Wherefore my Brethren pray that ye may understand these things for indeed they are things that depend upon Revelation therefore they call for prayer Saith Bernard of the Mystery of the Trinity The best way of seeking it and the easiest way of finding it is not to enter upon Disputings but Prayer To Prayer add the use of the best Means reading the Word of God in which these Mysteries are revealed that concern the Eternity and Personality and Divinity of Jesus Christ Scripture will help you more then Reason here There are two sorts of things Some things there are which we do first understand and then believe Others which we first believe and then come to understand If ye Naturall things are first understood then believed Supernaturals not so go to naturall things first ye understand them apprehend the inside and outside of them and then believe them because ye understand them But now in these great supernaturall Mysteries that ye may understand them you must first believe them For this there are two rules If ye will first set Reason on work believe no more then ye can find out in these Mysteries That will hinder Faith But if after ye have believed them ye will set reason a work that may help faith The Arians of old that denied the Divinity of Christ they got a great deal of advantage especially over Women by putting questions for grounds of reason to them They were wont to come to Women and The Arians delusion and sophistry aske them Hast thou born a Child say they Yes And art thou not older then the Child thou hast born why yes say they And yet say they our Adversaries They tell us that God hath a Son and that the Son is Co-eternall with the Father Athanasius goeth to work to confute them thus I aske you a question Canst thou build a house without Timber and Stone and other Materialls no yet God made the World without any of these things If Gods building be not as an Artificer's God made the World without Materialls He hath his Son from Eternity but not as a naturall parent for who can declare his generation If ye will aske a question Ask the Sun if ever it were without its beams Aske the Sun if it did not shine as soon as it was Created And aske the Fountain if ever it was without its streams As the Sun was never without its beams nor the Fountain without its streams so God was never without his Son In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God both Co-existent and Eternall Vers 3. All things were made by Him and without Him was not any thing made that was made Who is here meant by Him the fore-going verses tell you namely the Word And who is meant by the Word ye have heard at large namely Christ Whose Divinity the Evangelist had affirmed vers 1. The Word was God confirmed in the second verse The same was in the beginning with God And here he proveth it by a new argument from the Creation of the World All things were made by Him and without Him was nothing made that was made Now the Apostle telleth you Hebr. 3. 4. He that built Syllogism all things is God Christ built all things saith my Text Therefore Christ is God The argument lieth fair and undeniable But whereas the Apostle Paul speaks of a new Creation we are hinted to think of a double Creation There is the old Creation and the new Creation Now some Hereticks make a question which of the two is here meant There is the old Creation spoken of by Moses in Genesis In the beginning God Created Heaven and Earth And there is the new Creation spoken of by Paul 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new Creature old things are past away behold all things are become New The question is which of these the Text is meant of All things were made by Him Socinus who denieth the Socinus his damnable heresie and opinion Divinity of Christ together with his Satisfaction maketh it to lay hold upon the latter of these and saith that in the Text ye must understand the new Creation As In the beginning was the Word He understandeth the beginning of the Gospell not of the World All things were made by Him that is all things were made new when Christ was born of the Virgin Mary These are the all things meant in the Text saith Socinus As this is not true so it will not serve his turn It is not true nor consonant to the Text which doth not say that all things were made new by Him but that all things were made by Him and undeniably spoken of the Creation of the World Neither will it serve his turn He hopeth by this evasion to avoid the dint of this argument taken from the Creation of the World to prove the Divinity of Christ but it faileth him for take that which he granteth By all things here we must mean the new things the new Creature If this be the thing we will prove Christ to be God in spight of Socinus For who can turn a heart of stone into an heart of flesh who can work faith and love faith in an unbelieving heart love in an hating heart and meeknesse in a passionate heart who but God! Do not these things declare an Almighty power This by his owne Confession proves him to be God But we are to understand it of the old Creation of the World which Moses telleth us of All things were made by Him that is the proposition An illustration of it in the following words without Him was nothing made that was made In the proposition observe two things First the Effect All things were made Secondly The Efficient By Him This is an excellent help and of great Concernment The making of all things is the first lesson that God Almighty teacheth us in the Bible In the beginning the Lord made Heaven and Earth Therefore worthy the dwelling a while upon and making inquiry into these five things for the clearing of these words First What are the things here meant Secondly In what Order Thirdly In what space of time Fourthly In what manner Fifthly To what end were they all made When these are done we shall come clearly to shew that the Lord Jesus Christ had an influence as the Efficient cause of all these All things were made by Him First What things are here meant All things These 1. All things are here meant are words of a vast Comprehension but you shall find them all reduced to four heads by God himselfe In the fourth Commandement Exod. 20. 11. In six dayes the Lord made Heaven and Earth the Sea and all things that are therein These are the heads of the All things First the Heaven Heaven is a fair building a glorious Fabrick of three Stories the first second and third Heaven 1. Heaven So Paul
to begin with the lowest and so goe upward to begin with lesse perfection and so go on to more Do we aime at the top of Grace Wee must climb up by certain steps The New Creature goeth on as the Old Creature dyeth from the lesse perfect to the more perfect Never expect Love and Fear and Joy and all at the first God's work will be going on still from lesse to more perfection Thirdly as to the poynt of order in the making of all 3. The essentiall part of the world made before its Ornaments things God he made the Essentiall part of the World before he made their Ornaments As ye know he made the the Heaven and Earth and Sea before he made their furniture before He furnished the Heaven with Starres and the Earth with Plants and Beasts and the Sea with Fishes To teach us to look in the poynt of Grace too for the like proceeding There are Essentiall Graces and Graces that tend to Ornament Essentiall Graces that goe to the Constitution of a Christian Such are Faith and Love And accessary graces that tend to his Ornament and well-being Such are joy and assurance Observe now Gods method He first begins with the most essentiall happinesse but he that by faith layeth hold on Christ and by love cleaveth to Christ it may be God will make him stay some time for his Ornaments before he furnisheth him with full Assurance even as a Heaven before starres to furnish it Again It may be observed in order of Gods Creation 4. He made things dependent before the things they depend upon That he made some things which now depend upon others before the things upon which they depend For instance the light ye know dependeth upon the Sun the Sun being removed we shall have no light but yet God made the light before any Sun The light was the work of the second day and the Sun not made till afterwards The growing of Plants and Fruits now depend much upon the husbandry of men and upon showers and rain yet God made them before any raine or any man to till the ground Gen. 2. 5. Every plant of the field before it was in the earth and before it grew for the Lord had not caused it to rain upon the earth and there was not a man to till the ground To teach us thus much That all the Creatures though they be subordinate one to another doe yet depend more upon God the first Cause then upon any second Cause And to let us understand That we have reason to depend upon God though we see no meanes He that can maintain a light without a Sun and cause things to grow without rain he can maintain grace in thy heart though thou hast no means or but small means of thriving in that way I do but hint these things by the way as profitable Observations from the Creation of the World Lastly in poynt of order God made Man last of all He ye know was the workmanship of the sixth day and that to 5. He made Man last of all the end we might see both his wisdome and his goodnesse a great deal of wisdome in this That after God had raised such a glorious Fabrick as the world is he should do as sometimes men are wont to do A man that buildeth suppose a Library or Exchange or some such Monumentall place It is usuall for such persons to send their Pictures thither and to have them hanged up therein that all may know at whose charge that was done So God made the World and furnisheth it and then sendeth his own Picture and maketh man after his own Image and putteth him into the World And at such a time as the Wisdome of God had provided it and furnished it That man should be so made as to let him see that he was made to serve God as other things to serve him Therefore he is not created till the latter end of the sixth day immediately before the Sabbath that so the first work which he takes in hand might be the worship of God that made him Here is wisedome and goodnesse in this aboundant goodness God would not invite man unto bare walls but first he buildeth and furnisheth a house and then bringeth his guest into the house that Man at first might taste and see how good the Lord was And that all men might learn for ever to trust him He that provided for us a being will he not now he hath given us a being maintain us These things I observe to you from the Order Thirdly Let us inquire into the space of Time wherein 3. In what space of time all these things were made I do it the rather to let you see what Doctrine may be sucked out of these first Principles of Religion In six dayes the LORD created Heaven and Earth the Sea and all things therein Here are divers Considerations to be deduced from hence 1. God could have done all things in a moment yet it pleased him to be six dayes about this great work Dayes 1. To teach us Deliberation and not Moments First to teach us the necessity of Deliberation in all matters of Consequence We understand God could have done all in a Moment but he was pleased to take time about it that he might thereby inform us of the necessity of taking time when we undertake things of Consequence Many a man doth that in haste that he Serius absolvit qui nimiùm properat repenteth him of at leisure whereas he should not have had cause to repent if he would have taken leisure in doing of it Dan. 2. 16. He required time of the King when he had a hard taske Secondly dayes and not years Here is an observeable 2. To blesse God more for Redeeming us than for Making us difference between the work of Creation and the work of Redemption The one was finished in six dayes but it cost Christ three and thirty years pilgrimage upon earth before he came to say It is finished So much more noble is the one work than the other So much doe we owe more to God for his having Redeemed us than for his having Made us There is not one of us but oweth himself to God for his Creation If we had a thousand yea ten thousand selves we should owe them all to Christ for our Redemption because that is the greater worke it tooke God a longer time Thirdly in poynt of time All things were made in six distinct severall dayes That so God might help us the better 3. To help us the better to understand the making of all things to understand this great work It is too vast for us to comprehend at once The making of all things Therefore God was pleased to cast it into six severall dayes that so he might follow his work in our meditations Moses saith Such a day was such and such a Creature made that we might runne through all
