great wonder in the works of Nature But to unite the second Person in Trinity to the nature of man not to the nature of Angels Heb. 2.16 for so the Scripture saith Christ did not take upon him the nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham for if Christ would have been united to another nature one would have thought it should have been to an Angelical nature but to refuse that and take mans nature and unite it in one Person that so it should bee said that that Person that is God the same Person is man Here is the great Wonder in Christian Religion the Personal union of the Natures of Christ and indeed from hence many wonderful things will arise As from hence that same Person that was the Creator of all the world was a creature the same Person I do not say the same Nature this is the wonder in Scripture And hee the same Person that is the Lord of Man-kinde yet is the Son of Man the Son of Man and yet the Lord of Mankind The same Person that is Eternal Immortal yet hee dyed so the Scripture saith They crucified the Lord of glory What can God that is the Lord of glory that made heaven and earth the Eternal God whose Name alone is excellent can hee bee crucified yet that Person that was the Lord of glory whose Name alone is glorious that Person was crucified but suffered in his humane nature whatsoever Christ did suffer in his humane nature it may bee said that that Person that was God did suffer though not the Divine Nature the Divine Nature could not suffer but the same Person that was God as well as man hee did suffer it is the Scripture phrase clearly and I might give you many Texts of Scripture to shew you that that person that was God suffered but that is enough They crucified the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2.8 But you will say to what great purpose is it for us to understand this that Christ was God and man in one Person is it not enough to understand that hee was God and man what need wee look so much at the union of the two Natures My brethren Know that there is a great deal in this in knowing the union of the two Natures It is of marvellous use unto you for the helping of your faith to know not onely that Christ had those two Natures but the union of those two Natures You will say How may it help our faith Thus because hereby you may see that whatsoever Christ did or suffered though but in his humane nature yet it was of infinite value and efficacy and the infinite value and efficacy of what Christ did and suffered doth arise from the union of the two Natures because it was that Person that was God did such things and suffered such things I remember I my self once knew a very godly man in the time of his sickness was in a great Agony under a very great temptation and at Mid-night sent a mile or two for a Minister and hee comes to him and this was his temptation Fearing hee should dye A temptation of the Devil to a godly man and the Devil came with this temptation Why thy sin doth deserve an infinite punishment thou hast sinned against an infinite God and thou dost deserve eternal death but Christ in whom you have trusted hee being man and suffering onely in his humane nature hee could suffer onely that that was finite and his death was but a few dayes a day or two how can he by suffering that that was but finite by induring a little while pain upon the Cross and by being under death but a day or two how can hee deliver you from an infinite suffering and from eternal death This was the temptation that lay upon him and hee was in a most lamentable agony of spirit upon this temptation but now in his calling to minde this that though Christ in his humane Nature was but finite and that that hee suffered could bee but finite yet because his humane nature was united in one Person unto the Divine Nature hence what the humane nature did suffer though finite came to bee of infinite value and worth and though his death that hee was under was but for a day or two yet it was of merit sufficient to ransome from eternal death because the Person that was God as well as man was under the power of death and by recalling what hee had heard heretofore about Christ being God and man in one Person hee came to bee eased and the Temptation began to vanish and the truth is there is no way that I know of to satisfie ones heart and conscience in the sufficiency of Christs merits but in this that it was the merit of him that was both God and man in one Person It is true those that do not see a necessity of an infinite merit they can easily satisfie themselves and say they beleeve in Christ Jesus that dyed for them I but how canst thou tell that this death of Jesus Christ is of infinite merit to satisfie the infinite Justice of God that requires satisfaction for thy sin Why God hath so appointed it and I hope in God it is so but if thou canst see the ground of this that will bee a marvellous help to thy faith that thou canst look upon thy Mediator as God and man in one Person and therefore thou canst look upon whatsoever hee hath done or suffered as of infinite value and so thou canst present it with boldness unto God The right understanding of Christ thus will help us to honour Christ much and will make him to bee a further object of our faith Thus Christ is wonderful in his Person in his Person as relating to God the Father the second Person in Trinity So in his Person that is his humane and Divine Nature united into one Person Christ Wonderful in the manner of his Incarnation Thirdly Well may hee have this Title of Wonderful seeing hee is such a one as hee is thus opened unto you But thirdly Christ his Name is wonderful hee is wonderful in the manner of his Incarnation Christ hee is God and man but how came Christ to take mans nature upon him it was a wonderful and a strange kinde of way that the second Person in Trinity came to take our nature upon him it was by being conceived by the Holy Ghost by being born of a Virgin Christ was man and came from man but not by man the way of Christs generation it is wonderful Oh who can declare it Wee ordinarily can say â—sa 53.8 wee do beleeve that Christ was born of a Virgin born of the Virgin Mary who cannot repeat his Creed but I appeal to you when were your hearts ever taken with the wonderful work of God in the Incarnation of Christ that way of being born of a Virgin God faith that hee will do a great and marvellous thing Isa
shall be sure never to have any oppression any wrong at all done by them but they shall enjoy all in a righteous and just way Jesus Christ is such a King thou shalt have nothing but righteous dealings from him I but there is something more in this he is not only righteous because he makes righteous Lawes and hath righteous Administrations but this is a King that brings everlasting righteousnesse to his people yeâ— he himself is the righteousnesse of his people it is hee that doth cloath his people with righteousnesse Indeed it is said of Saul that hee cloathed the people with Scarlet By a good Governour people may come to be cloathed with fine raiment and enjoy glorious prosperity and the like But this is that King that cloathes his people with everlasting righteousnesse to make them all to stand righteous before his Father here is the glory of this King And then hee brings peace he brings peace by righteousnesse hee doth not bring peace to them by the sword but by his righteous Administrations so he comes and brings peace brings peace to the conscience to the soul which no Kings can doe What can Kings doe they may treat about peace and if they be righteous they may be the cause of abundance of outward peace I but they cannot bring peace of soul Christ is the King of Righteousnesse and the King of Salem so Melchisedeck signifies hee was King of Righteousness and King of Salem that is King of peace this is the glory of this our King 14 And further other Kings are born to bee Kings but Christ dyed that hee might bee a King it is true hee was a King when hee was born and hee was born as others are to be a King but especially Christ had his power upon his death it behooved him to suffer and so to enter into his glory so to enter into his glory that is upon his sufferings it behooved him and so the Apostle tells the Jewes in the second of the Acts that they had crucified Christ and upon their crucifying of him Peter there stands up and tells them in the six and thirtieth verse that God had made that same Jesus whom they had crucified both Lord and Christ by his death he came unto his glory Others come to glory by their Lives but Christ comes to his glory by his Death and was raised to sit upon the Throne of Majesty and glory upon his death and in that hee is wonderful in his Kingly power 15 Further Christ is King from everlasting to everlasting for ever Thy throne O Lord endures for ever and ever other Kings are but of yesterday and they are dead and gone but it is not so with our King the Lord is King for ever 16 Further he is wonderful in this he sits upon his Fathers Throne now at this time You have such a place in the third of the Revelations vers 21. where Christ promises to those that over-come that they shall sit upon his throne even as he over-came and is set down with his Father in his throne The administration of all things in the World now I say it is given to Christ joyntly with his Father Jesus Christ God-Man sits upon the Throne of his Father not only the second Person in Trinity but Christ God-Man sits upon the Throne of his Father together with his Father doth order and govern all things here is a height of glory that no creature else can bee capable of the Humane Nature of Christ being joyned in one Person with the Divine so it comes to have of the glory of this Kingly power upon it that it may bee said That Person that is Man doth now at this time sit upon the Throne of his Father and together with his Father doth administer his power so that the Apostle speaks of a subjection of Christ that shall be afterwards unto the Father more than is now 1 Cor. 15.25 26 27 28. in 1 Cor. 15.25 it is a text certainly that hath a great mystery in it and is very hard to understand For hee must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death for he hath put all things under his feet but when he saith all things are put under him it is manifest that he is excepted which did put all things under him And when all things shall be subdued unto him then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him that God may be all in all When all things shall be subdued unto him then the Son himself shall bee subject It seems there is not that subjection now as shall be hereafter Christ now sits upon the Throne of his Father and rules together with his Father but there is a time that Christ shall give up the Kingdome that now hee hath and hee himself shall bee subject that is hee when hee hath subdued all the enemies of the Church hee shall in a visible and a more glorious way rule over his own Saints and that eternally and then hee to together with his Saints he as the head of his Saints shall in another way bee subject unto God than now hee is for the present there shall bee another administration of things than now there is now Christ sits upon the Throne oF his Father here Christ makes his Throne his Fathers Throne distinct so that there is yet to come another kinde of Throne that Christ hath besides the Throne that now hee sits upon but this I say is a great mystery onely the Scripture holds forth such a thing as this that hereafter Christ shall have another Throne than that hee hath now 17 Yea Wonderful in this that hee will not onely subject all enemies in the conclusion but hee will put down all Rule and all Authority and Power It is a very notable Text often read but little observed 1 Cor. 15.24 Then cometh the end when hee shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God even the Father when he shall have put down all Rule and all Authority and Power Though as our condition is for the present we have a great deal of need of humane Rule and Authority yet that is certain that there hath not been any such enmity unto the Kingdome of Christ as the Rulers and Kings and Princes of the earth for the greater part I say Christ hath had no men that have more kept-under his Kingdome than the Rulers great ones and Princes of the earth therefore it seems his Kingdome cannot bee full till hee hath put down all Rule and Power and hee himself to reign wholly without any such help of man as now But now in regard of our necessity it is true If all Rule and Authority should bee put down while wee are in such a condition as wee are for the present certainly wee should bee all in a confusion therefore though Christ sees that so many of the
