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THE
WORKS
OP
WILLIAM i)ELL,
MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL
MASTER OF GOISTVIL AND CAIUS
COLLEGE^
IN CAMBRIDGE.
NINE-PARTNERS:
State of JVew York. PUBLISHED BY JOSEPH SHARPLESS.
ADVERTISEMENT.
WE doubt not it would be acceptable to the reader, to receive some informa- tion concerning the Author of these en- suing excellent treatises ; but as very little is met with to assist us in this re- spect, we must be contented with saying, that though the transactions of his life are in a great measure unknown to us, his writings are a monument to his praise, which shew the good under- standing he had received in the weigh- ty concerns of life and salvation.
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CONTENTS.
CHRIST'S Spirit, a Christian's Strength : or, a discovery of the power that all believers receive through the gift of the Spirit, &c. 17
Uniformity Examined, whether it be found in the Gospel, or in the practice of the Churches of Christ. 65
The Building, Beauty, Teaching, and establish- ment, of the truly Christian and spiritual Church. 79
Right Reformation ; or, the reformation of the Church of the New Testament. H5
VI CONTENTS.
PAQE.
The Way of True Peace and Unity in the true
Church of Christ. 153
The Crucified and Quickened Christian. 281
The Stumbling-stone ; or, a discovery of the of- fence which the world takes against Christ himself, his true word, true worship, his true Church, his true government, his true minis- try. Wherein the University is reproved by the Word of God. 325
The Doctrine of Baptisms, reduced from its an- cient and modern corruptions : and restored to its primitive soundness and integrity ; accord- ing to the word of truth, the substance of faith, and the nature of Christ's kingdom. 383
The Trial of Spirits, both in teachers and Hear- ers ; wherein is held forth, the clear discovery, and certain downfall, of the carnal and anti- christian Clergy of these Nations. >v 419
A Plain and Necessary Confutation of divers gross and antichristian errors, delivered to the University Congregation. 495
CONTENTS. VII
A Testimony against Divinity-degrees in the Uni- versities. 560
The Ri,s[ht Reformation of Learning, Schools
and Universities, according to the state of the Gospel. 586
CHRIST'S SPIRIT
A
CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH,
on A PLAIN DISCOVERY OF THE MIGHTV AND INVINCIBLE
POWER THAT ALL BELIEVERS RECEIVE THROUGH
THE GIFT OF THE SPIRIT.
FIRST HELD FORTH IN TWO SERMONS
On Acts i. 8.
AND AFTER PUBLISHED FOR THE INSTRUCTION AND USE OP THOSE THAT ARE SPIRITUAL, ANNO 1645.
BY W ILLIAM DELL,
Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, at Yelden, in the county of Bedford.
1 CoR. iv. 19, 20.
I will come to you shortly, if the Lord ivill, and will know, not the
speech of them that are puffed tip, but the power.
For the Kingdom of God is not in ivord, but in power.
2 Tim. iii. 5.
Having a form of Godliness, but denying the power of it ; from
such turn away.
B
RIGHT HONOURABLE
THE
LADY ELIZABETH,
- COUjYTESS of JiULLIJ\'BROOK.
Right Honourable,
THE form of godliness is very common in these days of ours ; but the power of it is very rare. How few persons shall we find in the visible church, who live and act in the strength of God ? But generally, men do whatever they do in their own strength ; and that not only in human things, but in divine. How seldom do we see, either in ministers or Christians, in the discharge of their duties in their several places, more than the power of men ? The greatest part by far, not only of those who are called Christians, but also of forward professors, be- ing ignorant, what it is to be strengthened with might in the inner ?nan, according to the glorious power of the great God. How little is there, among all our plenty, of that preach- ing which is not in the plausible words of man's wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit , and power? How few congregations, among the many that are in the kingdom, are gathered together in the spirit and power of our Lord Jesus Christ ? How few of those Christians are there, in whom is the exceeding greatness of God^s poxver^ together with the effectual ^vorking of it ? But the form ofgodli-
12 THE EPISTLE DEDICATORV.
ness is now become almost the covering ofalljlesh ; and in these days of light and knowledge, it is accounted by all, that are not downright atheists, a great shame not to seem to be religious. And when men, and families, and con- gregations, are gotten into this fornix they think them- selves both safe and happy, as being near the suburbs of the kingdom of God, and close neighbours to the saints. And this form of godliness, as it is of very easy compli- ance with flesh and blood, in this particular, in that ac- cording to this, men only make their actions new, retain- ing still their old natures ; so it is also of great credit and esteem with carnal gospellers. But the spiritual man judg- eth all things^ and yet he himself is judged of no man: and he, being partaker of the power of God himself, can in some measure discern, both the presence and the want of it in others ; both which he knows in his own experience.
Now this formjof godliness is, when men are godly with- out God, and anointed without Christ, and regenerate, not having the Spirit ; that is, when they have a semblance of holiness, but not the thing itself: a semblance of grace, retaining their old natures. And such Christians as these perform spiritual duties with natural strength, heavenly duties M'ith earthly strength, the \\orks of God with the power of men. In the religion of these men, there is the outward duty done, and it may be, very speciously and plausibly, but there is none of Christ nor the Spirit in the duty. There is their own working towards God, \\'inch is faint and faithless, and not God's own working in lliem towards himself, which is lively and mighty. And all the religious acts they do are only their own operations, and not the operations of God in them.
This form of godliness, how pleasing soever it be to a man's self, and of what reckoning soever with others \\\\o are like himself, yet is indeed of very evil and woful con-
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. IS
sequence ; whether we regard the doings or sufferings unto which this ibrm necessarily engages.
For first, when men, by occasion of this form, are called forth to do the great works of God, and }et are destitute of the power of God, their duties are above their strength, and their strength bears no proportion to their duties. And so, sooner or later, meeting with difficulties, they faint, and languish as a snail, their works being too high for their faculties. For nature being strained above its power, and offering at thiit which is beyond its abilities, by de- grees grows weary, and returns to its old temper again ; and he which sought that glory which was not his own, at last lies down in his own shame.
Again ; the form of godliness exposes a man to those evils that are incident to the faithful because of godliness . Now when a man hath the same evils with the faithful, and not the same power to support him under those e\'ils ; M hen men have the same evils in the ilesh, but not the same power in the Spirit ; the same burdens on their shoulders, but not the same everlasting arms underneath them ; they fall sadly and desperately, lo the great scandal of th.e \\<xys of God.
However, if men be not called forth to such eminent doings and sufferings, and so escape such manifest disco- veries and downfalls ; yet the form of godliness hath this evil in it, that it brings a man only to the troublesome part of religion, but not to the comfortable ; it engages a man in the same duties with the godly, but supplies him not with the same strength ; it involves him in the same bitter- ness of flesh, but doth not furnish him with the same joy of spirit. For as such a man's religion doth not reacli above flesh and blood, no more doth his strength and com- forts. And so he performs duties at a low rate ; yea, and his bare and empty form casts a black veil upon religion, and utterly obscures its beauty and glory, and makes the
14 THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY.
world judge meanly of it, and to think it a matter only of singularity and humour, and not of power. Whereas, when a Christian walks in the strength of the Spirit, doing and suffering the will of God, beyond all strength and abilities of flesh and blood, the world oftentimes wonders and gazes at him, and many are provoked to " glorify God, who hath given such power to men."
For this power of godliness^ among other things, hath these three advantages : (1.) It makes a man do every duty strongly and mightil}'. And whatever might take a man off from duty, or distract and disturb him in it, all falls to nothing before this power. There is that strength in each duty, performed by the power of the anointing, which declares it to be the operation of God himself in man, and nothing else but the very power of God, that is, Jesus Christ himself, in action in us.
(2.) It makes a man inflexible in the ways of God, that he shall neither turn to the right hand nor to the left, but take straight steps towards the mark set before him. No fears, nor favours, nor frowns, nor flatteries, nor temp- tations, nor insinuations, nor designs of others, nor ends of his own, can turn him aside. He carries such strength in his spirit, as he can never be bended ; and so far forth as he partakes ot the power of God, he is as unmoveable and unchano'eable as God himself.
(3.) It makes a man invincible by all evils and ene- mies : because all the power against him is but the power of the creature, but the power in him is the power of God. And the power of God easily overcomes the mightiest pow- er of the creature, but is never overcome by it. And if this power in a Christian should be prevailed against, God him- self, who is that power, should be conquered ; which is impossii>lc.
To conclude : \\\c power of godl'mess is the doer of every duty in God's kingdom, the siibduer of every jiin, the
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 15
conqueror of each tribulation and temptation, the life of every performance, the glory of each grace, the beauty of a Christian's life, the stability of his conversation, the lus- tre of his religion, his great honour and excellency, l>oth in doing and suffering ; yea, it is the very glory of God himself in the church of God : for by faith tlie Lord ari- ses on us, and by this power of godliness his glory is seen upon us.
These considerations, Right Ho k o u r a b l e , moved rne to discourse of the power of the Holy Spirit comiii,:^ ou all Christians, ministers, and people. And besides the im- portunity of some other friends, your Honour's earnest desires of these notes hath especially prevailed u'ith me to publish them. Not that I am worthy to publish any thing, but that the trutli of God is worthy to be published, l^e the instrument never so mean and unworthy. And although I well know the doubtful success of such undertakings as these, yet in this matter I am not at all careful ; being most willing to be bound up in one condition with the truth of God, and to have with it tl:ie same common friends and enemies. Besides, if Christ dwell in my heart byfaith^ I carry in my bosom already my reward ; out of whom, I neither regard praise or dispraise, good or evil.
Now I was bold to prefix your Honour's name to tltese notes, because your desire of them hath made them yours; and also your many noble favours are a strong and contin- ual engagement for me to serve you, according to \\hat God hath made me. Especially, I remember your extraordina- ry compassion and bowels towards me in the day of my deepest distress, when my soul drew near to the pit, and the shadow of death sat upon my eyelids, and I had not the least drop of comfort, either from earth or heaven : Your Honour then shewed me the kindness of the Lord, and encompassed me both with your pity and goodness, tliough then, through bitterness of spirit, I tasted it not.
la THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY.
Wherefore, when I remember the wonderful goodness ot God to me, after so great sorrow and darkness, I cannot for- get that part of his goodness, which he was pleased to admi- nister to me by your Honour's hands: and the remem- brance of this, causes me to pray that God would double the same goodness on you ; and that he would pour forth upon MY Lord, your Honour, your noble offspring and family, this power of the Holy Spirit here treated of; which shall render you a thousand times more precious and excellent before God and his saints, than all worldly honour and nobility whatsoever. And by this means shall religion shine in your family in its native beauty and lus- tre ; and the kingdom of God, which stands iiot i?i tuord^ but ill power, shall appear in its bright glory among you, till the kingdom of the Son first fit you, and then deliver you up to the kingdom of the Father, and God be all in all immediately.
Which is the earnest prayer of Your most humble and faithful Servant,
WILLIAM DELL.
<4ir
CHRIST'S SPIRIT ^
A
CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH^
OR
A PLAIN DISCOVERY OF THE MIGHTY AND INVINCIBLE POWER THAT ALL BELIEVERS RECEIVE THROUGH THE
GIFT OF THE SPIRIT,
ACTS I. 8.
Bid ye shall receive power» when the Holy Ghost is come vpon you ; and ye shall be witnesses unto me, Sfc, Or, Fou shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you.
THESE words are the more remarkable, because they are the very last words in the conference betv/een the Son of God and his beloved apostles, immediately before his ascension into heaven. Now, you know, when dear and intimate friends are to part, as their love then runs strongest, and their affections are most intire and ve- hement ; so then also they especially discourse of those things wherein most of all they desire to be satisfied and resolved. Thus was it between Christ and his apostles : never was there such dear and intimate friendship, and such sincere and burning love, between any, as between them. The apostles, all of them, loved Christ most truly and passionately ; and Peter y who had three times denied him, three times professed his love to him; and be- ing sorry that Christ should question his love the third time,
he thus answered ; Lord^ thou hjowest all things ; thou
C
18 *^ CHRIST'S SPIRIT
law-west that I love thee {a). And Christ also loved them dearly ; yea, he loved them first ; and having loved his oiv?t, he loved them unto the end {Jy) : and so he was not discon- tented with them for their leaving and forsaking him, through human infirmity, when he was led away to judg- ment, and to death. For thoiiQ^h death quite puts out all natural love, yet spiritual love is not extinguished, but en- larged by death. Now when such loving friends as these were even now ready to take their last leave of one another, in regard of bodily presence, who would not most willing- ly have been present, to have heard what discourse passed between Christ and his disciples at this their last parting ? Now Luke acquaints us uith the whole sum and sub- stance of Christ's discourse with his apostles, all the time he lived together with them after his resurrection, till the day wherein he ascended into Jieaven. In the third verse of this chapter, he saith, he did discourse with them touching the kingdom of God : that is, not only touching his spiritual kingdom, which he sets up in each particular Christian, and which begins at our regeneration, and is consummat- ed in glorification ; but also touching his mediatory and monarchical kingdom, which, in the time appointed of his Father, he should set up in the world ; when he should have the heathen for his inheritance^ and the utmost ends of the earth for his possession [c) ; and all people^ andnations^ and languages^ should serve him {d) ; and he should reign from sea to sea^ and from the river to the world's end [e). This was the sum of Christ's discourse with them. And the apostles were fully satisfied touching the thing, only they were unsatisfied touching the time. For besides that the setting up this kingdom of the Messias, in the power, beauty and glory of it, was at that time the "common dis- course and expectation of all Israel ; the apostles them-
(ti) John Iv. 19. (i) John xHi. 1.
(c) Psalm ij. 8. {d) Dan. vii. 14. (?) Psalm Ixxii. 8.
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 19
selves remembered many prophecies and promises of the Old Testament, for the restoring the kingdom of David. And this they thought Christ would have done in the days of his flesh ; but presently all their hopes were blasted by his death. But when they saw him risen again from the dead, then presently their hearts were revived into their former hopes ; but yet again, seeing nothing done all the time he conversed with them after the resurrection, when he was now ready to ascend into heaven, they desire him, first to resolve them of this question, Whether he would at that time restore the kingdom to Israel : Lord^ say they, TFilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? Now Christ doth not deny the restoring of the kingdom to Israel, but denies to acquaint them with the time when it should be done : he tells them, It was not for them to know the times and seasons^ which the Father had put in his own .power, verse 7.
The like answer to the like demand Daniel received in his time. For when the angel had represented to Daniel the total destruction of the image of worldly monarch}', together with the rise, and reign, and ruin of Antichrist, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom in the world, in the stead of the two former ; Daniel said, Chap. xii. 8. And I heard, but I understood not : Then said /, 0, my Lord, what shall he the end of these things ? And he said. Go thy rvay, Daniel, for the words are closed up, and sealed till the time of the end. So that the angel, who discovered the things themselves to Daniel, refused to discover to him plainly and expressly the time when they should be done ; but that \vas to be closed and sealed up till the time of the end. And so here, in like manner, Christ, who had discoursed largely and clearly to the disciples, touching the kingdom of God, yet denies to discover to them the time when it should be set up in the world. And the reason why he denied this to them, to whom he had not denied himself, was not for
20 CHRIST'S SPIRIT
want of love ; but because the Father had kept the time and season wherein all this should be done, in his own power. Had this been placed in Christ's power, he had, no doubt, made it known to them, as well as he did those other things which he had heard from his Father ; but the Fa- ther had not placed this in his Son's power, but had re- served it in his own : and the apostles were not to pry af- ter that which was hidden with God, but were to content themselves with what he had revealed.
But though the Son did not reveal to them what the Father had kept in his own power, yet he tells them what the Father had promised unto them, and what he had also put into his power, and what he would certainly perform ere long ; and that was, the gift of the Spirit of power, say- ing, But ye shall receive power , -when the Holy Ghost is come upon yoii ; and you shall he witnesses to me^ ^c. As if he should have said, "Do not you trouble yourselves about secret things, which shall not be accomplished in the world till many years after you are fallen asleep ; but do you mind your present business, wherein you are to serve God in your generation ; your present task is to be witnesses unto me, in Jerusalem^ and all Judea, and in Samar'iay and to the utmost parts of the earth : to declare and make known what you have heard, and seen with your eyes, and looked upon, and your hands have handled, of the 7Vord of life. You are to testify to the world, my incarnation, doctrine, miracles, life, death, resurrection, and my kingdom and glory that is to come. You are to make known to the world, the high and deep, the great and glorious mystery of Christ, and of the gospel. And that you may be fit for this great and weighty work, you shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost : You shall re- ceive power ^ when the Holy Ghost is come upon you,^' feV.
Which words also may be an answer to another question, which the disciples did or might make, after this manner.
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 21
" Our dear Lord and master, why wilt thou leave us, thy poor disciples, among so many evils and enemies in the world, which our weakness must of necessity sink un- der ? We well remember how fearful and foolish we have been whilst thou wast yet with us ; but how much more timorous and trembhng shall n'e be when thou art gone from us ? When thou wast apprehended by the armed power of the magistrates, thou knowest how we all for- sook thee and fled : And I, said Peter^ denied thee, and forswore thee, at the voice of a simple maid : and there- fore, if thou now quit^ leave us, what witnesses are we like to be unto thee, and what preachers of thy name, jfgipng the obstinate Jews, among the angry and enraged rulers and people ; who will be ready, for thy name's sake, every day to deliver us up to a new death ? And how shall we be able to stand amidst so many difficulties, troubles, .distresses, oppositions and persecutions, when thou hast left us ? Surely, we are such weak and infirm creatures, that we shall never be able to hold out, but shall lie down both in shame and sorrow."
To this Christ answers in these words ; You shall re- ceive the power of the Holy Ghost coining upon you. As if he should have said, " You have a hard task indeed, but you shall be furnished with proportionable power. The business you are to undertake, is not human, but divine ; the things that you are to teach, are not carnal, but spiri- tual ; the work that you are to set upon, is not man's work, but God's. You are to act among men for God ; you are to act in the world" against the world ; you are to act against the devil, in the very midst of the dcvil'-s kingdom. You are to convert Infidels, to make of Hea- thens, Christians ; to bring them near unto God, who are now without God in the world ; to carry the light of heaven up and down this dark world, among tlie people that sit in darkness and the shadow of deaths to shew them
22 CHRIST'S SPIRIT
the way to life and salvation. You are to turn the world upside-down ; to change the manners and customs of the people ; to bring them off from the idolatry of their forefathers, to worship the true God i?i spirit and in truth. You ai*e to reduce the earth into conformity with heaven, and set up God's kingdom here in this present world. And all this you shall not do in ease and quietness, in prosperi- ty and pleasure ; but whilst you are thus employed and busied, you shall have the whole world rise up against you, and the devil persecuting you with his utmost power, through wicked men ; and you shall not only be hated of all men for my name''s sake ; but you shall be even overwhelm- ed with reproaches, obloquies, slanders, oppositions, per^- cutions, prisons, torments, deaths. And therefore, that you may be able, both to do and to suffer all these things, You shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you.^^
Now from these words we shall note something general- ly, and something more particularly.
In general three ihm^s. The first is this :
I. That as Christ will not suffer his disciples to be tempt- ed above their power, so neither to be employed above their power ; but he furnishes them with power sufficient, both for their temptations, and for their employments ; for their sufferings, and for their doings. And as soldi- ers, that are under a wise and careful commander, when they are near an engagement, are not suffered to run rashly upon the enemy ; nor permitted to go forth to battle till they are armed and mounted : so Christ would not suffer his disciples to go forth in his warfare, to encounter so ma- ny evils, and oppositions, and persecutions, and the whole power of the world, and of the devil, till first he had arm- ed them with the power of the Holy Spirit ; Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Ghost is come upon you, ^c.
