prepare a table for us so they say Can God helpe us in sicknesse Can he helpe us in affliction so likewise they presume to sinne and so take away the justice of God for though hee brings his judgements to light every day yet they will not learne to feare and be ashamed And so they soothe themselves as the Prophet complaines That every one that doeth evill is good in the sight of God or he delighteth in them or say where is the God of Iudgement so they take away wisedome and mercy from him as was shewed out of Ieremy But a Christian must beleeve the properties of God that he is powerfull therefore to trust and relye upon him Iust therefore to beleeve his promises wise therefore to be guided by him We may see a worthy example hereof in Hezekiah 2 King 19. 15. When Senacherib went against Ierusalem he told them that hee had destroyed such and such places and countries and their goods and shalt thou be delivered Then Hezekiah came before the Lord told it him spread the writing before him and prayed to the Lord. Thirdly we beleeve that God is our God by the meanes of Christ this is the maine point of all not to beleeve God in generall onely but to bring him home to our selves and to be perswaded that he is our God so the holy people as Esay shewes said This is our God we have waited on him and he will save us If he be our God that then whatsoever is in him as his power wisedome mercie justice love and goodnesse it doth appertaine to us wee shall have the benefit this faith is a comfort and that which God respects Thomas could have no comfort of his Faith till he could say My Lord and my God and Christ when he would comfort his Disciples at his departure saith Goe tell my brethren I ascend to my God and your God to my Father and your Father so if once a man come to this that he can perswade himselfe that God is his God by the meanes of Christ this will comfort and give him more peace than the world can yeeld The use is that seeing God is our God therefore we should respect and love him and be desirous to please him in our courses Mich. 4. 5. For all people will walke every one in the name of his God but we will walke in the Name of the Lord our God for ever and ever therefore as we doe professe that God is our God we must labour to please him in all our courses be loth to doe any thing that may displease him It was the speech of Delilah to Sampson Iudges 16. 15. How canst thou say thou lovest mee when thy heart is not with me so how can we say that we love God when our courses shew to the contrary it is a pittifull thing to see how men doe not regard God they doe so toile themselves with their labours that so soone as they be set in the Church they are fallen fast asleepe men professe they beleeve God is their God and yet doe not respect nor serve him In the 1 Sam. 9. mention is made of Samuels feast unto the people where one speciall dish given before unto the Cooke is brought forth it was a shoulder set up onely for the king that none but he should have it in like manner it should bee our wisedome so to spend our strength about the world in the weeke time that we reserve a part for the Lords Sabboth to doe him service with Hitherto God hath beene considered as he is in himselfe now wee come to speake what God is in relation and there is a twofold relation of God 1. To the Trinitie 2. To the Creatures First God stands in relation to the three Persons for I beleive in God stands in relation to the Father to the Sonne and to the Holy Ghost Here are foure points of Faith to be beleeved 1. That there is a distinction of Persons in the Godhead 2. That there is a divine Person called the Father 3. That he is the Father of Christ 4. That he is our Father by the meanes of Christ First we beleeve that there is a distinction of Persons for though there be but one in Substance Essence and Power yet there bee three distinct persons subsisting in one Godhead as 1 Iohn 5. 7. There be three that beare record in heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one and so Matth. 28. in the charge that Christ gave his Disciples when he sent them out to preach in the Name of the Father the Sonne and Holy Ghost and elsewhere the Scripture doth teach distinction of Persons as Ioh. 5. 30. I can doe nothing of my selfe as I heare I judge and my judgement is just because I seeke not mine owne will but the will of my Father that sent me so Iohn 14. 26. But the Comforter which is the holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name he shall teach you all things So then wee see plainely that the Father is a distinct person from the Sonne and the Sonne a distinct person from the Father and the Holy Ghost a distinct person from the Father and the Sonne There is a difference betweene the Faith of a Christian and a Turke the one beleeveth in one God distinct in three persons the other in one God without distinction of persons Now there bee two grounds that overthrow this opinion of the Turkes first it is a rule in Divinitie that whatsoever as God reveales himselfe to be so we must beleeve he is but God hath revealed himselfe to be one God and three Persons therefore so we must beleeve for no man can dive into the bottome of God to know what he is but he must reveale himselfe to us so Ioh. 1. 18. No man hath seene God at any time the onely begotten Sonne of the Father he hath revealed him and 1 Timoth. 6. 16. saith the Apostle speaking of God Who onely hath immortalitie and dwelleth in the light that no man can attaine to whom never man saw neither can see unto whom be honour and glory everlasting Amen And therefore as a man going into the Sea in danger or to swimme so farre as his Corke will carry him up so farre he may goe safely but if this faile to carry him up he makes a stand and ventures no further in like manner so farre as our Corke will carry us up so farre we may walke safely so farre as we have warrant out of Gods Word but if we have no warrant out of Gods Word let us make a stand and goe no further therefore as God hath revealed himselfe so we must beleeve but he hath revealed himselfe to be one God and three distinct Persons and so wee must beleeve The second ground is that it is not possible to redeeme man without distinction of Persons for God the Father being offended with
and Archangels Principalities and Powers Kings and Princes Now there bâ—e many eminencies and excellencies but at the day of judgement Christ shall put downe all rule and authoritie under his feete and then God shall be all in all Secondly God shall be all in all in the fulfilling of the hearts of his servants with grace and goodnesse God is not all in all now in the hearts of his servants he is but something as Chastitie in Ioseph Constancie in David fortitude in Sampson wisedome in Salomon But then God shall be all in all to them we are all like to a bottle that hath at narrow neck that is east into the Sea and cannot fill all at once but receive the water drop by drop but at the day of judgement God shall fill our hearts and soules with all grace and goodnesse Saint Ierome saith well Now God is by a few vertues in us but then he shall be all in all in filling our hearts with graces and vertues and Augustine saith out of this place what is that Paul saith that God shall be all in all whatâ—oever the heart of Man can wish or desire that God will be to a Christian therefore dost thou desire meate and drinke God will be meate and drinke to thee dost thou desire peace God will bee all in all to thee in whatsoever thy heart can wish for and this is the end why Christ shall render up the Kingdome unto his Father that God may be all in all SERMON LIII IOHN 14. 26. But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name hee shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you THe Creede as Tertullian termes it is the rule how to â—rder our Faith both concerning God and the Church of God And there are two rules to order our Faith by First that there are three Persons and but one God in substance and in essence and as there are three Persons and but one God So wee must labour to bee all one because we must seeke to resemble God as much as may be although we cannot be one in substance yet wee must be all one in affection and will So it is said Acts 4. 32. that the number of them that beleeved were all of one heart and of one minde and Christ prayes Iohn 17. 21. that as the Father and he is one so all his people may bee one And Rom. 15. 6. the Apostle prayes that they may with one minde and with one mouth praise God even the Father of our Lord Iesus as there is unitie in God so there must be unitie in us It was the Divell that first made division in the World hee divided Man from his God and Man from Man in the most deerest and neerest societie for the divided Adam from his wife and so it is the devill that makes division still in the world as Revel 6. 4. it is said of him There was power given him to take away peace c. So then all division proceedeth from the Divell God hee makes peace but it is the Divell that makes division and therefore it is our duty as God is one so we to labour to bee one though wee cannot in substance yet in affection and will The second Rule is that although they be one in Substance and Essence yet they be three distinct Persons the Father created Man by his power and he Sonne redeemed Man by his blood the Holy Ghost sanctified Man by his Spirit So all these three estates in Heâ—ven concurre and worke together for the good of Man And therefore it is a piteous thing that Man is found to be enemy to himselfe Hence then let every one consider how worthâ—ly doe Men perish and goe to Hell seeing all the Divine Persons worke for Mans good and hee alone is found enemy to himselfe Now we have spoken already of the first Person and also of the second at this present are come to speake of the third Person whereto foure things are to be considered 1. That the Holy Ghost is God 2. That he is a person having a Reall subsisting and that hee is distinct from the Father and the Sonne 3. That he is not onely holy in himselfe but hee is the Effecter and Causer of Holinesse in others 4. That as he makes others holy so he will make me holy and give mee such a measure of Sanctitie as shall bee fit for mee First That the holy Ghost is God it is a ground in Divinitie that hee that beleeves should beleeve in God and in no creature but wee are taught to beleeve in the holy Ghost therefore it is a surething that the holy Ghost is God But for the truth of this point because it is one of the grounds of our Christian faith I will prove it by Scripture and by reason First by Scripture Act. 5. 3. saith Peter to Anâ—nias Why hath Satan filled thy heart that thou shouldst lye unto the holy Ghost and in the very next verse Thou hast not lyed to man but unto God Againe 1 Ioh. 5. 7. There be three that beare record in heaven the Father the Word and the holy Ghost and these three are one what one are they but one God The Papist telleth us that the Divinitie of the holy Ghost cannot be proved by the Scripture but by tradition but this is erroneous and false and there are Schoole-men teach to the contrary as Thomas Aquinas who saith A man must speake nothing of God or beleeve nothing but what is found in Scripture either in expresse words or sense and therefore if it cannot be proved by the Scriptures that the holy Ghost is God we are not to beleeve it because wee are to beleeve nothing but that which is grounded upon the Scripture Another of them saith that he can bring a whole swarme of testimonies to demonstrate unto us the Divinity of the holy Ghost So then we see it may strongly be confirmed by Scripture that the holy Ghost is God and Cyrill saith that it is the holy Ghost that is the inditer of the Scripture and therefore he testifieth of himselfe and revealeth himselfe as much as is fit and needfull for us to know of him that which he hath written of himselfe we may be bold to speake of And Augustine saith that all the ancient Fathers have laboured to confirme this by Scripture that there is three distinct Persons and one God besides in the Remish Testament 1 Iohn 5. 7. we finde observed upon the note of One that there be three divine persons in the Trinitie and therefore this doth affirme the God-head of the holy Ghost but here seeing it is so plaine by Scripture and by the testimonies of the Fathers and by their owne Schoole-men as many as bee well advised that the holy Ghost is God wee need not doubt of the truth of
ought to keepe God our friend in this life if we expect to have him so at oâ—r death 256. †¶ Fulnesse of time 113. ¶ Christ came not till the fulnesse of time 114. ¶ G CHrist apprehended in a Garden because 1. Sinne began in a Garden 2. Christ prayed in the Garden 3. It was a place knowne to Iudas 177. c. The calling of the Gentiles in the wise mens comming to Christ 129. †That the Holy Ghost is God proved by Reason Scripture 479. The holy Ghost a Person really subsisting 481. distinct from father and Sonne 482. The holy Ghost really and actually in us 487. The holy Ghost Teacheth Governeth Comforteth us 509. c. The graces of the holy Ghost inestimably good 487. †The benefits wee receive by the holy Ghost 508. How the holy Ghost may be lost 515. †The meanes to come by the holy Ghost 488. The true markes to know whether the holy Ghost be in us or no. 489. Discovery of the false markes of the holy Ghosts being in us 494. The Defect Excesse of giving 593. Christ gave gifts personal to the Ministers royall to euery man 367. The life of Glory 650. The Saints Glory by Christs pronouncing them blessed at the end of the world 447. * Differences of Christs and Moses Glory 419. Foure properties of Goates 436. That there is a God proved by The workes of God The place where God is The nature of the creatures Our conscience Our experience 42. c. That there is but one God 46. How God is said to be Almighty 59. Things that imply Incapability Weaknesse Contradiction God caÌ„not doe 60. Vses of Instruction Comfort from Gods being Almighty 61. God is a true God inregard of his Nature Properties 48. We must beleeve God is our God in particular 49. God the Father of Christ 52. Vnion with Christ makes God our Father 53. Comforts that arise from Gods being our Father 56. Some men make their bellies their gods 46. ¶ A distinction of the Persons in the Godhead 50. †The Father the fountaine of the Godhead 51. ¶ Golgotha why so called 216. Many hindrances when wee goe about any thing that is good 340. †How God the Father communicates his goodnesse to the Sonne and holy Ghost 52. * The Church the Goshen of God therein light onely all the world besides being darke 565. ¶ The Gospell like a Vine in his growth 122. * The Gospell compared to a great glasse 219. †Christ more glorious in the preaching of the Gospell than in his bodily presence on Earth 130. * The wicked disobedient to Christs government 87. ¶ Christ governes his Church by 1. Drawing them to himselfe 375. 