for clodders of blood to trickle down ☜ never was Garden watered as this Garden now who would not have accounted this a Wonder of all Wonders Here upon this ground lyes groveling the Son of God the same God that made the heavens and earth lyes here in trouble and anguish of his Spirit while hee sweat clodders of blood certainly there was some great matter upon the Spirit of Christ at this time Wee know it by experience a Porter when hee hath a great burden upon his body hee carries it while hee sweats again Oh but when you see Porters sweating under their burdens remember Jesus Christ sweating under the burden of sin Besides that other expression If it bee possible let this cup pass from mee and then the second time and the third time to do it again Why the Martyrs have gone chearfully to their deaths whose deaths have been as cruel as the death of Jesus Christ and more cruel for the outward part of it but here even the great Champion from whom all the Martyrs that ever were had their strength hee when hee comes to dye If it bee possible let this cup pass from mee saith hee certainly hee saw that which the Martyrs never saw Hee suffered in his Soul Fourthly Christ hee suffered these things from his Father that makes the wonder greater and so his sufferings greater hee did not suffer onely from wicked men and devils men indeed they are like themselves malicious the devils are like themselves cruel I but Christ hee might have looked up to his Father and have said But oh blessed Father Matth. 3.17 thou hast said from heaven that I am thy well-beloved Son Christ would have accounted it no great matter to have suffered from men or devils so bee it that his Father had shined upon him Oh no but here is the wonder and the greatest thing for Angels and men to admire at that God the Father hee inflicts these sufferings with his own hand upon him and the chief sufferings of Jesus Christ they were inflicted by the very hand of God the Father himself for a King to come and take his own childe and scourge him and put him to death with his own hand wee would say There was never such a thing heard of yet thus it was in the work of our Redemption God the Father takes Christ with his own hands and puts him to death For hee made his Soul an offering for sin it was hee that bruised him If you read Isa 53.10 you shall finde it was the Father that did it And that was typified in Abrahams coming with his knife to sacrifice Isaac his Son was not that a wonderful thing that story of Abraham Isaac must bee sacrificed and Abraham to sacrifice Isaac his onely Son with his own hands what a strange history is that but that was but the type here is the Antitype here God the Father takes his Isaac his onely Son Christ and sacrifices him himself surely there was some great thing to bee done that God the Father should do it thus himself Fifthly Not onely God hee comes himself upon him and inflicts these evils but hee doth not spare him at all You will say If God himself must bee the Executioner and come and lay his hand upon him hee will lay his hand gently upon his own Son Nay when Jesus Christ the Son of God came to take our sins upon him the Father would not spare him one whit but le ts out the fulness of Justice upon him le ts out his Justice to the full Rom. 8.32 it is said That God spared not his own Son certainly if God would have spared any one would have thought it should have been his Son Oh here behold the Justice of God the Father that when his own Son takes sin upon him and that by imputation hee must pay to the uttermost farthing to Justice yea though hee prayed with strong cryings and tears as in Heb. 5.7 Though it is true the Father did carry him through yet in this God would not spare him notwithstanding any of his cryes but hee must suffer to the uttermost and pay the uttermost farthing that Divine Justice did require for the satisfying of it for mans sins Many poor creatures think that having to deal with God who is a mercâ—ful God though they have the guilt of great sins upon them yet if they cry out to God for mercy that God wil spare them why art thou dearer to God than Jesus Christ was thy sins are thine own his was but by imputation yet when hee cryed hee must not bee spared What thoughts must the Angels in Heâ—ven have upon this when they see him whom they knew to bee the eternal Son of God under the hand of the Father and the Father not so much as to spare him in any thing Certainly if wee do not know these things or beleeve them if wee think to put off God lightly if wee think that a few cryes to God at last will bee enough to cause God to spare us and pass by all our sins do but know God in Christ and a thousand of thy vain thoughts about God and the pacifying God for thy sin will vanish away and come to nothing did wee but know God aright in Jesus Christ Sixthly Yea but yet further there is a further wonder in this humiliation of Christ God did not spare him I but when God deals thus with his Son will hee leave him For one to suffer much yea and though it bee much from God yet so long as they may have the presence of God with them that God doth not leave them it is not so much But in all these sufferings God the Father leaves him this is that is exprest by that speech that wonderful speech of Christ upon the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee There was never a speech spoke in this world that had matter of so much admiration as that speech of Jesus Christ that was the eternal Son of God Matth. 27.46 in the middest of his sufferings that hee should thus cry out certainly hee did not mistake what Christ apprehended to bee was wee many time may apprehend that God hath forsaken us when there is no such thing but certainly Christ was never deceived in his apprehensions but what hee did apprehend it was true But now what this forsaking of God was it is a very hard thing a great mystery which is too deep for us to dive into but that there was a forsaking and that hee was not deceived but that hee apprehended was real that must needs bee granted or otherwise wee must grant that Christ was deceived which would bee blasphemy for us to say Seventhly Yea again yet further the wonder in Christs humiliation was this that all this Christ foresaw and yet did willingly undertake it to save mankinde see what the heart of Christ in his sufferings towards his elect ones was that rather than hee
in his Son and seeing him brought into such a low condition not onely to be in the form of a servant but in the form I say and similitude of an evil servant to bee beaten and so beaten by himself and all this to please him certainly there was some great matter in it that God the Father should bee well pleased with making his own Son to bee a curse for mans sin and yet this wee finde in Scripture that it was a thing that well pleased God certainly were it not for some great and wonderful design that God had to bring about God the Father could not have been well pleased with such a thing with the death of his own Son and putting him to death and that to an accursed death yet he was well pleased certainly there was a wonderful design that God had to bring about by such a way 10 And then further the humiliation of Christ is wonderful in regard of the efficacy of his humiliation that by his death all the wrath and the Justice of God should bee as it were swallowed up in reference to all the elect that the wrath and justice of God should bee swallowed up in a few dayes suffering of Jesus Christ of this man Jesus Christ that God should account it as much as if all the elect had been under his wrath to all eternity the efficacie of Christs suffering is a wonderful efficacie for it is an infinite efficacie it is infinitely satisfactory 11 Yea further not onely satisfactory to Gods Justice but it is that that takes away the sting and venome of all the sufferings of the Saints to the end of the world Christs sufferings takes away the venome and evil that is in the Saints sufferings the efficacie of Christs humiliation it is in reference unto God the Father and it is in reference unto the Saints I say in reference unto the Father it satisfies all his Justice and Wrath And in reference unto the elect ones it is that which takes away the sting and the venome of all their humiliations and sufferings to the end of the world though God hath so appointed that his Saints that hee sets his heart upon to do good unto for ever should here in this world suffer many hard things bee under grievous afflictions yet there is such a way taken as that Jesus Christs sufferings should take away all the sting the venome the evil of their sufferings and so Christ was wonderful in his sufferings in that regard There was never sufferings nor such a death in the world that it should take away the sting of all sufferings and death too for so many thousands of people and yet this did it 12 And further Christ is wonderful in his sufferings Christ suffered as a common Person because hee suffered as a common Person â—hee did not suffer as a particular man but wee are to look upon Jesus Christ in all the work of his humiliation as a common Person and so all the elect from the beginning of the world to the end are looked upon by God the Father as suffering in him as dying in him as being made a curse in him as the first Adam was a common person and God looked upon all mankinde as dead in him in Adam so the second Adam was a common Person and in his death all the elect are looked upon as dying and so as satisfying Gods wrath for their sins in their own person but vertually in him as in a head And in this Christ was wonderful in his humiliation and indeed wee do not understand Christs humiliation aright except wee understand it thus Wee sometimes