CHRIST ABOVE ALL EXALTED, AS IN JVSTIFICATION SO IN SANCTIFICATION.

Where in severall Passages in D r. CRISPS Sermons are Answered.

Delivered in a SERMON at RYE, in the County of Sussex:

By JOHN BENBRIGGE Minister of Gods Word at Ashburnham, in the same County:

1 COR. 1.30.

But you are of him in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us, Wisdome and Righteousnesse, and Sanctification and Redemption.

LONDON: Printed for John Stafford, and are to be sold at his House in Brides Church-yard 1645.

TO MY WORTHY AVNT Mistresse SARAH NOWELL.
• All Peace Externall, Amen. , • All Peace Eternall, Amen. , and • All Peace Internall, Amen. 

Endeared Aunt:

WHOM I love not onely in the Flesh, but also and especially in the Truth, and not I onely, but also all they that have known the truth, for the thuth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever. 2 John 1, 2.

Peter's Watch-word must never be for­gotten, whilst our warfare lasteth; Be so­ber, 1 Pet. 5.8. be vigilant (saith he) and his reason is) Because your adversary the devil, as a roaring Lyon walketh about, seek­ing whom he may devour; and as the world drawes nearer to an end, so he mends his pace, and bestirs himselfe the more, because his time growes shorter; Revel. 12.12. 1 Cor. 10.11. Eph. 5.15, 16. 17, 18. wherefore we (on whom the ends of the world are come more neere) ought to walke more circum­spectly, both in sobriety and watchfulnesse for new he makes more use of his severall turns and fetches then heretofore; that phrase of walking or going about, implies he hath many of them; and truly I think the world never saw more of them in one age, then may be seene in ours: As an old souldier hath many stratagems to circumvent his enemie, and such as suit best with time, place [Page]and power, he puts in execution to make way for an assault; like politick stratagems and engines hath the spirituall adversary of our soules and salvation, to set upon us and undoe us. The Apo­stle cals them sometimes his devices, at other times his wiles: his devices are fine devices, 2 Cor. 2.11. 1 phes. 6.11. spun out in a curious thred; his wiles are subtill for cunning; both are one, though the letters of the words differ, yet their sense fully agrees; for his wiles are fine devices, and his devices sultill wiles: This latter word, as it is in the Originall, [...]. duly considered, opens unto us the myste­ry of both, shewing where in this his fine cunning doth chiefly lye, namely, in his marshalling of those his subtill devices, that is, the method he useth and followeth in acting them. For first, he labours to prevent the planting of grace in the heart, and if he faile of his project therein, then he in the next place, casts about to hinder the growth of grace in heart and life: Repentance, faith and obedience are the totall of Christianity, beyond which we have nothing to do or professe; in these three are summed up all the Prophets and Apostles, and the devil seeks as much to hinder, as all they doe to further them: to prevent the implan­ting of grace, he seeks to keep them from repentance; which if he cannot doe, then to starve grace, that it may have no suste­nance, he endeavours to overthrow their faith and obedience; before a man (acted by saving grace) sets himselfe to repent, all his work is to strengthen his faith, that is, to make him beleeve he is in a goad and safe condition, though indeed he be nothing lesse, and this is to keep him from repenting, and when he sees the man will repent (for the grace of God constraines him thereto) then he wheels about, and to weaken his faith, he sets in order before him all his sinnes, which before he hid from his eyes, yea, he aggravates them as much as he can, both for man­ner and measure, for quality, quantity and number, desirous to bring him to conceive them greater then can be pardoned; but when he finds this his device frustrated by the soules cleaving [Page]to, and laying hold on Gods free grace in Christ, justifying and acquitting him from the guilt of all his sinnes; then his last piece of policy is to kinder his sanctification, and to lay stum­bling-blocks in his way of new obedience, that he may fall him into actuall transgressions, thereby to dishonour God, wound his owne conscience, and dishearten others from walking godly, righteously and soberly in this present world; many are the rubs he layes in this soules course of Christianity, but none of the least are the totall casting away of the law, as unusefull, and not belonging to him; and the unfruitfulnesse of duty to the doer thereof in any kind: These flones (with their like) he had cast in the wayes of Gods people heretofore, but by the power of Christs spirit in some of his worthies, they were removed, and have laine hid, till of late, Satan finding an opportunity, hath againe tumbled them in: And herein his cunning craftinesse appeares yet greater (to such as seriously observe things with a spirituall eye) that he carries his matters so slyly, as he gets some of his knowne enemies to countenance and defend them, and so to help and fight for him; like as the Papists (taught in­deed of him) have carried on their fine devices so wilily, as to delude ma [...]y Protestants, their knowne and sworne adversaries so farre as to make them take part with him against their owne Christ, his Gospell and servants, their Brethren; is not this Satans Master-piece, to bring Gods servants to fight against him, to make good men with stand good works? Yet this is no new matter; for he got once into Peter's mouth, and made him speak against Christs doing that good work of our salvation: Peter indeed spake out of love to Christ, and he meant to save Christ, as he thought; but the truth is, he spake then he knew not what: In like manner those good soules, who neglect sancti­fication to extoll justification, who reject the law, casting it behind their backs, as of no use, to advance the Gospell, who heat downe all duty of a true beleever, as no way beneficiall to [Page]him to exalt Christ; I beare them record, that they have a zeale of God, but not according to knowledge; they under stand no more what they say then Peter did, when Christ said to him, get thee behind me Satan; for the Law is as much Christ's as the Gospell, and Gods free grace in Christ, is as much seene and magnified in our Sanctification as our Justification; he gave Christ for both, and Christ dyed for both; they therefore that beat downe the Law, throw downe Christs Scepter, and lay his honour in the dust; doth not our present dayly experience shew what will become of a Kingdome, if the lawes thereof be taken away? and they which extoll Gods onely free grace in ju­stification, clip Gods Coyne, our onely riches; they set up but half a Christ, & so by halving him, they whittle him to nothing; Paul knew this very well; if his Epistles be seriously scanned, if the matter of them be sifted well into the two maine parts thereof, justification and sanctification by Christ Jesus, and each part weighed by it selfe, the greatest quantity of them would be in sanctifications scale. True indeed, in his Epistle to the Romans and Galatians, he is much on free grace in ju­stification, against Jewish confidence in Pharisaicall perfor­mances; but in those and in all his other Epistles, he is as much and sometimes more insisting on Gods free grace in san­ctification, and exhorting thereunto, against that loosnesse and carelesnesse of walking, which he saw in many Christians; truely to me his greatest care seems to be for the maintainance of good works, both in himselfe and others: In others, as appeares by Titus 3.8. and many other places; in himself, Rom. 7. ch. (if there were no more testimonies) makes it evident; now his ex­ample should herein be a leading rule to us Ministers his suc­cessors, both for practice to our selves, and for doctrine unto others; wherefore having (as you know) yeelded to importunity to speak a word of exhortation to my native Towne, the holy spirit directed me to pitch on such a portion of Scripture, as [Page]led me to the maintainance of sanctification, and setting forth of the necessity of Gods free grace in Christ therefore, to be as great as in matter of justification; a poynt directly crossing those mishapen opinions of those new-fashioned Christians (for so they be to us) that are called Antinomians; and therefore a poynt most fit for Rye, wherein many of that sect were voted to be, by reason of those frequent, loud and bitter exclamations against them, by name in the Pulpit, joyned with as earnest and vehement exhortations to take heed of them, and dehortations from their society, as most dangerous infectious persons. I thought now with my self, being to come into that place, it would be my duty to fight against the doctrine, as others had done against the name of the Antinomians; and so I did, and I hope my labour was not in vaine to the Auditory, I am sure it is not in vaine in the Lords account, whose truth it was that I deli­vered, and I delivered it as his and none of mine; and would not a man conceive this would have been very acceptable to him who seems such a professed enemy to the Antinomians? but the contrary appeared to the weakest of his Auditors: Where­upon who can but think that either he mistooke the persons he so called, or that he did not understand what the Lord delivered by me: for mine owne part, I must needs say, it seems to me as cleere as the Sunne at noon-day, that he hath mistaken both them & me, & so abused both, with that scandalous name of An­tinomian; the Lord open his eyes to see the great wrong he hath done me and them hereby, that he may repent thereof, and have his pardon sealed before he goe hence: in the meane time, it is more then probable, that he which durst snarle at the truth of Christ before my face, will behind my back take more liberty to himselfe to let the reines loose to his unruly tongue (a fit inter­preter to his passionate mind) both to bark louder and bite dee­per, by altering the phrase and corrupting the sense of my words; wherefore I thought it necessary in Christian wisdome, by way [Page](if not of prevention, yet) of answering to such envious and ma­licious dealing, to communicate the notes of my discourse under mine own hand; and into whose hand could I more fitly put them then into yours? not only in regard of the outward relation, I have to you, but also because you have been accused falsly, as farre as I can conceive, to be one of them that are looked at as Antinomians; so that mine intent in publishing this my labour under your name, is not so much to manifest my due re­spects of you, as to let the credulous world (which is ready to em­brace any reports that may scandalize the servants of Christ) see how it hath been mis-informed concerning you and such others, as with you, lye at this present clouded with that black aspersion of Antinomianisme, for instead of crying downe the Law, Sanctification and Duty, I found you upon diligent en­quiry, both in opinion and practice, chiefe pillars thereof. The Lord comfort your hearts more and more with his free grace, and stablish you in every good word and work, 2 Thel. 2.17. 2 Cor. 7.1. that you may thereby perfect holinesse in his feare here, and hereafter be perfected in happinesse, Amen.

Your younger Brother in Christ, and affectionate Nephew in the Flesh, JOHN BENBRIGGE.

CHRIST ABOVE ALL EXALTED.

PHILIPPIANS 3.

7. But what things were gaine to me, those I counted losse for Christ.

8. Yea doubtlesse, and I count all things but losse for the excellency of the know­ledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the losse of all things, and doe count them but dung that I may win Christ,

9. And be found in him: Not having mine owne righteousnesse, which is of the Law; but that which is through the Faith of Christ, the righteousnesse which is of God by Faith.

10 That I may know him, and the power of his Resurrection, and the fellowship of his Sufferings, being made conformable unto his Death.

