should eat they should dye and yet hee labours to make them doubt of that truth which both hee and they knew too well This was ever his practice Reasons 1 Because of his great malice to God who hath every way set himself to confirm his word that his own truth might shine in his word to all the world Therefore hee hath outwardly confirmed it by many powerful and glorious miracles such as the Devil could never make shew of as raising the dead the standing and going back of the Sun the division and standing of the Sea and rivers and the bearing of a Virgin and inwardly his holy Spirit perswades testifies confirms and sealeth up the Word in the hearts of Gods Children 1 John 2.20 2 Cor. 2. Now to make God a lyar and to shew himself most contrary to the Holy Spirit hee contradicts and opposeth stormeth and rageth 2 Hee hateth the word of God because it is the greatest enemy to his Kingdome every way resembling God the author and carrying his image It is light and no marvel if the Prince of darknesse resist it it discovers his subtilties and fenceth the Christian against his policies it discerneth spirits that let him come as an Angel of light hee shall bee uncased As hee prevaileth in darkness so hee worketh in impurity now here the word resembling God himself crosseth him it is pure in it self and a purifyer as Christ saith Yee are clean by my word Further his chief power being in the Sons of disobedience and in the hearts of infidels here also the word clips his wings being the word of faith and John 17.20 Christ prayed not onely for his disciples but for all those that should beleeve in him by their word In a word seeing hee exerciseth his chief power in the sons of perdition who are given him to rule at his will here the word is his enemy because it converteth sinners and saveth soules called therefore a word of salvation 3 He opposed Gods word through the malice he beareth Gods children for hee ever opposeth true professors casts them into prison and would never let them have a good day in the world if hee might have his will and follows them with temptations and with outward afflictions But this is the sword of Gods mouth and the sword of the Spirit by which they cut thorow his temptations and make them forceless it is that which comforts them and sustains them in their troubles and directs them happily to heaven so as no way he can have his will of them 4 It stands him in hand to oppose Gods word for his long experience hath taught him that so long as men hold to the word they bee safe enough under Gods protection and hee could never win his Captain-sinners to such high attempts in sin were it not that hee had first shaken the truth of Gods word out of their hearts How could hee have brought Pharaoh to such obstinacy against God and his people as to say Who is the Lord and I will not let Israel goe but that he had brought the word in Moses and Aarons mouth into contempt further than the sting of the miracles forced him When Saul had once cast off the Word of the Lord Satan lead him as in a chain to hunt David to throw a dart at Jonathan to seek to the Witch against whom himself had enacted a severe law The like of Ahab Herod Nero Domitian c. 5 The Word of God is the sentence and rule of righteousness which condemneth Satan and therefore no marvel if he cannot endure it and wish it false and love it no better than the bill of his own condemnation and death eternal Vse It is a note of a man foyled by the temptation of Satan and of a devillish spirit to call Gods Word into question either to deny it as false or doubt of it as uncertain either of which if Satan can perswade unto he hath his wish for he knows they are no subjects to God that will not acknowledge his Scepter but doubt of the rod of his mouth he can easily blind-fold them and lead them whither he will that deny the light hee can easily vanquish them and lead them captive to all sin if he can get them to cast away their weapons Yet what a number of men hath the Devil thus farre prevailed with in this violent kind of temptation Some call in question whether the Scripture be the Word of God or no swarms of Atheists and Machevillians that hold the Word but an human devise and policy which is to open a door to all carnal and brutish Epicurism and to confound man and beast together Others doubt not of all but of some Books and others not of some Books but of some places of the holy Scripture But we see that Satan would have Christ but to deny or doubt of one sentence and what Eves calling into question of one speech of God brought on all our necks all we her posterity feel And it is in our natures when God speaks plainly against that sin we make ifs and pervadventures at it and so turn it off As for example 1 Our Saviour teacheth plainly that whosoever are of God hear his Word and his sheep hear his voyce Either men must beleeve it or deny it and yet how few can we perswade conscionably to hear the VVord all who must plainly either make the voyce of Christ false or themselves none of Gods none of Christs sheep for not hearing it 2 Our Saviour saith expresly He that heareth you heareth me Luk. 10.16 and that God speaks in the mouthes of his Ministers 2 Cor. 5.20 and that they have an heavenly treasure in earthen vessels But how few are of this mind never did any Heathens so despise the voyce of their Priests and the answer of their Oracles as Christians in general despise our voyce in which God and Christ profess they speak 3 Christ plainly saith this word is the immortal seed of our new birth the sincere milk to nourish the soul the bread of life heavenly food But who beleeve him for generally men have no appetite no desire to it and can well be content to let their souls languish in grace and be starved to death And whereas they would goe as farre or farther into other Countries as Jacob and his Sons into Aegypt when there was no Corn in Canaan to supply their bodies with food this they will not stirre out of their doors for VVell take heed of calling Divine truths into question No Divine truth to be called into question for three reasons stand not in them upon thy reason and understanding which are but low and shallow suspect them in things thou canst not reach rather than the truth of Scripture and make good use of these rules 1 In the rising of any such temptation know that Satan seeks advantage against thee and would bring thee into the same condemnation with himself by the same sin and
could ever do and therefore was to bee indued with such power as no other creature could bee capable of Hence hee proveth himself to bee from God Joh. 15.24 If I do not such workes as no other man ever did beleeve mee not Where hee speaks of his Miracles which in respect of the manner and multitude never man did the like in his own name nor so many To which adde those great works of raising himself by his own power from the dead Rom. 1.4 Of satisfying Gods justice for mans sin a work above the reach of men and Angels Of meriting eternal life for all the elect which must bee an action of him that is more than a Creature Of applying his merit to which end hee must rise from death ascend and make intercession Of sending his Spirit Of begetting faith and preserving his people in grace received Of leading them through Death and the Dust into his own Glory These are such things as all power of meer creatures is too weak for All the Angels in Heaven cannot do the least of them All the Devils in Hell cannot hinder them And hence Christ is stiled the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah Michael the mighty God King of glory c. Vse 1. This may bee a terror to all Christ enemies for such is his power as shall make them all his footstool Do wee provoke him are wee stronger than hee 1 Cor. 10.21 Psal 2.9 those that will not bee subject to the rod of his mouth shall bee crushed with a rod of Iron Therefore take heed of being an enemy to Christ or his Word or Servants else thou shalt bee revenged even in that wherein thou sinnest with the breath of his lips hee shall slay the wicked one word of Christ one lie shall turn them all into Hell Is the power of Jesus Christ such in his base and low estate as all the Devils in Hell are not able to resist it but if hee speak the word they give place how desperately do wicked men go on in sin as if they were able to make their part good against him Joh. 18 6. when Christ but said I am he presently his apprehenders fell to the ground Rev. 17.14 they shall fight against the Lamb but the Lamb shall overcome Vse 2. This is comfort also to the godly in that Christ as Mediatour in our flesh is armed with power above all our enemies so as nothing shall hinder our salvation Not Satan for the Prince of this World is cast out hee may have us in the Mountain or on the Pinacle but hee cannot cast us down Not sin Christ hath powerfully triumphed against it on the Cross hath fully satisfied for it and perfectly applied that satisfaction to the forgivenesse of sins Not death Christ hath powerfully foiled him in his own Den and trampled on him saying O death I will bee thy death Not Temptation Christ sits in Heaven as a merciful High Priest tempted once as wee are that hee might bee able to succour them that are tempted Not corporal enemies Hee by his power ruleth in the midst of his enemies Laban shall not speak a rough word nor Esau hurt Jacob nor Saul hit David for hee orders the thing otherwise Not the grave for wee have the assurance of a glorious resurrection by the working of his mighty power whereby hee is able to subdue all things Phil. 3.21 Not hell it self Rev. 1.18 I have the keys of Hell and of Death In one word not any thing present nor to come nothing shall separate between Christ and us none shall pluck us out of his hands for hee hath purchased for us and maintaineth a mighty salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 Vse 3. This teacheth us to submit our selves to this power of Christ or else wee are worse than sensless Creatures who all obey him yea than the Devils themselves who did obey him And then is a man submitted to it when is eyes are opened to see what is the exceeding greatness of his power in himself beleeving as the Apostle prayeth Eph. 1.19 Therefore labour to find Christs saving power in thy soul Quest How may I find it in my self Answ 1 If thou canst finde the work of faith in thee a work of great power a supernatural work beyond yea against the strength of nature What a work of omnipotence is it to raise the dead yet greater power is here to bring in this life of God into him that is dead in trespasses and sins resisting his own raising for so the Apostle implyeth in that place Col. 2.12 2 If thou canst finde in thee the work of sanctification which is a work of great power 2 Pet. 1.3 according to his Divine power he worketh grace and glory This second creation of a man goes far beyond his first in power There was nothing to begin with no more is here no life of God till God call the things that are not as though they were but there was a bare privation here is a resistance and rebellion stiff necks and hearts of adamant Hence regeneration is called a creation and the regenerate new creatures But a difficult work which God works not alone but God and man made one person and not of nothing for nothing as the former but of worse than nothing and for a price even the precious blood of the Son of God Labour to find this change in thy self by faith and holiness Christ did never more manifest his power than by raising himself from the dead and thou canst not have a surer argument of Christs power prevailing in thy soul than by getting daily out of the grave of sin and moving according to the life of God So soon as Christ had called Lazarus out of his grave hee bad loose him and let him go and if thou findest the bands of death thine own sins loosed forsaking thy own evil waies it is a sign that Christ by a powerful word hath quickened thee Therefore put on S. Pauls minde Phil. 3.10 who counted all things dung to know the vertue of Christ his death 3 A mighty work of power in Christ is to gather his Church out of all peoples and nations and to bring them within one roof though they were never so dispersed and alienated from one another and to knit them by faith to himself the head by love one to another and by his own discipline to conform them to his own government It never cost all the Monarchs in the World so much strength and power to settle their Kingdomes and people in peace under them Doest thou then finde thy self brought into the number of Gods people Doest thou love them entirely for Gods image and goodness Art thou serviceable to every member and that in the Head Here is a power put forth that hath reconciled the Woolf and the Lamb Isa 11.6 7 the Child and the Cockatrice But it thou carest not for Christs Ordinances and discipline his Laws are too strict thou must have more
it must bee the life of faith which the just must live by If to the Church to joyn himself to that he must himself be first of the houshold of faith Gal. 6.10 Nay more if to Christ himself if he carry not faith with him he is after a sort disabled from doing him any good As he could doe no great works in Capernaum because of their unbelief Mar. 6. only thy faith in the Son of God is the beginning and aâ—complishment of thy happiness Adde hereunto that it nor only removeth discomfort but bringeth with it all the sound joy and comfort of our lives whence it is that Christian joy is called joy of faith Philip. 1.25 and all the Sons of faithful Abraham tread in their Fathers steps who saw the day of Christ and rejoyced Joh. 8.56 because God hath not only reserved mercy for us but by the faith which his Spirit worketh in our hearts hee letteth us know yea and taste what he hath done for us so as hence have we peace with God and with our own hearts boldnesse in prayer and not patience only but joy in sorrow thus give a man once faith and sin flieth before him bands of temptations are discomfited afflictions dismay him not death and deadly things are disarmed unto him faith hath gotten and holdeth Christ his victory his strength his life yea whilest he walketh in a thousand deaths the faith of his heart hath filled his soule with that heavenly and spiritual joy which all the world cannot give neither can it take away Lastly By this worthy grace of Faith wee are not onely brought into thee grace by which wee stand Rom. 5 2 Col. 2.12 receive increase of it through the communion of Christ his Death and Resurrection as also the inhabitation of the Spirit in our hearts but also wee are fitted unto our glory for Faith assureth every beleever of his salvation 2 Thess 2.13 and every beleever is kept by the power of God through Faith unto salvation which is prepared to be shewed in the last time 1 Pet. 1.5 Thirdly A beleever may know hee hath faith by soul marks or notes Seeing that this is so special a grace of God bestowed but on a few it is worth inquiry by what touch-stone a man may know the sâ—undness of his Faith and that it is much more precious than Gold And therefore that a man may not bee deceived in a matter of such moment as this is the Scriptures have furnished us with such marks and notes as such who will use diligence in laying their Faith thereunto shall certainly know the truth or unsoundness of it for else why should wee bee commanded to prove our selves whether wee bee in the faith or no 2 Cor. 13.5 unlesse the beleever know that hee doth beleeve Again who bee they that know not that Christ is in them but Reprobates and can Christ live in any manâ— and hee not know it at one time or other and bee able to say with Paul I live not henceforth but Christ liveth in mee and I know whom I have beleeved 2 Tim. 1.12 Which if any say Paul might know being an Apostle and having a Revelation which ordinary men have not the same Apostle answereth it 1 Cor. 2.12 when hee joyneth with himself all beleevers wee have not received the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that wee might know the things that are given us of God Now whosoever have received this spirit want not this revelation who if hee reveal unto us any thing that is given us of God then would hee not neglect the greatest gift that 〈◊〉 given us even Christ himself and life eternal through his name The first mark of sound Faith is the seat and dwelling of it and 〈…〉 an humbled soul that longeth and almost fainteth for Gods mercy i◠〈◊〉 that not feeling Faith can bitterly complain for want of it that striveth against doubting because God hath commanded to beleeve that endeavoureth to assent to the promise touching forgiveness of sin with purpose to sin no more this holy seed is fown in no other ground but this The second Mark are the essential properties of sound Faith II The essentiâ—l properties of it and they are three in number 1 It is most pliable to the Word of which it is begotten the Jayler as soon as hee was converted would but know of the Apostles what hee might do it will except against nothing that the word enjoyneth it will pick no quarrels but with Abraham riseth early to obey God when if hee had reasoned with flesh and blood hee could have excepted many things which all the wisdome of flesh could never have answered This is that the Apostle ascribeth unto it that it establiâ—heth the whole Law Rom. 4.19 yea the whole Word of God the Law and Gospel by provoking to cheerful indeavour in the obedience of them both 2 Sound Faith being a subsistence 〈…〉 it inableth a man to stand under a great burden and not bee crusht Psal 46.2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth bee moved Job will not let his hold go if the Lord should smite off his hand yea if hee kill him hee will trust still it resteth upon Gods arm and truth in all estates in Life and Death whereas every cross puff of winde of temptation or affliction unsetleth yea and sinketh the unbeleever 3 It being a subsistence of things not seen it careth not how little it see the less it seeth the more it beleeveth and the less it seeth of men and means the more it seeth of God It seeth an Almighty promiser who can do what hee will It seeth him that is true of his word who cannot lye 2 Cor 6.18 and who cannot but do what hee hath said It seeth a merciful and loving Saviour whose eyes are upon them that trust in his mercy Psal 33.18 and seeing these it seeth enough Besides it estrangeth the heart from the World which it seeth and seeketh an unseen Country Heb. 11.13 15. Abraham Isaac and Jacob acknowledged themselves rather strangers in this Wâ—râ—d tâ—an Inhabitants and that they came into it rather to see it and go through it than dwell or set up their rest in it It weaneth the heart from the things below as the woman at the well once meeting with Christ shee forgeteth her water-pot What careth Zacheus for half his goods yea â—r all when Christ once becommeth his ghost and bringeth salvation to his â—â—use And on the contrary it sendeth up the heart to those treasures which the eye of flesh cannot see but are reserved to the seekets of the Country where they arâ— And these are the three worthy properties whereby the naturalnesse and soundness of it may bee discerned of such as are willing to try the same III. The honourable attendants and companions of it four The third mark or note of true justifying Faith is by the attendants and companions of
〈◊〉 elder 〈…〉 wee can carry away the blessing and 〈◊〉 text teacheth â—s 〈…〉 of â—â—ns standeth n t in the doing of any thing but in the recâ—â—â—â—ng of 〈◊〉 the hands of Christ by so many as beâ—eeve in his name All diligence must be given to 〈…〉 pâ—â—d 〈◊〉 sin 〈◊〉 to our selves Vse 2. Iâ— this so wortâ—y a grace of so excellent use and swâ—etnesse thrâ—ugh the whâ—le life then it standeth every man in hand 〈◊〉 labâ—uâ— and â—ive all dâ—ligence to make sure unto himself the pardon of his 〈…〉 But lamâ—â—table it is to 〈◊〉 the general careâ— snâ—sse of men in a mattâ—◠〈…〉 and consequâ—nâ—â— as this is Anâ— surely it will provâ— tâ—◠〈…〉 the world that whereas the whole lives of men are thâ—ugâ—t too 〈◊〉 and all their â—ime tâ—o liâ—â—â— to be eaten up in worldly cares which brâ—ak their sleep their strength and often their brains yea and thâ—ir vâ—ry 〈◊〉 â—nly the last day of all and their dying-day is scarcely devoted to this 〈◊〉 of seeking remissi n of sin and the way to life everlasting See wee 〈…〉 hâ—w busy and â— rnest m st men are in the infinâ—te incumbrances of the world whilest this one thing is the only thing neglected May wee not observe how sure mâ—n devisâ— by learned counsel at their great charge to make to themselves their Deedâ— Leases Bonds and other instruments and assurances of the things of this life who in all their lives scarce ever dreamed of this assurance Oh how wilfully herein doe men forsake their own mercy how carelesly doe they cast out of their hands the only comfort of their life and death Whosoever therefore thou art that hast hitherto despised so great salvation that hast set light by Gods gracious invitings to repentance and that hast frowardly rejected his kindest offers of mercy now at length begin to take up shame in thy face and sorrow into thy heart in earnest accuse the security of thy soul the deadnesse of thy spirit the hardnesse of thy heart the unthankfulnesse of thy whole life say with thy self Ah my folly that have neglected my mercy so long alas how have I hated instruction how unkindly have I dealt with so loving and patient a God I see now that it is high time to look to the main businesse of my life to make up my peace with God to get my pardon sealed I will live me to the Throne of Grace I will henceforth lay hold of eternal life I see now that there is one thing necessary and that is the good part which I will chuse and which shall never bee taken from me Now we come to the second point propounded which is the last of this worthy Sermon namely what is the condition of every one that hath attained this excellent grace of remission of sins Whosoever hath attained remission of his sins is an happy man and that is to bee a blessed and happy man for such a one hath part in Christ and with him of forgivenesse of sins in which David Psal 32.1 placeth blessednesse Quest But how can this man be a blessed man seeing hee is compassed with a body of sin and death and subject unto infinite afflictions than whom no man is in this life more miserable no sort of men more perplexed inwardly with sence of sin none more outwardly disgraced for well-doing Answ There be three degrees of blessednesse 1 In this life Degrees of blessednesse when God bringeth his children into the kingdom of grace and giveth them his Son and with him their whole justification and sanctification in part 2 The second degree is in the end of this life when God brings the souls of the faithful to Heaven and their bodies to the earth safely to be kept until the last day 3 The third in and after the Day of Judgement when he bringeth both soul and body into the glory prepared for the elect Of this last which is happinesse by way of eminency the two former are certain fore-runners and hee that hath attained the first hath also assurance of the last and must needs bee a blessed man not only in time to come but even for the present whether wee respect his outward estate or inward For his outward estate Gods blessing never faileth him but affordeth him all good things and that in due season and in due measure his riches are often not great but ever precious and his little shall nourish him and make him as well liking as the water and pulse did the Jewish children in Chaldea The same providence which watcheth to supply all his good keepeth him from all evil it pitcheth the Angels round about him to guard his life let him be persecuted he is not forsaken his losses become his gain his sickness is his phisick his heart is cheared even in trouble which maketh that part of his life comfortable his soul is bound up in the bundle of life with God death shall not come before hee can bid it heartily welcome yea let violent death come it shall not be to him deadly slain he may be but not overcome victory attendeth him and blessednesse every where abideth him But all this is the least part of his blessednesse for if we look yet a little more inwardly into him we shall see the boundlesse extent of his happinesse farre more large whether we respect the spiritual misery hee hath escaped or else the spiritual good which with the pardon of his sins hee hath attained for on the one hand he hath escaped the heavie wrath of God due to sin and so is discharged of an infinite debt healed of a most deadly poyson and pardoned from a fearful sentence of eternal death and perdition ready to bee executed upon him and on the other hee hath obtained a plentiful redemption hee hath purchased the pearl received Christ with his merits and graces such as are Wisdome Faith Hope whence issue our peace and joy of heart which is Heaven before heaven for in these stand the Kingdome of God and the comfort of a good conscience which is a continual feast By all which it appeareth that hee is no small gainer that hath got his part in Gods mercy reaching to the remission of his sins Open thine eyes and see the happiness of the Saints Vse 1 Wee are here admonished to open our eyes that wee may more clearly see and grow in love with the felicity of the Saints which the most see not because 1 It is inward the glory of the Spouse is like her Head and Husbands glory shee is all glorious within 2 Because of their infirmities and frailties which wicked eyes altogether gaze upon 3 Because of their Afflictions wherewith they are continually exercised If the Tower of Siloam fall on any of them they are thenceforth greater sinners than all other men holy Job because hee was afflicted cannot avoid the note of an Hypocrite even among his own Friends and Visiters And no