speak of the great sufferings of Christ and so far wee understand perhaps that this was for us that hee dyed for us but wee do not understand that wee dyed in him and that hee was a common Person and all the elect were looked upon as in him as suffering in him and satisfying Gods wrath in him why thus wee are to exercise our faith upon Christs humiliation and indeed this is the mystery of the humiliation of Jesus Christ Christ by suffering enters into glory 13 And further Christ was wonderful in his humiliation in this that by such a way hee enters into his glory that when God intended the greatest height of glory to a creature that ever was or ever should bee that yet hee would have such a way to lead unto it as that Christ should first bee brought into such a low condition to bee a worm and no man to bee so accused to bee made a scorn of men to bee indeed in the lowest estate that is almost possible to conceive a creature here to bee in and yet that God should intend this to bee the way to the highest degree of glory that is possible for a creature to attain unto here was the wonderful counsel of God the wonderful work of God now you know that so it was in Christ the Scripture saith Ought hee not to suffer these things and so to enter into his glory God manifested in him what way hee would have to bring us unto glory that is by the way of suffering by the way of Afflictions by the way of trouble to pave the way to glory by such kinde of pavement as this this was the wonderful work of God 14 And in this further here was the most wonderful Argument of Gods hatred to sin In Christs suffering appears Gods hatred of sin that possibly can be imagined and wonderfullest pattern example of self-denial that ever was in the world Christ was wonderful in this in that in him there was held out the most wonderful Argument of Gods hatred of sin as if God would say I will set mine infinite wisdome on work to finde out an Argument to manifest my hatred to sin there could not have been a greater an infinite wisdome could not have found a greater manifestation of the hatred of sin And then hee was in his humiliation Christ in suffering a pattern of self-denial I say the pattern of the greatest self-denial that ever was or ever can bee God holds forth his own Son to bee the pattern of self-denial to all the world the Lord sees how wee are altogether for our selves how hard it is for us to deny our selves Well saith God I will not onely require of you that you shall deny your selves for mee as your duty and bound as creatures to do it to your Creator but I will send into the World such a pattern of self-denial as it is impossible for men or Angels to imagine a more wonderful pattern of self-denial My Son that is equal with my self to come in the form of a servant although hee had right to all things hee shall empty and deny himself to the extremity of all kinde of misery And then that that makes up all the wonder is this Christ suffered for us that all this should bee done for us for
such poor worms for such vile base creatures as wee are why might not men and Angels have thought thus why Lord had it not been better for ten thousand thousand and hundreds of thousands and millions of such creatures to have perished to all eternity than that thy Son should bee brought so low to suffer so as hee did But no saith God I will manifest a great wonder in the world in this that all this shall bee done and suffered for poor worms men in whose eternal destruction I might have glorified my self for ever though it is true I could as well have honoured my self in their ruine and destruction as I did in the eternal destruction of the Angels that sinned against mee yet I will shew forth a wonderful work that men and Angels shall wonder at to all eternity that such and such things shall bee done and suffered to save them so unworthy so vile thus Christ is wonderful in his humiliation And these things have been but briefly presented to you that so I might give you a general view of the mystery of godliness that there is in the humiliation of Jesus Christ Christ Wonderful in his Conquest But now it follows further that Christ likewise is wonderful in his Conquest hee is the most glorious and wonderful Conquerour that ever was in the world For first What did hee conquer What doth hee triumph over What hee hath conquered even Divine Justice it self as I may so speak the Law Gods wrath and justice came even fighting as it were against Jesus Christ and Christ encounters with them yea hee encounters with the Devil and with Hell and with Death all these are enemies that Jesus Christ encounters withall And certainly had any one but seen Christ go into the Lists to encounter with these Combatants hee could not but have stood amazed at it Oh what will become of this Champion that is entred into such a combate as this is But stay but a little and you shall see him leading Captivity captive you shall see him Triumphing over all you shall see him conquering and saying I have the Keyes of Hell I that was dead am risen and have the Keyes of Hell and Death you shall see him Triumphing over Wrath and Justice and the Law and the Devils you shall see him fetching all that hee came for out of the hand of the Devil yea here is the wonder of the Conquest never was there a man that did conquer death but onely Jesus Christ that had power over Death All other Conquerors they may conquer men and kill them but they cannot conquer Death it self now Jesus Christs Conquest was over Death its self to have the very keyes of Death and that follows Death and Hell And further which makes the wonder of his Conquest hee doth conquer death by dying that is the wonder of it What man conquers his enemy by being slain himself Jesus Christ did so hee conquers all his enemies that came against him hee conquers them by dying and therefore in Col. 2. it is spoken of Christs coming to dye upon the Cross And having spoyled Principalities and Powers hee made a shew of them openly Triumphing over them in it When Christ was brought upon the Cross one would think hee had been triumphed over himself then for hee was brought very low indeed when hee was brought there to hang between two Malefactors as if he had been the greatest Malefactor of all now one would have thought that Devils and wicked men and Death and all had triumphed over him but mark the Text saith That he did there spoyl Principalities and Powers and made a shew of them openly Triumphing over them in it Wee can imagine somewhat of Christs Triumph now in heaven sitting at the right hand of the Father when hee ascended into heaven there hee Triumphed but to imagine a triumph of Christ in his Cross when his enemies were scorning and contemning him that then hee should spoyl Principalities and Powers and upon the Cross Triumph over them this is a great mystery of godliness and herein is the wonder of Christs Conquest of Christs Triumph And then further the wonder of the Triumph of Christ consists in this That hee hath not onely vanquished all the enemies of his people but hee hath vanquished them by his own power Conquerours have use of the strength of others but Christ had strength enough of his own without any addition and hee did not onely quell the Adversary but hee turns all into good to his people It is one thing for a Conquerour to overcome an enemy so as an enemy shall not bee able to do any more hurt to those that belong to him and another thing to subdue them so far as to make them all to bee servants to him that is a greater Conquest Man by a strong Army may bee a Conquerour by killing his enemies and so never to hear of them more but if hee can subdue and bring them all to bee useful and serviceable to himself and his people this Conquest is a great deal the more glorious now such is the Conquest of Christ that hee hath not onely quelled their power but hath brought all to bee serviceable to his people the Law is serviceable to them and now Gods Justice is for good to them and the very wrath of God is now for their good and the Devil and Death and Hell and wicked men they are all made useful unto Jesus Christ and so unto his people Lastly Christ is wonderful in his Conquest in this that hee conquered likewise as a common Person as a head and in him hee hath made all his Saints Conquerours yea the Scripture saith that they are more than Conquerours through Jesus Christ in him they are looked upon as having overcome all those Thou that art the weakest in thy self and art able to do least art afraid of every expression of Gods wrath and terrour of the Law of the threats of wicked men of the temptations of the Devil of the very thoughts of Death or Hell yet I say if thou beest a beleever thou hast conquered all these already they are not oneâ—y conquered to thy hand but thou hast conquered them all that is vertually in thy head thou art made a Conquerour over Sin and Death and Hell and as in Christ thy head so in some measure in thy self that is Christ hath put such a principle into thy heart as will conquer all thine enemies that come against thee in due time so that this is the glory of Christs Conquest and hee is wonderful in it Now more particularly there is following the Conquest of Christ Christs Resurrection and his Ascention and his sitting at the right hand of the Father and his coming to Judgement In all these wee have a wonderful Redeemer I very briefly present all these before you but in a few words to shew you a little of the mystery of godliness in every one of these that so I might
if men had but enlightened and stirring consciences how easie would it bee for men and women to see themselves in a restless condition and to conclude that if these things be the truths of God then I am in such a condition and though I do not know what God may work for time to come yet if I should now die my soul would bee lost eternally and so that other place in Rom. 8. They that live after the flesh shall die that is perish eternally if your hearts bee after the flesh after fleshly things and they are the things that you minde and if you would speak as in the presence of God you cannot but acknowledge that the things of the flesh are the things that do take up your hearts that are the adequate objects of your spirits and you think your great good and contentment lies in them so that if so bee you might but live alwaies in this world and have those contentments to the flesh as you desire you would care for nothing else but your hearts would bee fully satisfied this is living after the flesh now the Scripture tells us clearly that those that live after the flesh thus shall die It is your great care that the flesh bee satisfied and it is Gods threat that when you make it thus your great care to satisfie the flesh that you shall die so that this is a perishing condition unto you Seventhly Yea further what soul soever is but under the dominion of any one lust that soul if it should now depart would certainly bee lost Not onely such as live in all kind of sins that the constant course of their lives is in every kind of sin but if there bee but any one reigning ruling sin if there bee but any one sinful way that God hath convinc'd thy conscience of to bee a sin and yet because of gain or