THe principall The Apostles scope in these words▪ scope of the Apostle in this place, is to cut off faction, and over much dependance upon men, who had crept into the [Page 2] consciences of people, and set up themselves in steed of Christ: As that is the pride of false teachers to set up themselves in the conscience where Christ alone should be. The Apostle to prevent this, saith, let no man glory in man; doe not glory in your teachers, they are but your servants, and Christs servants, for all things are yours, all the teachers in the World are your servants and Christs. Having set downe this generall, All things are The divi­sion of the Text. yours, to discourage them from glorying in Man, he parcells that generall in­to particulars, Paul, or Apollo, or Cephas, or Life, or Death.

• 1 All persons are yours.
• [Page 3] 2 All things are yours.
• 3 All events are yours.

Persons. Paul, Apollo, Cephas.

Things. The World, or Life, or Death.

Events, whatsoever can come for the present or for time to come. All is yours.

For the persons. Paul, An infe­rencefrom the first particular. Apollo, Cephas are yours, there­fore Peter is not the head of the Church; he is named here in the third place, a­mong the rest and after the rest. Whether it bee Paul, or Apollo, or Cephas, he is yours. You know who ground all their Religion on this, Peter is the head of the Church, and they are the successors of Peter but Peter: is the [Page 4] Churches, and therefore can­not be the head and com­mander.

The World is yours. 2 Parti­cular. The natu­rall world is the Churches.

What world is the Churches.

1 The World naturall is the Churches, that is, the frame of Heaven and Earth, all things are made for man, and he is made for GOD. As the wise Philosopher could say, that man is the end of all things in a se­mi-circle, that is, all things in the World are made for him. He is made for God in whom all things end. As all things come from a point and end there againe, so all things come from God and all end in God. We are Christs, and Christ is Gods, but the [Page 5] World is ours, and wee are Gods, all things in the World are our servants, for they mourne in blacke, as it were, for our miseries, since the fall. And in our resto­ring againe they shall bee restored, they waite for the day, as it is Rom. 8. 21. For Rom. 8. 21. the glorious liberty of the sons of God: they have their hap­pines and misery together with men.

But there is another World The world of wicked men is al­so the Churches. And therein first the good of this world that is ours, take it in the worst sense, the World of wicked men; all their plotts and the Prince of the World are the Churches.

How is this? He and all his instruments are under the command of him that [Page 6] turnes all his designes con­trary to his owne intention, this is a hell to Satan, and one of the cheife torments he hath, that as his malice is limited by this power, so his power is limited by Gods power, who over­shootes him in his owne bow: what ever he designes against the head Christ, and against his members the Church, it is overturned for the good of the Church. In the primitive Church some were given over to Satan, that they might learne not to blaspheme. Its a strange thing 1 Tim. 1. 20 that Satan should teach not to blaspheme who is the author of blasphemy. Yet by consequence hee afflict­ing [Page 7] their bodies, thereupon they came to be wise, and seemed to be moderate and sober, and to be Christian­ly minded, and not to blas­pheme. So the Prince of the World is ours in this, by an overcommanding power, that turnes all to good a­gainst his intentions. For there is but one grand Mo­narch in the World. Every Kingdome is under a higher Kingdome, there is but one to whom all are subject, there is one grand Wheele that turnes all the other, and therefore Satan him­selfe is serviceable to Gods end, whether hee will or noe.

And then for the World 2 All wick­ed men. [Page 8] of wicked men, all their de­signes, though for the pre­sent they seeme to bee a­gainst the Church, yet they are serviceable to the Church: for wicked men are but the Launderers of the Church Simile. (as it were) to wash the Church, to purge the church, to doe base services that God intends for the refyning of the Church, and all their hatred is for the good of the Church, for God suffers the World to hate his chil­dren. That his children Iames 4 4. might not love the World: for if the VVorld did not hate his, they would love the World, and it would be a dangerous love. A con­sectary from the former particulars The Church is a strange corpora­tion; [Page 9] it is such a corpo­ration as hath the greatest benefit by enemies: The e­nemies of the Church are the promoters of the greatest good of the Church: the very World is the churches, take it in the worst sense, for the wicked World that lies in mischiefe: but I will not dwell upon that. To goe on. 3 Parti­cular. 3 Parti­culars how Life is the Churches.

Or Life.

The life of others is the Churches.

Why doth God conti­nue the life of good Magi­strates and good pastors?