Christ always gives unto all those whom he sends forth and employs, of his own power, for his own works ; hea-
A CHRTSTIAN'S STRENGTH. 2$
venly power for heavenly works, spiritual power for spi- ritual works ; the power of God, to do the works of God. Indeed, Christ gives unto some a greater measure of power, and to some a less ; according as he intends to use some in greater works and difficulties, and some in less : but still they have of Christ's power, whether more or less, who are employed by Christ. And a little of that power that is communicated by Christ, will enable a man to do great things ; far greater than tlie world suspects or ima- gines.
So that we may judge of our calling to any business, and of our employment in it, by the power we have re- ceived from Christ for it. If we have none of the power of Christ, we were never set on work by Christ ; for Christ never sets any on his work, withou.t communicating unto them of his power. And hereby we may certainly know and conclude, that those in the ministry that are loose and vicious, idle and negligent, and insufficient for that work, were never called to it, nor employed in it by Christ ; but they ran of their own heads, when they were not sent, and minister in the church for the gain of money, and preach only that they miglit live. Whereas, if Christ had employ- ed them in that calling, he would have furnished them with abilities for it : and they bei^ destitute of such abi- lities, it is most evident they were not sent by Christ.
Judge then what a kind of reformation this church were like to, have, if some men were to have their minds ; who would have ignorant and insufficient men, yea loose and profane men, tolerated in the ministry, under pre- tence of keeping up ordinances ; when yet such men were never employed by Christ, nor supplied with any power from him. Yea, and what ordinances, I pray, are they like to be, which are kept up by men that are carnal^ not having the Spirit ? But you see here, that Christ's way and wis- dom was different from this ; for he first gave the apostles
24 CHRIST'S SPIRIT
the poiver of the Spirit^ and then sent thein to preach, when he had first enabled them to preach [f),
II. You see here, that Christ, being to leave his disci- ples, in regard of his bodily presence, yet leaves behind him the promise of the Spirit of power ; and this was some establishment to them : yea, this gave great joy and com- fort to them, who before had their hearts filled with sorrow.
Christ, though sometimes he leaves his people, in re- gard of sense, yet he never leaves them without a promise. The soul sometimes, in the hours of temptation and de- sertion, may want the sense and feeling of Christ, but it never wants a promise from Christ ; and the promise makes Christ present in his absence : for Christ himself is spiri- tually present in the promise ; and not Christ only, but the Holy Spirit also ; for Christ and the Spirit are never asunder : but as the Father and the Son are one, so is Christ and the Spirit one, and all are in the promise. And so the promise is able to uphold the soul in any condition ; not because of its own nature, but because God, and . Christ, and the Spirit, are present in the promise ; and they are infinitely able tO support the soul, through the pro- mise, under the greatest evils, either of earth or hell. Now this enjoyment of God in the promise, is the enjoyment of faith, and not of sense 0land this enjoyment of faith, is the most excellent and intimate enjoyment of Christ. And thus may the soul enjoy Christ's presence in his absence ; his presence according to faith, in his absence according to sense. And therefore, Christ, departing from his disci- ples, in regard of his bodily presence, leaves with them tlie promise of the Holy Spirit ; and in that promise, his spiritual presence. And this is the worst condition that Christ ever leaves his true church in ; he leaves them his
(/) Melius est, nullum habere, quam sacrilej^um, impium and scelera- tunrj mhnstrum, qui non venit nisi ut mactet and pei'dat, sicut ftir and latro Luth, de Instit. Miniatr: FacI.
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 25
presence in a promise, when in regard of sense, he forsakes them.
III. Note, that Luke, being to speak in this book, of the Acts of the apostles, of the propagating, enlarging, and governing the Christian church, doth first make mention of the pouring forth of the Spirit, and that both upon the apostles, and afterwards upon the disciples. Signifying hereby, that there is nothing so necessary for the increase and well ordering of the true church of Christ, as the pouring forth of the Spirit. And therefore they are altoge- ther deceived, and walk in the light of nature, and not of God, who think the increase, and propagation, and pre- servation, and establishment, and order, and ordering of the church of God, depend especially upon the councils and decrees, and constitutions of men : and that without these, the church of God would soon come to woful disorder, yea, to utter ruin and confusion. As if Christ and his Spi- rit sat idle in heaven, and had left the whole business of his church to men ; and the sacred power confirmed with the secular, were abundantly sufficient for the increase and well-ordering of the church. In the mean time, not re- garding the promise of the Father, nor xh^ pouring out of the Spirit by the Son. And this is the verj- mystery of the mystery of iniquity i^mong us, and the very head of anti- christ, which is } et to be broken. And therefore let us knows that, as the Psalmist saith, Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it; and except the Lord keep the city, the -watchman watcheth but in vain: so also, except the Lord, through his word, pour forth the promise of the Spirit, and by that Spirit of his, in and through the word, enlarge and govern the church, they labour in vain that undertake these things of themselves. For it is the Spirit alone, that, through the faithful ministry of the word, makes the increase of the church, and lays hold on all the elect, and brings them, through faith, into the unity
D
26 CHRIST'S SPIRIT
of the Son, and of the Father ; and teaches them, and or- ders them, and governs them, and preserves them. And therefore you see here, that the promise of the Spirit is first performed, before the church of God hath any enlarge- ment or government.
And now, from these general things we proceed to the words more particularly : Ye shall receive power^ when the Holy Ghost is come upon you. And here we may note two things.
I. What he promises them, and that is j&oit^e'r; you shall receive power,
II. How they should be made partakers of that power, and that was, by the Holy Spirifs coming upon them.
The point we will insist on from both, is this :
" That the receiving of the Spirit, is the receiving of power." Till we receive the Spirit, we are altogether without power ; and when we receive the Spirit, then, first of all, do we receive power ; power from 07i high.
By nature we are all without strength, weak, impotent creatures, utterly unable to do any thing that is truly and spiritually righteous and good. For by nature we are no- thing but flesh '■ifor that which is born offesh, is flesh ; and all flesh is grass ; a fading, withering and decaying thing, together with all the floxvers of it ; that is, the perfections and excellencies of it. So that by nature we are all with- out power, because we are nothing but flesh; of which, weakness is an inseparable adjunct.
But when we receive the Spirit, we receive power ; for power is an inseparable adjunct of the Spirit, as weakness is of flesh : yea, the Spirit itself, which is given us, is pow- er ; and that both essentially and operatively, in itself and in us.
1. The Spirit is power essentially in itself; for it is o?ie God with the Father and the Son, co-essential, co-equal, co- eternal ; and so, as Christ is the power of God, so also is
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 27
the Spirit the power of God : yea, the Spirit is the God of power, as well as the power of God. So that the Spirit is power in himself essentially ; and he that partakes of the power of the Spirit, partakes of that power which is God, and no creature.
2. The Spirit is power operatively in us, by being in us, 1. A spirit of knowledge i for the Holy Spirit teaches us to know the things that are freely given to us of God : yea, he teaches us to know what sin is, and what righteousness ; what death is, and what life ; what heaven is, and what hell ; what ourselves are, and what God is : and these things he teaches us to know otherwise than other men know them. In a word, the Spirit teaches a Christian to knoxv all things : that is, to know God, and the kingdom of God, and all the things of both ; all other things being nothing in comparison of these. Thus the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of knowledge in us ; and so o{ power ^ for knowledge is the strength of a man. Whereas, an ignorant man is a weak man, you may carry him whither you will : but knowledge renders a man strong and immoveable. And in all things wherein the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of knowledge in us, he is also a Spirit of strength.
The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of power in us, by being in us a Spirit of truth And so the Spirit is; because it doth not only lead us unto all truth; that is, unto the word, which is the only truth ; as it is written. Sanctify them through the truth. Thy word is truth. But also, the Spirit leads us into the truth ; it leads us into the truth, and the truth into us ; till we and it become one, by an insepara- ble union. The Holy Spirit takes a believer, and leads him into one truth after another, till at last it leads him into all truth. Now wherein the Spirit is a Spirit of truth to us, it is a "Spirit of power : for through the truth we learn from the Spirit of truth, we are altogether stedfast and immoveable, among variety of different and contrary
28 CHRIST'S SPIRIT
winds of doctrine. And this is the very cause, that among so many divisions, and factions, and errors, and heresies, which wofully prevail in these present times of ours, the people of God are not seduced and overcome ; to wit, be- cause they are all taught of God, and not of men ; and have the Spirit of truth, to lead them into the truth ; the Spirit, I say, and not men : and so it is impossible that they should fully and finally be deceived. For wherein we are taught by the Spirit of God, it is impossible we should be perverted by men. Whereas, on the contrary, the true ground why so many are seduced and overcome by the errors and heresies of this age, is because they have taken up their religion only from man's teaching, and have received their opinions or doctrines from men : and so what one man hath taught us, another man can un- teach ; yea, if we be led to the truth itself only by man, man can again lead us from it. For all the world cannot lead any man into the truth, till the Spirit lead him into it : and when the Spirit doth lead us into the truth, all the men in the World cannot lead us out of it ; but we are so sure of those things wherein the Spirit hath been a teach- er to IK, that if all the councils and churches in the world, yea, all the angels of heaven, should teach us con- trary, we should hold them accursed. But a man that hath not been taught of the Spirit, every day you may win him into new opinions, by the power and authority of men, together with the strength of other advantages. But he that hath been led into the truth by the Spirit of truth, is immoveable and invincible among all doctrines. And thus also the Holy Spirit, by being a Spirit of truth, is also a Spirit of power in us.
3. The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of power in us, by being in us a Spirit of wisdom : and so it is, because it makes us wise with the wisdom of God ; wise upon earth after the rate of heaven ; wise to salvation. There is no man wise
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 29
without the Spirit of God ; for the wisdom of c arnal men is but foolishness before God, yea, before angels and saints : but the wisdom of the Spirit is most gracious and hea- venly wisdom. And this wisdom of the Spirit is the strength of a Christian : the more he hath of it, the more mighty he is, both in all his doings and endurings. It is said, that there was a poor wise man delivered a small city from the power of a mighty kiyig, Efxles. ix. 15. and there- fore Solomon concludes that wisdo7n is better than strength ; for it can do greater things than strength can. When Da- vid carried himself wisely , Saul, a great king, was afraid of him : he thought himself too weak to deal with David, and David too mighty to deal with him, because of his wisdom : and Solomon asked wisdom of God, above all things, for the strength of his government ; all government without this, being but weak and brittle. Thus wisdom contributes strength to us ; whereas we say of a man who wants wis- dom, he is a weak man. And so the Holy Spirit being a Spirit of wisdom in us, is also a Spirit of power.
4. The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of power in us, by being in us a Spirit of faith. For faith is a work of the Spirit of power : and no less power would work faith in us, than that which raised up Christ from the dead, F^ph. i. 19, when he lay under all the sin of man, and all the wrath of God, and all the sorrows of death, and all the pains of hell ; it must be a mighty power indeed that must raise Christ then, and that power was the power of the Spirit ; and no less power will work faith. So that whoever truly believes by this faith of the operation of God, is sensible in his own soul, of the self- same power that raised up Christ from the dead. And thus the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of faith in us, and so of power. For unbelief keeps a man in himself, but faith carries a man out to Christ. Now there is no man weaker than he that rests on himself; and there is no man stron- ger than he that forsakes himself, and rests on Christ.
30 CHRIST'S SPIRIT
And so a man, through the power of faith, is able, both to do and endure the self-same things which Clirist himself did and endured.
1. He is able to do the same things that Christ himself did ; and therefore saith Christ, All things are possible to him that believeth ; so that a believer hath a kind of omni- potency, and all things are possible to him ; because by faith he lays hold upon the power of God ; and all things are possible to the power of God ; and so all things are possible to a believer, who is partaker of that power of God. And hence Paul saith, / ca?i do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me, Phil. iv. 13. This Christ, that strengthened him, was the power of God; and this power of God, is not a finite power, but an infinite : not a parti- cular power, but a universal ; and so can do, not some things only, but all things : and so also can all they who are truly partakers of it by faith. Yea, Christ himself hath a greater expression than this, yea, such a one that I never durst have spoken, if Christ himself had not first spoken it ; and that is this : He that believeth in ?ne, the v\orks that I do, shall he do; and greater works than these ; because I go to the Father, John xiv. 12. Where Christ saith, a believer shall not only do the same works with himself, (which also had been a great thing) but also greater works than him- self; and this indeed is altogether admirable and wonder- ful, that a believer should do greater works than Christ. But how is this made good ? Why thus : Christ overcame the law, and sin, and death, and hell, and the whole power of the devil, in a body and soul free from sin ; his human nature being the immediate formation of the floly Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary, and so had not the least spot of sin in it. But now believers overcome the same evils, even the law, sin, death, hell, and the whole power of the devil, in corrupted and polluted nature, in bodies and souls, at the first full of sin, and afterwards
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 31
defiled through many corruptions. The devil came to Christ, and found nothing in him ; and so he overcame : But he comes to a believer, and finds much in him ; and yet he overcomes. And this truly is a greater work than Christ did : and these works we do, but not through our own power, but through Christ's, of which we truly par- take through faith.
2. A Christian, through the power of faith, is able, not only to do, but also to suffer the same things that Christ himself suffered. Now the sufferings of Christ were the most grievous and intolerable to nature that ever were. For how did Christ, for the present, as it were, lay aside his divine nature, that he might suffer in his human! And how did he suffer in this, the whole weight and condemna- tion of sin to the very utmost ! And the whole wrath of God to the utmost ! and all the sorrows of death, and the pains of hell, to the very utmost ! And among all his suf- ferings, had not the least drop of comfort, either from hea- ven or earth : and yet through the power of the Spirit, he endured and overcame all. And so each Christian is able to endure and overcome the same evils by the same power. And therefore Paul desired to know Christ truly: not only the power of his resurrection^ Phil. iii. 10. which any one would desire to know ; but also the fellowship of his sufferings^ which flesh and blood trembles at ; yea, and to be made conformable to his very death. Yea, I add yet farther, that it a Christian should chance to fall down into hell, (as we believe Christ descended into hell, and so also many of his saints have done, as David and Hezekiah, &c.) yet a Christian, through the power of the Spirit, were able to overcome both the sins and.the pains of hell. And there- fore saith Solomon^ Love (which is the power of the Spirit) is too strong for death, and too hard [or too cruel) ybr hell: Cant. viii. 5, 6, as is evident in that godly woman, (for I will name but one instance instead of manv^ w^ho, think-
32 CHUIST'S SPIRIT
ing of the torments of hell, and of the hatred and blas- phemy of God, which reigned in the damned, did earnestly intreat God, iit etiamsi damnar etiir ^ tamen Deum dili- geret ; " that though she were damned, yet still she might love God." Here love was too hard for hell indeed !
And thus a believer, through faith is enabled, both to do and endure the self-same things which Christ himself did and endured : and the Holy Spirit, l^ being a Spirit of faith, is a Spirit of power in us.
5. The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of power in us, by being in us a Spirit of righteousness : and so he is two ways ;
1. In regard of mortifying sin. For the Spirit of God dwelling in us, is not idle in us, but continually active ; and so from day to day mortifies sin. And this is the proper work of the Spirit in our flesh, to destroy out of us whatsoever is contrary to itself ; and that is, every sin, lust, and corruption. Now our sins are our weakness ; a man's pride, and passion, and envy, and covetuousness, and lust, and intemperance, and every sin, is his weakness. Now the Holy Spirit, by being in us a Spirit of righteous- ness, mortifies and destroys all our sins, and so takes away our weakness.
2. Again ; as the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of righteousness in us, in regard of mortifying sin, so also in regard of imparting grace to us. For all grace is the fruit and ope- ration of the Spirit in our flesh ; and as all light is from the sun, so is all grace from the Spirit. Now every grace is so much strength in the soul : Faith, so much strength ; hope, so much strength ; love, so much strength ; and so humility, and patience, and temperance, and godli- ness, and brotherly-kindness, and all other graces, are so much strength. And according to each man's measure of grace, so is his measure of strength ; and according to each man's measure of the Spirit, so is his measure of grace.
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 33
And thus the Holy Spirit, by being a Spirit of righteous- ness, is also in us a Spirit of power.
6. The Holy Spirit is a spirit of power in us, by be- ing in us a spirit of the fear of the Lord : and so he is, by representing God to us in his glory and majesty, ac- cording as he hath revealed himself to us in his word; from which knowledge of God, springs his fear. For what is the reason that the men of the world fear not God, but sin securely against the great and glorious God every day ? Why, the reason is, because they know not the Lord. Now the Spirit comes, and reveals the Father in the Son, and presents God to the soul, through his word, in his infinite and eternal power, and justice, and wisdom, and truth, and faitlifulness, and love, and mercy, and goodness, &c. and shines to the soul in each attribute of God ; and now, w hen a man sees God by his own light, and knows him by his own teaching, then first doth he begin truly to fear God ; and the fear of God is his strength. For he that fears God, is free from all other fear : he fears not men of high degree, nor men of low degree, nor the united power of all the creatures : he fears not the fear of other men in their evils, but in the midst of all fearful things, he is without fear ; because he sanctifies the Lord of hosts in himself in his heartland makes him his fear, arid his dreads Isai. viii. 13. And by this means, amidst all evils, he hath admirable confidence and assurance; because he knows that no evil can befal him from any man, or from any creature, till first it be the will of God : and also, that whatever evil befals him, according to the will of God, it shall work for good unto him in the end. Thus the fear of the Lord is a Christian's confidence, and a believer's strength : where- as, he that fears not God, fears every thing; yea, not only real, but imaginary evils ; and as evils multiply his fears,
so his fears again multiply his evils ; till at last he be swal-
£
34 CHRIST'S SPIRIT
lowed up of both. But the Holy Spirit beinj^ in us a spi- rit of the fear of the Lord, is also in us a spirit of strength. 7. The Holy Spirit is a spirit of power in us, by being in us a spirit of love and unity. The Holy Spirit is a spirit of love and unity in the Godhead ; for the Father loves the Son, with the Spirit ; and the Son loves the Father, with the Spirit ; and the Father is one with the Son, in the Spirit ; and the Son is one with the Father, in the Spi- rit ; and the Spirit is the bond both of love and unity be- tuecn the Father and the Son ; and God, being most love, and most one, is also most strong. Now what the Spirit is in the Godhead, he is the same in the Church of God, which is the true temple and habitation of the Godhead, and that is, a spirit of love and unity : for why is there such constant love and unity between the members of the same body, but because one spirit runs through theni all '? And so there is such constant love and unity between all believers, because one Holy Spirit runs through them all. And hence we may take notice of a remarkable difference between nature and grace ; for nature, of one makes ma- ny ; for we all, who are many among ourselves, even a whole world of men, were but one in Adam : omnes eramus Hie unus homo; but grace, of many, makes one ; for the Holy Spirit, which is as fire, melts all the faithful into one mass or lump, and makes of many one body, one thing : yea, it makes them one in the unity of God, according to that of Christ, Johtij xvii. 21. that they all may he one^ as thou. Fa- ther^ art in ?}ie, and I in thee ; that they also may be one in us : mark the words, for they are wonderful ; that they all may be one ; tliat is, that all believers, who are many among themselves, may be all made one ; one ? Flow one ? As • thou, Father^ art in me. and I in thee ; that is, as thou and I, being two persons, are yet but one God : after this highest example of unity, let them be made one in us ; us long as
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 35
they remain in tliemselves, they are many ; and how much they remain in themselves, they are many ; for their unity is not in themselves, but they are one in us, who are one ; that is, how much the saints, by the Spirit, are carried into the Father and the Son, who are one ; so much also are they made one, not only with the Father and the Son, but also with one another. You may see in the Acts, how the multitude of believers, after they had received the Spirit, so far fortli as they had received the Spirit, ivere of one hearty and of one mind. And this unity of believers, is their strength ; and when God shall take away all those preju- dices, and suspicions, and jealousies, and particular ends and interests, and divisions, and separations, and schisms, that are among his own people ; and the people of God shall be reduced into this blessed unity among themselves, and the Lord be one, and his name one, among them all ; then shall the church also be of admirable and invisible power. So that, all they that strive with it, shall perish: and 'all they that war against it, shall be as nothing : yea, then shall the Lord make the church as a new sharp threshing in- strument, having teeth, a?id it shall thresh the mountains, that is, the kingdoms of the world ; and shall beat them small ; and shall make the hills, that is, the lesser commonwealths, as chaff, Isai. xli. 15. But till the church of God attain to this unity, it shall not do any excellent thing ; it shall not work any notable deli\'erance in the earth, neither shall the inhabitants of the world fall. When the Spirit of God shall be a spirit of unity in the faithful, and shall heal all the sad differences and dissensions that are now between them, then also shall it be a spirit of admirable power in them.
