not a guard of men about him as the great Princes of the earth but a guard of Princes and not of Princes only but of principalities and powers rules thrones and dominations and therefore hee must deeds bee a mighty God advanced above all Creatures 2 The Angels are in Scripture every where spoken of as the excellency of the Creatures so as when the highest praise of any thing is to be given it is taken from the excellency of Angels Manna is called Angels food Psal 78.25 that is if Angels should need food they could not wish more excellent 1 Cor. 13.1 If I should speak with the tongues of Angels c. that is excellently Yea the most happy and glorious estate that our selves look for after the resurrection is hence extolled that we shall be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like Angels Now all this advancement of them is not so much in respect of themselves with whom we have no commerce but for the advancement of Christ the Lord of the holy Angels and that in their glory we may behold the glory of Christ to whom they are servants 3 The truth hereof was shadowed in the Ceremonial Law Exod. 25.20 The Cherubims signifying the Angels must lift their wings on high as attending upon God and their faces must be to the Mercy-seat which lively resembled Christ on whom their eyes must bee still cast as the eye of the hand-maid to the hand of her Mistris And chap. 26.31 the vail of the Tabernacle which covered the most holy expresly signifying the flesh of Christ which hiding his Divinity made way for us to Heaven must bee made of broydered work with Cherubims not without Cherubims for these noted the multitude of Angels serving Christ even as man for being in his lowest estate and apprehended to the death he gives this as a reason to Peter to put up his sword because if he would he might pray to his Father and have twelve legions of Angels to rescue him Obj. But this seems not Christs priviledge to have the Angels his ministers seeing all the godly have them ministring spirits for their good Heb 1.14 as Abraham Lot Elias Daniel Ans True they had but this impeacheth not Christs honour because they serve not us after the same manner they serve him for 1 Their service is due to Christ as their Creator and Lord of duty to us as Creatures of charge 2 Their service to him is immediate as the Head of the Church to us mediate only as members of the Head 3 Their service is proper to him and invested in him as his own right to us given by vertue of our communion with him 4 To him as the author and preserver of all the gifts and graces they have and equal it is that whatsoever is excellent in any kind be wholly ascribed to the author and giver of it to us only so farre as the owner hath put them in trust to employ those gifts for our good Faith in Christ interests us in this Ministery of the Angels who love the members because of the head They are his Angels and so called by special propriety Matth. 16.27 when the Son of man shall come in the clouds and all his holy Angels with him because by special prerogative they doe him homage and service And our Angels by special commission and direction from him 5 They never ministred to man but for the honour of Christ Rev. 22.9 Worship God Vse 1. Let us imitate the Angels Doe they honour Christ by their ministery and shall we refuse his service especially seeing hee took our Nature and bound us straighter to him than the Angels They are most expedite and ready having wings to fly withall Let their wings speed us in his service They are unweariable in performing obedience and shall wee bee so heavie and shrinking as to account every thing too much that we do for him They are in all things ruled and moved by his Spirit Ezek. 1.20 Whither the Spirit led them they went Let us also give up our selves to the leading of his Spirit not running of our own heads in any business unsent without our warrant They rejoyce in all good things and in Christs victory the benefit of which redounds to us more than to them and that men by the same are set out of the Devils power And why do not we more rejoyce in this victory of Christ why do we rejoyce in evil which is the Devils sin in sinful courses and company Why do we hate and scorn those who most partake in this victory How unlike is this to the Angels Vse 2. If the Angels be servants unto Christ then we see herein both his love to us and our own honour who hath vouchsafed us his own special servants to attend us For he hath not only charged them with the safety of Abraham Jacob Lot Elias Daniel and other extraordinary holy men but their commission is general Psal 91.11 they shall keep thee in all thy ways that is not only Christ himself but every member of Christ for this honour have all the Saints And what a comfort is it that we so weak Creatures and so beset with spiritual and invisible enemies have appointed to us by the Lord so many spiritual invisible and more powerful ayders and assisters What a comfort is it that no temporal enemy can so soon wrong us in our persons estates or names but the Angels of God are ready to turn it off and keep off the peril and then return to God to complain of the wrong-doers What a care should we have not to forfeit our priviledge to keep us in our ways and walk warily because of the Angels not grieving them by sin nor driving them from about us whose protection under Gods is more safe than if we lay under shield and spear Psal 91.4 with 11. And if our Lord himself received comfort from them how great may be our comfort from them Vse 3. Hence we are to ascribe the glory of Power Majesty and Kingdome unto our Lord Jesus who if he be able to command all the Angels in Heaven much more all the Devils in Hell who are farre weaker than they All power is his in heaven and earth And now we are no longer to esteem of him according to his base estate in the Wilderness in the World but according to his surpassing power manifested through all this History in vanquishing the Devil and in receiving the Divine honour from the most glorious Angels To this great Michael who even without his Angels hath in pitcht battel overcome the great red Dragon and all his Angels be ascribed all power might victory and triumph of all men Saints and Angels in earth and in the highest Heavens for all eternity Amen Amen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 AN Alphabetical Index OR TABLE Pointing To the Principal Points in this Exposition A IN Christs lowest Abasement sparkles of Divinity fly out sundry instances page 233 Actions brought forward
which they are daily toyled so many discouragements without them to cast them down or back at the least against all which this one consideration shall bee able to bear them up that the eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear him and by these eyes he seeth their wants to supply them their injuries to releeve them their sorrows to mitigate them their hearts to approve them and their works to accept them 2 Those that fear God must also be accepted and respected of us We must accept them that fear God because God himself doth as they be of God and it cannot be that those who love God should not love his Image in his children Davids delight was wholly in the Saints and such as excelled in vertue Psal 16.3 so must wee frame our judgement and practice to the Saints of God before us who have made but small account of great men if wicked and preferred very mean ones fearing God before them Thus that worthy Prophet Elisha who contemned not the poor Shunamite fearing God told wicked Jehoram King of Israel that if he had not regarded the presence of good Jehosaphat he would not so much as have looked toward him or seen him 2 King 3.14 Nay even the Lord himself hath gone before us herein for example who for the most part respecteth poor and mean ones to call them to partake of his grace passâ—â—g by the great noble and every way more likely of respect if we should judge according to the outward appearance David the least of his brethren was chosen King Gideon the least in all his fathers house Judg. 3.15 appointed by God the deliverer of his people and indeed the meanest Christian being descended of the bloud of Christ and so nobly born deserveth most respective entertainment in the best roome of our hearts 3 This doctrine teacheth all sorts of men to turn their course from such earnest seeking after honours profits preferments and such things which make men accepted amongst men and as eagerly to pursue the things which would bring them to be accepted of God such as are faith fear of God love of righteousnesse good conscience and the like which things bring not only into favour with God but often get the approbation of men at least so farre as God seeth good for his children Rom. 14.17 18. The kingdome of God is not meat and drink that is hath not such need of such indifferent things as these are but righteousnesse peace and joy in the Holy Ghost those are the essential things to be respected of all such as are the subjects of that Kingdome of grace And to urge the godly hereunto mark the Apostles reason in the next verse for whosoever in these things serveth Christ is ACCEPTABLE unto God and approved of men such a mans ways please the Lord and then he maketh his enemies become his friends Vers 36. The which word he declared or sent to the children of Israel preaching peace by Jesus Christ which is Lord of all OF all other readings I follow this not only as the plainest but because it most aptly knitteth this verse with the former as a clear proof of it For having said that now he knew that whosoever whether Jew or Gentile did now purely worship God according to the prescript of his Word the same is accepted of him he proveth this to be a truth because it is the self same thing which God himself had of old published to the Israelites when he declared unto them that peace and reconciliation was made between God and man by the means of Jesus Christ who is Lord not of any one people or Nation but Lord of all For the Apostle doth not secretly oppose the ministery of Moses and of Christ Moses was a Minister of the Law to the Jews only but Christ himself and the Gospel is the power of God to salvation to every beleever first to the Jew and then to the Grecian and now God is not the God of the Jew only but even of the Gentiles also according to that heavenly song of the Angels when Christ appeared to throw down that partition wall which stood between the Jew and Gentile wherein they ascribed not only all the glory unto God but proclaimed peace to all the earth In one word that Jesus Christ is our peace and Lord of all is the scope of this whole Sermon and of all the Prophets as after remaineth to be shewed in vers 43. The former part of this verse hath two general points to bee explained the former touching the peace here spoken of the latter concerning the preaching or declaring of it By peace what is meant In the former must be considered 1 What this peace is 2 How it is by Jesus Christ First by peace among the Hebrews and Greeks is meant all prosperity and happinesse for both of them in their salutations though with some difference prayed for peace to the parties saluted that is all good success from God the fountain of mercy And includeth in it 1 Peace with God 2 Peace with man both with a mans self and others 3 Peace with all the creatures of God so farre forth as that none of them shall bee able to hurt him further than God thinketh good for his exercise and in this peace standeth true happinesse 2 It must be considered how this peace is by Jesus Christ namely according to the former branches of it 1 Peace with God by three things First he wrought our peace with God from whom our sin had sundered and separated us three ways 1 By interposing himself between his Fathers anger and us who durst not come near him 2 By satisfying in our stead all his justice through his bloud thereby removing all enmity cancelling all hand-writings which might have been laid against us and bestowing on us a perfect righteousnesse in which God is delighted to behold us 3 By appearing now for us in Heaven and making requests for us in all which hee cannot but be heard being the Son of his Fathers love in whom he is well pleased and for him with us his members 2 Peace with men 1 Others Secondly he wrought peace between man and man 1 By demolishing and casting down the wall of separation whereby Jew and Gentile might not accord or meddle one with another his death rent down the veil that both Jew and Gentile might look into the Sanctuary that of two he might make one people one body yea one new mâ—n unto himself Eph. 2.13 14. 2 By changing the fierce and cruel disposition of men who are now become the subjects of his Kingdom that of Lions and Cockatrises they become as meek and tractable as Lambs and little Children having peace so far as is possible with all men with the godly for Gods Image sake and that they are members of the same body with them and with the wicked for Gods Commandements sake and because they may become members of
it for this being as Queen among the vertues goeth not alone but with all the train of vertues as hand-maids attending upon her The chief of them are these four 1 A true knowledge of the Word of God acknowledging it in part and in whâ—le to bee the truth of God and that himself is straightly bound to believe and embrace the same and that hee hath a special part in the promise of grace and life by Christ in which grace he resteth himself daily growing up in the certainty and assurance of his salvation 2 A sound â—oy of the heart which the Apostle Peter calleth unspeakable and glorious breaking out into thankful praises in that the Lord hath begun 〈◊〉 â—iness by making Christ his Wisdome Righteousness Sanctification and 〈◊〉 â—tion The Poor Blind and Lame persons of whom wee read in the 〈◊〉 never leaped more joyfully when they had met with Christ and had 〈◊〉 â—s opened and their limbs restored by him than hee that hath met with him and received him into his heart to enlighten him to quicken him and to heal him of all his infirmities How gladly did Zacheus receive Christ with what joy of heart findeth any man the hidden pearl Mat. 13.44 how did the Eunuch converted go away rejoycing Act. 8. And all this is because they can value such a commodity as this is which they see God hath made their own for if they either knew it not or not to bee theirs they could not thus joy in it 3 Christian Hope is another hand-maid of Faith for so the Apostle teacheth Rom 5.2 Being justified by Faith wee have peace c. wee rejoyce under the hope of the glory of God For this is the special work of hope to wait for and rejoyce in the expectation of the glorious appearing of the Lord Jesu And hence is it that whereas unbeleevers are glewed to the earth and cannot think of Heaven but either with sorrow of a formal and false joy and what marveil is it that those who have no better should set their hearts upon the worse beleevers have preserved in them a willingness to leave this World and to bee with Christ which is best of all yea so sweet is their present tast of Christ through Faith and Hope that they are unquiet till they bee filled with the fruition of his fulness being often in his absence sick of love and pine away till they bee with him whom their soul loveth 4 An assured trust relying upon God beleeving hiâ— word of promise to raise and feed the heart of threatning to shake it and cast it down and submitting it seâ—f to the counsel and good pleasure of God because his faith hath let him see the truth the wisdome the equity and righteousnesse of all these Such a mans heart setteth nothing above God in prosperity it distrusteth not but hath God for his God in adversity it indeavoureth in all things to walk with God it is a sweet usher and disposer of the whole life so as it is most obedient to the word and most full of comfort and sweetness to it self The fourth mark or note or true Faith is taken from the infallible fruits IV. The infallible fruits of it four and effects of it which are many I will onely note four of the principal First it frameth and fitteth the own habitation it purifieth the heart Act. 15. it suffereth not unclean thoughts unlawful lusts or wandring motions to harbour there it guideth the affections of Love Hatred Joy Sorrow and the rest that a man love nothing more or so much as God and his Image hee hateth not mens persons but their sins and no mans sin so much as his own hee rejoyceth in nothing so much as in doing the will of God this is as his meat and drink hee sorroweth for nothing in the world so much as for offending so good and patient a God This pure heart also guideth the words with wisdome and maketh it his chief study how to preserve with faith good conscience in every thing Act. 24.16 Secondly Faith worketh by love Gal. 5.6 boâ—h towards God and towards man towards him that begat and him that is begotten yea and him that is yeâ— not begotten This love of God expresseth it self 1 In much thankfulness unto him who hath loved us first Our love of God expressâ—d in three things who hath given so much even his Son and all things with him pertaining to life and godliness who hath forgiven us so much and to whom many sins are forgiven they must love much who hath done so great things for us by becomming our portion our treasure and our chief good 2 In shame for our unkindness unto him both before and even since we knew this his love in Christ and have been acquainted with his waies taking up with shame in our faces sorrow into our hearts for the sins of our youth and of our age against the law the rule of righteousness but especially against the glorious Gospel which of all other are least of served 3 In desire of that blessed fellowship of his when and where wee may never sin against him any more accounting one day within his holy of holies better than a thousand besides and much more to bee ever with the Lord and to injoy the pâ—easures at his right hand for evermore to bee at home with him and sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob yea with Jesus Christ himself should make us groan in our souls and say with David Oh when shall I appear in this thy presence The Spirit saith Come and the Spouse saith Come Even so come Lord Jesus come quickly The love of men by which Faith worketh discovereth it self not onely in just dealing with them as wee would bee dealt by which many civil men indued onely with civil righteousnesse have excelled in nor onely in merciful distribution of outward comforts for the releeving of the bodies of our brethren yea and of our enemies which hardlier goeth down with the unconverted than the former but also in shewing most love unto their souls in helping forward their conversion and salvation For so soon as any man is converted hee will strengthen the brethren Faith wheresoever it liveth it loveth and love being an hand giving out moveth men converted to counsel exhort rebuke admonish comfort pray and wait when God will give unto others the grace of Repentance As soon as Andrew was called hee bringeth his brother Simon to Christ No sooner had Christ found Philip but Philip finding Nathaniel hee bringeth him to â—hrist The woman at the well no sooner heareth that Christ was the Messiah but shee bringeth all the City In finding this treasure the Christian cannot hide his joy neither can any mans joy bee so full unlesse hee with others rejoyce together For it is not here as in earthly things which the more they are communicated the more are they diminished and every mans share is the less but heavenly
of his love so every promise of Satan is a token of his malice An example of the Devils faithfulness we have in our own Chronicles In the reign of Edward the first when the Welch-men rebelled their Captain resorted to a Conjurer for counsel whether he should goe on in the intended warre against the King or no yes said the Devil goe on in thy purpose for thou shalt ride through Cheap-side with a Crown on thy head and so he did indeed but it was cut off and he was carried in triumph as a prey to the King This may justly reprove and shame many professed Christians that will scarce give Gods promises of grace and life the hearing though they are founded in Christ in whom they are all yea and amen flowing from his love and tending to our eternal happiness with himself Many will not bee brought to hear them many hardly when they have nothing else to do and many hear them as things not concerning themselves for then would they take more delight in them But if Satan promise any earthly Kingdome or profit hee hath our ears our hearts at command all our speech runs upon the World our desires and hopes are for earth and earthly things and being thus earthly-minded how expose wee our selves to Satans assaults and offer our selves to bee won by his most treacherous promises Vse 2. This teacheth us what to think of that Doctrin and Religion that teacheth men to be Promise-breakers what may we think of it but to bee a treacherous unfaithful Diabolical Religion But such is the Romish Religion as wee may easily see in two or three instances 1 In that Article of the Council of Constance That Faith is not to bee kept with Hereticks that is Protestants and so brake promise with John Hus who had not the Emperours onely but the Popes safe-conduct Against the Examples of good Joshua who kept Promise though rashly made with the Gibeonites and with the Harlot of Jericho and of David who kept Truth and Promise with Shimei a seditious and cursing wretched Traytor 2 The Church of Rome teacheth by the Doctrin of Equivocation to break the Promise of a lawful Oath before a lawful Magistrate and teacheth the lawfulness thereof But the Scripture condemneth a double heart and the deceitful Tongue and proclaimeth woe against them that trust in lying words In lib de fide cum haretic is servanda Jer. 7.8 and that make falshood their refuge Yea Molanus a great and learned Papist concludes syncerè faedera juramenta sunt intelligenda all leagues and especially Oathes are sincerely to bee understood and condemns plainly such mockeries and dalliance with Promises and compacts by one or two instances as of him that made truce with his enemy for thirty daies and wasted his Enemies Countrey and Camps only in the night and of Aurelianus the Emperour who comming afore a Town Tijana and finding the Gates shut to animate his Souldiers with great anger said I will not leave a Dog in the Town they hoping for the spoil beestirred themselves to Ransack the Town but being won hee would not give them leave to spoil it but bad them leave never a Dog in it and let the goods alone This was but a dalliance condemned by the Papist himself and yet had more colour of truth than Popish Equivocation can have 3 The Romish Church teacheth men to break Promises and Oaths with lawful and Christian Princes exempting subjects from obedience and putting Swords Dags Daggers Powder and all deadly plots into their heads and hands against the Lords anointed A treacherous and Devillish Doctrin Vse 3. Wee see also what house treacherous and deceitful persons descend of such as care not how much they promise and how little they perform men most unlike unto God and resembling their Father the Devil who is most lavish and prodigal in his promises when hee knows hee hath neither power nor purpose to perform men of great tongues which swell as mountains but of little hands not performing mole-hills Of these Solomon speaks Prov. 25.14 Hee that glorieth of a false gift that is speaketh of great things that hee will do for his Neighbour but failes in the accomplishment is like a cloud and wind without rain A Cloud seems to offer and promise Rain but the winde takes it away and frustrates a mans expectations And the same is true of all windy Promises Which wee must carefully avoid and use these rules against slipperiness in promise 1 If a man would bee like God who cannot lye in his promises hee must strive against it But Satan is a Lyar from the beginning and the Father of Lyes and Lyars 2 Faithfulnesse in contracts is the sinew of humane society which Satan would have crackt that hee may bring all to confusion 3 The Heathens that were given up by God to a reprobate sense are branded with this mark they are truce-breakers Rom. 1.31 4 It is a mark of a man in the state of grace who hath obtained remission of sins that in his spirit is no guile Psal 32.2 5 A note of a man that shall dwell in Gods holy and heavenly mount is this hee speaks the truth from his heart Psal 15.2 and Revel 14.5 They onely shall stand on Mount Sion and sing before the Throne who have no guilt in their months Especially wee must bee careful of two promises whereof God and the Congregation have been witnesses as 1 That of Baptism which wee must have a special care to look unto for if wee fail in keeping touch with God no marvail if wee fail with men 2 That of Marriage which the Prophet calls the Covenant of God Mal. 2.14 THE second thing in this profer is the reason annexed Luk. 4.6 For it is delivered unto mee and to whomsoever I will I give it The Devil like a desperate man that is sure in this bout to kill or bee killed laies about him with all the skill and strength hee hath yea hee is put to his shifts so as no base or mischievous devise comes amiss by which hee may either in fair combat or cowardly attempts oppress his adversary and that which hee cannot do by strength and power hee will attempt by falshood and lies which hee heaps up here together most like himselfe the Father of lies that stood not in the truth And here he challengeth the power and glory of the World to bee his 1 In Possession 2 In disposition First Hee affirmeth it to bee his but not directly but indirectly by Gift It is delivered unto mee But this is a most notorious lye for the earth is the Lords and all that therein is the world and all that dwell therein Psal 24.1 and Deut. 10.14 Behold the Heaven of Heavens is the Lords thy God and the earth with all that therein is And where read wee that ever hee committed these into the hand of the Devil Object 1. Joh. 14.30 Hee is called the Prince of
