Exposition of Colossians

Come we to the eight verse, where the Apostle proves that Epaphras was faithful for the good of the Colossians, because he gave testimony of their love. To omit other acceptions, the words are thus to be understood that Epaphras made known to Paul and Timothy what love the Colossians bare unto them (for he spake of all their love to all the Saints before, verse. 4.) and the words carry this sense; which ye have being far from us in body, that you do inwardly affect us in soul and spirit, though you be far distant from us in body and that the word (spirit) is sometimes thus taken, appears cap. 2. of this Epistle ver. 5. though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit.

Here first we are to mark that the Apostle commends Epaphras for reporting unto him how the Colossians loved him and Timothy, which may minister this instruction: that it is an excellent virtue for such as have intercourse and pass between party and party, to relate and speak of things that may engender, and increase true mutual love and Christian affection between them, thus did Epaphras, he no doubt made known to the Colossians, what an excellent Apostle Paul was, again he declared to him, what love the Colossians bare unto him, to stir him up in affection towards them, hence it is that we find it among the virtues of special note, to think and speak of things that pertain to love: will we see a reason of this it is soon given, any man may easily conceive it, if he do but consider as he ought the excellency of true Christian love amongst men, it being that which is driven at in all commandments of the second table, and that which makes all good duties profitable and good to our brethren, as the Apostle proves at large, and love being thus excellent, surely the speaking of such things, as tend to the furtherance and increase of it, mutually amongst men must needs be a special virtue and a worthy grace of a good Christian. [Use.] This being so, that to report such things. as may engender, and increase love, is an excellent virtue. Then the contrary to this to carry such tales and reports between parties which are as wood to the fire, to stir up strife, to set men at ods and difference, cannot choose but be a notable vice, and the very character and badge of a lewd person, and a fault too common in the world, some there be who make tale telling so common a practice, as there is not an honest man or woman that hath not some time or other been wounded by the stroke of the ranging tongue of the tale-bearer; but let such as are guilty of this sin, consider the ugliness of it, let them consider beside this, that it is the property of a vile nature, to seek by tales to make others vile, that it is the very bane and poison of friendship, and the cut-throat of amity, a degree of murder, so saith the Lord that in Jerusalem were men that carried tales to shed blood. Let them I say further consider thē reach of this sin, it reacheth not only to the killing of the bodies, but of the soul of many at one blow; we say, it is a shrewd blow that kills three at once. Now the tale-teller (without God's mercy) kills his own soul, and peradventure the souls of twenty more, who rashly upon the hearing of a false tale condemn the innocent, the Lord therefore stirred up the spirit of David, to pray that God would root out all deceitful lips. If these things be thought on, they are sufficient to breed in a heart not given over to it self, a detestation of this sin, and let us take heed, the Devil deceives us not in this case, for he will force this upon us under many fair pretences, as that we are sorry that our neighbors hath done so, that we speak not of malice, nor all we could speak.

Let us beware of this subtlety, and learn to avoid this sin.

From the last words (which ye have by the spirit) the [Doct. 2] point briefly is this, that true believers love one another though they never see the face one of another, which argues true love not rising from any outward thing, either pleasure or profit, the ground of this, is their union with Christ, for they that are one with Christ, cannot but be one in heart among themselves, how far distant soever they be one from another in body: and let us hereby try our love to the Saints of God, [Use.] if we be affected towards them, of whom we hear well and yet never saw them, if we love them as heartily as our own son or brother, then our love is true spiritual love, and a testimony of our adoption. We know that we are translated from death to life, because we love the brethren.

The Apostle having finished the first part of the preface of this Epistle, his congratulation or rejoicing for the Colossians. In this ninth verse, he comes to the second part, his comprecation or prayer for them, which is laid down in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh verses. In this ninth verse, he first sets down the moving cause, what moved him to pray, namely, the same that moved him to give thanks, (for this cause &c.) together with the continuance of his prayer, that from the day, he heard of their faith and love, he continued to pray for them, and then further he makes known in what manner he prayed, namely with desire, after that follows the matter of his prayer, that they might be fulfilled with knowledge, which knowledge is limited by the object, namely the will of God, and further amplified by two special things, wherein it doth consist, namely, wisdom and understanding, and both these spiritual. These be the parts of this ninth verse. Touching the words not to say anything of the moving cause, that stirred the Apostle to pray for the Colossians, having spoken of that, in verse the third, nor yet of the continuance of his prayer, that he ceased not to pray for them.

[Doct. 1] The first thing that we may hence observe, is, that prayer is a special means to help us forward, and to make us increase in knowledge and spiritual understanding. The Apostle thought it not sufficient to write unto the Colossians and to labor with them by instruction and exhortation to confirm them in the true faith, but he further saith he ceased not to be instant with the Lord in prayer for them, that they might be fulfilled with knowledge of his will, whence it follows that prayer, not only of others, but of us for our selves, is a notable means for the increase of our spiritual knowledge, this is taught most plainly if any man lack wisdom, if any having a small measure of wisdom find an emptiness, a defect and want of wisdom and knowledge (as no man but shall if he be able to sift his own brain) and would have a supply, let him ask of God which giveth to all men liberally, and reproacheth no man, and it shall be given him. The reasons of this are these: first, it is a confessed truth, that the knowledge of God's will revealed in his word, comes by illumination of the spirit of Christ in whose power it is to open and shut the book of God at his pleasure. We are not able of our selves, to understand the plainest things delivered in the word. Now the spirit of grace and illumination is obtained by the prayer of faith: so saith our Savior, if ye which are evil, can give good gifts unto your Children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Ghost to them that desire him? Whence it followeth necessarily that prayer is a special means for the increase of knowledge. Again true prayer, the prayer of faith is not only a means to fit, to prepare and to sanctify out hearts to receive grace; but even the very action of prayer, though it do not merit, yet doth it increase in some particulars, a further measure of grace and sanctification: for example, true prayer for the pardon of sin worketh greater care to avoid sin, it is not possible that a man should make a plain and hearty confession of any sin to God in prayer and desire him to pardon it and promise amendment, but that by the very confession he should be bettered and further off from that sin: Hence it is that our Savior saith, watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: that he may be strengthened and better able to withstand temptation. So then, prayer being a means to fit, and prepare our hearts to receive grace, and the very action of prayer increasing a further measure of grace, in some particulars, it must needs be a notable means for the increase of spiritual knowledge.

For the use [Use.] of this, let us think of it to this special purpose, when we are to come to the hearing of the word to be further informed in the way of God, remember we then to prepare our selves by prayer to lift up our hearts in earnest and hearty prayer unto God that the eyes of our minds may be opened, that we may rightly understand things delivered, and that our wills and affections may be transformed into an holy obedience to the will of God made known unto us: for certainly it is a true speech one hath, though God himself should appear in the likeness of man and speak unto us, yet if he did not also move and direct us by his inward grace his preaching would be unprofitable unto us. We are therefore by prayer to crave the assistance of his spirit. Many never think of this duty, many of us either lie securely bathing our selves in our beds till the instant time of coming to the public assembly, or else if we rise it is either to follow after worldly affairs, or to trick and trim up our bodies, and few or none of us have any care to fit and prepare our selves to sanctify our souls before we come to the hearing of the word, but we come laden with our sins and with our minds overcharged with diverse lusts, and so it comes to pass that the speech of the Apostle is verified upon us, that we are ever learning and yet never able to come to the sound knowledge of the truth. And how can it otherwise be, but that as many of us as come without preparation by prayer should be unfit to attain sound knowledge, for so coming we rashly presume we can understand God's mysteries by the strength of our own wits, and so are justly confounded, and overwhelmed with the majesty and brightness of them; Again we must know, that prayer is to the soul as exercise to the body, and as men use exercise of the body, especially before meat to stir up natural heat to quicken the spirits, and to sharpen the stomach, so prayer must be used before we come to the feeding of our souls to stir up spiritual motions in our hearts, and to work in us an holy appetite and desire after the word, an hunger and thirst after the heavenly food of our souls; as men for want of bodily exercise, sit sometimes at a table well furnished with good and wholesome meat, and yet can eat little or nothing; so we shall find, that for want of preparation, by the exercise of prayer, many sit before the Preacher, and are not able to taste or feel any true sweetness in anything laid before them, nay they are heavy and sluggish, and unfit to receive any good. Remember therefore before we come to the hearing or the word, to lift up our souls in prayer to God, and even to stretch out the faculties and powers of our souls, as men in bodily exercise stretch out the joints of their bodies, we shall thereby no doubt find and feel a great alteration in our souls, that they are more quick and ready to receive heavenly nourishment. Come we now to the manner of the Apostles prayer in respect of his inward affection, that he prayed with desire.

In that he saith, he did not only pray for the Colossians, [Doct. 2] but desire that they might be fulfilled with knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, we are taught that true prayer must be with inward fervency, with an holy sanctified desire of the heart. Prayer must be rather a travel of the heart, then a labor of the lips. Hence it is said to be a pouring out of the soul, and compared to incense: to note unto us, that it must be offered up as it were by fire, it must proceed from the heat of the heart, that it may be a sweet smelling sacrifice to God. It is to be marked, that our Savior saith not, whatsoever ye pray for, but whatsoever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye shall have it, and it shall be done unto you. And that prayer must be with an inward desire, it appears even by the Lord's manner of dealing with his children, who useth means to whet and sharpen their desires, sometimes by deferring to grant their requests. Thus he dealt with Moses: The Lord's purpose was to spare the people: yet when Moses prayed for them, the Lord said, ver. 10 Let me alone. And sometimes by afflicting of them: thus he dealt with David. When I remembered these things, I poured out my very heart because I had gone with the multitude, and led them into the house of God, with the voice of singing and praise, as a multitude that keepeth a feast. And the Lord using thus to deal with his children, doth plainly evince and prove the doctrine delivered.

[Use.] We see our duty: let us now a little examine our practice. And because it will not be sufficient to take a view of it in general, and to show that men pour out their prayers only of form and fashion, without any sanctified disposition, or holy desire of their hearts; let us insist in one particular, whereby we may easily see how men fail in this duty and do not pray as they ought, with a true inward desire of their hearts: the thing is this, men sometimes pray unto God, that they may abstain from some known sin, a sin wounding and wasting their consciences, and they seem to pray with desire that they may abstain from it, but the event many times shows the contrary; for they find no fruit of their prayers, it vanisheth, and they lie still in that sin unreformed. For example, a man given to customary swearing, being told of it, and reproved for it, he will sometimes lift up his voice in prayer, and say, I pray God give me grace to leave it, which is a good speech, and a speech bearing show of inward desire to leave that sin, but indeed many times there is no such matter, for he still forgets himself, and oaths are still common with him. But will some say, [Quest.] it seems to me, and I persuade myself when I say, God give me grace to leave my sin, that I have a desire in my heart to leave it; will you sit in judgment upon my conscience? tell me then, I pray you, how I shall know that my desire of grace and strength against sin is no true sanctified desire? [Answ.] I answer, I take not upon me to sit in judgment upon thy conscience, let the word judge that and from thence I dare be bold to tell thee, that thy desire is no true desire, when it is only a bare desire, when it ceaseth and is at an end so soon as it is uttered, & thou hast no further care to use other sanctified means, to help and strengthen thee against thy sin, as hearing, reading, and meditating on the threatenings and judgments of God against that sin. For thus it was with Balaam he desired to die the death of the righteous; but his desire was no sooner uttered, but it was at an end: he had no care to live a sanctified life, that leads to a blessed and comfortable death. Such as pray for grace and strength against sin with a true sanctified desire, they join to their desire, the holy use of other means, and their desire is not flitting & vanishing, but constant, and they give the Lord no rest till he grant their desire, yea they use vehement and urging arguments to the Lord, to move him to grant it; they urge the former favor and mercy of God in helping them against other sins: they pray that the Lord will not suffer their enemy Satan to overcome them: they press the Lord with his promise, Ask and you shall have, seek and you shall find. Thus it is with them that have a true sanctified desire of grace and strength against sin. And to stir up our dullness in this case, consider we, first that prayer without a true desire of the heart is mere mockery, & cannot escape unpunished, the Lord denounceth a woe against it. Again, prayer sent out from a true desire of the heart, and offered up in Christ, is pleasing to God, yea though it be but a desire true and hearty, when the voice faileth, yet then it pierceth the clouds. Look on the example of Hannah: She spake in her heart, her lips did move only, but her voice was not heard; and the Lord heard her: And upon the example of Hezekiah: Like a Crane did he chatter, yet the Lord heard his prayer. And this is both a notable comfort, and also a notable inducement to stir us up to pour out our prayers, with an inward fervency, and with an holy desire of our hearts. Now to the matter of the Apostles prayer in the words following (that they might be fulfilled with knowledge in all wisdom and spiritual understanding) with the limitation in respect of the object, the will of God. The words carry this sense, that ye might be fulfilled with knowledge, that is to say, that ye might increase in knowledge, and come to that measure the Lord hath appointed necessary for salvation, (for some of the members of Christ have one measure, some another, according to that) yet everyone so much as is necessary to salvation, which the Apostle here prayed for (of his will) that is the will of God revealed touching things to be believed & practiced. Now in that the Apostle lifts up his prayer to God, for the Colossians, and desired of him, that they having some measure of knowledge [Doct. 3] might receive increase of it, we may conclude, that not only the beginning, but a further measure of illumination and understanding of God's will, is the free gift of God, it is the Lord's bounty and largesse, it comes unto us as alms to beggars, freely, it is gotten by earnest entreating and suing for, at the hands of God, yet not for the merit of any entreaty, as the beggar gets not his alms for the worthiness of his craving, but of the mere bounty of the giver. So we get increase of knowledge from the mere mercy of God, and in greater or less measure according to the good pleasure of the Lord. The Apostle saith, that the spirit distributeth his gifts as he will, the distribution of the gifts of God's spirit is voluntary, therefore free, and the unequal distribution of the gift of knowledge, in that some have a greater measure of knowledge then others, is a clear proof that the increase comes from the mere bounty of the Lord, not from respect had of anything in us; for if the Lord should give a different measure of knowledge, not freely, but upon desert, then in all likelihood they who have a greater measure of faith, should have a greater measure of knowledge, but we may many times observe the contrary, that they have more knowledge, who have a less measure of Faith, yea sometimes they who have no saving faith, have such a measure of knowledge as they are able to prophesy: therefore both the beginning and the increase of our knowledge of the will of God is the free gift of God.

Let this teach us, [Use.] if it please the Lord to give us any insight, any little knowledge of his will revealed in his word not to be lift up in conceit of our own wit, as if then we were able to go on by our own strength, if we do, we shall find a curse upon our wits, and by them we shall be led into many erroneous opinions. If we observe it we shall find this hath been the mother of many fowl and dangerous errors, when men having some general illumination, some knowledge of God's will revealed have then thought themselves able to go on by the strength of their own wit, they have been left to themselves and then have run into many errors, witness the best learned among the Papists who resting on a conceit of their school subtleties and distinctions invented by their own wits have run into most gross and palpable absurdities, & have stiffly and obstinately stood in defense of them, we must therefore learn, in going on in the knowledge of God's will not to rest on the strength of our own wits, but upon the blessing of God upon them, use the benefit of wit and understanding in humility, for wit in it self is no cause of wandering out of the way, into by-paths of error and heresy. Moses, Daniel, and David had excellent wits, but they were humbled and sanctified, and so great helps unto them, it is not wit in it self, but our proud conceit of wit, and too much resting in the seat of reason, which makes us run into error, for that will not suffer us to subject our selves to the simplicity of the word of God, we must therefore take heed of it. In the second place, in that the Apostle in the fourth verse gave testimony of the faith of the Colossians, and now prayed for the increase of their knowledge of the will of God.

We learn that such as truly believe in Christ, and are [Doct. 4] able to testify their faith to others, yet have their want of knowledge of the will of God, and may be ignorant of some things revealed, the Lord gives them not a full measure of knowledge at the first, but only some degree which is afterward increased. Thus our Savior dealt with his Apostles, when they had confessed, that he was the Christ the son of the living God, yet they knew not, the articles of his death and resurrection, it is therefore said ver. 21. from that time forth, Jesus began to show unto his disciples, that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the Elders, and of the high Priests, & Scribes and be slain, and rise again the third day. We read though Apollos was an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures which did argue an excellent measure of knowledge, yet he had his want of knowledge: even two of his Auditors, Aquila and Priscilla, as we find verse 26. took him home with them, and expounded the way of God more perfectly unto him, yea Saint Paul testified of himself, that he might increase in comfort and strength of faith, by the faith of the Romans. Now the reason why the Lord gives knowledge unto us by degrees, is this, because though a man's mind enlightened and sanctified, be of great capacity and will receive a great measure of knowledge, yet it is able to receive but little at once, it is like a violl, or a glass, with a narrow mouth, that must have water or some other liquid matter, put into it, drop after drop. Hence it is said, that our Savior preached the word unto the people as they were able to hear and understand it.

[Use.] And is it so, that the Lord gives the knowledge of his will, by degrees, by little and little, then let everyone of us look so to receive it, let everyone attend with diligence on the ordinance of God, the preaching of his word the ordinary means of knowledge, and let him look to receive knowledge of the will of God by degrees, one measure after another, or one measure unto another, for we must retain and hold things heard and learned, and add unto them every time, we hear, further measure of knowledge, otherwise we cannot look to be fulfilled with knowledge, as the Apostle here prayed, a vessel that hath a narrow mouth and an hole in the bottom ever open, can never be filled by pouring water into it: no more can our minds be filled with knowledge, being hard to receive, and having no retentive faculty, no power to retain things heard, and learned, but as fast as they are poured in they run out, and pass away without profit, a fault that doth rest upon many hearers of the word, who hear many things and happily understand and receive them with joy for the present, but after a while become forgetful hearers, as James 1.25. and let slip the things they have heard, as if they had never heard them, these cannot come to the hearing of the word, to be further filled because they have nothing but emptiness in them, the things formerly received are gone, they are like the mill turned about daily but with new water, well let such loose and reckless hearers consider, that it is not the hearing, the bare understanding, nor the delight for the present, but the power of the doctrine of the word remaining in us, that shall save our souls, by forgetting and letting slip out of our minds good things received: we decline and decay in all good duties, the Lord therefore persuadeth with the Church of Sardi, to recover herself from her declining, by remembering and holding fast things received, the holy Ghost saith that we ought diligently to give heed to the things which we have heard, least at any time, we should let them slip, and mark the weight of his reason following, strengthened by comparison, if the word spoken by Angels (that is to say the Law) was steadfast, and every transgression, and disobedience received a just recompense of reward how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, that is to say the Gospel, which at the first began to be preached by the Lord; which we do when we let slip the things we have heard, and so we bring on our selves punishment proportionable to the excellency of the Gospel and the first preacher of it Christ Jesus.

[Doct. 5] One thing more may be noted from these wotds, namely this that it is not a small measure of knowledge of the will of God, that must direct us in the way to life and salvation. The Apostle therefore here prays that the Colossians might be fulfilled with knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, and this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more, in knowledge. and in all judgment. One special reason of this, is because the knowledge of God's will must not only guide us in particular actions of life which are innumerable: but must guide the inward motions of the mind, will and affections which are most wayward, and hard to be brought into subjection to any good, for a man may be able sometimes to bridle himself in outward actions, but not to restrain the thoughts of his heart.

[Use.] Let us not therefore content our selves with a smattering and a general knowledge of God's will revealed. A man in his trade will not content himself with small skill if he be able to reach further, and shall we then rest contented with a little, and small measure of knowledge of God's will revealed in his word. Look how much knowledge we have of God's will, so much knowledge have we of God himself and of our own salvation, because God revealeth himself and the means of Salvation in the word, and without the knowledge of that, there is no knowledge of God or of salvation. They that know not God in some measure the will of God revealed in his word cannot know God, and so cannot know God's mercy for their own salvation, for if we know not God, God will never know us to our comfort, therefore let us not content ourselves with a small measure of knowledge of God's will revealed in his word, but labor daily for a greater measure and increase. In the last words of this verse the Apostle sets down two things wherein the knowledge of God's will doth consist, namely wisdom, and understanding and both spiritual. The word wisdom hath many acceptions in the Scripture, sometimes it is put to signify an evil quality, the wisdom of the world properly called craft and subtlety, sometimes it is taken in a good sense and then also diversely, as sometimes to signify the doctrine of wisdom, sometimes the habit or quality of wisdom in the word, and so it is taken in this place because it standeth here in relation to the will of God, and by it is meant, an ability or power of the mind above nature, whereby the mind being cleared and disburdened of natural dullness, unbelief, ignorance and vanity, is able soundly and truly to apprehend, to acknowledge and embrace the known truth of the word of God as the Lord saith on the contrary, they have rejected the word of the Lord, and what wisdom is in them? though they had the law amongst them ver. 8. yet because they did not truly apprehend and believe it, they are said to reject it, and consequently had no wisdom in them, whence it is clear, that when we are wise in the knowledge of the will of God, when we truly apprehend, acknowledge and embrace the known truth of his word. The word (all) doth not signify all kind of wisdom, but a full measure of spiritual wisdom necessary to salvation. So we find the word used, all faith, that is not all kinds of faith, justifying faith is not there meant, but a full measure of faith of working miracles. For the word (understanding) not to say anything of the distinction of it into the Theoricall and practical, by that word is meant, an ability and power whereby the mind is able to apply the known truth of the word, to the good ordering both of particular inward affections and outward things and actions, as time, place and person shall require. Thus Solomon prayed, that God would give him an understanding heart, or understanding, whereby the affections of his heart might be ordered and he might be able to judge and discern truly between good and bad in particular causes and controversies, and give sentence accordingly. Now both these, wisdom and understanding, must be spiritual, that is, wrought in us by the spirit of Christ, on whom resteth the spirit of the Lord, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of council and strength, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord: thus then are these words to be conceived, as if the Apostle had said in a sufficient true and sound apprehension of the truth revealed in the word of God, and in a particular application of the same, to the good ordering of all particular affections of your hearts, and the actions of your lives, as the circumstance of time, place and person shall require wrought in you by the spirit of Christ.