And thus much for the explication of the point.
The use is twofold.
1. The first is, to exhort all men, every where, to en- deavour to partake of t4iis supernatural, spiritual, and di-
5G CHRIST'S SPIRIT
vine power of the Holy Spirit, which is certainly commu- nicated to all the faithlbl and elect in Christ Jesus. And let no man think it is a thing indifferent, whether he have this power or no ; but know, that the having of this power of the Spirit, is of absolute necessity, and that both for ministers, and for all other Christians.
1. There is a necessity of this power of the Holy Spirit for ministers ; and to them this present place doth chiefly relate.
1. For, first, if they have not this power of the Holy Spirit, they have no power at all. For Christ sent them, only as his Father sent him ; and so Christ never gave unto them any earthly, or human, or secular power; no power of swords or prisons, no power of outward con- straint and violence. Christ gave them no such outward and worldly power, for the enlargement of his kingdom, as not being at all suitable to it. For his kingdom is spi- ritual ; and what can carnal power do in a spiritual king- dom ? His kingdom is heavenly ; and what can earthly power do in a heavenly kingdom ? His kingdom is ?iot of this world ; and what can worldly power do in a kingdom that is not of the world ? And though antichrist and his ministers have arrogated and usurj)ed such a carnal, and earthly, and worldly power to themselves, in their pretend- ed managing the kingdom of Christ, yet the faithful min- isters of Christ cannot.
And therefore, seeing the ministers of the gospel have no power from beneath, they must needs have power from on high ; seeing they have no fleshly power, they must needs have spiritual power ; seeing they have no power from earth, and from men, they must needs have power from heaven, and from God ; that is, the power of the Holy Spirit coming on them, or else they have no power at all.
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 37
2. The ministers of the gospel must needs have this power of the Holy Spirit, because otherwise they are not sufficient for the ministry. For no man is sufficient for the work of the ministry, by any natural parts and abi- lities of his own, nor yet by any acquired parts of human learning and knowledge ; but only by this power of the Holy Spirit : and till he be endued with this, notuathstand- ing all his other accomplishments, he is altogether insuf- ficient. And therefore, the very apostles were to keep silence, till the}' were endued with this power : they were to wait at Jerusalem till they had received the promise of the Spirit, and not to preach till then. Yea, Christ him- self did not betake himself to the work of the ministry, till first the spirit of God came upon him, and anointed him to preach. And therefore, for thirty years together, he did not preach publicly and ordinarily, till at John's baptism he received this power of the Spirit, coming on him. Now if Christ himself, and his apostles, were not sufficient for the ministry, till they had received this power from on high, no more are any other ministers whatsoever. For, as I said, it is not natural parts, and abilities, and gifts, and learning, and eloquence, and accomplishments, that make any man sufficient lor the ministry ; but only the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon him. So that whosoever is destitute of the spirit of power, is insuf- ficient for the work of the ministry ; and that in these res- pects :
1. Without this power of the Spirit, ministers are ut- terly unable to preach the word ; that is, the true, spiritual, and living word of God. For to preach this word of God, requires the power of God. One may speak the word of man, by the power of man, but he cannot speak the word of God, but by the power of God. And Christ himself, in all his ministry, spoke nothing of himself, in the strength of his human nature ; but he spake all he spake
38 CHRIST'S SPIRIT
by the power of God ; and without this power of God, he could not have spoken one word of God. And so, in like manner, no man is able to preach Christ, but by the Holy Spirit, which is the power of God. For Christ is the power of God ; and can never be represented, but by the Holy Spirit, which is the power of God. For as we see light in his light ; that is, the Father, who is light, in the Son, who is light ; or else the Son, who is light, in the Holy Spirit, who is light ; so we know power in his power ; that is, the Son, who is power, in the Holy Spirit, who is power. And Christ, who is the power of God, can never be made known to the church, but by the ministration of the Spi- rit, which is the power of God. So that it is not an easy thing to preach Christ, the power of God ; yea, none can do it aright, but by the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon him.
2. Without this power of the Spirit, ministers are un- able to preach the word powerfully. They may, it may be, happen upon the outward word ; yet there is no power in their ministry, till they have received this power of the Spirit, coming upon theiti. Otherwise their ministry is cold, and there is no heat in it ; it is weak, and there is no strength in it.
1. It is cold, and there is no heat in it. Without men have received the power of the Spirit, there is no fire in their preaching. Their ministry is unlike the ministry of Elias, whose ministry was as fire ; and unlike John Bap- tist's, who, in his ministry, was a burning and shining light ; and unlike Christ's, whose ministry made the disciples hearts burn within them ; and unlike the apostles, who, hav- ing received the Spirit, were as men made all of fire, run- ning through the world, and burning it up. Without this Spirit, a man's ministry is cold, it warms the hearts of none, it inflames the spirit of none ; but leaves men still frozen in their sins.
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 39
2. It is weak, and hath no might in it. There is no strength in a ministry where there is no Spirit. Whereas, when men have received the Spirit, then their ministry is a powerful ministry; as Paiily 1 Thess. i. 5. The Gospel came to you not in word only ^ but in power, and in the Holy Ghost; and therefore in power, because in the Holy Spirit. And again, 1 Cor. ii. 4. My speechand preaching wasnot with the enticing words^of man^s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit, and power. Where you see the Spirit and power in the work of the ministry are always conjoined, as the sun and light are. And that ministry that is in the Spirit, is always in power : and being in power, it is always effectual, either to convert men, or to enrage them : and the enrag- ing of men, is as evident a sign of the Spirit of power in a man's ministry, as the conversion of men. Whereas, a cold and dead ministry, that is destitute of this power, doth, as we used to say, neither good nor harm ; neither converts nor enrages ; neither brings in righteousness, nor destroys sin ; neither kills nor quickens any ; but leaves men in their old temper for many years together, and never stirs them. But the ministration of the Spirit and power is operative and mighty, and carries all before it. And though evil and carnal men will ever be murmuring, and wrangling, and opposing, and contending against such a ministry ; yet they are never able to resist the wisdom and spirit of it ; as the Libertines, Cyrenians, and Alex- andrians, 7y(?r(?«o^ ableto resistthewisdom and spirit by which Stephen spake, Acts vi. 10. And therefore, let them that will needs be striving against such a ministry, know, that they strive against more than a mere man ; they strive against power from on high ; against the greatest power that ever God put forth ; against the power of Christ him- self, and his Eternal Spirit ; and so they shall never be able to prevail against this power ; but shall surely sink under it. But to retiu'n from whence we have a little digressed.
40 CHRIST'S SPIRIT
3. Without this power of the Spirit, as ministers ai'c not able to preach the word, nor to preach it powerfully, so neither are they able to hold out in their ministry, and to carry it on strongly against all opposition and contra- diction. Peter and Johji preached the gospel, but pre- sently the rulers, and elders, and scribes, convened them ; and straitlij tlireatenedthem, and commanded them notto speak at alt; nor to teach in the name of Jesus, Acts iv. 17, 18. And now, if the apostles had wanted this power of the Spirit, they wou'd presently have been snubbed and awed, and would k've sneaked away, and you should have heard no more of them. But tluy having recei\'ed this power, all the threatnings and scornings of the rulers and magis- trates could not deter them from the discharge of their office, and that ministr} they had received from Christ. But though before, they were fearful, and trembling, and daunted at the apprehension of the least danger ; yet now, having received this power, they are altogether undaunt- ed ; and said to the rult-rs and eiders, Whether it be right in the sight of God, to hearken unto you, more than unto God, judge ye. Acts iv. 19. As if they should have said, " O ye rulers and elders of the people, our case is a plain case, wherein we are most willing that even your ownselves should be judges : For we have received a command from God to preach the Gospel of his Son Jesus Christ ; and you forbid us to do that, which God hath commanded us. Now do you yourselves be judgt s, who is fittest to be obey- ed, God or you "? The great and glorious God of heaven and earth, or poor wn tched men, such as yourselves ? Nay, what God hath commanded us, we must, and will obey, against all your threatnings and punishments, and whatever you can say or do. We cannot conceal, but must publish, what we have seen and known of our Lord Jesus Christ ; of his incarnation, liie, death, resurrectipn, ascension,
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 41
kingdom, glory, and of that great redemption and salva- tion, which he hath wrought, and purchased for all the elect of God."
Now I would to God that the unjust commands of all magistrates, and secular powers whatsoever, might be no otherwise obeyed than this unjust command of the rulers was by Peter and John ; and that no man would dare to yield more obedience to the creature, than to the Lord of all.
For no princes or magistrates in the world, have any power to forbid the preaching of the everlasting gospel, which God hath commanded should be published to all nations, for the obedience of faith ; I say, they have no power at all to forbid the preaching of this gospel, or of any one truth of it, though ever so cross to their designs. And if they should, yet herein ought we to know no more obedience than Peter and John did here. We ought to obey God and not them ; and to make known the whole mind of God, though it be never so contrary to their mind ; after the example of Peter and John^ who having received this power of the Holy Spirit, held on their mi- nistry, against all the countermands, and threatnings, and punishments of the magistrates. Whereas, without this power, they had soon fainted and failed, and had never been able to have gone through with it.
4. Without this power of the Holy Spirit, ministers are not able to reprove the world. For every man, by nature, seeks the amity of the world ; and no man, by his good will, would provoke the enmity of it against himself. And therefore, flesh and blood will never reprove the world of sin, but allows it, and countenances it in sin. But now the Spirit y when he is come^ he will reprove the world of sin. When a man hath this power of the Spirit in him, then presently he reproves, and argues, the world of sin ; and so by his ministry bids defiance to the whole world, and
F
j^2 CHRIST'S SPIRIT
provokes the whole world against himself. And this no man either can do, or dares do, except he be first endued with this power of the Spirit, coming on him. And there- fore spilth 3ficah, chap. iii. 8. 1 am full of porver by the Spi- rit af the Lord^ and of judgment^ and of might ; to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.
The world, of all other things, cannot endure the re- proof of sin, and the declaration of its evil ways. And therefore it is exceedingly offended, yea, and extremely rages against the faithful teachers of the word, with all sorts of punishments and persecutions ; as the examples of all the prophets, apostles, and faithful teachers of the word of God, in all ages do declare. Yea, and Christ himself testifies touchinghimself; Therefore the rvorld hates me, because! test fi/ of it, that thexvorks thereof are evil. But now, they that will connive at sin, and flatter the world in its own ways, these are the only men of reckoning, and live in all wordly honour and prosperity. And all ages can witness, that all teachers are not of that strength and resolution, to contemn the hatre^ and fury of the world ; nay, the most are quite overcome with the prosperity of this present life, and with the desire of friends, and riches, and preferments; and so wink at the sins of the world, and are ministers in whose mouths are no reproofs, though the whole world lie in wickedness. For, thus they escape the rage and violence, and obtain the favour and love, of the men of this world. And thus weak and unworthy are those men M'ho are only endued with their own spirits : But now, saith Micah, I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord., and of judgment, and of might ; to declare unto Jacob his transgression, arid to Israel his sin.
As if he should have said, " The power of the Spirit of the JLord dwelling in me, puts forth itself two ways, in judgment, and in fortitude."
1. In judgment; and this signifies the reproving and
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 43
the condemning sin and wickedness, as the prophet him- self explicates ; saying, that I might declare unto Jacob his transgressioft, and to Israel his sin. But seeing their being full of judgment doth not want danger, but exposes a man to a thousand evils, inasmuch as the world can endure no- thing less than the reproof of sin ; therefore I am, by the power of the Spirit, not only full of judgment, but also.
Secondly, full of might ; as the spirit of judgment exposes me to danger, so the spirit of might enables me to contemn those dangers. So that, though the world, be- cause of the spirit of judgment, threatens never so many evils ; yet the prophet is not frighted from his office, but, through the spirit of might, discharges it faithfully, in des- pite of all those threatnings.
And whenever ministers want this spirit of might, though out of danger, they may be confident ; yet, at the very first encounter of evil, they will bend and yield, and speak and do all things for the favour of the world ; rather than, for the truth's sake, they will expose themselves to the hatred and opposition of the world.
5. Without this power of the Spirit, they are unable to wrestle with, and overcome the devil ; whose subtilty, and wrath, and malice, and power, they must needs encounter with, in the work of the ministry. Christ, as soon as he was endued with this power, and anointed by the Spirit to preach, was immediately led into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil ; who would fain have taken him off from the work of the ministry, if it had been possible : but Christ, being endued with this power, overcame the deviL And Christ, before he sent his apostles to preach the kingdom of God, as you may see, Luke ix. 1. called them together, and gave them power and authority over all devils : and when they returned, they told him, that the devils themselves were subject to them. But now, the seven
44 CHRIST'S SPIRIT
sons of Sceva, who were destitute of this power, when they took upon them to call over one who had an evil spirit, the name of the Lord Jesus ; and to say, JFe adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth ; the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know ^ and Paul I know ; hut who are ye ? And so " the man in whom the evil spirit was, leaped upon them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, and they fledaway naked and wounded;" Acts xix. Sothatthey being destitute of this power from on high, the devil was pre- sently too hard for them, and they were overcome by the devil. But now, they that are invested with this power of the Holy Spirit, are able to wrestle with principalities and powers^ and the rulers of the darkness of this world ; and to out-wrestle them, and to tread satan himself under their feet.
Sixthly : Without this power of the Holy Spirit, they are unable to suffer persecution for the word ; but the least touch of evil causes them to pull in their horns ; and each reproach, and opposition, and persecution shakes them down. Whereas, this power makes them confident, cou- rageous, comfortable, and invincible, in the midst of all evils. See this in some examples. Our Lord Jesus Christ being anointed with the Holy Spirit, and with power, did not only preach the truth in his life, but also wit?iessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate^ and sealed to the truth with his death. Paul^ who was endued with the same power, when Agabus foretold him by the Holy Spirit, of liis bonds at Jerusalem^ and the brethren hearing it, came weeping to Paul^ and besought him to keep himself out of bonds, by not going up thither ; Paul reproved them, and told them, that he xvas ready, not only to be bound, but to die at Jerusalem for the Lord Jesus. Chrysostom was en- dued with the same power, and so resolved to preach the truth, and not to depart from the truth, though the whole world should wage war against him alone ; and professed,
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 45
that he desired nothing more than to suffer for the cause of Christ ; and that, " If it were offered to him of God, whether he would immediately go to heaven, or stay on earth and suffer for Christ ; he would a thousand times rather choose this latter than the former." Be- cause, in going immediately to heaven, he should seek him- self, but in staying on earth to suffer for Christ, he should wholly deny himself, and seek his honour alone. Luther was endued with the* same spirit of power ; and so when lie was called to TForms, before the emperor Charles the fifth, and before all the estates of the empire, to render a reason of his doctrine ; and some of his friends (perceiving undue dealing among his adversaries) persuaded him not to go, to expose himself to danger ; but he answered with a mighty spirit (^), " I have decreed, and am resolved, because I am called, to go into the city, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ ; though I knew there were so many devils to oppose me, as there are tiles on all the houses of the city." And when he was called to return to Wittenberg by the people, which he could not do with- out most evident and apparent danger, he being already condemned by the edicts and authority, both of the pope and emperor ; and so in regard of them, could expect no less than a violent death every day ; yet for all this, lie was resolved to return to his charge ; and upon this occasion, hath this passage to the duke of Saxony {h).
("•) Mihi vero qui vocatus sum, decretum & cerium est ingredi urbera,in nomine Domini nostri Jesu Cliristi,etiamsi scirem tot dia- bolos mihi oppositos, quot sunt tegulee in omnibus totius urbis tectis.
(/i) Verum quid faciam? urgent me causpe inevitabiles, Deus cogit & vocat,'hic nuUi creaturse tergiversandum est. Age fiat igitur in no- mine Jesu Christi qui est Dominus vitee & mortis. Nihil habeo quod p»ssim perdere ; Domini ego sum ; si perdor, Domino perdor, id est invenior. Alium ergo qujere quem terreas. Verum ego scio & certus sum, Josum Christum Dominum nostrum vivere & regnare : quo sci-
46 CHRIST'S SPIRIT
" But what shall I do ? unavoidable causes urge me, God himself calls and compels me, and here I will turn my back to no creature. Go to then, let me do it in the name of Jesus Christ, who is Lord, both of life and death." Again, in his answer to the Dialogue of Silvester Frierias, who had threatened him ; he saith, " I have nothing that I can lose ; I am the Lord's, and if I am lost, I am lost to the Lord ; that is, I am found. And there- fore seek somebody else to fright,^ for me you cannot." Again, in his Answer to Ambrotius Cathari?ius, he saith of the pope and his instruments, " they seek not to over- come me with scriptures, but to destroy me out of the earth ; but I know and am sure, that Christ our Lord lives and reigns. And being even filled with this know- ledge and confidence, I will not fear many thousands of popes : For greater is he that is in us, than he that is in the zvorld.''^ And again, in his epistle to his father, he hath this remarkable passage ; '* What if the pope shall kill me or condemn me below hell? He cannot raise me up again when I am slain, and kill me a second and third time. And having once condemned me, I would never have him absolve me. For I am confident that the day is at hand, wherein that kingdom of abo- mination and destruction shall be itself destroyed. But would I might first be counted worthy, either to be burn-
enlia & fidiicia inflatu3,non timebo etiam multa millia Paparum. Ma- jor est enim qui in nobis, quam qui in mundo est. Quid si me occidat Papaautdamnet ultra Tartara? Occisum non suscitabit, utbis&ite- rum occidat : damnatum vero ego volo ut numquam absolvat. Confido enim, instare diem ilium quodestruetur regnum illud abominationes & perditionis. Utinani nos primi digui simus, vel exuri vel occidi ab eo, quo sanguis noster magis clamat, & urgeat judicium illius acce- lerari. Sed si digni non sumus sanguine testificari, banc saltern ore- mus & imploremus niisericordiam, ut vita & voce testemur, quod Jesus Christus solus est Dominus & Deus noster, Benedictus in se- cula seculorum. Luther, in Epist, ad Pair.
