be so wellcome Had the Prodigall not met with husks and extream hardship he would not have resolved to go back to his Father again Think and practise these things so wilt thou be greatly affected with eternity And to encourage thee herein consider the blessed effects which a lively meditation of eternity accompanied with a firm faith will put thee upon For first Who so hath this eternity set upon his heart he will not be immoderatly and inordinatly desirous after these things below As the beams of the sunne will put out the fire so will the thoughts and affections about eternall things overcome temporall The Apostle 1 Cor. 7. presseth all upon an hard duty To marry as if we married not to buy as if we bought not Why so because the time here is short eternity is coming upon us And thus those holy Patriarchs mentioned Heb. 11. they accounted themselves pilgrims and strangers and they sought a City to come not built with hands Thou complainest thy heart is so full of deadnesse dulnesse so full of the world the cares and distractions thereof devour thee up there is nothing will help thee against this temptation then often thoughts and affections about eternity 2. As the thoughts of eternall life will thus moderate our affections so it will work in us 〈◊〉 longing for and hasting of the coming of Christ who then will bestow this eternall life upon us We wonder how Paul should be lifted up above all these earthly comforts as to desire to depart and to be with Christ Phil. 1. It seemeth very difficult to us that any hasten in their praiers and desires Christs coming but all this is because our hearts are not as full of hope and expectation of eternall life as theirs were Alas many of us know no better and so cannot desire any better then what may be had in this world and therefore the thoughts of death and the coming of Christ are unwelcome to us Whereas to The godly it 's the coming of the bridegroom and they are to lift up their heads with joy when that approaches Matth. 26. Let then that godly soul which doth so complain that it loveth life too dearly and feareth death too immoderately let that be strengthened and comforted with the sure hopes of this eternall life If an heavenly frame of heart were powerfull in us this very world would be a wildernesse it would be tedious to us to be kept so long from that home we have in heaven The Saints have a rest provided for them and who doth not desire to be at his rest Oh blame your selves more that you have not Davids exclamation and now Lord what long I for truly my soul waiteth for thee As the heart panteth after the water brooks so doth my soul after thee O God Psal 42.1 David spake this but of enjoying God in the Ordinances in this life Oh but how greatly must the soul be inflamed for the life to come 3. Powerful thoughts of Eternity will quiet and wonderfully calm the soul under any afflictions and troubles No such antidote as this Paul abundantly witnesseth that we account not the light afflictions of this life comparable to that eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4. so this Eternity made him not value or regard any temporary affliction It was this that made the Martyrs joyfully take the spoiling of their goods and the losse of their lives Thus in every affliction and exercise if sanctified to thee how sweetly and joyfully maist thou dwell in heaven while thou art on earth Thou maist be in heaven every day even while thy condition is beset with many troubles It 's thy sinne and unbelief if thou makest thy house a prison Thy self a torment to thy self if thou set faith on work about this Eternity it will put thee into heaven before thou comest to possesse it Eternal Life will give thee a better body a better house a better heart oh this Eternal life it 's the health of our bones the light of our countenance a continual Feast and a perpetual cordial Hence the godly even in this life are said to have Eternal life because of the right they have to it and partly because they have the beginnings and first fruits of it upon their souls Vse of Admonition Take this Subject more into your thoughts how many roving thoughts hast thou but if placed on Eternity it would be great profit How many thoughts hast thou unbeleeving disquieting and troubling if fixed on Eternity they would all vanish especially let the wicked man turn from all sinne saying There is an Eternity If it were only death that would not so much trouble thee but it 's Eternity after Death SERMON XIV The Necessity of Divine Knowledge And Arraignment of Ignorance JOH 17.3 And this is life eternall that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent IN the Verse before we had the great priviledge vouchsafed viz. eternall Life and the Subject to whom viz. Those that are given to Christ In this Verse our Saviour informeth of the manner or way how we may come to it For to speak of eternal life and not direct to the enjoying of it is to see Canaan but to want a pillar of fire to guide to it and although our Saviour had described such as should inherit eternal life yet because it 's a secret written in Gods Book which no man can reade who are given by the Father to Christ and who not Therefore it 's necessary we should be told the way and that is done in the Text. In the words you have then affirmed the way to this happinesse This is eternal life this will make you have eternal life None can ever attain it that take not this course for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may either relate to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or else after the manner of the Hebrews be put absolutely for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This phrase is like John 12.58 Now therein Consider 1. The way or duty enjoyned 2. The object of it The duty is To know Among other distinctions this is very obvious in Scripture to speak of a twofold knowledge 1. That which is meerly speculative and apprehensive If ye know these things happy are you if ye do them Joh. 13.17 2. Which is practicall and operative for it 's a known Rule that among the Hebrews Words of Knowledge are put for all the affections and effects that use to follow such Knowledge Thus God is said to know the way of the righteous Psa 1. That is so to know as to approve and preserve the righteous and in this sence To know the true God is taken so to know as to do all those things that are commanded by him and the reason why the Scripture comprehends all under knowledge is because this is the Introduction and gate to all practicall piety Although to know here is more particularly taken for beleeving for
also There cannot be any more two meritorious causes of salvation then there can be two Suns in the Orb Christ will not have a copartner under any distinction whatsoever in the work of our Redemption As for the doctrine or thoughts of perfection let those be abandoned Let us walk humbly and lowly under our imperfections yet breathing after perfection Fifthly Because no works we do can be perfect hence at the end of our daies when we look over all our former life we may not put any trust or confidence in what we have done Paul that knew nothing by himself yet was not thereby justified The Pharisees are condemned for this that they trusted in their own righteousnesse yea the whole Nation of the Jews that they went about to establish their own righteousnesse and would not submit to the righteousnesse of Christ Rom. 10. Though self-righteousnesse be not a grosse scandalous sinne making men abominable and noâ—some in the world yet it is as damnable and as dangerous as those sins yea more damnable partly because it overthroweth all the principles of being cured None being more miserable then those who are so yet do not feel or think so This is like the Psalmists arrow that destroieth at mid-day and then partly because it doth so immediatly oppose Christ revealed as a Mediatour and Saviour for they that trust in their own righteousnesse are a Christ are a Saviour to themselves Lastly Though all this be true our godlinesse is no merit no ground of confidence yet a faithful zealous performing of those duties God hath required of us may as a sign and evidence wonderfully comfort and imbolden our hearts As the Rainbow is not a cause but a sign that God will never destroy the world more by water so this tendernesse and diligence of thine in all the waies of God are not a cause but a sure signe that Gods eternal love is placed on thee and that thou art in the number of those who are prepared for glory our rejoycing is this saith Paul the testimony of a good conscience 2 Cor. 1.12 and 1 Joh. 3.21 Hereby we are sure he heareth us if our hearts condemn us not Hezekiah and Paul did not mention their good life as a cause or means Neither did they put confidence in them only they took this as a comfortable signe they were in the favour of God and they looked upon these things as inseparable qualifications Even as Rahabs thred hanging out of the window was not a cause but a signe that she was in the number of those who were exempted from destruction and in this sence we maintain the doctrine That it 's a blessed thing at the end of our daies to have this testimony this cordial in our hearts Let us consider the grounds of this blessednesse 1. At the time of death all our earthly comforts they vanish away they continue with us no longer Now if thou think how rich thou hast been what pleasures and delights thou hast had this is so farre from comforting that it torments the more but a drop of this heavenly assurance of our endeavour to please God will be more precious then all the world Oh foolish people and unwise that do no more consider your latter end Can you but look on your body and say this face these arms this body will one day moulder in the dust Can you but look on your houses and habitations and say These dwellings will know me no more must every thing break thy heart thou lookest upon thy husband thy Children thy friends mourning by thee must there be such a sad and dolefull time and dost thou provide no comfort no hopes to encourage thee The Psalmist saith not as the horse and mule without understanding whose mouth must be held in by a Bridle Psa 31.9 Alas thou art worse here is a bridle put on thee to keep thee from rushing upon sinne any more and yet it will not stop thee If then all these earthly comforts will fail thee and thou shalt look back upon thy life and that torment thee that torture thee also thou art twice and thrice miserable 2. It 's a blessed thing to have this Testimony and Seal upon our hearts that we have glorified God and done his work because Conscience if ever is then awakened and the devil he is most busie to tempt and trouble He that formerly shewed only the pleasant bait of sinne will now manifest the hook He that before said you should not be damned now makes it necessary he that made pardon easie now makes it impossible and as the devil is thus a roaring Lion so conscience is a roaring witnesse within Thou hast stopt the mouth of it and muzled it a long time but now 't will speak and thou canst not make it quiet Indeed too many die like beasts rather then men They think not of their sinnes they consider not Eternity but drop into hell before they consider any thing but yet when death comes commonly there is some terrour and trembling upon the conscience and if ever any sinne did formerly sting it will then Oh then how blessed a thing is it to have such an argument in our mouths that shall quiet conscience and confound the devil when they tell thee there is no hope thou hast been an hypocrite thou canst bring this testimony out of thy bosome O Lord thou knowest though I was overtaken by many infirmities yet my heart was set to glorifie thee I was tender and careful to discharge all my work though I failed in many things this will make thee like Adamant and marble how much did the consciousnesse of the integrity which Job had strengthen him under those powerfull storms and blasts that fell upon him 3. It 's a blessed thing to be able to say thus upon just grounds because of the terrour of death to flesh and bloud We cannot be willing and ready to die all the while the worms of conscience are gnawing the soul before worms be gnawing the body When Simeon had seen Christ and taken him in his arms then he saith Lord let thy Servant depart in thy Peace Luk. 2. When Paul hath thus discharged his trust then I have fought a good fight and there is laid up for me a Crown of glory It hath been the case of many good men to have uncomfortable sicknesses and an uncomfortable death and what makes it sometimes so but want of this assurance this good testimony about themselves oh their life troubles them such sins and such barrenesse They know not what to do Their hearts are within them They think of death and their soul is troubled so that it 's a most desirable thing to have this in thy heart when thou art dying Oh thou thinkest Would I might have such a Minister such a Friend by me when I am dying I tell thee this is the best friend It was Augustus his wish that he might have an 〈◊〉
is the first and the second and so still all is passing and what is past we have not and what is to come we do not yet enjoy so that there is nothing but the present advantages that we are properly said to possesse now put eternal life to this and it 's the clean contrary even as Eternity is to time for whereas time is in a continual transient being Eternity is an whole and full possession of all together There is no past present or to come in Eternity but Eternity comprehends all these things together even as the greater wheel comprehends at once all the motions of the lesse wheel within it and certainly this consideration is able to swallow us up Thy comforts do not flow and reflow They do not passe and others come but thou art in a stable permanent way of enjoying all happinesse together Thou canst not be lesse happy at one time then at another Thou canst not expect greater joy then thou hast neither canst thou wish for any joy that is past so great a matter is Eternity In the Last place This Life is full of dissatisfaction even in the vertical Point of all its blessednesse The heart of a man morally as well as naturally is alwaies in motion never lieth still It 's alwaies hydropical the more it drinketh the thirstier it is still Solomon you heard that made it his study and endeavour to have content in this world yet it could not be he may as soon think to make an Oistershell hold the Ocean as that these earthly things can fill the heart What man is there who liveth a meer earthly life that can say he is satisfied he desireth nothing Indeed we reade of Paul Phi. 4. saying I have all things and abound but that is through grace because enjoying of God otherwise the Air can as soon fill the hungry stomack as earthly things the appetite of the soul But compare this eternal life hereto and there is all fulnesse and satisfaction They never desire a change they cannot wish it better with them We see Peter but in a taste of it yet cried out It 's good to be here Let us dwell here he would not have parted with joy The soul in heaven is arrived at its haven it 's come to its journeys end it 's now fallen to its center it cannot go any further It now cryeth out Here is enough Lord here is enough yet this fulnesse breeds not nauseating as they were weary of Manna No it exciteth desire and yet filleth it It provoketh love and yet satiateth it so that this particular likewise proclaimeth the madnesse of all wicked men for why is thy soul like the devil compassing about the earth seeking out for this comfort and then for another Even as children cry for this thing and then quickly weary cry for another and in the mean while doth neglect that which would be instead of all Thus have we handled it comparatively the last way is to consider it oppositely for that is an old Rule contraries put together illustrate one another the more The Sunne is most glorious after the breaking out of a black thick cloud Now the contrary to Eternal life is eternal death so that we may apprehend the good of the one by the evil of the other and indeed man is so slavish and bruitish that fear doth more prevail then love Therefore though we propound all the joys of heaven and invite to this eternal life yet few make that Question as he did to Christ Master what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life but if we speak of eternal death in all the terrour of it then fear may for a while at least awaken them Let us then consider wherein the contrary to this eternal life consisteth And 1. That is in the deprivation of God and an utter departure from him and this privative part of eternal death is the great aggravation of it At the day of judgement that dreadful doom runneth thus Depart from me Mat. 25. 41. That is worse then the eternal fire they are cast into you have heard that God was the fountain of all good every creatures goodnesse is but a stream from that Fountain At thy right hand said David Psa 16.11 are rivers of pleasure for evermore So that this eternal death takes thee from the light of his countenance Thou art never to be admitted in his presence and when God departs all comfort all hope departs with him Oh that wicked men would lay this to heart you that now bid God depart from you you will have none of his knowledge none of his commands God will requite you in your own kinde he will then command you to depart from him Were it not that Athiesm and unbelief did reign in your hearts this truth would make your ears to tingle and your heart to tremble while you hear it Was it not death to Absalom to be kept from his Fathers presence Why do ye not kill me saith he to Joab rather then let it be alwaies thus yet he was but an earthly Father he could not give peace and joy to the consciences of men but this heavenly Father is a Father of spirits whom he bids Depart from him all terrour and horrour immediatly seizeth on that man There is no quietnesse in his bones Michah had lost but an Idol-God Judg. 18. and he wringeth his hand and crieth out bitterly Oh but what roarings and yellings when we shall have lost the true God and his favour for ever 2. This eternal death brings all the positive evil that can be feared or imagined upon a man For as here we told you was not one kinde of comfort but an aggression of all therefore the Scripture delights to represent it under severall desirable good things so neither is hell one kinde of misery one kinde of torment but the Scripture represents it under every thing that is terrible Because death is so much feared therefore it 's called death because fire and brimstone are so terrible in burning it 's called that Because a dark dungeon and prison with chains in the darknesse are so miserable It 's resembled to that because men in extremity of pain and misery do use to weep and wail and gnash their teeth therefore is hell set out by all these dreadful things so that as the glorified in heaven have every thing they can desire there is no good they want Thus the damned in hell have every thing they fear There is no torment or pain imaginable but they partake of it and this they are filled with having not the least ease or respite Dives desired but a drop of water to cool only the top of his tongue and he could not obtain so much Oh that men who give themselves up to the pleasures of sin would remember these torments These howlings to all Eternity What are we preaching follies and fictions to you If you beleeve the
Scripture you must beleeve those things to be the portion of every unreformed sinner O what a vast difference will there be between thy pleasures here and eternal torments hereafter and not to have a drop of ease in all thy misery 3. This eternal death as it hath fulnesse of torment so likewise Eternity For heaven and hell have no period There is no time set when the fire of hell shall go out called therefore unquenchable fire So that these two properties easelesse and endlesse might startle and amaze every ungodly man Why wilt thou buy these eternal torments at so dear a rate for a moments pleasure to have everlasting woe So that here are two Eternities before thee an Eternity of happinesse an Eternity of misery Sinne saith and the devil saith taste of the honey of sinne God saith There is eternal gall for this Now which wilt thou beleeve either sinne tempting or God threatning Was not Eve at first undone because she would hearken to the devil against God What fruit or profit had Judas for thirty peeces procuring to himself eternal horrour and trembling Thus you have seen eternal life in the contrary to it We have been upon the Mount of Blessing and upon the Mount of Cursing If good things will not allure let dreadfull things astonish and terrifie Only you must know the grand difference between eternal life and eternal death in the manner of coming to it So you see in the Text it 's given by Christ and it 's called the gift of God but eternal death comes by desert It 's the wages of sinne Rom. 6. ult Our sinnes deserve hell but our graces do not heaven and whereas it might be thought an unjust thing in God for a transient sinne to inflict eternal torments yet that is no wonder For 1. We see amongst men that Malefactors for a crime committed by them which was acted in a very short time do yet suffer death which as to this world is their eternal destruction they can never come back to live here again 2. All sinne being committed against God who is of infinite glory hath thereby an infinite guilt and so deserveth eternal damnation Hence it is that Dâ—vines say Omne peccator punitur citra condignum Even hell it self is not a punishment adequate to the nature of sinne for Gods honour is more worth then ever our sufferings can make up again And lastly There is no injustice because all those torments can never make any satisfaction For hence it is that thy misery is eternal because thou canst not pay the utmost farthing Thou art never able to discharge the debt therefore thou must for ever lie in prison Thus there is justice in every mans damnation and there is only mercy in every mans salvation For 1. Those graces and good works thou dost have no proportion to this Eternal and glorious reward The Apostle did not account his suffering which seem to be the most efficacious for salvation any whit comparable to that eternal weight of glory If a man should have the whole world given him for lifting up a straw that is not so great a disproportion as to give heaven for Martyrdom the highest act of love to God And 2. It 's only of grace because he who giveth the Crown giveth us legs and strength to runne in the race Coronat dona sua non merita nostra so that we are so farre from meriting by good works that the more we do the more we are beholding to the grace of God Vse Of Invitation Who is there of you that hath heard of the nature and properties of this eternall life that is not brought in love with it Who is there that hath heard of this pearl that will not sell all throw away every sinne to enjoy it If there were nothing but this it might work on thee Hast thou any lust that will be equivalent to eternall life that will be in stead of that to theâ— What wilt thou do when a mortall disease hath surprized thee thy friends weeping thy children crying and thou dying Will these lusts then help call to them and see if they can give thee eternall life What wilt thou be worse then Balaam he wished Oh that I might dye the death of the righteous and his later end might be like his And shall there be not so much as a desire as a sigh though if there be no more if thy life be not the righteous mans life thy death cannot be his SERMON XIII Weighty Considerations upon Eternity JOH 17.2 That to as many as thou hast given him he should give Eternall Life ETernall Life is the glorious gift mentioned in the Text and though I was concluding this verse yet the consideration of this glorious matter shall make me once more endeavour throughly to possess your hearts therewith It was the fault of one of the Kings of Israel that he did not strike arrows often enough to the ground 2 King 13.19 for then he should have obtained more victories It shall therefore be my endeavour if possible that the arrows of this truth may be stricken often even through and through your hearts And that I may further quicken you hereunto consider these particulars as so many effectuall conclusions upon this subject And first The chief and most principall and necessary question which every one should seriously propound ought to be that Luk. 18.18 What shall I do to inherit eternall life Not indeed upon such a corrupt opinion as he did who thought by his own works meerly to obtain this eternall life No that cannot be it 's the gift of God and when we have done all this eternall life is of grace not merit but in a right sense viz. what way ought we to walk in what is to be done that at last we may not eternally perish This I say is a most noble and necessary question if this were more studied and practised it would advantage the soul ten thousand times more then other unnecessary and impertinent disputations The best method in morall Philosophy is to begin first with the end because that is the chiefest there must be first a knowledge and desire of that Now all Divinity agreeth with morall Philosophy in this it 's wholly practicall The first thing then in your thoughts and meditations should be What is that end for which I was made how may I obtain that eternall life for which I came into this world Oh why are we busie in unnecessary things for what end and purpose were you made Was it to heap up wealth To satisfie the lusts and pleasures of the flesh No it was at last to injoy this eternall life The Heathen did well call man the orizon of time and eternity for in respect of his body he partaketh of time in respect of his soul eternity So then the chief and more excellent part of thee that which makes thee differ from a beast it is that
very considerable for the Pharisee at the close of his life may strive to say Lord I have fasted twice a week I washed my hands my house my pots c. thus I have glorified thee but what saith Christ In vain do ye worship me Mat. 16.9 and who hath required these things at your hands Thus the Papist if he say I have gone a Pilgrimage I have made such penall satisfactions I have said so many Ave Maries I have done penance I have received extream unction Now because this is not required or commanded work therefore it will have no reward So then it 's not enough to see thy work be not contrary to Gods will but look that it be according that it have Gods superscription and the stamp of his command upon it Though it be not malum yet it is aliud though it be not contra yet it is preter and indeed what is preter because not secundum must needs be contra It 's contrary to Gods will whatsoever is not commanded 3. They cannot have the texts comfort at all who are slothfull and negligent though they do not contrary or different yet they are sluggish and so will not work at all in Gods Vineyard This is represented by the Parable of him who had but one Talent yet because he did not improve it he is cast into utter darknesse Cast that unprofitable servant Mat. 25.30 He did not spend the Talent he brought it sure and safe to his Master but he is unprofitable and must be cast into utter darknesse So the tree that brings forth no fruit though it did not bad fruit must be cut down and cast into the fire Oh how greatly is this to be considered for whose life doth not appear to him as Bernards did aut peccatum aut sterilitas either the boggy mire of sinne or the parched wildernesse of barrennesse and if that be so great a sinne Christ be so ready to curse it no wonder if the most holy have sad thoughts about their death and the day of their accounts It 's not then a negative Religion that will truly comfort thee but a positive fruitfull one It will be no solid joy of conscience to say and no more Lord I have been no drunkard no adulterer no prophane person for God looketh for a zealous active fruitfull way in all holinesse yet how doth the meer negation of sinne make many have strong confidence of their excellent condition whereas if they did consider the positive fruitfull part of godlinesse and see how farre they are off it horrour would overwhelm them Consider then how fruitfull are thy duties are thy hours for God maiest thou not cry out many times hodie diem perdidi doest thou put that of the Apostle in practice to redeem the time Ephes 5.16 Heaven would not be heaven if it were only a negation of torment not a positive affluence of all happinesse so neither is that godlinesse which is a bare absence of sinne not a fruitfull abounding in the waies of holinesse 4. There cannot be any solid comfort at the time of account where there is a prevailing lukewarmnesse and formality though the work God requireth be done outwardly Eli cannot give a good account of reproving his sonnes though he did reprove them because there was remisnesse and coldnesse in it a partiall coldnesse and dulnesse is in the best service we do Paul having found the reliques of corruption rebelling against grace and contra vitia pugnamus non ut vincamus sed ne vincamus Jebusites will abide in the land but we speak of a totall plenary lukewarmnesse such which Christ condemneth Revel 2. when he wisheth she were either hot or cold but being lukewarm God would spew her out of his mouth That expression is to shew how noisom and intollerable such persons and such duties are to God Never then think a meer formall and customary way of Religious duties will ever be any comfort to thee no God will say Thy heart was not in these thou didst not serve me as the world as thy lusts and hereupon thou wilt wish Oh that my duties had been more spirituall more fervent more heavenly These very duties thou puttest thy trust in will run like sharp points into thy very heart Thus you have heard what persons cannot have any comfort at all Now we shall shew you What things even to the godly though they may have comfort for the main yet will greatly dishearten and diminish their joy then There will be fears against hope doubts against faith agonies against joy That even as nature and death will in a terrible manner conflict together so will their hopes and fears Yet this is not to be understood but that even a Christian walking most tenderly and circumspectly may at his death have no joy and assurance God for many just and wise ends doth sometimes dispense it so that he who lived very holily may yet die very uncomfortably It was so with Christ though there was a peculiar reason and why not with his members only when God dealeth so they are meer exercises to increase their Crown of glory they are not so properly afflictions for sinne as Job had those extraordinary trials not for sinne though he was not without sinne but triall and thereby to make him more glorious But I shall speak of such particulars as in their own nature tend to make our end very sad and heavy and therefore let him who would look on death as Jacob did on his sonne Josephs Chariot not with grief but with joy as a convoy to eternall happinesse take heed of these things as so many dangerous works And 1. Immoderate affections to lawfull things they do so dead the heart and clog the soul that when a man comes to die these earthly things lye upon the heart as too much undigested meat upon the stomack making thee extream sick and full of pain The Apostle then 1 Cor. 7. prescribeth a comfortable way to dye joyfully where he saith those that buy must be as if they bought not they that marry as if they married not The greener the wood is the harder to be consumed the more lively and active thy worldly affections are there must be the greater opposition to leave all and be with God The ripe aple falleth from the tree very easily the godly man dying is compared to ripe corn so that if these earthy and worldly affections be not dried up in thee it will much hinder thy joy this green wood will make a great smoak Hezekiah though he had this comfortable evidence yet saith the Text He wept soar some attribute that to the Old Testament dispensation where earthly and worldly happinesse was more generally promised then under the New and therefore death being a privation of that did more affect them howsoever this is sure an heart not weaned from the world and yet must be parted from is like a tooth not cut from