Christ who 361 Comfort of the godly who meet with strange entertainment in the world where they are strangers 293 Comfort that Christ is stronger than all 327 Common Protestant beleeveth not the Article of free remission of sins 414 Communication in sin sundry waies but all to be avoided 330 Companions of remission of sins 412 Consent of the Church to any Doctrin to be required and received with five several cautions 389 Conditions of reconciliation two 347 Consideration of the last Judgement a ground of the godlies patience 379 Consolations from Christs Resurrection 348 Coâ—solation of Gods children that their Saviour shall be their Judge 376 Consolation issuing from pardon of sinne 409 Crosâ— of Chriâ—t an honourable chariot of our triumph 334 Crosses some more smart and durable why 357 D DAnger of sin 406 Davids sin and punishment both forgiven though the child must dye 404 Death of Christ after a special manner infamous 332 Death of Christ hath more power in it than all the lives of Men and Angels 334 Death of Christ a destroyer of death and all destroyers 342 Death though it remain after sin is pardoned both the fault and punishment 〈◊〉 notwithstanding removed 333 Degrees of blessedness 415 Devil not cast out but by Christs power 324 Differences between Christian and worldly peace 265 Differences between Christs annointing and all other 308 Differences between Christs miracles and miracles of the Prophets and Apostles 313 Difference between the miracles of the Prophets and Apostles and those wonders wrought by Satan in three things 314 Difference between the life of the natural and regenerate man in matters both civil and religious 349 Difference between Civil and Ecclesiastical power 363 Difference between the kingdome of Christ and Antichrist 364 Divinity of Scripture proved 298 E ENemies even spiritual not only foyled by Christ but made after a sort friendly 345 Essential properties of Faith three 395 Evangelists all large in the Article of Christ his resurrection Why. 339 Every thing must bee esteemed in the measure and degree of the goodness of it 410 Examination of heavenly life 352 F FAith what it is 391 Faith is not of all reas 391 Faith never lost reas four 392 Faith commendeth every thing 394 Faith of most not rightly qualified 399 Faith seateth it self in an humbled soul 395 Faith in the resurrection an hard point 366 Faithful are seasonably remembred of God at least on the third day 357 Fame of Christ begun in Galilee why 303 And why after Johns preaching 305 Fear of God what and wherein it consisteth 288 Fearers of God must bee accepted of us 293 Few men see the necessity of preaching why 372 Five deadly enemies foyled by Christ 1 Sin 2 Death 3 Hell 4 The Devil 5 The World 344 Five excellent fruits of saving faith 393 Five sorts of men all boast of faith and yet all of them want it 399 Freedom by Christ 302 Fruits of faith four 397 Fruits of Christs death reduced to two heads 335 Force of consent in doctrin wherein it standeth 390 G. GAlilee of the Gentiles why so called 304 Glory of the last Judgement described 378 Glory of God in his children turned into shame 416 God no accepter of persons why 284 Gods providence over-ruleth every special event with the special circumstances 306 God was with Christ how and how with his servants 322 Gods wisdome and power most seen in chusing the most weak things 364 God only properly forgiveth sins why 402 God forgiveth sins not only properly but perfectly that is both the guilt and punishment 4â—7 Godly must enquire of the truth of Doctrin delivered by the Scriptures 363 Godly enter not into the judgement how 377 Godly must lift up their heads in expectation of the day of their redemption 383 Godly who have all hard sentences passe against them shall have justice at the last day 379 Godly must addresse themselves to the Judgement Day two ways 384 Godly life must not bee shunned for the crosses that attend it 411 Graces in the soul of Christ after his resurrection were incomprehensible by all Creatures but in respect of God finite as the soul it self is 343 Guilt of sin is wholly abolished in beleevers although not the whole corruption of it 344 H. HAppinesse how it standeth in remission of sins 415 Hearers how to know they have heard aright 374 Heavenly life discerned by the notes of it 349 Helps to attain the grace of remission of sins 411 Hope is Faiths hand-maâ—d 396 How the Lord of life could be subdued of death 328 How God can be just in punishing Christ an innocent and letting the guilty go free ibid. â—ow an infinite Justice could bee satisfied by so short a death ibid. How the jews are said to put Christ to death seeing they had no power to doe it 329 How Christs crucifying crucifieth the lusts of Christians 335 How Christ can bee said to rise agâ—â—n seeing neither his Deity nor the soul of his Humanity did 337 How Christ is said to rise seeing God the Father and the Holy Ghost are said also to raise him 339 How Christ hath slain our sin which yet is so stirring in the best 344 How beleevers may know they are risen with Christ 349 How the Apostles were furnished to their witnesse 361 How Christ could eat and drink after he rose again seeing he rose not to natural life 365 How preaching could bee Christs ordinance being so long before his incarnation 367 How Christ is ordained Judge seeing the Father and the Holy Ghost judge as well as he 375 How Christ shall deliver up the Kingdom to his Father 375 Humiliation of Christ must humble Christians and hâ—w 334 I IEsus of Nazaret why so called 306 In Gods udgement wee must stand naked 288 In all spiritual captivity hasten to Christ 324 In cases of sorâ—ery what to do ibid. In all divine things wee must lean on a sure ground 302 In reading the Prophets wee must still be led to Christ. 390 Ingratitude of the Jews most extream 330 Joshua in many things a singular type of Christ. 333 Judging of our selves standeth in four things 385 L LAw of perfect righteousnesse is the charter of heaven 351 Life of Faith wherein 393 Lets which hinder men from seeking the remission of their sins 409 Love of God expressed in three things 397 Love of men wherein chiefly descerned ibid Love and thankfulnesse to God attendeth the remission of sins 413 Lowest degrees of murther condemned as murther 329 M MAgistrates must not accept of persons 286 Mallice of the wicked against the godly never wanteth matter to wâ—rk upon 331 Many men bodily possessed by the Devil in Christs time above all other times before or since why 308 Manner of Christs resurrection in three things 34â— Map of humane frai ty in Peter 283 Means by which quick and dead shall bee presented before the last judgement 377 Means to increase the stock of Faith 398 Men
to Hell and made him actually know and confess he was the Son of God but he would not for sundry reasons Christians must overcome adversaries rather by patience than by power 1 To teach us that as he did we must rather overcome Satan by humility and patience than by power as Christ obtained his full victory not by majesty but by abasement and passion 2 To teach us that when wee suffer indignity and wrong of evil men as Christ here of the evil one wee should rather turn our selves to Doctrin and convincing them by the Word than to revenge so did Christ 3 That we might hence know the power of the VVord of God a part of our spiritual armour even the sword of the Spirit put into our hands by God to foyl and vanquish him by for the whole Combate of Christ was exemplary nay hee sustains here our person and wields our weapon for us 4 Christs humility and meekness was now a fitter weapon than power and glory in two respects 1 To the greater vexation of the adversary who thought himself so strong and cunning as no flesh was ever yet able to resist him only he knew God had him in chains but now he is foyled by the seed of the VVoman by the wisdome and weakness of Christ as man and not by his Divine power as God 2 Christs meekness lets him goe on and pass thorough all his temptations to his greater and utter overthrow and silence for if Christ by his Divine power had cut him short at the first hee would have said that God fearing his weakness would not suffer him to be tempted or not to abide in temptation Now his mouth is shut Christ the Son of man foyls him 5 To comfort us 1 By shewing us that there is something else besides Divine power to overcome all hellish and Satanical power withall for else wee that want divine power and are weaker than water could have small comfort but now wee see Satan may bee overcome of weak men by the means that Christ used as fasting prayer and the Word of God 2 By perswading us that if Christ in his humility and abasement could encounter and foil Satan much more can hee now help us being in his glory and exaltation If hee can rescue us out of the mouth of the roaring Lyon when himself is as a Lamb before the shearer much more when hee shall shew himself the mighty Lyon of the Tribe of Judah Hence note that Doct. Christ cut not Satan here so short as hee did sundry wicked men nay Christ not so rough with Satan as with some wicked men nor as with some of his dear Disciples Reasons as hee did some of his beloved Disciples Peter how sharply was he checkt for disswading Christ from Jerusalem and Joh. 21.21 when hee asked curiously concerning John what hee should do Christ said What is that to thee so he might have said to Satan what is that to thee whether I be the Son of God or no but hee doth not 1 Not because hee loves his Disciples and Gods Children worse than Satan but because the Devil and wicked ones must bee let go on to the height of impiety as Satan here and Judas how patiently did Christ bear him all the while yea at his apprehension calling him friend they go on to confusion without check or bands almost in their life and death But he will take up his children in the beginning they must not bee let run too far as good Parents reclaim their children timely 2 God declares his power in taking the wicked at the height as Pharaoh Rom. 9.17 For this cause have I stirred thee up that I might shew my power in thee and that my Name might bee declared to all the world if Pharaoh had been taken at the first the Lord had never had such glory of his overthrow 3 The Lord hereby declares his long patience to vessels of wrath Rom. 9.22 all which bountifulnesse and patience because they abuse and are not lead to repentance by it they are excuseless and condemned justly as having heaped coals of wrath on their own heads Who could so long have indured Pharaoh but patience it self 4 The Lord hereby declares the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy whom hee hath prepared to glory Rom. 9.23 for as hee hath prepared them that is decreed to glorify them so hee daily prepares them to glorious uses as wee do our vessels by rubbing and scouring separating corruption from them and the rust of sin by his rough handling them judging them in the world not to condemn them with the world Use 1. If the Lord bee not so quick with thee in his corrections as with others thou hadst need bee the quicker with thy self to judge thy self The greatest judgement of all not to be judged at all and see what estate thou standest in that thou bee not in the upper stairs and room of sin Take heed of thy self when God lets thee alone to thy self The greattest judgement of all is not to bee judged at all When a man hath cast off his Son and lets him run his own riotous waies as careless what becomes of him it is a certain sign hee shall never injoy his Land so is it with God and the sinner pacing on without controul in his sin Vse 2. If Christ bee thus meek and patient with Satan himself and God use so great patience to vessels of wrath this commendeth unto us the grace of meeknesse towards our brethren much more 1 This is the Commandement of our Saviour who was a special School-master of meeknesse Learn of mee for I am lowly and meek Hee was herein testified to bee the Son of God because the Spirit descended on him in the likeness of a meek and harmless Dove and thus wee must testify our selves the Sons and children of God by the lighting of the same Spirit of meekness upon us Gal. 6.2 2 A meek spirit is much set by of God and preserveth peace with men by soft answers and readiness to forgive and pass by offences Vse 3. This reproves men of a fiery and furious disposition men as meek as rough Esau right Ismaels their hand is against every man and every mans hand against them like Lamech who if hee bee provoked will revenge a word with a blow a scoff with a stab But others let them alone offend them not you shall have them meek enough tractable enough but move such a one but a little by a word or the least neglect as may bee Oh he is presently as meek as David at Nabals churlish answer hee will kill and slay even all presently in his hot blood But is this Christian meekness to bee so boisterous like a suddain wind which thy self scarce knows whence it is or whither it tends no but a brutish meekness for even the beasts will scarce stir unprovoked nay wee say the Devil is good so long as hee is pleased
many and mighty powerful miracles which were signs from heaven shewing that hee was from heaven And yet for all this they beleeved not So Matth. 27.42 the High Priests Scribes and Pharisees said If hee bee the King of the Jews let him come down from the Cross and woe will beleeve him No doubt Christ could but bee would not not onely because it was an hour of darknesse but because hee know they would never have beleeved him Psal 22 2â— 23. I will declare thy name to my brethren to the seed of Jacob to Israel Reasons 1 This practice of Christ is answerable to his precept Matth. 7.6 Cast not holy things to doggs nor pearls before swine By holy things and pearls are meant the things of Gods Kingdom Christ and his merits c. so called both to shew the excellency of them in themselves being above all pearls Prov. 3.14 as also our duty to prize and lock them up in our hearts and keep them as we doe our pearls safely in our memories By Doggs and Hoggs are meant malicious and obstinate enemies convicted of enmity against Gods Word of whose amendment there is little hope every man naturally is an enemy to God and his Word and so a dogg and a swine as Christ called the Heathens and Gentiles It is not lawful to take the children bread and cast it to doggs Now to such as these we must preach and offer the Sacraments yea Christ offered himself and came to call sinnets but when his Word and Miracles were rejected and himself evil intreated as among the Pharisees then saith Christ Let them alone they are blind leaders of the blind 2 Christ shews himself unto none but such as he loveth and love him Joh. 14.11 and this was the ground of Judas his speech Lord what is the cause that thou wilt shew thy self to us and not to the world the world sees him not for none seeth him but to whom he sheweth himself and he sheweth himself to none but such as love him and none love him but such as love his word and keep it vers 23. 3 This was one cause why Christ spake so many things in Parables that such as would be blind might not see and such as would not make a right use of his holy doctrin might not understand Matth. 13.13 For many that heard them let them goe without further question in a careless manner whereas the Disciples of Christ inquired of him his meaning and one learned of another and so that which for the difficulty drave others away became in this manner of teaching much more easie and familiar yea much more perspicuous and clear than any other 4 Never could extraordinary means convert such as beleeved not the word the ordinary means and therefore Christ never or seldome gratified the Scribes and Pharisees with Miracles or extraordinary means because they resisted his Doctrin Person and Works or if any wicked men saw any of his mighty VVorks and Miracles they saw not himself in them as Pharaoh what a number of Miracles saw he yet he was never the better he would not acknowledge God nor his servants and in the Wilderness they who saw Miracles every day and moment yet not beleeving the VVord of God in them were never the better the arm of the Lord was not made bare unto them Vse 1 Ignorant persons that know not Christ nor desire to know him are in a woful estate being such as Christ counts unworthy to reveal himself unto and therefore he either keeps the means from them or leaves them without grace to make an holy use of them Numbers of men to whom Christ never revealeth himself Vse 2. In worse case are they that have the means and yet no tast of them no reformation by them their covetousness their pride their drunkenness and uncleaneness will not be left as many that come to Church to hear the VVord and receive the Sacraments and yet are no better than Doggs and Swine and altogether unreformed in their lives and courses Some draw the VVord of God into question and would be taught by Angels or Miracles as Satan here but Christ will not make himself known to them no more than to him so saith Abraham to Dives in Hell when he denied his request They have Moses and the Prophets if they will not beleeve them neither would they beleeve if one should rise from the dead Some are resolved to live as they list let the Preachers say what they can whereas he that is in Christ to whom he reveals himself is a new Creature for Christ speaks to the heart not to the ear only Others say they are decreed to life or death and therefore doe what they can they cannot change Gods mind and hence never goe about to change themselves But had Christ shewed himself to these he would have directed them to the means of saving knowledge namely to the Scriptures which testifie of him Joh. 5.29 and to faith which unites to him and to the fruits of faith which testifie the truth of it to his glory and their comfort Others will be saved by saith alone and by a profession of the Gospel and so neglect the works which justifie it and the power of godliness whereas if Christ in the Ministry had revealed himself to such he had quickned their faith and not left it as a Carkass for faith without works is dead Others poor simple people will be saved by mercy alone and never labour for knowledge faith or true feeling of their own estate and care not how sin abound that mercy may abound much more But had Christ met with them hee would let them see their misery in the causes and effects and teach them to hunger after mercy in the means and having obtained it to goe and sin no more lest a worse thing follow Others disclaiming the doctrin of mortification and self-denial therefore dislike the VVord as too straight a Doctrin stripping them of their pleasures and profits and hence some hold on in their lusts some return with the Swine to their wallowing in the mire they cannot dye to sin they cannot live without laughter mirth and sports Whereas had Christ revealed himself unto them he would have taught them that his yoke is an easier yoke than the yoke of sin Three properties of such as to whom Christ will make himself known and that there is no sound comfort but in mortified affections and actions Vse 3. VVhosoever would have Christ reveal himself fully unto him must labour to be thus qualified 1 He must be humble for he teacheth the humble in his ways Psal 25.9 but the proud hee sends empty away as rain makes vallies fruitful but falls off the mountains which are therefore barren 2 He must long and desire to meet Christ in his Ordinances for Christ is the scope of the VVord and Sacraments therefore desire to know nothing but Christ Crucified goe to the tents of Shepheards where
good purposes and practices Which is the rather to bee learned because wee have that within us which will make us easily daunted in good things as Peter himself after hee had been long with Christ was so daunted with the voice of a Damosel as hee easily forsware 〈◊〉 Master All Satans instance in evil it to bring us from instance in good against whom wee must every way fortify our selves First In the subdoing of any sin or corruption how will nature recoyl how stirring will Satan bee to keep his holds how many baits and objects will hee present unto thee how many fears and losses and crosses as rubs will hee cast in thy way and all to drive thee from the field against thy sin But now is a time to make use of this Doctrin Are wicked men so constant to the Devil at his instance and must not I bee constant for God at the instance of his blessed Spirit I will hold out by Gods grace and if I be foiled once and again as the Israelites in a good cause against Benjamin I will renew the battel the third time I shall at length carry away the victory this sin is one of Satans band like the captain and I will not bee driven out of the field by such a Craven that will flye if hee bee resisted Secondly The graces of God are as so many precious jewels locked up in the closet of a godly heart the Devil is instant to rob and bereave us of these wee must bee as hardly perswaded to give up these as to bee spoiled of our earthly treasure and riches 1 Our faith were a sweet morsel to Satan but wee must resist him stedfast in the faith Job will hold his faith in spight of the Devil let him lose his goods his health his friends his children hee will hold his faith and professe if the Lord kill him too hee will still trust in his mercy 2 Hee would steal away our love of the Saints and with it the life of our faith and therefore hee sets before us many infirmities of theirs and suspitions of our own and some fear from others but notwithstanding out delight must bee in the Saints that excel in vertue Jonathan will not bee beaten off the love to David though in all outward respects hee had little causes onely because hee saw God was with him 3 Hee layeth siedge to our sobriety and temperance and layeth many baits but Joseph will not yeeld to the many assaults of his Mistris 4 He would make us weary of prayer which is our strength and iâ— God delay he tells us he hears us not we lose our labour But wee must wrastle by prayer as Jacob till we obtain and as the woman of Canaan begge once and again till Christ hear us if he call us doggs so as wee cannot sit at table let us beg the crums as whelps that â—all under the table 5 He would make us weary of our profession is uncessant in setting the malice of the world upon us yea great ones multitudes and all But the Disciples by no whips moâ—ks threats or persecutions could be daunted but rejoyced in them and went on more cheerfully 6 He would have us weary of well-doing and beginning in the Spirit to end in the flesh But as Nehemiah in building the Temple and wall said to his crafty Counsellers Should such a one as I flie so let every Christian say Should I lose all my labour and that crown of life that is promised to all them that are faithful to death No I will not doe it The Devil took him up into an exceeding high mountain In this third temptation we are to consider two things 1 The assault 2 The repulse In the assault two things 1 The preparation 2 The dart it self In the preparation 1 The place 2 The sight represented The dart consists of 1 A profer All these will I give thee 2 A condition If thou wilt fall down and worship me 3 A reason for they are mine and to whomsoever I will I give them First of the place and in it 1 what place it was 2 how Christ came thither 3 why Satan chose that place I. The place was the top of an exceeding high mountain What this mountain was we cannot define and the Scripture being silent in it wee may bee sure it is no Article of faith Some think it was mount Ararat on which the Ark of Noah stood in the floud the highest mountain in the world But without all reason for that was in Armenia another part of the world Gen. 8.4 And there were a number of great Hills round about Jerusalem fit enough for this purpose As 1 There was mount Moriah where Abraham offered to sacrifize his Son Isaac where Salomon built his Temple and wherein Christ stood in the former temptation But the text is plain hee was carried from thence into an higher mountain by farre 2 There was mount Ghiâ—n 1 King 1.33 34 where Zadok and Nathan at Davids appointment anoynted Salomon King But this was too low 3 There was a mountain over against Jerusalem called mons offensionis the mountain of scandal where Salomon in his age deceived by outlandish wives built an high place for Chemosh and Molec the abominations of the children of Ammon and Moab 1 King 11.7 which high places so hard it is to thrust down superstition once set up continued standing three hundred sixty three years and were destroyed by Josiah 4 There was mount Calvary where Christ suffered but that was not so high as this mount spoken of 5 There was mount Oliveâ— a famous mountain about six furlongs from Jerusalem here David wept flying before his Son Absolom here Christ often watched and prayed and wept over Jerusalem for it was so high as that from the top of it as Josephus reports one might discern all the streets of Jerusalem and see afarre off to the dead sea 6 There was mount Sion higher than all these which was called the Mountain of the Lord for those that have written concerning this City know that the foundation of it is among the holy Mountains and among them all mount Sion was farre the highest and therefore David made a Fort there called the City of David 7 There were besides these without Jerusalem mount Nebo from the top of which Moses stood and beheld all the Land of Canaan and was commanded to dye This is generally held to be the Mount to which Christ was carried and so could I think were it not that it was quite without Palestina and not in the Land of Canaan for Moses only there did see the good Land but must not enter into it 8 There were within Palestina besides these mount Basan and mount Hermon very high Hills in comparison of which Sion is said to bee a little Hill Psalm 42.6 and 68.16 Now it is very probable that this temptation was upon one of these Hills but we must not bee curious to determine
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the twinkling of an eye which is indeed no time but the beginning rather of time seeing there is no distinction between time past and time to come Howsoever wee must take it for a very short space of time and that the sight was gone before Christ could well consider of it For so the like phrase is used concerning Sodome that it was destroyed in a moment for the Sun rose very fair and before ever they could consider of such a storm the Lord showred down fire and brimstone Now the reason why the Devil used such a speedy and quick representation was to ravish Christ suddenly and stir up his affections by the absence of it to desire to see it again dealing with Christ as we with our little children when wee would make them earnestly desire a thing wee let them see it and hide it again give it them into their hands and suddenly take it away again So did Satan Secondly Satan might have another trick in it to disturb the minde of our Saviour for as a suddain flash or light doth dazle the eyes of the body so doth a suddain flash or sight of this or that object easily dazle the eyes of the minde and instead of pleasure with it at least it brings some trouble and perturbation However he thought it would fit and bring on his temptation Thirdly shadows will abide no looking on no examining and therefore the Devil is so quick in taking them in Doct. 1 It is an old practice of the Devil to let death into the soul by the window of the senses and especially by the sight for here hee would overcome Christ by the sight of the World and the glory of it Thus hee had gained Eve to sin by the sight of the apple which was beautiful to the eye by hearing that shee should bee as God if she did taste it by touching tasting and pleasing all her senses with it The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair and took them to them for wives which was the cause of the deluge Ahab saw the vineyard of Naboth lye so conveniently to his demeans as he must needs compass it by murther Reason 1 The Senses are the near servants of the Soul if Satan can make them untrusty he knows he can by them easily robb the soul yea and slay it For senses work affections and affections blind judgement David sees Bathsheba presently affects her his violent affection blinds his judgement he must have her company though it cost Uriahs life I saw said Achan among the spoyl a goodly Babylonish garment and two hundred sheckels of silver and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels and I coveted them and took them Josh 7.21 How was Adam otherwise deceived by Eve but first in his affection and then in his judgement 2 As Satan lays his baits in all the Senses to steal the heart so especially in the eyes dealing as the Chapman that would vent his wares he lays it forth on the stall that men may see it and oftentimes the very sight of it without further offer draws on the buyer to a bargain He knows he loseth not all if he gain but an unlawful look because there is sin begun though not perfected 3 The Sense is to the Soul as a door to the house A man that would come in or send any thing into an house must goe in and send it in by the door Even so although the Devil by his spiritual nature can and doth apply himself to our spirits without our senses yet other tempters cannot reach the soul so immediately Eve could not work Adams heart directly but by the outward senses of hearing and seeing especially sent in the temptation Poysons cannot reach the heart unless by the senses they bee drawn in So wicked Mates cannot convey their corruption one into another but by the outward senses hearing their wicked and incentive speeches and seeing their graceless and infecting actions But besides this so full of malice is our spiritual adversaty that he would not only immediately take up our hearts but fill up all our senses and by them continually sendeth in burning lusts and by the same door covetous desires and by the same ambitious and aspiring thoughts and by the same revengeful intentions and such like till the house be full of wickedness 4 Satan knows that God hath appointed the senses for the good and comfort both of body and soul especially the sight and hearing to bee the senses of Discipline to furnish the mind with knowledge of God with faith which is by hearing with hope of his gracious promises with heavenly meditations and contemplation of his great Works which our eyes behold Now Satan would cross all this gracious constitution of God and make the lights of the body be means to blind the mind he would fill up the senses and take them up with such objects as shall not only corrupt the heart but keep out those means of grace which the Lord would by them convey into the heart so that the soul should be further poysoned by the same means which the Lord hath prepared as an Antidote by which natural poyson and corruption should be expelled Vse 1. This doctrine enjoyneth a diligent custody of the senses A good Housholder suspecting Theeves and Robbers will bee sure to keep his doors and windows fast And we knowing that our senses are the doors and windows of our souls must look to these doors lock them barre them bolt them fast that the Devil enter not this way True it is that the inside must first be made clean for out of the heart proceeds an evil eye Mark 7.22 But whosoever is resolved to keep his heart in any rightness must think it his next care to shut out and keep out whatsoever might be let in to decline it and turn it from God again What made the holy Prophet Psal 119.37 pray so earnestly that God would turn his eyes from beholding vanity but that hee knew that even a good heart such as his was could never hold out unless the outward senses especially the eyes which by a Synecdoche are there put for the rest both because they are special factors of the soul and because of the multitude of their objects and in regard of the quickness of sight above all the rest of the senses laid together were well safe-guarded Can the heart or Market-place of a Town or City be safe from the siege of the enemy if the Gates be cast open or the Wall demolished or the Ramparts bared of their sence and munition Why did Job make such covenants with his eyes but that he knew that without such a sence every object would be as a snare to entrap his soul Job 31.1 Nay let an heart never so seasoned with grace suffer the senses to leak the soul is in danger of shipwrack Was there ever heart of ordinary man or woman more innocent or more filled