For the Church: as Paul 1 The life of Mini­sters. Philip. 1. 23, & 24. saith, It were better for me to bee with Christ, a great deale, yet for your sakes I [Page 10] must continue. I am con­tent to be without the joyes of Heaven a while for your good.

And therefore my life is yours, it is at your ser­vice, for you I shall continue still.

And so the life of good 2 The life of Magi­strats. Magistrates, it is for the benefit of the Church; it were better for them to be in Heaven, the life of all that may be serviceable to the Church, till they have acted their part and served God in their generation, as it is said of David Acts 3. 36. Hee served GOD in his owne Generation: so every Magistrate hath his gene­ration, a time allotted, a [Page 11] generation to stand up in the Church and state, and to serue God in his turne, and then God takes him a­way.

And then the life of every 3 The life of every particular Christian. particular christian is theirs, for God suffers them to in­joy it so long as life may be a benefit to gather the more assurance of salvation, and to doe their worke that he hath given them to doe here, and when they have done their worke they are gathered to their Fathers: so that life is the Churches. And indeede life is a speci­all benefit, Because bythe ad­vantage of life we further our reckonings, a good christian, The be­nefit of longer life the longer he lives, the lar­larger [Page 12] good accounts hee hath, all his sinnes are wiped away, they shall not be laide to his charge, all his deeds, to a cup of cold water, shall be set on the score, And he shall be rewarded: there is not a sigh, not a teare, but it is regestred: the longer a man liveth, if hee should live Methushelah his days, the richer he should be in good workes, and the more rich he is in good workes, the more he shall have his part and share in glory after, and therefore Life is yours. The longer he lives the hap­pier, the time in which he lives is for his good, and he makes the time happy, and it is happier for himselfe: [Page 13] the more rich he is in good workes, the more rich hee shall be in glory after. These Vse of this particular. Thank­fullnes for life. things being so, we should be very thankefull that God yeelds to us this life, for besides an advantage of doing good, It is a prepara­tive to a better. This life is (as it were) the seminary of Heaven; Heaven indeede is the true Paradice of all the Plants of God, but they must have a seminary to be planted-in first, and there­fore the Church is called the Kingdome of Heaven, be­cause wee are first planted here. Now this life is an advantage, we are planted here in the Church, to grow a while untill we be taken [Page 14] from your semina ry the Pa­radice of the Church, to the Paradice in Heaven. So Life is ours for that end. I will not further inlarge the point, it is cleare.

Or Death.

As life is ours, So death 4 Particu­lar how death is the Churches. is ours. It is astrange thing that death should be ours, that is a destroying hostile thing to nature, The King of feares as the Scripture calls it Ioh. 15. 26. and that terrible of all terribles, as the Phi­losopher, the last enemy 1 Cor. 15, 26. as Paul saith; that death should be ours. Death is ours many wayes, you see here it is a peice of our joynture, for these words containe the joynture of the Church. [Page 15] The Church is Christs Spouse, all things are Christs, and therefore all things are the Spouses: and among other particular gifts given to the Church, death is ours. It is a strange thing 1. Death by the Gospell is [...]ours, a Snake without a sting. that death should be given to the Church, and yet so it is, and we shall see this, if we consider how death in the Gospell is turned into another thing, it is a harme­lesse thing in the Gospell the sting is pulled out, it hath lost all its venome in Christ. now death is a passage to 2. Its the passage [...]n all [...]ill to all good. another World, it is the gate of glory, death no­thing but divests us of these rayments that we have here on our bodies, and puts us [Page 16] into garments of glory, it puts off these ragges, and puts us into a better condi­tion, that is all the hurt it doth, it ends all that is ill, and all is determined in death, it is the last evill, and it is the beginning of all that is good, that is ever­lastingly good, that is spiritu­ally good & eternally good, for by death we are freed, both from the labour of sin which is a labour irkesome to Gods people, by reason of a principle of corruption which they have in them, that accompanyes them till they be in their grave: death is the accomplishment of mortification, in death there is an end of the labour of [Page 17] sinne, and of all other labours whatsoever, for death is a sleepe, and all labours end in sleepe: & as after sleepe the spiritts are refreshed, so af­ter death we shall be more refresht, then we can con­ceive now: so death is ours, It ends all labours of sinne, and all labours of the body, and it frees us from all con­tagion of wicked men, and from all greife from wicked men, and it sets us cleare out of Satans reach; Satan hath nothing todoe with us when we are dead once; because here the World is the King­dome of Satan, but when we are gone hence, Satan hath nothing to doe with us; and that is a great priveledge, [Page 18] so death is ours, it frees us 3 Death is the be­ginning of eternall life. from all that is evill, our death is our birth-daie: in­deede we never live till we­die, for what is your life? alas it is a dying life. E­very day we live, a part of our life is taken away, we die every day▪ 1 Cor. 15. 31.