2. Guiding them the right way 377. 3. Exercising them with trials for their good 378. 4. Defending them from their enemies 380. Foure grounds that the true graces of Gods Spirit are never finally lost 518. In all Gods People a roote of Grace remains to be discerned three waies 505. * Common graces of the Spirit may bee lost 517. †Five meanes how to nourish the graces of the Spirit 520. No power in man to doe any thing unlesse God give him grace 445. Two things a weake beginner in grace must looke to 501. Grace at first small increases like seedâ— sowne 490. * Degrees of grace 490. †Growth of grace imperceptible 491. ¶ If grace be in the heart it will shew it selfe 190. * When wee rise in grace wee must leave the sinnes of nature behinde us 298. * The Papists opinion of the incertainty of grace confuted 494. Two defects in restraining grace 495. The graces of the Spirit compared to Oyle 81. Desire of grace fourefold 505. ¶ Comforts in the lying in our graves 633. Christs grave why new 279. Every man though hee have no house hath a grave to be buried in 278. * Christ at first made knowne to the poorer sort not great men 120. ¶ All sinne is a griefe to God 481. * The sinnes of Gods People doe more grieve Christ than of the prophaner sort 18. †The Spirit grieved by sinne against knowledge and disobedience 520. H THe right hand of God signifies 1. His Power 2. The glory of Heaven 3. Propinquitie of place to God in dignity 371. By Christs sitting at Gods right hand is implied His enobling our nature His governement of the Church 372. Christ sits at Gods right hand 1. To shew the worke of mans redemption is finished 2. All judiciary power is committed to him 3. He is in continuall act of judgement 374. Never can a man make too much haste to come to Christ 126. ¶ A good hearer like dry powder 528. ¶ How to know whether Christ bee conceived in the heart 105. ¶ The great stirre that is at the conception of Christ in the heart of a Christian 108. †The heart hardned in sinne nothing will do good upon 185. ¶ Pilate an Heathen goes beyond most Christians in fearing to sinne against God 209. * God the maker of Heaven and Earth 64 65. Of the reâ—â—ing of the Heavens and the Earth 412. All that come to Heaven must come by Christ 286. ¶ Heaven promised to sinners upon repentance 242. * Heaven prepared for the Elect before they were borne 451. Gods Children must be content to stay from Heaven for the good of those they live amongst 359. †In Heaven we shall be freed from 1. All necessities of nature 652. 2. All labours of this life ibid. 3. Originall sinne 653. 4. All worldly power and authoritie 654. 5. All society with the wicked ibid. 6. All sicknesses and diseases 655. The Heavens shall be new in regard of Vse Disposition Effects 413. In Heaven we shall enjoy 1. Immediate society with God 655. 2. Eternall presence of Christ ibid. 3. Societie of Saints and Angels 657. 4. Lordship over the world ibid. 5. A continuall Sabbath to the Lord. 658. Christ suffered the paines of Hell but not in place of Hell 242. * Women when good helps 206. * Christ borne when Herod was king to shew His Kingdome was not of this world The Iewes kingdome was at the lowest 115. Why Herod was troubled at Christs comming 132. †Herod desired to see Christ not for love but for his miracles sake 201. ¶ The holy Ghost the onely Author of holinesse 482. Sixe meanes whereby the holy Ghost workes holinesse in us 484. Two defects of Popish holinesse 572. All our hope and comfort must bee in Christ 140. * We ought to bee humbled seeing Christ was humbled for us 101. †Christs humiliation the first degree 100. The humilitie of Christ in his birth 117. ¶ None can hurt us but from power given from God 60. 179. * I THe Valley of Iehoshaphat not the place of the last judgement 398. Christ will deale with good men as Iehu with Iehonadab 447. ¶ Humane reason brought the wise men to Ierusalem divine to Bethlehem 130. †Why the Iewes were troubled at Christs birth 132. ¶ In
man for sinne there must bee a second Person for a Mediator betweene God and man to reconcile them and to make them one againe which must bee the Sonne and there must bee a third to apply this to the heart of man that is the holy Ghost therefore it is not possible that the redemption of man should bee wrought without the distinction of Persons The Turkes demand of the Christians what good they have to beleeve in God distinct in three persons more than they have in God without distinction of Persons If they should demand of me I would make them this answer thus That wee could not have our redemption but by the distinction of persons for when men were out of favour with God they must have a thing of infinite value and of greater price than all the soules and bodies of men are worth to satisfie for them and to apply it and therefore this benefit wee have by beleeving the distinction of persons more than the Turkes have Secondly that there is a divine Person called the Father there bee three divine Persons the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost now they are not divided as three men to say here is one here is another and there is another but they are distinguished as three candles being light in a roome wee cannot say here is the light of one candle and here is the light of another their light cannot bee divided one from another and yet there be three distinct lights even so there bee three distinct Persons the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost and yet we may not divide them and say here is the Father or here is the Son or here is the holy Ghost apart one from the other for as of water wine and Rosa-solis being put into one glasse three distinct things wee cannot say this is the water and this is the wine and this is the Rosa-solis but where one is there is the other so there bee three divine Persons but wee cannot say here is one and there is another but where one is there is all and therefore let us goe no further than our corke will beare us up if our corke will not beare us up let us make a stand let us goe no further than we have warrant out of the word of God In that he is called a Father it is because hee is a fountaine to the rest Ioh. 3. 35. The Father loveth the Sonne and hath given all things into his hands and Ioh. 5. 30. I seeke not mine owne will but the will of my Father that sent me and Ioh. 28. Yee know me and whence I come yet I am not come of my selfe but hee that sent me is true whom yee know not But I know him for I am of him and hee hath sent me and in the Heb. 1. 3. he sayes Who being the brightnesse of his glory and the engraven forme of his person So then we see that God the Father is a divine person distinct from the Sonne and the holy Ghost hee is called a Father because hee is a fountaine to all the rest and that he is so it ariseth of the infinite goodnes that is in God There is a question amongst Divines how he communicats his goodnesse to the rest of the Persons The answer is that the more goodnesse there is in God the more he communicates his goodnesse Now there is no creature capable to receive the goodnesse that is in God for the creatures have goodnesse indeed but it is but as a drop in respect of the goodnesse that hee doth infuse to the divine persons and therefore he doth infuse his goodnesse to the rest of the divine persons even as a fountaine of water when it is full it sends and gives it out againe so the Father gives out his goodnesse to the rest of the divine Persons This is a deepe point to dive into and therefore a man must doe in divinity as a man doth going into a river as long as hee feeles the ground with his feet so farre hee may wade safely but if hee feele no ground it is good to make a stay and goe no further in like manner so long as wee may wade in Divinity and feele the ground with our feet wee may safely goe on so farre as there is a warrant out of the word but if this be wanting it is good to make a stand and venture no farther The use is that seeing God containes not himselfe but communicates his goodnesse let us labour to have communion with him and then he wil communicate his goodnes as to the three Persons so to us in proportion As Psal 145. 3. Great is the Lord and most worthy to be praysed and his greatnes is incomprehensible the Lord is great in goodnes and gives and powreth it out to others therefore David saith Psal 37. It is a good thing for me to cleave unto God If a great man in a Kingdome should give out his goodnesse and be beneficiall all men would seeke for his service but if he were a niggard no man would seeke to him so seeing God gives out his goodnesse all men should seeke to have communion with him The third point is that he is the Father of Christ so it is said Rom. 15. 6. That yee with one mind and with one mouth may praise God even the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ And 1 Pet. 1. 3. Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ c. The point is plaine I shall not need to prove it any more we will make use of it The first is that seeing he is the Father of Christ whatsoever Christ hath done in the great matters of our redemption God will approve and accept of as Ioh. 3. 35. The Father loveth the Sonne and hath given all things into his hands and therefore seeing it is his Sonne who hath reconciled us hee will approve and accept of it seeing hee hath payed the price for us wee shall bee acquitted and discharged before God and so goe free Secondly that none can be fitter to be the Mediator than Christ Ioh. 11. 42. Iesus saith I thanke thee Oh Father because thou hast heard me I know thou hearest me alwayes but because of the people that stand by I said it that they may beleeve that thou hast sent mee And therefore because hee is the Sonne of God hee is the more fitter to be the Mediator Matth. 21. 37. It is said therefore it may be they will reverence my Son In the law we see whensoever the high Priest was to appeare before God he was to have the names of the twelve Tribes in his brest-plate and on his shoulders engraven in stones for a continuall remembrance before the Lord so Christ is our high Priest and he carrieth all the names of the elect and presents them before God for a continuall remembrance SERMON V. COLOS. 1. 12 13. Giving
redeemed us by his Sonne not onely by his life but by his death also And therefore as S. Andrew saith I am more beholding to thee O Lord for the worke of my redemption by the death of thy Sonne than for the power by which I was created therefore if a man should be thankfull for his creation much more should he be for the worke of his redemption for it was a marvellous love of Christ the hee tooke our nature upon him to come into the world to worke our redemption to lose his life to finish and perfect it and therefore how thankefull ought we to be for so great a mercy Secondly seeing our redemption and salvation is perfected and finished by the death of Christ wee may see the grievousnesse and greatnesse of our sinnes that when we had sinned against God all the powers in heaven and earth could not doe it but it must bee Christ that eternall Sonne of God and it was not with his life only but with his death wee thinke much of suffering any little affliction or trouble but Christ must die to expiate sinne and to abolish it whereas neither Angels nor Archangels nor all the Saints and holy men in the world could have done it therfore seeing Christ paid so deare for it we must take heed we doe not account it a light matter to sinne Therefore let us take heed how we grieve him by our sinne seeing hee was contented to lose his life and to shed his heart blood for us SERMON XXV LVKE 23. 46. And when Iesus had cryed with a loud voyce hee said Father into thy hands I commend my spirit And having said thus he gave up the ghost OF the seven last words which Christ spake on the crosse this is the last which containes an holy Resignation of the soule and spirit of Christ into the hands of his Father wherein something in generall and something in particular is to bee considered The generall is this That all the speeches and words that Christ did speake on the crosse from the first to the last were holy and good so hee did not onely begin well but did end well also he made an holy close of his life when he came to breathe out his last breath which must teach us what the care of a Christian should be when he is in sicknesse and trouble not onely to begin well but to continue well till he come to dye and breathe out his last breath and then to make an holy close of his life this is that which Christ speaketh of Mat. 24. Hee that continueth unto the end shall bee saved and the spirit of God Revel 2. 10. Bee thou faithfull to the death and I will give thee a crowne of life An Archer though hee ayme and draw well yet if hee in the loose let his hand slip or sinke downe he will be wide of the marke so though we begin and ayme well yet if we start aside or sinke downe when wee come to die wee lose all our glory therefore it must bee our care not onely to begin but to end well also It is in sanctified motions as it is with wheeles that bee swiftest at the first and afterwards slower and slower till the wheele stand still so it is in sanctified motions they bee swiftest at the first and afterward by little and little they abate till at last they dye if they bee not supplied by good meanes therefore it is good not onely to begin well but also to end well too when we breathe out our last breath Iohn 2. Christ set out the best wine at the last But quite contrary it is the manner of the world to bee best at first and worst at last with the people of God it must not be so for if there bee any worst it must bee the first and the best at the last Indeed it is the fashion of the world to begin well and to end ill but the people of God must not doe so they must not onely begin well but also continue well and end well and so make an holy close of their life when they breathe out their last breath and when they shut up their eyes from the light of this world they may see the kingdome of heaven The next thing to be considered is the practice of Christ when hee came to dye In which observe five things 1. To whom he commended his spirit to his Father 2. What it was he commended his spirit 3. When he commended his spirit at the instant of his death 4. Vpon what ground he commended his spirit upon a perswasion that he was his Father 5. What comfort wee may have by the commending of his spirit into the hands of his Father First to whom hee commended his spirit the Text sheweth to his Father When we be alive we commend our selves to our friends in hope of comfort but when we come to die we must commend ourselves to God only therefore as Christ when hee came to dye shut up his eyes and did not looke upon his mother nor his disciples nor upon any beloved but hee did wholly commend himselfe into the hands of his Father in hope of comfort so when wee come to dye wee must shut up our eyes and not comfort our selves in our wives children friends and those we love deareliest but we must commend our soules into the hands of God Yea the people of God have good cause to doe so in regard he is all in all to us as David saith Psal 73. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee therefore hee cast himselfe upon God in hope of comfort so a man while he liveth may have many friends to commend himselfe to but when hee commeth to dye there is none but God that we can commend our soules to Therefore seeing no man hath any body to commend his soule to at last but God onely it must be our wisedome to keepe God our friend for if we despise him in our health it is just with him to despise and reject us when we come to die We read Iudg 10. 14. when the Children of Israel had forsaken the Lord and followed Baalam and Astaroth and served them in their distresse when they came and cried to God to save them out of the hands of their enemies the Lord said unto them Goe and crie unto the gods whom ye have chosen Let them save you in the time of your tribulation In like manner the Lord will say to us when wee have despised him in the time of our health and have followed our pleasures profits and our old sinnes goe and crie unto the gods whom yee have served see if your money will save and helpe you you that have made your pleasures your belly and your sinnes your God now see if these will helpe you for if ye despised God in your life time it is just with