God having in Justice put them under his power Now although Christ did most powerfully spoyl Satan of his dominion which he had in the souls of men this being the of his power but possessed and disposed by him and ruled at his will and pleasure For First who would think him possessed that can fall down on his knees make a solemn profession and confession of Jesus Christ that he is the Son of God and the most high Mark 5.7 and make loud prayers unto him as acknowledging him to be the Lord of glory and yet all these are the speeches and behaviours of a man possessed not with one or two but with a Legion of Devils Luke 8.28 What doe the Devils honour Christ who fear nothing more than that he should be honoured and hate nothing so much as he No but all this confession and worship was by constraint partly because they knew him a Prince and a Judge whose power they could not resist and partly they flatter him to obtain more gentle entreaty at his hands than they deserved so many a man professeth Christ but you shall observe at least he may himself that many foul spirits breath in him for although hee know Christ as the Devils did yet he obeyeth him not he would fain resist him if he were strong enough to make his part good against him which because he cannot doe he will give him fair words and call him Lord and Master he will pray to him in sickness or distress but it is but to get out of his hands and keep his wonted hold still If the power of Christs word come near him he can begin to accuse Christ and Christian profession of unpeaceableness and tormenting him before the time for what time would please these that Christ should come unto them he can ask Christ and his Ministers what they have to doe with him and Christ shall be blamed because he cannot be at peace for him if he would let him alone all should be well and quiet but the Ministery and Discipline are intollerable let Christ preach and he will preach him too so it be such a Gospel as bringeth no repentance or amendment of life to himself but he may remain where he was even in the Graves already lodged with death When hee cannot doe the greater mischief that he would he would doe the lesser if hee can if he cannot hinder the Ministery he can deprave it wherein as in all the rest he shews himself at the command of that wicked spirit who when he could no longer torment the man would drown the swine Secondly although the Devil might be forced through the power of Christ to acknowledge him the holy one of God so as themselves might continue Devils still yet who would think him guided by any other than a good Spirit of God that should extol the servants of Christ their persons their Ministery their doctrin for would any conceive that the Father of Lyes would praise the truth and yet mark what a large testimony the Devil himself in the Maid gave of Paul and Silas These men are the servants of the most high God which shew unto us the way of salvation and this she did many days A t s 16.17 Why did not the Devil know that they were the greatest enemies he had upon earth Yes he did but he must sometimes transform himself into an Angel of Light he must colour all his Lyes with some truth which is undeniable hee can lay all his falshoods upon appearance of truth as his eldest Son Mahomet enlarged the praises of Christ and his Disciples to overthrow Christian religion withall he hath his fetch to make men beleeve there is an agreement between Christ and his Apostles and himself or that they needed his testimony who therefore put him to silence and would receive no commendation from him but for praises returned sharp rebukes Even so many men can praise good men and Ministers before their faces whom they know to bee deadly enemies to their vices not for love of their vertues but lest they should use them and can call them honest men to try if by that they can hinder them from doing the duty of honest men as the Devils called Paul and Silas the Servants of God lest they should shew themselves so by dispossessing them Besides they would seem herein to bee better than they are and therefore will honour the Gospel and bringers with their mouths whereas in their hearts they cannot abide that the doctrin of it should bee in sincerity either published or practised the name of Christianity and of the Gospel pleaseth them well enough so as the power and fruit of it come not neer them But as the Devil had no sooner praised the Servants of God but presently hee changed his coppy and never left persecuting them till hee had cast them into prison got them soundly beaten set fast in the stocks and after sent out of the City even so many who now commend the person and doctrin of the Servants of God presently shewing what spirit guideth them can accuse them to bee mutinous and seditious troublers of their City and State and raise up the whole City and stir up the wrath of the Magistrates against them that so under pretence of the Wâ—rd or Law or Peace or Order the true Ministers of God shall bee wrongfully condemned and cast out Thirdly Who would think that hee could be haunted with a wicked spirit that can see his sin 1 Sam. 24.17 18. confess it with tears and indignation against himself openly justify the righteousness of Gods children and yet in the example of Saul wee see that a soul possessed of Satan may do all this For as it is in bodily possession though the Devils desire is incessantly to hurt and vex the poor creatures yet by Gods over-ruling power hee is forced to give them some respite and though hardly yet sometimes departeth from them and not alwaies but sometimes casts them into the fire and sometimes into the water Luk. 9. So is it in spiritual possession the Lord for the common good bridleth often the rage of the Devil in his instruments that they cannot alwaies exercise it as they would but they have their fits sometimes that is some strong lusts which Satan watcheth and putteth himself into as Judas his Covetousness invited the Devil to enter into him and also sometimes again they have their good moods and seem to bee come to themselves but long stay they not here but in a moment are changed and cast into their fits again Thus in a good mood Saul could confess his wickedness and Davids innocency and lift up his voice and weep and David was now his good Son and who but hee but presently the good spirit went and the evil spirit came upon him and hee became more tyrannous and furious than ever before even so some there are who seem to have remorse of conscience for sin they will confess their
domestical and familiar converse with him all the while he lived in the execution of his office they might be furnished to this testimony Hence is it that John saith We saw his glory namely in his Doctrin and Works and the things which we have heard and seen declare wee unto you Many worthy points concerning this witnesse of the Apostles were here to be delivered but that I referre them all to the forty one and forty two verses where we shall as fitly and more fully handle the same And now proceed to the matter witnessed namely the Priestly Office of Christ in these words Whom they slew hanging him upon a tree wherein are to be considered 1 The Person that was put to death whom 2 The persons that put him to death they slew namely of Judea and Jerusalem 3 The kind and manner of his death slew hanging him on a tree 4 The use of Christ his Crucifying First the person that was put to death was Jesus Christ whom wee have heard to be Lord of all anoynted with the Holy Ghost and power to work most powerful Miracles who went about doing good and never harm with whom God so was as he never was with any Creature before nor ever shall bee hereafter who subdued mightily the very Devils themselves with one word for all this he was killed and slain How the Lord of life couâ—d be subdued under death Quest But how could the Lord of life be subdued of death yea hee that did only good and was without all sin which is the mother of death Ans Christ the Mediator must be considered in his two Natures 1 The God-head 2 The Man-hood and in that he dyed it was according to his Man-hood so Peter saith he dyed according unto his flesh 1 Pet. 3.18 for his body was dead being separated from his soul and his soul suffered the sorrows of death But yet we must conceive that he suffered not in such a Man-hood as was a naked and bare flesh such as ours but such as was inseparably united and knit to the God-head and therefore the Apostle saith that God shed his bloud that is not the God-head but such a person as is both God and Man Secondly although he had no personal sin to bring him to death yet had he sin imputed unto him even the sins of his whole Church which he willingly took upon himself so as God reckoned with him not for the sins of one man but of all his Church and esteemed him as a captain sinner till the price was paid and men reckoned him among sinners and esteemed him an arch-malefactor Why wicked men prevail against Christ who had vanquished the Devils themselves Quest But doth not this crosse the power of Christ immediatly before mentioned whereby he controlled the Devils themselves that wicked men should thus farre prevail against him Ans No but it argueth a voluntary laying down of his power for the time of his suffering for at his apprehension hee could have commanded twelve Legions of Angels but that the Scriptures must be fulfilled yea and this laying aside of his power was the most powerful work that ever he wrought by which he more foyled and broke the Devils power and forces in men than ever by any shewing himself the true Sampson who more mightily prevailed against his enemies in his death than in all his life Hence note 1 How Christs righteousness is witnessed hee went â—â—â—ut doing good and yet he is slain and teacheth that Christ himself deserved not death but he endured it for some other that had deserved it and indeed Christ dyed for us and in our stead that we should not dye How it standeth with Gods justice to punish the innocent and let the guilty goe free Object But how could he being innocent suffer for us sinners or how standeth it with equity that God should punish the innocent and let the guilty goe free Ans We must consider Christ in his death not as a Debtor but as a Surety or Pledge between God and us who hath undertaken our whole debt and therefore hee suffereth not as guilty in himself but in the room of us that were guilty now it standeth with the course of Justice to lay the Debtors action upon the Surety being 1 Willing 2 Able to pay the debt as Christ was Secondly we may gather hence the hainousnessâ— and odiousnesse of our sins it was no trifle nor a matter of small desert that the Lord of glory the only Son of God yea God himself must shed his bloud for and yet what a small reckoning is made of soul and open sins Thirdly take notice also of the love of God who to free us would lay the chastisement of our peace upon his doâ—â— Son that so his justice might be satisfied Object But how could his Justice bee satisfied who was infinitely offended with such a finite and short death as Christs was The justice of God doth more appear in Christ his Pâ—ssiâ—n than if all the world had been damned Ans By reason of the dignity of the person who suffered being God as well as Man that suffering was in value eternal though not in duration or continuance Lastly we have here the two Natures of Christ lively set before us the one most powerful and glorious in mighty Miracles which forced Legions of Devils to fly before it the other beaten down with wrongs and injuries even to the death it self and it was meet that the Apostle intending to prove Christ to bee the true Messias should mention both these natures which are absolutely necessary to the Mediatour the Humanity that it might suffer death and so satisfy in the same nature that had sinned and the Deity to overcome in suffering so to apply that satisfaction unto beleevers Secondly The persons that put Christ to death were the Jews they of Judea and Jerusalem Object But the Jews had no power to put him to death How the Jews are said to put Christ to death though they had no power to do it the Scepter was gone from them and if the Scribes and Pharisees had had the power in their hands they would never have suffered him alive so long Besides the Judge who was Pontius Pilate was the Romane Emperours Deputy the Souldiers his Executioners were of the Romane band the manner of Death also not Jewish but Romane why is it then said that the Jews slew him and no mention made of the Romanes by whose authority hee was put to death Answ The Jews are justly charged with it because they were the chief causes and abettors in all that violence which the Romans used against him They made way to this sentence and went as far as they could they apprehended him they mocked him they charged him with blasphemy they raised false witness against him they beat him spate in his face they hood-winkt him and bad him prophecy who smote him finally they delivered him to the Romane
within 2 Examine them whence they come and whither they go 2 Examine thy thoughts whence they come and whither they go and what they do in thee By which means thou shalt banish a number of idle and wandring thoughts which like roaving vagrants being worth nothing come â—ver to steal something either time or grace and so shalt thou make and keep room for better And do this betime because the first motions of sinful thoughts defile a man This rule is in 2 Cor. 10.5 to draw weapons against every strong imagination that is exalted against the knowledge of Christ 3 If thy thoughts concern the world pull them back keep them from the world 3 Pull them from the world save as much as needs must for the moderate maintaining of thy self and thine lest heavenly thoughts be drowned and hindred 1 Tim. 6.9 The reason is because our hearts being earthly do presently conceive a sweetness in earthly things and are presently distracted from the love of the Creator to the love of the creature Now spiritual wisdome requireth that wee diminish the love of the creature that wee may increase our love of the Creator But if they will run upon the world then turn the course of them a little to consider the vanity and misery of this evil world the painted vizor of the pleasures of it the uncertainty of life the deceitfulness of riches how they bee not ours what evils and incumbrances wee have received from the world what fools they have made us in treasuring on earth whose home and expectation is in heaven 4 If thy thoughts concern thy self or others thy brethren If they concern thy self or others see they be humble labour to think better of others than thy self for thou seest no such thing in them as in thy self Phil. 2.3 Let every one esteem better of another than of himself Yea the more thou seemest to excel others in gifts the more humble labour to bee An hard rule and difficult to bee practised and therefore it is often commended to us as Rom. 12.16 Make your selves equal to them of the lower sort and elsewhere For this purpose conceive not onely what thou hast received but what thou wantest and what good things thou art without and then with Paul say thou hast not yet attained to perfection Phil. 3.12 5 If they concern sin be sure it be to haâ—e it 5 If thy thoughts concern any sin bee sure it bee to hate and renounce to bewail and mourn for it in thy self or others For there is a sliness and subtilty in sin which while wee think of it easily gaineth some tickling and consent which at least hindreth that thorow-hatred that wee ought to maintain against it The third rule for the inner man concerneth the Will namely Rules for the will that our care must bee there bee but one will between God and us for so hath the Lord taught us to pray Thy Will bee done Concurrence of our wil with Gods will 1 Revealing 2 Determining 3 Prescribing 1 Wherein soever God hath revealed his will to us in that wee must rest 2 Whatsoever his will determineth of us that wee must account holie and just whether with us or against us 3 Whatsoever his will prescribeth to us whether obedience to the Law or faith of the Gospel wee must hold our selves fast bound in conscience unto it let it seem never so cross to us or contrary to his Law as Abrahaâ— â—â—id in offering his son 4 Whatsoever his will disposeth to us 4 Disposing prosperity or adversity sickness or health life or death or whatsoever else all is from a most wise hand disposing every thing for the good and salvation of his Elect and so should bee entertained Thus Eli said 1 Sam. 3.18 Isa 39.8 It is the Lord let him do what is good in his eyes And Hezekiah The word of the Lord is good even when it threatned the overthrow of his house and Kingdome So David Psal 39.9 I held my tongue and said nothing because thou Lord didst it And Job The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh Chap. 1. v. 11. blessed be the name of the Lord. CHAP. IX Rules for the Conscience THe fourth sort of rules for the inner man concerns the conscience Rules for the conscience 1 Beware of a blinde conscience Joh. 16.2 1 Beware of doing any thing with a blinde Conscience A blinde man swallowes many a gnat and a blinde conscience swalloweth any sin This is a wicked conscience to which no sin so great shall come but a man shall think hee doth God good service in it as Christ speaks of them that would slay his Disciples Why do Heathens persecute Christians and Papists pursue Protestants even to death but out of blinde zeal and conscience that they root out a false Religion And whatsoever a man doth by an erroneous and seduced conscience is sin The rule of conscience to Heathens being the Law of nature and to the Church the Law written even the whole word of God as a pillar of cloud and fire to direct it in all the way to Heaven Therefore let the Word of God dwell plentiously in you in all Wisdomâ— Col. 3.16 2 Do nothing with a doubting conscience Conscientia nobis anima Tertul. 2 Do nothing with a doubtful conscience for whatsoever is done with a scrupulous conscience is sin and is not onely an offence of God but of the conscience too which is as a little God within us for it is not of faith nor obedience to the known will of God Rom. 14. ult Hee that doubteth is condemned because his action is not of faith Therefore verse 5. hee saith Let every man bee fully perswaded in his minde 3 Get a good conscience above all things 3 Labour to get a good conscience above all things Act. 23.1 I have endeavoured in all good Conscience till this day A pure conscience by nature hath no man but made pure by the blood of Christ sprinkled upon it by faith in that hee hath obtained full remission of sin and by his blood also merited the Spirit of Sanctification by which the conscience of the beleever is daily cleansed 4 Aim 〈◊〉 a pure conscience 4 Labour to get a pure conscience in all things A man by observing many things may get himself good credit but a good conscience must bee in all the things of God Joh. 1â— 28 The Pharisies might not go into Pilates Judgement Hall lest they should bee polluted and yet at the same time they could dispence with their conscience to crucifie the Son of God a sin defiling Heaven and earth whiles the Sun was ashamed and the earth trembled at it The Papists may not eat flesh in Lent their consciences will not suffer them but to kill Kings and blow up Parliament-Houses their consciences give them good leave Many Protestants will not steal kill commit the act of adultery but
foiled Potiphars wife set upon Joseph alone none being in the house but they two and the Gospel tells us that the envious man sows tares while men sleep 1 Satan by the subtilty of his nature and long experience Reasonâ— knoweth our estate our temper our hunger our chief desires and accordingly setteth on us For though hee know not the heart directly yet hee knows our corruption in general as wee are men since the fall and there is in it a root and spawn of all sins Further by our outward behaviour and gesture hee can gather our special corruptions as a Physician by outward signs in the water puâ—ses and the like can judge of the particular disease within Besides his experience giveth him much light into our weaknesses so as like a cunning angler hee can bait his hook so as hee hath experience the fish will take and though hee see not the fish in the water yet by his quill and cork hee can tell when hee is taken So Satan hath for sundry men sundry baits and can tell by the eye hand speech gesture c. whether the man bee or will bee taken 2 The malice of Satan is such as it aimes directly at mans destruction and therefore to get his desire and to have his prey hee cares not how cowardly hee sets upon us Gen 34.15 Simeon and Levi plotting the destruction of the Sechemites perswaded them to circumcise themselves which they thought they would do to injoy Dinah but even when they were sore they came most cowardly upon them and destroyed them in a cursed rage as Jacob called it Even so deals the Devil hee comes when wee are least able to resist 3 Satan well knows that though hee can tempt us yet hee cannot force us and if hee overcome hee must have help and ground from our selves and therefore hee must observe for his advantage the time place person his inclination to mirth or sadness to wantonness or desperation his estate whether rich or poor high or low his general corruptions and personal sinnes dealing no otherwise than the Philistims dealt with Sampson they intended mischief against him but hee was too strong now if they could watch a time when he was as weak as another man know how to abate his strength they would not miss of their end but this they cannot know but by himself and none can get it out of him but Delilah who if shee cut off his locks his strength is gone and poor Sampson is taken his eies put out and sent to grind like a mill-horse So dealeth Satan Use 1. As Satan watcheth all opportunities to mischief us so let us watch opportunities to resist him Shall a thief watch at midnight to rob thee and cut thy throat Horat. and wilt thou not watch to save thy self Now wee have time to arm and prepare our selves against the evil day never had our fathers such an opportunity for heavenly and spiritual things Wee have an acceptable time a day of salvation 2 Cor. 6.2 a time of health and strength to gather a stock of grace and strength against the time of weakness Is it not now a point of wisdome if wee were as strong as Sampson to know that wee may bee weak as other men and forecast a day of tryall Shall we not bee worthily and shamefully foiled if in this our day while wee have means to gather knowledge to increase in faith and grace wee lay not up for the day of weakness will it not bee a gainful policy to acquaint our selves now with Satans policy aforehand and with what weapons hee commeth against us that so wee may arm our selves with armour of proof against his fiery darts and learn so to resist him that hee may fly And not to do this what is it else but to become traytors to our own hearts How unhappily and foolishly do men cast off all this care to the time of weakness and sickness wasting all the time of their health and strength in the world or other wretched courses Our sick and dying day most unfit for resistance for three reasons Now they have the day the light the word and Gods armory open to furnish themselves but they cast themselves into the night and lay all the hazard of the combate upon the day of sickness or death then they will send to the Minister and think on death But this is the unfittest time For 1 When the body is weak and sick it hath other things to think on either the pain or means of health or to settle and dispose the goods 2 It is just with God that they who neglect the means when they may bee had seldome have them offered at their desire but as it is Prov. 1.24 Because I have called and yee refused yee shall cry and I will not hear And what comfort canst thou have if not in thy calling upon God 3 Then Satan because wee are at the weakest assails us with all his strength and cunning even to bring us to despair and then how shall hee lift up his head that never provided his armour of confidence when hee shall see the roaring Lyons mouth wide open and himself in his clutches Vse 2. Let us learn of Satan to watch our own weaknesses and our personal corruptions If the Devil so observe us let us so much the more observe our selves The enemy assaulteth the City where it is weakest and there the wise Citizens lay most matter of defence Here it will bee fit to observe these rules 1 Take heed wee wilfully cast not our selves into infirmities Five notable rules for the watch over our own weaknesses especially sinful as immoderately to desire goods or gain The feeding of covetousnesse cost Judas deer So the immoderate desire of pleasure or ambitious pursuing of honour or nourishing of wrath and anger which is to give place to the devil and brings forth manifold evils as railings revenges quarrels murther c. For if Satan by reason of natural infirmities as hunger poverty and the like can take his advantage against Christ himself much more can he work his advantage against us by such immoderate and unruled passions 2 Play not with the objects of sin it is not without danger for the fish to play with the bait Turn away thine eyes from beholding vanity thine ears from hearing lewd things shut the doors and keep the threshold of thy heart make Gods fear the Porter of thy soul let not death enter in at the windows of thy senses as Eve did Delight brings practice and repetition a habit 3 Watch thy natural desires with all carefulness because in them a man is most frequent and most impotent and a thousand to one thou fallest by these The natural desire of meat and drink is ordinary and as Satan here lay in ambush against Christ in them so hee doth against all other men good and bad See wee not in the example of Esau that being weary and