yea there is no man but his failings are more then his duties there is more corruption then grace so that if there be sincerity though imperfection we may say Lord we have finished the work thou gavest us to do Indeed humility is required because of our imperfections but not diffidence To doubt and to refuse the comfort God offers is not humility but disobedience like that of Peters who would not let Christ wash his feet 2. Another mistake may be about the nature of true faith and hope as if we were to divide between Christ and our selves and so from both conjoyned together gather our assurance even as the Papists define spes hope to be partim à gratiâ partim à meritis nostris proveniens but those that go thus to divide must needs divide themselves from comfort for the object of our faith and trust must be Christ only We may joyfully take those evidences of grace we see in our selves but to put confidence in them would be to make our selves our own saviours 3. This mistake may breed much disconsolatenesse when we limit our assurance and evidence to the time of our death that if God give us it not then we give up our case as desperate Indeed it 's a most blessed thing and a mercy much to be prayed for that as Simeon so we having seen Christ in our hearts and lives may then depart in peace It 's the haven after all the tempests we have had here but yet God may deny us this cordiall even the best of Gods children have found that God hath not kept the best wine for the last but God doth sometime to his as they did to Christ give him gall and vinegar to drink For as the wicked ungodly man who the next moment is to drop into eternall flames may yet die with great carnal presumption that God is his God that Christ is his Mediator in whom he will trust and so feareth not quakes not at the dolefull judgement coming upon him so the godly man though ready to be crowned with Immortall Glory and there is but a moment between him and everlasting happinesse yet may think his case doubtfull if not desperate may seem to have no hopes no joy yea be so tempted that he shall think all he did was but in hypocrisie and falsehood that there was no truth in him this may be Therefore let the godly not limit God to that time of death Vse of Admonition to awaken your selves at this truth Think how nearly it concerns you Dost thou live in such a way as that thou art able to make this glorious profession Is not God is not his word is not thy own conscience against thee How speechlesse and confounded wilt thou be when God shall bid thee give an account of all thy talents Oh that men should not lay this later end no more to heart that none saith O my soul now all is well now thou takest thy mirth but what a change will the hour of death make With what comfort wilt thou look upon the devils work and sins work which thou hast been doing all thy life time especially take heed of unprofitablenesse and decayings in the way of godlinesse thou that hast looked towards heaven but art turned out of the way be sure thy end will be miserable It had been better for thee saith the Apostle never to have known the way of righteousnesse You may have desires may have breakings of heart and yet return to sinne again oh think with what a violent flood these thoughts will come upon thee Oh me wretched and undone sinner I have no refuge no hope many resolutions I had but they vanished away and now I must live no longer my time is expired my course is finished Oh that God would adde as to Hezekiah some years to my life Oh that I could bid the Sun stand still or time go no further till I were at peace with God but these are vain wishes Let not then this truth go before it hath left a sting in thy very heart O Lord nothing troubleth me but that I did not think or minde these things sooner Meditate on these things your night is coming upon you Will you alwaies delay or else be secure and not matter these things many have done foolishly and dropt in a moment into hell do not thou be so overtaken May we not conclude that the auditor with whom this truth will not avail may fear he is delivered up to an impenitent heart SERMON XXI Of Gods being Glorified by Mans Salvation That Christs chief end in what he did for man was the Glory of God which bespeaks both our Imitation and unspeakable Consolation JOH 17.4 I have glorified thee on earth THe cirumstance of this holy profession which Christ made being considered Let us proceed to the Profession it self and that is He had glorified God on earth Christ in the state of humiliation was inferiour to God and so he did referre all things to his Fathers glory so that in this profession we may consider 1. What is the matter or object whereby God is glorified 2. The end or final cause that moved Christ therein The matter is our salvation and that redemption Christ purchased for us The end which Christ looked at in all this was chiefly the glory of God Indeed he looked also at his own glory and our glory but the ultimate and chiefest of all was Gods glory So that from hence we may observe That our redemption and salvation obtained by Christ is a glorifying of God and Christ did thereby chiefly aim at Gods glory We put both the matter of Gods glory and Christs end together and certainly this Truth discovered will be like that sweet box of perfume which opened caused such a fragrant smell And 1. Let us see how or wherein God was thus glorified by Christs Mediation for us It being of infinite comfort to know this for how many times are we apt to be cast down What are we that God should regard our salvation who are we that God should crown us with glory God doth not need us he is happy without us Now this may exceedingly encourage Though we be not worthy to be saved God is worthy to be glorified If there were nothing but our good and happinesse involved in Christs death who would think it probable Christ should suffer meerly and ultimately for us but there is also the glory of God deeply concerned which is more worth then all the world yea then all our souls for though one soul be more worth then a world yet Gods glory is more worth then all our souls and their salvation So that a Christian fixing his faith and meditation here may be in a transfiguration and say It is good to be here God doth not lose by thy Salvation If Gods honour were to be impaired if his truth broken if his justice violated then who dare open his mouth for salvation but God is
hast an Interest in Christs Death thou art not only dead to sinne but to the world God forbid that I should glory saith Paul but in the Crosse of Christ whereby the world is crucified to me and I to the world Gal. 6.14 Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth for ye are dead Col. 3.2 3. Therefore not onely grosse prophanesse doth exclude from a propriety in Christs Death but an immoderate frame of heart to these lawful things below Indeed if thy overflowing affections to these things be a burthen to thee and matter of daily conflict then it 's plain these immoderate affections are not in a quiet pacifical dominion over thee and so they are the evil thou wouldst not do And then these can never hurt non sensus but consensus nocet But if they do withall delight so possesse thy heart that they quite dead thee to God and heaven Thou sindest no rellish in heavenly things comparatively to the earthly Thou canst say contrary to David when thy Wine and Oyle encreaseth thou hast more joy then those that trust in God Psal 4. Then art thou to fear Christs Death and his Praier doth not as yet belong to thee Hence it is that the efficacy of Christs death is much discovered in the godly by this twofold Death it works on them a death to sinne and a death to the world Even his Resurrection manifests it self in quickning of us to all holinesse and seeking of those things that are above Let us then see by the effects that Christs Death belongs to thee 3. They that have an Interest in Christs Death they make that an example of all patience and humble Resignation 1 Pet. 2.21 24. Christs Death is not onely efficacious and meritorious but exemplary also So that if the Lord afflict us it is no more then what hath been done to his only Sonne already Though he were a Sonne yet he learned Obedience saith the Scripture by those sufferings Heb. 5 6. Now then behold Christ in all his sufferings when he was reviled reviled not again when he suffered threatned not What threatnings might not Christ have denounced against the Jews because they killed him who was the Prince of glory and so dear to his Father but he is like a Lamb that opens not his mouth before the shearer or the killer Oh then how should this shame us for our unruly passions for our impatient workings and commotions of soul Oh silence thy Soul saying Did Christ bear his afflictions no otherwise Did Christ refuse the bitter cup that was given him to drink Did he not say Not my will but thy will be done 4. He that hath advantage by Christs Death looks upon the bitternesse and uglinesse of sinne as being so foul that nothing but the bloud of Christ could wash it away The very thoughts of Christs Death presently makes him say Oh the cursed and foul nature of all sinne Neither men nor Angels could take away the spot of it but only Christs Death Wicked men therefore they are said to trample under feet the bloud of Christ Heb. 10. Because they have not those right precious thoughts about it as they ought to have Though the bloud of Christ speaks better things then that of Abel yet it doth in some respects speak more terrible things because by that we see how infinitely God is displeased with sinne how unsatisfied his justice was till such an atonement was made So that if we look into hell if we behold all the torments and miseries there it doth not so fully represent the foul guilt of sinne as Christ crucified on the Crosse sweating drops of bloud and crying out My God My God why hast thou forsaken me 5. They that shall have advantage by Christs Death they are infinitely affected with that love of God and Christ therein As you see in Paul That love of Christ giving himself for us sinners and enemies to be reconciled thereby to God Oh how mightily did it constrain Paul 2 Cor. 5.14 The love of Christ constraineth us holds us in an extasie working on us as the Spirit did on the Prophets in their illuminations and prophesies And why so Because we thus judge that if one died for all then were all dead To consider from what a dying damning estate Christs Death doth free us must needs be like fire burning and inflaming a man all over If we had not been desperately dead dead every way dead in sin dead in guilt dead in respect of all earthly hope Christ would not have died for us Oh then the unspeakable affections and enlargements which the Death of Christ works in those that have a propriety therein 6. They that have a propriety in Christs Death will resign all they have up unto Christ and now live no longer to themselves or to worldly motives but unto Christ Rom. 6.10 11. 1 Pet 2.24 so 1 Cor. 6.20 the Apostle urgeth because we are bought with a price therefore we are none of our own and we should glorifie God in soul and body He then that can claim a Title to Christs Death looks not upon his body his estate his health his parts the faculties and affections of his soul as his own his love is not his anger is not Oh how rare then are they who may urge this Argument Christ died Christ was crucified for me for unlesse thou art a redeemed man and that from thy self and all creatures in the world to live wholly to Christ and to resigne all up to him here is little hope for thee Observe then these qualifications and if upon true search they can be found in thee then proceed to make an application of all those glorious priviledges that come by Christs death Fear not let not the devil or thy own guilty heart keep thee off from tasting yea eating abundantly of this honey Hearken what Christ speaks to his Church concerning priviledges and gracious favours Cant. 5.1 Eat O Friends drink â—ea drink abundantly And 1. Those that can pleade Christs Death may also pleade his Resurrection Intercession and whatsoever glorious actions of his are done for his people If Christ died for thee he rose again for thee he interceded in heaven for thee When thou saiest he is an Advocate to pleade thy cause Rom 8. It 's Christ that died who is risen again so that the Death of Christ is the foundation of all his other gracious acts Hence it is that the remission of our sins is attributed to the shedding of his bloud The atonement of our iniquities is given unto his death because in it he did manifest the greatest obedience unto the will of God and the lowest humiliation of himself for us Phil. 2. If then thou hast a propriety in the death of Christ Christ hath done the utmost for thee even to die for thee You see that put him upon the greatest struglings and agonies if he would have refused in any thing it would
accounts madnesse To be in spiritual desertions to have no sence of Gods favour to fear himself a damned Castaway to have no rest in his bones day or night To be assaulted with the devils buffetings to be filled with hideous thoughts These things the world also knoweth not and therefore they count them melancholy and mad Such as by their too much poring about Sermons and good Books put themselves out of their wits Lastly They are not of the world in respect of their Conversation Rom. 12. they are not conformed to the fashion of the world The one goeth Westward the other Eastward as it were Their words and language are different their actions are contrary What the Righteous man loveth the wicked abominateth and what the wicked loveth the godly man abhorreth Thus as they say of the heavens the primum mobile hath one motion of its own and the inferiour Orbes a contrary motion to that Thus the godly man he moveth one way toward heaven he presseth hard thither The wicked man he maketh as much haste to hell So as there were two strugling in the Mothers womb which encreased her pain Thus there are two striving upon the face of the world an Isaac and an Ismael a Jacob and an Esau the Seed of the Woman and the Seed of the Serpent This enmity will not be extinct in this life Vse of Exhortation to the godly Remember what ye are Not of the world Therefore take heed of worldly affections worldly hearts For where your treasure is there will your heart be also If it be in God in Heaven there the heart will be If in Earth and in earthly things there it will be You tremble at the commission of grosse and grievous sins you think hell it self would immediatly devour you upon such sins Be afraid of the world Let it not be a Dalilah to thee a Judas to thee by kissing thee to destroy thee Consider therefore God hath put gall into all worldly comforts therefore every creature every condition in the world hath a sting in it that thy soul should be more on God Thou canst never live quietly till above the werld In heaven only there are no storms no waves no disquietings and this life thou maist attain unto He that is not of the world The troubles of the world hurt not him the losses of the world grieve not him The vexations of the world disquiet not him But because we are still of the world in part we are not compleatly and perfectly out of disquietnesse Therefore in this life we remain in a combating conflicting way that heaven may be the sweeter Doct. 2 Obs 2. That it is the honour of Beleevers that they are like Christ They are not of the world as he is not What a glorious condescention was this that he who is the God of all the Earth and hath all things at his command yet be in the world hated scorned and at last crucified That it shall be no better with him then it was with us Hence our Saviour added this as I am of the world both for consolation and information Information that they should look for such hatred misery and trouble as they saw him grapling with such a contradiction of sinners as he sustained and then also for consolation They could not think much if the Disciple were not above the Master so could they expect to be more loved of God then he Could they think to walk more wisely and holily then he did It must needs bring much comfort when we shall Consider that it can never be so bad with us but it was worse with Christ Are we hated so he Did he seem forsaken of God So may we be To open this Consider That there is a twofold conformity and likenesse to Christ The first is active the second passive An active conformity consists in the Imitation of Christ and resembling him in our lives That as Christ lived so we endeavour to do Although there be some things wherein it 's impossible for us to imitate him as in his actions which he did as God yet in those things which he did as being under the Law we are to conform to him We are to be humbles meek and patient as he was We are to do Gods Will and to seek Gods glory as he did Let the same minde be in you saith the Apostle which was in Christ Phil. 2.5 Christs life and death was chiefly satisfactory and meritorious but secondarily it was exemplary being as a Copy to write after Thus Paul bids them be Followers of him as he was of Christ Phil 3.17 Heathens have prescribed to have some grave sober man in our mindes alwaies to think him present but behold a greater then all men even Christ himself Check thy self when impatient discontented repining at sufferings saying Did Christ do thus 2. There is a passive Conformity of which the Text speaks To be like him in his Sufferings To have the same hard measure in the world as he had Rom 8. We are said to be predestinate to be conformable unto Christ in this very particular What befell Christ God hath so ordered that it should befal us Not indeed for the same end for Christs Sufferings were not for himself or because he had sinned but to make an atonement to God for us But our sufferings are for our sins not to satisfie Gods justice but to humble us and to make us in some measure to feel how much Christ suffered for us what the wrath and anger of God was he endured for us This passive resemblance then unto Christ in his state of humiliation God hath ordained all beleevers unto That as it behoved Christ to suffer and so to enter into Glory Thus it doth behove every godly man through many Tribulations to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven As he had a Crown of Thorns before a Crown of Glory as he must drink of the Brook and then lift up his head so it must be with all his Disciples and this is matter of Comfort though otherwise grievous to flesh and bloud For 1. Hereby we see that we may be never the lesse loved of God though greatly afflicted in this world For was not Christ though dearly beloved of his Father yet delivered up to the cruell mockings and rage of men Did not he cry out My God why hast thou forsaken me We may reade but of one Sonne of God without sin but not of one without chastisement even Christ himself drank deep of that Cup Do not thou then doubt of thy Sonship or Interest in the Fathers love because of the present afflictions that are upon thee Christ was a man of sorrows and yet God from Heaven said This is my well beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased 2. There is matter of comfort because hereby we are ascertained of our Conquest over them That no tribulation shall separate God and us for Christ hath undergone these conflicts as
them Thou thinkest with thy self Oh when will the hand of the Lord be over Oh that this burthen were taken off and in the mean time praiest not watchest not lest this should any waies distemper thee and make thee sinful Vse 2. How foolish they are that wil run into any sinne so they may avoid danger That will bow their knees to Baal worship the golden Image ere they will venture any misery What saith our Saviour to such They that will thus save their lives shall lose them God frustrates their earthly Expectations and then Oh the wofull horrour sinne will leave upon them They will finde a wounded Spirit worse then any calamity in the world They will wish O that they had been wracked and tormented in their bodies so that they had never committed such sinnes as wrack and torment their Souls David when he had lost all heavenly joy and all his desirable things did perish could then tell you that sins guilt upon the Soul was worse then all the miseries and troubles that ever he did undergo SERMON LXXXVII That God hath determined a precise time to every particular man in the world how long he shall live JOHN 17.15 I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world c. THough we have gathered the full vintage of this Text yet there remain some gleanings of which we may say with the Prophet a blessing is in it Two remarkable truths there are implied the first in the Negative the second in the Positive part In the first in the Negative I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world We may observe That God hath the dominion and immediate disposing of our being and continuance in this world When his day is come when his Decree is expired then none can withstand when he commands to return to the dust from whence we came or shall say This night thy soul shall be taken away there cannot be any gainsaying This truth is the more to be regarded because it hath been doctrinally agitated by learned men Whether there be an immovable term of life in this world prefixed to every man and then practically it is of great concernment as is to be shewed But to explain this truth consider First That God hath not onely determined a general or specifical time for all in the world but an individual and peculiar for every man or woman a general term of life God hath provided so that none shall live beyond it No man ever lived a thousand years In the beginning of the world then men were longer lived but in Moses his time we see him affirming the ordinary bounds of a mans life to be threescore and ten Psa 90. For in the wilderness by their wickedness they brought short dayes upon themselves So that all creatures have a general term of life There is the maximum quod sic though some live longer then others Thus men have bounds in the general they cannot out-live But this is not enough God hath appointed to every individual man his continuance in the world so that it is God that taketh him out of the world when his time cometh 2. Though God hath thus appointed our continuance in the world so that in respect of his providence none could live longer or shorter yet if we respect second causes and speak according to them so we may truly say such might have continued longer in the world Hence wicked men are said not to live out half their dayes and Solomon saith Be not over-wicked Eccles 7.17 Why shouldst thou die before thy time Wicked men many times by their wickedness drunkennes and uncleanness kill themselves and sometimes provoke God to destroy them But though they are said not to live out half their dayes yet that is to be understood in respect of second causes not Gods appointment for so it was their whole dayes 3. Though God hath appointed the times of our abode or removal out of the world yet this decree and appointment is brought about in the use of means We are not to apprehend such a decree in God that we shall live such a time let us do what we will eat or not it 's no matter for the use of the means This is wretchedly to dishonour God for though Gods will doth not uncertainly depend upon thy will yet his appointment is with great sweetness and condescention to second causes both natural and rational so that they are moved by him according to their natures Therefore when Paul had a revelation That none in the ship with him should perish yet he tels them that unless they continued in the ship with him they should perish Act. 27.31 4. Therefore though God hath appointed the bounds of our life in this world yet he hath kept it secret from us he lets none know unless by special revelation the times of their death And therefore there is a duty imposed upon all that they use the means of life Thou shalt not kill reacheth first to a mans self and then to another Hence to live chearfully to use the help of the Physician are duties Christ said The sick need the Physician Mat. 9.12 as for secret things they belong to God The souldier knoweth not whether he shall conquer such an enemy scale such a wall yet because his General commands him he is ready to obey and thus though we cannot tell such means shall prolong our lives in the world yet Gods will cannot be neglected without great sin 5. God hath determined the time of our being in the world out of justice and wrath to the wicked out of mercy and wisdom to the godly It 's anger to the wicked for all the while they live they increase their sin they treasure up wrath so that it had been well for them if they had been cut off by death long before They live to make hell the hotter for them when they die But to the godly the time of their abode is limited in mercy The righteous is taken away from the evil to come Isa 57.1 The shepherd driveth his sheep to a refuge before the storm ariseth The jewels are safely put up when the house is in danger when Simeon had seen and imbraced Christ then he had liberty to depart The word is used in Scripture sometimes of those that are dismissed out of prison or are dispatched when their errand is done or freed from a flux or such disease that is upon them and certainly in these respects it may be applied when God taketh his out of the world it 's because they have finished this work and death freeth them from this world that was like a prison to them yea and now a stop is put to all those lusts that were like a bloody flux running from them so that the time when God takes his out of the world is from much wisdom and great mercy They shall not go sooner nor yet later then he willeth and thus many
to beleeve though it might be matter of comfort and priviledge yet it was not of duty But O how graciously hath God taught thee otherwise Now thou ar◠as much afraid not to lay hold on Christ as to commit any other sin Thou art as consciencious in believing every promise as in conforming to every command Thou darest no longer listen to doubts and fears to Satans Temptations in this matter then thou darest to the lusts and pleasures of sin 2. The Spirit of God doth instruct us in this That thus to beleeve and rest on Christ is to perform or to do that to which Justification is promised He that believeth is passed from death to life and still Remission of sins is said to be received by Faith and we are justified by Faith Rom. 5. So that when the Soul doth rest on Christ he performeth that to which Christ with all his benefits are promised Joh. 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have eternnl Life So that the humbled sinner having his eyes thus opened he seeth it the greatest madnesse and folly that can be not to receive Christ and to rest on him Why thus he argueth I cannot he justified I cannot partake of Christ till I do believe so that to believe is as necessary in an instrumental way as Christ in a meritorious way Shall the diseased Patient question whether he shall take that medicine which will certainly heal him Shall the hungry man doubt whether he may receive that alms which will preserve his Life Thus the humbled sinner is convinced that as he must not murther his own body wilfully by refusing to eat meat so he must not his own soul by a wilful rejecting of the promise 3. The Spirit of God instructs him in this also That by beleeving he doth not only bring comfort and salvation to his soul but in a most eminent manner doth also glorifie God As Abraham by that remarkable act of Faith is said to give Glory to God Rom. 4.20 The tempted Soul is apt to think Why should I believe this is but to seek my self This is because I would have comfort whatever becometh of Gods Glory Oh but saith the believer when thus awakened if I could perform all the Commandments of God if I could love God so as to give my body to be burnt for his Name yet I could not glorifie God so much as by believing for this acknowledgeth God in Christ wherein God is more to be admired then in the creation and government of the world Lastly He is enabled to see the folly and unprofitablenesse of Vnbelief If he go not to Christ where can Salvation be had he is sure to be damned by keeping from Christ Therefore with those Lepers he is resolved not to perish but to go to God though he seem an Enemy to him And then 2. God worketh faith in us effectively as you heard by strengthening the heart of a man fiducially to repose on Christ if other graces as love and patience do not grow of themselves in mans heart much lesse doth Faith which is so supernatural every way SERMON CIX Of Justifying Faith JOHN 17.20 But for them also who shall believe in me through their word WE are treating upon the Doctrine of Justifying Faith and certainly we may say It 's good to be on this Mount of Transfiguration and having declared that method Gods Spirit leads an humbled soul into when it 's enabled to believe We proceed to further particulars instructive in this business The ultimate and last act of justifying faith was a fiducial resting upon Christ for all spiritual benefits But to understand this further Consider that the Scripture expression of it is very emphatical and denoteth several notions in it as when it expresseth it by receiving 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a word often applied to faith in this act it receiveth Christ Joh. 1.12 it receiveth the promise it receiveth forgivenesse of sins Act. 26.18 so that in this justifying act of faith we are to conceive a precious treasure offered by the grace of God even Christ himself and faith as the hand receiving of it and this expression is full of excellent matter for it teacheth 1. That we in this act of Justification or laying hold on Christ have nothing of our own All our righteousness is without us we are to receive it offered we have nothing inherent This Paul knew experimentally Phil. 3. when he would be found not in his own righteousness but that which is by faith His own mark that Any thing we may call our own we must not be found in and that is our own which is not only so effectivé by our own procuring and labour or merit but subjectivé which is inherent in us though it be wrought by the grace of God as the Just is said to live by his faith Hab. 2.4 It 's his faith subjectively though Gods effectively This word then receiving doth carry every man humbled Evangelically wholly out of himself and as was said to the woman looking into the Sepulchre Why look you for him he is not here he is risen So it may be said Why art thou searching and digging into thine own heart Thy works or graces these are not the object of faith It 's above thee It 's without thee though by faith applied to thee Even as the poor cripple that desired to be healed looked upon Christ expecting help from him he knew he had nothing in himself or as the indigent beggar looks without him and stretcheth out his hand to receive food or money So is it with the humbled sinner Oh then be directed here why doth God make thy own heart thy own wayes so bitter to thee Is it not because thou shouldst seek out for a Christ and look for a righteousnesse without thee 2. This word receiving implieth That we are wholly passive in our Justification That we are not justified by doing any thing or offering any thing to God but receiving from him Even as some Philosophers say Intelligere and sentire are passions Though we express them actively yet the soul therein is passive So when by believing a man is justified we are not to consider what he brings to God or doth for God but what he receiveth from him This is a fundamental principle to be grounded in it 's a mercy of mercies to be directed in the agonies of thy soul to the right way of believing to know the way to this City of refuge If a manslayer pursued by the avenger had not known the way to the City of refuge what danger had he been in It 's like the childe not coming the right way in it's birth now naturally we all think by doing to partake of Christ not receiving which made the Apostle so industriously assert this That it 's not to him that worketh but to him that believeth