it but for the unbeleevers sake if any should be here I will give foure reasons to prove it First because it is proper to none but God to be in all places at one time as Ierem. 23. 24. Doe not I fill heaven and earth saith the Lord This is the propertie onely of God on bodily substance can because they cannot be but in one place at one time and must be bounded in their owne essence but the Holy Ghost is in all places he is in heaven and earth and in the hearts of the faithfull all the world over therefore the Holy Ghost is God I but some man may say the light of the Sunne is all the world over To this I answer although the light of the Sunne be all the world over yet there are divers parts of it But the Holy Ghost is all one and the same and is not divided but he fils heaven and earth and hee is in the hearts of the godly all the world over and therefore the holy Ghost is God Secondly Because none but God can create and make things of nothing none but God knoweth all things none but God can give gifts of grace to his servants but the Holy Ghost doth all this and therefore the Holy Ghost is God First we may see the Holy Ghost creates as well as the Father and the Sonne as Iob 33. 4. The Spirit of the Lord hath made mee and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life So Psal. 33. 6. By the Word of the Lord were the heaven and the earth made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth Secondly no man knoweth the things of God but God the Holy Ghost knoweth all and therefore he is God as 1 Cor. 2. 11. For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of a man which is in him even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God Thirdly none but God gives gifts of grace to men but the Holy Ghost doth therefore the Holy Ghost is God Now that the Holy Ghost doth give gifts and graces it is plaine 1 Cor. 12. 6. There are diversities of operations but God is the same that worketh all seeing then it is the Holy Ghost that doth create that knoweth the things of God and that gives gifts of grace into the hearts of men therefore the holy Ghost is God Thirdly No man is to be baptised into the name of any creature but into Gods only but wee are commanded to be baptised into the name of the Holy Ghost therefore the Holy Ghost Now that no man is to be baptised into the name of any creature it is plaine by the Apostles words 1 Cor. 1. 13. where he demands Were yee baptised into the name of Paul I baptised I thanke God name of you but Crispus and Gaius lest any man should say that I baptised into mine owne name Againe We that be baptised are grafted into another stocke and so draw spirituall grace into our selves but if a man be baptised into any other name he cannot draw spirituall grace and therefore wee are to be baptised into none other name but into Gods Name besides there is an expresse charge and command to baptise in no other name but in the Name of the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost Therefore the Holy Ghost is God Now I spend the more time in this that yee might have your Christian faith grounded for Matth. 13. wee see that the seed that was sowen in the stony ground withered and came to nothing because it wanted a root of judgement so if our knowledge be not rooted and grounded it will come to nothing every temptation will shake it and therefore we must labour to have our knowledge grounded Let us come to make use of it First seeing the holy Ghost is God therefore we must take heed we doe not grieve him with our sins and our corruptions this is the use Saint Paul makes of it Ephes 4. 30. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God by whom ye are sealed unto the day of redemption It is a great fault to grieve man but it is a greater to grieve God it is said in the Law that the people grieved God and Moses his servant and Esay 7. 10. the question is asked Is it a small thing to grieve man but ye will also grieve my God Now there is never a sinne we commit but wee grieve God every oath wee sweare every lye we tell c. and therefore we must take heed we doe not sin to grieve the holy Spirit and to cause him to depart from us as Heb. 3. 10. God complaines Forty yeeres long was I grieved with this generation c. so it is our sinnes that grieve the holy Ghost If a man hath a guest that commeth to his house to tarry but a night he will be wary lest hee offend him much more wee should be loth to offend the holy Ghost seeing he commeth to dwell with us not a night but for ever consider with thy selfe O man if thou have a friend that will helpe thee in all times of extremitie and releeve thee wilt thou offend him nay thou wouldst labour to please him So the holy Ghost is a friend to us and will speake comfortably and kindly to us at the day of death and in our troubles therefore if we grieve him what comfort can we looke for at the day of death and in the time of trouble Secondly seeing the holy Ghost is God we must take heed that we doe not destroy the temple of the holy Ghost now our bodies be the temples of the holy Ghost therefore we must take heed we doe not destroy the So 1 Cor. 3. 16. saith the Apostle Know ye not that yee are the temples of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you and if any man destroy this temple God will destroy him which is done first by pulling downe the wals and then by defacing of it which bloudy tyrants doe when they kill good people and deface them If a Noble-man have his house pulled downe over his head he will not take it well at their hands but he will labour to destroy them who did it so if tyrants pull downe Gods Temple he will not take it well at their hands but will destroy them Secondly we may destroy this temple by polluting it for though they let the wals stand yet they may destroy Gods temple by destroying the sanctitie and the holinesse of it by their bad lusts and vile sinnes that they doe commit and then God will destroy them as Iohn 2. you see how angry Christ was that hee made a whip and did scourge them out of the Temple that brought oxen and sheepe and doves to sell there now if Christ were angry with them that defiled the materiall Temple with their oxen sheepe and
doves much more will he be angry with them that pollute his spirituall Temple with their sinnes and corruptions and vile lusts The second thing that we are to beleeve concerning God the holy Ghost is That he is person really subsisting and distinct from the Father and the Sonne And here we are to observe two things First That the holy Ghost is a Person or a reall subsistence and not a quality or motion in God as certaine heretikes hold but hee is a Person that hath reall subsistence by himselfe which we may see by divers acts that he doth as to send the Prophets and Apostles and give spirituall gifts and graces Esay 48. 16. it is said The Lord God and his Spirit hath sent me therefore because the holy Ghost is said to send he is not a quality or a motion but a person So also Acts 13. 2. The holy Ghost said Separate me Paul and Barnabas for the worke whereunto I have called them So then it is plaine by the Scripture that the holy Ghost is person and not a qualitie or a motion in God Now two wayes the holy Ghost is taken in the Scripture for the gifts and graces of the holy Ghost as Matth. 12. Christ shewes He that sinnes against the holy Ghost shall not be forgiven neither in this world not in the world to come A man may sinne against the Person of the holy Ghost and yet may be forgiven but the sinne that is here spoken of is the gifts and graces of the holy Ghost and in other places of the Scripture it is taken for the person of the holy Ghost Secondly the holy Ghost is a distinct Person from the Father and the Sonne Matth. 28. 19. Christ saith to his Disciples Goe teach all nations baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost and so also 1 Iohn 5. 7. he shewes there are three that beare record in heaven the Father the Word and the holy Ghost and these three are one furthermore Matth. 3. when Christ was baptised there was the voice of the Father saying This is my welbeloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased and the holy Ghost descending on Christ in the likenesse of a Dove so it is plaine by the Scripture that the holy Ghost is a distinct person from the Father and the Sonne Now the use hereof is briefly that as we feele the power of God the Father in our creation and the mercy of the Sonne in our redemption so also we must labour to feele the worke of the holy Ghost in sanctifying of our hearts and quickning of us to all holy duties there were some as wee may reade of in the Acts that did not know there was a Holy Ghost but if we feele our hearts to be sanctified and the power of the holy Ghost to quicken us this is an argument to us against all heretikes to prove there is a holy Ghost The third point that we are to beleeve is that the holy Ghost is holy in himselfe and that he is the causer and effecter of holinesse in others So Saint Paul saith 1 Cor. 12. 3. No man can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost that is no man is able to doe any thing that is pleasing to God but by the holy Ghost and vers 11. saith he All these things worketh even the selfe-some Spirit distributing to every one severally as he will So the holy Ghost is not onely holy in himselfe but he is the cause of holinesse in all the people of God The uses are first seeing the holy Ghost makes men holy there is never a man that hath one deep or dram of holinesse in himselfe but the holy Ghost must worke it in him as Ezek. 37. we see the dead bones were scattered all the field over till the Spirit of God came into them then there was a noise a clattering and running together of the bones so we be scattered all the field over and lye like dead bones till the Spirit of God come into our heart then there is a noise and a clattering together of the bones then men begin to stirre in the life of holinesse therefore doth any man desire spirituall graces and is often in prayer doth any man find in himselfe holy motions to good let him comfort himselfe for such desires are of and by the Spirit of God it is the holy Ghost that workes them in him for no man hath a dram or a drop of holinesse in himselfe but it is the holy Ghost workes it in him Secondly seeing it is the holy Ghost that makes men holy as often as we feele any good motions or good desires we may know from whence they come that it is the holy Ghost which is the beginner and worker of them If a man lye in a trance and neither moves nor stirres if one layes his eare to the man and heares him breath he may say there is life in the man even so although a man be not able to stirre in the life of holinesse yet if he doe but breath that there be good thoughts and good motions and good desires this is a token that there is the life of grace in him and that the holy Ghost hath begun to worke in him there is the beginning of grace in him SERMON LIV. IOHN 14. 26. But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name hee shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you FOure points yee heard wee are to beleeve concerning the holy Ghost first That the holy Ghost is God secondly That he is a person and not a motion or a qualitie in God but hath a reall subsistence and that hee is a distinct Person from the Father and the Sonne thirdly That he is not onely holy in himselfe but he is the Effecter and Causer of holinesse in others and that no man hath one dram or drop of holinesse in him but it is wrought by the holy Ghost The fourth point which we are at this present to handle is that He is not onely the causer of holinesse in others but I must beleeve that he will particularly make me holy and give me such a measure of sanctitie as shall be meet and fit for me This is properly the faith of a Christian which herein goeth beyond the faith of all others the devils doe beleeve that the holy Ghost is God and that hee is a Person that hath reall subsistence and that he is a distinct Person from the Father and the Sonne and they doe beleeve that the holy Ghost is the causer of holinesse in all the faithfull people of God but they doe not beleeve that he will worke holinesse in them But here is the faith of a Christian to appropriate the holy Ghost to himselfe so they have not faith onely