heads to a Kingdome 2 King 10.8 Herod for a Kingdome kills all the male Children Nay it were to be wished that only Kingdoms could draw men to mischief for then should not Ahab murther Naboth fâ—r a field nor Judas betray his Master for thirty pence nor Christians and Protestants lye and swear and forswear and transgresse for a peice of bread How many executions have we for thirty pence or thirteen pence Which shews how degenerate men are from Christ whom all the kingdoms in the world not the greatest things in them could move in the least manner and as it were indirectly to dishonour his Father Nay what shall wee say of them that profess they not no man else can trade and buy and sell to live without some lies and dissembling sometimes These may carry the name of Christ but the mind of Christ is farre from them Others think and say What need men be so nice to stand upon so small scruples as not to accept so good offers and promotions in the world which have some condition or other annexed which their Conscience cannot without offence swallow What may not he call a little evil good and a little good evil that so he may raise his own estate and doe himself and others much good And thus he is every where accused of indiscretion But to these we object Christs example who would not be moved with all the world to doe that he was not warranted for in the Scripture And for the imputation of indiscretion we alledge Moses example who when he was at age saith the text refused to be called the Son of Pharaohs Daughter and chose rather to suffer with the people of God And to all such alledgers wee say in one word Either was Christ farre wide in refusing so great an offer or else are they Use 2. As we must prefer the glory of God above the world so wee must promote it by our best means The Magistrate by procuring and stablishing that whereby God may be most glorified not administring justice by affection or reward or sparing Offenders by a cruel mercy who should bee made examples to others or not encouraging the godly All this dishonours God highly The Minister must use his gifts not for any private end but for Gods glory as a good servant that gains all for his Master And every private man must so carry his course of life his trade his speeches as God may bee honoured in all things his light in all things must shine that our heavenly Father may be glorified therefore in every thing whether it will carry the commendation not only of truth and honesty but of Christianity and religion To stir us up to this duty see some motives 1 All Creatures in their kind doe glorifie God and keep their standing the Sun the Starres the heavens declare the glory of God Psal 19.1 The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse the master of his crib Isa 1.3 The Crane Swallow and Turtle know their times Jer. 8.1 What a shame for Israel then not to acknowledge their Benefactor but come so farre behind the unreasonable Creatures VVhat a shame for Christians to come behind the Israelites who partake in farre greater mercies and means than they did 2 Hereby wee manifest our selves to bee the servants of God in resisting the dishonour of God and standing out for our Lord against Satan wicked men hypocrites whose whole desire is to obscure and darken the glory of God and as farre as they can with violence to tread it under foot Especially having vowed in our Baptism so to doe He is a Coward that seeing the readiness and alacrity of the enemy is not by it provoked to stout resistance especially standing in a good cause and sure of victory Can a child endure his father to be dishonoured and wronged by word or deed and put it up Can Gods child seeing a son honours his father 3 Our time is but short we are in our last conflict the time of our full deliverance and introduction into heavenly glory is at hand the Crown is in our eye almost upon our heads already and therefore let us encourage our selves a while to be instant for the glory of God which is our last scope and chief expectation even as a Traveller that sees the Evening come upon him is so much the quicker till he attain the place he desires so we having the evening of our life approach and our last hour should set our selves forward with more speed and alacrity towards our home holding on our right way which is the glorifying of God in all things 4 We have a cloud of examples before us 1 Of holy men who have endured Martyrdom and rejoyced in the flames that they were worthy by their so exquisite torments to glorifie God as Christ told Peter that by such a death he should glorifie God 2 Of holy Angels who spend all eternity in magnifying Gods holiness and glory Isa 6.3 one cries to another Holy holy holy is the Lord the whole world is full of his glory and Luke 2.14 Glory be to God in the highest heavens And shall not we approach to the Angelical life which is the happiest of all creatures 3 Of the blessed Son of God our Head whose whole life was nothing else but a seeking of the glory of his Father And should not the members imitate the Head Have wee so many faithful guides in so dangerous a way and should we be so cold and slow in the imitation of them 5 Our glorification is individually knit to our glorifying of God as 1 Sam. 2.30 Him that honoureth me will I honour Yea Christ claims his glory on no other condition but this but that he had glorified his Father on earth Joh. 17.4 As among men great benefactors are well pleased with small testimonies of thankfulness where ability wants to perform much so the Lord accepts our small obedience and study of glorifying him that hee plentifully remunerates it Means to come to glorifie God in some good measure 1 Pray for wisdome and a sound judgement Phil. 1.10 That yee may discern things that differ being filled with the fruits of righteousness to the glory and praise of God For every thing will not please and glorifie God 2 Renounce thy own glory in doing things Joh. 8.49 50. How can yee which receive honour one of another seek the honour that cometh of God Certainly Christ sought not his own praise but the praise of him that sent him 3 Observe Gods wisdom in his Word and Works his Power Justice and Mercy his benefits and corrections on thy self and others in all things praise him Hee that praiseth me glorifieth me Psal 50.23 4 Honour God in an honest and Christian conversation gracious speeches and an unspotted life honour the Gospel hereby stop the wickeds mouthes and glorifie God 1 Pet. 2.12 II. The manner of this answer of Christ Avoyd Satan which differeth somewhat from Christs other answers being
AN EXPOSITION OF Christ's Temptations OR CHRISTS COMBATE AND CONQUEST BEING The LYON of the Tribe of JUDAH vanquishing the Roaring Lyon assaulting him in three most fierce and Hellish TEMPTATIONS BY Thomas Taylor D. D. Preacher of Gods VVord at Aldermanbury London HEBR. 2.18 For in that hee suffered and was tempted hee is able to succour them that are tempted Tentatus est Christus ne vincatur à Tentatore Christianus August LONDON Printed for A. K. and R. I. and are to be sold by Elisha Wallis at the Golden Horse-shooe in the Old-Bayley 1659. To the Right Worthy and Noble Knight Sir Francis Knollis and the vertuous Lady Lettice his Wife All blessings of this Life and a better SIR WHEN that great Prophet Moses was to bee confirmed in the certainty of his vocation for the delivery of Gods people out of Egypt a Act. 7.30 There appeared unto him in the wildernesse of Mount Sinai b Christ himselâ— so called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Just Matt. an Angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in the bush c Exod. 3.1 and hee looked and behold the bush burnt with fire and the bush was not consumed A sight at which Moses d Act. 7.31 wondred and so may we But if you please with Moses e Exod. 3.4 to turn aside to see this great sight that is f Act 7.31 draw a little nearer to consider it This it is I. The bush which at that time betokened the people of Israel g Exod. 3.7 9. under the oppressions of Egypt signifieth the Church of God for 1. As a bryar-bush is a base and despicable thing made for nothing but the fire or to stop a gap or some other base use so seems the Church and members to be in the eyes of men in so much as not the most eminent members the blessed Apostles themselves are h 1 Cor. 4.10 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 despised and accounted the filth of the World and the off-scowring or out-sweepings of all things but the Head of it our Lord himself was in the eies of men without form i Isa 55.2 3 or beauty despised and rejected of men who hid their eies from him and esteemed him not 2 As a bush pricketh and vexeth him that deals roughly with it so shall the Church of God bee as a stiff and prickly bramble to vex and wound at length all the proud enemies of it so as all that k Zach. 12 3 lift at it shal be torn though all the people of the earth should be gathered against it 3 As the creatures for their own safety make their nests and muses in a bush so the mighty Creator not for his but the bushes safety vouchsafeth l Deut. 33. â—â— to dwell in this bush of the Church The bush was in Mount m Exod. 3.1 Famous for sâ—â— memorable things in Mosâ—â— done there 1 This visioâ— 2 Fasting theâ—â— forty daies anâ— nights 3 Receiving the 〈◊〉 there 4 Scriking the rock for water 5 Lifting his hands against Amâ—â—â—ck 6 Breaking tâ—â—â—ables of 〈◊〉 Horeb and God was in the bush even so the Church is in the mountain of the Lord lifted up as a mountain above the vallies in holinesse and priviledges above all the earth besides for of this mountain the Lord hath said n Psa 68.16 there will I dwell for ever II. The bush burns with fire In this resemblance is shadowed the oppressed estate of the Israelites in the Egyptian furnace and by fire here is meant the most painful and pittiful afflictions and miseries which seiz upon the Church and Members as a raging and devouring fire upon a dry bush for 1 Fire is a diffusive and spreading element catching whatsoever combustible matter is neer it even so not a sprig of this bush of the Church shall escape the flame of affliction but whosoever will live godly in Christ Jesus o 2 Tim. 3.12 shall suffer persecution for either the fiery darts of Satan shall scorch them within or they shall be sindged with the fiery p 1 Pet. 4.12 tryals of the worlds hatred or at least they must look to bee be-smeared and blacked in their names with the colly and smoak of odious false and scandalous imputations and what are q Quid aâ—â—â— suâ—â—s quam flemma 〈…〉 Gods people saith one but the fewel of the wicked worlds fiery indignation 2 Fire shineth and inlighteneth so the afflictions of the Church as fire inlighten the mind r Psal 119.71 teach the statutes The rod and correction saith Solomon Å¿ Prov. 29.15 give wisdome and the Lord t Job 33.16 36.9 openeth by correction saith Elihu the ears of man which hee had sealed in which use this fire of affliction becomes as another u Exod. 13.21 pillar of fire to inlighten and guide the Israel of God in the night of their wandring through the wilderness of this world towards their land of promise that heavenly Canaan 3 Fire giveth heat and warm'th so the heat of this fire of affliction melteth and thaweth our frozen hearts condensed and congealed by the pinching air of cold security this fire kindleth our devotion enflameth our zeal x Isa 26.16 Hos 5.15 warmeth our prayers and makes us hot suters for releef 4 Fire softneth and smodreth metals y Exod. 9.27 Pharaohs steely heart will melt and soften while it is in this hot furnace yea in the same man it separateth dross from pure metal and like that fire which burnt only the z Dâ—n 3.27 Igâ—is non perdiâ— sed purgâ—s bands of them that were cast in but not their bodies so it only consumeth the corruptions but preserveth alive the children of God who only walk at more liberty and further inlargement in the fire than they did out of it and as gold come forth more purified more glorious 5 Fire is a climbing and ascending element so the fire of affliction maketh the heart to ascend and raiseth the thoughts to heaven-ward Luk. 15.17 Misery maketh the Prodigal bethink himself of his Fathers house when he is a great way from it and this is the fire which Moses saw seizing upon the bush Stabilitatem populi ex veritate promissionum dei adâ—â—ravit Junius in analys III. The bush burning is not consumed signifying the preservation of the Church and Members as Israel in Egypt in the hottest furnace of their afflictions Well may wee wonder that so flaming and terrible a fire falling upon so contemptible a bush and so dry and despicable a shrub should not presently turn it into ashes for why is the fire too weak or is the bush so strong as to defend it self or is it not disposed or apt to be burnt consumed by so fierce a fire Certainly it is not from the impotency of the fire nor from the strength or constitution of the bush which is in the matter of it as combustible
4 Your loving respect of me and mine hath been as a continual shadow and refreshing Phil. 2.2 unto mee who may and must truely say with the Apostle I have found no man in these Parts Like-Minded And out of my answerable respect I would set by you for your refreshing a little vessel of comfortable water drawn out of the Scriptures Isa 12.3 the wells of consolation by which you may allay and cool the heat of that fire which every sprig of the bush shall be scorched withall and which perhaps you have not altogether or shall not escape I would also express my desire to put into your hands a weapon against the like fiery assaults of Satan who spareth neither head nor members which while you buckle fast unto you as you have your honourable Fathers name and resemble him in other vertues so herein also you shall imitate his wisdome and prudence of whom I have heard that living in the Court to a great age and usually wearing his weapon about him one asked why he being so weak burdened himself with his weapon his Noble answer was Hee would not lay off his weapon so long as he knew one Papist in the Court A resolute answer of a grave and noble Counsellor This will be also your wisdome so long to buckle your weapon unto you as you know one enemy left to tempt and assault you And now in leaving you let mee leave with you a medicine or receipt against the sting of that fiery Serpent Rabi folia superjecta serpenti interimunt eum Amb. Hexam lib. cap. 9 of power to drive him away For as Ambrose speaks of the leaves of the bramble bush that being cast upon one kinde of Serpent they kill him so much more true it is that the leaves of Gods word which properly belong to the bush of the Church and opposed to Satans poysoned temptations overcome and Master them Deut. 33.16 And thus as Moses requested that the blessing of him that dwelt in the bush might come upon the head of Joseph even so the good will of him that dwelt in the bush come upon your head upon the head of your vertuous Lady upon the heads of your children to the sweetning and crowning of your age vers 13. And blessed of the Lord bee your portion vers 23 for the sweetness of Heaven and for the sweetness of the earth till you be satisfied with favour and filled with the blessing of the Lord. Amen Reading Octob. 28. 1618. Your worships in the Lord to bee commanded THO. TAYLOR A Threefold Alphabet of Rules concerning CRISTIAN PRACTICE The First Precept of every Letter concerning Duty towards God The Second towards our Neighbours The Third towards our Selves Gathered at a Friends request in this order for the helping of the Memory First AWake with God in the morning and before all things give him your first fruits and calves of your lips in 1 Confession of sin 2 Petition of necessaries for body and soul 3 Thankfulness for mercies received especially your late preservation rest and protection of you and yours Josh 24.15 Psa 101.2 Gen. 14.14 18.19 Esth 4.15 2 Account it not enough that your self serve God unless that you see all in your charge do the same 3 Arm your self against whatsoever the day may bring forth and upon all occasions think on your happy redemption with much thankfulness for so happy conjunction of Justice and mercy B 1 Beware of occasions of sin and wisely inure your self in subduing the least that at length the greater may be foiled 2 Beleeve all that God speaketh unto you out of his word but not all that man telleth you 1 Sam. 10.16 Eccl. 3.7 nor tell to any other all that you hear but only the truth and that neither all nor always 3 Before you take in hand any thing Luk. 2.19 2 Sam. 2.1 1 Sam. 30.8 counsel with Gods word if it be lawful and then perform it with prayer that it may bee as successful as lawful C 1 Carefully set your self in Gods presence all the day long that setting him at your right hand you may not fall 2 Carry your self unto all as the weak may be won 1 Cor. 1â— 32. Col. 4.5 the strong comforted and the wicked ashamed 3 Consider the dignity of your soul how beautiful it is to God and his Angels so long as you keep it unspotted Mat. 15.18 Eph. 4. â—3 31. Col. 3.5 â— that so you may cleanse your heart from the first motions of sinful thoughts as lust anger envy pride ambition covetousness fullenness and the rather because the least sin deserveth death D 1 Daily morning and evening at least solemnly on your knees make confession and requests with thanksgiving first preparing your heart to seek the Lord in the morning think that that day may bee your last day and when you go to bed you know not whether you shall rise unless it be to judgement It is safest therefore to use prayer as a key to open the morning and as a bar or lock to shut in the evening 2 Delight to do all the good you can to Gods Children Gal. 6.10 and to receive all the good you can from them 3 Distrust not Gods providence in any matter 2 Chr. 16.3.9.12 2 Cor. 3.5 1 Cor. 3.7 Rom. 1.25 although you see the means wanting neither when you have them let them bee relyed on more than God himself but let him be prayed unto for the prosperous use of them E 1 Exercise your mind in meditating often on the works of God Jer. 12.2 Hâ—b 1.13 Mat. 15.31 as his creating and governing of the world his prospering and punishing the wicked his blessing and correcting his children his preparing of unspeakable Joy for the one and unutterable torment for the other Exod. 10.8 But especially on the Sabbath add to these meditations the holy exercises of prayer Preaching Sacraments holy conference and such like 2 Esteem of every one better than your self Rom. 12.16 and the more you excel another be so much the more humbled Phil 2.3 Rom. 14.23 Prov. 6.14 Zac 8.17 Psa 49.3 3 Examine your thoughts well whether they tend before you fulfil your own desires if you find them unprofitable curious vain or such as you cannot yeild a sufficient reason to God or man for kill them in the shel let them not live or breathe longer in you F Eccl. 12.13 Prov. 5.8 6.27 28 1 Fear God and keep his Commandements for this is the whole duty of man 2 Fly and avoid places and persons infectious wanton idle unthrifty and bad company which are to the soul as poysoned and infected air to the body Eccl. 1.13 Gen. 3.19 2 Thes 3.6 3 Follow with faithfulness and diligence your own business in the lawful and particular calling wherein God hath placed you only be careful in your earthly business to carry an heavenly mind
pawn but we must trust in his word that is indeed to trust in God When the case is with us as it was with Moses at the red Sea the Sea afore him the Mountains on both sides Pharaoh and his Host behind then to say Stand still fear not and behold the salvation of the Lord here is sound faith VVhen Aram and mount Seir came against Jehoshaphat and he saw no strength or means of his own he said O Lord we know not what to doe but our eyes are unto thee and so though his Army was small and his enemies like grass on the earth trusting in God he went away with the victory And what a holy and faithful profession was that of Job If the Lord kill me yet will I trust in his mercy Rules to carry our selves by faith in the outward means I. Where they be 1 Faith neglecteth not good means where they be 3 Rules to keep faith in the presence of outward means because Gods providence hath afforded them and appointed them for our good faithful Jacob had a good care to provide for his family Gen. 30.30 Isaac said to his Father Here is the knife and wood but where is the sacrifice Abraham answered God will provide so set us use the means and God will provide the rest that is wanting 2 It hath a right judgement of them not as things to bee trusted to neither art nor labor expressed by the net Hab. 1.16 nor wealth and riches expressed by the wedge of Gold Job 31.24 nor friends and alliance expressed by the arm of flesh Jerem. 17.5 no nor the outward means of salvation Ezek. 33.31 Faith knoweth it is not bread but the staff of bread that man liveth by David looks upon his staff and bow and saith they cannot help him Psalm 42.6 and counteth watching and building but vain except the Lord joyn his helping hand Psal 127.1 2. 3 Faith useth means but expecteth no blessing from them but by the word and prayer Gen. 32.9 Jacob useth good means and policy in dividing his Army and separating his bands but withall giveth himself to Prayer to get Gods arm with him Exod. 17.11 Josâ—â—â— goeth and valiantly fighteth the Lords battel but Moses must bee at prayer in the mount and no longer Joshua prospers than Moses prayeth 3 Actions of faith in the absence of means II. Where they bee not 1 Faith trusteth where means bee wanting or against them Though ten thousand compassed David yet would hee trust Psal 3.6 And Abraham was a notable pattern of Faith when hee had no means but all was against him in himself and his wife still he depended upon the naked word that God was true and able to perform his Promise Rom. 4.9 20 21. 2 Faith when it may useth no evil means it flies not in sickness to sorcery nor in extremity to the Witch as Saul did for which he was rejected from being King 1 Chron. 10.13 It turneth not to fetches of policy nor to digge deep Counsels on which a woe is pronounced Isa 29.15 It deviseth not to smite ones betters with the tongue it taketh not advantage of mens simplicity or forgetfulnesse 3 It observeth how many great things God bringeth to pass without yea against the means to shew how little hee depends upon them and therefore it will not stint the Holy one of Israel but frame the heart to his likeness It sees the walls of Jericho fall down by seven daies compassing Josh 6.3 It sees all Midians Host discomfited by means of a dream of a barly loaf tumbled down from above into the host of Midian Judg. 7.13 and Aâ—hurs Host flye all away supposing the King of the Hittites and Egyptians to come upon them through a noise of Chariots and Horses 2 King 7.6 And surely this is the course in which God often incourageth his Children who thrive and grow they know not how by vertue of the promise that God will fill his with hidden treasures Whereas those that will feed themselves upon the means and trust God no further Gods justice often lets them see their folly revenging their infidelity they eat and are not satisfied they earn mony for a bottomeless bag Hag. 1.6 they go and trust in Physicians as Asa did and pine away their wisdome and Counsel is turned to foolishnesse as Achitophels They have horses and strength and trust to it Psal 20.7 8. but they are fallen there where they trusted And thus God letteth men see that there is neither wisdome counsel power or success against nor without the Lord. Not to think much if with our Lord we find men more savage than beasts Note 4 Christians must not think much to finde men more savage than brute beasts seeing Christ found it so Lazarus found Dogges more pittiful to him than Dives and Paul found the Beasts to which hee was condemned at Ephesus more merciful than the men 1 Cor. 15.31 The like entertainment in the world must every Christian expect Vers 2 And when hee had fasted forty daies and forty nights hee was afterward an hunger Now wee come to the third point in Christs expectation of his enemy namely His imployment and that out of the Evangelists is gathered to bee twofold 1 Fasting to which hee joyned prayer without all doubt this S. Matthew hath that hee fasted forty daies and forty nights 2 Temptation by lighter onsets as Luke saith plainly hee was forty daies there tempted of the Devil and after that hee was hungry and then began these three temptations In his fast consider three things 1 What kind of fast it was 2 The reasons of it 3 The continuance forty daies and forty nights For the first Of fasts there are three kinds Kinds of fasts three 1 Civil as when men fast for the health of their body or when men are so intent upon their affairs as they take no time to eat and drink Thus Saul fasted pursuing the Philistims 1 Sam. 14.24 and those forty that vowed not to eat till they had slain Paul so intent they were upon their wickedness Act. 23.14 This is voluntary there is also one involuntary fast when men want what to eat and drink as Elias fasted 1 King 17.5 This is not here meant 2 Religious which is an abstinence from meats drinks and all delights to testify our true humiliation before God to fit us unto prayer and to further and witness the truth of our Repentance And this is either publike or private of one or of more for one day or longer time But neither is this meant here For 1 Christ had no corrupt wanton or rebellious flesh to mortify or chastise 2 Christ had nothing to repent of no amendment of life no hardnesse of heart no want of faith to bewail no guiltiness to confess by it 3 Hee had no need of fasting to help him in prayer for neither needed hee any grace which he had not by the lighting of the Spirit upon him neither had