Jew after the Spirit would farre esteem the latter Thus it is here No power or works are judged great but what are temporall visible and in civill outward things we are apt more to look upon Alexander the great or Constantine the great because of their civill power then Christ who is the King of Kings and Lords transcending all these but in a spirituall way 1 Tim. 6.15 Christ hath this magnificent Title King of Kings and Lord of Lords It 's observed by Drusius a Learned man that those Titles were usually given to the great Kings of Persia then which there were none assumed more to themselves then they did yet the Apostle attributeth this to Christ to inform us that as God hath exalted Christ above all earthly power so we should magnifie and glorifie him accordingly certainly if we Christians did put forth our faith and meditations about the greatnesse of this power it would work great joy and confidence in us It would work an holy fear and trembling The Apostle Eph. 1. Phil 2. Col. 1. is even transported with the expressions about it Now this power of Christ is no where more glorious then in sanctifying and preparing an holy people for himself To give them of the same Spirit with him They that were dead and noisome in sinne to make them live in holinesse and to adorn them with all the graces of his Spirit Oh then let not the people of God be dismaiâ—d or discouraged with the apprehension of their own weaknesse and impotency how can they love God bear afflictions die in hope and comfort Alas thou thinkest on thy own weaknesse and not Christs power Remember Of his Fulnesse thou art to receive A thirsty man need not doubt whether the whole Ocean hath water enough to revive him Christ we reade gave wonderful power to his Disciples and other beleevers to work miracles This amazed and astonished all the world but certainly this power of changing mens hearts and reforming their lives is farre above this To open the eyes of the minde is more then to give bodily sight to say Ephatha to the heart is more then to say so to the ear To raise from the death of sin is more then to command out of the grave Austin said To make a man holy is more then to create a world Conversion is not usually called a Miracle yet it 's a greater wonder then a Miracle Let that soul then which hath found Christ thus powerfull upon him admire the unsearchable greatnesse of his Christ wonder at it as the most admirable expression of Gods power to thee Secondly Christs power is seen in that he doth not only give grace but he is able to bestow all that glory and happinesse the Scripture promiseth Now the reward or fruit of grace is either that inward peace and joy of heart here or eternal happinesse hereafter both which are in Christs power and munificence It was alwaies a flower in the chiefest power to be able to remunerate those that did great service and this is part of Christs Jus Regale For the first the peace of conscience and joy which accompanieth well-doing is exceeding great insomuch that if there were no heaven hereafter yet godlinesse brings a present sweetnesse and delight with it It hath present pay Now all this peace and comfort especially between God and the soul is wrought by Christ only who is called the King of Peace Isa 9. yea our peace Eph. 2.14 because he reconcileth God and man If those Peace-makers be blessed that make man and man to agree how much more is he that brings God and man to agreement But this Christ worketh Alas the heart troubled for sinne rageth and is like an hell till Christ bids it be quiet and still Hence he promiseth to send the Comforter and it 's his Spirit which is sent into our hearts making us to cry Abba Father Gal. 4.6 Oh then let the grieved and perplexed soul through the guilt of sin that can finde no rest no ease go to him that hath power indeed to command these waves to be still See with what love and power Mat. 11.28 this is expressed Come to me ye that are heavy laden and I will ease you Christ will give ease See how imperiously he speaks Let your sinne be never so terrifying your conscience never so disquieted The devils never so much troubling and tempting of you yet I will give you ease You shall finde rest for your souls No earthly power in the world can say thus truly Therefore this is to direct the godly in their black temptations They cry out It cannot be I should have peace I should have joy There may as soon come fire out of water as peace and quietnesse out of my heart Oh remember this Text The power Christ hath over all flesh Is thine excepted Christ can ease and quiet every mans heart but thine Be ashamed to think thy weaknesse more then Christs power Thy guilt more then his consolations The other fruit of a godly life is Eternal happinesse and this Christ doth also bestow upon those that are his At the day of judgement we reade of him putting them into possession Come ye blessed of my Father inherite the Kingdom prepared for you Mat. 25. Heb. 5.9 he is called The authour of eternal salvation he cals himself the bread of life he that eateth on him shall never die more so that all that happinesse and blessednesse which is in the life to come is attributed unto Christ both the purchase and authour of it It 's he that will say Well done good and faithfull Servant enter thou into thy Masters joy For those Parables that speak of a great King employing his Servants in such work and then so abundantly rewarding of them is Christ This should be a great encouragement in Christs service What a glorious and powerful Master do ye serve one who is able to requite thee with eternal glory and everlasting happinesse If we suffer with him we shall reign with him Rom. 8.17 The greatnesse and bounty of the Master doth quicken the Servant Haman was glad of Ahashuerus his emploiment because he could put such honour upon him But oh how should our hearts be enflamed to work for Christ what cannot such a Master do for us Ask any thing in earth or heaven he can bestow it on thee How unworthy is it when we grudge at the work Christ requireth when we repine at the Crosse he would have us take up This is not to attend whom we serve how great our Master is what Treasuries he hath out of which he can bountifully reward us Thirdly Christs power is seen in that he can forgive and pardon sinne Which is acknowledged by all that God only can do it Mar. 2.7 You have this power of Christ particularly opposed by his enemies but vindicated by him and that he hath power to forgive sinnes he proveth by his power to work Miracles Not that
to bid a lame man rise and take up his bed and walk is a greater thing then to forgive him but to their sence and in outward appearance it was so yea he doth not only remit sinne but he appointeth the Ministers of the Gospel to remit and forgive sins viz. by declaration and application of the Promises and this he saith shall be confirmed in heaven Certainly no power can be denied him who can authoritatively and of himself pardon sinne sinne being an infinite injury and dishonour to God he must be equall with God that can remit this for it 's a sure Rule Nemo potest remittere de jure alieno Oh how comfortable is this to meditate on by faith he hath power to forgive sinne who died for thy sinne who was crucified that it might be done away If then thy sinnes are a burthen to thee if thou dost leave and forsake them doubt not of thy pardon Oh do not say whether will Christ pardon or no for seeing he hath power his will was abundantly manifested in the sacrificing of himself on the Crosse Now sinne is the sting in every thing remove sinne and death is no death hell is no hell if Christs power takes this away it takes all away Fourthly Christs Power is seen in giving Laws and prescribing duties to all according to which they should live Therefore he cals them his Commandements and the Apostle urgeth If they died without mercy that refused Moses speaking of how much sorer punishment shall they be thought worthy who refuse him speaking from heaven In this respect it is that he is so often called a King and a Kingdom is attributed to him because he maketh Laws and enjoyneth the observation of them under higher penalties then any earthly power can do and that is eternall damnation and this consideration is a two edged Sword to many hypocrites They love Christ they say they trust in him their Redeemer but they do not obey him as a King This is a Law-giver who hath power to damn and to save Oh that the prophane and ungodly wretch who yet hopes for mercy by Christ would lay this to heart more Art thou obedient to him as Lord and King He saith Swear not at all Dost thou give obedience give over thy cursing and swearing He saith Let not your hearts be overcharged with surfeting and drunkennesse Do you obey this Law and so of adultery and uncleannesse He that doth but lust after a woman is guilty of eternal death What think you of these Laws Are not these holy and just Do you think Christ hath not power to be avenged on you Oh take heed of making this power against thee It 's able to undoe thee without hope Fifthly Christs power is remarkably seen in enabling and strengthening his Children in all their afflictions so that they doe not only bear them but triumph therein with joy unspeakable and full of glory This hath magnified the power of Christ in heaven more then any thing else Men have wondred and been amazed at the patience of the Saints and the joy of the Martyrs But whence came they to be thus endowed with power Had not they flesh and bloud as well as others Was not death with the exquisite torments of it in it self dreadfull to them as well as others yea certainly but Christs power in them made them above themselves Paul speaking of this wonderfull disposition to know how to abound and how to want addeth He can do all things through Christ that strengthneth him Phil. 4.13 So that hereby he will rejoyce in his infirmities because Christs power is thereby more manifested 2 Cor. 12.5 Oh then here is a good subject for the Children of God to dwell on God doth not call them sometimes to lay down their lives to a bloudy agony he doth but exercise them with ordinary calamities such as are common to man Every carnal natural man hath the like and their natural strength beareth them up in it yet thou though promised the strength of Christ criest out Thou shalt be overcome Why art thou so weak and full of unbelief Is not Christs power for thy good Hath he not all this power in heaven and earth for the good of his Children Doth not thy diffidence make thee doubt whether Christ be able whether he can support thee or no Alas if these lesse troubles be so irksome what wouldst thou do if thou wert called to more fiery trouble If thou canst not bear rods how wilt thou Scorpions Be ashamed yea and afraid of this unbelief for Christ giveth his power only to those that trust and hope in him Beleeve and all things will be possible to thee Sixthly If all Instances were so signally demonstrating the power Christ hath over all flesh as this that he is appointed to judge the whole world both quick and dead are to stand at his Tribunal Two things in this do manifest his exceeding great power 1. The immediate preparation to it 2. The Act of judging the preparation to it for Christ by his power shall raise up all out of their graves those that for many years have been consuming into dust shall then by his power come out of their graves 1 Cor. 15.22 As in Adam all died so by Christ shall all be made alive The godly they shall rise because they are members to him the head Hence the Apostle argueth the Resurrection of the one from the other And the ungodly they shall be raised by him as a Judge What temporall power can be imagined like this and then his solemn coming to judgement in what power Majesty and trembling will it be 1 Thes 1.7 8 Christ shall come with his mighty Angels in flaming fire of vengeance So then it cannot enter into the heart of man to conceive how glorious and yet how dreadfull this manifestation of Christs power will be And as for the judgement it self Christ is the Judge and therefore it 's called the judgement seat of Christ and the day of Christs coming Then shall the sins of all men yea the secret counsels and purposes of heart be manifested Oh what a day will this be Though Christ in the flesh was contemned vilified and reproached yet then he shall come in power At that time he shall give finall sentence concerning the salvation and damnation of men This is the great instance of his power Though now we beleeve it only and not see it yet then we shall see and behold it with our bodily eyes Oh tremble at this you who will not now in obedience and humility submit your selves to him then look for Christ to be a Judge You look for him only as a Saviour you think he came only to forgive No he cometh as well to destroy He will judge righteous judgement They in the Revelation cried to the Mountains to cover them from the wrath of the Lamb. Lastly Christs power over all flesh is seen even in this
then to think This Judge I have dishonoured I have wronged I have broken all his Commands Oh if it were any other Judge I could hope to speed better Oh if you have any love to your souls lay this to heart Thy wickednesse thy prophanesse it hath been against Christ It was he that commanded thee he sent his Ministers to perswade thee and thou saidst Give me my lusts rather then Christ the world rather then Christ and this Christ is now come to be my Judge What dost thou think or beleeve about these things Why dost thou stop thy ear Why dost thou stifle thy Conscience Why dost thou labour to suppresse these thoughts within If that all this power will not passe by thee though but one man Think not what care I for this power I will do well enough howsoever 3. Consider its power that one day will be expressed only in a dreadfull way Not the least drop of honey in this Ocean of gall As yet indeed Christ who hath all power emploieth much of it for the salvation of thy soul He sends his Ministers who entreat you to be reconciled with God and how should that melt you for what are you how despicable and unworthy that God should desire you to be reconciled to him he needeth you not he wants you not This is true but the time is coming when all his power will be manifested in a dismall condemning way Then he commands his Gaolers the devils to take and torment for ever Then he comes in flaming fire of vengeance cry then if thou wilt Lord where is thy power to save thy power to forgive and he will say there is no more time for such power any longer Expect no more blessings no more invitations but now prepare for those torments thou art adjudg'd unto Did we preach these things to Heathens and Pagans that do not beleeve the truth of them it would be no wonder if they did not regard them But how is it that you who say ye beleeve these things that you do not go out and weep bitterly 4. This power is spirituall it doth reach to the hearts and consciences of men Oh be afraid lest upon thy wickednesse he puts thee forth lest he make thee a Cain a Judas Oh it 's not all thy wealth all thy jollity all thy pleasures that are able to withstand these troubles and tempests if Christ raise them up in thee If he deliver thee to Satan as some were then Christ withdraweth all his comfort all peace and lets the devil be thy tormentor and thy heart an hell especially this is done sometimes in time of sicknesse under fears of death when nothing but outward calamity compasseth thee about then he commands those black and thick clouds to cover thy heart which are as a gulf between Gods mercy and thee There is no sinner so haughty so jolly so scornful but Christ can quickly turn his Sun into a black night Every thing shall bring thy sins and hell to thy minde oh be afraid to live so lest you provoke Christ to put forth this power 5. It 's a just and righteous power and therefore never expect impunity and freedom For what is the sweet poyson that undoeth thee Oh thou thinkest of mercy thou dreamest of mercy thou speakest of mercy but shall not the Judge of the world be just also And is it not the greatest justice in the world that as thou wouldst not hear him speaking in the day of grace so neither should he hear thee begging and crying in his day of justice Is it not a most just thing that thou who saidst Let me have my lusts though I be for ever separated from Christ that thy own desires should fall upon thy head What shall Christ be refused and that day after day for every lust and sinne and shall this alwaies be forgotten Will Christ never be avenged for it Lastly This power of Christ is to inflict eternall misery It 's everlasting fire and everlasting burnings It 's a fire that never goeth out worms that never die Now what power in the world is like this Can any make thee miserable for ever Can any say Be thou in torment to all Eternity but this is the power we speak of As the Apostle said We count not those short afflictions equall to that eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 5.14 So neâ—ther do thou judge those pleasures equall to that eternal woe A second Vse of Consolation For this Doctrine is like the Bee it hath a sting and honey Like the Ark that had Manna and a Rod Now what unspeakable comfort ariseth from this to the godly much every way 1. The Children of God they are subject to sad temptations about the weaknesse of their graces and the strength of their lusts David was not more fearful one day or other of being overthrown by Saul then they are at last to be destroied either by hypocrisie or apostacy Now what surer remedy what more precious cordial can there be then this Omnipotency of Christ this plenitude of power It was said of the Pope who pleaded for fulnesse of Church-power that it was not plenitudo potestatis but tempestatis But it 's otherwise with Christ his fulnesse of sufficiency is for every want of thine in any spiritual way he can as easily give thee spiritual things as temporal if thou wantst bread health thou thinkest it 's but Christs command and he can multiply the Loaves now he is as willing to do this in heavenly things It 's but a word from his mouth and thy proud heart is humbled thy unruly heart pacified thy grieved heart comforted yea he is more willing to give us spiritual things then Parents give Children their temporals how much rather will he give the holy Ghost to them that ask him Mat. 7. Oh then though all the world cannot help thee in this matter yet Christ hath power to do it and as for his willingnesse what cause of doubt seeing he was crucified and underwent voluntarily all that ignominy and curses that he might be exalted to this power to help thee Josephs Brethren were afraid because of their guilt that Joseph now so much preferred would not help them but he is Joseph and will forgive wrongs so also will Christ do to thee The second Temptation is about Pardon of sinne and Gods displeasure Oh this is a restlesse Sea in which the godly are tossed up and down This is the Whales belly that swalloweth up all Oh but here is a blessed haven here is one can command the windes and waves to be still here is one can say Son be of good comfort thy sins be forgiven thee 3. The outward exercises of the godly are very many They have many thorns in the flesh They have deep waters to go through Now what is an help but the power of Christ I can doe all things through Christ None but Christ None but Christ said the Martyrs
the flesh which will cause great pain in the pulling out If therefore thou wouldst with much peace and joy make up thy account sit loose from all earthly things these are good but God is better to have God would be a gain to thee these are thorns and thorns in thy side they do not only choak our duty but our comforts 2. This will diminish thy comfort much though thou hast for the main been holy when too much formality and slothfulnesse hath been upon thee The want of zeal and fervency will greatly abate of thy joy Therefore the Apostle 1 Pet. 1. saith Give all diligence to make your calling sure as if he had said as long as you live slothfully and negligently you can never come to any assurance the more lazy and cold thou art the greater will thy fears and doubtings be Oh then let this be a goad in thy side to do what thou doest with all thy might love God serve God pray to God with all thy might I tell thee it will be a great grief and breaking of heart to think of all thy family duties and publique duties done in a meer customary way if thou doest them not as a dying man as a man going immediatly to give his account to God thou comest not up to thy duty Rev. 2. see how severe God is there to the Church I have something against thee because thy works are not perfect filled works They were good works but they were not filled with inward life and the substance of grace therefore he exhorts them to strengthen the things that were ready to die Oh then do thou pray that a constant fire may burn upon the altar of thy heart take heed of grievings and tormenting fears because thou wert so barren so superficiall and unhearty in the work of God though this will not break thy anchor yet it will tosse thy ship up and down very violently though it will not raze thy foundation yet it will cause great heartquakes and trembling within thee 3. This will much weaken though not quite destroy thy comfort when thou hast not been carefull and active to improve all the opportunities and prizes God put into thy hand To think this I might have done there was this excellent occasion and I neglected it These thoughts will be so many drops of gall in thy hony Therefore the Apostle presseth that duty to redeem the time Ephes 4.16 to take all the occasions and opportunities before thee We are commanded to learn of the unreasonable creatures that know their times and seasons Christs tears over Jerusalem Luk. 19.41 were because she did not know her day God doth give many gracious occasions which it may be will never be injoyed more Now as those that did not go out early to gather Manna could not have any afterwards though they would have laboured many hours and as those that did not step into the Pool while the Angel descended could not upon any terms have the benefit afterwards so it is here if thou take not the opportunity the season God offers it may never come again It 's true there is no man dying but may be greatly afflicted for mis-spent opportunities therefore you heard no man could put any confidence in the best improved life that can be only he is happy that hath lesse worms gnawing upon his conscience then others Oh then take this home with thee thou godly soul when Christ knocketh at the door there is an opportunity of doing or receiving good take heed with the Church thou do not make excuses and so make Christ depart thou maiest afterward search for him in the anguish of thy heart and not finde him 4. This will allay our comfortable account when though we have done the work of God yet we did it upon constraint and slavish fears not from filiall and voluntary principles As the heart hath been free and willing so commonly will thy joyes be When the people offered so willingly about the Temple how joyfull and glad is David blessing God Who are we that we should be able to offer thus willingly 1 Chron. 29.14 and Lord keep this alwaies in their hearts so that a ready willing minde God doth accept of and fils with consolation He hath not sowed sparingly and therefore shall not reap sparingly Wo is me saith Paul if I preach not the Gospell 1 Cor. 9.16 If I preach the Gospel willingly I have a reward but if not the dispensation of the Gospel is committed to me As if be had said If I preach the Gospel and do my duty from a ready willing minde I shall have an overflowing reward but if not there is a necessity laid upon me it is my duty I cannot put it off God will require his trust Oh then do not lose the comfort of all thy duties to do from constraint from fear because of a slavish conscience this will not produce that consolation which a voluntary free spirit will therefore as the Apostle spake concerning Ministers Heb. 3.17 people should obey them that they might give their account with joy and not with grief the same is to be applied by every one oh let me with delight and willingnesse do Gods work that I may lift up my head when death appeareth He that is haled to his duty will be haled to his account in neither will he have any joy I did such things indeed but it was meer fear of hell and torment I had no delight in God or approaches to him 5. Though we do the work God requireth yet so much insincerity and hypocrisie as there is so much will our comfort abate This I have done indeed this zeal this activity I had but it was not purely for God there were self-respects self-considerations and these will be so many thorns by thy roses if it had not been for such ingredients thy heart had been more serene and calm This was Pauls evidence not simply that he preached the Gospel but that he did it as of God and to God 2 Cor. 2. The Pharisees in all the duties they did could have no true comfort because their ends were nought Jehu and Judas these will give no comfortable account so that purity of intention and rectitude of aims will only comfort thee at thy death shouldst thou abound in the most Angelicall duties that are be admired of all yet if in all these things thou hast not been purely fixed thy hopes will fail insincerity is accompanied with sad doubts and uncertainties 6. Ignorance or a mistake in some things may make us give our account with great fear As 1. If we look for perfection in our lives being resolved like Rachel to mourn and take no comfort unless our life appear a garden to us without any weeds at all but that is reserved only for heaven If none might dye comfortably but he that hath lived perfectly then every man must go out of the world with despair
death but these works of God they are living works partly because they proceed from a life of grace and partly because they will live for ever they will go to the grave with thee to heaven with thee they will never forsake thee 2. It 's our duty to work because God hath made them the necessary way to walk in if we will be saved Without holinesse no man shall see God Labour for the meat that perisheth not Hence if we consider every gracious work of patience love meeknesse we shall see blessednesse is promised to them Not that these justifie only the person justified cannot be without them They are the media ordinata ordained mean in the use whereof we are to arrive at eternal happinesse It 's faith only that receiveth Christ and his righteousnesse yet this faith cannot be separated from an holy walking It 's the eye only that seeth yet the eye cannot be separated from the other parts of the body and thus the Apostle doth immediatly oppose Rom. 4. beleeving working grace and works in respect of Justification yet he doth at the same time presse the Children of God to all holinesse and the fruits of righteousnesse 3. Working is necessary by way of gratitude and thankefulnesse to God and Christ If there were nothing else but this this might pour coals of fire upon thee for how many works of Gods grace hast thou been partaker of If Gods grace did not work all the day long for thee thou couldst not be a moment preserved out of hell and as for Christs working reade the History of his Life he was alwaies finishing the work of thy Redemption and Salvation he had nothing to do for himself all was in reference to thee Oh then how unworthy wilt thou shew thy self of all that love and kindenesse which God and Christ have done for thee If thou like the Sluggard let the Field of thy Soul grow full of briars and thorns Oh how can thy heart be so cold and slothful When thou considerest grace is working for thee all the day long if Christ had no more zealously and earnestly wrought my peace for me then I do perform his duties my soul had perished irrecoverably Lastly Therefore it 's necessary we should work Gods work because we have for a long time spent our selves in the Service of Satan and doing the works of the devil Oh this should be a perpetual goad in thy side this should be fire in thy bosome to consider that there was no hour no day no season but thou didst take the opportunity to satisfie thy lusts Thou never couldst have enough of sinne No thirsty man did more greedily swallow down water then thou didst sinne yea how active to draw on others to infect others with the same plague thou hadst I tell you this will lie heavy upon the godly soul If I were to live Methusalems age it would not be time enough to do God service for the dishonour I have put upon him Thy time is short and thou hast much to do because thou hast undone so much In the next place Consider That it 's lawful for the people of God in all the work they do for God to encourage themselves with this that there is an everlasting glory laid up for them Even as Christ had an eye to this glory so it 's lawful for us Thus Moses had an eye to the recompence of the reward Heb. 11. The godly Rom. 2. are said to be such as seek for immortality and glory Rom. 5.2 They rejoyce in hope of the glory of God and Paul accounted all these sufferings but light in respect of that eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 Indeed Gods glory is to be sought in the first place and then our glory so that it 's a shame if in all our doings and sufferings for God we are not full of joy because of that unspeakable glory apprehended by faith Faith makes it present as if we already were partakers of it So that whatsoever temptations and discouragements are in the work of the Lord this glory will abundantly make amends for it Are there reproaches and disgrace in the world All the while thou didst sin and the devils work thou hadst the love and good-will of the world but since thou hast betaken thy self to the service of God thou art the scoff and reproach of all O think of the glory God will crown thee with before all the world Again are all the works of God painful difficult and contrary to flesh and bloud thou must strive and wrastle much in praier be alwaies in a combat and conflict Remember this everlasting glory yea God therefore doth many times put his Children upon all exercises and sad temptations which make them ake at the very heart and all is to encrease their glory the more Thus Job thus Paul they had extraordinary trials that they might have extraordinary glory Furthermore is there self-denial required in Gods work Must thou part with thy pleasures with thy profit thy delights still remember this glory will make thee no loser for alas what proportion is there between these petty things thou leavest and those everlasting treasures God hath provided for thee In the sixth place That the glory of Gods people may be full he giveth them time and large opportunities of working for him and keeps thee in this world not for any earthly and outward advancement of thy self but to serve him in thy generation as it 's said David served God in his generation Act. 13.36 and God calleth Moses his servant Whatsoever thy relation thy place thy office be God hath appointed thee to work and therefore he prolongs thy life till thy work be done This is a comfortable consideration which all the godly may take that death shall not seize on them while thay have work to do for God and when that is finished then this summons to everlasting glory As for Infants this Truth reacheth not to them and if any like the Thief on the Crosse are called at the last hour and so are not able to work in the Vineyard yet even such have an habitual prepared heart for it if they had the opportunity But for others whose daies are prolonged they are thus to think with themselves I have this day this week longer to adde to my work God hath for me to doe Take heed of mispent time take heed of losing daies and weeks The night is coming when none can work Vse 1. How much comfort and joy the godly may take at the hour of death Their work is done now they have nothing but the Robes of glory to put on That fulnesse of glory they are immediatly to possesse should swallow up the fears of death and the love of the world With what joy should they cry out Farewell Friends Wife and Children welcome God welcome eternal glory Alas thou hast no glory here Thy body is a vile body thy soul a
