other men it is with the spirit of the writer He cannot speake to God in praise or to others in experience of the worke of grace because he hath a dead soule Put him to his owne arguments to talke of vanity to sweare or to talke of the times you shall have him in his theame but to talke of God and divine things unlesse it be to sweare by them and to scorne good things he cannot he is speechlesse there it is not his theame And as he is speechlesse so he hath no spirituall eyes to see God in his works There is nothing that we see with our bodily eyes but our soules should have an eye to see somewhat of God in it his mercy and goodnesse and power c. And so he hath no relish to taste of God in his creatures and mercies when a man tasts of the creatures he should have a spirituall taste of God and of the mercy in him Oh how sweet is God! A wicked man hath no taste of God And he cannot heare what the Spirit saith in the Word he heares the voice of man but not of the Spirit when the trumpet of the Word sounds never so loud in his eares These things ought not to be overmuch pressed much curiosity must not be used in them but because the Holy Ghost raiseth the proportion from these things some thing must be said of them As there is no sence nor mooving to outward things so no outward thing can moove a dead body offer him colours to the eye food to the taste or any thing to the feeling nothing mooves him So a dead soule as it cannot moove to good so it is mooved with nothing that that affects a child of God and makes him tremble and quake it affects not a carnall man at all And as in bodily death the longer it is dead the more noysome and offensive it is every day more then other So sinne it makes the soule more loathsome and noysome daily till they have filled up the measure of their sinnes till the earth can beare them no longer We say of a dead body it is heavy so dead soules I am sure they are heavy heavy to God and to Christ that dyed for sinne and heavy in themselves they sinke to earthly things in their affections and thereby they sinke lower and lower to Hell and never leave sinking till they be there As the life of grace is like the Sunne when it riseth it growes still till it come to full perfection till it come to the life of glory So on the contrary this death is a death that is more and more increased in the loathsomenesse and noysomenesse of it every way so that the longer a carnall man lives the more guilt hee contracts A child of a hundred yeares old as the Prophet saith the longer he lives the more vengeance is stored for him he treasures vengeance up against the day of vengeance and it is a curse for a man in his naturall estate to live long for he growes more and more abhominable every way These things helpe to understand the Scripture and therefore so far we may well thinke of them If this be so I beseech you let us learne to know what we are by nature not to make our selves in our owne conceits better then indeed wee are We judge of our selves as we are to civill things A man that hath naturall parts that can discourse and understand the mysteries of law and of the state we value men by these Alas poore soule thou mayest be dead for all this what are all these abilities for Are they not for the spirituall life What is this to the life of grace They onely blow thee up with pride and set thee further off and make thee uncapable of grace If thou talke of learning the Divell is a better scholler then any man he knowes matters of state and other things better then thou doest and yet he is a Divell for all that therefore never stand upon these things But there is a company that are more to blame then these one would thinke that these have something to be proud off that they might set themselves against God and goodnes but there is a generation that have little in them that yet think themselves the only men in loose licentious life despising all caring for none think it the only life to live as they list to goe where they list in what companies they list to have bounds of their owne these think themselves the onely men when indeed they are no body they are dead loathsome creatures it is the mercy of God that the ground doth not sinke underthem and yet they carry themselves as if they only were alive Againe if we be all dead by nature and there ought to be a separation of the living from the dead let us take heed in our amity and society that we converse not with naturall men too much that have not spirituall goodnesse in them that we converse not with them with delight and complacency It is a tyrannicall thing to knit dead and living bodies together and he was accounted a tyrant that did so surely in choosing our society conjugall or friendly any intimate society to joyne living and dead soules together we are tyrants to our owne soules Wee wrong our soules to joyne with dead persons who would converse with dead courses and corps The very creatures startle at the sight of a dead body nature startles at that that is dead If wee had the life of grace further then the necessity of civill conversation and the hope of bettering them forceth it upon us wee would have no society with those that we see are in the state of nature What issues from them but stench eyes full of adultery nothing that is pleasing can come from them nothing can come from all their sences but rottennesse and stench what comfort can a man that loves his owne soule and hath any desire to be saved have by intimate converse with such persons let them have never so good parts they hurt more one way then they doe good another you see wee are all dead by nature and what this death is But you will say there is a difference betweene naturall death and spirituall death for in naturall bodily death there is no mooving but in this spirituall death of the soule men have sences and motion c. Jt is true thus farre they differ though a man be spiritually dead yet notwithstanding he hath feete to carry him to the house of God he hath eares to heare the Word of God he hath abilities of nature upon which grace is founded God workes grace upon nature Now a man living in the Church of God that is a grace when a man hath grace to live within the compasse of the meanes he can by common grace without any inward change of nature come and heare the Word of