in God the Father and in Iesus Christ their Redeemer but also in the holy Ghost and are perswaded he will worke grace in them and give them such a measure of holinesse as shall be meet for them here is properly the faith of a Christian which goeth beyond the faith of the wicked for they beleeve they have their sinnes but they doe not beleeve that the holy Ghost will weaken them or subdue and abolish their corruptions when as the people of God have their sinnes also and their great sinnes too but yet they beleeve that the holy Ghost will weaken subdue and abolish their strong corruptions for what is it to beleeve that there is a holy Ghost and be never a whit the better the people of God doe beleeve though they have their sinnes yet they shall have grace from God to subdue them for this is the promise of God to them Ezek. 36. 25. Then will I powre cleane water upon you and ye shall be cleane yea from all your filthinesse and from all your Idols will I cleanse you So Ephes 9. 26. the reason is given The hee might sanctifie it and cleanse it by the washing of water through the Word here is Gods promise that he will cleanse and wash his people from their sinnes and where there is a promise of God there is the faith of a Christian to apprehend it so then it is the faith of a Christian to beleeve God will wash away our sinnes and cleanse us from them but the divinity of the world is quite contrary for they beleeve God made them and the mercy of the Sonne in their redemption but they doe not beleeve that the holy Ghost will worke holinesse in them it is said There be three that beare record in heaven the Father the Word and the holy Ghost and these three are One and therefore as we have the witnesse of the Father and of the Sonne so we must have the witnesse of the holy Ghost therefore as we feele the power of God the Father in our creation and the mercy of God the Sonne in our redemption so also wee must labour to feele the grace and power of the holy Ghost in sanctifying and quickning of us to all duties for herein the faith of a Christian goeth beyond both devils and wicked men Now here is a very profitable point of enquiry to be made How doth the holy Ghost worke holinesse in us as Mary said Luke 1. 34. to the Angell when he told her that she should conceive and beare a Sonne How shall this be seeing I know 〈◊〉 â—an Shee doubted not of the matter but of the manner so a Christian doubts not of the matter but of the manner of this sanctifying therefore wee may with holy reverence say to God How shall this be seeing I am a sinfull man For answere hereunto the Scripture declares by six meanes the operation of the Holy Ghost in us The first is by reprooving us of our want of holinesse shewing us the impuritie of our nature and that we have not a drop of holinesse in our selves It checkes us for our sinnes and reprooves us for them untill wee feele this wee can have no comfort that the Holy Ghost hath wrought holinesse in us as Iohn 16. 8. Christ shewes when the Spirit of God is come into the world hee shall reproove the world of sinne so if the Holy Ghost bee come once into a mans hart hee will shew him the impuritie thereof check and controule him for his sinnes we see if a man come into a house in the darke nothing shewes amisse but if the light shine in then wee may see all the sluttish corners of it so as long as a man is in darknesse all seemes well with him but if once the light shine in then all the slutrish corners of his heart will bee discovered This is the first work that the Holy Ghost workes in us to reproove us of our sinnes and our want of holinesse as if a man bee sick of a dead palsie the way to recover him is by hot oyles and bathes when if once a man come to feele the stiffenesse of his joynts there is hope that he will recover so it is in the worke of grace if a man see his own weaknes and wants how uncheerefull hee is in prayer and in Christ and duities that hee cannot repent though hee desires to repent that hee cannot beleeve as hee doth desire to beleeve there is comfortable hope hee shall recover and that there is a seed of grace in him But if the Spirit of God doth not reproove a man of his sinnes so as to see the impuritie of his nature and want of holinesse hee may feare that there is not the beginnings of grace Secondly by inlightning of us for naturally we are all blinde and ignorant of the wayes of God therefore when the Holy Ghost commeth into us hee makes us see what is pleasing to God and what is displeasing what is right and what is wrong as 2 Cor. 4. wee may see that the Iewes had a veyle hung over their hearts in the reading of the Law that they could not understand and see heaven and happinesse Now the holy Ghost takes away this veyle openeth our understandings and makes us to see know the good way that wee are to walke in So then the Holy Ghost doth inlighten us as 1 Iohn 2. 27. saith hee but the annointing which yee have received of him abideth in you and you need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things c. We see Genes 1. when God made the world one of the first things hee made was light so when the Holy Ghost commeth into a mans hart one of the first things that he doth is he inlightneth him it is observed when a good Tenant commeth into a house hee will make windowes into the same if need bee that hee may have good light to see how to doe his businesse by such a Tenant the holy Ghost is that when hee is come into a mans hart hee will make windowes and let in light that so the man may not doe things in darknesse but by the light of Gods words giving them heavenly knowledge Thirdly by uniting us to Christ because Christ is the fountaine of all holinesse as Paul saith Colos 1. 19. for it pleased the Father that in him should all fullnesse dwell Christ is the store house and the treasury-house of all riches to his Church and the Holy Ghost will never leave a Christian till hee hath brought him to the fountaine of grace if a man dig a trench hee will never leave till hee gets to the fountaine that it may flow into it and fill it with water so the Holy Ghost will worke us till he bring us to Christ which is the fountaine and then hee will convey into us spirituall
to have good seeds so if a man would have the H. Ghost hee must get the seed called by S. Peter the immortall seed of the word by the which wee are begotten againe It is a good thing to attend unto the word for howsoever wee doe not feele that which we doe desire yet let us heare it still and in due time wee shall have that which wee desire as Iohn 5. wee see the lame man lay by the Poole of Bethesda a long time when one or other did still intercept him and yet because he tarried still Christ came at length and did heale him so although we cannot finde the blessing of God upon us as wee doe desire to day yet let us come the next day If wee cannot finde it then yet let us not give over and at last wee shall feele the blessing of God upon us as wee doe desire Secondly by Prayer for if wee pray to God hee will give us the Holy Ghost as it is Luk. 11. 13. If you that are evill can give good gifts unto your Children how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Ghost to them that aske it a man may sow seed in his field and it may perish the wormes may eate it and the birds devoure it or it may rot in the ground but prayer is seede sowne in the eares of God nay it goeth deeper it is sowne in the heart of God And therefore although our seede perish that is sowen in the field yet our prayer shall not perish because it is sowne in the hart of God Saith David All any teares are in thy botle are they not in thy Register Thirdly by repentance and reconciliation with God as Ioel 2 Rent your hearts and not your garments and turne unto the Lord and weepe betweene the porch and the Atar And then saith the Lord I will powre out my Spirit upon you So that these bee the three meanes whereby wee may come by the Holy Ghost The second question is In what measure the Holy Ghost is given The answere whereto wee will lay downe in foure Conclusions First that God giveth but a portion of the Spirit in regard of efficacy and operation to his servants in this life indeed the holy Spirit dwels in us because the Holy Ghost is God and therefore hee is undividable and cannot bee divided into parts but in regard of the efficacy operation or working of the Spirit hee giveth but a portion So no man living hath all the gifts and graces of the Spirit because God giveth but a portion of the Spirit and a measure of it according as hee sees fit and meete So 1 Cor. 12. 8. S. Paul saith That to one is given the Spirit of wisedome to another the Spirit of knowledge to another faith to another the gift of healing and all these things worketh the selfe same Spirit distributing to every man as hee willeth and so againe Ephes 4. 7. saith hee but unto us is grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ and 1 Cor. 13. 9. saith hee for wee know in part and prophecie in part and a little after for now wee see through a glasse darkly but then face to face now I know in part c. So the Doctrine is plaine that God giveth but a portion of the Spirit in this life according as hee sees fittest for man But let us come to the uses which follow First seeing that God giveth but a portion of the spirit in this life a man may have the spirit bee a true Christian and yet want many of the gifts and graces that another hath thou seest another man hath the gift of knowledge of wisedome memory or the gift of utterance be not perplexed at it looke that thou have the maine that thou have the Spirit of God to mortifie thy lusts and sins and to quicken the to newnesse of life then all is wel with thee though thou have not al the graces of the Spirit yet thou may'st be a true Christian so S. Paul sheweth by a comparison taken from the members of our bodies Shall the foot say unto the body I am not of the body because I cannot gather and draw things to mee as the hand doth or shall the eare say because I cannot see my danger before it commeth neere me as the eye can therefore I am not of the body if all were handling where were going and if all were seeing where were hearing so that every member hath a severall gift Wilt thou say because thou hast not the great gifts which another man hath thou art no member of Christ or thou hast not the Spirit of God we see that every member hath a severall gift Augustine saith in his tract upon Iohn Peter cast out devils thou hast the same and yet thou canst not cast out any for all this thou art a member of the same body Peter was an eye and thou art a little toe or a little finger in the body of Christ better it is for a man to bee a toe or a little finger in the body of Christ or a little bone than to have all the excellent gifts of nature and perish therefore though a man have not those excellent gifts and graces that others have yet labour to have the maine labour to feele the Spirit of God to mortifie thy lusts and then thou may'st bee a true Christian notwithstanding all thy weakenesses Secondly seeing we have but a portion of the Spirit therefore there will be a tang and a tast of the flesh as long as we live here in this world if there were fulnesse of Spirit in us then it would change all into Spirit as fire changeth all into the nature of fire so if wee had fulnesse of Spirit it would change all into Spirit but because wee have but a portion of the Spirit therefore there will bee a tang and taste of the flesh howsoever the Spirit workes on the flesh for the wasting consuming and weakening of it yet a man shall feele the power of sinne bustling and vexing him while he lives whereof all the holy men have complained as Rom. 7. 21. Paul saith hee findes by the Law that when hee would doe good evill is present with him and againe Gal. 5. 17. he saith The spirit lusteth against the flesh and the flesh agaist the spirit and these are contrary me to the other so that yee cannot doe the same things that yee would hence it is manifest wee have but a portion of the Spirit in this life and there will be still a tang and a taste of the old man in us If a man put wine into a glasse then there will be a taste of nothing but wine but if hee put water into it howsoever it may change the colour of the water yet there will be a tang and a tast of the water even so if wee were all
know he hath the Spirit The first worke is That hee would not grieve God for a world hee hates sinne he cannot abide it hee would not sweare nor lie nor prophane the Sabboth nor commit any sinne willingly in this case he may assure himselfe he hath the Spirit of God in him Secondly that although hee falls into some sinne yet hee holds his care and love to all other holy duties as David did in that foule sinne of adultery when he had fallen into it yet hee came to the Temple did hold himselfe to performe holy duties still Thirdly to hold our love to God and to Gods people when he loves a Christian as a Christian saith S. Iohn hereby we know that we are translated from death to life because wee love the brethren First the Vse of this is that seeing in the falls of the Godly there is alwayes a roote left therefore wee should labour to nourish and to hold this roote that is to nourish these good desires the love of goodnesse and the hatred of sinne If a man hath a good plant in his Garden if bad fellowes come and cut downe the boughes and branches what will he doe he will goe and digge about the roote dung it and labor to preserve and nourish it so when there is a plant of goodnesse in a Christian if the Divell come and cut downe the boughes and branches neverthelesse we must labour to nourish the roote by the Use of good meanes Secondly seeing there is a roote left in all the falls of the godly therefore wee must bee thankefull to God when wee have a desire to please him in all our courses Thirdly seeing there is a roote of grace left in all the falls of the godly Therefore if we cannot finde these workings of the Spirit nor the desires in us but perceive our selves to be dead hearted it is a shrewd signe that there is no roote of grace yet I say not but that God may in time and in the use of meanes worke grace in such a heart but for the present I can give such a disposition no incouragement of that estate till God worke more in them SERMON LVII IOHN 14. 26. But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name hee shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you HAving spoken of the meanes whereby a man may know by infallible arguments that the holy Ghost is in him in the next place we are to speake what good and benefit wee have by the Holy Ghost for when we know the great good that comes by the Holy Ghost it will make us to prise it when wee have it and to seeke for it when we want it Therefore it shall not be amisse to see what this great good and benefit is that we have by the holy Ghost The Prophet David Psal 51. 11. prayes Lord take not thy Holy Spirit from me though thou take away my peace my Children my crowne and kingdome and other blessings yet Lord take not thy Spirit from me David knew the Spirit of God was a greater blessing than Peace Children Crowne Kingdome than all other blessings and benefits whatsoever It is true indeede that the benefits of the Holy Ghost are unspeakeable that no man can see them in the full latitude and extention because God is infinite yet wee may see some of them A man who comes to the Sea stands and lookes on it hee joyes to see it though hee cannot see the length nor the breadth of it so although a man cannot comprife the number of them yet it is a comfort to see some of them Now there are sixe speciall benefits that we have by the Holy Ghost The first worke is to shew us our wretched and miserable estate that wee stand in till we be brought home to Christ for no sooner are wee beginning to enter into an estate of grace but presently there is kept a marvellous stirre which troubles and disquiets us as long as the strong man holds possession Luk. 1. 