day of Tryal to take heed of admitting any thing against our conscience which the Apostle compares to a ship fraughted with precious wares such as faith love joy with other graces Now if wee crack our ship of conscience wee make shipwrack of faith and the other graces which good conscience had preserved 4 Faith being the free gift of God who is the author and finisher of it a means to stablish it is fervent and continual prayer as the Apostles knew well enough Luk. 17.5 saying Lord increase our faith and that good man Mark 9.24 Lord I beleeve help my unbeleef Christ praies for the not failing of thy faith wilt not thou pray for thy own The least faith can pray for more A special mark of the least measure of faith is that it can pray for more III. When thou feelest Satan assaulting thy faith and hiding from thine eyes the love of God then set before thine eyes Gods gracious promises made and to bee made good to thee in Jesus Christ both because 1 of the generality of them which run without excepting thee if thou doest not except thy self as also 2 Because they are built and grounded not upon thy sense and feeling but upon Gods unchangeable love as also 3 Because hee hath commanded thee to beleeve Object Oh but would you have me beleeve when I feel nothing but corruption in my self and correction and displeasure in God Answ Yes for faith must bee where is no feeling and may bee one thing is the being of a thing another the discerning of it Doth not the sun shine though a cloud or some other thing bee between our sight and it Nay then when sense and feeling cease faith begins her chief and most glorious work Was it not Abrahams commendation that hee beleeved against beleef and hoped against hope when all nature and sense was set against him hee held the word of promise against sense and nature Nay our blessed Saviour in whom was no grudgings of infidelity but assured faith in his Father yet in respect of his present sense and feeling cryed out My God My God why hast thou forsaken mee David beleeved in the word of God and not his eyes and so must thou that thou hearest God speak and not that thou seest Thomas when hee would beleeve no more than that hee saw and felt our Saviour said to him Bee not so faithless but faithful In the strongest encounter wait still till Christ come to case thee hee is not far off and commit thy self in well doing into his hands as into the hands of a faithful Creator say with Hester I will go to the King if I perish I perish it may bee hee will reach out his scepter graciously and I shall live but if I must needs perish I will perish under the wing of my Lord and Husband So much of Satans second drift in the first temptation In the third place he seeketh to make Christ doubt of his Divinity and call in question whether he was the Son of God or no from his present necessity as if he had said Seest thou not in what famine and need thou art thou hast fasted here these forty days of my knowledge VVhat is become of thy Father and of his providence whose Son thou art proclaimed Is this the care thy father hath of thee Doth he think thou canst live of air or feed of winde or digest stones Art thou weak creature and starven he that must prevail against the gates of Hell Art thou the Messiah that hast not a morsel of bread to put in thy mouth No if thou wert the Son of God he would care a little more for thee no natural father that had a drop of affection would leave his child so destitute VVhence we may learn that Satans drift is to make men call in question the truth of their adoption in their 〈◊〉 Doct. 3. Satan seeketh to make the members of Christ as well as the Head call in question their adoption and salvation for present adversity and want A notable instance hereof we have in Job whom when the Devil by Gods permission to bring him to blaspheme God had robbed him of his goods had slain his children had afflicted his body with most painful and loathsome botches then he sets upon him and sets all his friends upon him to make him beleeve that God also is his enemy and hath brought his sin upon his head And this he taught his instruments the wicked rulers or rather raylers Matth. 27.41 when Christ was in most extream torments and terrours of body and soul hanging on the Cross they said in scorn If he be the Son of God let him come down from the Cross and we will beleeve on him He trusted in God let him now deliver him if hee will have him for he said he was the Son of God As if they had said Is not this a notable deceiver to say hee was Gods Son and now is in extreame danger ready to perish shamefully and no hope of any deliverance If he were the Son of God would hee suffer him to perish So it is his ordinary temptation to any beleever Doest thou not see thy self poor and despised in want and sorrow Seest thou any one sign of Gods favour Art thou not deprived almost of all the pleasures of the world Seest thou not that God cares for beasts and fowls which he feedeth in due season but thou art neglected Reasons 1 This comes to pass because of Satans malice towards God himself hee would not only falsify his word who hath said that No man knoweth love or hatred by all the things afore him Eccles 9.1 but also impeach his providence and care over his children who whatsoever their outward estate seem to bee are still as dear unto him as the apple of his eye and when they be as most unknown yet are they known 2 Because of Satans malice to piety and religion which by this means hee seeks to chase out of the earth for the world keeps it under and commonly it riseth to no great matters Now if God respect it not neither who would bee godly what profit were it to serve the Lord 3 Satan herein hath much strength from our own corruptions and ploweth often with our own heifers for we desire rather to walk by sense than by faith we hardly beleeve without pawns and pledges every man trusts his own eyes and thinks wisdom good with an inheritance Hence this temptation finds the easier entrance and better entertainment 4 Satan ever in these temptations hath a further reach than he shews namely that he may hence perswade men by some unlawful means to releeve themselves and better their estate no longer to depend upon God who hath cast off the care of them but to shift for themselves and as hee moved Christ himself to make stones bread 5 Satan hath gotten no small advantage against Gods dear children by this kind of temptation and
Spirit of God is present to pour out his treasures of wisdome and grace by means of the word and Sacraments which are his chariot and which not accompanied with the Spirit are but dead and ineffectual to regeneration where the Holy Angels are present to assist the ministery to repel hinderances to behold our order but especially desirous to look into the mysteries of our salvation where the Holy Saints upon earth are met together to seek and see the face of the Lord joyning together in all the parts of his pure and holy worship in hearing his holy word receiving his holy Sacraments preferring publikely their holy prayers greatly by this means glorifying God and inriching their own selves Surely this is Bethel the house of God and the gate of heaven Vse 1. This teacheth us not to despise our Assemblies nor to think out Churches unholy for some corruptions Look upon Jerusalem Matth. 23.37 you shall see the eleven Tribes were Apostates there were in it dumb dogs Isa 56.10 there were Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites nay at this time the Doctrin of the Law was corrupted by the false glosses of the Pharisees and the Temple almost a den of Theeves full of buyers and sellers Yet for all this the Evangelist calls it the holy City even when it had more corruptions in it than the Church of England hath at this day Why 1 Because there was the service of the true God set up in the Temple the word preached and sacrifices offered and the meetings of the Church of God 2 Because as yet they had not received a bill of divorcement Have not wee the Word truely Preached and the Sacraments for substance truely administred And for discipline I will say I wish wee had the execution of so much as the Church alloweth Or when did the Lord give us a bill of Divorce Or what Church hath convinced us that wee cannot bee acknowledged for a true Church If they say they of the Separation have I answer 1 They have laboured to discover some errors but none fundamental in us nor without as many in themselves 2 Wee may well doubt whether they bee a Church or no seeing by the profession of some of their Teachers they will not joyn themselves to any Church at this day upon the face of the earth and so renounce all Communion with all the parts of the Catholike Church in the world But wee must not think much if some unstable persons forsake our Communion seeing in the golden and flourishing age of the Apostles themselves some such there were Heb. 10.25 As for our selves wee may strengthen our selves against them by these conclusions 1 Wee know that the word of Truth is truly preached amongst us which appeareth by the daily conversion of thousands whereas never was man converted by a word of error Jam. 1.18 2 Wee know that our Ministers are of God because by them so many are begotten to God Our Saviour thought this a good reason when hee said Beleeve mee that I came out from the Father for the works sake The blinde man had good insight into this matter Joh. 9.30 saying If this man were not of God he could do nothing and a wonderful thing it is that yee know not whence hee is and yet hee hath opened mine eyes So may I say to the separatist Doest thou not know whence that Minister is who hath opened thine eyes 3 We know that our meetings are holy meetings 1 Our people is outwardly called by an holy calling and to an holy end 2 They profess faith in Christ which is an holy profession and in charity if wee see no open raigning sin are to bee judged Saints 3 Congregations are called holy in the Scripture from the better part not from the greater as an heap of wheat mingled and covered with chaffe yet it is called wheat 1 Cor. 6.11 Now yee are sanctified washed and justified but in Epist â— chap. 12. I fear that when I come among you my God will humble mee and I shall bewail many of them that have sinned and have not repented of their uncleanness and fornication and wantonness which they have committed Diverse other abuses there were yet among Saints and beloved ones 4 Mixt Congregations are holy in Gods acceptation esteeming them not as they are in themselves but as members of Christ When Israel was at the best it was a rebellious and stifte-necked people yet Balaam said Hee saw no iniquity in Jacob nor transgression in Israel not that there was none but that none was imputed 4 Wee know that wee have no warrant to separate from holy things neither for some defects cleaving to them nor for ill men either handling them or communicating in them The Prophets never made any separation in times of greatest corruption even when they cried out of their wickednesse 1 Sam. 2.24 Do so no more my sons said Eli yee make the people trespass how By making them loath the service and sacrifice for your wickedness verse 17. And when many abuses were among the Corinths in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper yet a man that did carefully examine himself might communicate of it with comfort yea our Saviour Christ was often in the Temple teaching and praying and so were his Disciples though it was a most corrupt place Object 1 How may I pray with an evil man seeing God heareth not sinners Nay his prayer is abominable Ans 1 The speech in John 9.31 is not universally true for God heard the poor Publican confessing himself a sinner 2 Though God hear him not for himself yet hee hears him for the people as Balaam blessing Israel being both a wicked man and speaking against his heart God heard him for the people Numb 23. Object 2 But how may I communicate with a wicked Minister or with what comfort Answ The wickedness of the Minister may somewhat lessen the comfort but neither diminish the perfection of the Sacrament in it self nor hinder the efficacy thereof to us seeing the efficacy depends onely upon the promise of God and the faith of the receiver and is no more to bee refused than the gift of a King though the conveyance bee drawn by a wicked Lawyer Object But how can hee bee a means of conveying grace to mee that is a graceless man Answ Grace is compared to water now may not water that passeth through a wooden or stony channel which it self is so undisposed that it cannot receive or have any benefit of it make a whole garden fruitful It is Augustines simile Besides I would ask whether any could with comfort refuse Judas his Baptisme John 4.2 even when hee was a Devil incarnate If it bee said They knew him not so to bee then belike a man may receive the Sacrament fruitfully of a secret prophane man or infidel and the wickedness of a Minister if it bee secret pollutes not the Sacrament and then it must follow necessarily that no comfort and truth of the Sacrament
evening solemnly on our knees making confessions of sins and requests to God together with thanksgiving Psalm 55.17 Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and make a noise Daniel three times a day prayed and praised God in his house as hee was wont chap. 6. v. 10. The excellent use of which is the opening of the door of Gods treasury to the family by which it is inriched with the best blessings of God Besides the Lord shall hereby have some honour that is due to his mercy upon the family 5 In edifying the family with Psalms and melody to the Lord as it is Col. 3.16 In these daily duties doth the sanctification of a family consist Whereunto wee may bee perswaded by these motives 1 In that they are the practises of men fearing God such as Joshua and his house Cornelius and his houshold 2 In that by these exercises the family shall not only be sanctified but also blessed as Obed Edom and his house for the presence of the Ark. 3 What madness is it to reject and banish Gods word and worship out of doors and yet think God is there Nay where found grace comes there is the Spirit of Prayer and Supplication in every family apart Zach. 12.14 and where the worship of God is not set up in families there is nothing but a conspiracy of Atheists and a wicked brood bringing Gods judgements on themselves and the business passing through their hands Use 3. Jerusalem is called holy being once sanctified to the Lords use which teacheth us that wee should reverently both conceive and speak of all such things as are set apart to the Lords use 1 Some persons are consecrate to the Lord as the Tribe of Levi of whom the commandement was Thou shalt not forsake the Levite all thy daies And the Prophets Touch not mine annointed and do my Prophets no harm So in the New-Testament The Minister that rules well is worthy of double honour Yea if the widows which were set apart to inferiour offices about the poor must be honoured 1 Tim. 5.3 much more the Minister that standeth in Gods place and stead Heb. 13.17 Obey them that have the oversight of you Thus Cornelius reverenced Peter and the Eunuch Philip. Nay not onely the Minister but every beleever is separate to God and sanctified to carry the Covenant and hath the annointing of the Spirit which the Lord acknowledgeth on them and speaketh reverently and lovingly of them calling them his holy ones yea the apple of his eye They see not this who can persecute and revile them for hypocrites and count them as the Apostles whose doctrin they profess the scum of the world 2 Some places are for their use to bee accounted holy because God is there present in his worship as the places of our meetings not that any inherent holiness is annexed to the place or cleaveth to it out of the action of Gods worship but while God is present in his Worship wee must account it holy ground and the house of God When God appeared in Bethel to Jacob hee said How fearful is this place surely it is no other than the house of God Wee must therefore put off our shooes with Moses that is our base and vile our sinful and sensual affections yea our lawful if earthly thoughts when wee come to this holy place Look wee bring no thoughts with us unbeseeming the place where God is separated from other common places to holy uses Look that in this place wee use no gesture or behaviour unbeseeming a man that hath business with God being present To sit talking or sleeping or laughing or gazing sutes not with this place And further if God please to account the very places holy for the use and presence of God in this use what shall wee think of them that conceive so basely of them as they would love a Parish better in which is no Church Others prophane them with base practices and unconscionably suffer them to fall or decay and will bee at no charge to make or keep them handsome sweet and beautiful Styes were fit for such swine As their affection is so is their devotion 3 The holy Ordinances of God must not bee touched but with holy respect and reverence of which it is said It is not safe to play with holy things 1 The word must bee received read heard spoken as the holy word of God To make jests of Scripture is a wicked practice God looks graciously on him that trembles at his word Isa 66.2 as good Josiah whose heart melted hearing the words of the Law So the names and attributes of God are never to bee used in frivolous admirations but every knee must bow unto him Phil. 2.10 Neither ought wee to laugh at Gods judgements on others 2 An Oath is one of the holy Ordinances of God and to swear in common talk vainly is not to shew reverence to this holy Ordinance Swear not at all that is uncalled Mat. 5.34 35. neither being called but in truth justice and judgement for an Oath is appointed to decide controversies which other means cannot How few consider whether the matter bee worth an Oath or whether they bee called to it or whether it might not have been better passed by Yea or Nay or by a bare asseveration A wicked man is described by being a Swearer Eccl. 9.3 but a godly man not only not swears from which a man by education or civility may abstain but also fears an oath in what company soever hee is or what occasion soever hee hath 3 A Lot is another special Ordinance of God to decide a controversy from heaven by God himself when all means on earth fail Therefore Lots must not be used without great reverence and prayer because the disposition of them commeth immediately from the Lord Pro. 16.33 and not but in great matters not for recreation for it is said to cause contentious to cease among the mighty Prov. 18.18 neither do wee read that it was ever used but in very great things as the dividing of the land of Canaan the election of High Priests and Kings and the surrogation of Matthias into the place of Judas Hence it follows if dice and cards bee Lots as I think they bee that all play by them is unlawful 4 Some times are sanctified above other as the Sabbath day all which must bee passed holily with much reverence and respect both remembring it before it come yea rejoycing in the approach of it and when it is come to sanctify it 1 In our hearts for external observation of the Sabbath without inward holiness and affection to the duties of Gods service is hypocrisy 2 We must not meddle with any part of the duties of our ordinary calling for that is no holy thing 3 Much less travel to Markets or Fairs but every man must stay in his own place Exod. 16.29 Neb. 13.15 to 19. 4 Least of all must wee set any part of it apart