The more we have lived the lesse of our life we have to live, this is but a dying life.

There are three degrees 3 Degrees of life. of life.

The life in▪

• 1. The Mothers Wombe.
• 2. The World.
• 3. Heaven.

The life in Heaven be­gins at death; death is the birth-day of that life. Deaths day is the birth-day of im­immortality. [Page 19] VVhen Christ came to die to purchase life, he came not to die, to purchase a sorry life on earth: but he came to die to pur­chase immortall glory, that is the life that Christ came to die for, and to purchase. The day of death is the first birth-day of that life; and for our bodies, they are but re­fined by death, and fitted as Vessells cast into the fire to be moulded and fashioned to be most glorious Vessells after, so our bodies are fitted by the grave, till body and soule be for ever happy at the day of Resurrection, so that death is ours, and here upon it is that the Wiseman saith, that The day of death is bet­ter, [Page 20] then the day of birth, Eccle. 7. 1. When we are borne we come into miserie, When we die we goe out of misery: It is better to goe out of miserie then to come into misery. If the day of death be better then the day of birth to a Christian, certain­ly then death is theirs, and blessed are those that die in the Lord saith the Spirit: Revel. 14. A voyce from Heaven saith so, and therefore write, saith hee, it may be writ­ten; if the Spirit saith it, it is testimony and argument enough; Blessed are those that die in the Lord, they rest from their labours, and their re­ward followes them. They rest from all that is evill and [Page 21] their reward followes them; all that is good, their workes follow them, so that if all evill cease and all good fol­lows, I hope death may well be said to be ours. Death is ours, it is our preferment: why should we be afraid of that, that is a part of our portion? as the Apostle saith here.

Death is yours.

I beseech you there­fore, Vse. let us lay up this a­gainst those darke times wherein death will be repre­sented to us as an uglie and grimme thing, it is so to na­ture indeede, but to faith death is my friend, it is be­come amyable: indeede there is nothing in the world that [Page 22] doth us so much good as death, for its the best Physi­tian, it cures all deseases whatsoever of soule & body, it frees us from all. And in­deede (to shut up all this point) death is the Death of death, it is the destructi­on of it selfe, forafter death there is noe more death, so it consumes it selfe; by death, we overcome death. Wee can never die more, wee Rom 6. are freed from all death; to be afraid of death is to be afraid of life, to be afraid of victory: For we never over­come death, till we die. Lay up these considerations a­gainst the time of neede, the diseases of the body, the guilt of sin, the losse of [Page 23] imployment, the stripping of us of all earthly comforts, they will all meete in a cen ter, in a point, at death; a man had neede to gather the greater comfort against that houre, and can we have a greater comfort then this that now it is become our friend, that it is ours? now Blessed bee GOD, for Iesus Christ, that hath made in him, even death the bitterest 1 Cor. 15. 54. thing of all to bee sweete unto us.

Or things present.

Whatsoever is present serves us, whatsoever it be; good or evill, all is yours but the most difficult is in

[Page 23] Things to come.

For what assurance have 5 Particu­lars how things to come are ours. we of things to come? Things to come are ours, whether they be Good, or Evill.

For good; Death is to 1 All good things. come, and that is ours; and for judgement, that is ours, for our Head, our Savi­our, and our husband he shall be our judge: And at the 1 Cor. 62. Day of judgement, wee shall judge the World, and thenafter judgement, Hea­ven is ours, immortality is ours, happines is ours, all is ours then.

Indeede the best is to [Page 24] come, this is the best part of the portion, for if wee had nothing but what we have in this World, we were of all men most miserable, alas what have we, if things present only are ours? but things to come also are ours, and the best is behind, that for which CHRIST came into the World, is be­hinde, that which he in­joyes in Heaven is ours, he will take his Spouse where Himselfe is, into his owne House, and he will finish the marriage, which is be­gun in contract, and then we shall be for ever with the Lord. The things to come are the maine things, that which our Faith layes hold [Page 25] of, that which we raise our selves and comfort our sel­ves by; are especially things to come, neyther eye hath seene, nor eare hath heard, nor hath ever entred into the hart of man to conceive those things that GOD hath prepared for 1 Cor. 2. 9. his children, indeede its a part of Heaven to know them, and therefore the full knowledge of them is de­ferred for that time.

