thy inſtruction. God ſpeakes once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not, then he openeth the eares of man, and ſealeth his inſtruction. Sealing inſtruction, is ſo much of Chriſt given forth to the ſoule in his word or workes, as leaves the image of Chriſt plainly upon the ſoule. A thing is ſealed, when there is ſuch an impreſſe made, as leaves the image of the ſeale upon the paper. Then can we ſee the image of God plaine without, when 'tis plaine upon the ſoule within: when one ſees two Sunnes, then one wonders; 'tis ſo ſpiritually: when one can ſee Chriſt within, and Chriſt without, ſuch are the ſoules that admire all the kindneſſe of God. The Apoſtle ſaw two Sunnes; he looked upon himſelfe as a converted man, and then as ſuch an intruſted man with office: a man cannot ſee God without well, unleſſe he can ſee him within.
Chriſtians, (and here be a ſweet company of you) this worke I ſee by the courſe of things, fals to your ſhare, look that you diſcharge it well, this is my charge upon you. Chriſt hath no active creatures to gather him honey, and to bring it home to his dore but you: there be ſome wild Bees, that gather a little honey, and of a ſcurvey wild undigeſted nature, but they goe and hide it in holes of the earth, and in hollow trees, I know not where. How doe you beſtir your ſelves, Chriſtians, in gathering of honey for Chriſt? The garden in which you are, was never fragranter with flowers then now. Not a man you meet with, but you may wonder he is alive: not a ſtone in the ſtreete you tread upon, but you may wonder 'tis not coloured with bloud: not a limbe you have, but you may wonder 'tis not cut off: not a good Miniſter, not a good Magiſtrate, but you may wonder he is not cut in a thouſand pieces; how ponderouſly and warily ſhould we goe up and downe every where in England now, after all the great things that have been done in it, that wee doe not tread wonders in the dirt? What a time, what a place doe we live in, and what advantages have we to bring in rich treaſure to the crowne of Chriſt, and ſo conſequently to our own crowne? And thinke then what hearts you have, which are frothy and wanton now. Fatherly providence hath made every mercy a thouſand times bigger then 'twas, that you may ſee it as you ſhould: doe you doe ſo Chriſtians? Our houſe is ſweeter then 'twas, husband ſweeter then he was, every thing is renewed, a new gloſſe from an immediate hand put upon every thing; 'tis ſtrange that things that are ſo varniſht and inlaid from Heaven, ſhould not divinely take us. I am jealous of you Chriſtians, I am jealous of you, that yet Chriſt is a great loſer by you, in the glory of his Name. Divine heat is wanting in you, though God hath rubbed you ſo much and ſo long, till he hath rubbed off the skin. A man may diſcerne where ever he comes, that the goodneſſe of the Lord is not in your mouthes, is it in your mindes? You froth at mouth, and beſpatter every one that comes neare you with it, that one had need downe upon his knees to God, to waſh his ſoule from the filth that comes from you: theſe things are againſt you Chriſtians, but I ſpare you: Thinke but what God hath done, and what he is now adoing, and then thinke what hearts you have, that can be frothie now.