[Doct. 6] Now in that the Apostle calls knowledge of the will of God, standing in true apprehension of the truth revealed in his word, wisdom, we are taught, that they indeed are truly wise, who rightly conceive, acknowledge and embrace the truth of the word of God, they who have an eye upon the word, and see the truth of that for their guide in all things, and are able to govern themselves wisely, both in respect of inward affection and outward action. Hence it was that David said, that by the commandments of God, he was wiser then his enemies. Had more understanding then his teachers and the ancient: and no marvel, though it was thus with David. There is reason to lead us to think, that those who understand, what the will of the Lord is, are most wise and indeed truly wise; first, because the will of the Lord made known in the word, is the wisdom of the Lord revealed, manifesting such things, as the wisdom of flesh and blood cannot reach unto: Therefore they who are able by a supernatural light to conceive things contained in that, must needs be most wise, according to the nature of the things understood, as they who are able to conceive, and carry in mind the best rules of policy, are justly accounted most political. Again, they must needs be most wise, who are enabled to provide for their own good estate, and that forever, such are they who truly conceive and embrace the truth revealed in the word, for that is able to make wise to the Kingdom of God and eternal salvation.

Some may say, we read that our Savior saith, that the children of this world, are in their generation wiser then the children of light, enlightened by the spirit of God: how then is it true that they are most wise who rightly conceive and embrace the truth of the word of God?

For answer, [Answ.] we must make the restraint of our Saviors speech. He saith not in general that they are wiser then the children of light: but with a limitation he restraineth their wisdom to their own generation, to the things of this world, that in respect of them they are wiser: again, if this speech run thus, in their generation, then the children of light in theirs, he speaks as it commonly falls out, that the children of this world in their generation, are wiser, then the children of light in theirs, not because the world is not able to make them wiser, then the children of the world, but because of our corruption, we commonly reach not to that measure of wisdom we ought to do, and so this makes nothing against the truth of the conclusion delivered, that they are truly wise who rightly conceive and embrace the truth of the word of God, for in that they reach not that measure of wisdom which they ought, it is in respect of their corruption, [Use.] and the remainder of sin in them.

Would we then (for use of this) be truly wise (no doubt everyone desires it) would we have that wisdom, that will make us wise to eternal happiness? then labor we rightly to conceive, acknowledge and embrace the truth revealed in the word of God, that is the wisdom of God, and able to make us wise and provident for our eternal good. And to lead us on in this, consider we but this one thing, many men in the world, carry a great show of wisdom, and indeed they are wise in their kind, but they wanting this (if we observe it) we shall find that the Lord doth catch and confound them in their wisdom, and as he dealt with Ahithophel, he turns their plots and devices into foolishness. Nay which is more familiar and easy for us to observe, we shall find that some that are renowned for wisdom in the world and yet want this wisdom from the word; they some way or other discover themselves, to be but stark fools, for consider it, do not we see many times such as are able to speak well and wisely and to give good council to others, and to manage their own outward affairs with some good discretion, that they notwithhanding are tainted and stained with some notorious sin, yea they are very monsters in the outrage of sin; are not the wisest men of this world, many times grinding userers, extortioners, oppressors, greedy cormorants, hard dealers with their brethren, such as defraud poor laborers of their hire, yea are they not sometimes Ale-house and Tavern-haunters, whore-hunters and such like. If we look into the world we may easily observe it, that one way or other they discover the weakness of that wisdom, the world doth so much admire in them, the Lord doth punish the pride of their wisdom with some foul sin, and doth suffer them to yield to the subtlety of Satan, and deceit of sin, to make known their folly by their sin, he doth paint out their folly in their faces, and set a Nouerint vniuersi upon them, and be it known to all men, that these whom you accompt jolly wise men, behold they are mere fools. This must serve to teach us and to stir us up, not to rest in such kind of wisdom, as is found in the men of this world, but seek after that which is derived from the word and so from God himself the fountain of all true wisdom. We are further to mark that the Apostle in this place, joins wisdom and understanding together. Whence it follows for our instruction; that it is not enough for us to [Doct. 7] conceive and acknowledge the truth of God's will, either commanding duty, promising mercy or threatening judgment, but we must apply it to the ordering of our lives in particular actions, for as the knowledge of God's will is brought unto us, by the ministry of the word, not only in the information of our understanding and judgment but in the use of instruction in the way of righteousness and reformation of corruptions, both of heart and life, so it must be received. Hence it is that David saith, that the word was a lantern unto his feet, and a light unto his paths we are to mark, that he saith not, it was a light unto him to enlighten him, but to his feet and path, giving us to understand that he did not rest in his illumination by the word, and in his apprehension of the truth but he further applied it, to the guiding of his particular steps in the ways of the Lord, [Reason.] to the particular actions of his life; & indeed there is great reason, why we should not content our selves with the knowledge of the truth of the word, no nor yet with a temporary good liking of it, without application of it, as particular occasion is every day offered unto us, if we do; we shall find, that we shall not only faint under many afflictions, but we shall fail in our best actions, sin will insinuate it self, and get within them: hypocrisy will get into our prayers, hearing of the word, receiving the Sacraments and alms-giving; yea we shall fall into many known sins. Consider the example of David, he doubtless knew the nature and quality of adultery, and the judgments of God attending on it. Yet because he made not special use and application of his knowledge he fell into that sin. We see then the necessity of this duty: let us now suffer our selves in a word or two, to be stirred up to the practice of it, and to this end know, that if we conceive what is the will of the Lord in our best actions, in our hearing of the word, prayer, receiving of the Sacraments, if we understand that we are to perform them by faith, repentance fear, love, reverence, zeal, obedience and humility: and do not apply this our knowledge, to the forming of them in this manner, they become sin unto us, and abhominable in the sight of God, even like the sacrifices of the Jews, yea I dare be bold to say, that the knowledge of the death and passion of Christ, as it is a singular knowledge, so without application it brings a singular judgment, if it be not applied both for the remission of our sins and our sanctification, it shall be a great increase of our condemnation: if then we would not have our best actions turned to sin, yea, our knowledge of Christ a seal of condemnation: let us not content our selves with the knowledge of the truth of the word of God, but learn to apply it to particulars as occasion shall be offered.

The Apostle sets down in this verse the end of his prayer for the Colossians: to what end he prayed for them, namely, that they might walk worthy of the Lod. Now because they might doubt how far that extends, to walk worthy of the Lord, in the next words he explains it, even to the pleasing of him in all things, yea but might some say, how shall we walk so worthy of the Lord, as that we may please him in all things. The Apostle in the words following doth tell us, by being fruitful in all good works which is amplified in the last words, by the effect of such fruitfulness, namely, a further measure of illumination and knowledge of God, increasing in the knowledge of God. These are the general parts of this verse, come we to the words as they are laid down by the Apostle. The word (walk) is well known to them that have any little reading in the Scriptures, (who read with observation of the phrase) to be borrowed from travelers signifying to live, or to hold on a course of life, either generally in the duty of Christianity or in some particular place and calling, to walk worthy of the Lord is not as the popish sort expound it, to live so as that by Christian good life, we answer the justice of God, according to the rigor and exact rule of justice, propounded in the moral Law, but that we walk in uprightness, and sincerity of heart, as it is, walk before me, and be then upright, and so as it becometh them who are called by the Gospel, to be the sons and daughters of God, and to the hope of salvation: the Apostle exhorteth to walk worthy our vocation, and that our conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of Christ by which we are called to be the sons of God, and to the hope of salvation, these two places serve to expound this, and show that the words are thus to be conceived, as if the Apostle had said that ye might live both in respect of the duties of Christianity, (of your particular place and calling, uprightly as in the presence of the Lord, and as it becometh them who are called by the Gospel to be the children of God, and to the hope of Salvation.

Doctrine. First, in that the Apostle prayed for the Colossians, [Doct. 1] that they might be fulfilled with the knowledge of God's will, to this end that they might walk worthy of the Lord, we are taught, that our knowledge of the will of God must end in practice. Look what measure of knowledge we have, we must express it in the like measure of holiness and obedience. For why? the will of the Lord revealed, teacheth either things to be believed, and those are to be effectual to stir us up to holiness, as the Apostle saith, ye have not so learned Christ, ye have not so learned things to be believed concerning Christ, as that your learning and knowledge of him should leave you in your corruption, to walk as other Gentiles do, that believe not, or else the will of the Lord revealed teacheth things to be done which indeed are never truly known of us, but in the practice of them, as we know not in such sort as we ought what any that is over us, either Father or master or governor doth command to be done, unless we do it, for that is the end of their command, which is not known but in the practice: again knowledge in many places of the Scripture is compared to light, and wherefore is light given, but that we should walk in it. Wherefore shines the sun, but that a man should go out to his labor, so the light of knowledge is given that we should walk in it. It is the argument of the Apostle: ye were once darkness, but now are light in the Lord: walk as children of light, the night is past, and the day is at hand let us therefore cast away the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light, so that we walk honestly as in the day, not in gluttony & drunkenness, neither in chambering and wantonness, nor in strife and envying.

[Use.] For the use of this point note we this, there is never a one of us living under the preaching of the Gospel, but we will seem to have gotten thus much knowledge, that we are to repent of our sins, and believe in Christ, that we may be justified and saved, we will think there is great disgrace and indignity offered the meanest of us, if we be told we know not these things: though few indeed know them as they ought. Now then as we profess that we know in some measure the doctrine of faith and repentance, so let us look that our life be proportionable to our knowledge, that we walk in that light that is given unto us, take heed we be not found sleeping in the day light, and standing still and idle in the midst of our knowledge; and in this case beware of the subtlety and cunning of the Devil, who so persuades with many that though they know Faith and repentance to be the way to life and salvation, yet they need not so presently, and so soon as they know it, to walk in that way, but that it is enough for them to enter into that path at the hour of their death, & sufficient to express the knowledge of faith and repentance in death, and not in the course of their life, and to make his persuasion plausible and powerful, he comes upon them, as he came upon our Savior Christ himself with scriptum est, it is written, and he telleth them they may find it in the book of God; and that the thief on the cross repented at his last hour, and was received to mercy, and by this he doth so bewitch many, that they mock at the doctrine of timely repentance, and sooth up themselves in their profaneness, and say (tush) if we may have but time to call for mercy at our death, it is enough, it is no matter for walking in the way of repentance, what should a man trouble himself that way, till he grow old, or be sick and lie upon his death bed, repentance shall save a man at any time, and we hope to die repentant, and the servants of God. Thus doth the Devil delude and deceive many a poor soul, we must take heed of this subtlety and strong delusion of Satan, and that we may be armed and strengthened against it, consider. First, that though true repentance be never too late, yet late repentance is seldom or never found, a man that hath lived a lewd and a vicious life, and is now at the point to yield up the ghost, sorrowing and grieving, may justly doubt of his sorrow, whether it be true godly sorrow or no, though it be about his sin, because he cannot well perceive whether it proceed from a loathing of his sin, or from a fear of death, and whether he be humbled before the mercy of the Lord, or in respect of his punishing hand; we have one example indeed in the Scripture, the thief on the cross that repened truly at his last hour, but we have a thousand to the contrary. Now what a madness is it for a man to cast himself on such a dangerous point, to enter into such a way wherein only one hath escaped, and thousands have perished. Again, though God have promised forgiveness to true repentant sinners, yet hath he not promised repentance to every sinner, that every sinner shall repent when he lust, we find not that in all the book of God: this we find, that he threateneth such as know his will touching repentance, and walk not accordingly, but sleep securely in their sins, that he will come upon them suddenly, yea, so as he will be sure to find them sleeping, the Lord threatened the Church of Sardi, that he would come upon her as a thief, who watcheth his time, and cometh when men are a sleep, yea more then that, for the thief by making a noise happily awaketh those that are lodged in the house that he breaks into; but the Lord saith further to that Church, thou shalt be still asleep, and shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. This we see verified upon many, who either are cut off by sudden death in the very act of sin, or if they have time given, yet the Lord either takes away understanding from them, or sends upon them such an horror and fearful expectation of his wrath that they cannot repent, if then we would not have our sorrow doubtful, even such as we ourselves may justly suspect not to be godly sorrow, but rather arising from the weakness of the flesh, or bitterness of pain, if we would not have the Lord's wrath to surprise us, & to take us sleeping in sin, and cut us off suddenly in our sin, let us learn to express the doctrine of repentance, not o • lie in death, but in our lives, and to walk according to the measure of our knowledge of faith and repentance. In the next place in that the Apostle saith that the end of our knowledge of the will of God must be a walking worthy of the Lord, that is as becometh such as are called by the Gospel to be his children, we are taught that we must frame and portion out our lives according to the measure [Doct. 2] of God's mercy towards us, we having received mercy from the Lord, we must walk according to the measure of mercy: if we persuade our selves we have so great mercy vouchsafed us, as to be the sons and daughters of God, we must lead our lives in a proportionable measure of holiness and obedience, and walk as becometh sons, as the Apostle exhorteth: Walk in love even as Christ hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, to be an offering and sacrifice of a sweet smelling savor to God. But fornication and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as it becometh Saints, there is the ground of his exhortation, that having received so great mercy and grace to be Saints, we are to walk as is fitting the Saints of God, and there is great reason why we should so walk, because as the earth rendereth to the husbandman the fruit of his pains bestowed upon it, so we should render to the Lord the fruit of his mercy bestowed upon us, and that is repentance, a renouncing of all ungodliness, and a living soberly and righteously, and godly in this present world. And this is a duty of great [Use. 1] good use and consequence, if it were thought on and remembered, it would hold us back from many notorious sins, would men be so profane? would they break out into such blasphemous oaths, such cursed speaking, such drunkenness, such filthiness as many do, if they did keep in their mind a register, and remembrance of God's mercies and favors towards them in their bodies and souls, in their friends, in their country, in their magistrates, in their ministers or any other way; no doubtless, if such persons as are carried with violence against their neighbors to smite them with the venom of their railing and slanderous tongues, would but call to mind when they are in their heat; and their raging and mad mood the Lord's mercy towards themselves, how the Lord hath dealt with them in great mercy, both in their creation and preservation, and many other innumerable blessings, and (as they persuade themselves) in the greatest mercy of all, the forgiveness of their sins, and that they are to walk accordingly. Would they then go on in their fury? no without question, then as Nehemiah said cap. 6.11. should such a man as I flee, so they would say, should such a man or such a woman as I that have received so great mercy from the Lord, should I so far forget the Lord's mercy, as to rage, rave, and some out mine own shame against my brethren; no, no, I will rather suffer any injury then I will do such wickedness and sin against my gracious and merciful God, this no doubt would be the fruit of the remembrance of this duty, let us then be careful to remember and think upon it, that we are to walk in a measure of holiness answerable to God's mercy towards us, and know that if we do not so walk, we turn God's grace into wantonness, and then certainly the Lord will turn his mercy into judgment. Now to the words following (and please him in all things) here the Apostle makes known how far walking worthy of the Lord doth extend, namely to the pleasing of him in all things, the original words signify only thus much, to all pleasing, but having reference and respect to that which (goes before the walking worthy of the Lord,) they may well be thus rendered, to his liking in all things, to the pleasing of him in all things. Now to please the Lord is (in a word) to obey the will of the Lord, according to that comparative speech, where we see, that to please the Lord, is to obey the will of the Lord (in all things) that is in thought, word, and deed.

We cannot please the Lord in all things, for who is it that sins not?

[Ans.] It is true, we are not to look what we can do, but what we ought to do, and what is our duty, we are to endeavor and to breath after that, even to please the Lord in all things, yea to desire and seek after it, as much as our appointed food, to hunger and thirst after it, for upon that, our Savior pronounceth a blessing, we are to labor in truth and sincerity to obey the will of God in all things, and if we fail in any things, (as we cannot choose but fail in many things) yet we so endeavoring the Lord accepts our imperfect obedience in Christ, in and by whom the weak obedience of true believers is accepted as the Apostle saith, thus then are these words to be conceived, as if the Apostle had said, even to the hearty and sincere through imperfect obedience of the will of God, in thoght word and deed, which is pleasing unto him by the mitigation and moderation of the Gospel, whereby the Lord doth moderate the rigor of the Law, and accept of your imperfect obedience as pleasing unto him in Christ.

In that the Apostle doth deliver the sincere obedience [Doct. 3] of true believers under the title and term, not of satisfying but of pleasing the Lord, and that only in Christ: we are taught, that though we walk as becometh the children of God, yet we do not thereby satisfy the justice of God; our true and most sincere obedience to the will of God, is not able to stand without reproof in the sight of God, the greatest and highest degree of excellency it can reach unto, is in Christ to please the Lord. We shall find that the Apostle doth often inculcate and beat upon this point that our walking as becometh us, doth please the Lord, but never that it doth satisfy his justice. The cavil of the Papists on that place is not worth the answering; they make (promeretur) to have a passive signification, and so no latin word, but a barbarous term. The point delivered may further be confirmed by this reason: there is no good thing done by any believer and regenerate person, but it is stained by his intermeddling corruption. Even our righteousness is as a menstruous clout, and therefore not our best and most sincere obedience can satisfy the justice of God, and stand in his sight without reproof.

Against this reason the Papists take exception, and say is the best obedience of true believers stained with sin, then it cannot please God, for say they, shall we say, that a sinful work is a pleasing sacrifice to God, that is blasphemy, the Lord hates sin and all sinful works, so that either you must make the obedience of true believers not sinful, or if sinful, then not pleasing to God.

[Answ.] We answer again, that the obedience of true believers is not absolutely sinful, for then it could never be pleasing to God; it is holy and good, for the kind, as it is enjoined by God, and as coming from the Spirit of God, but in the manner of doing it faileth and comes short of that perfection God's justice requires. Again, the Lord doth pardon the sinfulness of the obedience of true believers & so accept of it in Christ, & in him, not in it self, is it pleasing to God; and it still remains a truth, that the most our best obedience can be advanced unto, is to be pleasing to God, this must serve to inform our judgments, and to strengthen us against the contrary opinion of the Papists, [Use.] who hold and teach, that the obedience of believers doth answer the justice of God, and make them more just in the sight of God. We must hold it for a truth, that our best obedience is so far from satisfying the justice of God, as that it pleaseth not God unless he behold it in mercy, and in the face of Jesus Christ. Mark we further what the Apostle adioynes to the pleasing of the Lord, that it must be in all things: our instruction thence is this, that true and sincere obedience of the will of God must be entire, such as will approve themselves to the Lord, and please him, must sincerely without doubling [Doct. 4] obey his will in everything; howsoever we cannot reach to that perfection to please God in all things, yet it must be the purpose of our hearts, we must purpose to please him in all things, and not to offend him in anything, if we do, it must be against our purpose. It is said of Josiah that he turned to God according to the whole Law, and of Zacharias and Elizabeth, that they walked in all the commandments of God: which is not to be understood as that they kept the law in perfection, but in the purpose of their heart, they did not wittingly break the commandments of God, & the reasons why we are thus to please God in our purpose and endeavor are these. First because the commandments of God are so conjoined and linked together, as the transgression of one is the breaking of all, for he that breaks one is guilty of all. Again he that lives in the manifest breach of any one commandment of God, if occasion be offered, he will break all, he being not regenerate, as he doth plainly show by his sin, if it be for his profit or pleasure, he will break all the commandments of God. Hence it follows necessarily, that sincere obedience to the will of God must be entire.

Let no man therefore persuade himself, [Use.] that he is one pleasing to God, because the world which sees but the outside cannot convince him of sin, when his own conscience tells him, he lives in the manifest breach of some commandment of God. Neither let any one flatter himself that his ways please God, because he doth prosper in outward things, as many think they are highly in God's favor because they have prosperity: that is a leaden rule, only then we please the Lord, when our obedience to his will is entire, when we purpose and endeavor to approve our hearts and lives unto him in all things; and to help us forward in this, know, that we can never have assurance of our own salvation, till we have this holy purpose and godly endeavor, so long as we live in the manifest breach of any commandment of God, though it be only known to our selves, our consciences will not be settled, it will at one time or other rise up & condemn us, & if our conscience condemn us, God is greater and knoweth all things, if then we would not be in continual doubt of our own salvation, which is a fearful step to desperation, let us put on a goodly purpose of heart to please God in all things, both in thought, word and deed. The words following are an answer to a doubt that might arise from the former part of this verse, for some might say, how shall we walk worthy of the Lord: the answer is by being fruitful in all good works, that word (fruitful) is metaphorical, and borrowed from trees that bear fruit, that as fruitbearing trees bring forth fruit according to their kind, so we are to bring forth good works, and to be fruitful, is to bring forth good works, that is to say, holy and good actions, for good works are opposed to actual sin, we find them proposed under the name of actual righteousness, and set against actual sin, where Saint John makes opposition between doing righteousness and committing sin, and to do righteousness is to perform a good work, therefore, by good works we are to understand holy and good actions: whereas the Apostle saith further (in all) his meaning is in all sorts of good works, inward & outward in body and mind, to insist in the Apostles own similitude, as fruitful trees bring not forth fruit only, on one bough or branch, but on every branch plenty of fruit, so good works the fruits of believing Christians must be brought forth not only by the hand, the foot, the tongue and other members, but in all the powers of the soul, and in all and every member of the body.

[Doct. 5] Now to the doctrine: first, we are to mark that the Apostle having testified the faith of the Colossians, here he faith, that he prayed further for them, that they might be fruitful in all good works, whence we may conclude, that good works follow faith, and are fruits of faith, we shall find this point if we observe it constantly, taught by the Apostle. For first, he teacheth that we are justified by faith in Christ, and then sanctified, and that our sanctification is a fruit of our justification, and therefore, good works which are part of sanctification, they follow faith, and are fruits of faith in them that are justified. Hence it is that he saith, that love and so the duties of love, good works, come out of a pure heart, good conscience and faith unfeigned, [Use.] and that text clearly proves this truth, it needs no further light for manifestation of it.

The use of this point may be this, are good works fruits of faith, then it is erroneous, nay, very absurd, to say as the Papists do, that they are the form and life of faith, not to make faith to be faith, but to make it good, lively and available to justification, for so they teach. Now this is very gross, who knows not that it is contrary to all reason, being contrary to the course of nature, to say, that the fruit gives life to the tree, every man that knows anything can say to the contrary, that the tree gives life to the fruit, so saith gives life to good works, not good works to faith, to make it available to justification, the life and form of faith, by which it is effectual to justify, is special affiance and trust on God's mercy in Christ, and though such faith cannot be without works after it have justified, they follow upon it as fruits, yet do they not concur with faith to the forming of it in the act of justification, they having relation to faith as fruits, they only as fruits declare it to be effectual in it self, they give not life unto it. In the next place in that the Apostle is not content to say, (that ye might walk worthy of the Lord) but he adds [Doct. 6] bringing forth as being fruitful, we are taught that our obedience must not be only inward and habitual, we must not content our selves with the having of any grace, be it never so excellent, be it faith or the fear of God, but we are to show it and let it appear in the actions of faith and of the fear of God, as fruitful trees in their season do bud and blossom and their fruits grow to ripeness, and yield comfort to the owners, so our obedience and subjection to God's will and grace wrought in us, must show it self in the fruits of it, to the glory of God, and the good of our brethren, and hence it is, that the Godly are called trees planted by the water side which bring forth fruit in due season, yea, so planted, as that in respect of their rooting they feel not when the heat cometh, & the year of drought cannot make them cease yielding fruit.