the best Others see no likelihood of doing any great good and so either draw back from their calling Jer. 20.9 or else heavily and uncheerfully go on But wee must renew our strength and courage and know that our labour shall not bee lost Isa 49.4.5 4 In holinesse which 1 sanctifies our callings by the word and prayer 1 Tim. 4.5 2 Subordinateth all earthly and special things to the general and heavenly things of the Christian Calling yea it makes us express our spiritual calling in the use of the Civil it will make a man sometime for religion sake hear the word in the six daies unless some other necessary occasion come between ever preferring the more necessary businesse 3 It keepeth in the heart 1 a love to God aiming at the preferring of his glory above all it suffers not a man to esteem his calling a preferment of himself or a reward of his service past but a means of advancing Gods glory in further service 2 A love of men who partake in the benefit of our labours with whom we must exercise charity justice meekness c. The second rule concerneth our wealth and maintenance namely not to content our selves that wee can live by such or such means unless wee can say Gods Word doth warrant mee that this is my meat my drink my apparrel my money my house my land c. Quest When can a man say this Answ 1 When a man having nothing of his own nor right to any thing becomes a beleever ingrafted into Christ and so owner of that bee hath A man may have warrant and title from man that his house and land is his and hee is a robber that shall defeat him of it But all men and Angels cannot give mee a possession and true title before the living God but only his Son who is Lord and heir of all First know thy self a member of Christ and then his right is thine 2 When the manner of getting them is lawful and that is First When it is just when a man hath used no indirect means but they are either lawfully descended or else by faithful and painful walking in an honest calling God hath added them as a blessing of a mans labour Secondly When it is moderate and retired when a man so provideth for earth as hee especially storeth up for heaven first seeking Gods Kingdome and the one thing necessary without covetousnesse and the love of this life nay accounting all things dung in comparison of Christ Thirdly When the manner of using them is warrantable that a man shews himself a good steward in the holy dispensing of them using them as furtherances of piety as pledges of love towards men and as testimonies of sobriety in himself and every way making them servants to his christian calling Prov. 3.9 Honour the Lord with thy riches 4 When his affection is indifferent both in the having and holding of them that a man may say These be mine I am not theirs I have them they have not me I am their Master to command them they command not me And why should we not draw our affections from them seeing 1 The wicked are as rich yea richer in these things than the best at the best they make not their Masters better 2 They bee no inheritance they bee but moveables changing their Master as the giver will and while we have them they are but lent us 3 We are but Stewards we sit not in our own but have a large account to make yea we are very Pilgrims and Travellers and shall goe lightlier and less loaden 4 Wee must not measure or tye God unto them nor esteem of his love by them Thus a man may use the mercies of God with comfort for his necessity and for his delight in the days of his pilgrimage thus may he dispose them to his heirs as the right owners with hope of Gods blessing to stand with them nothing of which can be expected in goods ill gotten or spent to which nothing but Gods curse is intayled The third rule concerneth our health and sustenance namely that it is far better to want means than to procure them by any other means than that which proceedeth out of the mouth of God Yet numbers will maintain their lives health and estate not by Gods word but directly against it for example they that seek to Witches and Sorcerers for health or goods lost or stollen or upon any other occasion whatsoever Whereas the word proceeding out of the mouth of God Levit. 18.10 is this Let there bee none sound among you that useth Witchcraft or is a regarder of times or a Sorcerer Charmer Sooth-sayers or that counselleth with spirits Obj. But Gods Word and Ordinance is with them to doe us good and much good they doe which none else can doe Ans God hath a two-fold word 1 Of Blessing 2 Of Judgement the former proceedeth out of the mouth of God who is goodness it self the latter sometimes hee permitteth to proceed out of the mouth of the Devil giving him power to work lying wonders that the seekers of him might beleeve in him to their final destruction Thus the Devil who can doe nothing against Gods word doth what he doth by Gods word spoken in Judgement and Justice Whence I conclude 1 It were better for a man to want cure than have the Devil his Physician better for a man to want health of his body than procure it with the death of his soul Better had it been for the Israelites to have wanted Quails than procuring them by murmuring to be choaked with them Better for a man to want the world than winne it with the loss of his soul Better had it been for Ahab to have wanted Naboths Vineyard than to lose the whole Kingdom for it Better for Judas to have wanted the thirty pence than to hang himself for them for Ananias and Saphira to have wanted the third part of their possession than to dye for it Rule 2. Better it were to want the means of health and maintenance than not to use them according to the word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God as food apparel physick health and life it self Had it not been better that Asa had wanted Physick than be struck with death because he trusted in Physitians Better had it been for Gehazi to have gone in raggs than to apparel himself by lying and deceit which apparelled himself and all his posterity with Leprosie Whether was the state of Lazarus that dyed for want of means or of Dives better that sared deliciously every day Less have men to answer for who have no meat to strengthen nature than those that have abundance which they pervert to strengthen themselves in sin sacrificing their strength to the service of the Devil and to their lusts Wee our selves know numbers in all corners who were better continually to be bed-ridd and sick or maimed than to abuse their health and lives in such
in searching till that age were all wasted none of which should come into the Land except Caleb and Joshua vers 40. then they up betimes in the morning and they were ready against the Word of God to goe Moses forbids them tells them God was not with them yet forty four presumed obstinately to goe and were pitifully consumed 2 King 14.10 Amaziah King of Judah having gotten a notable Victory against Edom presuming of Gods hand and help with him but not asking God counsel would also make warre against Israel but unhappily as such attempts prove for he was overcome and Jehoash King of Israel took Amaziah and broke down Jerusalems wall and spoyled the house of the Lord and the Kings house of all the Treasure there Josiah a good King presuming of Gods assistance without his word undertook an unwarrantable warre against the King of Aegypt hee might have thought God would help him who sought the Lord with all his heart against an open Idolater but not seeking the Lord in this he was mortally wounded and left his Kingdom in great trouble and confusion 2 King 23. Reasons Now Satan is most usual in temptations to presumption for these reasons 1 He hath experience how easily we are foyled with this kind of temptation how soon hee foyled our first Parents in the state of innocency how good David was overthrown presuming of his own strength when he forced Joab to number his people And those whom hee could never shake with distrust he hath quite overthrown with presumption 2 Satan knows that of all temptations this is most agreeable to our corrupt nature It is pleasing to us to conceive of Gods mercy and power towards us in any course our selves affect whereas temptations to despair are irksome and grievous to the flesh and have not ordinarily so much help from the flesh to set them forward as this hath and therefore the Devil is sometimes but not half so often in them Again hee knows it goeth with our nature and stream to presume of our own goodness strength and vertue Peter and the rest of the Disciples presumed they should not be offended at Christ nor forsake or deny him but yet not long after even they who professed they would dye with him rather than deny him lest him and fled away Matth. 26.33 c. 3 He knows that presumption is an extream of faith and hope and doth no less extinguish faith than despair nay more often doth foyl it seeing a man in despair is more fearful more watchful but a presumptuous man is fearless careless and will easily thrust himself upon any adventure as fearing no sin 4 Satan knows that presumptions are great sins prevailing sins Psal 19.13 a tempting of the Lord as the answer of our Saviour implies when wee leave his way and means and will try our own a sin which doth much provoke God to displeasure we see it in Peter who fell fearfully above all the Disciples Ubi dixisti sufficio ibi desecisti ubi tibi placuisti ibi periisti Aug. because hee was most presumptuous of all of whom Augustine saith When thou beginnest to say I have enough thou beginnest to fayl when thou hast an over-weening opinion of thy self thou art undone Quest What may we think of Jonathans action who himself alone with one man his Armour-bearer went out against a whole army of the Philistims Was it not a strange tempting of God and a great disorder in time of pitched battel 1 Sam. 14. Ans It may seem so at first but indeed it was not temerity in him for 1 He was guided by a secret and strong instinct of Gods Spirit 2 He had a general promise that so long as his people feared God one should bee able to chase a thousand and two ten thousand and therefore took no more with him than one being fully assured that God would goe out with him and fight for him against Gods and his enemies 3 Hee set God before him with whom he said it was not hard to save with many or with few ver 6. Besides he knew they were Gods enemies saying Let us goe to the uncircumcised 4 The event was a singular deliverance of God in that needful time for God sent a fear among the enemies and an earth-quake c. and armed Jonathan with such a spirit and power that the enemies fell before him for fear even at the sight of him Object But the instinct of the Spirit is strong and not doubtful as this was vers 6. It may be the Lord will be with us Ans The first instinct drew him to the place where hee was to receive a sign of confirmation from God as vers 9 10. If they say Come up wee will goe a sign they were lazie If they say Tarry till we come we will not that was a sign of their courage And this was a certain sign which strongly assured him vers 10 12. Quest Is it lawful now for any so to doo Ans No it was a singular fact not to be drawn into example unless a man can alleadge a new promise seeing all the ordinary promises of Scripture joyn the means and end together Use 1. We must conceive all this doctrin of Christs temptations above an ordinary History not only relating a thing done but belonging also to us to make our use of it as of other Scripture And hence let us learn to beware of these temptations to presumption which are many ways darted against us both in things spiritual and temporal I. In spiritual things 1 When men cast aside the known Word of God they dare swear and curse and blaspheme they dare adventure to break the Sabbath dare lye and be unjust against their conscience they dare doe any thing against the Justice of God though they know his will to bee contrary and all because they presume of Gods mercy which in their conceit hath eaten up all his justice But in Job 19.11 Christ inlargeth the sin of the Jews and Judas because it was against their conscience He that delivered me hath the greater sin he was warned he heard my Doctrin saw my Miracles and so did you And thou that knowest thy Lords pleasure and darest goe against it shalt know how fearful a thing it is to fall into his hands It thy Conscience condemn thee God is greater than thy conscience 2 Others are perswaded that Christ dyed for all and therefore they may be the bolder in their sins grace hath abounded what though sin abound much more Christ hath bloud enough and merit enough what need they fear But here is presumption without warrant For in Christs death before it can be fruitful to us there must be two things 1 An actual accomplishment 2 An effectual application to the soul in particular Physick though never so soveraign if it be in the pocket unapplied doth the Patient no good And if the death of Christ be applied to thee it worketh the death of thy sin
them but then they move our wills when they can either make us apprehend and understand some Object or move passion or appetite whereby to incline our wills Thus the good Angels may and do propound divine truth and good unto our understanding and move our wills to imbrace it and choose it but not alwaies with effect because the power is not in them but in our selves A good Angel admonished Joseph in a dream by which his will was bended to provide for Christ and himself Thus also the Devils and wicked Angels move the will by working upon the phantasy and imagination as in many Melancholike persons to hurt themselves and others sometimes by setting good colours upon evil so that the understanding apprehending evil in the case and colour of good may bend the will to it as Peter in denying his Lord thought it good and safe for the present sometimes by raising up passions and working in them as Saul in a passion to cast his spear to kill his good Son Jonathan a barbarous and unnatural fact yet the Devil gauâ—ed his will to it having first raised a cloud of dusty passion to darken his understanding and the other Saul in his fury and hot mood to waste and persecute all that called on Christ sometimes by stirring up lust and concupiscence as David being inflamed with lust the Devil working on this corruption gained his will to those foul facts which above all blemished him As for the examples alleadged thus Peter saith that Satan filled Ananiahs heart not that hee brought any new wickedness into his heart but that which hee found hee stirred up and perswaded his will to play that dissembling part for hee should carry it away closely and cautelously enough And thus the Devil put treason into the heart of Judas hee knew him to bee a Covetous wretch and had often watched him how hee was deceitful in the administration of his Masters money now his affection being troubled and stuft with Covetousness Satan useth this as a means to perswade his will for mony to attempt this soul and barbarous treason In all which wee see that our wills are not under the power of the Devil who deals with us as wicked men who when they perswade any evil infuse none of their wickedness into us but only by their speech stir up that which is in our selves and perswade us thereunto 4 It is not enough for Satans malice and cruelty to bring mischief on the bodies of men but the thing hee aims at is to bring guiltiness on their souls as our Saviour here I doubt not but hee would willingly have killed him if it had been in his power to cast him down as it was to carry him up but hee had far rather that Christ should do it himself and so have an hand in his own death In Job Satan was not contented to cast him down in bringing misery upon his body and estate but the thing hee aimed at was Jobs casting down himself by blaspheming God that so hee might bring guiltiness upon his soul And Satan knows that when hee can bring a sinner to give up his will to his perswasion his sin is so much the more sinful because to a voluntary sin is added 1 A deliberation 2 An election of evil and a preferring it before good and 3 A willing execution of that which a corrupt understanding hath embraced and a corrupt judgement and will preferred for some corrupt end 5 Satans sliness and usual subtlety in his temptations shews that his strength lyeth in inward perswasion and not in outward violence Hee insinuates like a Serpent and pretends great good will as hee Thou shalt shew thy self the Son of God as though hee in earnest sought the honour of Christ and as if hee would have bettered Adams estate hee said Yee shall bee gods He transforms himself into an Angel of light and ordinarily deals with us as with Saul who when hee saw the Devil himself hee made him beleeve hee saw Samuel Gods worthy Prophet Vse 1. This Doctrin serves to comfort us considering the impotency of our enemy Hee is a weak enemy and cannot overcome him who is not willing to bee overcome Hee can egge us on to evil compel us hee cannot Ad malum hâ—râ—â—â—i potest â— geâ—e non potest Chrys And as Christ said to Pilate Thou couldst have no power over me unless it were given thee from above So Satan can have no power but from God not over beasts Matth. 8.31 not over wicked men Ahab a wicked King could not bee deceived nor set on to maâ—e a needless war till the Lord sealed Satans Commission 1 King 22.21 And much lesse over the godly as weâ— see in Job till God said All that hee hath is in thing hands till then neither has nor any thing hee had was in Satans power Nay not an hair of our head falls to the ground without the providence of our Heavenly Father And another sound ground of comfort in that as hee cannot hurt us without the will of our heavenly Father so hee cannot without our own will for if he could hee would never bee resisted in his temptation whereas wee see in Joseph Job and by experience in our selves that some hellish temptations are by grace and the watch over our hearts repelled and resisted Vse 2. Hence wee see that nothing can do us harm but our own sin death without sin is but a gate to life the Devil a great and cruel enemy but nothing so dangerous as our own sin this slaies us without him hee hurts us not without this What reason have wee to bee in love with sin while we profess wee hate the Devil who can do us no such harm Which must stir up our watch against our own corruption for if hee plow not with our heâ—â—er he can get no advantage Vse 3. Many having sinned lay the blame on the Devil who they say ought them a sought or a shame But as the Lord said to Cain so say I to thee If thou doest evil sinne lyeth at thy door and it is thy sinne not the Devils Object Oh but hee tempted mee Answ So hee did Christ here and hadst not thou cast down thy self hee could not have done it It was indeed the Devils sin that hee beguiled the woman and he had his judgement for it But it was her sin that shee was beguiled and arraigned and judged by God for it It is the Theefs sin to steal thy money and hee shall bee hanged for it but iâ— thou leavest thy money without doors and never lookest after it it is thy fault and folly and what couldst thou look for else The Devil is a slye Theef and robber but hee commits not his robbery as other Theeves and Burglers hee will not break open the door nor draw the latch but where hee finds the door open and an house prepared and swept there hee comes and makes spoil Luke 11.25 And if a
before he knew it to be his own case could say As sure as the Lord lives he shall dye that hath done this and Nathan said Thou art the man c. And this sin so provoked the Lord that the sword never departed from his house and his repentance could not cut off that part of the sentence but his own son Absalom must defile his Fathers Wives in the sight of all Israel Hence it was also that our Lord answering Pilate aggravated the sin of Judas Joh. 19.11 He that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin hee knew he delivered an innocent to death he was warned he was a friend and familiar his sin was a great sin and so great as God took him in hand and laid the burden of it presently upon his soul and hee found no ease but in hanging himself 2 Satan knows these sins more trouble and wound the Conscience than other because this circumstance lays the sin directly upon our selves and takes away excuses God was not wanting to prevent such a man cannot say he could not remedy it no good means was wanting to him only hee was wanting to himself and the means And thus the Lord reasoneth with his people to bring them to the sight of their own corruption Isa 5.4 What could I doe more to my vineyard which I have not done 3 Satan knows that to sin against means is a compound sin and like to a complicated disease hardly cured for besides the sin to which a man is drawn there is 1 A neglect of a mans own good 2 There is a base estimation of Gods great kindness in offering the means of our good and consequently God himself is despised in the means yea there is an unthankful rejecting of grace offered And what is further to bee done but to leave such a one as remediless 4 Well knows Satan that God hath denounced and executed greater plagues upon these sins than other where means were not present He punished Adultery in the Law with death not simple fornication because one had means to avoyd the sin the other wanted it So for Theft Prov. 6.30 If a Thief steal to satisfie his soul because he is hungry men despise him not a restitution may be made he must not dye comparing the sin with adultery in which no restitution must bee made they must dye the death Capernaum which was lifted up to heaven in respect of the means of Salvation neglecting those stairs cast her self lower into hell than 7 yrus and Sidon which never had the like things done in them Nay God whose nature is to bee merciful in this case takes pleasure and delights himself in severity Prov. 1.22 Yee have despised all my counsel and set my correction at nought therefore will I laugh in your destruction This doctrin is of great use through the whole life Vse 1. If where more means be to hinder sin there sin is aggravated how heavie be the sins of our age who in the means are lifted up above all the ages of one thousand five hundred years before us How may the Lord complain of us as Hos 8.10 I have written to them the great things of my Law but they have counted it a vain thing The means that we have doe set our sins in a farre higher degree than were the sins of our fathers Theirs were in the night ours in the day theirs were ignorances in comparison ours are presumptions of knowledge and set purpose theirs were errors and sins ours are rebellions and obstinacy they could scarce doe any other we will not their ignorance invincible ours affected And as our means be greater so our judgement and account shall be straighter for to whom God gives more of them hee requires more Luke 12.48 Vse 2. Content we not our selves that we have stairs or means as many who say they come to Church hear the Word receive the Sacrament have some measure of knowledge and be able to speak of religion seeing the presence of the means brings Satan more fiercely upon thee and threatneth thy greater danger if thou growest not in soundness of Christianity by them Consider whether the Scripture be not true saying 1 Not the hearers of the Word but the doers thereof shall be justified 2 Knowers of their Masters will and not doers of it shall be beaten with more stripes 3 Many seem to be partakers of grace who are perverters of it and turn it into wantonness who are of old rolled or billed unto condemnation 4 Many in the day of Judgement shall say and alleadge for themselves Wee have eat and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streets to whom the judge shall say I tell you I know not whence you are depart from mee yee workers of iniquity The Jewes had the Ministery of John of Christ and his Disciples the Gospel of the Kingdom preached which was as Jacobs Ladder to rise up by the stairs and staves of it unto heaven but for all this because they walked not worthy of these means Christ tells them plainly to their faces that Publicans and Harlots should goe into Heaven before them And the same shall be said of every formal Christian contenting himself with an outward shew of goodness and not answerable to the means he hath without any inward or constant change by them Vse 3. Let us beware of Satans wyle neither to neglect means nor yet to sin against them I In spiritual things the means of salvation are stairs to Heaven 1 If thou beest not a member of the Church and abidest in the ship thou canst not be saved Acts 27.31 2 If being over-run with the disease of sin thou waitest not at the Pool wherein and when the Spirit moveth and stirreth the waters thou canst not be cured Joh. 5.4 Refuse the Word and Sacraments thou perishest 3 If God have shewed thee oh man what is good and what he requireth of thee surely to doe justly to love mercy to humble thy self and walk with thy God if thou cast thy self off these stairs into injustice unmercifulness pride and profaneness by this fall thou doest break the neck of thy soul So when the Lord affords many gracious means within a man and without without the exhortations and precepts of his Word and the warnings of his correcting hand then 1 Suffer the word of exhortation gladly let the word rule thee sin not against the word by which thou art to be judged 2 Let the rod open the ear that was sealed and correction bee thy instruction it is a note of blessedness to bee chastened and taught in Gods Law The Lord is glad to adde this means to let in the former and if men still fall back more and more the Lord casts such persons off So when he inwardly useth either checks of Conscience or else the motions of his Spirit sin not against them for 1 The voyce of thy Conscience must thou hear one day therefore suffer it not to goe on
