England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 70
COLOS. 1.25.
According to the diſpenſation of God.
DIſpenſation] the word meanes domeſticke diſtribution, foreign from foreign a houſe, and foreign to diſtribute. Which makes the ſenſe run thus, according to that family diſtribution which God hath made to me. The holy Ghoſt diſtinguiſheth gifts, into good and perfect; both come downe from above, but under a diverſe notion; the one as common to all the World, the other as proper to his Family; they are good gifts in themſelves, which bade men have, their health, their wealth, their learning, all good gifts, but not perfect gifts, they want one thing, as our Saviour ſpake to the young man in this caſe, and this one thing the maine of all, to wit, the ſpeciall love of God, fatherly mercy rapt up in them. Family diſtribution is fatherly goodneſſe, ſpeciall mercy, a perfect gift. Choyce indowment is mans bleſſedneſſe.
Doct. This God gives; All the poſterity of Jacob were bleſſed, but Joſeph was a Nazarite amongſt his Brethren, ſaith the Text, (i) culled out by ſpeciall providence from all the reſt, and choicely indowed and imploid; the very creame of Love diſhed out to him. The pretious fruits brought forth by the Sun, and the pretious things which put forth by the Moone, and the chiefe things of the ancient Mountaines, &c. And obſerve here the prime bleſſing is brought up in the Reare, that which makes all other gifts perfect, and the favourable acceptance of him that dwelt in the bramble; the favour and love of God wrapt up in every thing wee have, is that which makes them full mercies, and this had Ioſeph: Deut. 83.16.he had top favours, bleſſings came upon his head, upon the top of him that was [a Nazarite] from his brethren. This kind of providence died not with thoſe perſons and times, but lives ſtill in an Evangelicall ſenſe. Chriſt goes through this World and picks out here and there one from among his brethren, and makes him a Nazarite, indowes him with choyce mercies, Family diſpenſations, beſpangles him with ſuch Jewells as they weare above in his own Court; riches of the body, and riches of the minde, and inlayes them all with the good will of him that dwelt in the Bramble: This was prophecied then when the Patriarchs had their ſpeciall indowments, and touched in their kindneſſe, the Scepter ſhall not depart from Judah, &c. and unto him ſhall the gathering of the people be, Gnammim peoples, Gnammim.binding his foale unto the Vine and his Aſses colt unto the choyce Vine, Gen. 49.11. Chriſt doth gather and ſelect ſtill, even among the Gentiles: As far as us Gentiles doe theſe words looke. To him ſhall the gathering of the [peoples] bee. Not one people, to wit the Iewes, but peoples, Jewes and Gentiles. A choyce Vine Chriſt findes out amongſt us, Trees of ſpeciall vertue and noble blood and ſpirits above all Trees, and ties his foale to theſe, unites himſelfe to this body, by the ſame ſpirit, by which he ſo indowed and ennobled that ancient people of the Iewes.
Choyce indowments being mans bleſſedneſſe, and this ſeſable, that which God gives now, I would faſten this naile in the temple, with a word of uſe. Ʋſe. Content not your ſelves with common bleſſings, covet the beſt gifts, ſeeke family favours, childrens mercies, or you cannot be happy. We place bleſſedneſſe here, tis not here, twas here, but is not now, tis riſen, tis above, there muſt your induſtry lie. Seeke thoſe things which are above, where Chriſt is at the right hand of God. The mercies of Gods owne family make us, and none elſe, Such diſpenſations as have the ſpeciall love of God wrapt up in them. Let no man thinke this an unpoſſible thing to attaine; the things that are above will come down to the conſervation of the whole; the naturall Heavens will deſcend, the ſupernaturall will too; Chriſt, though at the right hand of God, will come down, and ſit at your right hand, and guide you, and impart the things that are above to you; clothe you in the habit and faſhion of that countrey, if ſought to, and deſired. But the plague is, our hearts are carnall, and luſt onelyonly after low things; we place bleſſedneſſe in our belly, and worſhip Dagon, Dagan frumenti Deus, a belly-god; The Apoſtle alludes to this, where he ſaith, Whoſe God is their belly. Red pottage luſted after, the birth-right is nothing. How affection workes, is not heeded by you, yet your life is in it, and it goes to the heart of God to ſee how you laviſh and lay it out, for that which is not of any nobility or worth, in order to ſuch creatures as you are. Wherefore doe you ſpend money for that which is not bread? not white bread, not living bread, not that bread which came down from Heaven, not ſuch as the family above feede on.
You that feed on ſuch mercies owe much to God; I will touch this, and conclude. You that are like Joſeph Nazarites among your brethren, ſeparated from thouſands of your owne fleſh and bone, and made great, endowed with Noble gifts, and imployed in Noble workes, to attend upon the great King of all the world, as his onelyonly favourites, your ſhould doe as Joſeph. Goe, ſaith he, haſte ye to my father, and tell him, thus ſaith thy ſonne Joſeph, God hath made me Lord of all Egypt, come down to me, tarry not, Geneſ. 45.9. divine myſtery is in all this, and it hints your duty; goe haſte you to Heaven, and tell your father what honour is by the Lord Jeſus beſtowed on you, that he hath made you Lords over all Egypt, over all your luſts, which did keepe you in bondage, that he hath put his owne ring upon your hand, and his owne Gold-chaine about your necke, and made you ſecundi, the next to him in all the world, and onelyonly in the Throne is greater then you; tis a ſweet thing to be going often to Heaven, and telling there how much we feele of it upon earth. Choice endowments call for choice duty, as we are winged we ſhould mount. There were choice vowes under the old covenant, Deut. 12.11. Some choice offerings that upon ſome choice mercies received, they performed to God. You have received choice mercies, make choice vowes, (underſtand me Goſpelly) make ſweet Goſpell raptures of all Noble favours received. Your Roman dames had ſome Jewels worth millions; which they called uniones, becauſe they were incomparable and had none like them, ſingulars, ſuch as had no fellowes, and theſe they bequeathed when they died, as an inheritance to poſterity, they were of ſo great worth. God hath given unto you ſuch precious Jewels, uniones, ſingular gifts, ſuch as cannot be fellowed in many of your brethren, weare theſe Jewels every day, (though it was the faſhion of the Roman dames to weare their uniones upon great daies) hold forth all your choice gifts, choicely, to the great glory of Chriſt. My Dove, my undefiled is but one; ſhe is the onelyonly one of her mother, ſhe is the choice one of her that bare her: [the daughters ſaw her] and bleſsed her, yea the Queen, and the core thines, and they praiſed her. The Church of Chriſt is here ſet forth as a choice one, for all endowments and glory, and as holding forth all this to the admiration of Chriſt, and all beholders. The daughters [ſaw her] and bleſsed her, the Queens and Concubines praiſed her.