carnal appetite his lustful heart Thus they eat and drink and go down quick to hell The second thing is faith and herein the godly themselves are greatly to be blamed They do not often in private Meditation and by faith inflame their hearts with the thoughts of glory No wonder if they be so ready to faint and swoon under distresses They have not this water of life to drink of They think They speak They are affected as if all their hopes were in this life only Oh what a shame is it that when the earthly man can day and night comfort himself in his great treasures and abundance of wealth that this eternal glory should not raise thee up There is nothing will make thee a Christian of an excellent and heroical Spirit but faith about this eternal glory Shall the thoughts of a Crown or of a great Inheritance keep up the heart of worldly men and shall not the thoughts of eternal glory keep thee from sinking in the waters of affliction 2. It 's a full substantiall glory It 's called the weight of glory by the Apostle 2 Cor. 3. It 's so full that the heart of man cannot speak or conceive about it As humane glory is compared to all the empty things that are vapors and bubbles and a meer breath a shadow without any substance So this glory in heaven is a massie weighty glory it hath all fulnesse in it There is fulnesse of holinesse We are made pure and without the least spot There is fulnesse of peace and joy The Sea is not fuller of waters then their hearts and souls of eternal comforts There is fulnesse of all thy desires and expectations Here we have the dropsie disposition we have and still we ask yea we can sit down and fancy golden Mountains Oh what compleat conditions and happinesse may men in their thoughts make to themselves and their thoughts are wide but the matter is nothing at all but here this glory is above our thoughts above our desires above our wishes we cannot desire better then what we have The second part implied in the Doctrine is That this glory is to be earnestly praied for by the Children of God And the grounds of this are First Because as you heard God will not vouchsafe this mercy but to a praying people Rom. 2. To those that seek for immortality and honour Hence this is directed to in that Petition Thy Kingdom come and certainly if Christ himself who was thus unquestionably assured of this glory and had merited it at Gods hands doth yet pray for it how much more ought we to have it solely of meer grace Some have put it as a doubt whether it be not a mercenary disposition too unworthy the childe of God to pray for glory Yea it 's disputed by Papists against Protestants that it 's lawful in all our godly actions to have an eye to this reward of glory but they fight with a shadow The Protestants do acknowledge it not only lawfull but a duty to seek after and pray for this crown of glory only we say The love to Gods glory should be preferred before ours We are to desire his glory principally and our salvation as subordinate Oh then let the prophane and wicked men of the world tremble at their death when their night approacheth for how canst thou look for glory who never didst pray for it how canst thou think to be partaker of it who wast never much in seeking after it 2. We are to pray for it because hereby our desires and esteem of it will be more kindled and enflamed Praier is nothing but the desire of the soul expressed by a strong inclination of heart Hence it is That where there are cold desires there are cold praiers where there are importunate desires there are importunate praiers and for this reason it is that even natural men can put up hearty praiers to God for earthly mercies as they are their desires because of the sutablenesse therein but as for spirituall mercies they are like dead men in the grave not at all affected so then by earnest praier for this eternal glory we demonstrate our heavenly desires of it and also our desires are thereby more quickned and enlarged after it Oh what a shame is it that we should pray for health of body freedom from pain pardon of sinne and encrease of grace and not pray for this which containeth it all for everlasting glory is all mercy 3. By earnest praying for it our hope of it is much strengthened and confirmed Now a divine hope of this glory is rhat which makes us bear all afflictions endure all chastisements This is the Oyl to keep our Lamps up It 's the anchor to the Ship It 's that only which keeps the heart from breaking The Scripture cals it the lively hope 1 Pet. 1.3 all worldly hopes are dead and fading but this hope is in the power and promise of God Now there is no way to blow up these sparks of hope into a flame so much as by praier for praier if rightly discharged being a praier of faith it must needs beget a lively hope Oh then that we had this hope of eternal glory reigning in us more Thou hast carnal hope worldly hope all the day long is spent in hoping after some earthly comfort or other but this divine hope is a stranger to thee In the third place let us consider how this glory earnestly praied for will be a cordiall against all temptations will be a reviving to the dry bones in all afflictions yea our whole life in all the changes of it is to be maintained and supported by this hope of glory It 's as necessary the Meditation of this is as the very air we live in as we cannot breath without it so neither can we live without this hope so that the things we hope for in heaven should be the bread we feed on the treasure we inrich our selves by And 1. Because this glory with God is an universall medicine to all our diseases It 's a full treasury for all our wants The Pool of Bethesda was only for one kinde of mercy he that being diseased stept in was healed of his bodily infirmity but it did not cure all other grievances it did not make a poor man rich nor a grieved man chearful or a mortal man immortall but eternal glory doth all things Thou art a Lazarus in soul and body all over full of sores Thou wantest all soul-mercies and all body-mercies here is glory that will do all for thee This is the Ocean other are but shelves This is the Sun other are but Stars In praying for glory thou praiest for all things together in one this one word glory hath every thing in it to say Lord glorifie me there is all things comprehended in it 2. This is the most sutable mercy to a gracious and spirituall heart To be glorified is to be put out
of a state of sinne into pure and perfect holinesse It 's from seeing God in a glasse and obscurely to see him face to face Oh then how enamoured and ravished is the soul with the enjoying of this if the glimpse of this glory If the branches of this Canaan be so goodly what is Canaan it self If the Church praied so earnestly Let him kisse me with the kisses of his mouth Cant. 1. What then would the total and full enjoyment of God be never to be divided or separated more Glory is not only the advantage and welfare of a godly man the preservation of him from hell and misery or giving him happinesse but it is the ordering of him with all graces more glorious then the Sunne Hence the godly are compared to the Sunne and Starres in the Firmament for the great lustre God puts on them 3. This must needs be a great support because of the emptinesse and insufficiency in all these things here below to fill and satiate the heart The eye is not satisfied with seeing or the heart with wishing in this world but in the world to come there the faculties of the soul and all the parts of the body are fully replenished There is no want no desire no wish for more then they have It 's no wonder if Solomon who took all waies possible to satisfie his minde and to finde out happinesse in this life yet instead of happinesse found nothing but briars and therefore wrote upon all Vanity of vanities all is vanity For it cannot be otherwise Can an hungry man fill his belly with empty air Can a cold man warm himself at a painted fire Could these birds fill themselves that fled to Zeuxes painted grapes taking them for true ones no more can any thing in this world satisfie man No it 's only in the world to come that can fill up every corner of the soul Lastly Glory with God must needs be the only support because the way to heaven is full of briars and thorns Great are the afflictions and tribulations which abide all that go in this way to glory Were it not then that the heart is full of hopes in this matter it would soon be discouraged it would presently give over saying Why should I deny such pleasures and comforts as others take Do I not wrong my self Am I not a defrauder of my own comforts No saith this hope of eternal glory hold thy tongue from all grudgings and repinings There is glory coming will make amends for all Heaven in reversion is better then all the world in actual possession know then if at any time thy soul be dejected or cast down within thee if at any time thou art impatient and discontented It 's because this hope of glory doth not fill the heart In the last place this is farre to be desired above all humane glory and that although it be the Idol adored by the world if we consider how most men referre all their actions to this We may presently judge that description of man to be true That he is animal gloriae vanissimum all those actions the Heathens did were dedicated to honour Even as the Romans consecrated a Temple to it yea which is the highest degree of vanity men have made all their Religious actions to serve this Goddesse The Pharisees in all their alms fastings and praiers did all to be seen of men as our Saviour who knew their hearts condemned them Mat. 6.2 It went so far with some that they placed the chiefest happinesse of a man to be in honour and how prone this is to keep in the hearts even of godly men appeareth in the often prohibitions of it in the Scripture and our Saviours advice about private Praier and alms This is the Pirate that many times surpriseth the Ship which is come richly laden to the very haven it depriveth us of our duties and the benefit by them Well as glorious as it is yet it is no more comparable to this eternal glory then a straw to a Pearl For 1. It 's but the puff and breath of men whose breath is in their nostrils There is no solidity in it it brings no true solid joy and peace to the conscience What if men applaud thee abroad and thy conscience condemneth thee at home No doubt but the Pharisees humored and flattered Judas to betray his Master but what could that help him when he roared out I have sinned in betraying the innocent bloud Gal. 5. Let every man prove his own work so shall he have rejoycing in himself and not in another That is terrible of Austin Many are praised of men who lie tormented in hell 2. All humane glory will not avail us if at our death God findes us in our sinnes To be praised by men and reproached by God to be blessed by men and cursed by God this will be little case Oh that men would look to this who look only to have the good words of men Alas can man save thee can man deliver thee from those eternal flames Gal. 1. If I should please men I should not be a Servant of Christ What an unworthy thing is this to pray to professe Religion for vain-glory and not for glory with God Our Saviour speaks it as a great curse to have a mans ends satisfied in that way Verily I say unto you they have their reward Vse of Exhortation so to live and so to walk as that you may be prepared for this eternal glory Oh what a glory will it be when God at the day of judgement shall say Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you When God and Angels shall put honour upon you why should not the faith of these things raise up your spirits why should it no more affect you and that you may obtain this take heed of what will totally deprive you of it or else greatly weaken your thoughts and hopes about it That which totally depriveth is a constant wilful continuance in grosse sinnes Be not deceived neither whoremonger or drunkards c. shall inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6.9 and without the heavenly Jerusalem are said to be dogs Rev. 22.15 The Scripture cals all wicked men such who lick up the vomit of their sin Oh then the hopelesse and damnable condition of most people Doth not the Land in every place mourn for the whoredoms and drunkennesse and oaths that are every where if God say the Lord shall spue out such Inhabitants God thinketh the earth too good for them will he bestow heaven on them And then 2. The godly who have a right and interest to this glory they weaken their hopes and entreat their fears when they walk negligently when they are earthly or dejected through diffidence you might have this glory here on earth and be in heaven before you are in heaven were you not wanting to your selves SERMON XXVII The Eternall Deity of
Such a man this world adoreth But if a man be never so wise so excellent yet if powerfully godly will not conform to the evil waies of the world this marreth all This makes him envied and hated Who art thou then that hast some desires to walk in the way to heaven but the opposition the hatred and violence that is used against that way makes thee draw back Oh foolish and deluded wretch was it not thus with Christ with his Apostles Were they not told they should be hated of all men for his Names sake There cannot be a more comfortable sign of thy grace then to have all the wicked men where thou livest either thy hypocritical Friends or thy open enemies Jerome thanked God that he was worthy to be such an one whom the world would hate The Serpents Seed cannot love the Womans Ismaell will persecute Isaac glory therefore and boast in this if the malicious wicked man hath his mouth alwaies open against thee If he be alwaies censuring and backbiting For if thou wouldest be prophane dissolute if thou wouldst be a Minister to prostitute the Ordinances of God to every prophane man thou wouldst be as good as any in the world but now it 's not for thy infirmities but thy graces they malice thee Sixthly They are not of this world because they are members of Christ and incorporated into him Now Christ himself was not of this world nor was his Kingdom of this world Joh. 18.36 he came not with any earthly worldly advantages Now the godly they are to be wholly conformed unto Christ As Christ was so are they They bear the Image of the heavenly so that what life what actions were by Christ the same they are exercised in so that if we would follow the example of Christ make him our patern as our Christianity obligeth us then should we overcome the world not only in the persecuting part of it but the inticing part of it The heart that is united to Christ findes more excellency and sweetnesse in him then in all the pleasures of the world as we see by Paul Lastly They are discovered not to be of the world because their life is a life of faith The Just shall live by Faith Rom. 1.17 We walk by faith and not by sence 2 Cor. 5.7 Now a worldly life is only by sence and carnal reason It moveth only upon sensible grounds coming as far short of faith as a beast doth of reason but the godly man he looketh into the Word of God he seeth the promises and embraceth them This life of faith is a mystery it is a Riddle yea it 's a madnesse to the world To part with all present advantages upon faith for eternal that are to come this is to them extreme folly and truly herein a godly man is discovered exceedingly Doth he not live by his sensible props but by the Promises Doth he overlook all creatures and fix his heart upon God this is more then the world doth If you ask the grounds why the people of God are out of the world though in it There are three pregnant Reasons in one verse Gal. 1.4 Who gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from this present evil world Observe first it 's an evil wicked world The whole world lieth in wickednesse saith John 1 Joh. 5.19 There is nothing but the works of sin and the devil in it therefore the devil is called the Prince of this world Joh. 16.11 because he reigneth in every mans heart Now how can those whose natures are made holy who will and love what God wils and loveth come to agree with sin how can they who are sanctified by the Spirit of God be where the devil ruleth 2. It 's the present world It 's but for the present the profits are present profits the pleasures are present pleasures whereas the godly man looketh to Eternity Dâ—mas cleaveth to the present world 2 Tim. 4.10 but Paul to the eternal world the world to come 2. Christ died that we might be delivered from it This is a pregnant reason one main reason of the death of Christ was that thou shouldst not be as the world is if the shortnesse and vanity of these things and their fading nature do not move thee let the bloud and death of Christ prevail with thee He was crucified that thou shouldst be crucified to the world he died that thou shouldst be dead to the world Vse of Exhortation To come out of the world in respect of your affections and conversations you cannot abide there no more then Lot in Sodom and be saved yet are not the greatest part of men of the Church thus of the world Oh how unworthy is this that whereas thy Christianity thy Religion engageth thee not to be of the world thy conversation proveth thou art Well as thou art of this world so shalt thou perish with the judgements of the world That lieth in darknesse and will be cast in utter darknesse this will be thy Portion and know thou must go out of the place of the world though thou wilt not out of the wickednesse of the world the world cannot will not hold thee alwaies SERMON XXXII Of the peculiar Propriety Gods People have in him and he in them JOH 17.6 Thine they were and thou gavest them me and they have kept thy Word THE former part of this Verse related Christs care and work to his Disciple This latter part giveth a description of them and all particulars therein are very argumentative to prevail that God should hear praier for them Now here is a threefold description of them wherein indeed is laid down divinely the Cause of mans Salvation with the effects flowing from it The two Causes are these 1. The Eternal Election and absolute purpose of God to save such Thine they were 2. The meritorious cause in and by which all the mercies they are elected to are obtained and that is Christ Thou hast given them me viz. as a Mediatour 3. The blessed effects of these causes that are hidden or at least every one may pretend to them but this is a discovering sign that excludeth many They have kept thy Word At this time I shall treat only of the first cause which indeed may be called causa causae the cause of all causes of our Salvation and that is Gods Election or gracious purpose to take some out of mankinde and to make them his in a peculiar manner For a people may be said to be Gods divers waies 1. By right of Creation and dominion which he hath thereby and so all things are his Psa 69.11 Both the reprobate and the godly are his in this sence it 's impossible but that every creature should be his because he cannot alienate his dominion and property 2. A people may be said to be his by an outward dispensation of the Covenant of grace Thus the people of the Jews are all of them called his people
faithfull for one as well as for many 2. All that Christ did it was not in reference to himself but for us All the Miracles he wrought it was for Beleevers he did them not for his glory and honour as he speaks about Lazarus his being dead Joh. 11. I was glad for your sakes because that Miracles might tend to their Confirmation in the Faith Thus Christ became obedient to the Law and fulfilled the righteousnesse thereof for our sakes Oh what an admirable overwhelming Point is this that all the labour and obedience which Christ performed of which he said It was meat and drink to do his Fathers will Joh. 4. That all this should not be for himself but in reference to us How may this fill our hearts and mouths with joy and confidence at the Throne of grace O Lord why did Christ fulfill all righteousnesse why did he perfectly obey the Law So that no fault should be found in him Was not all this for me Did he need this himself 3. His sufferings and rendring up himself as an atonement and Sacrifice upon the Crosse This also was wholly of God for us The Prophet Isaiah is affected with it He laid upon him the iniquities of us all and by his stripes we are healed Isa 53.5 Thus every where his death is said to be for us he died for us he gave himself for us and it must needs be so for in him was found nothing worthy of death There was no sin or guile found in him he was not under that Sentence pronounced upon Adam and his posterity And here again the people of God may lift up their heads wiih joy Christ died he became a Sacrifice to the justice of God not because of himself but of us Hence it 's said His bloud speaks better things then that of Abel Heb. 12.24 Abels bloud cried for vengeance this for mercy and if Abel though dead speaketh how much more must Christ who though dead is risen again May not this be an Axe laid to the root of all thy unbelief Shall the godly heart be any more bowed down when he shall remember all those Agonies which Christ did undergo were for us Shall thy sins be accounted great and Christs death not greater Go thou troubled and grieved Soul we will give thee leave to aggravate thy sins to the highest Let them be never so bloudy yea hadst thou committed more then thou hast done yea all that all the wicked men of the world have done Were all their sins thine yet here is the Red Sea to drown that great Egyptian host Oh that men could have as good cause to judge that they are ingrafted in Christ and are such to whom Christ belongs as they may conclude that if such Christs death doth overcome all their sins It was nothing In Christ but in thee that made him a Curse upon the Crosse 4. The fruits and benefits of Christs Mediation did not redound to him but to thee Justification and remission of sins Sanctification of our natures Victory over lusts assurance of Gods favour all these come by Christ but to those only for whom he was appointed a Saviour he needed none of these priviledges no more then the heavens where the Sun and Starres are do need rain Oh then set open the gates of thy Soul wide through faith that thou maist be satisfied and made happy with these mercies In this dead Lion thou maist finde much honey for thy self Oh Lord why are all these priviledges annexed to thy death Is it because thou hast any want or thou hast any need of them No but that my emptinesse may be filled my dark heart enlightened my naked soul covered Thus you see what is implied Secondly The second particular is That all this is of God the Father It 's his will and gracious appointment that Christ should do all these things for his They have known that all I have is of thee and thou hast sent me So the Apostle It pleased the Father that in Christ all fulnesse should dwell Col. 1.14 And here is admirable ground of hopes and confidence for it 's not against the Fathers will yea all this is of his gracious appointment that Christ should be thus a Mediatour for his Children Doubt not then whether the Father will accept of what Christ hath done or not Do not question whether he will receive thee in Christs Name for the Father hath manifested as great willingnesse for thy Salvation as the Son Say then Oh holy Father here is sure a wonderful way for my acceptance at the Throne of grace that I am astonished at it and it 's of thy goodnesse and grace that such a way is procured Oh what then can hinder but that I be justified The Father willing and the Son willing yea the Father loving Christ because he laid down his life for the Sheep Joh. 10.17 All this makes for the encouragement of the godly The third particular is That it 's the duty of all Gods Children to know and beleeve this fulnesse in Christ for them and to look upon Christ with all his benefits as for them Now faith thus fixed on Christ hath these either ingredient or concomitant acts and effects 1. There is a knowledge and a sound discovery of this sufficiency in Christ You see here knowing and beleeving put together Ignorance of this Point that all in Christ is for the beleever breedeth much dispondency and takes off the wheels of thy Chariots They look upon Christ as a Fountain sealed up as a garden enclosed They apprehend it 's not for every godly person to go and drink of this fountain unlesse attaining to such an high measure of grace Whereas a true knowledge of the end and use of Christ would quickly dispell all such black thoughts 2. To beleeve doth imply a relying and resting of the soul upon this fulnesse Christ with his righteousnesse is the center of his heart He trusts and puts his whole confidence in it He need go out no further to seek here is enough he fears no breaking no shaking as long as Christ will last and endure so long shall he As a man that treads on the firm ground he fears not as he that walks on slippery Ice Thus the godly man leaneth on a firm foundation but he that trusteth in his own righteousnesse or works melts as Ice before the Sunne 3. There is a full satisfaction of the soul in this beleeving So that it removeth all cares and fears Have I enough or no Is it sufficient to carry me out He is therefore said to save to the uttermost Heb. 5. and it 's called The riches of grace by Christ the unsearchable riches He therefore that beleeveth in Christ thus as sent of God he may say Return O my soul into thy Rest for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee what can satisfie if a Christ with all his benefits cannot
speak of Christs Intercession it 's constant and never interrupted There is no day or night that it ceaseth Elisha scorned at the Priests of Baal bidding them cry aloud It may be they were either sleeping or in a Journey 1 Kin. 18.27 But the Lord Christ is alwaies attending and minding this very thing Oh the unsearchable depths of comfort that are in this when thou art preaching drinking working then Christ is interceding for thee when thou hast no minde of thy self dost not pray for thy self yet even then Christ is commending thy case to his Father Oh the godly soul should cry out I have enough what can I desire more If this will not satisfie thy disquieted soul what will 4. This Mediatory praier comes from him who not only because of his worth doth merit or because of his dear Relation The Father cannat deny him as you heard but also from one whose affections and compassions are larger to thee then any of thy dearest Friends can be You heard that he was one who was touched with our infirmity one who had gone under several Temptations that he might know experimentally how to succour those that are tempted Oh now it 's farre better to have one praying for us that is experimentally tempted or hath been as we are then ten thousand others Non ignara mali miseris succurrere disco So that so far as any grief or temptation may go without sinne so far Christ knoweth the meaning of it and even for the guilt of sinne and the displeasure of God that he did undergo in the height of it Thus he that intercedes for thee is one who knoweth the meaning of thy Temptations of thy desertions what it is to fear God hath forsaken thee 5. A great aggravating consideration in this Mediatory praier of Christ is the potency and prevalency of it It is an almighty and omniscient praier Luther called the praier of a Godly man so how much rather may we say so of Christ himself God said to Moses Let me alone as if his Praier hindred him from doing what he would do Iacob wrestled and made Supplication and prevailed with God how much more doth Christ then prevail and that upon two Titles 1. of Iustice his Praier is satisfactory and compensatory to God And then 2. Because of Love For he is the only begotten Sonne and welbeloved of his Father The prevalency of Christs Mediatory Praier is seen both for impetration and application for as it is with his oblation of himself so it is with his Intercession There are two special effects of it 1. Impetration 2. Application Impetration is that whereby he doth obtain at Gods hands the right and claim to all those prieiledges he hath purchased for his people Such are Remission Justification Adoption and Glorification These transcendent mercies which are not in the power of the world to bestow are obtained by him and indeed had it not been for this his Mediatory power there had been no such things in rerum naturâ Reconciliation and Peace with God had been a meer Ens rationis men might have imagined such a thing as they may golden Mountains but there had been no existency of them so that it was of infinite concernment to Beleevers to obtain of God that there might be such priviledges They cost him dear It was not only praiers with tears but with bloud also but Impetration is not enough for if it had been as Arminians say That Christ as Mediatour obtained only a possibility of Salvation or made a way for such mercies but then the application to arise partly from mans free-will and power This would be to hold That Christ might have died in vain That notwithstanding all that love of God sending his Sonne into the world and all the wrath that he did undergo Not one man might have been saved This must needs be very derogatory both to the Father and to the Sonne but Christs Praier is for the application and actual bestowing of all those benefits he hath obtained and for this end he sends his Spirit into our hearts Rom. 8 and that is a Spirit of praier and supplication So that we have a twofold bottome to stand upon Christs Praiers and the Spirits Intercession in us Oh the strong Consolations that may be received hence for the godly soul may think Though Christs praier be prevalent yet I must pray also He that asketh not shall not receive Now my praiers are weak dull sinfull See therefore the goodnesse of Christ that gives his Spirit to us to help us against all the Infirmities of our praiers both to know what to pray and how to pray It 's not then enough to hear that Christ by his Praier doth obtain all good things at Gods hand unless he vouchsafe them to us and make us partaker of them Oh then let not the Godly soul say how can I ever be at peace with God how can I ever have power over such strong corruptions This is to say God will not regard or answer Christs Praier 6. The latitude and extensivenesse of Christs praier is also very full of comfort For it reacheth as farre as the effects of his death so that for whatsoever priviledge Christ died for the same he praieth So that as it is said of the Lords Praier that it 's the breviary and Summary of all things to be praâ—ed for Thus it is in Christs Praier There is nothing that the soul can desire no evil to be avoided no good to be procured but this Mediatory praier extends unto it Insomuch that it 's the Treasury and stock out of which the Godly soul is constantly replenished We may instance in some particulars 1. Daily pardon for our daily sinnes and Infirmities For though all our former sinnes were wholly remitted yet if we have not a constant remission every hour and moment our condition would be damnable Therefore when we sinne he stands up as an Advocate We see then what it is that may support our hearts against all quotidian failings The vain thoughts the proud and unbeleeving Imaginations The dulnesse and formality of our duties all these are done away by Christs praier We could not have any rest or peace in our consciences all the day long if we had not an Antidote against the daily poison we suck down Alas it 's not thy Repentance thy godly strict life thou maist build on for the least vain thought deserveth hell and would marre all thy graces But it 's the Intercession of a Mediatour without us 2. As pardon of sinne so power against sinne under the urgent and important temptations thereunto Oh this is of admirable concernment That when thou art even eating poison when thou art within the hot flames of sinne yet to be preserved This is so great a matter that we are taught constantly to pray that we may not be led into temptation What sad bruises and wounds have the godly got to themselves in a temptation Thou
