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A64687
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Twenty sermons preached at Oxford before His Majesty, and elsewhere by the most Reverend James Usher ...; Sermons. Selections
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Ussher, James, 1581-1656.
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1678
(1678)
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Wing U227; ESTC R13437
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263,159
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200
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out-cry the voice of our sins the high Priest was a type of Christ Numb 16. He must have on his frontlet Holiness to the Lord as one which bears the iniquity of the holy things of the Children of Israel representing the holy one of the Lord and standing in the person of Christ Moses saith when there was wrath gone out from the Lord unto Aaron ver 46. Take a censer and put fire therein from off the Altar and put on incense and go quickly unto the Congregation and make an atonement for them for there is wrath gone out the plague is begun So when the wrath is gone out the High Priest comes and offers up himself a sweet incense acceptable unto God And Aaron took as Moses commanded and came into the midst of the Congregation and behold the plague was begun among the people and he put incense and made an atonement for the people When wrath is come out from the Almighty and his Army is sent out for to destroy the Rebels now our High Priest stands between the living and the dead and offers up himself an obligation to Almighty God to make peace Look to the case of Balaam when the people had committed fornication Phineas executed judgment wherefore the Lord saith Numb 25.12 Phineas hath turned away my wrath from the people and if that one act of Phineas his zeal for the Lord in killing the Fornicators before the Congregation if this I say appeased Gods wrath for the whole Congregation how much more doth our Phineas who hath fulfilled all righteousness whom the zeal of Gods house had eaten up He is nothing but zeal it self and all that he doth in our name unto his father is for our good How much more shall Christ pacifie Gods wrath who hath received the gash of Gods Sword upon his own body and would not have himself spared that he might do it As Jonah was three dayes and three nights in the Whales belly so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth Mat. 12.40 There is a mighty storm and Jonah is cast out into the Sea presently the storm ceaseth so Christ having suffered for us there is peace the storm is over Now follows in the next place in the Text By whom we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God These are the two privileges that a justified man hath he hath a gracious access unto God Suppose he be in a fault as who is not if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Faâ—her Jesus Christ the righteous These things have I written saith the Apostle that you sin nat but if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father c. This is the state of a justified man though he do by his relapses provoke God yet he is in the state of a subject though he be a disobedient subject yet a subject not a foreigner as before but now ye that were not a people are become the children of the living God Rom. 9.26 A child of God in the midst of rebellion no sooner repenteth but he is sub misericordia as soon as he is in the state of grace he is under God's protection he is no stranger and as soon as he converteth unto his heavenly father though he hath his blood about his ears and is in his rags yet he may with an humble boldness come to God By Jesus Christ he may come boldly to the throne of grace that he may find help in time of need Heb. 4.16 The Apostle in Ephes. 2.18 sets down twice the great privileges Christians have For through him we both have an access by one Spirit unto the Father It is Christ which makes the way To have a friend at the Court is a great matter especially when a man hath need of him Christ is gone before us and he lives for ever to make intercession for us and we need no other Mediator thus he bespeaks his Father Father this is one of mine that I shed my blood for one of those that thou gavest me I beseech thee have pity upon him and I beseech thee give him audience Ephes. 3.12 By him i. e. through Christ we have access by one Spirit unto the Father in whom we have boldness by the faith of him and access with confidence I go not now doubting unto God I prefer my suit with boldness Mark the Apostle St. James If any man want wisdom or any other thing let him ask it of God that gives to all men liberally and upbraideth not It is otherwise with men when one hath done a great man wrong and comes to desire a favour at his hands Oh Sir saith he do you not remember how you used me at such a time or in such a place that he is presently upbraided with it is cast in his dish but it is not so with God he gives liberally and upbraids no man so there is a free and a bold access with faith and confidence by whom we have boldness and access let him not doubt or waver that is a notable place here is bold access by faith unto God and by that we may be assured of whatever we ask if it be forgiveness of sins we may be sure they are forgiven if we ask in faith we may be assured By the way take notice of the folly of the Papists who think that a man can have no confidence or assurance that his sins are forgiven This is our confidence that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us Now is it not according to his will to ask forgiveness of our sins Doth not he enjoyn us to do it Therefore what infidelity is it not to be assured of it And what impudency is it in them to go about to cut off that which is the whole comfort of a Christian The assurance of his salvation Thus it is indeed with those that have no feeling nor confidence as those who are in hell think there is no heaven and they who teach such uncomfortable Doctrine can receive no comfort farther than the Priest giveth it them It 's true there is not true assurance but in the true Church but there it may be found And as I began with sowing in tears so I would end with reaping in joy that is the next thing in the Text for which I pass over the other part of it I begin with humiliation but end with joy and not only that joy which we shall have in the Kingdom of heaven but on earth while we have these things but in hope and expectation A man that would reckon up his estate doth not only value what he hath for the present but he reckons his reversions also what he shall have after such a time what will come to him or his heirs God's children they have a brave reversion glory and honour and a Kingdom It is your Father's good pleasure to give you a