delight or pleasure or honours or respects thou dost go on in a constant course and way and practice of that sin though it bee but one sin so that thou art a slave to any one lust certainly this soul of thine if God works no ootherwise upon it than yet hee hath done will certainly be lost and that is clear out of Rom. 6.14 For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the Law but under grace I would reason from this Scripture thus what soul soever is not under grace under the covenant of grace and under the mercy that there is in that covenant that soul if now it should depart must perish eternally but whosoever is under the dominion of any one sin is not under grace for the Scripture plainly saith That sin shall not have dominion over us if wee bee under grace If our souls bee in such an estate as they bee under the grace of the Gospel then there must not any one sin have dominion over them there may some sin dwell there but not reign there there is a great deal of difference between sins being in the soul and ruling over the soul Quest You will say then What is it for sin to have dominion Answ When sin shall set up a kind of Throne in the soul and give Laws as a King and thou shalt obey It is one thing for an enemy to come with violence and take possession and hurry one on to do that one would not do and another thing to bee subject and to yeeld to the laws and commandements of sin Now sin hath dominion when it is as a King upon his Throne that thou yeâ—ldest subjection unto it and for the satisfying of thine own lusts thou art willing that this sin should rule over thee Now that you may know a little further for the meaning of this sin and Jesus Christ cannot have dominion both together Then thus far wee may go safely that except Jesus Christ hath dominion over you then sin hath But how shall I know whether Christ hath dominion I will but appeal to you in this plain and familiar kinde of expressing of my self canst thou say as in the presence of God that seeth and searchest thy heart O Lord thou knowest that I have given up my heart to the Rule of Jesus Christ I would put this to every soul here present and I beseech you weigh it for wee are speaking of matters of life and death of salvation and damnation now therefore I put this unto you and think of it canst thou appeal to God in the sincerity of thy heart and say Lord thou art the seer and searcher of all hearts and thou knowest that though I have many weaknesses and infirmities and am often overcome by temptation yet thou knowest that I have given up my heart to the obedience of Jesus Christ and I do give it up and it is that that my soul desires above all things that Jesus Christ may rule in it that Christ may have dominion that his Laws may bee set up and if I knew any more of the mind of Jesus Christ whatsoever it cost mee thou that knowest all things knowest I would submit unto it and if there bee any thing that is against the mind of Jesus Christ if it bee but known to mee thou knowest that my heart is against it and I would rather than a world that I were delivered from the power of it canst thou speak thus as in the presence of God and certainly a Christian though a weak Christian can appeal to God in the sincerity of it and is able to venture its self upon such an appeal to God And if there bee not this dominion of Jesus Christ then there is the dominion of sin and then thou art not under grace therefore if God doth not more in thy soul than hee hath done thou shalt perish for ever and that man or woman that can sleep quietly so hath a strange pillow to sleep upon It is reported of Augustus Caesar that hearing of a Gentleman that was much in debt hee sent to buy his pillow saying Surely there is a great deal of virtue in that pillow that such a man could sleep on who was so much in debt Truly I may say so it is a strange kinde of pillow that men can sleep upon who are in such a condition that if God do no more for than hee hath done would certainly perish Eighthly But further That man or woman that hath not yet had such a change wrought by the power of the Spirit of God as is a new birth a resurrection from death a new creation that soul if it now depart would certainly perish Certainly every one of you as you come into the world as you are by nature your souls are in a lost estate and in such a lost estate as except the Lord make such a change in your heart as is a new birth by which you come to bee born again as is a new resurrection by which you come to bee raised from the dead as is a new creation
beloved of the Father and equal with the Father Phil. 2.6 accounted it no robbery to bee equal with God yet that he should stand before God the Father with all the sins of the Elect charged upon him so the Scripture tells us 2 Cor. 5.21 For hee hath made him to bee sin for us who knew no sin Hee hath made him to bee sin for us for Christ to bee made a worm was a wonderful Humiliation but for Christ to bee made sin was a greater Humiliation than to bee made a worm surely this must needs bee a wonder to all the Angels in heaven for them to see such a one whom they knew to bee the eternal Son of God equal with the Father to stand before the Father cloathed at it were with all the sins of the Elect. Wee read in Zech. 3. a kinde of type of this in vers 3. of Joshua the High Priest he was cloathed with filthy Garments and stood before the Angel so Jesus Christ stands cloathed with filthy Garments hee that is cloathed with Majesty and Glory yet hee must come and stand cloathed with filthy Garments before the Father For one to bee cloathed with filthy garments and yet to bee in some room alone that no body should see him is no great matter but to see a great Prince to come out before the world cloathed with filthy garments it is a very great humiliation But Christ that was infinitely above all the Princes in the world hee comes and stands before Men and Angels yea before God himself cloathed with these filthy garments For a man to have sin upon him before other men it is no great matter but for him to come into the presence of God with sin upon him it is a terrible thing But now the Son of God must do it hee comes into the presence of the Father and stands with all the sins of the Elect upon him what an object is here of Wonder Luther calls Christ the greatest sinner that ever was in the world I confess that is somewhat hard for it was but charged upon him but his meaning is onely this that I am speaking of Christ had not onely the sins of David his Murther and Adultery and denial of Peter and the like but all the sins of all the elect ones from the beginning of the world to the end of the world which they were or should bee guilty of charged upon him Secondly The wonder of Christs Humiliation it is in this that hee that was so high should bee now brought down so low for the sin of man is not this a wonder that hee that thunders in the heavens should bee crying in a Manger Is it not a great wonder that hee that framed the heavens and earth should work with a Carpenter in his Trade that hee that is the great Judge of all the world should bee accused and should bee condemned as a Malefactor and crucified among Theeves That hee that is the Lord of Life should dye that hee that dwelt in that light that is unapprochable should have darkness to cover him that hee that is the blessed God should bee made a curse for the sin of man are not these things wonderful in Christian Religion and yet all these are things that may bee said of Christ for the Lord of Life to come and dye and that accursed death this was a wonder that all the world seemed to bee affected with the very insensitive creatures for at the death of Christ the Sun withdrew his light as being amazed with this wonder not able to behold it and the earth shaked and trembled and the graves opened at this wonder the very stones clave in sunder at this wonder there was such a mighty concussion of things at this time that it made one that knew nothing of the cause of it One Dionysius seeing the darkness at that time Aut Deus naturae patitur aut mundi machina dissolvetur and such great things which were done cry out Certainly either the God of Nature suffers at this time or the world is at an end So great a wonder it was that the Lord of Life should thus dye an accursed death Angels yea all insensitive creatures they stood amazed at it and seemed to bee exceedingly affected with it And then in the third place Why Christ may dye and yet not suffer so much to make us wonder many of the servants of God have died cruel deaths But then in the third place There is a greater wonder in Câ—â—ists humiliation than in the sufferings of the servants of God because though their bodies suffered yet they had much freedome in their souls they were filled with joy and comfort in the time of their sufferings so it was in the Martyrs Oh but it was otherwise with Christ though hee were the fountain of all consolation yet Christ suffers in his soul hee was sorrowful in his soul to the very death hee gave his soul to bee an offering for sin and indeed the suffering of Christs soul was the soul of his suffering the chief of his suffering when as Christ was in the Garden there hee acknowledges that his soul was compassed round about with sorrows Matth. 26.38 his soul was very sorrowful and in another Evangelist hee began to bee amazed and a third Evangelist saith Mark 14.33 hee began to bee filled with sorrow in his soul and the very trouble of his soul was that that drew forth from him such a wonderful sweat as never was heard of in the world before nor never since nor never is like to bee that a man from distress and trouble of his soul should sweat so Many a man when hee is in fear and trouble of minde hee may sweat but when did you ever hear of a man out of trouble of minde that did sweat blood that blood should come and break through his skin and run down upon him and this through the trouble of his minde for there was no bodily affliction upon Christ then but meerly the trouble of his Spirit and hee knowing what cup hee was to drink and the trouble that hee suffered in his Soul did cause the blood to break through his veyns and come to trickle down and not some thin blood for so I have read of one in Paris that was condemned to dye and the very trouble of his spirit did cause some blood to come out of his body but thin but the Scripture tells us that there was clodders of blood and when was this sweat when hee was abroad in the night time and lay upon the ground and in the Winter season In a Winters night when hee was abroad and lay upon the ground hee sweat this sweat and all from the trouble of his spirit A man may sweat in Summer and in Winter in the day time or in a warm room or in a bed but for Christ in a Winters night and lying upon the ground to sweat such a sweat