to our recreations these bee no holy things sports are inferiour to our lawful Callings which are to be laid aside farr from holy things and unsutable to the Lords Holy-day The like if not more may be said against pampering a mans self and others by feeding or feasting and of drinking or any such wicked passing away the Sabbath The same also is to be spoken of a day of Feasting of publick Thanksgiving which have the reason of a Sabbath Of these and all other Gods holy Ordinances wee may say as the voyce said to Peter What God hath sanctified pollute thou not Doct. 2. A place is no longer holy than God and his Worship is present Was Jerusalem a holy City how then is the beautiful City become an Harlot how is it that this City which was the seat of Gods worship and the habitation and collection of the Saints is now an harbour of Turks and Infidels over-run with Turcisme or Idolatry Surely because the cause of this holiness ceased the worship of God was corrupted the Son of God despighted the Gospel of God rejected the Saints of God murthered the day of Visitation neglected And therefore they being infinitely departed from God and his pure worship God departs from them and God being gone the place ceaseth to be holy Bethel while the vision of the Ladder lasted there was an holy place and so long as Gods Worship continued there but when it admâ—tted the pollution of Idolatry it must be called Bethel no more but Beth-aven When the Congregation of Israel brought the Ark from Gilgal and set it up in Shilo then was Shilo the standing house of God the seat of religion and justice which God had chosen Josh 18.1 but for the sins of this place the Lord rejected it as Jer. 7.12 Goe now to Shilo into my place where I set my name in the beginning and behold what I did unto it for the wickedness of Israel if we will know what look 1 Sam. 4.4 when by the villany of Elies Sons and outrage of the people the Lord was provoked hee gave Israel into the hands of the Philistims there were thirty thousand Foot-men slain the Ark was taken Hophni and Phineas slain Eli the High Priest brake his neck then did the glory depart from Israel and the Ark never came at Shilo more So the Temple at Jerusalem was holy the City holy so long as they continued in the true Worship of God but after they crucified the Lord of life both City and Temple as prophane were destroyed so as Jerusalem although the holy City of God if her filthiness be found in her skirts she shall be had in derision Lam. 1. the most beautiful rod if held out against God shall bee broken yea the Temple of God if it become a denne of Theeves God will depart from it For what is it that can tye God to any place but his own worship to which he hath tied himself by promise Vse 1. Let not the vain Romanist boast of the pretended chair of Peter from which God cannot possibly depart Can God depart from Shilo for the sins of Priest and people where first he put his Name and can he not depart from Rome Can he depart from the holy City where he promised hee would rest and can he not be driven from the great City of the Whore to which hee never made any such promise Can he depart in displeasure from her whose foundations were layed among the holy Mountains Psal 87.1 and can hee not depart from the Whore Revel 11.8 that sitteth upon seven Hills Shall Bethlehem where Christ was born be forsaken and cannot Babylon where Christ is daily Crucified Nay the Lord is long since departed from her and her final confusion is at the door Vse 2. And if Jerusalem once the holy City but now a Cage and Nest of unclean Saracens and Turks bee left of God what a superstitious error prevailed in former times wherein such bloudy Battels were fought for the recovery of the holy Land most superstitiously putting religion and holiness even in the place it self after all the holy things were prophaned and God himself departed The evil success of such Battels ever shewed how God was offended with such superstitious warres and another mischief by them oppressed the Christian world to keep it in blindness For the Pope making his advantage of this blinde devotion if any King or Prince in Christendom stood between him and his proceedings one way or other he would send him out of his own Country in expedition for the Holy Warre and there hold him till he had effected his own designs in that Princes Country and so strengthned himself in all Lands as Histories manifest Use 3. Let us not bear our selves as though we had God so sure as the Papist thinks he hath him in a Box or pretend any vain priviledge that we have to exempt us from danger True it is we have the word with peace liberty and protection but the fear is that our security and deadness of heart with dissoluteness and prophaneness in behaviour will forfeit all God sendeth Jerusalem to Shilo saying Trust not in lying words saying Jer. 7.4 12 The Temple of the Lord but amend your wayes and I will let you dwell in this place but if you will not goe to Shilo and see what I did to it and look for the like So now God sends us to Jerusalem that we may consider what he did to it being once the praise of the earth and if the same sins be found in us as were in Jerusalem the Lord will doe no other with us than he did with it even as he threatned 2 King 21.13 he will stretch over us the line of Samaria that is bring the enemy in our necks and the plummet of the house of Ahab an Idolater take away his holy things and exchange them with filthy Idolatry and wipe us as a man wipeth a dish even turn us upside down What were the sins of Jerusalem but pride idleness fulness of bread and contempt of the poor In all which England doth equal if not goe beyond Jerusalem and yet wee charge our selves as little with our sins as Jerusalem did And if wee look to the immediate causes and fore-runners of Jerusalems over-throw and compare them with our Land wee shall see it high time to look about us for I. In general Jerusalem had grievously sinned and therefore was had in derision Lam. 1.8 Her sins were great many of long continuance with treasured wrath and all this in a place of such means and light Now no place in the world hath more means than wee wee are farre beyond Jerusalem in means and therefore farre beyond her in sins II. More specially 1 They did not hear the words of Gods servants the Prophets nor obey them therefore the Lord made that house like to Shilo Jerem. 26.6 and hence Jerusalem afterward had time enough but too late to charge her self
through sleep of soul or body the Angels watch over our safety Matth. 2.13 Joseph was a sleep and thought not of that danger which was even upon him by means of Herods cruelty but even in that sleep the Angel watched and admonished him by a dream both of the danger and the means to escape How great a comfort is it that when wee see such difficulties between us and our desires as wee can never overcome then wee have Gods Angels present to do it to our hands Mark 16.3 when the good women that came to imbalme Christs body were very much troubled how to come to his body and asked who shall roul away the stone for it was a very great one when they looked they saw the stone rowlled away and it was done by the Angel as Matthew hath it Gods Angels rowl away all stones and impediments and make our way smooth to all good duties No less comfort is it that when Satan begins to insult and makes as if hee would trample upon us wee have a stronger guard about us any one of the Angels being as able to shut the mouth of this roaring Lyon as they were to shut the mouths of those hungry Lyons into whose den Daniel was cast And for the further strength of our faith and comfort in this Doctrin the Scripture notes three things further concerning Angels worth observing 1 Their wisdome and providence in pitching about us so as wee lye open no where Exod. 14.19 when Israel was gone out of Egypt the Angel of the Lord who went before them to lead them out now removed and went behind them because now Pharaoh and his people pursued them The power of the Angel was no lesse if hee had stayed before them as hee was being Christ himself but for the comfort of Israel and our instruction the Angel changeth his place and stoppeth between them and the danger 2 Their uniting of themselves and strength for our safety one of them readily will help another in helping us Dan. 10.13 one Angel being resisted by the Prince of the Kingdome of Persia Michael one of the chief Princes came to help him who whether hee were an Angel or as it is more likely the Prince and Lord of the Angels even the Angel of the great Covenant Christ himself it is every way full of comfort 3 Their patience towards us who if they should bee gone from us as often as wee by sin provoke them wee should perish every moment But as God is long-suffering so hath hee charged his Angels to bee and therefore they wait still for our return and rejoyce in the repentance of sinners Luke 15.10 and abide in their charge and ministery still Vse 2. Again this doctrin is a ground of manifold instruction 1 Hath God afforded us the Ministery of Angels then note the priviledge and preheminence of Gods children whose nature being assumed by the Son of God gives it dignity above the Angels who are the ministers of our humane nature in the head and members Angels are indeed called the Sons of God but that is by creation Christ never gave them this honour to call them brethren Nay there is a nearer conjunction between Christ and us than between Christ and the Angels which conjunction doth priviledge us with their attendance 1 By reason of his conception and incarnation taking on him the seed of Abraham and not of the Angels by which hee becomes flesh of our flesh 2 By reason of his Spiritual contract taking us to be one with himself by which we become flesh of his flesh and so nearly set into him as the Angels cannot be who are not members of this Head as the elect be Christ indeed may bee called their Head but as a Lord and Commander nor by such Spiritual union as is between Christ and the Christian Herein we may see the love of God in setting his Angels to be our keepers The more noble potent numerous and diligent the custody is the more is the care and love of the thing kept How great thanks therefore owe wee unto our God who notwithstanding he is daily offended with our sins yet affords us the ministry of his Angels Who and what am I that God is so mindful of me that he should give so many glorious Creatures charge over me that he should give me such a priviledge that even the holy Angels whose dwelling is in Heaven and see the face of God who are all spirit and no flesh who are free from all sin and misery should so narrowly attend me a lump of earth a peece of flesh compassed with so many sins and miseries as I can look no way either before or behind them David in the eighth Psalm burst out into the praise of God when he considered that God had afforded man the use of Birds Beasts and Fishes O Lord saith he what is man that thou art so mindful of him and hast preferred him over the works of thy hands How much more should we when we see our happiness by the ministery of the glorious Angels 2 Let us learn hence to look to our conversation because of the Angels 2 Cor. 11.10 for they are our keepers and observers they see all the good and bad we doe and we doe not speak any thing without many witnesses Sin makes God take away our hedge Isa 5.5 it grieves the Angels of God and lays a man naked to all his Judgements Shall we willingly offend them from whom under God we receive so great and daily comforts If we did beleeve or weigh this doctrine we would not but because wee see not God nor his Angels we love neither nor fear to offend either 3 Let us beware of wronging the Children of God even because they have the protection of the Angels To rise up against any of them is to rise up against the Angels their keepers Offend none of these little ones for their Angels behold the face of their heavenly Father and thou provokest the Angels against thee It the Sodomites rise up against Lot the Angels will save him and destroy them It Balaam will goe to Curse Gods people he shall have an Angel against him with a sword drawn ready to kill him 4 Learn wee to give God the honour of our salvation and safety when wee have avoyded any danger publick or private It is not by chance nor by our providence and policy but Gods charging his Angels to save and keep us Daniel did rightly ascribe his deliverance to God by the ministery of the Angel chap. 6.22 My God saith he sent his Angel and shut the Lions mouth 5 To be partaker of all this comfort these means are to bee used 1 Become a godly man Psal 34.9 The Angel of the Lord pitcheth his tent round about them that fear the Lord. Heb. 1.14 They are ministring Spirits to the heirs of salvation 2 Hold on in a godly course keep thee in thy ways in the duties of thy Calling general and
that as our provocations bring temptation upon them so our petitions for them may help them through all Vse 2. Such as are in any eminency or place above others must be so much the more watchful and let this meditation bee as an antidote to expel the poyson swelling and inflammation of pride that the higher thy hill is the more is Satans malice and plots against thee If a man stand upon the top or any part of Mount Sion that is be a Teacher in the Church hee must know that he is a light set upon an hill or mountain all eyes are upon him and therefore Satan that stood at Jehoshuahs right hand will not bee far from him let him make right steps to his feet lest hee treading awry many be turned out of the way Let such as are eminent in profession above others bee more watchful than others Satan is more busy with thee because thou shalt open many mouthes against thy profession and hee will wound many through thy sides hee will make many ashamed because of thee and because of thee hee will make Gods enemies to blaspheme 2 Sam. 12.14 Thy slip or fall shall make all Gath and Askelon ring of all thy profession for they are all alike never a good one of them all c. Such as are carried into the mountain of earthly prosperity must labour for more strength and wachfulnesse than if they were in a lower estate else Satan will make this condition as the dead sea in which no grace can live Shew mee one excepting our Lord Jesus that ever came better from the mountain that is was the better man for his prosperity Numbers there are that have come out like Gold brighter and puâ—â—er out of the fire of affliction but so dangerous it is to stand upon this mount as the Lord once and again forewarned and charged his own people that when they should come into the good land which he had given them then to beware that they waxed not fat and forgetful and rebellious against him We know that the Moon being at full is furthest from the Sun and commonly fulness and abundance withdraw us from our Sun of righteousness whence wee have all influence of light and grace Vse 3. Let this point work contentment in our hearts and cause us to prize a mean and comfortable estate wishing no mountains but that holy mountain of God where wee shall bee free from all gun-shot and safe from all temptation Here is an holy ambition to affect and aspire to a Kingdome wherein wee shall reign as Kings In the mean time if wee desire superiority or command let us labour to overcome sin the Devil our selves and our Lusts let us depose them from reigning in our mortal bodies And if at any time we begin to admite our selves and others for outward prosperity and greatnesse in the World let us turn our eyes another way and esteem Gods Wisdome and fear above all outward happiness This was the Wisdome of Solomon with which God was so well pleased that having it in his choice to ask Riches or long Life or Victory hee asked Wisdome before them all and God gave him bâ—â—â— that and them Let this ever bee our wisdome to affect goodness not greatness this brings Satan upon us that drives him away from us The second thing in the preparation is the sight represented in which consider these things I what was the sight All the Kingdomes of the World and the glory of them 2 How Satan represented them hee shewed him 3 How long this sight lasted in a moment saith Luke I. The sight was all the Kingdomes of the earth both the Kingdomes themselves and the Majesty Beauty Glory and order of them yea their wealth and whatsoever was in them by which the minde of our Saviour might bee rapt into the admiration of them and after to desire them For the end of his temptation is Idolatry and his means is covetousness Quest But were there not many sorrows vexations and tumults in the World why doth Satan shew none of these Answ 1 His policy and subtilty would not make show of any thing which would hinder his temptation but did all to further it His scope was to bring Christ into love with the World and for this purpose hee must make it as lovely as hee can as a cunning fisher must hide the hook and shew nothing but the bait 2 Hee knew that by this very trick hee overthrew the first Adam to whom hee shewed nothing but the fair side of the Apple and benefit and bettering of their estate how by eating of it they should bee as Gods but hid all the inconvenience that it was a breach of Gods Commandement and that the issue was death And so he goes about to circumvent the second Adam II. The manner of this sight And shewed him Some think in a Map But hee needed not have carried him into a Mountain for that Neither in a vision illuding his minde and phantasy because this hee might have done in the Wildernesse or on the Pinacle if it could agree so well to the perfection of Christs mind But I take it hee offered the images and representations of them all sensibly and actually after a wonderful and strange manner making their Images to appear to his senses And if a man by his Art can represent to the senses in a glass any person or thing so lively by which hee that sees not the thing it self discerneth a notable image of it how much more may wee think that Satan by his Art and Cunning can represent to the sense the Images of things which are not indeed present A lively confirmation whereof appeareth in his lumber I mean Sorcerers and Juglers who by the Devils help most cunningly delude the senses But Christ did indeed see the Images and most glorious representations of the World and the Kingdomes of it the which that hee might think to bee the things themselves and the better to perswade him that hee saw the things indeed hee set him on an exceeding high mountain notwithstanding hee knew that the highest mountain of the World could manifest but a small part of the whole and if it could yet the strongest eye of man could reach but a little way and were not able at least in so small a time to distinguish the particulars thereof III. The time how long this sight lasted In a moment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In accurate consideration a moment is the fortieth part of an hour for a point of time is a quarter of an hour and a moment of time is the tenth part of a point of time But I think wee are not to take the word so strictly which here noteth a very short time much shorter than the fortieth part of an hour and with Chemnitius I think it to bee the same with that in 1 Cor. 15.52 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a moment and explained in the next words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
Isa 40.26 Lift up your eyes aloft and behold who created all these things This use David maketh Psal 8. When I see the heavens the earth and the works of thy hands then said I Lord what is man that thou art so mindful of him and concludes the Psalm thus How excellent is thy name through all the World And why 1 The invisible things of God his Power and Divinity and Eternity were made visible to the very Gentiles by things created Rom. 1.20 And shall wee either not look on them or so look upon them as they to make us inexcusable shall wee onely injoy the natural use and no spiritual or Divine use from them 2 Consider that God for this purpose hath made the Countenance of man not as the Beasts groveling on the Earth but erected unto Heaven and he hath made the eye of man not as the Beasts but as Anntomists observe hath given it one muscle which they want whereby hee can turn his eye directly upwards with admirable quickness that it should not so fix it self upon any thing below as the Covetous eye doth but by occasion of things below turn it self upward to their Creator Yea hee hath compassed our eyes with brows and lids and fences from dust and earth that though wee look sometimes on the earth yet the least dust or earth should not get into them 3 Let us labour to use our senses in beholding Gods works as they in Joh. 2.23 that saw the works of Christ of whom it is said Many beleeved in the name of Christ seeing the works that he did So let the works which wee see God hath done bee at least inducements to beleeve him so much the more Fourthly God made our senses in respect of our brethren both to benefit them and our selves by them 1 Our eyes to behold their misery to pity them to releeve them Turn not thine eyes from thine own flesh Herein the unmerciful Priest and Levite were condemned by the pitiful Samaritan Our ears to hear the cry of the poor Prov. 21.13 Hee that turns his ear from the cry of the poor himself shallery and not bee heard Numbers never make this use of their ears but God hath a deaf ear for them 2 Our eyes to see the good example of our brethren to imitate them to glorify God for them Our ears to hear their Godly Counsels Admonitions Reproofs and so bee bettered by them 3 Our eyes to see and consider their danger to pull them out of their infirmities the fire and to cast out the more of their eyes Our ears to hear what is fit to bee spoken of them to defend their good names if they bee traduced For God hath given us two ears not rashly to receive every information but to reserve one for the party lest hee be condemned unheard unconvinced Fiftly and Lastly God made our senses in respect of ourselves not only to bee faithful keepers of the body but diligent factors and agents for our own souls as 1 That our eyes should ever bee looking homewards and to the end of our way as quick and expedite travellors and not fix themselves upon everything wee see here below This is done by heavenly conversation 2 Our ears should bee bored to the perpetual service and obedience of our God as our Lord himself was Psal 40.7 Thou hast bored mine ear alluding to that Ceremony in the Law Exod. 21.6 If a servant would not part from his Master his ear must bee bored and nailed to the Post of the house and thus hee became a perpetual Servant hee was nailed and fixed to that house and service So wee must yeeld an obedient ear as Solomon calls it unto the Counsels Will and Commandement of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ 3 Our eyes were made to bee Conduits of tears for our own sin and misery and for the sin and wretchednesse of other men Psalm 139.136 Davids eyes gushed out rivers of tears because men keep not the word how wept hee then for his own sins that wept so for others Good Lot his righteous soul was vexed in hearing and seeing the unclean conversation of the Sodomites Thus should our senses bee so far from conceiving pleasure in sinful obects as these must bee the continual grief of our souls And can wee indeed look upon our selves and not see something which is a brand of our sin or can wee behold any Creature and not see some express Prints and marks of our sin and vanity upon it Surely this one meditation would be effectual to keep us from casting our eyes upon unlawful objects and so from making our selves a prey to the Devil Vse 2. This serves to reprove such as fail in this watch of the senses for who doth not yet some far more dangerously Such as have in their houses Popish Pictures and Images which are alluring harlots corrupters of the heart which is an opening of the door to the Devil a sign of a man willing to bee seduced Experience shews that when a man is in love with such Images hee easily falls out with Gods Image in himself and Gods Children 2 Such as delight in lascivious Pictures and filthy portraytours of naked men or women in whole or such parts as may stir the corruption of the heart which should bee beaten down by all means Wee need bring no Oyle to this flame Yet the Devil hath gotten such pictures in request in this wanton age wherein every thing is almost proportional 3 Such are far from this watch of their senses as so attire and disguise themselves or lay open their nakedness to insnare the senses of others Let them not say they think no hurt in it unless they can bee sure that no other think hurt by it 4 Such as like the Images have ears and hear not eyes and see not care not to hear the Word or read it never taste Gods goodness in it neither doth the breath of heavenly life ever pass through their noses 5 Such as frequent wicked company and delight in the ungracious actions and speeches that they hear and see or can digest them without reproof or dislike manifested The Devil hath a thorow-fare among such companies who are conspired against God and goodness Add unto these such as read or have in their houses Lascivious and wanton books teachers of lewdness Adde also Stage-Players and their beholders that cast open all gates and walls to the Devil 6 The Covetous eye whereof Solomon saith Ecc. 4.4 his eye is not satisfied with Riches neither doth hee say For whom do I thus labour In that Satan would draw Christ to the love of the World and thereby makes no doubt but to insnare and cast him down wee learn that Doctr. 2 The love of the World easily maketh a man a prey and spoil to the Devil Satan well knew that if hee could get Christ to fall down to the World hee would easily fall down to him Where by the World I