2. But there are another sort as greatly befool'd as these yea more if more may be and those are they who put it off till the Hour of their Death till the last gasp as if they desired to give God as little of their service as possibly they might who think if they can but cry Peccavi and Lord have mercy on me when their breath departs their bodies they shew a good Disposition and perform such Acceptable service as that God cannot chuse but grant them a pardon But think not all will be surely well because thou hastest to shake hanâ—s with God at thy Journeys end when thou hast not walked with him aâ—l the way Obj. But did not the Thief repent at the last on the Cross and why not I on my Death bed Sol. This is no good Warrant for thy delay for Christ might work This miraculously for the Glory of his Passion Dost thou think when in thy Health and Strength thou hast for several Years despised the Riches of Gods goodness and Forbearance and Long-suffering that leads thee to Repentance that assoon as thou art cast on thy Death-bed and ready to breath out thy Soul the Rocks shall be Rent again and the Graves opened to quicken thy Repentance and beget in thee a Saving Faith Trust not therefore on this nor content thy self with good Intentions but set about the business in good earnest and presently Our Death-beds will bring so many disadvantages as will make that time very Vnseasonable Whether we respect 1. External hinderances such as are pangs and pains in thy body which must be undergone and thou shalt find it will be as much as thou well canst do to support thy self under them Every noise will then offend thee yea thou will not be able to endure the speech of thy best friends When Moses came to the Children of Israel and told them God had sent him to deliver them what acceptation found this comfortable message The Text saith Exod. 9.6 They hearkned not through anguish of their spirits See here the effects of Anguish and Grief Moses spake comfortably but by reason of their pains they hearkned not unto him they were indisposed to give attendance So shall it be with us on our death-beds through the Anguish of our Spirits we shall be unfit to meddle with ought else especially when the the Pains of Death are upon us the Dread whereof is terrible How will it make us tremble when death shall come with that Errand to divide our Souls from our Bodies and put them into possession of Hell unless we repent the sooner Now thou art in thy best strength consider what a Terror it will be what a sad Message it will bring when it comes not to cut off an Arm or Leg but Soul from Body Now then make thy Peace with God but that these men are Fools they would through fear of death be all their life-time in bondage It 's the Apostles expression Heb. 2.15 The consideration hereof should never let us be at rest till we had made our Peace with God it should make us break our Recreations and Sports The considerations of what will become of us should put us in an Extasie Nor are these all our Troubles for besides these outward Troubles will then even overwhelm us when a man is to dispose of his Wife and Children House and Lands he must needs be very unfit at this time for the Work of Repentance These things will cast so great a damp on his heart as that he shall be even cold in his seeking after Peace with God 2. But suppose these outward hinderances are removed that neither Pain of Body nor Fear of Death seize on thee neither Care of Wife nor Children Houses nor Lands distract thee but that thou mightst then set about it withal thy might though thou wert in the most penitent condition that might be to mans seeming yet where 's the Change or new nature should follow thy Contrition unless we see this in Truth we can have but little Comfort Shall I see a sinner run on in his ill courses till the day of Death and then set on this work I could not conclude therefore the safety of his soul because it 's the Change of the Affections not of the Actions that God looks after for the Fear of Death may Extort this Repentance where the Nature is not Changed Take an example of a Covetous Man which dotes on his Wealth more then any thing else in the World suppose him in a ship with all his riâ—hes about him a tempest comes and puts him in danger of losing all both Life and Goods in this strait he sticks not to cast out all his Wealth so he may preserve his Life and shall we therefore say he is not covetous No we will account him nevertheless Covetous for all this nor that he loved his Goods the less but his Life the more It 's so in this case when an impenitent person is brought upon his Death-bed he 's apt to cry out in the Bitterness of his Soul If God will but grant me Life and spare me now I le never be a Drunkard Swearer or Covetous Person more Whence comes this Not from any change of his Nature and loathing of what he formerly loved but because he cannot keep these and Life together Fear alters his disposition the Terrors of the Almighty lying upon him I have my self seen many at such a time as this that have been so exceeding full of Sorrow and penitent Expressions that the standers by have even wished their Souls to have been in the other Souls cases and yet when God hath restored them they have fallen into their former Courses again And why is this But because when Repentance comes this way it alters only the outward actions for the Present not the sinful dispositions things that are extracted from a man alter the outward appearance not the Nature Therefore saith the Lord I le go and return to my place till they acknowledge their offence and seek my face In their affliction they will seek me early Hos. 5. last Mark when Gods hand is on them they will seek him And as in the 6. Chap. 1. v. say one to another Come let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us he hath smitten and he will bind us up How penitent were they when Gods hand was on them but let it once be removed and hear how God presently complains of them O Ephraim what shall I do unto thee O Judah what shall I'do unto thee For your goodness is as a Morning Cloud and as the early dew it goeth away Mark thy goodness is as a Morning Cloud such a Goodness as is Extorted that is as Temporary as Earthly Dew Another considerable place we have in the Psal. 78.34 When he slew them then they sought him and they returned and enquired early after God Was not this a great