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 47
ed or slain by him, that so my blood might cry the louder, and urge his judgment to be the more hastened. But if I am not worthy to testify with my blood, let me at least in- treat and implore this mercy, that I may testify by my life and doctrine, that Jesus Christ alone is our Lord, and God blessed for ever and ever."
Calm Melancthon was endued with the same spirit of power; and so, when his enemies threatened him not to leave him a place in all Germany whereon to set his foot, he said, Avido & tranquillo animo expecto exilia ; " I ex- pect banishment with a desirous and peaceful mind."
Many more examples might be produced, to show, that when ministers are endued witJi the power of the Spirit coming on them, then they are stronger than all opposi- tion and persecution whatsoever; otherwise, when these evils encounter them, they, with Demas, leave tlie work ; and embrace the world.
And thus you see, what necessity all the faithful mi- nisters of the gospel have, of the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon them ; and without this power, though they be called ministers, yet they are none : For without this power, they are unable to preach the word, to preach it powerfully, and to persevere and hold out in the course of the ministry ; they are unable to reprove the world ; to wrestle with and overcome the devil ; and to suffer that per- secution, which necessarily attends that calling. And so without this power, they may minister to themselves, but cannot minister to others the manifold graces of God : they may do their own work, but they cannot do God's work ; they may feed themselves, but not the flock of Christ : they may domineer over the sh'eep^ but cannot drive away the wolf: they may build up their own houses, but cannot build up God's house.
Secondly, As the Holy Spirit, and the pgw'er of it, is ne-
48 CHRIST'S i^PIRIT
cessary for ministers, so also for all other Christians what- soever.
But some here will be ready to say, yea, but do all be= lie vers receive the Spirit of God, and the power of the Spi- rit, as ministers do ?
Yes, equally and alike with themj, without any differ- ence. This is evident, Acts xi. 15. where Peter tells the Jews, who contended with him for conversing and eating with the Gentiles, that when He began to speak the -word to thetn^ the Holy Spirit Jell 07i them, saith he, as on us at the beginning. And again, ver. 17. Forasmuch then as God gave unto them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ ; -what was I, that I could withstand God, So that God gave the Holy Spirit to as many Gentiles as believed, in like manner as he did unto the apostles them- selves : and they received the same power of the Holy Spi- rit coming on them, as the apostles did. Whereby you may perceive, that not ministers only are spiritual men, and all others temporal, as the Papists have taught, and many ignorant people among ourselves, are still persuaded : but all true believers are spiritual, as well as they, being born of the Spirit, and baptized v/ith the Spirit, equally as they are.
And so all true believers, as well as ministers, being endued with the Spirit ; are also endued with the power of the Spirit, and so have more than an earthly power in them. They have all of them power of another nature than the power of the world ; they partake of spiritual, heavenly and divine power, even of the very power of Christ himself; which ii^fmitely transcends all the power of the creature.
You see then clearly, that all faithful Christians have the spirit of power, and the power of the Spirit coming on them, as well as ministers : And they stand in need of both these, for these causes ;
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 49
1. They stand in need of the spirit of power, first, to differc.ice and distinguish them from reprobates, and de- vils : lor without the gift of the Spirit, there is no dif- ference between us and them. For Michael doth not dif- fer from the devil, nor Gabriel from Beelzebub^ but only by the Spirit. And Moses differs not from Pharaoh^ nor Abel from Cain, nor Jacob from Esau^ nor Peter from Ju- das, in regard of their substance, but in regard of the Spirit ; which the one received, and the others were count- ed unwortiiy of.
2. To advance them above the condition of flesh and blood, and above all those, in whom is none of God's Spirit. The excellency of each creature is according to its spirit ; for the more excellent the spirit of the creature is, the more excellent is the the creature itself; and each creature is valued and rated according to the spirit of it. How excellent then must they be above all the world, who have received the Spirit that is of God? Surely these are people of the most excellent spirit : And hence it is, that " the righteous is more excellent than his neigh- bour ;" because his spirit is more excellent than his neigh- bour's.
3. To unite them unto Christ. The Spirit is the bond of union between the Father and the Son, in the Godhead ; and the Father and the Son, are one in the Spirit, as we spake before. And now the same Spirit is our bond of union with Christ, and makes us one with Christ, as Christ is one with God, and unites us unto Christ in the unity of God ; for as Christ is one with the Father, in the Spirit, so are we one with Christ in the Spirit : For he that is Join- ed to the Lord is one Spirit ; and he that is not one Spirit with the Lord, is not joined to him.
4. All faithful Christians stand in need of the power of
the Spirit, as well as of the Spirit of power.
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50 * CHRIST'S SPIRIT
1. To change their nature, which is impossible to all power but the power of the Spirit. It would be a great power, to change clay into gold, and a pebble into a dia- mond ; but it is a greater change that is wrought in a Christian, and requires a greater power. For the power of the Spirit, when it comes into our flesh, changes the na- ture of it. For it finds a man carnal, it makes him spi- ritual ; it finds him earthly, it makes him heavenly ; it finds him a drunkard, it makes him sober : an adulterer, it makes him chaste ; a swearer, it makes him fear an oath ; proud, it makes him humble ; it finds him. darkness, it makes him light in the Lord ; in a word, it finds him no- thing but a lump of sin, and makes him the righteousness of God in Christ. Thus the power of the Spirit changes our whole corrupt nature, and makes it conformable to the divine nature ; as fire makes the iron in which it pre- vails, like unto itself, communicating its own nature to it. After this sort, the power of the Spirit changes our nature, and our nature cannot be changed without it. But without this power of the spirit, we shall always re- main the same we were born, without any change at all. Yea, our corruption will, by daily use and exercise, in- crease in us, till at last it quite eat out that common na- tural good, which God hath given to every one of us, for the common benefit of mankind.
2. All Christians have need of the power of the Spirit to work grace in them. For our natures are wholly car- nal and corrupt ; and nothing can implant grace in them, but the mighty power of God's Spirit. And it is as great a miracle to see the grace of God dwelling in the corrupt nature of man, as to see the stars grow upon the earth. And yet the power of the Spirit doth this, as it is written. Truth shall spring out of the earth, Psal. Ixxxv. 11. and a- ^?\n,Great andprecious promises are madetous^thative should he partakers of the Divine nature, 2 Pet. i. 4, and again,
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 51
He hath predestinatedus tJiatwe should be conformable to the image of his Son. That is, as in otlier things, so also in his virtues. So that the power of the spirit implants grace in our nature ; and each grace is so much of the power of the spirit, in our flesh, as was said before. Wherefore we must needs learn to know, whose power the power of grace is. For though grace be a power in our flesh, it is not the power of our flesh : for Paw/saith, in me, that is, in my jiesh, dwells no good thing : but and if any good be in my flesh, it dwells not in my flesh, but in God's Spirit which dwells in me. As light is in the air, but dwells in the sun, so when men are regenerate, good is in the flesh, but dwells in the Spirit. For grace in the soul, is nothing but so much of the power of the spirit, imme- diately dwelling and working in us ; and ^vhen the Spirit is gone, all grace goes along with him, as all light with the sun : but it dwells in him, and is inseparable from him.
3. All Christians stand in need of the power of the Spi- rit to enable them to mortify and destroy sin. There is no power in our flesh against sin ; but all the power of our fiesn, is for it : and therefore it must be another power than the power of our flesh that must destroy sin, and that can be no other than the power of God's Spirit. And the power of the spirit destroys the whole body of sin, and each particular strong corruption.
1. The whole body of sin, in all the parts, and mem- bers, and branches of it ; each several influence and opera- tion of the Spirit, being a several destruction, of some sin or other. For as the spirit that is in us, lusts after envy, or pride, or vain-glory, or covetousness, or uncleanness, or the like ; so the Spirit we have of God, according to its mighty power, destroys all those sinful works of our corrupt spirit, and mortifies all the deeds of our flesh ; ac- cording to that of Paul, If ye mortify the deeds ofthefesh^
52 CHRIST'S SPmiT
by the Spirit, ye shall live ^ Rom. viii. 13. The flesh will ne- ver mortify its own deeds but the spirit must mortify the deeds of the flesh ; and this will mortify them, according to the whole latitude of them.
2. Again, as the power of the spirit subdues the whole body of sin, so also it overpowers each particular strong corruption, and keeps a Christian straight and upright in the ways of God. Every man hath some one cor- ruption, to which, by nature, he is more inclined than to another, and this is the bias of a man ; but the strengtii of the spirit will overpower this. A bowl, if it be thrown with strength, knows not its bias, but is carried on straight, as if it had no bias at all. So the godly have still some flesh in them, which is their bias, and carries them from God to themselves and the world, but the strength of the Spirit takes away this bias, and makes us take straight steps to God.
4. All Christians stand in need of the power of the spi- rit, to enable them to perform duties, to perform them aright, that is, spiritually. For spiritual duties may be performed, for the outward work carnally ; and in such duties there is no strength, but weakness, because there is none of the Spirit in them. For there is no power in any- duty, except there be something of the spirit in the duty. There is no more power in praying, nor in preaching, nor in hearing, nor in meditation, nor in reading, nor in resisting evil, nor in doing good, nor in any duty of sanctification, or of mortification, than there is of the spirit in them.
And according to the measure of the spirit in each duty, is the measure of power in the duty. If there be none of the Spirit in a man's duties, there is no power at all in them, but only weakness and deadness, and coldness, and unprofitableness. If a little of the spirit, there is a lit- tle power ; if abundance of the spirit, there is great power ; and that duty that is most spiritual, is the most powerful.
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. - 53
And therefore saith Paui^ I will pray with the Spirit, and / will sing with the Spirit ; and all the worship of the faithtul is in the spirit. Philip m. 3. PFe are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit, and have ?io confidence in thefiesh. So that there is no more power in any duty, than there is of the spirit in it ; and there is no more acceptance of any duty with God, than there is of power in it.
Fifthly: All Christians stand in need of the power of the spirit, to enable them to the use of the word, and that both in private, and in public, as occasion serves.
1. In private ; for no man can say, that Jesus is the Christ, but by the Holy Spirit. No man can speak of Christ spiri- tually, but by the spirit ; and without this spirit, which searches the deep things of God, and reveals them to us, Christians are unable to give the sense of the word of God in their families, and among their friends, and acquaint- ance, and are also ashamed to do it. Whereas, the Spirit of God gives us both ability and boldness : as Aquila and Priscilla his wife, did not only speak the word in their fami- ly, but also took Apollos, a minister, home, when they per- ceived him somewhat ignorant in the mystery of Christ, and instructed him in the way of God more perfectly.
2. They have need of the power of the Spirit, to en- able them to speak the word of God in public, as every Christian may do, if he come where people are ignorant of God's word, and there are no ministers to do it. This I say, in such a case, we may do by virtue of his anointing with the Spirit ; and for this you may see the practice of Stephen and Philip, who were but deacons, and not elders or ministers, and yet published the word, where the peo- ple were ignorant ; yea, you may see, Acts viii, how all the disciples, except the* apostles, were, by reason of a great per- secution, scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, and they that were so scattered, went every wherCy preaching the word, because the people among which they
54 CHRIST'S SPIRIT
were, were ignorant, and there was no bod}^ else to do it. And God, having made known Christ unto them, they could not but declare him unto others : the love, both of Christ, and of their brethren, constraining them. But this is in case of necessity, and where other faithful Christians are absent : otherwise, when Christians are present, no man can take that to himself, without the consent of all, which belongs to ail.
Sixthly : All Christians stand in need of this power of the Spirit, to enable them to confess the word, before kings, and rulers, and magistrates, when they are called thereunto. Whereas, without this power, they would trem- ble, and bite in the truth. In Alatt. x. Christ tells his disciples , that they shallbe brought before governors and kings, Jbr his name'' s sake. But, saith he, verse 19. When they shall deliver you up, take no thought , hotv, or what ye shall speak; Jorit shall he given you in that same hour, what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you. Here Christ tells his disciples that they should be brought before great men, yea, before the great- est in the world, to give testimony to his truth. And surely, it is a very hard thing, for a man not to be daunted then, but to be unmoveable, before all worldly power and glory, and all the terrible frowns and threats of mighty men. Now, saith Christ, at such a time, when you are to speak before the armed power of the world, be not troubled beforehand, how, or what to say. For if you have Christ and his spirit in your hearts, you cannot want words in your mouths. And the truth which you profess is most glorious when it is most naked, and destitute of the gar- nishings of human eloquence and wisdom. And therefore be not fearful beforehand, no, nor y'et careful, touching what you shall say ;yb/* it shall be given you in that same hour, ■ in that same moment ; you shall have most present help.
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 55
How so ?ybr it is not yc that speak, but the spirit of your Fa- ther t/iat dwells in you. The spirit of truth that dwells in you, shall enable you to speak the words of truth, when you are called to it. And though you, it may be, are plain and mean men, and your lips would tremble, and be quite closed up before such an assembly of power and majesty : yet God's spirit shall give you a mouth to speak even then. And because, if you were only supplied with a mouth to speak at such a time, you would be ready to speak rashly, and foolishly, to the great prejudice and disadvantage of the truth, therefore he will give you not only a mouth, but wisdom too : and he himself will ma- nage his own cause with your mouths. And you shall so speak, as all your adversaries shall not he able to resist the truth that you speak ; but shall be so convinced in their con- sciences, that their tongues shall not know what to say- You shall have a mouth and wisdom, and they shall want both.
And thus have many poor, mean, simple Christians, when brought before rulers and magisirates, been able to carry out the truth in that strength, that all their adver- saries have been put to silence and shame, as you maA see in a multitude of examples in the Book of iSIartyrs. And all this they did, by the power of the Spirit coming upon them.
Seventhly and lastly : All Christians stand in need of the power of the Spirit, to overcome afflictions and persecu- tions, from which it is impossible they should be free in this world, they being contrary to the world, and the whole world to them. A natural man who hath no strength in himself, but his own strength, faints and lltils under affliction and persecution : but the faithful have in them strength above natural strength, strength above the strength of men, even the strength of the Spirit com- ing on them, and so they endure and overcome. Our
f
56 CHRIST'S SPIRIT
spirits are weak spirits, and are conquered by every evil ; but when they are strengthened by the power of God's Spirit, they are, over all evils, more than conquerors. And this is one thing observable, between natural and spiritual strength, in the overcoming of evil. Natural strength seeks always to throw off the evil, and so it prevails ; but spiritual strength never seeks the removing of the evil, but let the evil be what it will, it stands to it, and overcomes it. For the strength of the Spirit is able, easily to over- come all evils that can happen to flesh and blood, whether they arise from earth or hell. And thus those blessed Martyrs mentioned, Hebr. xi. and thousands and ten thou- sands of their consorts since, have overcome cruel mock- ings and scourgings, and bonds, and imprisonment, and stoning, and sawing in sunder, and slaying with the sword, and all the woes of poverty and want, and banishment, and of living in wildernesses and caves, and dens of the earth ; these and all other evils, they have mightily over- come, by this only power of the Spirit coming upon them. Thus we stand in need of the power of the Spirit, to overcome affliction and persecution ; and how much power we have, in affliction and persecution, to endure them, and overcome them, just so much of the power of the Spirit we have, and no more.
And thus also have I declared unto you what necessity all Christians have of the power of the Spirit coming upon them, as well as ministers. And this was to strengthen the use of exhortation.
The second use is for information and instruction, after this manner. If the receiving of the Spirit be the recei- ving of power, then it clearly informs us, that the May to partake of this power, is to obtain this spirit ; and the way to increase this power, is to increase this spirit. I shall endeavour to speak to both these things, and so shall conclude.
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 57
1. The way to obtain this power, is to obtain the Spirit.
And that we may obtain the Spirit, we must first prepare ourselves to receive the Spirit.
Now this preparation doth not stand (as Papists teach, and many ignorant persons among ourselves think) in sweeping the soul from sin, and then strewing it with graces, that so we may be fit to receive the Spirit.
For first, The sweeping of the soul from sin, is not a work of our own, before the coming of the Spirit, but a work of the Spirit itself, after it is come. For no flesh can clear the soul of one sin ; it is the Spirit must do that.
And secondly. For the strewing of the soul with grace, neither is this a work of our own, but a work of the Spirit itself, after it is come. For the Spirit itself brings all grace with it ; and before the coming of the Spirit, there is no grace at all.
So that, we cannot by any acts of our own, prepare ourselves to receive the Spirit ; but only by the Spirit we prepare ourselves to receive the Spirit. For it is not any work of our own, upon ourselves, but the immediate work ot the Holy Spirit upon us, that can make us fit to receive himself. It lies wholly in his own power and goodness, first, to prepare in us a place for himself, and then after to receive and entertain himself, in that place he hath so prepared. Now the works of the Spirit, whereby he first prepares us for himself, and then entertains himself in us, are these two especially.
1. He empties us; and 2, He fills us with himself, whom he hath made empty.
1. He empties us. And this emptying is the first and chief work of the Spirit upon the elect, whereby he pre- pares them to receive himself. For the more empty a man is of other things, the more capable he is of the
Spirit. If you would fill a vessel with any other liquor than
H
.A
58 ' CHRIST'S SPIRIT
it holds, you must first empty it of ail that is in it before ; if you would fill it with wine, you must first empty it of beer or water, if any such liquor be in it. For two mate- rial things cannot possibly subsist in the same place, at the same time, the substances of each bemg safe and sound. And so, if the Holy Spirit, who is God, must come into us ; all mortal and unstable creatures, together with sin and ourselves, and whatever else is in us, must go forth. Human reason, and human wisdom, and righteousness, and power, and knowledge, cannot receive the Holy Spi- rit : but we must be emptied of these, if ever we would receive him.
We must thus suffer ourselves to be prepared by the Spirit, to receive the Spirit: but with this caution, jThat when the Spirit of God hath wrought this in us, we do not attribute it to ourselves, as our own work, nor think any thing of ourselves, but descend into our own meer nothing. Otherwise we shall be a hindrance to the Spirit, that he cannot work in us after a more excellent manner.
And when a man is thus empty of himself, and of other things, then he becomes poor i?i spirit, and such the Spirit alwavs fills, and descends into with a wonderful and irre- sistible power, and fills the outer and inner man, and all the superior and inferior faculties of the soul, with himself, and all the things of God.
And this is the second work of the Spirit, to fill those whom he hath emptied. Now the usual and ordinary means, through which -he Spirit doth this, are these three.
1. The hearing of the word preached. But here w'e must distinguish of the word. For the law is the w^ord of God; but St. Pa2//saith, that by that word the Spirit is not given, but by the word of the gospel. And therefore, how beau- tiful are the feet of them that bring the gospel of peace ! for nothing is so sweet and precious as the word of the gospel.
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 59
which brings with it the Holy Spirit. This you may see, ^cts X. 44. where it is said, that whilst Peter yet spake, the Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the xvord. And there- fore also the gospel is called, the ministration of the Spirit : because, as it proceeds from the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit gives utterance, so it also conveys the spirit to the faith- ful. Now the gift of tongues and miracles, and other such like gifts, are at the present ceased in the church •. but the gift of the spirit is not ceased ; and this the Lord still joins with the ministry of the gospel, that he may keep in our hearts the due respect of this ordinance.
2. Means, is faith in the ^\'ord heard. For it is not every one that hears the word, that receives th^ spirit : but only they that hear with the hearing of faith. For if thou hear the word of the gospel a thousand times, and wan test faith, thou shalt never receive the spirit ; for un- belief shuts up the heart against the spirit ; and ever op- poses and resists the spirit, and never receives it. But faith opens the heart to receive the spirit.