it self and the effectuall application of it For all do acknowledge that Christs death in it self is of value enough to redeem thousands of worlds if there were so many It cannot be otherwise because it 's the obedience to death of that person who is God as well as man and by reason of his Deity there is such a merit and satisfaction upon his death that all the sins of men and devils are not able to counterpoise it Therefore it 's great Unbelief to be cast down as if the greatnesse of thy sins exceeded the greatnesse of Christs Sufferings As the Heavens exceed the earth in magnitude so do Christs merits our transgressions but then if we speak of the Intention and purpose of Christ in laying down his life that is onely for his Sheep Joh. 10. I lay down my life for my Sheep And if that be true which Truth it self speaks Greater love then this can no man shew then to lay down his life for another Our Saviour if he had died for others besides the Elect had vouchsafed the greatest love that could be to them and certainly to become a Surety for another to die in anothers stead must needs be an high expression The Scripture useth two words when it speaks of Christs death for us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now although they may be used promiscuously yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a great deal more then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is vice alterius in stead of another So that what generally he was to undergo the Surety did it in his room but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is for the good of another though not in his stead as Paul said he suffered his afflictions for the bodies sake or the Churches sake Col. 1.24 that was not in their stead but for procuring of some good It cannot be denied but that all mankinde even reprobates themselves do obtain a world of Mercies through Christs Death yet to say that Christ died for them viz. in their stead to suffer all that anger of God which was due to them is to say the highest mercy that can be If we say that such are justified such are glorified it 's not so much as to say Christ died for them as Rom. 8. Christs death is made the foundation of all other mercies and the Apostle argueth from the greater to the lesse If he hath given us Christ how shall he not with him give us all things else Therefore to say Christ died for all is in effect to say Christ will actually save and glorifie all We may as well say Universal Salvation as Universal Redemption For Christs death is by the Scripture made the highest and greatest expression of love as also the cause of all other priviledges 4. The special and particular love of Christ in his death and Intercession to some rather then others is no ground of despair Nor no just cause for any troubled conscience to be perplexed about his estate but if a man will act according to reason it 's more hopeful then for a man to be left to such an universal uncertain benefit of Christs death which yet they confesse none may be actually saved for all that for this is acknowledged by some that hold universal grace and redemption That Christ by his death did obtain a sufficiency of Salvation for all but through mans corruptions it may fall out that they refuse this fruit of Christs death and so have no actuall application of it at all Now then Is it not more desirable to have such a special love whereby to be sure some will be saved then such a general one by which no man may receive salvation at all But especially this is no ground of despair for we can give as large encouragements and comforts to any humbled sinner as the adversaries can For these Universalists do not so hold Christ died for all that whether all repented or not beleeved or not that still they should be saved No they hold these conditions necessary unlesse men repent and believe they cannot have any benefit by Christs death Now so all the Orthodox say If thou art a Believer If thou repentest question not but that Christs death extends to thee It 's for such as hunger and thirst and therefore whatsoever soul lieth under any burthen of sinne and doth desire the grace of God through Christ let him not stagger but confidently goe unto him Therefore we can administer comfort to all those that are in a Gospel-manner qualified and the Vniversalists can do no more So that here is no dreadfulnesse nor terrour in this Point but rather much comfort and encouragement to all those who finde sinne a burthen and as for others that love and delight in their sinnes that doctrine cannot be of God which would speak any comfort or peace to them 5. In this Point of Religion as in all others we must not go according to our carnal affections and desires but the direction and revelation that is in the Scripture For the way of Salvation being wholly depending upon Gods Will None are able to judge of it but so farre as he discovers his will therein Therefore the Gospel is said to be Light come into the world The world had not this Light of it self We cannot say of the things of the Gospel as the Apostle doth of the things of the Law that they do them by nature and know them by nature No it 's necessary these things should be revealed from heaven therefore when thou goest to study this Point do as in all other Mysteries lay aside thy own thoughts thy own imaginations become an abrasa tabula have none of thy philosophical or natural principles within thee This dust or humour in the Eye will hinder thee from beholding perfectly this Object It 's true it 's a very specious and taking doctrine that Christ died for all that grace is universal but if a man would therefore embrace it because it 's so pleasing to flesh and bloud then there is that of Origens which goeth further and is much more pleasing That all even devils and all shall be actually saved Therefore to hold universal grace or redemption is nothing so pleasing as to hold universal Salvation Alas though men hold Christ died for all yet they grant the most of them are damned Therefore that doctrine is nothing so desirable as that which maintains the salvation of all If then you say that is too broad a way the Scripture gainsays that Thus it followeth also If the Scripture gainsay the other we are to attend to what that saith and not to what our own hearts would have Therefore throw away the head of the Sacrifice as God commanded all thy own thoughts and natural Imaginations in this matter 6. It cannot be denied but that the Scripture when it mentioneth the Subject for whom Christ died speaks indefinitely of all As all died
desperate That the door of heaven is not absolutely bolted upon him is of great consequence 2. We who are the Ministers of the Gospel by Christs death finde a way so opened for all Gentiles that now we may promiscuously preach the Gospel to all As we cannot so neither indeed are we to let any such thoughts enter our hearts as whether such be reprobated or no But we are so to preach and exhort as if every one that we publish the Gospel to were within the Sphear of Christs Death And certainly if the Apostle writing to Churches wherein many were corrupt both for doctrine and manners did yet give them the Title of a Church and Saints and Beleevers not excluding any from the benefit of Christ We may also do so in our preaching and therefore this is to be observed That the Epistles are written to Churches already planted and therefore it 's no wonder if he use such universal phrases for that comprehends those that are within the Church already and in the judgement of charity we may speak so especially it being their Obligation and duty as Christians to repent and receive Christ But when we say that the Ministers by Christs death have a Commission to offer Christ to all You must know that is in a due order and method We do not propound Christ as a Saviour to them in the first place But we are to do as Paul when he preached to Felix Act. 24.25 who desired to hear of Christ he began first with temperance and righteousnesse and the world to come Felix being guilty of Injustice and unchaste courses Paul preacheth about those sinnes and hell laying open the wrath of God insomuch that he made Felix to tremble so that Christ must have a way made for him The mountains must be laid low and the valleys exalted and all flesh must be convinced to be grasse Before Christ can be entertained this ought to be our Method To men plunged in sinne we are to discover unto them the wrath and anger of God all the curses that are due to him who breaks the Law in the least iota To make men see their poverty and misery and when men are thus prepared and humbled then we exalt the brazen Serpent so that by Christs death the Ministers Commission is greatly enlarged and made more ample then in the Jewish administration 3. Even Reprobates have this advantage by Christ that they enjoy all the mercies they have That they have health wealth and the comforts of this world For seeing that by Adams sinne all was forfeited and a curse come upon every thing now by Christ who is the heir of all things they come lawfully to enjoy the mercies they have Heb. 1. It is Christ that beareth up the world if he did withhold his arm the whole world would fall into rubbish It 's true indeed if we speak of a sanctified use so wicked men have none of the comforts they enjoy but being impure all things are impure to them so that the curse of the Law is not taken off from them because they are not yet in Christ otherwise they have a lawfull right before God and man to the comforts they enjoy for that is not to be received though many pious men have preached it that wicked men have no right to the goods they have but are as Theeves and Robbers and shall answer for every bitt of bread they eat as Usurpers This is against the Scripture which saith God hath given the Earth to the Inhabitants thereof Psal 115.8 And that command Thou shalt not steal doth make it evident that both by Gods Law and mans Law what wicked men have in Righteous waies they are true and lawfull Possessors of and this say Divines cometh by Christ who restored the Forfeit Adam made else the world would not have subsisted a moment Although it must be granted that some Learned men attribute the enjoyment of Comforts which the ungodly have not to Christ but to the patient Providence of God whereby he doth not take the present Forfeiture But may not this Patience of God be attributed to Christs death seeing he did not use any such to the Apostate Angels but they were immediately chained up in the close Prison of utter darknesse 4. It is by Christs Death That many unregenerated men are partakers of the common gifts of Gods Spirit There are many that live within the Church of God though not regenerated yet have great gifts and abilities They have many admirable endowments Now how come these but by Christ as Eph. 4. So 1 Cor. 14. It is the Spirit of Christ that giveth severall gifts to men Christ is the Vine and so not onely Grapes but the very Leaves come from his Sap and Juyce So that what temporary Faith Joy Enlargements in Praier and common gifts of the holy Ghost any in the Church have it comes by Christs death Yea Lastly Christ by his Death is made Lord of the whole world And hath conquered all the Inhabitants that are therein So that they are Christs as a Lord that bought them by his Death Thus that place is to be understood 2 Pet. 1.1 speaking of ungodly men whose damnation would swiftly come upon them for the damnable heresies they brought in It 's said They denied the Lord that bought them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ bought them in that by his Death which was an Atonement only for the godly yet he thereby was made Lord over all So that although it cannot be said he is the Saviour of all in the strict sence of a Saviour Yet we may say he is the Lord over wicked men they are his Vassals and Servants and he can order and dispose of them as he pleaseth for his Churches good The last Notandum to be propounded is to see how different they are amongst themselves who have maintained universal Redemption For some go so farre that they are rejected and cried out upon by others though Universalists also And 1. Some have said and endeavoured to prove That so universall is the grace of God obtained by Christs Death that it 's not only sufficient but efficacious in all men as they are men They think that by Christs death every man by his own natural Reason and power may be able to save himself Thus Puccius wrote a Book wherein he glorieth of an hundred and twenty Reasons to prove this but this is so monstrous that others cry out of it For by this means all unbeleevers and heathens should be partakers of the grace of Christ whenas Joh. 3.24 He that beleeveth not the anger of God abideth on him 2. There are another sort called Huberians from Samuell Huberus who thought that Christ by his Death procured actuall Reconciliation with God without any respect to Faith or Repentance So that he saith Christ did as actually and applicatively bring Gods Reconciliation to all mankinde as Adam did actually condemnation And that therefore none are damned
Scripture that cals these torments everlasting torments a fire that cannot be quenched a worm that cannot die That if this be all thy hope thou maist roar out in horrour and wish thou hadst never been born so that if wicked men would set judgement on work they would see nothing abides them but a fearfull expectation of the vengeance of God all Opinions all Doctrines shut them out If there could one come and bid thee Go on merrily in thy sins be as prophane as thou hast been never think of cries and tears for thy sins because Christ hath died to save thee howsoever This man indeed might make thee run into excesse of all riot and to say Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die and so be saved But the Scripture is so plain against this that all may be perswaded of it without any difficulty Shall we sin that grace may abound saith Paul God forbid Rom. 6.1 And he makes the damnation just of those men who gather such consequences Think then with thy self that in what sence soever Christ died yet thy sinnes make a great gulf between thee and Heaven God hath set a flaming Sword to keep thee out of Paradise therefore cry out I have no hope as yet Oh my condition hath no comfort I cannot meet with any sound Doctor that dares give me any comfort while I love and live in my sinnes Why then wilt thou embrace those lusts that are such a present poison and ruine to thee Hereafter thou wilt be perswaded when too late That sinne hath been thy only Enemy when God shall bid thee Depart ye Cursed then wilt thou bid thy cursed lusts Depart but then it will be too late Vse 2. of Instruction To teach the godly what a sad aggravation there is in every sinne they commit That it 's against the special love of Christ in dying for thee This bloudy circumstance is in thy sinnes which cannot be in the sins either of wicked men or devils Excellent is that Meditation of Eusebius Emissenus Though aith he the devils should be damned for many sinnes and I but for one yet that would exceed the devils Impiety for the devils never sinned against a God that became an Angel for them They never sinned against God that died and was crucified for them but miserable and wretched I pro animâ meâ cur non liquefio cum haec cogito have sinned against a God made man for me Against a God dying an ignominious death for me Against a God leaving me such an example of love and holinesse Indignior sum Lucifero indignior sum daemonibus I am more unworthy then the devils more unworthy then Beelzebub Oh that we could all both think and speak so that not only our tongues may utter it but our hearts be inwardly affected that we might as Bernard said linguam in sanguine cordis tingere Oh then let this special love of Christ to thee more then many thousands wotk in thee more special love and thankfulnesse then others have Take heed of sinne for thy sinnes have this special aggravation in them which wicked men have not Christ hath shewed thee so great love that he himself could not shew a greater and therefore who shall excuse thee if thou sinne for all this Here is then no doctrine of carnal Security in this Point Here is no door set open for Licentiousnesse but as Christ said from a Parable She loved much for much was forgiven her The same should be in all the godly much hath been given and forgiven them therefore they ought to love much and this was set upon Pauls heart even Christs peculiar and special love Gal. 2. Who loved me and gave himself for me Vse 2 Vse 2. Had Christ a peculiar and special love in his praier and death for some only then here we see what is the Thesaurus Ecclesiae not any Popish Indulgences or imagined heaps of superfluous merits but even the death of Christ that and that only doth inrich comfort and make happy all the people of God If therefore thou art one who canst upon true grounds gather thou hast a propriety in Christs death thou art not to be afraid neither living or dying what man or devils shall do unto thee Rom 8. The Foundation of all justification sanctification and glorification is upon this Christ died Who shall condemn It is Christ that died Therefore there cannot be any accusation or condemnation because Christ died Therefore the main Question is What Evidences thou hast for an Interest in Christs Death for if that be once granted unspeakable and innumerable are the priviledges that belong to thee Therefore encourage and strengthen thy heart with the comfortable fruits of Christs Death Let us consider whether thou hast the qualifications of such to whom Christs death is made profitable and advantagious And 1. They that have an Interest in Christs Death they are dead to sin Christs Death and sinnes death go together So the Apostle As Christ died once so should we to sinne and live to Righteousnesse Rom. 6.10 11. and Gal 5. He that is Christs hath crucified the flesh with the lusts thereof If Christ be crucified for thee the lusts of sinne are crucified in thee For the end of Christs Death was not only salvation and happinesse but to kill all the spiritual Enemies we have of this happinesse and sinne is the main for Death had no sting no neither could hell be hell or the devil a devil to thee did not sinne put power into all these Be not then presumptuous but fear and examine thy self Thou speakest much of Christs Death This is in thy month I trust in Christ that died for me But is Christs Death the death of thy sinnes Canst thou see those lusts which like Pharaoh and the Egyptians did once rule over and oppresse thee now drowned in the Red Sea of Christs bloud This is necessary if thou wilt have any comfort because Christ is dead see whether thou art dead to sinne or no Art thou as a dead man who in respect of all pleasures and delights findes no Inclination thus it ought to be with thee The Scripture speaks often concerning this that the godly are dead to sinne sinne hath not that dominion and power once it had Oh but how many as the Scripture distinguisheth are dead in sinne not to sinne Though they have mountains of sinnes lie upon them Though the vengeance of God belong to them all the day long That whether they are eating drinking or sleeping they are an accursed people by the Law which is Gods own Sentence and doom yet for all that they are not afraid neither do they tremble Oh then examine thy self faithfully in this If Christ died for me how comes this sinne to live in me for Christ like Sampson when he died wrought the death of his Enemies When he died it was that those lively active lusts should die also 2. If thou
Father then and the Son have the same gracious will have the same purposes of mercy and whom Christ doth invite the Father inviteth whom Châ—ist cals the Father cals So that in and by Christ we may see the gracious and glorious thoughts of mercy God the Father had from all Eternity to his people Indeed as he was man though his humane will was not contrary yet we see he speaks conditionally If it be possible let this Cup passe away yet not my will but thy will be done Matth. 26 39. Therefore his humane will if absolutely considered did desire freedom from death but if particularly considered in these circumstances then he emptied that particular stream of his humane nature in the Ocean of the divine 6. The Son and the Father have the same propriety in all the godly Those that belong to the Father belong also to the Son This was the occasion of this general Speech in the Text The Apostles are thine and all thine are mine So that the Father doth not abdicate his right by the donation of them to Christ Hence Joh. 20.17 I go to my Father and your Father by way of comfort putting us into some co-partnership with his propriety Those then that are Christs Sheep they have also Gods mark upon them They do belong to the Father by grace and to the Son by merit and purchase so that the Children of God are to proceed by degrees to evidence their propriety in Christ and then in the Father For saith Christ If ye had known me ye would have known my Father Joh. 8.16 Lastly They have the same power and strength and that in reference to the defence and preservation of his people Joh. 10. None can pull them out of my Fathers hand then he addeth I and my Father are one one as in nature so in that omnipotent power to govern and preserve his Children to everlasting happinesse so that this doctrine is not meerly speculative but tends to much practical edification In the next place consider how all that Christ hath is the Fathers and so reciprocally 1. By eternal generation The Socinians would grant the Son hath many transcendent prerogatives but not by eternal generation but by a temporal donation This cannot be so because the Psalmist long before Christ was born said This is my Son this day have I begotten thee Psa 2.7 And his out-goings are said to be of old Mic. 5.1 from the daies of Eternity So that Christ hath these things of the Father by nature even as the Sun beams had the light of the Sun as soon as ever there was a Sun though there be a great dissimilitude in this comparison The Son then is not of the Father as the world was by a voluntary Creation but by a natural generation 2. If we consider Christ as God and man yet even then by vertue of the hypostatical Union all that the Father hath is his The infinite Majesty of God Christ nor only as God but as God-man hath but how not as if the properties of the divine nature were communicated to that as the Lutherans hold saying the humane nature of Christ is infinite omnipresent that is absurd for how can it be eternal when it 's plain the humane nature had a being in a time but only by vertue of the personal union there is a communication of properties not to the Natures but to the Person Insomuch that the Apostle cals it the blood of God Act. 25. How can that be but by vertue of that personal Union the divine nature hath no bloud neither can it suffer and thus Christ said The Son of man which iâ— in heaven Joh. 3. that could not be because of his humane nature but by the personal Union so that although the Text doth principally intend Christs communion with the Father as God in the identity of his nature yet this may in some sence be extended to Christ both God and man The Vse of this Doctrine is very fruitfull 1. By doctrinall Information of the deity of Christ that he is truly God having all things God the Father hath therefore retain by a strong Faith this Article of Religion and the rather because so many have brought in damnable assertions about this Point Socinus doth impudently say that this doctrine of Christs Deity is so absurd that the Christian world will one day be so farre informed as to be ashamed to beleeve such a thing yea to hear such a thing and that the word Trinity may be in time as much abhorred as Transubstantiation and the Mass Fly from such persons as those that have a spiritual plague This hath been so often cleared by the Church in all ages that now there needs no more disputation in it we must not alwaies be proving but we must at last hold fast that which is good Remember your Baptism it was In the Name of the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost These you are with the same faith to acknowledge to these you are equally consecrated Vse 2. Is all that the Father hath Christs then how happy are the people of God who are admitted into some co-partnership with all this blessednesse For although though none but Christ as you heard can say All mine are thine essentially yet every godly man being made a coâ—heir with Christ he may by fruition and enjoyment say so Rom 8. Oh the infinite treasure of that expression a Son and co-heir with Christ Whatsoever Christ is heir to we are also co-heirs with him only here is the difference Quod Christus natura nos gratia what Christ is by nature that we are by grace Why then are the people of God so often dejected and cast down They consider not how rich how honoured how abounding they are All that the Father hath all that Chtist hath is theirs for their good and advantage and this deed of gift God made when he entred into Covenant with them to be their God and they to be his people By this means Paul can triumph and say I have all things I can do all things Phil. 4. The people of God are never established and confirmed till they be anchored here They are tossed up and down as so many waves like the wicked men of the world who live by sence and have no bottom or rock to stand upon For this end it is that God eithet takes away earthly comforts or casteth in many roots of gall and wormwood in every condition That you may know your treasure is in God and Christ not in these earthly contents Vse 3. Is Christ thus partaker essentially of all that God hath then take we heed how we refuse him speaking for God is not only with him but in him as God said concerning the Angel that led the people of Israel which was Christ that they should take heed how they did provoke him for his Name was in him Exo. 23.21 4. How compleat and
Heb. 11. They that say such things declare they look for a better City Oh how apt are we to make the world our home To desire we might abide here alwaies To think of no other Happinesse or Blessednesse but what is in the Creatures but God by the Troubles therein doth convince us that there must be a better Condition then this We have no abiding place in this world we are here to day to morrow we may be gone and therefore we should be Diligent in Watching and Praying and preparing for our Masters Coming Oh what a Bridle would it be to our carnal Affections to remember we are but Sojourners and Strangers here To look upon thy Estate and Inheritance no otherwise then a Traveller doth upon the Goods in an Inne Reasons 3 Thirdly The Lord makes this world full of Enmity and Hatred against us That we might not symbolize with it or contract any of the guilt and pollution of it upon our Souls It is a Mercy that Wicked men are Scorpions and Serpents That they are Wolves and Lyons hereby thou art chased and affrighted from their Company and Society whereas if they were loving and pleasing thou wouldest be often with them and so sit in the Chair of the Scorner and come into the Assemblies of wicked men Is it not a Mercy to be kept from a Pest-house or a Place where Infectious Diseases are Thus God hath put such an Enmity and Contrariety between the Godly and the Wicked There is such a great Gulf and vast distance that Solomon saith The wicked is an abomination to the Righteous and the Righteous to the wicked Prov. 29.27 The Godly man can no more endure the wicked mans waies then the Wicked can abide a Godly mans waies Therefore blesse and praise God for this Enmity and opposition and make good and profitable use of it Reasons 4 Lastly The Lord doth it That Heaven and the Enjoyment of him to all Eternity may be more prized and better esteemed by us We must with Lot even be violently pulled out of this Sodom Oh our sinnefull and our unworthy Hearts that we should so delight to be tossed and hurried up and down in the Ocean and be afraid to come to the Haven That Death should be so unwelcome when it is the Passage to incomprehensible and immortall Glory What have not all thy Pains Afflictions and Grievances yet made thee long and thirst for Heaven Dost thou not think Here I am sighing crying diseased distressed when the Glorious Saints in Heaven are rejoycing Vse of Instruction To the people of God Not to be dejected but rather to be exceeding glad as our Saviour commands when the wicked world opposeth them for their Godlinesse and Uprightnesse For mark our Saviours Expression herein Matth. 5.20 It must be for Christs Sake and Righteousnesse Sake not for any wickednesse or ungodlinesse of thy own Doe not take the just reward of thy sinnes to be the glorious Consequents of holinesse But if it be because thou fearest God thou ownest God and his way thou standest up for his Truth and Godlinesse then leap and dance for Joy that God hath put so much honour upon thee Say with David I will be more vile still The Starres are never the lesse glorious though they have given them ugly Names of the Bear and the like So neither are the godly lesse Glorious though the world labours to besmear them with dirt a Jewell is a Jewell though soiled with dirt SERMON LIII The Exaltation of Christ improved for the joy of of all Beleevers JOH 17.11 And I come to thee THis is the Third distinct Argument in this Verse which Christ useth in his Petition for his Disciples Some indeed take it Exegeticall or Declarative of what he meant by saying He was no more in this world But others take the Particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ratiocinatively as a Reason why he is no more to be in the world because he is going to the Father This Argument implieth then that Christ by going out of the world doth not cease to be but that he goeth to the Father and there will be a potent Favourite in the Court of heaven for them Christ then speaking here of his Locall Motion we may in this as in all such Motions Consider 1. The term from which that is the world which is not to be understood as if he did depose and lay down his humane Nature or that he was not still present in an efficacious invisible manner but in respect of a bodily presence This place confutes Popish Transubstantiation and the Lutheran Vbiquity of Christs Body 2. There is the term to which to thee 3. The Via per quam the way by which and that is implied by his Death and Sufferings In the Greek it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in other places it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and once that is used absolutely The Sonne of man goeth c. Mat. 26.24 That is he dieth here there is contained much comfort to his Disciples that neither Christs Enemies or Death did overcome him but by Death he goeth to his Father and that for the great benefit and advantage of all true Believers Obs That Christ by Death went to his Father Here is much practicall Divinity in this Point We see our Saviour again and again instructed his Disciples about his He knew how much his Sufferings and Death would amaze them and shake their Faith he knew what a false principle they were possessed with viz that he would erect a temporall Glorious Kingdome Therefore that they might not be undone by these thoughts he tels them often both of his death and whither by that he was to go Ioh. 14.3 Our Saviour comforts their troubled hearts with this that he was going to the Father and that not meerly for his own glory and honour but also for their good Even as Ioseph was advanced in Pharaohs Court as well for the good of his Father and his brethren as for his own glory and by the way observe that our Saviour tels them That they knew whither he went and the way yet Thomas in the name of the rest saith Lord we know not whither thou goest Now you may ask Either Christ who is Truth it self spake not right or Thomas The answer is Both spake right for the Disciples knew in the general and confusedly but not distinctly or particularly or they knew it habitually but in time of temptation they did not put this knowledge forth By this we see the Godly may have that grace and that faith in them which yet they think is not there To open this Doctrine let us consider the several particulars that are enclosed in it First That it was appointed by God that the way whereby Christ should from this state of humiliation come to glory with him should be the way of ignominy reproach and death It behoved the Son of man to suffer and so enter into glory Luk.