21. Because the Spirit of God once come into us shewes us our sinnes and the wrath of God against them and that Hell is ready for us and then our thoughts cannot chuse but bee exceedingly troubled and we are so amazed as wee know not how to turne us Thus we see Paul was Act. 9. three dayes together he eate no meate but prayed in heavinesse and sorrow as Ezechiel 37. before life came into the dead bones there was a noyse a ratling shaking and trembling amongst them so before the Lord puts spirituall life into us there is as it were a noyse and a trembling and a shaking for sinne This is the worst wee shall feele from the Holy Ghost which is harsh to the flesh but comfortable to the Spirit because it is as an holy vomit that the Lord gives us to purge out our sins and corruptions which though bitter in taste at first is comfortable and giving ease at the latter end So Matth. 5. Christ saith Blessed are ye that mourne for ye shall be comforted and Psal 126. They which sow in teares shall reape in joy So that there is no teares more blessed and happy than those that are shed out for sinne Therefore in the harshest worke of the Spirit there is comfort as Matth. 1. Ioseph was sore perplexed about Mary and he thought to put her away secretly till the Angell came to him and said Feare not Ioseph to take Mary to be thy Wife for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost So when a christian is perplexed and troubled with his sinnes let him not be afraid for it is from the Holy Ghost So Gen. 25. 21. when Rebecca had conceived the Children dashed in her wombe that is they strove together Why am I thus saith shee and thereupon asked the Lord who said unto her Two Nations are in thy Wombe of whom the one shall be mightier than the other and the elder shall serve the yonger So when a Christian shall feele a striving in him let him be of good comfort there are two within him the spirit and the flesh the elder shall serve the younger the flesh shall bee but a slave to the spirit So then in the harshest worke of the spirit there is comfort and if there bee comfort in the troublesomest worke what comfort is there in the rest of the benefits The second benefit is Illumination to teach us the whole will of God as shall bee needfull for our salvation and so Christ saith in this place But the comforter which is the holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance which I have told you and Iohn 6. 45. saith he they shall all be taught of God so also 1 Ioh. 2.
the Apostle saith All things shall worke to the good of them that love God There be many things that seeme to goe against Christians all which yet the Lord turnes to their good the Philistians could not resolve Sampsons riddle but every Christian can as honey came out of the dead body of the Lion so a Christian drawes sweetnesse from the dead body of Christ even in trouble and affliction by perswading of us that God will turne all to our good Thirdly the holy Ghost doth comfort us by perswading of us that God will set an end to all our troubles as it is said Psal 102. That God will arise and have mercy on Sion for the time to have mercy thereon is come even the appointed time is come so also Psal 62. 2. saith he yet hee is my strength and my salvation and my defenceâ— therefore I shall not much be moved Now three wayes the Holy Ghost giveth us comfort in affliction First by perswading us that God will take it away Secondly that if he doth not take it away he will mitigate and asswage it as Psal 18. David saith by my God I have leaped over a wall although God did not take away the wall or though hee doth not make the wall lower yet by the helpe of God I can leape over the wall Thirdly that though he doth not mitigate or asswage it that yet he will give us patience to beare and undergoe it as it is in the Psalme I cried unto the Lord and the Lord heard me and hath renewed my strength therefore we may say with Saint Paul Thankes bee to God who hath comforted us in all our tribulations The second time is In the distresse of Conscience of all distresse there is none like it as Salomon saith Proverb 18. 14. The spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmities but a wounded Spirit who can beare Now it is the Holy Ghost that doth comfort a man in this distresse First By perswading us that we are the Children of God Rom. 8. Saint Paul saith The same spirit beareth witnesse with our spirit that wee are the Children of GOD whereupon Chrysostome saith if GOD should send an Angell or an Archangell and should tell thee that thou art beloved of GOD and that thou art his Childe would not this comfort thee in this distresse of conscience but God hath not sent an Angell or an Archangell onely to perswade thee that thou art the childe of God but hee hath sent his Spirit into thy heart to beare witnesse unto thy spirit that thou art the Childe of God Secondly by perswading us that there is a seede of grace in our hearts as 1 Iohn 3. 9. Whosoever is borne of God sinneth not because his seed remaineth in him and Iohn 8. Christ saith He that beleeveth in mee out of his belly shall flow Rivers of living water therefore seeing there is a seede of grace remaining in all the faithfull though they goe astray and wander yet they doe as the sheepe cry unto the shepheard and are not at rest till they be brought home to God So we see David did in the Psal 119. saith he I have gone astray like a lost sheepe Lord seeke thy servant for I have not forgot thy Commandements The third speciall time is at the day of death when all comforts faile us then the holy Ghost comforts us by perswading us that God is our Father and that we are going home to him and are at peace with him Thus Iohn 17. 11. Christ saith I come to thee holy Father keepe them in thy Name even these which thou hast given me And 2 Pet. 3. 12. saith he Looking for and hasting unto the comming of the day of God So it should be comfort to a Christian that by death he is going home to God and that he cannot bee at rest till he come there Secondly The Holy Ghost doth comfort us by perswading that Heaven is opened for us and that the Angels are ready to receive us and that the ending of this life is the beginning of a better We read Gen. 26. 6. when Iaakob was going to Padan Aram he laid him downe to sleepe upon a stone where he saw a vision a ladder reared up that reacht to Heaven the Angels ascending and descending thereupon and Christ ready to receive them at the head of the ladder So Acts 7. Stephan at the time of death saw Heaven opened and Christ standing at the right hand of God ready to receive him such comfortable visions shall the people of God have at the time of death at least such comforts as shall be fit to comfort them in this Thirdly By perswading us that although our bodies rot and consume yet one day they shall rise againe to glory and happinesse so Iob saith I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand the last on the Earth and though after my skin worms destroy my body yet shall I see God with my eyes and Iohn 11. 23. Iesus saith to Mortha thy brother shall rise againe to whom Martha replies I know he shall rise in the resurrection at the last day Therefore howsoever our bodies rot and consume in the Grave yet one day they shall rise to glory and happinesse It is a good meditation of a learned man at the time of death and of thy departure thinke of all the good doctrines that have beene taught thee of good Preachers to comfort thy selfe with them remember that Iesus Christ is the Lambe of God that was crucified and killed for thy sinnes and is ready to receive thee who tooke order in his last Will and Testament for thee as Iohn 17. Father saith he I will that where I am there they be also and to the theefe on the Crosse This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise So rest thy selfe in this hope and goe thy way to thy Christ goe home to Abraham Isaak and Iaakob and to all the holy men departed and such as are behinde shall follow after where we shall all meete together to behold God in glory and sing praises to him world without end So this comfort that we have by the Holy Ghost will stand by us when all comfort will faile The sixth benefit we have by the Holy Ghost is abilitie and power to performe any speciall calling for there is no man that can performe any speciall calling till the holy Ghost hath enabled him as 1 Sam. 10. it is said The Spirit of God came upon Saul and made him fit for governement and Acts 2. the Spirit of God came downe upon the Apostles and made them fit to preach to all Nations so Exod. 38. 2. it is said of Bezaleel that He was filled with the Spirit of God in wisedome understanding knowledge and in all workemanship to finde out curious workes in gold silver and in brasse So there is no
these be two things whereon the faith of a Christian turnes concerning our faith in God wee beleeve that there is one God in substance and yet three distinct persons the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost The Father who created us by his Power the Son who redeemed us by his blood and the holy Ghost who is the inlightner and sanctifier of all the faithfull therefore after our faith in God Christian faith informs us to beleeve there is a Church of God because it is a rich store-house of all his grace and goodnesse and his true Temple as Saint Paul saith 1 Cor. 9. 10. Know ye not that your bodie is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you c Augustine saith well the right order of beleeving is first to beleeve in the blessed Trinitie and then in the true Church first to the Maker and then to the House first to the Builder and then to the Citie So our faith must be first in God and then by and by turne to the Church of God Now herein are two things to be observed 1. Vnder what forme we must beleeve 2. What it is we must beleeve First under what forme wee must beleeve The Papists say wee must beleeve in the Church and the Romish Testament is for it upon 1 Tim. 3. and Bellarmine is not farre behinde he saith after a sort and after a certaine kinde we are to beleeve in the Church sundry Divines are contrary to this and they say that a Christian is to beleeve in none but God not in Angell nor Archangell nor in any creature but in God as Iohn 14. Christ saith Yee beleeve in God beleeve also in me marke the ground why we must beleeve in Christ because he is God so 1 Pet. 1. 21. saith the Apostle Which by his meanes doe beleeve in God that raised him from the dead and gave him glory that your Faith and hope might be in him not in the Church in Angell or Archangell but in God onely And an ancient father saith we beleeve there is an holy Church but wee doe not beleeve in the Holy Church wee must beleeve in none but God and the reason is because the Church is not God but the house of God Eusebius saith wee must beleeve Paul and Peter but wee must not beleeve in Paul nor in Peter the reason is because it is a transferring of the honour that is due to God to the creature and Chrysostome saith it is one thing to beleeve a Party and it is another thing to beleeve in a partie but it is proper to the divinity to bee beleeved in Hence wee see the light is so cleere in this point as no man neede doubt of it and Thomas Aquinas one of their owne Doctors saith it is better for a man to beleeve there is a Church than for a man to beleeve in the Church wherein hee grounded himselfe on Pope Leo in whose power the Church was to rest themselves Since that time they have refused this and say that a man must beleeve in the Church affirming that there bee three ancient fathers Saint Ierome Epiphanius and Cyrill that takes it in the same sense as they doe As for one of these which is Saint Ierome there was a chiefe bishop of Rome that brings his argument for us and inferres that this particle in is to bee remooved because in his best workes we doe not so read it Now for the two other their credit is the lesse because Arrius was the first that brought it into his Creed and Cyrill followes him as for Epiphanius though at first he might be carried with the streame of the times yet afterwards hee was overswayed by a number of ancient fathers at Alexandria who expound and take it as we doe Therefore it is out of question and without controulment that wee are not to beleeve in the Church but the right forme of beleeving is to beleeve that God hath a Church a holy people a holy company that he will blesse and save eternally Secondly what it is we must beleeve there are three speciall things we must beleeve 1. We beleeve that God hath a Church 2. We beleeve it is a holy Church 3. Wee beleeve it is an universall or Catholicke that it was from the beginning it hath beene in all ages and it is all the World over First that God hath a Church People and Family here in this world his number of saved ones as I may say though we cannot see nor designe them out Paul tells us Heb. 11. 1. that Faith is the evidence of things that are not seene therefore though we doe not alwayes see the Church of God yet by Faith we must beleeve that God hath his people family and his number of saved ones for the same Saint Paul shewes us in the generall apostacie of the Iewes Rom. 11. That there is a seede and a little remnant left this he resolves us of from an Oracle of God that there were seven thousand left thou had not bowed their knees to Baal which were hid and secret therefore though wee cannot see or designe them out yee wee must beleeve that God hath his Church and company of holy people and his number of saved ones The Vs es are first to answere to a demand that the papists make Where was your Churches before Luthers time I answer I beleeve the Church of God hath beene in all ages and from the beginning and shall continue to the end of the World therefore although wee cannot see nor designe it out yet we beleeve there is a Church of God as Gen. 1. the Lord made two great lights the one to rule the day and the other to rule the night Now although wee cannot alwayes see these lights because there is some clouds that doe cover them or some thicke mist yet faith doth assure us that those lights be still so it is with the Church of God though it be not patent and visible at all times yet Faith doth assure us that there is a Church of God still Secondly seeing that God hath his Church in all ages and his number of saved people Therefore every man must labour to bee one of that number for though God hath his Church and number of saved ones if we doe not appertaine to this Church and be of this number what are wee the better We see when Noah made his Arke all that did not get into it did perish in the waters so though God hath his Church and number of saved ones yet if wee doe not labour to bee of his Church and people we must perish Now for the better clearing of this point wee will shew 1. What the Nature of the Church of God is 2. What be the divers parts of it 3. The diverse estates of the Church of God here in this world 4. What be the true markes and notes of the true Church 5.