By faith we lay hold on Christ in the word ; and through our union with Christ, we obtain the spirit. For we have not the spirit immediately in itself, but in the flesh of Christ. And when we, by faith, are made the flesh of Christ, then we partake of that Spirit that dwells in the flesh of Christ.
Now through these two things, the word and faith, the spirit communicates to us a new birth ; it begets us unto God : and so we, partaking of the nature of God, partake also of the Spirit of God. They that are born of men, have nothing in them but the spirit of men ; but they that are born of God, have the Spirit of God. That which is born of the flesh, is flesh, and hath no spirit in it ; but that which is born of the spirit^'ig spirit, and hath spirit in it. So that there is no means to partake of the Spirit of God,
60 CHRIST'S SPIRIT
but by being born of God : and the means by which we are born of God, are the word and faith.
3. Means is prayer. For Christ hath said, the Spirit is given to them that ask. And the disciples when they were to receive the promise of the Spirit, continued with one ac- cord in prayer and supplication^ Acts i. 14. For God, who hath promised to give us his Spirit, hath commanded us to ask it ; and whe^i God hath a mind to give us the Spirit, he puts us in mind to ask it : yea, God gives us the Spirit, that by it we may ask the Spirit, seeing no man can ask the Spirit, but by the Spirit. Now in asking the Spirit, there is no difference, whether we ask it of the Father or of the Son, seeing the spirit proceeds from both, and is the Spirit of both. And therefore Christ promiseth the send- ing of the Spirit from both. From the Father, John xiv. The Spirit which the Father will send in my name. From himself, Johnxvi. Except I go, the Comforter willnot come: but if I go, Iwill send him to you. So that both the Father and the Son give the spirit ; and it is no matter whether we ask him either of the Father, or of the Son, so we ask him of the Father in the Son, or of the Son in the Father.
And thus you see the way to obtain this power, is to obtain the spirit ; and also by what means this is done.
2. The way to increase this power, is to increase this s})i- rit. And therefore it is as needful for us to know the means to increase the spirit, as to receive it. And they among others are these.
1. To increase faith. For the more we believe, the more we receive of Christ ; and the more we receive of Clirist, the more we receive of the spirit in Christ. For faith doth not apprehend bare Christ, -but Christ with his Spirit, be- cause these are inseparable. Nyyv always, according to the measure of Christ in us, is the measure of the spirit ;
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH.
6\
and according to the measure of faith, is the measure of Christ in us.
2. To be much in prayer. For the prayer of the spirit, increases the spirit. The more ue have the spirit, the more we pray ; and the more we pray, the more we receive the spirit. So that when we have the spirit in truth, we shall have daily a greater and greater increase of it, till we be filled with the spirit. For the Spirit comes from Christ, in whom is the fulness of the spirit, and carries us back again to Christ, that we may receive still more of the Spirit. And so by the spirit that is in our hearts, we la}'' hold on the Spirit that is in Christ, and receive more and more of it.
3. To turn ourselves daily from the creature to God. For the more ^ve enlarge our hearts towards the creature, the less capable are we of the Spirit of God. For to live much upon the creature, is to live much according to the flesh, and this quenches and straitens the spirit in us. And therefore we must live abstractedly from the crea- tures : and so use them, as if we did not use them : and so mind them, as if we did not mind them ; and abandon the contents and satisfactions of flesh and blood, and wean ourselves from all things but the necessities of nature. And the more free and loose we are from the creature, the more capable are we of God's Spirit, and the operations of it. He that lives at greatest distance from the world, and hath least communion with the things of it, hath always the greatest proportion of God's Spirit. For as the apostle Sdith, If any man love the worlds the love of the Father (that is, the Holy Spirit) is not in him : so, if any man love the Father, the love of the world is not in him : now the more any one loves the Father, the less he loves the world ; and the less he loves the world, the more the spirit dwells in him.
4. To cease daily from our own works. The more we
62 CHRIST'S SPIRIT
act ourselves, the less doth the spirit act in us. And therefore we must from day to day, cease from our own works, from the operations of our own minds, and un- derstandings, and wills, and affections, and must not be the authors of our own actions. For we being flesh our- selves, whatever we do is fleshly, seeing the effect cannot be better than the cause. And if we mingle the works of our flesh, with the works of God's Spirit, he will cease from working in us. But the less we act in ourselves, ac- cording to the principles of our corrupt nature, the more will the spirit act in us, according to the principles of the Divine nature. But our own works are always a mighty impediment to the operations of the Spirit.
5. To increase the Spirit in us, we must give up our- selves to the Spirit, that he only may work in us, without the least opposition and resistance from us. That, as the soul acts all in the body, and the body doth nothing of itseff, but is subject to the soul in all things : so the spirit may do all in us, and we may do nothing of ourselves without the spirit, but be subject to the spirit in all its operations. For the Spirit of God cannot work excel- lently in us, except it work all in all in us. And in such a man, in whom the spirit hath full power, the spirit works many wonderful things, that he, according to hu- man sense, is ignorant of. For as the soul doth secretly nourish, and cherish, and refresh the body, and disperses life and spirits through it, even when the body is asleep, and neither feel^ it, nor knows it : so the Holy Spirit, dwelling in the soul, by a secret kind of operation, works many things in it, for the quickening and renewing it, whilst it oftentimes, for the present, is not so much as sen- sible of it.
6. The sixth means to increase the spirit, is to attri- bute the works of the Spirit to the Spirit, and not to our- selves. For if we attribute to the flesh, the works of the
A CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH. 63
Spirit; and take from the Spirit the glory of his own works, he will work no longer in us. Wherefore we must ascribe unto the Spirit the whole glory of his own works, and acknowledge that we ourselves are nothing, and can do nothing ; and that it is He only that is all in all, and works all in all : and we ourselves, among all the excellent works of the Spirit in us, must so remain, as if we were, and wrought nothing at all ; that so, all that is of flesh and blood may be laid low in us, and the spirit alone may be exalted : first to do all in us ; and then, to have all the glory of all that is done.
And thus you see the means to increase the spirit, and so consequently strength, as w^ell as to get it. And by the daily use and improvement of these means, we may attain to a great degree of spiritual strength, that we may walk and not be weary, and may run and not faint, and may mount up as eagles, yea, and may walk as angels among men, and as the powers of heaven upon earth ; to His praise and honour, who first communicates to us his own strength, and then, by that strength of his own, works all our works in us : and thus is He glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe.
UNIFORMITY EXAMINED,
WHETHER IT BE FOUND
IN THE GOSPEL,
OR
IN THE PRACTICE OF THE CHURCHES
OP
CHRIST.
BY WILLIAM DELL,
Minister of the Gospel.
UNIFORMITY EXAMINED.
*2C0R. IV. 13.
TFe having the same spirit of faith, according as it is ivritfen, I he- lieved, and therefore have I spoken ; ice also believe, and tJierefore fipeak.
OBSERVING that our brethren of Scotland, together \vith tlie Assembly of Divines, and tlie rest of the Presbyterian judgment, do often, both in their discourse and writings, exceedingly press for uniformity ; I have been urged in my spirit to think upon the matter, and to consider whether there could be an}' such thing found in the word of the New Testament, or in the practice of the churches of Christ. And for my part, I ingenuous- ly profess, I cannot yet discover it : and would be glad if any would instruct me further in this particular, so he do it from the v/ord.
Now, uniformity, what is it, but "an unity of form?" and the form they mean, no doubt, is outward: for the inwardjbrm, as it cannot be known by the outward senses; neither can in it be accomplished i^y outward power. And therefore, till I know their meaning better, I conceive, that by uniformity, the}' understand an unity of outward form in the churches of God ; yea, some of them do declare so much, calling the thing they would have, external unifor- mity.
Now such a thing as this (after so much meditation and recollection, as my other employments, and the many dis-
68 UNIFORMITY EXAMINED.
tractions that necessarily attend my present condition, will permit me) I cannot discern, in the word of the gospel. For Christ, speaking of the church of the New Testament, saith, The hour cometh^ andnoxv is^ when the true worship- pers shall worship the Father in Spirit and Truths for the Father seeketh such to worship him, God is a Spirit^ and they that worship him^ must worship him in Spirit and Truth, John iv. 23. In which words it is most evident, that the wor- ship of God in the time of the New Testament, is inward and spiritual, consisting in faith, hope, love, apd in prayer, which is the operation of the three former. Sec. And so, is so far from uniformity as it hath be^n explicated, and as they understand it, that it is not at all capable of it. And therefore I cannot but wonder at the strange workings of darkness in the minds of men, who would have an external uniformity, in a worship that is inward and spiritual ; and of which, the outward form is no part at all, but is merely ac- cidental, and so absolutely various.
Again : as I find not this uniformity in the doctrine of the gospel, so neither in the practice of the Saints, who had the spirit of the gpspel, as that practice is represented to us in the word.
In Acts i. 14, I read, how the apostles being together with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brethren, conti?iued, xvith one accord or mind, in prayer and supplication : and Acts ii. 44, and 46. how all that believed were together^ and continued daily ^ with ofte mind in the temple y and did break bread from house to house ^ 8V. And in all this there was unity, but no external uni- formity, neither name nor thing. Again, Acts iv. 23. Peter and John being let go by the magistrates, xvent to their own company ^ (which many of our clergy would term a conventicle) ajul reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them ; and when they heard it, they lift up their voice to God, with one mind, and prayed.
UNIFORMITY EXAMINED. 69
4
Here was inward unity, in faith, and love, and spiritual prayer, but no external uniformity ; and verse 32. 77ie jiiuL titude of them that believed^ were of one hearty and one soul. Unity ^till, but nothing of external uniformity. Further, we read, Acts^ chap. vii. and chap. viii. that Stephen and Philips who, by the church were ordained decons, and were to serve only for the ministry of the table, yet by virtue of the anointing, preached the word of God freely, and powerfully : and how all the members of the church oi Jerusalem, who were neither ministers nor deacons, be- ing scattered abroad by persecution, went preaching the word every where where they came, in that case of neces- sity : the unction of the spirit, of which all believers par- take alike, being one fundamental ground of such ministry, where there are no believers to call to the office : and in this, though there was unity of faith, spirit, and doctrine, yet I am sure they will say, there was no such uniformity as they would have. Again, Acts xx. Paul, the first day of the week, preach^^ to the disciples of Macedonia, from the evening till midnight, (which Dr. Pocklington, in a printed sermon, saith, was out of order) and after, brake bread, and did eat, and talked with them a long while, till break of day : and going from thence, he arrived at Ephesus, and there called the elders of the church together, and appeals to them after what manner he had been with them, to wit, serving the Lord with all humility of mind ^ andrvith many tears and temptations, ^c. and how he had held back no- thing prof table for them, but had taught them publicly, and from house to house, (which I wish were more in use now-a- days, if it might obtain so much leave from uniformity) a7id had preached to them repentance towards God, and faith towardsour Lord Jesus Christ: our chief work towardsGod, since our fall and corruption, being repentance, which is the change of the creature towards God, through God's own work in the creature : and this is not done without
70 UNIFORMITY EXAMINED.
the sorrow of the flesh ; and our chief work towards Christ, who is given to us as a head, being faith or union. And in the end, exhorts the presbyters to take heed to themselves^ who, (according to the church-principles of this age, want no admonition themselves, seeing they are become a pe- remptory rule to all others) and to the Jlocks over which the Holy Spirit {2iT\d not Y>^trov\s) had ?nade them overseers, to feed ihechiirch ofGod^xvhich he had purchased with hisownblood, ye. But in all this, neither practises himself, nor preaches to them, nor commands them to preach to others, or im- pose upon others any such kind of thing as external uni- formity. And so surely, they that so vehemently urge this thing, that they make it all in all in their reformation, have some other teacher than the apostle, who being taught of Christ, as Christ was taught of God, yet knew no such thing at all in the worship of God, as uniformity.
And yet further, tliat the world, if it be possible, may be the more convinced, observe a little more seriously the practice of Christ and the saints, in reference to this point, and you shall see nothing of external uniformity. See this in the prayer of Christ, (prayer for the duty itself, being nothing, but so much spiritual worship, as being the voice of the Spirit in the flesh, both in head and mem- bers) this, Christ sometimes performed with his eyes lifted up to heaven, sometimes being prostrate with his body on the earth, and so several times, several ways : and as he, so the saints have ; some prayed standing and lifting up their hands, as Moses ; some kneeling and lifting up their hands, as Solomon; some standing and not lifting up their eyes, as the Publican^ &c. And what external unifor- mity in all this? And as for praying, so for preaching; Christ sometimes preached in a ship, sometimes on the shore, sometimes in the city Jerusalem, sometimes in the Temple, sometimes in the desert, sometimes early, some- times late ; as if he intended on purpose to witness against
UNIFORMITY EXAMINED. 71
that piece of the mystery of iniquity, which in after ages- should be called uniformity. So Paul preached, sometimes on the Jew's sabbath, sometimes on the first day of the week, sometimes each day of the week, sometimes in the day, sometimes in the night; sometimes prayed in the hoLisc, sometimes on the shore : he circumcised Timothy among the weak, refused to circumcise Jitiis among the perverse ; became as a Jew to the Jews^ as a Greek to the Greeks, to the weak as weak, to the strong as strong, all things to all men, that he might win some : and what ex- ternal uniformity was here ? And tlien for the Sacraments, Christ administered the Sacrament of the supper imme- diately alter supper ; Paul at midnight, and it may be, others in the morning, or at noon : and what external uniformity in all this ? And for government ; sometimes the apostles met together into a council, and in that council ordered things, not of their own heads, or by plurality of voices, but by the word and spirit ; and what they order- ed by the word and spirit, they put in execution by the power of the word and spirit, and not by the power of the world- At other times, ministers and believers did thmgs by the word and spirit among themselves, by the mutual consent of both ; or else believers alone among themselves, if there were no ministers present. And where the number of believers were more, they stood in need of more officers : and where fewer, of fewg- officers ; and ail these things, are the free ordering of the churches, who have Christ, the Spirit, and the Father, among them, and in them, and so are taken out of the bondage of men, into the freedom of God. That truly I see not the gospel more setting its spirit against any thing of antichrist, tliaii against this point of exftrnal uniformity. For if we have one Lord, Christ, Spirit, Faith, Baptism, and God, all other things are free to the churches, as God shall order by them, and no otherwise ; aud the reason, and wisdom, ana
72 UNIFORMITY EXAMINED.
prudence of man, have no place in this world, where the Sim of righteousness shines, as the only light.
But against this that hath been said, do lie some objec- tions ; as first,
The prophet foretold that the Lord should be one, and his 7\ame one, and doth not this imply external uniformity ?
I answer, nothing less : for the apostle explicates plainly and clearly, what it is to have the Lord one, and his nanw one, among believers, Ephesians iv. 4, 5, 6. where he saith, there is in the spiritual church, 07ie body, and one spirit, one hope of our callings one Lord, one faith, one bap- tism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, through ally and in all. Where you see, that among believers there is a manifold unity, but no external uniformity ; yea, the prayer of Christ the >on, for the church, unfolds clearly the promise of God the Father to the church, John xvii. Christ prays, that they all (who are many among them- selves, according to the flesh) 7nay be one^ as thou^ Father, art in me, and J in thee, (that is, according to the unity of the spirit, not external uniformit}') that after this manner they also may "be one i?i us.
But again, it is objected out of 1 Cor. xiv. that the apos- tle requires that all things may be done in the church, de- cently, and in order : and doth not this imply external uni- formity ?
I answer, that^they will hardly admit in their parish- churches, such a decency and order as the apostle there means, neither are they capable of it. For he saith before, whoi the rvhole church is come together into some place, that all may prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may he comforted : and that during this exercise of prophesying, if any thing be revealed to another, the former to give place : and he must speak that hath the clearest light, seeing the spirit, to whomsoever it is given, it is given to profit with- al. And that though all may prophesy one by one, yet all
UNIFORMITY EXAMINED. 73
may not prophesy at once, for then it would not be order, but confusion, which the apostle would have avoided, saying, Let all things be done decently ^and in order. And this decen- cy too, he persuades to by the word, he doth not enforce by secular power : and if they will call this uniformity, for believers to prophesy one after another, according to the variety of the gifts of the spirit, and not many, or two or three at once, or the same time, we willingly agree with them : but how far this thing is from their sense, every one knows.
Thus you see these objections answered, and I am con- fident there are no more can be brought, but may as clearly and easily be answered as these.
And therefore, I say, I wonder, and wonder again, that we having covenanted and agreed together solemnly, to endeavour for a government most agreeable to the word of God, should in the mean time be left so void of the spirit and light of the gospel, as to fall upon external uniformity, which is no-where to be found in the gospel, nor in the practice of primitive Christians.
Yea, while I consider more seriously of the matter, me- thinks external uniformity is a monstrous thing, how glo- rious soever in their eyes ; and not to be found either in nature or in grace, either in Christ's kingdom, or the king- doms of the world.
In nature is no external uniformity extended to all the works of nature ; for look into the world, and see if there be not variety of forms ; heavenly and earthly bodies, hav> ing several forms ; and in the earth, each bird, beast, tree, plant, creature, differs one from another, in outward form. If the whole creation should appear in one form, or ex- ternal uniformity, what a monstrous thing would it be ; nothing differing from the first chaos ! But the variety of forms in the world, is the beauty of the world : So that
K
74 UNIFORMITY EXAMINED.
though there be a most admirable unity among all the crea- tures, yet there is nothing of external uniformity.
Again, as there is no external uniformity spread over the great world, so nor yet over the little world, or man. For look upon a man consisting of head and members, unto which the apostle compares the church, and you shall not find all tlie members like one another, neither in re- gard of their outward forms, nor operations : for the hand doth not move as the foot, nor the foot act as the hand ; nnd if all the members should appear and act in one form, what a monster would a man be ! and yet among the mem- bers, though there be no external uniformity, yet there is admirable unity.
And yet again, look into the kingdoms of the world, and you sh:ul see no such thing in them as external uni- formity : Here in Englajid you shall observe that York is not governed as Hull^ nor Hull as Hallifax, nor that as Bristol^ &.C. neither is one county governed uniformly as another ; there is no uniformity in the government of Kent and Essex ; nor one town governed like another ; in God- manchestcr, the youngest son inherits ; in Huntingdon the eldest : nor one corporation g^'erned like another, nor one company in the city governed as another ; and yet be- tween all counties, cities, towns, corporations, companies, there is unity, though no external uniformity. Yea, look upon the famous city of London^ and there are, it may be, an hundred thousand families, or more in it, and each one governed after a several manner ; and among all these fami- lies there is no external uniformity, and yet they all agree well enough in the unity of a city.
Nay, further, to bring but one man to an uniformity of life and practice, by an out^^ard law, would be the most absolute tjranr.y in the world, and make his life worse tiian death. To compel every man by law, every day in tiie week, or every Monday, Tuesday, 8<:c. in the week,
UNIFORMITY EXAMINED. 75
to an uniformity of life, that he shall rise at the same time, use the same postures, speak the same words, eat the same food, receive the same physic, sit, and stand, and walk, and lie down at the same set times, who ever heard of such a cruel bondage ? What an absurd and intolerable thing- then is uniformity in the life of a man, taking away all freedom of the soul ? But how much more evil and in- tolerable is uniformity in the life of a Christian, or of the true churches of Christ, taking away all freedom of the Spi- rit of God, who being one with God, works in the freedom of God, and is not to be bound with any authoritative or coercive power, of poor, dark, ignorant, vain, foolish, proud, and sinful men?
