England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 88
COLOS. 1.29.
Whereunto I alſo labour.
TO take ſoules from off themſelves, and to ſet them downe in Chriſt, beares much by divine Ordinance upon our calling, and makes our worke very hard, which is noted in this terme, labour, foreign, the word ſignifies ſuch actions and induſtrie as faints, waſtes, and weares out all; ſuch a labour as Solomon ſpeaks of, Eccleſ. 10.15. The labour of the fooliſh wearieth every one of them, becauſe he knoweth not how to goe to the City. This Emphaſis of the word is held forth to the Theſſalonians, to worke them to a reverend eſteem of their teachers. We beſeech you brethren to know them which [labour] among you, and are over you in the Lord, foreign, which ſpend and waſte themſelves amongſt you, to take you off from ſinne, and ſelfe, and to ſet you downe in Chriſt, in whom onelyonly ſoules are fully and perfectly bleſſed. We are as Jonathans armour-bearer; whither ſo ever our Maſter goes, we are to goe after him, though we creep upon all foure. Your life is our death, your fatning is our leaning; your Raven-black haires, are our milke white. We are foreign, 1 Tim. 3.2. Such as wax white with painfulneſſe and watchfulneſſe; reading, praing, ſighing, mourning, and groaning for your good.
Coaction with Chriſt is no idle imployment; he doth not attempt ſmall things, neither is he of ſmall ſtrength to keep pace with ſuch weak agents as we are: 'tis hard work to draw in yoke with one that is double and treble in ſtrength above me. We are foreign, workers together with Chriſt, he attempts the greateſt things that are, and the moſt deſperate; the taking of holds, ſtrong holds, Canaanites, Hittites, &c. which dwell in Towns which are walled up to heaven, and founded downe to hell: he attempts the bloud and death of all, the conqueſt of this whole world; the generall making ſuch deſperate attempts, and taking onelyonly Rams-hornes, a ſling and a ſtone, ſuch a fraile party as we are, you may eaſily think our work to be deſperate, full of paine and perill: Had man been ſet to fight with man, one man with one man, that had been painfull worke; but man is drawn out to fight with beaſts, the fierceſt beaſts; with Lions, Beares, Wolves, Serpents, Scorpions, yea, with devills; there was never ſuch a fight in the grand Circue at Rome. We wreſtle with ſuch creatures as have no hold-faſt to be taken of them, which have no armes, no legs, no fleſh, nor bones; we wreſtle not againſt fleſh and bloud, but againſt principalities, againſt powers, againſt the rulers of the darkneſſe of this world, againſt ſpirituall wickedneſſes in high places, Epheſ. 6.12. We are drawne out to fight upon all the diſadvantage in the world, againſt creatures that are upon higher ground, that have pitched field in high places, that have no fleſh to be wounded, nor bloud to loſe, that can make ambuſhments at pleaſure, being the rulers of the darkneſſe of this world; this is the Rhetorick of the Apoſtle.
We are Stewards of myſteries: ſentence is paſt upon us to dye according to the Law which we have broken; onelyonly we have the benefit of our book; but this book is written as books of ſuch nature uſually are, very myſteriouſly, with an old ſtrange Character; our worke is to ſtand by and prompt ſoules concerning their neck verſe, which is very painfull and trembling worke: the book in which ſinners are to read for their life, is written with bloud, which is very inward and ominous inke. The Characters and Syllables ſutable, when put together into words, theſe words are ſpirit; The words I ſpeake, ſaith Chriſt, are ſpirit. What is a more inward and hidden thing then this? and yet this are we to interpret; our worke is to be an interpreter betweene two of very remote parts, that live as farre aſunder as heaven and earth, as heaven and hell, I might ſay; between Spirits, the ſpirit of God and the ſpirit of man; one whereof 'tis more proper to ſay, is in hell whilſt out of heaven, then in any middle place between. Tranſactions between God and the ſoule, are the deepeſt, the weightieſt, the intricat'ſt things in the world. A ſinner is convicted, ſentenced, carried to the place of execution; his winding ſheet wrapt about his ſhoulders, his handkerchiffe tyed before his eyes, his halter about his neck, his ſentence written upon his forehead, in this ſhalt thou hang till thou bee dead; and yet poſſibly no internall intention concurring, or meaning the bloud of the ſoule: Divining in this caſe at the foot of the Ladder, what will become of him that is on the top on't ſitting trembling; whether he will be turned off, or fetcht downe with a pardon, is extraordinary hard work to determine, and yet beares not upon any extraordinary office; no Angel is diſpatcht from heaven, to be an oracle in this difficult caſe, but it lyes upon our ſhoulders by ordinance. The Prieſts lips are to preſerve knowledge. If there be any divining in this extraordinary worke, tis not by extraordinary, but ordinary office; there is not one from the dead to tell who ſhall dye next; no one ſent from hell, to tell who is to come next thither. Things belonging both to the death and life of the ſoule, are made manifeſt by our miniſtration, by our labour; wee are the Heralds of Heaven, the Trumpet of God, in which he ſounds Retreat and March, fight and victory, funerall and triumph; we are to ſound ſad and dolefull, ſweet and joyfull; to tell who are ſlaine and who ſaved: our Travells are to all remote parts that are, into Heaven, into hell, into the heart of man where theſe two meet, to ſearch the book of life, and the book of death, to finde whoſe names are written in the one, and to informe the perſons. Paul could tell Clement and others, that their names were written in the book of life, Phil. 4.3. And whoſe names are written in the other, to wit, the book of death; and to informe likewiſe the perſons. Jude could tell who were of old ordained to condemnation; we are to ſeek creatures loſt in hel, which is hard work to finde, to ſearch out things hidden in God, from ages and generations, which is harder worke.