IN these words we have Saul compared with Paul; the great Apostle of the Gentiles doth herein compare himself with himself, seting forth to us both what he was, and what he is; what he was when he was Saul, and what he is now he is Paul; what he was before Conversion, what he is since his Calling; and this description of himselfe then, and and now, is delineated by the difference of his judgement now and then: For men are according to their judgements, and in the sight of the Al seeing eye, as these change and alter, so doe they to be carnall or spirituall; the Apostle in 1 Cor. 2.14, 15. doth di­stinguish of other men (as he did of himselfe) by their judge­ment of things: A carnall man judgeth carnally of all things, but a spirituall man spiritually. Thus carnall Saul had a car­nall [Page 2]opinion of things; he had an high esteem of his owne righteousnesse, which was by the Law, his Pharisaicall perfor­mances of duty, and of his Jewish priviledges; yea, these were his gaine, he did not onely esteem of them, but also confide in them, he hoped to gaine Heaven by them; but as for Christ then, he was a poore Christ to him, worth nothing, yea worse then nothing in his account then, and therefore he persecuted then this dispised Christ in his Members: But now he is spiritu­all Paul, he is quite of another mind; for now he looks at his owne righteousnesse, Pharisaicall works and fleshly Preroga­tives; yea, all things of this world as losse and dung, and poor Christ is now most rich, and the true, yea, onely gaine, and therefore he had lost to himselfe all things, that he might in their roome get Christ: When saving grace comes to a Saul, it enters in at the understanding first, that is, the everlasting gate whereby the King of glory passeth in to the City of the heart; Psal. 24 7. Mal. 4.2. Rom. 13.12. 2 Pet. 1.9.19. he therefore is called a Sunne, and that is called light; because by their light a man seeth more into things, more of them then he did before they came into him: He was before like a blind­folded man, that could see no more then a seem of things, er­rours and false opinions so bemisted him, as he could not dis­cerne aright of them: But when the day-starre ariseth in the darke place, his mind, then as he hath other eyes, so he sees things otherwise; he finds that he was much mistaken in things when he called losse gaine, and gaine losse; wherefore now he alters his Opinion, and accounts things as they are, losse shall be losse, and gaine, gaine onely to him. Is not this most appa­rent in our Apostle? did not there fall off as thick as great scales from the eyes of his soule, Acts 9.18. as from them of his body, when Christ Jesus took possession of him? Yea doubtlesse; and hence it was that he changed his opinion of all things; and by decla­ring this alteration, he cleerly tels us, he is not now the same man he was; as much difference between him then, and him now, as is between a Saul and a Paul, who are no more like one another then black and white; direct opposites, as losse is to gaine, and gaine to losse.

A great change indeed; so great as himselfe thought would seem a Paradox to the men of this world, his former Compa­nions [Page 3]and brethren in affection; hence it is (as may be con­ceived) that he repeats it over and againe; he would have them beleeve, it is certainly true there is such an alteration of and in him; and to work it into them, comes upon them in a gradation, each step being a preventive Answer to an Objection they might make.

For in the seventh Verse having shewne them the things which he accounted losse for Christ, the things that were gaine to him, his performances and priviledges, mentioned in the fifth and sixth Verses: They might have Objected, what, is this such a matter? they are but some things thy judgement is alte­red of, in comparison of this Christ thou talkest of; to prevent their saying thus to him, in the eighth Verse he saith to them, Yea doubtlesse, I account all things losse for Christ: To whom they might reply; Thou doest say so Paul, but thou wilt not doe so; Yea, but I have done so already, is his returne: Hereto they might Object; It may be Paul thou hast done so once, but thou wilt learne more wit then to doe so againe: Nay, saith he, for even now at this present time I doe so undervalue all things in comparison of Christ Jesus my Lord: I but Paul, might they say, why doest thou so prize Christ above all? He answers them, that I may win Christ: And what good can Christ doe thee when thou hast him? why desirest thou Christ so much? He gives them and us two reasons of his esteem and desire of Christ above all, in the two Verses following; in the ninth Verse, his reason is, that he might be justified in God's sight; Psal: 143.2. Rom. 3.22. for in his sight no flesh shall be justified in his owne righteousnesse: He would not therefore for a world that God should come to Judgement, and find him in his owne righteousnesse, and out of Christ and Christs righteousnesse, which is by Faith applied to us. And in the tenth Verse, his second motive to set up and seek Christ above all, was his sanctification, and therefore he saith, that I may know him: Know him? might they say, what doest thou not know Christ, Paul? Why? we know Christ: I but my meaning is (saith the Apostle) not such a knowledge as yours is; alas, it is not an historicall knowledge of him in mine head that I would have, but an experimentall knowledge of him in mine heart: I can talk of Christ as wellas you, but I would [Page 4]feel Christ in me, and have Union and Communion with him▪ which you want: I would find in my heart and life the vertue of his Resurrection, and a fellowship of his Death and Suffe­rings. Now what meanes he by the vertue of Christ's Resurre­ction, but that which Divines call Vivification, that is, a quick­ning power therefrom to walk in newnesse of life as he ex­plaines himselfe, Rom. 6.4. And what intends he by the fel­lowship of Christ's Death and Sufferings, but that which we call Mortification, which is a dying to sinne, as is evident from Rom. 6.5, 6, 7, 8. And what are Vivification and Mortificati­on, but those two parts of a Christian which make up his San­ctification; for which Christ was as highly prized, and as ear­nestly prized, and as carnestly desired by Paul, as for his Justi­fication.

Thus have you briefly the scope and meaning of these foure Verses read unto you; we will passe by the dividing of them in­to their parts at this present, because I have but a little time to speak in, and much precious matter to speak of; the Observati­ons that they naturally yeeld unto our consideration are these five.

I. A man before Conversion doth alway confide in, and rest on his performances of duty.

II. After conversion a mans judgement is altered concerning his owne righteousnesse.

III. Without Christ all things are but losse and dung.

IV. Christ alone is the true gaine.

V. True saving grace (wherewith Paul was endued when he wrote these words of our Text) teacheth a poor soule to esteem of Christ above all things, not onely for Justification but also for Sanctification.

Of all these five I doe conceive this last most usefull for this Congregation at this time, wherefore mine intent is (with Gods assistance) to confirme it unto you, and afterward make some use of it; which whilst I doe, if you love Christ and prize him above all, you will yeeld me your patient attention.

The Philosophers often call man a little world in himselfe; but Christians know he is not such an entire Common-wealth, as able to live of and by himselfe; these say, if he depend on [Page 5]Christ for maintainance, he will soone breake and fall into so wretched a condition, as is farre worse then a non-being: Christ therefore in whom are all the hid treasures of God, must man repaire unto for supply of all his wants; but alas, he wants an heart to goe to him; he must be drawne by God the Father or else he will never come to Christ, John 6.44. The l [...]gs of Free-wi [...]l which the Papists and Arminians stand so much upon, will never be able to carry a soul so farre as Christ; there must be an inward principle of saving grace in the heart, to enable and direct us, or else we shall never truly desire or ef­f [...]u [...]lly sind him to be ours. Indeed there may be some gas­ping after Christ, by the meanes of some common hear-say; N [...]tions of Christ in thesa knowing times; yea, a soule may so strongly desire Christ, as to be willing to part with very much for him, and yet not truly desire Christ, because he may all this while seek Christ, not out of a love to Christ so much as to himselfe: A Merchant that heares there is such a rich Commodity, such a precious Jewell to be had whereby he may greatly get, will part with much of his gold and silver for it, yet cannot he be said to love that Commodity and Jewell so much as himselfe, because he seeks it onely for his owne gaine and profit by it: Mat. 13.45, 46. So a man that heares of that precious Pearle of great price, Christ Jesus, and that there is much to be gotten by him, no lesse then salvation (which is a sure enjoyment of all good, and a freedome from all evill) may be willing to bid pretty faire for Christ, and lay downe much for him, and yet not truly love Christ for Christ's owne sake; he desires but to serve himselfe of Christ, and not that Christ should be served by him. Self-love will perswade men to prize Christ highly for Justification, to get happinesse by Christ, but onely saving grace teaches a soule to stt up Christ also above all for Saictifi­cation, to get holinesse, whereby he may serve Christ that hath saved him.

The more cleerly to prove this truth, and to help your me­mories to carry the proofe thereof away with you, we will take it asund [...]r into two parts, and shew you,

1. Why saving grace teacheth a poor soule to prize the Lord Jesus above all things.

2. Why saving grace makes the heart to esteem Christ above not onely in Justification, but also in Sanctification.

For the first there are three Reasons.

Reas. 1 The first ariseth from the Operations of the holy Spirit, which worketh saving grace in the heart of any man; the Ope­rations of the Spirit in this way is two-fold, whence the Spirit hath in Scripture a double Epithite, and is called a Spirit of Bondage, and a Spirit of Adoption; these names of Bondage and Adoption, imply not a double Spirit, but a double and se­verall Act of the same holy Spirit, which is wrought in every soule, when it is savingly wrought upon, Rom. 8.15. for then

1. The holy Spirit doth discover to the soule its forlorne condition, in regard of sinne, and the punishment therefore; it makes him sensible of the spirituall bondage under sinue and satan; it makes him see and feele how he lyes bound and fette­red hand and foot with the Cart-ropes of his iniquities; and withall the Spirit set before them the terrible countenance of an angry God, and so fils the soule with stinging and deep pier­cing feares, that the just Judge of Heaven and Earth will plague it according to its deserts, both in the world and that to come; thus were Peters Auditors pricked to the heart, and as men a­frighted with the strange and fearfull sight of their sinne and God's wrath, they cried out, Men and brethren what shall we doe? Acts 2.37. which outcry of such soules is the greater, because this Spirit shews them withall, the helplesnesse that is in them­selves and the creature to remedy their present misery; it makes them know the vanity and insufficiency of all that is in them, or can come from them to work their deliverance: It blasteth all their hopes from their owne righteousnesse, which before smelt as sweet as a Rose in their Nostrils, but now savours worse to them then the noysome dunghill: In briefe, the Spi­rit certifies them that all they have done, or whatever they can doe with the help of all the Creatures, cannot give them one lift out of their sad condition; but here the good Spirit of God leaves not his children, for then they would fall into that Gulfe of despaire whereinto Came, Judas and such like have fal­len, to their utter ruine.

2. The holy Spirit therefore having wounded the soule so [Page 7]deep as he pleaseth, (for all are not broken in a like measure) he begins the cure thereof, by setting Christ before the soule, and laying open to it that fulnesse of supplies which is in him; that he can, yea onely can help, that there is no Saviour but he, and withall lets him see that there is some hope of his ha­ving Christ, yea that God hath given him the rich and full Christ, that by beleeving in him he might have everlasting life, and hereupon the soule begins to long after Christ, all the affe­ctions of it runne after Christ, prizing and seeking Christ above all; now doth the soule cry, Oh give me Christ, and take all! like as a man ready to be drowned, would give all the world if he had it, to save his life, and to find some safe footing; so a soule that is enlightned with the eye-salve of the holy Spirit, to see its sinking condition with a glimpse of hope of getting Christ, will gladly part with all it hath for this Pearl of great price any vertue.

Reas. 2 A second Reason why that soule that hath saving grace doth prize Christ above all, is drawne from the contrarieties that is between grace and sin; these two are no better friends then fire and water, light and darknesse, hell and heaven, yea then God and the Devill, and their manner of working is as contrary and crosse to each other; they walke opposite to one another, un­doing (if they can) the worke the other hath done: Sinne works the heart when it beares the sway there, to preferre all things, yea every thing before Christ; but grace when it takes place in the heart, brings the heart to prize Christ above all things in generall, much more above every thing in particular. If we well weigh the matter, the first step of our aversion from God, is an undervaluing of him; when Adam first fell off from God, did not he preferre himselfe and his Wife before God? doth not the Lord plainly point out the cause of his peoples for­saking him, to be an overweening conceit they had in the crea­ture above him, though that were indeed but a broken Cistern, and he a living Fountaine, Jer. 2.11. & 13. Now the way of our arising must be contrary to that of our falling, and there­fore the first step of our conversion to our God, is an overvalu­ing of him, that is, such a high esteem of him, as all things with their fulnesse of beauty, are not thought comparable with [Page 8]him in a degree, that is, even lesse then the least: This is the work of that saving grace, Faith, 1 Pet. 2.7. As the former was of that vice infidelity; as this carries the heart off from God so this new byasses it, and turnes it round about to him againe; like as a skilfull School-master when a child is brought to him that hath been ill taught, is faine first to unteach him what he hath ill learned, and afterwards to set him forth: So saving grace when it comes to teach the heart (first doth dedoce­re, then docere) first makes him unlearned what sinne hath taught him false; and hence it is that such a soule comes to prize the Lord Jesus above all things.