he was present to their Faith and present to them in Types and Sacrifices and present in Gods acceptation of him for them therefore the Prophets mount up with the wing of Prophesie and in regard of the certainty of the things to come they speake as if they were present as if they had looked on Christ present Behold my servant and Behold a Virgin c. But that is not all another use of this word Behold was to call the peoples mindes from their miseries and from other abasing objects that dejected them and might force despaire why doe you dwell upon your unworthinesse and sin raise up your mindes Behold my servant whom I have chosen c. This is an object worth beholding and admiration especially of a distressed soule that may see in Christ whatsoever may comfort it A third end of it is to raise the minde from any vulgar common base contents you looke on these things and are carried away with common triviall objects as the poore Disciples when they came to the Temple they stood wondering at the stones what wondrous stones what goodly building is here so shallow minded men they see any earthly excellencie they stand gazing Alas saith Christ doe you wonder at these things so the Prophet here raiseth up the mindes of men to looke on an object fit to be looked on Behold my servant c. So that the Holy Ghost would have them from this saving object Christ to raise satisfaction to their soules every way are you dejected here is comfort are you sinfull here is righteousnesse are you led away with present contentments here you have honours and pleasures and all in Christ Jesus you have a right to common pleasures that others have and besides them you have interest to others that are everlasting pleasures that shall never faile so that there is nothing that is dejecting and abasing in man but there is comfort for it in Christ Jesus he is a salve for every sore a remedie for every maladie therefore Behold my servant This word Behold it is a word of wonderment and indeed in Christ there are a world of wonders every thing is wonderfull in him Things new are wonderfull and things rare and things that are great that transcend our capacity are wonderfull that that stops our understanding that it cannot goe through them vulgar things we see thorow them quickly but when wee see things that stay our understandings that raise our understandings higher and that are more capacious then our understandings here is matter of admiration and wonder Now whatsoever may make wonderment is in Jesus Christ whose name is Wonderfull as it is Isaiah 9.7 therefore the Prophet saith Behold My servant Christ is called a servant first in respect of his creation because being man as a creature hee was a servant but that is not all He was a servant in respect of his condition servant implies a base and low condition Philip. 2. Christ tooke upon him the forme of a servant he emptied himselfe he was the lowest of all servants in condition for none was ever so abased as our glorious Saviour And then it it a name of office as well as of base condition There are ordinary servants and extraordinary as great Kings have their servants of state Christ besides his abasement he was a servant of state he was an Ambassador sent from the great God a Prophet a Priest and a King as we shâ—ll see afterwards an extraordinary servant to doe a peece of service that all the Angels in Heaven and all the men on the Earth joyned together could not performe this great master-piece of service was to bring God and man together againe that were at variance as it is 1. Pet. 3.18 to bring us to God we were severed and scattered from God his office was to gather us together againe to bring us all to one head againe to bring us to himselfe and so to God to reconcile us as the Scripture phrase is Now it being the greatest worke and service that ever was it required the greatest servant for no creature in the world could performe it all the Angells of Heaven would have sunke under this service to have undergone satisfaction to divine justice for the Angels themselves when they sinned they could not recover themselves but sunke under their owne sinne eternally thus wee see how he is Gods servant who set him a part and chose him to his service And then he was a servant to us for the Sonne of man came to minister not to be ministred unto he washed his Disciples feet hee was a servant to us because he did our worke and suffered our punishment we made him serve by our sinnes as the Prophet saith he is a servant that beares an other mans burthen there was a double burthen of obedience active and obedience passive he bore them both hee came under the law for us both doing what wee should have done and indeed sarre more acceptably and suffering that wee should have suffered and far more acceptably hee being our surety being a more excellent person he did beare our burthen and did our worke therfore he was Gods servant and our servant and Gods servant because he was our servant beâ—â—use he came to do a work behoovefull to us Heerein appeares the admirable love and care of God to us wretched creatures heere is matter of wonderment If we looke to him that was a servant If we looke to that in God and him that made him stoope to be a servant If we looke to the manner of the performance of this service If we look to to the fruit of that service they are all matter of wonderment If we look to the person that was this servant the Apostle in Philip. 2. will tell you he thought it not robbery to be equall with God yet he tooke upon him the shape of a servant was not this wonderfull for God to become man the glorious God to abase himselfe to bee a servant God-Man glorious God and base servant for the living God to dye for the incomprehensible God to be inclosed in the wombe of a Virgin for glory it selfe to be abased for riches to become poore what matter of wonderment is here the very Angels stand at a gaze and wonder they pry into these things his name may well be Wonderfull There are foure notable conjunctions that are especially wonderfull two in us and two above us One in us is the conjunction of so excellent a thing as the soule breathed in by God the soule of man is an admirable thing the world is not worth it in the judgement of him that gave himselfe for it that this should be joyned to a peece of earth indeed I am wonderfully made saith David in regard of his body but the conjunction of the soule and body together so excellent a substance to so base a thing as earth to a peece
