England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 84
COLOS. 1.28.
Warning every man.
foreign. The word here uſed may be purſued ſtrictly, according to what it ſignifies as ſo compounded, or it may be conſidered largely, according to what it ſignifies, as ſo in ſeverall Scriptures uſed. The compoſition of the word, notes a putting of a thing into the mind from foreign which ſignifies the mind, and foreign which ſignifies to put. Divine words reach the heart, they put themſelves into the minde, and into the ſoule. This reſolution of the Text makes reſolution to that queſtion, Job 38.36. Who hath put wiſdome into the inward parts, or who hath given underſtanding to the heart? The words of Chriſt doe this and nothing elſe; theſe doe foreign, put things into the ſoule, wiſdome and underſtanding into the inward parts.
The words of God have the advantage of their matter; they are pure. Juſtice is of Majeſty, what ſhines with the beames of this is ſtrongly impreſſive; O how forcible are right words, ſaith Job, that is words made up of rightouſneſſe, and thus are all Gods words neceſſarily, his breath is as himſelfe pure. Breath is a very internall thing; this ſtinking ſpeakes ſomething filthy in the inward parts. God is light, and [in him] is no darkneſſe. Satan comes and finds nothing [in me.] No impurity, no unrighteouſneſſe in God, he muſt needs therefore breath purely. Purity is of great Majeſty; when Adam bore the Image of God, his words were as thunder to all the creation; his words, yea his lookes went through and through. Purity and Majeſty be joynd together, Cant. 6.10. Cleare as the Sunne, terrible as an Army with Banners; what is pure, is of great power and Majeſty.
The words of Chriſt have the advantage of their forme. God opens his mouth in righteouſneſſe, and in wiſdom. Some have good breath, but not good braines and gutterals to ſhape it and utter it. Children come to the birth & cannot be delivered, or elſe delivered too ſoon, untimely births are not taking to looke upon none lodge ſuch in their boſomes. Indiſcretion turnes the point and edge of things that otherwiſe are very penetrating. The words of the wiſe are like goades and nailes, they goe into the heart: wiſdome takes the utmoſt of all advantage, which is very forcible, ſhe ſits her down in the center of a buſineſſe, and takes into her boſome all the ſmall lines that doe circumſtance it, and ſo makes her motion in every thing effectuall, heart-reaching, and heart-working. The heart is put for wiſdome in the old Teſtament, and I thinke for this reaſon, becauſe wiſdome is that which brings in all to the heart, words, workes, that which makes every thing like goads and nayles, piercing, or like honey dewes, ſo king, melting. Behold God is mighty, and deſpiſeth not any, he is mighty in ſtrength and wiſdome, Choach leb Iob 36.5.tis ſtrength and heart, or ſtrength of heart. Wiſdome is that which brings in things in ſtrength to the heart, and ſo makes it ſtrong upon the heart. Strength and wiſdome are joynd together here, things that we ſay or doe are of ſtrength, as this conjunction is kept, which is never ſeparated in order to God. No word of God, no worke of God, but uttered and wrought in wiſdome, which makes all his words like goads and nayles in entering.
The words of God have the advantage of their end. They are ſpirit and life, that is, they are intended above all words, to be ſpiritually forcible, they are appointed to be the Sword of the Spirit, that by which one ſpirit ſhould reach another; the Spirit of God, the Spirit of man & e contra. And take unto you the Helmet of ſalvation, and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. The Sword foreign from foreign, ſaith a critick, that which fetcheth blood with delight; that which joyes to goe into the veines, and into the heart, the ſeat of life. Things move delightfully to their end, to that ſcope and center to which they are appointed. The center of the word is the ſoule of man, the words of God ſinke downe into the eares. Let theſe words ſinke downe into your eares, ſaith Chriſt, they are directed from one ſpirit to another; they may knocke without, but they will be reſtleſſe, till they get in, into affection, or elſe into conſcience, into the marrow and joynts, which are the inmoſt things of man; an in-roome they will have, Spirit will to ſpirit; the Spirit will uſe the Word, which is to be a Sword according to Divine appointment; being put into his hand as a ſharpe weapon, he will joyfully ſheath it in the ſoule, in one part or other of it, how painfull ſoever it be to man; hee will wound the ſpirit, pricke the heart, let it be never ſo deepe. The words I ſpeake, ſaith Chriſt, they are ſpirit and life, that is, they are ſo inſtituted, to be of ſpirituall interpretation, and ſpirituall impreſſion, to pricke the heart, yea, to runne it through. The weapon in the hand of the Spirit, is ſuted and fitted to its end, to its appointed worke; tis very ſharpe, and very long, foreign romphaea, ſo tis cald, Revel. 2.12. jaculum oblongum, a very long dart to make through worke, ſave or ſlay; and therefore is this rod of Chriſts mouth cald a ſlaying weapon, Eſay 11.4.