and turning the Book and finding the time expired hee useth the means and is diligent with fasting and prayer that God would accomplish his word Dan. 9.2 Jacob had a promise of God that hee should return into his Country he knew all the Devils in Hell could not hinder the promise yet seeing his brother Esaus wrath was a stop or bar hee useth means to remove this let he goes to God and wrastles with him by prayer then he sends his presents and orders his droves with all the wisdome hee could and by this means prevented the danger Christ himself having stairs will use them Remember for spiritual life and natural hee must eat that would live for spiritual war and temporal hee must carry his weapons that would overcome for earthly and heavenly harvest hee that would reap must sow The sick needs the Physician In our earthly or heavenly travel let us with Jacob prevent whatsoever lets would hinder us from our Countrey or the end of our way 4 Whether thou seest means or no subject thy will to Gods in all things If hee kill thee yet trust in him still David in the want of means of comfort said Behold here am I let the Lord do whatsoever is good in his eyes The three Children seeing no means of escape answered the King thus Our God is able to deliver us and if hee will not yet wee will not worship thy Image wee are sure of his presence either for the preservation of our bodies or the salvation of our souls Vers 8 Again the Devil took him up into an exceeding high Mountain and shewed him all the Kingdomes of the world and the Glory of them 9 And said unto him All these will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me NOW are wee come by Gods assistance to the third and last Temptation of our Lord and Saviour which at this time hee sustained and powerfully vanquished For although our Saviour had twice repelled his violence already yet notwithstanding Satan continues his assault Again Doctr. Whence wee may note the importunity of Satan against Christ and his members in temptation to sin That hee is restless herein against Christ appears in that hee dares set upon him here again and again and the third time even so long as hee hath any leave given him And after this our Lord himself lead not a life exempted and freed from temptation for Luk. 4.13 Satan left Christ but for a season And for his members wee may see in Job how many Armies of Temptations hee would have oppressed him withal one could not finish his tale of dismal tydings till another came and overtook him even as one wave in the Sea overtakes another And in Joseph how did hee stir up the hatred of his brethren against him not content with that they must cast him into a pit and there hee must not rest but bee drawn out either to bee slain or at least sold to the Mâ—dianites being in Potiphars house how was hee every day tempted by his wanton Mistress refusing that folly how was hee hated of her and cast into a dungeon by his Master and there he lay a long time till the time came that Gods word must bee verified for his advancement 1 Because hee is eagerly set upon the destruction of mankind Reasons and therefore will bee hardly repulsed hee seeks continually to destroy and leaves no stone unturned 2 Hee hopes at least by importunity to prevail and by continuance of temptations to break those whom at first hee cannot foyl Well hee knows that instance and multiplying of temptations may drive even strong Christians sometimes to bee weary and faint in their minds And the rather because he knows the state of Gods children is not alike but as often in their bodies so the strength of grace in their souls is sometimes weakened and abated 3 His policy is oftentimes to make one temptation a preface and step to another and a lesser way to a greater For 1 Considering Christs hunger it seems small to make stones bread 2 But a greater sin than that to cast himself down where there is no need 3 But the greatest of all is plain Idolatry Worship me 4 If one kind of Temptation will not take so well hee turns to another as here If Christ will not distrust let him presume if neither let him bee covetous Vse 1. To teach us to beware of security seeing Satan takes not any truce but as a raging powerful enemy desperate and yet hopeful of victory will not bee repulled but assail us again and again Yea though wee have once and again overcome his temptations as Christ had done yet must we stand on our watch still for hee will set afresh upon us And why 1 This is the Apostles Counsel 1 Pet. 5.8 because Satan is a continual enemy therefore wee must bee sober and watch 2 Where hee is cast out hee seeks re-entry Matth. 12.24 3 Though God of his grace often restrain his malice it is not to make men secure but to have a breathing time to fit themselves better for further tryal 4 Security after victory in temporal warre hath proved dangerous and hath lost more than all their valour had won as the Amalekites having taken a great spoil of Davids 1 Sam. 30.16 and burned Ziglag sitting down to eat and drink and make merry were suddainly surprised and destroyed by Davids sword But in the spiritual combate security is much more deadly 5 It is the wisdom of a wise Pilot in a calm to expect and provide for a storm and in a troubled Sea after one great billow to expect another in the neck of it Even so while wee are in the troubled Sea of this World it will bee our wisdome to look for one temptation in the neek of another And seeing it is with us as with Sea-faring men who by much experience have learned that in the trouble of the Sea the greatest danger and tossing is towards the Havens where there is least Sea-room therefore let us towards ouâ— end in sickness and towards death look for Satans strongest assaults and in the mean time prepare against them Yea let us learn to prepare against all kinds of temptations as our Saviour here resists all kinds in these three general ones and herein teacheth us so to do for shall Satan dare to renew so many temptations against our Lord and will hee spare any of his members Vse 2. Here is a ground of Comfort for Gods people who when temptations come thick upon them are often dismaied as though God had forsaken them and so grow weary of resistance yea and not seldome they grow into words of impatiency Never were any so molested as they Good David said once This is my death and all men are lyers even all Gods Prophets that told him hee should bee King there was no way but one he must one day fall by the hand of Saul But bee of good comfort
with grace than Eves in her innocency And yet when as Satan let upon her senses he sent in by them such poyson as wrought death unto all her posterity Rules for the ordering of our senses aright 1 Beware of the life of sense which is a brutish life 2 Pet. 2.12 the Apostle speaketh of men led by sensuality even as the brute beasts who follow sense and appetite without all restraint Thus did the Gentiles who were therefore given up to a reprobate sense Rom. 1.24 And the danger of this estate Salomon noteth Eccles 11.9 when hee bids the young man walk in the sight of his own eyes and after the lusts of his heart but withall Remember that for all this he must come to judgement Let such think hereon that think it is free to give up their senses to feed themselves upon every object themselves please 2 Consider that God made the senses to minister to a right ordered heart and not the heart to follow the senses and therefore the heart must be watched that it walk not after the eye which is to invert Gods order And what a deluge of sin over-floweth the soul when the understanding is buried in the senses and the heart drowned in sinful appetites David gives his eye leave to wander and look lustfully after Bathsheba and what wayes of misery one overtaking another did he bring into his soul And what marvel then if natural men neglecting their duty in taking off their eyes from unchaste objects never rest till they come to have eâ—es full of adultery 2 Pet. 2.14 not ceasing to sin according to our Saviours speech Matth. 6.23 If the eye be evil all the body is dark yea and the soul too 3 Keep the parts of Christian armour upon thy senses that thou lye not open there A valiant Captain knowing that the enemy is easier kept out than beaten out of a City hath great care to plant his Garrison about the gates and walls there he sets his most â—aithful watch and ward there he plants his chief munition and ordnance Had David kept his armour on his eye he had not been so foyled by Bathsheba If on his ear he had not been so injurious to Mephibosheth by means of slandring Zaba 2 Sam. 16.3 4. Salomon wisheth us Not to look upon the colour of the wine in the cup that is with too much pleasure to stirre up desire He would have us keep our sence upon our ears not to give ear to a flatterer or whisperer but brow-beat him and drive him away with an angry countenance The Apostle Paul would have our ears shut against evil and corrupt words which corrupt good manners Daniel desires not to taste of the Kings dainties nor will pollute himself with them chap. 1. vers 8. And so we must fence our whole man as we may not touch any unclean thing and yeeld nothing to the course of waters 4 Feed thy senses with warrantable objects 1 God 2 His Word 3 The Creatures 4 Thy Brethren 5 Thy self First our eyes are made to see God himself here below as wee can in his back-parts hereafter as wee would face to face And therefore a base thing it were to fixe them upon the vain pleasures and profits of this life This is fitter for brute beasts that have no higher object Again what fairer or fitter object can we chuse for our senses than himself that made them with all their faculties and gives us so much comfort by them Prov. 20.12 The hearing ear and seeing eye God made them both and both of them as all things else he made for himself Further where can we better place ouâ— senses than upon him from whom all our help cometh How ought our eyes to be continually lifted up in holy and servent prayers and praises considering both our continual necessities and supplies So David I lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence my salvation cometh Psal 121.1 and As the eye of the Hand-maid is lifted up to the hand of her Mistris so are our eyes unto thee Psal 123.1 Lastly how can we place our senses better than upon him who is the most pleasant and durable object To see God in Christ reconciled to hear and know him become our Father is so ravishing a sight as the Saints have runne through fire and water to apprehend it And for the continuance it will feed the senses everlastingly yea when the senses themselves decay and wax dull this object shall feed them and be never the less sweet And therefore as Salomon adviseth Eccles 12.1 while thou hast thy senses fix them upon this object Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth before they be dark that look out at the windows c. If a man set his senses and feed them upon any outward object wealth honour pleasure buildings and the like wee may justly say to him as our Saviour to his Disciples when they gazed upon the beautiful workmanship of the Temple Are these the things your eyes gaze upon verily the time comes when one stone shall not bee left upon another undemolished The like may bee said of all earthly objects whatsoever Only this object shall grow more and more glorious and desirable Secondly God made our senses to be exercised in his holy Word which leads us to himself Heb. 5.14 the Apostle requires that Christians should have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 senses exercised in the word Prov. 2.2 Let thine ear hear wisdom 1 Hence comes faith which is by hearing 2 Hence we draw the comforts of the Scriptures which are the consolations of God in our trouble 3 Hence are we admonished directed and wholsomly corrected Prov. 15.31 The ear that heareth the rebuke of life shall dwell among wise men 4 The danger of neglect is great 1 He that turns his car from hearing the law his prayer is abominable 2 Uncircumcised cars resist the Holy Ghost Acts 7.51 3 Itching ears that turn from the truth doe by Gods just judgement turn unto â—ables 2 Tim. 4.3 5 It is a sign of a man that hath given his heart unto God for he that gives his heart will give his senses too knowing that God requires both Prov. 23.26 My son give me thy heart and let thine eyes that is thy senses delight in my wayes And our Saviour saith He that hath an ear to hear let him hear Seeing therefore that this is so notable a means of guiding our senses let us more carefully give up and take up our eyes and ears with the sight and sound of Gods Word upon all occasions in the hearing and reading of the Scripture I would ask the most carnal man that is whether this in sound judgement bee not a better object for our senses than Bowls or Tables and fitter for all times especially for the Sabbath Thirdly God made our senses to profit our selves by his Creatures that by them we might glorifie him their Creator and not by them corrupt or insnare our selves
4 Do wee know that God himself is the chief good and should not wee cast our eyes beyond our selves sinful lumps and heaps of dust that all the springs of our affections might run into this main Shall wee bestow the pitch of our affections upon lower things as earthly-minded men do when wee may satiate them with God himself and the things of his glory 5 There is no loss in neglecting our selves for God but great advantage for his eye is upon us to bee a speedy faithful and royal rewarder of us The preferring of our Lords cause above our selves is the preferment of our selves in the end Hee that loseth his life for my sake saith Christ shall find it And therefore as Caesars eye made his Souldiers prodigal of their blood so Gods eye upon us should make our selves small in our own eyes that his glory may bee maintained and reserved wholly to himself Moses preferred Gods honour before his own for hee looked for the recompence of reward Vse 1. The Use hereof belongs to such as are specially set forth to set up Gods causes The Magistrate is not now a private man to seek himself or to set forward his own designs or to shew his heat in his own private causes but to prefer Gods causes before all mens his own or others David a King how calm was hee in his own case when Shimei trayterously railed upon him and Abishai would have fetched his head Oh no said hee God hath bid him rail c But when Gods cause was in hand Oh then away from not yee wicked and I will have no wicked person in my house I will timely destroy the wicked from the house of God Good Nehemiah neglecteth his own allowance and departed from his own right for the peoples sake chap. 5. but cha 13. how zealous is hee for God hee will not let God lose his right not one whit of the Sabbath must bee allowed to any use but Sabbath-duties Such a courage for God and the Truth ought the Magistrate to have as neither for fear of men nor any mans favour or affection hee neglect any thing which God would have him do especially for the house of God and the Offices of it Alas how many Magistrates are of Gallios minde to think religion but a matter of words as if God made them governours of men only but not of Christians keepers of the second Table to preserve Peace and Justice and not of the first to preserve Piety and Religion and if they bee so why are not Blasphemies and horrible Oaths and innumerable prophanations of the Sabbath severely punished why are not Popish and prophane persons compelled to come into the house of God Shall a pilferer of a trifle of a mans goods know that the Magistrate bears not the Sword in vain and shall not hee that robs God of his Glory by Cursing Swearing contemptuous breaking of the Sabbath know the contrary The calling of a Minister is more specially to promote the causes of God which therefore must affect him above all his own respects How earnest was Christ in his Fathers work when his Parents came to seek him at twelve years old hee rebuked them for interrupting him whereas in all private converse hee gave them reverence Luk. 2. When his Disciples brought him meat hee neglected that also saying It is my meat and drink to do the wilt of my Father And if preferring Gods causes will not suffer us to respect our selves much less will wee bee hindered by others wee cannot tune our songs to mens ears but must deal faithfully and plainly though wee displease men How zealous was Christ against the Hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees Matth. 23. though it created him much envy and malice When hee saw the invincible hardnesse of Heart in his hearers how did hee mourn in his spirit and looked angerly about him Mark 3.5 Surely if wee go about to please men or set up our selves in the World Gods causes will affect us slenderly Therefore it shall bee our happy portion to set the top of our ambition the glory of God and in our judgements and practice prefer the winning of souls before the winning of the World Vse 2. Let every man learn to consider what businesse God hath put in his hand to do and not bee hindered in that for that is Gods work Gods cause upon which depends some part of Gods glory And whatsoever he may glorify God in for which hee can warrant his calling let him set that forward and let no respect hinder him let him not suffer God to bee dishonoured in his family nor where hee can hinder it let the spirit of patience swallow a number of private and personal wrongs but when God comes to be wronged let him stir up the spirit of zeal and courage Vse 3. Here many are reproved who fail against this Doctrin as 1 Men that follow nature abandoning religion hot and fiery in their own quarrels not a word can bee sooner uttered against them but they are ready to draw and to stab Their own names may not be mentioned without all due respect But for Gods causes and quarrels let others look to that How hâ—t was Cain in own cause but so much the cooler in Gods causes and service Haman how busy in his own private quarrel to bring Mordecai to death yea to destroy the whole Church had not his gallows caught himself Oh beware by these examples of more zeal in thine own cause than in Gods in thy own name than in God 2 Such Ostriches as can digest any high contempt of God without indignation or reproof and can suffer men to swear and curse by God and Christ his blood wounds and tear him to small peeces It would bee thought disloyalty to hear the Kings Majesties name or title contumeliously spoken of and not bring the party to condign punishment It was an old Law among the Romans that if any man did swear by their God Janus it should bee death unless the Senate approved it or it were made before a Priest why that it might bee either punished or reproved It were well if wee had such a Law amongst us 3 When care of our own houses eat up the care of Gods house Things shall be neat and convenient at home no care how Gods house lies When base trifles are preferred before Gods Word and the good setling of it as stage-plaies and enterludes When Gods Sabbaths and time must give place to our callings or recreations or are passed away in Gods Worship more heavily than holy daies or work-daies Here is a man affected more with his own sin than the highest causes of Gods glory III. The reason of our Saviours denial For it is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serve Our Saviour had sharply reproved Satans impudence in his bold onset this third time but yet because it is not sufficient to thrust off an adversary with heat
Abrahams love to God in so difficult a Commandement as the killing of his Son But Satan here went away not for love of God but for fear and being forced 3 Examine thy manner of obeying whether it bee a willing and ready obedience If I do it willingly saith the Apostle I have a reward and Rom. 6.17 Yee have obeyed from the heart or heartily And such obedience 1 Repineth not as giving God any thing too much though the dearest things of all 2 Deviseth no excuses as Saul when hee did but half the commandement pretended sacrifice and the peoples instance 3 Seeketh no delaies I made haste and delayed not to keep thy righteous judgements Psal 1 19. 4 Doest thou obey in all the Commandements 1 The commandement of faith in the Gospel as well as the actual obedience of the Law for one is as acceptable as the other 2 Obeyest thou the Commandement as well of doing good as of abstaining from evil for the Devil here abstains from this evil of tempting Christ but can never do any good hee joines not these Commandements in his practice as Gods Spirit doth in his precept Isa 1.16 17. 3 Makest thou conscience of the least commandement as well as of the greatest for all of them have a stamp of God upon them makest thou conscience of small oaths vain words roving thoughts 4 Doest thou obey constantly for love is strong as death and much water cannot quench it But alass much obedience is like that of Davids false friends Psal 18.44 45. strangers shall bee in subjection to me but they shall shrink away For a season Luk. 4.13 III. The THIRD point followeth to bee considered namely how long Satan left our Lord not for ever after but for a while and surely he stayed away but a little while For if wee look into the holy story wee shall see the whole life of Christ almost to bee a continual temptation and how Satan from time to time partly by himself and partly by his Ministers assayled him This we shall see how sundry waies Satan molested him and tempted him 1 in his ministery 2 his life 3 his death 1 In his ministery hee was tempted both in his Doctrin and Miracles For his Doctrin the Scribes and Pharisees often sought to catch advantages against him as in the case of the Bill of divorce Mat. 19.1 and of the woman taken in adultery Joh. 8. which by Moses Law should bee stoned but Master what sayest thou The Sadduces also tempted him in the case of the woman that had seven Husbands whose shee should bee in the resurrection Matth. 22.23 And the Lawyer concerning the great Commandement of the Law vers 35. As for his Miracles the seal of that Doctrin they tell him to his face that he cast out Devils by Beelzebub Mat. 9.34 1.2.24 2 In his life and civil Obedience The Pharisees take Counsel together how they might entangle him in his talk about paying tribute to Caesar Matth. 22.15 And when hee ate meat in Matthews house Matth. 9.11 they asked why hee did eat meat with Publicans and sinners and therefore hee was one of them Simon the Pharisee seeing Mary Magdalen annointing Jesus his feet with pretious ointment and washing them with tears and wiping them with her hairs said Surely if this man were a Prophet hee would know that this woman is a sinner and not let her meddle with him How often did they murmure at him and lye in wait for him and take up stones to stone him and rail upon him with most despightful words calling him Beelzebub a Samaritan a glutton a loose companion running up and down with noted sinners in all which Satan was the chief agent 3 But above all other temptations those were most fierce and furious with which hee was afflicted torn and tormented about the time of his passion and on the Cross For then as himself witnesseth the Prince of the World came upon him with all his train Joh. 14.30 hee came in himself and whole Legions of wicked Angels with him as the Apostle plainly implyeth Coloss 2.15 Hee spoiled Principalities and Powers and triumphed over them on the Cross Now or never Satan must win the field this is the last act Christ was never so beset with misery Satan never had him at such an advantage before now Gods whole wrath is upon him and now the Devil and his Angels set upon him so sore that in his Agony in the Garden hee sweats drops of water and blood and on the Cross hee cries out My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee Those were more secret temptations of Satan and his instruments but let us see with what hellish darts they pierced him openly upon the Cross not to speak of those which hee endured all the time hee was in examination condemnation and leading to execution For 1 They hang him between two theeves as an arch-rebel and of all sinners the greatest and dart against him the same temptation with that in all this History that hee was not the Son of God If thou be the Son of God come down from the cross certainly God would not let his Son hang there but thou art a deluder an arch-seducer of the people 2 They tempted him with fear of death Matth. 27.42 hee saved others himself hee cannot save this is a wise Saviour indeed hee cannot escape death in whose hands hee is sure enough and even overcome already of death and yet hee will bee a Saviour 3 They tempted him with utter rejection from God as the most damned reprobate that ever was Hee trusted in God now let him deliver him if he will have him but hee can neither deliver himself nor God will have none of him hee abhors him and will cast him presently to Hell These and a number of the like was our Saviour molested and tempted withall secretly and openly even then when the wrath of his Father seised upon him So as truely the Evangelist might say that Satan left him but for a season Doct. Christian life is but an entercourse of quiet and trouble sometime Satan leaves Christ but hee comes again and renews his temptation so it is with the members who have much war but some peace many troubles but some breathing-time This truth wee will a while discover both in the state of the whole Church of God from time to time as also in some particular members thereof What a night seemed to oppress the Church in the cradle when wicked Cain slew righteous Abel so as all religion and true worship seemed to bee destroyed in all Adams posterity having onely Cain left But shortly after God gave Adam a Seth in whom the Church was restored and preserved and pure religion propagated In Henochs time how was the worship of God prophaned when the Sons of God married the daughters of men which was the cause of the flood but afterward it was restored by Noah and Sem and by him continued to Abraham Now