under Gods hand to bee sonnes you are sonnes by Creation already offer thy selfe to be of his family for the time to come and God will give a sweet report to thy soule Stand not out at the staves end Thou art our Father Lord. If you have a purpose to live in firme the Divell is your father and not God you are of your father the Divell but if wee bee willing to submit wee may say Doubtlesse thou art our Father We are the clay thou art the potter Heere is a resignation of themselves to God in this tearme thou art the potter we are the clay Indeed we are but earthen vessells the best of us in regard of the bodily life we have and we are at the liberty of God to dispose of as he pleaseth So before he comes to put forth this prayer to God he useth this resignation of themselves into the hand of God we are as clay in thy hands Lord dispose of us as thou wilt Let us remember this when we come to pray to God use all meanes of abasement that can be lay aside all tearmes other then abasing tearmes wee are the clay and as Iob saith I abhorre my selfe in dust and ashes So the Saints have done in all times I am not worthy to bee called thy sonne and I am lesse then the least of thy mercies Let us lay aside proud and lofty tearmes and cast downe our crownes at the foot of Christ as the Saints in Revel 4. cast downe all our excellencies let us have no thought of outward excellencies of beautie or strength or riches or high dignity when we come to God wee must come with low thoughts to the high God can the creature be too low in his presence And then come with resignation wee are the clay thou art the potter doe with us as thou wilt if thou dash us in peeces as a potters vessell thou maist doe it that is the way to escape That is well committed that is committed into Gods hand some men shift by their wits and will not trust God with their health and strength they bee double minded as Saint Iames saith they will have two strings to their bow if lawfull meanes will not serve unlawfull shall No but wee must commit our selves to God as to a faithfull Creator and then see what hee will doe then it stands with his honour hee will looke to the lowlie I am the clay thou art the potter heere I am doe as thou wilt as David saith it is a blessed estate thus to resigne our selves into Gods hands If the Divell and Reprobates could bee brought to this they should never come there where they are in terrours of conscience Let us labour to practise this dutie Lord I commit to thy hands my body and soule I cast my selfe into thy bosome doe with mee as thou wilt Some that have stood out at the staves end with temptations many yeares have gotten comfort by this resignation VVe are the clay thou art the potter thou maist mold and break us as thou wilt The way now to escape the plague is not alltogether to use tricks of wit and policie though lawfull meanes must be used but labour to get into Christ and resigne our selves into Gods hand absolutely and say thus VVe are the clay c. Lord thou maist dash us if thou wilt as thou dost now many hundreds weekely thou maist dash us in that fashion if thou wilt Only we may have a desire that God would make our lives and health pretious to him that we may serve him as if we were now in Heaven and that we may have grace to make good use of all But if God have determined and decreed to take us away let us resigne our selves into his hands It is no matter though the body bee sowne in dishonour they shall be raised in honour wee are the clay he is the potter let him do what he will with our carkasses and bodies so he be mercifull to our soules These vessells of clay when they are turned to earth they shall be renewed of better stuffe like the glorious body of Christ then our soules and bodies shall be glorious by him that took a peece of flesh and clay for us O the humility of Christ we wonder that the soule should animate a peece of clay so excellent a thing as the soule is much more may we wonder that the Sonne of God should take a piece of flesh and clay upon him to take our nature of base earth to make us eternally glorious as himselfe Let it comfort us though God dash our clay in pieces as a Potter yet Christ that tooke our clay to the unity of his Person our nature being ingrafted into him hee will make our bodies eternall and everlasting as his owne glorious body Let us resigne our selves into Gods hands as the Church here Thou art the Potter and we are the clay and then wee shall never miscarry FINIS THE SPIRITVALL IUBILE In two Sermons By The late learned and reverend Divine RICH. SIBBS Doctor in Divinitie Mr. of Katherine Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher at GRAYES-INNE JOHN 8.36 If the Sonne therefore shall make you free yee shall be free indeed GAL 5.1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free LONDON Printed by E. P. for Nicholas Bourne and Rapha Harford and are to be sold at the South entrance of the Royall Exchange and in Queens head Alley in Pater-Noster-Row at the gilt Bible 1638. THE SPIRITVALL IVBILE ROM 8.2 For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Iesus hath made me free from the Law of sinne and of death THERE be foure things especially that trouble the peace of a Christian and indeed of any man in this world The first is sinne with the guilt of it binding them over to the wrath of God and the expectation of miserie a heavie bondage The second is besides the guilt of sinne the remainders of corruption with the conflict that accompanies them while we live in this world and that conflict must needes be tedious The third is the miseries of this life that accompanie alway both the guilt and remainders of sinne in this world we are condemned to a great deale of trouble here and this doth much exercise and perplex Gods children And then the shutting up of all death and damnation the thought of these things doth much disquiet and disturbe the peace of a Christians soule Now in this Epistle we have comfort against all these First for the guilt of sinne that binds us over to eternall judgement and the wrath of God we are freed by the obedience of Christ the second Adam as is excellently she well in the fifth Chapter And for the remainders of corruption that we conflict with in this world we are assisted against that by the Spirit of Christ for as by the obedience of Christ we are freed from the guilt so by the Spirit