in a very little narrow compass present the chief glory of Jesus Christ unto you I mean the heads of it though wee cannot tell you the thousandth thousandth part of the glory of Christ Christ Wonderful in his Resurrection Christ was wonderful in his Resurrection there was never such a Resurrection nor never shall bee as Christs was That Christ rose from the dead I suppose you all know but now the mystery of godliness in this and the wonderful work of God in it In Rom. 1.4 it is said That Christ was mightily declared to bee the Son of God in his Resurrection from the dead You will say Why others rise too both godly and wicked shall rise how is Christ wonderfully and mightily declared to bee the Son of God by the Resurrection from the dead Why thus Christ hee undertaking to satisfie for mans sins to pay the debt that man did owe to God for his Sin God the Father comes upon him sues out the Bond casts him into Prison into the Gaol Now when Jesus Christ did arise from the dead there was a declaration to all the world that hee had satisfied the debt fully to God the Father that hee had paid fully what Divine Justice did require for the sin of man now this was a mighty declaration of Jesus Christ to bee the Son of God had hee not been the Son of God hee could never have rose again having dyed upon such tearms as hee did Christ did dye to satisfie Gods wrath and undertook this Lord I am content to come under the bonds of death till thine infinite Justice shall say That it is satisfied that it hath enough If all the Angels in heaven and men on the earth had undertook such a work and said Lord Let us all dye and abide under the power of Death until thine infinite Justice shall say It is enough they must have abode to all eternity under it they could never have come out of Prison but have lain there but now Christ hee undertook this work and was content to bee under the power of Death till God should fully discharge him as being satisfied God saith at length I am satisfied Let the prison doors bee opened let him go so that when Christ comes out of the Grave now hee is declared before men and Angels mightily in a wonderful manner to bee the Son of God and it is upon this that the Scripture saith in Psalm 2. Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee which is applied by the Apostle in Act. 13. and some other Scriptures unto Christs Resurrection This is now as if so bee that Christ had been begotten but that day why Christ was the begotten Son of the Father from all Eternity I but Christ coming under the charge of mans sin and under the power of death all the while he was in that low estate of humiliation hee doth not appear like the Son of God before the world but when hee comes and gets the power over all and is acquitted and rises again now hee doth appear like himself indeed the onely begotten Son of the Father hee is now mightily declared to bee the Son of God and in this the Resurrection of Jesus Christ was wonderful for the wonderful power and efficacy that there is in it Christ being acquitted all the elect were in him acquitted all were acquitted in him vertually though there is another acquitting personally when they beleeve At the very time of Christs Resurrection all the Elect were acquitted as in a head yet I say There is another acquitting from God in ones own person that is upon beleeving From hence that notable Scripture wee have in 1 Pet. 3.21 The like figure whereunto even Baptism doth now save us not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good conscience towards God by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ What answer is this that the Apostle speaks of and how is this answer by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ The answer that here the Apostle speaks of it is an answer unto all demands that Gods Justice that the Law that the Devils can make for any punishment that a sinner hath deserved If Gods Justice should say to a sinner Thou hast sinned and therefore thou must dye thou must bee punished thou must satisfie Justice If the Devil should come and demand that the Threats of God should bee fulfilled because here is a sinner If thine own conscience should in the Name of God demand that thou shouldest answer for thy sin A good conscience by the Resurrectioâ— of Jesus Christ is able to make answer to all these demands A good conscience that is one that hath a good conscience can make answer through Christs Resurrection and say Why are these things demanded of mee Christ hath satisfied for all hee hath satisfied for my sin and paid my debt and is risen again Hath not God the Father acquitted him in raising him from the dead and therefore in him all is satisfied and this is the answer I make to all the Bills that are put in against mee If there bee Bills put in against mâ—n in any Court they come and make answer What ever Bill can bee put in against a beleever if the Law of God or any Temptation should put in any Bill saith a beleever here is my answer That all is satisfied in Christ Now this is by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ if Christ had dyed yet if hee had not risen again thou couldest not have made answer That all is done all might have been doing but thou couldest not have made answer that all is done but by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ thou canst make answer to any demand And observe That this is the answer of a good conscience Men and women that talk so much of faith and yet have evil consciences they cannot make this answer by the Resurrection of Christ Those that tell you wee are to beleeve and God looks at nothing else but beleeving It is true if they understand it aright in the point of Justification that is the thing that is for the justifying of a person but there is somewhat more that is required of a justified person and therefore no person can make this answer by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ but such a one as hath a good conscience The answer of a good conscience saith the Text by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ If thou hast a corrupt and vilde wicked conscience thy conscience flyes in thy face for sins that thou livest in know that thou canst never make answer to those demands that shall bee made against thee by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ with any comfort till thy conscience comes to bee purified by faith That is the wonder of Christs Resurrection mightily declared to bee the Son of God And in his Resurrection there is a Resurrection of all the Saints all the elect ones for the Scripture saith That hee was the first fruits
an All-sufficient Saviour thou hast an object that thou mayest venture thy soul thy eternal estate upon for hee is a wonderful Redeemer conceive thy misery to the uttermost that possibly can bee suppose thou seest the guilt of all thy sins before thee and apprehendest thy soul bound over to eternal death for thy sin suppose thou seest the justice of God coming out against thee to require satisfaction for thy sin the curse of the Law that likewise brings thee under it and thou seest the bottomeless pit even ready open for thee and the horrible vile iniquities that thou hast been guilty of presenting themselves unto thee with all the aggravations of them suppose all this And thou standest now before the great God ready to receive the sentence of thy eternal estate Now these things may make thy heart to shake and indeed they will where they are seen really But in the midst of such a sight if God do but give thee a sight of thy Redeemer that is so wonderful here is enough to draw forth Faith yea to beget Faith in the soul let this bee but presented whatsoever thy misery bee yet know here is a wonderful Redeemer who cannot onely cure ordinary diseases and deliver in ordinary troubles but can wonderfully deliver and no cure can bee too hard for him Oh therefore thou troubled soul that dost apprehend the evil of thy sin and the dreadâ—â—l danger that thou art in Oh that thou couldest but see this wonderful Redeemer before thee thou wouldest see him to bee an object for the most vile wretchedest sinner that ever lived upon the face of the earth to rest upon And because God the Father accounts wonderfully of his Son therefore it is that hee would not have us onely to beleeve in his Son in ordinary cases but in extraordinary cases you that are beleevers and hope you have any part in Christ know that God expects that you should sanctifie his Son as a wonderful Redeemer now if you can onely beleeve in Christ in an ordinary way when your condition is ordinary and your straights not very great this is not to sanctifie Christ as a wonderful Saviour Now let this bee but laid to thy heart when temptations are strong and when thy heart is ready to sink in any extremity It may bee temptation comes and tells thee thy condition is extraordinary who was ever so left of God as thou art then do but lay these truths upon thy heart that have been revealed in the opening of the wonderfulness of Christ and even say thus to thy soul well but oh my soul thou hast heretofore beleeved in God but hast thou sanctified the Name of Christ as wonderful hast thou beleeved in Jesus Christ as in him whose Name by God himself is called wonderful Thou hast thou thinkest beleeved in him as a Saviour as a Redeemer but hast thou beleeved in him as thus wonderful in his Natures in his Person in his Offices in his indowments and in all the great things that hee hath done in the glory of the Father that shines in him hast thou sanctified his Name in all those particulars wherein Christ hath been made known to bee wonderful certainly Beleevers do not sanctifie this Name of Christ except there bee some kinde of proportion between their Faith and all these glorious things that are revealed of Jesus Christ It is hee that is a full object for thy soul to rest upon in all straights whatsoever when the men of the world shall bee at their wits end they having their ordinary help fail them yet thou that art a Beleever and knowest what Jesus Christ is â—â—d the glory of God that appears in him thou needest not bee at thy wits end for thou hast him whose Name is wonderful to be the object of thy Faith Thirdly The consolation to Beleevers from this title of Christ is in this That certainly if there bee such a wonderful Redeemer that God himself doth glory so much in and account him so wonderful then it must needs follow that God doth intend wonderful things for the Saints no wise man that hath abilities will in a wonderful manner busie himself about a trifle certainly if the Lord doth thus work for man-kind in his Son if the Lord provide such a wonderful Saviour for the children of men wee may fully conclude that God hath wonderful thoughts to do great things for man-kind the thoughts of God for the good of man-kind are very great and very glorious they are some high things some glorious things that God doth aim at for man-kind Oh raise up therefore your thoughts let all that are but men raise up their thoughts and think surely there is some great happiness for the children of men God hath revealed it from Heaven when hee hath told us that there is such a wonderful Redeemer come into the Earth But Oh you Beleevers do you in a special manner raise up your hearts and expect glorious things and though you have but little from God for the present yet conclude that God hath wonderful thoughts about you that are the members of Jesus Christ and there must come a time that there must bee wonderful things bestowed upon you or otherwise God should lose the honour of all the wonderful things hee hath done in Christ and that hee will never do God will at length bring every beleever to such a height of glory as before Men and Angels it shall bee declared by the glory of your souls that Jesus Christ was a wonderful Redeemer such glory thou mayest have wee cannot tell the particulars If wee should go to open the happiness of the Saints what it should bee in Heaven wee should quickly bee swallowed up but one would think that this one thing should bee enough to fill the heart of the Beleever with joy I shall have so much happiness from God one day as must declare before Men and Angels that Jesus Christ was a wonderful Saviour such glory as God himself will glory in Oh look here look upon this poor wretch that a while was such a vile wicked creature and a childe of wrath and of perdition in its self and look now what a height of glory this soul is raised up to and now give your testimony whether my Son bee not a wonderful Redeemer this will bee the condition of every poor beleever that lives and comfort your selves in exercising your Faith in this What ever I am now for the present though but a lump of clay and filth yet I being a Beleever Christ being mine my condition must bee such one day as God the Father wiâ—l say before men and Angels behold the wonderfulness of my Son in what I have done for this soul and that may bee enough to satisfie the soul for the present that God will shew himself wonderful in thy good and thy salvation so that it may bee said of every particular beleever thy estate shall bee such one day