Reas. 3 The third and last cause hereof proceeds from that inestima­ble worth of Christ, which saving grace makes the heart sensi­ble of, by feeling those unspeakable benefits it is made partaker of by him, which are many; we will at this time but point out to you these six following.

One (which is the first and root of all the rest) is Reconcili­ation with God, Col. 1.21. Reconciliation is that gift of God's Free-grace in Christ, whereby such as are strangers and enemies become acquainted with God, and so have peace, joy and delight in him, and boldnesse to him, Rom. 5.1, 2. and for the ground of emnity between God and them (which was sinne that made the seperation and alienation, Isa. 59.2. Col. 1.21.) is utterly taken away by Jesus Christ his death, where­by he satisfied for sinne, Eph. 2.16. So that now the poore soule instead of terrifying frownes, and heart-breaking threats and menaces, hath chearfull smiles and cordiall promises, good and comfortable words, Zach. 1.13. The Lord doth shine in love so clearly and abundantly on the soul, that it warmes him to the very heart, and makes him rejoyce with joy unspeakable; this benefit by Christ may seem little in the eyes of some per­sons, but as we that have felt the bitternesse of warre and dis­sention amongst our selves, how welcome would a Peace and Pacification be to us? what would we give for it if it might be bought? we knew not the sweetnesse of Peace before, but our fulnesse thereof had produced in us a very loathing of that Ho­ny-combe; so that soule which hath alwayes lived in peace by meanes of the strong man, Luke 11.21. doth slight this bene­fit [Page 9]by Christ; but when that devils peace is broken, and a poor soule is at civill warre in and with it selfe, and with sinne, sa­tan his instruments, yea, and with God also (who seems to take part against it, and to wrastle with it too) O how sweet is this Peace and Reconciliation with God by Christ! there's no soule can conceive the sweetnesse of it (much lesse any tongue ex­presse it) but that soule which hath tasted thereof by saving grace, and for love of this (as I may so say) the soule doth prize Christ the more.

Another benefit is Life; for Christ is the very life of such a soul Col. 3.3, 4. for by him the soule that was dead in sinnes and tres­passes is quickned, Eph. 2.1. he hath breathed his Spirit thereinto and made it a living soule, Rom. 8.10. The man that lyes rotting in his sinnes is altogether ignorant of the excellency of this new life by Christ; as a dead man in the grave is not sensible of the sweetnesse of bodily life, the living man is he that prizeth life as the best Jewell on earth, and will give skin for skin and all that he hath for life; so only that soule which is raised up from the dead to newnesse of life, feels and findes the excellency and sweetnesse thereof, and therefore he alone prizeth Christ above all in a respect hereof.

A third benefit is that Al-healing vertue that this soule finds in Christ; he is at no time sick of any malady, but Christ ap­plyed, he finds, gives him present ease; be he never so much wearied by labouring under any spirituall or temporall burden, any terror, of spirit; a broken spirit, a sick body, a sinking estate, a prision, any tempest of tribulation come, he finds Christ a ready Haven of rest, where rides at the Anchor of Hope with such comfort, as he hath a pretty heaven on earth; what would not a man give for such (a Panacea) a Sovereigne receipt (if such one could be found) as would cure all wounds, sores, sick­nesses, distempers, and lamenesses in the body? The man that should have such a Medicine would think himselfe well provi­ded for, he would not part with it at any rates; and the soule that finds this al-curing vertue in Christ, thinks no price suffi­cient for him; you cannot offer enough to him for his Christ, for indeed he will not leave his Christ on any tearmes.

A fourth benesit by Christ is, the soule by having Christ hath [Page 10]himselfe, and is come to his right wits againe: Adam seeking by unlawfull meanes to get more knowledge then he had, like men that over-study themselves, crackt his braines, and lost that knowledge which he had before; and his Posterity to this day, are, yea will be to the last day, a company of dictracted persons, foolish and mad children, till Christ take them in hand, and by giving them himself, bring them againe to them­selves: This is evident by that in Titus 3.3. where the Apo­stle speakes of himselfe and such like, We our selves were some­times ( [...]) that is, out of our minds, that is, before we had Christ we were by-witted persons; it is worth our observati­on, in this particular, to take notice of what is said concerning the Prodigall at his returne, (which signifies the conversion of any sinner) in Luke 15.17. The words are [...], that is, comming, or when he came into himselfe, he said, &c. Which plainly implyes, the man was before time quite out of himselfe, Psal. 75.4. and that he both said and did all as a mad man; and so madly doe all men carry themselves before they have Christ: And this aggravates their misery, that they are not sensible of this their pittifull condition, neither will be perswaded to believe it, but like as mad men, think others more mad then themselves; so doe men out of Christ think them that are in Christ to be mad, their wayes, words and behaviours are so strange and uncouth to them: 1 Pet. 4.4. But such as are in Christ know them that are out of Christ to be mad indeed, and they know it by their owne experience, for they themselves were such at that time; but now they are come to themselves by Christ's comming to them, and for this great blessing they prize Christ above all.

But fifthly, the soule that hath saving grace, finds by Christ it hath not onely received it selfe, but it selfe with advantage; for by Christ he finds an excellency put on himselfe and all his performances.

1. As the touch of the Philosophers stone is said to turne the thing touched into pure gold; so more truly, one touch-of Christ to a poore soule doth metamorphose it, making it of great worth, which was before despised, as vile, and base; now he becomes a man of some account indeed, both with God [Page 11]and good men: He is one of Gods Jewels, Mal. 3.17. one of his chosen Generation, one of his holy Nation and peculiar people, 1 Pet. 2.9. one that is both precious and honourable in Gods sight, Isa, 43.4. and therefore one of his beloved ones; briefly, the soule that was the poorest amongst Beggars, is by Christ made one of the richest Kings, Revel. 1.6.

2. And besides this dignity to his person, Christ also digni­fies all their performances of duty, making them acceptable to God, for all the filth that cleaves to their sacrifices & holy things he washeth off, by rincing them in his blood; all their prayers and other presents offered to God by them, Christ perfumes with the odours of his Merits, and so represents them as sweet Incense to his Father, Rev. 8.34. That soul which hath put on Christ, finds him a Garment not onely to cover his nakednesse, but also to beautifie and adorne him; and this makes the soule also to prize Christ above all, as a man is more choyce of his best Apparrell.

Lastly, the soule that hath saving grace finds this admirable commodity also by Christ, that he gaines by all his losses; he sees all other men lose by their very gaines; Paul in our Text affirmes it in his owne particular case, he found now that he lost by all his supposed gaines, and that he now did gaine by his supposed losses: Take a soule that hath Christ, and he will say with David, It was good for me that I was afflicted, Psal: 119 71. I got well by it; a prison will be as gainfull to such a soule as it was to Manasses, who thrived more in the prison at Babylon, 2 Chron. 33.11, 12, 13. then in his Pallace at Ierusalem; for in his adversity, he sought and found his God he lost in his prosperity; such a soule will with the three children, dance in a fiery furnace, Dan. 3.25. it will doe him so much good, all losses and crosses whatsoever, outward and in­ward, spirituall and bodily, bring him in gaine and enrich him, for all things work to his good, Rom. 8.28. and this not onely all his life long, but also at death, when other men lose most, then he gaines most; when men out of Christ dye and goe hence, they doe not onely leave their goods (as they call them) behind them, but also all that little goodnesse was in them, and so goe to that place where is nothing but sinne and its punishment, misery; a great losse indeed they suffer, when [Page 12]their fraile Barke of the flesh shipwracks on the mercilesse Rock of death; but such as have Christ, saving grace informes them (and they beleeve it as Gods truth) that they shall lose nothing then but what is worse then nothing, Heb. 12.1. their sinnes and sinful­nesse which they would faine have parted with before, but could not, it hung so fast to the flesh; but for that little goodnesse which was in them, that shall be encreased and perfected, yea and their goods, they shall not lose, but exchange for better; for Parents, he shall have God his heavenly Father, for bre­thren and sisters, Jesus Christ his eldest brother, and the blessed Saints; for friends, the holy Angels; for faiding wealth, the true riches; for momentany pleasures, the everlasting; for vain titles of honour, immortall glory; yea, for sorrow joy, for labour rest, for mortality immortality, and in one word, for his hell here, his Heaven for ever: Is not this a happy change? yet this Christ brings to the soul, & thetfore you see good reason it hath to prize him above all; and thus you have the first part of the truth made good to you: there is as much reason for

The second part thereof; why saving grace makes the soule prize Christ above all in Justification and Sanctification.

Reas. 1 For Justification, because saving grace doth enlighten the soule to see the perfection of the Law, which requires an exact performance according to its Rule, in every the least particular, and that for want thereof, it pronounceth a curse on it, as guilty of the breach of all, Gal. 3.10. Iames 2.10. And

Secondly, the soule by saving grace being quickned with spi­rituall life, is sensible of its owne weaknesse and imperfection, whereby it is dis-inabled to answer the law to its perfect com­mands, ever in its best performances; he finds he cannot doe what he would, much lesse what he should; and yet doth much what he both would not and should not: Hence it is, that in matter of Justification, to obtaine pardon he renounceth all his owne righteousnesse as dung and filthy rags, and would not be found in the same, but in Christ Jesus the righteous, whose righteousnesse which is by faith ours, to our selves, he sees must (as it only can) free him from guilt of sinne before Gods Justice, and therefore he prizeth Christ so much above all herein: But this particular hath been so clearly manifested of late by others, as I shall not need further to insist thereon; come we therfore to [Page 13]the Reasons, why saving Grace makes the heart prize Christ a­bove all in sanctification. They are seaven:

The first is, because saving grace discovers to the soul not one­ly the guilt of sinne, but also the filth of sinne; and as justifica­tion takes away the guilt, so sanctification doth away the filth of sinne. And as for the taking away of the guilt, the soule de­nies it selfe and its owne right; so for the doing away of the filth the soule abhorres it selfe in dust and ashes, as Job 42.6. So that saving grace works not onely self-deniall, but also a self-loath­ing, as in Paul, Rom. 7.24. he is even sicke of himselfe; the fil­thinesse of sin that cleaves to him, makes him out of love with himselfe, and not to endure himself with patience, and to swee­ten him both to God and himselfe he prizeth Christ above all; he finds now his owne garments so spotted with the flesh, as he would fain change them, and none in his account like to Christs white robes of holinesse and righteousnesse; when a soule is sick of sinne (as all soules are when endued with saving grace) a bare pardon will not serve their turne, that alone doth not cure them; the Lord must heale their transgressions also; now this is by sanctification, as the former is by justification.