higher house in heaven and the lower on earth and both say come What is the reason that the Church in heaven saith Come Because the Church in heaven have bodies that be rotting in earth which bodyes helped them to serve God on earth fasted with them and prayed with them and indured pains and toyle with them The soule acccounts it selfe imperfect till it be joyned to its old companion the body againe therefore it desires Come Lord that my body may be united to me againe that so wee may both perfectly prayse thee in heaven Then againe they have not all their company all the Saints are not gathered and they will not be merry indeed till they all meet in heaven therfore that all may meet even the Church in heaven hath a desire Come Lord so both heaven and earth agree in this they meet in this desire This may be a ground of tryall whether wee be truely the Bride of Christ or no the ground of the tryall may be gathered hence whither is the bent of our desire carryed is our condition so here as that wee desire to be as we are still then all is naught with us The Church we see saith come nothing will content her in this world so those hearts that are wrought upon by the Spirit of God nothing here will content them but still they say come The disposition in carnall persons is cleane contrary they say as it is in Iob Depart from us wee will none of thy wayes they are of the mind of the Devill in the Gospel Why doest thou come to torment us before our time doe not come If it were in the power of most men in the Church whether Christ should come to judge the world or no doe you thinke they would give their voyce that way that Christ should come they would never do it for they know how unfit a condition they are in for the second comming of Christ. If theeves and malefactors might have liberty to chuse whether there should be Assizes or no surely they would never have any so it is with the men of the world that live in sinfull wretched courses that abuse their tongues and their bodies are they of the disposition of the Bride to say come oh no they know they have not done their duty therefore let us enter deepely into our owne soules and try whether cordially we can yeeld this desire of our hearts to say come Therefore to spend a little time in a further search if wee can truely say Come we will desire Christ to come into our soules now to rule our soules now to come and make way for himselfe in our hearts Is it possible for the soule to desire to goe to Christ that will not suffer him to come to it If Christ rule not in us wee shall never raigne with Christ if Christs Kingdome come not to us we shall never enter into Christ Kingdom therefore the soule that hath this desire truly to say Come it will give Christ entrance into it and let him come by his Ordinances Come Lord by thy word come by thy Spirit into my heart close with my heart drive out whatsoever is there that will not give thee liberty to raigne as thou wilt these desires will be in a true heart it will not cherish wilfully those desires that are contrary to this Shall we thinke that that Christian that saith these words in good earnest will put Christ away in his Ordinances and not care for to heare his word nor care to meet Christ here in earth and yet pretend a desire to meet him in heaven where is Christ here is hee not in his Congregations and Assemblies of his Saints those therefore that despise the Ordinances of God and yet pretend that they desire that Christ should come doe they not prophane the Lords Prayer when they say Hallowed be thy name Thy Kingdome come They patter it over they doe not meane it in good earnest when they despise the Ministery and the Ministers and whatsoever is Christs despise the motions of his Spirit and will not suffer him to rule in their hearts but are ruled by rules of policy and reason and flesh can they say Come No they doe abhominably prophane the Lords Prayer what kind of Service is that when their desires are quite cleane contrary It is a protestation contrary to their faith and therefore it is a nullity they professe in their prayers that they would have Christ to come and yet their course of life is contrary they would not have him come Againe those that truly desire Christ should come they will be subordinate helpers under Christ to promote those things that tend to his comming before Christ comes Antichrist must be abolished and consumed the Jewes must be converted and the number of the Elect must be consummate and finished Therefore what shall wee say when those that pretend to desire the comming of Christ shall countenance heresies that mâ—st have an end first And those that are against wholesome Lawes to be made in that kind those that countenance Idolatry and false worship stablishing what Christ must abolish before he come can they say Come in good earnest Their course is contrary to what they pray Therefore indeed and in good earnest we pray Thy Kingdome come and say with our soules as the Church here Come when we set our selves to abolish heresie and false worship of God that is adulterous and promote the true Service of God when we labour in our places that the number of the Elect may be consummate when wee labour that our children may be Gods children and our servants may be Gods servants and every one in our places labour that the Kingdome of Christ may be inlarged If wee put not to our helping hand to that wee pray for it is a contradiction Those therefore that live scandalous lives iâ— scandalous courses and speeches and hinder the conversion of peoples soules and labour to draw them to wicked hellish courses when they post to hell themselves and labour to draw others into cursed society with them selves they cannot truly say as the Church here Come Let us take it to heart that we doe not mocke and dally with Religion it is a greater matter then we take it for It is impossible but a Christian that saith his prayers in earnest should be thus affected unlesse wee make a mockery of Religion Againe if we can indeed say Come there will be a fitting for this comming a preparing our selves for it for our going to Christ. Is it not so in civill things and doth not grace worke that that nature doth in a higher degree If we desire that a great person should come to us will there not be a fitting of our houses of our apparell and entertainement â—â—table to the worth of the person or else a man may say surely you looâ—e for no body this day there is nothing fitted and prepared so if we