bring light out of darkness as once hee did in the Creation Rom. 8.28 we know that all things are turned to the best to them that love God His wisdom and power turns things not only good into good nor only afflictions and trials but even their sins and infirmities like a good Physician that tempers poyson to a remedy and of the Vipers skin makes a remedy to heal the Vipers sting 2 This is the godly mans priviledge above wicked ones to find God sweet to their souls either in afflictions or in the ending of them 1 Because their persons whatsoever their estate is are accepted with God whereas the other are rejected 2 They are sealed with the earnest of Gods Spirit and can goe unto God in fervent prayer whereas the other want the Spirit and cannot pray to be heard Psal 18.41 They cried but there was none to save them even to the Lord but he answered them not 3 They have the grace of repentance which removeth sin the cause of affliction and are come out of Babylon though they live in Babylon being as so many Lots in Sodome Whereas the other are impenitent and never removing the cause the effect lies ever upon them and grows every day heavier than other 4 They have peace of conscience and can sing the new song to God and the Lamb having a set of sweet Musick in their souls and with peace they have patience supporting them unto Gods seasonable deliverance Whereas the wicked are as the raging sea and hath no peace nor patience but a sensless unfeelingness of his estate their hearts being either ignorant ascribing all their smart to Fortune or Constellations or fatal necessity or secundary causes being not able to ascend so high as God the Auhor or descend so low as their own sins the just meritorious causes of their evils or hardned and feared or sensless as Nabals whose heart was as a stone dead within him 3 It is one end of Gods extream humbling and afflicting his children not to sink or forsake them but that at the last the powerful work of God may bee shewed on them both for his glory and for theirs The poor blind man Joh. 9.3 carried his misery a great while from his birth to his mans estate and yet our Saviour witnesseth that it was neither for his sin nor his parents but that the work of God might be shewed upon him in the miraculous cure of him when all the power of Nature and Art could doe him no good Lazarus was extremely humbled dead buried lying in the grave stinking who would have thoughr beyond Mary that he should ever have been raised till the last day and yet our Saviour saith that even that death of his was not unto death but for the glory of God Yea the Lord never bringeth any evil upon his children wherein he intendeth not in the end to shew them some great good as Deut. 8.16 The Lord tryed humbled and proved his people in the Wilderness that he might doe them good at the latter end Job 23.10 Hee knoweth my way and trieth me and what was the issue I shall come forth like the gold And the Apostle affirmeth that the trial of our faith which is much more precious than gold shall be sound to our praise and honour and glory as tâ— appearing of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.7 4 God hereby manifests his care and faithfulness in his promises for hee hath promised how ever he suspend his comfort for a time to return in due season neither can his mercies come to an end nor himself leave his mansion finally Therefore it is that sometimes he fore-tells his children of evils to come that they should not come suddenly on them neither distrust his care in them nor be ignorant of a good issue out of them Sometimes he numbers them out and tells how many and how long they shall be Dan. 9.25 There shall be seven weeks that is thirty nine years and there shall bee sixty two weeks that is four hundred thirty four years and then the Messiah shall come c. And always he that setteth the setting of the Starrs and the bounds of the Sea setteth much more the period of our troubles and the furthest limits of his childrens trials which suppose they reach even to death it self they can follow them no further but then is a rest from their labour a reaping of the fruits of their sufferings a joyful harvest of a sorrowful seed-time wherein the Lord meets them with a full and final deliverance and putteth them in full possession of all his most glorious promises Vse 1. Let the godly consider of their priviledge to provoke their patience and constancy in their greatest trials which cannot make them unhappy For 1 The godly mans present estate is the best for him bee it what it can be the Furnace is the fittest place for gold 2 His trial shall bee turned to good because God hath the disposing tempering and moderating of it 3 His trial shall be but light and momentany not in respect of the present sense but because the time of temptation shall be swallowed up by the time of victory 4 The end of it shall be happy and all is well that ends well here shall be a most blessed issue And therefore let drossie Christians fear the fire who are sure to be wasted in it whilst the godly rejoyce in tribulation and with David walk fearlesly in the valley of the shadow of death because God who led him in was with him to lead him out Vse 2. Let the godly judge of themselves not always according to their present estate or feeling which may occasion their feet almost to step but look to the happy end of their trials And though the smart continue long yet let them be assured that the Lord keeps all their bones so that not one of them shall be broken Neither let us be weary and faint in our mindes for although God seemeth not to hear us yet he hears us well enough And though he seem to stand afarre off us it is but a delay no denial of our request And though he seem to neglect us let us not neglect him but hold on in the prayer of faith Vâ—e 3. Let this serve as a ground of comfort and encouragement to us that when with Israel we stand as it were on the Sea-brink beset with dangers then we may be still and expect the salvation of the Lord. For as the Prophet speaketh Hab. 2.3 The vision is yet for an appointed time but at the last it shall speak and not lye if it tarry wais for it shall surely come and shall not stay Let us not make haste nor limit the Lord in prescribing him a time and means but leave all that to his wisdome lean upon his arm relye upon his word he hath a mind to doe us good and that when it shall be most for his glory and our salvation We are not yet perhaps
by bad means to be suspected sundry instances page 201 Accusers mouths how to be stopped four rules page 19 Against false accusation seven rules page 17 Adversaries must bee overcome rather with patience than power page 72 Adoption called into question by Satan for present adversity five reasons page 58 Allegories must not be stuck too fast unto page 170 Christs Allegation of Scripture with some addition and change of words five reasons page 217 Angels called Gods Angels three reasons page 151 Angels tender keepers of the godly three reasons page 153 Concerning Angels three observations page 154 Angels come not in unto Christ before the Devil is gone from him four reasons page 258 Angels cannot bee in two places at once why ibid Angels have bodily shapes by way of 1. description 2 dispensation page 259 Angels minister unto Christ and how page 262 Christ was more Angry in the last temptation than in the two former four reasons page 214 Apochryphal books not authentical three reasons page 86 In the Ark were three things kept page 105 Assemblies in the Church of England holy meetings four reasons page 107 Avoid signifieth three things page 213 B BAd causes are thrust on by bad means four reasons page 2â—0 Behold signifieth five things in Scripture page 257 Blame thy self sinning more than the devil page 139 Blessing more desirable than means page 90 Blind and bloody battels for the holy land more for the Popes profit than Gods glory page 115 Boasters resemble the Devil page 303 To get Bread out of stones three waies page 70 Gods way to get bread contrary to the devils in three things page 71 C TO live out of a lawful calling wicked three reasons page 94 Calling to bee well carried two rules page 97 Special Calling requires the practice of four vertues page 98 Christ was locally carried to the Pinaclâ— four reasons page 123 In Christ Satan would have cast down all mankind page 133 Satan would have us cast down our selves why page 139 Causes of God must affect us above our own five reasons page 214 Changes here good for us five reasons page 254 To be chearful in trials four motives page 10 Chair of Rome a frivolous pretence page 114 Christ subject to temptations notwithstanding his perfection of 1 nature 2 grace 3 power page 5 Christ chose to be tempted in the wildernesse four reasons page 13 Christs going into the wilderness no ground for Popish Eremites four reas page 15 Chriâ—t would be tempted four reas page 11 Christ by being tempted succoureth us four waies ibid. Christ after among wilde beasts than wicked men page 29 Christ not so rough with Satan as with some wicked men no or with his own disciples four reasons page 73 Christ revealeth himself onely to such at will make right use of his knowledge four reas page 75 Christ as able to defend us as himself from wilde beasts and Devils page 29 Christs priviledge above all Creatures in the ministery of Angels three reasons page 263 Christs combate exemplary as victorious page 15â— Christians must he reasonable even to most unreasonable adversaries three reasons page 71 Church no competent Judge of Controversies page 158 Church hath no authority over Scripture four reasons page 159 Church of England not to bee separated from for some corruptions four conclusions page 108 Comforts for weak Christians in temptation four grounds page 5 Circuit of Satan is the compasse of the earth page 13 Comforts from Christ being tempted four grounds page 24 Comfort of the creatures a greater blessing than the creatures themselves page 90 Comfort in that Satan cannot overcome him who is not willing to be overcome page 139 Comforts from the custody of Angels page 154 Comforts of God bid for a time but at length shine out upon his children four reasons page 260 Bad Company worse than solitarinesse page 15 Comforts when temptations come thick on us three page 180 Compacts with Satan 1 open 2 secret page 204 Means to avoid Satans Compacts five page 206 Conference of Scriptures beateth out the true sense of them see instances at large page 165 Councils no competent Judges of controversies four reas page 160 In the inner Court of the Temple were four things of note page 104 D DAy of sicknesse and death most unfit to resist Satans temptations three reas page 42 Death enters the Soul by the windows of the Senses four real page 187 Devil is not driven away by holy water reliques nor the naming of Jesus page 7 Difference between the love of God as God and of God as a Father page â—9 Directions for the fortifying of faith three page 56 Distinction of 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 1 silly 2 ignorant 3 novel page 223 Doctors and Fathers no competent Judges of Scripture five reas page 160 Doing of what God commaundeth not alwaies a sign of true grace three reasons page 247 God draweth neer his Saluts in trouble three waies page 61 E EFfects of the spirits assured governance in troubles three page 12 Eminent persons must be so much the more watchful page 186 Ends and means must be tyed together page 179 Equivocation a Jesultical trick discovered page 150 Three Estates Satan especially would cast men from 1 of innocency 2 regeneration 3 office in Church or Common-wealth page 133 Evill men cleave one to another because all of them hate Christ page 103 Excellency cannot exempt a man from Satans temptations three reasons page 6 How to avoid Satans extremities three rules page 129 F FAmily-worship of God stands in five things page 111 Fasting the kinds 1 civil 2 religious 3 miraculous page 31 Fasting of Christ differeth from Popish in eight things page 32 Christ fasted his fast for four causes ibid Fast of Christ no longer or shorter than forty daies five reasons page 33 Forty nights of Christs fast expressed two reasons ibid Fasting a necessary Christian duty three reasons page 34 Motives to fasting six page 35 Faith his ablions about the means of safety if present three 30. if absent three ibid Overthrow of faith the aim of all Satans temptations five reas page 54 Faith must be so much the stronglier fortified as Satan more furiously assaileth it page 56 Faith his excellency in four things ibid The least Faith can pray for more page 57 Properties of Faith in want of means three page 64 Faith how it demeaneth it self towards the word of Gods providence three Rules page 94 Faithfulness in Promises enforced by five reasons page 198 G COmmon Gamesters live by no word of God page 97 Generality of obedience in four things page 250 Gifts of God differ from the devils in four things page 205 Glory of God must bee preferred above all the world six reas page 210 Motives to promote the glory of God five page 225 To glorify God in good measure means four page 213 God glorifieth himself in our tryals four waies page 254 Glory of the world falsly claimed by Satan for
wickedness with tears pray for pardon promise amendment beg prayers of others as Pharaoh one would think them very penitent themselves think they are so also but the Moon changeth not so often as these spiritual lunaticks who hence may know that the evil spirit hath taken possession of them because they are never long in a good minde These few notes instead of many I thought good to set down to help men that are desirous to see how secretly Satan worketh in their souls and how hee can cunningly most forceably keep possession when hee seemeth most to disclaim it that thus they comming to perceive the disease may run out of themselves to seek for remedy Which what it is wee are now in the next point to declare The third point in the words to bee considered is The mighty power of Jesus Christ who onely could heal those that were thus oppressed and enthralled by the Devil and here consider 1 The ground 2 The proof or manifestation of it The ground was because God was with him How God was with his Son and how with his Servants It will bee objected that God is said to have been with many of his servants who yet had not this power as with Joseph Joshuah Moses and others Answ God was indeed with them onely by manifesting his presence in some powerful or loving effect which hee wrought in by or for them But never was God present with any of his Saints as hee was with his Son who had not the vertue onely and power of the God-head effectually and energetically working with him which was all they had but the god-head it self was after a sort bodily with him yea the fulnesse of the God-head was not only with him but in him bodily Col. 2.9 as elsewhere God is said not onely to bee with Christ but in Christ reconciling the world unto himself 2 Cor. 5.19 So as hee of himself performed the works which proceeded from him which they did not and his actions as from himself were divine Quest Why then doth not the Apostle more shortly and plainly say that Christ was God as that God was with him Answ Hee might indeed have so said as truely but for the time spareth the weakness of his hearers contenting himself to deliver Doctrin as they were able to receive it in great wisdome by little and little instilling into their minds the knowledge of Christ and by degrees laying such grounds and foundations as whereby themselves might more easily rise to that high point of Divinity which the Apostle calleth a great mystery namely God manifested in the flesh 1 Tim. 3.26 Secondly For the proof or manifestation of this Divine power of Christ Christ powerfully treadeth Satan under his feet â—n overthrowing the power of Satan and treading him under his feet is evident in the Scripture The first promise that ever was made to man fallen is That this seed of the woman should bruise the Serpents head According to which prophecy hee not onely put Satan to flight in his own person Mat. 4. but took also his strongest holds where hee had strongly fortified himself in the persons of others as every where the History of the Gospel recordeth Hee rebuked the unclean spirits and made them cry for grief and anger Mark 9.25 Hee forced them to silence and would not suffer them to confess him Mar. 1.25 By his very word hee chained and bound them whom no bolts could hold nor any other means subdue such was his power and glory though men saw little of it that the Devils could neither fly from him nor yet abide his presence A whole legion of them ran to meet him a far off and worshipped him Mar. 5.6 most submisly intreated him that hee would not torment them and earnestly sued unto him that seeing they could no longer inhabit the man they might have power over the swine By all which examples and many more that might bee added appeareth what command Jesus Christ hath over the Devils and that by his onely word hee healed all those that were oppressed by them Quest It is true that Christ hath this power and glory in himself How the power of Christ foyleth Satan for us because God is with him but how commeth this power to bee so saving and soveraign unto miserable creatures who are held under the power of the Devil and that most justly Ans In healing all our diseases Mat. 8.16.17 among which this cute is numbred wee must knit and combine those two things which in Christ were inseparable namely his glory and his grace the latter of which makeeth the former soveraign unto us and appeareth in two actions in removing from us the next causes of all our diseases namely our sins For as the Physician in working a cure first removeth the distempered humours of his patient which are the matter of the disease so doth our heavenly Physician imply that this is the beginning of his cure and therefore often his first word is Thy sins are forgiven thee and his last word is goe and sin no more lest a worse thing befall thee 2 By taking our diseases upon himself which 〈◊〉 Physician doth or can do but this Lamb of God taketh away the sins of the world by taking them upon himself for he bare our infirmities Col. 2.22 and carried our sorrows and sins in the body of his flesh even to the cross where they were fastned with him buried them in his grave yea cast them into Hell and there left them by which most glorious triumph of his the snares and letters wherewith wee were chained to death and the Devil are broken and our souls as a bird are escaped Christ onely by his Pâ—opes power casteth out Devils Hence note 1 That no man can cast a Devil out of a possessed party or ever did as a principal efficient cause but as an instrument and that onely by this power of the Lord Jesus to whom all power in heaven and earth is given and to whom all the honour of this power must bee ascribed for what power can countermand Satans but onely Gods I grant Satan may give place to beelzabub and depart his habitation for his greater advantage and forsake a body to get faster hold upon the soul or to delude many beholders but such hostile conquest over Satan argueth a mighty power of God which all the Devils in hell cannot resist Secondly That whosoever finde themselves any way molested of Satan must hasten themselves to Jesus Christ who onely can batter down the holds of the Devil In all thy spiritual captivity repair unto Christ and work their deliverance Feelest thou thy self held under any spiritual captivity or bondage doth the Law of evil present with thee toyl thee with heaviness and unchearfulness to any thing that is good seest thou in any measure Satans secret trains working against thy salvation Oh come unto Christ not faintly as the Father of the possessed child Mark
of God which is the curse of the Law and not onely Ceremonially and typically as they were This the Apostle Paul teacheth Gal. 3.13 that Christ was not onely dead but made a curse for us his reason is because hee dyed on a tree and therefore are wee admonished Phil. 2.8 to consider not only that Christ was obedient unto the death but to the death of the Cross for any other death had not so much concerned us Fourthly This death which so much concerned all the Church of the Jews and Gentiles must not bee obscure and therefore the Lord would not have Christ to dye in a tumult or in secret but most conspicuously and apparently at Jerusalem the great City of the Jews but tributary to the Romans as it were upon the Theatre of the World at a solemn feast when all the Males out of all quarters must appear before the Lord upon a Cross high erected that all might see him and on the Cross himself proclaimed King of the Jewes in three several Langages the Latine Greek and Hebrew that all sorts of men might come to the knowledge of it and further because in his death standeth our life hee must bee thus lifted up that all men might see him certainly dead and that he dyed not in shew and appearance only but in deed and in truth really and perfectly for which cause also our Apostle doubleth his affirmation they slew him and hanged him on a tree which most necessary ground of Faith and Religion Satan hath mightily by many Hereticks sought to overthrow the Turks at this day are held off from the faith in this Messiah by that Diabolical suggestion that not Christ himself but Simon the Cyrenian was miraculously crucified in his stead And therefore because the assurance of the death it self assureth us more fully of all the fruits and benefits of it the Scripture is careful so pregnantly to confirm it as that it cannot be denied not only that he was in the sight of a number of thousands dead on the Crosse but by his three days burial by the peircing of his side out of which came water and bloud by which was manifest that the very Call of his heart was peirced by the confession of his very enemies who would beleeve nothing but their own sences and lastly by the fact of the Souldiers who whereas they hastened the death of the Theeves by breaking their leggs they broke not his because the text saith they saw that he was dead already The fourth point is the use of Christs Crucifying First in Christ on the Crosse take a full view of the cursednesse and execration of sin and consequently of thine own wretchednesse both in regard of thy wicked nature and cursed practices every sin being so loathsome and odious in the eyes of God as the least could never be put away but by such an ignominious death of the Son of God himself If thou lookest at sin in thy self or in thy sufferings yea or in the sufferings of the damned in Hell it will seem but a slight thing but behold God comming down from Heaven and him that thought it no robbery to bee equal to his Father in glory taking flesh in that flesh abasing himself to the death of the Crosse on that Crosse sustaining the whole wrath of his Father and so becoming accursed for it and thou shalt see it in the native face of it And indeed this one consideration setteth a more ugly face upon sin than the Law possibly can for that sheweth our sins to bee a knife to stab our selves withall The most ugly visage of sin that can be but this to be the very spear that went to Christs heart which is the most odious apprehension in the world all the sin that ever was committed on the earth could not bring a man so low suppose one man had committed them all as the least sin of the elect brought the Son of God seeing he that falleth lowest falleth but from one degree in earth to another but Christ falleth from the glory of Heaven into the very sorrows of Hell whosoever thou art then that makest light account of sin and pleadest that God is merciful look a little in this glasse wherein behold Gods Justice and sins desert in the Fathers just indignation against his wel-beloved Son whom nothing but the cursed death of his only Son in whom he professed himself well pleased could appease Secondly seeing all the knowledge of Christ profitable to salvation is of Christ crucified let us desire to know nothing in comparison but Christ and him crucified 1 Cor. 2.2 seeing such a great Apostle as Paul was desired to know nothing else Now to come to the distinct knowledge of it we must consider these three points 1 The vertue and power of this death in it self 2 The application of it unto our selves 3 The fruits which must appear in us by such application For the first Look upon this death of the Son of God not as of another dead man neither think or speak of it as of the death of another ordinary felon executed but as of a death which slew all the sins of all the beleevers in the world and as a destroyer of all destroyers a death wherein was more power than in all the lives of all Angels and Men that ever were or shall bee More power in Christs death than in the lives of all men and Angels yea such a death as hath life in it quickning all the deaths of all that have benefit by it Here we have a mighty Sampson bearing away the gates of his enemies by death killing death by suffering his Fathers wrath overcoming it by entring into the Grave opening it for all beleevers by his Bloud shedding upon the Crosse reconciling all things Col. 1.20 never was there such an active suffering of any man which tormented and crucified the Devils themselves when the Devils instruments were tormenting and crucifying him it is peerlesse and unmatchable no Martyr ever thus suffered though Popish doctrin would match as Corrivals some of their Saints sufferings with it the most faithful Martyrs suffered but dissolution of soul and body but Christ besides suffered the whole Wrath of God due to mans sin they suffered in way of Christian duty and service but he to make a sacrifice of expiation of sin they having their sins removed and taken off from them but he bare all theirs and all beleevers sins in his body upon the tree 1 Pet. 2.24 Howsoever therefore Humane wisdom stumbleth at this death of Christ yet must we by the eye of faith labour to espy glory in ignominy esteem of the Crosse as an honourable Chariot and rejoyce in a triumph made as the Jews scoff by an hanged man thus shall we see the foolishness of God wiser than man and the weakness of God stronger than man thus also shall we imitate the holy men of God who looking back to the Cross of Christ could
suckest so in temptation to any other sin deny it and say Oh no I see Christ on the Crosse made a curse for my sins already I have done him wrong enough already I will not adde this to the former I see rather an infinite debt due from me towards him and I must rather think of the payment of that than offer to run in further Thus we see both the duty and the means neither of them both are regarded by many some would fain see Christ on the Crosse for the remitting of their sin but not for the crucifying of it their lusts are as strong as ever be-before pride contention hastinesse voluptuousnesse worldlinesse live and thrive in them and yet they say Christ was crucified for them whereas if Christ be crucified for thee the world is crucified unto thee and thou unto the world Others because Christ is come and dead for sinners make a clean contrary argument Christ dyed for sinners and therefore they will live in their sins as though that were the work of Christ upon the Crosse to maintain sin and Libertine courses and not rather to abolish the same what a fearful thing is it that men dare make the death of the Son of God as a common pack-horse to lay all their sins upon while yet hereby they embolden themselves in the multiplication of them Many will not endure to have their lusts pricked in the Ministery and much lesse crucified Others are so farre from crucifying their lusts as they will not endure to have them prickt or touched in the Ministery Oh meddle not with mine eyes I can not endure it or if they endure to crucifie many yet some sweet sins shall be spared they are sweet morsels or fat morsels profitable or pleasurable sins and they must not be let goe but never a one of all these ever tasted in truth the least fruit of the death of Christ The second fruit that must appear in us is the life of Christ 2 Cor. 5.15 He dyed for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which dyed for them and rose again Rom. 6.11 12. Likewise think yee also that yee are dead to sin but are alive to God in Jesus Christ 12. Let not therefore sin reign in your mortal body In which places this life of Christ is opposed to the course of our lives framed of our selves and is nothing else but to depend upon Christ in all things to give up all our thoughts words and actions to be guided by his word and directed to his glory and so to order our whole course as his blessed Spirit may appear to breath lead and live in us Now that this fruit should be added to the former is evident 1 Pet. 2.24 He bare our sins upon the tree that we being dead to sin should live in righteousnesse Thus therefore help thy self by this meditation shall my Lord Jesus so willingly forsake his glory for me and shall not I forsake my sin and shame for him shall he contentedly dye an accursed death for me and shall not I as contentedly dye to an accursed life for him Shall he dye to glorifie me and shall not I live to glorifie him Shall not he think his heart-bloud too dear for me and shall I love any thing better than him Thus to behold Christ on his Crosse will help thee forward in this fruit also To which purposes the Lord in wisdome hath instituted the Ministery of the Word and Sacraments No marvel seeing the Papists shuâ— out the preaching of Christ crucified that they must see him in Crucifixes and such Idolotrous representations that wee might have Christ crucified Gal. 3.1 continually as it were hanging before our eyes which ordinance of preaching Christ crucified were it in request in the Church of Rome they should not need their manuary Bables Crosses Pipes Crucifixes their Agnus Dei and the rest neither would they with religious adoration honour the Wooden Crosse to the dishonour of him that dyed upon it but accursed be all such dead and Idolatrous representations against the word let it bee our happinesse with care and reverence to frequent the Word and Sacraments which are blessed means ordained of God not only to set Christ on the Crosse before our eyes but to bring into possession those happy fruits formerly described Vers 40 Him God raised up the third day and caused that hee was shewed openly THE Apostle having delivered the Doctrin of Christ his death hee orderly descendeth to instruct his hearers also of his resurrection without which his death had never been beneficial unto them And the words in general imply one point not to bee omitted For howsoever the Apostle expresseth nothing between Christ his hanging on a tree and his raising again yet because it cannot bee properly said that hee was raised from the Tree or from the Cross which was a kinde of exaltation and lifting up necessarily must bee included a lower estate than that was namely that condition of the dead under which hee lay for a certain time as it were cast from the face of God his Father and of men yea from the face of the earth Christ submitted to the lowest estate of death why when death and sin seemed to triumph over him all the while of his burial when they had him in the grave the house of death This was the low estate from whence hee rose the which hee willingly submitted himself unto for a time 1 That the faith of his Church might bee confirmed in that hee was truely and certainly dead and not in shew or appearance 2 That his victory and conquest over death might bee more glorious in that hee could not hold him down when hee had him in his own house but like a mighty Sampson hee carried away the gates of his enemies 3 To remove by undergoing for us that fearful state of death and damnation which we had otherwise for ever lain under to sanctify unto us our estate under temporal death which is sweetened by his death to make our graves as soâ—t and perfumed beds of rest by his lying in the grave and that wee also therein by being subdued under corruption might put it off and so bee sitted to immortality and glory 4 To teach us that our head being of power to rise from the power of death when the bands of it wrapped him round about can now much more being in glory draw us his members out of the deepest pits of danger or thraldome spiritual or temporal and will in his time set us free This time wee must wait but not appoint it neither distrust his power and grace when wee are in the deepest of our distress 5 That seeing it was his pleasure to submit himself to the lowest estate of humiliation before his exaltation wee might also with more cheerfulnesse content our selves to suffer even any abasement with him and for him before wee look to reign
