None but Christ, Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI. An exhortation to all to ſtudy the knowledge of Jeſus Chriſt.
THe fifth uſe is a uſe of exhortation; ſeeing the knowledg of Chriſt is moſt excellent, moſt profitable, and moſt comfortable; it ſhould ſtir us up above all things in the world, to ſtudy & take pains to know Ieſus Chriſt ſavingly, and bewail our ſtudy of other things, with the neglect of Chriſt; This is our great work to give all diligence to make our calling and election ſure, that is, make Chriſt ſure. Omnia ſiperdas 2 Pet. 1. 10.animam (Chriſtum) ſervare memento; whatever we looſe, be ſure we looſe not our ſoules, we looſe not Chriſt; one ſoul is worth all the world, and one Chriſt is worth a 1000. ſoules; therefore let this be our greateſt care to enquire with theActs 16 3. Iailor, Sirs, what ſhall I do to be ſaved; what courſe ſhall I take to come to know that Chriſt is my Saviour? To excite us thereto, let us ſeriouſly ponder in our hearts theſe two things.
Firſt, What do we more ſtand in need of, or can do us more good then Ieſus Chriſt? is it …es, honours, pleaſures, or any thing the world hath, or can help us unto?
Secondly, how ready and willing is God to give Chriſt? God is as willing to give Chriſt, as we can be willing to receive him, upon the termes he hath offered him, which appears in that …e cals upon us to receive him.
1. By Acclamation; Preach the Goſpel to every creature, Matth. 16. 16. 1 Iohn 3. 19. And let whoſoever will take of the water of life, Rev. 22. 17. 2. By Exhortations and perſuaſive arguments; Turne you, turn you; why will you die? Ezek. 33. Come unto me all you that are weary, &c. Matth. 11. 28. 3. By Impetrations and intreatyes; I pray, be reconciled to God, 2 Cor. 5. 20. 4. By Injunction and oommand, ſay not I dare not beleeve; for its your duty; I command you to beleeve; 1 Iohn 3. 23. This is his commandment, &c. 5. By Comminations and threatnings, If you will not receive Chriſt, it will lie heavy upon you; Matth. 11. 21. Wo be to thee Chorazin, wo be to thee Bethſaida, &c. 6. By Patheticall lamentation; As when he wept over Ieruſalem and ſaid, Oh that thou hadſt known in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace! Luke 19. 42. Oh that my people h… harkened to me! Pſal. 81. 13. 7. By Continuation, he continues perſwading again and again, yea a 1000. times; Behold I ſtand at the door and knock, Rev. 3. 10. O Ieruſalem, how often would I have gathered thee, and thou wouldſt not, Matth. 23. 37. 8. By inward motions and excitations of his ſpirit ſtrivingActs 7. 51. with our ſpirits to perſwade us to come unto him. My ſpirit ſaith God ſhall not alwayes ſtrive with man, Gen. 6. 3. We know the Prodigals father met him halfe way when he returned, to ſhew how ready Chriſt is to embrace thoſe that come to him; and ſure if Chriſt knocks at our door that we might open, if we knock at his door he will open; and if God gave Chriſt when we never begd him, he will not deny him to thoſe that ask him. Open to me my ſiſter, my love, my dove, my undefiled, for my head is filled with Cant. 5. 2.dew, and my locks with the drops of the night, ſaith our bleſſed Saviour to his ſpouſe.
Queſt. But you will ſay how ſhould a man come to attain to the knowledge of Ieſus Chriſt with application.
Anſw. I anſwer briefly, and plainly, for the help of the ignorant and young beginners;
Firſt labour to ſee the worth and excellency that is in Chriſt; …f thou kneweſt that gift of John 4. 10. Ignoti nulla Cupido. Voluntas ſequiturdictamen intellectus.God, thou wouldſt have asked; you ſee becauſe ſhe knew it not, ſhe asked not; our affections are kindled, according as our underſtandings apprehend? The eye affects the heart; beauty draws affection; Hence the Lord Chriſt ſets forth himſelfe in all his robes of glory in the Canticles, to this end that the ſpouſe might be the more raviſhed with his love, and to win her affection to him, Becauſe of the ſavour of thy good ointments poured forth, therefore the virgins love thee, Cant. 1. 3. yea hence it is that the whole book of the Canticles is ſo beſpangled with the praiſes of Chriſt, as the firmament with ſtarres, but eſpecially in Cant. 5. 9. to the end. And what's the reaſon why men ſet ſo light by Ieſus Chriſt? is it not becauſe they ſee nothing in him, why they ſhould deſire him? Eſ. 52. 3. But the excellency of Chriſt hath been at large handled before, in the ninth, tenth and eleventh chapter, to which I refer the Reader.