Simile 1 The invitation Simile 1 Association with Christ Simile 2 Dissociation from the wicked 2 The commendation Simile First the thing assigned Simile Three properties of the Kingdome of heaven 1 A Kingdome prepared of God Excellencies of heaven before all other Kingdomes 1 For limits 2 For time 3 In regard of defects 4 In regard of tranquillitie Quest. Sol. Vse 1. Our estate better than Adams in sixe things 1 2 3 4 5 6 Vse 2. Simile Vse 3. 2 A kingdome prepared for his Elect. Simile Simile 3 It was prepared of old Secondly the title and tenour Simile SERM. L. Simile 4 The reason of the Assignation Object Sol. Workes not the couse of our obtaining heaven Simile Foure Reasons against the merit of workes Reason 1. Object Sol. Reason 2. Object Sol. Reason 3. Reason 4. Object Sol. 1 The judgement shall be according to workes Quest Sol. 2 1 Properties of Faith 2 Quest Sol. Simile 2 All good workes shall be remembred and rewarded Simile Object Sol. Simile 3 The iudgement shall passe according to workes of mercie Quest 1 Sol. Why the Iudgement passes chiefly by works of mercie 1 2 Gods mercie so great that hee had rather abate of his owne service than man want his comfort Simile Simile Simile Object Sol. Simile Simile 4 The Iudgement shall passe according to works of mercie to Christians Simile Simile 1 2 Simile SERM. LI. Simile 1 An Abdication or Eiection They shall be shut out of Heaven Simile Quest. Sol. A two-fold presence of God Simile How far wicked men desire the presence of God Simile 2 They shal be shut out of the earth Simile Vse 1. Simile Vse 2. Simile 2 Punishment or malediction Vse 1. Simile Simile Vse 2. Vse 3. 3 The estate the wicked shall fall into Foure reasons shewing hell fire not to be naturall fire 1 Damas. lib. 4. cap. ult Reason 2. Reason 3. SER. LII Reason 4. Two reasons of the extremity of Hell fire Reason 1. Simile Simile Simile Reason 2. Simile For ever Simile Simile Simile Simile Quest Sol. How it stand with the justice of God to punish sin eternally Vse 1. 2 Vse 1. Simile Simile 2 A sinner compared to Pharaohs Kine Simile Simile 4 They are ranked with the Divell and his Angels Simile Simile Simile Simile Reasons of the wickeds condemnation First sinnes of Omission as well as Commission damnes Secondly small sinnes damne as well as great ones Thirdly small sinnes are great before God Simile Quest. Why neglect of the Poore is so great a sinne Sol. First what Christ shall doe after the last judgement Simile Simile 2 Simile Simile Simile Quest. Sol. SERM. LIII Simile Secondly the end why he shall render up the kingdome How Christ shall be all in all at the day of judgement 1 2 Simile 〈◊〉 VIII Two reasons whereby to rule our â—aith Reason 1. The devâ—ll the Author of â—ivision Reason 2. 1 That the Holy Ghost is God Proved first by Scriptures Foure Reasons to prove the Holy Ghost to be God Reason 1. Object Sol. Reason 2. 1 2 3 Reason 3. Reason 4. Vse 1. Simile All sinne is a griefe to God Simile Simile Vse 2. How man destroyes the Temple of God 1 2 Simile 1 The Holy Ghost is not a quality or motion in God Sinne against the Holy Ghost 2 He is a distinct Person from the Father and the Sonne Vse 3 That the Holy Ghost is not onely holy in himselfe but causer of it in others Vse 1. Simile SER. LIV. Vse 2. Simile Fourthly the Holy Ghost will make me holy 1 Iohn 5. 7. Quest. How the Holy Ghost workes holinesse in us Sol. 1 By convincing us of our impuritie Simile Simile 2 By inlightning us Simile Simile 3 By uniting us to Christ Simile 4 By mortifying our sinnes Simile 5 By renewing us Simile 6 By stirring up holy motions in us Simile Quest. Sol. The Holy Ghost is really and actually in us Simile 1 How to come by the Holy Ghost 1 A removall of the false meanes Simile 3 Meanes to come by the Holy Ghost 1 Simile Simile 2 Meanes Simile 3 Meanes 1 Conclusion 1 Cor. 12. 8. Vse 1. 1 Cor. 12. Simile Vse 2. No fulnesse of Spirit in this life Simile Simile Simile The second conclusion ART VIII Simile Quest The least measure of saving grace what Ans. 1. It stands more in desires than actions 2 Simile Vse 1. Vse 2. Vse 3. Simile The third conclusion Simile Simile Object Of such who complaine for want of seeling Ans. 2. The third conclusion Simile Object Of fulnesse of spirit that some had Ans. 1. A fulnesse comparative Secondly there is a fulnesse in working different Thirdly a fulnesse may be in regard to some particular act SER. LV The first Consequent Simile Matth. 27. 34. The second consequent Simile 3 How to know that wee have the Holy Ghost The Papists opinion is contrary First to the Scripture Secondly to Reason Simile Thirdly to their owne Divines Simile 5 False marks of the Holy Ghosts being in us 1 Many good parts of nature prooves it not Simile 2 False marke restraining grace Two defects in restraining grace 1 It doth not kill sinne Simile Simile 2 It doth not refraine from all sinnes 3 False marke some kinde of inlightning Colos 3. 10. Quest. Ans Two defects in knowledge 1 Such knowledge is not of a right kinde Speculative knowledge Practicall knowledge 2 Such make no right use of their knowledge 4 False marke an unsound sorrow and repentance Quest. Ans The defects in repentance 1 Sorrow more for the judgment than the sinne 2 Sorrow not for all sinnes 3 Sorrow not for inward corruption S. Augustines wish 1 2 5 False marke an unsound desire of heaven and glorie The defect of unsound desire of heaven First in a fleeting unconstant desire Secondly such desires are idle and lazie ones Thirdly such desires are not earnest ones 2 The true mark 1 Generally two wayes 1 He makes a great change Simile Simile Simile Simile Secondly hee stirs and moves to holinesse Simile Simile Simile 2 Particularly divers degrees of the Spirit Simile Two things a weake beginner must looke to 1 A right worke of the Spirit in foure things First that there be humbling Simile Secondly desire of reconciliation Simile Thirdly it stirs up to lay hold on the Promises Fourthly a setled walking with God 2 There must be a right orâ—er of the worke Simile Strength of action increases according to the strength of the spirit Simile The worke of the spirit mortifying in three things 1 Simile Simile 3 4 Workes of quickning in a strong Christian 1 2 Simile 3 4 Simile SER. LVI How a strong weakned Christian may know the Holy Ghost is in him Simile Quest 1 Sol. The roote is not gone Simile 4 By desires of grace left 1 To grieve that we cannot griev for sinne 2 Desire of reconciliation 3 A desire to beleeve 4 A desire to pleas God in all things Object Sol. 3 By some
wee beleeve and this Faith is matter of Experience wrought in our hearts by the Spirit of God It is sufficient that that faith which wee doe beleeve is contained in the Scriptures Now whereas they object that we make it a thirteenth Article their fourteenth Apostle adds to these twelve many more articles of faith which he inforceth to be beleeved with the same necessity of faith as these twelve neither hath he onely entred upon Christs prerogative in minting new articles of faith but likewise they have usurped over all Christian Churches by adding Romane to the Catholike Church in the Creed A bold imposture But for speciall faith the maine office of the Holy Spirit is In opening generall Truths to reveale our particular interest in those Truths and to breed special Faith whereby we make them our owne because the Spirit of God reveales the minde of God to every particular Christian for as the things beleeved are truths above nature so the Grace of faith whereby we beleeve is a grace above Nature and created as a supernaturall eye in the Soule to see supernaturall truths Secondly Where sacred truths are truely apprehended there the Spirit workes an impression in the soule sutable to the things beleeved every Article hath a power in it which the Spirit doth imprint upon the Soule The Beleefe of God to be the Father Almighty breeds an impression of dependance reverence and comfort The Beleefe and knowledge of Christ crucified is a crucifying knowledge The true knowledge and faith in Christ rising is a raising knowledge the knowledge of the Abasement of Christ is an abasing knowledge because faith sees it selfe one with Christ in both states We cannot truly beleeve what Christ hath wrought for us but at the same time the Spirit of Christ worketh something in us Thirdly it is convenient for the giving of due honour to every person to consider of the worke appropriated to every one all come from the Father all are exactly performed by the Son in our nature for the Redemption of those that the Father hath given Him The Gathering out of the world of that blessed society which we call the Church into an holy Communion and the Sanctifying of it and Sealing unto it all the priviledges believed as Forgivenesse of sinnes Resurrection of the body and Life everlasting c. proceed from the Holy Ghost Fourthly it hath pleased the great God to enter into a Treaty and covenant of agreement with us his poore creatures the articles of which agreement are here comprized God for his part undertakes to convey all that concernes our happinesse upon our receiving of them by beleeving on him Every one in particular that recites these articles from a spirit of faith makes good this condition and this is that answer of a good conscience which Peter speakes of whereby being demanded what our faith is every one in particular answeres to every Article I beleeve I not onely understand and conceive it but assent unto it in my judgement as true and consent to it in my will as good and build my comfort upon it as good too me this act of Beleefe carries the whole soule with it Fifthly though it is wee that answer yet the power by which wee answer is no lesse than that whereby God created the world and raised Christ from the dead The answer is ours but the power and strength is Gods whereby wee answere who performes both his part and ours too in the covenant It is a higher matter to beleeve than the common sort thinke it For this answer of Faith to these truths as it is caused by the power of Gods Spirit so is it powerfull to answer all temptations of Satan all seducements of the world all terrours of conscience from the wrath of God and the curse of the Law it setteth the soule as upon a rocke above all Sixthly these Articles are a touchstone at hand to try all opinions by for crooked things are discernded by bringing them to the rule what directly or by immediate and neere consequence opposeth these is to bee rejected as contrary to the platforme of wholesome doctrine That one monster of opinions of the bread turned into the body of Christ by transubstantiation overthrowes at once foure Articles of the Creed The incarnation of Christ Ascension Sitting at the Right hand of God and comming to judgment for if Christs body be so often made of a peece of bread being in so many places at once here upon earth how can all these Articles be true Againe seventhly these grounds of Faith have likewise a speciall influence in direction and incouragement unto all Christian duties A holy life is but the infusion of holy truths Augustine saith well non bene vivitur ubi bene de Deo non creditur men of an ill beleefe cannot be of a good life wherupon the Apostles method is to build their exhortations to Christian duties upon the grounds of Christian Faith But we must remember that as faith yeelds a good life and conscience so a conscience is the vessell to preserve the Doctrine of Faith else a shipwracke of faith will follow If there bee a delighting in unrighteousnesse there will not be a love of the truth and if we love not the truth then there will be a preparednesse to beleeve any lye and that by Goâ— just judgement 2 Thes 2. 12. Eighthly as these fundamentall truths yeeld strength to the whole frame of a Christian life So they are so many springs and wels of consolation for Gods people to draw-from whereupon that good Prince George Anhalt whom Luthers time became a Preacher of the Gospell intending to comfort his brother Prince Iohn raiseth his comfort from the last three Articles Remission of sinnes Resurrection of the body and Life Everlasting which as they have their strength from the former Articles are able to raise any drooping spirit and therefore in the greatest agonies it is the readiest way to suck comfort from these benefits But I omit other things intending onely to say something by way of Preface And thus Good Reader I commend this worke unto thee and both it and thee to Gods blessing Thine in the Lord R. SIBBS AN EXPOSITION OF THE CREED SERMON I. ROM 3. 28. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by Faith without the deeds of the Law AS the Children of Israel having sojourned long enough in Horeb were by Gods speaking to Moses commanded to remove thence and goe further off Deut. 6. So in some sort I may say we having in our ordinarie course gone through divers necessary points of Religion as the Lords Praier Repentance c. must now go on further to speake of the Doctrine of Faith a large and great Field ful of knowledge and exceeding comfort wherefore I shall have so much the more need to be helpâ— on by your prayers as my weaknesse and inhabilitie is unfit for so great