The very judgement of 2 All evill the wicked and the eternall sentence of them, it is the Churches, why? It adds a luster to Gods mercy in advancing his owne, as it is Rom. 9. 23. God magnifies Rom. 9. 23. his mercy to the Vessells of mercy by this, by punishing [Page 26] a company of Reprobates in whom he hath noe delight, by reason of their sins; his mercy much appeares by that, even by the eternall sentence and punishment of wicked men. So all serves to set out the glory and excellency of Gods people. St. Paul in Rom. 8. (that Heavenly dis­course of his) towards the Rom. 8. 38. 38. later end of the Chapter saith triumphantly, No­thing shall separate us from Christ, neyther Life, nor Death, nor things present, nor things to come, Its a great comfort that nothing to come can doe us hurt, but this is a degree of comfort higher, that all things to come are ours, so then this Text af­fords [Page 27] an exuberancy of com­fort above that, it is excel­lent comfort that nothing shall separate, noe not Death it selfe: but this is more, death is ours, and in be­ing so, it shall not onely not separate us from Christ, though it separate soule and body, but joyne us to him, I beseech you take it as a Notion that may heple a­gainst the terror of that se­paration that is a meanes of conjunction, the dole­full separation of soule and body. Two old friends joyne better friends toge­ther, the soule and Christ, so things to come are ours, even all things taken in the largest sense, the bitterest [Page 28] of all things, even death it selfe, is ours. There are se­verall Vses but the grand Vse which the Apostle mane­ly intends, is. A Christian sure of the future.

That a Christian is as sure of the time to come, as of the time past, or pre­sent: we are sure of what we have had, and what we have, but a Christian is in soe firme a condition and state; that he may be as sure of what is to come, as of what he hath, because God and Christ are not onely Alpha but Omega also. Christ Rev. 1. 8. is not only hee was, and is, but is to come, he is Jehova, the same for ever. Heb. 13 [...]. And therfore as things past could not hurt us from being e­lected [Page 29] and called, and things present cannot hurt us, but they are ours, so are things to come, because God and Christ who is the Media­tor under GOD hath the command of all things to come, and therefore we may be as sure of things to come as of things present; what comfort is this to a Chris­tian; what should become of me if times of trouble and publique calamity should come, or personall to my selfe? what idle forecasts are these, why things to come? come what will come, all shall be for the best, all things to come are ours even all things to come are ours whatsoever.

[Page 30] The Apostle goes on and wrappes up all (as it is the manner of inductions) to save labour; for it is in vayne in that manner of reasoning that we call in­ductions, to goe over all particulers, because there is the same reason in all; as if he should say Paul, and the World, and all things are yours; what should I say more? I should but trouble you and my selfe to name particulars All things are yours.

But yet we must under­stand Limitati­ons and resoluti­ons of some cases and questions. this with some li­mitts, wee must therefore unloose some knotts, and answer some cases of con­science, first, [Page 31] It may seeme there is no distinction of propertyes, if all be a Christians, and 1. Concer­ning pro­priety. if every Christian may say, all is mine, then what is Ob. one mans, is anothers, and there will bee noe proprie­tie.

I answer, undoubtedlie there is a distinction of pro­perties Ans. in the things of this life, though all bee ours, because it is spoken of in another sense, all is ours, to helpe us to Heaven; all is How all is ours, and not ours. ours in an order to comfort and happinesse, but for pro­priety, so all things are not ours; for you know the distinction, some things are common jure naturae by the Law of nature, as the [Page 32] Sunne and ayre, and many such like things, and some jure gentium, by the Law of nations, it is but some things are common jure gentium, but then there are some that by particular mu­nicipall Lawes are pro­per.

The distinction is establi­shed Read Iud 11. from. 12, vers. to 20. both by the Law of God, and the Law of man; Now not to stand long in answering this question, though there be some fran­ticke people that are a lit­tle troubled with those things, Anabaptists and the like, we see in Scripture a distinction of estates. Re­ligion takes not away the distinction of Master and [Page 33] Servant, and therefore it takes not away distinction of goods which is lesse. It is a great burden to be a servant, but the Scripture stablisheth the distinction of Master and Servant, and therefore it establisheth dis­tinction of goods. The Scripture stablisheth Boun­ty and Almes, If there be not a distinction of proper­ty where were Almes? Sa­loman sayth, the Rich, and Poore meete together, God is the maker of both, Pro. 22, 2. Vers. He meanes not, as men, but as Poore and Rich.