Secondly, labor to ſee thy need of Chriſt; that without him thou art moſt wretched and miſerable, aRev. 3. 17yea more miſerable then any creature that ever God made, except the divels; which appears in five particulars. 1. Conſider ſeriouſly the multitude of ſinnes thou art guilty of, even more then the haires of thy head, or the ſands on the ſea-ſhore, or the ſtarres in the heavens which are innumerable; Innumerable evils (ſaith) David hath campaſſed me, they are more then the haires of my head, therefore my heart faileth me; bPſ. 40. 122. And yet alas one of thy ſinnes were enough to ſink thee into hell for ever. cGal. 3. 10.Conſider alſo the foulneſſe, and greatneſſe of thy ſins (which will one day ſtare upon thee as ſo many divels) thy Atheiſme, and blaſphemy, thy pride, hypocriſie, vain glory, thy oaths and perjury, filthineſſe and uncleanneſſe, coveteouſneſſe, deceit, oppreſſion, malice, envy, and a world of wickedneſſe. Mine iniquities (ſaith David) are gone over my head, like a heavy but then they are too heavy for me; dPſ. 38. 4…3. Conſider them likewiſe with their aggravating circumſtances; many of them committed with deliberation and wilfulneſſe againſt thy knowledge and conſcience, the motions of the holy ſpirit, againſt thine own vowes, covenants and reſolutions; thy reiterated relapſes, like the dog returning to his former vomit which he had caſt up, or the waſhed ſow to her wallowing in her former mire; Thy continuing in thy ſins, 20. 30. 40. 50. years, till perhaps thy glaſſe be halfe run, or almoſt out; and all this time hath been ſpent in ſerving the divel, thy luſts and the world, and in enmity to God and his righteouſneſſe. 4. (Becauſe we are ready to ſay, Alas we are all ſinners, who can ſay non peccavi?) Conſider thy ſins, thy ſpots, are not the ſpots of Gods, cDeut. 32. 5.people; for they ſin, but they hate their ſins, mourn under them, are weary of them; but thou loveſt them, takeſt pleaſure in them, and art loath to forſake them, f2 Theſſ. 2. 12.and liveſt willingly in known ſinnes againſt conſcience, and art under the power and dominion of ſin. gRom. 614. Tit. 3. 3.5. Fifthly and laſtly, Conſider the heavy judgements that hang over thy head for them; thou art hated and accurſed of God, lyeſt open to all his judgements in this life, to be tormented with divels and reprobates for ever in the life to come, where thou ſhalt nothing but roare, howle, weep and wail, and gnaſh thy teeth to all eternity. Thinke with thy ſelfe that ſome are in hell already for the ſame ſins thou liveſt in, and if thou liveſt and dyeſt without Chriſt, thou ſhalt ere long be with them; Reaſon thus, Is Cain in hell for hating goodneſſe in his brother? hIohn 3. 12.Thats my ſin; I have hated goodneſſe in my brethren; are ſome in hell for coveteouſneſſe, uncleanneſſe, voluptuous living, &c. theſe are my ſins, and lurke in my heart. Nay if one ſin lived in with delight will damn me, as a wanton looke, aIob 31. 5. right eye, a luſtfull vanity, &c. what heapes of wrath muſt I lie under, that am guilty of ſo many millions of ſins. And now tell me ſadly, haſt thou need of any thing more then a Saviour, and to get thy pardon? Surely no; I know men are hardly brought to beleeve this, who are naturally fild with pride and ſelf-love, ready to thinke well of themſelves; to ſay as Peter to Chriſt, Maſter, pity thy ſelfe, this evill ſhall not come unto thee. Damned, God forbid; I would not for a thouſand worlds this ſhould be my condition; but yet it is ſo, and will be ſo, if thou getteſt not thy part in Chriſt. And certainly men will never ſeriouſly ſeek after Chriſt, till they ſee this their need of him; the whole needeth not a Phyſician nor careth for him? who careth for a pardon till he be condemned?
3. The third meanes to get Chriſt, is to be ſick with our ſinnes. For Chriſt came not to call the righteous, but ſick ſinners to repentance; aMark 2. 17.ſuch as are weary and loaden, bMat. 11. 28.broken-hearted cEſa. 61. 1.pricked in their hearts, dAct. 2. 37.ſtung with their ſinnes, as the Iſraelites were with fiery ſerpents. A… bruiſed Chriſt will lie in a bruiſed heart.e Ioh. 3. 14 Which though ſome make it a back door, yet I am ſure the whole Scripture holds it forth, (ordinarily) as a qualification praevenient to receive Chriſt: and therefore tels of a repentance (whether legall only, or evangelicall alſo following it before faith, I will not now diſpute) praeceding faith, as in Matth. 21. 32. You repented not that you might beleeve; And Paul preached of repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jeſus Chriſt. fAct. 20. 21And in the Primitive Catechiſme they taught repentance from dead workes, and faith towards God▪ gHeb. 6. 1.Such and ſuch only are fit to priſe Chriſt, as the ſick onelyonly are glad of a Phyſician; a condemned man, and upon the ladder ready to be turned of, O how glad is he of a pardon? As thoſe that were ſtung with fiery ſerpents, O how welcome was a brazen ſerpent to them? Yea ſuch will be willing to receive Chriſt upon his own termes; Heavineſſe in the heart will make it ſtoope; hProv. 12. 2. 9.As we ſee Paul who then cryed out, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? iActs 9. 6.And in the Prodigall who prayed, Father, make me as one of thy hired ſervants.