understand not the goodly Workmanship of God in the frame of the Heavens and Earth which wee must love and admire but all the Riches Honours Pleasures Profits and Allurements of it without God or before God as when men are willing Servants and Slaves to Worldly Desires and Corruptions 1 Tim. 6.10 The desire of money is the root of all evil a fruitful mother of much mischief There is no sin so impious so unnatural and barbarous that a man in love with the Profits of the World will stick at And more plainly vers 9. They that will bee rich fall into manifold Temptations and Snares and into many foolish and noysome lusts which drown men in perdition and destruction which in sense is all one with this That such a one makes himself a willing spoil and prey to the Devil Hence they are called deceitful Riches because they easily lead us out of the right way Matth. 13.22 and Job 18.8 The wicked walks upon snares and the grin shall take his heel Reasons 1 The love of the World banisheth the love of God out of the Soul Hee that is a lover of the World is an hater of God Jam. 4.4 Know yee not that the amity of the World is enmity to God Whosoever therefore will bee a friend of the World maketh himself an enemy to God now what sin will an enemy of God stick at And the Apostle John plainly divorceth these two which can never agree in one 1 Joh. 2.15 If any man love the World the love of the Father is not in him And if the love of God â—way not the heart Satan will easily incline it to any sin 2 Where there is the love of the World that heart hath already renounced God in Heaven and given it self to bee possessed ruled and commanded by the God of the World For look what a man chiefly loves hee not so much possesseth it as is possesseth by it Whence the Apostle is not afraid to call Covetousness Idolatry Eph. 5.5 and Coloss 3.5 not onely because the chief love but the chief trust hope and confidence goeth with them They say to the wedge of gold thou art my hope And further as the Heathen Idolaters worshipped and served gods of Gold and Silver so these serve and obey their golden and silver god wherein they take up their chief desires and contentment Now having denyed the God of Heaven and thrust himself out of his protection a man becomes to be in the power of the Devil and ruled at his will 3 The love of the World spoiles us of our armour and strength by which wee should bee fenced from Satans subtleties For 1 Whereas our chief fence is in Gods Word it First intercepteth the Word and estrangeth the heart from it as Ezek. 33.31 They sit before thee and hear thy words but their hearts go after their covetousnesse Secondly it choaketh the Word that it becomes as seed cast among Thorns which choak it presently Thirdly it scorns the Word as may appear Luke 16.14 These things heard the Pharisees which were Covetous and mocked Now is not such an one easily snared by the Devil who is thus dis-affected to Gods Word Is not hee easily bound that wants yea scorns his weapons 2 The love of the World whether the Pleasures Profits or Glory of it as a Theef steals and robs our graces which are another chief part of our strength Good Hezekiah a little tickled with vain-glory made himself and his Land a prey and spoil to the Enemy Wise Solomon loved too much the unlawful pleasures of the World and how did it rob him of his Wisdome The Disciples while yet Christ was with them were stirred with love and debate for superiority and greatness which did much hinder them and took up their thoughts when they might have attended to better things How many for love of the World and Preferment fall from their first love abate their zeal become cold and indifferent as the times are 4 The love of the World where it is rooted delivers a man so far into the hands of Satan as hee easily falls from all shew of goodness and dangerously revolts from all the goodness that seemed to bee in him The young man that came to Christ with many good shews and desires hearing of selling all and giving to the poor goeth away heavily and wee hear no more of him Demas once a Companion of Paul but easily forsook the truth when hee embraced the present World Judas an Example almost without example a Disciple at Christs elbow indued with excellent gifts Apostolical of Doctrin of Miracles c. having his heart glewed to the World for a trifle fell from his place from all the affection hee had sembled to his Master from the society of his fellow Disciples and stood with them that betrayed him 5 Experience shews how when Satan hath thrust the love of the World into a mans heart hee hath power enough 1 To binde that mans hands from the works of Piety and Mercy Hee is a bad Tenant the more land he holds the less homage hee doth unto God And as for works of Mercy hee will not part with his crums like the rich man in the Gospel And as hee lives altogether unprofitable to others so to himself hee hath no care of his salvation Thou fool This night shall they take away thy soul 2 As hee hath no power to do any good for God or man so he will suffer nothing A man loving the World flies affliction for Christ Matth. 13.21 when the Sun riseth hee withers when persecution comes hee is offended and falls away to the hinderance of many They that minde earthly things are enemies to the cross of Christ Phil. 3.19 Vse 1. Oh therefore Love not the World nor the things in the World 1 Joh. 2.15 A necessary exhortation to us to whom it is as natural to love the World as for water to run down a Hill And who can hardly affect it without being infected with it Hereunto lay hold on these motives 1 Consider how hard it is to love God and the World too even as hard as to look with the same eye saith Augustine up to Heaven and down to the Earth at the same time The more love a Woman bestows upon a stranger the less shee loves her Husband whence S. James is bold to call worldlings Adulterers and Adulteresses chap. 4.4 whom the Lord will not indure to dally and sport Eph. 2.3 and go a whoring after the World Yee cannot serve God and Mammon 2 Consider that a course lead in lusts is fitter for the Gentiles than those that profess the teaching of Grace Tit. 2.11 For the grace which hath appeared teacheth us to deny worldly lusts Our relation to Christ of whom wee are called Christians must draw our affections out of the World for 1 He hath chosen us out of the World so that now hee professeth of us They are not of the World Job 15.19 2
the World therefore hee speaks true Answ 1 Hee is called the Prince of the World not simply but as it is corrupted the Prince of this World saith the Text which world this which lyeth in malice and hostility against the Son of God and the means of salvation 2 Hee is not so a Prince as having any right unto any creature for hee cannot possess a Pig without leave but by tyranny hee forceeth and commandeth as a Prince the wicked World unto his obedience for the World departing from God to his Adversary God in justice giveth Satan leave to prevail and rule in the Sons of disobedience But will it follow that because hee ruleth in the world by sin and death being the prince of darkness and having the power of death therefore the parts of the world must needs bee his Object 2 He is called the God of the World 2 Cor. 4.4 Ans True not in respect of dominion over things created but 1 In respect of Corruption for hee is the God of the evil in the world the Author Ring-leader and Nourisher of all evil 2 In respect of Seduction for hee is bold to use all earthly things which are made to Gods glory to serve to set forward his temptations and wicked mens lusts and so to set up his own kingdom 3 In respect of opinion or estimation because the people of the world make the Devil their God But this no more proves him to bee indeed the God of the World than an Idol is proved to bee a true God onely because Idolaters so esteem and make it Secondly The Devil affirms it to be in his disposition that hee may give it to whom hee will which must needs bee another lye because it is not his in possession for nothing can give that which it hath not 2 The Scriptures ascribe this to God as a perogative and peculiar to him By him Kings reign Prov. 18.15 All powers that are are ordained of God Rom. 13.1 Hee maketh low and hee maketh high It is the most high that beareth rule over the Kingdomes of men Dan. 4.22 The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away Job 1.21 3 Another notorious lye is that having them to dispose of hee will dispose them to Christ which is impossible seeing Christ had them already disposed unto him and had received them of his Father so as he only could say Matth. 11.23 All things are given to mee of the Father and Joh. 3.35 The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into his hands Therefore the Devil offering him the Kingdomes of the World must needs lye Psalm 2.8 Ask of mee and I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession If then Satan say All this power will I give thee it is a lye for all power was given him in Heaven and in earth of his Father Matth. 28.18 So as in this profer hee belies the Fathers gift and the Sons right and derogates from the glory both of the Father and of the Son 4 Another lye is his false boasting making himself Lord and Casar of all when hee hath not one foot of all hee speaks of like Solomons Bragadocio There is one that maketh himself rich when he hath nothing and when hee pretends his unjust usurpation in the World to bee a just possession and title to the World And thus wee have examined the substance and truth of this Reason and have found neither substance truth nor reason in it Here note that Doct. Bad causes must ever bee thrust forward by bad means Satan had a naughty matter in hand as no better can beseem him namely the overthrow of the Son of God and all the salvation of mankinde and the means by which hee would effect his purpose is suitable lying and falshood and boasting and hee is no changeling never a true word comes out of his mouth 1 King 21. Jezabel had a wicked end to bring to passe namely the dis-inheriting of Naboth and setting Ahab into his possession and what means doth shee use but bribery perjury and murther of Naboth and his Children and all this under a colour of Religion and revenge of Gods cause a fast being proclaimed before it Matth. 26. the Jews had as wicked a cause as ever was undertaken viz. the oppressing and murther of the Son of God and what means must they use for what had the just man done They must accuse falsly and suborn false witnesses and deprave his words and make him speak what they list And what other means used they to falsify and suppress the truth and glory of his resurrection In this place Satan aims to bring Christ to Idolatry and the means is covetousness Peter had an ill cause in hand to hinder Christ from being apprehended and his means was bad unwarrantable striking Reasons And this must needs bee 1 In respect of God when a bad action is undertaken hee leaves it and as hee permits the action onely so hee permitteth bad means but never appoints or approves any means to bad and VVicked purposes which therefore must bee Wicked and Unhappy 2 In respect of Satan who seeks to make every action as sinful as possibly may bee hee knows that all instruments of falshood are hateful to God and therefore the more wicked means are used the more detestable and damnable the action is 3 In respect of men themselves for those that make no conscience of bad ends maâ—e none of the mâ—ans as we may see in David himself whose conscience being so sleepy as to take another mans wife he will make no bones to hide it by murther of his faithful Captain 4 In respect of the means themselves which are near enough at hand bad means are easily sound and attempted What might be more difficult than to pick matter against the Son of God to bring him not only under disgrace but unto death Yet the Jewes could easily find a Law by which Law he was to dye or if they had had none they could easily make one If they wanted true witness they could suborn false If they wanted witness from others they could make use of his own We our selves have heard him what need wee any other witness Vse 1. This teacheth us to suspect those causes and actions that are brought about by bad means as 1 When men run out of Gods Ordinances and will not live by some honest calling and means of life but by Cards Dice Bowls Bets Cousnage and such instruments and means of injury and wrong they are convinced to live a lewd and wicked life for a good and honest life is blessed by God and carried by good and lawful and honest means such as these be not 2 All such goods as are gotten by lying swearing deceiving Sabbath-breaking over-reaching or helping forward sin in any man are here not only to be suspected but condemned and sentence passeth against them as such which the Devil hath
shalt not make to thy self any graven image of any thing in heaven or earth for Thou sawest no image only thou heardest a voice Deut. 4.12 And what will ye liken mee to saith the Lord Yet this was a rude people and needed all the books that might bee Consequently God is not to bee worshipped in any Image 2 Hee is dishonâ—ured when any corruptible thing is conceived to bee like him Rom. 1.23 3 God is uncircumscriptible and infinite therefore an Image of him is a lye 4 God is every where present therefore every Image is vain 5 Gods curse is on him that makes a carved image and puts it in a secret place Deut. 27.15 6 God will not bee worshipped in any Image but of his Son Joh. 5.23 All men must honour the Son as they honour the Father Let Image-mungers shew us what Images God will bee worshipped in besides Jesus Christ the engraven form of his person and wee will worship as many Images as they can 7 It is vain and very inconsiderate to make an Image and worship it the makers thereof want common sense and are blockish as the Images themselves as appears by the Prophets Ironical narration Isa 42.19 and 44.19 No Man saith in his heart Half have I burnt or eaten or warmed my self withall and shall I worship the other half as a God Are not as good blocks as this every where and as good stones in the pavement Is not one as worthy to bee worshipped as the other How hath one deserved to bee burnt and the other to bee reserved for Adoration The same folly is in the Church of Rome one piece of the Hoast they eat another they set up to bee worshipped and want consideration to say Was not the piece that is eaten as worthy to bee Worshipped as this Is this better than that So that that of the Prophet is verified of these Idolaters They that make them are like unto them even as blockish as the very blocks which if they could reason would surely say Am not I as worthy to be worshipped as my fellow am I baser than my equal Obj. 1 But they have gotten a late distinction by which they put on a cloak to hide the filthinesse of their Idolatry Worship say they is either that high and great worship proper to God which is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or less and inferiour Worship called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or service the former they cannot without Idolatry give to Angels and Saints the latter they may Ans 1. But 1 God cannot bee deluded by a distinction of words seeing the thing it self is Idolatry let them call it what they will to delude the World and themselves withall the thing is as gross Idolatry as ever was among the Heathens let them lessen it as they can and call it a less worship consisting in external reverence and inferiour to that which is given to the sampler For so long as they bow to Saints which they cannot for shame say is for civil reverence unless they had eyes to see them they go directly against the Commandement which saith Thou shalt not bow down to them And the Lord hereby distinguisheth his true worshippers from Idolaters I have reserved seven thousand which never bowed the knee to Baal And so long as they invocate them vow unto them swear by them knock their breasts before them creep unto them c. do they think they have ears and hear not nay do they not ascribe the seeing of their hearts and wants omnipotence and power to help them Are they not in the midst of that woe of them that say to the wood Arise and to the dumb stone Come and help us And so long as they imitate the Heathen in erecting Temples Altars statues in appointing them religious daies Feasts Falls several worships c. can they by an idle word put out all mens eyes so as wee can see nothing beyond civil worship in all this because they call it douleia what is there now in all Gods worship which they cannot do to them They say wee may not sacrifize to them that is due to God only but invocate them we may Answ 1 A silly shift as though all Gods proper worship were in sacrifices 2 What are Prayers but sacrifices of the New Testament 3 What is it but to offer sacrifice to them to offer them Candles Incense and the like 2 The new-found distinction argueth their gross ignorance both in the Scriptures and in other secular learning if not wilful blindness the words both of them in both being used for the same and promiseuously ascribed both to God and men I. For the Scriptures They may say they give douleia to men and Angels but then may wee give all the service due to the Lord Jesus to them for under this word is it all comprehended Rom. 16.18 They serve not the Lord Jesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the Apostle condemns the giving of douleia to things which by nature are no gods Gal. 4.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 20.18 serving the Lord with all modesty and many tears 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here is douleia proper to God which their distinction makes peculiar to man 1 Thess 1.9 having turned from Idols 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to serve the living and true God Col. 3.24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for yee serve the Lord Christ And might they not in the Scripture observe how the Angel refused douleia Rev. 22.7 because hee was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a fellow Servant Yet they say it is due to Angels and Saints And that latreia is not onely taken in Scripture for Worship due to God but for works belonging to men is plain by Lev. 23.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou shalt do no servile work II. For sâ—â—â—lar learning Ludovicus Vives a learned man of their religion in his commentaries upon Augustâ—ne de civit Dei hath proved out of Suidas Xenophon and Valla that these two words are usually taken one for another And yet upon this confused distinction stands all the frame of their confused Idolatry at this day 3 This distinction fighteth not only against antiquity but against themselves Jerome against Vigilantius saith Nos non Angelos non Archangelos non Cherubim non Seraphim colimus adoramus And Augustine epist 44. Scias à Christianis Catholicis nullum coli morinorum No Christian Catholike worshippeth any of the dead And some of themselves as Holcot and Durand write that no worship at all is to bee given to an image neither is it lawful to worship it And yet Aquinas and others say plainly that the Crucifix and Image of Christ must bee adored with the same honour as himself is yea that honour stayeth in the very image which I hope is more than douleâ—a that is given to the image of Christ But enough of this idle distinction They must as the Midianites fight against themselves and one another that fight against God and
in the deep nor at the mountain not so destitute but we find some supports But were the case with us as it was here with our Lord if we were in the world as in a wilderness our food nothing but stones our company wild beasts ready to devour us no friend near us but the Devil tossing and tumbling us with his temptations wee should assuredly see the Lord extraordinarily providing for us and working out for us unexpected comfort our extremity would be Gods opportunity God sent not Moses to deliver Israel from under Pharaoh till their burdens were at the heaviest and their oppressions intollerable God might have sent his Angel to preserve the three Children from being cast into the fire but he did not till they were in the flames this was Gods time wherein he was more glorified his children more gloriously delivered and his enemies more mightily confounded than if the Angels had come before Even so when this Land was like that fiery Furnace made seven times hotter than ever before to consume the bodies of Gods Saints in Queen Maries days in the midst of those flames God sent that happy Queen now a blessed Saint to quench those fires and deliver our whole Church from that tyrannical and Papal oppression Thus the Lord himself waits and stays for the fittest time of our deliverance and so must we Never shall the faithful soul fail of a day of refreshing And ministred unto him We have spoken of the Angels coming Now the last thing considerable in this History is their ministery unto Christ wherein are two things 1 How they minister to him 2 Why they minister I. 1 They ministred in adoring the Son of God the only conquerour of the Devil and honouring him as the victorious destroyer of the Prince and Commander of all hellish powers For the Angels rejoyced in Christs victory in the Devils overthrow and the salvation of the Church of God The goodness of their nature carries them wholly to the glory of God in all their actions and motions and the good of the Church as at the birth of Christ they sung Glory to God on high on earth peace and good will to men And there is no doubt but now upon this victory they did much more honour him and congratulate his glorious triumph 2 They ministred to him in comforting him being in his soul extreamly afflicted and molested with Satans temptations for how could the Son of God but utterly abhorr and with fiery zeal detest such blasphemous temptations as that hee should not only distrust his Fathers providence but even fall down and worship the Devil himself with which temptations a sinful man yet in his corrupt nature would be exceedingly distracted and disturbed It is no doubt therefore but as in his Agony before his Passion the Angels came to comfort him so likewise in this conflict and perturbation so soon as they might they came in to the same purpose 3 They ministred to him in releeving his body which was now broken with hunger and watchings having already fasted forty days and forty nights and brought him food to allay his hunger spreading as it were a table for him in the wilderness For if they neglected not the servant of God Elias in the wilderness being ready to starve for food but provided him a meal in strength whereof he went forty days and forty nights 1 King 19.5 much less would they neglect the Son of God who was now in the same necessity 4 They ministred to him standing about him and giving attendance waiting as it were at his table and ready to be employed in any further service hee had to command them Psal 103.20 Yee Angels ready to execute his will Whence in Ezek. 1.11 the Angels are described with wings stretched upward noting their propensity and readiness to the Commandements of Christ II. Why the Angels do thus minister to Christ Ans Not for any necessity of his for 1 He was able to have sustained himself and held out for ever against the Devil 2 He was able to have confounded the Devil 3 He was able to have created food in the wilderness without them which they could not do for although they could fetch food elsewhere provided yet could they not create any but 1 It was their duty to attend him as their Lord called the Lord of the holy Angels 2 Christ would now use their ministery and did not help himself by Miracle as he might if he had pleased But we read not that he used his power for himself or his Disciples Himself being hungry and weary at Jacobs Well he created not food but sent his Disciples into the City to buy bread And when his Disciples were faint and hungry they were fain to pluck ears of Corn and eat it But yet he used not his miraculous power For Miracles were wrought for the edification of others and commonly done in the presence of many whose faith was to be strengthned as the Disciples was in part already 3 This was so for our instruction and consolation that we also in our wants standing in the Lords battels may expect the presence and comfort of the Angels Doct. The priviledge of Christ whereby hee is exalted above all creatures hence appeareth in that the Angels minister unto him Heb. 1.6 the Apostle proves Christs divinity and eminency above all things out of that testimony of the Psalm And let all the Angels of God worship him For he must needs be greater than all who must bee honoured of all Job 1.51 Christ himself proves himself the Son of God because notwithstanding he is the Son of man which plainly notes him to be 1 A true man and 2 A weak man yet they should see the Heavens opened and the Angels ascending and descending upon him as was figured in Jacobs Ladder Gen. 28.12 For Christ is the Ladder and only way by which we ascend into Heaven It reached from earth to heaven signifying his two Natures God of his Father in Heaven man of Jacobs loyns in earth Angels ascending and descending are the ministring spirits attending him for in that phrase is meant their sending out their emission and commission to their office descending to their work and ascending to give account of it Now according to this Prophecie of Christ two of his Disciples saw the heavens open upon him in his transfiguration Matth. 17.1 2. In his resurrection those keepers of the Sepulcher saw the Angel of the Lord that descended from heaven and had rolled away the stone from the door and sate upon it so as they were afraid and as dead men Matth. 28.4 The women also saw the Angel and talked with him that had attended him in his Resurrection vers 5. And in his Ascension all his Disciples saw the Heavens opened unto him and two Angels standing by them who attended him Acts 1. Reasons 1 The more honourable the attendants and ministers the greater is the Personage so attended But our Lord hath