Demetrius and the Silver-Smiths cried-up Act. 19. 28. Diana of the Ephesians because they got their Living by making of her Silver-shrines The merits of Christ will bring us more than the shrines of Diana can bring to them We shall have Life and Life Eternall with this Life Therefore we have more cause to cry up Great is the Lord Jesus Great is the Lord the Rock of our Salvation and our Righteousnesse And the rather because in few words the best way in the World to cry down both sin and errour is to cry up Christ Lust and Heresie both will fall like Dagon before the Ark if Christ were once up in men's hearts There is use of other Arguments and Considerations as of the Law and the terrour of the day of Judgement and torments of Hell these have their place There is nothing so effectuall to draw sinners out of hell as the setting up of Christ when they know Christ is Crucified they then are crucified with Christ A man may be terrified with the threats of the Law and thoughts of iudgement to come and yet have an heart filled with lust all this while If Christ once come into the heart he driveth out these lusts before him The like may be said of Errors Corrupt opinions If the Sun of Righteousnesse comes in it is his beams that causeth all these shadowes to fly away nothing so soon nothing so sure Instance in Popery There may be great use of preaching against the particular points of it against Purgatory Transubstantiation and Worshipping of images But if once a man could set up Christ in his heart How soon would these vanish Saith Calvin Popery cannot stand but where the ignorance of Christ is brought in for the knowledge of Christ maketh Popery to fall Christ and Antichrist are like two buckets in a Well if the one goeth up the other goeth down Popery cannot thrive in that soyl where Christ is planted Thus much from these words the manner of his bearing witnesse He came crying Thirdly For the Time that I told you lay in these 3. The time when he did bear witnesse words This was he of whom I spake Whence it is gathered That John the Baptist having testified of Christ when he came to his Baptism continued his bearing witnesse to him now when Jesus was gone into the wildernesse which ye know was presently after he was baptized That difference is between this Evangelist and the former he relateth what they omitted and omitteth many of those things that they relate The other had spoken of the testimony that John gave to Christ before he made himself known our Evangelist speaketh nothing of this but falleth upon those Testimonies which he gave to Christ after he was made known Now he was made known at his baptism This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Chemnitius maketh it appear plainly that what John saith in my Text was spoken after Christ was baptized when he was drawn aside into the wildernesse to be tempted of the Devill I said This was he yet he came after me and was before me Observe from hence this namely That the Baptist was honouring Christ when the devill was tempting of him Observ While Satan was using all his subtlery to overcome Christ in the wildernesse John is using all his earnestnesse and endeavour to cry him up to exalt him in the hearts of his hearers This is a speciall piece of Christian prudence for men to counterwork the devill to appear so much the more for Christ by how much the more Satan and his instruments appear against him There should be a kind of Antiperistasis in the soul of every believer as in the fire that burns hottest then when the aire round about it is coldest The middle Region is therefore coldest because the great heat of each takes the reflection from the lower and the upper heat above Such an Antiperistasis should be found in Christians they should be witnesses in the deadest times and their hearts should be softest in the hardest times and fullest of activity for Christ in the times of the greatest opposition against him As John is a honouring of him when the Devill is a tempting him The reason lyeth in that enmity which was put at first between the Serpent and the Seed of the woman for enmities work one against another contraries expell one another The Devill will be sure to crosse us if he can when we go to any spirituall duty as When the high Priest Zachary was standing before the Lord then it is said There was Satan standing at his right hand to resist him Zach. 3. 1. Therefore when we see Satan plotting any mischief we should stand at his right hand to resist him We should do what we can for Christ at such times more especially Then our service is most acceptable and most usefull For men not to be ashamed of Christ in the midst of a crooked and an adulterous generation yet for men to appear for Christ in a back-sliding generation run through the stories of all times and ye shall find this hath been the spirit of the Saints When Herod sought for Christ to destroy Matth. 2. 14. him in his Infancy then was Joseph and Mary most carefull of him and took him into Egypt When the Priests When Christ is most opposed then we should most appear for Him and Levites and Scribes and Pharisees did much oppose him in his Members then the Apostle's most of all appeared for him and tell the Rulers to their faces Whether it be better to obey God or man judge ye In the Primitive times when it was death to bear the name of a Christian then did Pausanius when they asked him what he was say My name is Christian and my sirname is Catholick His name was Christian to distinguish him from Hereticks and those that opposed Christianity I need not tell you of our Worthies in Queen Mary's daies that not onely by their Writings but by their Sufferings witnessed for Christ not onely in black and white but in red too It should be so still the very thoughts of their flames should kindle zeal in us Christ is opposed even at this day in many waies therefore we should strive for him There are many tempters and revilers now therefore Christ should have many Champions now Heaven and Earth may both teach us this lesson Time was when our Saviour came to the men of Bethlehem He came to his own and his own received him not they refused to entertain Christ as became him Then doth the Star from heaven own him that comes and sheweth Matth. 2. 9. the Wise-men where he was and standeth before the house Afterwards when his own rejected him Not him but Barabbas said they When the Jewes that pronounced Joh. 18. 40. him not worthy to live had got their ends then the Sun is darkned and the Earth quaked they owned their Lord and Maker then when the
the Creatures as it were by these severall stages and let our affections goe on as God went on in working Fourthly But six dayes De Posse God might have done 4. To see how great things God can do in a short time it in a moment But defacto he did it in six dayes We see how great a thing God can do in a short time That which men and Angells could not have done though he had given them a thousand millions of years to have perfected it Thirteen years was Solomon a building the first Temple And forty yeares were the Jews a building the second Temple Here in six dayes Heaven and Earth and Sea and All things therein are made Therefore trust God be thou never so low in thy estate or name or body or Soul He that raised the World out of nothing in six dayes how soon is he able to raise thee to a Competencie of these things Lastly Six dayes and no more God cast it so as we may 5. To limit us a time of working think on purpose to limit us a time of working and a time of resting He himself wrought six dayes and rested the seaventh day from all his works To teach us That we should have six dayes to labour in and keep the seaventh as a Sabbath Levit. 23. 3. Six dayes shalt thou labour but the seaventh day is the Sabbath of rest an holy Convocation ye shall do no work therein It is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings That is the third thing Ye have heard what these All-things are In what order they were made And in what space of time they were created See now next In what manner they were created Fourthly In what manner were they made They were made by the sole word of God without instruments 4. In what manner without materialls meerly by the word of Command Psal 148. 5 6. Praise him ye Heaven of heavens and ye waters that be above the Heavens let them praise the name of the Lord for he commanded and they were created He hath established them for ever and ever he hath made a decree which shall not passe You read of no Instruments Solomon could not make a Temple but he must have a thousand of Tools God doth but speak the word and the earth was made You read of no materials out of which he made the world What can men make if you give them nothing to work upon Let a Smith have Iron and a Mason Stone and they can make some Work but here God maketh all out of Nothing saith the Apostle Heb. 11. 3. Through faith we Understand that the World was framed by the word of God so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear Briefly God made Something of Nothing and then out of that Something made All things as one well expresseth it That which Gen. 1. is called the earth and the water and the deep that first matter it was made out of meer nothing There is something out of nothing and then out of that first-Matter were all things framed There is all things out of something so as mediately or immediately all the Creatures come out of Nothing There is Non-ens negativum And so the first matter commeth out of nothing There is Non-ens privativum And so the other things they came out of that which is Non-ens tale a thing that had no naturall disposition to receive such a form And here is the omnipotency of God seen in both For it requires as much power to produce such and such formes as to produce that God Omnipotent in the Creation first matter out of Nothing and yet This God hath done And this should teach us both Obedience and Humility The consideration of the manner of making all things He made them all by his word Who are we that we should disobey the word of God which every Creature was framed by It is a shame for a man to be the worst thing in his house All the World is a house made for Man and man approveth himself the worst thing in the World if he disobey the Word of God Fire Haile Ice Snow fulfill thy Word saith the Psalmist He did but say Let there be light and the light presently shined How many words have we had Ten words of the Law as the Ten Commandements all comprized in two Words under the Gospell Repent and Believe and how many are unbelieving and disobedient still The Creatures cast shame upon us in this particular As they were made without Instruments by a sole word of Command so they were made of Nothing This should take down our Pride shall we be proud of the Creature That is to be proud of Nothing Proud of our parts or gifts Who art thou the Son of Adam vvho is Adam the Son of dust What is that dust The Son of nothing All resolveth it self into Nothing And certainly he that hath brought something out of nothing can quickly reduce our something to nothing again if we begin to be proud of it As he did the parts and power of Nebuchadnezzar when he took away his understanding and turned him to eat grasse with the beasts of the field Some thing ye have heard about the Things and the Order and the Manner and the Time Fiftly See now the End for which all things were made 5. To what end Solomon telleth you in one word That they were all made for the glory of God Prov. 16. 4. The Lord hath made all things for himself The Heavens declare the glory of God The firmaments shew his handy works Therefore this is the great improvement we should make of all the things that are made to read something of God in them And this is a duty that lyeth especially upon man Man as he is the most considerable part of the visible World so the only Creature that can consider the rest and it lyeth as a more strong engagement upon him to Glorifie God above all because no visible Creature can do it if man deny it And it lyeth as a more strong obligation upon Ministers to Preach the Word because Regularly none but they can Preach And also upon Kings to govern and Merchants to trade because none can govern none can trade in such things as they No none but Men can consider and praise God for what he hath done in the World Therefore every man should look at this great book of the Creature as that which is written all over with something of God Beloved There is many a man cast away for not reading when he is put to this book a Non legit here may destroy a man for not reading the book of the Creature Though some of us take it but for a morall fault Observe that Psal 28. 5. Because they regarded not the works of the Lord nor the operation of his hands he shall destroy them and not build them up Why Should God set before
the World and the World was made by Him and the World knew him not Ye have here the World in another sense The world in the beginning of the verse is taken for the whole Fabrick of Heaven and Earth as Aristotle saith The World is a Masse made up of Heaven and Earth In this sense it is said He was in the World the World was made by Him Now in the latter Clause of the verse The world knew Him not The World there is put for the Inhabitants of the earth for the men of the World Rom. 5. 12. The World and Men are all one By one man's disobedience sin entred into the World and death by sin and so death passed over all-Men Here is the World and all men The world was made by Him and the world that is the men of the world knew him not It is a Rule in Divinity Verba Cognitionis affectiones important c. Words of knowledge import affections and operate suitably So to know carrieth more then meer speculation When Christ is said to know us The Holy Ghost telleth us It is more then barely to take notice of us It is to take care for us Joh. 10. 14. Christ knoweth his sheep that is he taketh care of his Elect. And he is known of his that is He is served and obeyed and worshipped and believed on by them So the world knew him not that is the World worshipped him not as God The world did not owne Him and serve Him as became their Creator So as now the words thus opened The observation lieth clear before us namely That notwithstanding Christ's Observ being in the world and the world being made by Him the men of the world knew him not Take a place or two to clear up this especially in reference to the Gentiles for to them properly it belongeth I should have told you that the word World is sometimes confined to them If the fall of them be the diminishing of the world and the fall of them the riches of the Gentiles He came to his owne and his owne received him not That is did not know him 1 Joh. 2. 1. Therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew not him There is yet a clearer place 1 Cor. 1. 21. After that in the wisdome of God the world by wisdome knew not God All the wisdome the Heathens had could not raise them to a due knowledge of God The world by wisdome knew not God Christ was in the world but the world knew him not A threefold ignorance of Christ was found in all the Gentiles First They knew him not as the second person in the Trinity Secondly They knew him not as Mediator Thirdly They knew him not as Creator which is properly here spoken to He made the world and the world knew him not Let me run over these briefly first They knew him not 1. The Gentiles knew not Chtist as the second Person in the Trinity as the second person in the Trinity so they are said to have been without Christ and without God in the world Ephes 2. 