England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 73
COLOS. 1.26.
Even the Myſtery.
THe carryage of Chriſt ſince the fall is here hinted, hee doth worke and ſpeake above our reach; when he goeth, he maketh a path like a Ship in the Sea, that no man can finde any thing after him, not a ſtep: when hee ſpeakes, his words are a great deepe, a Sea bottomleſſe (i) of ſuch vaſtneſſe in all noble property, that no man can mouth them nor utter them after him, but ſtand dumb and ſilent; they are as the title ſaith here, foreign which is compounded of foreign & foreign, they doe foreign occludere ſhut up the Tongue and Lips of man, that hee can ſay nothing. Divine prerogative we are to ſtand upon, There is a power opening and ſhuting things of eternall conſequence in order to man in this life.
This power is purely ſpirituall: action is uſed to cloſe the Eyes of the dead, but it is inviſſible; mans doome is written in the wall, and no hand ſeene; nor caracter legible in order to the man concerned, though all big and plaine, and hee ſpelled and perſonated in them, becauſe Organs within, enervated; in which caſe man hath Eyes and ſees not, Eares and heares not. They that ſee are made blind, but do they know how? action is uſed in this ſad worke, but can any one explaine it to ſence? for the time when it was done? or for the thing it ſelfe that is done? when went the ſpirit from me to thee? The poore creatures eyes are out, but when was it done? did the man feele it? can he tell the agent or the inſtrument that did it? or what wheele in the Clock is crackt, that the motion goes ſo falſe? The nature of this ſpirituall occluſive act is this, two ſpirits run their courſe, at laſt one is finally left, and ſo in the darke, and able to ſee nothing according to the ſpirituall nature of it, ſo as to ſtir any noble operation in the ſoule: Faith, a Ridle; Selfe-deniall, a Ridle; Regeneration, a Ridle, a going into ones Mothers belly againe; the death of the body of death, the Reſurrection and the Life, all theſe great things of the Goſpell, ſtrange things, and like the talke of a ſon to a barren wombe, laughed at. The ſ…uting up or the opening of the Kingdome of God in order to any, is a tranſaction onelyonly by the ſpirit, cannot enter into the heart of man to conceive, but God hath revealed them to us [by his ſpirit] for the [ſpirit ſearcheth all things, the deepe things of God.] There is an internall caeleſtiall vertue, coacting with the ſoule, the giving or the ſuſpenſion of which, is mans onelyonly advantage or diſadvantage, to underſtand Gods Will; the ſuſpenſion of internall influence, keepes the ſoule ſpiritually darke, what ever other advantages it hath, and ſhuts it out from the Kingdome of Heaven.
This ſpirituall occluſive power is feated in Chriſt. For Judgement am [I] come into this World that they which ſee not might ſee, and that they which ſee might be made blind. Concerning ſpirituall judicature, it is proper to me, there is none good at this worke, but I ſaith Chriſt; to caſt amiſt before the Eyes of the minde, and to darken the light that is in men, this onelyonly I can doe: to caſt a miſt before the Eyes of mens bodies, this divells may doe, and ſuch men as give themſelves to them; but to caſt a miſt before the Eyes of mens ſoules, and to darken the light that is in them, and to make the things of eternall Life myſteries, and meere ridles, this is only Chriſts work. Chriſt can put out the Eyes of a Sampſon, darken the greateſt lights, and confound the greateſt parts, that is ſpeake ridles and parables at every word, things unexplicable to the moſt learned men; he can carry a darke Lantherne betweene the Egyptians and the Iſraelites, make a cloud to go betweene both, and to be darke of one ſide and light of to'ther: Chriſt was in the midſt of that project, 'tis often ſaid in the Booke of Moſes that hee was in the midſt of the cloud, that is, he was the onelyonly author of that great myſtery; 'twas no art of Moſes nor Aron, nor any man elſe, but Chriſt. Chriſt hath a Kingdome, but tis not of this world, tis of that little World within: he hath the Keyes of every roome within you, he and he only opens and ſhuts theſe everlaſting doores, and at what houre he will: every wheele in that curious artifice within, hath its motion or check from him: the ſpirit wee ſpeake is of his …nction, tis in fulneſſe given to him, to make every knee bow or breake, every eye blind or ſeeing of things in Heaven, of things in Earth, and under the Earth. This thing is better expreſt by the Prophet, then eye can, The Key of the houſe of David will I lay open his ſhouldiers, ſo hee ſhall open and none ſhall ſhut; Iſai. 22.22. Revel. 3.7. The donations of Chriſt are abſolute, not ſuch as ours which may and often are overborne; the Eyes hee cloſes, none can ever open; the Trees he curſeth barren, none can ever make fruitfull, dung as long as they will; the things hee hides from mens eyes, they can never ſee more; his ſpirituall occluſive power, is as his power apertive, abſolute, and above controule. Hee is the onelyonly abſolute at opening or cloſing the Eyes of the dead.