Another reason is, because saving grace works the heart to a desire and longing after the image of God, that it may become like God, as our Saviour often cals us to be. Such a soule knows by Adams example, that it shall not get into a state of innocen­cy, till it obtaine the image of God stampt on it: Now this i­mage of God consisted in holinesse and righteousnesse, Ephes. 4.24. and both these are by the new man Christ Jesus, in whom we are created to the good works of them, Eph. 2.10. for he is the image of the Father, Col. 1.15. and therefore that the soule may be holy as his heavenly Father, 1 Pet. 1.16. and righteous as he is righteous, Mat. 5. last. he prizeth Christ above all, as be­ing the treasury of all grace, from whom he must receive grace for grace, John 1.16.

A third Reason is, from the discovery of heaven to the soule that hath saving grace: for hereby, as through a perspective Glasse, he can looke into heaven, and there he findes nothing but happinesse and holinesse, as in hell there is nothing but sin and misery. As no good can goe to hell, so he sees no bad, no [Page 14]sinfull and uncleane thing can get entrance into heaven, Revel. 21.27. saving grace tels him (and he beleeves it) that without ho­linesse he shall not see Gods face in heaven, Heb. 12.14. and ther­fore he followes it with such earnestnesse of desire and endea­vour, and prizeth Christ, in whom all holinesse is stored up for us, above all things whatsoever.

Fourthly, saving grace taketh a mans heart off from his own ends in all things, and teacheth him to seek Christ, not so much for selfe-ends, as Christs ends. When the Lord doth convert a soule to him, and workes saving grace in his heart; as he gives him a new principle to worke by, so he gives him new ends to worke for. Before conversion Selfe is all in all to a man; Selfe sets him at worke, and he workes altogether by selfe principles and to selfe ends; God is not in all his thoughts, Psa. 10.4. for indeed selfe is his God. But when God comes to take his place againe in the heart, and to be God to a soule, then he becomes the utmost end of that soule also; so that as he will do nothing but by him, commanding and strengthning, so he does all to him and for him; the soule is now lifted up above it selfe, it soares aloft at greater matters then belong to selfe: Selfe­matters are but as flies in his Eagle eye; he stoops not to them, but as the ponderous flesh makes him; his alme is altogether at the glory of God, magnifying Christ, forwarding the Kingdome of the Lord Jesus, building up his Church, and repairing the breaches thereof, &c. Like as good and true States­men looke not so much at their owne profits as the common good, so the true Christian aimes at the publike good of Christ, the advancing of his Kingdome here, more then at their owne advancement by him: He doth not desire Christ so much to be saved by him, as that Christ may be served by him. The soul that prizeth Christ above al only for justification, seeks him for selfe ends, that is, for happinesse and salvation by him; and thus a soule doth before he hath saving grace: But to de­sire him above all for sanctification, is to prize and desire Christ for Christ's owne ends, that we may be made holy by him, and so become zealous of good workes, Titus 2.14. and that we may serve him all the dayes of our life in holinesse and righteousnesse, Luke 1.7 4, 75. And thus to desire Christ [Page 15]for Christ, saving grace teacheth the soule, and to doe all for him; because such a soule makes Christ its Master, and self must be his servant, so that selfe must now wait till his Master is ser­ved: Selfe may attend at the doore of the heart, but Christ as Master beares all the sway there, and as he will, so the heart saith he shall be served whosoever goes unserved; and as for selfe, such a soule as is principled with saving grace, looks at selfe as best served when his Master is most served: There is a sweet and holy emulation betweet such a soule and Christ; that as Christ takes all that is done to that soule as done to himselfe so that soule takes all done to Christ as done to himselfe; and therfore is of opinion that he serves himself best when he serves Christ most: Yea, he leaves selfe to Christ's disposall and good will, knowing that he is a good, loving and free master indeed, that will suffer his servant to want no good thing, Psal. 84.11.

Fifthly, saving grace frames the heart to a conjugall affection of Christ, to such a love of him as is between husband and wife, so that the soule loves the person of Christ as well as his porti­on, yea and desires him more for his persons sake, then for his portions sake; all the note of such a soule is that with the Spouse in Cant. 2.16. My beloved is mine, and I am his; this heart is enamoured with Christ, because of that exceeding beau­ty, of holinesse in him; he is to her the fairest of ten thousand: This soule loves not Christ so much for that which comes by him, as for that shee sees in him; when God married us (as he saith he hath married us, Jer. 3.14.) his free grace had respect on­ly to our persons, and not for any portion of ours, whereby he might be enriched and benefited: Hence we find a love of man­kind (for so [...] signifies) ascribed to him, Titus 3.4. Job 14.15. which Job's words doe well interpret to us, saying, Thou (O Lord) hast a desire to the worke of thine hands: Wherein is hinted the reason of Gods affection to us, not any worth in us, but his right to us; it is his free grace which makes him owne that his right, and the same free grace in the heart of a man reflects on God the same work; that soule affects more Christ's person then any or all the things that come by him: It is but a kind of whorish spirit to love him onely for what he hath, and to get by him; that Spouse that loves her Husband's person as shee [Page 16]ought, will love him when he is poore as well as rich, when sick as well, will cleave to him in his necessity, content to live in prison with him, to goe a begging and be banished with him: so where saving grace is, the heart loves Christs person so im­potently, as shee will cleave to him in all his necessities; when naked and poore, shee will love him as well as when rich and bravely attired with outward pompe; if he goe to prison shee will goe too, rather then part with her best beloved shee will go a begging with him, into banishment with him, into the midst of fire any faggot, yea into hell too rather then leave him; for shee knowes hell would be no hell to her if he be with her, and that a heaven would be a hell if he be not in it, or shee find him not therein.

A sixth Reason why such a heart as hath saving grace doth prize Christ above all in matter of Sanctification, is, because it knowes and feeles as great a want of Gods free grace therein as in matter of Justification: For we are as unable to sanctifie our selves as to justifie our selves; yea we can doe more to procure sanctification to our selves then to obtaine justification; where­fore as we find the good work of sanctification in us ascribed to the Lord, both for the beginning and perfecting of it in Phil. 1.6. so we find it attributed to his good pleasure, that is, his free grace, Phil. 2.13. and indeed if we doe seriously weigh things, Gods free grace seems to abound more in the sanctifica­tion of a soule, then in his justification of it; for by justificati­on he doth onely acquit it of the guilt of sinne committed, but by sanctification he doth not onely purge it from the filth of sinne committed, (wich equallizeth the guilt) but also streng­thens the soule against sinne not committed; Sanctification d [...]th not onely heale sinne in us, but preserves us from the infe­ction thereof, and it is a greater mercy to be preserved from a misery, then to be delivered out of it; wherefore such as pin Gods free grace onely to our justification, seem to me, without warrant from the Word, too much to straight-lace the full Breasts of Gods free grace, from whence a poor soule may such as much comfort for its sanctification as for its justification, and that in regard of his daily failings, which shew him his wants thereof, and drive him to the Throne of Grace for a con­tinuall [Page 17]supply; now Christ is the Store-house of Gods free grace, what measure soever we have of it, it is conveyed to us in and through him, not onely that free grace of Justification, but also our Sanctification; he is made both to us one as well as the other, 1 Cor. 1.30. and as he willingly laid downe his life for to justifie us, so he did as willingly sanctifie himself that we might be sanctified by him in truth, John 17.19. which doth plainly intimate that a soule can no more be sanctified without Christ, then it can be justified without him; and this the soule that hath saving grace, doth know very well, and therefore prizeth Christ above all in sanctification as well as in justification.

Lastly, saving grace puts the soule wherein it is, upon get­ting an assurance of its Justification; such a soule will not be­leeve every report of the deceitfull heart, but will examine the truth of it: Before saving grace comes, all that the heart saith, is taken to be as true as the Gospell, and thence it is that men before conversion dreame of Heaven and happinesse; and hell, they are quite out of any feare of it: it is otherwise after con­version, and therefore the converted soule will still be searching its evidence for Heaven, and his chiefest work is to make: that sure to him: This is easily collected from the Apostles Exhor­tations hereto, Worke out your salvation (saith he) that is, Phil. 2.12. 2 Pet. 1.10. the assurance of it to your selves; and give al diligence think no pains too much to make your calling and election sure; not in themselves for that they are already, but sure to you, which as yet they are not, or at least not so fully as they may and ought to be; But no assurance can we have of our Justification but by our Sanctification; truly they that perswade men to goe first to Ju­stificrtion to get assurance of God's free grace to them, doe set them to unwind that fathomelesse bottome at the wrong end, and so makes the poore soules to coster matters together as they cannot cleere their assurance to themselves: You know that when you would unwind a bottome of threed, you must begin at the last end that is outmost, next to you, and visible to your sight; and by following that, you shall come to the first end, which at the first lay hid from your eyes, & you could not come at; thus must you deale with a bottome of God's free grace, in [Page 18]working out the assurance of your salvation to your own souls; and to make it more perspicuous to your understandings, I shall briefly unfold the whole mystery thereof: Free grace in the worke of salvation runs in three channels, the severall ef­fects thereof (which are many) are reduceable to these three heads. First, The separation of Gods people from the wicked. Secondly, the freeing of them from sinne. And thirdly, the in­feofeing them to the inheritance: each of these are carried about with many successive acts of free grace, but the first & the last are in each particular most remarkable: In the separation of them from the wicked, the first link of the chain is Election, the last is Vocation; in the freeing of them from sinne: The first is Justi­fication, the last is Sanctification; and concerning the Inheri­tance, the first is Adoption, and the last is Glorification: Now of these six, three are in God, and three in us; the first three are in God from all eternity, the last three are wrought in us, in time after we have a being, and it is worth your diligence to observe how the first and last three doe sweetly answer to each other; for as by election we are separated in Gods purpose from the wretched Masse of the Reprobates, so by effectuall vocation we are separated actually from the prophane Masse of the sin­full world: And as by Justification we are freed from the guilt and condemnation of sinne, so by Sanctification from the fact and pollution of it; and as by Adoption we are made heirs and sonnes, so by Glorification (begun here and perfected hereafter) we are put into actuall possession of our glorious Inheritance: Thus have you a Breviate of that great work of our salvation, and by it you may easily perceive where you must begin in the work of assuring any of the three generall heads; as would you assure your selfe of the first generall, whose first and last ends were Election and Vocation; would you begin at Election? No, that end which is first to God-ward must be last to us, as that which is first to us is last to God in working; where God ends there we must begin, and that is in this particular at our Vocation; and this the Apostle plainly intimates in saying, Make your calling and election sure, 2 Pet. 1.10. Why puts he calling before election? why did he not say election and calling, since election is farre long before calling? The reason is, be­cause [Page 19]though election is first in being, yet it is last in existing and appearing to be to us: Our Vocation appeares first to us, though in order of being it is indeed last; and therefore in seeking out our election, the Apostle implies we should begin at our Voca­tion, and so from what we best know to proceed to that we least know: So for the second Generall, the freedome from sin, whose first and last links are Justification and Sanctification; shall we be­gin at Justification? No, that end is the first end which is hid in God from our eyes, till we have unreaved the bottome; we must begin at that end which is next us, which is outmost and visible to us, and that is Sanctification; God's free grace to us is assured on­ly by his free grace in us: We cannot be assured of the freedome from the guilt of sinne, till we be find a freedome from the fact, filthinesse and power of sinne; and the reason is, because whom he justifies he sanctifies, and both by one and the same meanes, not at one and the same time; for he justifies us to God from all eter­nity, and therefore is called the Lambe that was slaine from (that is, Revel. 13.8. before) the beginning of the World; but we are sanctified by him in time after we have a being; but the meanes which he imployes in both our Justification and Sanctification are the same; for as we justified by his Active and Passive Obedience, by his death and suf­ferings, by his resurrection, &c. so we are sanctified by them; for the vertue of them (as Paul in our Text cals it) doth work in us, to the killing of sinne in us, and quickning of us to new Obedience: As Christ died for our Justifi­cation, so for our Sanctifi­cation. Titus 2.14. Luke 1.75. as they take away the guilt of sinne, so they free us from the filth and dominion of sinne; so that you must know this for a truth, that you cannot be assured of Christ's living to you in your Justifi­cation, untill you can find him living in you by Sanctification: Our Apostle knew so much, and therefore when he would have the Corinthians to get assurance of their salvation by Christ, he sends them home into themselves, saying, prove your selves, 2 Cor. 13.5. examine your selves whether you be in the Faith, that is, in the estate of the faith­full, which we call Salvatione And how shall they know this? He tels them by adding, for know you not that except Christ be in you, you are Reprobates, that is, such as are excluded from that happinesse: Now by Christ being in us is meant our Sanctificati­on, as (to speak strictly) our being in Christ looks at, and chiefly implies our Justification; though indeed this phrase in Christ is [Page 20]used sometimes in a large sense for both, but to draw this particu­lar to a close, the Apostle sends the Corinthians to their sanctifica­tion for a proofe justification; and till they can find Christ in them by his sanctifying them, they cannot conclude any thing but that for all they know as yet they are Reprobates; and hence it is that a good soule earnestly lahouring for assurance (which is the very soule and life of a Christians comfort here) doth so highly prize Christ for sanctification; and thus you have the truth confir­med in both parts: come we now to Application.