12. speaking there of the Gentiles saith he At that time ye were without Christ being aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the World They had the great book of the Creatures to read but that did shew them nothing of Christ as the second person in the Trinity Naturall reason could never find out that Mystery in it selfe Therefore men when they go to find out this great mystery of the Trinity they are at their wit's end They might find out a God and that he was Good and Great and that he was One but to find out a Trinity of Persons a Father Son and Holy Ghost This they could not Take a curious piece a well drawn Picture he that seeth it may be able to say that he that drew it was a skilfull and exact Painter But whether an English man or a Spaniard or a Dutch man or an Italian that he cannot tell by the Picture why because he made this piece as an Artist but not as a German or English man Therefore he discovereth his Art by the piece but not his Country So God made the World not as Father Son and Holy Ghost Three in one and one in three All the works towards the Creatures works ad Extra are common to all the persons in the Trinity God as God made the world Therefore by the sight of the world men may be able to know that it is a God that made it and that this God is good because he made so many things useful in the world this God is wise because of the variety of the creatures and this God is One because of the order of things But to say This God is Three in One the Creation of the world doth not bear this If the works be ad Intra as Generation these are the works of some one Person but the works ad extra they represent the Godhead but not the Persons Secondly They did not know Christ as Mediator therefore 2. They knew not Christ as Mediator they raised up many Mediators 1 Cor. 8. 5 6. Though there be that are called gods whether in heaven or in earth as there be gods many and lords many But to us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him The Apostle doth here clearly allude to the custom of the Heathens who had two sorts of gods they had their dii Coelestes their supream heavenly gods which they worshipt as the Sun Moon and Stars and then besides these they had their dii Terrestres inferiour gods gods on earth who were men that lived upon the earth which were afterwards canonized and made gods That is the true meaning of this There be many that are called gods whether in heaven or in earth So there be gods many and lords many gods many those are their supream gods lords many those are their inferiour gods Baalim as they called him who was the first King of Babel and the first that was made a god and all those kinds of gods therefore after him were called Baalim as Caesar being the first Emperour all Emperours after him were called Caesars Now saith the Apostle To us is but one God not many but one Lord not many but one Mediator Christ Jesus Thirdly They knew him not as Creator therefore Paul 3. They knew not Christ as Creator when he came to Athens found them ignorant of this Greece was the Eye of the world and Athens was the Eye of Greece yet even at Athens Paul found an Altar To an unknown God and that same God was the God that made the world God the Creator Act. 17. 23 24. saith Paul For as I passed by and beheld your devotions I found an Altar with this inscription
the fulnesse of the Godhead In him dwelleth all the fullnesse of the Godhead bodily Not a parcell but all and bodily that is either really If ye take body as it standeth in opposition to shadowes and figures then the Godhead is said to dwell in Christ bodily in opposition to the shadowes Under the law the body dwelt figuratively in the Ark and thence the glory of the Lord filled the house But now it dwelleth in Christ as the substance of all those shadowes It dwells in him bodily Or if ye take body as it sometimes signifieth person The Hebrewes were wont to put the soul for the whole person so many souls went down with Jacob into Egypt The Greeks were Gen. 46. 27. wont to put body for the whole person I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God present your bodies as a living sacrifice so then to dwell bodily is to dwell personally Now the fulnesse of the Godhead dwells personally in Jesus Christ because he was the second Person in the Trinity The Son of God as full of the Divinity as the Father himselfe was The fulnesse of the Godhead dwelt as truly in the Son as in the Father Now Sonship implieth Identity of nature As if it will not be tedious to you Four things go to make up a perfect Sonship There Four things make up a perfect Sonship must be 1. Similitude 2. Procession and Production 3. Life and 4. Identity If any of these be wanting A person cannot be said to be the son of another I say Similitude Procession Life Identity There is a likenesse between the whitenesse of the wall and the whitenesse of the snow but no sonship between them because there is no production The whitenesse of the wall doth not produce the whitenesse of the snow Fire begets fire Here is a production But the fire is not the son of the fire because here wanteth Life The body of a living Man breeds worms Here is a production and life but yet the worm is not the son of Man because here is no Identity of nature The worm hath not the nature of man There must be a Coherence in all these four which you find in Christ in reference to God the Father There is a similitude He is the expresse Image 1. Similitude 2. Procession of his Fathers person There is a procession For the Son proceedeth from the Father and is begotten of the Father from all eternity There is Life For the Son hath Life 3. Life 4. Identity in himselfe as himselfe saith And there is Identity of nature The very same essence with that of the Father And a greater Identity then between any man and his son That take along with you too Take Abraham and Isaac Isaac hath the same nature with Abraham But how the same The same in species not in Individualls The same in kind not the same Individuall nature For it is possible that the father may be saved and the son damned or the son saved and the father damned But now the Lord Jesus Christ is the same Individuall nature with the Father because but one Deity and one Divinity and one Essence and the same Person pertakes of the same Individuall substance Here is the first fulnesse The fulnesse of Divinity Secondly There is in Jesus Christ A fulnesse of sufficiency Secondly a fulnesse of sufficiency for the work of the Mediator-ship which he undertook as God-man That which Divines call the grace of unction They speak of a double grace that dwelleth in Christ The grace of union namely that favour by which the human Nature was united Personally to the Godhead Secondly The grace of unction namely that anointing with the holy Ghost which Christ-Man had who is therefore said to be annointed with the oyle of gladness above his fellowes There is therefore this fulnesse of sufficiency because there was a fulnesse of Divinity there is therefore this grace of unction because by that grace of union Christ is therefore annoynted because the Manhood is so united to the Divinity The nearer any thing commeth to the Cause the more it taketh of the Effect Fire is the cause of heat therefore the nearer a man stands to the fire the hotter he is the farther off the lesse he partakes of the influence of the fire The Human Nature having a union with the Godhead must needs partake of all grace Write the letters of the Alphabet upon a seal and then put that upon the wax the wax will bear the image of all the letters Here is the Divinity The Godhead falls upon as it were and takes to it self the whole Manhood and therefore the Manhood bears the impression of the whole Godhead as far as the Manhood is capable Now indeeed it was necessary there should be a fulnesse of sufficiency in Christ because as Mediator he had three great Offices to discharge and every one of them requireth a fulnesse without which he could not have gone through with his work Accordingly ye shall find A three-fold fulnesse in Christ as to his Offices a fulnesse of power in Christ as King a fulnesse of wisdom in Christ as Prophet and a fulnesse of righteousnesse in Christ as he was the Priest of his Church which three make up the fulnesse of Sufficiency There is in Christ as King a fulnesse of power That is 1. As King the fulnesse of Power it which he speaks of Matth. 28. 18. Jesus came and spake to them saying All power is given to me in heaven and in earth Go ye therefore and teach all Nations and I will be with you to the end of the world Christ hath all power in Heaven and Earth yea and in Hell too Of the two former this place speaks All power is given to me in heaven He hath the Angels in heaven at his command and can send them out as an heavenly hoast to assist his people All power is given to him on earth over all the Princes in the world Therefore he is King of kings and Lord of lords And this he telleth his Apostles before he sent them to preach the Gospell to encourage them Preach to all Nations all Nations all Mankind All power in heaven and in earth is given to me Therefore go preach I am with you And as all power in heaven and earth is given to Christ as King of the Church so all power in Hell Ye have an expression that may haply bear this sense Rev. 1. 18. I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore Amen And have the keys of hell and of death Christ hath the keyes of hell and can send whom he will thither and keep whom he will from thence The Keys argue Power It is a metaphor taken from Conquerors when they take a City they have the Keys thereof delivered into their hands in token the City is now at their command If Hell be here taken for the Grave
Tent upon Earth as the word signifieth Joh. 1. 17. He dwelt amongst us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is as in a Tent or Tabernacle Do but consider the difference of these two states that which Christ left and that which Christ took The former was a state of incomprehensible glory In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God What was the state of the Word See Joh. 17. 5. Now O Father glorifie thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was I had with thee glory before the world was Here is the Word with God in the state of glory From this state of glory he is pleased to descend To what To take shame It is emphatically said for that is one half of Christ's sufferings Shame is Heb. 12. 2. Looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the crosse and despised the shame He came to Isa 53. 3 Luk. 23. 36 39 Luk. 17. 34. Matth. 9. 11 34. Matth. 12. 24. 10. 25. be buffeted and spit upon and reviled and called a friend of publicans and sinners a wine-bibber yea the prince of devills They called Christ Beelzebub Before he came into the world he was in a state of Joy as well as of Glory The Text saith He was with God and wheresoever God is there is joy as the Psalmist saith In thy presence is fulnesse of joy and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore What is that Christ took instead of joy He came to sorrow sorrow and deadly sorrow surrounded his soul on every side From that eternall joy he is pleased to descend to those intolerable sorrows to be a man of sorrows acquainted with grief Blessed Saviour may we well say Isa 53. 3. What a change hast thou made for thy love to us of being with God to be with Man from the Father's Bosom to the Virgin 's Womb from Heaven to Earth from Glory as ye have heard to Shame and from Joy to Grief And all this for our sakes Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus 2 Cor. 8. 9. Christ saith the Apostle who though he were rich yet for your sakes he became poor that ye through his poverty might become rich How should this fir'e and inflame our hearts with love to Christ He who was the delight of his Father from all Eternity had his delight with the sons of men How should the sons of men have their delight in him Hath Christ left Heaven for me and shall not I leave the world for Christ Hath he thus emptyed himself for me of his Joy and Glory for a time and shall not I deny my self for him in my pleasures and profits and ease What a poor sorry joy is that which the world affordeth us to that which Christ hath first given us Let us love him who loved us so as that he was pleased to become Emmanuel God with us So The Word was with God This is that which concerneth the Personall Co-existency of Christ with God the Father In the Beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God There is hardly any place of Scripture more abused in a way of superstition than the beginning of this Gospell It was a common thing in times of Popery and I would to God it were abolished wholly at this day to write these words in certain Characters and to tye the paper or parchment about people's necks as a Charm against Agues or as a Spell to prevent some other mischief We shall I hope make better use of them by how much this Scripture hath been wronged by others These words are a Charm indeed but it is against Hereticall Opinions and carnall discouragements The Deniers of Christ's Divinity never had such a Charm as this is Joh. 11. We have made some of them to that end and hope to make more as we do proceed The Fifth Use from hence is that this very Proposition Vse 5 that the Word was with God holdeth forth Comfort to us For he that was with God in the beginning is with him still and will be with him for everlasting with God then and with God now and with God to all eternity And that under the notion of our Advocate 1 Joh. 2. 1 2. If any man Christ our Advocate sin we have an Advocate with the Father So the phrase is here With the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins He is there as an Advocate to plead a cause And what cause His own as well as ours We know when a Counsellor is employed in a Cause that concerneth himself as well as his Clyent he is wont to be exceeding active in that businesse more than in other he will neglect no opportunity in such a Cause So Christ is such an Advocate as to be a Propitiation for our sins And Christ should lose the price of his own Blood if our Cause should miscarry before God the Father with him where he appeareth for us Heb. 9. 24. Christ is not entred into the holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true but into Heaven it self to appear in the presence of God for us Observe that With God and For us He appeareth there as an Advocate appeareth for his Clyent when such a Cause is called upon he pleadeth that Cause as an Advocate So Christ appeareth for us as our Proctor He is God with us and for us and therefore able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him because he liveth to make intercession for them Heb. 7. 25. Never fear that any thing shall be wanting to thy salvation Christ will be sure to perfect it He will save to the uttermost because he liveth for ever Well may Satan's accusations trouble us on Earth they shall never trouble us in Heaven for Christ appeareth there for us He is ever with the Father I passe now to the third Clause of this first Verse which concerneth the Divine Essence of Christ The Word was God So with God a distinct Person from the Father as to be God of the same Essence with the Father The word God is taken essentially for the Father the First-Person in the Trinity This is a point of high concernment that Christ is God so high as whosoever buildeth not upon this buildeth upon the sands This is the Rock of our salvation The Word was God But there will be frequent occasion in this Gospell of meeting with it and therefore I shall speak now but briefly of it Take a few clear places such as our enemies know not how to evade that in Rom. 9. 5. Of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came who is over all God blessed for evermore Christ is here himself called God blessed for ever So Tit. 2. 13. Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearance of