which draw on such fearful falls and mischiefs and preserveth him that neither hope of promotion nor gain nor ease nor favour of man who is but a worm shall make him forget the Lord that spread the Heavens this fear which is Loves keeper holdeth the heart in the Love of God himself of his Worship of his Word of his Children and whatsoever carrieth his Image all which without it either lye or quickly grow as refuse wares out of request 4 To drive away security awake sloathfulness provoke to watchfulness stir up to prayer keep in a fitness to profit by the word to tremble at it when God threatneth to rejoice in the promises as those to whom they belong to help us to better our selves by our afflictions as the speech of the converted Theef to his fellow implieth that if hee had had the fear of God he would being in the same condemnation have otherwise carried himself towards Christ than hee did And in a word to fence the heart which is as the market-place of a City against temptation in which special use it is called a Well-spring of life to escape the snares of death By all this that hath been spoken every man that would seem religious ought to labour above all things for this worthy Grace which God specially bestoweth upon his Children with whom hee maketh his new Covenant Jerem. 32. I will put my fear in their hearts never to depart from mee saith the Lord. Which hath all promises belonging unto it for a mans Self for his Children for this life present for a better for supplies of every good for with-holding and removing of every evil so as whosoever feareth the Lord wanteth not a good and rich treasury such as all the Indian Mines cannot afford yea such as both possesseth himself and entaileth unto his posterity the rich blessing of the Almighty Blessed saith the Psalm is the man that feareth the Lord Psal 128.2 3. himself shall bee mighty on earth his Children shall bee blessed after him his Wife shall bee as a fruitful Vine Riches and Treasure shall bee in his house Psalm 112.3 hee shall want nothing that is good and let his troubles bee never so great the Lord will deliver him out of them all Here is a Jewel worth hiding and laying up in the safest closet of the soul even in the midst of the heart for there God layeth it and calleth for the Heart to make room for it Deut. 5.29 Oh that there were such an heart in them to fear mee Isa 8.13 Sanctify the Lord in your hearts and let him be your dread Another bond whereby man is knit unto God is the working of righteousnesse an immediate fruit of the fear of God Where must bee considered 1 What this righteousness is and then 2 What is the working of it For the former To work righteousnesse what it is This righteousness is a grace of God whereby the beleever is inclined unto honest actions according to the prescript of Gods Law When I say a grace of God I understand that righteousness whereof a man in the state of grace is by grace made partaker and exclude all that Original Righteousness which was set in the nature of man by his Creation whereby hee was wholly conformable to the Image and Righteousness of God further saying that the beleever is hereby inclined to honest actions three things are implyed 1 That this righteousnesse is not that imputed righteousnesse of Christ which is a most exact conformity of the humane nature of Christ with all his actions and sufferings performed of him in our stead with the whole Law of God whereby wee are wholly covered as with a Garment in the sight of God but rather a fruit of that namely that infused and inherent righteousness wrought in the heart of every beleever by the finger of the Spirit whereby the Image of God is daily renewed and repaired in him and so himself inclined to works of righteousness to which hee is now Created Eph. 4.24 2 That the subject of this righteousness is the Beleever for all the works of unbeleevers whose mind and conscience are defiled Tit. 1.15 inward or outward cannot be other than sin and unrighteousness 3 That the next efficient cause of it is lively faith being the instrument of the Holy Ghost by which hee begetteth this righteousness wheresoever it is now Faith produceth this righteousness in us not as it is aâ— excellent gift of God nor as an excellent quality in us but onely as it is aâ—â—and or instrument apprehending and laying hold upon Christ who justifying us by his own righteousness imputed and by his Spirit regenerating and sanctifying our natures is the very proper cause of this infused and inherent righteousness The last words in the description according to the prescript of Gods Law shew that then a work is righteous Juste agere est agere ex praescripto juris when it is framed according to the right rule of the Law of God it being the only perfect rule of all righteousness Mens Laws are rules also but imperfect and no further yet so far bind as they are agreeable unto Gods II. The second point is the working of righteousness wherein 1 The Order 2 The Manner The Order is in the words first To fear God and then to work righteousnesse all the duties of love must bee founded in Faith and in the fear of God for whatsoever is not of Faith is sin and the fear of God is the very seed and life of all true obedience which the wise man implyeth when hee calleth it the head and beginning of wisdome Prov. 1.7 that look as all sense floweth from the head so all heavenly sense and motion from the fear of the Lord. Which sheweth that many men begin at the wrong end in the matter of their obedience some think they do God high service if they come to Church say some prayers hear a Sermon things not to bee dis-allowed but know not how far they are from pleasing God herein because they bring not hearts renewed with Faith and Repentance nor souls possessed with Hope Love and the true knowledge of God without which the Lord accounteth their sacrifices but maimed and professeth his hatred against them others place all their Holiness and Obedience in the works and duties of the second Table If they bee liberal to the poor just in their dealing sober and civil in their conversation though they live in gross ignorance of God and his Word utterly careless of the waies and worship of God yet conceive themselves in as good case as any other man which is all one as to account that man a living man who hath no head the fear of God being to true religion even as the head to the body of a man besides that they thrust the second Table into the place of the first inverting the order of God yea they pull and break asunder the two Tables which the Lord
of Nazaret and such a Nazarite as the Prophets foretold The Jews took offence hereat as too base a place for the Messias whom they expected to rise out of even Nathaniel himself could ask if â—ny good could come out of Nazaret Joh. 1.47 and this was in scorn added as a part of his stile and title written in three tongues upon the Cross Jesus of Nâ—zaret King of the Jews and as they dealt with the Head so also with the meâ—bers for presently after the death of Christ the Christians were in scorn alâ— called Nazarites that is silly fools that did beleeve in such a Messiah as came from Nazaret But we must know that the wisdome of God would have him hereby generally proclaimed the Messias and Saviour of the world both to Jews and Gentiles as also confirm our faith and affiance in him made known to us to be such a one as in whom we also become Nazarites that is sanctified and consecrated unto God 3 Note hence that the Messias must needs be come already because hee must needs be a Nazarite by education as of Bethlem by birth which places have been long since destroyed and hopelesse of ever being builded up again or that in them the Jews should ever recover any authority And is it not a wonderful blindnesse that the Jews should still look for their Messias out of a Town which hath been destroyed a thousand and five hundred years agoe the very place of which cannot be assigned Our request to God must bee for them that he would remove that thick veil which to this day is drawn over the hearts of his own ancient people Secondly by whom was Christ called to this Office By God who anoynted him for that which is said of one part of it namely his Priesthood is true of the whole No man taketh this honour to himself but hee that is called of God Heb. 5.5 so neither Christ took this honour to himself but expected that voyce Thou art my Son How often did Christ witnesse of himself that he came not of himself but was sent by his Father Joh. 5.37 My Father that sent me witnesseth of me and in that chapter because the Jews objected that he came of himself he telleth them six times that his Father sent him yea hath sealed him his commission as he saith Joh. 6.27 Him hath God the Father sealed that is made his commission authentical as men doe their deeds by their seal and set upon him an impression or character anoynting him with oyl of grace above all his fellows yea himself being an expresse Image of his Fathers substance in him he hath laid up all treasures of wisdome and knowledge that from his fulnesse we might receive grace for grace Whence 1 We learn Christ expected his Fathers calling and therefore must his Ministers much more That no man ought to thrust himself into any Office or Function nor run before he be sent but wait till God give him a calling thereunto For shall Christ who had the Spirit of God without all measure wait his Fathers leisure and expect his Fathers voyce and shall we who have received the Spirit scarce in any measure run and ride and shoove and thrust in before we have any commission drawn or sealed by God who even carried such post-hast happily How miserably perished proud Absolon who thought it not enough to bee the Kings Son unlesse he thrust his Father out of his Kingdom Corah and his complices would have been Rulers but that the earth would not suffer thâ—â— above it What shall I speak of Vzzah Uzziah and the rest who found 〈◊〉 Lord as good as his word against such which goe on any errand and he send them not they found the Lord coming many ways against them as he often threatneth in Jer. 23.30 31. c. 2 If God have called Christ to this office we must carry our selves dutifully and reverently unto him whom as the Father hath called so he will defend and establish in his place and revenge such as rebell against him This is that the Prophet teacheth in Psal 2.2 that if the greatest Kings band themselves together against the Lord and against his Christ the Lord out of Heaven will laugh them to scorn he will speak to them in his anger and vexe them in sore displeasure and the ground of all this is laid down ver 6. Even I have set my King upon Sion as if he had said Shall I set up a King and dare yee rebelliously resist him or seek to displace him Let us take heed it befall not us as 〈◊〉 did the Jews taxed in the Parable of the King letting out his Vineyard which sent his servants for his rent to the Husbandmen and afterwards his son but they beat the one slew the other acknowledged neither surely no more grace remaineth for such but the Lord of the Vineyard must needs destroy such Husbandmen and lay waste their City In like manner is he as ready to defend and doe good unto such as subject themselves unto his Son depend upon him or suffer any thing for his sake they shall not repent them of their service seeing they serve so good a Lord. The third thing in this calling of Christ to his Office is the manifestation of it to himself and others in that hee was annointed with the Holy Ghost and power There were three sorts of men that used to bee anoynted in the entrance unto their Office in the Old Testament 1 Kings 2 Priests Anointing what it signified 3 Prophets And this outward Ceremony signified two things First their ordination or calling unto that Office secondly the promise of proportionable gifts for the performance so as they were hereby confirmed God never calleth any men to any place but he furnisheth him with gifts fit for it both that God hath chosen them to their office as also that he would furnish them unto it and protect them in the same Christ is here said to be also anointed but not by man as they but by God not with external oyl but with the Holy Ghost and with power not ceremonially and typically but really and spiritually not to any one of those Offices but to them all three not receiving the sign but the thing signified because he was a real and true King Priest and Prophet of his Church or whom all they were but types and shadows In this anointing of Christ therefore both these things are signified and proved 1 That he was ordained of God to the performance of this Office of Mediatorship and consecrated by God to be the Messiah that is a spiritual King Priest and Prophet 2. That he had poured out upon him the gifts of the Holy Ghost which gave him power and furnished him for this Office signified here by the Holy Ghost and power he receiving of the Holy Ghost power whereby he performed the greatest work that ever was undertaken Difference between Christs anointing and
9.22 Master if thou canst do any thing help us but with confidence as the Leper Master if thou wilt thou canst make mee whole Matth. 8.2 or as the Centurion onely speak the word rebuke these dumb and deaf spirits within me and thou who only canst make the dumb to speak the deaf to hear the blinde to see and the lame to leap for joy set mee at liberty work my inlargement chase away these spiritual enemies and thou that art the Son set mee free and I shall bee free indeed In cases of sorcery and bodily oppressions by Satan what to do Again art thou in any affliction of body or mind or goods or name yea bee it in the case of Sorcery or Witchcraft against thy self or any of thine or whatsoever belongeth unto thee look up unto Christ hee can command Fire Water Windes Seas Diseases Death the Devils themselves and if hee see it good for thee he can check all thy grievances hee is of no lesse power now in his glory at his Fathers right hand than he was in his humility upon earth and yet when hee was at lowest hee could command Legions of Devils nay Legions of Angels as at his apprehension much more can hee now command and rebuke the former and pitch the latter round about them that fear him so as without his will all the Devils in Hell cannot make one hair of thy head to fall The superstitious sorcery of such as attempt by amulets and words to drive away Devils and Diseases Thirdly Hence are overthrown sundry superstitious and wicked opinions and practices very rife in the world As 1 Such Popish minded persons as think that by certain words and amulets Devils may bee driven away diseases healed c. And for this they alleadge that in the New Testament onely by naming Jesus such cures were effected To which I answer that it is too gross a conceit to think that there can be any vertue in words to dive away diseases much less Devils or to conceive that by the pronouncing of words but by the vertue and power of Christ working by the Apostles and miraculously put forth with those words both diseases and Devils gave place and so the parties were healed Popish charming 2 Such as think that by the applying of consecrated things as they call them Devils are scared away as by holy Water Salt hallowed Candles reliques of Saints the sign of the Cross Images fashioned in such or such a place All which howsoever very ordinary in the Church of Rome yet indeed are no better than sorcery and charming and the very practices of those who while they will drive the Devil from others plainly prove that themselves are spiritually possessed by him in that they will cast out Devils by Beelzebub the Prince of Devils They object for these reliques that a souldier that was to be buried was revived by touching the dead bones of Elisha 2 King 13.21 But this was a Miracle wrought by the finger of God to confirm the truth preached by that worthy Prophet and is not to be ascribed to the touching of the bones which in themselves nor at any other time had any such vertue They alledge also the example of the Woman having the bloudy issue who was cured by the touching of Christs garment whereas that disease was cured not by the Corporal touching of his skirt but by the Spiritual touching of himself which was by the hand of her faith and therefore our Saviour said be it unto thee not according to thy feeling but according to thy faith They alledge also Acts 19.12 That from Pauls body were brought to the sick Napkins or Handkerchiefs and the diseases departed from them and the evil spirits went out of them Which things had no such power in them but only that it pleased God by such weak means to produce Miracles for the confirmation of that holy Doctrin preached by â—aul And therefore the text ascribeth these Miracles not to the garments of Paul but to God himself who by the hands of Paul wrought them vers 11. Wâ—â—â—ce we may conclude that whosoever use any such means as these shew thâ—mselves not only superstitious and wicked but most foolish and ridiculous to think that any bodily substance whatsoever can work upon or violence a substance which is not bodily such as the Devils is It will be alledged that experience sheweth that such means as these prevail to these intents and purposes which wee grant to bee true but that is by Satans subtilty who often dissembleth a flight as though he were forced by an exorcist to depart or else indeed goeth away that men might be confirmed in their impiety and grow more mad upon such wicked and unlawful means 3 Others who when Gods hand is any way upon them or theirs Against such as leave him with whom God is and run to the Witch with whom the Devil is especially if they conceive it as they are prone enough a case of Sorcery or Witchcraft leave the help of him with whom God is and run to one with whom the Devil is that is the Wizzard or Witch commonly called the Cunning man and Woman or the Wise man and Woman Which because it is so common a sin and so bold as men and women doe not so much as Saul who changed his garments that he might not bee known I will by some reasons prove this conclusion that although a man knew that a Cunning man or Woman so called or a Wizzard could and would help him yet ought hee not to seek or admit of such help were his case never so desperate 1 Besides expresse places of Scripture against it as Deut. 18.10 Levit. 19.31 Levit. 29.6 It is a departure from God to the Devil Isa 8.19 Should not a people inquire at their God from the living to the dead 2 King 1.16 Because thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron was is not because there was no God in Israel and indeed the seeking to such is a service and homage to Satan which he often and for most part being very skilful in Natural things recompenseth with cure of the disease Augustine Hence did the ancient Fathers call this seeking unto them a renouncing of Christianity and an Apostacy from God 2 All help is to be sought of God and in those lawful means which hee hath appointed and promised blessing unto But for words Amulets Characters which are Diabolical Sacraments or good prayers as they call them of the limbs of the Devil whose warrant have they or what power but from the Devil for God never put any such efficacy either into their nature by Creation or by any Divine institution since and therefore their work is from the Devil on his part by Satanical operation and on the Seekers part by Satanical faith and illusion Obj. But they use good means of Physick also Ans Seldome or never but if at any time
with him The words of the verse contain two things 1 The assertion of Christ his resurrection Him God raised up the third day 2 The manifestation or evidence of it and caused that hee was openly shewed The former part is laid down in four distinct points 1 The person raised him 2 The person raising him God 3 The action it self raised 4 The time when the third day First the person raised is Christ where First It will bee demanded how Christ can bee said to bee raised How Christ can be said to rise seeing neither his Deity nor the soul of his humanity arose seeing hee consisted of a Divine and a Humane nature whereof the first could neither fall nor rise and for the second that also consisted of soul and body the former of which being the principal part dyed not but was in Paradise Seeing then neither the Deity nor the soul of his Humanity nor his person did rise but only his body how can Christ bee said to bee raised Answ In sundry other places of Scripture besides this wee meet with such synechdochical phrases and forms of speech wherein somewhat is attributed to the whole which is proper but to one part and that ascribed to the whole person which belongeth but to one nature which cometh to pass by reason of that straight and personal union of the two natures in Christ Thus wee read that God purchased his Church by his own blood Act. 20.28 and that the Lord of glory was crucified 1 Cor. 2.8 of the sons being in heaven and in earth at one time Joh. 3.18 of Christs being before Abraham was Joh. 8.58 of his being omnipotent c. All which are spoken of the whole person but properly are to bee referred to the several natures to which they do agree Thus the Apostles sometimes expound them and teach us so to do 1 Pet. 3.18 Christ was mortified according to the flesh and quickened according to the spirit 2 Cor. 13.4 Hee dyed according to the infirmity of his flesh and was quickned according to the power of God and to help our conceit herein serveth that school distinction Lords Christus non totum Christi which saith that whole Christ is said to do this or that which the whole of Christ did not yea our own common form of speech saith a man is dead whose soul liveth and a man is asleep when his body only sleepeth 2 Wee have hence to note that the same body was raised which had been laid down in the Grave and no imaginary body neither any other body for it for never was any other laid there before Of all which himself against all Hereticks giveth sufficient evidence as in the manifestation following remaineth to be cleared 3 That this person raised was not a private person but the same who had as a publike person been abused accused condemned and executed and now as a publike person also raised from the dead in whom all his Church and every member of it rose again for whosoever have interest in his death have their part also in his resurrection 4 Here is a further thing in this person to bee noted than ever was in any the first Adam was a root also and a publike person when hee sinned hee sinned for himself and us and having sinned and we in him he dyed away and left us in that sin and being dead wee hear no more of him and the Scriptures though they record at large the Histories of the holiest men that have lived yet when once they come to this that such or such a man dyed wee hear no more of him but with Christ it is not so who was not onely as another Sampson who bewrayed the greatest power in his death but herein unmatchable and peerless that hee did greater things after his death than ever hee did in all his life Contra. Faust lib. 16. insomuch as Augustine was wont to say that the faith of Christians was Christs resurrection Wee must not then content our selves with common people that Christ is dead for all and no more but fasten our eyes upon his resurrection so much the more diligently by how much it is easier to beleeve that hee was dead than that hee rose again And what other thing can more fitly bee collected from that practice of all the Evangelists who in other things while some of them omit one History some another or else some of them briefly point at and lightly touch and pass over some other Histories all of them set themselves of purpose to bee copious and large in this of Christs resurrection that the faith of Beleevers might bee firmly grounded herein and the rather because no benefit of his resurrection none of his death and without the certain apprehension hereof all Preaching and Hearing and Faith were in vain and wee our selves were yet in our sins To which Apostolical practice this of our Apostle is not unsuitable in this place in hand 1 Cor. 15.17 18. who while hee almost in one word maketh mention of the death of Christ hee at large prosecuteth and proveth the truth of his resurrection The second point is to consider the person that raised Christ Him God raised that is God the Father Act. 2.24 And have crucified and slain whom God had raised 3.15 Ye have killed the Lord of Life whom God hath raised from the dead More plainly is this work attributed to the mighty power of the Father of glory working in Christ and raising him from the dead Eph. 1.17 20. and to him at whose right hand hee sitteth so Rom. 4.24 Wee beleeve in him which raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead Object But Christ raised himself Joh. 2.19 Destroy this Temple and in three daies I will raise it again and hereby was hee mightily declared to bee the Son of God by raising himself from the dead Rom. 1.14 In like manner is this resurrection of his ascribed to the Holy Ghost Rom. 8.11 If the Spirit of him which raised up Christ c. therefore the Father raised him not Answ Here is no contrariety the Father raised him and hee raised himself For 1 There is but one Deity of the Father Son and Holy Ghost which is the common foundation of all their actions 2 There is but one power common to them all three and this is the power that Christ challengeth hee hath to lay down his life and take it up again Opera ad extra communia tribus personis 3 There is but one common act in them all three for the putting out of this power unto any external action without themselves of which Christ speaking Joh. 5.19 saith whatsoever the Father doth the same things doth the Son also In these respects holdeth the speech of the Apostle These three are one 1 Joh. 5.7 that is these three 1 In the true and real distinction of their persons 2 In their inward proprieties as to beget to bee begotten and proceed