If Riches be of God, then distinction of properties is of God; for what is Riches but a distinction of proper­ties, [Page 34] if God make Poore, and Rich, then there must bee Poore and Rich. The Poore you have alwayes with you, Mat. 26, 11. Therefore the mea­ning is all is yours, that is all, that we possesse, and all that we neede to helpe us, is ours, in that order and carriage of things that may helpe us, to Heaven, And so the want of things is ours, as well as the having of them; the very things which a Christian wants, are his, not onely the grace of contentment to want but when God takes away those things that are hurtfull for him, that may hinder him in his course to Heaven, that is his; it is his, a part of his Fortion, not to have [Page 35] things if God see it good; the want of things is a part of this Law. That which is commonly alleadged to the contrary is that in the Acts 2. 44. All things were common.

To which I answer, first, it was partly upon neces­sity, Ans. 1. if all things had not then been common, they had all been taken from them.

And then it was, secondly, arbitrary also, was it thine 2. owne? sayth Peter Acts 5. 4 Thou mightest not have parted with it if thou wouldst, it was arbitrary, though it was com­mon.

And then, thirdly, all things were not common, 3. some good men kept their [Page 36] houses, Acts 12. Mary had her House, Acts 12. 12. Vers.

And then fourthly, all 4. things were common, but How? to distribute as they needed, not to catch who would and who can; but they were so common, as they had a care to distri­bute to every one that which they needed

Another case is this, All The 2. case concer­ning the right of e­vill men. is the Churches; all is good peoples, and therefore if a man bee naught, nothing is his. There is a great point of Popery grounded upon this mistake.

For therefore if Kings be naught, say the Jesui­ted Ob. Papists, the Pope may [Page 37] excommunicate Princes in In ordine ad spiri­tualia. order to spirituall things, he is the Lord and Monarch of all, because they are e­vill governours, and all is the Churches.

But we must know, that Ans. politicall government is not founded upon Religion, that if a Prince be not re­ligious he is no King: but it is founded upon nature, so that the Heathen that have noe Religion, yet they may have a Lawfull government, and gover­nors; because it is not so built upon Religion, but where that is not, yet this may be, and Gods appoynt­ment to uphold the World, so that let the King be any [Page 38] thing or nothing for Religi­on, he is a lawfull King.

But its further objected, Ob. That they succeede Christ. &c. and he was the Lord of the World, and they are the Vicars of CHRIST, and therefore they may dis­possesse and invest whom they will.

But you must know Christ as man had no go­vernment Ans. at all, but Christ as God-man, Mediator, and so hee hath noe successor. That is incommunicable to the creature: CHRIST as man had noe King­dome at all, for hee sayth my Kingdome is not of this World, and S ^t Austin sayth well, surely hee was not [Page 39] King that feared he should be a King, for When they came to make him King hee withdrew himselfe and went a­way, Iohn 6. 15. undouted­ly hee was noe temporall King that fled away, be­cause he would be noe King. And now Christ governes [...]ll Kings in the Church; How? as God mediator, as god-man, not as man, in which respect he hath sub­stitutes; but not as God-man, so he hath none. They are all vayne impudent al­legations, as if all were theyrs, because all is the Churches to dispose, and the Pope takes himselfe virtually to be the whole Church.

All are ours, doeth not 3. cas. [Page 40] this hinder bounty? It is mine and therefore I doe not owe any bounty to others, it is mine owne.

Noe, all things that we Ans. possesse in this World are ours for the service of the Church, and when Christ calls for any thing that is ours, we must give it: and if we were not lyable to hu­mane Lawes, if we doe not, yet we are lyable to Gods Law; and Almes, mercy, is Justice in Gods account, for we ought to be merci­full to Christs. And in the Royall Law, the workes of love and Mercy are Justice, and we with hold good from the owners, if we bee not mercifull; for in Religion [Page 41] the poore that by GODS providence are cast on us to provide for, they have a right, though not in Law to challenge it, yet in Re­ligion: that which we de­tayne from them is theirs, we with-hold good from the owners, when wee give not: And therefore as Ambrose sayeth very well, if thou hast not nourished one, how­soever in the Law thou art not a murderer, yet before GOD thou art, it is a breach of the Law thou shalt not steale. Not to relieve, the very denyall of comfortable Almes, is stealth in Gods esteeme. And therefore though all be ours, yet it is so ours, as that we must [Page 42] be ready to part with it, when Christ in his members calls for it; for then it is not ours.