Thus it is with all God's children, [Use.] & thus it ought to be with all of us, that have any grace wrought in us, we are to manifest in the fruits of grace, & there is great reason for this, for why? the Lord will have his grace that is in us, known both to our selves & others, that is the end of all the Lord's dealing with us, either by prosperity or adversity, to discover what is within us, what grace there is in our hearts; we our selves cannot know whether we have any grace in us or no, but by the fruits of it, for example, the sap of a tree being good, the tree is good, yet it is not known to be good by the sap, but by the fruits of it, so we are not known to be good and to have grace in us, but by the fruits of grace, and therefore the grace that is wrought in us, must appear in the fruits of it, the fear of God must show it self in the fruits of it, yea, in the proper fruits, such as properly issue and come from the grace of God's fear, wrought in the hearts of God's Children, and those are specially these, even a trembling and a reverent awe of God in prosperity, and a willing and joyful subjection to his will in adversity, not to be lift up in pride, or to lie securely in sin in prosperity, or to be utterly dejected in time of adversity, but to tremble before the Lord in prosperity, when the hearts of the wicked are most lift up, and to be inwardly comforted in the Lord in time of adversity, these be the fruits that must be sent forth from the inward root the true fear of God, and thus the grace of God, that is in us whatsoever it be, must appear in the fruits of it. And that we may be stirred up to this duty, consider we that the Lord will not, acknowledge any grace in us, unless it appear in the fruits, the Lord saith to Abraham, when he saw his willingness to offer his son in sacrifice, now I know that thou fearest me, seeing for my sake thou hast not spared thine only son: The Lord knew what heart was in Abraham before, he knows the hearts of all his, but then by that fruit he did acknowledge his true fear to be in him: so doth the Lord, then acknowledge any grace in us, when it appears in the fruits of it; again, we must know if we content our selves with the habit of righteousness in the having of any grace in our hearts, the Papists shall rise up in judgment against us, and condemn us, for they bring forth the fruits of their false religion, and blind devotion, yea the very Atheists and vilest Miscreants of the world, shall stand up in judgment against us, for they walk after their lusts, they show the corruption of their hearts in all cursed fruits of impiety and sin, let it then be a shame for us to be behind them; let as many of us as persuade our selves we are religious and fearing God, be stirred up to express the power and fruit of our religion and fear, that so the Lord may acknowledge his own grace in us, wrought by his own good Spirit, and that neither Papists nor Atheists may ever by the evidence of their unsavory fruits, rise up against us in judgment, and condemn us.

Note we further, the Apostle saith, fruitful in all good [Doct. 7] works, whence we are taught that we are to express the grace that is in us by all good fruits, for as true regeneration is universal, a transformation of the whole man into the image of Christ, so it must appear and show it self in all the powers of the soul, and if we be able to do much, we are not to content our selves with doing a little, as the Lord shall enable us, we must be fruitful in all good works and this is indeed a sure testimony of the soundness of religion. Before we leave these words, a cavil of the Popish sort occasioned from this, and the like places of Scripture, is to be answered. Hence the Papists take occasion to wrangle and to reason against that truth taught by our Church, that the best works of believers are stained with sin, after this manner (say they) we find that the holy Ghost here and in other places of Scripture calleth many works of believers, good works, and we must needs think the holy Ghost speaketh the truth: but if they were infected with sin, they could not be truly called good, for it can be no good work that faileth either in substance or in circumstance, or that hath any one fault in it, bonum ex integra causa, malum ex quolibet defectu, that is truly good, that is every way good, and that is bad that hath any defect, therefore you must either say, that the holy Ghost calls evil good, and that is blasphemous, or else acknowledge many good works free from sin.

[Answ.] To this we answer: first, they reason from an Epithite or title that the Scripture gives to works considered in the abstract by themselves as they are commanded, or as we are moved to do them, and so indeed they are holy and good, but that is no good argument nor proof, that good duties done by us, admit we be true believers, are perfectly good as we do them, and that they are free from the stain of sin as they come from us.

Again, because they will say we find, works called good in concreto, considered together with the doers, & as they are done by believers. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, & glorify your father which is in heaven. The holy ghost calling works done by us good it follows they are not infected with sin, for if they be infected (say they) then they cannot be truly called good.

[Answ.] We answer again that is not true they say; that if works be infected with sin, then they cannot be truly called good, for works enjoined by God, are very good in their own kind, and good as they come from grace, and the root of Faith, & the infection they receive by our corruption, intermeddling in the doing of them doth not prove that they are not truly good, but that they are not perfectly good, and it makes them come short in the measure of goodness and perfection, and so the works of true believers stained with sin, may be, and are in the scriptures called good, because they are truly, though not perfectly good, as one saith well, they are called good, not after perfect justice, but as is agreeable to our human fragility. The last words of this verse contain the effect of fruitfulness, in good works, namely a further measure of illumination and knowledge of God, we are to understand knowledge of things to be believed concerning God, either touching his Essence, attributes, or works, but specially experimental knowledge of his grace and mercy in Christ unto salvation, for these words have reference to that in the 6. verse (truly knew the grace of God) the first thing wear to observe from them, is from the dependence of them, with the words going before, in that the Apostle saith, being fruitful in all good works, & so increasing in the knowledge of God, we are taught that fruitfulness in good works, it brings forth a further measure of divine & saving [Doct. 8] knowledge, good life increaseth saving knowledge of God, he that is fruitful in good works, he feeds upon his own works, & by the very juice of such fruits; his knowledge of the grace of God is nourished and increased, indeed many wicked men, whose lives, abound with much impiety, and are overspread with cursed fruits of sin, have sometimes a great measure of divine knowledge, and by study and pains, do increase it, but the point is this, that divine and saving knowledge is increased by fruitfulness in good works, and this may further be confirmed by Scripture, saith our Savior, if any man do the will of God, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God; he there proceeds from doing the will of God to the knowledge of his doctrine. What man is he that feareth the Lord? him will he teach the way that he shall choose, and verse 14. the secret of the Lord is revealed to them that fear him: and his covenant to give them understanding: which words must needs be understood of increase of knowledge, because no man fears the Lord with true filial fear, but he hath some knowledge of his mercy; and this also may be further strengthened by reasons. First, the more we exercise ourselves in the fear of the Lord, the more holy we are, and the more holy, the better able are we, to discern holy things; as in manuary trades, the more a man of ordinary capacity doth exercise himself in his trade, the more cunning and skillful he becomes: so the practice of holy duties, doth help and strengthen understanding of holy precepts. Secondly, the more holy we are, the nearer we come to the nature of God, and to the purity of his word, and so we are better able to discern things revealed from God in his word.

The use [Use.] of the point is this, do good works serve, not only to the glory of God, and the good of men; but do they rebound back to our selves, even to this use also, to a further increase of saving knowledge, learn the right method and order of proceeding. Dost thou desire to increase and to grow in the knowledge of God; then be a doer of that thou knowest already, and thou shalt be blessed in thy deed as James speaks, cap. 1.24. thou shalt find a blessing on thy good work, to bring forth a further measure of knowledge. Many say they desire the knowledge of God, and to be instructed in his ways, but in the mean while they will not forsake their own evil ways, and so though they have means of instruction, they fail of their purpose. Dost thou come to the hearing of the word and think to be further built up in saving knowledge, and yet art guilty to thyself, that thou art so far from being fruitful in good works, as thou hast not reformed that sin of thine, whereof thou hast often been convinced, be it pride, covetousness, &c. I dare be bold to tell thee it is not possible, thou shalt find that the Lord will punish thy fruitless hearing, with dullness and hardness of heart. A scorner seeketh wisdom and findeth it not, or she will not be found, for so much doth the holy ghost imply in that sentence, that the grace of God's spirit estrangeth it self, not only from such as scorn and deride religion, but from such as profess religion, and li • e wickedly, from the proud and ungodly, and if God withhold or withdraw his grace, what can follow, but heaviness of mind, hardness [Doct. 9] of heart, and untowardness to every good duty. The words themselves do further offer unto us this point of instruction, being the very matter and substance of them, that we are to go on from one measure of saving knowledge to another, we are to increase in the knowledge of God. This truth appears both in general, that we are to grow in grace, and in special, that we are to grow in the knowledge of God, in one and the same sentence, grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: the equity and reason of it is laid down, they that know most, know but in part. Therefore we are to labor every day for increase of holy knowledge, and to that purpose let us consider, that if we have the means of knowledge, and do not increase in knowledge, it argues [Use. 1] that we are soul-sick, and that there is some secret distemperature in our souls, if a man eat and drink, and find not his body thereby nourished and strengthened, he must needs think all is not well within him; so if we come to the feeding of our souls both by the word and sacraments, and find no increase of grace and saving knowledge, it is more then a presumption that our souls are distempered and much out of order. Again if we content our selves in our weak and small measure of knowledge, we are in great danger to be seduced, and drawn into any error, for certainly where we are weak (be it in understanding, or be it in affection) there the temptation will come against us, at one time or other. If then we would not make it more then probable, even plain to our selves, that we have some festered sore, and some lurking disease in our hearts, if we would not be corrupted and misled by popish enchanters, and seducers, and perish together with them, let us labor to increase in knowledge, and holy understanding, that we may find the truth, hold the truth, walk in the truth, and live and die in the truth.

This verse is a continuance of the Apostles answer to the doubt arising from the first words of the former verse, where the Apostle saith, he prayed for the Colossians that they might walk worthy of the Lord. Some might thereupon demand, how shall we walk worthy of the Lord, his answer was begun in these words, being fruitful in all good works, and here it is continued, that we walk worthy of the Lord, note only by being fruitful in good works, but also by being strengthened with all might. And withal the Apostle lays down the efficient cause and beginning of that strength, namely the glorious power of God, together with the use of it in two particulars, namely in patience and long suffering (unto all patience and long suffering) and further makes known the quality and condition of these two things in the last word (joyfulness) these are the general parts of this verse. Come we to the words of it, and first of these words (strengthened with all might) through his glorious power, by might is meant inward ability of mind and will, because this might is to be used in patience and long suffering, which are inward graces of the mind and will, and by all might, is meant all kind of inward strength, answerable to the quality or multiplicity of trials and affections (glorious power) by power we are to understand the actual power of God, and that not general, whereby he effecteth what he willeth. Our God is in Heaven, he doth whatsoever he will, but his more special power working grace in them that believe, and this is called his glorious power, by an excellency, that is his power, specially manifesting his glory, hence it is that we find his glory and power promiscually put one for another: as thus then these first words are to be conceived, strengthened with all kind of inward ability of mind and will, through the actual power of God, which worketh grace in them that believe, to the special manifestation of his glory. In the first place we are to mark the first word of this verse (strengthened) the Apostle saith not being strong in the time present, as before, (being fruitful) and increasing, but in the time past (strengthened) whence we may gather this point of instruction that strength to bear affliction must not only show [Doct. 1] it self in time of affliction, but it must be provided aforehand, we must be well appointed and furnished with strength against the time of trouble, which must show it self in bearing of it with patience. The Apostles words are very direct and plain, he saith we must be strengthened unto patience, and this is further cleared, where the Apostle verse 10. exhorteth to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, and presently in the next word subjoins that we must be armed, and at all points provided, and put on the complete armor of God, that we may be able to stand against the assaults of the Devil, and verse 13. For this cause (saith he) take unto you the whole armor of God, that we may be able to resist in the evil day, that is either of temptation or affliction, it is worthy observation to this purpose, that our Savior saith, possess your souls in patience, patience and strength to bear afflictions must be ours, not by usurpation nor yet by lawful use and occupation, as a thing borrowed for the present, but by just title and possession, we must have it of our own, we must be provided of it to use when time shall serve, and the reason and ground of this is, because we cannot have it at any time when we please, [Reason.] the very light of nature teacheth men to provide things of special use a forehand, which they cannot easily come by, when occasion serves to use them. Now because the word (provide) is a word of implication, and implies the use of means, for provision is made by means, some may desire more special direction in this case, what means may be used to furnish themselves with strength against the time of trouble and affliction; for the satisfying of their desire let them know that the means are not only general, as the word, prayer, &c serving to work and increase any grace in them; but there be two things that peculiarly serve as special means to this purpose, to furnish us and give us possession of strength against the time of trouble and affliction, the first is a frequent and serious consideration of the manner of our tenure, in what sort we hold and enjoy the good things of this life, health, wealth and such like, that it is conditional, that we hold them with condition of the cross, with a limitation of God's correction, we must often think on it, that the promise made that such as fear the Lord shall eat the good things of the land, is with condition of the Lord's trial and correction that they shall eat them; unless it please the Lord otherwise to try and correct them; again we are often to meditate on the immutability of God's love, that his love never changeth, but he is the same good God, when he afflicteth, as when he prospereth any of his children, if we persuade our selves that we are within the compass of his special love, we must often think upon it, that his love is without change, and that whom he loves once he loves forever, he may change our estate as seems good to him, from prosperity to adversity, but he is the same good God, no changeling, good before affliction, good in affliction, and ever good to his children, and if this be thought upon and settled, it will furnish our hearts with a notable measure of Christian courage and fortitude, we shall find our selves enabled with Job's strength, to bear the greatest affliction, these two things then must be thought upon and remembered, that our hold of the good things of this life is conditional; and that God's love is unchangeable, and we shall then be provided of strength against the time of trial and affliction; [Use.] and know withal that for want of this preparation, when affliction comes we shall either grow impatient and seek unlawful means, or else have (it may be) a boldness, but a desperate boldness, without all comfort, such as is commonly in cowards, who being put to an exigent, are sometimes rashly bold, and desperately hardy, but we shall not be able to be bold with consideration as the preacher hath taught us. In the day of wealth be of good comfort, and in the day of affliction consider, that is, consider the author and use of thy affliction, let us then often think upon our hold of the goods of this life, and the immutability of God's love, that so we may be strengthened to bear with consideration the greatest affliction. It followeth (with all might) as the first word teacheth that strength must be provided, so these words show the measure of provision, that we must every way be furnished with strength to bear affliction, if there were only one kind of calamity and affliction, then one sort of strength [Doct. 2] might suffice, but seeing there are manifold, yea a thousand fold, many and great troubles, our strength must be answerable I might here run into a large field & speak much of the afflictions of God's children, and thereby prove that we ought every way to be provided of strength to bear them, but I choose rather to apply this. And for the use know we it is not sufficient for us to be provided of strength in mind only, but our hearts must also be furnished with strength, as we use to say, that a man that endures any pain stoutly and vnappalled, he is a man of a stout heart: so indeed it may truly be said, when any affliction is borne with patience and comfort, that the heart is stablished with Christian courage, we must not only know that the good things of this life are held with a condition of the cross, and that God's love never changeth; but we must in preparation of heart be ready willingly to forgo these good things and be fully assured in our hearts of God's love towards us, howsoever he deal with us though he should kill us as Job speaks; that is the right way to be strengthened with all might to bear afflictions with patience, and to be at all points provided against impatiency, for indeed it is the right way to be strengthened against any sin, to have the heart stablished with grace; as the way to keep out covetousness, is not as the Popish sort teach by willful casting away our goods, & vowing voluntary poverty, there may be great corruptions in the heart after such devised means are used, because they are not ordained of God they are not blessed, but by casting out of the heart distrust of God's providence and too much love of this world, that is the way to keep out covetousness, and so the way to be strengthened unto all patience, is to be ready in preparation of heart to forgo all the good things of this life, and to be fully assured of God's unchangeable love towards us, and to help us forward in [Use. 1] this duty, consider we, that when affliction comes it will try our strength whether our strength be only in our heads or sunk down and settled in our hearts or no, as one saith well, affliction is a very tell-tale, it will look into every corner of us, and draw out from us what is within, it will discover and tell abroad to all that look upon us what is in our hearts, whether weakness or strength, we know it made a difference between Job and his wife in this kind though both of them were happily strong aforehand in their measure of understanding touching the nature, author, and quality of affliction, yet when affliction came it discovered in the one strength and in the other weakness of heart, so it will do with us, and therefore it behooveth us to labor to be strengthened with all might, that when trial of affliction comes, it may not shame us, laying open our weakness to all the world, pray we ever with David that our hearts may be sound, that we be not ashamed, sound without halting & dissembling, sound without distrust, the root of grudging and complaining, that so we may be sound and strong both in mind and heart, unto all patience and comfort in the greatest trial and affliction. Come we to the efficient and beginning of strength to bear all afflictions, namely the glorious power of God, that is his actual power, whence first briefly observe we that the actual power of God, doth not only work upon the will of man by changing it in the first conversion, which the Papists deny, who say it is in the power of man's will, either to receive or refuse grace offered, clean contrary to many places of Scripture. I will not stand to reason that point with them.

But hence it appears that the power of God doth not [Doct. 3] only work upon the will in the first conversion, but doth likewise afterward work strength in them that believe, and this is to be observed, to this purpose it teacheth us, whence it is that true justifying faith faileth not; and that hope is said to be an anchor sure and steadfast; this comes to pass, through the power of Christ; which in his members is a continued power, working strength and hability in them, and never wholly interrupted, it is not any virtue or excellency in faith it self, or in hope it self, that makes either of them, of never failing continuance, for both faith and hope are changeable in themselves, and nothing in it self unchangeable but God, but the power of Christ it is ever working in some degree in his members that makes faith not to fail, and hope an anchor sure and steadfast.

Hence it is that the Apostle saith, [Use.] we are kept through faith unto salvation, but how? not by any strength in faith it self, but by the power of God. The words are very pregnant for the proof of this, and very emphatical, we are kept, or as the original word is, being military, we are guarded as with a strong garrison by the power of God, by which our faith is fenced and fortified against all hostility, so as no enemy of our salvation can break in upon it, to overcome it, we may be assured of it, as many as are begotten to a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, that our faith shall stand and never be quelled in the greatest [Doct. 4] trials, it being supported, strengthened and guarded by the omnipotent actual power of God; we are further to observe that the power and strength by which we stand upright in the time of trouble and bear with patience any affliction, is not of our selves, but from the power of the Lord, we are strengthened with all might unto all patience through his glorious power, for why? it is the actual power of God, that doth but support and strengthen faith as we have heard, and also doth work in them that believe, a feeling consideration of God's unchangeable love towards them, and a preparation of heart, willingly to bear any trouble, even they that believe have not these things of themselves, but from the actual power of God working in them. Hence it is that the Apostle saith of himself, that he was enabled and provided of strength, to endure any condition of life, to be full and to be hungry, to abound and to have want: not by any power of himself, but by the help of Christ, and again we shall find, that the dearest servants of God, such as have had great measure of strength to bear afflictions, if the Lord did but a little withdraw his hand from them, their weakness hath then appeared, we see it in Job who whilst he had the power of God, to support and strengthen him, was able in his greatest extremity, when he was touched not only in goods, but also in his children, to bless God, and with wise consideration of the hand that smote him; to reprove & sharply to check the folly of his wife. Yet we find that afterward, when the Lord did but a little withdraw his hand, to show that Job stood not by his own strength, but by his power, then did Job's corruption and weakness show it self, and cause him to break out into some unbeseeming terms of impatiency; it is then most clear, that strength by which we stand in time of affliction is not of our selves, but from the power of the Lord.

[Use. 2] This serves to discover unto us a notable untruth, and error of the Papists, who teach that we may in this life have in us such perfection of inherent righteousness, as is sufficient to defend us from all formal transgression of God's Law, and all deadly sins (as they call them); besides the error in the ground of this opinion, which is an imagined perfection of righteousness in this life, if it be laid to the doctrine delivered and proved, we shall find they cannot stand together, for I hope, they will not deny impatiency to be formal transgression of God's Law, being a sin against the first commandment of the first table, and we have proved it by warrant of the Apostle, and strength of reason, that the power by which we stand in time of trial, and are kept from impatiency, is not in our selves, but only from the actual power of God, therefore not any perfection in us is sufficient to defend from formal transgressions of God's law: and to say we have such perfection of goodness in us, as is able to keep us from such transgression, is to make our inherent righteousness, stronger then ever was in Adam, in the time of innocence, nay, it is to ascribe unto us that which is proper to God alone, for he only cannot possibly sin, by reason of absolute and infinite goodness in himself, and it is not the strength either of Man or Angel, that keeps him from sinning, but the power of God, and the special grace of God upholding him.

Again, is the strength by which we stand in time of [Use. 2] trial, not of our own but from the Lord, then let everyone learn to follow the exhortation of the Apostle in time of trial and affliction, to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, some may say, how is that to be done? how shall I that am a weak creature, be strong in the Lord? the holy Ghost hath taught thee, that by faith, of weak, thou mayest be made strong, get thou hold of the glorious working power of God by faith, and thou shalt draw down strength from him, to bear with comfort the greatest trouble. We read of Stephen, when his persecutors were raging mad against him, that in the midst of their violence, his eye was in Heaven, his faith pierced the clouds, and came to the presence of God, and drew down from thence strength, and comfort unto him in the heat of his persecution, when his affliction was at the highest & sorest upon him, thus it will be with us, if we be able by our faith to break through the cloud of our affliction, that in the sense of flesh and blood seems to separate between God and us, and to apprehend the glorious power of God: we shall then find his actual power, working strength in us unto all patience. Let us therefore raise up our hearts to an apprehensiō of the power of God to strengthen us in time [Motiue 1] of affliction, and consider we what comfort is to believers in apprehending the power of God, what rest and peace there is, in relying upon it, it is worthy observation, that we find that the Lord saith, when he lets you go, he shall at once chase you hence, the Lord was not only able by his mighty power to give his people passage out of Egypt, but to make Pharaoh that was so loath to let them go, as glad to rid them away, as ever before he was desirous to hold them, what assurance then may we have of such end, issue and strength, as he in his wisdom shall know best for his children that by faith depend on him, seeing he is thus able.