it is but a dissolution hee rather desired a dissolution that hee might bee with Christ which is best of all Certainly it was this that made the streight If I dye I shall bee with Christ immediately and if I live I shall injoy some communion with him and likewise do a great deal of service for him If Paul had thought that his soul and body should have dyed both together certainly hee would have desired to have lived rather than to dye for when hee did live his soul did injoy communion with Jesus Christ and hee did do abundance of service for him Now is it possible to think that a man that did so much service for Christ as ever man did and that injoyed so much sweet communion with Jesus Christ that such a man should bee willing to dye Certainly no but that hee knew that upon the dissolution of his body his soul should injoy further communion with Jesus Christ than it could do here It is an immortal substance it runs parallel with eternity of such an excellent nature the soul of man is And then further in this appears The excellency of it that it is the measure of all other kinde of excellency 5 The soâ—ls excellency shewed in being the measure of all other excellencies The soul of man is the measure of all other kinde of excellencies as thus look how far any thing may bee subservient for the good of the soul so far that thing hath an excellency in it and if it bee not subservient for the good of the soul it hath no worth and excellency in it as thus Suppose a man have a great estate in the world great comings in many friends many places now there is some excellency you will say in these things but are these subservient for the good of thy soul that thy soul can injoy communion with God so much the better then these things are good to thee but if so bee that these things hinder the work of thy soul and do not help it forward in the service that it is most capable of and made for there is no excellency in these things And indeed I know no one better sign that a man doth understand the true worth of his soul than this What doth hee account to bee the measure of the excellency of all the things of this world Thou wouldest fain have an estate and outward things in abundance as other men have Why thou sayest they are the good creatures of God I grant it they are so but now wherein dost thou think the excellency of these creatures doth most consist Certainly if thou comest to know the true worth of thy soul thou wilt say God gives mee these outward things and blessed bee his Name by a more large portion of these things am I inabled to do more large service for God my soul is freed from incumbrances in the world and they do help forward the work that my soul is specially concerned in viz. the service of God and therefore I account it a greater good to injoy these things than to bee without them now if thou comest to reason in this manner it is a sign that God hath shewn thee what the true worth and excellency of thy soul is 6 The price paid for souls proves its excellency But that I might draw to a conclusion This is that that above all things will demonstrate the worth and excellency of the soul The great price that was paid for it That Jesus Christ should bee willing to lay down his life to purchase the pardon of the sin of thy soul to deliver thy soul from eternal misery 1 Pet. 1.18 this shews the great worth of the soul Wee are not redeemed by silver and gold saith the Apostle Peter by any of these corruptible things Vers 19. but by the precious blood of Jesus Christ According to the price that is paid for one you may know the worth of such a one Suppose there were divers men that were taken captives one is but an ordinary Mariner you will say perhaps forty pound will redeem such a one but suppose the other bee a Gentleman or a Knight a Noble-man there must go five hundred or two or three thousand pounds for their redemption according to the excellency of the man so must bee the price of his ransome So my brethren when wee consider the price of mens souls that were taken captive by sin what was paid for them it was a price that was more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds certainly the soul is of an excellent nature Indeed it cannot bee imagined that Jesus Christ would have taken mans nature upon him and dyed an accursed death to have saved the whole world from being dissolved Suppose it had lain upon this that heaven and earth must have been dissolved except Jesus Christ would take mans nature upon him certainly Jesus Christ would have suffered heaven and earth to have gone to nothing rather than to have done as he did But when Jesus Christ saw that these immortal souls by their sin were brought into such a condition that they must perish to all eternity except hee come and take their nature upon him and lay down his life and dye an accursed death saith Jesus Christ rather than such precious souls which my Father hath made capable of injoyment of so much good from him and bringing glory to him rather than these should perish I am content to come and dye and suffer the wrath of my Father surely the price that was paid for souls doth hold forth the great worth of them In the death of Christ wee may read in large characters the worth of a soul And my brethren Even the body its self 7 The excâ—llency of the soul proved from the body because it is as the case of the soul it is a very excellent thing Of all the corporeal things that ever God hath made the body of man is the most excellent thing therefore David in Psal 139. speaking of his body saith verse 14. I am fearfully and wonderfully made marvellous are thy works and that my soul knoweth right well And then vers 15. My substance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest part of the earth When I was curiously wrought From 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word in the Hebrew signifies Imbroydred the body of man is Imbroydery and hence in Gen. 2. it is said there that God formed man ampigore and here in Psal 139. God did imbroyder him And therefore Gallen that was an Atheist a long time when hee came to see the Anatomy of a mans body hee cryed out Now I adore the God of Nature Now the Lord hath wrought the body so curiously because it is the case of the soul and that being such an excellent creature must have a suitable case As if you have a curious Watch you will not put it into
many ignorant people that pervert the Word to their own destruction If God bee not merciful to them therefore why should wee pray or read or hear or use any means let us lay aside all wee can do nothing wee are dead in sins and the like Now wee are to know that though nothing can bee done by us till God bring us into a state of grace and salvation that is acceptable so as certainly shall bring us to Heaven yet if it bee but that that shall stop us in the contrary way a little it is worth our labour If it be but that that any way may tend towards the bringing of us unto any means that may do us good why it is worth our labour and all our pains but especially if wee consider this that though wee are not able to do that that shall save us yet God is pleased often to convey his strength to those hee doth intend to save through the use of those means rather at that time when they do improve their natural abilities than at that time when they sit idle and do nothing and therefore you must bee up and bee doing Wee read in the Gospel concerning the young man that I told you came to Christ and inquired what hee should do for eternal life Christ profest to him that hee was not far from the Kingdome of Heaven hee was not so far as others It is true if a man abuses his doing and rests in his doing that sets him as far from the Kingdome of Heaven as prophane ones and therefore Publicans and Harlots may enter into the Kingdome of Heaven as soon as Scribes and Pharisees But there may bee many actions done by a common assistance of Gods Spirit that may bring some nearer to the Kingdome of Heaven than others and the denial of such a thing as that is would bee an extream boldness in any for they are the very words of Christ to the young man That hee was not far from the Kingdome of Heaven and therefore notwithstanding your inability and notwithstanding the things that wee do are not the things that save us yet wee have ground enough to put on men and women to do Now the meaning of this great question is this What is the way that God ordinarily takes to bring men and women to salvation by or how should I follow God on in his way that is a certain truth of the Antients Though God made thee without thee yet hee will not save thee without thee God works upon us as upon rational creatures and therefore it doth concern all the children of men that would have their souls saved to observe the work of God and to stir up what is in them to joyn with the work of God in the way of salvation and certainly whatever conceits there are to the contrary they are not onely foolish but extream dangerous and Satans policy and cunning is exceedingly much seen in them A further thing that I would premise before I come to particulars is this when I speak of any thing that should bee done I prescribe no particular order knowing that the works of God are various And sometimes God stirs up a soul to do one thing and sometimes to do another thing but take them in what order you will yet wee must name them for memory sake in some order and God expects them from you and you are to joyn with God in those works if you would have your souls to bee saved The great Question of what wee should do to bee saved answered First If you would have your souls saved do you joyn with God in what hee hath revealed to you concerning your lost