the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Who is it that shall appear at the last Day in the Clouds but Christ who is called the great God and our Saviour God blessed for ever saith Paul to the Romans The great God saith Paul to Titus And lest any Heretick should hope to shift it off as they are as full of shifts as the Serpent is of turnings and windings and should say Why Angels are called gods and Magistrates are called gods To stop their mouths St. John telleth you He is the true God I and God properly so called The true God You know what they use to object against this as if the Object Father were onely called the true God And the place seemeth to have some colour in it Joh. 17. 13. This is life eternall that they know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ seemeth to be made a different Person from the true God I answer There is no necessity of limiting this phrase Answ The onely true God to the Person of the Father the First Person in the Trinity It is true indeed that the word Thee in the third Verse referreth to the word Father in the first Verse These words spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said Father glorifie thy Son c. And this is eternall life that we know thee the onely true God Ye must know the word Father is taken two manner of waies in Scripture First Sometimes it is taken for the First-Person in the Trinity And Father is taken for the Divine Essence or rather for an Attribute that is common to all the Persons in the Trinity Every one is Father in this sense So Christ is Father as well as the First Person He is called The everlasting Father and The Prince of peace Isa 9. 6. Father in that sense is no more than God in his Essence Mal. 2. 10. Have we not all one Father hath not one God created us There is a concurrence of all the Persons in this great work of Creation and so in this Relation of Father That Jam. 1. 27. True religion and undefiled before God and the Father Father here belongeth to all the Persons 1 Pet. 1. 17. We know that all judgement is committed to Christ So that Father is taken here essentially and belongeth to all the Trinity If ye understand it so here then the Objection is of no force But Christ is conceived here as Mediator and as Man praying to the whole Trinity under the name of Father and saying This is eternall life to know thee onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent So that 1 Tim. 2. 5. is parallel There is one God and one Mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus Nothing is so familiar in Scripture as to distinguish Christ as Mediator from God taking the word essentially for all the Persons in the Trinity Secondly Suppose the word Father Joh. 17. be taken Personally for the First Person in the Trinity yet the word Onely is not here to be limited to the First Person I pray you observe that This is eternall life that they know thee the onely true God It is not Thee onely the true God as if the Father onely were the true God Indeed the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not to be tyed to the saying Thee onely but Thee God is to be tyed to the word Onely To know thee the onely true God So as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word Onely is not exclusive from the other two Persons the Son and God distinguished from Creatures and Idols not from the other Persons the holy Ghost but onely exclusive from the Creatures who are improperly called gods as sometimes Angels and sometimes Magistrates are called so and Idols so called falsly The onely true God excluding Idolls but not the Son and the holy Ghost You may as well argue from that place 1 Cor. 8. 5 6. that God the Father is not Lord as argue from this that Christ is not the true God for it is said there Though there be that are called gods both in heaven and in earth as there be gods many and lords many But to us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him But one Lord Jesus Christ May men from hence argue and say The Father is not the Lord Jesus Christ But many argue and say That Christ is not God because he saith There is but one God the Father of whom are all things I will not hold you long upon this because I hope there are not many here that need solution in this point though the errour be spreading Consider that place Matth. 11. 27. All things are delivered to me of my Father saith Christ And None knoweth the Son but the Father neither knoweth any the Father save the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal him None knoweth the Son but the Father Why doth not the Son know himself doth not the holy Ghost know the Son Yes It is said The Spirit searcheth the deep things of God Neither knoweth any the Father save the Son Doth not the Father know himself and the holy Ghost both the Persons Yes But this none excludeth Creatures from the other Persons So the true God is distinguished from Creatures and Idolls not from the other Persons in the Trinity I will make Use of this to meet with such Hereticks as Vse 1 deny this Would to God I could say there were none in this City but mine ears have heard a man stifly to deny the Divinity of Christ and dispute against it and blaspheme that great truth without which I think a man may safely say there is no possibility of salvation I wonder that of all the old Errors swept down into this latter Age as into a sink of time this of the Socinians and Arians Beware of Heresies should be held forth amongst the rest Let us beware of their doctrines shun their meetings and persons that come to us with the denyall of the Divinity of Christ in their mouths This was John's doctrine and his practise Irenaeus tells us that after he was returned from his Banishment and came to Ephesus he came to bathe himself and in the Bath he found Cerinthus that said Christ had no beeing till he received it from the Virgin Mary Upon the sight of whom John skipped out of the Bath and called his companions from thence saying Let us go from this place lest the Bath should fall down upon us because Cerinthus is in it that is so great an enemy to God Ye see his Doctrine see his words too 2 Joh. 10 11. If any come to you having not this doctrine receive him not into your house neither bid him God-speed for he that biddeth him God-speed is partaker of his evill deed What the Doctrine was ye may see
teacheth us to distinguish when he speaks of his being rapt up into the third Heaven Therefore there is a second and first as well as a third And these three Heavens were sweetly resembled by those three Courts in Solomons Temple There was the first Court the outward Court and the Court of the Gentiles which was common for all sorts of people to come into So is the first Heaven here below Men breathe in the aire birds and beasts they live and breathe in the aire which is the first Heaven The second Court was something more hidden In that the golden Candlesticks were which were the Lights that lighted the Temple So are the Sun Moon and Stars in the second Heaven The third Court was the Holy of Holies into which entred none but the high Priest And the third Heaven is the Heaven of Heavens into which Jesus Christ the high Priest is entred to prepare a place for all his Members All these Heavens were of Christ's making Hebr. 110. Thou Lord in the beginning hast laid the foundations of the World and the Heavens are the work of thy Hands The second head is the Earth the Circle of the World the pavement of this glorious Fabrick the foot-stool of the 2. Earth most high God Of his making it you have an excellent expression in Job Job 38. 4 5 6. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the Earth saith God there declare if thou hast understanding who hath laid the measure thereof if thou knowest or who hath stretched out the line thereof wherein are the foundations thereof fastned or who laid the Corner-stone thereof God hath so made it as to make it The admirablenesse of the fabrick of the Earth admirable to our understandings that such a vast body as the Earth is of a round figure and so fit for motion should be still immoveable a body so heavy should yet be able to hang as it doth in the midst of the air Why God hath fastned it by a Word of his own power Job 26. 7. He stretcheth out the North over the empty place and hangeth the Earth upon nothing Which of us can hang a ball in the aire without some support God He hangeth the Earth how upon nothing but upon the aire without side of it Then Thirdly the Sea Psal 95. 5. The sea is his and He made it so as to make all men rejoyce in the thoughts of it 3. Sea Psal 97. 1. The Lord reigneth let the Earth rejoyce let the multitude of the Isles be glad thereof It is with an Emphasis All sorts of men that dwell in Islands have much cause to rejoyce because God reigneth For if He did not Reign and Rule and bound the Seas with which they are compassed they would quickly be destroyed If God did God boundeth the Seas being above the Earth else the Islands would be destroyed not reign the naturall place of the Sea is above the Earth and how should we in this Island be overflowed in a moment if He bounded not the seas Ye shall see an elegant comparison in Job 38. 8 9 10. Who shutteth up the Sea with doors when it breaketh forth as if it had issued out of the Womb when I made the Clouds the garments thereof and thick darknesse a swadling band for it and brake up for it my decree'd place and set barres and doors Here he compareth the sea to a Child breaking out of the Womb of his Decree to a Child swadled as it were with a Cloud That is the expression Thick darknesse hath swadling bands for it And it is rock't as it were in a Cradle of Providence The fourth head is These All things as that place in Exodus telleth you are the things that are within this Heaven 4. All things and Earth and Sea And all things therein Which Paul reduceth to two heads Things Visible and Things Invisible Col. 1. 16. By Him were all things Created that are in Heaven and Earth visible and invisible Zanchius addeth a third branch to this distinction and maketh it more plain by saying That all things that were made are either visible or invisible or mixt Visible things as the Stars and Fouls and Clouds of Heaven the fish in the sea and beasts upon the earth Invisible things as the Angells they also were made They were not the Makers of the World as some Hereticks have thought Then there is a third sort of Creatures which are of a mixt nature partly visible in regard of their bodies and partly invisible in regard of their souls and those are Men. And so you have The all things Not to stand upon that I will passe to another head Secondly let us Consider In what order these things were made That so we may learn the more to magnifie the 2. In what Order Creatour This ye shall have under sundry Considerations No way more profitable First all things were made so in such an order as that 1. Heaven made before the Earth Heaven a place of blessednesse was made before the Earth the Stage of vanity In the beginning God created Heaven and Earth To teach us that we should begin our search and desires and love where God began his Work first at Heaven and then at Earth It is a Praeposterous course that is taken to begin with earth God did not so He first made the Heavens First seek the Kingdome of God Math. 6. 33. And yet through the Corruption of mens souls Curvae in terras animae Coelestium inanes The most are bowed down to the Earth and few look up towards Heaven There are in the Militant Church some dead and some living Children some true and some false Professors Suppose a Woman should have a dead and a living Child together in her Womb. The dead Child would make no way for his birth the living would so it is here such as are dead Professors in the Womb of the Church they do not make forward towards Heaven But every living soul that is born for Heaven and ordained for Heaven will to Heaven Every soul that is baptized with the Holy Ghost and with Fire hath a fire in it that will carry it up Heaven-ward Secondly as in order to the Creation Things of lesse perfection 2. Things lesse-perfect before more-perfect in the visible world were made before things that are more perfect as if ye come to the visible World especially not that otherwise the invisible Heavens are more perfect then any thing we see But I say the visible World God in the work of Creation went from things lesse perfect to those that had more perfection in them First he made the Elements then the mixt bodies compounded of them and amongst them such as had life before those that had sense and such as had sense before those that had reason A thing profitable to observe that so ye may look at Gods method both in Nature and Grace His method is