whom yet they fastened many impious actions upon for certainly nature would have told them That was God quo nibil melius cogitari potest Thus the God whom Christians according to the Scripture doe serve is the onely holy and true God Thirdly He is holy in respect of his will command and approbation His word is an holy Word The Scriptures are holy Scriptures They command They approve They encourage and comfort nothing but holinesse David Psal 19. compareth them to Gold often refined that hath no drosse and Hab. 1. God is of purer eyes then to behold Iniquity viz. by approbation Therefore he is said to be angry with the wicked all the day long Oh then though other men love thee and thou art in love with thy own self yet if not holy God doth not God cannot love thee Fourthly God is holy efficiently He is the Authour and cause of all the holinesse we have Iames 1.17 Every good and perfect gift comes from him We are his Workmanship created to good works He made the Angels holy He created Adam holy yea he infused all holinesse into Christs humane Nature and therefore much rather must he cause all the holinesse that is in us Therefore Christ by praying that God would sanctifie his Disciples doth thereby teach that none can make holy but God alone Let then the proud Patrons of free-will be confounded at this They that cannot make themselves Creatures will they say ' they make themselves holy Creatures Minus est te fecisse hominem quam justum Fifthly He is finally holy That is all our holinesse is to terminate in him Holinesse doth properly respect God as the Object and therefore though a man praieth heareth giveth alms yea his body to be burnt and doth not with a pure and chaste Intention look at Gods glory in all this it is not holinesse Hence it is that many have low thoughts about holinesse and grosly mistake in it taking copper for Gold and Samuels Ghost for Samuel himself Thou art not holy till thou canst truly say in some Degree at least though with much opposition Whom have I in Heaven but God and none on Earth besides him In Heaven Heaven it self would not be heaven to a gracious heart but because God is there Sixthly God is holy exemplarily He is the Rule Pattern and Example of holinesse 1 Pet. 1.15 Be ye holy as I am holy Levit. 20.26 So that if we would know how we are to be holy it must not be as men think or as the world prescribeth but as God is holy Not that we can attain to an equality but to a similitude onely So that the principle of the world must fall to the ground They will doe as others doe or as most doe Oh but rather Consider that God himself hath set down a Form for thee and because there is such fulnesse in him as in an Ocean therefore we have a necessity of growing every day No man is as holy as the patern therefore still he is to be perfecting Holinesse and Righteousnesse in the Fear of God 1 Cor. 7.1 Thus you have heard that God is holy But in the next place know it is our Duty to improve this Attribute for our Good For so our Saviour doth not look upon it as an absolute property in God but as that which may be profitable unto his Disciples So that we are to make use of this by Faith And that first Because when God becomes our God by the Covenant of Grace he is wholly ours and all his Attributes are for our benefit and advantage I will be their God Now God is not our God nulesse his Wisedome be ours his Holinesse be ours that is for our benefit For we cannnot separate God and these Oh then what an unwise and foolish thing is it in a Christian when he hath such a Treasure and yet will make no use of it Such a Mine and yet improveth it not In God there is holinesse for all Angels and men much more for thee Secondly God being thus absolutely good he is communicating of it and it is a Rule The more any thing is good the more diffusive it is of it self As we see in God who though glorious and happy enough in himself yet he created a world and ordained many to Eternall Glory out of his meer good pleasure and Fullnesse not that he needed or wanted any Oh then it is very acceptable and well-pleasing to God that we should come with thirsting Souls unto this Fountain and draw Water out of it That we should suck plentifully at these full Breasts and be refreshed Vse of Instruction to the People of God who are greatly afflicted under this great Temptation They are not an holy People Oh they finde sinne captivating them sinne prevailing over them but where is an holy heart holy affections and holy aims in what they doe Oh they say Could they finde they were more holy though they were poor and afflicted yet they should rejoyce Let such Consider It is their Unbelief and want of earnest Praier if they be not richly supplied and furnished in this for God is infinitely holy and he delights to communicate it The larger the Vessell is the more willing he is and will be to fill it and there cannot be any Prayer more acceptable then to begge for this above all things Vse 2. Is God thus holy Then let the most holy be humble in all their approaches to him for he is of such pure Eyes that he findes spots and blemishes yea damnable matter in thy most holy duties Angels holinesse is not proportionable to him Thirdly Of Reproof to wicked men who deride scoff and maliciously oppose holinesse What is this but to rise up against God himself Is not Holinesse the Glorious Attribute of God And do the Beams of this shining in his People offend thee This argueth thou art of a perverse and of a devilish Spirit for thou shouldest rather reverence and honour it saying Oh that I might live and dye like such holy men Indeed there are many would like Balaam die like a Godly man but not live like him as One said He would live like Croesus but die like Socrates Yet this is impossible There must be an holy Life else there will hardly be an holy Death SERMON LV. The Great Lord-Keeper of Israel from inevitable Ruine both of Body and Soul extolled JOH 17.11 Holy Father keep through thy own Name those thou hast given me c. WE have dispatched the Introductory Compellation and now proceed to the Petition it self and in that Consider 1. The mercy praied for and 2. The Amplification of it The mercy praied for is Keep The amplification is 1. From the Subject described by their Election from Eternity And 2. Actuall donation to Christ in time Those thou hast given me This is often repeated by our Saviour as being a main Argument why nothing should he denied them that were thus
indeared both to Father and Son and also the frequent Iteration of this might produce the more faith and confidence in the Disciples 3. This is amplified by the manner or instrumental cause how they are to be kept Through thy own Name 4. The End or Consequent of all this That they may be one as Thou and I are one Of the Mercy praied for Keep and the Subject Those thou hast given me in the first place I shall not enlarge any thing more upon this Description Neither is there any difficulty in the words only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rendred by some serva and they take it properly for those were said to be servari who were taken in warre and so the Conquerour had full power over them to put them to death but of his clemency he saved them and thereupon were called servi but the Greek word hath no such allusion Only there is a twofold keeping external and temporal from the violence and rage of wicked men in respect of their bodies and lives because the world hates them And 2. Spiriutal and internal in grace and holinesse and this he doth principally pray for as appeareth by the matter instanced in Keep them in their outward condition that they be not destroid keep them in their spiritual condition that they lose not their faith or other graces Keep them in bono that they be not undone deficiendo Keep them a malo that it hurt them not Inficiendo If they do sinne keep them reficiendo by repairing and raising them up again If then the Disciples though thus wonderfully given by the Father to Christ do need a daily keeping lest they be undone every way then it holds true also of all beleevers Obs That even all the People of God were they not kept by Gods grace and power they would every moment be undone both in Soul and body It is not our grace our Prayer our Watchfulnesse keeps us but it is the power of God his right arm supports us We may see David praying to God that he would keep him in both these respects from temporal dangers Psa 17.8 9. Keep me as the Apple of thy Eye from the wicked that oppose me Where he doth not only pray to be kept but he doth insinuate how carefully God keeps his people and in what precious account their safety is even as the apple of the Eye and for spiritual preservation he often begs it Psa 19.13 Keep back thy Servant from presumptuous sinnes Though David be Gods Servant yet he will like a wilde Horse run violently and that into presumptuous sinnes if God keep him not back yea he prayeth that God would keep the particular parts of his body that they sinne not Psa 141.3 Keep the door of my Lips he entreateth God to keep his Lips and to set a watch about his mouth as if he were not able to set guard sure enough Thus much more are we to pray that God would keep our hearts our mindes our wils our affections for they are more masterfull Let us briefly consider the first God keepeth us from temporal dangers and that upon these grounds 1. Man hath by sinne forfeited all his temporall mercies there is nothing due to him no health no wealth not the least comfort but every man here upon the earth might be like Dives in hell begging for a drop of water and not able to attain it Gal. 3. Cursed is he that keepeth not the Law and Gen. 3. upon sinne death in all the concomitants of it came into the world so that if all these curses of the Law be not every moment inflicted upon us it 's because God keepeth us He beareth off the blows that Justice and the Law would lay upon us So that it's Gods goodnesse that keepeth thee alive that keeps thee on this side hell that keeps thee from that proper doom which belongs to thee The Sentence of death is passed upon all long agoe onely the execution of it is put off till God pleaseth Who art thou then that repinest and art troubled under such a losse such an affliction how many thousands more are there that God keeps thee from None is so miserable but he may see others more miserable then himself It is the Lord that keeps all these curses from thee and thee from them 2. The godly man would be undone if God did not keep him from his own imbecility and infirmity He hath no power to preserve himself from misery Hence man is called Enoch and in the New Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So that he doth not only deserve all misery but he is prone of himself to fall into it did not God keep him Job 14.1 and Job 5.1 Man that is born of a woman is full of trouble even as the Sparks fly upwards So that as the Spark if not stopt doth of it self ascend upward Thus man of himself though there were no outward cause to drive him yet would stumble and fall into all desolation Therefore the great troubles men lye under are self-created they come by our indiscretion blindenesse or some sinful way or other Therefore Solomon observeth that a mans misery is great on the Earth because he hath not judgement to discern the times and seasons of things Eccl. 8.6 If therefore God did not keep the Godly man no Childe would sooner fall or run into the fire then he would into mischief You may reade of that good King Josiah for whom the Kingdom made such Lamentation how foolishly he ran upon his own Death 2 Chro. 33.22 3. Did not God keep us the devils rage and enmity is such that he would not onely destroy the Soul but the body You see his malice when he had liberty to possesse the bodies of many how miserably he tormented them and when God gave him leave to afflict Job in his Estate and body he did it to the utmost There wanted no evil while he could do it Now there is no reason why the Devil should not do thee the same mischief continually but onely God bindes up this roaring Lyon The Devil is said to be a Murderer from the beginning and that for the body as well as the Soul he tempted Cain to murther Abel he tempted Judas to betray Christ Oh then wonder that God keeps thee when there are such Legions of Devils crafty and potent enough to procure thy destruction 4. Did not God keep the godly he would be undone temporally because of the hatred and malice wicked men bear to every godly man Therefore Christ said they were as Sheep among Wolves Can they hope for mercy from a Wolf David complained that his Soul was among Lions and Ezechiel complained he dwelt among Scorpions Now then seeing the world is so full of malice and the number of wicked men is like the Sand upon the Sea-shoar to them They are as the Israelites Army seemed to the great power that came against them like a Flock of
yet we may be undone to morrow we may alter or Christ may alter No he is faithfull and true He is Christ to day yesterday and for ever Heb. 13. 3. There is his love and compassion for this quickens both power and fidelity and sets all on work It is his love to us that will not let his people perish and certainly if he loved his Children so as to die for them and that when they were sinners then it follows invincibly that he will do that for us which is lesse then death It is but speaking the word whereas before it cost him many a praier and strong cry it put him in agonies and made him sweat drops of bloud Again it is otherwise with us then formerly When we are Enemies he died for us and now being reconciled how much rather wil he finish what he bath begun Rom. 5 4. There is his wisedom for though there be power and love yet through imprudence we see amongst men it often miscarrieth but now in Christ are hid the treasures of all wisedom And Isa 9. he is called the Counsellor as having wisedom to direct and power to deliver in all the sad Trials they are plunged into He is called often the wisedom of the Father Now then put all these together Omnipotent Power unsearchable Wisedom Infinite Love and Immutable Fidelity and you must conclude that the godly mans safety is firmer then Mount Zion or the Earth that God hath established for they may be removed but these cannot be no more then Christ Christ and they will stand or fall together And lastly because more is to be said to this in the words following this implieth a strong tye and obligation upon Christ to keep them for they are given him as Sheep to the Shepherd and as Jacob was to answer for every torn or killed one so must Christ They are given him to keep as Benjamin was to his Brethren Look saith Jacob you see not my face unlesse you bring him safe Insomuch that if Christ should not preserve those that are given him all the glory of his Mediatourship will fall to the ground You see how he declareth his diligence None is lost For if he had lost some of them then had not Christ gone through with the work of Redemption and so could not expect the glory he praied for neither could he have said I have finished the work thou hast given me yea it would have behoved him to come and die again to be crucified again if he had not by one Oblation once perfected for ever the Godly Heb. 10 14. Vse of Exhortation to the godly to take heed of all unbeleeving and dejecting fears in the way to Heaven perswading themselves Oh they shall never hold out one time or other they shall be devoured by such and such sinnes Is not this to be ignorant of the relation you are in to Christ Will Christ be an unfaithfull Steward It lieth upon Christ more then thee that thou beest preserved Is not Christs honour and glory more then the salvation of thousands such as thou art Now if thou shouldst perish and not get to Heaven it would be Christs dishonour It would be because he was not either able or willing Indeed thou art to walk with an holy fear or trembling thou art to despair in thy self but thy faith and confidence in Christs strength should make thee couragious Stronger is he that is with thee then he that is against thee It is true thy corruptions are strong thy Temptations are strong but Christ is stronger Live not with such anxious fears as a Cain fearing every thing may kill and damn thee Interpose Christ between thee and all fears and dangers Say you may overcome me but can you Christ In the next place we come to the manner how he kept them In thy Name And here name may be taken in all the significations mentioned in the former Verse But I will not trouble you with that This may be spoken in a two-fold respect Either to shew what kinde of preservation it was viz. not a corporal or carnal one though he was bodily present among them but a spirituall one in the name of God He did not keep them as the powers of the world keep their Subjects by the outward force of the Sword but as Paul said of the Ministry Our weapons are not carnall but spirituall So was Christs defence or else it might be spoken by way of humility for Christ in respect of his office was inferiour to the Father And therefore he speaks of himself in this Chapter as one sent or an Embassadour from the Father who is to doe all things in his Name and to follow his will only in this latter sence we take it principally Obs That if the Lord Christ though God yet in respect of his office and Ministry doth attribute all to God how much more ought the Ministers of the Gospel who are frail sinful men Shall Christ say he kept them by the Fathers power Shall he say It 's not my Doctrine but the Fathers Shall he say I seek not my own glory but the glory of him that sent me How much more ought the Officers God hath appointed in the Church take their Auditors off from them and carry them to God wholly It is Observable That Christ did still inform his Disciples and Hearers to look up unto the Father and the Apostles they laboured to take off beleevers from applauding of them but to look up to God Thus Paul 2 Cor. 3.5 6. even when he advanceth his Ministry to the Highest yet left men should therewithall advance the persons put thereinto as Hortensins said of Tully that he commended Eloquence to the Heavens that he himself might be lifted up with it See what corrective expressions he useth Not that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing our sufficiency is of God All is attributed to God Paul though endowed with so many excellent gifts yet saith of himself he is not able to think he doth not say to doe to convert and change mens hearts but he cannot think and he doth not say he cannot think some choice sublime admirable thing but he cannot think any thing the least thought in reference to the salvation of others And therefore he addeth ver 6. It is God that hath made us able Ministers The Ministers of God may as well say they create the world They work Miracles by their own power as say they enlighten the mindes or soften the hearts of those to whom they preach Thus 1 Cor. 3.5 When the people through vanity did rest too much upon the Officers of the Church and attributed that to them which belonged to Christ Paul doth severely expostulate with them 1 Corin. 1.13 Was Paul Crucified for you Were you Baptized in the Name of Paul What are these but Ministers by whom ye beleeve Two errours in the extreme we are to avoid 1. That because the Ministry
well as the rest which was a strong engagement to make him full of love to Christ and though he was admonished of it that he should betray him though he heard our Saviour say It had been better for him he had never been born yet from these admonitions he goeth immediately and consummates all iniquity From this man called here a sonne of perdition yet formerly as eminent as the other Apostles many worthy particulars are to be gathered but for the present I shall pitch on this That there are some men so resolvedly and obstinately given to damn themselves that let what will come in the way they will go on Even as Balaam in his purpose to curse the people of Israel sets forward with great resolutions driveth on his Ass though that speak to him which might have been a terrible astonishment yet for all that he pursueth his wicked design till God stop him whether he will or no Or as Saul was wretchedly bent to murder himself and therefore cals upon his Armour bearer to run him thorow which when he refused he desperately fals upon his own spear and kils himself Thus there are thousands of persons that do with as much obstinacy and desperate hardness of heart throw themselves into hell God commands a man To do no murder and self-murder is rare because the care of life and fear of death is implanted in men but self-destruction and self-damnation is very common for men neither have a love to their immortal souls nor yet a fear of eternal damnation No wonder if some persons are thus when we reade of an whole body of people or Nation ready to do this Matth. 23.37 Christ doth there in a melting manner weep over Jerusalem O Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the Prophets c. How often would I have gathered thee and thou wouldst not This compassionate bewailing of them was enough to turn stones into tears but they would not It is not said they understood not they desired but other things hindred them No They would not There was a pertinacious wilfull obstinacy There are more remedies and means sufficient to have humbled them in sackcloth and ashes but they would not This cursed disposition was of old in them Jer. 18.12 when the Prophet had informed them of Gods purpose to bring evil upon them and that therefore they should return from their evil way See what an obstinate reply they make There is no hope or as some render it it 's a desperate case We will go every one in his evil wayes and after the imagination of our own hearts So truly did the Prophet say Hos 13.9 O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self That as it is from a mans own body diseases grow which afterwards kill him and moths are bred in that linnen which afterwards consume it Thus from a mans one self come those sinnes which tend to his everlasting damnation They will destroy themselves who can stop them or perswade them to the contrary To pursue this because it 's the case of many men who live under the means of grace Let us consider What are the causes that move men thus violently to damn themselves as if they could not do it soon enough And First There are many though glorying in the title of Christians that are prophanely Atheistical They do not believe there is a God or Heaven or Hell they do not firmly assent to Gods Word as true Now what good can all the preaching in the world do though the Ministers were as so many Angels and their voice as terrible as the sound of the trumpet at the last day if men be Atheistical they will not believe what any Minister preacheth They bless themselves in their wicked wayes and will not hearken to any thing Achitophel did not more resolutely go hang himself then those to damn themselves For as faith is the great instrument whereby the Word preached becomes effectual to salvation so unbelief is the great stop and obex in the way This is the door and barre to keep all off which made the Prophet complain Isa 53.1 and the Apostle afterwards alleadgeth it as the cause of mens destruction Who hath believed our report Hence Heb. 4.2 The Word did not profit the Israelites because not mixed with faith A Metaphor from the Physicians potion which doth no good because not mixed with such ingredients This is to be worse then the devils who believe and tremble but thou dost neither As long therefore as men abide in unbelief no Ministry no preaching will do them any good faith is the foundation without this there cannot be any building But though the promises are not made good unless we believe yet know to thy terrour that all the curses and threatnings in Gods Word will be fulfilled upon thee whether thou believe or not Secondly Another cause is Gross bruitish and stupid Ignorance When people have no knowledge or understanding in matters of Religion they fall as easily as blinde men that know not where they go Ephes 4.18 The Apostle speaking of some who gave themselves up to wickedness and were past feeling They had no remorse or sense of conscience as a dead hand though it be runne through with the sword yet feels no pain he makes the cause of this senslesness to be the darkness in their understanding and the blindness which was upon their hearts Thus Hos 4.1 2. when the Prophet complained That the Land was overthrown with swearing lying and murders he makes this the cause There is no knowledge of God in the Land and Jude v. 10. relateth some Who speak evil of those things they know not and what they know naturally they did as bruit beasts corrupt themselves with Is not this the character of many in these dayes Their hellish mouths are opened to rail and deride and so speak malicious words against those that are godly when they are sottish and ignorant in religious things having no knowledge but what is natural and with that they are like bruit beasts corrupting themselves The sottish ignorance and bruitish blindness upon many makes them to venture desperately Oh if their eyes were open Did they but see what the godly see they would not dare to step a step forward in that way which leadeth to death But as mad men feel no pain though instruments be thrust into them so neither do they Men out of their wits venture upon self-murdering practises and thus do those that are void of all spiritual understanding Hence Admonition is called in the Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thess 5.13 Paul commands them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to warn them that are unruly or to put a minde and wits into them as if they were mad and would destroy themselves not knowing what they did A third cause of such wilfull resolvedness to damn themselves is hardnesse of heart As long as the heart is soft and tender it trembleth at Gods word and is afraid
till at last they put him to death in the most scornfull and reproachfull manner Consid I To open this consider That God out of his great love to mens souls hath appointed a Ministry and Officers in his Church that should be as Embassadours to intreat Reconciliation with God But because there could not be any commerce or communion between God absolutely considered and man fallen therefore the Lord Christ interposed and made peace but that what he had merited and purchased might effectually be applied to such as shall be saved among other instruments he set up Officers in his Church whose whole study and care should be to informe and reforme men So that people do enjoy the Ministers of God upon a two-fold special account First Gods great and special love to them That God hath taken care to send such is more then the creating of a world for you or vouchsafing all the temporal mercies you enjoy Hence it 's so often spoken of 2 Chron. ult and in other places that God sent his Prophets rising up early This is spoken as the great love of God to them And then Consid II The second Foundation of the Ministry is Christs Death and Resurrection his Ascending into Heaven as Ephes 4.11 He gave some Apostles some Pastours and Teachers Oh then how ingratefull and wicked is the world which doth no more regard this love of God and purchase of Christ in the Ministry Hence by the Prophet God promiseth That he would give them Pastours after his own heart Jer. 3.4 Though he feed them with the bread of adversity and drave them into corners Isai 30.20 Hence when God threatens a people with his uttermost wrath it is to remove the Candlestick and to make the Vision cease and to make no Clouds to rain upon them How much would people complain under a drought and want of Rain if for many years together there should not be so much as a Cloud seen But the gracious heart would think the removing of Christs Ministers not onely the taking away of Clouds but of the Sun and Stars in Heaven Secondly God and Christ who are thus the cause of their Office hath appointed them their worke and endowed them with abilities thereunto Their imployment is to publish the Word of God which is two-fold 1. The Word of the Law to convince men of sinne to inform of duty to make them sensible of their undone and damnable estate they are in Thus they are first to be wise Phisicians to detect and discover the disease the danger and cause of it Then secondly There is the Word of the Gospel which are the glad tidings of Gods favour and Reconciliation with those that are humble and contrite before him This is to publish the acceptable year of Jubilee to such as were spiritually indebted and under the thraldome of Gods wrath This is a work in it self absolutely necessary for what doth a sinner more want then these two things the Law in it's use and the Gospel in it's use Men in their temporal necessities respect the Physicians the Lawyers but soul necessities are not apprehended And as the necessity of it is so cogent so the dignity and excellency is admirable As the Soul and Heaven do farre exceed all earthly things so doth this subject all other Consid III Therefore in the third place God and Christ do justly expect that the world should with all gladnesse and obedience receive these his Messengers For shall God purpose so great love and Christ at so dear a rate purchase such Officers and must not the world set open the doors to receive them Shall not they cry Blessed are the feet of such as bring the glad tidings of the Gospel Are they not to be affected as the Galatians once to Paul To pull out their very eyes to serve him Certainly if David did so celebrate Gods goodnesse in creating Heaven and Earth and appointing the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field for mans use much more ought we in this great matter of the Church Consid IV Yet in the fourth place Though so much love be in this Institution and God expects so much thankefulnesse and obedience because of it it may make us tremble to see how little entertainment their Office and work hath in the world We speak not in regard of their outward honour and esteem For as Paul saith so ought we pray men might do no evil though we be accounted as reprebates 2 Cor. ult but we complain of the unsuccessefulnesse of it in respect of the divine operations of it We take up our Saviours complaint That light is come into the world and men love darknesse rather then light John 3. Oh this is that which the Scripture doth so bitterly complain of Who hath believed our report and I told them the wonderfull or great and honourable things of my Law and they accounted them a strange thing Psal 119. This sad usage in the world made Paul cry out That they were the off-scouring of the world worse then the dust of the feet and were made a spectacle to the world and Angels 1 Cor. 4.9 Consid V Fifthly The Devil knowing the excellent end and use of this Office and worke doth by himself and all his instruments oppose it He rageth and the world rageth when this work is set up So that as when Christ sent his Disciples to preach he saw Satan fall like lightning Thus if it were in his power he would have Christ and his Officers be thrown down As they are to destroy his works and dispossess him so he labours to do to them It being thus thou that in the Ministry we may see Gods great love and mans great wickednesse Let us consider the cause why it should thus stirre up the wrath of men that they should be moved like so many hornets And First This work of the Ministry is contrary to the Nature and inclination of the world That as the Sunne is burdensome to the Owl and other night-birds and sweet smels to swinish creatures Thus is the glorious Gospel and the precious favour thereof abominable to corrupt men They can no more love godly and holy preaching then fire and water can agree therefore the more thy heart and tongue is set against it the more thou discoverest that hell which is in the bottome of thy heart Now the true preaching of the Word of God is contrary unto the world in these respects 1. The very nature and frame of their hearts admits not of Christs word till regenerated The old house must be pulled down even with the very foundation of it Thus Jam. 1. God is said to beget by his Word and our Saviour here Sanctifie them by thy truth Now this is directly contrary to mans nature to account all that he is and all that he doth damnable to judge every thing he hath done fit fuell for hell so as to have no comfort in any thing he hath
be kept from sinne and all evil in our Afflictions and Troubles then from the afflictions themselves This is a speciall Truth for whose heart is not troubled about the Affliction more then the Sinne Whose heart is not more upon the passive evil he suffers then the active evil he doth Whose soul is made so spiritual that no vexation or pain and losse in body or Estate doth affect him so greatly as the sinful distempers and troubles of his soul doth But to open this Consider 1. That it's Gods special Gift and his power only that keeps his people from sinne in their afflictions For did not God sanctifie Did not God teach as well as chasten the Evil of Sinne and the Evil of Punishment would alwaies go together the time of our trouble and the time of our transgressions would never be separated When David could say That out of very Faithfulnesse God had afflicted him that before he was afflicted he went astray This was wholly from the Grace of God for how many in their distresse are like Ahaz that then did worse then ever before for certainly Afflictions to wicked men are like the fire or pouncings to ill and unsavoury Herbs the more they are medâ—ed with the more they stink As the damned in hell their Torments make them rage and blaspheme against God Thus it is with the wicked on the Earth their present troubles draw out their corruptions They are more impatient more discontented and never more evil then when they have the greatest cause to be exceeding good But to the Godly it is otherwise that light which burneth the wicked enliveneth the Godly as the fire in Nebuchadnezzars Furnace did lose the bonds that the Worthies were bound in and made them at Liberty when it consumed the ungodly Thus Afflictions many times set the Godly at Liberty from their sinnes loose their hearts more from the world but how comes this about it 's the meer Gift of God Did not God support as Christ did Peter in these waves we would presently be over-whelmed Oh then reflect on thy self Hath any trouble Have any Afflictions made thee more humble and more upright Hath Beleeving outed thee from the world and earthly things know that it's God that hath kept thee from the evil Secondly The Scripture speaks of it as a special favour when God will be with us in our Afflictions so that we shall not be left to Temptations Therefore we are constantly to pray Mat. 6.13 that God would deliver us from Temptation Now although prosperity and outward mercies are a Temptation yet the Scripture doth for the most part call Afflictions only Temptations because we are so hardly able to keep our Integrity and holinesse in them We can hardly overcome flesh and bloud or conquer our selfish Inclinations so as to lie humbly and with deep Resignation into Gods hand Oh then what great thoughts of heart should there be that such a Condition such a streight such an Affliction be not a Temptation to thee that God do not leave thee in it It 's a special mercy to be kept from a Temptation but a greater in it This is miraculous like those that were in the fire and yet not burnt There is not a more comfortable evidence of Gods love when thou shalâ—be bruised and broken with many afflictions and yet they are not able to stir up corruptions in thy heart Never forget to pray That as Temptations and Afflictions shall come on thee so Gods sutable Grace and tender Preservation may accompany thee Though Christ prayed thus for the Apostles to be kept from the evil yet Peter gradually though not totally or finally was left by God in his Temptation when he was surprised with fear how grievously doth he deny Christ with bitter curses and swearings Here Peter was not quite from evil though so farre as Christ prai'd for him he was preserved viz. that his faith might not fail Oh by this sad instance we see if God withdraw his Arm from us how dreadful our Estate would be That thou hast not blasphemed God and his Providence and charged God foolishly in thy streights blesse and praise God for it and remember that self confidence is the great sinne to provoke God to leave thee to the evil of temptations as we see in Peter and Hezekiah Take heed of going out of Gods arms of letting go his hand or provoking him any way Thirdly Afflictions and Tribulations do not of themselves make us holy but they work according to the subject exercised with them Indeed naturally to every man unregenerate they draw out corruption and sinne and Physick to an incurable disease doth but hasten Death and fire to wood and such like Combustibles doth not refine but consume The more a muddied Pool is stirred the more noisome it is and thus it would work even in a godly man did not grace live within him as well as sinne Yet even to a godly man it 's a very difficult thing not to have the waves of his heart rise high when these windes and tempests have blown upon them and for this reason it is that the more troubles are upon us the greater assistance and discoveries of grace we need and therefore there is more comfort in this praier of Christ then the heart can conceive Here is a provision made for thee in that which thou dost most want for if the least temptation the least Evil fall on thee if that fall upon thy heart it will presse thee to hell should not God support and sanctifie it a gnat will choak thee as well as a Camel God only moveth on these deeps and makes them fruitful In the next place Let us consider the Grounds and Reasons why it 's more blessed to have preservation from sin the evil of an affliction then from the affliction And First Because an Affliction is but a particular temporall Evil but Sinne is an infinite universall Evil Sicknesse depriveth of Health Poverty of Wealth and thus every Streight doth but oppose some temporall particular Good that is the Creatures Good But Sinne is an Universall Evil it depriveth of God and it divesteth of all Glory and Happinesse so that as Anselme said It ought to be our Resolution That if Hell were on one side and Sinne on the other we ought rather to choose Hell-Torments then Sinne and the Reason is because Sinne is an Offence and a Dishonour against God God is infinitely more then the Creature and his Glory and Honour is more worthy then all we are It 's better the whole World should be annihilated and destroyed and come to nothing in all its Comforts then that the least glimpse of the Glory of God should be Eclipsed Oh then whosoever had rather sinne then be afflicted he preferreth himself above God he preferreth himself above Christ and he sets up his own particular Safety and Security above Gods Glory Oh then that we could be more afraid of Sinne then we