condition labouring to understand those truths clearly that are delivered in the Word concerning the lost condition of souls by nature and to work those truths upon your hearts to bee sensible of them Those whom God intends to save hee shews unto them what this salvation is hee shews them from what it is they are to bee saved that so they may not run away vvith the meer word Salvation and saving of souls now God reveals this in his Word and when hee intends to save a soul hee doth by his Spirit stir it up to joyn with the Word of God and work those things upon its self so as to bee made sensible of them As thus the soul being solicitous how it should come to bee saved it searches the Scripture and there it findes how wee are by nature the children of wrath there it findes that God had made man according to his own Image at first but man hath sinned against God and broken the covenant upon which his eternal state did depend and in the sin of the first man all men have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God and now are conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity so that there is a most dreadful breach between God and the soul and that man by nature is become an enemy to the Infinite God That now hee hath the seeds of all kind of sin in him and that all his life while hee continues in his natural estate here is nothing else but a fighting against God a flying in the very face of God Hee findes that by sin hee is brought under a most dreadful curse the curse of the Law and that hee is bound over by the bonds of the Law even to death to eternal death as the wages of sin these things the soul findes in Scripture now if thou wouldest bee saved when thou findest God revealing such things labour thorowly to convince thy soul of the truth of them and are these things so indeed is this my condition am I thus and thus naturally Oh what good then will it do to mee to have all the world and bee in such a condition as this is Oh my soul when wert thou sensible of this condition dost thou walk as it becomes one that is sensible of such a lost estate as this is Oh! labour to drink in these truths and to work them upon thy heart and cry to God to set them home upon thy spirit to make thy soul thorowly sensible of them as hee uses to make those whom hee hath a purpose to save Here 's the first thing And yet one thing about this further is That you must come to a conviction not onely of your lost estate but of your inability to save your selves and the inability that there is in all creatures in Heaven and Earth to save them that thy fall from God is so dreadful that all the created power in Heaven and Earth cannot help thee yea and that thou thy self now art unable to help thy self to save thy soul bee convinc'd thorowly of this This was the way that Christ took with the young man hee tells him of the Law first and then afterwards because hee was conceited that hee had fulfilled the Law and done it Christ puts him upon a duty that might convince him
seek them out and so sometimes it is with the soul when it hath lost its evidences for salvation it may get new in less time and with less charge than to seek out the old It may bee thou lookest to see whether thou hast not been an Hypocrite all this while or formal Suppose upon examination thou canst not finde any thing to satisfie thy soul but that it hath been so yet now what hinders but that thou mayest this instant throw thy soul upon Jesus Christ I but I am afraid that when I have come to Christ I have not come rightly I but perhaps thou mayest come to Christ in that time that thou mayest know whether thou hast come rightly yea or nay But now the best way for those that are mightily troubled and solicitous about evidences whether their estate bee right or no I say let those rather than spend too much time in discouraging of their own hearts begin the work again let such a one present Jesus Christ now as a Saviour for lost man whose grace is infinitely full and infinitely free and there is nothing hinders thee but that thou mayest at this very instant cast thy self upon him to bee thy Saviour both to save thee from sin and from condemnation I but you will say I may presume and who hath right to do any such thing To that I answer that there is nothing can give thee right to Christ but by casting thy soul upon him by beleeving in him that right that wee have to Christ it is by beleeving It is not by any work before beleeving that gives thee right to Jesus Christ So that by this you see what I mean by rasing down the old foundation The next is by laying the new foundation of this great work of thy salvation and bee sure thou lay that sure You will say lay it sure what is it Christ is the foundation No other foundation can bee laid but Christ himself lay it there And then that that is next to Christ the foundation it is the true work of Faith and the true work of Repentance the true work of Faith that is next that is the foundation of what is wrought in our hearts Christ is the foundation first but of any work in our hearts the work of Faith Beleeve and thou shalt bee saved Now then this work of Faith thou must rightly know what it is and the way of thy beleeving and how thou dost receive Jesus Christ in thy beleeving and the power of thy Faith how that is wrought and what the work of it is upon thy heart now thou having laid Christ for thy foundation and understood the mystery of the Gospel then when thou comest to beleeve in this great mystery of the Gospel thou must consider what is it that I am now to beleeve why I am now to beleeve this that the thoughts of God from all eternity were for the good of the children of men and therefore hee hath sent the second Person in Trinity into the world to take mans nature upon him to die an accursed death for the sin of man And for mee in particular the thoughts of God were thus upon me from all eternity to send his son into the world to take my nature upon him and to bee made a curse for my sin to pay a price for my soul and through him when I beleeve I do beleeve all my sin to bee pardoned the infinite holy dreadful God to bee at peace with mee my soul to bee reconciled this wretched sinful soul of mine to bee received into mercy into the love of God as the love of a Father to bee made an Heir of God and Eternal life when thou dost beleeve this is the Object of thy Faith now this is a mighty work a mighty thing to beleeve such things as these are Consider therefore what thou doest when thou sayest thou dost beleeve in Jesus Christ put that to thâ— soul canst thou O my soul close with these things canst thou venture thy soul upon such things as these are and when thou comest to beleeve what dost thou it is not that thou thinkest that these things are true but thou dost in thy beleeving receive Jesus Christ according to the condition of the Gospel that is thy heart doth open to receive into it the King of glory Oh it is Châ—ist that is the foundation of the New Woâ—ld that God is to raise up It is Jesus Christ that brings in all the good and happiness and glory of God to the children of men and it is hee that my heart opens to receive in to imbrace to bee satisfied with all as all the good and happiness I expect and it is Christ that my heart opens too to save mee from my sin as well as from punishment to unite mee to God to bring mee to union with him that I may live for ever to the praise of the great God and it is this Christ that I take into my heart to bee King and Governour and now to rule Sin Satan Temptations Lusts shall not reign as they have done but Christ shall set up his own Government in my soul Now then upon this must needs follow wonderful and glorious effects upon the soul the soul that doth beleeve such high things as these are and doth open it self to receive Christ upon such tearms certainly I say there must needs bee wonderful effects wrought in that soul such things must needs work the soul up to God to live to him in another manner than ever and that is the reason of the Scripture expression 2 Cor. 5.17 Whosoever is in Christ is a New Creature all old things are past away and all things are become new For why the Lord hath revealed new glorious things to such a soul and the Lord therefore now acts and carries on the soul to other manner of objects than ever before it was wont to bee busied about And such a kinde of work of Faith is this that is the foundation of the great work of salvation next to Jesus Christ himself as the old must bee rased down so a new must bee raised up Now when you come to think of salvation that you hope to bee saved you must have recourse to such a kinde of work upon you as this how have I felt the power of the Holy Ghost rasing down old things and how have I felt the power of God even that power by which Jesus Christ was raised from the dead to raise such a foundation as this is And upon this now followes the work of Humiliation and Repentance that is Godly sorrow and so to mourn as to have the heart to bee taken from its former courses and waies and bee set upon the contrary good Now when the soul finds such workings of God upon it as certainly these things cannot bee and no notice at all taken of them when the soul takes notice how God comes in with power upon it and
do do they make the Carrion to bee less corrupt and putrified than it was truly all the bravery that wicked men have it is at the best but a few herbs and flowers strewn upon a filthy carrion which makes them not to bee the better The things of this world therefore in Scripture are called the things of another mans in Luk. 16.12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another mans who shall give you that which is your own You may know the meaning of it by the verse before If therefore yee have not been faithful in the unrighteous Mammon who will commit to your trust the true riches The riches of this world are called unrighteous Mammon now these are opposite to the true riches as if these were not True riches and then in vers 12. If you have not been faithful in that which is another mans that is in these riches of the world who shall give you that which is your own so that nothing is a mans own to make him better but grace the good things of the soul they are a mans own but the other things they are the worlds things they are not a mans own therefore what doth it profit a man that hee hath gained the world for hee is never a whit the better man Thirdly All these things they are things beneath the soul things of an inferiour nature what good is it for a man that hath gotten never so much food that hee hath laid up for his horses and doggs but hee hath nothing for his children or for himself So if a man hath gotten the world hee hath gotten somewhat for his body his inferiour part I but hee hath gotten nothing for his soul that is above it These are things beneath and under the soul what good would it bee for a souldier if hee have gilt his scabbard but hee hath a broken rusty sword within or but a wooden sword within Therefore I finde in Scripture that the bodies of men and women are called the sheath of their souls Dan. 7.15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body So it is in your books translated but those that understand the Original Text they know it is a word that signifies a sheath and so Arius Montanus turns it and likewise in your Margents in the midst of his sheath and by comparing this Scripture with another it is plain that that is the propriety of the word 1 Chron. 