us such a glorious piece as this is and shall not we consider it with a Contemplative eye An Artist thinketh himself negglected when he hangeth forth a Picture to be viewed and no body give it the beholding All creatures are active upon the stage of the world but Man is a Spectator as well as an Actor therefore they should observe not themselves Man is not to observe himself onely but what God doth in other Creatures onely but whatsoever God doth in other creatures and towards other creatures as well as in and towards themselves To this end God hath fitted them with Sense to let the consideration of him into their Understandings and set them in such a place of the world as that they are compassed about both with lasting works of Creation Sun Moon Stars Beasts Plants and the like and also with transient works of Providence that passe over their heads daily O therefore that men would praise the Lord and glorifie him in and for all these things that he hath made That is the Use we should make of it Rev. 4. ult Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things For thee they are and were created Rom. 1. 20. Therefore give him the glory of his power Who but God could have created such a Palace as Heaven and Pond as the Sea and Pavement as the Earth Give Him the glory of His wisdom O Lord how manifold are thy works In wisdom hast thou made them all It requireth wisdom to manage a great Family much wisdom to martiall a great Army What wisdom is it in God not onely to make but to govern all the host of all the Creatures In wisdom hast thou made them all in wisdom dost thou govern them Let all therefore give Him the praise of his Goodnesse for the next words there say The earth is full of thy riches namely of his goodnesse to the sons of men because for us were all these things made and we were made for God as ye heard before And therefore made after his own Image Now my Brethren What doth God expect from us in a way of requitall for all these things but that as they serve As the Creature serveth us so we should serve the Lord. us so we should serve him That seeing we are made after his own Image we should represent him in our dispositions and carriages towards the sons of men in being holy and meek and loving even as God himself is Whose image and superscription is this will God ask one day that is upon thy soul Is it God's after which thou art made or is it Satan's If the Devill 's give to Satan that which is Satan's God will give the Devill his due one day If he findeth his own Image spunged out of us and the Devill 's stampt upon us wo be to us As it is said of Queen Elizabeth that passing by the streets and seeing some of her Pictures hang for Signes that were not made like her she was angry and caused them to be pulled down and thrown into the fire Brethren I speak it with trembling Should any of you carry souls about you that do not look like God they must be thrown down and cast into the fire Thus have I run over a sort of Considerations from the great and glorious work of the Creation The next thing is to discourse of Christ as the Maker the Efficient Vers 3. All things were made by him and without him was made nothing that was made Vers 4. In him was life and the life was the light of men The Divinity of Jesus Christ under the tearm of the Word hath been asserted in the former Verse In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God And this our Evangelist proveth by an Argument taken from the Creation First Generally from the Creation of all things All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made Secondly More Especially from the Creation of living things living Creatures In him was life And Particularly from the Creation of Man The life was the light of men That part of the Argument which is most Generall lyeth in the third Verse Where ye have two things The Argument first Propounded And secondly Illustrated Propounded All things were made by him Illustrated Without him was not any thing made that was made In the Proposition are two things Here is the Effect All things made The Efficient By him Of the Effect I have spoken already I proceed now to the Efficient Christ the Eternall Word was the Maker of them All things were made by him The Eternall Word was the Creator of all things Ye shall have this truth established in the mouth of two or three witnesses Ephes 2. 9. Who created all things by Jesus Christ The Epistle to the Hebrewes will afford two pregnant testimonies Heb. 1. 2. He hath in these last daies spoken to us by his Son whom he hath appointed heir of all things by whom also he made the worlds This may seem something difficult because he speaketh of Worlds whereas we acknowledg but one Let it be considered whom he writes to the Hebrews whose custome it was to style God Rabboni Dominus mundorum The Lord of the Worlds They were wont to speak of three Worlds the lower World the higher World and the middle World The lower World containeth the Elements Earth and Water and Aire and Fire The higher World that containeth the Heaven of the Blessed And the middle World that containeth the Starry Heaven We now being acquainted with this Language and the Apostle writing to them he saith That God by Christ made the Worlds those worlds which they were wont to speak so frequently of And whereas one scruple might arise from this expression in the Text By him were all things made that in the Ephesians God created all things by Jesus Christ this to the Hebrews By whom he made the worlds As if Christ were onely an Instrument in the Creation and not the principall Efficient Therefore another place in this first Chapter will clear it which speaketh of Christ as the principall Efficient of all things Heb. 1. compare the 8th and 10th Verses together To the Son he saith Thy throne O God is for ever and ever And Thou Lord verse 10. hast laid the foundations of the earth and the heavens are the work of thy hands Namely thine that is the Son which he spake of before There is no great distinction here in all Objections for this Praeposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not alwaies signifie an Instrument but sometimes it noteth a principall Agent It is said of God Of him and through him and to him are all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 11. 36. by him which we render through him Ye will have a more clear place Gal. 1. 1. Paul an Apostle not of man neither by
When creatures fail and men are wanting Happy is he that trusteth in God saith the Psalmist Beloved God himself is All-sufficient and needeth not the help of any creature therefore he never made all these things for Himself that is clear For if he had need How could he have endured to be without them till within these 5672 years I say If God had needed them himself he would not have been without them till then Therefore certainly he made them for some other end Not for his enemies his friends have an interest in them If Christ made all these things he made them with a speciall reference to them that have the greatest interest in his favour Therefore dispair not For God hath promised to with-hold no good thing from them that walk uprightly I speak now of temporall blessings It is much more true of spiritualls That which is good and good for me at this time I shall have it God will not with-hold it He may indeed with-hold something that is good but it may be it is not good at this time or in this estate I am in Water is good one of the most usefull Elements but not for a man in the heighth of a Feavour though good for him at another time None of those things that God hath made will he withhold from his servants when they are fitted to receive them Ye have a great experience of this how God provided for his Apostles in this case in the want of the creatures Luk. 22. 35. Christ saith to the Disciples When I sent you without purse or scrip and shoos lacked ye any thing And they said Nothing Here were men as poorly provided for as one could imagine sent to travell without any shoos upon their feet Here is want of apparell without No meat Believers want nothing that is necessary for their support they could carry along with them When I sent you without scrip and without any mony to buy any food or rayment with I sent you without purse as well as without food or shoos And yet lacked ye any thing And they said Nothing The Maker of all things so disposed that though they carried nothing with them they had some that bestowed all things upon them that were necessary As that reverend Divine Vrfine whose Catechism you have amongst you at this day was frequently heard to use this expression being a poor youth I had many and many a time lyen in the streets if the Providence of God had not been mine Hoste taken me in and given me a lodging Well But are they spirituall blessings that thou wantest All wants of spirituall blessings are supplied by Christ All these thou maist have from the Creator of all things if thou believest Dost thou want Grace Fetch it from him Create in me a clean heart O Lord and renew a right spirit within me Psal 51. 10. Dost thou want Peace peace of Conscience Have ye that Whence commeth it Christ who is the Creator of all things is the Creator of that I create the fruit of the lips peace peace to him that is afar off and to him that is near saith the Lord. Go then to Christ as the Centurion did when his servant was sick and say Speak the word and my servant shall be whole Lord speak the word and my soul shall be whole It is but as at the Creation He said Let there be light and there was light Lord let there be light in my understanding and there shall be light Let there be peace in my conscience and there shall be peace there It is as easie for him to make thee righteous as to make thee at first Therefore trust Him Secondly Here is comfort in case of Scruple about right to the Creature which is a very usuall case and that many 2. In case of Scruple times with the dearest servants of God They think they have no right to the least bit of bread they put into their mouths and therefore some have starved themselves out of scruple Who is the maker of all these things Is not Christ and art not thou his All are yours if you be Christ's and Christ is God's The Apostle resolveth that case clearly 1 Cor. 3. latter end Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or principalityes or powers or things present or They that have Christ have all things to come all are yours and ye are Christ's If ye be Christ's all are yours Whatsoever question may be made of what right unregenerate men out of Christ have to the creature yet it is out of all question thou that art a Believer hast a right The ungodly have the right of a servant but thou hast the right of a son Take this comparison A Simile maid-servant while she liveth in a family hath a right to the good things of that house but now put case as it often happeneth that the Master of the family marry that Maid and make her his wife she hath a farther right now to the same things an higher right and a more comfortable right than before So when a soul commeth once to be married to Jesus Christ to have a sanctified use of all the creatures as part of her Joynture All is yours and ye are Christ's Thirdly Here is Comfort in case of fearing harm from the Creature Are they not all of thy Saviour's making 3. In case of fearing harm from the creature are they not all thy Father's servants Shall a son and heir be afraid to converse in his Father 's own family and fearfull of those that serve him whom he calleth Father The creatures are more they are not onely servants to Christ but they owe their beeing to Christ Ye see great men when they raise men they are wont to call such a one their Creature What are the servants of the family have they been raised up from nothing by the Master of the family and shall the son fear to be amongst them I will lift up mine eyes to the hills from whence commeth my help My help standeth in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth He speaketh nothing of help from the creatures because he trusted in the Lord that made them Ye have it Isa 54. 16 17. God himself suggesteth this consolation to his people Behold I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work And I have created the destroyer to destroy No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper Therefore fear not He that made all these things hath them at his command and if he speaks the word they shall do thee no harm Without him was nothing made and without him can nothing hurt If God speaketh a word in a dream to Laban and saith concerning Jacob Hurt him not Laban shall have no power to do him mischief when God rebuketh him If God say to the creatures even when they are armed against us as David