death rest Againe it is in this respect a sleep because a man goes to bed with assured hope of rising againe and therefore he goes quietly though it be a state of darknesse for the time all the senses are bound up yet hee knowes that in Gods ordinarie providence hee shall rise againe therefore men not only quietly but cheerefully go to bed So there is greater ground to know that wee shall rise againe out of our graves than that we should rise out of our beds for many mens beds have been their graves in some sort I meane they have died in their beds but for the resurrection we have the word of Almighty God that is a God of his word that we shall rise againe and we have it in the pledge of our Saviours resurrection there is no doubt of that Therefore when wee die if wee have faith wee should make no more of death than men doe to goe to bed hoping undoubtedly of an assured and joyfull resurrection The want of faith in that kind makes us backward to this you see in what respect death is said to be a sleep To speak only of those references and relations that are most pertinent between sleep and death David fell asleep and very willingly for he had lived a painefull life he served God both as a private man as a Sheepheard as a King Eccles. 5.12 To a labouring man sleepe is sweet so to a man that hath served God carefully in his calling and kept a good conscience death is very sweete Wee see children that have been playing all day they are loath to goe to bed but to a man that hath wrought all day sleepe is sweete as wise Salomon saith to a labouring man Would we then have death as a sweet rest to us let us doe as David did that is bee painefull and laborious in our particular place and in our generall calling let us be faithfull in them to keep a good conscience and set all in order as much as wee can while we live to leave no seeds of debate when we are gone Some men die carelesly this way in disposing the good things that God hath given them they lay a foundation of perpetuall jarring afterward and so their death is skarsly a sleepe and rest they cannot but bee disquieted when they thinke how they leave things because they were not wise before hand David setled Salomon in his Throne and set all things right before hee died and that made him die not only in rest but in honour in 1 Chron. 29.28 David died in a good old age full of riches and honour And let us labour to get assurance of a change for the betteâ— David his flesh rested in hope because hee beleeved in Christ that Christs body should see no corruption Psal. 16. So if wee would have death sweete as a sleepe let us labour to get assurance by faith in Christ and so our flesh may rest in hope that as Christ raised his owne flesh so he will raise ours Good Simeon when he had seene Christ once Lord now let thy servant depart in peace c. so after we have gotten a sight of Christ to be our Christ our Saviour and Redeemer and have interest in him Lord now let thy servant depart in peace So much for the tearme sleepe It is added besides that Hee was gathered to his Fathers HEâ— was gathered to his Fathers both in regard of his body and in regard of his soule for his body went to the house of the dead the grave and his soule went to his fathers to heaven As I said before of sleepe so of this it is a phrase of Scripture that must bee understood as the persons are When a man dies his body goes to the place or house of all men the house of darknesse the grave but for his soule that goes as the man is to his fathers to hell if hee bee naught to the soules of just and perfect men as the Apostle speakes if he have lived a gracious and a good life and so it must be understood here bâ—cause hee speaks of a blessed man He was 〈◊〉 to his Fathers he meanes not to his immediate fathers but all beleeving men before him that were the children of Abraham his soule went to them his body to the first Mother the Earth out of which it was taken So the Generall is nothing but this that When we die wee are put to our fathers Therefore this should moderatâ— our feare of death and our griefe for the departure of others Why wee are not lost when we die the soule and body is taken asunder it is taken in pieces but both remaine still the bodie goes to the earth from whence it was taken and the soule goes to God that gave it And for our comfort we goe to those that we knew before many of them to our fathers not to strangers Especially in respect of our soules wee goe to our fathers to our next fore-fathers and to our old fathers to Abraham Isaac to Iacob to David to blessed Saint Paul and Peter and all the blessed men that died in the faith And when we are dead wee goe to those that are more perfect than those that wee leave behind us This should moderate our griefe oh I leave my friends behind me my father and mother and childrenâ— it is to goe to better to greater and those that love thee better Thou goest to greater for they are in their pitch they have attained their end they are in heaven and to better they are refined from those corruptions that men here are subject unto and then their love is perfect likewise therefore going to our fathers and not to strangers to those that are better and greater and love us more perfectly why should wee thinke much to die they will bee readie to entertaine us oh the welcome that soules find in heaven and at the day of the Resurrection the sweete imbracings when all the blessed soules that have beene from Adam to the last man shall meete together seeing therefore wee goe to our fathers it should rather make us chearefull Here whom do we live with take them at the best our friends men subject to jealousies and weaknesses our jealousie makes us suspect them and their weaknesses makes us thinke the meaner of them so our love is not perfect nor our graces are not perfect therefore we cannot have perfect love and contentment while we are here But in heaven there shall be no jealousie nor feare nor imperfection which is the ground of jealousie we shall perfectly love them because they shall be perfectly good and they shall perfectly love us because we shall be perfectly good and one shall stand admiring the graces of God in another and that will maintain a perpetuity of love therefore it is want of faith that makes us unwilling to yeeld our soules unto God at the point
