And we are not only the Lord's while we live, but when we come to die. Therefore we should be willing to die when our time cometh, yea, to die any kind of death, because he is Lord of ' quick and dead.' We should be like David and Moses, who were very fruitful towards their ends. And as we are not ashamed to live to so good a Lord, so we should not be afraid to die to him, as one said of himself (h).
This word Lord implieth, there he some duties owing hy us. We are the Lord's in our souls, in our bodies, in our conditions ; and therefore we should wholly give up ourselves to him, and entertain no thoughts to dis- honour him ; give way to no risings, no desires which become not the sub- jects and servants of the Lord; believe nothing that we take up of our- selves, keep the chastity of our faith and understanding, not to believe hes and untruths ; but submit our very understandings and faith to God. We must not be servants of men, in our judgments or souls, no mmicipium alie- nee Uhidinis, as the philosopher saith (/). But consider what Christ hath revealed, and let us submit to that.
And therefore it is a grand error in the Church of Rome, who would have people to believe as the church believeth, which is, wgurov -^ivdog, jJt'imum inendc(cium, the first lie, that leadeth them into all those errors ; to believe Christ and Scripture no further than the church discovers them. And so they overturn all. For they believe God because men say so. It is a dangerous error that runneth into practice. If the church say treason must be done, we must be traitors. It is no matter what the Scripture saith. The pope he is the head of the church, and he can dispense with what he pleaseth. But < my sheep,' saith Christ, ' hear my voice,' John X. 4. And it is our duty to hear what the Lord of our faith saith, which * That is, ' ho only is.' — G.
31G THE christian's end.
is only Christ. If bo be our Lord, tbcn let our wills be brought into sub- jection to his will ; nothing is more out of order than this will of ours. If that were once subject to Christ, all controversy between God and us were taken awa}'. All the strife is, whether we shall have our wills or he his will. The spouse hath no will of her own, but it is resigned to her husband. So must we submit our wills to Christ's desire.
And then again, we our/ht not in anijth'nKi to reijanl the humours of men. Christ is Lord of our aflfections. AVc must hate what he will have us hate, and love what he loveth ; our whole souls must be conformable to Christ.
And our bodies are uholhj his too, and therefore we must be content that our bodies should be used as they used his body. He gave his body for us ; he took our nature ; and in that nature went about doing good, suffer- ing hardship. He was hungry and thirsty ; he was crucified in our nature, suffered in our nature ; and so should wc be content our natures should be used as he would have them, to take much pains in doing good; to suffer hunger, thirst, restraint, yea, death itself for Christ, because we are Christ's ! It is no more than he did for us. He being our Lord, was abased for us in his blessed body and flesh ; and therefore shall not we suffer for him ?
So our conditions are his. Suffer him therefore to cut us out a portion, to allot us any condition.
The word implieth more particularly an aj^iolication to ourselves. ' We are the Lord's, and the Lord is ours.'
And likewise a renunciation and severing from all others. * We are the Lord's, and none else ; ' the Lord's, and none but the Lord's ; if we are anybody's else, it is in the Lord and for the Lord.
Here is likewise resir/nation. ' We are the Lord's,' and therefore we will give up ourselves to him, with a resting in him, and high estimation of him, and glorying in our condition through him.
And then here is an improvement of this implied : We are the Lord's ; therefore we ought to improve it on our part, by serving him; and on his part by believing that he will have care of us.
We are the Lord's, first, by particular application, which is wrought by degrees.
First, God hy his Spirit revealeth himself to be ours, not fully, hut by letting in so much light into the soul as may carry the soul to him, and make us yield to him, trust in him, and cast ourselves upon him ; and by doing so we grow into further acquaintance with him, and he honours our faith with a further sense and assurance that he is ours, and we are his.
There is a great deal of distance and breadth between the first act of faith, by which we cast ourselves on Christ, and a confident persuasion that Christ is ours and we are his. That is a fruit of faith ; and there needeth a great deal of growth before we come to that.