Ʋse. The Use that at this time I shall desire you with me to make of that truth we have heard, is to goe to a tryall of our selves, whe­ther we have saving grace or no: Truly (my Beloved) self-exami­nation is a duty of great consequence, and necessary to the wel-be­ing, yea to the very being of a Christian indeed; it is the very key of the work of assurance: Hence the Apostle when he sets them about the work of assurance, first directs them to take examination of themselves in hand. Let us not then trust to the reports of our de­ceitfull hearts who will be ready enough to sooth us up with a vain and fruitlesse hrpe of God's free grace in Christ: Alas, how ma­ny are gone to hell with this hope that Christ dyed for them! their salfe hearts told them they should be saved, and they beleeving them sate down in security and sought no further till it was too late, so late as Heaven gate was shut against them, as the foolish Virgins, Mat. 25.10, 11. But this is a truth, that if we be in the state of salva­tion (and so may assure our selves we shall be saved for ever) then there is saving grace in us; and if we have saving grace in us, we prize Christ above all things both for Justification and Sanctificati­on: so then the point whereof we are to examine our selves, is our prizing of Christ above all in the particulars before mentioned; and for the cleerer discovery of the truth therein, we will draw up the rules of our examination into two ranks, answerable to the proofe of the position delivered: As

First, whether we prize Christ above all.

Secondly, whether we prize Christ above all both in Justification and Sanctification. First

Whether we prize Christ above all: If saving grace be in us, so will we esteem of Christ as more worth then all; we have not time to instance in every particular saving grace; we shall therefore at [Page 21]this time but mention one, which is accounted as a Mother grace, and that is faith. Have we but that saving grace, Christ will be a Pearle of great price in our eye; and you have a cleare proofe there­of by the Testimony of Peter, who sayth, To you that beleeve he (Christ) is precious, but to them that beleeve not he is a stone of offence, 1 Pet. 2.7. Now to beleeve, is to receive Christ, John 1.12. and by the rule of contraries, not to beleeve is not to receive Cstrist; where­fore the Apostles words hold forth to us, that Christ is precious onely to such as have received him; and to such as have not recei­ved him he is but as a peble stone, nay which is worse, a rock of of­fence, whereon they strike in despight, and make an utter shipwrack of their soules: So then, if we prize Christ, we have received him; now the Question will be, whether we have received Christ or no; to determine this case, we will onely consider the manner of our re­ceiving him; for that is so remarkable as it will resolve this doubt if we can find it to have beene in us.

If you ask, what is the true manner of receiving Christ? I answer, that the soule which receives Christ truly and savingly, takes him with a holy kind of greedinesse; we receive him with so much ear­nestnesse of affection, as they which took Heaven by violence, Mat. 11.12. as if we took Christ by force out of the armes of his Father even when he freely holds him out to us; a kind of behaviour dis­pleasing to men, but herein most acceptable to God: We are like hunger-starven men, whose hot appetite doth make them so earnest after victuals, as when offered by a charitable hand, they doe take them with such earnestnesse, as they seeme rather violently to snatch then civilly to receive them; such a disposition God loves to see in us, and therefore hath called such persons blessed, and prommised them a full satisfaction, Matth. 5.6. Yea, he knowes that till we be such, we will not truly receive him, and therefore he cals onely such to take him, Isa. 55.1. But least you should wonder at this, I will briefly shew you how it comes to passe: The Lord poures the healing Oyle of saving grace into none but broken Vessels, he brings down such as he intends to exalt, and before he bestowes his Christ on any soule, he will make that soul know and feel his want of Christ: And why? because the sight of his want of Christ will make him prize Christ, seeke Christ, and to praise his free grace for Christ given to him. Now to make a soule see his want of Christ, he sets [Page 22]all his sinnes in order before him, Psal. 50.21. reckons with him to the utmost farthing, and so shewes him how much he is endebted to his justice, which cals for execution on him, to bind him here with great ma­nacles and fetters of temporall and spirituall plagues and judge­ments, and so to lead him to the infernall prison of hell. He makes him see that he is not able to answer one of a thousand, Job 9.3. much lesse to cleer his scores with him; and therefore he must get him a Sure­ty to discharge the debt for him, or else he must be committed to the Goaler; and he finds no creature worth any thing neere the matter to be able to pay off for him the least farthing of his debt; so that the poor soul is followed with fears and terrours, as it is even ready to give up all hope; but then the Lord reveales Christ to the soule and his fulnesse of riches, whereby he is able to discharge all his debts, and make him not onely a free man, but also a rich man; that Christ hath sufficient to set him out of debt and to set him up again, yea & to keep him from being a bankrupt with his God again; and withall the Lord seems to whisper in the eare of the soule, that this rich Christ may be his; he doth not say aloud and openly at the first, I will give thee my Christ for thy Surety, though he be fully and really minded so to doe; but Christ is offered more hid­denly at the first, by way of an overture (as we say) and this glimpse of Christ sets the heart on longing for him, and his desire of Christ makes him labour for Christ, and the more he seeks him, the more he sees him and the abundancy in him, which still sharpens his affe­ction and quickens his endeavours: The more he feels Christ com­ming, the more he hales and puls at Christ; faine would he now have his fill of this full Christ, and when once he layes hold on him by faith, with what greedinesse sucks he him in? when a man that is so thirsty, as that he thinks his heart will cone for dright, and he shall be choakt, doth take the bottle, wich what greedinesse doth he swallow downe, as if he could never have enough? So doth the soule take down Christ that hunger and thirsts after him; it seems insatiable of Christ, and that he can never have enough of Christ; and therefore he layes aside all to get Christ. For the purpose con­sider the carriage of the Samaritane woman in Joh [...] 4. Christ who went about doing good, with his continuall travaile had wearied his weak flesh (which was subject to the same infirmities that ours is excepting sinne) and therefore he sate downe on the Well an [...] [Page 23]was thirsty, yet he was not so weary but he would be doing good, as opportunity was offered; and therefore when the woman came (to whom he meant to give himselfe) to awaken her and let her see her sinnes, he examines her, yea, and tels her of her Adulte­ries, and of living waters which he had to give, yea, he reveals him­self to her, and then shee presently left her water-pots: So when any soule receiv [...]s Christ, all the affections thereof seeme to runne al­together as in one full streame to him; Water-pots, outward and worldly imployments must stand by a while; the soule hath no leizure as yet to mind them: As if all things then were to the soul (as indeed they are) nothing in comparison of Christ; profit, plea­sure, credit, and such like worldly friends must stand aside now, the soule hath do leizure to talk with them for giving Christ enter­tainment: nothing will goe downe with this soule but Christ; he takes up all his thoughts and affections, he cannot but think of his Christ, all the talk he loves, is of and with his Christ. In Deut. 24.5. the new married man was freed to stay at home the first yeere from going forth to warre, or bearing any publike office, that he might rejoyce himselfe with his wife, knowing that all the Jewish ceremonies were types; I have often considered what this ceremo­ny might signifie, and truly I can find nothing that answers there­to more fitly then the freedome a poore soule new married to Christ must and will have from all worldly imployments for to enjoy her Christ, and to solace herselfe with him; and if the indi­gent flesh necessitate her to earthly affaires, shee goes about them as one deep in love, scarce minding the worke he is about, his heart is elswhere, and he cannot follow his work, he must goe see his Belo­ved: And in her absence will sit down and think on her, if friends come, he will talk of her to them; was it not just so with Paul? there was no sooner the match made between Christ and him, but he was wholy taken up with Christ, he minded nothing but Christ, breathed nothing but Christ, all his discourse was of Christ; How full of Christ are all his Epistles? How much was he delighted even with the very name of Christ Jesus, that in so few leaves he repeats it many hundred times? It was sugar in his mouth, and he loved the sweet relish it had: Nothing so sweet to him as Christ; nay, in comparison of him, all things else were more bitter then wormwood to him; his very best and most gainfull commodities [Page 24](which were so precious once to him) are now but losse and dung too; Christ is the onely sweet and profitable: Thus also Mary Magdalen when shee knew Christ as her Christ, with what aflecti­on received shee him? shee loved him exceeding much; shee thought nothing too much for him, he shall have her box of precious Oynt­ment; shee washes his feet with her teares which shee wept for joy of him. The soule that hath Christ is even overjoyed (as I may say) when but come to touch his very feet; so strong is her desires of him: So when the Merchant had found the Pearle of great price, the strength of his affection thereto took him off from all other things, and carried him with an earnestnesse thereto: So then the soule that prizeth Christ, hath received him with such greedinesse, as to think he can never have enough of him, and therefore he can neither take too much paines, nor be at too much cost for Christ; such a soule will run through thick and thin for Christ, and leap over all hinderances to get more of him: and this is the first signe of our prizing of Christ.