the self-same Body which was born of the Virgin Mary educated in Aegypt and Galilee which was apprehended condemned crucified and laid in the Grave came out of the Grave a living body God by the ministery of the Angels removing all lets loosing the bands and apparrel of death from oft his blessed body by the earthquake tumbled away the stone that held him down drove away the Souldiers for fear who would have assayed to have killed him the second time if they had seen him rise and so opened the Grave that all might see the body was gone Thirdly the whole Humanity was raised glorified For 1 His Body put off all such infirmities and passions as he pleased to make trial of for our sakes that he might be a more merciful High Priest such as are hunger thirst cold wearinesse pain and death it self and contrarily put on such excellent qualities as are fit for a glorified body Christus gloriam corpori suâ— dedit naturam non abstulit such as are agility brightnesse incorruption immortality and the like But here two rules must be remembred the former that none of these qualities are Divine properties for although the Deity personally inhabiting this Humane nature doth adorn it with all perfection of most excellent qualities yet must they still be conceived as finite and created accidents which destroy not the nature of a body they beautifie it but deifie it not they make it not omni-present nor yet invisible for then should it cease to be a body and become a spirit to which only these can agree The latter rule is that although Jesus Christ rose most glorified yet did hee still while he was up on earth veil his Majesty and shewed not himself in that perfect glory the degrees of which he was now entred into not only because he would reserve the fuâ—l manifestation of it until the last Judgement but also in regard of his Disciples and faithful ones that they might bee able to discover the self-same body which they had formerly well known and that his surpassiâ—g glory shâ—uld not hinder or affray them from that further familiar converse with him whereby they being to be his witnesses might be confirmed and fitâ—ed to their testimony by seeing hearing yea and touching him Hence was it that while he was on earth after his Resurrection hee would carry the sâ—ars and prints of the spear and nayls that they might put their fingers into them for their better discerning of him Hence also although he rose naked out of the Grave and left the cloaths behind him for that was agreeable to the state of a Glorified body which standeth no more in need of cloathing for necessity nor ornament than Adam did in the state of innocency yet in respect of their infirmity to whom hee was to appear hee used clothes and although hee needed neither meat nor drink yet for their sakes and ours hee ate and drunk as wee shall after see Secondly as for the soul of our blessed Saviour it was beautified with such a measure of knowledge as excelled all creatures Men or Angels even such as was meet for such an head the God-head revealing unto it all things which either it wâ—uld know or in regard of his glorious Office ought to know The like is tâ— be said of Righteousness Holiness and the rest of his Graces wherein hee was set so far above all Creatures as they all are not able to comprehend them and yet in regard of God all of them finite as his soul it self is III. The third point in this rising of Christ is the fruit or benefits of it which will appear to bee not so many as great if wee attentively consider either 1 The Evils that hereby hee hath removed or 2 The good things hee hath prâ—cured unto his people The former is manifest in that hence all the enemies of mans salvation are not onely utterly subdued but made not onely not formidable and terrible as before but after a sort friendly at least beneficial unto Beleevers the which point after wee have a little cleared wee will procâ—â—d to the second sort of benefits hence also accrewing Joâ—huah in leading the people Joshuah a singular type of Christ wherein and putting them in possession of the land of Canaan w s in many things a singular type of Jesus Christ As that hee beginneth where Moses endeth his calling was confirmed to him by the voice of God himself the end of his calling to guide the people to the promised Land of Canaan the destroying and casting out all the enemies that lifted up hand against them the dividing of the Land according to their Tribes and so preparing after a sort to every one his mansion the establishing of Laws and Ordinances to be observed of all the Subjects of that Kingdom the peoples acknâ—wledgment of him for their Captain their promise of frank obedience and o subjecting themselves to whatsoever hee commanded them In one word the whole History doth represent our true Joshuah or Jesus who is the accomplisher of all Gods promises concerning the heavenly Canaan and the leader of Gods people to true felicity but in no one action did this worthy Captain of the Lords Hosts more lively resemble the Truth or true Joshuah than when at one time in one Cave hee slew five Kings who being deadly enemies against the people of God made out a strong head and united their forces to hinder their peaceable possession For our Joshuah or Jesus which is all one went into the Grave or Cave where hee was buried and there met with and slew five mighty Tyrants and came out a most glorious Conqueror The names of these five Kings were 1 Sin 2 Death 3 Hell 4 Satan 5 The World over all whom Christ by his powerful resurrection most gloriously triumphed The first enemy soyled by Christ is sin The first of these enemies is Sin who had for ever reigned in us to death and held us under his power if Christ had not brâ—ken his power by his Resurrection So saith the Apostle if Christ bee not risen again Wee are yet in our sins 1 Cor. 15.17 But it is plain this enemy is soiled for if the guilt of one sin had remained unabolished and Christ had not payed the uttermost faithing hee had never risen again A great questâ—on answered at large But against this will bee objected that not withstanding Christs rising wee see sin rule and reign in the most and hath as much dominion and power as it ever had or can have and if wee look at the best they have many sinful actions found in their hands plainly arguing that sin moveth and stirreth and is not dead in them How say wee then that Christ by his resurrection hath slain it Answ Wee must here observe a two-fold distinction whereby wee shall more easily loose this knot First of persons some are members of his body and some yea the most are not some are
the dead 1 Pet. 1.3 and for this cause our Saviour was careful after his departure hence to send out his Spirit in more plentiful and abundant manner than before that hee might continually inspire his people with ardent desires after the beginnings of that life eternal unto which Christ himself is risen who then manifest themselves members of such an advanced head when this new life manifesteth it self in them Thirdly our perfect salvation is also hence fully assured us for if our Lord Jesus hath soyled all the powers of Hell Death and Darkness in himself when hee was yet dead how much more doth hee it for us his members being now alive if hee could drive back and disperse all spiritual enmitles even when hee was in Hell it self after a sort how much more now being ascended far above all moveable and aspectible Heavens Eph. 4.10 for wee must not behold the victory and triumph of Christ What or who shâ—ll separate us from the love of God seeing it is Christ that is dead or rather risen from the dead as performed onely in and for himself but as the ground and pledge of the victory and conquest of all the Beleevers in the World Look upon this Son of David prostrating the great Goliah of Hell for all the Israel of God casting out the strong man not only out of his but of our possessions that he might take us up for his own use spoyling him of his kingdome and weapons for us yea and in us And hence as out of a well of consolation wee shall draw this comfort to our selves that look as the gates of Hell could not prevail against him our head no more shall they ever be able to prevail against us his members although they never so fiercely and forcibly assayl us And it spiritual enmities shall not be able to cut us short of our Salvation much less shall temporal dangers for by vertue of this resurrection also even in the most troublesome deeps when the waves of sorrows overtake one another and go over our souls when with Jonas we are ready to say We are cast from the face of the Lord Jonah 2.4 even then we have hope to rise out of such evils and because out head is above in short time comfortably to swim out Adde hereunto that death itself nor the grave shall stand between us and home for this rising of Christ is both the cause and confirmation that we shall rise again If the head bee risen so shall also the members if Christ the first fruits of them that sleep be raised so shall also the whole bulk and body of beleevers if we beleeve that Christ is risen from the dead even so them which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him 1 Thess 4.14 and if the same spirit which raised Jesus from the dead dwell in us then he that raised Christ from the dead shall also quicken our mortal bodies Rom. 8.11 for Christ hath not redeemed the soul alone from death but the body also else had this second Adam been interiour to the first if not able to save by his rising all that which was lost by the fall of the former Oh how would this meditation well digested sweeten the remembrance of death and the grave when a Christian shall consider that look how it was with Christ when his soul and body were separated yet both of them were united to the Deity which brought them together again even so I am taught by the Scriptures that when my soul and body shall bee separated yet shall neither of them be sundred from Christ my head but he will reunite them like loving friends that they may participate in his own glory How would this meditation bring the soul not only to be content but to desire to bee dissolved and bee with Christ accounting that the best of all Phil. 1.23 III. The third benefit befalling us by the resurrection of Christ iâ— that because Christ is risen we know it shall not only goe well with us but with all the Church of God the prosperity of which so many as would prosper must rejoyce in for hence it is that Christ calleth a Church out of the world which after a sort riseth even out ot his own grave hence is it that being ascended on high he gave gifts to men for the gathering and preserving of his Church hence is it that the Church shall alwaies have the light of the Gospel Pastors Teachers and the Ministry till we all meet to a perfect man hence is it that this Church shall bee defended from Wolves and Tyrants seeing â—one is stronger than he nor able to pluck any ot his sheep out of his hands Let the Church be pressed it shall never be suppressed Let the Kings of the earth band themselves and forces against it the Lord hath set his Son upon his holy Mountain and he shall crush them like a Potters vessel Let Hereticks and Antichâ—ist send armies of Locusts Jesuites and seducing vagrants to waste the Church and bereave it of the truth and light leading to life they shall only seduce such as whose names are not written in the Book of life and of the Lamb for seeing Christ is risen so long as hee who can dye no more liveth he will preserve his darling he will send out the Stars that are in his right hand for her relief who like Davids Worhies shall break through the Hosts of the enemie and bring the pure waters of the Well of Life as we are for ever thankfully to acknowledge in those worthy restorers of our religion Lastly let flouds of persecution rise and swell so as this Dove of Christ cannot find rest fo the sole of her foot one means or other Christ will use for her help for he will either send her into the Wildernesse or the earth shall help the Woman and drink in the waters that they shall not hunt her or he will provide for her one of the chambers of his providence as he did for Joash against the rage of Athaliah wherein she shall be safe till the Storm bee blown over These are the principal benefits procured us by Christs resurrection which belong not unto all but only to such as are risen with him Quest How shall we know that we are risen with Christ How to know that we are risen with Christ that they mat assuredly belong unto us Ans The Apostle setteth himself to resolve this question Col. 3.1 where he maketh the seeking of things above where Christ is and infallible mark of our rising with him for as when Christ was risen he minded not things below any more but all his course was a preparation to his ascension to which all things tended so now if thou be risen with him Heaven will be in thine eye and thine affections are ascended thither where Christ is if Christ were on earth thou mightest fix thy soul and senses here on earth and yet be a Christian
be preserved so long seeing Lazarus his body and our bodies in that time enter into many degrees of it Ans Christ was indeed balmed and sweetned with Odours but all this could not have preserved him if his soul and body had not now been â—aced from sin the mother of corruption Obj. But he had sin imputed unto him Ans Yea but he had overcome all that and slain it on the Crosse for had he not destroyed it himself had been destroyed by it and subdued for ever under the corruption of it In all which regards that is verified which himself being risen affirmed Luke 24.46 Thus it is written and thâ—â— it behâ—eveth Christ to suffer and to rise again from the dead the third day Other things the Evangelists observe in this circumstance as that it was the first day of the week that is the first day wherein hee had created the Heavens and the Earth and wherein he would create now a new Heaven and a new Earth and as before he had set up a marvellous frame of the world but sinâ—e exceedingly shaken and defaced by sin he would now restore the world again and repair the ruines of it by abolishing sin as formerly he had filled Heaven and earth with the glory of his power in Creation so would he now fill them with the glory of his power in Redemption which is a second creation Hence is it that that day is now converted into the Christian Sabbath and called the Lords Day Revel 1.10 or if you will Sunday but not as the Heathen Christ rose early and what we learn thence in honour of the Sun but as Christians in honour of the Sun of righteousnesse Again the Gospel noteth that this our glorious Son â—â—sâ— about Sun rising early in the morning or a little before it Matth. 28.1 To shew unto us 1 The power of his God-head who could while his body was dead perform the promise which he had made alive even in the instant of which hee had spoken 2 The impotency of his enemies who although they watched him fâ—â—lâ—â—â— him up laid an heavie stone upon him were every way cautelous to keep him dâ—wn till the third day was past and he not stealing away secretly in the dâ—â—d time of the night but â—ose with noyse and warning even in the morning yeâ— could they no more stay him than they could the Sun from rising and running his course 3 The benefit which the world of beleevers obtain by his rising again set down by the Evangelist Luke 1.78 Through the tender mercy of our God the day-spring from an high hath visited us 79. To give light to them that sâ—â— in darknesse and to guide our feet into the way of peace The Chronologers further observe that this was the day wherein Moses led the Israelites through the Sea wherein all the troops of Pharaoh and his Host were drowned Even to our Lord Jesus this third day led all the Israel of God out of the spiritual Aegypt of blindnesse and filthinesse but gloriously triumphed over all the bands of Satan Sin and Death all which were sunk like a stone into the bottomless pit of Hell Other observations concerning this day might be inserted out of Authors which because I see no sound ground for them out of the Scriptures I will omit them that I may now come to the lessons which out of this circumstance we may draw for our further instruction First we learn hence All the promises of God are accomplished in their duâ— season that all the promises of God shall be in due season accomplished whatsoever may seeme to come between them and us For seeing Christ being dead both could and did perform his promise to his Church will not hee much more being alive and in his glory doe it The Israelites had a promise of a good Land they must in the mean time suffer much oppression in Aegypt for the space of four hundred and thirty years together but the self-same night Exod. 12.41 when the term was expired they went out against the heart and yet at the entreaty of Pharaoh and his people In like sort Joseph had a Dream that the Sun and Moon and the twelve Starrs should worship him in the mean time he must be cast into the Pit and Dungeon where hee can see neither Sun Moon nor Starre many days and years passed wherein he saw nothing but the clean contrary and yet in the due season of it this dream was accomplished And the reason is because 1 God is true of his word he cannot lye nor repent and 2 He is able to fulfill whatsoever passeth from his mouth for shall any thing be hard or impossible to God or shall any power or death or the grave it self falsifie it Lean thy self then upon this truth of God hast thou a promise of outward or inward peace health wealth or any other good thing which thy heart can wish hold this promise fast in the midst of thy heart wait for the accomplishment of it it shall not fail thee so farre as thy Father seeth good for thee if it be delayed and deferred even this also shall turn to thy best Hast thou a promise of life everlasting hold it by the faith of thy soul as the aym and end of all thy faith and religion for all the miseries of this present life shall not be able to defeat thee of it Hast thou the promise of the resurrection of the body after death stick to this Article of thy faith also nothing could hinder the rising of thy head no more can let but the members shall be where the head is not the grave not fire not water not the bellies of beasts or fishes but they shall give up their dead and further the accomplishment of the word of their Creator The second observation is The Lâ—â—â— denieth n t to help his children although he delay them till his own due time be come that as the Lord of life raised not his Son as soon as he was dead but he must lye in the grave two days yea and the third also till his case seemed desperate to the Disciples themselves even so may the members of Christ lye long in the graves of their misery yea so long as their case seemeth desperate and all that while the Lord not only deferreth but seemeth to deny their help and utterly to neglect them Abraham had the promise of a Son by Sarah he looked every year for him ten twenty years together nay till the thirtieth year till it was not with Sarah as with childing-women in so much as she laught when she heard it the case in nature was desperate who would have thought but that God had forgotten his promise which Abraham himself in all that time if God had not shoared up his faith might have forgotten but though long first yet at length the Lord found out a time fit enough to bring his word to passe David in like