Ʋſe. The ſoule of man certainly is very precious to Chriſt, he ſits up with it late, watches with it very long, burnes out many watch-lights to ſave it if poſſibly from dying eternally. Eſtimation is to be made of things, according to coſt about it, provided that the layer out bee prudent. When you let houſes or lands, this comes in as a conſideration, to heighten rent, what you are out in purchaſe, and repaire. Chriſt cannot be taxt for imprudence or improvidence, and yet he is at more coſt and paines about the ſoule, then about any thing; not onelyonly here and there a man is pickt out, to miniſter to the ſoule, but all the creatures in the world, are ſeverally gifted, vertued, decked, and adorned, to miniſter to, and worke upon the ſoule: the words and works of God have all a harmony in this, they all therefore are and abide, which otherwiſe ſhould all paſſe away, were it not to take and gaine the ſoule: there is a juice and Verdure, a ſpirit in every living creature, to incline it to ſerve man, and ſo to by as his ſoule to God. The multitude of preachers to the ſoul of man is great; ſome he had at the third hour, ſome at the ſixth, ſome at the ninth; God and the Creation were preaching to man from the beginning; all creatures brought their full goodneſſe to mans full view and uſe, to keep him fully good, but could not: he fell aſleep in the fore-noon, in the morning, when the primeſt and ſweeteſt ſermons were made, that ever the eares of man heard, and dyed in his ſleep. Wee that come in labourers at the latter part of the day, we preach to the dead; our worke is to fetch the dead to life againe, to raiſe Lazars out of their grave, that have lain there long and ſtink; and yet how unſavory ſoever, how impoſſible ſoever our worke is, and ſeemes to be, we muſt upon the perill of the bloud of our own ſoules diſcharge it: our labour is ſpending and ending; we like Rachel dye in travell to bring forth ſonnes and daughters to Chriſt: and yet woe to us, we ſhall dye twice, if wee hold not on this labour, and this travell. Certainly Chriſt hath put an high price on poore ſoules.
I am ſadded to thinke how miſ-judging ſome perſons are of Chriſt and their ſoules: Doth Chriſt milke out his breaſt to baſtards? ſuch as are baſe borne, and no ſonnes? Can he ſumme up nought, nought? many noughts to a great ſumme, and to a great price? A naughty tongue, a naughty hand, a naughty heart, a naughty conſcience; all theſe naughty parts to a precious whole? I anſwer, Chriſt doth prize naked beings, the ſoule according to its eſſe, though it hath never a good quality in it. What ſhall a man give in exchange for his ſoule? high price is put here upon the ſoule ſimply as it is ſuch a tranſcendent being, beyond others: then againe Chriſt ſets a price upon things according to what he can work them too; he can lay out coſt and paines, mans meate, horſe meat, ſeed and grain, of this kinde, and that; and plow in hope. Perſons of art and skill put a price upon this and that graſſe, which others tread under foote as weeds and nothing worth, becauſe by ſuch and ſuch decoctions they know what precious things to bring them to. Nero put great price upon Thapſis a gigantine, Fennell; his great men about him wondred to ſee him ſend ſo farre for it, and put ſuch eſteeme upon it; but hee did ſo becauſe he knew how to order it with Frankincenſe and other things, to take away the bruiſes of his body. God hath Frankincenſe by him, to wit, Chriſt; and though wee be but as Fennell a weede little worth, yet hee can tell how to order us, and ſhape us, ſo as to bring us to great maturity and price; and according to this, to wit, what he can do with ſoules, doth he put price upon them, though at preſent of little worth: and therefore let empty creatures judge righteouſly concerning Chriſt and their ſoules. Would Chriſt be at paines and at coſt to lay pipes to the ciſterne, if he did not meane to fill it?