none These are persons to be taken heed off breeding a temper opposite to Religion more then any other Christ can least brooke them there is great reason for it who can brooke any favour to be neglected and sleighted Especially for these excellent things to be under-valued and sleighted it cannoâ— be that God can indure it There will be a faction in the world while the world stands Christ and Antichrist Good and evill light and darkenesse but a man cannot be of both he must shew himselfe of one side or other in case of opposition Therefore the temper of the true pofessor is to be earnest in case of opposition of Religion and in case of opportuninity to advance his Religion in civill conversation and dealing with men that are subject to infirmities he must be gentle and meeke The Spirit of God descended in the shape of a Dove upon Christ as well as in fiery tongues upon the Apostles But in the cause of Christ in the cause of Religion he must be fiery and fervent No man more mild in his owne cause then Moses he was a meeke man but when occasion served when God was offended downe he throwes the Tables of stone he forgate himselfe though he were the meekest man in the world otherwise in his owne matters So I say the Spirit is both meeke and gentle as a Dove and earnest and zealous and hot as fire In Acts. 2 The Spirit of God comes downe as a mighty winde The winde is a powerfull thing if it be in a mans body There is no torment like to windy sicknesses as their complaints witnesse well enough that feele them and if a little winde be inclosed in the earth it shakes the whole vast body of the earth The Spirit is like winde it makes men bold it fills them with a great deale of eagernesse in the cause of God Againe the Spirit appeared to the Apostles in the likenesse of fire it inflamed their zeale and made them fervent that were cold before as we see in Peter the voice of a damsell terrified and affrighted him but when the Spirit came upon him it so fiered him that he accounted it his glory Act. 5.41 to suffer any thing for the cause of Christ. Therefore those that hope for any thing by religion let them labour to be for that Religion in good earnest they shall finde God in good earnest with them else Againe hence we see that Religion takes not away the earnestnesse of the affections it doth direct them to better things it changeth them in regard of the object It takes not away any thing in us but turnes the streame another way Violence requires the height and strength of the affections Religion taketh them not away but turnes them that way that they should goe If a streame runne violently one way if it be derived by skill and cunning another way it will runne as fast that way when it is turned as it did before So it is with the heart of man Religion takes nothing away that is good but lifts it up it elevateth and advanceth it to better objects There are riches and honours and pleasures when a man is in Christ but they are in a higher kinde therefore they draw affections and greater affections then other things but these affections are purified they runne in a better in a cleaner channell whereas before they ran amaine to earthly dirty things below the same affections of love of desire and zeale doe remaine still he that was violent before is as violent still onely the streame is turned For example take St. Paul for an instance he was as earnest when he was a Christian as before he was never more eager after the shedding of the blood of Christians and breathing out slaughter against them as he was afterwards in breathing after the Salvation of Gods people and a desire to enlarge the Gospell Zaccheus was never so covetous of the world before as he was covetous of Heaven when he became a Christian. I say Religion takes not away any thing onely it turnes the streame But it is a miracle for the streame to be turned it was God that turned Iordan so it is a greater work then man can doe to turne the streames of mans affections that runne amaine to earthly things to make them runne upward it is onely Gods worke This is the excellency of Religion it ennobles our nature that which is naturall it makes it heavenly and spirituall that a man shall be as earnest for God and good things as ever he was before after the things of this life So much for that point The third thing is the successe The violent take it by force The earnestnesse of affection and violence it is successefull they take it The good things of God they are here compared to a Fort or to a well fenced and well armed Citie strengthened with bulwarks and munition that is a long time besieged and at length is taken for this clause The violent take it by force it doth as well shew the issue of these violent ones striving for the Kingdome of Heaven to wit that they doe at length take it as the manner how it is taken namely by force The violent and onely the violent and all the violent doe at length certainely obtaine what they strive for the Kingdome of Heaven Why 1. Because it is promised to the violent Knock and it shall bee opened unto you Bee zealous and repent that is the meanes to cure all former transgressions repent and bee zealous and doe the former workes and To him that overcommeth that is he that is earnest that will never leave off till he hath overcome to him will I grant to sit with me on the throne and To him that overcommeth will I give to eate of the tree of life all the promises are to him that overcomes to him that is zealous and earnest Then againe the spirit whereby a man is earnest is a victorious spirit as Christians have the Word and promise to build on that leades them on and incourageth them so they are led by a mighty Spirit that hath the force of winde and fire that beates downe all before it that breakes thorough all oppositions and difficulties being lead with a divine Spirit what earthly thing can oppose that which is divine it brings under and subdues all therfore the violent take it the Spirit of God seizing upon and possessing the heart and carrying it with strength after these things And then onely the violent take it because God hath set it at this rate he that heareth and doth he that perseveres to the end he that sells all for the pearle for the treasure in the field there must be nothing retained all must bee parted with we must be at any cost and charge and perill and all little enough it is offered to us upon these termes of parting with all of induring any thing