to the Captains when they went out against Absolom See ye do the young man no harm Plague Fire Sword see ye do no hurt to him they shall not be able to do any Lastly here is comfort in case of parting with the Creatures as we must all do at death Consider how mean they 4. In case of parting with the Creatures are I do but go at Death if I am a Believer from inferiour beeings to the superiour Beeing leave the creature but go to the Creator of all things to Him that putteth all the goodnesse all the sweetnesse into the creatures which I find in them or can expect from them and hath infinitely more goodnesse and sweetnesse in himself Shall I then complain of a Losse by death No I shall be a Gainer I leave the Stream and Rivolets and go into the vast Ocean of all blisse and comfort Shall a man that hath wandred and travelled all night by Star-light which can hardly help him to see his way complain when the Sun ariseth that is a better guid All the creatures they are but Stars they cannot all make Our great advantage by dying in the Lord. a day put them altogether it is but a dimn light you have from thence Let no man complain that he is hardly dealt withall that dyeth in Christ then the Sun riseth and he shall go to a higher light from the fruition of the creature to Him that made him even to God himself Therefore he may comfortably commit his soul to God as to a faithfull Creator as Peter saith Because God will find his own Image upon that soul and accordingly will own it for his own He may comfortably commit his body to the grave in assurance of the Resurrection upon this ground because Christ made all things and he that made the body of man out of the dust can raise the body of man out of the dust Our remainders after death cannot be so little as our beeing was before the world Cannot that God who fetched all things out of nothing repair our bodies out of something out of ashes out of dust Therefore when a man most needeth comfort here is consolation from hence even in case of parting with the creatures at death Ye have had the Instructions and Consolations I come now to the Directions in point of Practise and of them briefly First Seeing Christ is the Creator of all things and not Direct 1 any one thing was made without him Learn we from To fear God the Creator of all things hence First to stand in awe of him upon this ground Psal 33. 6 7 8. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the hostes of them by the breath of his mouth He gathereth the waters of the Sea together as an heap he layeth up the depths in a store-house Let all the inhabitants of the world fear him All must fear him because he made all If they were at his making then they must be disposed of by him As we carry our selves to Christ so shall the creatures carry themselves to us serviceably or if we walk contrary to him no wonder if we find the creatures walking contrary to us Amos. 3. 12 13. Thus saith he will I do to thee O Israel And because I will do this to thee prepare to meet thy God O Israel For lo he that formed the mountains and created the winds that dwelleth upon the high places of the earth the Lord of hosts is his name He created all therefore prepare to meet him in a way of fear and reverence because if the Creator of all things be offended at us he will arm all things against us it is but giving the creature a commission and how soon is man destroyed If Christ say Take him Plague and consume him take him Fire and burn him take him Water and drown him Earth open and swallow him Hell be inlarged and dispatch him it must be so Therefore stand in awe of him Secondly Learn we from hence to commit our souls Direct 2 to him in well-doing as to a faithfull Creator That ye To commit our souls to him as to a faithfull Creator have 1 Pet. 4. ult Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as to a faithfull Creator If a Watch had understanding doubtlesse it would commit the keeping of it self to none but to him that made it because when it is out of frame he best knoweth how to set it right again because it is his own workmanship therefore he will have more regard to it than any other man will have Christ hath been the Creator of our souls let him have the keeping of them Cast all your care upon him for he careth for you saith Peter Shall not he that made thee be able to keep thee Doth not the Artificer love the work of his own hands He that hath given so much power to many creatures as to the Angels hath he not reserved much more power to himself who is able to keep and to keep to salvation Ye are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation How secure do men think themselves if some excellent creatures do but take care of them Suppose a great Prince should say to any of us that have a great many children Take no care for such and such a child send him to me I will take care for him How would such a person think himself at rest concerning that child With what security may we build upon the love of God in Christ if we commit our souls to him in well-doing as to a faithfull Creator Thirdly Learn we to get an interest in him as a Redeemer otherwise we shall have no more shew for Salvation Direct 3 than the brute beasts have for he is their Creator as well as To get an interest in him as a Redeemer ours All things were made by him He gave life to other creatures as well as to man Believe it whosoever thou art an Ox or an Asse may be saved as well as a Man or a Woman if that Man or Woman will not believe in Christ Thou art the workmanship of his hands true so is the brute beast It is not enough to be Christ's creatures we must be Christ's Members before we can get to Heaven Do not say He that madens will save us What saith the Prophet Isa 27. 11. It is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercy upon them and he that formed them will shew them no favour It is not our being framed creatures by Christ but his framing the new creature within us to help us in the way to Heaven Give up your selves to Prayer as David doth Psal 119. 73. Thine hands O Lord have made and fashioned me give me understanding that I may learn to keep thy commandments He resteth not in his being made by God
came the Prophets after them the Evangelists and Apostles So as this Age enjoyes the benefit of all the light that former times have had Thus you see it is made good that a light from Christ hath continued to shine in all Ages ever since the Fall This letteth us see that ignorant persons in all Ages have been inexcusable they cannot say but that God sent them light more or lesse Rom. 1. 20. The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternall Power and Godhead so that they are without excuse No age can plead any thing for it self by way of excuse if it looketh not after God and this age least of all for Christ who hath continued to shine in all ages shineth out most gloriously now They had but as it were the Star-light before Moses afterwards I will take in all that under Moses too it was but a Star-light in comparison In John the Baptist's time they had as it were the light of the morning peeping out he was the Lucifer the Morning-star that came before the Day Then came the Day-spring from on high to visit us the Lord Jesus Christ himself in the Ministry of the Gospell he being both the Subject and Christ both the Subject and the Preacher of the Gospell the Preacher of the Gospell Then the Sun arose and so the light shined more and more to the perfect day He sent forth his Apostles and endowed them with infallibility of spirit And the holy men writ as being moved by the Spirit of God So as in the ages since God hath been pleased to make good that which was Prophecied of old by Isaiah first and afterwards by Habbakuk The time shall come when the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord even as the waters cover the sea Isa 11. 9. Former times had but poor Ebb-tydes in comparison there are now Spring-tydes since the comming of Christ into the world The earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea You may see if you will a little by what degrees Light came in Heb. 1. 1. God revealed himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God revealed by degrees 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in severall waies and at severall times 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by piece-meals in many parts which the word implyeth As for instance He first made known to Adam that he would send Mankind a Mediator that should be born of a A little light revealed to Adam Woman there is the light with him The Seed of the Woman shall break the Serpent's head And that manifestation goes no further After commeth a further light that is to Abraham a little more to Abraham where he telleth him In thy seed shall all the nations of the world be blessed And to him is given Circumcision as a seal of this covenant of Grace A further light came in more to Jacob Jacob's time and discovered the time when Shiloe should come into the world Gen. 49. 10. After him the Propheticall Office of Christ is revealed to Moses A Prophet like more to Moses to me will God raise up to you of your brethren him shall ye hear Deut. 18. 18. Then commeth in another Sacrament and more afterwards to the Jews the Passeover and all the Ceremoniall Law which was the Jews Gospell every thing there pointed at Christ Afterwards clearer manifestation still Isaiah telleth you what kind of Mediator he shall be not descended of a pompous A clearer light to Isaiah way but as a man of sorrow He telleth you of whom he shall be born A Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son Micah more to Micha telleth you the very place where he shall be born Thou Bethlehem out of thee shall come forth to me him that shall be the Ruler in Israel Mich. 5. 2. And so by degrees light came in How much is this Age of the world bound to God We under the Gospell have all the light of former Ages for the enjoyment of all the light of former Ages so as if still we are ignorant of Christ we are of all men most inexcusable It was but a little that our fore-fathers enjoyed in comparison Look but back a few years to Henry the Eighth's time and to Queen Mary's daies the Protestants then had but little light in comparison of what they have now As it is in Reason our Reason should answer our Light so it is in Nature when the Sun appeareth at noon-day then it is hottest Naturalists say Calor Lux concrescunt Light and heat encrease together But alas notwithstanding the light in our heads what a coldnesse is there in the most of our affections Let me say this to you Our fathers in those daies they walked to Heaven as it were by Candle-light But Oh! if we shall now post to Hell by day-light What will become of us how inexcusable will our guilt and insupportable will our condition be I have done with the second Observation The light shineth in darkness It followeth The Darkness comprehended it not The Point from hence is this That it is naturall to man Observ 3 since the Fall not to comprehend the light of Christ The Apostle speaketh in plain tearms 1 Cor. 2. 14. The naturall man perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned It is not with this Metaphoricall light as it is with the Naturall the naturall light scattereth the darknesse where it commeth Let the Sun arise Darknesse giveth way But here the Metaphoricall darknesse will not give way that resisteth the light when it commeth and prevaileth against it Thus in St. John's language It comprehendeth it not Job 24. 13. These are they that abhor the light they know not the wayes thereof nor abide in the paths thereof They are of those that rebell against the light For the light that shineth in the works of God darknesse comprehendeth Light shining in the Works of God it not God hath gloriously appeared in the works of Creation but with what issue 1 Cor. 1. 21. Seeing the world by wisdom knew not God in the wisdom of God it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe There was a great deal of wisdom appeared in the works of Creation In wisdom hast thou made them all saith the Psalmist of the works of God and yet the world by wisdom knew not God All that appeared of God by the creatures could not bring man to a taking knowledge of him Therefore you see God is put upon another way of saving man viz. The foolishness of Preaching as this place telleth you Something men did apprehend of this light but they comprehended it not fully The light shineth in darkness but the darkness comprehendeth it not Again This light
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The same word in the Text. He came to his owne home Though the earth be the Lords and the fulnesse thereof yet the Land of Judea was Christ's home in a speciall manner He dwelt there in a more remarkable way As it is said Psal 76. 1 2. In Judah is God known his Name is great in Israell in Salem also is his Tabernacle and his dwelling place in Sion where Christ's home was And accordingly it is said Isai 31. ult He shall passe over to his strong hold for fear and his Princes shall be afraid of the Ensigne saith the Lord whose fire is in Sion and his furnace in Jerusalem It is a Metaphor taken from them that keep fire in their dwelling houses It is a signe that the house standeth not empty where fire is kept Now saith he The Lords furnace is in Jerusalem He dwelleth there Therefore he is said to come to his owne when He came to them He came to his own that is the Jewes who are said to be his owne in a speciall manner Psal 33. 12. Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom He hath chosen for his owne Inheritance Here it is spoken of the Nation of the Jewes And his owne received him not That is believed not in him So the word is interpreted in the very next verse To as many as received him that is believed in Not to receive Christ is not to believe in Him his name Received him not that is believed not in his name so as here that which we are to observe is briefly this Though Christ came to his owne he was not received no not by them First He came to them in his Ordinances They had the 1. How in his Ordinances Ministry of the word He hath not dealt so with every Nation Psal 147. ult Neither have the Heathen knowledge of his wayes but he sheweth his word to Jacob and his statutes and judgments to Israell Christ came in his word The Scripture is but the shell Christ is the kernell The Scripture is the Cabinet Christ is the Jewell Scripturae sunt fasciae in quibus involutus est puer Jesus This the Prince of Antwerpe was wont to say The Scriptures are the swadling Cloaths in which Christ is wrapt So Christ came in the word in a great many personall types that did fore-signifie him He came in Melchisedeck He himselfe Gen. 14. 18. being the true King of Righteousnesse the King of peace He came in Joshua he being the true Leader of men into the heavenly Canaan He came in Isaac he being the true Joshua 4. 19. Gen. 18. 12. Gen. 22. 6. Son of Laughter The cause of his peoples joy bearing his owne Crosse as Isaac bore the Wood. So in all other personall Types He came in the Sacrifices under the Law they all signified Him Therefore they offered the Morning and Evening Sacrifice The Evening sacrifice was offered at the same hour in which Christ was after nailed to the Crosse And he did so purposely to make it appear that He came to fulfill all those Sacrifice He came in the Sacrament the Lamb slain The passe-over was a Type of Christ Christ our passe-over was sacrificed for us Manna was a Type of him And so the water in the Rock that was Christ So he came in his Ordinances to the Jewes but they did not receive him Let two Prophets answer that Isa 8. 12. I have written to him speaking of Ephraim the great things of my Law but they were counted as a strange thing Christ came in the Word and they looked at the word as if it concerned not them they accompted it as a strange thing this for the Law And for the Gospell whereof Isaiah was a Preacher in that age the most Evangelicall of all the Prophets see what he saith Isa 53. 