4, The fourth meanes to get to know Chriſt is ours, is to be ſick for Chriſt, as the Church was; I am ſick of love; kCant. 2. 5 I Ioh. 7. 37. Eſa 44. 3. Luke 1. 53.Chriſt calleth the hungry and thirſty, &c. Let him that is athirſt come and drinke; I will poure water upon him that is thirſty, and flouds upon drie ground; the hungry thou filleſt with good things; (l) As the mother opens her breaſt when the child cryes for it, ſo Chriſt opens the boſome of his love to ſuch as earneſtly deſire him; we know thirſt hath 4. properties, firſt it proceeds from ardent heat, either when ſcorcht with heat of the Sun, or by exceſſive labour, &c. And ſecondly it is ardens deſiderium, not a lazy, but a burning earneſt deſire. Give a thirſty man what you will, gold or ſilver, nothing contents him but water. 3. It is a ſpeaking deſire he begs, cryes and roares for water. 4. It is a preſent deſire; delay increaſeth, in…ageth his deſire; ſo is it with a ſoule that thirſts for Chriſt, 1. He is one ſcorcht with the heat of Gods anger. 2. His deſire is ardent, he deſires Chriſt more then thouſands of gold and ſilver. 3. He cryes out I thirſt. The hunted Hart brayeth not more for water, then a thirſty ſoule doth for Chriſt. mPſ. 42. 1. Rom. 8. 26. Prov. 13. 1…. 19.Fourthly he is not ſatisfied till he hath found Chriſt; give me Chriſt or elſe I die, ſay they; as Rachel ſaid, Give me children or elſe I die.
The fifth meanes is to be willing to part with all our ſinnes to obtain Chriſt,Matth, 13, 44. As the wiſe Merchant ſold all that he had to buy the pearl; oActs. 96.Paul cryed, Lord what wilt thou have me to do? I am content to do any thing, be any thing, ſuffer any thing for Chriſt. Many are higlers and cheapeners, and ſome come near, but few come home to the full price, and ſo loſe the bargain; ſome will part with all but one luſt it may be; As Jacob would part with any ſon but Benjamin; He ſhould not go; they ſay of ſome darling luſt, as Naaman ſaid; God be mercifull in this or that only, as Herod in his Herodias, the young man in his coveteouſneſſe; O ſpare my right eye, my Joſeph, my Adonijab. But Chriſt will have all, or none at all; if a man part with many lovers, yet if he retaines the love of one harlot, he is an adulterer; ſo if thou retaineſt the love of one ſin in thy boſome, hating to be re-formed, thou canſt never receive Chriſt,pIoh. 13. 9
Caution, Not but that ſin will cleave to us while we live here: but yet we muſt part with our ſins two wayes. 1. In our affections and deſires, being willing to part with them all. qRom 7. 15. 24. ult.2. In our purpoſes, reſolutions and indeavors to forſake them all.rActs 11. 23. Heb. 13. 18
6. The ſixt and laſt meanes to get Chriſt, is to ſeek him, Precibus & ſuſpiriis with prayers and teares, Aske and you ſhall receive, Matth. 7. 7. Rom. 10. 11. If thou hadſt asked, I would have given that gift of God, ſaith Chriſt. Thus Paul ſought Chriſt, Act. 9. 11. behold he prayeth. Only… Iohn 4. 10. Ezek. 36. 37. ſeek earneſtly and conſtantly, as Jacob wreſtled with God, and ſaid I will not let thee go untill thou bleſſe me; or as the woman of Canaan, that would not be put off at leaſt with a crumme of mercy; or as Mary when John and Peter went back, when they found not Chriſt, preſently ſhe ſtood and ſtayed at the ſepulchre, weeping till ſhe found her Saviour. Alſo uſe all other meanes; ſeek Chriſt in the temple, for there his mother found him, and thou mayeſt find him; wait upon all ordinances, and let thy end be hoping to find Chriſt in them; ſeek Chriſt alſo among his Saints, forſake all bad company, and joyn thy ſelfe with them as Paul did, tActs 9. 26. 25.and continue thus ſeeking; and in his bleſſed time he will ſay unto thee, be it to thee according to thy deſire; and thus mayeſt thou come to know Chriſt, not only a Saviour, but thy Saviour, thy Lord, and thy God.