it in all true beleevers The corrupt nature of man is ready to oppose against it so that we shall have much adoe to hold our faith and to keepe it By experience every man may finde this in himselfe that even when temptations cease hee shall have much adoe to holde and keepe his faith therefore in the Revelation it is said Hold fast that which thou hast and let no man take away thy crowne And in Iâ—de Strive for the maintenance of faith once given to the Saints Let a man attend to preaching prayer and the use of good meanes yet hee shall have much adoe to hold his faith but it is an easie matter to hold the faith of the world there is no opposition made against it and therefore it is not the true and saving faith One opposition against true faith is sinne for this alwayes weakens faith in a true beleever so in Psalme 51. Wee see Davids faith was weakened by the reason of his sinnes Cast mee not away from thy presence and so likewise Iob 13. 26. his faith staggered by the meanes of his sinnes saith hee Thou writest bitter things against mee and makest mee to possesse the Iuiquities of my youth But the faith of the world is not weakened by sinne for although they commit never so many sinnes and grievous yet their faith is not weakened but it is as strong as ever it was and as confident in God and therefore this faith is not true faith The sixth point whereby wee may discerne true faith from the faith of the world is by the power of faith for whatsoever they suffer or endure they bee contented with it and labour to quiet themselves with the good will of God This wee see in Iob Though thou killest mee yet will I trust in thee And so the good Theefe Lâ—k 23. We are indeed righteously here for wee receive things worthy of that wee have done so they never murmur nor grudge at it but quiet themselves with the good will of God Now there is no such matter in the faith of the world for let trouble come and they bee at their wits end they have no comfort in God nor in Christ and therefore it is no true faith The Philosophers tell us how wee should know true gold from that which the Alchymists make although it cannot be discerned by the colour touch or by the weight yet take it in extremitie and it will comfort the heart it is cordiall but counterfeit gold will not And even so wee may discerne of true faith from the faith of the world for in extremitie it is cordiall it will comfort the heart The seventh signe whereby wee may discerne true faith from the faith of the world is by the companions of faith and holy traine that doth attend it and they bee five First Ioy unspeakable and glorious that God hath given us faith whereby wee may bee saved and that hee will respect us never was any child so glad of his fathers lands and livings and of that his father did bequeath him as they are glad that God hath bequeathed Christ life and eternall happinesse unto them so wee see Paul Ephes 1. 3. Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ which hath blessed us with all blessings in heavenly things And 1 Peter 1. 3. Blessed bee God even the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us againe unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance immortall undefiled c. The 2. companion in the traine of faith is Holy admiration and admiring and wondering at the kindnesse and mercie of God that hath refused others and chosen us that he hath made of us that were slaves servants of servants sonnes of sonnes heires and heires with his sonne Christ Ioh. 14. As Iudas saith there What is the cause that thou shewest thy selfe to us and not unto the world Even so wee may admire and wonder at the kindnesse and mercie of God why hee should shew himselfe unto us and passe by others that be better than we The third companion in the traine of faith is Exceeding love to God Seeing he hath done so much for us we cannot doe too much for him and therefore we must be ready to do his will in all things that he commandeth The fourth companion in the traine of faith is Forsaking of the world and to lay all downe at the feete of Christ and to be contented that hee should dispose of our health and of our goods and of our lives and to say with David here am I doe as it pleaseth thee dispose of my health and of my goods and of my life I am contented with it The fifth companion in the traine of faith is A desire to have a more neere conjunction with Christ in heaven whereby men are contented to leave all behinde and to goe with him and much more will it bee when wee shall live with him for ever and ever and therefore the Apostle desireth to be with him saying I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ but the faith of the world hath not such companions and such a traine to attend it If a Lady comes to a poore mans house how shall wee know whether shee be there still and see her not wee may know it by her traine and those that attend her although we see her not yet if we see her traine it is certaine she is there still and even so a man may know whether there be faith in his heart or no although he cannot see it if there be the companions and traine of faith then it is certaine that there is faith still Therefore every man should try and examine himselfe by these signes whether hee hath true faith or no that hee may not be deceived for wee all shall die at the time appointed either sooner or later and if wee have it not wee are like to perish for ever for wee must stand before God and the divell and our consciences will bee ready to accuse us for our sinnes and then if wee have not Faith to stand by us and to pull out a bagge of the merits of Christ for us a pardon sealed with his blood we shal surely be condemned at that day The uses are foure seeing true Faith is accompanyed with such a traine and with such companions First to rejoyce in God Secondly to admire at the mercy of God Thirdly to love God Fourthly to forsake the world Fifthly to desire a more neere conjunction with God Now the Faith of the world hath not this traine nor abundance and therefore let us take heed that wee bee not deceived with a false Faith instead of the true Faith If a man were to passe into another countrey and hee should put his whole estate into a ship even all that ever hee hath if hee should
and he had thought to have tarried there till this came into his thought this is not the holy land nor the holy city and so he departed thence then he came to another city where he saw goodly houses fine women good cheere where he thought to have tarried but he remembred this was not the holy land nor holy city so a Christian must doe when hee comes at the pleasures and profits of this life his heart must not bee intangled with them but this must come into his minde that this is not the holy land nor the holy citie that we looke for The second respect is to please the Lord of the countrey especially and the Lord of the soile that he is to passe through that so he may be at peace so it must be our care to please the Lord of the soile and countrey that wee passe through and seeing God is the Lord of the Earth it must bee our care to please him that so wee may with peace passe through this earth to heaven lest we be arrested and stayed in our journey The third respect is that a Pilgrime is ever hasting what company soever he comes in he is still gathering home whatsoever hee doth his minde is of home so we should be like Pilgrimes in this respect that what company soever we come into or whatsoever we doe our minde should still be gathering home as in the Philip. 1. 23. the Apostle Paul desireth to be dissolved and to be with Christ Iob 14. 14. saith All the daies of my appointed time I will waite till my change shall be The fourth respect is that a Pilgrime hath no care but this one to have so much foode as may serve him in his journey till he come at home that so he doe not starve so seeing we are strangers and Pilgrimes here in this world this must teach us to be carefull to get so much food knowledge faith as may serve us till we come at home be brought to heaven and happinesse there is much talke of faith and many thinke that they have it but when God shall bring us downe to the waters as Gideon did his men we shall finde but a few to have true faith if wee try our selves by these effects SERMON IIII. IOH. 14. 1. Ye beleeve in God beleeve also in me WE see in nature that rivers runne till at length they run into the Sea Even so wee have runne upon many points of Faith till now wee are come into an Ocean Sea of Faith The great Object thereof God in Trinitie of Persons considered We have spoken of the of Faith 1. Vtilitie 2. Kindes 3. Nature 4. Degrees 5. Effects And now lastly we come to the 6. Extention and Object of it The Object of Faith in the largest measure is to beleeve the whole Word of God and not to deny any point of it But the Object of saving faith and of our holy Religion is comprised in the Articles of our Creede The summe whereof is first to beleeve in God distinguished into three Persons Father Sonne and Holy Ghost and that this God hath gathered a Church or a Company of people out of this world on whom he will bestow his graces here in this world and glory in the life to come this is the summe of the faith that wee are justified and saved by And if any deny but one Article of this faith he doth as it were rase the foundation deny the Faith and destroy it in a house a man may pluck downe a sparre or pluck a lath off and the house may stand but if they take away a maine pillar or rase downe the foundation the house will fall so it is in faith a man may deny some points of Faith which be not the foundations of Religion but if he doe denie any of these articles that are comprised in the Creed any that are the grounds he denies all as it is said of some that they destroyed and denied the faith when indeed they denied but one point of it The first point is To beleeve in God Now God is to bee considered two wayes 1. Absolute in himselfe 2. By Relation to us Five things we are to beleeve concerning God as he is absolute in himselfe 1. That there is a God 2. That there is but one God 3. The true God 4. Our God 5. That we shall be the better for him And therefore wee put our selves our soules and bodies and them that appertaine unto us our trust and confidence in him First wee beleeve that there is a God for although wee doe not see him or feele him yet wee beleeve it through the light of nature and the light of the spirit This is the foundation of all Religion which foundation if it bee once laid that there is a God then the heart of man will bee ready to beginne and to looke after Relgion and I doe not doubt but that if a man come once to this to beleeve there is God then it is an easie matter to bring him to this that this God must bee served feared and honoured I doe not insist in this because I doubt or thinke that any doubt of this whether there bee any God or no but because there be some remaines and remnants of blindnesse and ignorance in us the divell also having his temptations but I doe in this as men that have planted young trees they shake the trees and tread the moulds downe to settle the tree so I doe as it were tread downe the moulds and settle the tree even you the more in this point that there is a God Which we may prove by these five things 1. By the workes of God 2. By the place where he is 3. By the nature of the Creatures 4. By our conscience 5. By our experience First by the works of God Rom. 1. For the invisible things of him his eternal power and Godhead are seene by the creation of the world so the workes of God declare there is a God Now the workes of God are of two sorts 1. The workes of Creation 2. The workes of Government First the workes of Creation shew there is a God the Creatures could not make it the birds and beasts could not nor man could not for then the part should make the whole nor it made not it selfe but it was God that made it If a man should come into a strange Countrey and see a number of goodly houses and yet see no man there he would not say that the birds and beasts built them but he would thinke that it was some greater power that of men that built it so when wee see this goodly frame of heaven and earth shall we say that the birds and beasts did make it or man Nay it was some greater power even that of God Origen saith that if we should aske the Creatures who made them they if they could speake would tell us that God