The second mark shall be the temper of our soules when we have lost the sight and sense of Christ, after we have received him; for so it comes to passe very often, that the soule seems to have lost his Christ; and, to say truth, Christ hath just cause many times to hide himselfe from a soule; as when the soule begins to set loose from him, which the soule is apt to doe after the heat of its first love is over; like as hungry and thirsty men set light by victuals when their hunger and thirst is killed and they filled; in such a case, Christ doth like a tender Parent that finds his child regard­lesse of him, leaving him to runne after this and that flower in the field, will hide himselfe and put his child in a feare that he hath left him to himselfe, and he must shift for himselfe, which he cannot doe: So dealt the Lord with David in Psal. 30.6, 7. The Sunne of God's favour was risen to a great hight, and shined so hot on him, as it warmed him to his very heart, so that he grew frolicke againe, and dreamt that this his merry world would last ever: He thought this Heaven would be alwayes cleere to him without clouds; but his Sunne set even at noon-day to him: His frolicknesse was but against a storme which was at hand, for in the next words he addes, But thou didst bids thy face: Againe, we doe often make great clouds which doe eclipse the Sunne of righteous­nesse [Page 25]to us, that we neither see him, nor feele any heat and warmth from him: These clouds are our iniquities, which make a se­peration between him and us, Isa. 59.2. Now in this case when Christ hath given us the slip, and on the sudden hath conveyed him­selfe from us, let us consider how our soules behave themselves, and by their behaviour now, we may know whether they prize Christ as they ought: David tels you he was troubled; think not (Beloved) that he was troubled but a little, for he was fore trou­bled, as the word is translated in 1 Sam. 28.21. It is a terrible trouble, as the Word indeed fully signifies; for then it is with the soule, as it is with a man that hath lost a Jewell wherein all his wealth consisted; O how is the poore man troubled! how doth terrour and feare seize on him, that he quivers and shakes againe? how doth he hunt up and downe and seek every corner for it? he turnes all upside downe, and cannot be quiet till he hath it, for he knowes he is utterly undone if he find it not againe: so the soule that hath lost her Christ, her Pearle, is exceedingly troubled, and doth not rest contented with any thing till shee hath found him againe, shee must have Christ or else shee is undone for ever: See this cleared by the example of the Spouse in Cant. 5.4, 5. you may see her rejoycing in Christ; O how sweet is he to her! but in the sixt Verse you find her at a losse; Her wel-beloved hath withdrawn himselfe and is gone from her; and mark (I pray you) how heavi­ly shee takes it; Her heart went with him, shee faints, shee laments, shee seeks him, shee cals him, shee enquires after him, shee goes to the Watch-men, the Ministers of the Gospell, and to her Sisters, common Christians, to ask after him, shee cryes him in the streets, Did you see my beloved O when you see him tell him I am sicke of love; so strong was her love to him, that shee was sicke for him, and shee never left seeking him till shee found him, in chap. 6. ver. 7. where shee embraceth him againe. Thus it is with every poore soule that hath once had Christ, and Union and Communion with him, when he doth hide himselfe therefrom; all the rattles and tinkling comforts of this world will not quiet him; he must have his Christ, or else he cryes, Undone, Undone: As Rachel said, give me children or else I dye; so he cryes, O if you love me give me Christ, Christ, or else I dye, I dye eternally: If he meet not Christ in prayer, at a Sermon, at a Sacrament, in an Ordinance, [Page 26]how doth he hunt after his Christ? He seeks not for Christs, but for Christ himselfe, and therefore he could be content to goe a beg­ging for Christ, if Christ were in the fiery furnace, yea in hell, this soule that hath once had him, will be content to goe thither for him; so much is he troubled for Christ, as he thinks himselfe in hell already without him: Let us now (Beloved) look home, and see whether we have at any time been thus troubled for our Christ; alas, have we not been much more troubled and terrified with the losse of a kind Husband, a loving Wife, a good child, a neere and deere friend, then for the losse of Christ? Have we not been more troubled at outward crosses, when the world hath frowned on us, then when our Christ hath turned away his face from us? Have we not been more inquisitive after our Gold and Silver, and tooke more paines to regaine the same, then ever we did for a lost Christ? Thus if it have been with us, then Christ is not precious in our eyes; for to such a soule as prizeth Christ truly, the losse of Christ is more to him, then the losse of all Husbands, wives, children, friends, gold, silver, and what else is in the world of any worth and value in the eyes of men; and so you have a second marke to try your selves by.

A third Token of our prizing Christ above all, is taken from the affection of such a soule to Christ, after shee hath lost him and sought him, but he will not be found; for this you must know (Be­loved) that when Christ is gone, he will stay his owne time; like as the Father which hath hid himselfe from his child, will stay so long as he sees good, though his child cry never so loud, and call Father father never so often; so Christ when he hath withdrawne himselfe, will stay so long as he pleaseth, though the poor soule cry for him and to him never so much: Now in this sad condition when Christ seems not to love the poor soul in any the lest measure, when he will not accept of any of her love tokens, but flings back prayers and performances, and will none of them; that soule which prizeth Christ above all, loves Christ still for all this; though Christ seem to forsake her, yet shee will not forsake Christ; shee will not let her hold goe of him; shee will owne Christ, though Christ will not owne her; shee will tell Christ, I will love thee Christ, though thou wilt not love me; I see worth in thee that thou shouldest be beloved, though thou seest no worth in me; thou [Page 27]art the fairest of ten thousand, the most beautiful that ever I laid mine eye on, I cannot but love thee, though I am so black and deformed in thy sight, as thou wilt not love me; thou art a good Husband, and blessed is that soule that getteth thee for her Husband: Ah my Christ, make me but as one of thy hired servants, if thou wilt not make me thy Spouse, or one of thy children: Such a soule will say to Christ, tell me my Christ why thou hast thus with­drawne thy selfe from me, let me know mine offence which I have committed against thee, and made thee thus to leave me; and if thou wilt have me I will goe to Hell to avenge my selfe on my selfe on my selfe for it: I take it as a great favour that thou sufferest me to board with thy children, though thou wilt not owne me as one of thine; it glads my heart to see the feast of fat things, the ban­quet of thy Ordinances which thou providest for thy people, though I taste not the sweetnesse of them, I will not raile on thee in Hell, for thou art a good Christ, and I shall thank none but my foolish selfe for my losse of thee; thus will the soule that prizeth Christ above all hold fast by Christ still, and clasp him in her affe­ctions, though he seeme to neglect her altogether; this you may see evidently in David in such a condition; mark his words in Psal. 22.1, 2. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me, and art so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God I cry in the day time but thou hearest not, and in the night season I am not silent: wherein you have David to his owne sense in a lost condition, be­cause he had lost his God: and three things are observable in his words: First, the great anguish and griefe of his heart, which appeares by the loudnesse of his complaint, and the continuance thereof; He roares, he cries day and night for his God. Secondly, and yet God seems to him to stop both his eares, he will not heare him, he makes him no answer, but lets him goe on roaring and crying for and after him: And for all this in the third place mark how the good soule cleaves fast to God; he will have God to be his God still, though God seems to reject him out of the number of his people; and this is apparent by his calling God his God, say­ing, My God, and that not once, but againe and againe, my God. Truly they are the words of a saving faith that prizeth the Lord above all, and therefore will by no tentation be beaten off from him; but where this high esteeme of him is not, there you shall [Page 28]find the quite contrary; as between two men that have no great estimation of each other, if one slight the other, he shall be slighted as much againe; so when the soule prizeth not Christ, if he cast it off, that is, bring it into judgement, crosses and losses, that soul will cast off Christ and his service: All frownes drive this soule off from Christ; for this soul loves Christs more then Christ him­selfe, and when Christ wil let her have no more of his Love-tokens he shall have no more of her love; then as they said of David, who is the sonne of Jesse? so they of Christ, who is this Jesus? is he not the Carpenters sonne? and with that wicked King, This evill commeth of the Lord, why should I wait for the Lord any longer? 2 Kin. 6.33. This springs from that bitter root of undervaluing the Lord and overvaluing our selves; but where there is a true esteeme of God, there is this waiting and seeking spirit, as in Micah 7.7. the Church of God sayth, I will looke unto the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation, my God (mark that) will heare me: Beloved, let us aske our selves this question, in these dark times wherein our Sunne seems to be setting, for the wild beasts of all sorts, that prey on God's servants and his truth, come apace out of their Dens, and we have fasted and prayed many times, many and great cryes have we made to our God for his returne, and yet he answers not; how is it now with our hearts? how stand they affected towards God? doth his absence coole our affection to him? doth his delay of answer dishearten us from calling to him? doe we set loose from him, because we see him setting loose from us? then we never loved nor prized him as we ought: But if his going from us make us runne after him, if the sense of his losse quicken our love to him, and the lesse he seems to heare the louder we cry, and never give over night nor day, then we doe prize him above all; and so you have the third rule of tryall.

A fourth may be this; the soule that prizeth Christ sets him uppermost, as in his thoughts so in his actions, he is the top-end of them all: He doth all for Christ; as all Rivers run unto the Ocean from whence they first came, so all the actions of a Christ-prizing soule run wholy to Christ as they came from him; all this soules note is, Christ must be obeyed, Christ must be pleased, Christ must be honoured; Jewels, Plate, and such like precious things are set in some eminent & pespicuous place, that they may be seen; [Page 29]so he that prizeth Christ, holds him forth in his words and deeds to be seen of all men; in a word, this soule takes Christ for his Ma­ster, so that Christ is first and last to him; first, as his Commander, and last as his End; he doth all by his word and to his glory; for in­deed he knowes Christ is the best Master; there is never such ano­ther: He is the wisest, most able to direct; the strongest, most able to protect, and the freest of all to his servants; if they ask any thing of him, which is for their good, he denies them not; he gives the best wages and the fairest livery too, for it is even the same cloth that himselfe weares of, so that God his Father sees but little diffe­rence betwixt Master and Servant.

Obect. But happily some poore soule will say, alas, wooe's me, I thought I had prized Christ aright, but now I see I doe not, for I find other things mixt with Christ, Christ is not my only mover.

Answ. A weak soule will stumble, and may fall at a little stone in its way, such as this is, and therefore I must take it up and remove it; and so to doe, I must entreat the poore soule that hath stumbled at this signe, to consider what is the first Wheele that moves in his actions; let him find out the (primum mobile) first mover, for he it is that gives the denomination to this act, though many other things fall in with it by the way: If love of Christ be the first Wheele that moves, then though other wheeles may move toge­ther with him, yet he is thy Master, thy head and Jewell; like as a jurney to London is so called, because a desire to see that famous City, and an intent to goe thereunto, moved first to the setting forth thereon, though by the way a man doe many other busines­ses; so our actions may be truly said to be for Christ, if our love of, and obedience to him first moved us thereunto, though by the way we see and meet with many conveniences to our selves. My Beloved, the doing of duty is compared to sowing of Corne, Eccl. 11.6. and Jer. 4.4. Gal. 6.8. The sower soweth the purest seed he can, to have pure Corne againe, and yet the purest will have husks if not other soyle; so when a soule doth duty, he would doe it as purely, as cleanly as he can, and yet thou findest some husks clea­ving thereto, a husk of pride, ostentation, self-seeking, &c. In this case you must sift your heart over, till you find out the first mover, thy first intent and purpose in the same, and if Christ were that, then is he thy Master; but if he were not first, but the second, then [Page 30]he is none of thy Master: Divide the ends of thy action, and then see if thou wouldst have done it, if there had beene none but Cstrist as thy end; many men in these dayes have done much in shew for Christ and his Cause; but that they may not delude their owne soules, let them examine what was that which first set them on worke, whether it were Christ, or any by-self-ends, as profit, cre­nit, &c. let them consider whether they could goe an end with the good work they have begun, if that profit, credit, &c. faile there­from: Beloved, this will tell us the truth concerning our actions which we say are for Christ; to whom bring we forth? if to Christ, then he is our Master; but if to our selves, all we doe is voyd of goodnesse and worth in his account, Hos. 10.1.