[Motiue 2] Again, let us raise up our hearts to rest by faith on the power of the Lord, to give strength in time of trouble, upon our own former experience of his power, no doubt there is never a one of us, but either hath or might have found that the Lord hath enabled us in some of our troubles with extraordinary and unexpected strength, & that ought to assure us of hi • power to strengthen us in time to come, it is the very end, why the Lord doth manifest his power in our weakness, beyond expectation, that we might ever in assured trust depend upon him, & be strong in the power of his might, this was David's argument of comfort, he was discouraged and taken up short by Saul, and told that he was a boy: What saith David, O King I have found that God hath heretofore given me strength above nature, when I was in danger to be devoured of a Lyon and of a Bear. Therefore I doubt not but he will even now also be to me, as he hath been, thus ought we to raise up our selves upon former experience of the Lord's mighty power, that as he hath been, so he will he powerful to strengthen us, and so by faith to rest upon him.

Ioine to this as a third motive to stir us up, thus to [Motiue 3] rest by faith, on the power of God, and so to be strong in the Lord, that which we find in this very text, that the actual power of God working grace and strength, it serves much for the manifestation of the glory of God; the Apostle saith, through his glorious power: therefore we may be assured, if by faith we rest upon the power of the Lord, that the Lord may as well lose his power, or lose his glory, which is a thing impossible, as we fail of strength from him in time of affliction. Let these things be thought on, that it is comfortable to rest upon the all-sufficient power of God, that our former experience of his power ought to assure us of continual supply of strength, if by faith we still depend upon him, and that his power working strength in them that believe, tendeth to special manifestation of his glory, which ever was, and ever shall be dear unto him: and therefore if we depend upon him by faith, we cannot fail of strength in time of trouble and affliction. And let the consideration of these things stir us up to lift up our hearts to heaven, and by faith to lay hold of the actual power of God, that so in our greatest affliction we may be strong in the Lord. Come we to the use of strength here prayed for, in two things laid down in the words following (unto all &c.) and the quality and condition of these two, (ioifulnesse) by patience we are to understand a quiet subjection of our wills to the will and pleasure of God, in time of any pressure, cross, or affliction, even to the death, without either seeking unlawful means to ease our selves, or breaking out into bitter terms; for that indeed is impatiency, when a man is displeased for the work of God upon him, and for laying his hand on him, and afflicting him, and seeks others to ease himself by unlawful means, or doth foolishly charge God that he deals hardly with him, murmuring and complaining against him, the Apostle adds (to all patience) his meaning is to a quiet subjection of our willes to the will of God in any, yea in the greatest affliction (long suffering) patience and long suffering differ not in kind, but in the time: long suffering is not, as some would have it, a distinct species or kind of subjection of the will to the will of God, in time of affliction, but a continuance of it, because oftentimes the same affliction continues long: the word therefore here used is translated, long patience (ioifulnesse) that is, with joy and comfort of heart.

[Doct. 5] We must here call to mind that this verse is a part of the Apostles answer to a doubt arising from the first words of the former verse, as we heard before; whence we may conclude and gather, that we walk worthy of the Lord, to the pleasing of him in all things, not only by being fruitful in all good works, and by doing good, but also by bearing evil with patience. And to prove this a little further, know that the will of God revealed in his word, especially in the word of the Gospel, teacheth not only that good must be done, but that evil likewise must be suffered. It is the general Aphorism and sentence of the Gospel, that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, must suffer their measure of affliction, and it teacheth also how evil must be suffered, namely, with patience: hence it is called the word of patience, teaching to suffer evil, and how to suffer it; upon which ground it followeth, that then we walk worthy of the Lord, to the pleasing of him in all things, when we both do good commanded, and suffer evil laid upon us, with patience, as we are taught by the Gospel; again, we are to consider, that then we walk worthy of the Lord, when according to the measure of grace given, our life is conformable to the life of Christ, and then only is it so, when we do good commanded, and suffer evil laid upon us with patience; for his obedience was active and passive, a fulfilling of the law in his life, and a suffering with patience the cursed death of the cross: thus must our obedience be, we must not only do good, but suffer evil with patience, that we may be conformable to the death of Christ, as the Apostle speaks.

First, let this serve to beat down the reasoning of corrupt [Use. 1] flesh and blood, and stop the slanderous mouths of wicked Atheists, which commonly, upon occasion of the affliction of the godly, are open to blaspheme God, and charge him with want of love to his children, because he doth afflict them: the doctrine delivered makes it plain, that affliction is no good argument to prove that the Lord loves not his children, and the Atheist cannot thereupon gather it, that the Lord doth not regard them: for why? patience is an excellent virtue, a special part of Christian obedience, whereof there were no use, if they were not afflicted; and there is no use of temperance out of occasion and means of riot and excess, so there is no use of patience out of afflictions. And besides this use of affliction, which is sufficient to silence back-biting flesh, charging God with want of love to his children, it serves further to many other good uses, as to tame unbridled affections, to conform faith by special experience of God's mercy, to stir up obedience, yea, it is as great an argument as can be of God's love, and of eternal retribution. So the Apostle reasons, we are chastened, and why? because we should not be condemned with the world: let us not then give place to the reasoning of flesh and blood in this case.

Again, for the second use, is it so that our walking [Use. 2] worthy of the Lord, standeth not only in doing good, but in suffering evil with patience? then let everyone learn, that it is but one half part of our duty, to carry our selves well in time of prosperity: be it that we walk without public offense, and happily do much good, it is not enough, we must also learn to obey the will of the Lord, in a patient and quiet subjection of our wills to his will in time of adversity, that is another principal part of our obedience: it is as well required of us, that we suffer evil with patience, as that we do good with cheerfulness and because some, yea such as fear God, and have a special measure of grace, and by grace are enabled to do much good in time of prosperity, yet when affliction comes they find themselves defective in this part of obedience, their corruption doth break out and show it self in some impatient word or behavior: let us therefore think upon this duty, and withal think upon something that they may help and strengthen us in the practice of it.

And first to this purpose, consider we whence our affliction comes, even from the good pleasure and appointment of the Lord, all men for the most part will confess the world to be governed by the Lord, but when it comes to their own particular case in affliction, few do acknowledge it, then some accuse the uncertainty of the things of this life, some ascribe their affliction to their own rashness and want of heed, others again have their eye set upon the wickedness of enemies that afflict them, accusing and condemning them, which is a fault besides impatiency, even to confess other men's sins, and not our own, we must learn to look higher, to see and behold God's hand striking, and acknowledge his good providence in our affliction, and that will make us if any grace be in us in patience and silence to submit our selves to the will of the Lord, for why? he is just in afflicting us, and wise, imposing affliction upon us, for many good ends, and merciful, he might justly destroy us.

Secondly consider that by impatiency we are cruel to our selves, we weaken our selves and make that stronger against us, which doth already torment us, we add affliction to our selves, in other things we commonly love our selves too much but in this we are cruel to our own bowels, and become instruments of further torment to our selves, and that cruelty is most barbarous, and the greatest cruelty, for any crime a man commits against himself is greater then it can be against another, as for a man to murder himself, is a more fearful degree of murder then to murder another, and so if a man be cruel to himself, it is most savage cruelty. Let us then think upon it that our affliction comes from the hand of God, who is most just wise & merciful in afflicting of us, and that if we suffer our selves to be impatient, we are cruel to our own bowels which is the greatest and most savage cruelty. Let the consideration of these things stir us up to a patient and quiet subjection of our wills to the will and pleasure of the Lord, that so we may walk worthy of the Lord, both in prosperity and adversity. It is further to be marked, that the Apostle saith (unto all patience and long suffering.) Whence we are taught to be constant in patience, [Doct. 6] and to bear with patience great and long continued affliction. We must not bear Christ his yoke for a brunt, but as himself hath taught us, take up his cross daily, and follow him. Constancy is the complement and perfect work of patience: this point needs no long proof, it stands upon the same ground with the former; it is easily proved, but not so soon learned: for happily a man may in silence submit his will to the good will of God, in someone affliction; but when either another is added, or that increased and continued, then it is hard to continue patient, for then, besides the rising up and rebelling of his own flesh, the devil will be ready to suggest, that none whom God loves was ever so dealt withal; and if we oppose to this suggestion the example of any child of God, then he will shift his foot, and say, but never was any child of God so grievously afflicted as thou art.

That we may therefore be strengthened against this subtlety of Satan, [Use.] and enabled with patience to bear great and long continued affliction, know that no such measure of affliction doth ever befall us as hath been laid on the Saints of God recorded in the Scripture, take one instead of many, read and mark there affliction and an exceeding measure of it compassed round about, his reins cut, not spared, his gall poured upon the ground, broken with one breaking upon another, and run upon like a giant, can we say we have such a measure of affliction? no surely, if we speak the truth, we cannot: and I further prove it: The Apostle saith, the Lord will measure our affliction according to the ability of his children. Now our strength when it is at the greatest, is far inferior to the strength of Job, David, or Abraham, and therefore we must needs confess our trials and troubles are far inferior and short of theirs. Let not then Satan ever prevail with us, to persuade us, that never any whom God loved was afflicted as we are: let us put back his suggestion with this reason, and so learn to bear with constant patience the greatest measure, and the most long continued affliction, that the Lord shall lay upon us. Come we to the last word (ioifulnesse) this (as we said) is the quality and condition of patience and long suffering. Our instruction hence is [Doct. 7] this; it is not enough to be patient and silent in great and long continued affliction, unless it be with sweet contentment, joy, and comfort: we must not only be content to bear the miseries and afflictions of this life, so far the Heathen could go upon consideration of fatal necessity, but we must go a step further, even to rejoice in our afflictions, yea as S. James saith, 1.2. count it exceeding joy when ye fall into diverse temptations. Reasons of this are given first by Peter, because we are in affliction conformable to Christ, rejoice (saith he) in as much as year partakers of Christ's sufferings. Secondly, by S. Paul, when we are weakest, we are indeed strongest, having then special favor, protection, and strength from the Lord: therefore saith the Apostle, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches in necessities, in persecution, in anguish for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then am I strong: let this be thought on, that patience must be with joy and comfort; if that be away, it is not pleasing to the Lord: and again know that patience with joy and comfort is a true mark of God's child, for affliction being sanctified, and sent as a testimony of God's love towards his children, if we with patience and comfort endure it, God in it and by it doth offer himself unto us, as unto children, affliction of it own nature doth press down the heart, hands and eyes: if then faith, patience and comfort can keep the heart, hands, and eyes upwards, it is a manifest argument that the spirit of grace and strength doth rest upon us, making faith to triumph over the trial, and making us conquerors, yea more than conquerors. Let this be considered, and stir us up to a cheerful and comfortable bearing of any affliction, though it be great, and long continued upon us. And so much of this verse.

The Apostle having finished the proeme and entrance of his Epistle, standing on a congratulation and comprecation from the third verse to this twelfth, now he enters upon a summary declaration of the doctrine of salvation from this verse to the 23. the general proposition laid down in these verses, is this, that salvation comes unto us from God the Father, by his Son Jesus Christ, true God and man, and the head of his Church, whose merit is sufficient to all perfection of eternal life. The parts of this proposition are two: First, a declaration of the fountain and first Author of salvation, namely God the Father, together with the effect wrought by him, in verse. 12.13.

2 Secondly, a manifestation of the worker of it, Jesus Christ, and the work wrought by him, namely redemption, verse 14. to which is sub-joined in the verses following a confirmation and proof of his sufficiency to redeem us; and that is proved both by the dignity of his person that he was true God, the image of the invisible God, the first borne of every creature, and by the eternal decree and good pleasure of his father, together with the application both in general, and in special to the Colossians. The words of the 12. and 13. verses, being the first part of the general proposition, contain in them two things; first, the effect wrought by God the Father, verse 12. Secondly, the manner how it was wrought, verse 13. In the twelfth verse we find more specially a thanksgiving to God (giving thank,) and the reason and ground of that in those words (which hath made, &c.) and the place of that inheritance in the last words (in light.) First, briefly examine we the words of the 12. verse, the word (Father) is here to be taken personally, for the first person in the Trinity, because one person is conferred with another, and it standeth in relation to Christ (meet) that is, fit, sufficient, so the word is rendered, and it is so there translated by the Papists themselves, yet here they translate it (worthy) laboring thereby to uphold their opinion of inherent worthiness and condignity deserving salvation, which indeed cannot stand either with the proper signification of the word, or with the context, and with that in the verse following, where it is shown how we are made fit, namely by effectual vocation, justification, and a measure of sanctification. (To be partakers) or to be a part (inheritance of the Saints) that is to say, life and glory, given as it were by lot (for the Apostle alludeth to the division of the land of Canaan) to them that are sanctified by faith (in light) that is to say, in the glorious kingdom of heaven, for so we find the word (light) taken, show light or preach light, that is to say, life eternal. Now come we to such things as may be observed from this verse.

[Doct. 1] First, we are to mark that the Apostle entering on the doctrine of salvation, and the consideration of the grace of God in the work of redemption, he begins with thanksgiving to God. Our lesson hence is this, when we either think or speak of the grace of God in the work of our redemption, then our hearts must be enlarged, and our mouths opened to magnify the name of the Lord, for that is the end of all the mercies of God bestowed upon us. It is the end of all the actions of God tending to salvation: yea of the chiefest of them, our glorification in heaven. The point of thanksgiving was handled before in the third verse; and therefore in a word know we, that as many as have any comfortable feeling of God's grace in the work of redemption, [Use.] are thus affected, they never think or speak of it but with thanksgiving, and it is a sure note and mark that we find true comfort in the doctrine of grace, if when we think or speak of it, our hearts be filled with joy, and our mouths opened to praise the Lord; for this being an exercise of the blessed Angels and Saints of God in heaven, who do continually sing, thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof, because thou wast killed, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every, &c. It cannot choose but in some measure be begun in this life, and be found in them who shall hereafter be glorified in heaven.

I come to the matter of the Apostles thanksgiving [Doct. 2] (which hath made us meet) comprehending under that general (of making meet) as one special branch of it, the justification of a sinner, we may conclude that whom it pleaseth the Father to justify by his grace in Christ, to him he doth truly and really impute the righteousness of Christ, and by his righteousness make him truly and really meet and fit to be partaker of glory in heaven, it is not an imaginary or a supposed imputation of Christ his righteousness, by which we stand just and righteous in the sight of God; the Papists do scornfully term it imputative justice and tell us that we are to tremble at that which follows upon it, [Use.] that as we have no righteousness nor merit of heaven but (as they call it) by a supposed imputation, so must we look for no heaven, but by imputation, we are from hence to take notice of it, that it is not (as they falsely cavil) a supposed, but a real imputation of righteousness, whereby we stand most in God's sight, we are not in conceit made meet for the kingdom of Heaven, but truly and really, and to this agreeth that of the Apostle, that we are made the righteousness of God in Christ, that as our sin was truly and really, not in conceit; but indeed truly imputed unto him, and he made sin for us: so are we made the righteousness of God in him. It is but a fond cavil to shift off the plain evidence of that place in that they say Christ was made sin, that is to say a sacrifice for sin, thereby thinking to elude the people of God and to persuade that we misconster the place, for we confess it, that he was a sacrifice for sin, but he was therefore a sacrifice for sin, because our sin was imputed unto him and punished in him, and therefore it is said that he was made a curse for us, because the curse we had deserved was imputed unto him that the blessing of Abraham might come upon us, through Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith. Let us not then be driven from this truth, by any cavil or scorn of the Papists, but learn to hold it as a certain truth, that it is a true real imputation of righteousness, by which we stand just in God's sight, and this is further clear by our real union with Christ by the bond of his spirit; for by the spirit and faith we are really members of Christ his mystical body and so his righteousness and merits are truly and really communicated unto us, and we have interest in them [Doct. 3] as the members of his body. The second point that may be gathred for our instruction is this, that none ever come to be partakers of life and glory in heaven, but such as are before made meet and fit for it, not only by a real imputation of righteousness, but by a measure of inherent holiness and sanctification, and to prove this further, we are to know, that howsoever it be true, that no goodness or holiness in us is proportionable in merit and desert to the least degree of glory that shall be revealed because our best holiness is imperfect, and life & glory is not given for the worthiness of it, yet this is as true again, that life and glory shall be given in mercy according to the measure of holiness, and where there is a greater measure of holiness, there shall be a greater degree of glory, and consequently where there is no holiness, no glory, nor the least degree of glory can be looked for; The Apostle having delivered it in the general, that the Lord will reward every man according to his works, he presently subjoins a particular explication that unto all them that continue in well doing, the Lord will give glory, honor, and immortality, and eternal life, but on the contrary, such as are contentious & disobey the truth, & obey unrighteousness, they can look for no such reward from the Lord, upon them shall be indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, and upon the soul of everyone that doth evil. We may observe that though the kingdom of heaven be prepared for them that are blessed of God the Father, verse 34. yet they are not sent into the possession of it. By the sentence of our Savior before he makes it known, both to themselves and to all the world that they are fitted for it in measure of sanctification, and that they testified the same by their works of mercy towards his members, that they fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited the sick, &c. whence it is most clear, that none ever come to be partakers of life and glory in heaven, but such as are before made fit for it by a measure of holiness.

By this doctrine you shut out infants dying in infancy from the participation of life and glory in heaven, [Answ.] because they cannot be so fitted.

The doctrine must not be extended to them, [Object.] but understood of such as be of discretion, for infants within the covenant, and in God's everlasting election, dying in their infancy are saved, nor by actual faith, which they cannot have, wanting actual knowledge, but by some other special work of God's spirit, not known to us, and so not any actual sanctification is required of them.

[Use.] Is it so that where no holiness is, there can be no expectation of life and glory in heaven, no comfortable sight of God hoped for, then let no ungodly profane man or woman, such as declare their sins as Sodom, sooth and flatter themselves, and think they shall get to heaven well enough for all their abhominable silthinesse, (if they so think) they are much deceived, and let them hear it from the mouth of the Lord as a terrible sentence to all unrepentant sinners, that no unclean thing, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or lies, shall enter therein, but they which are written in the lambs book of life. It is therefore the exhortation of the Apostle, let no man deceive you with vain words, and I may say, let no man deceive himself with such vain words or persuasions: this ye know (saith the Apostle, verse. 5. that no whoremonger, neither unclean person, nor covetous person, which is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God, but because many please themselves in their filthiness and sins, in hope hereafter to find mercy, though they have heard that late repentance is seldom true repentance, and they may happily feeke it and not find it. I would entreat him that we may a little further reason together upon the doctrine now delivered, they have heard it proved that none can come to be partakers of life and glory in heaven; but such as are before made fit and meet for it, and can they think that they are fit for heaven who without remorse of conscience do again crucify Christ, and make his wounds to bleed a fresh; thus do all hard hearted and unrepentant sinners by their sins, if therefore they rightly consider it they most of force confess, that they foolishly persuade themselves they shall get to heaven. Oh, but God's mercy is great? it is true, he is a God of infinite mercy, but yet a just God, and it is strange that wicked profane wretches should dare to presume of God's mercy under many sins, and yet they may find, that God hath shown his justice to the dearest of his children: to Moses, to Aaron, to David, and others, for committing someone sin; yea, which is more, Christ himself, the glory and image of his Father, could not escape the bitter death of the cross, because he became sin for us. How then can bold and presumptuous sinners persuade themselves they shall escape the punishing hand of God, they adding sin to sin, and wallowing in their sins till death, without repentance? Let them duly consider this, and for conclusion of this point, let us know, that there is no comfort to be had in our hearts, touching life and glory in the world to come, but only by a true espiall of sanctification of life in our selves: and let it move us to labor by all appointed good means to come to a measure of sanctification, that so we may glorify our heavenly Father in this life, and may seal up assurance of our happy estate in his glorious kingdom in heaven (to be partakers) or to a part.

Hence a question is occasioned. Some may say, [Quest:] shall we have distinct parts of glory in heaven, because the Apostle saith, made meet to a part, it may seem some shall have one part of glory, and some another.

No, the very word used by the Apostle is against it, [Answ.] it being a word of the singular number, cannot imply multiplicity of parts. But for full answer, know that all the Saints shall have the same happiness and glory in substance, namely, perfect union and conjunction with God, and participation of all eternal good things from him; but all shall not have the same degree of glory, but some greater, some less, answerable to the degrees of goodness in them

The Prophet doth infer upon the general resurrection, that they that be wise, shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness, shall shine as the stars forever and ever. And the Apostle plainly teacheth this point, there is one glory of the Sun, and another glory of the Moon, and another glory of the Stars: for one Star differeth from another Star in glory. And howsoever that in the parable, that all the laborers in the vineyard received everyone a penny, may seem contrary to this; yet we must understand it, as lying under this distinction that in respect of essential glory, all the elect shall have the same; but in regard of accidental glory, and the degrees of glory, therein they shall not be equal. And let not this be a point of speculation, only serving to make us able to talk of it: if we rest in that, the very Devil shall reap as much profit by it as we. But let us labor to make it comfortable to our selves, let it be laid as a ground in our hearts of comfort, and of godly emulation, even to make us strive to excel one another in holiness, that so we may find strong consolation and comfort of conscience in this life, and increase of our glory in the life to come (inheritance) in that the Apostle calls life and glory in heaven, an inheritance, it is most [Doct. 4] clear to any that will rightly consider it, that it is given to God's elect, whom it pleaseth the Father to make mere for it, not upon any desert of theirs, but freely: for why? we know that an inheritance is given to the child, of the mere love of the father; it may be, it was provided for him before he was borne, and before he could do anything for the deserving of it. And thus our Savior speaks of the heavenly inheritance, Inherit you the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundations of the world. It is a thing commonly known, that amongst men, an inheritance is not given to the servant, who peradventure hath done something either in the getting or keeping of it, but it is given to the child, who happily is so far from doing anything, either to the getting or keeping of it, as yet he lies crying in the cradle; so that by this word (inheritance) the Holy Ghost would have us to understand, that life and glory in heaven is freely given, and not upon desert. Again, if the word be taken in the other signification, it doth demonstrate and prove the same thing, that life and glory is freely given: for shall we say that a man doth purchase by merit, that which comes unto him by lot? That were not only to go against the common received opinion, that lot stands on mere chance, but to give the lie to the plain text, The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposition thereof is of the Lord: so life and glory being called a lot, it doth plainly evince, that it is at the free disposition of the Lord, and given of his free grace. And the reason is given by the Apostle: by grace are we saved, lest any man should boast himself, lest any should glory, that he brings anything to the procurement of his own salvation, therefore it is, that we obtain life and salvation freely. And with this agrees that, where the Apostle having proved that we are justified freely, he saith, where is then the rejoicing?