What now then do the Presbyters mean by uniformity "? Would they have the word preached, and the Sacraments administered, and the name of God called on, and all this done in spirit and in truth, in the churches of Christ ? this truly is unity, and not uniformity ; and such an unity as no man can compel. But would they have the word preached, the name of God called on. Sacraments administered, the spiritual discipline of the spiritual church managed, the vir- tues of Christ, and graces of the spirit in the saints exerci- sed, and all this in one and the same outward form, or unifor- mity ? Tliis is the burden of the saints, the bondage" of the church, the straitning of the Spirit, the limiting of Christ, and the eclipsing the glory of the Father. And how wise soever these men may be in natural and carnal things, yet their wisdom is but foolishness in spiritual things, in which there is no more uniformity than in the workings of the Spirit, who works severally in several saints, and several- ly in the same saints, at several times : And therefore they that would tie the church to an uniformity, which uorks not of itself, but as the Spirit works in it, let them, first tie the Spirit to an uniformity, and we are contented. But these men seem to run a sad hazard, who would thus re-
76 UNIFORMITY EXAMINED.
duce the workings of the Spirit, in Cliristians and churches, to an outward uniformity, according to their own mind and flmcy, and so would rule and order, and enlarge and strait- en the Spirit of God by the spirit of man : seeing it is worse to sin against Christ in the Spirit, than against Christ in the flesh.
And therefore, till I be otherwise taught by the word, I cannot conceive that there ought to be, or is possible to be, any such external uniformity in the churches of Christ, as these men strive, and contend for ; I will not say are ready to fight for : but that several churches of Christ, having unity of doctrine, faith, the spirit, ordinances, &c. may have divers forms of outward administrations, as God and Christ by the Spirit shall lead them ; and that every church is in these things to be left free, and no church for- ced by any outward power, to follow or imitate another church, against its will, not being freely led unto it by the Spirit of God,
Neither do I think tliat God hath set up any company of men, or synod in the world, to shine to a whole nation, so that all people shall be constrained to follow their judg- ment, and to walk by their light : seeing other ministers and Christians may have more light and spirit than they. Neither hath Christ promised his presence and Spirit, to ministers more than to believers, nor more to an hundred, than two or three : And if two or three Christians in the country, being met together in the name of Christ, have Christ himself, with his word and Spirit among them, they need not ride many miles to the Assembly at London to know what to do, or how to carry and behave themselves in the things of God. And therefore, for any company <-)f men, of what repute soever, to set up their own judg- ment in a kingdom, for a preremptory rule, from which no man must vary, and to compel all the faithful people of God, who are the very members of Jesus Christ him-
UNIFORMITY EXAMINED. 77
self, to fall down before it, upon pain of being cast into the burning fiery furnace of their indignation, heated seven times more hot than ordinary, through the desired access of secular power to their power, is a far worse work, in my eyes, than that of king Nebuchadnezzar'' s setting up a golden image, and forcing all to fall down before it ; see- ing spiritual idolatry, is so much worse than corporal, as the spirit is better than the flesh.
And therefore I do think (let them teach me better by the word that can) that uniformity, the great Diana of the Presbyterians, and the image that fells down from the brain and fancy of man, hath no footing in the Scrip- tures, or in the practice of the churches of Christ : And that the Presbyterian uniformity, is near akin to prelatical conformity, and is no other than the same thing under another word, after the manner of prelacy and Presbytery ; and to conclude that unity is Christian, uniformity anti- christian.
' And this I have only hinted, and that briefly, among many occasions, to discover to the faithful, that some of the very dregs of antichristianism still prevail and domi- neer, under the very name of reformation : and also to give occasion to men of more spirit and abilities, and leisure, to discourse more fully to this point, that the ser- pent's head of formality, which is so carefully nourished by human reason, may be crushed in pieces by the power of the word.
1 John, ii. 27.
The anointing which ye have received of him ^ abideth in you ; and ye need not that any man should teach you : buty as the same anointing teacheth you all things^ and is truths and is no lie : and even as it hath taught you, you shall abide in him.
The spiritual church is taught by the anointing, the car- nal church by councils.
I
THE
BUILDING, BEAUTY, TEACHING,
3 AND
EMBELLISHMENT,
OP THE
TRULY CHRISTIxVN AND SPIRITUAL CHURCH.
BY WILLIAM DELL.
Matt. v. 11, 12.
Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall
say all manner of evil against yon falsely for my sake.
Rejoice and be exceeding glad ; for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
PsAL. Ixix. 9. The reproaches of them that reproached thee, are fallen upon me.
AN
EXPOSITION
OF THE FIFTY-FOUUTH CHAPTER OF ISAIAIJ,
FROM VERSE ELEVENTH TO THE END.
The words are thus :
Ver. 11.0 thou afflicted, and tossed with tempest, and not comfort' ed ; behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
12. ^nd I will make thy ivindows of agates, and thy gates of car- buncles, and all thy border^ of pleasant stones, S^c.
THIS place of scripture is very useful to the church of God, in these times wherein we Hve ; yea verily, this prophet did not so much prophesy to his own age as to ours, nor to the Jewish church, as to the Christian. JF'or unto them it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us, they did minister the things which are now re- ported unto you, 1 Pet. i. 12.
The propliet Isaiah prophesied in the spirit, touching the kingdom of Christ, which stands not in the flesh, but in the Spirit ; and delivers from the Father, by the Sj)irit, many excellent promises, to be fulfilled in the Son incar- nate, head and members.
The first promise in this chapter, is touching the great increase of the church, in the days of the New Testament ; that whereas, before, the church was to be found but in ene kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, Rev. v. 9.
L
82 THE BUILDING, BEAUTY, &c.
now, it snoukl be gathered out o^everi/ /limh'ed, and tongue, and people, and natwn. And this is so desirable and com- fortable a thing, that in the beginning of the chapter, he calls upon all to rejoice at this ; Sing, 0 barren, thou that didst not bear ; break forth into singing and shout aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate, than of the married -wfe, saith the Lord. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations. Spare not. lengthen thy cords, cmd strengthen thy stakes : for thou shalt*break forth on the rigJit hand, and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make tJie desolate cities to be inhabited. Isai. liv. 1, l^c. So that there shall certainly be a most won- derful, and numerous increase of the faithful, in the Chris- tian church, till they become as the stars of heaven, and as the drops of the morning dew, that cannot be told, all of them assembled in the beauties of holiness.
And therefore let us not be overmuch troubled, though at present we see, in a numerous nation, but few true chil- dren of the spiritual church ; for God shall bless these few, and bid them increase, and multiply, and replenish the earth ; so that though the assemblies of the saints be now but thin, and oije comes from this place, and another from that, to these assemblies ; and in many and most places of the kingdom, these few are fain to come together secretly, for fear of the Jeivs, that is, the people oi the letter ; yet through the pouring forth of the Spirit, it shall come to pass, at last, that they shall come in flocks, andas doves to their unndonvs. And it shall be said to the church, by the Lord, Lift up thine eyes roundabout , and behold, all these ga- ther tJiemselves together, and come to thee: AsIHve,saiththe Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, aswith an or- nament, and bind them on thee as a bride doth, ^c. till at last the church shall say in htrh.eart, JFho hath begotten methese^ seeing I have lost my children^ andam desolate, a captive, and
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removing to and fro ? and who hath brought up these ? Be- hold I was left alone ; these, where had theij been ?
Ye;i, these very promises are now in the very act of accomi)lishing among us ; for the spiritual church hath received a very great increase within these few years, and God hath many faithful people in many places of this king- dom.
And one thing that is remarkable, touching the in- crease of the church at this day, is this : That wher« Christ sends the ministration of the Spirit, there many young peo- ple are brought in, to Christ ; as being most free from the forms ot the former age, and from the doctrines and tra- ditions of men, taught and received instead of the pure and unmixed word of God : whereas many old professors, who are wholly in the form, prove the greatest enemies to the power of godliness : and thus, the first are the last, and the last first.
Now this great and sudden increase of the faithful, is that which doth so exceedingly trouble the world, and makes them angry at the very heart. For, if they were but a few, mean, contemptible and inconsid< rable persons, whom they might easily suppress and destroy, they would be pretty quiet : but when they begin to increase in the land, as Israel did in Egypt ; and, notwithstanding all the burdens of their task masters, wherewith they are afflicted and grieved, do yet increase abundantly, and multiply, and wax exceeding mighty, till they begin to fill the land ; and when they consult to deal wisely with them, lest they multiply too much, do yet see them grow and multiply the more, that they know not at what country, or city, or town, or village, or family, to begin to suppress them : this is that which doth so exceedfngly vex and enrage the world, and makes them even mad again, as we see this day. For the increase of the faithful, as it is the glory of the church, so it is the grief and madness of the world.
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But these men in vain attempt against tliis increase of the faithful, as the Egyptians against the increase of the Isra- elites ; for none can hinder the increase of the church, but they that hinder God from pouring out his Spirit ; and ac- cording to tlie measure of God's pouring forth the Spirit, is and must be the increase of the church, in despite of all the opposition of the world.
And thus much touching the first promise of the church's increase.
Now in the words I read to you, the Lord comes to another promise : so that the Lord, because of the church's weakness, adds one promise to another ; and these pro- mises are nothing but the outgoings and manifestations of his love, through the word, Christ. But to look more nearly upon the words.
Ver. W. 0 thou afflicted.
Affliction in the world, doth so inseparably attend the church, that the church even takes its denomination from it, 0 thou afflicted. The condition of the church, is an afflicted condition. For the church being born of God, and born of the Spirit, is put into a direct contrariety to the world, which is born of the flesh, and is also of its fa- ther, the dt^il. And so, the whole world is malignant against the faithful and spiritual church ; and all that are not regenerate, set their faces, yea, their hearts and their hands, against the saints ; and the unregenerate world, is against the regenerate ; and the carnal world, against the spiritual ; and the sinful world, against the righteous ; and all the people and nations in the world, are against that people and nation which the apostle calls, a holy nation^ and a peculiar people.
As the world cannofendure God in himself, so neither can it endure God in the saints ; and so the more God dwells in the saints, the more doth the world afflict the
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saints ; for they oppose not the faithful for any thing of flesh and blood in them, but because that flesh and blood of theirs is the habitation of God, and the very presence of God himself is there : as he saith, I will dwell in them, and walk in them. Agreeable to this is that of Christ, where he saith, All this shall they do to you, for my name^s sake ; that is, when the name of Christ is called upon us, and we are taken into his name, that is, into his nguteousness, and life, and truth, and wisdom, and holiness ; and into his nature, which comprehends all this ; then, when the world perceives the name of God in the sons of men, and the nature of God in the natures of men, then presently they fall a persecuting the saints, for this name and na- ture's sake : and he that strikes at God in his saints, would, if he could, strike at God in himself. And therefore let the world take heed what they do in this point ; for while they persecute the saints, they are found fighters against God himself, because God is one with them, and they are one with God in Christ. And let the saints be admonish- ed, so to hide and retire themselves into God through Christ, that whoever is an enemy to them, and opposes them, may rather be an enemy to God, and oppose God than them, they living and acting in God, and not in them- selves.
Now this affliction the church meets with in the world, is profitable for the church ; it is good for it that it should be afflicted : for the more it is afflicted in the flesh, the more it thrives in the spirit : this affliction stirs us up to the exercise of our faith and prayer : yea, then is our faith most active and vigorous, and our prayers most fervent, till they till the whole heavens again ; then are we most in the use of the word ; then are we set off" furthest from the world ; then do we keep closest to God ; then have we nearest intercourse and communion with him : so that we could better want fire, and water, and the sun, than want
86 THE BUILDING, BEAUTY, &c.
affliction, which God, out of his mere love, through his over-ruhng power and wisdom, causes to work unto us for good. So that we, who are placed in the hand of Christ, are set in such a condition, wherein nothing can do us any harm forever, but evil itself must work good unto us. But we proceed.
Tossed with tempest.
Where we see that the church is not .only afflicted, but violently afflicted ; one wave comes against it after ano- ther, as in a tempest ; and the more spiritual the church is, the more doth the world become as a raging sea against it ; because the more spiritual the church is made, it is set in the more contrariety to the world, and the world to it. The psalmist describes this tempter in the world against the church; They came upon me Uke a ramping and a roaring lion : And again. They came upon me^ to eat up myfiesh, as they would eat bread. When the saints have appeared in the spirit, and acted in the spirit, how violent and en- raged hath the world been against them ? It would toss them, as in a tempest, from place to place, from post to pillar, as they say, till it hath quite tossed them out of the wodd. Yea, men naturally meek and moderate, how- fierce have they become against the saints, when there hath appeared any glorious discoveries of Christ in them ! For the enmity,, that is in the seed oi the serpent, against the seed of the woman, will be still breaking forth ; and though it may for a time be covered under many moral virtues, and a form of godliness, yet when God leaves them to themselves, and lets them act outwardly according to their inward principles, how cruelly, and maliciously, and fiercely, and desperately do they act against the saints of God *? Yea, there is not that enmity between T'z/rA" and Jew^ as there is between carnal gospellers and spiritual Christians ; the former hating these, and being angry
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against thes^ to the very death. And whenever the Lord shall suffer these to exercise their enmity against the church, then shall the church's condition become such as it is here described, ajliicted and tossed with tempest. And not comforted.
The church of God, in all the e*vil it meets with in the world, hath not one drop of comfort from the world : it hath affliction, 'tribulation, persecution, from the world ; but no cosnfort.
This we see in Christ the head ; you know what he suf- fered in the world in the days of his flesh ; he was despised and rejected of 7nen, and so full of sorrows, that he took his name from them, and \^'as called, A man of sorroxvs, and acquainted with grief: At last, out of mere envy and ma- lice, they apprehended him, bound him, buffeted him, spit on him, crucified him ; and all this would have b^en but a small matter to have suffered from the heathen ; but he suffered all this from the only visible church of God in the world ; who put him to the most painful and shameful death of the cross, between two malefactors, to bear the ■world in hand, that he was the third, and the chief. And in all this evil he had nobody to pity him, or have com- passion on him; but they laughed at him, "and derided him, and mocked and jeered him ; but nobody comforted him.
And as it was Christ the head, so it is with Christ the body and members ; they, in all the evils, and woes, and sorrows, and oppositions, and persecutions they have from the world, have nobody to comfort them, or take compassion on them. Refuge failed me, saith David, no man cared for my soul. Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness, saith Henian, Psal. Ixxxviii. 18. 1^.-
Brethren and beloved, ye that are partakers of the he::- venly calling, and of the divine natuie. if ever the Lord
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suffer the world to prevail against you, to afflict you, and toss you from one evil to another, as in a tempest, to re- proach 3 ou, throw you out of your comforts, tmrtish you, imprison you, &:c. you shall find nobody to comfort you ; nobody will take notice of you, or regard you, or own you, or pity you, or be so sensible of your condition, as to say, "Alas! my brother."
You must look for affliction in the world, but you must look for no comfort there. When God shall cast us into sorrows and sufferings, let us not look for one worldly man to stand by us, no not of those that now smile upon us, and pi^tcnd friendship to us ; no nor yet of our near relations ; but then that shall be fulfilled, I was a stranger To my brethren, an alien to my mother* s children. Nay yet fur- ther ; they that are weak or worldly Christians, will stand aloof from thee, and will be shy to own, and countenance, and encourage, and comfort thee publicly. The disciples of Christ, when he was led to the cross, they all forsook h'lm^ and jied^ and left him to tread the wine-press alone. And so, if you suffer in the righteousness and truth of God, you shall find little comfort from men. 0 thou afflicted^ tossed xvith tempest^ arid not comforted !
Now this'the Lord doth, in much mercy to his saints ; he leaves them destitute of earthly comfort, that they may look for heavenly ; he leaves them destitute of all comfort from men, that they may look for comfort from God alone. And therefore when thou art brought into *juch a case, to be afflicted and not comforted, lift up thy lieart to God, and expect all from him, saith Christ, John xvi. The world shall hate yoii^ and persecute you^ and shall put you out of their synagogues, and shall kill you ; and in doing all this, shall think they do God good service : But, saith he, / will send you the Comforte^. Christ knew well enough, that among all these evils, They shall have no comforter on
OF THE SPIRITUAL CHURCH. 89
earth, and therefore promises to send them one from hea- ven.
And therefore, when thy soul is placed in affliction, ne- ver look after any earthly, or sensual, or creature comforts, for they will prove poison to thy soul ; but only look for heavenly comforts, such as the Spirit brings, such as flow immediately from God ; for these are pure, and sweet, and unmixed, and refreshing, and supporting, and satisfy- ing, and enduring comforts ; comforts that are able to make thee rejoice, not only in fulness, but in wants : not only among friends, but in the midst of enemies ; not only in good report, but in evil report ; not only in prosperity, but in tribulations ; not only in life, but in death ; they will make thee go singing to prison, to the cross, to the grave ; they are mighty comforts, infinitely stronger than all the sorrows of the fltsh: and hence it is, that many saints and martyrs have gone cheerfully to the stake, and sung in the very flames : the comforts of God in their souls, have strengthened them to this.
Thou that art a believer, and in union with Christ, ne- ver doubt of this comfort in thy greatest sorrows. When Christ had none to stand by him, and comfort him, God sent an angel from heaven to do it : And so, when we are left alone in the world, rather than we shall want comfort, God will send us an angel from heaven, to comfort us ; yea, the Spirit itself, which is greater than all the angels in heaven ; and we shall certainly be comforted by God, when we are afflicted and tossed with tempest, and not comforted by men.
Behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, ^c.
The Lord seeth the church in its affliction, without all comfort in the world, and then the Lord comes and com- forts it himself ; and this he doth by a premise. They are the sweetest comforts that are brought to us in the pro- mises. The promises are the swadling-clothes of Christ,
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they cany Christ wrapt up in them ; and Christ repre- sented to the church, hatli been the comfort of it, in all its evils, outward or inward.
And therefore, whatever affliction takes hold on thee, have recourse to the promises, to draw thy comforts from Christ through them. O how sweet is that life that is led in the promises ! a life led in the promises, is the best life in the world. Men that have estates in money or land depend on these things for their maintenance ; but a Chris- tian may have Httle or nothing of these in the world, but he hath a promise, which is a thousand times better, and makes his life more comfortable ; / ain God all-sufficient ; and, 1 xvill not fail thee nor forsake thee: whereupon he comes to this resolution. The Lord is my portion, saith my soiil^ I will trust in him. O how sweet a life is this life,' that knows no cares, nor fears, nor troubles, nor disquiet- ments ! here, saith a believer, is my estate, and living, and the lot of mine inheritance ; and this is a thousand times better and more certain estate, than all the manors and lord- ships in the kingdom ; for, my bread shall be given me, my waters shall be sure; The Lord is 7ny shepherd, and I shall not want ; no, not when the lions (the great men of the king- dom, to whom every poor mcin is a prey') shall lack and suf- fer hunger. He that hath given me his own nature and Spirit, will not leave me destitute of food and clothing.
Take another instance. A man, feeling the bitterness of affliction to flesh and blood, is ready to think, O how shall I ever be able to suffer this or that, or to part with my relations, with my estate, with my life, and all that is near and dear unto me ? Why, when a Christian lays hold on the promise, God is faithful, and will not suffer us to be tempted above that which xve are able. O, saith a Chris- tian, God will never bring me to any temptation or trial, but he will give me strength proportionable to it, or above it : and so lives satisfied with the truth, and goodness, and
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power of God. And thus you see in these instances, that a life led in the promises, is the sweetest and best life ; when a man can draw all from God himself, through a pro- mise.