21.27 Where the Text saith The Lord commanded the Angel and hee put up his sword again into the sheath thereof Now the word that is here translated sheath I finde by comparing of them together that it is the very same word in the Original that Daniel translates body for the body is but as the sheath unto the soul and what will it gain a souldier to have a brave sheath and in the mean time have nothing within it or that that is of no use at all thus it is with many they seek great things for their bodies but their souls are left in the mean time without any succour or help and in a most miserable condition all things that are in the world should bee servants to thy soul for they are all inferiour to it Wee account it a great disâ—onour to a man to marry his servant a man of estate in the world if wee hear hee hath married his servant which is very mean wee account it a dishonour Now for thy heart to mingle it self with the things of this world as its chiefest good what dost thou but marry thy soul to that which should bee thy servant for all these things are but as servants to the soul and for the heart of a man to bee set upon the things of this world it is to have the curse of Cham to bee upon him A servant of servants shalt thou bee for the things of the world they should bee thy servants and thou art their servant and so a servant of servants the curse of Cham is upon thee when thou art a slave to thy estate or thy honours or to thy brutish lusts a servant of servants art thou Fourthly They are such things as God in his ordinary administration of providence hath denied to the choicest of his servants specially in the times of the Gospel Many of the choice of his servants in former times were in very low and mean conditions but for the times of the Gospel how did Christ himself who was the Son of God live hee had not a hole to hide his head in The fowls of the air had nests and the Foxes had holes but the son of man not whereon to lay his head Jesus Christ that was infinitely beloved of the Father and all the Apostles they were in a poor mean condition every one of them died a violent death but onely John wee have records of their several sorts of death some crucified some stoned and some other kinds of death but all put to death save John and read but the latter end of the eleventh of the Hebrews Those that the world was not worthy of how they wandered up and down In sheep-skins and goat-skins and dens and caves of the earth That was a little before Christs time hee speaks of those in the time of the Macchabes Now certainly if God hath so ordered things in his general administrations towards such as are most dear in his eyes as to deny them these things that they shall have but little of them there is no great matter in them surely if there were any great matter in them God would not deny them to his servants when a wicked rich man shall look upon a poor man that walks humbly before God and would not commit the least sin willingly for a world meethinks such a man should think thus Oh Lord what a difference is there between such a poor man and I and yet my conscience tells mee that God hath more honour from him in one day than hee hath from mee in all my life surely there is no such great matter in the things of the world that God hath denied them him If there were any great matter in them certainly such as walk most humbly with God and most close with God should have them if they were absolutely good And indeed this is one great reason that Gods own dear servants should have so little of the world and others so much it is that hee might hold this forth to all the world that the things of this world have but little in them Fifthly And consider but the next Argument which follows upon this and is of a near kin to it That all the things of this world the pleasures profits honours they surely have no great matter in them for they are no more than may stand with Gods eternal hatred of his creature Now certainly those things that have no higher excellency in them than may stand with the eternal hatred of the Infinite
Reverend Willian Fenner late Minister of Rochford in Essex Enchyridion Judicum or Jehosaphats Charge to his Judges Together with Catastrophe Magnatum or King David's Lamentation at Prince Abners Incineration By Iohn Livesey Minister of the Gospel at Atherton The Journal or Diary of a thankful Christian a Day-book of National and publick personal and private passages of Gods providence to help Christians to thankfulness and experience By Iohn Beudle Minister of the Gospel at Barnstone in Essex Mr. Robinsons Christian Armour The Door of Salvation opened by the Key of Regeneration or the Doctrin of Regeneration opened and applied by George Swinock M. A. Preacher of the Gospel at Rickmersworth in Hertfordshire Heaven and Hell epitomized the true Christian Characterized by the same Author Small Octavoes Catechizing God's Ordinance in sundry Sermons by Mr. Zachary Crofton Minister at Buttolphs Aldgate London the second Edition corrected and augmented The godly mans Ark in the day of his distresse discovered in divers Sermons the first of which was preached at the Funeral of Mrs. Elizabeth Moore Whereunto is annexed Mrs. Elizabeth Moores Evidences for Heaven composed and collected by her in the time of her healrh for her comfort in the time of sickness By E. Calamy B. D. Pastor of the Church at Aldermanbury The Gale of opportunity and the Beloved Disciple by Thomas Froysell The Wedding Ring fit for the Finger in a Sermon at a Wedding in Edmonton by William Seaker Book of Emblems with Latine and English verses made upon Lights by Robert Farly Sion in the house of mourning because of Sin and Suffering being an Exposition on the fifth Chapter of the Lamentations by D. S. Pastor of Upingham in the County of Rutland The one thing necessary by M. Thomas Watson Minister of Stephens Walbrook A Plea for Alms delivered in a Sermon at the Spittle before a solemn Assembly of the City on Tuesday in Easter week April 13. 1658. by M. Thomas Watson Minister of Stephens Walbrook Moses unvailed or those figures which served unto the pattern and shadow of heavenly things pointing out the Messiah Christ Jesus briefly explained whereunto is added the Harmony of the Prophets breathing with one mouth the mystery of his coming and of that redemption which by his death he was to accomplish To confirm the Christian and convince the Jew very profitable and full of comfort By VVilliam Guild Minister of God's Word at King-Edward in Scotland The Sacred Ordinance of Ordination by Imposition of the hands of the Presbytery As it was â—ately held forth in a Sermon preached at the solemn Ordination of Ministers in the City of Norwich June 11. Anno 1656. By John Brinsley Minister of the Gospel at great Yarmouth Divine Principles or a Scripture Catechism c. Good Company being a collection of various serious pious Meditations usefull for instruction consolation and confirmation By J. Melvin Minister of the Gospel at Udimer in Sussex A Religious Treatise upon Simeon's Song or instructions how to live holily and dye happily by T. VVoodriff B. D. Pastor at Kingsland in Herefordshire Five Sermons in five several wayes of preaching the 1 in B. A. way the 2 in B. H. way the 3 in Dr. M. and M. C. way the 4 in the Presbyterian way and the 5 in the Independent way of preaching by A. VV. Minister of the Gospel The Reformation in which is reconciliation with God and his People or a Catechism unveiling the Apostles Creed with Annotations in which Faith Ordinances and Government are professed as in the Primitive times in opposition to all Errors and Heresies By VV. K. Minister of the Gospel Prospering prophaneness provoking Holy Conference and Gods attention several Sermons from Malachy 3.15 16 17. by Zach. Crofton The Agreement and resolution of several Associated Ministers in the County of Cork for the Ordaining of Ministers Twelves Johnsons Essayes expressed in sundry Exquisite Fancies The Life and Death of M. Ignasius Jourdain one of the Aldermen of the City of Exeter who departed this life July 15. 1640. The second Edition published and inlarged by Ferdina Nicolls Minister of the Gospel at Mary Acres Exon. The dangerous rule or a Sermon preached at Clonmel in the Province of Munster in Ireland upon Aug. 3. 1657. before the Reverend Judges for that Circuit By S. L. Master in Arts and lately fellow of C. C. C. in Oxon. The Womans glory a Treatise first asserting the due honour of that Sexe by manifesting that VVomen are capable of the highest improvements The second Edition inlarged By Samuel Torshel Twenty foures Groans of the Spirit or a Trial of the truth of Prayer A Handkerchef for Parents wet Eyes upon the death of their Children or Friends There are going to the Press some new pieces of Mr. VVilliam Fenners late of Rochford in Essex never yet printed preserved by a special Providence one of which is a second part of his wilfull impenitency being five Sermons more that hee preached upon the 18 of Ezekiel and the 32 verse Courteous Reader these Books following are printed for Nathanael Brook and are to be sold at his shop at the Angel in Cornhil Excellent Tracts in Divinity Controversie Sermons Devotions THe Catholick History collected and gathered out of Scripture Councills and Ancient Fathers in answer to Dr. Vanes Lost sheep returned home by Edward Chesensale Esq Octavo The Quakers cause at the second hearing being a full answer to their tenets Re-assertion of grace Vindiciae Evangelii or the Vindication of the Gospel a reply to Mr. Anthony Bridges Vindiciae Legis and to Mr. Rutherford by Robert Town Anabaptists anatomized and silenced or a dispute of Mr. Tombs by Mr. J. Crag where all may receive clear satisfaction of that controversie the best of that subject extant Octavo A Glimpse of Divine light being an explication of some passages exhibited to the Commissioners at White-Hall for approbation of Publick Preachers against J. Harrison of Land-Chapel Lancashire The zealous Magistrate a Sermon by T. Thresces Quarte New Jerusalem in a Sermon for the Society of Astrologers Quarto in the year 1651. Divinity no enemy to Astrology a Sermon for the Society of Astrologers in the year 1643 by Dr. Thomas Swadling Britannia Rediviva a Sermon before the Judges Aug. 1648. by J. Shaw Minister of Hull The Princess Royal in a Sermon before the Judges March 24 by J. Shaw Judgement set and Books opened Religion tried whether it be of God or Man in several Sermons by J. Webster Quarto Israels Redemption or the Prophetical History of our Saviours Kingdom on Earth by K. Matton The cause and cure of Ignorance Errour and Prophaneness or a more hopeful way to Grace and Salvation by K. Young Octavo A Bridle for the Times tending to still the murmuring to settle the wavering to stay the wandring and to strengthen the fainting by J. Brinsley of Yarmouth Comforts against the fear of death wherein are discovered several evidences of the work of Grace by J.