First, this serves to confute and overthrow that opinion [Use. 1] of the Papists, who hold and teach that life eternal is given to them that are first justified by Christ, upon their desert for the merit of their own good works, and wages due to them by debt. Beside the error of this opinion, supposing a twofold justification in the sight of God, which can never be proved by the word, it cannot stand with the truth now delivered: for if eternal life be freely given of grace, then not upon desert for dignity of good works. Free gift and due debt cannot stand together. Oh but (say they) life eternal is called a reward: it is true, [Object.] but we must learn to distinguish with the Apostle, [Answ.] reward or wages is twofold, of favor, or debt: life eternal is a reward of favor, not of debt: it is given of the mere grace of God, without any desert of ours. We are to observe it, it is worthy observation, that wheresoever in any place of Scripture mention is made of reward, we shall find that it is promised to the worker, and not to the work it self, as shall reward thee openly, whereby the holy Ghost would have us to understand, that though reward be given in respect of the work, yet it is not given for the worth and dignity of it, but it is given for God's gracious acceptance of the person, and consequently of his work in Jesus Christ; its given of favor, not of debt, as deserved by the good work done by any believer. But the Papists further reply, that Christ hath merited, that the works of his members should be meritorious of life everlasting: a mere device of their own. This proposition is nowhere to be found in the Scripture We find in many places, that Christ died for our sins, but nowhere for our good works, to make them able to merit, and to purchase favor at God's hands; and indeed it is not possible that our best works being imperfect and stained with sin, should have the true and whole nature of merit. It is a manifest contradiction, that any work should have need of pardon from God (as all ours have) and yet fully satisfy the justice of God, and deserve at his hands. Yea more than that, if Christ his obedience had been imperfect, and any way defective, though he were God and man, yet it had not been meritorious of life and salvation; for that were to make contradictories true together, which all Divines, yea School-divines (from whom the Papists fetch the body of their divinity) hold impossible to God himself, because it is an argument of impotency, not of power.

[Use. 2] Again, for the second use, is eternal life given as an inheritance freely? surely then, though we cannot deserve the least degree of it, yet it is the pleasure of God our Father, that we should labor to express our thankfulness by all holy obedience unto him; for it holds by proportion, that if we are to be thankful to God for the bread we have to put into our mouths, and for other temporal blessings, as it is our duty, because they are the free gifts of God, and the use and comfort we find by them, comes from the Lord, then much more are we bound to be thankful unto him, for making us his own children, we that are not sons by nature, making us his Children by adoption, yea, sons and heirs, even joint-heirs with Christ his natural Son, and by him, giving us sufficient and certain title, to an euelasting inheritance in his own Kingdom. This is to be thought on, and because everyone will be ready to speak peace to his own heart in this case, and persuade himself, that he is thankful to God for his grace and adoption, let us learn to examine our selves whether we be so or no.

How is that to be done? [Quest.] (may some say)

Even by our thankfulness to God for his gifts of a lower nature, for things of less weight, [Answ.] then is the Kingdom of Heaven, even for the good things of this life, if we find that we are truly thankful for them, and moved by them to walk humbly before the Lord, and the more the Lord doth open his hand in blessing us in these things, the more our hearts are enlarged in duty and thankfulness towards him, then we may conclude, that we in some measure are thankful for the grace of adoption here, for the Spirit worketh in us, as in David, upon the consideration of God's favor in outward things, to say, who am I, O Lord God and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? and the same spirit will be powerful in us, upon consideration of our title by grace, to the inheritance of the Saints in Heaven, to say, Lord who am I that thou shouldest think of me, choose me, and make me thy child and heir of Heaven, on the contrary, if we be not thankful to God, for the good things of this life, but after the manner of the wicked, the more the Lord doth increase and multiply his gifts, the more we increase in pride and vanity, in scorn, contempt and disdain of [Doct. 5] others; let us then say and pretend what we will, we shall never be able to prove it, and to make it good, to the comfort of our own souls, that we are thankful to God, for our title to his free gift of life and glory in Heaven.

(Saints) This word pointeth out the same thing, that was before delivered, that such as look to come to be partakers of life and glory in Heaven, must in some measure be sanctified, they must be of the number of Saints.

For further use [Use.] of it, let such persons, as do many times willfully absent themselves, from the hearing of the word, and participation of the Sacraments at times appointed, think upon this one point, shall none come to be partakers of life and glory in heaven, who are not of the number of Saints. How then can they look for it, who wittingly and willfully break off holy Communion and fellowship with the Saints, and do openly devide and separate themselves, from the Society of them that shall be glorified in heaven? know it for truth, thou must either hold Communion with thy brethren in this life, in good things or else never look to have Communion with them, in the life to come. If thou do excommunicate thyself (so I may justly speak) and by a wicked and wayward separation devide thyself from the society of the Saints upon earth, certainly without repentance, thou shalt forever be excommunicate, and shut out of heaven.

[Doct. 6] (In light) That is to say (as ye heard) in heaven, now heaven is set out under the name of light, to shadow out the excellent comfort that is there to be found, for we know how comfortable a thing light is. As hell is resembled to utter darkness, to teach us the horror of it; the use of this, as of other resemblances, setting out the joy, comfort and glory of heaven, is to work in us Saint Paul's affection, [Use.] and longing desire of heaven, and a laboring by all good means to attain unto it, and to this end, let us a little meditate upon this one similitude, as many as are the children of God, do know, that there is no such comfort to be found in anything under heaven, as in the light of the Lord's countenance shining upon them, David preferred it before wheat and wine. Now in heaven, that light of the Lord's countenance, shall be the light that shall shine upon us in full brightness, the glory of God doth light the heavenly Jerusalem, how then ought this to affect us, and to stir us up in a longing desire after it, even earnestly to strive to come to walk in that unspeakable brightness of the glory of God, the glory and light of the lamb Jesus Christ a light that never shall be obscured with any darkness.

The Apostle shows in this verse, how God makes his Elect meet to be partakers of life and glory in heaven, namely, by delivering them from the power of darkness and translating them into the Kingdom of his dear Son, under which terms, of delivering and of translating, are signified their effectual vocation, justification and sanctification, through the effectual working of his spirit, by the word of the Gospel, for these are the degrees of God's love manifested in time to his chosen, and in these very terms doth the holy Ghost, speak of the vocation of the Gentiles where Saint Paul saith, he was sent as an instrument, by the preaching of the Gospel to convert and call the Gentiles, and propounds the end of his sending in these very words ( to open their eyes &c. ) Come we to speak of the first of these (who hath delivered us from the power of darkness) the word translated (delivered) doth signify such a deliverance, as in respect of them that are delivered, is neither deserved by them, nor desired of them, but is, as it were, a drawing and an haling, as is the pulling of a beast, or rather a dead weight out of a pit, and in respect of the deliverer, it signifieth such a deliverance, as is wrought by his almighty power, by the power of his spirit. And by the power of darkness, we are to understand the rule and dominion of Satan, who is the Prince of darkness, and doth rule in the children of disobedience, by sin, by ignorance in the mind, rebellion in the will, pravity and hardness of the heart &e. Whence it is that actual sins, are called by the Apostle, the works of darkness. The meaning then of the first part of this verse is this, who by the mighty and powerful work of his spirit hath drawn us, we neither desiring nor willing it of our selves, out of the rule of Satan the Prince of darkness, who ruleth by sin, in the children of disobedience. We are to mark in the first place the order of this verse, in that the Apostle saith, first we are delivered and then translated,

[Doct. 1] Hence we may gather, that before we can come to be set into the state of grace and salvation, we must be delivered from the state of corruption and sin, a point easily proved; every exhortation of the Apostle, tending to reformation and newness of life, by way of implication doth confirm it, as that we are to cast off the old man, which is corruption, through the deceiveable lusts &c. that we are to be cleansed from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and to finish our sanctification in the fear of God, these and many other of like sort, do not only teach, that a change must be wrought, but imply the order of it, that first we must be drawn out of the state of corruption and sin, [Reason.] and then set into the state of grace, the reason and ground of this is, because nature and grace, the image of God, and the image of Satan, can never stand together, the one must be razed out, before the other can be brought in; so long as we are in our natural dregs and filthiness, in the state of corruption we bear the image of Satan, and therefore cannot at the same time have in us, the renewed image of God.

[Use.] Is it so that we must be drawn out of the state of sin and corruption before we be set into the state of grace, then let this serve as a ground of examination and trial of our selves, everyone will persuade himself that he is in the state of grace, but would we know whether we be so or no, then look to the first step and entrance into that that state, examine whether thou hast suffered an holy and heavenly violence, whether the strong hand of grace hath wrought upon thee, and drawn thee out of thy corruption, if thou find it so, then doubtless thou art in the state of Grace, but if otherwise thou never seltst any such powerful work in thee, but if thou still livest the life of nature, thou canst not with comfort persuade thyself that thou art in the state of grace, and for more special trial in this case look to the working of God's spirit in respect of the best pleasing sin, even of that sin to which thou art most naturally inclined, if thou find that God by the powerful work of his spirit hath drawn thee from under the power and tyranny of that sin, and that thou hast not now such pleasure in it as in former times, but dost strive by good means against it, and avoid occasions leading unto it, then thou mayest be sure, thou art entered into the way of life, but if thou find, that yet thou art held in the snare of the devil as the Apostle speaks, in thralldom under that sin, that so soon as any occasion is offered thou art ready to practice it, and that with pleasure, then hear and think on it, with trembling that even Cain, Judas or Herod were as near heaven as thou art yet.

Delivered.) The point hence to be observed is this, that [Doct. 2] deliverance of the natural man from under the bondage of Satan is a most hard thing, it is such a thing as we are taught by this word, as doth require the force and strength of that hand that is omnipotent, and able to ouermaster hell, yea such a thing as is wrought on him that is delivered merely passive, nay repugnant and striving against it being dead in sin: it is not in this case as in producing the forms of many natural things which are bought e potentia materiae out of a capable proneness of the matter to conceive such a form, but that God which at first was able to bring light out of darkness, the same God by the power of his spirit doth deliver the mind from dullness & ignorance, the will from rebellion, the affections from disorder, and all the powers of the soul from corruption, let no man then please himself with a conceit that he can at [Use. 1] his own time and pleasure be delivered from the bondage of sin and Satan, that is to suffer our thoughts to rise up in contradiction to the holy ghost, and in our harts to gainsay the truth breathed out of the mouth of God himself, in this and many other places, let no man then please himself, in such a conceit so contrary to the plain truth plainly taught by our Savior, & so neglect the timely using of the means, as hearing and reading the word of God, and other means by which God doth work the calling and and conversion of his elect, and their deliverance from the bondage of sin and Satan. We are further to mark that the Apostle saith, not from sin and [Doct. 3] Satan, but from the power of darkness, from the power of Satan ruling by sin, our instruction hence is this, that when it pleaseth God by the powerful work of his grace to draw men out of the state of corruption, he doth not deliver them altogether from sin, but from the power of sin, so after their deliverance, sin doth not rule and reign over them, and in them according to the exhortation of the Apostle. Let not sin reign in your mortal bodies, the reason of it is this, the Lord will have us here so long as we live in this world to be in continual exercise of faith and repentance, and spiritual grace & strength, therefore he doth not deliver those whom it pleaseth him to call and convert altogether from sin, but from the power of sin, that sin doth not rule and reign in them, and this may serve as a special note and mark that cannot deceive us, whereby we may know when we are delivered from our natural state and condition, [Use.] namely when we are freed from the rule and dominion of sin, that though we sometimes fall into sin, yet we are not in bondage unto it, and this may also serve to teach us when we are delivered from some particular sin whereof we are most guilty, even then when we find the power of it broken.

But happily some will demand how we shall know that we are delivered from the power of some particular sin, [Quest.] for herein some deceive themselves, and falsely think they are delivered, when they are not, as the unclean adulterous person enfeebled by sickness or age, the prodigal riotous person drawn dry in his purse, their minds still running after their sin as much as ever before, they think they are delivered from their particular sin, these indeed are delivered from the practice of sin, but not from the power of their sin.

Then we are delivered from the power of some particular sin when we being able to commit it, [Ans.] occasion being offered, and we being tempted unto it, do either with a loathing of it because it is sin, and not for fear or shame of the world refrain from it, & if we fall into it, our fall is with reluctance and grief as Paul saith of himself, the evil he hated he did, and after the fall we recover our selves by speedy repentance, for where the seed of Grace hath taken root, these three things are to be found; a purpose not to sin; and if we be overtaken with sin, little or no pleasure in the act of sin; and bitter grief of heart, [ 1] after we are fallen; as we read of David, when he had numbered [ 2] the people his heart smote him. Again when we [ 3] are not able to commit sin for want of means and strength, we may know that we are delivered from the power of it, if so be we look not back to it with pleasure, if we neither think nor speak of it but with bitter grief: for surely such as think or speak of their old familiar sin, which now they are not able to practice with delight, they are not delivered from the power of it, they are like Lots wife, who though her body was delivered out of Sodom, yet her heart was still there, and therefore she cast a long look back to that filthy sink of sin, and they are to remember Lots wife, it is the exhortation of our Savior, that as she was smitten by the hand of God, and turned into a pillar of salt, so they first or last without repentance shall be smitten and made spectacles of the Lord's wrath.

Now to the second general thing, in this verse in these words (and hath translated) the word (translated) is here taken from the Latin, and signifieth through the effectual working of the spirit of God, working by the word of the Gospel, carried and set over; (Kingdom of his Son) that is to say, into the Kingdom of Christ his natural son, his son by eternal generation in respect of his deity, and in respect of his humanity by personal union, and by the word (Kingdom) we are to understand the regiment and government of Christ, as mediator in his Church, and because Christ his regiment is twofold, of grace and glory, we must know that here is meant his kingdom of grace, whereby he doth order and rule his Church & the members of it in this life, which in respect of the manner of government shall have an end at the second coming of Christ to judgment. For though Christ his kingdom it self be eternal, because he is God, equal to the father, and the head of his Church, yet the manner of the administration of his kingdom, by preaching Sacraments and discipline shall have an end he shall then cease to do the office of a mediator (but that by the way, (his dear son) that is to say, the son of his love, so the words are in the original his son, in whom as we have it, he is well pleased, thus then these words are to be conceived, & through the powerful work of his spirit, working by his word, hath brought and set us under the regiment and government [Doct. 4] of grace, whereby Christ his natural son and the son of his love, doth govern his Church in this life, Now the first thing we have here to mark is from the connection of the parts of this verse. The Apostle saith, he hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son, hence we may take up this instruction that God doth not only deliver his elect from the power of sin, but doth also set them into the state of grace, and he doth not only draw them out of the state of their corruption, but he brings them under grace and works, grace in them, for as the Apostle saith, whom he hath appointed to life and salvation, them he calleth; now effectual calling (which must needs be there understood) being applied to God's elect, is when g • ace is not only offered by the ministry of the word, but given through the effectual working of God's Spirit in the heart, he changing the heart, and giving it power to receive the word, and to mix it with faith, and to bring forth fruits of new obedience, for that is effectual calling, and that doth plainly prove that God doth not only deliver his elect from the power of sin, but he brings them under grace, and works grace in them. We need seek no further for the proof of this, than the word here used (translated) for translation is a setting of us out of one state into another.

The reason of this is because God will have the mind, [Reason.] will, and affections of his chosen, not only free from evil, as a field purged of thistles and reeds, but he will have them active working and fruitful in goodness for them, they are sanctified when they are transformed from the image of Satan into the image of God: and thus they are truly renewed when they are turned from sin to God, and bring forth fruits of new obedience.

Let the consideration of this point for the use [Use.] of it teach us to know when we are effectually called, and truly converted, namely then, when by the powerful work of God's Spirit, our minds, wills, and affections, are not only freed from corruption, but grace is wrought in them: and to descend a little lower in the application of this point, then we are effectually called out of some sin, and truly turned from some sin, when we are not only kept from that sin, but with love, liking, alacrity and cheerfulness, we practice the contrary duty, that is a rule that cannot deceive us; many please themselves, and think they are in good case, called home and reclaimed from some sin, when they avoid that sin: but we must know that is not sufficient; the Apostle doth tell us that some may escape from the filthiness of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and of the Savior Jesus Christ, and yet be tangled again therein and overcome, and the latter end be worse with them than the beginning. As many as will be sure they are effectually called home, so as they cannot go back again to their old course, must not only find themselves delivered from their sin, but must also find the contrary grace wrought in them, yea in some cases the contrary special grace: as for example, such as will be sure they are called out of their natural blindness and ignorance of God, of themselves, of the way to life and salvation, must not only find their minds enlightened by a general illumination, a bare conceiving and understanding of the sense and meaning of the word; that is a common grace, and that may be common to them with the Devil, and the wicked, but they must find in them a special experimental knowledge, a particular acknowledgement and persuasion of the truth of the whole word of God, a believing holy knowledge, which is never disioined from good affection, and then they may be sure they are effectually called out of their ignorance. Thus it is in other particulars. Let no man then imagine that he is effectually called home, when for a time he hath escaped the practice of some sin, unless he can withal show the practice of the contrary virtue. And to this purpose consider we but this one thing, that it is not possible for a man long to continue in that barren and (as I may call it) graceless estate in which he doth please himself, if the sin be avoided, and the contrary virtue not practiced, it cannot be but that he will return with the dog to his vomit: for mark what our Savior hath left upon perpetual record: When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, if he return (as he will seek to return) and find the house empty, or as the word i • , idle, not possessed by grace, certainly he will enter and hold possession with greater strength than before, and the latter end of that man will be worse than his beginning.

In the next place we are to mark, the Apostle saith, [Doct. 5] translated into the Kingdom, that word (Kingdom) being a word of relation, having reference to subjects, it teacheth that God's elect delivered from sin, and set into the state of grace, are still under government, they are not at liberty to live as they list: for why? the Kingdom of grace, as the Apostle reasoneth, gives no license to sin, that they that are under grace, should therefore sin; we are not under the Law, but under grace. What then? doth it follow that we should sin? God forbid, saith the Apostle: he speaks it with a detestation of that conclusion, as if he should have said, fie upon it, far be it from us. The Scripture is pregnant in the proof of this: but for more special information in this point, we must know what be the laws, under which God's elect live in this kingdom of grace: and they are two; first, the word of God, the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles. Hence is the Gospel called the Gospel of the Kingdom; the Law of faith. The second Law is the power and operation of the Spirit of God in the hearts of his children; the Apostle saith, the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power; saith the Lord, I will put my Law into their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be my people. These being the Laws of the kingdom of Christ in this life, all God's elect set into the state of grace, are to be subject unto them, and to find them powerful to work in them obedience. They do not only teach us under what manner of government we live, but do plainly prove that we are not at liberty to live as we lift, but still under government; for to that end is a law given, especially the law binding the conscience, as these do, that it should be obeyed, and to retain men within the compass of duty. Hence the laws of men are truly called the sinews and holds of the common-wealth. But some may say, the Apostle hath taught us, that we are set at liberty by Christ, stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. [Answ.] The answer is easy, by Christ as many as are in him have liberty indeed, but it is spiritual, not a carnal liberty: they have freedom from the curse of the Law, and from the rigor of the Law, requiring exact and perfect obedience, and from the tyranny and dominion of sin; but they have no liberty to sin, and to live as they list, that as the Apostle saith in the same chapter, verse. 13. is to use their liberty as an occasion unto the flesh. This then remains a truth, that God's elect delivered from the power of sin, and set in the state of grace, are still under government.