Ʋſe Tis not ſafe I ſee by this poynt to have to doe with ſinne any way, not to meddle with it in any part, neither with hand nor heart; there is no hiding place any where for ſinne, no not within you; the word of God will get into you, twill ranſacke every corner of your ſoules, and diſcover deepe things out of darkneſſe; twil ſtrike fire with your bones, and kindle a fire in the midſt of you, bigge enough to diſcover and lay open all the very ſecrets of your heart, but I purpoſe not to drive this way.
That which I would ſtand on is this: this point in hand mee thinks hath not yet demonſtration enough, I would have you lend me one demonſtration more: Doe you finde this by experience, that the Word of God reacheth your hearts, and puts it ſelfe into your minds, and ſoules? our condition is very dolorous, tis darke night, and yet no man can tell how our night goes away; we cannot tell whether it be mid night yet, or what: I am afraid tis not neere day yet, becauſe every ones doores are ſhut, and faſt aſleepe; many ghoſts walking, which is very affrighting; yea, the holy Ghoſt walking, and knocking much at mens hearts, heads, eſtates, ready to knocke downe all, and yet cannot get in where he would be. England, when wilt thou throughly let in the Word of God? thy veines are very empty of blood now, is there no place yet for truth? Some conſumptions make the ſtomacke nauceate, as others make it voraminous; though all parts be empty, yet no deſire to take any thing in, to any purpoſe, but onelyonly ſip a little, which notwithſtanding the conſumption continues, and the body decayes and ſinkes apace: tis ſo with a body politicke, as it takes in Chriſt and his Word, ſo is it in a languiſhing, or a flouriſhing condition. The civill State, and the Divine, doe as the ſoule and body ſympathize; as the one proſpers ſo doth the other, twas noted a great while agoe worthily by good Mr. Fox, upon the burning of ſome Chriſtians in Norwich, the ſame yeere there followed ſuch a fearfull fire, as almoſt burnt downe the City: where note, ſaith he, that according to the ſtate of the Church ſo is the Common-wealth, in adverſity or proſperity: burne Saints, and Chriſt will burne Cities, Countries, Kingdomes; tis conſiderable therefore to obſerve, how we take in or caſt out the Word of God. The Word is nigh thee England, tis very nigh thee [tis in thee] as that expreſſion is Deut. 30.14. tis ſo nigh thee England, that I may goe on to ſay to thee, as he there doth to Iſrael, The Word is not in Heaven that thou ſhouldeſt ſay, who ſhall goe up for us to Heaven, and bring it downe to us, that we may heare it, and doe it: neither is it beyond the Sea, that thou ſhouldeſt ſay, who ſhall goe over the Sea and bring it to us, that we may heare and doe it; but the Word is very nigh thee, ſo nigh thee that in a ſence it may be ſaid to be in thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayſt doe it, that is, formally tis in thee, but not really, miniſterially, but not magiſterially, according to naked aſpect, not according to energeticall inſpect.
I will open this latter to you. The Word of God gotten into the heart magiſterially, is the heart ſtrong in love with the Word, in love with the Word becauſe the voyce of Chriſt, the voyce of a husband; The friend of a Bridegroome which ſtandeth and heareth [him] rejoyceth greatly, becauſe of the [Bridegroomes voice] John 3.19. You may ſee under what notion Chriſt and his voice is taken; as he is a Husband, a Bridegroome, and his Word as tis the voice of this Bridegroome. The Word got within the heart, marries the ſoule to Chriſt, that is, makes love to Chriſt above all; and now 'tould heare more words from his mouth, his firſt words are ſo ſweet; could ever heare his voyce and never be tired; the friend of a Bridegroome [ſtandeth] and heareth him. No poſture is painfull, no continuance of time tireſome, that is, not of the Spirit, though poſſibly it may be of the fleſh; twould heare him to day, to morrow, for ever; [rejoyceth greatly] becauſe of the Bridegroomes voyce, foreign gaudio gaudet, by joying or in joying, he joyeth; he is in good earneſt, his joy is a reall joy, a joy that takes the whole heart. The Greeke word alſo ſignifies to bid farewell; the Word of Chriſt got into the heart, the Bridgroomes voyce heard in the ſoule, makes ſuch a joy and ſuch a delight, that the ſoule bids farewell to all ſinfull mirth, and cals it madneſſe; yea, it bids farewell to all other delights comparatively, and cals them vanities, empty things, if not ſinfull things, vexing things, and ſo polluting at ſecond hand, if not downe rightly naught and polluting at firſt hand, as ſoone as ever toucht. He that toucheth pitch is defiled with it: ſome things are ſo naught as to touch them defiles, to thinke of them, or ſpeake of them: other things may be toucht and handled, provided we