fervent affections of faith Are you to meditate on this Sacrifice This blood speaks all good things for thee SERMON C. Of Jesus Christ as Priest Sacrifice and Altar The Properties of that Sacrifice The way how men come to partake of the Benefit of it Its Efficacy as to Sanctification as well as Justification JOH 17.19 I Sanctifie my self for them c. FRom the Person Sanctifying we proceed to the Object-matter which is said to be sanctified and that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My self The Priests in the Old Testament consecrated and offered their brute Beasts which though commanded by God to have perfect Qualifications in them yet because Beasts still therefore our Saviours Priesthood doth farre transcend that because it is his own precious body that he thus offers to be an Oblation for himself From whence Observe That Christ was not only the Priest but the Sacrifice it self He offered up himself in that bloudy and ignominious death for our sakes This is the great mystery of our Christian Religion whether you do regard the Doctrinal part of it as a Truth to be beleeved or as it 's Declarative of the love of God and Christ to his Church The Prophet Isaiah cap. 53. is of old long before it was accomplished greatly affected with it and Paul upon every occasion is largely amplifying this substantial Point To clear it Consider these Introductions First That Christ was both Priest Sacrifice and Altar Every thing in Christ is wonderful There is nothing in him after the ordinary manner of nature and therefore he may justly by the Prophet be called Wonderfull and as in other particulars so in this it is true That he should be Priest Sacrifice and Altar Priest he was in both his Natures as God and man Sacrifice he was in his humane nature because that only could suffer And Altar he was in respect of his Divine Nature because by that he was sanctified Oh then the admirable wisedom of God that hath thus appointed all fulnesse to be in him When Abraham was to offer Isaac and the Childe was bound ready to be sacrificed he asketh his Father but where is the Sacrifice God saith Abraham will provide one Thus when all mankinde like Isaac was ready to be Sacrificed to the Eternal displeasure of God even then God found a Sacrifice for us Secondly Consider what is necessary to a Sacrifice and that is That there be some kinde of destruction or annihilation of the thing to the honour and glory of God And thus a Sacrifice and a Sacrament differ a Sacrifice is by offering up of something to God a Sacrament is when God offers and giveth something to us Therefore when the Papists make the Lords Supper to be a Sacrament and a Sacrifice also they speak repugnancies In a Sacrament God giveth to us In a Sacrifice we give to God Now among the Jews there were many kindes of Sacrifices and most of them did typically represent Christ The Paschal Lamb and the Sacrificing of the Red Heifer these are plainly applied unto Christ but above all kindes of Sacrifices those that we called Holocatomata whole burnt-Offerings These did in a most lively manner typifie him for there the whole was to be burnt in fire and offered to God which denoted the great humiliation of Christ both in Soul and body and also the exquisite Torments and Sufferings which were upon him so that he was wounded all over for our Transgressions Thirdly Take notice that he offered up his body as a Sacrifice to God It was in reference to him not meerly in respect of men to witnesse the Truth of God but as every Sacrifice ought to be it was wholly in reference to God though tending thereby to our good It 's unlawful to offer Sacrifices to any but God because hereby is represented Gods supreme dominion and Majesty which is signified by the annihilation or destruction of the thing offered Now though Christ did not cease to be God yet by his Death there was a separation of the soul and body though not of the divine nature from either It was then unto God that he offered up himself Fourthly This Sacrifice it was by way of expiation and propitiation to atone and pacifie the Justice of God which otherwise would have been a consuming fire to all mankinde as it was to the Apostate Angels Sacrifices do imply some kinde of Expiation and by Heathens were used to pacifie the wrath of their gods and thus if Christs body offered was truly and properly a Sacrifice then it could be no other but by way of expiation and satisfaction Now that it was such an expiatory Sacrifice is plain by the Apostle at large in the Epistle to the Hebrews where he compareth Christ dying with those Sacrifices and sheweth the insufficiency of them in respect of Christs once Oblation of himself which comparison would be weak and absurd if Christs Death was not propitiatory No wonder then if the devil hath raised up blasphemous Heretiques to overthrow this Doctrine because in this is contained that happy Reconciliation between God and a sinner In that Christ shed his bloud to atone for us is the whole hope and comfort of the Church of God Fifthly The holy and just nature of God against sinne was such that there was a necessity of Christs sacrificing himself upon the Crosse for us It 's hotly disputed whether God might have forgiven sinne absolutely without Christs Death or by any other way then by Satisfaction But when all is said it 's acknowledged it is the most convenient way and if we do suppose that God would save mankinde no other way but by justice as well as mercy then it was absolutely necessary that Christ should become man seeing no meer man could compensate God neither could the Obedience of any man have delighted God as much as Adams disobedience did offend him Therefore it 's highly derogatory from Christ which Durand saith that if it had pleased God it might have been that as by Adams disobedience all were made sinners so by the same Adams Obedience repenting and beleeving all might have been made Righteous In the second place Consider the properties of this Sacrifice And First It had infinite worth in it Insomuch that had God ordained it so it would have procured Reconciliation for all the sins of all men in the world yea if there had been a thousand worlds of sinners This is that which Divines say That it was a sufficient price and ransome for all though not efficacious Though therefore many are damned this doth not arise from any weaknesse or insufficiency in Christs Death but from the wickednesse and rebellion of men who refuse the means to improve this Ransome for their good There is infinite worth in it and that upon a threefold respect 1. The Person offering who is God as well as man So that what dignity and worth the divine Nature can put
be full of blemishes yet when we present Christ by Faith then there is no fault to be found Lastly The vertue of this Sacrifice is to make us like Christ himself he thinketh it not enough to be King and Priest himself but he maketh us also Kings and Priests for ever We offer up Praiers and Praises to him and by him we conquer all our spiritual Enemies The devil and our lusts are subdued Such glory have all they that are partakers of this Sacrifice Vse of Terrour to all wicked and ungodly men who by their Unbelief and Prophanesse reject this Sacrifice The Apostle Heb. 10. cals it trampling upon the bloud of Christ and accounting it a prophane thing Oh how many thousand live that have no esteem and make no account of this Sacrifice Oh remember that this is the last and ultimate Sacrifice He that rejects this hath no more hope There remaineth no more oblation for sinne There is not another Christ or another Sacrifice if thou refuse this Vse 2. Of Encouragement to the Godly Come to this Fountain that is set open for Judah and Jerusalem to cleanse in Doe not say because Christ crucified is a stumbling block and foolishnesse to wicked men that therefore thou wilt disesteem him also There is no sore but this blood will heal and cure Oh let the blood of thy soul be stanched with this blood of Christ This blood speaks good and comfortable things better then that of Abel SERMON CI. Of Sanctification as the Effect of Christs Death Shewing That no man truly believeth in Christ for Justification that doth not also for Sanctification JOH 17.19 And for their sakes I sanctifie my self that they also may be sanctified through the Truth WE are now come to the end of Christs Sanctification which is two-fold the finis cui and cujus We shall put them both together for so they are conjoyned in the following clause That they might be sanctified through the Truth Wherein you have 1. The final Cause 2. The Manner of accomplishing it The final Cause That they might be sanctified and from this the Socinian would argue That Sanctification in the former clause was not meant of an oblation by way of Sacrifice because the same word is applied to the Apostles in the Text and they were not to be sacrificed for us To answer this First Some Expositours do expound it of their offering up of themselves by Martyrdom to confirm the truth for Paul professeth his willingnesse herein using the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 2.15 which was used of some kinde of their Sacrifices but we need not runne to that it 's no new thing in Scripture to use the same word in one verse in different significations and it 's a Rule Talia sunt praedicata qualia permittuntur à subjectis The Apostles then needing not such a Sanctification as Christ applied to himself but that for which he prayed in the former verse We must understand it in the same sense as there It 's true by Sanctification some also will have Justification comprehended and so speak of an imputed Sanctification but we need not stretch the word violently but understand it first Of making inwardly holy and then consequently A setting apart and dedicating our selves wholly unto God by living unto him and thence observe That Christ died not only for our Justification but Sanctification also He made himself a Sacrifice not onely to remove the guilt of sinne but to remove and subdue the power of it not onely to make us happy but also holy Let us consider What is implied in this That Sanctification comes by Christs death And First We are to know that Christ is the Cause of our Sanctification several wayes partly efficiently for not only the Father and the Spirit but Christ himself also is the cause of all the holinesse we have and therefore he is called the life because he gives all supernatural life unto his and is compared to the vine Joh. 15. because as the branch separated from the Vine can bring forth no fruit so neither is a man able without Christ to do the least holy action he is also called the Head and John 1. Of his fulnesse we are all said to receive Thus as God in the course of nature is the authour of every natural gift therefore it 's said In him we live and move and have our being Act. 17.28 So in the way of grace Christ is the authour and finisher as of our faith so of every holy work in us The Author Heb. 12.2 and therefore we cannot so much as begin or meet Christ he must prevent us and the finisher for although we have begun yet we have not the same manutenency and powerfull preservation what we have begun to build would immediately fall to the ground Thus Christ is the Alpha and Omega of our spiritual life 2. Christ is the meritorious cause of our Sanctification and therefore not only remission of sin but holinesse and zeal is made the consequent of Christs death And the Apostle doth not only Rom. 7.8 shew that we are justified by Christ but also that the body of sinne is mortified thereby Thus Heb. 10. what Sanctification that Apostate had is attributed to the blood of Christ Christ then hath as efficaciously merited holinesse as happinesse He died to destroy the workes of the devil now our captivity to him was not onely in respect of guilt but that bondage and slavery we were in to all lusts and therefore those two benefits are like Castor and Pollux one cannot be without the other 3. Christ is in some large and improper sense called the formal cause of the good in us an assistant form not informing that is Christ received and applied by faith doth in a most inward and intimate manner live in us and thereby strengtheneth us so the Apostle Gal. 2.20 I no longer live but Christ in me Here you see Christ liveth in a godly man for by faith we are united unto him and thus Christ becomes our Head from whom we have all spiritual influx Now an head is a conjoyned and united cause made one with the body and thus is Christ and his Church and therefore is that similitude of an Head and the Body so often used 4 Christ is the final cause of our Sanctification that is we are made holy to this end both that we might shew forth the praises and glory of Christ as our Redeemer as also that we should live to him and set all our affections and desires upon him desiring with Paul To know nothing but Christ crucified 1 Cor. 2.1 Secondly In that by Christs death we are sanctified there is implied That we of our selves are very impure and unclean that we are like so many noisome dunghils For our being unsanctified doth imply 1. Our filthiness or uncleanness this is the state of every man till sanctified by Christ he is like an unclean leper his
Arguments seek for it at the Fathers hands Thus Psal 2. when God there declares his will of making him King over his Church and giving the Nations of the world for an Inheritance to him it 's said Ask of me and I will give thee Christ is to ask and pray for such things So that in this respect Christ praied even as all the Godly do though God hath appointed and promised to bestow such glorious things upon his penple yet it is by way of praier that they must be possessed of them God could give them otherwise Neither do our praiers or Christs Praiers make God alter or change his minde only praier is appointed by him as that medium whereby his purpose shall be brought to passe 4. Christ praied upon the same ground as he gave thanks Now we reade he praised God severall times yea they sang an Hymn to God Praier is divided into Petition and Thanks-giving If then Christ could give God praise by the same reason he might make Petition to him He praiseth God as the Father of such mercies his Soul was affected with and so he praieth to God for such things as he had not yet the full accomplishment of Lastly These main Reasons being laid down then we may adde Christ praied for our example also It 's wonder any should be so transported with pride as to think themselves above praier that they need not to pray when we see Christ himself diligent in this Duty So that as we are to learn of him and imitate the Zeal Patience and Love that was in him so we are the Religious Conversation also of Christ which was manifested in his fervent Praiers unto God upon all occasions yet though Christ did thus pray there was a great difference between Christs Praiers and ours For first If we speak absolutely of Christ as a person so he needed not to pray for being in that respect God as well as man Therefore he could have done all things the humane Nature desired without any humble Supplication unto the Father It was then in respect of his humane nature only and his voluntary Humiliation of himself otherwise being God as well as man He might have done all things by sole power and authority Indeed there are some who hold that Christ still in Heaven as man doth pray to God the Father properly and formally in respect of his Church and so understand those places where he is said to be an Advocate with the Father and where he is said still to make intercession for us not say they that he praieth in such a servile humbled manner as he did here on Earth yet they say it 's more then meer a representation of himself or will that the Father fulfill what he hath purchased It 's true and formall praying neither say they is this any more indecent and unbeseeming Christ as man in Heaven then praising of God which yet as man he doth Howsoever this be yet it 's sure that when he did pray on earth yet it was not with such an absolute necessity and indigency as any man or the whole Church doth pray for they cannot in any Consideration help themselves 2. Neither did Christ pray for any spiritual gracious mercies These are the chiefest matter of our praier insomuch that temporall things are praied for only with a submission unto Gods Will and so farre as they conduce to our spirituall good but Christ had already received the Spirit of God in so full measure that he could not pray for further Sanctification nor for a better heart or more communion with God then he had much lesse could he pray for such things as suppose a sinnefull Imperfection in the Subject So he did not or could not pray for the pardon of sinne which yet he taught the most holy that are to pray continually for neither could he pray for justifying Faith for although he had faith and confidence in God yet he had not justifying Faith which is the relying upon Christ for Righteousnesse Neither could he pray for the conquering and subduing of corruption seeing his pure Nature remained altogether spotlesse and free from the least stain or pollution Neither 3. Were Praiers to him as they are to us means to quicken up and excite the heart to make it more Heavenly and zealous Prayer in us doth quicken and excite a man and takes off the rust upon his Soul Christ was alwaies in contemplation and enjoyment of God and therefore he did not need praier to make his soul ascend higher to God Hence in the fourth place All the matter he could pray for in reference to himself was concerning his body and the further glorifying of that for seeing it pleased him to take our body upon him in all the natural defects and infirmities thereof sinne only excepted it was necessary that he should not alwaies be in such a passible mortal way but rise again to glory dominion and all honour Now this Christ praied for as being to be obtained by praier as well as his Sufferings He praied also for assistance and deliverance in those agonies he conflicted with But in respect of his praier for the Church So he praied for their Sanctification though not for his own he praied Peters Faith might not fail he praied God would not impute sinne to some of those who did crucifie him Though he needed not such Petitions yet we do and therefore in this respect Christ praied in which we cannot imitate him for he praied as he was to offer up himself a Sacrifice for our sinnes so it behoved him also to put up praier for his people Thus you have heard how Christ was capable of Praier though God Let us now Consider the comfortable advantage of these Praiers of Christs unto us And 1. See the love of Christ that he doth remember our good in his praiers as well as his own It is not enough to pray for his own Glory but he beggeth and prayeth for ours also Paul speaketh of it as his great affection and Love to some that he made mention alwaies of them in his Prayers he never praied for himself but for them also And thus we see Christ though ready to be offered up and to die such a tormented ignominious Death So that he might justly be taken up with Praier for himself only yet he doth the same time think of his Church and all that shall beleeve in him Oh what comfortable Refreshment and Encouragement should this be to the dejected and humbled Soul That Christ doth in his Prayer remember and consider of thee as well as his own Glorification 2. This Prayer of Christ is alwaies heard We many times pray and God doth deny us because as the Apostle James saith Chapt. 4. vers 4. We ask amisse or we ask not in Faith Now Christ had every thing concurrent that might make his Prayer successefull Therefore John 11.42 Christ there professeth God the Father heard him alwaies In
and preservation of it is more peculiar and emphaticall The weaker and more infirm thou art the greater is Gods power and grace manifested in thee Thus Paul said the power of God was perfected in his infirmities and when he was weak then he was strong 2 Chro. 22.10 This is Christs usuall way to magnifie his power and strength most in those that are the weakest of beleevers and therefore it is that many times he leaveth those that are strong and eminent to their own selves that so feeling their own infirmities they may be the fitter objects to glorifie Christs power Hence when Peter was in his failing and decaying condition then Christ praieth that his faith may not fail God that owneth himself to be the judge of the Widows and the Father of the Fatherlesse because they are most exposed to necessities will much more shew this in a spiritual way to such as have not the hopes or the encouragements as other godly men have 3. He doth commonly vouchsafe more inward comforts and evidences of his love to such giveth them more chearfulnesse and joy Even as you see in nature a Childe is not exercised with those cares and troubles that do molest when they come to years but minde their sport and play Thus to new Converts God many times revealeth much comfort and joy They may have more then than ever afterwards in their life time Then is the time of the Souls marriage to Christ and no wonder if a Feast be provided for them and their water be turned into wine 4. God doth in a singular manner keep them from those exercises and temptations which many times he lets fall on those that are more eminent Joh. 26. when Peter was young he went whither he would but when he was old then he should be bound Where there is spiritual strength God puts a proportionable burthen So that Christ in the dispensing of his exercises hath a respect alwaies to the measure of their graces he will not lay a Giants burthen upon a Childes back yea such is the wisedom of Christ herein that he doth prepare and fit his people by degrees for afflictions as the timber lieth in water to he seasoned by degrees for service There is a great difference in Gods providence to his own people some are more tempted then others inwardly in their souls Some again have far more outward troubles then others and in all these still regard is had to the strength of his people Christ being the head hath a respect to every member and so knoweth what is the fittest exercise for it Be not then inordinately cast down with fears fears about thy infirmities and weaknesses for if thou art weaker then others thy burthen shall be lighter and the lesse thou hast of thy self the more of Christs power will be in thee 5. Though they be weak in many things yet Christ makes them remarkably strong in some other things This is notable to consider that even such who have been weak yet in some passages have shewed more strength and couragious actings of grace then others very glorious Did not all the Apostles though the first fruits as it were of Gods Spirit for fear fly from Christ When Mary followed him to the Crosse yea Joseph of Arimathea which came to Christ by night for fear did afterwards publikely own Christ and that when he was crucified when were the greatest discouragements Hence the Apostle Rom. 11. exhorts in honour to prefer one another because there is no Christian so weak but even the strongest may be inferior to him in some respect Comfort then thy self in this that though weak yet thou hast sometimes been so enabled to do those things which yet others have failed in 6. To those that are weak God hath made glorious promises for the encrease of their grace Thus the Prophet Isaiah He that is weak shall renew his strength like an Eagle and shall not be faint Isa 40.31 and thus they are said to be blessed that hunger and thirst after Righteousnesse because they shall be satisfied Mat. 5. and by the Prophet Zechary He that is feeble shall be like David and David like an Angel of God Zech. 12.8 So that the meanest Christian may lift up his head with joy for though thou art infirm yet a glorious promise of strength is made unto thee Lastly God sanctifieth these weaknesses and infirmities unto them So that they get more good by their weak grace then many times others do by their strong It 's better to be a babe in grace fearing to fall then a presumptuous man like Peter to think we shall alwaies stand God suffers even strong ones sometimes to be overcome by Philistims that so they may fly out of themselves to the grace of God and depend upon his power Now the Sanctification of their weaknesse of graces lieth in this 1. They are hereby more bumble and self-emptied They remember those duties He that stands let him take heed he doth not fall and be not high-minded but fear Humility and self-emptinesse is a comely posture for a Christian now none are more so then such who are sensible of their weaknesse 2. Hereby Christ is advanced and exalted in his power as the weak Childe laieth fast hold on his Fathers arm Thus the power and might of Christ is to none so welcome as those that finde and feel themselves falling when the Disciples are ready to sink then they cry our Master help we perish 3. They walk more thankefully to God when the Israelites were in a barren wildernesse having no food or water but what God did wonderfully provide for them then if ever they would be stâ—rred up to thankfulnesâ— Thus when a childe of God wonders that under so many temptations and infirmities he did not this day or that day fall and break his peace with God he will be provoked to glorifie God and admire his grace The hungry Soul will be thankfull for every morsell of bread and thus will the humble lowly Christian apprehensive of its own imbecilities glorifie God for every moments preservation In the next place Let us Consider That there is some difference between Beleevers in respect of the fruits of Christs Death as well as there is an equality As in the first place Though Justification be alike yet their Sanctification is not one is made more holy then another That as one Starre differs from another in glory so one Christian from another in grace Hence some are called babes others strong men Some are called carnal comparatively others spiritual Some are said to be perfect not absolutely but respectively It 's true all the people of God are truly sanctified one is sanctified as well as another aequè but not aequalitèr only the measure and degree is very different Not that he who hath more may advance his power and attribute glory to himself No What hast thou that thou hast not received Not only the essence of grace but
Christs Prayer even in respect of those who shall beleeve is because They were given to him by the Father as appeareth vers 9. I pray not for the world but for them which thou hast given me Seeing therefore the Foundation of Christs Intercession is because they were given by Election to Christ as a people to be saved through him it 's plain that Christ praied not because he foresaw that they would beleeve but because they were Elected It 's true the Arminians do in a most violent and strange manner wrest that phrase of being given to Christ They understand it not of an action of the Father but of the disposition of the Subject Hence it is they speak so much of a probum ingenium or a docilis indoles as if it were some towardly disposition in man that fitted him for grace but thus it would be rather who have given themselves to Christ rather then that the Father had given them and indeed this is such a thorn in their sides that they cannot pull out if by such who shall beleeve were to be understood those that upon Gods foresight were known to improve the means of Faith better then others then all the difference from others and the utmost resolution of salvation yea and Election would be unto a mans self when yet the Apostle doth expresly stop such mouths What hast thou that thou hast not received and who made thee to differ from another 1 Cor. 4.7 The Text thus vindicated and explained I gather this Observation That Christ died not and so we were not Elected because we will beleeve but our beleef is the effect and fruit of Christs death and our Election Our Faith is not a condition upon which our Election or Christs Death stands suspended and indeterminate but these do make us infallibly and effectually to beleeve in time There are two common Opinions The one holding That God from all Eternity knew who would beleeve in time and persevere therein and thereupon they were Elected and Christ died for us This way go Arminians and others But 2. The Orthodox they affirm that God did from all Eternity choose some out of the corrupt masse to Eternall glory and for this end to give them Faith and holinesse as the means thereunto So that God did not elect us because we did or would beleeve but that we might beleeve we beleeve because we are Elected not Elected because we beleeve This Doctrine is very useful because it tends to humble and debase man and wholly to exalt the grace of God and therefore the more diligently to be confirmed because of late so greatly opposed And before we bring Scripture-Arguments Let us Consider some few things that will clear the state of the Question As 1. There is a difference of those who hold our Election and so Christs Death to be upon the foresight of something in us Some are more grosse then others For there are some that hold a man is Elected to glory upon the foresight of his cooperation with the grace of God as a true merit deserving this Election so that with them God did behold who by his free will would improve the offer of grace and for this as a meritorious cause they say God did Elect them unto Eternal Glory But this is so highly injurious to the Grace of God that though some Papists have maintained it yet Bellarmine Valentia and other Jesuites wholly disclaim it at least in words making no other cause of predestination in respect of all the effects of it but the sole and meer good pleasure of God 2. There are others and they say the foresight of the good or better use of our free-will then others is not a meritorious but a moving cause with God of our Election to Happinesse So that our Faith and Holinesse though they were not a meriting Cause yet were a moving Cause of our predestination but this is also too grosly repugnant and contradictory to Scripture 3. There are those who refine it more subtlely and that is That God did foresee who would beleeve and persevere therein to Death and such are peremptorily chosen to Eternall Life not that their Faith or Perseverance is any merit or moving Cause but a Conditio sine quâ non without which God would not choose such to happinesse so that say they it 's not for any intrinsecall Dignity or excellent worth in Faith but because of the many possible waies and means to Salvation God appoints this way of beleeving rather then another and thus the Arminians Only they acknowledge Holinesse of Life and Obedience to God to be thus a Condition foreseen as well as Faith though they would seem utterly to deny it 4. There are the Lutherans and they indeed hold Faith fore-seen as a Condition in our Election Only they say It 's not considered as a merit or a Cause no nor as a work but as an Instrument apprehending Christs merits and therefore make Election to be by Faith in the same sence as we are justified by Faith Hence they deny Holinesse or Obedience to be a condition ingredient to Election because Christ is not laid hold upon by that as by Faith although herein they contradict themselves because they acknowledge not Faith singly as so but Perseverance in Faith to be the Condition and that must be necessarily looked upon as a work not as an Instrument receiving Christ But the Orthodox they affirm consonantly to Scripture and sutably to the Glory of Gods Grace That God did from all Eternity choose some men out of that corrupt masse in which all were to Eternall Glory and by the same Act did prepare and appoint all those means which would effectually produce the same So that this Election is the Originall and Fountain of all Spirituall mercies because Elected Christ is appointed a Mediatour Because Elected they are called and enabled to beleeve in time So that we deny there are two Elections One to Glory another to Grace But God by the same single Act doth will both and therefore that there is not the same Reason of Election and of Justification or Salvation for these being Acts done in time do require Faith and Holinesse as antecedent but Election being an Act of God from all Eternity cannot presuppose any thing in us Now the Arguments to confirm us in this Truth they are these following First Because the Scripture when it speaketh of this great and wonderfull work of Election it doth still resolve all into the Counsell of his will not into any thing fore seen in a man Ephes 8. Roman 8. Roman 9. and in many other places it is still said He hath chosen us according to his Will according to his purpose Now if so be it were for any thing foreseen in us it would be rather according to the Counsell of our will and according to our purpose There cannot any rationall Answer be given unto this Argument for according to the Adversaries