[Use.] And for the use of this, let everyone hence learn to reason back again, that if he be not subject to the Laws of Christ his kingdom, and ruled in some measure by his Word and Spirit, then he is not delivered from the power of sin, nor in the state of grace. And a little further to press this, can we persuade our selves we are in the state of grace, and vndergrace, and yet abuse grace, make it an occasion to all licentious liberty to sin, make it as a bawd to our lying, swearing, drunkenness, &c. If we do but weigh this in the balance of natural reason, it will be found too light to this purpose; for as we use to say, when a man doth sell a thing of great worth for a small price, and after that gives himself to rioting and misspending of that money, he is a thief, and no right owner of that he sold, the like may be justly said of such as abuse grace, that they are but usurpers, & no right owners of it, & that they have no true lawful title unto it. Let this be thought on, and withal remember what we daily call for, or ought to call for, at the hands of God, namely this, that this kingdom may be set up and established in the Church, and in our own hearts. And if we do not withal labor to submit our selves to the scepter of his kingdom, the rule of his word and spirit, but willfully reject his yoke, we pray against our selves, we desire the Lord to take us away, to confound and destroy us by his judgments, that his kingdom may increase, and of our own mouths will the Lord judge us, and in his just conceived anger accomplish that we ask. Therefore with trembling hearts let us consider, and in time submit our selves to the kingdom of Christ. Before I leave this word (Kingdom) I will briefly answer a cavil of the Anabaptists, who upon this, and the like places of Scripture, take occasion to maintain a confused Anarchy, and to reason against civil government amongst Christians, after this manner, God's elect (say they) effectually called and set in the state and kingdom of grace, are governed by Christ the King, and by the Laws of his kingdom, his Word and Spirit. Therefore they need not outward government of man, outward government by a magistrate is needless; this is a mere cavil, having no soundness in it: it is easily answered, for if we should but press them with the perpetuity of the fifth commandment, that requiring subjects to yield obedience to the governors, and that being eternal, they are not able to reply: but in a word to answer them; In the visible Church are not only true believers, but hypocrites, as we are taught in many parables in the Gospel, who are not governed by God's spirit, but by their own corrupt lusts, therefore in respect of them, civil government is needful; yea, the best Churches in the world need civil government, for the punishment of evil doers, and to say there needs no civil government, it inclines to that old rotten condemned heresy, that God was not the author of the Old Testament, because there we find so many punishments mentioned and executed. Again, true believers ought to be a Law and a Magistrate to themselves, and so to live as not to need the civil magistrate, but yet they do not, neither can do being but in part governed by the Spirit for the time of this life, therefore also in respect of them, for the ordering of the outward man, civil government is necessary; and to this we may add, that it is necessary for the protection of the Church, it being open to the malice of Satan & the wicked. Hence the Apostle bids us pray for kings, and all that be in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life under them, in all godliness and honesty. It followeth, the next thing to be marked is, that the Apostle saith, God doth ttanslate his Elect into the kingdom of his Son, he saith not unto his own Kingdom, though the kingdom of the Son (if we respect the Kingdom it self) is the Kingdom of the Father, Son, and holy Ghost, it is a power of the whole Trinity, for the power to make laws binding conscience to be obeyed upon pain of life and death, is a power of the whole Trinity; but the administration of it, is given unto the Son, as himself witnesseth, all power is given unto me in Heaven and in earth, therefore he gives commission to his Apostles immediately from himself to go teach and administer the Sacraments, but the reason why the Apostle saith, translated into the Kingdom of his Son, and not unto his own kingdom, is because God the Father doth admit no man to himself immediately but by the Son God and man, the true and only Mediator between God and man, as our Savior saith; No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

[Doct. 6] The point hence following is this that no man is under the special government of God, no man is governed by the special grace of God, but he that is in the Kingdom of his Son, even a member of the Church, and ordered and ruled by him. It is certain the universal government and providence of God is over all creatures, in him they live, move, and have their being, even all in heaven and in earth, yea the damned in hell, thus the Lord remaineth a King forever, but none are governed by his special grace, that is to say, his grace whereby he doth restrain and mortify corruption, and daily renew his decayed image in the mind, will and affections, but only such as are in Christ, such as are effectually called and justified by Christ. We have proof of this, where the Apostle saith, when the Ephesians were without Christ, they were without God, his meaning is not only without the true knowledge and worship of God, and such as did neglect both; but such as were neglected, and not regarded of God, in respect of his special government, and suffered to walk in their own ways and sins, and to follow the lusts of their own hearts, for we may easily conceive, that the words may extend to that meaning, if we compare them with that we read, verse. 19. of that chapter, that in Christ they were made citizens with the Saints, and of the household of God, which words imply special care and government, as a wise and good householder hath a special care over them of his family; so the Lord being wisdom and goodness it self, without question hath a special care, and doth carry a special hand over them that be of his family; will we have some strength of reason to confirm this, then know and consider we, that God's special grace is most free, and not given upon any desert of ours, [Reason.] but on the free and gracious promise of God, now all the promises of God to his children touching vocation, justification, renovation &c. are made and fulfilled in Christ alone, he is the foundation and complement of them all, [Use.] in him they are all, yea and Amen. Hence it followeth strongly, that none are ever governed by the special grace of God, but such as be in Christ, because the promise is made and fulfilled in him and by him.

The point thus cleared, let us further think on it, to this special purpose, is it so, that none are governed by the special grace of God, but such as are in Christ, then everyone that desires special grace for the mortification of sin, and for renewing the image of God in him, must labor to be made a member of Christ, let him not suffer his eyes to sleep, nor the temples of his head to take any rest, till he be assured, that he is set into the body of Christ, and made one with him by the bond of his spirit, and by a true faith, and to this purpose know it, that as long as we are out of Christ, we cannot pray unto God with assurance of his special grace, for faith and assurance to be heard, hath ever respect to the promise, and there is no promise, no, not of any temporary good thing to them, that are out of Christ, they that be out of Christ, they cannot truly believe, they may boldly presume, they cannot truly believe that they shall receive any temporary good thing from the Lord, if they do, it is but as if a man should think to hold the wind in his fist; true faith ever hath relation to the promise, and out of Christ there is no promise, they that be out of Christ, come to an absolute God, hence it is, that many pray to God to give them grace to refrain some sin being convinced of it, in their own conscience and told of it, they promise amendment, yea, they pray to God to give them grace to refrain from it, and yet fail to obtain, because they are out of Christ, whereas if they were in Christ, effectually called and justified, they should receive Saint Paul's answer, and find it made good unto them, though they were not freed from temptation to that sin, yet they should find God's grace sufficient for them, and this ought to stir us up to labor by all good means, to be joined with Christ, by the bond of his Spirit, and by a true and lively faith, and then we may be sure, if we pray for God's special grace, we shall have it given unto us; for can or will God suffer us, to whom he hath vouchsafed the blood of his own Son, to run headlong into sin? certainly no, he will not we may find that God hath vouchsafed his common restraining grace to some Heathen men, as to Abimelech. God saith he kept him that he should not sin against him, therefore he will not cast away the humble petition of his chosen being now actual members of Christ; no doubtless, they craving grace, he will give them his special grace, not only restraining, but mortifying their corruption, and renewing them in holiness after his own image, let this then be a special inducement to move us, to labor to be made members of Christ, and let us gather yet further argument to move us to be made one with Christ out of this very text: the Apostle saith, God's elect effectually called, are translated into the kingdom of his dear son, that is, the son of his love, in whom he is well pleased: even well pleased, not only with him, but in him with all his members, and that this may be matter to move us, consider how happy and blessed a thing it is to be made dear unto God, it is the very depth & ground of all true comfort, for then we have peace with God, with our own conscience, with all the faithful, yea with all the creatures in the world, the very beasts and stones of the field are then in league with us, we then have access to the throne of grace with boldness, we are assured of God's special presence and protection, we may come into God's house with joy and gladness, we have title to all the blessings of God's Saints in this life, and right to eternal happiness in the life to come. Seeing then such is the excellency of our being made near and dear to God by Christ. This ought to possess our hearts with S. Paul's affection, to think all things loss that we may win Christ, and be found in him, and by him be made near and dear to his Father, and so partakers of all the comforts and blessings of God's Saints in this life, and in the life to come.

In this verse is contained a manifestation of the worker of salvation (Jesus Christ) and the work wrought by him (Redemption.) More particularly we may observe in this verse three things.

First, in whom God's elect have redemption, namely in Jesus Christ, in those words (in whom.)

Secondly, the means of their own redemption (his blood.)

Thirdly, of what manner of redemption the Apostle speaks: even of redemption from their sins, in the last words, where the Apostle saith by way of exposition, that is, (the forgiveness of sin.) Let us a little examine the words: (In whom) that is in Christ the son of God, for these words have reference to the last words of the verse, foregoing, his dear son, (redemption) to redeem in a large and general acception, signifieth to set free some captive, or some that are oppressed, out of the hands of their enemies or oppressor. Now because such deliverance may either be by strong hand, as God redeemed his people out of Egypt, and as Abraham redeemed Lot, or by ransom, we are here to understand deliverance by ransom, for so the original word doth signify, and the Apostle restrains it to that, and saith in plain terms, that he gave himself a ransom for all.

[Object.] This seems contrary to many places of Scripture, where it is said, that Christ redeemed us out of the hands of our enemies, by overcoming them, 2. Chapt. of this Epistle 15. verse, how then did he deliver us by ransom or price?

[Answ.] In respect of God his Father, to whom he offered himself without spot, he delivered us by ransom. But in respect of Satan, who had us captives under sin, the curse, death and damnation, he delivered us by strong hand, he destroyed through death him that had the power of death that the Devil had delivered them which for fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage.

It will be further objected, if we were in bondage unto Satan and his captives, then the price of our redemption was paid to him and not to God, for the ransom is commonly paid to him who hath the captives under his hand.

We were properly captives to the justice of God in the Law; and the curse of the Law, [Answ.] and unto Satan but as the minister of God for the execution of the curse, and so the price of redemption was paid to God to satisfy his justice to which we were properly in captivity, not to Satan who was but the minister of God's justice as the Jailor and tormenter for the afflicting of punishment (through his blood) that is his bloody death and passion, his accursed death of the cross, therefore the Apostle calls it verse 10. the blood of his cross through the sacrifice of himself offered upon the cross, by forgiveness of sins in the last place, we are to understand deliverance from the guilt and punishment of all sins. Thus then these words are to be conceived. In which, or by which Son of God Christ Jesus, we have deliverance from the guilt and punishment of all our sins, by the ransom of his death as a price paid to God his Father to satisfy his justice, before we come to such things as may be hence observed I will briefly answer a doubt for satisfaction of some, who happily may move the question and not be able to resolve themselves.

The doubt is this, [Quest:] how this text can agree with that where God is said to redeem his people.

I answer; we must know and hold it for a truth, [Ans:] it is a common received rule in Divinity that all the works of the Trinity ad extra are common to the whole Trinity, God the Father Son and holy Ghost, work together even in this work of our redemption, but yet Christ the matter of our salvation is said by a matter of excellency to be our only redeemer, and that in a threefold respect.

First, because he only is God and man, for it was necessary [ 1] that our redeemer should be God and man.

[ 2] Secondly, he was only deputed to the office of a redeemer.

[ 3] Thirdly, he only had right not only of propriety, but of propinquity and nerenesse of flesh and blood unto us, according to the Law. Hence it is said that he took part with the children of God in flesh and blood. Thus we see though redemption be a work common unto the whole trinity, yet by an excellency Christ is our only redeemer, and in him alone we have redemption, because he is God and man deputed to that office, and had right of propinquity and nearness unto us; we are here to mark the Apostle placeth redemption in the remission of sins (In whom we have redemption): hence follows this conclusion that none are redeemed by the death of Christ, but only [Doct. 1] God's elect, I will labor to make this plain, remission of sins is a part of justification in the sight of God. And none are justified in God's sight but those whom he predestinate, for none have faith whereby they apprehend and apply Christ to their justification in his sight, but such as were preordained to life & salvation. Now then redemption being here placed in remission of sins, and remission of sins being a part of justification in the sight of God, hereupon it follows necessarily that none are redeemed by the death of Christ, but only God's elect. Again, if we should say Christ died for all, elect and reprobate, then this would follow that he died for some who now are frying in the fire of hell, which is a most absurd conclusion even contumelious and blasphemous against Christ, it is as much as to say that Christ died for some and after that was not able to bring them to life and salvation, the Apostle hath taught us that he gave himself for his Church, and the true members of it that he migh sanctify it and cleanse it, and so make it meet for his kingdom of glory.

But will some say, [Object.] it is no such absurdity to say that Christ died for some, and redeemed some who shall be damned, it is the speech of the Apostle, where he saith, some shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord which hath bought them, and bring upon themselves swift damnation.

We are to understand these words (that bought them) as spoken not according to the judgment of infallibi • ity, [Answ.] and of infallible certainty, but according to their own judgment and the judgment of others led by the rule of charity; for to expound the words otherwise, and to say they were in deed & truth redeemed, were to make Christ a redeemer of some neither freed from the power of sin in this life, nor from the power of hell in the life to come, contrary to many plain places of the Scripture.

It will be further said, [Object.] we read in many places of the Scripture that Christ redeemed the world, God was in Christ and reconciled the world to himself, nor imputing their sins unto them, and hath committed to us the word of reconciliation. He is the reconciliation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Again, [Answ.] the word (world) in the New Testament hath many acceptions, I will not stand to repeat them, but in the places alleged it signifieth the elect of God in the world as plainly appears, God so loved the world that he hath given his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life, for God doth embrace none but his elect in his eternal love: the antecedent cause of sending his son into the world.

If any yet further say we read that Christ gave himself a ransom for all men, to be a testimony in due time. [Object.]

The answer is this not all and every particular man, [Answ.] but all sorts of men, men of all states, conditions and callings as it is said of our Savior that he healed every disease: the meaning is, not every particular disease, but all sorts of diseases.

[Use. 1] So then notwithstanding these objections, it remains a firm truth that none are redeemed by the death of Christ but only God's elect: this might be pressed to the confutation of such as hold the contrary opinion, namely that Christ his death is not only sufficient but effectual for all, both the chosen of God and them also that are rejected of God, and that some notwithstanding the death of Christ are condemned, they hold that comes to pass not for their sins, as being truly satisfied for, by Christ, but for their unbelief, by which they do again make the reconciliation made between God and them void, and of none effect, which is an opinion utterly untrue, but I will not further stand to refute it.

[Use. 2] Let the application of the doctrine now proved be to this purpose, to teach us that it is but a fond imagination, and a foolish thing for us, to think that there is an universal redemption by Christ, and that he died for all, as some vainly shroud themselves under this, without reason or ground, when they are convinced of sin, and forced to confess that they are grievous sinners, then they fly to this, Christ died for all; many lean to this staff of reed, and deceive themselves. We must learn to acknowledge a • d embrace this truth, and be resolved of it, that Christ died only for God's Elect effectually, & if we will have comfort by his death, & by the doctrine of redemptiō wrought by him, we must labor to find our selves in the number of the redeemed, [Quest.] and be able to say with our Apostle in this place, [Answ.] that in Christ we have redemption. How is that to be done may some say? Wouldest thou know how thou mayest find comfort in the redemption wrought by Christ: then take this for our infallible rule grounded on the word of God, that Christ redeemeth men not only from deserved condemnation, but also from their vain conversation. To whomsoever Christ is a Savior and Redeemer, by merit procuring the pardon of sin, to him he is a Savior by efficacy also, by turning his heart from sin to God; it is plainly propounded, that Christ gave himse fe to redeem, and to purge; the proposition is copulative not disiunctiue, and it is the rule of reason, that if one part of the copulative proposition be false, the other also is false; if then thou wouldest know whether Christ hath redeemed thee from the guilt and punishment of sin, look into thyself, and see whether he hath purged thee from the filthiness of sin; if thou be not purged from the filthiness of sin, out of all question thou art not redeemed from iniquity, he that is not by Christ his death turned from sin, is not by it redeemed from the punishment of sin, from hell, death and condemnation. In that the Apostle saith, the blood of Christ, that is, the death of Christ, the death of the Cross, being an accursed death, a death joined with the malediction of the Law.

Was Christ the means of our redemption and deliverance, [Doct. 2] from the guilt and punishment of sin? Hence we learn to know the horrible greatness of sin, it being such as no creature in the world, neither Angel nor Saint, no not all Angels or Saints were able to appease the wrath of God, and to satisfy his justice for it, but only the death of his own dear Son, no nor as the doting Friers do dream, one drop of the blood of Christ, let fall from his finger, had been sufficient to redeem us, no punishment but death, even the cursed death of the cross, was sufficient to that purpose.

Let us then look on Christ crucified, [Use.] by the eye of faith, and we shall see the fearful and ugly face of sin, that God hates it with endless hatred, in that nothing would satisfy his wrath for it, but the precious blood of his dear Son, and that poured out by the cursed death of the Cross; men commonly esteem some sins but light and trifling, as customary swearing, breaking the Sabbath, idleness, wanton jesting, &c. But we must know that these are of such weight, as they pulled down the Son of God, from his throne of Majesty and glory, and caused him to humble himself to death, and to suffer the cursed death of the Cross, and to pour out his most precious blould for our redemption, there was no means to redeem us from our sin, but the death of the Son of God, therefore learn we to make conscience of every sin, (through his blood) I might here enter into the question, and speak at large of it, whether Christ suffered in soul or no, but I hold it not so profitable to stand upon that point; only in a word know we thus much, that whatsoever Christ took of our nature, he took it to this end, to suffer in it, and by suffering to save and redeem it. And again, wherein Adam and we properly sin, by the same Christ the second Adam made satisfaction for sin. But Christ took the whole nature of man, body and soul, and both Adam and we commit sin both in body and soul.

Therefore, no doubt Christ verily and properly suffered in soul, as he endured pains and torments in his flesh; I will not further enlarge this. Come we to some other point of further instruction, we are to mark, the Apostle saith, God's elect have redemption, that is, forgiveness of sins, deliverance from the guilt and punishment of their sins, through the blood of Christ, that is, his bloody death.

[Doct. 5] The point of instruction hence offered is this, that the means and meritorious cause of remission of sins, is not the body and blood of Christ it self, abstracted and considered apart from his passion, but his body broken and his blood shed, his painful suffering, his bearing in body and soul the extremity of God's wrath, we need not seek far for proof of this, the Apostle saith in this chap. ver 20. reconciliation was wrought by him of all things to himself, and to that he set at peace through the blood of his cross, both the things in earth & the things in heaven, ver, 22. In the body of his flesh through death, and we have it in express words, that without shedding of blood, there is no remission, he saith not without blood, but without shedding of blood, the reason and ground of this is, because the Law of God being broken, & God being offended by sin, nothing could satisfy his justice, [Reason] but punishment suffered, either by the party offending, or by some other for him, for the breach and transgression of the Law, is the curse annexed. Therefore no satisfaction without punishment and undergoing of the curse. Hence it follows necessarily, that not the body and blood of Christ considered apart from his passion, but his body broken and his blood shed upon the cross, is the means and meritorious cause of remission of sin, [Object.] it may be demanded how the breaking of the body of Christ, & how Christ his suffering could be a sufficient meritorious cause procuring remission of sins, seeing we by sin had deserved eternal death & punishment in hell forever, & Christ his suffering was but for a time? I answer, [Answer.] we are not to esteem the merit and efficacy of Christ his death by the time of his suffering, but by the person who suffered, namely, Christ both God and man, united into one person, & by virtue of his God-head, he gave power to his death to be meritorious, even of infinite price and value, the Apostle proves this in the verses following, and for further warrant of it, read Acts 20.28. It is there said, that God hath purchased his Church with his own blood, not that God can suffer or shed blood, but we are thus to conceive it, that Christ suffered only as he was man, yet because of the personal union of God and man in Christ, it is said, that God shed his blood, giving us to understand the infinite merit & sufficiency of his death.

The point thus proved, come we to apply it; and first is this a truth, that the means and meritorious cause of remission of sins, is not the body & blood of Christ a part frō his death then what use is left of popish transubstantiation for which the Papists much contend, if we should grant unto them, which they are never able to prove, that the bread and wine in the Sacrament, are turned into the substance of Christ his body & blood; yet what profit should come by that bodily presence? surely none, by the sentence of our Savior himself the flesh profits nothing. Bellarmine's own confession is, that a man may eat the flesh of Christ, and drink his blood after a corporal manner, and yet profit himself nothing at all.

[Object.] (If they say) (as indeed they do) that the body of Christ crucified, and his blood that was shed on the cross is in the Sacrament under the form of bread and wine.

[Answ.] I answer again, let this also be granted which can never be proved, yet that body crucified and that blood shed is not profitable without the merit of his death and passion apprehended and applied by the mouth of the soul, namely by faith. And so though we grant a real presence of the body of Christ crucified, yet that is not profitable without the merit of his death apprehended by faith. If they say the body of Christ crucified really present, and the merit of his death ever go together, in respect of the receivers of the Sacrament, and that they that receive the one really present receive the other, then they fall into a foul absurdity, then they make it an idle distinction of the Apostle that some are worthy and some unworthy receivers then all good and bad, believing and unbelieving, even such (as the Apostle hath taught us) that eat & drink their own damnation, they receive the body and blood of Christ really present, and withal the merit of his death, and so are fed and nourished to eternal life which as yet is not begun in them, and it may be they shall never come unto it, and that is a gross absurdity. Thus we see though we grant a real presence, even of the crucified body of Christ yet there is no use nor profit comes by that bodily presence, and by consequent the popish doctrine of transubstantiation falls to the ground, because God hath ordained nothing in his Church, either idle or supersti • ious: to come nearer to our selves, is it so, that the meritorious cause of the remission of sins is not the body & blood of Christ considered apart from his passion, but his body broken, and his blood shed upon the Cross; we must then know that it is not sufficient for us to understand, that the bread and wine in the Sacrament are signs of the body and blood of Christ, for the body and blood of Christ are not profitable abstracted from the work done in his body; many in their simplicity and weakness, think they are suff • ciently instructed in the matter of receiving the Sacrament, if being asked they be able to answer, that the bread signifieth the body of Christ, & the wine his blood, but we must know this is not sufficient, we are further to [Use. 2] take knowledge of it, that bread and wine in the Sacrament, are memorials and remembrances of the body of Christ broken and of his blood shed and poured out on the Cross for the remission of sins, we are not to sever the remembrance of his body from his death and passion, but together with the remembrance of his body, we are to remember his painful and meritorious suffering in his body and soul the wrath of God for our sins, and when we eat the bread and drink the wine of the Sacrament, we are then at the very same instant to lift up our harts to heaven, and by Faith to feed upon the body of Christ broken, and by faith to apprehend and apply the infinite merit of his death and passion to our own fowls, particularly for the pardon of our sins. If we content our selves with receiving the bread & wine as signs of the body and blood of Christ thought upon and considered apart from his passion we then make the receipt of the Sacrament unprofitable unto us, and very dangerous and hurtful for them, we receive the sign without the thing signified, for if we receive not the whole thing signified, we receive it not at all, and so we profane the sign, and as much as is in us trample the blood of Christ under our feet, we eat and drink our own damnation, we hasten some heavy judgment of God upon us. Yea howsoever we seem to disclaim all Popery, yet thus receiving of the bread and wine in the Sacrament, as sins of the body and blood of Christ never remembering the suffering of Christ in his body, we therein give place to a popish opinion, and to a distinction by them newly devised that the Sacrament is a remembrance of Christ and not of his death. Let us then learn our duty that when we come to receive the Sacrament, we are then by faith to feed on the body of Christ broken, and on his blood shed on the Cross.

Come we to the last words (that is the forgiveness of our sins) we are to mark that the Apostle makes redemption and remission of sins equivalent, of equal reach and signification, in respect of God's elect, that they that are redeemed by the blood of Christ, have by it remission of their sins, he expounds the one by the other.

[Doct. 4] The conclusion hence following is this, that as many as by the work of the holy Ghost believe in Christ and apprehend and apply the merit of his death, have full and perfect remission of their sins; for why? by the death of Christ they have perfect redemption, with one offering hath he consecrated or made perfect forever those that are sanctified, and here redemption and remission of sins are made convertible terms, that through the bloody death of Christ we have redemption, that is, remission of sins, therefore it must needs follow, that as many as truly apprehend the merit of Christ's death have perfect remission of their sins. This will further appear if we consider after what manner sin is forgiven, and that is by an action of God, whereby for the merit of Christ he accounts sin as no sin, or as if it were never committed, and as a debt discharged, for so much is implied in that petition, forgive us our trespasses or debts, forgiveness of sin being an action of God, it must needs be most perfect, for all the actions of God are most perfect, again, is it for the merit of Christ, how then can it be any way defective; Christ his merit being infinite, and every way answerable to the justice of God? Can remission of sin procured by it be imperfect? it is not possible, we may then safely conclude, that as many as truly apprehend and apply the merits of Christ's death have full and perfect remission of their sins, where then is any place for that popish distinction of remission of the fault, and not of the punishment? [Use. 1] So the Papists teach that for the merit of Christ his death, God doth pardon the fault, and the eternal punishment of sin, but he retains a temporary punishment to be inflicted on them that have sinned: this distinction cannot stand with the truth now delivered and proved, for if we have perfect remission of sins, then both of the fault and punishment, or else we have but half maimed and imperfect remission. A little further to discover the weakness, and indeed the wickedness of this popish doctrine, consider we these reasons.