Againe here is another 4 Case. question, If all bee ours, we may use a liberty in all things, what and how we list, because all is ours.

I answer, the following Ans. are good consectaries hence, all is ours, and therefore with thankefullnes we may use any good Creature of God. All is ours, and there­fore wee should not bee scrupulous in the creatures, we should not superstitious­ly single out one creature from another, as if one were holier then another. All is ours, and therefore with a [Page 43] good conscience we may use Gods bounty; but here­upon we must not take up­on us to use things as wee list, because all is ours, there is difference betweene right and the use of that right.

And Gods children have right to that which God gives them, but they have not the use of that right at all times, at least it may bee suspended. As for ex­ample, in case the Lawes forbid the use of this, or that which wee have a right to, and so in case of scan­dall a man hath right to eate or not to eate, but if his eating offend his bro­ther, he must suspend the use of his right. 1 Cor. 10. [Page 44] 9. So all things are ours in right, not in the use of that right, for then it is oft­times a scandall to the weake brethren, there is an excel­lent place for this in the first Epistle to the Corin­thians, 1 Cor. 10 25. where he gives di­rections. Whatsoever is sold in the Shambles that eate asking noe question, that is, freely take all the creatures of God without scruple, for the Earth is the Lords and the fullnes thereof. Psal. 24. 1. GOD out of his bounty spreads a Table for all creatures, for men espe­cially, the eyes of all things looke up unto thee, and thou givest them Meate in due season, Psalme 145. 15, 16.

[Page 45] The Earth is the Lords and the fullnes thereof, make noe scruple therefore: but marke in Verse 28. He restraynes the Vse of that liberty up­on the same Text of Scrip­ture Psalme 24. But if any man say this is offered to an Idoll, and take offence, eate not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake, till he be better satisfyed, for the Earth is the Lords and the fullnes thereof.

Can the same reasons be Qu. for contraries?

Yes, that is for thy selfe, when thou art a­lone, Ans. take all things bold­ly, God envies not thy liberty, take any refresh­ment, yet needst thou not to [Page 46] eate to offend thy brother; GOD having given thee variety of creatures even in abundance, and hath not limited thee, or that crea­ture, so that the same rea­son answereth both. The Earth is the LORDS and the fullnes thereof, Vse it then alone, and not to the scandall of thy Brother, for the Earth is the Lords and the fullnes thereof, why shouldst thou use this creature as if there were noe more but this? and therefore in case of scan­dall and offence, we should suspend our liberty, though all be ours.

Againe though all bee ours, yet notwithstand­ing [Page 47] wee have not a san­ctifyed Vse, but by the Word and Prayer, as it is. 1 Tim. 4. 4. Every Crea­ture of GOD is good, &c. his meaning is this, though wee have a right to all things to our comfort, to helpe us to Heaven, to cheere us in our way, to bee, as it were, Chariotts to carry us, yet in the use of that right wee must sanctify all by Prayer; wee must doe it in fayth that wee may apprehend our right, that wee doe not use them with a scru­pulous conscience, and then wee must sanctify it with Prayer, wee must take it with GODS leave, for [Page 48] though wee have a right in the use of it, we must take it at his hand.

And for instance. A fa­ther gives all to his sonne Simi. that hee needs, and pro­miseth his sonne that hee shall want nothing, but hee will have his Sonne write a Latter before hee have a particular right to any thing, hee will have his Sonne acknowledge his homage: you shall have all, but I will heare from you first, you shall have all but I will reach it to you from my hand: soe GOD deales with his children, they have a right to all, but hee reacheth it to them in the use of the [Page 49] meanes, wee must have a civill right by labour or by conctract, &c. And then wee must have a re­ligious right sanctifyed by Prayer; we must not pull GODS blessings out of his Hands, for though he gives us a right in the thing, yet in the use of that right, he will have us holy men.

If you aske what is the reason that good men Qu. oft fall to decay, and have a great many crosses in the World.

VVhy surely (not to enter into Gods Mysteries, Ans. what the secret cause of this may be) one among many is, when they have [Page 50] Gods blessings, they san­ctifie them not with Pray­er, they pray not for a bles­sing, they use them not religiously and holily, and they venture upon their right with scandall and offence to others.

Well thus we see how all things are ours, with Answers to such Objecti­ons as might bee moved, all things are ours, that is, howsoever we have a right to the thing yet we must have also a right in the thing.