and 3 In their several offices one to another as to send and to bee sent these three are one in nature and essence one in power and will and one in the act of producing all such actions as without themselves any of them is said to perform Secondly Although here is no contrariety yet here is an order in the working or administration of the person to bee observed for the Father as the first efficient in order raiseth Christ as man by the Son as a second efficient in order and by the Holy Ghost as a third For as it is in all the matter of creation so is it in all the works of redemption they are ascribed unto the Father especially not because they agree not unto the other two persons but because hee after a peculiar manner worketh them namely by the Son and by the Holy Ghost but they not by him but from him and so neither this or any other such place where it is ascribed to the Father to raise his Son Jesus must bee conceived either as making Christ as the Son inferiour in power to his Father or as excluding his own mighty power in raising himself for they shew onely the order of the persons but make no inequality in essence or power or will or working Thirdly where the Son is said to bee raised of the Father it must not bee understood of the person of the Son but in respect of his nature assumed that is his humanity Whence observe that as the former point shewed that Christ was a true man because hee was in the state of the dead whence hee was raised so this consideration sheweth him to bee a true and glorious God and notably concludeth that which the Apostle aimeth at who would hence prove him to bee Lord of all in that by his own power hee raised himself from death and so mightily declared himself the Son of God Rom. 1.4 Ubi resurrectio non passive sed active accipitur cum sit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deitatis Christs Deity cleâ—red by his glorious resurrection and Lord of all blessed for ever This is it which maketh him the fit object of our Faith and if hee had not expressed himself as well a true and perfect God as a true and entire man wee ought not to have beleeved in him wee beleeve not then as the Jews scoffingly say in a crucified God but in a God raising and exalting to glory by his own omnipotent power an assumed humane nature even then when it lay under the curse of all the sins that ever have or shall bee committed by the true members of the Church the which thing no power of man or Angel nor any created nature could ever turn hand unto could ever have stood under and much sess have swum out with conquest and victory neither indeed had he himself if there had remained the least sin of any the elect to have been accounted for wee need then no other sign to be given us to prove his Deity but this sign of Jonas and when the Jews demanded a sign why hee took such authority upon him hee gave them no other but sent them hither destroy this Temple and I will rear it on three daies Joh. 2.18 19 c. It was necessary that Christ should rise again reasons The third point is the raising it self wherein three points are to bee opened 1 The necessity of Christs rising 2 The manner 3 The fruit or ends of it First it was necessary that Christ should rise again in three respects 1 For the accomplishment of things fore-appointed and foretold it was from all eternity decreed and appointed by God and therefore it behoved Christ to rise from the dead the third day Luke 24.46 and it was impossible that he should be held down of death Act. 2.24 Again the Scriptures must necessarily bee fulfilled all which beat upon these two points 1 His sufferings Luk. 24.26 2 the glory that should follow 1 Pet. 1.11 And more specially all those predictions and types of his resurrection inforced this necessity Psal 16.10 Thou wilt not leave my soul in grave which our Apostle proveth cannot bee meant of David whose body saw corruption but that David spake concerning him Isa 53.10 when hee shall make his soul an offering for sin hee shall see his seed and prolong his daies Besides his own prediction of his resurrection must either bee fulfilled or hee could not have been the onely true Prophet of his Church for himself had said that the Jews should slay him and crucify him but the third day shall hee rise again Matth. 20.17 and this the High Priests and Pharisees remembred well when they came to Pilate and said Sir wee remember that this deceiver while hee was alive said within three daies I will rise command therefore that the sepulchre bee made sure c. Adde hereunto that all the predictions of his ascension of his triumph and of the last judgement depended hereupon Further the types which fore-shadowed his resurrection must not bee frustrate but answered in the truth of them as that of Jsaac bound upon the wood but yet reserved alive whom his Father received from the dead after a sort of Sampson escaping the revenge and malice of his enemies by carrying away the gates wherein hee seemed fast shut of the two goats one slain for sin the other a scape-goat shadowing Christ both slain for sin and yet escaping Levit. 16.5 of the two sparrows the one killed the other let flye and the most express of all that of Jonah which Christ himself mentioneth Matth. 12.39 and most properly applyeth to this very purpose Neither the person of Christ nor any of his Offices could suffer him to abide long under death 2 It was necessary in respect of himself whether wee consider the excellency of his person or of his office For his Person hee was by nature the eternal Son of God the Lord of Life and Glory and by no better means could hee bee discerned to bee this true and natural Son of God or the resurrection and life than by raising himself from death to life by his most glorious power Hence it was that himself a little before his death prayed in these words Father glorify thy Son Joh. 17.1 As for his Office as hee was set out by his Father to bee a perpetual Mediatour between God and the Church so was hee to bee an everlasting King of Glory Not his kingly of whose Kingdome there must bee no end Luke 1.33 according to that Prophecy of Daniel 7.27 The Kingdome of the most High is an everlasting Kingdom And according to the oath of the Lord recorded Psal 89.36 I have sworn once by my Holinesse that I will not fail David his seed shall endure for ever and his Throne as the Sun before mee hee shall bee established for evermore as the Moon and as a faithful witnesse in the Heaven Selah 2 He must be also a
Preist for ever after the order Not his Priestly Office not after the order of Levi or Aaron but of Melâ—hisedeck without beginning or end of daies and this also the Lord had sworn unto his Son and could not repent that hee should bee a Priest for ever Psal 110.4 wherein the Priest-hood of Christ is advanced above all the Priests that ever were who having received their Office in time in time also ceased their office with their life but Christ his Priesthood was not limitâ—ed in any time but was every way eternal They were many who succeeded one another because they were not suffered to indure by death Heb. 7.23 But this man because hee endureth for ever hath no successor but an everlasting Priesthood They were made Priests after the Law of the carnal Commandement but hee after the power of the endless life vers 16. that is hee was not made a Priest by the Law namely Ceremonial which established for a time dying and vanishing things signified by the name of flesh but hee was made by the efficacy of the Word and oath of his Father which gave him endless life and perpetual duration so as neither death it self nâ—â— the grave could hold any dominion over him when they seemed to have clasped him fast in their bands which yet were powerfull enough to have held down any or all other men in the world besides himself and the Apostle to the Hebrews giveth a double reason why he must necessarily out-live death it self The former because hee must not onely make a perpetual oblation that need no repetition but also hee must live ever to make intercession Heb. 7.25 and that perpetually without which the Apostle implyeth that he had not perfectly saved his people This is most clearly proved Rom. 8.34 It is Christ who dyed yea or rather which is risen again who is also at the right hand of God and maketh intercession for us and Heb. 9.24 Christ is entered into the very Heaven to appear now in the sight of God for us which appearance of his in Heaven with his Merits hath the force of the most effectual prayer that ever was The latter is By dying Christ offereth and by rising hee applyeth his sacrifice to the conscience of beleevers that hee may not onely make one offering for sin as those Priests did many but that hee may alwaies live to apply it as they did not and see that his people have the benefit of it not onely before God for the appeasing of his wrath but also for the purging of their consciences from dead works to serve the living God as the same Apostle noteth Heb. 9.14 and in the last place to bestow upon every beleever the spirit of faith whereby they may apprehend and apply his sacrifice to their own salvation Neither doth it any whit impeach the eternity of Christs Priest-hood because four thousand years almost of the world were passed before hee suffered for howsoever the execution of it was not all those ages after the beginning of the World yet the vertue efficacy and benefit of it reached to the first Beleever that ever was in the World Adam himself whose faith in this seed of the woman saved him Abraham also saw his day and rejoyced and the Holy Ghost feareth not to call him the Lamb slain from the beginning of the World Rev. 13.8 namely 1 In Gods Council and Decree 2 In the vertue and efficacy of his Sacrifice 3 In regard of Gods acceptation of it for Beleevers 4 In the types and shadows of it whereof the Ceremonial Law was full And much less doth that hinder it from being eternal in that after the day of judgement it shall cease when we shall stand no more in need of Priests or Saviours for howsoever the execution of this office shall then cease yet the vertue and efficacy of it shall last for ever and ever 3 Hee must bee also the perpetual Prophet of his Church Nor his Prophetical the unchangeable Doctor of his Church and the Apostle of our profession who must constantly send his Spirit to lead us into all truth raise up Teachers and hold them in his right hand for the gathering of the Saints untill wee all meet in the unity of Faith and knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man and unto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ Eph. 4.13 so as it is cleared that no part of his Offices could admit that hee should abide under death and therefore necessarily in this second respect must rise again Thirdly It was necessary hee should rise again because hee was so to dye as that thereby hee must overcome yea and destroy death which hee had not done if hee had lain conquered of death still in the grave yea more hee must so dye as that hee must give eternal life to his sheep Joh. 10.28 and by his death merit it put and hold them in possession of it for ever all signified in the phrases following they shall never perish neither shall any take them out of my hands which could never have been accomplished it himself had perished and had been left in the hands and house of death But hence hath hee brought his Church strong consolation in that being risen from the dead hee hath fully overcome death satisfied for every sin of every Beleever and risen from under all that weight of sin and death which would have oppressed us for ever yea even himself if hee had left one of our sins that beleeve in his name unsatisfied for Out of this that hath been spoken cometh to bee answered that objection That seeing Christ by his death paid the price of sin unto God what need we more of him we can be but acquitted and discharged Ans The providing of the most soveraign Plaster is not enough to work a Cure but the applyâ—ng of it also Neither was it sufficient for Christ to perform the former part of his Priest-hood namely satisfaction for sin if he had not added the latter thereto which is the application of it This latter maketh the former ours and comfortable unto us And both these the Apostle affirmeth of Christ Rom. 4.25 Christ was delivered to death for our sins and is risen again for our justification where by justification is meant by a Metonimy the application of justice II. The second point propounded to bee considered of in the rising of Christ is the manner of it which will appear in three things the 1 Concerning his Soul the 2 his Body the 3 his whole Humanity standing of both First the Soul of Christ which on the Crosse was separated from the body commended into the hands of his Father and translated that same day into Paradise was by the mighty power of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost brought back into his dead body lying in the grave quickned it and made it a living body moving and sensible in it self and unto others Secondly
the self-same Body which was born of the Virgin Mary educated in Aegypt and Galilee which was apprehended condemned crucified and laid in the Grave came out of the Grave a living body God by the ministery of the Angels removing all lets loosing the bands and apparrel of death from oft his blessed body by the earthquake tumbled away the stone that held him down drove away the Souldiers for fear who would have assayed to have killed him the second time if they had seen him rise and so opened the Grave that all might see the body was gone Thirdly the whole Humanity was raised glorified For 1 His Body put off all such infirmities and passions as he pleased to make trial of for our sakes that he might be a more merciful High Priest such as are hunger thirst cold wearinesse pain and death it self and contrarily put on such excellent qualities as are fit for a glorified body Christus gloriam corpori suâ— dedit naturam non abstulit such as are agility brightnesse incorruption immortality and the like But here two rules must be remembred the former that none of these qualities are Divine properties for although the Deity personally inhabiting this Humane nature doth adorn it with all perfection of most excellent qualities yet must they still be conceived as finite and created accidents which destroy not the nature of a body they beautifie it but deifie it not they make it not omni-present nor yet invisible for then should it cease to be a body and become a spirit to which only these can agree The latter rule is that although Jesus Christ rose most glorified yet did hee still while he was up on earth veil his Majesty and shewed not himself in that perfect glory the degrees of which he was now entred into not only because he would reserve the fuâ—l manifestation of it until the last Judgement but also in regard of his Disciples and faithful ones that they might bee able to discover the self-same body which they had formerly well known and that his surpassiâ—g glory shâ—uld not hinder or affray them from that further familiar converse with him whereby they being to be his witnesses might be confirmed and fitâ—ed to their testimony by seeing hearing yea and touching him Hence was it that while he was on earth after his Resurrection hee would carry the sâ—ars and prints of the spear and nayls that they might put their fingers into them for their better discerning of him Hence also although he rose naked out of the Grave and left the cloaths behind him for that was agreeable to the state of a Glorified body which standeth no more in need of cloathing for necessity nor ornament than Adam did in the state of innocency yet in respect of their infirmity to whom hee was to appear hee used clothes and although hee needed neither meat nor drink yet for their sakes and ours hee ate and drunk as wee shall after see Secondly as for the soul of our blessed Saviour it was beautified with such a measure of knowledge as excelled all creatures Men or Angels even such as was meet for such an head the God-head revealing unto it all things which either it wâ—uld know or in regard of his glorious Office ought to know The like is tâ— be said of Righteousness Holiness and the rest of his Graces wherein hee was set so far above all Creatures as they all are not able to comprehend them and yet in regard of God all of them finite as his soul it self is III. The third point in this rising of Christ is the fruit or benefits of it which will appear to bee not so many as great if wee attentively consider either 1 The Evils that hereby hee hath removed or 2 The good things hee hath prâ—cured unto his people The former is manifest in that hence all the enemies of mans salvation are not onely utterly subdued but made not onely not formidable and terrible as before but after a sort friendly at least beneficial unto Beleevers the which point after wee have a little cleared wee will procâ—â—d to the second sort of benefits hence also accrewing Joâ—huah in leading the people Joshuah a singular type of Christ wherein and putting them in possession of the land of Canaan w s in many things a singular type of Jesus Christ As that hee beginneth where Moses endeth his calling was confirmed to him by the voice of God himself the end of his calling to guide the people to the promised Land of Canaan the destroying and casting out all the enemies that lifted up hand against them the dividing of the Land according to their Tribes and so preparing after a sort to every one his mansion the establishing of Laws and Ordinances to be observed of all the Subjects of that Kingdom the peoples acknâ—wledgment of him for their Captain their promise of frank obedience and o subjecting themselves to whatsoever hee commanded them In one word the whole History doth represent our true Joshuah or Jesus who is the accomplisher of all Gods promises concerning the heavenly Canaan and the leader of Gods people to true felicity but in no one action did this worthy Captain of the Lords Hosts more lively resemble the Truth or true Joshuah than when at one time in one Cave hee slew five Kings who being deadly enemies against the people of God made out a strong head and united their forces to hinder their peaceable possession For our Joshuah or Jesus which is all one went into the Grave or Cave where hee was buried and there met with and slew five mighty Tyrants and came out a most glorious Conqueror The names of these five Kings were 1 Sin 2 Death 3 Hell 4 Satan 5 The World over all whom Christ by his powerful resurrection most gloriously triumphed The first enemy soyled by Christ is sin The first of these enemies is Sin who had for ever reigned in us to death and held us under his power if Christ had not brâ—ken his power by his Resurrection So saith the Apostle if Christ bee not risen again Wee are yet in our sins 1 Cor. 15.17 But it is plain this enemy is soiled for if the guilt of one sin had remained unabolished and Christ had not payed the uttermost faithing hee had never risen again A great questâ—on answered at large But against this will bee objected that not withstanding Christs rising wee see sin rule and reign in the most and hath as much dominion and power as it ever had or can have and if wee look at the best they have many sinful actions found in their hands plainly arguing that sin moveth and stirreth and is not dead in them How say wee then that Christ by his resurrection hath slain it Answ Wee must here observe a two-fold distinction whereby wee shall more easily loose this knot First of persons some are members of his body and some yea the most are not some are
you have all the strength and malice of the wicked world against you all which shall bee no more able to prejudice your salvation or hinder your glory than mine own who have overcome it so as you fight against a Conquered Enemy By all this that hath been said that of the Apostle appeareth to bee true that hee hath subdued all things unto himself and hath put all his enemies under his feet that none nor all of them can separate us from God or Christ or our salvation purchased and preserved for us by him How all these enemies are not only soyled but after a sort made friendly unto us Now wee are to see in the next place that Christ by his resurrection hath not onely spoyled these enemies for us but that hee hath made them all after a sort friendly unto us that whereas they desire still indeed and seem to wound us they do nothing else but heal us 1 For sin that now serveth to humble Gods Children and keep them low in their own eyes as also provoketh them to walk awfully in regard of God and watchfully over their hearts and lives still groaning to God under their daily infirmities By this means out of the eater commeth meat as was said in Sampsons riddle Judg. 14.14 2 Death is not now to Gods Children as it was to Christ joyned with a sence of Gods anger against it or paying a debt to the Justice of God for it were against the rule of Gods Justice to require the payment of the same debt twice but wherein they have a sweet sense of Gods Fatherly love wherein sin is perfectly to bee abolished whereby way and entrance is made unto life everlasting where wee shall bee with God and Jesus Christ which is best of all The Saints of God in these regards have rather desired than feared it for what man having been tossed a long time upon a dangerous Sea would fear the Haven or who being wearied with the Travels of the day would fear to go to his rest at night 3 Sence of Hell keepeth in us an hatred of sin and a longing after Heaven yea how beneficial the terrors of Conscience are to Gods Children were too long here to discourse The speech is as true as common the way to heaven lyeth by hell gates 4 The Devil maketh us fly to God our help and rely upon his strength yea when men by no other means will bee drawn God setteth the Devil in their necks to drag them to Heaven as a grave Divine speaketh 5 All the evils in the world work to the best to them that love God and hasten them to the fruition of the victory obtained by Christ they wean them from the World and the love of it And whereas they are as prone to pitch their Tabernacles here below as others God useth these as means to keep his from being of the World even while they are in it They conform them to Jesus Christ their head and train them in the imitation of him both in patience and obedience Now how could any of these parcels of Gods curse against the sin of man or mans cursed sin it self bring to any such sweet and profitable fruits but by the over-ruling power of Jesus Christ who bringeth life out of death light out of darkness and who onely can make his own wise out of a rank poyson to suck most sweet and sovereign preservatives which who doth not hee never as yet knew the benefit of Christ his resurrection Christ by his resurrection not only removed evils but procured all our good as appeareth by three instances The second sort of blessings procured to the Church by Christ his resurrection is the fruition of good things which it putteth us in possession of even in this life by giving us our first fruits and a sweet taste but up-heapeth our measure after this life when our Harvest commeth and wee admitted to feed fully at the Supper of the Lamb. The benefits which I will mention are three First We are confirmed hereby in the whole truth of all our Religion the main foundation of which laid by all the Prophets and Apostles is that Jesus Christ the Son of Mary was the Son of God the true Messiah perfect God and perfect man and so indeed hee was such a one as hee was foretold to bee one that was to dye and yet saw no corruption one who must make his soul an offering for sin and yet must survive to see his seed and prolong his daies one that had power to lay down his Life 1 Pet. 3.18 and power to take it up again In a word one that was put to death concerning the flesh but was quickned in the spirit that is by vertue of his Deity raising that flesh up again Let all the Jews and Atheists in the earth despise the indignity of his death we with the Angels will admire the glory of his resurrection II. The second benefit is that hence wee are assured that our 1 Justification 2 Sanctification 3 Perfect salvation is not only obtained but applyed unto us 1 For our Justification before God by means of Christ his resurrection hee brought in to us an everlasting righteousnesse in that hee not only bare our burden upon himself but bare it away from us for what is his resurrection else but his actual absolution from our sins which were imputed unto him and for which hee subjected himself