goe no further, but if hearted; if they come into the ſoule, they vex or bewitch, and ſo will not out againe without becomming ſinne. The Word of Chriſt got into the heart, bids farewell to all joyes fading, to all joyes that will bid the ſoule farewell, that doth not bid them farewell firſt; it makes a joy tranſcending other joyes, and ſo no need of them; and not onelyonly ſo, but a joy ſufficing, ſuch a vaſt being as the ſoule of man is: for the ſoule doth not caſt off old delights, upon the meere excellency of ſome new found out, that ſome of later invention doth ſomething more content; not upon this ground nakedly and ſimply doth the ſoule caſt off old ſinnes, for there are returnes to the ſame filth, unto mens old ſinnes, and yet going foreward to new too, theſe two are conſiſtent in a bad ſtate; the heart doth worſten it ſelfe ſtill as it goes forth to any thing more carnally contenting; and being made worſe, twill at laſt take up its vomit, eate againe an old ſinne, by the ſtrength and puniſhment of a new, and ſo hold what he hath, and goe backe and ſinne over former ſinnes againe, with more ſenſleſneſſe, and with more preſumption than at firſt he did commit them: and the reaſon is, becauſe in old and new delights, he miſſes ſtill ſomething that he aimed at: but the ſoule doth caſt off former delights utterly, upon ſuch a preſent excellency of delight and joy as doth ſuffice and fill up the ſoule: now the Word of God got into the heart, the voice of the Bridegroom heard in the ſoule, or with the ſoule, it makes a full joy, ſuch a joy as beſide or beyond which the ſoule knowes none, nor deſires none.John 3.29: This my joy [therefore] is fulfilled, ſaid John: [therefore is fulfilled.] Wherefore? why that as a friend of the Bridegroome, he could ſtand and heare the voice of the Bride, ſpiritually heare Chriſt, eare and heart his words, take in, and take downe the drops that fell from his mouth. Though they are but drops that fall from Chriſts mouth here, in compariſon of what falls from his lips above; yet they are ſo big that they fill the ſoule, every Grape of this Vine ounce grapes. There is a grape in forraigne parts, which becauſe of the greatneſſe of it, is call'd an ounce grape. Every grape of this Vine, to wit Chriſt, is an ounce grape, every drop from his mouth, an ounce drop, of ſo much juyce and liquor as fills the ſoule with joy; and the ſoule filled once, then it doth indeed bid farewell to all joyes and all delights, parts with all parting things utterly.
If you finde that the Word is of no ſpirituall force, that it doth not go into your ſoules, Chriſt in this caſe muſt be move'd. Divine inſtitutions are not neceſſarily ſucceſſefull; all meanes are ſo ordered that the ſoule in the midſt of them ſhould looke up to Chriſt. The word and Chriſt, as well as the creatures and Chriſt, are ſeparable here below; though not above, and joyn'd together by faith and prayer. Many brave things may be ſpoken to us from the word, but we can receive in none, unleſſe we have a higher helpe then the meere Word which we heare▪ There aroſe a queſtion between Johns Diſciples, and the Jewes about purifying; John anſwered the queſtion briefly and pithily, A man can receive nothing, unleſſe it be [given him from heaven] meaning not extraordinary graces and gifts for office, nor ordinary as a Chriſtian, John 4.27. Receptions and takings in of divine things, theſe are high things indeed, gifts from heaven. We may bring many brave things and lay them at your doore, at your eares; but the taking in of theſe into your heart, this muſt be given you from heaven. And bleſſed him that had the promiſes, Heb. 7.6. 'tis more for a perſon to have the promiſes, then to have meerly the Word preacht to him. Abraham was one that had the promiſes, and yet he needed a ſuper-benediction, to make all promiſes bleſſings to him, ſomething from heaven, to make all the words he heard on earth, heaven to him; how much more need there a bleſſing from heaven attending men which have not the promiſe as Abraham had, but onelyonly the Word ſounded to them? The ſpring is in God ſtill, therefore let no man miſtake himſelfe when he looks upon the Trunke. The Word is but a Pipe, and conveyance of the Spirit: All my ſtrings are in [thee.] To have ſprings in our ſoules, to have words turned into works, working words, we muſt with the Spouſe look up to God: Thou that dwelleſt in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice [cauſe me to beare it] Cant. 8.13. 'Tis the complaint of many poore ſoules, that the Word is of no power in them, that it gets within ſuch and ſuch, and they are melted and delated, and run out in ſtrength of love to Chriſt: Why tell your ſad ſtory to Chriſt as the Spouſe doth, the companions hearken to thy voice, cauſe me to heare it: ſuch and ſuch can eare and heart the Word, cauſe me to doe ſo too.