First, besides the relation that is between the fault and [Reason 1] the punishment, (the punishment ever having a relation to a foregoing fault, and in respect of the fault, is the punishment inflicted) besides this, we shall find in many places of the Scripture, such affinity and so near agreement between the fault & the punishment, as that these two they are taken sometimes one for the other. They shall bear their iniquity, that is to say, the punishment of their iniquity. He bare our sins in his body on the tree, that is to say, the punishment of our sins: for the Apostle in that speech of his had an eye to that, he was wounded for our transgressions, he was broken for our iniquities, the chastisements of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes are we healed. Heereby then would the holy Ghost have us to understand that the fault and punishment of sin cannot be so far disjoined and so drawn asunder as the popish sort would have them, that the one should be pardoned, and the other still retained.

[Reason 2] Again, if God inflict any punishment on him whose fault is remitted, and on him whose sins are taken away by the blood of Christ (for so speaks the Scriptures. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world,) then he is unjust, but far be it from us so to think, it is all one as to require the payment and satisfaction of a debt forgiven, which whosoever doth is unjust. If then they will not lay that imputation upon the Lord, which they would be loath to lay upon a miserable mortal and sinful man, they must not charge him with punishing any sin that he hath forgiven.

[Reason 3] Thirdly, if this be true, that when God doth not remit sin he retains the punishment of it, then it followeth necessarily on the contrary, that when he doth forgive the sin he doth not retain the punishment of it.

[Reason 4] To this we may join many plain places of Scripture, where it is said, the Lord doth not impute sin, but cover it, that he will not remember the sins of his chosen anymore, but cast them behind his back, that he will take them away like a cloud, drown them in the bottom of the sea, and many other speeches we find of like sort: all which concur and meet together in this point of truth, and of sweet comfort, that the Lord for the precious merit of the blood of Christ doth pardon as well the punishment, as the sin of his chosen, for as one saith truly and well to this purpose, if the Lord impute not, he punisheth not, if he remember not, he revengeth not, if he cover, he calls not to judgment, if he cast behind his back, he examines not; let not then any distinction devised by the Popish sort, so contrary to the justice of God, and the plain evidence of the word of God, strip us of that excellent comfort we may find in this, that by the death of Christ, as many as truly apprehend and apply it to themselves have full and perfect remission of sin, and freedom from all punishments temporal and eternal. But against this they except, that some whose sins are pardoned, have notwithstanding; sickness, poverty, contempt, yea death inflicted on them. Therefore (say they) though sin be forgiven, yet the temporal punishment is not removed?

These things spoken of and the like, [Answ.] to them that be in Christ, and by him have the pardon of their sins, are corrections, fatherly chastisements, and tokens of God's love whom he loveth he chastiseth, not punishments of sin forgiven, nor proceeding from an angry and displeased God. Again, they are laid on the deer children of God to work in them amendment and care to avoid sin, and for the exercise of Faith, the trial of patience, the stirring up of some languishing graces that are in them, and for other good ends, and not to satisfy for the temporal punishment: admit they were properly and truly punishments (which cannot be proved) yet could they never answer and satisfy the justice of God, for to satisfy God is not only to pay that we owe unto him, but it doth infer and imply full reconciliation with God; and a pacification of his anger, and that God is well pleased with him that doth satisfy. Now the suffering of punishment cannot so satisfy God if it be considered by it self, for then the damned in hell suffering punishment should satisfy God, which is most false, therefore the person that must satisfy God by suffering punishment must be considered, and he must be more then a mere man, even God & man not able to undergo the punishment, but also such a one in whom God the Father is well pleased, as himself doth witness from heaven. So then though we grant that sickness, poverty and such like were punishments; yet could they not satisfy the justice of God, because the suffering of punishment considered by it self doth not satisfy God unless the person suffering be more then a mere man even God & man & such a one in whom God is well pleased. Howsoever then true believers have sickness, poverty & such like laid upon them, yet we must know they are laid on thē as fatherly chastisements and corrections, or as trials for the exercise of their faith & patience, for the stirring up of the good graces that be in them, & not as punishments: & if they were laid on them as punishments, yet could they not satisfy the justice of God. And therefore we are not to suffer our selves to be drawn from this truth, full of sweet comfort, that by the bloody death of Christ, all that truly lay hold of the merit of it, have full and perfect remission of their sins, and freedom from all punishments temporal and eternal.

[Use. 2] Again is it so, that by the blood of Christ we have perfect remission both of fault and punishment. Let then as many of us as truly believe it, learn our duty following upon it, and that is this, when we forgive the offenses of our brethren, we are wholly to forgive them, even utterly to forgo all malice against offenders, or offenses against us. It is plainly taught by the Apostle, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ his sake forgave you. How doth God for Christ his sake forgive us? we have heard it delivered and proved even fully and perfectly, therefore we must take heed of mincing the matter, and of half remission to our brerhren, forgiving some part of the offense, and carrying a piece vnforgiuen; O evil servant, saith our Savior in the Parable, I forgave thee not a piece but all, and as I had pity on thee, so certainly, thy pity ought to have extended as far as mine, to the forgiveness of the whole debt of thy fellow servant; we see then our duty, that in forgiving the offenses of our brethren, we are to follow the example of the Lord, we are fully and wholly to forgive them, and to that purpose, know and consider we but this one thing, that if we forgive not all to our brethren, whensoever they have offended us, we cannot then put up that petition to the Lord, forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors with any comfort, let the latter part of that petition be a promise of ours to the Law, or a Law binding all that look for mercy from the Lord, to show mercy, or a note of assurance, we cannot use it with comfort, we therein fearfully pray against our selves, for we reserving a piece of our malice against our brethren: in that petition we beseech the Lord to reserve also a part of his wrath against us, forgiving us but as we forgive others, and that being well considered, is able to make any heart seasoned with grace, to tremble to think upon it, that we should so fearfully open our mouths, yea, so boldly with our own tongues, call for wrath and vengeance from Almighty God, let us (as we ought) consider and think upon it, and let it stir us up fully and wholly to forgive the offenses of our brethren, let us not remember in malice the least offense of our brethren, least the Lord remember in judgment any of our sins, and so strike us as he may justly, both body and soul to the bottom of hell, where no remission nor redemption is to be hoped for.

The Apostle here begins his proof, of the sufficiency of the work of redemption wrought by Christ, that he is a perfect and sufficient Redeemer of God's chosen, his proof is laid down in three verses, the 15.16. and 17. he proves it from the dignity of his person, showing that he is true and eternal God, and therefore a perfect Redeemer. And that Christ is true and eternal God, is first propounded by the Apostle, verse. 15. and then confirmed verse 16. and 17. In the 15 verse containing the general proposition, are two things affirmed of Christ, first, that he is the image of the invisible God; and secondly, the first borne of every creature. Come we to more strict examination of these things, and for the first, I will stand a while to open the sense and meaning of the words, and not to trouble you with any curious and unnecessary speculations, but to hold to the scope and drift of the Apostle which was to propound sound Doctrine of faith, and to teach how with profit we are to conceive of the person of Christ. Know that Christ is the image of God his Father two ways. First, as he is the eternal Son, of the same substance with the Father: and so his most absolute and perfect essential image, for having the very same eternal essence and substance with the Father, he doth most perfectly represent him: hence he is said to be the brightness of his glory, and the engraven form of his person. Secondly, as he is God manifested in the flesh, as the Apostle speaks, because God being invisible doth manifest himself in Christ, in whom he hath made himself known to us, to be most wise, just, and merciful; most wise, because in Christ he expressed towards us, both perfect justice and perfect mercy; and in Christ most just, because in him he perfectly punished all our sins laid on him, as on our surety, and most merciful also in Christ, because for his merit and satisfaction, he perfectly forgave his chosen all their sins, and made them heirs of his kingdom of glory, thus is Christ the image of God. The next word to be expounded is (invisible) for the clearing of that, consider we thus much. That seeing is of two sorts, either with the outward eye of the body, or with the eye of the mind. Concerning the outward sight, whereby curious and ignorant people would be glad to see God, hardly thinking there is a God, because they see him not with their bodily eyes, the truth is, God cannot be seen, because he is a Spirit most simple and pure, and not subject to the outward sense, therefore he saith to Moses, Thou canst not see my face, for there shall no man see me and live. And the Apostle, God dwelleth in the light that none can attain unto, whom never man saw, neither can see; touching sight by the eye of the mind, we must distinguish our estate here in this life, from that it shall be in the life to come, and know that by the mind whilst we are here, we are not able to see God as he is in himself, because all our knowledge here, is by some outward forms or fashions, which we conceive in our mind and understanding, and though we find it said, that the Lord spake to Moses face to face; we are to know that those words note only a more familiar and gracious manner of speaking, not that he saw God in substance and essence as he is, and in the life to come, as many as go to heaven shall see God in a most excellent manner, and with such comfort as no heart can comprehend, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God; yet not simply as he is in his own nature, because he is infinite, and we shall be still finite, though changed from corruption. Thus we have it made plain, how God is invisible, because no way can he be seen, as he is in his own nature, of any creature, either with the eye of the body, or with the eye of the mind, in this life or in the life to come. It is only the Son of God that hath that sight of God his Father, for he is in the bosom of his Father: and the sight that man or Angel, hath of God in heaven; is, by a mediate person, the Son of God. So then the meaning of the Apostle in these words is briefly this; who is the eternal Son of God, of the same substance with his Father, and in whom being incarnate; God who is invisible, not to be seen either with the eye of the body, or with the eye of the mind in this life, or in the life to come, in his own nature immediately hath made himself known to us to be most wise, just and merciful.

Now to the doctrine hence to be gathered: First we are [Doct. 1] to mark that the Apostle doth fetch his proof of the sufficiency of our redemption from the Godhead of Christ, that he is the essential image of God his father, and therefore a sufficient and perfect Redeemer, that is the Apostles reason; Whence we may conclude, that is the Godhead of Christ is the first ground of our redemption, it is not grounded first upon the manhood of Christ, but upon Jesus Christ, God equal with the Father in Majesty and glory. Yet we must remember that he is our Mediator, in respect of both nature divine and human, I will not enlarge the point having said something of it before.

But for the use [Use.] in a word, it being so that the first ground of our redemption is the God-head of Christ, it must needs follow, that his blood is a most precious blood, and our redemption made by that blood must of necessity hold, and stand firm and fast forever, all the power of hell shall never be able to overturn it, if once we truly believe in Christ, we can never be utterly cast away. Upon this very ground, that he and his Father are one, doth our Savior infer, that his sheep shall never perish; and keep this for a sure ground, when thou art tempted about thy redemption, and the certainty of it. We are further here to mark, that the Apostle proving Christ a perfect Redeemer, by an argument from his God head, saith not in one word that he is God, but he delivers it in these terms, that he is the image of the invisible God, a true and lively representation of God: setting out unto us his infinite wisdom, justice and mercy.

[Doct. 2] The point of instruction hence following, is this; that true and saving knowledge of Christ, can never be severed from the true knowledge of the infinite wisdom, justice and mercy of God; they that truly know Christ, and by the eye of a true faith look upon him, do in him, and by him see and behold, know and acknowledge the infinite wisdom, justice and mercy of God; as when we look on the true pattern and express image of anything, we come to know the shape and form of the first type, the thing resembled, so looking and truly beholding Christ, the true image of God, we cannot but know the wisdom, justice and mercy of God his Father, revealed and appearing in him. It is the speech of Christ himself, John. 14.7. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also▪ and when Philip said unto him, Lord, show us thy Father, and it sufficeth, our Savior checked him verse the ninth, Have I been so long time with you, and hast thou not known me Philip? he that hath seen me, hath seen my Father. How then sayest thou, show us thy Father? To this agrees that of the Apostle, that Christ which is the image of God should not shine unto them, then verse. 6. that we have the knowledge of the g • ory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ; come we to apply this; is it so, that they who truly know Christ, do in him, and by him as in a clear glass, see behold and know the wisdom, justice and mercy of God; then let this be to us a ground of examination.

Let us everyone from hence learn to reason back again on this manner if we truly know not the wisdom, [Use.] justice and mercy of God, not by literal, but by spiritual knowledge, even by special distinct and working knowledge, then we know not Christ by any true and saving knowledge, for they that truly know Christ, know with him and by him, the wisdom, justice and mercy of God. If many men and women were examined touching this point, though they profess Christ and Christian religion yet they would be found to know God no more then the very Heathen, who never heard of Christ. I dare be bold to say, many there be that have only a natural knowledge of God, which all men have by the light of nature, or such as is gathered by the sight of the creatures; and that no man may except against my speech, and say this is hard that we should so be taxed, we live in a Church, where the knowledge of God is plainly taught, we hear it sounding in our ears, and we cannot be so ignorant, let them therefore hear how I prove it from the mouth of the Apostle, He saith of them, that said let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die. Awake to live righteously, for some have not the knowledge of God.

The proposition is laid down by the Apostle, and it is this, they that give themselves to eating and drinking and sensuality, and live securely in their sins, have not the knowledge of God, now the assumption may be made by too many in the world, and then the conclusion must needs follow upon the premises, that they have no knowledge of God it they will have it further proved; then hear the Lord's own Argument, he saith, verse the 1. he had a controversy, he was to enter an action against his people for want of knowledge, and how doth he prove it? thus verse 2. by swearing and lying, killing and stealing, and whoring they break out, and blood touched blood. To go no further then the very first thing, is swearing an argument of the want of knowledge of God? (it must needs be so, God having manifested himself most plainly a just avenger of that sin) then many there be that can tell themselves, if they will not palpably flatter themselves that they are such as know not God, their speeches are more powdered with oaths, then their meat with salt, yea their children may witness against them, whose tongues are no sooner taught to speak plainly, but they learn to swear most wickedly: a man may hear it from them playing in the streets, and so may truly judge of the parents that they have no true knowledge of God themselves, neither care they to teach others under them either by word or example to know the Lord. It is then plainly proved against many, that will they, nill they, of force they must confess they have no true knowledge of God, then let such as be convinced consider that which was before delivered, that they know not Christ by any saving knowledge, but as the devils know him, and let them mark the sequel, and that which follows upon this, that they not knowing Christ, Christ will not know them, when he comes to divide between the sheep & the goats, he will not then acknowledge them for his, but say depart from me ye workers of iniquity I know you not. Which is a heavy sentence and to be thought on with trembling, and let it stir us up to labor for the true knowledge of God as he hath manifested himself in Christ, a God of infinite wisdom, justice, and mercy, not a God all of mercy and no justice, that is to set up an idol of our own brain, to think there is mercy with God though we repent not, but go on in our sins. Let us labor to know God as he hath revealed himself in Christ, his express image a God of infinite wisdom, justice and mercy, that so we may assure our selves we truly know Christ, and are known of Christ, and shall be acknowledged to be his at his coming, and to help us yet forward in this duty, let us further consider that if the heathen were left without excuse by the sight of the creatures, then much more shall we by the sight of Christ the express image of God, if we know not God as we ought, if we have greater light and means to know God by the coming of Christ in the flesh then they, what a shame is it to have less knowledge of God then they, if we in Christ see not God's infinite wisdom and mercy, we are most blind, we are even fools besotted and bewitched by the Devil, they are the words of the Apostle. O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth to whom Jesus Christ was before described in your sight and among you crucified. If Christ be set before us in lively colors by the preaching of the word and the administration of the Sacramants and we see not in him the infinite wisdom, justice, and mercy of God we are bewitched & deluded by the devil, let this be thought on, and let it stir us up to labor to know the infinite justice and mercy of God expressed in the face of Jesus Christ. We are further to mark the Epithite the Apostle here gives to God (invisible) he saith not the image of God omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, though these things might have been truly affirmed of God, but the image of the invisible God, whereby (no doubt) he would [Doct. 3] have us to understand that the same God who is almighty filling heaven and earth, even he is invisible, the same God who is everywhere present, yet is not to be seen, our lesson arising hence is this, we are to acknowledge God to be everywhere present, though invisible, and though we see him not, for God who fills both heaven and earth is invisible and cannot be seen, if he could be seen, then must he be a body, and if so, then to be divided into parts and included in a place, and so not infinite contrary to that. Great is the Lord, his greatness incompreh • nsible, not to be shut up within the compass of any place, we are therefore to know and acknowledge that God is everywhere present, though not seen of us. We find this point expressed in most excellent terms by David, where there is not a word escapes him, that God was seen of him, David knew it well that he is a spirit invisible but yet he sets it out in most exce • lent manner that God wa • everywhere present with him, that he was with him a • • is down sitting, and at his vpri • ing, about his bed, and about his paths, not a word in his tongue but he knew it, let him move either upward or downward, to the right hand or to the left, with never so great speed, even as speedily as the Sun beams, from the East to the West, yet he could not flee from the presence of the Lord, nor hide himself under any covert or darkness from the all-seeing eye of God: thus it was with David, and we are to learn it by his example, thus it ought to be with us, we are to acknowledge God, though invisible and not seen of us, yet everywhere present. And if we would further be resolved of this point, for the ground of it, consider we but that which experience may teach us, namely this, men many times who sin in secret, and have no eye of man looking on them, yet notwithstanding they tremble and fear. Whence comes this? Surely their own conscience tells them that their close and secret sins are seen of God though he be not seen of them, yea when the conscience doth fail in this testimony, (as many times it doth, being hardened by custom of sin) then the very dumb and senseless creatures are sometimes made remembrancers and accusers of men for their sins, as the Lord threarneth by his Prophet. Stories are full of examples of this kind, yea, no doubt, many of us may remember that we have either known or heard of some who have been brought to confess their seeret sins by the sight of the fouls of the air, yea sometimes such diseases have been sent upon men, as have made their own mouths to publish and bewray their secret sin. What are these things but even plain evidences and demonstrations that though God be invisible, yet he is everywhere present, and sees things done in the most secret places of the world, and when it pleaseth him, and by what means it likes him best doth he bring them to light. We are then to acknowledge it for a truth, though God be invisible, yet he is everywhere present.

To enforce this yet further because indeed that is chiefly to be intended, and driven at in this point, [Use.] that we may labor to have in our hearts a settled acknowledgement of it.

Consider first it is one special means to work in us inward soundness and truth of heart, nothing is more effectual to keep us from hypocrisy, and many other gross sins then this, what servant so lewd that will not yield to his master eye service at the least: In like sort when we know and acknowledge God's presence, and that his eye looketh on us, that he is a beholder, a witness and judge of all our actions, and if we sin, we lie open to his judgments, who is it but one given over to sin and to the power of hell that will not fear to offend, the undoubted persuasion of God's presence will set a bar before our corruption and keep it in: again it takes from our corruption, and from Satan's alluring us to sin, that advantage which many times is imagined, that is secrecy that we may sin because we are in secret, it is a corruption bred and borne with us to seek corners, with us to commit sin, shifts and excuses to hide it: the eye of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, and saith no eye shall me, and gisguiseth his face. Upon this the Devil takes advantage, and by it prevails so far with some, that he doth utterly blot out of their minds the remembrance of Gos presence, and makes them presume to sin with boldness, because (as they imagine) they are in secret, that God, he is above, and the clouds they hide him that he cannot see, and he walketh in the circuit of heaven. Now this corruption of ours, and this subtlety of Satan are crossed, and that liberty that some give themselves to sin is taken away, by a settled persuasion of this, that God though he be invisible, yet he is everywhere present, as many as truly acknowledge God everywhere present, they cannot be emboldened to sin, the Devil cannot prevail with them to sin, because they are in secret and want witnesses, for they know God sees them, and there is no creature which is not manifest in his sight, let us then labor to have in our hearts a full persuasion of this, that God though he be invisible, yet he is everywhere present, and we shall find it effectual to work in us inward soundness of heart, and a notable means to defeat the subtlety and cunning of the Devil, that he shall not be able to circumvent us, as he doth many thousands in the world, persuading with them that they are in secret, and therefore they may sin, we shall be able to beat back this assault, and to tell him though we see not God, yet God doth see us, and all we think, speak or do, which is more then if all the men in the world should see us, for he can kill soul as well as body, and cast both soul and body into hell fire.

Come we to the second thing affirmed of Christ in this verse, that he is the first borne of every creature, and for the understanding of the words, we must know that the Apostle calls Christ the first borne, by way of resemblance and allusion to the first borne in the old testament. Now Christ is so called in a double respect, first, because as the first borne were brought forth before the rest of their brethren, so Christ as God was begotten of the substance of his Father before any creature was made, or had being, he was begotten from all eternity after an unspeakable manner, before the world was. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. When things created began to be, then he was, and so before all creatures even from eternity, for time began together with the world, and before the creation was eternity.

Secondly, because as the first borne son among the people of Israel, succeeded his Father in the Kingdom, and Priesthood, and was Lord and Governor of his brethren, so Christ was made heir of the world, and chief governor of God's family, his children elected and adopted in him; now here we are to understand the words of the Apostle, in the first respect not in the second, because the purpose of the Apostle was here, to set out unto us, the eternity of Christ his God-head and not to speak of him as God and man, for in that respect, namely, in respect of his manhood assumed unto unity of person with his Godhead, he is resembled to the first borne, as he hath relation to his Church, therefore called the first borne among many brethren. So then the words are thus to be conceived, who was begotten of God his Father from all eternity, before any creature was made, or had being.

Let us now come to the doctrine offered from these [Doct. 4] words. First, we are to mark, that the Apostle speaking of the eternity of Christ, he sets it not down simply, that he was from all eternity, but in a comparison, that he is the first borne of every creature: whence we are taught, that the eternal generation of Christ is unspeakable, as he is God begotten of his Father from all eternity, we are not able to comprehend it, but by way of shadow or resemblance: he is said to have a name written, that no man knows but himself, and the Prophet saith, who shall declare his age. [Use.]