And this in general, That God comforts his church by a promise.
But to come more particularly to the words :
Behold^ I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy Jbundafions with sapphires.
And I will make thy wifidows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, atid all thy borders of pleasant stones.
The promise relites to the spiritual church of the New Testament ; and this, you will observe, is often in scrip- ture compared to a building, and that to a most stately, sumptuous, magniiiccnt and glorious building ; as being all built of precious stones, and so more glorious than the first temple, which was built up of common stones ; and it was prophesied, that the glory of the second temple should fur exceed the glory of the first. The first temple was Solomon'^s, which was indeed filled with the outward pr^^sence of God; but the second temple is the humanity of Jesus Christ, or the flesh of Christ, both head and members; this is the living temple of the living God ; the temple that God hath built by his Spirit, for his own ha- bitation ; wherein God dwells truly, really, spiritually, and most nearly, by the way of the most near union, whereby God and the creature are knit together ; and this spiritual temple is more glorious than the first material one, either according to the first edition of it by Solomon, or the se- cond edition of it by the fathers, in the days of Cyrus, Da- rius, and Artaxerxes.
Here then you see, that the Lord promiseth to build up the church of the New Testament, with stones of fair colours, with precious stones. I will not stand to inquire
92 THE BUILDING, BEAUTY, &c.
particularly into the natures of the several stones here na- med ; for the Jews themselves do not fully agree about them. It shall be sufficient for us to attain to the mean- ing of the spirit in this place, and that is this.
That the spiritual church of the New Testament, is not to be built with common, but with precious stones.
Now the full sense of these words I shall give you forth in several particulars.
1. You see here the matter of Avhich the church of the New Testament is made ; and that is not of common, but of precious stones ; elect and precious stones ; and such are the faithful : For,
1. They have a more excellent nature than other men have ; for they are born of God, and so partake of the nature of God ; and so in this sense, may be said to come forth from Gjd, as the child from the father : and the Lord Jesus did not more truly partake of the nature of man, than these do partake of the nature of God ; and therefore saith Peter ^ Great and precious promises are made to Its, that rue sJwukI be partakers of tJie divine nature. Others have only the nature of men in them, or which is worse, the nature of the devil : but the faithful have in them the nature of God, communicated to them through a neiv birth. .
2. They have a more excellent spirit than others have ; as it was said of Daniel, that there was a more excellent spirit found with him, than with all the other wise men. Now the excellency of each creature, is according to the spirit of it : but the saints have the Spirit of God, even the Spirit of the Father and the Son dwelhng in them ; they have ihr same Sj.irit of God dwelling in their flesh, as Christ had dwelling in his flesh : so that the very Spirit of God is foimd in the feithful, and therefore they arc more glorious than the rest of the world.
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3. They have a more excellent lustre than other men. One tiling that appertains to the excellency of precious stones, is the lustre of them. Now this lustre in the faith- ful, is the glory of God ujjon them : Tlie Lord shall arise upon thee, aiid his glorij shall be see?! upon thee, saith Isaiah cliap. Ix. and Paul saith, ff^e all, beholding as in a glass, the glorif of the Lord, are changed intothe sameimage, from glo- rij to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. So that as Christ W:is taken into the glory of the Father, so are we ta- ken into the glory of Christ ; as he saith, And the glory which thou gave st me, I have given them, John xvii. for the head and members are taken into the same glory, according to their proportion.
4. They have more excellent operations ; for the faith- ful are not such precious stones that are only for shew, but they also have some virtue in them, even the very vir- tues of Jesus Christ : for they, having the same nature and Spirit of God as he had, are able, according to the mea- sure of the gift of Christ, to do the same works that he did ; and so the saints are excellent, in the operations of faith, hope, love, humility, meekness, patience, tem- perance, heavenly-mindedness, &c. And in this respect also are more precious than the rest of the world. And there- fore the Lord calls them his jewels ; Li the day wherein I make up my jewels : and elsewhere they are called the pre- cious sons of Sion. The people of God area most precious people, men and women of a precious anointing ; though some wicked and scurrilous libellers against the spiritual church, will not allow them this name ; but (according to the anointing they have received from satan) reproach it. And yet still it is a truth, that the gates of hell shall not pre- vail against. That the truly iaithful are precious stones in the building of the church, partaking of the nature and Spirit of God, and of the lustre and operations ot both.
94 THE BUILDING, BEAUTY, See.
Whereas, on the contrary, other people are the vile of the earth, the Xvmq filth and off- scouring of all things, Psal. XV. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned : a man that is a natural man, a sinful and unregenerate man, who hath no other nature in him, but that corrupt nature he brought into the world, though in this present world he may be a gentleman, or a knight, or a nobleman, or a king : yet in the eyes of God and his saints, he is but a vile person; and a poor mean Christian, that earns his bread by hard la- bour, is a thousand times more precious and excellent than he, according to the judgment of God and his word.
And thus much for the first thing, tl>e matter of which the church of th^New Testament is made, that is, of pre- cious stones.
2. Now the next thing observable, is the variety of these precious stones. For the spiritual church is not built up of precious stones of one sort only; not all of sap- phires, nor all of agates, nor all of carbuncles: but of ail tiicse; both sapphires, agates, carbuncles, and many other precious stones of fair colours.
And this denotes the diversity of gifts in the saints of God. For though all of them are precious stones, yet they are of diversity of colours, and lustre, and operations : And this also makes for the greater glory of the church ; for the variety of lustre adds to the beauty and ornament of it. In the body of a man, there is not one member, but many. If the body were all but one member, it would be but a lump of flesh ; but the variety of mem- bers, with their several gifts and operations, are the glory of the body. And so it is in the church, the body of Jesus Christ, wherein are divers mt mbers, \vith diversity of gifts and operations, excellently set forth by Paul; Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit: Aud there are dif- ferences of administrations, but the same Lord: and there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God thatworketh
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all in all. But the manifestation of the spirit is given to ev- ery one to profit withal: For to one is given by the spirit, the word of wisdom ; to another, the word of knowledge by the same spirit ; to another, faith by the same spirit ; to another, the gift of healing by the same spirit ; to another, the working of miracles ; to another, prophesy ; to another, discerning of spirits ; to another, divers kinds of tongues ; to another, interpretation of tongues ; but all these worketh that one and the same spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will, 1 Cor. xii. 4, &c. Here, you see, are diversities of gifts, and administrations, and operations in the faithful ; but all proceed from one and the same spirit : and whatso- ever gift proceeds from the spirit, there is an excellent beauty, a heavenly lustre in it.
And therefore labour to distinguish between those gifts that are connatural to thee, and flow from thy own spirit, and those gifts that are supernatural, and flow from God's Spirit. In all the operations of thine own spirit, in all thy natural abilities, parts, wisdom, learning, actings, there is nothing but ungodliness, deformity, darkness, death j how specious soever they may appear to the world : but in the gifts and operations that flow from God's Spi- rit, there is a heavenly beauty, and lustre, and glory : yea, even in weak Christians, that are true Christians, you shall often see -and discern an excellent beauty in some gift or other, which they have received from the spirit; which shines not forth so clearly in some stronger Christians. And therefore, let us not expect all gifts in all men, and that every man should excel in every gift ; for then one would be saying to another, I have no need of thee. But God hath given diversity of gifts to divers saints, that each may acknowledge something in another, which he hath not himself, and may reckon his perfection to lie in his union and communion with them ; that so the commu- nion of saints may be kept up in the world, in despite of
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the world. One Christian hath the gift of faith, another the gift of prayer, another the gift of utterance in preach- ing, another the gift of courage, another the gift of meek- ness, and the hke ; and no man hath all things in himself, that every man, in the sight of his own wants, mciy be kept humble. And this is a glorious thing in this building, that the lustre of each stone adds to the lustre of all ; and the lustre of all is communicated to each stone : and so in the spiritual building, what one hath from the spirit, it is for all ; and what all have, is for each one. If thou hast the gift of utterance in the ministration of the spirit, it is to build me up ; if I have the spirit of prayer, it com- mends thee as carefully to God as myself: one watches over another, as over his own soul ; and if any be weak, the strong support them ; if any be doubtful, they that have the gift of knowledge direct them ; if one be trou- bled, the rest mourn with him ; if one be comforted, the rest rejoice with him ; and they are all so linked together in the body of Christ, that the good and evil of one ex- tends to all. Where thou canst find such another com- munion, there join thyself: but if this be the only ex- cellent communion in the world, v.ho would not willingly join himself to that spiritual people, where no man calls his grace his ov.-n, but all gifts are in common among all, every one having a share in the faith, hope, love, prayer, peace, joy, wisdom, strength of all ; and Al hav- ing a share in these gifts and graces, that are in any one ? And thus much for the diversity of the stones, as well as the preciousness of them.
3. The third thing that reveals the sense of the words, is to observe, that this spiritual building of the church of the New Testament is made up all of precious stones, without any mixture of common stones ; is made up of sapphires, agate s, carbuncles ; and adds, and ail thy borders of pleasant stones.
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Here then must be no mingling of the precious and the vile, the holy and the proiane, the faithful and the unbe- liever, the spiritual and the carnal ; but all must be pre- cious. If a man had a jewel, that had here and there only a precious stone in it, and all the rest common pebbles, there would be no great glory in such a jewel ; but the common stones would take oft' from the lustre of the pre- cious ones : And so the church is God's jewel in the world, and it must be made up only of precious stones, as you see here. And where are their eyes that perceive not this?
There be some that talk much against new doctrine, which is the old reproach of the gospel : but surely there ^vas never newer doctrine than this. That the spiritual church of the New Testament should be made up of all the people that live in a kingdom ; and that all that are born in such a nation, should necessarily be stones for the building up of the new Jerusalem. This is a new doctrine indeed, which neither the Old nor the New Testament owns ; but was conveyed into the world by the spirit of antichrist. For God doth not now make any people, or kindred, or nation, his church ; but gathers his church out of every people, ar.d kindred, and nation : and none can be stones of this building, but those that are first electa and after made precious through a new birth, and the gift of the Spirit. And this doctrine the word will justify against the world ; for Paul^ writing to the churches of Ephesus and Corinthy &c. doth he mean all the people that livqd at Ephesus or Corinth ? No, but the faithful and elect, chil- dren by adoption, saints by calling ; and saith, So it was meet for him to Judge of them all. And if any were mistaken for a saint that was none, surely he carried himself very like one ; he was outwardly in sheep's clothing, or he had not been reckoned among the flock : and so, if a stone be
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taken into this building that is not truly precious, yet it is so hke one, in shew and colour, that it can hardly be discerned to be other, but by a very skilful lapidary. And indeed, such a mistake there may be in Christ's kingdom, here, that a few counterfeit stones may be taken up among many precious ones : but that is the mistake of a false church, where a thousand counterfeit ones arc taken in for one truly precious ; wherein for one faithful Christian, there are many formalists, and many more profane. This is not such a building as the prophet speaks of; for this is all of elect and precious stones. But I cannot enlarge on these things, because this exercise I intend chiefly as an exposition : only I will add one or two things more touch- ing this particular, and so go on.
1. If the church of the New Testament is to be built all of precious stones, what a building is that, where the only care is to keep these stoiies out of the building, lest by their glory and lustre they should darken the rest ?
2. Consider, when the church shall be built up all of such precious stones, what a glorious church will that be, when the glory of the Lord shall shine forth in every stone of this building ? How will there be then glory upon glory, till the glory of the church first darken, and then put out all the glory of the world ?
3. Consider, what great enemies they are to the true and native glory of the church, that would have every man in a kingdom a member of the church, and would have those taken into the flock that are none of Christ's sheep; and those taken into the church of God that are not of God ; and would gather up any stones to make up this temple of God. These are the men that would keep off" those glorious things from being fulfilled in the church, which are spoken of it in the word. « >
4. We are to take notice, who is the builder of such a structure as this, all made up of precious stones : and you
OF THE SPIRITUAL CHURCH. 99
shall find in the word, that the builder and maker ofit, is God. I will do it, saith the Lord ; behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and Iwill lay thy foundationswith sapphires, and I will make thy windows of agates ; it is all God's work from the bt-^ginning to the end. For who can build unto God a living temple to dwell in, but himself? This the prophet speaks plainly, where he saith, The man whose name is the branchjie shall biiildthe temple of the Lord, even he shall build it. It lies in the power of no man, to make such a build- ino: as this is. What wild and woful work do men make when they will undertake to be building the church, by their own human wisdom, and prudence, and counsel? \Vh^ they think, we will have the church of God thus and thus ; and we will make it up of such and such men ; and we will govern it by such and such laws : and we will get the power of the magistrate to back ours : and then, what we cannot do by the power of the word and spirit, we will do by the power of flesh and blood : Poor men ! that think that these new heavens wherein the Lord will dwell, must be the work of their own fingers ; or that the new Jerusa- lem must of necessity come out of the assembly of divines at Westminster, which is to come down from. God out of hea- ven : or that they can build the house of God, all of pre • cious stones, whereas this must be God's own work, and his own domg ; and no state or council in the world can bring this about. Apd after much trial, and pains, and weariness, the Lord will at last teach his own, that the ga- thering and laying these precious stones together, must be the Lord's own doing, even his own doing.
When the building of the church is left to men, how wofully is it managed ! Why saith one, we must needs ad- mit such a one, he is the chief man in the parish, or he is a man of good esteem in the world, or he is a nobleman, or he is my near kinsman, or is thus and thus related to me, or he is a good civil fair dealing man, and we must
\
100 THE BUILDING, BEAUTY, &c.
needs admit him ; and thus will flesh and blood be ever making a carnal temple for God to dwell in ; but God's true habitation can never be framed but by tlie Spirit.
And therefore for the building of the church, let us look hischer than the hisfhest instruments ; for it must be the Lord's own work by the word and spirit : and though every man be against it, and oppose it, yet the Lord will do it; when there are no hands to build it up, he will build it up without hands. / will lay thy stones with^ &c. It follows.
Ver. 13. And thy children shall he taught of the Lordj i^d great shall be the peace of thy children.
See here, how the prophet by the spirit, carries up the saints above all visible and sensible things, even as high as God himself; God [siiih he to the church) shall build thee, and God shall teachthee; all thy children shallbe taught of the Lord. The note is this : that all the true and genuine children of the clmrch, have God's own teaching, in all the things of God, they have the Father and the Son, to teach them by the Spirit. This truth Christ himself con- firms, where he saith, It is written, that they shall be all taught of God ; he therefore that heard dnd learned of my Father, cometh to me. And again. The spirit, when he is come, he shall lead you into all truth ; which doctrine, John afterwards preached thus : The a?iointing which ye have re- ceived of him, ahideth in you : and ye need not that any man should teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you all things, 1 John ii. 27.
•Hereby now we perceive, how few true children of the church there be among those that are commonly called Christians ; for among all these, how few arc there who have the teaching of God ? but most have their teaching only from men, and no higher.
Consider therefore, I j:)ray, whether the knowledge you have, be from the teaching of God, or the teaching of
OF THE SPIRITUAL CHURCH. 101
man ; you all pretend to know that Christ is the Son of the living God : and that redemption and salvation is by him alone ; but how came ye by this knowledge ? did you read it in the letter ? or did sojue-body tell vou so ? or hath God himself taught you this ? For no man knows the Son but the Father, andlie toxvhom the Father will reveal him ; and there- fore, A\ hen Peter said, Thou art Christy the Sofi of the living God ; Christ answered, Flesh and blood hath not taught thee this, but my Father xvhich is in heaven. And so, though all of you profess yourselves Christians, yet none of you know Christ truly, but only such as are taught of the Father. And this holds in all other points, as touching calling, and faith, and union, and justification, and sanctification, and the gift of sealing the Spirit, touching the spiritual king- dom of Christ, and the government of it. O consider, whether you have the teachmg of God in these things or no ; and if you have not the teaching of God, you are none of the children of the church ; whatever truth thou knowest from the letter, if thou hast not the teaching of the Spirit, it will do thee no good ; thou knowest not any thing spiritually and savingly, wherein thou hast not the teaching of God. All thy children shall be taught of the Lord.
And therefore, what a sad thing is it, when men look for their teaching no farther than men ? they only look to the minister, or to such an able, learned, orthodox man, as they phrase it ; or at the highest, to the Assembly ; and what they shall teach them, they are resolved to stand by it, and build upon it for their foundation ; in the mean time, never regarding, in truth, the teaching of God : but say, what, can so many grave, learned, godly men err ? and shall not we believe what they determine ? W^iy now, these are none of the children of the spiritual church ; for they neither have God'^ teaching, nor care for it \ but the spiri- tual church is all taught of God.
102 THE BUILDING, BEAUTY, &c.
And great shall be the peace of thy children.
That is, when men are taught of God, then there is nothing but peace among them ; when God comes and teacheth thee, and me, and another, and many, then we ail agree, because we are all taught of God, and see all tlunfjs by the same light, and apprehend all things by the same Spirit, because all have the same teaching. AntI so thr-y that are taught of God, though one come out of the East^ and another out of the JVest, and another out of the Souths and never had any former communion together, yet they ail agree in the same truth, and think, and spealt the same things ; and so, there is love and amity, and peace and uni- ty among them, because they are all taught of God, and liave learned the truth, not as it is in this or that man, or as- sembly of men, but as it is in Jesus.
And truly, this is the true ground of all the differences and dissensions, and heats that are in the liingdom at this time, to wit, because some are taught of God, and some are not taught of God, but men only : the carnal church is only taught of men, and goes no higher ; but the spiritual church is truly taught of God. Now they that are taught of God,, and they that are taught of men, see the same truths with a great deal of difference, and hereupon arises the controversy and quarrel ; for one will have the truth as he sees it in the light of God ; another will have it as he apprehends it in his own fancy ; and the carnal man will not yield to the spiritual ; and the spiritual man cannot yield to the carnal. Saith one, this is the mind of God, and I have learned it from his own teaching : saith anotlier, this is not the mind of God, for such a learned minister, or ministers, taught me otherwise, and so I apprehend it ; and thus, as the flesh and spirit are contrary, so are their teachings : and hence our divisions and troubles. But when men are all taught of God, then they are all at peace one with another, and all do agree in the substance
OF THE SPIRITUAL CHURCH. 103
of the truth of the gospel ; and if some do not know the same thmgs they do, they can wait, with patience, till God also reveal that unto them ; for they know with all their hearts, that they themselves could never have known those things, except God had taught them : and so they cannot be angry at others, whom tlie Lord as yet hath not vouchsiifed to teach : and so they are meek and gentle to- wards ail, as beseems the spirit, as well as at peace among th<:rri selves. All thy children shall be taught of the Lord, atid great shall be the peace of thy children : For they know, that no man is higher or lower than another in the kingdom of God, but are all equal in Jesus Christ ; they know that no mail can challenge Christ more to himself than another, ;ur all have equal interest in him, and Christ is alike near ro all in whom he dwells ; yea, they all as willingly com- municate their own things to the brethren, as they them- selves do partake of Christ's things ; and so there is no- thing but peace. When men know that no man is any thing in himself, but every one is all that he is in Christ : and when men love Christ merely for himself, and where they see most of Christ, there love most ; and if Christ be more in another than himself, can love such a one more than himself, not for his own sake, but for Christ's sake ; then there is nothing but peace. Great shall b4Mhe peace of thy children. Ver. 14. In righteousness shalt thou be established, ^c. This spiritual church had need of establishment ; for, when God hath done all this for it, when he hath built it, and tauglit it himself, it shall not want trouble and opposi- tion, and contradiction, and persecution in the world, and therefore it stands in great need of establishment. But how shall this be done ? why saith he,
/« righteousness shalt thou be established. That is, not by any outward power or force, or armies, or fortifications, or factions, or confederacies ; all these.