that grace is vouchsafed So then be instructed in this Is thy heart groaning under sin all thy desires and inclinations are to Christ Know this is done intra recipiendo not extra mittendo This is done by receiving grace from God not doing any work for or to him yet how apt are we all to cry out with those What shall we do I till Christ inform us that the great work God approveth of is beleeving or receiving It 's the looking upon this brazen Serpent that healeth thee 3. This therefore implieth That believing on Christ doth not justifie for any dignity or intrinsecal worth it hath Not because it 's a more excellent and noble grace but meerly because that alone is receiving and applicative of Christ. We receive only by faith as we do corporally only by the hands yet the hands are not more noble then the eyes or the head Hence the Scripture never saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not for faith but through faith and it 's never said actively saith justifieth but by faith we are justified passively So that as it would be absurd to say That the beggars hand hath made him rich in receiving large alms so it would be as absurd to attribute it to the dignity of faith when by it we are justified Therefore fourthly In that believing is expressed by receiving of Christ is implyed That faith it self is excluded as it 's a work So that not onely all other graces but faith if considered as it 's a work doth not justifie us The eye in looking on the brazen Serpent did not heal as it was a work but from the vertue of the Serpent exalted by Gods appointment When the woman touched Christs hem of his garment and healing was thereby conveyed It was not the touching as it was a labour and work but the vertue of Christ Thus it is in this case And hence lastly we see Why faith and no other grace doth thus justifie because this alone doth receive Other graces are active this is receptive Not that faith is separated from other graces they are existent together though they retain their distinct properties He that believeth on Christ is cleansed and sanctified he loveth God and is patient in tribulation but yet not by this is he justified As the Sun-beams have heat as well as light but it shineth by the light only not the heat so the earth hath driness as well as gravity but it fals downward not because dry but because heavy Secondly This receiving is not a bare receiving but such as is with imbracement As Heb. 11.2 These imbraced the promises Even as Simeon took Christ with joy in his arms So that there is great delight and cordial joy in laying hold on Christ Even as the Church said after she had lost her Beloved yet finding him at last she would lay hold on him and not let him go as Ruth to Naomi thus she cleaveth to Christ So that as a man receiveth with dearest imbracements some choice and precious friend he longed to see Thus it is with the humbled sinner Oh this is the beloved of many thousands whom my soul hath long prayed for long sought for What have I found thee Oh thou chiefest of many thousands Hence it is that Christ compareth himself to a Bridegroom and Husband and his Church to a wife to shew what real affections are in the heart of an humbled sinner for to lay hold on him Hence it 's called Believing with the whole heart and with joy unspeakable 1 Pet. 1.8 There was great feasting and joy for the finding of a lost son But oh the unspeakable joy for discovering a Christ that we thought was for ever lost as to us What meltings what ravishments are there at the meeting of him Oh how often saith the humbled soul did I think I should never finde thee How many times did I conclude that I should perish in my lusts and fears but Christ at last appeareth as he did to those women after his death who thought there was no hope Thirdly In this act of faith there is contained resting relying or fiducial reposing of the soul upon Christ. You heard the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did enforce this so that the soul before it believeth is to be conceived as a stone falling downwards which cannot stay till it meet with its center and then it enclineth no further In the Old Testament it 's called trusting in the Lord which in other synonymous expressions is sometimes called staying and leaning and so is a metaphor taken from those who have some great and heavy burden upon their back and thereby are crushed to the ground unless they have something to rest upon Thus it is with the afflicted penitent he cryeth out I finde such a load of sins that my back would break and heart would break yea every thing would fail within me had not I Christ to throw my self upon hence Christ is called the Foundation stone because all the building is established upon that Now that which in the Old Testament is called trusting in God in the New is called believing Illyricus thinketh this is the reason of the different expression because the God of Israel was known to the Jews therefore there was required only a fiducial adhesion unto him but in the New Testament Christ as Mediator was not known therefore another word is used viz. to believe which comprehends both an assenting knowledge and also a fiducial application So then by this act of beleeving the soul which was ready to sink under it's burden doth lean upon Christ and as a drowning man doth catch hold on the next branch to save him so doth a humbled sinner finding himself even falling into hell catch hold on Christ and therefore it 's called him· Fourthly In this act of believing there is an appropriation or application of Christ to be my Christ That whereas the promise runneth in the general Whosoever shall believe to him Christ is a Saviour This justifying faith doth in particular rest on Christ as a Saviour to him Thus Paul Gal. 2. Who loved me and gave himself for me and Thomas My God my Lord Joh 20. So that as when any threatning is denounced against a sinner the true convert will apply it to himself when guilty of such a sin I am the sinner this threatning meaneth So Christ being offered as a Saviour to every humbled sinner from this general he concludeth his particular Thus Paul Christ came to save sinners of whom I am chief Hence it is that our Divines against Papists do well maintain That the object of justifying faith is the special mercy of God It 's not enough to believe that Christ is a Saviour but to rest on him to be my Saviour Hence faith is called eating and drinking Joh. 6. which is more then the meer seeing meat upon the Table only when we say special mercy is the
rend Pauls heart no doubt but their Unity and accord did as much rejoyce him Therefore how emphatically doth he speak Phil. 2.1 2. If any consolation if any bowels fulfill ye my joy that ye may be like minded c. It 's then the Ministers glory and the Churches glory to walk in lovely accord when in the Church as in Solomons Temple the voice of the hammer is not heard whenas God promised in respect of temporal peace The sword should be turned into plow-shares so the controversal and polemical part of Divinity shall be changed into the practical and affectionate part Again It 's the glory of the Church passively in this sense that for it we are exceedingly to glorifie and praise God We should look upon the spiritual peace of the Church as a greater mercy then all external mercies What an heavy thing is it when Jerusalem shall be made a Babel when the Church shall be like the chaos and confusion that was made at first when God shall bring such a spiritual judgement on the Church as sometimes he did a temporal one upon the enemies thereof Every mans weapon against his neighbour till they had destroyed one another When therefore we see God forming the hearts of believers to uniting terms this we ought to praise God for as being a special means to promote Christs Kingdom Now it 's the glory of believers to be at Unity 1. Because this will exalt them in the very hearts and thoughts of their greatest enemies What is glory but the clara notitia the famous acknowledging of the excellency of such a thing Now nothing will sooner divulge the fame and like the heavens make the noise thereof to go through the Land then unity and agreement As Solomons wisdom spread it self over the world Insomuch that many came from afar to see and admire it Thus it will be also for the Churches accord therefore the Psalmist put an Ecce upon it Behold how good and comely it is for brethren to be of one accord Psal 133.1 2. Thus you heard The Heathens admired the love of primitive Christians Ecce quam se muâ—uo diligenti fratres vocant whereas now we may say Behold how they hate and oppose one another calling one another by all uncharitable names It 's unity then that makes the Churches fame to be over the world 2. Vnity is the glory of the Church because it ariseth from the beauty and pulchritude of it The beauty of a thing is the glory of it now beauty doth arise from the sweet harmony and proportion of all the parts and this is the unity of the Church when every member thereof is harmoniously joyned unto another when there is no dissonancy or difference Certainly It 's a better wish to see the Church in this glory then that of Austins to see Rome in all her temporal glory If any member be deformed or unproportionable to the other parts How unlovely and uncomely doth it make that body So it is here if any make a rent be proud froward or opposite the glory thereof is departed 3. It 's part of their glory because the happinesse and blessednesse of a Church is in their Communion-graces A Church denoteth some society and company Now the advantage of such improvements is by union if one part of the body be divided from the other there is no suppeditation of mutual help therefore there are nerves and ligaments in the body to unite each part to other You see in a civil society if there be not union the glory of it presently dieth divisions like moths rise from within and do immediately consume If then the happinesse of believers lie in their communion-graces and duties What can be more glorious then unity which is the only means to procure subserviency to one another as if several Cities were supplied by pipes of water one to another if those pipes be stopt or cut it brings a necessary destruction The second main particular is That Christ purchased as Mediatour this priviledge as well as others He did not onely die to justifie them to sanctifie them but to unite them also And this should teach us several things As 1. It should not be accounted a slight and little sinne to make any breaches or divisions in Gods Church to do any thing through strife and vain-glory Why because Christ died against this he as Mediatour intended not onely to save his people but to bring them into one Why then dost thou by thy contentions by thy heretical opinions thus sinne against Christs death his intercession and his prayer are for the same effects Now you see in this Chapter that his prayer for unity is ingeminated over and over again and therefore Christ had this even in his thoughts in his very death hence it was that also at his death he appointed the Sacrament of the Lords Supper which though chiefly to seal Gods grace to us yet it did also signifie the love we ought to have to one another as the Apostle urgeth 1 Cor. 10. that as the several corns make up one bread thus do the godly make up one mystical body Divisions then in the Church are against Christs death and against the Sacrament of his death Shall we therefore runne into such sinnes that have such an hainous aggravation 2. That the people of God where they see these divisions are to improve this Argument for Vnity Even as when they groan under any corruption and would gladly have the mastery of it they runne to the blood of Christ praying O Lord Did not Christ die that these sinnes might die Was not Christ crucified to crucifie these lusts So it ought to be in matter of unity Oh Lord make all thy people of one heart of one minde and spirit because Christ died for this also let not his death be in vain Thou wouldst not suffer his bones to be broken nor his garment divided why then shall his Church be torn and divided Do not think humane policies and invented syncretisms will be able to soder together It must be this blood of Christ that obtaineth this 3. Christ did not onely meritoriously purchase this Vnity by his death but in him exemplarily and formally we are made one So that Christ is both the moral cause of this unity and the exemplar also for he by being both God and man in one Person made God and man one when there was such an infinite distance before there is made the most intimate union that can be even an hypostatical union between God and man Now though we cannot attain to such an union yet by reason of this all believers are made one with God and amongst themselves Hence is that often expression of our being in him of ingraffing in him of living in him all which do denote our intimate union with him so that as Christ is not divided in himself The Divine Nature doth not will one thing and the humane Nature the contrary
some while he was here on earth or mediately and that is by the discovering of the work of grace upon our souls whereby we gather Gods love toward us and this is the ordinary safe way that we are to take otherwise under the pretence of immediate revelations we may fall into sad delusions and this way the Scripture suggests viz. that by our love to the brethren by keeping his Commandements we may gather that we are loved of God Do not then expect as if thou shouldst hear a voice from heaven in a glorious manner as Christ did Thou art my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased but begin at the work of grace and Sanctification in thy heart by which thou maist certainly conclude of Gods love as by the Sun-beams we may conclude the Sun risen yet this must be necessarily added that we can neither discern of the work of grace in us or have such full perswasions of Gods love thereby but by the spirit of God as in Rom. 5.5 we of our selves through the sight of the imperfections of our graces would run from the presence of God only it 's the spirit of adoption given unto us which makes us have an Evangelical boldness before him Lastly This love of God perceived and felt by the godly is of a transcendent and incomprehensible nature So that if we should spend our whole life in the meditating of it yet we are never able to go to the bottom of it This is admirably expressed Eph. 3 19. that ye may know the love of Christ which passeth all knowledge from whence followeth that we are filled with the fulness of God for this love to us is the same in kinde though not in degree with that whereby he loveth Christ himself Christ and his members are comprehended in the same act of love what an unspeakable consideration is this to a poor believer Again the love of God is such that he gave his only begotten Son to the vilest and most ignominious death for them which the Apostle puts also upon it Joh. 3.16 God so loved the world and this love was to us while enemies while adversaries and it 's not to bring about a temporall mercy for us but eternal even everlasting glory and lastly this love is immutable and unchangeable God will never alter his love or cease to love such Certainly such a love is that which the heart of a man can never sufficiently comprehend must needs inflâ—me the soul there cannot be any cold Ice under this torrid Zone Therefore in the next place let us consider the great advantages that a believer hath which hath this powerful sence and feeling of Gods love within his heart And 1. It doth in a wonderful manner encourage and embolden the soul and that under the thoughts of death and the day of Judgement If so be this were to be the next moment if this voice were heard Arise and come to judgement yet the experimental feeling of Gods love would keep the heart so far from being dejected and perplexed that it would rather rejoyce a man and make him lift up his head 1 Joh. 4.17 Herein is love made perfect that is not our love but Gods love to us as the Greek intimateth that we may have boldnesse in the day of judgement That day which is so terrible to the wicked the very name of it is dreadful to them that bringeth much comfort to him who is loved of God Now what a desirable life is this who would not give the whole world to enjoy it viz. that he may walk in such powerful apprehensions of Gods favour that though death come though the day of judgement come yet his heart is not terrified within him The Apostle John speaks of Gods love perfected in us 1 Jo. 4.12 that is in respect of manifestation and discovery as Gods power is said to be perfected in our infirmities or faith to be perfected by love which sheweth that though God doth love us yet till this be manifested and discovered to us his love is not perfected to us 2. The sence and feeling of Gods love doth make us patient and contented yea even rejoycing under all tribulations the more grudgings and discontents thou art assaulted with under any exercises it 's an argument thou hast the less feeling of Gods love upon thee for if this did diffuse it self thou wouldst be more then a conquerour in all these things and certainly if Calvin said gravely from the former consideration out of the place mentioned in John That so far a man is proficient in faith as he is well composed in his heart for the expectation of the day of judgement We may also speak in this particular that so far a man hath profited in Christianity as he can from the sence of Gods favour rejoyce and be above all tribulations whatsoever This the Apostle mentioneth Rom. 5.5 the cause of all those glorious graces mentioned viz. patience and glorying in tribulations as also hope which will not make ashamed all cometh from that love of God shed abroad in their souls and Rom 8 It 's the love of God which he felt in his soul that made him triumph in so glorious a manner that he challengeth all things as not able to hinder him from this love of God 3. This sence of Gods love is a notable inflamer and quickner of the heart unto all godliness to all holy duties How dull how cold and lukewarm are all such performances that flow not from this fire within All is but formality and a meer outside in Religion till we have some apprehension of Gods love toward us yea those that are truly loved of God but yet not assured of it how heavily do they move in any holy duties how sad and divided with unbelieving thoughts how prone to yield to such temptations that because God doth not love them therefore it 's a vain thing to seek his face any longer but if once God let this love shine in upon his heart then it 's like oyl to his bones then it 's like Ezechiels spirit in the wheels then many waters cannot quench this love So that any duty performed out of the apprehension of Gods love is in some respect worth a thousand of those done without it Oh therefore labour to keep this fire alwaies upon the Altar of thy heart 2 Cor. 5.14 the Apostle there saith that the love of Christ constraineth him the word is thought to be used of those Prophets who being immediatly wrought upon by the spirit of God could not keep in what they felt but they must deliver it and thus it is with a man strongly possessed with the feeling of Gods love he cannot keep it in he is in an holy extasie and ravishment he praieth he heareth he doth all things with all his might 4 This apprehension of Gods love will make us wonderfull heavenly It will take us from all things here below As a man on
15 16 463 Acts. 17 23 91 17 27 585 20 27 424 26 22 388 Romans 1 21 92 1 17 174 6 19 206 9 5 99 10 2 77 12 1 456 12 10 431 1 Corinthians 1 14 115 1 2 516 2 17 424 3 8 563 6 20 257 6 7 587 8 4 5 90 8 2 94 11 19 389 15 22 44 15 47 435 2 Corinthians 2 15 348 4 6 606 5 16 334 11 20 17 Galatians 1 4 175 3 28 524 4 16 430 6 17 126 Ephesians 2 2 189 2 3 363 4 1 3 4 571 5 2 502 Philippians 2 10 28 2 2 407 2 15 514 3 1 401 3 20 454 3 9 549 4 18 502 Colossians 1 16 150 2 20 45 2 20 171 2 5 596 2 9 629 2 19 635 3 1 454 1 Thessalonians 2 13 478 2 Thessalonians 1 3 189 3 2 254 1 Timothy 1 16 532 4 16 484 5 10 424 6 20 424 6 2 526 2 Timothy 1 9 149 1 9 533 3 16 390 3 15 479 Hebrews 2 7 46 4 9 126 5 14 633 10 29 464 11 26 32 11 24 18 11 3 155 13 18 151 James 2 11 201 4 3 7 4 6 153 5 16 141 1 Peter 1 3 146 1 5 307 1 23 24 479 2 20 554 2 7 686 4 18 355 4 12 389 4 14 15   16. 421 2 Peter 1 6 273 3 17 316 3 12 456 1 John 2 20 513 2 2 278 2 19 360 3 8 344 3 19 552 5 16 230 3 John  2 460 Jude  3 316 Revelation 3 4 364 21 27 364 22 12 464 FINIS * Of the reason why Christ imposed on some new names see Casauâ— ad Annal. Exerc. 13. In his Apology pag. 8. To all Instructions and Consolations Praier is necessary for their good effect Reasons I. On Gods part 1. God is the sole fountain and authour of all grace 2. That all the praise may redound to him 3. Because God in anger many times doth blast the Word to men for their sins II. From the nature of Preaching and what kinde of cause the Word is of conversion 1. The Word converts not necessarily 2. Nor as a natural cause 3. It s efficacy is only by Gods Institution according to his command and good pleasure III. Because of mans inability to what is good Vse Doct. That all our praiers should come from a spiritual and heavenly heart The requisites to spiritual praier 1. The Spirits enabling and moving the soul to this duty 2. An heavenly heart 3. When the heart and affections are purified and made fit for the enjoyment of God 4. Heavenly praier moveth the heart to more love and delight in heavenly things Vse Why we should pray with the tongue In vocal praier there must be a threefold attention How Christ being God could pray Doct. That all the godly are under the benefit of Christs Mediatory praier I. The matter of Christs praier for his Children 1. All grace 2. Pardon of sin 3. 4. Glorification II. The nature of his praier by way of Mediation III. The dignity of the Person praying IV. His relation to God the Father Whether Christ was heard in every thing he praied for or no. V. Christs praier had all the qualifications requisite to acceptation VI. A condition or medium of good things Why Praier is needfull notwithstanding Gods knowledge and unchangeableness VII Christs praier sanctifieth our praiers Doct. Those praiers successefull that are put up to God as a Father To open this Consider 1. All by nature are in a state of enmity against God 2. The state of Sonship is purchased by Christ 3. We cannot call God Father but by the Spirit of Adoption What frame of heart this compellation Father may breed in every childe of God Why the Title Father so much prevails with God Vse Doct. That God doth appoint times and seasons for his great works I. In relation to Christ II. Gods other dispensations 1. A time is set for the Reformation of his Church 2. God lets wicked men have their time 3. A set time for judgement 4. The hour of every mans death is set 5. There is a remarkable set time of grace wherein God may be found 6. The times of the Churches troubles and deliverances are set Vse How Christ who is God can be glorified Whether Christ did merit glory for himself Doct. It was the holy and wise will of God to glorifie Christ Christs being invested with glory redounds to the advantage of his members 1. It 's a demonstration of his conquest over all our enemies 2. Because of rhat near relation that is between us 3. His glorification a cause of ours 4. In his glorified estaâ—e he is pleading for us 5. It encourageth us to lift up our hearts to heaven The nature of this glory which Christ praied for There were three degrees to it Wherein this glory of Christ doth consist Doct. We should desire comforts and advantages chiefly that God may be glorified I. Christ did so 1. In his humiliation 2. In his exaltation II. Much more should all men be affected more with Gods glory then their own good The goods of a godly man 1. Heavenly 2. Earthly The principles constituent of such a gracious disposition 1. He must be born again that can do it 2. He must have great love to God 3. And be mortified to the world Reasons 1. God doth all things for his own glory 2. From the nature of Gods glory and all earthly comforts respectively 3. Because of the greatnesse of Gods glory and the value of it 4. Else we are guilty of spirituall Idolatry Vse The Text vindicated against 1. The Arians 2. The Ubiquitarian Lutherans 3. Papists Doct. Observe these particulars to clear the nature of Christs power I. Christs dominion universal II. The administration of Christs power is by his Spirit III. Of Christs dominion over the consciences of men IV. The chief effects of Christs power are spirituall V. It is infinite power VI. It is arbitrary in the use of it In what particulars Christs dominion appears 1. In appointing a Ministry for the conversion of souls 2. In giving successe to the means of grace III. Enlightning the Understanding IV. V. The Fountain of Grace VI. The giver of glory VII Forgive and pardon sin VII The great Law-giver IX And supporter and comforter of his people X. The Judge of the world XI And the subduer of his and his Churches enemies Vse 2. Vse 3. Vse 4. Vse 5. Vse 6. Vse of Consolation Doct. That not all but some of mankinde are given by God the Father to Christ to be redeemed by him How warily the doctrine of predestination should be preached The Doctrine repeated Corollaries from hence I. From the Father giving 1. The Father is the original Fountain of all good 2. That the Father expects the salvation of those he hath given to Christ 3. No cause to doubt of Gods accepting of Christs Mediation 4. All that the Father gives to Christ shall
degrees and subjective perfection also yet Cursed is he that doth not continue therein Gal. 3.10 as you see Adam did not but Christ from the beginning to the end of his daies held it out yea his love did most appear at the later end for then was the greatest and hardest parts of his work to undergo but though in all that reproach contempt and scorn yet he was not weary he did not give over his work he did not fail or faint in the later end Thus Christ was our David fighting against Goliah and in his conquest we did overcome Lastly He so finished it that he hath left nothing to be done either by Angels or men in that way and kinde as he did Therefore all these doctrines that maintain free-will that hold the mediation and intercession of Saints in heaven that maintain merits and satisfactions all these blaspheam the sufficiency of Christ and say Christ hath not finished his work for either Christ was a totall and perfect Mediator or else a partiall if a totall and perfect then there needeth no more one Sun is sufficient all things added are superfluous if a partiall Mediatour then he did not finish his work then he did it by halves and so Angels and Men are to share with him in his glory It 's true they have many distinctions to mince the matter but these fig-leaves cannot cover Adams nakednesse and it 's made the sinful property of man fallen to seek out many inventions God made man upright but they have sought â—ut many inventions Eccl. 7.29 They have many colours and pretences many distinctions and excuses to cover their sins with But you will say If Christ hath done all and we are to doe nothing then what need we be diligent and zealous in the waies of godlinesse Sin or not sin it will be all one Christ hath done all therefore we may eat and drink and rise up to all excesse of riot No that is a Non sequitur For our duties are not required to that end which Christs was but yet they are necessarily commanded for other ends Though Christ did work and finish his work yet thou must work and endeavour to finish thy work too But how It 's good to understand this for here Popery and the true Religion part here they oppose one another We pleade the necessity the presence the command of good and holy works as well as they only we differ in the end They presse them for such an end as Christ did his work for us for merit for justification for our salvation This we say is to derogate from Christ This is to make Christ of no effect whosoever repents beleeveth doth any holy duty for this end is guilty of spiritual Idolatry he maketh another Christ to himself besides the true Christ but then there are other ends for which we do these duties partly because God hath commanded them as the way to walk in if ever we will be saved so that though our holy life deserve not heaven yet our wicked and ungodly life deserveth hell and then partly to glorifie God and to testifie our thankfulnesse and love to him yea there is an inseparable connexion between a man interested in Christ and a holy life as there is in the fire with heat and light In the next place Consider the properties of this work Christ â—â—â—nished And 1. It was a work of infinite value and worth whatsoever Christ did it had a transcendent excellency because he was God as well as man so that we are not to consider those works he did as of a meer man though never so holy but as one of a divine nature 2. They were Mediatory works all that he did and suffered tended to a propitiation and reconciliation with God so that as the nature of them was infinite so the end of them was precious and admirable what should man have done if Christ had not done thus 3. It was not only his work but our work Alas Christ was not obliged to these duties for his own sake but it was for our sake so that the godly with great affection may consider of these works of Christ for they concern thee They are our works both impetrativè they merit for us they procure good for us and imputativè we are made the righteousnesse of God as our sins were accounted his 4. The necessity of this working and working so perfectly and that doth appear from the justice of God and purity of the Law and partly from our impotency from the justice of God for that being infinite nothing could satisfie him but what was of infinite worth It would have been injustice in God to have given us heaven otherwise and then partly from the holinesse of the Law that admits of no works but perfect pure and holy Therefore to say God accepts of imperfect holinesse and accounts that as compleat which is not so is to attribute false judgement unto God and lastly our own impotency proclaimeth the necessity of Christs perfection for take us as we are in our selves so we are nothing but sin and a curse In stead of working Gods work we do the devils and take us as regenerated then though we be partakers of Gods grace yet the remnant of corruption within us doth staine and infect all that we do Lastly Here is the glorious visibility of Christs perfect working in his resurrection ascension and now sitting at the right hand of God in glory which could not have been had not Christ perfected his work for what is the reason the devils and damned in hell are detained to Eternity in those prisons of darknesse Is it not because of their insufficiency to perfect their sufferings to make them adequate to Gods justice to bring as great glory to God as ever sin did evil or dishonour In that therefore Christ hath overcome the grave and the bonds of death we have an infallible evidence of his perfect working Vse of Instruction how dangerous all those doctrines are which proclaim free-will merit under any notion whatsoever As they give that to man which belongs not to him so they take that from Christ which is due yet this is a most natural sin in all either in whole or in part to take off from Christ not to be beholding to him only God hath commanded us to come out of our sins by repentance and our own works by faith and the Apostle doth not only exclude sins but even working also from Abrahams Justification Rom. 4. There is a danger of being a Pharisee when thou ceasest being a Publican Vse 2. of great Consolation to the broken-hearted sinner This is the glad tidings of the Gospel to those who sit under the sentence of eternal death Christs works will abundantly answer all the temptations about thy own works Two things lie like two Mountains upon the godly The weakness of their graces and the strength of their corruptions If
neither of these were to bow their souls down with what joy and gladnesse could they live and die Now Christs works have a two fold remedy to this twofold grievance His works have a satisfaction in them and therefore whatsoever failings and corruptions there are if humbled for and endeavouring to be reformed they are sufficiently conquered and his works have a meriting nature in them and therefore though thy work be weak his work was perfect and compleat say not then who shall go up to heaven this is to bring Christ back It is an excellent place Rom. 10.7 where the beleever is forbid to doubt or say in his heart Is Christ ascended or was he made a curse for us or how shall we be able to ascend to heaven or to be delivered from hell Vse 3. Did Christ perfect and finish his work Do thou imitate and follow him Christs working excludes ours for justification but not for a duty and way to heaven None but doers and workers shall have heaven though not for their works Now thy work is first as a Christian so the Law of God in the purity and exactnesse of it is a rule of all thy works What the Law bids thee do doe though not to have life by it 2. The work of thy relation as a Magistrate Minister Husband or Wife finish this work It 's not enough to be good in the general unless good in relation 3. The work of thy condition as a rich man as a poor man when the Master gave talents to all this was his command Work ye trade ye be in constant improvement SERMON XXIII Of a Holy Working Life the Excellency Equity and Necessity thereof in order to Glory JOH 17.5 And now O Father glorifie me with thy own self c. THis fifth Verse containeth a repetition of the matter praied for v. 1. and enforced by divers arguments in the former Verses wherin observe 1. The object matter of Christs Petition Glorifie thou me I shall not consider that because spoken to before Only in that we see our Saviour twice within so little a space praying for this glory though appointed and promised to him We may observe two particulars 1. That all repetition and ingemination of the same matter in praier is not unlawful but sometimes is useful and necessary 2. That even those things that God hath appointed and promised to his people must yet be obtained by praier In the next place we have the description of this glory 1. It must be an heavenly glory such as God approveth of Glorifie thou me with thy own self This may be spoken exclusively to all humane glory which he regarded not or else in opposition to his work he had done I have finished thy work on earth and now let me have my reward in heaven 3. From an external adjunct It 's the glory which he had before the world was That admits of some difficulty to be dispatched in its proper place Lastly There is the causall inference from what was said before and now Father glorifie me this is a causall conclusion from the work finished by Christ and of this because first in order at this time And now glorifie me as if he had said Hitherto I have been finishing my work all the while I was doing that I looked for no reward I expected no glory but now all is completed I pray for and expect the glory due unto me From whence observe That as Christ so all the people of God when they have finished their work and not till then may look for and desire the glory prepared for them 2 Tim. 4.8 Henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of Glory Henceforth he expects now his fight is over but not before Let us consider this briefly in Christ and then in our selves First Concerning Christ God had so ordained and appointed That he should first be eminent in doing and suffering and then should have a reward It behoved him first to suffer and so to enter into glory Luk. 24.26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things There was a debt and duty upon Christ to wear the Crown of thorns before he put on the Crown of glory To be debased more then all before he was exalted above all so that the stipulation and agreement which the Father made with the Sonne contained in it both duty to be done by Christ and a reward to be vouchsafed to him He was to drink of the brook and so to lift up his head Psa 110.7 This was the order that God had indispensably commanded and nothing could hinder it though all this was supposing Christs willingnesse to undergo the office of a Mediatour for otherwise though he had become man yet he might alwaies have kept up the manifestation of his divine glory and hence it is that the Scripture saith he ought to have suffered There was a necessity from the justice of God which will punish sinne in the offender or in the Surety and he ought to do it because of his own faithfulnesse and trust he should not discharge that which had undertaken unlesse he became thus obedient 2. The order that is between Christs work and reward is far different from ours and of another nature for that is an order of merit and causality but ours only of antecedency and by a promise Therefore when Christ looks for his glory it 's upon farre other grounds then when Paul expects his Crown of glory for Christ looks for his glory upon his work as a cause and a merit it being fully perfect and more then he was bound unto if absolutely considered though when once he became our Surety it behoved him to perform all so that Christ had his glory by the Title of justice and desert though in respect of the personal Union he had alwaies a right to all glory But Paul and all the godly have it by meer grace and favour for when the Children of God have done all they can yet such is their imperfection that they need a pardon and so their salvation and glory is of meer grace Therefore though there be a similitude between Christs work and his glory and ours yet there is not an equality The one is of justice and merit the other of grace and favour The more inexcusable then are all these Popish doctrines that would puff up a man to such a conceit of himself and Christ together of his free-will and grace together not Christ and grace alone that hence they will pleade their Title to heaven Christs merits and their own In the next place let us consider this doctrine as true in our selves for hereby our security and carelesnesse especially our prophanesse shall be greatly confounded when we shall know that without our working there cannot be glory we must look to labour in the Vineyard before we come to have our wages And 1. God the Father who appointed such an order for Christ hath also decreed