Be juſt in opinion concerning Chriſt, and mercifull in practice concerning us, and this is the laſt thing I have to ſay upon the point. Our calling is full of waſting labour, very painefull; eaſen it to us by your plyableneſſe to Chriſt. Sinners are full of ſores, putrified from head to foot, and yet will not be lanced nor dreſt; this is the killing paine of all our paynes, that all we do is rejected: Miniſters would not be gray headed ſo ſoone, nor die ſo faſt, notwithſtanding their great labour, if it were but ſucceſſefull; but this cuts to the heart, and makes us bleed in ſecret, that though we do much, it comes to nothing. I am placed in an Hoſpitall, where there are ſo many ſcore Diſeaſed creatures, that 'twould pity any ones heart to looke upon them, and yet when I come to dreſſe them, they all curſe mee in their heart; and one hides his wounds from mee, an other ſees and ſweares he is as well as I, in as good a condition as his Miniſter, and yet lookes as pale as Death: as black in the mouth, and in the eyes as if he were in Hell already; an other tumbles in blood and filth, and ſayth, this is his Scarlet-ſhute, hee hath no other habit to go brave and gallant in: if he ſhould not do ſo and ſo, he ſhould die in the neaſt, and wiſhes thoſe hang'd that contradict and trouble him: there is ſo many filthy breaths and dampes in the places where wee worke, theſe are the things that kill us more then our meere paine; there is ſo much conjuring in the ſpittle where we are placed, and ſo many eyes ſtare and looke ſo fiery and gaſtly, ſo many devils walking among the Tombes and Graves, where we are labouring to rowle away ſtones that lie at the mouthes of them. Theſe are they that teare our Lungs, conſume our Spirits. Our worke dies, therefore we die, not ſo much that we labour, as that we labour in vaine; wee can ſend none out of the Hoſpitall where wee are Phiſitians, upon two Legs, but all upon foure; none goe out well, all die under our hands: all the ſolemnitis belonging to our company, are for the moſt part Funerall ſolemnities, going to the Grave with the dead in treſpaſſes and ſinnes: our invitations are, Sir, mourne with me I beſeech you, for ſuch a one that lies upon his eternall Death-bed, that hath Plague-ſpots in his breaſt, that lies raving, blaſpheming, and much a doe to keepe him in his Bed, to keepe him from leaping into a worſe, (if worſe may be) from leaping deſperatly into Hell. When our Miniſtrey petrefies, turnes hearts into ſtones, and theſe taken up and throwne at us, this kills us: the recoiling of our paines kills us, when our peace returnes to us, as Chriſt ſpeakes. J have laboured in vaine, ſpent my ſtrength for naught, ſaith the Prophet. When we ſpend our ſtrength to make men more naught then they were, this wounds our heart, which ſhould be conſidered of ſinners; to kill ones ſelfe and ones Miniſter too which would ſave him, what a bloudy condition is this! the bloud of a Miniſter upon a mans ſoule, is more then the blood of many men; ſtubborne ſoules, lay this to heart. When the Poet would cure drunkenneſſe in the Heathen Emperour, he ſaid, remember thou drinkeſt the Blood and the Life of the earth, meaning the juyce of the Grape. So I ſay to you ſtubborne ſinners, remember when you breake the heart of your Miniſters by your ſtubbornneſſe, you deſtroy the Blood and Life of the World. I would I could ſay any thing to breake the Iron ſinnew that is in the neck of ſome ſins and ſinners. Be a friend to us in our worke, and be a friend to your ſelves: come off readily, and ſpeedily to Chriſt, our work will be eaſy and your condition ſafe: hold us fight long, and I know who will fall at laſt with a witneſſe. The warre betweene the houſe of David and Saul was long, ſaith the Text, 2 Sam. 3.1. the iſſue was anſwerable: had that malitious ſtubborne man layd downe his Armes, and readily yeilded to the Will of God, to Chriſt that came againſt him in David, hee might have found mercy, but he would ſtand it out to the laſt, and weary God and David his ſervant, till at laſt there was no remedy, and then all Davids Teares, Prayers, and brave ſervices that he had done tooke place and effect with a witneſſe. Make our life dolefull, and Chriſt will make your death dolefull, be as great as you will: ſtay long in the birth and kill Midwife, and you will be delivered in hell: eaſe us and eaſe Chriſt: for Chriſt ſtriveth in us, we ſtrive but according as be ſtriveth in us; as ſaith the following clauſe in my Text, ſtriving according to his working, and therefore is Noahs ſuffering ſo long, in his paynes for that people, called the long ſuffering of God, 1 Pet. 3.2. London, England, the blood of many Prophets is upon thee is this nothing? the blood of God is upon thee, and God layes this to heart now: now he makes inquiſition for blood, hee makes blood to touch blood, your blood to touch the blood of them whom you have kil'd in their labour, by your frowardneſſe and wickedneſſe to Chriſt and them.