Fiftly, he that prizeth Christ above all, can and will part with all for him; this may seeme a riddle to a carnall heart, but the beleeving soule can both read it and doe it: That in Mat. 13.45, 46. makes it cleere: Every may that comes into the world is a Merchant for something or other; some trade for profit, some for credit, others for pleasure; and truly these three take up the imploymenss of all men before conversion, because they know of no better commodities; but when a man is converted, his eyes are enlightned to see the vanity and emptinesse of them, and the excellency of Christ, and thereupon he leaves off his old trade, and now trafiques onely for Christ, and for him he parts with all that cannot stand with him, or his having of him; his affections are tooke off from all things here below, and set on things above; Christ is all in all in his eye; and therefore if Christ will have his Husband, Wife, Isaac, he shall; if Christ will have his Goods, his Liberty, yea, and life too, he shall, and he will thank Christ also for accepting of them; he will rejoyce (with the Apostles in Acts 5.41.) that he was accounted worthy to suffer for his Christ; so did the beleeving Hebrewes take the spoyling of their goods (for Christ) joyfully, Heb. 10.34. These are spoyling times, wherein hap­pily some of you here have suffered for Christ, and in the defence of his cause; how doe you take the plundering of your goods by sea, or by land for Christ's sake? doe you rejoyce at it, or doe you murmure and repine? is it a griefe and a vexation to you? then thou prizest thy goods above Christ, and hast indeed no saving grace in thee.

Sixtly, he that prizeth Christ aright, highly esteemes all that doth but smell of Christ; if any thing look but toward Christ, as having the least relation to him, such a soule will make exceeding much thereof: If any of you have a noble friend that you highly reverence and esteeme, you will bid welcome and give free enter­tainment to the meanest of his followers; so if you prize Christ as you ought, you wil not shut out of doors and that belongs to him, but in it shall come, and be bid heartily welcome for his Masters sake as well, yea more then for its owne; yet for its owne sake too, because such a soule sees an excellency in every thing that is Christs and hath a dependency on him; for as when a servant is bound Apprentice, his Master then discovers to him the mystery of his trade, the worth and price of every commodity he deales in; so when a soule hath given up it selfe to Christ, he teacheth him the mystery of godlinesse, his trade, and the worth of every spirituall commodity, so that such a soule knowes what a Sabbath is worth, what a Sacrament is worth, what a good Sermon is worth, what a poore Saint is worth, &c.

I. As for the Sabbath that will be a delight to such a soule as prizeth Christ, and it will be honourable in his sight because it is Christ's day, and he loves it for Christ's sakes because it is a day of Christ's appearing to his holy ones; like as you see amongst earth­ly Kings and Princes, they have their set festivall times wherein they shew themselves to their people, bestowing upon them great largesses, throwing among them plenty of gold and silver; so the King of Kings, and Lord of Lord hath his owne appointed day, which is now the first of the seven, which he hath set apart there­in to manifest himselfe to his chosen ones, and bestow his grace on them in a more abundant measure, then at other times, as is evi­dent from Exod. 31.13. such a soule therefore as prizeth Christ, prizeth the Sabbath highly, because he shall meet Christ then ac­cording to his promise in his Ordinances: Truly Beloved, if any of you prize not the day of the Lord, you doe not prize the Lord of the day, neither have you any saving grace in you.

II. The Word of Christ is very precious to such a soule, for it is to him the lively picture of his Beloved; he is much in hearing and reading of it, because of his love to Christ, who lies wrapt up therein; that he may conferre with his Christ, and behold the [Page 32]beauty of his Christ; when friends are parted, they love to hear of one another, and their Letters are much set by for that purpose; so the soule that accounteth Christ his best friend, loves to heare of Christ now in his absence, and therefore he reads his Love-letter to him, peruseth it often, for so Christ hath bid him to search the Scriptures, because they testifie of him; and as he loves to read Christ in his Word; so to heare Christ preached out of his Word; and truly he prizeth Christ preached more then Christ read, be­cause there is usually more in the former then in the latter, more of the life, and light, and quickning power of Christ; and what hath most of Christ, hath most of this soules love, because he loves and prizeth Christ most of all; is there any here that slights the reading or hearing of the Word of Christ, that soule prizeth not Christ; Col. 3.16. for such a soule as prizeth Christ, will delight therein, yea and to have it dwell richly in him, he looks at it, as a rich Word, because his Pearle is treasured up therein.

III. The Sacraments are precious to him; each Sacrament is to him a rich Cabinet, because his Jewell Christ crucified is in it: A Diamond is rich in it selfe, but when cut most precious; and so Christ most precious to a soule that hath saving grace, because cut, and indeed cut with the sense of his Fathers wrath for his sake; truly he had beene of little price to us if not so cut; and therefore Paul saith, 1 Cor. 2.2. he was determined not to know any thing but Jesus Christ, and him crucified; marke, and him crucified, as if therein lay the excellency of Christ to a poore soule: Now his crucifying is lively represented in both Sacraments, and therefore the soule that prizeth Christ, prizeth both; he loves the Sacrament of Bap­tisme, and to see it duly administred, because it recals to him the benefit of shedding his blood, the washing away of his sinnes: The Sacrament of his Supper he loves, because therein he feeds on his Christ, and finding his daily want of sustainance from him, his desire is often to be at that spirituall Feast, according to Christ's direction of often receiving it by the hand of his Apostle Paul, 1 Cor. 11.26. And indeed Christ at his departure hence, left this as a speciall token of his love to be remembred of us thereby, Luke 22.19. which makes it the more precious to a soule that prizeth Christ above all, such therefore as neglect and undervalue any of the Sacraments, despise Christ the Author and giver of them.

IV. Lastly, the soule that prizeth Christ above all, prizeth the poorest man or worman who is rich in Christ; and good reason, for God himselfe prizeth such; doth not James say, hearken my beloved Brethren, hath not God chosen the poore of this world, James 2.5. rich in faith? &c. Now they that be rich in faith, are rich in Christ, for so much faith so much Christ; the Apostle James reproves in the beginning of that chapter, the preferring of rich worldlings before poore christians, which shewes you that saving grace prizeth the poorest soule that hath Christ before the greatest King and Emperour, for such a soule is heire to a greater Kingdome; is a precious Stone the worse because not set in Gold? is Christ this Jewell the lesse worse to thee because wrapt up in a leatherne Jac­ket, or a threed-bare coat? Surely then thou judgest of Christ by the out-side, and judgest falsly of him, thou neither knowest no [...] prizest him aright: Is there any here that prize and preferre i [...] their hearts and outward respects, the great rich men of this world more then a poore soule rich in Christ? that soule doth not priz [...] Christ as he ought; is there any here that delight more in the socie­ty & company of such persons as are drest up with gold Rings, silk Gowns, more then in Christ attired in a russet coat? that soule pri­zeth not Christ above all, neither hath saving grace in his heart.

A seventh rule of tryall of our prizing Christ above all is this a not-envying the men of this world, their abundance of Gold and Silver, houses, lands, honours, preferments, and such like knacks for to such a soule as prizeth Christ above all, the world is crucifi­ed and dead, Gal. 6.14. And he looks at the rich men as the heirs and executors thereof; and they indeed rejoyce and pride them­selves much in their large Inventories, but a Christ-prizing soule pitties their poore and miserable condition, which is comming on them, for when death comes, he strips them of all; if their supposed riches take not their leave of them before (which many times they doe, by making themselves wings) yet they can accompany them no farther then to the holes mouth, Prov. 23.5. and then how naked are they in the sight of this soul? who saith thus to himselfe; Fret not at their prosperity for they shall soone be cut downe like the grasse, Psal. 37.1. and wither as the green hearb; they shall leave all behind them, but thou shalt carry thy treasure, or rather thy treasure and Treasurer Christ, Job 1.21. shall carry thee hence to a better place, to a place of eternall happinesse, [Page 34]when they goe downe to the pit of endlesse misery.

Finally, the soule that prizeth above all, will still be labouring to win others to Christ: Beloved, I pray mark the difference be­tweene a soule rich in Christ, and a man rich in this world: The rich worldling he would be rich alone, Eccles. 5.8. he would have all the world to himselfe alone if he could; but he that is rich in Christ, would faine have others as rich as himselfe; our Apostle's example makes it plaine, saying to Agrippa; I would to God not onely thou, but also all that heare me this day, were both almost and altogether such as I am, except these bonds, Acts 26.29. Marke the large extent of his desire in this kind, in two particulars: First, he did wish all men this Christ of his; and secondly, as large a mea­sure of Christ as he had himselfe; every soule that prizeth Christ is still motioning of him to others; he would make a match be­tween Christ and his Wife, and shee between Christ and her Hus­band, and both would faine hang this their Jewell on their chil­dren to adorne them in God's fight: They labour to kindle in their friends a love of Christ, and therefore in their company they are still praising of Christ, and setting forth his excellencies; look you, say they, is not Christ a lovely Christ, the fairest of ten thou­sand? you never saw such a beauty as his is; he is a loving Christ that will not see thee want, he will be tender over thee in all thy sicknesses and distresses, he will comfort thee at thy heart when none else can; he is a rich Christ, get him for thy Spouse, and thou art provided for ever: Thus will such a soule as prizeth Christ be wooing others to Christ; he would not goe to Heaven alone, for he knowes it is not there as it is here; but there as the more the merrier, so the beteer cheere too; and that he shall not have the lesse, but the more, by bringing in others to be sharers with him in his Christ; Christ multiplies to such a soule as thus divides him to others; and therefore the soule that prizeth Christ, labours all he can to draw other unto Christ; and beside, he knowes it is an honour to Christ to have many servants attending him, and this prevailes exceedingly with the soule which doth all to the glory of Christ.

Thus having finished the tryall of the first part of the Question in hand, whether we prize Christ above all things, we come to ex­mine

The second part, whether we prize Christ above all both for Ju­stification and Sanctification.

First for Justification, and for this take these two Rules.

First, examine thine owne heart, whether thou thinkest thy person is accepted in God's sight for thy performances, whe­ther they prevaile in thy account with God, to prize thee more then others: Thus did the proud Pharisee conceive, and there­fore he was so bold as to thank God that he was not as this man, the poore Publican; but a soule that prizeth Christ-above all, looks at all those Pharisaicall Robes of legall righteousnesse in this point but as ragges, yea as filthy ragges, and therefore he puls them over his ears, and by no meanes would be found of God in them; onely Christ's righteousnesse is the Robe that he would have to goe in before God: He looks at the Lord Jesus as the onely Gar­ment that can please God's sight, and therefore he labours every day to put him on more and more; if therefore thou pridest thy selfe in, and deckest thy selfe up with thine owne righteousnesse, thou prizest not Christ at all for Justification.