unto the death Whence wee grow up in full assurance that the whole price is not onely paid to the uttermost on Christs part but that the satisfaction is accepted also on his Fathers whose justice would never have absolved him if all the Bills and Writings which were to bee laid against us had not been fastned to the Cross and so cancelled and fully discharged so as now wee may with the Apostle hold out a flagge of defiance and challenge our righteousness for who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that justifieth who shall condemn it is Christ which is dead yea or rather which is risen again Rom. 8.34 And the same Apostle thirsting after that Righteousnesse which is by Faith in him counteth all things loss and dung save onely to know him and the vertue of his resurrection Phil. 3.10 2 From this Resurrection of Christ issueth our sanctification which is our first resurrection or raising of our souls from the death of sin because in every reconciliation-making must bee two conditions 1 A forgetting upon satisfaction of all old wrongs and injuries 2 A binding from future offences the former Christ effecteth by his death the latter by his resurrection into the which whosoever are grafted they cannot hence-forth serve sin Rom. 6.5 6. but being risen with Christ they seek the things which are above Colos 3.1 where Christ sitteth they cease further by sin to offend as such who are begotten to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead 1 Pet. 1.3 and for this cause our Saviour was careful after his departure hence to send out his Spirit in more plentiful and abundant manner than before that hee might continually inspire his people with ardent desires after the beginnings of that life eternal unto which Christ himself is risen who then manifest themselves members of such an advanced head when this new life manifesteth it self in them Thirdly our perfect salvation is also hence fully assured us for if our Lord Jesus hath soyled all the powers of Hell Death and Darkness in himself when hee was yet dead how much more doth hee it for us his members being now alive if hee could drive back and disperse all spiritual enmitles even when hee was in Hell it self after a sort how much more now being ascended far above all moveable and aspectible Heavens Eph. 4.10 for wee must not behold the victory and triumph of Christ What or who shâ—ll separate us from the love of God seeing it is Christ that is dead or rather risen from the dead as performed onely in and for himself but as the ground and pledge of the victory and conquest of all the Beleevers in the World Look upon this Son of David prostrating the great Goliah of Hell for all the Israel of God casting out the strong man not only out of his but of our possessions that he might take us up for his own use spoyling him of his kingdome and weapons for us yea and in us And hence as out of a well of consolation wee shall draw this comfort to our selves that look as the gates of Hell could not prevail against him our head no more shall they ever be able to prevail against us his members although they never so fiercely and forcibly assayl us And it spiritual enmities shall not be able to cut us short of our Salvation much less shall temporal dangers for by vertue of this resurrection also even in the most troublesome deeps when the waves of sorrows overtake one another and go over our souls when with Jonas we are ready to say We are cast from the face of the Lord Jonah 2.4 even then we have hope to rise out of such evils and because out head is above in short time comfortably to swim out Adde hereunto that death itself nor the grave shall stand between us and home for this rising of Christ is both the cause and confirmation that we shall rise again If the head bee risen so shall also the members if Christ the first fruits of them that sleep be raised so shall also the whole bulk and body of beleevers if we beleeve that Christ is risen from the dead even so them which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him 1 Thess 4.14 and if the same spirit which raised Jesus from the dead dwell in us then he that raised Christ from the dead shall also quicken our mortal bodies Rom. 8.11 for Christ hath not redeemed the soul alone from death but the body also else had this second Adam been interiour to the first if not able to save by his rising all that which was lost by the fall of the former Oh how would this meditation well digested sweeten the remembrance of death and the grave when a Christian shall consider that look how it was with Christ when his soul and body were separated yet both of them were united to the Deity which brought them together again even so I am taught by the Scriptures that when my soul and body shall bee separated yet shall neither of them be sundred from Christ my head but he will reunite them like loving friends that they may participate in his own glory How would this meditation bring the soul not only to be content but to desire to bee dissolved and bee with Christ accounting that the best of all Phil. 1.23 III. The third benefit befalling us by the resurrection of Christ iâ— that because Christ is risen we know it shall not only goe well with us but with all the Church of God the prosperity of which so many as would prosper must rejoyce in for hence it is that Christ calleth a Church out of the world which after a sort riseth even out ot his own grave hence is it that being ascended on high he gave gifts to men for the gathering and preserving of his Church hence is it that the Church shall alwaies have the light of the Gospel Pastors Teachers and the Ministry till we all meet to a perfect man hence is it that this Church shall bee defended from Wolves and Tyrants seeing â—one is stronger than he nor able to pluck any ot his sheep out of his hands Let the Church be pressed it shall never be suppressed Let the Kings of the earth band themselves and forces against it the Lord hath set his Son upon his holy Mountain and he shall crush them like a Potters vessel Let Hereticks and Antichâ—ist send armies of Locusts Jesuites and seducing vagrants to waste the Church and bereave it of the truth and light leading to life they shall only seduce such as whose names are not written in the Book of life and of the Lamb for seeing Christ is risen so long as hee who can dye no more liveth he will preserve his darling he will send out the Stars that are in his right hand for her relief who like Davids Worhies shall break through the Hosts of the enemie and bring the pure waters of the Well of Life as we are for ever thankfully to acknowledge in those worthy restorers of our religion Lastly let flouds of persecution rise and swell so as this Dove of Christ cannot find rest fo the sole of her foot one means or other Christ will use for her help for he will either send her into the Wildernesse or the earth shall help the Woman and drink in the waters that they shall not hunt her or he will provide for her one of the chambers of his providence as he did for Joash against the rage of Athaliah wherein she shall be safe till the Storm bee blown over These are the principal benefits procured us by Christs resurrection which belong not unto all but only to such as are risen with him Quest How shall we know that we are risen with Christ How to know that we are risen with Christ that they mat assuredly belong unto us Ans The Apostle setteth himself to resolve this question Col. 3.1 where he maketh the seeking of things above where Christ is and infallible mark of our rising with him for as when Christ was risen he minded not things below any more but all his course was a preparation to his ascension to which all things tended so now if thou be risen with him Heaven will be in thine eye and thine affections are ascended thither where Christ is if Christ were on earth thou mightest fix thy soul and senses here on earth and yet be a Christian
shall gild no matters here for what shall gold or silver pearls or jewels doe when Heaven and earth shall bee on a light fire Here shall be no sanctuaries nor priviledged persons or places to hinder the course of justice hence shall be no appeals but every person shall receive an eternal sentence of every cause according to the truth and equity of it for else the Judge of all the world should not doe right Vse 1 To comfort Gods children Gods children who here have all sentences pass agaiâ—st them shall have justice at this day who in this world are herein conformed unto Christ for the most part causes and sentences passe against them and their light is darkned their innocency by the might and malice of the wicked troddeâ— down but then shall they be sure of the day God will cause their uprightnesse to break out as the Sun in his strength for when wickednesse shall ruin the sinner into Hell righteousnesse shall deliver their souls from death 2 To teach them to possesse their souls in patience when they see the confusions that are in the world to beware of revenge but commit all as Christ himself did to him that judgeth righteously Wee must be content for a while to see our righteous waies depraved our good repaied with evil by evil men and bee so far from thinking hence that there is no providence oâ— care in God over his Children as that wee must necessarily conclude hence this judgement day Observe the rule Eccl. 3.16 When thou seeest in the plaâ—e of judgement wickednesse and iniquity in the place of justice think in thy heâ—rt surely God will udge the just and the wicked for there is a time for every purpose and work and Chap. 5.7 If in a Countrey thou seest oppression of the pâ—or and the defraudâ—ng of judgement and justice bee not astonied at the matter for hee that aâ— higher than the highest regardeth it The same ground do the Apâ—stles â—ftâ—n lay to raise this same exhortation unto patience in induring wrongs as Phil 4.5 Let your patient mind bee known unto all men the Lâ—rd 〈◊〉 at hand Jam. 5.7 Bee yee also patient and settle your hearts for the câ—mming of the Lord dâ—aweth neer As if these holy men had said with one mâ—uth look not to havâ— your right here in this World as neither the wicked have their livâ—e but wait the appointed time as the Husband-man doth for the weâ—ks of Harvest and this time is the comming of the Lord before which tiâ—e neither is the full recompense of righteousnesse given to the Saintâ— not punishment rendred unto the wicked in the full measure of it Grow nâ—t weary of well doing though yee meet with nothing but discouragements not out of love with the practice of piety although the world haâ—e you fâ—r it as it did your head before you for in due season ye shall reap â—f yee faint not 3 This teacheth men carefully to look to all their works and waies that they bee just and justifiable The works and words of men which shall abide the tryal of that dâ—y must now be tryed before hâ—nd such as will hold water as wee say For there is a day of tryal when all those causes which they have by Mony Friends or wicked policy contrived and over-wayed in shall be brought about again into a clear light and put into the ballance of equity it self where they shall bee found too light And think seriously with your selves how those causeâ— words and actions will abide the tryal of that day which even for the present can bring no sound comfort to the heart but rather heaviness to the heart accusation and guiltinesse to the conscience fear in the thoughts and shame in the face if any man should know how impiously and injuriously they have been contrived how many Oppressions Wrongs Cruelties Usuries Revengeful sutes onely commensed to make men spend their goods and lose their peace how much of many mens estates would give a loud witnâ—ss against their owners but that men will not so long before hand trouble themselves with such thoughts Well look to thy self whosoever thou art If thy conscience now accuse thee or can accuse thee but thou wilt either stifle it or stop thine ears against the cry of it know that it hath a voice and will do good service to this Judge one day a thousand witnâ—sses cannot do more than it will do it will bring back old reckonings which Christ hath not reckoned for and set them in order before thee when thou that canst find none now shalt have leisure enough to look into them but all to the breaking of thy heart and increase of thy torment that thou didst not till too late look into thy reckonings Now to all such as mind hereafter to look into so main a business as this is The touchstâ—ne of this tryal is the word of God I will for the present commend onely one rule whereby they may discern wheâ—her their actions will abide the tryal that abideth them and that is this If the Word of God do now approve them they will then bee justifiable but whatsoever word or action hath passed from thee for which thou â—aâ—st not bring thy ground thence the same will cast thee in judgement This is that our Saviour telleth the Jews The word that I speak shall judge you at the last day Jâ—h 12 48. The strâ—ctneâ—s of thâ— l st jâ—dgement 1 In regard oâ— peâ—sons judged Thirdly This judgement of Christ shall bee most strict and accurate 1 In regard of the persons that shall bee judged who shall bee inquired into and brought to give accounts of themselves not onely generally as men or Chriâ—tians but in special according to the particular places and courses of life wherein they were set in this world For example publike persons must give account for themselves and others that have been committed unto them Magistrates for their People Ministers for their Flocks both of them how they entred how they ruled how they walked in and out before their people what faithfulness they used in discovering and discountenancing sin and ungodlinesse how diligent they have been to draw and force men to the keeping of the two tables how they have acquitted themselves from communicating in other mens sins and whether they have faithfully in their places denounced and executed the judgements of God whilest both of them have stood in the room of God In like manner private men must bee countable not onely for themselves but or all those that are under their charge as Fathers for the education of their Children Masters for the instructing and governing of their Servants and Family Tutors for their care or negligence towards such as are committed unto them for the rule of the Law is general and will take fast hold upon many a soul that think it enough to look to themselves that whosoever hindreth not that sin which hee can hinder
are given him out of the world Joh. 17.19 and this is no small benefit seeing no part in the prayer of Christ no part in his death he will not endure death for him for whom he will not vouchsafe to pray 4 Consolation in affliction strength in temptations and assured comfort in life and death are the sweet fruits arising from remission of sin For 1 Although afflictions entred with death into the world by sin and in their nature are testimonies of Gods wrath yet sin being remitted they proceed no further from God as a just Judge revenging sin but from a merciful Father either for trial of us and our graces or for chastisement to keep us from perishing with the world to make us hate sin the more to draw us nearer him in invocation and prayer to force our affections out of this present world to fray others from sin by our example to conform us to the image of his Son and to shew his mighty power in our weaknesse by turning them to our best And thus from the former consideration ariseth to the beleever even in darknesse a great light Satans temptations foyled by this assurance 2 From hence obtaineth the beleever notable strength and sence against the fiery darts of Satans temptations For Satan urgeth the poor sinner sundry ways as 1 By the multitude and vilenesse of his sins with which his conscience telleth him he is covered and thence inferreth that because the wages of every sin is death and because he hath deserved eternal death he must needs perish he can expect no other But now can the beleever stop his mouth and say I grant Satan all thy premises no sinner is worthy of or can expect salvation in or by himself or so long as he continueth in sin but my sins are remitted by means of Christs satisfaction and though in my self I am worthy to perish yet in Christ I have a worthinesse to bring me to salvation I continue not in my sinful estate but am drawn out of the guiltinesse the filthinesse the service the love and liking of my sins through the grace wherein I stand and therefore thy consequent is false I fear it not being so forcelesse 2 From the Justice of God who cannot but reject whatsoever and whosoever is not fully conformable to his righteousnesse but here the beleeving heart is quieted in that through remission of sins the Justice of God is fully satisfied though not by the person offending yet in his pledge and surety Jesus Christ who being just dyed for the unâ—ust that we might be the righteousnesse of God in him And hence the justice of God is a matter of most comfort to the poor sinner in that this righteousnesse cannot suffer him to demand satisfaction twice for one and the same sin for this directly fighteth with justice and equity And if Satan be still instant and say But what shall anothers righteousnesse avail thee if thy self bee not a keeper of the Law for the soul that sinneth that soul shall dye the beleeving heart will readily answer That although the Law require proper and personal obedience yet the Gospel translateth it to the person of ouâ— Surety who being God and man not only paid the whole debt but performed all righteousnesse absolutely fulfilling the whole Law whence it is that his obedience is called the fulfilling of the Law for righteousnesse to every one that beleeveth Rom. 10.4 and himself was made under the Law that hee might redeem from it those that were under it Gal. 4.4 And whereas the Tempter will alleadge But for all thy righteousnesse thou hast innumerable sins original and actual which the Lord hateth and every day addest to the huge heap of them The heart which holdeth this article of remission of sins abideth undaunted for though it feel a body of sin dwelling with it yet is it not reigning sin it is not sin at quiet but daily battail is maintained against it it is sin weakned and in daily consumption and therefore shall never be laid to the charge of him that is in Jesus Christ Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to them that are in Jesus Christ for the law of the spirit of life which was in Jesus Christ hath freed me though not from all molestation and presence yet from the Law that is the service and slavery of sin and of death vers 2. But numbers will he say who make account to partake in the death and righteousnesse of Christ are damned and have no benefit by it and numbers have revolted and fallen away and why maist not thou to which the beleever will readily answer that those that were thus plucked up were never of the Fathers planting only infidels and unbeleevers have fallen away and withered for want of rooting and moysture but I beleeve the remission of sins not by any ungrounded perswasion but with a sound lasting and unfayling faith resting it self wholly upon Christ so as I am perswaded neither death nor life can separate me from his love the work of whose spirit maketh me bold to call upon God as my tender Father and produceth the fruits of true faith and conversion into my whole life whereby I know as infallibly the truth of my faith as I know the presence of the Sun by his light or of Fire by his heat Finally he that hath begun to make mee good will make mee also persevere in goodness 3 This assurance of remission of sins yeeldeth most assured comfort in life The sound comfort of this article and in death the goodnesse of Pauls conscience was his comfort when hee stood at the barre Acts 23.1 and 2 Cor. 1.12 This is our rejoycing even the testimony of our conscience and in the agony of death this is the Christians comfort that his sin being remitted the sting of death is gone the locks of this strong Sampson wherein his great strength say are clipped off and hee is disarmed of his weapons which are our own sins So as a Christian may challenge him into the field and say O death where is thy sting which because he is bereaved of when he intendeth to kill he cureth when hee doth his worst which is to separate soul and body he can sever neither from Christ nay rather he sendeth the member of Christ and setteth him nearer to his head which is best of all The third point propounded Three lets which hinder men from seeking so precious a grace is to consider of the Leâ—s which hinder men from seeking the assurance of the remission of their sins which is indeed their true happinesse if they could so esteem of it some of which I will set down 1 An erroneous judgement that no man can attain certainly to beleeve the pardon of his sins for the common Protestant is a very Papist in this opinion who hold that to doubt of this point is a vertue and to beleeve it is presumption because no man can certainly know
and possess thy soul with patience for 1 No temptation takes thee but such as bâ—â—â—lleth man 1 Cor. 10.13 and the same afflictions are accomplished in thy brethren which are in the world 1 Pet. 5.9 2 Thou hast the natural Sonne of God most restlesly assaulted by the Devil and pursued with all kinds of temptation to sanctify all kinds of temptation to thee And herein thou art not only conformable to the Saints of greatest grace but even to thy Lord and Head 3 The more assaulted thou art the surer argument it is thou art not yet in Satans power but hee would win thee Thou hast more cause to fear if all bee quiet with thee When an enemy hath won a City hee assaults and batters it no more but fortifies it for himself If the strong man have possession all is at peace but if there bee any resistance never so weak hee hath not won all Therefore resist still stand thy ground and saint not and if thou doest any time faint desire to resist still and thou still resistest Use 3. See here an express Image of the Devil in wicked men who are restless in their wickedness no Childe so like the Father as they like their Father the Devil in this property Their feet run to evil and they make haste to blood Prov. 1.16 yea they are so restlesse that they cannot sleep till they have done some mischief chap. 4. vers 16. and the more they bee resisted and opposed the further are they from desisting but grow more violent as Satan here See this restless disposition in the wicked Sodomites they came about the house of Lot to abuse the Angels they cannot sleep till they have done their villany they are all the night about it when Lot perswades them to desist they are further off and more violent now must Lot take heed to himself when the Lord from heaven strikes them small and great with blindness and resists them yet they will not give over but sought the door still The like restlesnesse wee note in the Jews the wicked enemies of Christ who were so thirsty of his blood and nothing else could serve them and no means could hinder them but they consult in their Hall how they may apprehend him they send out in the night to apprehend him being come to catch him hee with a word struck them all to the ground yet they go on having apprehended him they keep him all night in Caiaphas his Hall and at the break of the day Caiaphas the High Priest the Elders Scribes and Pharisces held a solemn Councill to put him to death And when his gracious words confounded them and they saw his innocency shine out when they heard the Judge clearing him and saw him wash his hands from his blood yet they grew more violent and called his blood upon them and their children for ever Exod. 32.6 when the Israelites would sacrifize to the golden calfe they rose up early in the morning Wee shall ever see wicked men in their wicked courses make more haste than good speed and the more opposed the more violent Aaron durst not resist them How restless was Judas till hee betrayed his Lord and earned that price of blood both his Lords and his own and how far was hee from desisting notwithstanding the gracious means hee had to hinder him There are three special things wherein men do most expresly imitate Satan and manifest his image upon themselves 1 In incessant malice against God and his Children Satan was a man-slayer from the beginning and so in the beginning was his Son Cain who hated his brother and slew him because his works were good and his own evil 1 Joh. 3.12 Of this progeny were the cursed Jews that went about to kill Christ Joh. 8. and all those that hate and malign the Children of God 2 In slandering and false accusing Rev. 12.10 for Satan is called the accuser of the Brethren and so are they 2 Tim. 3.3 Calumniation is the constitutive form of Satan and the Jews had an express Image of it upon them Mat. 26.60 How do they compass their malice against Christ thus they sought false witness and thereby played the Devils first they desired to have two witnesses but they would not serve then two more but they also would not serve and mark by the way it seems they examined them apart at last some came that accorded and upon their word they condemned Christ All the while they will seem to take a course of Law justice and equity but all is but a colour 1 Though according to their plot they must put Christ to death unjustly yet themselves do not devise slanders but onely are willing that any should come in and speak against him in somewhat they will have two witnesses it was enough for Magistrates to receive witness not to bee judges and accusers themselves Besides this they will not deal under-hand but have witnesses and witnesses that must agree and they ask him what hee answereth to them and all in publike to shew that they did not devise slanders in corners but dealt as men that would justify their proceedings and stand to their doings Yet for all these fair and colourable pretences their Plot is to pronounce the sentence of condemnation upon him 3 In boldness and impudency in sin no age nor ours want numbers of examples of wicked persons sold over to sin who are as naturally carried to wickedness as sparks to fly upwards and as busy as Bees in contriving their wicked purposes night and day is too little to spend in the confusion of their lusts As violently are they carried into their riots drunken matches adulterous and silthy meetings murtherous and revengeful plots cursed and blasphemous Oaths rotten and poysonful language wicked and diabolical courses as the swine were hurried by the Devils into the lake And if Devils were incarnate and should put on mens shapes wee cannot devise how they could otherwise carry themselves more to corrupt humane society and more to heap up their own and others damnation And let the Magistrates or Ministers use means to reclaim or if that bee hopeless to restrain and hinder their malice Oh they are so far from giving up their courses as they rage and storm so much the more they will not bee so wronged as bee at every mans command they did swear and will swear they were drunk and will bee drunk and to justify any thing that they have wretchedly done they will repeat it And do wee not in all this see the express Image of the Devil of Hell in these earthly Devils that are as restless and unweariable in mischief as hee and as far from laying aside their wickedness even when they cannot compass it as hee Vse 4. Let us learn a good lesson from the Devil and his Imps they will hardly bee repelled from mischeivovs attempts no not by Christ himself so wee on the contrary must as hardy bee driven from