all Our iniquities like the winde take us away he meanes here they were blowne out of Iury to Babylon It was a strong blast that blew them out of their owne Country May not we say Our iniquities have blowne us away What hath blowne us from our callings and imployments Is it not the Pestilence and what brings that Is it not our iniquities So that wee may all complaine of this Our iniquities have blowne us away We see here he layes the blame upon their iniquities did not the Babylonians carry them away Alas they were but Gods instruments God was displeased by their sinnes his wrath blew them away So you may see here the child of God in all judgements lookes to his sinnes he justifies God he murmurs not and saies this and that no but it was my sinnes We have sinned against the Lord Micah 7. I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I have sinned against him and Lament 3. Man suffers for his sinnes and every one of us may say it is our iniquities have taken us away A gratious heart justifies God and condemns it selfe The children of God may complaine sometimes of Gods hand but they will never censure Gods hand they justifie God alway though they may complaine of the bitternesse of his hand Here they complaine of the bitternesse of the judgement they were blowne into another country into capâ—ivity they doe not complaine of God God will have us complaine but as he will have us complaine so we must justifie him and condemne our selves just are thy judgements An Hypocrite thinkes God is beholding to him for his outward performances and when judgements befall him he â—rets and censures God either he thinks there is no God or he frets and fumes against God he is discontented but a Christian justifies God and condemns himselfe Our iniquities have blowne us away our sinnes keepe good things from us Therefore let us now lay the blame where it is search out our sinnes personall and particular and complaine of them they have a hand in this plague God is no tyrant he delights not to confound his creatures but sinne makes him out of love with his creatures the workemanship of his owne hands it is our sins Therefore let us lament the sinnes of the times so farre we may without Hypocrisie and ought to take to heart and mourne for the sinnes of the times that we heare by others and see our selves and mourne for our owne hearts that we cannot mourne we must mourne for the sinnes of the times as Daniel and Nehemiah and all the blessed men of God have done It is not the plague that hurts us that is but Gods messenger sinne doth us more harme then all the Divels in Hell and al the plagues in the world it is not outward evils we need to feaâ—e let us feare sinne and lay hold on God he is the Lord of Hoasts he hath all the creatures at his command let us get sin away that doth us all the mischiefe it is that that makes bate betweene God and us and then God makes a controversie betweene us and the creatures it is our sins And that is the reason of the necessity of humiliation for our sinnes because sinne breeds a seperation betweene God and us and betweene the creatures and us When God is offended the creatures are infected let us see our sinnes by them we infect the ayre by our vaine specches and oathes and our filthinesse Our sins infect the ayre and that breeds infection in our bodies Our sinnes cry they have a voice to cry to God if our prayers doe not out-cry them Therefore let us cry to God to heare the cry of our prayers and not of our sinnes How many voices have crying sinnes There is the voice of the people oppressed the voice of filthinesse c. sinnes clamour in Gods eares they clamour for wages due and the wages of sinne is death sinne cryes though it say nothing in words it cries in Gods eares and it will not rest till he hath powred out his vengeance The filthinesse and oathes and athiesme and profanenesse the suffering of the dishonour of his name these sinnes of the times are those that pull miseries upon us Our iniquities have taken us away as the wind So much for that For thou hast hid thy face from us and we are consumed because of our iniquities Sinne makes God hide his face from us and then we are consumed because of our iniquities We melt away in the hand of our iniquities as the word is Indeed sinne is a cruell tyrant when God leaves us in the hand of our sinnes hee leaves us in a cruell hand Christ came to redeeme us from our sinnes our sins are they that torment us it is very significant in the Originall We are melted we melt away as wax before the fire as snow before the Sunne because of our iniquities when God gives up men to bee handled as their owne sinnes will handle them Nations melt before the hands of sinne and Kings and Kingdomes and all Let God give up men to delight in sinne Kingdomes or persons they melt and molder away in the hand of their sins But to speake a little more of the next words Thou hast hid thy face from us That is thou hast hid thy comfort from us God hath a double face a face that shines on our soules in peace and joy and comfort when he saith to the soule I am thy Salvation And his face that shines on the outward estate that keepes misery and sicknesse and danger from us and bestowes good things on us And God takes away his face from us in regard of the inward man when he gives us no peace but leaves us to spirituall desertion In regard of the outward man God hides his face when he gives us up to Pestilence and warre and sicknesse and miseries in this life when he gives us up to outward desertion Sometimes God shines on wicked men in outward things but he hides his face for peace of conscience and sometimes Gods children have his face shining on their conscience but he hides his face in respect of outward things sometimes he shines in neither of both as at this time he neither shined on these blessed men in outward favours for they were in captivity nor in the sence of his love and favour for they were in desolation and ecclipsed every way The face of God it is as the Sunne to the creatures when the Sunne hides his face what is there but darkenesse and night What makes the night but the absence of the Sun What makes Winter but the absence of the Sunne when he growes low and cannot heate the earth So what makes winter in the soule deadnesse and darkenesse and dullnesse in Gods service The absence of the face of God God shines not on the soule What makes night in the soule when the soule is benighted with ignorance that