To make some use of Vse. all, and so an end of this Point All things are ours, in regard of right to all things, if it bee for our [Page 51] good, whether Paul, or A­pollo, or Cephas; here wee The largnesse of the Churches Ioynture. see then the Rich joynture of a Christian, that all things are his, that is, they are so farre his as shall fur­ther his journey to GOD; for though hee have a Jus, as I sayd before, to all­things, hee shall have in particular nothing conuey­ed to him, but that, that may helpe him to Heaven, if a man say, why have I not the use of such things, GOD in Wisedome sees that it is not fit to bring him to Heaven.

If poverty be good, I shall have it.

If disgrace be good, I shall have it.

[Page 52] If the order of evill things will helpe me to Heaven, I shall have them.

If crosse winds will blow me to Heaven, I shall have them.

For I sayd before, the World and the miseries of the World, the persecu­tions and afflictions all are ours, that is the worst things are commanded to serve for our maine good.

And is not this a won­derfull prerogative that a Christian hath; that turne him to what condition you Singular consolation For all true Christians will, kill him or spare his life, you hurt him no­thing eyther wayes? If you spare his life, life is his, GOD sees his life is good [Page 53] for the Church; if you kill him, Death is his; kill him, save him, inrich him, beggar him, his happines is not at your command; there is a commanding Power to rule all things, for the good of Gods people that is not at the devotion of any creature in the World, eyther divells or men.

And therefore let us comfort our selves in this, in regard of the large joyn­ture that wee have, wee have all things to be ours. And therefore when a Chri­stian comes to bee religi­ous, to be a true Christi­an indeede, a Member of CHRIST, what doth he loose, he looseth nothing, [Page 54] all things are his, because Christ is his. But to goe on, in the second Branch sayth he.

You are Christs.

There is the Tenure we hold all things by, because wee are Christs, whatsoever the tenure in capite bee a­mongst men (which you are better acquainted with then my selfe) I know not, I am sure it is the best tenure in Religion. All is ours, because wee are Christs, we hold all in that tenure, if wee be not Christs, no­thing is ours comfortably, we are Christs and therefore all is ours.

[Page 55] Those that are not Christs Qu. are not the things theirs that they have, because they are not Christs? have not wicked men title to what they have?

I answer they have, and Ans. it is rigour in some, that say wicked men are usur­pers of that they have, they have a Title, both a civill Title, and a Title before God. God gave Nebucha­donessar Tirus as a reward, Ezek. 29 18 19. and God gives wicked men a Title of that they have, and they shall never bee called to account at the day of judgement for possessing of what they had, but for abusing that possession, and therefore properly they are [Page 56] not usurpers in regard of possession, but they shall render an account of the a­buse of that bounty.

It is in this, as it is in the Kings carriage to a Traitor: when a King gives a Traitor his life, he gives him meate and drinke that may maintayne his life by the same right that hee gives him his life; GOD will have wicked men to live so long, to doe so much service to the Church; for all are not extremely wick­ed that are not CHRISTS Members, that goe to Hell, but there are many of ex­cellent parts, and indow­ments that God hath ap­pointed to doe him great [Page 57] service, though they have an evill eye, and intend not his service, but to raise themselves in the World, yet GOD intends their service for much purpose, and he gives them incourage­ment in the World, as hee will not be behind with the worst men, If they doe him service, they shall have their reward in that kinde, Psalme 62. 12. If it be in po­licy of state, they shall have it in that, and they shall have commendations and ap­plause of men; if they looke for that: and if he give them not Heaven, they can not complayne, for they cared not for that, they did it not with an eye for that; now [Page 58] if God use the labour, and the industry, and the parts, and indowments of wicked men for excellent purposes, he will give them their re­ward for outward thinges, Verily you have your reward, sayth Christ, Math. 6. 2. when he gives them life he gives them outward liber­ties, and therefore they are noe usurpers in that regard, yet those have not so full a Title as a Christian hath, to that they have.

Now to come more directly to the Second How wee are Christs. Branch and to shew; how wee are Christs. I have un­folded that Poynt upon another Text, and there­fore I will but touch it here, [Page 59] because there bee divers here that did not heare the unfolding of that Text. My beloved is mine and I am his, Can. 6. 3. Cant. 6. 3.

Not to speake of creation, 1. By his Redemp­tion. he made all things, but we are Christs by his redempti­on and purchase, he purchased his Church with his owne blood, Acts 20. 28.