1. Who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed Here is Christ comes to his owne in his Ordinances and not received the report of him not believed his Law accompted a strange thing Secondly Christ in the flesh The word was made flesh 2. How in the flesh and dwelt amongst us He conversed in the land of Judea This was an act of speciall favour For one to receive a man into his house is a favour What was it for Christ to become man himselfe to assume the Manhood into one and the same Person into the Godhead yet this he did He came to his owne did they receive him Search the Sciptures some kind of reception there was when He was born But what Here is a King born where is his Pallace Matth. 2. 2◠Luk. 2. 7. Matth. 2. 14. The stable for beasts is his Court His Chamber of presence a Manger Before He can go He is forced to flye to Egypt in his Mothers armes and at his return what entertainment findeth he The Gadarenes prefer their swine Mar. 5. 17. 15. 13. before him the Jews cry out Crucifie him crucifie him Not him but Barabbas Which is excellently set forth in that Parable of the Master of the Vineyard wherein Christ Luk. 20. 9. telleth us How the Master of the Vineyard after other Messengers sent sendeth his own Son And the husbandmen said This is the heir let us slay him This was the entertainment Christ found when he came to his own This for the Explication of it In the first place it hinteth us to a considerable Parallel 1. Christ not received nor Antichrist avoided between Christ and Antichrist in regard of their Entertainment Christ came and was to be received Antichrist was to come and to be shunned The Scripture had foretold that Christ should come when the Scepter should depart from Judah Therefore about that time they began Gen. 49. 10. to look for the Consolation of Israel as Simeon and the rest Luk. 2. 25. did 2 Thess 2. 7. When that which withholds is taken out of the way then the man of perdition shall be revealed Accordingly Christ came at his time and Antichrist came at his time and yet neither was Christ received nor Antichrist shunned as he should have been and all upon a false surmise They looked not at Christ at that time but as a temporall Monarch therefore they received him not because he came in a mean condition Antichrist came in his time up-starts the Pope when the Emperour went down But they looked for Antichrist as a Tyrant that should with fire and sword over-run the world but he came in sheep's Antichrist's hypocriticall delusion cloathing as a Lamb therefore they shunn'd him not upon this mistake onely As some godly Jews when Christ came gave him entertainment as the Messias so when Antichrist came some believers were stirred up to cry out that the Pope was Antichrist and so to write against him from his first rise After Antichrist had been in the world a while people began to
would have their voices to resound will make choice of Rocky places which send forth the best Eccho This Rock the Lord Jesus Christ is he that maketh our prayers to return with a blessing into our own bosoms You shall have many men that go to devotion and leave Christ behind them What a poor devotion is here The spirit of prayer is alwaies accompanied with Evangelicall humility with a mourning that floweth from our looking to Christ I know there is a great deal of legall sorrow in formall professors Men may go blubbering to hell without true repentance But here is a mourning that floweth from a looking up to Christ Where there is a spirit of Adoption men will speak from feeling which floweth from the apprehension of Christ and the certainty of God's grace in him Now this spirit of Adoption argueth Sonship But then commeth in the poor weak Believer and saith Object I am undone The other plead for themselves without a cause and he pleadeth as much against himself without a cause I cannot find such enlargement in prayer Surely the Spirit of Adoption is not in me if it were I should cry Abba Father with more importunity All Believers are not alike gifted there may be a gift of Answ prayer where there is not a spirit of prayer and a spirit of prayer where there are but poor gifts Haply thou canst onely chatter with Hezekiah like a Crane and Swallow yet consider whilst thou canst not speak there are two Spokes-men for thee the consideration whereof may render A Believer hath two Spokesmen to stand for him thee confident of success even in thy devotions how weak soever they be The lispings and stammerings of a child God liketh better then all the Oratory in the world The Spirit of God is in thee and the Blood of Christ is for thee The Spirit and We know not what to pray for as we ought but the Spirit maketh intercession in us And God knoweth the meaning of the Spirit and heareth the least whispers of his own Spirit in the soul of a poor Believer And then The Blood of Christ that speaketh better things than the blood of Abel the Blood of of Christ As Christ saith of himself it may be said of this Blood Father I know thou hearest me alwaies But I pass now from matter of Triall and I come now to matter of Exhortation All Dignity ye Use 2 know calleth for Duty Such as are partakers of this Priviledge To exhort to Duties of being the children of God they are obliged to certain Duties that flow from hence First Obedience The sons of Jonadab they were obedient 1. To Obedience to the commandment of their father Jer. 35. I set before the sons of the family of the Rechabites pots ful of wine and cups and I said unto them Drink wine But they said We must drink no wine for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father hath forbid us saying Drink no wine you nor your sons for ever Neither build houses nor sow seed nor plant ye vineyards but dwell in tents all your daies that ye may live all your daies upon the face of the earth where ye are inhabitants So we have hearkned to the voyce of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he commanded us So we drank no wine all our daies we nor our wives nor our sons nor our daughters When God hath said Drink not of the world's cup taste not of the world's dainties lest you surfeit on them it becommeth an obedint child to say My Father hath commanded me I dare not drink when he is tempted to the enjoyment of any unlawfull pleasures Mal. 3. 17. Ye read there of a son that serveth Indeed the best service God hath done him is by his sons all other services are little worth in comparison I will spare him as a man spareth his own son that serveth him The son goeth naturally and ingenuously about his father's work he doth it kindly much more kindly than a servant will that doth it onely for his wages Therefore of old they were wont to set their children to the work The chief work lay in husbandry We read of Rachel's keeping her father's sheep Gen 29. 6. and so of Jacob keeping his father in law's sheep Would we approve our selves children of God we must do the works of God Our Saviour beateth off the Pharisees from their plea upon this ground We are the children of Abraham say they If ye were saith Christ then would you do the works of Abraham Abraham believed in me No man can ever approve himself the child of God that doth not abound in the work of the Lord. The second Lesson is for Imitation Ephes 5. 1. Be ye 2. For Imitation followers of God as dear children It is naturall to children to imitate their parents look what the father doth the child is apt to learn the same If we be dear children we must be followers of God and walk in love as Christ hath loved us Blessed are the mercifull they shall be called the children of God Why Because that maketh it appear they follow God And so Be ye holy saith Peter 1 Pet. 1. 15 16. As he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation Because it is written Be ye holy for I am holy Thirdly We should learn from hence this Lesson that is 3. Learn Dependency upon God of Dependency Children hang upon their parents so should we upon God if we will carry our selves as becommeth sons This Argument Christ useth Matth. 6. 22. Take no thought saying What shall we eat and drink and be cloathed with for your heavenly Father knoweth you have need of all these things Leave the care of all these to your Father If ye were Orphans and had no father or if your father were not willing or not able to supply your wants then ye might be carefull but seeing you have an heavenly Father that knoweth all these things cast all your care upon him for He careth for you Doth not he tell us That he that provideth not for his owne family is the worst of Infidells Ye are of Gods family therefore be sure He will provide for you if ye trust Him Fourthly It teacheth us a lesson of Patience Hebr. 12. 4. It teacheth us to be patient 5. Forget not the exhortation which speaketh to you as Children My son despise not thou the Chastisements of the Lord For whom the Lord loveth He chastiseth Faint not under the correction of a Father and because it is from a Father that will lay on no more no longer than the Child standeth in need of it Herein that of our Saviour should be often in our thoughts Joh. 18. 11. The Cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it Why every affliction that befalleth me is a Cup out of my Fathers hand and from Him I should
6. Now because they did not so much bear themselves upon their immediate Progenitors as upon their Fore-fathers farre remote Therefore the Apostle saith not of blood of immediate parents nor of parents long before born It came from neither of these It is an usuall manner of speech As he speaketh of a man that bragged of his birth Longo sanguine sincere To fetch Commendations from the blood of our Progenitors of the blood of many genetations together So that the meaning of this phrase is That the new birth cometh not by propagation Grace cometh not by descent Not of blood If it had gone along with the Kindred Certainly so holy a Virgin as Mary was yea the holy One himself Christ Jesus would not have had any unholy people of his Kindred And yet such there Three demonstrations that believers are not born of blood 1. Because good parents have bad as well as good Children 2. Because bad parents have good Children and good parents bad Children in a line 2 Chron. 28. 27. 2 Chron. 32. 33. 2 Chron. 32. 25. 2 Chron. 36. 1. 3. Because the younger many times hath the greatest share in spirituall things Gen. 4. 4. Gen. 21. 14. Rom. 9. 13. were John 11. 10. Neither did his Brethren believe in Him I shall give you three Demonstrations to make it appear That believers as such are not born of blood First Because many good parents have bad Children as well as good ones Adam had Cain as well as Abel And Abraham Ismael as well as Isaac And Isaac Esau as well as Jacob. And Jacob had Simeon and Levi as well as Joseph and Benjamin Secondly It appeareth because sometimes good parents have bad Children and bad parents have good Children in a line Look into the Chronicles ye shall find that bad Ahaz had good Hezechiah good Hezechiah had wicked Manasses so he was for a great part of his life And wicked Manasses had good Josiah and good Josiah had wicked Jehoaz Good parents bad Children and bad Children good parents Thirdly It appeareth because the younger many times hath the greater share in spirituall things whereas if grace were a naturall priviledge the greatest share would go to them first The first-born in all naturall priviledges hath a double portion But the Scriptures and many times our own experiences will shew that the first-born hath the least share here therefore this is not a naturall priviledge God accepted Abel the younger and not Cain Isaac findeth more acceptation then Ismael God loved Jacob the younger and hated Esau the elder and so in many other instances Grace doth not come by propagation Believers are not born of blood Whereas it may be objected that Parents beget Children Object after their own Image It is said of Adam Gen. 5. 3. He begot a son in his own Likenesse after his own Image Therefore it should seem that godly Parents must needs have godly Children otherwise how do they beget them after their own Image The answer is easie They beget Children as men not Answ as Saints It is a certain Rule Personalia non propagantur Things that are personall are not propagated Now grace is a personall thing not a naturall thing A learned and a godly man begetteth a son that is a man but neither learned nor godly because learning is an acquired habit and godlinesse is infused And a man conveyeth what is naturall not what is acquired He that is begotten of him is not a Scholler much lesse a Saint because holinesse is supernaturall beyond him As it is with the Corn it is threshed and severed from the Chaffe before it is sown but then it bringeth forth the blade and husk and afterward the eare of Corn. The Circumcised parent begetteth a Child that is born uncircumcised because his Circumcision is not propagated So it is here a father that is free from the power of sin and guilt of sin by the work of grace upon his heart yet begetteth a Child that is contrary to both these How then is it said That if the Root be holy the branches Object are holy That is a further Objection that ye have Rom. 11. 16. If the first-fruits be holy the lump is also holy If the root be holy so also is the branches This is to be understood not of a personall holinesse Answ which is an inherent quality But of a federall holinesse which is of Relation for that the root was holy The Jewish parents were in the outward Covenant of God being members of the visible Church therefore their Branches were partakers of a faederall holinesse but it doth not follow as to personall holinesse A man may at once be a child of wrath in regard of the common condition of man in Adam and yet be holy in regard of the Covenant made in Abraham That God would be his God and the God of his seed Well then if it be thus that believers as such as are not born of blood Let it serve to take men off from their boasting of their Ancestors and Descent of comming of this or that Family and Blood It were worth the bragging of if Grace came by Propagation But seeing it doth not Non sanguine sed virtute nitamur Let us not rely upon Blood but upon Virtue saith the Heathen Let me say Upon Christ and in that sense upon Blood There is one Blood we may rely upon but it is the Blood of Christ the Blood of the everlasting Covenant otherwise there is no great difference in point of Blood between men and men Act. 17. 26. God hath made of one blood all nations of men that dwell on all the face of the earth All men out of one blood The poorest Beggar commeth from Adam who was Lord of all the world as well as the greatest Potentate upon earth so as No glorying in any blood but the Blood of Christ there is no glorying in any blood but in the Blood of Christ he that hath a conscience sprinkled with that he hath cause of glorying He that glorieth let him glory in this that he knoweth me Saith Prudentius Sanguis Christi facit hominem esse nobilem That which maketh a man noble is to have Christ's Blood in him it is to be one of Christ's followers It was that that ennobled the Beroeans Act. 17. 11. These speaking of the Beroeans were more noble than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readinesse of mind and searched the Scriptures daily The word in the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 These were better born than those of Thessalonica He is well born that is new born Here is a Blood to confide in This is a Blood that cannot be tainted The best blood may be tainted Great men may become Traitors and so taint their blood Here is a Blood without possibility of tainture that washeth white wheresoever it commeth Secondly Believers They are not born of the will of the 2. They are