of death It is a going to our fathers But then wee must take heed what fathers wee imitate here take heed who are our patterns while we live for if wee do not imitate them here wee cannot live with them in heaven when wee are dead Therefore it is a very necessary item in Heb. 13.7 Look to them that rule over you that speak the word whose faith follow Considering the end of their labour Let us look before what kind of men those have beene that wee desire to live with in heaven and mark the end of their conversation for such as we delight in and frame our carriage to here such we shall live with hereafter We must not think to live with Nero and die with Paul to live Epicures and die Christians to live dissembling and falsly in our places and to die comfortably and to go to the blessed soules at the houre of death and at the resurrection No God will gather our soules with wicked men if wee fashion our carriage to wicked men such as wee delight in and live with and set as patterns before us with such we shall live for ever hereafter Hee was gathered to his fathers One signe of a man that shall be gathered to beleeving fathers to his good fore-fathers besides imitation is this to delight in the congregations of just men here A man may know he shall go to the congregation of perfect soules in heaven if he delight in the congregations of Gods Saints here for surely he that hath a confidence to bee in the proper heaven heaven that is so blessed he will have a care while he lives as much as he can to be and delight in the heaven upon earth Now the chiefe heaven upon earth is the Church of God Oh how amiable is thy dwelling place oh Lord where many soules meet together to joyne in speaking to God and in hearing God speak to them Those therefore that delight not in the congregations that delight not in the service of God what hope have they to bee gathered to the congregation of the faithfull when they are gone so much for that he was gathered to his fathers And he saw Corruption IT is an Hebraisme for he felt Corruption he had experience of Corruption All other senses are attributed to sight that being the principall of all the senses they have their terme from it because sight is the most excellent the most capacious and quick sense therefore I say the actions of all the other senses are attributed to it as wee say see how he speaks and so here he saw Corruption that is he had experience of it because sight is a convincing sense He could not properly see when he was dead but the meaning is he had experience of Corruption the truth is this in a word that The best and greatest men in the world when they are gone they are subject to corruption David was a King and a Prophet a man after Gods owne heart yet this could not keepe Davids body from Corruption The reason is wee are but dead men here this is not the life that Christ hath purchased for us wee are going to death our naturall life is but Cursus ad mortem a continuall going to death We are alive now but alasse our life is nothing but a continuall dying every day cuts off a part of our life It is a statute that all must die And it is our perfection to die we cannot otherwise see God enjoy our Crown Death indeed is nothing but misery but when we die we go to live The best must see Corruption Therefore this should bee an argument to support the soule when we think of the rottennesse in the grave and of that place and time of horrour when wee shall bee no more here upon earth It is no otherwise with us than it hath beene with the best in the world they all saw Corruption in their time Again considering we have but corruptible bodies here bodies that must see corruption let us take care for the better part He is a mad man that having two houses one free-hold the other a rotten tenement ready to fall about his eares that shall take delight in that and neglect his owne inheritance which is a goodly thing it is for want of wit and it is as much want of grace when we having a double life the life of grace that ends in glory the life of the soule the life of God as Saint Paul saith and then the life of the body which is communicated from the soule to the body which is corruptible our bodies are but tabernacles of clay whose foundation is in the dust for us to take care of this vile body as the Apostle calls it Phil. 3. Who shall change our vile body and make it like to his glorious body according to his mighty power to take care of this vile body and to neglect our precious soules It is the care of most such is the carnall breeding of men and they follow those that bred them in this brutishnesse as if they had no soules as if there were no life after this their care is what they shall eat and what they shall drink and put on what to commend themselves by in the outward man to the view of others all their care is for their outward man Alas what is it but a corruptible vile body it is but the case of the soule they forget the Iewell and look all to the Casket which is a base body take it at the best while we are here And take heed we be not ensnared with the bodies of others This is the corruption of men to gaze in this kind You see wise Salomon and others were much troubled with temptations in this kind Consider that body that thou dotest on now and which is made by the Divell a snare to thee what will it bee ere-long so noysome that thou wilt not indure the presence of it it is but a flower and it is fading fresh in the morning and dead at night All flesh is but grasse it is a corruptible body If thou wilt needs love bee acquainted with such as have excellent spirits that shall live eternally Oh there is an object of love indeed that is the true love and acquaintance that is spirituall Many things may be lovely in the outward person but see that there be a heavenly spirit that is mounting up that savours of good things a spirit that hath life begunne in it that shall be for ever happy in heaven unlesse there bee this there cannot bee a fit ground for the love of any wise man To end all you see here a short story of a good life and a blessed death let us make this blessed man of God exemplary to us in both Let our whole life be nothing but a service of God and let us consider the generation wherein wee are to take