Let us not then curiously search into it, nor into any of God's mysteries, further then the holy Ghost in the Word goes before us, and take for a truth, they that know God, and his secrets revealed in his Word, are thus affected; they modestly and humbly come to the hearing of the Word, and with trembling heart; and the more the Lord openeth himself and his mysteries to them, the more they find and feel their own wants and weakness to behold such glory, and none come more boldly, and with less reverence and preparation, then they that know nothing.

Come we to another thing offered unto us from this resemblance, full of sweet comfort to all that belong to [Doct. 5] Christ, namely this, Christ the eternal son of God, saith the Apostle, is as the first borne, then any may easily gather it, that he is most dear and tenderly beloved of God his Father; even so dear, as the first borne son is commonly to an earthly Father, nay, there is no comparison between them, but only for our capacity, it may thus be deliuerd, his love exceedeth the love of the most kind Father in the world, as far as God excels dust, earth, sin, and corruption; to stand to prove this, were as much as to go about to add light to the Sun: Let us rather consider the comfort of it, we know what affection everyone commonly bears to the fruit of his own body, to his first borne, [Use.] he cannot endure to look upon the abuse of any part of it, it would go to the heart of a tender father, to see a leg or an arm of their first borne cut off by the hand of a bloody butcher; let this lead us to the consideration (as we are able to conceive it) of the Lord's tender love & affection to the members of Christ, his first borne, and teach us that he much less can endure the wrongs done to any member of his Son, cruelties exercised on them, pierce his gracious bowels, the Lord may, and doth suffer many afflictions to be laid on the members of Christ, for their good best known to himself, as an earthly father perceiving cause of further good, doth sometimes suffer his chide to lie in prison, to be in want, to bite on the bridle for a time, and as the saying is, he may see him need, but he cannot endure to see him bleed; so our gracious God in his wisdom, for much good known to himself may see the members of his son humbled; schooled and wayned from the love of this wretched world, but undone, & utterly cast away, he cannot endure it, he will not suffer it, no, he will not see it, let this be had in remembrance, as a sweet comfort to all God's Children in their greatest afflictions.

The Apostle in this verse proves his general proposition laid down ver. the 15. That Christ is the true eternal God, begotten of his Father from all eternity, this he proveth by two arguments. First, because Christ is the creator of all things. Secondly, because all things were created and made for his glory. The first argument is laid down in the first words, for by him were all things made, and that is resumed and repeated in the latter end of the verse: in which argument, is special relation to the words of the former verse, that he is the first borne of every creature. For if all things were created by him, then it must needs follow, that he was before all things, and that he was not created as Arian Heretics hold, but begotten of his Father from everlasting. Now this argument is further laid abroad, by a double difference of things created, the Apopostle was not content to say in general, that by Christ all things were created, but he doth further particularize, and unfold what he means by all things. First, by a difference of place, wherein things created are, heaven and earth; which are in heaven and which are in earth, then by difference of their quality, visible and invisible, after this, followeth another amplification by special instance, the Apostle insisting in one sort of invisible creatures, namely Angels, which he calls by these titles of honor and dignity, Thrones or Dominions, Principalities or Powers; he hath made all invisible creatures, even the most excellent invisible creatures, the Angels, whether ye call them thrones &c. and then repeats the general, all things were created by him; and thus far goeth the first argument. The second is in the very last words (and for him) and these be the parts of this verse. Come we to speak of the words, as they are laid down by the holy Ghost, and first of the words (for by him were all things created) whereas the Apostle saith (by him) namely, by Christ: though that phrase and form of speech applied to any work, do commonly signify the means, or instrument of working; yet here we are not so to conceive it, as that Christ was an under instrument, or inferior means of creating as the Arian Heretics wickedly would have concluded, but that by his substantial power, and virtue equal to the power of God his Father, all things were created, Whatsoever the Father doth, the same things doth the Son also. And again, we are not to understand these words (by him) as spoken exclusiuely, as shutting out God the Father and holy Ghost, for that is contrary to the first Article of our Creed, that God the Father is the Creator of all things, and we are to remember the rule, that Opera Trinitatis ad extra sunt indiuisa, and therefore the work of creation, is a work of the whole Trinity; but we are to conceive of this, and of that in the first Article, as set down only to show the order and manner of the creation, that God the Fathers, as he is the fountain of the God-head, not temporal but original, so as the first author, he created all things by God the Son, as John. 1.3. All things were made by it, that is, by the Son, the substantial Word of the Father, (created) that is, which were not before, formed and made to be, and that of nothing, thus then are these words to be conceived: For by his substantial power, equal to the power of God his Father, working together with the Father and the holy Ghost, were all things that were not before, framed and made and that of nothing.

Now to the doctrine, first we are to mark the argument of the Apostle, that he proves Christ to be true and eternal God, by an argument from the creation, that he created all things, and therefore he is God eternal, whence it followeth directly and plainly, that the work of creation, doth manifestly evince and prove the God-head, he [Doct. 1] is God that creates; and back again, he that is able to create is God; for it is a property peculiar to the Godhead incommunicable to create, it cannot be given nor agree to any creature, Saint or Angel; no not to all the Saints and Angels, for that were to make them omnipotent to give being to anything, that was nothing before, is proper to God. It is the Lord's own argument to prove himself God, he saith verse 6. I am the Lord, and there is none other. How proves he that verse 7. I form the light and create darkness: I make peace and create evil: I the Lord do all these things. And Ier. 10.11. he brings it as an argument against idols and false gods, to prove them no gods, but mere vanities as he calls them, and subject to destruction: thus (saith he) shall you say unto them, the gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, shall perish from the earth, and from under the heavens, and verse the 12. by way of opposition, he hath made the earth, and established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his descretion.

The point is clear, and for use of it, first it serves to discover [Use. 1] cover the error of the Manichees, such as held there were two authors, & two beginnings of things created, of good & profitable God; of evil & hurtful, the Devil; we are to avoid this as erroneous and false, and know that all things were created by God.

God made all things good, how then came material evil things, (not to speak of natural evil, as death and diseases, or moral evil, sin) how came scorpions, venomous serpents to be evil and hurtful, will you say that God made them so?

[Answ.] No, God made all things good indeed, they were good by creation. God looked on all that he had made, and saw it was good, but they became hurtful accidentally by sin, if man had not sinned, no creature had been hurtful unto him, but upon the fall, the Lord said, cursed is the earth for thy sake, in sorrow shalt thou eat of it, all the days of thy life. Again, we are to consider, that the most poisonful thing in the world, is good for something, though we know not the use of it, experience teacheth that one poison is driven out by another, therefore we are to say with the Psalmist, O Lord how manifold are thy works, in wisdom, hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy riches.

[Use. 2] Again, is it so, that he is God that createth, and he that is able to create is God, then let this teach us, to take heed of a cunning subtlety and sleight, of the Devil, who as in many other things, so in this, in the work of creation of making things of nothing, would seem to imitate God, and would be like God, as by iuglers, enchanters, and such like his instruments, he would seem to make that to be which is not, and so doth win to himself from simple people that run after men of that cursed crew, from such I say as are simple and in the Lord's just judgment, given over to themselves, an opinion of great power, we are to take heed of this subtlety, and know that the Devil cannot make the least creature in the world, he by God's permission, and for our trial may delude the outward senses, and make things appear to be which are not as Jannes and Jambres did, they turned their rods into serpents, and brought frogs &c. and the witch of Endor who made counterset Samuel to rise out of the earth, but he cannot make any true real and substantial creature, or change a creature of one kind into another, when it pleaseth God to restrain him, he is not able to make a counterfeit lowse, a base creature as we read of the Egyptian enchanters, they assayed likewise with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. Let us not then be carried away with any conceit, that the Devil can by a iugler or enchanter make any true creature. And because many there be that are too forward to give heed to iuglers, & such deceivers, I would entreat them but to consider the danger of giving heed to such persons, and let them know that by such means the Devil doth encroach and gather ground upon them, and in time doth get so far within them, as that he doth seat and settle himself upon their thoughts, he makes them to magnify him in their conceit, yea, to defy him in his instruments, and to ascribe unto him that which is proper to God, even the power of creating things of nothing, which is a most gross and abominable idolatry, in our thoughts to set up and magnify the Devil instead of God, what can be more gross? It was the sin of the heathen.

But they will say this is my surmise and my imagination.

I answer them, [Answ.] I am able to warrant it from the word of God, Act. 8.9. we find that Simon the sorcerer used witchcraft and bewitched the people of Samaria, saying, that he himself was some great man. Mark what followed verse. 10. they gave heed unto him, from the least to the greatest: and what was the issue of that? the Devil in time brought them to this, even to ascribe unto himself in Simon his instrument the power of God: they said this man is the great power of God. Let us therefore learn, that the Devil is not able to make the least creature, and so be admonished not to run after iuglers, giving heed unto them, lest the Devil get within us, even so far, as to make us set up him in our thoughts instead of the true God, which is the most vile and gross kind of idolatry that can be, and cannot choose but be the immediate fore-runner of God's heavy wrath and judgments. In the next place we are to consider the generality of the Apostles words, that all things were created by Christ: the work of creation wrought by Christ, as God, is a general work, it is common to us, with all things that have a being in the world, though there be a difference between us, and other creatures under us, in quality and condition in respect of reason, yet they are the creatures of Christ as he is God, as well as we. What is [Doct. 2] then our lesson hence? Even this: We are not to content our selves only to know that we are the creatures of Christ as he is God, that our bodies and souls, and the members and faculties of them, are the work of his hands, and that he is our Creator; for that is a common benefit, extended to brute beasts as well as to us; they have Christ, as he is God, their Creator as well as we: we are therefore never to rest, till we know that he is our Redeemer & Sanctifier, and that by him we are created anew, and by him made new creatures, as the Apostle speaks, If any be in Christ, let him be a new creature: and he saith, that in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature; and in a word to tell you what it is to be a new creature, it is this, to have the mind, will, and affections, and all the powers of the soul renewed, not in substance, but in holiness and righteousness, and that in truth, according to the image of God, in which we were first created.

[Use.] To persuade to this, consider we that God having given us reason, understanding, and ability, above many other creatures, we are to use them, not only to consider the works of creation, and by them to see the power, wisdom and goodness of God, but to have them sanctified by the word and spirit, in faith and love, to serve the Lord, or else we have no more comfort, by our reason and understanding, than brute beasts by their sense and vegetation. This David knew well, and therefore said, Thy hands have made me and fashioned me; and he doth not there rest, as contenting himself to be the creature of God, but ads further, give me knowledge that I may learn thy commandments, or else I have no more comfort by this, than the brute beasts have by their sense.

Again, if we rest in our creation that we are the creatures [ 2] of Christ, we are no nearer heaven than the ox or [ 3] asse, for they all are the creatures of Christ. Ioine to this, that we are in far worse case than the very toad or venomous serpent, if we content our selves in being the creatures of Christ: for their death is to them as an end of misery, but ours is then a beginning of endless woe, without ease or remedy. If then we would have true comfort in our excellency above other creatures in our reason, understanding, and will, if we would be preferred before the brute beasts in our title to the kingdom of heaven, and not be in worse case than the vilest creatures at our death, let us not rest in this, that we are the creatures of Christ, but labor to be made by him and in him new creatures, to be renewed according to the image of God in true holiness and righteousness, that so we may have true comfort both in life and death.

Come we now to the first difference of things created in respect of place, in these words, which are in heaven: and that we proceed according to the true meaning of the Apostle, ranging all things created into one of these two places, heaven and earth, we must know first that the word heaven in proper signification is taken in Scripture three ways, sometimes to signify all that aerial or elementarie region which is above the globe of the earth and waters, to the lowest part or circle of heaven, wherein the Moon is placed. Thus it is taken, Behold the fowls of heaven. So also, Hypocrites, ye can discern 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , by the brightness or cloudinesse of the air, ye can discern the weather. I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth.

Secondly, it is taken for all the celestial orbs, wherein the planets, the Sun, the Moon, and the rest of the fixed stars are placed thus. Look up now unto the Heavens, and tell the stars if thou be able to number them, saith God to Abraham: and hence the stars are called the army or host of heaven.

Thirdly, it is taken for the seat of the blessed Angels & Saints, whether Christ is ascended, and from whence he shall come to judgment, thus it is taken where the Apostle saith he was taken up into the third heaven. Now here it is taken generally for the air, the starry sky, and the seat of the blessed Angels and Saints: and by the earth we are to understand the whole globe of the earth and waters, and as well the inward bowels of the earth as the outward superficies of it. Where therefore the Apostle saith which are in heaven, and which are in the earth, it is as if he had thus said, which are in the air, in the starry sky, and in the seat of the blessed Angels and Saints, and which are upon the face and inward parts of the earth.

Come we now to such things as may be observed from hence: first we are to mark that the Apostle having set it down in general, that by Christ all things were created, and that the work of creation wrought by Christ as God is a general work, he doth not there make a stop, but he doth further amplify this general by the special differences of things, that some things created are in heaven, and some in earth, some visible and some invisible, whence we may conclude, that though the work of creation be great and general, yet, it is not confused, but it pleased [Doct. 3] God the creator to set things created in good order, and to range them into several places, and several conditions, for as the Apostle saith, God is the author of peace and order, and not of confusion and deformity, confusion and such like were never made by God, but crept in by Satan's malice, and man's corruption, and upon the fall came into the world as breaches and blots of God's order set among creatures: now wherefore did the Lord (for that is chiefly to be known) dispose things created into several places and conditions? Surely that there might not only be a comely proportion and correspondency of one creature with another among themselves; but that all might serve distinctly in their several places and order, for the use and good of man: for as the Lord himself saith, he prepared the earth, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited, I am the Lord, and there is no other. God said, let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years. After the flood: hereafter seed time, and harvest, and cold, and heat, and summer, and winter, and day, and night, shall not cease so long as the earth remaineth: the consideration whereof should not only lead us to see and behold the infinite wisdom of God in making so excellent a frame as the world is, [Use.] and disposing things of such variety and difference to so good use and purpose: but withal it may serve to strengthen our dependence at all times upon the providence of God. For why? (consider it seriously) did the Lord before any of us breathed in the world so distinguish and design his creatures in such comely order, that nothing should be superfluous or wanting, but all jointly and everyone severally should serve for our use, and will he now we are brought into the world forsake us? Certainly no; if we have hearts to rest on his providence, he will never fail nor forsake us, we have the Lord's own word for it, that in quietness and content we should rest on his providence, for he hath said, I will not fail thee, neither forsake thee; and it is worthy observation that we find Gen. 1. that the Lord created the first man upon the earth, he made all things ready for his use, as a man that is to entertain his friend whom he loves, he provideth all things both for necessity and pleasure, so did the Lord for man, he made the earth for him to go upon, the heavens to cover and give light unto him, fishes, fowls, beasts, herbs, and fruits to feed and comfort him, and he put beauty, sweetness, color, brightness, and many other excellent qualities upon his creatures, to make them pleasant and delightsome unto him: did the Lord this for our first parents, and is he any changeling? no, no, with him there is no shadow of change: he provided for Adam, and he will provide for us, if we be in Christ. Let us consider our own coming into the world, wherein all things were ready provided and set in order before we came, we were provided of parents, friends, and many special comforts needful; yea let us but look upon our own composition and making, that we have bodies furnished with members for every good use, soul • endued with many excellent faculties, and learn by such testimonies of God's love to depend on his providence.

In the next place we are to mark, that the Apostle saith [Doct. 4] the same hand of Christ, as he is God, made the goodly & glorious creatures in heaven, and things of less glory and beauty, even things creeping on the face of the earth: whence it is easy to be gathered, that if it had pleased God, he could have made the meanest creature the most glorious, even a stone upon the ground a star in the sky, and a worm an Angel: for what was the cause that the creature was made a stone, and not a star? even the good pleasure of the Lord, nothing else, no other reason can be rendered: the Lord is great above all God's, and hath done whatsoever he would in heaven, and in earth, in the Sea, and in all the depths: though the words be spoken by way of similitude in the case of predestination, to illustrate and make it plain, that we ought not to ask a reason of it, but to rest in the will and pleasure of the Lord; yet take them as a proper simple speech & standing by themselves, and then they serve to silence the creature, that it ought not to demand a reason why it was made of this order or fashion, but to rest in the good pleasure of the creator: shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? as if he had said, it were too great boldness for the creature so to reason with the Creator; let it rest in his will and pleasure. The ground of this truth is, because the actual power of God is equal to his will, his absolute power reacheth beyond his will, he by his absolute power can make of stones bread, or children to Abraham, but his actual power reacheth no further then his will.

Is it so that Christ if so it had pleased him, could have [Use. 1] made of the meanest creature the most glorious? then we are to esteem of the meanest things in the world, and not to deprave and abuse them, as we do many ways, but most wickedly when we swear by them, for then as much as lieth in us, we advance them to the throne of God. It is our Saviors argument, that we must not swear by our heads, because they are his creatures, and not ours, we are not able to make one hair white or black. But I will not further stand on that: let us by this be led forward to consider that Christ, as he is God, is able to use the meanest & [Use. 2] weakest things in the world to ouermaster the strongest, as he could in the first creation of all things have made the meanest creature the most glorious, so doubtless he can give power at his pleasure to the weakest to match and overcome the strongest. We find in the book of Exod. that he dealt with hard hearted & rebellious Pharaoh by frogs and lice, and such like mean and contemptible creatures: it had been as easy for the Lord, when he turned dust into lice, to have turned it into Lions, Bears, Wolves, and beasts of exceeding greatness and cruel fierceness; but he rather chose to confound pride by weakness, that his power might more appear, and to show that he is able at his pleasure to make the weakest creature to conquer and bring down the pride and power of the strongest. And to press this a little further, let us think of it to this purpose: and if the Lord can make such mean creatures, as frogs, lice, & flies, too strong for a mighty kingdom, what resistance then can any silly man or woman make against the Lord's wrath, if they pull it upon them by their sins? his wrath can arm all the creatures in heaven and earth against us, and give power to the least of them, to a fly, an hair, or the like, far above any power of ours. Who then as the Prophet saith, Nahu. 1.6. can stand before his wrath, or who can abide the fierceness of his wrath? his wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken by him. Let hard hearted & impenitent sinners think upon it, that the Lord Jesus Christ could (if it had pleased him) have made a silly worm a glorious Angel, and he can use the meanest creature to bring down the power of the strongest, he can arm all creatures against us. Let us therefore learn to tremble before him: shall we provoke him to anger, and not bring confusion upon our selves? he is a mighty creator, therefore able to bring infinite punishments upon us at his pleasure. It is the exhortation of the Prophet, Amos 4.12 Prepare to meet thy God oh Israel, and he builds his exhortation upon this very ground, for loe he that formeth the mountains, and createth the winds, & declareth unto man what his thought is, which maketh the morning darkness, and walketh upon the high places of the earth, the Lord of hosts is his name: as if he had said, God is able to create the winds, to form the mountains, to alter the course of nature, to make the morning darkness, therefore he is able to make an eternal judgment for thy confusion; be therefore admonished to prepare to meet this mighty God. For the conclusion of this point, remember Christ his own speech, that whosoever shall fall upon him shall be broken, and on whomsoever he shall fall, he shall grind him to powder.

Now to the second difference of things created in respect of quality, things visible and invisible, that is to say, things corporeal, bodily substances, subject to sight and other outward senses: and incorporeal, such as consist not of a gross, palpable, and visible matter, but have a pure, subtle, and spiritual substance, as Angels and the souls of mē, which are creatures really subsisting, but not to be perceived by any outward sense, that is the meaning of the Apostle, I might stand here to show that Angels are substances, and though they be invisible and and spiritual, yet they have a real being, and have life motion and understanding, but I hope none amongst us are of the Sadducees mind, who said there was neither resurrection, neither Angel nor spirit. But that they were only qualities or good motions of the mind. Or that think as the like times did, that Angels or spirits good or bad, were nothing but good and bad success. I will therefore go no further then the naming of that point: and note we from these words briefly this, that seeing the holy ghost made choice of this distinction of things created in respect of quality, that some are visible and some invisible, we are therefore to hold it as a true difference of things, yea such a distinction [Doct. 5] as cannot be confounded, the parts of it cannot be concident, they can never fall together: these qualities of things created visible and invisible, can never agree to the same subject, not only at the same time, but at several times, though we are taught that the bodies of true believers raised up and glorified shall be changed, corruption shall put on incorruption, and mortal shall put on immortaliiy, yet neither there nor anywhere do we read, that visible shall put on inuisibility, [Object.] these shall be distinct qualities of things forever, if any oppose unto this that of our Savior Mat. 22.30. they shall be as the Angels, and therefore invisible. [Answ.] That is not to keep within the compass of the text, but to extend the words beyond the true meaning of them, from the special purpose of Christ that place was not to make known the qualities of the Saints raised up and glorified, but their state and condition of life, that it should not be with them as in this life, where they are married, and wives are bestowed on them in marriage.

If any further object that 1. Cor. 15.44. their bodies shall be spiritual,

Again, we are there to understand (spiritual) opposed, [Ans.] not to visible, but to natural, that is pure and free from heaviness of earthly matter, and not standing in need of natural mean • of nourishment or sustentaeion by meats drinks, sleep and such like, they shall be spiritual thus understood, but yet visible as the body of Christ, and to this end I note this to show how cross the Papists are to this distinction made by the holy Ghost, they make the body of Christ a visible creature invisible, and say it is the Sacrament really present, and yet not to be seen, again they make visible forms of Angels which are spiritual substances and invisible, and not to be resembled by any outward forms, thus they confound things distinguished plainly by the holy Ghost.

[Use.] Come we to the amplification of the Apostles argument by special instance. The Apostle here insisteth in one sort of invisible creatures, thrones or dominions, principalities or powers. Though evil Angels be sometimes thus called as Ephes. 6.12. yet that good Angels are here meant by the Apostle it is agreed upon by the best interpreters, ancient, and of latter times; & upon good ground because so to understand the words, is consonant to the scope of the Apostle in this Epistle, which was to show that Christ is to be worshipped and not Angels, as the false Apostles taught, cap. 2. 18. the good Angels are called by these names, not as by titles of order and degree as the Papists affirm, who in this point of foolish curiosity in setting down the orders of Angels, have gone so far as they have lost themselves, as in a maze, for though it cannot be denied but that there is order among the Angels, order being a most excellent thing, yet that these be titles of order can never be proved.