was by him as one brought up with him I was daily his delight rejoycing alwaies before him rejoycing in the habitable parts of the world and my delights were with the sons of men To manifest this before he did actually come in the flesh he was often pleased to take a body for a time and to lay it down again to appear in human shape praeludere Incarnationi as they use to call it He acted the Prologue of his Incarnation before he came really He appeared to Abraham and to Joshua But after he did assume a reall body into personall union with himself which he did never till now he took it of the Virgin Mary Here is infinite condescention that he who lay in the Father's bosome should not abhor the Virgin 's womb If it were such a commendation of Moses his faith Heb. 11. though he were in great pomp at the Court yet by faith he chose rather to suffer afflictions with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season Though he were a favourite at Court yet he would joyn himself with a sort of poor Brick-makers Then what a condescention is it of the love of God that he would send his Son to dwell amongst us poor dust and ashes Then from Christ's dwelling amongst us as in a tabernacle 1. As our Shepheard he protects us in our fallen condition as it referreth to his condition as a Shepheard Something we may learn from hence Whom to have recourse to and to be protected by in our fallen and relapsed condition We were all as sheep going astray 1 Pet. 1. ult but are now returned to the Shepheard of our souls Poor sheep going astray and must for ever go astray they cannot know the way to return home But now Lo Christ commeth dwelleth and pitcheth his tents amongst us that under him we may have protection I shall want nothing saith David for the Lord is my shepheard Psal 23. ult Seeing Christ came to pitch his tents we should hear his voice My sheep hear my voice Now Christ is in heaven no voice is to be heard but by the Ministry therefore all those Exhortations which the Minister giveth to the people they all come from this great Shepheard and are accordingly to be heeded Eccles 12. 11. The words of the wise are as goads and as nails fastned by the masters of assemblies which are given by one shepheard Those Officers which Christ hath fastned in the Church they are as nailes fastned to the Assemblies Therefore such as listen to the voice of inferiour shepheard according to the Word when this great Shepheard shall come they shall receive a Crown of life Secondly Christ pitched his tents amongst us as a Sojourner 2. Christ as a Sojourner teacheth us to reckon our selves strangers in the world This should teach us to be conformed to Christ even in this particular He did but pitch a tent he did not take up his aboad upon the face of the earth We must carry our selves as strangers and pilgrims in the world and not look at our selves as at home here Ye know what the Psalmist saith I am a stranger Psal 39. 12. Hear my prayers O Lord and give ear to my cry hold not thy peace at my tears for I am a stranger with thee and a sojourner as all my fathers were Ye know what is said of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and those Patriarks of old they dwelt in tents saith the Apostle Heb. 11. 8 9. By faith Abraham when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance obeyed and he went out not knowing whither he went By faith he sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob the heirs with him of the same promise For he looked for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God And so vers 16. Now they desired a better country that is an heavenly Beloved not to dwell hear Look about you and ye will find nothing but Tabernacles no Mansions till ye come to heaven While we live What are our bodies but as so many tabernacles to our souls It is a Scripture-expression 2 Pet. 1. 13 14. I think it meet as long as I am in this tabernacle to stir you up knowing that shortly I must put off this tabernacle While we live our bodies are but tabernacles to our souls and when we are dead the graves are but tabernaeles to our bodies Psal 16. 9. Therefore did my heart rejoyce and my tongue was glad moreover my body shall rest in hope Because neither must our souls remain long in our bodies nor our bodies in the grave If we will have Mansions we must look to Heaven In my Father's house are many mansions Therefore dream not of mansions here below Thirdly Christ pitched his tent amongst us as the Captain 3. Christ as a Souldier learneth us to be encouraged of our salvation Let this encourage us we have one that 's able to encounter with Satan if he bring all his forces into the field together Let him be a roaringlion here is a ruling Lion the Lion of the tribe of Judah that can encounter him that putteth upon us the whole armour of God They say that a very Army of Harts and Hares led by a Lion their Commander are able to do great matters because the Leader putteth courage into them by his valour Let Christ put courage into us As that great Commander said when the Scouts came and told him that so many thousands were comming against him more than they were Why saith he How many thousands do you reckon me for intimating that he was worth many thousands of his enemies So For how many thousands do you reckon Christ when you go out against the World and the Flesh and the Devill I passe to the next And we beheld his glory as the glory of the onely begotten Son of God Here is the speciall manifestation of Christ's glory The Disciples beheld the glory of Christ as the glory of the onely begotten Son of the Father Let us take the words as they lie Here the Spectators were the Disciples of Christ they were the men that beheld and in that respect they were the blessed men more blessed then the Fathers before them Matth. 3. 16 17. Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear For verily I say unto you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see and have not seen them and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them We beheld there is the View The word is emphaticall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we beheld as in a theater as men behold things presented to them on a Stage they behold them with a great deal of earnestnesse and delight That the word implieth Ye have heard what the Object is the glory of Christ
Christ seen in his Oracles In his Oracles In his Miracles First In his Oracles namely his discourses and Sermons and Heavenly sayings that proceeded out of his mouth They came from him with such a glory as amazed the hearers and made them acknowledge that he spake with authority Matth. 7. 28 29. It came to passe when Jesus had enae these sayings the people were aston shed at his Doctrine For he taught them as one having authority and not as the Scribes Here was a dazelling glory shined out from the words of Christ in so much as they could scarce apprehend him they had not power to lay hold on him but returned and said Never man spake like this Man What was flatteringly said of Herod is true of the Lord Jesus Christ in regard of his Ministry The voice of God and not of man not of meer man but of him that was both God and Man So this glory the Apostles saw in his Oracles for they conversed with him Secondly In his Miracles Divine glory shined in them 2. In his Miracles As it is said of the first Miracle he did Joh. 2. 11. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Canaan of Galilee and manifested forth his glory and his Disciples believed on him And so when he had raised Lazarus from the dead it is said Joh. 11. 4. This sicknesse is not to death but for the glory of God that the Son of God might be glorified thereby The Lord Jesus Christ intended his owne glory in raising of Lazarus And so by all his other Miracles This was a Divine glory Because never any raised the dead as he did Other instances ye have of others raising some dead ones as Elisha the Shunamites son 2 King 4. â—3 34. and Paul Eutychus Acts 20. 10. But here is the difference Christ raised them by his owne power they by the power of Christ So The glory as the onely begotten of God appeared onely in his Miracles and not in theirs Luk. 14. 7. It is said of Christ He touched the bier and they stood still And Christ said I say to thee Arise Here Christ speaks to men I say to thee whereas what the Apostles did they acknowledged it done not by their owne power but by Christ Acts 3. 12 13. And when Peter saw it he answered unto the people Ye men of Israel why marvail ye at this or why look ye so earnestly on us as though by our own power and holinesse we had made this man to walk The God of Abraham and of Isaack and of Jacob the God of our fathers hath glorified his Son Jesus whom ye delivered up and denied him in the presence of Pilate His Name through faith in his Name hath made this man whole So as it was the Glory of Jesus that appeared even in the Miracles of the Disciples These are the things wherein he did especially appear For the times they are these two 2. The times when The time of his Transfiguration The time of his Ascension First The Disciples beheld his glory as the glory of 1. At his Transfiguration the onely begotten of the Father at his Transfiguration of which ye read Matth. 17. When his Face shined and his Raiment glittered having Moses and Elias James Peter and John there who were the spectators of all This Moses had begged long before and said Lord shew me thy Exod. 33. 13. glory Some piece of an answer God gave him when he passed before him and shewed some piece of his glory But here God sheweth his glory upon mount Tabor when Christ was Transfigured We beheld his glory namely at the Transfiguration John was one there and Peter was another as well as John And he speaks dearly of it 2 Pet. 1. 17. For he telleth you of the voice that came from the excellent glory saying This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear him Referring to that time and that place the time of our Saviours Transfiguration upon that Mount Mark 9. 2 3 4 5. vers And after six daies Jesus taketh with him Peter and James and John and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves and he was transfigured before them and his raiment became shining exceeding white as snow so as no fuller on earth can whiten them And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses and they were talking with Jesus The second time wherein they beheld this glory of Christ was the time of his Ascension which the Disciples 2. At his Ascension were spectators of Acts 2. 9. And when he had spoken these things while they beheld him He was taken up and a Cloud received him out of their sight This cloud was Veh culum Regale a Royall Chariot wherein Christ rode up to glory And glory was not onely the terme to which he went but he went in a glorious way As you may understand that in Timothy Great is the mystery of godlinesse God manifested in the flesh seen of angels believed of in the world received up into glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 You see by this time the truth of the Proposition Let us see what use we can make of it and then proceed First take notice of one great end of Christ's Incarnation Use 1 which was That his glory might be seen He was made Christ was incarnated to shew his Glory flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his glory Till then the glory of Christ was invisible but now by taking flesh he exposed himself and his glory to view God manifested in the flesh 1 Tim. 3. 16. Indeed the flesh of Christ was a vail to him but a mirror and glasse to us To him a Vail to observe the glory which he had from all Eternity with God the Father as the Son of God but to us a Mirrour in which we beheld this glory of God which was never till now exposed to view or not so fully As God is invisible so his glory is too dazling for our weak eyes But we that cannot behold the Sun in its sphear may behold the Sun in a bason of water We that cannot behold the glory of God as in it self may behold it in Christ in the veil of his flesh Therefore he was manifested that he might be seen Secondly Be exhorted from hence to take a view of 2. Let us take a view of his glory as the Disciples did the glory of Christ as the Disciples did We cannot in the same manner yet we have one way wherein we may do it For Christ exposeth himself and his glory to believers in the glasse of the Gospell 2 Cor. 3. ult But we all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even aâ— by the Spirit of the Lord. To that end he hath appointed the Ministry of the Word and furnished his Ministers with gifts 2 Cor. 4. 6. God who commanded light