And secondly, wee are 2. By mar­riage in al sweete re­lations. Christs by spirituall mar­riage, for we are his, and Christ is ours, in all sweete relations he is ours, he hath purcha­sed us to be his in all the sweete termes of relation, name what you will, we are Christs; we are his subjects, as he is a King; we are his servants, as he is a Lord, we [Page 60] are his Schollers, as he is a Prophet; we are his Spouse, as he is a husband; we are Members, as he is an Head; you cannot name any de­gree of subjection, if it be a sweete subjection and sub­ordination, but we are that to Christ, and Christ is that to us, so that Christ is ours, and we are Christs in all the sweete relations that can be, we are his Members, we are his Spouse, we are his Chil­dren, for he is the everlast­ing Father Isa. 9. 6. He is all that can be to us, and we are all that can be to him that is lovely and good, we are Christs, and therefore all things are ours, because we are Christs, so that we [Page 61] see from this, that Christ comes in betweene GOD and us. GOD is a pure and holy GOD, A consuming fire, and we as chaffe and dust, and therefore CHRIST comes betweene, you are Christs.

Why?

Because God is a con­suming fire of himselfe, there Christ is our Me­diator, and Why. must be a Mediator, to come betweene, who is a friend to both sides, to us as man, to him as GOD, So must bee a meanes of conveying all things from GOD; all things come originally from the Foun­taine of all, God, they are Gods, and in God you know the three Persons [Page 62] meete in one nature, in GOD the Father, Sonne, and holy Ghost, I but the holy GOD in three Per­sons doth not convey im­mediately good things to us, but by the mediation of Christ, Mediator. All things are ours, and therefore we are Christs, and Christ is Gods; for GOD would have it thus since the fall, that ha­ving lost all wee should recover all againe by the second Adam, that should bee a publike person; a Mediatour betweene Him and Vs, and so through CHRIST wee should have accesse, and entrance to the Father by Him, and that by Him we should have [Page 63] boldnes, and that God a­gaine downe-ward might doe all things with due satis­faction to his justice, because we are as stuble, and God a consuming fire, were not Christ in the middle what entercourse could there be betweene the Lord and us? noe other than betweene the fire, and the stuble, Majesty on his side, and Misery and sinne on ours, there must be a Mediator, to bring these two contraries together. And therefore all All good comes to us from God through Christ. is ours, because we are Christs, and Christ is Gods; so all comes downeward through Christ, from God to us, God doth all in Christ to us, he chooseth us in Christ and [Page 64] sanctifyes us in Christ, he bestowes all spirituall bles­sings on us in Christ, as Members of Christ, he con­veyes all through Christ. To Christ first, he hath put fullnes in him, and of his ful­nesse we receive grace for grace, for Christ is compleat, and in him we are compleat.

Now all things come downeward from GOD All must be retur­ned to God through Christ. through Christ, so from us to God upward, all is ours, and we are Christs, and Christ is Gods, and therefore we have noe entercourse with that great God, who is a consuming fire, if we be to deale with him in himselfe, but through Christ, and therefore we aske all in Christs name. [Page 65] Whatsoever you aske the Fa­ther in my Name, &c. Joh. 14. 13, 14. and doe all in the Name of Christ. Col. 3. 17. For it were presumptious ar­rogance and fruitlesse, if we should goe to God in our owne name; but we goe in the name of Christ, con­sidering that he is the midle that knitts God and us to­gether, and therefore Lord we come not to thee in our owne name, and in our owne worth, and in our owne de­sert, which is none at all, we come to thee in the merits of Christ, in the mediation of Christ, in that love thou bearest him, and that, for his sake, thou bearest to us, that are his Members, that is the [Page 66] way of entercourse be­tweene God and us, not to thinke of God absolutely out of Christ, that is a ter­rible thought, nothing more terrible than to thinke of God out of the Mediatour, but to thinke of God in Christ nothing more sweete, for now the nature of GOD is lovely comming to us in Christ, and the majesty and justice of God are lovely com­ming to us from Christ.

As the waters of the Sea, though they be salt of them­selves, when they are stray­ned through the Earth are sweete in the rivers, so though the justice of God be a ter­rible thing, yet when it comes through Christ to [Page 67] be satisfyed, it is sweete, for Lord thou wilt not punish the same sin twice, and the Majesty and greatnes of God is comfortable, whatsoever is Gods is ours, because Christ is ours, God in his greatnes, in his justice, in his power, all things being derived and passing through Christ are sweete, and comfortable to us: and therefore from excel­lent Wisedome, the Apostle inserts the Mediator be­tweene All things are yours, and you are Christs, and Christs is Gods.