Friers plea we are exempted Lord will doe no good here no not that which all mens Courts must needs excuse absence by that the party is dead for this Judgement Seat is set up for the quick and the dead God must for his glory truth and justice bring every man to this tribunal that if he have been good and faithful hee may have his time of refreshing and be put into the perfeâ—t state of happiness in soul and body And contrarily if hee have been hard-hearted and impenitent hee may know the weight of Gods justice and power and bee in full state of endlesse and easelesse misery both in soul and body Oh then what great cause hath every man to fore-cast this day and expecting it to prepare for it rather than to betake themselves to that Epicurean and profane practice of mockerâ— who put farre from them this evil day saying Where is the promise of his comming we see all things alike since the beginning he makes but small haste And thus because judgement is not speedily executed they resolve themselves on a most wicked course not knowing that as a snare it shall come upon them when they least look for it and that though slowly yet he will come surely and make them know what it is to abuse his patience which should lead them to repentance Now followeth the manner of this Judgement and that is comprehended in three things 1 It shall bee glorious and powerful 2 Just and righteous The glory of the last judgement described 3 Strict and accurate For the first it is said that the Son of man shall come with power and great glory yea in the glory of the Father that is such as belongeth to his Father with himself but to no creature else The clouds and the air shall be as a fiery Chariot to carry him with admirable swiftnesse his train and attendants shall be the Arch-angel making his way by the sound of a trumpet which the very dust and ashes shall hear and follow and all the other Angels of Heaven from whose multitude power and glory this coming shall be wonderfully glorious and yet the Judge himself shall surpasse them all in glory and brightnesse and as the Sun doth darken all the lesser Starres so shall his most admirable glory obscure them all This aâ—pearance may be shadowed by the coming in of earthly Judges to hold Assizes through their Circuit attended with the Honourable Nobles Justicâ—s and Gentlemen of the Country yea with the High Sheriffs power besides all their own followers by which great state and attendance they are both honoured and aided as becometh such publick Ministers of Justice as also are made formidable to daunt and quell malefactors Or rather look as Princes going to their Parliament to make Laws put on their royal robes and shew themselves in their greatest glory even so shall this great King of glory coming to require the obedience of his Laws cloath himself with such a robe of glory as the brightest Sun shall not endure to behold neither the Heavens nor the Earth shall be able to see this glory but shall shrink at it and melt away with a noyse Revel 20.11 John saw a great white Throne and one that sate upon it from whose face fled away both the earth and heaven and their pla e was found no more Thus may we in some dark resemblance something conceive of this glory of the Judge of all the world unto which the consideration of the persons that shall bee judged by him addeth not a little moment for not only small but great must stand before him It is indeed a great honour among men to bee deputed the Lord high Steward under a King whose office is to sit in Judgement upon a noble man what an height of glory then is it for the Son of God to sit in Judgement and call personally before him not nobles only but all the Kings and Monarchs that ever the earth bare If there be such preparation and state amongst men for the trial but of some one noble man what glory may wee conceive must attend the mighty God whilest he bringeth to their trial not only meaner persons but all the most powerful Monarches and Potentates that ever were or shall be to the end of the world This consideration ministreth comfort to the godly seeing hee cometh to Judgement who is able perfectly to free them from all misery able to strike oft their bolts of sin to acquit them from terrours of conscience fears of death the Grave the Devil and Hell it self the cometh from Heaven for their release who hath trodden down all his enemies under his feet and all this glory is for their safety and happinesse who wish and wait for the appearing of this mighty God Tit. 2.13 And on the contrary it serveth to strike the wicked and ungodly with terror and dread seeing the Lord Jesus shall come from Heaven in such power and majesty and all to judge and condemn them whom when they shall see arrayed with vengeance against them no marvail if they be driven to their wits ends yea as it is with guilty Malefactors when they see the Judge coming in so honourably attended so shall it bee here this very glory of Christ shall strike them with fear horror and an azednesse and force them to all miserable and unavaylable shifts and to wish if it were possible that the rocks would fall upon them and crush them to peeces so as they might never come before his presence for the great day of the Lord which is to all the wicked of the world a black day a cloudy day a dismal day this day is come and they cannot abide it Secondly this Judgement shall bee righteous and according to the truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 2.2 We know that the judgement of God is according to truth Heb. 1.8 Thy throne O God is for ever the scepter of thy Kingdom is a righteous scepter The righteousness of the Judge and judgement Thou lovest righteousnesse and hatest iniquity Hitherto is to bee referred that of Daniel 7.9 who saith that this Judge shall sit upon a great white throne alluding to the white Ivory throne of Salomon but infinitely more glorious the whitenesse betokenning the purity and righteousness both of the Judge and the judgement for every man shall receive according to his works Here shall be no concealment of things for he will bring every secret into judgement Eccles 12. He will lighten all things that are hid in darknesse and make the counsels of the hearts manifest 1 Cor. 4.5 Here shall bee no daubing or salving up of bad matters in corners no pleading of Lawyers who craftily cloud the truth of Causes for gain no respect of persons no favouring for the sake of any friends nor fear of foes or any displeasure Here shall be no inducement by gifts which blind mens eyes to pervert judgement the purest gold of Ophir
that this was a convincing argument if he could perswade his hearers that hee did deliver nothing but prophetical Doctrine for all men Jews and Gentiles were easily perswaded that Moses and the Prophets spake directly from God yea and the most blinded and wilful Jews at this day profess that if wee can prove Christ the Messiah from Moses and the Prophets they will beleeve in him so as in great wisdome did the Apostle adde this testimony to all the former knowing that that is the onely sound ground of teaching when men can bee perswaded that what they hear is uttered from the mouth of God as by this testimony his hearers were Now in the verse we have three thing to consider of 1 The generality of this testimony That all the Prophets bear witnesse unto him 2 The scope and end of their witness that men might beleeve in his Name 3 The fruit of this beleef that beleevers might receive remission of sin A proof that all the Prophets witness unto Christ For the first wee will by a brief induction make it appear that all the Prophets bare witness unto Christ and then gather some observations from it To begin with Moses who by Christ his own confession writ of him Joh. 5.46 In Genesis the first thing after the creation and fall is the main promise that the seed of the woman should break the Serpents head Exodus setteth out Christ our Passeover Leviticus in all those sacrifices pointeth out Christ our Sacrifice Numbers setteth before our eyes Christ our brasen Serpent lifted up upon the Cross Deuteronomy describeth Christ our chief Prophet whom whosoever will not hear he must dye the death Deut. 8.18 19. Act. 3.21 Joshuah beareth his name and most lively resembleth him in slaying the enemies of Gods people and bringing them into the promised land The Judges were all Saviours and types of him The book of Ruth sheweth he family whence hee sprung Samuel Kings and Chronicles his Genealogy and the very persons of whom hee descended especially David and Solomon both eminent types of him Ezrah and Nehemiah built the second Temple into which hee was to enter and so to become the glory of it as both Haggai and Malachy foretold Job knew that his Redeemer lived and that he should see him at last on the earth David in the Psalms acknowledged that the stone which the builders refused was become the chief stone of the corner and expresseth the peircing of his hands and feet Solomon in the Proverbs describeth his wisdome and eternity In the Canticles his contract and espousals with the Church Isay is called the Evangelical Prophet than whom no Evangelist could more lively express his Person his Doctrin his Life Death Burial Resurrection and Ascension that hee rather seemed to write an History of something past than a Prophecy of things to come Jeremy plainly stileth him the Lord of Righteousnesse Jer. 23. Ezekiel in all his dark shadows figureth out the government of Christ from point to point Daniel reckoneth the very year and time when the Messiah shall be slain at the end of whose seventy weeks Christ was put to death The small Prophets testify of him also with as joint consent 1 Malachy mentioneth with him his forerunner John Baptist 2 Micha describeth the place of his birth Micah 5.2 And thou Bethlem of Ephrata art little among the thousands of Judah yet out of thee shall hee come forth that shall be ruler in Israel whose goings forth have been from the beginning and from everlasting 3 Zachary nameth the place of his education which was Nazaret Zach. 6.12 There must hee grow that must build the Temple of the Lord. 4 Haggai prophecyeth of his comming into his Temple and purging it 5 Nahum wisheth Judah to behold on the mountains the feet of him that declareth and publisheth peace Nahum 1.15 which tydings none can bring but through Jesus Christ the prince of peace 6 Obadiah promiseth to Judah and Jerusalem such Saviours as should advance and set up the Kingdome of the Messiah Obad. v. 21. and so the Kingdome shall bee the Lords that is Christs who shall reign in his Church for ever and of whose Kingdome there shall bee no end 7 Jonas in his own person preached his Death Burial and Resurrection in that hee was swallowed of the Whale and lay three daies in the belly of it and in the third day was cast alive on dry Land 8 Hosea recordeth his triumph and victory over death Hos 13.14 O death I will bee thy death O Grave I will bee thy destruction 9 Habakkuk the sending out of his blessed Gospel into all the World by his Apostles so as all the earth should bee filled with the knowledge of God as the Waters cover the Sea 10 Joel foretelleth of his ascension and the pouring out of his Spirit upon all flesh Joel 2.28 11 Amos of the calling of the Gentiles a fruit of that ascension which hee calleth the â—â—sing of the Tabernacle of David Amos 9.11 as James notably applyeth it Act. 15.16 12 Zephany shadoweth his second coming to judgement and sheweth what a fearful and terrible day it shall bee to all the wicked of the earth Thus have wee shortly seen all the Prophets witnessing unto the doctrine taught in this Sermon by our holy Apostle And that the chief aim and drift of all these Master builders was to lay this the main foundation of all our Religion that Jesus Christ the Son of Mary was the Son of God the true Messias the Lord of all and the onely Saviour and Redeemer of the World First note hence Consent of the Church to any doctrin to be received with these cautions what is the true consent which all Teachers must aim at in the delivery of any Doctrin unto the people of God namely the consent of the Prophets and Apostles it forceth not a Doctrin to bee Orthodox or Ancient for a man to say all the Fathers are of this mind which is the Popish cry for all their Heresies but to this Doctrin give all the Prophets and all the Apostles witnesse and therefore it is sound and perswasive Yet wee refuse not but challenge to the Doctrin which wee teach the consent of the ancient Church but with these cautions 1 With the Primitive and Apostolical Churches which as they were most ancient so were they the purest 2 With the Churches which were after them five or six hundred years so far forth as they consented in doctrin and discipline with the former for many Popish errors are ancient and the Apostle telleth us that Antichrist begun to work in a mystery even in their daies And some of the Fathers were carried into some superstitions and errors and so not espying the mystery helped up Antichrist whom they intended to hold down 3 The Holy Ghost hath revealed every Doctrin necessary to salvation more holily more clearly and more eloquently than all the Fathers put together who if they had
it must bee the life of faith which the just must live by If to the Church to joyn himself to that he must himself be first of the houshold of faith Gal. 6.10 Nay more if to Christ himself if he carry not faith with him he is after a sort disabled from doing him any good As he could doe no great works in Capernaum because of their unbelief Mar. 6. only thy faith in the Son of God is the beginning and aâ—complishment of thy happiness Adde hereunto that it nor only removeth discomfort but bringeth with it all the sound joy and comfort of our lives whence it is that Christian joy is called joy of faith Philip. 1.25 and all the Sons of faithful Abraham tread in their Fathers steps who saw the day of Christ and rejoyced Joh. 8.56 because God hath not only reserved mercy for us but by the faith which his Spirit worketh in our hearts hee letteth us know yea and taste what he hath done for us so as hence have we peace with God and with our own hearts boldnesse in prayer and not patience only but joy in sorrow thus give a man once faith and sin flieth before him bands of temptations are discomfited afflictions dismay him not death and deadly things are disarmed unto him faith hath gotten and holdeth Christ his victory his strength his life yea whilest he walketh in a thousand deaths the faith of his heart hath filled his soule with that heavenly and spiritual joy which all the world cannot give neither can it take away Lastly By this worthy grace of Faith wee are not onely brought into thee grace by which wee stand Rom. 5 2 Col. 2.12 receive increase of it through the communion of Christ his Death and Resurrection as also the inhabitation of the Spirit in our hearts but also wee are fitted unto our glory for Faith assureth every beleever of his salvation 2 Thess 2.13 and every beleever is kept by the power of God through Faith unto salvation which is prepared to be shewed in the last time 1 Pet. 1.5 Thirdly A beleever may know hee hath faith by soul marks or notes Seeing that this is so special a grace of God bestowed but on a few it is worth inquiry by what touch-stone a man may know the sâ—undness of his Faith and that it is much more precious than Gold And therefore that a man may not bee deceived in a matter of such moment as this is the Scriptures have furnished us with such marks and notes as such who will use diligence in laying their Faith thereunto shall certainly know the truth or unsoundness of it for else why should wee bee commanded to prove our selves whether wee bee in the faith or no 2 Cor. 13.5 unlesse the beleever know that hee doth beleeve Again who bee they that know not that Christ is in them but Reprobates and can Christ live in any manâ— and hee not know it at one time or other and bee able to say with Paul I live not henceforth but Christ liveth in mee and I know whom I have beleeved 2 Tim. 1.12 Which if any say Paul might know being an Apostle and having a Revelation which ordinary men have not the same Apostle answereth it 1 Cor. 2.12 when hee joyneth with himself all beleevers wee have not received the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that wee might know the things that are given us of God Now whosoever have received this spirit want not this revelation who if hee reveal unto us any thing that is given us of God then would hee not neglect the greatest gift that 〈◊〉 given us even Christ himself and life eternal through his name The first mark of sound Faith is the seat and dwelling of it and 〈…〉 an humbled soul that longeth and almost fainteth for Gods mercy i◠〈◊〉 that not feeling Faith can bitterly complain for want of it that striveth against doubting because God hath commanded to beleeve that endeavoureth to assent to the promise touching forgiveness of sin with purpose to sin no more this holy seed is fown in no other ground but this The second Mark are the essential properties of sound Faith II The essentiâ—l properties of it and they are three in number 1 It is most pliable to the Word of which it is begotten the Jayler as soon as hee was converted would but know of the Apostles what hee might do it will except against nothing that the word enjoyneth it will pick no quarrels but with Abraham riseth early to obey God when if hee had reasoned with flesh and blood hee could have excepted many things which all the wisdome of flesh could never have answered This is that the Apostle ascribeth unto it that it establiâ—heth the whole Law Rom. 4.19 yea the whole Word of God the Law and Gospel by provoking to cheerful indeavour in the obedience of them both 2 Sound Faith being a subsistence 〈…〉 it inableth a man to stand under a great burden and not bee crusht Psal 46.2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth bee moved Job will not let his hold go if the Lord should smite off his hand yea if hee kill him hee will trust still it resteth upon Gods arm and truth in all estates in Life and Death whereas every cross puff of winde of temptation or affliction unsetleth yea and sinketh the unbeleever 3 It being a subsistence of things not seen it careth not how little it see the less it seeth the more it beleeveth and the less it seeth of men and means the more it seeth of God It seeth an Almighty promiser who can do what hee will It seeth him that is true of his word who cannot lye 2 Cor 6.18 and who cannot but do what hee hath said It seeth a merciful and loving Saviour whose eyes are upon them that trust in his mercy Psal 33.18 and seeing these it seeth enough Besides it estrangeth the heart from the World which it seeth and seeketh an unseen Country Heb. 11.13 15. Abraham Isaac and Jacob acknowledged themselves rather strangers in this Wâ—râ—d tâ—an Inhabitants and that they came into it rather to see it and go through it than dwell or set up their rest in it It weaneth the heart from the things below as the woman at the well once meeting with Christ shee forgeteth her water-pot What careth Zacheus for half his goods yea â—r all when Christ once becommeth his ghost and bringeth salvation to his â—â—use And on the contrary it sendeth up the heart to those treasures which the eye of flesh cannot see but are reserved to the seekets of the Country where they arâ— And these are the three worthy properties whereby the naturalnesse and soundness of it may bee discerned of such as are willing to try the same III. The honourable attendants and companions of it four The third mark or note of true justifying Faith is by the attendants and companions of
marvail if the members look thus black when the Sun looketh upon them seeing their Head Christ himself was rejected because they saw and judged him to bee plagued and smitten of God Isa 53.4 But wee must look beyond all these as the Lord himself doth who in his judgement goeth beyond the out-side and pronounceth sentence according to the grace which himself worketh within Let us imitate our Lord Jesus who notwithstanding all the infirmities yea and deformities of his Church pronounceth of her that shee is all fair and no spot is in her not because there are none but because all are covered and none are reckoned and imputed unto her yea let us remember that the pure and holy Spirit of God is contented notwithstanding much blackness to take up his lodging in those hearts where hee findeth reigning sin dispossessed Now how far are they from the mind and judgement of this blessed Father Son and Spirit who have nimble eyes to spy out every infirmity of Gods Children to blaze them nay rather than they will not accuse and slander them can of themselves coin raise up and impute unto them that whereof they are most innocent Assuredly these are of neer kindred to the Devil who is the accuser of the brethren The glory of God in his children turned into shame And surely were Christ on earth again even this most innocent Lamb of God should not want accusers wherein are so many of Cains constitution who hate their brethren because their works are good and so many Sons of men who seek to turn the glory of God in his Children into shame Alas religion is at a low ebbe already and not so reckoned of as it should bee by the forwardest and yet so malitious is the Devil in his instruments as unless this smoaking flax also bee quenched wee can see nor hear of any hope or treaty of peace the beauty of Gods people goeth disgraced under titles of niceness preciseness purity holy brotherhood and the like To go ordinarily to Sermons is to bee a Sermon-munger not to swear is the next way for a man not to bee trusted and except a man bee as black and deformed as either the Devil is or can make him by Drinking Swearing Gaming Sabbath-breaking and casting off all care of Civil Honesty as well as godliness hee may sit alone well enough hee hath a great many Neighbours that care but a little for his company What can make it more evidently appear that numbers there are in this age who never knew and without Gods infinite mercy in their timely conversion are never like to know what the blessednesse of remission of sin meaneth neither in others nor yet in themselves Vse 2. Let no man bee discouraged in the pure waies of God but walk on without weariness or faintness A strong motive to hold on in well-doing seeing that whatsoever the blinde world may deem to the contrary thou who art a beleever in the name of Christ hast blessedness between thy hands for thy sins are remitted thou must go in peace And this happinesse by the grace wherein thou standest is surer than that of nature which Adam had in his innocency that was lost because it was in his own keeping this is seated in the unchangeable favour of God by whose mighty power thou shalt bee preserved to the full fruition of it Get faith in thy heart and thou shalt deaâ—ly behold thy happiness if all the World should set it self to make thee miserable Get faith into thy soul and thou shalt think him only happy whom God so esteemeth although it be the misery of the world to place happiness only in misery Get assurance of faith to clasp the sure promise and word of God and thou shalt possess in misery felicity in sorrow joy in trouble peace in nothing all things and in death it self life eternal An Alphabetical Table to lead the Reader more easily unto the things contained in this Exposition A. A Basement of Christ is the Christians advancement 335 A bundle of Popish blasphemies 405 Account must bee given to God of all things done by us and received of us 381 Administration of Judgement laid upon the Son for sundry reasons 375 Afflictions though lingring no sign of Gods hatred 356 Agreement of the life of the Saints upon earth with the life of the Saints in Heaven 350 All diligence must be given to make our pardon of sin sure unto our selves 414 Anointing of three sorts of persons what it signified 308 Antiquity of the Gospel and of our religion 298 Apostles peculiar witnesses of Christ and why 362 A proof by induction that all the Prophets bear witnesse unto Christ 388 Attendants and companions of faith four 396 A strong motive to hold on in wel-doing 417 B BAptisme often put for doctrin 303 Beleevers are fellow servants under one Lord. 302 Beleevers may know they have faith by four marks 395 Beleevers may and must know the pardon of their own sins 409 Benefits flowing from remission of sin four 407 Better to goe to Heaven alone than to Hell with company 411 C. CAre of Christians must bee to suffer as Christians 331 Care must be had of our receits and expences because we must bee countable for them 383 Chief duty of every Christian whilst hee is in this world 406 Children of God delayed often but not denied in their suits 355 Christ acknowledged our Lord by four practises 301 Christ already come proved 307 Christ his life not monastical 315 Christ preached to the Israelites two ways 297 Christ first preached to the children of Israel for three reasons ibid. Christ Lord of all two ways 299 Christ both a Lord and a Servant how 300 Christ is not a Jesus but to whom he is a Lord. ibid. Christ no sooner received gifts and calling but did good with them for our example 311 Christ seasonably preached after Johns Baptisme that is Johns doctrin of repentance 305 Christ proved the only Messiah because he was Jesus of Nazareth 306 Christ his Deity proved by his glorious resurrection 339 Christ by dying offereth and by rising applyeth his one only sacrifice 341 Christ went about doing good two way 311 Christ sent of his Father and came 〈◊〉 before he was sent 3â—7 Christ his righteousnesse notably witnessed 328 Christ his two natures lively set out ibid. Christ reputed an arch-traytor in his life and death 332 Christ submitted to the lâ—west estate of death reas five 337 Christ the Lamb slain from the beginning how 341 Christ hath powerfully trodden Satan under his feet and under our feet how 323 Christ rose early in the morning and what we learn thence 354 Christ in respect of himself needeth not any witnesses and yet hee useth them 362 Christ must bee the matter of all our preaching 373 Christians must partake of Christs annointing 309 Christians must become Kings Priests and Prophets 310 Christians must imitate Christ in doing good 316 Chosen witnesses of