Ʋſe 'Twere well if the right ſtate of eternall actions and things, were ſeriouſly conſidered; what is in the power of Chriſt, and what he can do and doth, to a perverſe Generation. Suffering in the outward man, is the leaſt that Chriſt doth, to teſtifie diſlike of any mans courſe; and yet this, as poore ſenſuall creatures, we onelyonly Eye. How doth God carry himſelfe to the ſoule? how neer to it, or how far off from it is he? how plainly and cleerly, or how darkly and miſteriouſly doth he move within thee? Is not thy ſoule in darkneſſe? Shut up under unbeliefe? in the valie of a ſhadow of death, fearing evill, the deſtruction of all? Darkneſſe makes feares the Oracle within ſpeakes doubtfully, and the beſt Life hangs in doubt; the Malefactor hath his book, and cannot reade for his beſt Life, the caracters are ſo old and ſo myſterious; this is a great wound in the ſpirit, and it is a wonder to me that any one can beare this and beare up; yet ſo remiſſe are men, till things grow ragingly deſperate, and remedileſſe, nothing is conſidered. Terrified ſinners, Chriſt hath tyed a handkercher about your Eyes, you are upon the Ladder, ready for execution; can you read your neck verſe, or not? Legit ut clericus vel non?
A Goſpel ſence of miſery, is the firſt ſtep to remedy. Light is made to ſhine out of darkeneſſe; God cloſeth the Eyes, and then opens them. I am at the doore of Heaven, neere the Kingdome of God, my night will have a day, according to the courſe of of the Sun, it will be ſo. Let faith thus work, and thou wilt be bleſſed ſpeedily. God makes light to [ſhine] out of darkneſſe; when he would make a ſhining State, hee uſually makes it very darke firſt; very darke and very ſad; and then reveales light very cleere, and makes a very ſhining bright Heaven. The order of the Sun what courſe it goes, what long nights it makes in ſome parts of the World, and then what long and glorious dayes, ſhould be remembred and expected; this way comes in our bleſſedneſſe here. In a darke condition, when one cannot do as wee would, we muſt doe as we can, make advantages of little things. Sampſon being darke and ſtarke blind, made advantage of a little boy; do thou, ſaid he, lead mee to this place or that, to the pillar where the houſe beares; ſo muſt you poore darke ſoules, which are ſtarke blind in the beſt things, makes uſe of ſuch little things, as before mentioned to be led by, till you come to finde Pillars, great Pillars whereon the houſe beares, to doe great exploits.
Tis ſweet to conſider that ſacred concealements are but for a time, and this time ſet by wiſdome. [Viſion] is but for an appointed time. That is a ſecret and a myſtery to us, which to Chriſt is viſion [the viſion is but, &c. and ſhall be ſo to us; in his light wee ſee light: and in caſes of danger and extremity, he doth haſten. When we are in a chariot of our owne conceits, a fiery Chariot, and Satan running away with us, Chriſt ſaith to his ſpirit, go joyne thy ſelfe to that chariot, and interpret; and now behold a nation is borne in a day; a World borne of a day, a World of light; a Heaven borne of a day, of an hower. 'Tis yet more ſweete, yea, moſt ſweete to conſider, when we can do nothing at all for our reliefe, neither the greater nor the leſſer, not make uſe of a Lad to lead, when we cannot make the leaſt motion toward the light, it makes motion toward us: the Sun findes out us, it findes loſt perſons and loſt comforts; it bares it ſelfe about unto every one; who doth draw the Sun to this place or that? Chriſt is called foreign, 2 Pet. 1.19. you reade it a day Star, the Latines rightly render it, Lucifer, becauſe it doth lucem ferre, Chriſt doth beare about light over the World to every one that ſits in darkneſſe and needs it.