Secondly, aske thine owne heart what opinion it hath of thy good works, in procuring thy pardon from God's Justice: if they be thy gaine, then Christ is losse to thee; if thou thinkest, with the Papist, to merit and gaine Heaven, or the least part of Heaven by them, Christ is nothing worth to thee: I know the Papists say, they exclude not Christ by including their works in matter of Ju­stification; but what they say not, that they doe; for by their making of works to be sharers with Christ, they doe really exclude Christ, and so themselves from Justification: If you cry up works in Justification, you cry downe Christ; the Apostle Paul in our Text prizing Christ above all for Justification, beats downe works to the ground; for indeed therein Christ must be alone all in all, or else nothing at all; as all sound and learned Protestants have and doe continually maintaine against the Popish Doctrine of Me­rit; and therefore I shall not need to insist any further on this par­ticular.

The second is more necessary for us who take that for granted among us, but little think of this latter, which yet is as necessary to be knowne and learned as the former, as hath been proved: and whether we have learned to prize Christ above all for Sanctificati­on, [Page 36]if we deale truly with our owne soules, we may know by these Rules of examination.

First, see how thine heart stands affected with the dishonour of Christ; is Christ's disgrace and losse more to thee then thine own? for what we desire most, we shall grieve most for, if we fall short thereof; never was Christ more dishonoured by his own people then in these times, both in private and publike; in families, in churches and Kingdomes; feele therefore the pulse of thy soule, in these dis­eased times, wherein the world seemes to draw nigh apace unto its end; Christ is dishonoured in thy family, this church and King­dome, and how doest thou take it? doest thou not see his Gos­pell neglected, yea opposed? are not his Sacraments even by such as goe for his servants, cast behind their backs, and laid aside as of no use? are not his Sabbaths prophaned, his Name blas­phemed, his servants abused, and many more horrid indignities put on him? and how takest thou it to heart? It may be thou wilt say, it doth much break your heart to see things so much disorder­ed; but be advised here, that you may not be mistaken in your griefe, see whether it be not more for thy selfe, then for Christ's sake; now thou seest the ship of the State crackt, and sinking to a ship-wrack, yea and Church too, by the many rents in it (if the Lord save not both) it may well be thought that thou art deeply affected; but I pray weigh the matter throughly in your own soul; is it not because thou art a passenger therein, and thou hast a ven­ture in this Barke that is split, and thou knowest if that sink thou canst not escape, but thou and all that is thine must be quite lost, and therefore thou settest thy hand to help save the Barke, that thou and thine may be saved therein? But if thou wert out of the ship and embarqued in another Kingdome and church with all thy venture, wouldst thou be so much troubled for the losse of Christ's Vessell here? would it come so neer to thy heart then, to heare of all the dishonour that Christ suffers, by broaching of Errours and He­resies, to the great impeachment of his truth, and by the great dissention between his best servants? Then it is a signe thou pri­zest Christ above all in Sanctification; for a soule that doth so, seeks to advance Christ's glory most of all, and that Christ may be more and more served by him and all others.

Secondly, consider how thy heart standeth affected towards sin: If [Page 37]thou seek Christ above all for holinesse thou wilt be at utter emni­ty with the greatest enemy thereto, and that is sinne; every sinne, even thy bosome-sin, thy darling-sin will become as odious to thee as the foulest Toad; neither wilt thou be at defiance onely with outward actuall sinnes, but also with those that are more hidden and inward; the sinnes of thy nature; yea, and truly these will be most offensive to thee, because they are as fountaines of iniquity, and roots of bitternesse in thee; thus we find David more com­plaining of his naughty and corrupt heart, then of his actuall transgressions of murther, adultery, drunkennesse and idlenesse; and Paul cryes out of the body of death in him, Rom. 7. a soul that seeks Christ for Sanctification, would digge up sinne by the roots, another man may top and lop lust in the branches thereof: try therefore your selves by this rule.

Thirdly, examine your selves what entertainment the doctrine of walking exactly and precisely finds with your hearts; truly if you seek Christ above all for holinesse, you will prize his strictest lawes at the highest rate; if Christ's Commandements be grievous to thee, and thou wouldest cast off his lawes as bonds with them in Psal. 2. thou hast no esteem of Christ at all for Sanctification. His Yoake is light and easie to such as seeke Christ for holinesse.

Fourthly, he that prizeth Christ above all for Sanctification, doth not only prize his strictest commands, but also practice them; he loves to walk in the strictest way his best Beloved hath chalked out to him; bring therefore your lives and conversations and lay them to that rule in Titus 2.12. doe you deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts? doe you live godly, righteously and soberly in this present world? is this your endeavour to give both God and man his due, and to keep your selves from being overcharged with sur­fetting and drunkennesse, and the cares of this life? Then thou doest seek Christ for holinesse; for such a soules desire is to walk altogether in the wayes of holinesse, doing of duty in a newnesse of life is all its delight; and why? because this is the readiest way to grow up in holinesse, and to become more and more like to Christ, whom he desires above all for this very purpose, that he might be perfect in holinesse.

Lastly, take a scantling of your Humiliations, Fastings and Prayers, and thereby you may judge of your selves concerning [Page 38]your estimation of Christ for holinesse; we have fasted and prayed often, humbled our selves publikely and privately many times, once a moneth at the least, for the space of three yeers almost; but let us try wherefore we have been so often in humiliation, fasting and prayer, what hath been the first wheel that hath moved there­in: Have we sought Christ for our Sanctification in all our Fast­dayes? what bottome hath our sorrow stood upon? no other ground but the sense of God's wrath, a feare of that great judge­ment of the sword, destruction here, and damnation hereafter? truly if our humiliation hath sprung from no other cause then this we have not prized Christ above all for our Sanctification; for if holinesse (whereby we might serve God better then we doe) were our aime, when we fast and pray and humble our selves, our sinnes and corruptions, not our afflictions, move us first thereto. Indeed judgements and corrections are instructions, they open our eyes to see our errours, and then a love of holinesse brings us on our knees for our sinnes, to beg a pardon for them, and a cleansing of them; saving grace teacheth a soul to begin at the right end of his work; he that thinks to take judgement away before his sinne, and there­fore fasteth and prayeth, he begins at the wrong end of the busi­nesse; he must take away the cause and then the effect will follow of it selfe; dig up sinne by the root, and that bitter fruit of judge­ment which growes on its branches will wither and come to no­thing; to humble, fast and pray, and doe such like duties for no other end but out of a desire of peace, which we want, and to es­cape the plagues we have deserved, is onely to prize Christ above all for Justification, whereby we are discharged and acquitted from the guilt of our offences, and consequently from the punish­ment due to us for the same; but to humble our selves out of sense of our sinnes, the filthinesse of them, their magnitude, multitude and power; and we begge Christ that he may come and reigne in the midst of his and our enemies that are in us, that he would wash and cleanse us, wash our feet, hands, head and all over, that we might doe his service more decently and in order, as becomes his servants, then we prize Christ for Sanctification: And truly it is to be feared, that we have not humbled, fasted and prayed in this kind, because the Lord hath not heard and answered all this while, it seems more probable we have sought the Lord onely in the for­mer [Page 39]way, for benefit by him, out of meere self-love, and therefore we have been despised as self-seekers; the Lord hath seen we have brought forth all unto our selves, and therefore he hath made all returne empty and vaine to us: we shall never find Christ justifying us, till we desire him sanctifying us: the Lord gives his Christ not onely to save a soule, but also that the soule may by Christ serve him; indeed the Lord may give peace, plenty, and such like out­ward things he may heap on wicked men, but there is no Christ in them, and therefore they more hurt then do good to them, yea and the Word doe with them more evill then good; but to a soule that hath saving grace, and prizeth Christ above all for holinesse, the Lord give him Christ in all his gifts and tokens, of what kind so­ever they be; whether of his left or of his right hand, and therefore they all doe him good, he is the better and not the worse for them, yea and he makes a good use of them, to the glory of God and be­nefit of others; wherefore (to turne this signe into a motive) as we would obtaine our desire, and see peace and truth setled amongst us, and as we would have good and no hurt by them, when they come, let us learne in all our Humiliations, Fastings, Prayers, and all duty to prize and seek Christ above all for sanctification, that is, that we may not onely lead a quiet and a peaceable life, 1 Tim. 2.2, 3. but also that we live in all godlinesse and honesty, for this indeed is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.

Let me conclude with a word of reproofe of all such as doe not prize Christ above all for sanctification so well as for justification; these persons have no saving grace in them, and no true love to Christ; they love happinesse, but care not for holinesse; so they could be saved by Christ, let who will serve Christ for them; they have all their desire, and so no more need of Christ: Ah, let such poore soules take heed of their King; there is more need of Christ in justification then sanctification: Truly Beloved, it is one of the devil's master-pieces in these times, to take men off from sanctifica­tion to cry up free grace onely in justification; when as there is as great if not greater free grace, and therefore a greater need of it in sanctification then in justification, as hath been shewne: such there­fore as seek not Christ above all for holinesse as well as happinesse are justly to be blamed.

What blame then are they worthy of who desire Christ to be a [Page 40]cloke of their unholinesse? beleeve me, a Church-Protestant is worse then a Church-Papist; doe you not see what bribers they are? see how they bribe their owne consciences and their brethrens eyes with an out-side of Christ; mark you not how they be at a see with prayer, hearing of Sermons, repetitions, &c. that they may keep a bosome-sinne? Are there not many Protestants (I could wish there were none here) that weare a glistering garment of pro­fession uppermost, as if they had put on that glorious Diadem the Lord Jesus? Put alas! that soule which hath put on Christ indeed is all glorious within; the fairest part of its beauty is in the heart; this soul hath a better in-side then out-side; there is no true judge­ment can be given of him by his outward appearance; and the truth is, such a man is most carefull about his heart, to adorn that, to ap­prove that to God: But such as have not truly put on Christ, all their care is to trick and trim up their outward man, their visible out­side; they put the best side outmost: How many under their brave coversluts, wear next to their hearts garments nasty both for cours­nesse & foulnesse; doth not this man put on covetousnesse? that man envy? another malice? a fourth hypocrisie? &c. doe these serve Christ in any of their performances? nothing lesse; they serve o [...] ­ly themselves by him; they doe but make him their shooing-horne to pull on their self-ends; so long as Christ goes their way, he shall have their company, yea so long as the chariot of self-love lasteth, they will march as furiously for Christ, as Jehn did for Je­hovah, Baal shall downe, and all his Priests too; but if selfe and Christ come in competition, and so must part, then farewell Christ; these mens way now lyes quite contrary to Christ's; and let them goe, they are not worthy the society of a christian that thus slight and abuse Christ, whom Paul and every poore soule that hath sa­ving grace doth prize Christ above all both for Justification and Sanctification.

FINIS.

I have perused this Sermon on Phil. 3.7, 8, &c. and finding it to be very godly, judicious and profitable, I doe allow it to be printed and published.

John Downame.

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