104 THE BUILDING, BEAUTY, &c.
are but a staff of reed ; but in righteousness ; and that is, both in the righteousness of Christ received by us, and working in us : the first is, the righteousness of justifica- tion : the second is, the righteousness of sanctification, and our estabiisliment lies in both.
1. In the righteousness of justification, which is called the righteousness of faith, or Christ's own righteousness, received into us : and in this sense it is said, Except ye be- lieve^ ye shall never be established : for by faith we partake of the righteousness of God through Christ ; and this is an infinite and everlasting righteousness, that hath neither spot, nor blemish in it, this is able to establish us for ever and ever ; so that the church hath no more establishment, than it hath of the righteousness of Christ by faith ; as the church goes from faith to faith, so it goes from establishment to establishment.
2. Our establishment lies in the righteousness of our sanctification ; w hich is nothing but Christ working in us, as the fornier was Christ dwelling in us ; for the same Christ that is the righteousness of our justification, is the righteousness of our sanctification. Now the establish- ment of the church, is, when we let the righteousness of Christ work all in us, and we work all in the righteousness of Chridpl then are we established mightily and invincibly indeed ; ^i^d how much Christians swerve from this rule, so much they become weak and unsettled: sometimes Chris- tians will be living out of Christ in themselves, and they will be moving, and acting, and working according to hu- man wisdom and prudence, and the counsels aiui devices of flesh and blood, but in all this they have no establish- ment at all. And therefore, ye that are faithful, see to it, that ye turn aside Neither to the right hand nor to the left, through any worldly hopes or fears ; but do ye live and act in the righteousness of Christ : and as the Lord lives, though you have kingdoms and nations for your enemies,
OF THE SPIRITUAL CHURCH. 105
you shall not be moved, but shall be established more firmly than the earth.
And therefore, I pray, consideryour establishment, where it lies, and that is in righteousness, and in righteousness only. Some trust to this strength, and some to that, som-e to this aid, and some to that ; but the spiritual church scorns to trust to any creature for establishment, but looks to be established only in righteousness ; and because of this, neither men nor devils shall prevail against it. And therefore, you that are of this temple and building, which is made by God, seeing you have so many enemies on all hands, pray look to your establishment, which is in right- eousness : /;; righteousness shalt thou be established.
Thou shalt be far from oppression^ for thou shalt not fear ; and from terror^ for it shall not come near thee.
The fear and terror he speaks of here, is inward fear and terror, from which the church shall be free in the midst of all outward evils ; for though the church be full of danger and persecution without, yet it is free from fear and terror within ; nay, the church hath trouble without, but peace within ; affliction without, joy within ; weakness without, strength within ; imprisonment without, liberty within ; persecution without, content within ; against all the sorrows and sufferings of the flesh, they have refresh- ings, comforts, hopes, sweetnesses, rejoicings, triumphs in the spirit : and so in the midst of evil, are free from evil ; and in the midst of sufferings, are free from pain : yea, they rejoice in tribulations, and in the midst of evil are fil- led and satisfied with good.
Ver. 15. Behold they shall surely gather together^ but not by me ; whosoever shall gather together against thee^ shall fall for thy sake.
A very strange thing it is, that the spiritual church,
being thus builded, and taught and established, any should
yet be so blind, and mad, as to engage against it ; and yet
O
106 THE BUILDING, BEAUTY, &c.
the world, and the carnal church, especially doth this : yea^ the more pure and spiritual the church is, the more enmity the world and formalists have against it.
Behold they shall surely gather together. When they shall see the churches gathering together into the true communion of saints, then will they gather themselves together against the churches : And why do these men blame the churches, for gathering together unto Christ, when they themselves gather together against the church, as we daily see ? Indeed, the gathering toge. ther of the saints, the world doth most hate of all other things : O, this is a dreadful and terrible thing to them : it makes their hearts ake within them, and looseth the joints of their loins ; they think their exaltation will be their ov^ti abasement ; and their gathering together, their own scattering ; and their glory, their own shame ; and their strength their own undoing ; and out of these con- ceits, the world acts so strongly and furiously, to scatter abroad again Christ's own gatherings together. But the Lord hath decreed and promised, to hew that little stone of Christ's spiritual church, out of the mountain of the world, without hands, and will certainly accomplish it, and is now about that very business : but the world, that never looks beyond sense, they think this is surely a plot of ours, and that we have a great desigai in hand : and so we have indeed ; but the design is not our design, but God's, contrived in eternity, and discovered to Daniel chap. ii. and this is the setting up a khigdom of saints in the world, under Christ the king of saints, wherein the people shall live alone in point of spiritual worship and communion, and shall have nothing to do with the rest of the nations. This counsel of God begins to be accom- plished, and the world thinks that we are subtil, and wc are mighty : whereas they are clearly mistaken in us ; for the wisdom and strength whereby this is done, is God's,
OF THE SPIRITUAL CHURCH. 107
and not ours. For it is the Lord must build this spiritual church, and set it up in the world, and preserve it against the world, and cause it to increase, till it fills the world ; so that the design, and the accomplishment of it, belongs to God, and not to us ; and they that are displeased at it, let them go and quarrel against God : and so they will cer- tainly do, through the operation of the devil ; Behold^ saith he, they shall surely gather together : As soon as ever thi^ church separates from the world, the world gathers toge- ther against the church.
Yea, this place is not only to be understood of those that are open enemies without the church, but of a generation in it, that are not of it ; and so the giithering together against the church, shall be in the church : and so Calvin interprets ; and such a thing will assuredly come to pass, that the church, as well as the kingdom, will have domestic enemies ; it hath been so in all ages, and what wonder will it be if it be so in this ? The first division in this kingdom, was between common profession, and open pro- faneness, and if ever there be another, it is like to lie be- tween the form and power of godliness ; and the children that are born after thejiesh, will up, and be persecuting them that are born after the Spirit ; and the deepest wounds we shall receive, will be in the house of our friends ; not our friends indeed, but of such who seem to be so ; for they pray as well as we, and preach, and hear, and receive the sacraments, and use the same ordinances with us ; and yet their enmity, of all other, will be the greatest against us ; and we shall receive deeper wounds in the houses of these friends, than in the streets of our enemies. They shall ga- ther in thee, against thee.
£ut jiot by me.
The saints gather together by God, having the Spirit ftf God to bring them into union and communion : but the
108 THE BUILDING, BEAUTY, &c.
carnal church gathers together against the spiritual, not by God, but without him, for worldly base ends and in- terests, and profits, and advantages. But mark the end of such gathering together :
Whosoever shall gather together against thee, shall fall for thy sake.
For the Lord loves the church, the body of Christ, even as he loves Jesus Christ himself; thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me. He loves head and members with the same love. The Lord's people are his portion on earth, as he is theirs in heaven : and so he will give nations and kingdoms for them ; and hath said, The natmis and Jdng- dojjis that wilhiot serve thee, shall perish ; yea, those nations shall be utterly xvasted. O that this kingdom in itself, and in its representation, would avoid this evil, as they would escape this end.
The four monarchies, for opposing the spiritual church, have fallen for its sake ; and so shall every other kingdom and commonwealth, that undertakes against it !
\^er. 16. Behold, I have created the smith, that hlo7Vs the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work ; and I have created the waster to destroy.
Ver. 17. But no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, &V.
Thou art, saith God to the church, a small, weak, de- spised, contemned, persecuted people; but thy safetv, pro- tection, bfessing, lies in me, and in my power, and wis- dom, and love.
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.
God blunts the edge of the weapon, and weakens the hand, and puts fear into the heart of him that useth it ; and so no weapons that have been used, have prospered hitherto ; and if any more weapons shall be used hereafter, they shall be as unprosperous as these.
OF THE SPIRITUAL CHURCH. 109
And every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment ^ thou shall condemn*
Two ways yoii see the enemies of the church assault the church ; by their hands, and by their tongues ; and this hitter way is the more dangerous of the two : by the for- mer, they scourge the church with rods; by this latter, with scorpions. This weapon of the tongue, is the most dangerous weapon that ever was used against the church in any age, and the last refuge, of the devil and his instru- ments to annoy the church. And thus, when the enemy fails at the strength of his weapons, he undertakes again with the malice of his tongue : and with this the enemy strikes against the saints that profess the truth, and against the truth itself, professed by the saints.
Against the saints that profess the truth, clothing them with odious names, and loading them with base asper- sions; their tongues rise up in judgment against them; it intimates, they shall have specious pretences against the church. O these are the men, say they, that would turn the v.'orld upside-down, that make the nation full of tumults and uproars, that work all the disturbance in church and state ; it is fit such men and congregations should be sup- pressed, and they should have no employments in church or state ; it will never be a quiet world, till some course be ta- ken with them, that we may have truth, and peace, and gov- ernment again. And thus they have fair pretences against the godly, and use the glorious names of truth, peace and government, to the destruction of them all. And this is the sense of these words, for their tongues to rise up in judgment against them.
Yea, methinks this phrase intimates thus much, as if they would call in the aid and power of the secular ma- gistrates against the spiritual Christians, and then their tongues rise up in judgment against them indeed ; and exceptthey engage the magistrate's power against the saints,
110 THE BUILDING, BEAUTY, &c.
they think they can never do them mischief enough. And thus their tongues rise up in judgment against the saints that profess the truth.
2. As the enemy strike with their tongue against th6 saints that profess the truth, so also against the truth pro- fessed by the saints : and this they call by way of reproach, new light.
But see how God conquers this weapon of the enemy's tongue to the faithful, as well as the former weapons of their hands; every tongue that riseth up in judgment against thee^ thou shalt condemn. All that reproach and slander, and vilify, and abuse the saints, either by their tongues or pens, thou, by thy uprightness, integrity, innocency, truth, and faithfulness, shalt condemn them ; thy ways, and thy works, that are led and acted in Christ and his Spirit, shall be the condemnation of all thine enemies ; and their misreports and slanders shall be done away as a mist be- fore the sun ; and thy righteousness and integrity shall break forth in that clearness, and brightness, and strength, that they shall sit down astonished and amazed : and they shall be condemned, not only by the word, and by the saints, but by all the common morality of the world, yea, and by their own consciences ; so that they shall carry their guilt with them night and day, and shall not be able to look the godly in the face, whom they have so reproach- ed ; the very presence of the saints, shall be the condemna- tion of their enemies, who have before so unworthily judg- ed them : yea, the whole world shall see the faithfulness and integrity of the saints of God, and shall justify them, and condemn their enemies ; and shall say, Lo, these are the men that the world judged as sectaries, and schismatics, and what not ! See how faithful they have been to God, and the true church of God, and to the state ; and surely they must be bad men, that arc enemies to these. And thus, while our enemies judge us, they shall be condemned them-
OF THE SPIRITUAL CHURCH. Hl
selves. And this shall certainly be done, as sure as the word of God is true, and as sure as the Lord lives, to make good his word. For,
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, That is, you shall have this by as sure right as any man hath an inheritance, that is entailed upon him. This is your heritage, O ye servants of the Lord, to make void the force of every weapon that is used against you, and to condemn every tongue that judgeth you. This promise is our portion, and the lot of our inheritance ; and in this we rejoice, that while we serve the Lord truly and faithfully, neither the hands nor tongues of the enemy shall hurt us, but in the end we shall be more than conquerors over all. Let my portion fall in this pleasant place ^ and I shall have a goodly heritage.
And their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. That is, these servants of mine, are not men of a hu- man and moral righteousness only, but they partake of the righteousness of God in Christ ; Their right eous7iess is of me : or thus, though they are sinners before the world (for as the world reckons their own sin for righteousness ; so it reckons God's righteousness for sin,) yet they are righ- teous before me, and in my eyes. So that, however the world reckons us evil does, and not worthy to live in the world, yet God reckons us righteous, and our righteous- ness is before him. '
To conclude : seeing God hath engaged himself to se- cure us in his ways, both from the weapons and tongues of men. Go and tell the foxes, that wexvillxvalk without fear in the world, both to-day and to-morrow, and the third day xve shall be perfected.
\
RIGHT REFORMATION,
OR
THE REFORMATION OF THE CHURCH
OF
THE NEW TESTi\MENT,
REPRESENTED
IN GOSPEL LIGHT.
IN A SERMON, PREACHED BEFORE THE HOUSE OF OOMMOXS, ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25tH, 1646.
BY WILLIAM DELL.
Minister of the Gospel.
John vii. 12.
*9nd there was much murmuring among the people concerning him ; for some said, He is a good man; others said, A'cy, but He de- ceiveth the people.
John xvi. 3.
^ind these things will they do unto you, because they have not known
the Father, nor me.
Credo me theologum esse christianum, & in regno veritatis vivere ; ideo me debitorem esse, non modo affirmandx veritatis, sed etiam asserendx, & defendendse, seu per sanguinena sea per mortem. Litth.
TO THE RElDEll.
CHRISTIAN READER,
THE times we live in are dangerous times : it is dangerous to conceal the truth, and dangerous to publish the truth ; if we publish the truth God hath taught us, and we have heard and learned from the Father, we fall into the hands of men ; if we conceal it, we fall into the hands of God. And therefore in this case, in a contrary choice to' David^ I reckon it much better to fall into the hands of men, than into the hands of God ; seeing the wrath of men can but reach the body ; but the wrath of God body and soul. I shall therefore willingly confess Christ, amids an adulterous and sinful generation, not doubting but Christ will confess me before his Father^ and before his angels. And for the reproaches of men, it is best conquering them, as Luther was wont to say, Silaido £?* contemnendo^ by silence and contempt of them ; seeing a man may as easily restrain Satan himself, in his various workings, as stop the mouths of his instruments. And therefore it is good for us Christians, to do the work of God, without so much as taking notice of such men : and if some- times we are sensible of these things, because we are flesh, yet as we are Christians, we are above them in the Spirit, and see al- ready in certain faith and hope, all evils and eiftmies under our feet : And I am resolved, neither now nor hereafter to take them any more into consideration, than the business itself neces- sarily requires ; and where they may be omitted without preju- dice to the truth, to let them quite alone : being every day, through the use of affliction, enabled to patience, and through pa- tience brought to experience, and so to a proportionable measure of hope : And this carries me above the shame of the world, in the strength of the love of God.
For the doctrine contained in this discourse, thou shalt not find it new light, (as some men slanderously affirm) but the an- oient light that sprang forth in the first morning of the gospel, but was since obscured by the new darkness of Antichrist, which these men love better than that old light, and willby no means ex- change the one for the other. But considering this light, that now,
116 TO THE READER.
after a long night, breaks forth again in some of its first glory, let these men set their hearts at rest ; for they shall nevtu" be able to obscure it again ; and the fire of the Spirit that God hath kindled in the kingdom, they shall never be able to quench with any fire, either of earth or hell. And therefore we fear them not, though they breath forth threatenings now, and ere long, are like to breath forth blood : For by all their subtil and industri- ous actings, in the end, they shall not work the truth's ruin, but their own. And these, as well as their forefathers, of the same race and lineage, in whose stead they are now risen up, shall, in due time, become a reproach and a shame, and their name shall be for a curse to all God's chosen.
Reader, it is my earnest desire, that the Lord would deliver thee from this new form of the mystery of iniquity, which in eve- ry age puts on a several form, when the old one is discovered by the light of the word. And in this present age, it is become- so exceeding cunning, and so furnished with all deceivableness of unrighteousness, under the form of righteousness, that it seems to be the last and subtilest work of Antichrist that is now in hand ; and he that prevails in this encounter, hath Antichrist under his feet for ever : but none are like to prevail here, but the faithful and elect alone.
And therefore holdfast that which thou hast^ that no man take thy crozvn, Rev. iii. 11. and consider Christ's eiicouragement to this work in the^oUowing verse ; IIi?n that overcometh will I make a pillar in^he temple of my God^ and he shall go no more out ; and I xvill write upon him the name of my God^ and the name of the city of my God ; -which is^ New Jerusalem^ which Cometh doivn out of heaven from my God : and I will write upon him my new name.
Christian reader, I commit thee, and the word now offered to thee in this discourse, to God, and his powerful blessing, and wonderful working ; Remaining^
Thine in the difficulty and despised service of Jesus Christ in the gospel^
WILLIAM DELL
RlGriT REFORMATION
OR
THE REFORMATION OF THE CHURCH OF THE NEW TESTAMENT,
REPRESENTED IN GO£PEL LIGHT.
Heb. ix. 10.
U?itil the time of reformation.
THE natural man (saith Paid^ 1 Cor. ii.) knows not the things of the spirit ^ neither can he ^ for they are spiritu- ally discerned. Now, a man that is not born of God and his Spirit^ with all his parts, abilities, reason, wisdom, pru- dence, learning, is but a natural man still, and so hath no right knowledge of the things of God and his Spirit.
And hence it hath come to pass, that the things of God and his Spirit have been so grossly and dangerously mis- taken by the world, and the carnal church. For all the spiritual things of God they have understood carnally : and have apprehended the whole scriptures, not according to God's mind, but according to their own ; not according to the sense of the spirit, but according to the sense of the flesh. An thus w^as antichrist's kingdom first set up, and tlius it hath been kept up and continued ; even by the carnal understanding of the scriptures. For they have understood the church, the kingdom of God in the world, carnally ; the rock on which it is built, carnally ; the door
118 RIGHT REFORMATION.
of this kingdom carnally ; the laws of it carnally ; the li- berties of it carnally ; the power, authority, government, glory, officers, Sec. all carnally. And to this very day, which of the things of God doth not the carnal church un- stand carnally ? Faith, hope, love, it understands car- nally ; redemption, adoption, justification, sanctification, glorification, union with Christ, communion of the Spirit, access to the Father, together with Christ the head, and the church the body, in their joint union and offices, and all other things, they understand carnally, and have a flesh- ly sense and apprehension of them.
And as they understand all other things of God's king- dom carnally, so also the reformation of it ; and there is not greater and grosser mistakes about any of the things of God, than about this : men imagining the reformation of the church, which is altogether a spiritual and heavenly kingdom, after the manner of the reformation of worldly states and commonwealths, which only stand in outward things, and is brought to pass by human counsels, and hu- man power.
Now because this is not only a gross, but a general error, in all sorts of people, both of high and low degree : I shall endeavour at this time, according to the good hand of God with me, to represent in some gospel-light to this honourable and Christian auditory, the true reformation of the church of the New Testament : And blessed is lie who shall not be offended at it.
For this purpose I made choice of the words now read, Until the time of reformation.
For the better understanding of which, we must read the context.
Ver. 9. The first tabernacle was a figure of the time then present^ inwhichxv ere offered both gifts and sacrifices^ that could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscience.
RIGHT REFORMATION. 1^9
Ver. 10. Which stood only in meats and drinks^ and di- vers washings, and carnal ordinances (it should be right- eousnesses or justijications of the Jlesh) imposed on them, until tJie time of reformation.
In which words the apostle shews the imperfection of the worship of J;he old law, because it stood in outward rites, ceremonies, duties, performances, and so could not make him that used them, and was busied in them, perfect, as pertaining to his conscience ; and therefore God did not simply and absolutely impose these things on the church, to continue for ever, but only until the time wherein all things were to be reformed, not only evil things, but imperfect. And then, all that outward religion was to be abolished.
Now if the law of Moses could not make men perfect, as pertaining to the conscience, much less can any new laws invented now. And if any such laws