an Atheist is the most wicked creature that is because hee takes away God from us By the law of the land if a man bee condemned by twelve men hee must die the death but worthily may hee die that is not onely condemned of twelve men but of twelve thousand creatures If a man doubt there is a God let him step but one step out of this life and hee shall feele there is a God Chrysostome saith if thou doest not beleeve there is a God what doest thou O man in the house of God saith hee pay thine hire and get thee out of his house tread not on his ground feede not of his creatures but get thee another place Secondly seeing there is a God why doe a number of men live as if there were no God at all men cry out of the Atheists that say there is no God and thou saist there is a God and yet doest not serve and obey him here is the difference betwixt thee and him thou art an Atheist in practice and hee is an Atheist in judgement so although thou doest acknowledge in judgement there is a God yet in thy practice thou doest deny him The Apostle Paul saith Tit. 1. 16. They professe that they know God but by their workes they deny him being abhominable and disobedient and unto every good worke reprobate Thirdly seeing their is a God it is a sure thing that every man should looke after God and labour to serve and worship him to give him that glory which is due for he is the fountaine of all our comfort It was the condemnation of the world Rom. 1. when men knew there was a God yet did not worship and give him that glory which was due unto him so this is the condemnation of the world still that when men know there is a God they doe not worship him and give him that glory which is due If a man dwell in the Kings house and yet will not come at the kings Leetes to doe him service hee shall bee turned out of the kings house and service so if wee dwell here as in Gods house he being our Land-lord if wee doe not performe our service and duty to him giving him his due it were just with God to turne us out of his house and home Wee see the creatures obey God and doe that they were made for even those that have not that sense reason or knowledge that wee have being guided by the instinct of nature onely whereas wee having knowledge sense and faith doe not obey God and give him that honour that is his due but neglect and despise him from day to day It is a laudable custome among us that before wee beginne the harvest wee beginne in the Temple and that for two causes 1. To acknowledge the Soveraignty of God 2. That wee may shew wee desire to enjoy these blessings but with his love and leave Esai 38. 12. The life of man is compared to a Weavers Warpe which the beame windes up and so is filled which if they doe not fill it is found full of flawes bancks bracks and gaules when it is cut off so our life is the warpe and every day is as the beame to winde up somewhat of the life wee live Wherefore every day wee must bee doing somewhat to fill our warpe lest when wee bee cut off wee should not bee found filled but full of bracks gaules and flawes Now to helpe you this way wee have spent a great deale of time in the doctrine of faith and repentance which bee the fillings of our lives therefore let us not passe a day without renewing of repentance and faith Secondly wee beleeve that there is but one God as it is Deut. 4. 39. Vnderstand therefore and consider in thine heart that the Lord is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath there is none other And 1 Cor. 8. 4. Wee know that an Idoll is nothing in the world and that there is no other God but one So 1 Tim. 2. 5. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and man the man Christ Iesus thus wee see there is but one God The heathen had a number of Gods the Romans had great Gods and little Gods the Grecians had heavenly Gods and earthly Gods Gods for the sea and Gods for the land but wee beleeve there is but one God Athanasius hath a pretty saying an instrument that hath many strings take many men to strike the strings and they have no order consent or sweet harmony betweene but take a man that hath cunning and skill to strike upon the strings then there appeares a sweet order consent and harmony so saith hee this world and the creatures bee as it were an instrument with a number of strings take men to strike upon the strings of the creatures then there is no order nor consent amongst them but let one God strike upon the strings of the creatures and then there is a sweet consent and agreement betweene them Now if a man should say why is there not more Gods than one This were a frivolous question we acknowledge divers persons and but one God in substance essence and power wee read 1 Ioh. 5. 7. There bee three that beare record in heaven the Father the Word and the holy Ghost and these three are one A good Divine doth thus illustrate it water is but one thing in nature and yet hath divers beings as it is in the fountaine as it runnes into the river as it is conveied home to the house in pipes payles or buckets so the three persons are one in nature and essence but it is in the Father as the Fountaine in Christ as the River in the holy Ghost as a pipe or a payle to convey and bring it into our hearts So it is in a diverse manner but all one in essence substance nature and power The uses are first seeing there is but one God wee must take heed wee make not many Gods that wee make not a God of our pleasures of our goods of our bellies or of our sinnes as the Apostle complaines Phil. 3. 19. Whose belly is their God and whose glory is their shame who minde earthly things I but some man may say is there any man so bad to make his pleasure his belly his sinnes and his goods his god I answer it may be proved by these two Evidences First whatsoever he loveth above God that he maketh his god but it is evident that many a man loveth his pleasures more than God or his goods or his belly or his sinnes and therefore hee maketh them his gods If a man should set a Childe betweene two men let them both call the childe and looke which the childe loveth unto him will the childe runne so let a man be set betweene God and his pleasures God and his mony God and his sinnes which now a man runnes unto that he loveth
thankes unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in light Who hath delivered us from the power of darknesse and translated us into the kingdome of his deare Sonne WElbeloved in this Scripture and the like is set downe the ground of the first part of our Christian profession wherein as I told you there be foure points of Faith to be beleeved 1. That there is a distinction of Persons in the Godhead 2. That there is a Divine Person called the Father 3. That he is the Father of Christ of these three we have spoken 4. That he is our Father by the meanes of Christ which now wee are to handle By Faith we are made one with Christ and being one with Him God is our Father by the meanes of him This is comfort to a Christian when hee knowes God is his Father wee reade Iohn 20. 17. when Christ was to depart from his Disciples saith he to Mary Goe tell my brethren that I ascend to my Father and to your Father to my God and your God so Gal. 4. 6. He hath sent the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts whereby ye cry Abba Father This is a great Comfort and Blessing that we may call God our Father boldly which we have by the meanes of Christ all the Angels in heaven could not doe or procure it no not for the poorest or meanest man But Christ hath procured it and by no other meanes but by his death and bloudshed Indeed naturally we may say as Iob that Corruption is our father and the wormes our mother so naturally an earthly man may say Sinfull is our father the divell naturally is our father but yet by Adoption we are the sonnes and daughters of Almighty God the heires of heaven Therefore as it is written in the 1 Pet. 1. 3. Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us againe to a lively hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead to an Inheritance immortall and undefiled c. so also we may say Blessed be God that by the meanes of Iesus Christ is become our father O blessed be God our Father that hee hath begotten us to the hope of heaven Yea there is no man can looke up comfortably to call God Father but by the meanes of Christ The use of this is twofold for Instruction and Comfort First matter of Instruction that seeing God is our Father wee must labour to please to respect and obey him in all our courses and actions And therefore as Christ saith of himselfe that he was not come to doe his owne will but the will of his heavenly Father so we must say Lord I am not come to doe my owne will but to doe the will of my heavenly Father We see in Nature let a childe be betweene his father and a stranger let the stranger bid him to doe any thing and he will not regard it but let his father command him and straightway he will doe it so if God be a stranger unto us then we will not regard or obey him But if he be our Father then we will be ready to obey him in all things that hee commandeth us Ierem. 35. 5. we see it there related that there were pots full of wine and cups set before the Rechabites And I said unto them Drink wine but they said We will drinke no wine for Ionadab the sonne of Rechab our father commanded us saying Ye shall drinke no wine so a Christian man should say when he is tempted to sinne to lye or to sweare to deceive or to commit uncleannesse O I dare not doe it for God my heavenly Father hath forbidden it I dare not sweare or prophane the Sabbath day I dare not deceive commit uncleannesse for God my heavenly Father hath forbidden me and therefore if God be our Father we must respect and obey him It is a great sinne and corruption that men doe professe God to be their Father and yet they will not obey him but doe the quite contrary God hath commanded we should sanctifie the Sabboth but we prophane it that we should love our enemies and wee scant love our friends that we should speake with great reverence of his Name yet we take it in vaine and so of many others the Lord complaines of such Ierem. 3. 14. Didst thou not still cry unto me thou art my Father and the guide of my youth as if he should say Ye call me Father indeed but ye do not use me like a Father ye doe not obey me and walke in my wayes If I be your Father use me like a Father respect me obey me so Esay 1. 2. the Lord saith I have nourished and brought up children but behold rebellious children And therefore seeing we professe God to bee our Father we must obey him and regard him as a Father Secondly seeing God is our Father we must labour to be like him as much as may be for a Childe desires to bee like the Father and therefore seeing we professe to be the Children of God let us labour to be like him in all holinesse and uprightnesse So the Apostle exhorts Eph. 5. 1 2. Be ye therfore followers of God as deare children so 1 Pet. 1. 14. As obedient children not fashioning your selves unto the former lusts of your ignorance But as he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation If we his Children we must be like him in three things First we must be like unto God in doing good unto all men within the compasse of our ability therefore Matth. 5. 45. our Saviour shewes how wee should bee like our heavenly Father Hee maketh the Sunne to shine upon the evill and the good and sendeth raine on the just and unjust so our goodnesse should be extended to all men Secondly we must be like God in forgiving the injuries and wrongs that bee done unto us As Col. 3. 21. Now therefore as the elect of God holy and beloved put on tender mercy kindnesse humblenesse of mind meeknesse long suffering forbearing and forgiving one another If any man have a quarrell to another even as Christ forgave you even so do ye Thirdly we must be like him in holinesse of life As 1 Pet. 1. 17. If yee call him Father which without respect of persons judgeth according to every mans workes passe the time of your dwelling here in feare and bee yee holy for hee is holy Wee see how wicked men imitate the steps of their fathers they will bee like them and therefore it is said of Abia 1 King 15. 3. That hee walked in all the sinnes of his father as hee had done before him So those wicked people Ier. 44. 17. say they Even as our Fathers have done before us so will wee doe Here wee see how ready
these were to follow the waies of their wicked fathers then how ready shold we be therfore to be like our heavenly Father God is mercifull and we be unmercifull ready to forgive us the injuries and wrongs that wee doe to him and wee backeward to forgive the injuries and wrongs that our brethren doe to us hee is holy and wee be unholy and therefore I marvell that we doe not blush to call God Father and yet walke in the steps of the divell God is holy and thou art prophane God is mercifull and thou art cruell This is the second instruction The third is that seeing God is our Father therefore wee must trust in him and rely on him as a Father we must labour to moderate the cares of this life because we have one God to take care for us Matth. 6. 25. our Saviour saith Bee not carefull what yee shall eate or what yee shall drinke nor yet for the body what ye shall put on c. and verse 32. he giveth a reason why wee should take no care for your heavenly Father knoweth that yee have need of all these things and out of his Fatherly care will make a supply of them by such good meanes as hee hath appointed therefore wee must wholy rely and trust on him If wee see a young man eager of the world carking caring scraping and gathering together riches men may say this man hath no Father to provide for him So if wee see men scraping gathering carking and caring for the things of this life surely wee may feare God is not his Father for if he were hee would rest upon him Chrysostome saith if a man were going to a feast would hee take care for meat if one were at a fountaine would hee take care for water God of his Fatherly care will provide a table for us and as a rich fountaine will make a supply of all our wants therefore we have no cause to carke or care for the things of this life let this bee thy comfort that if God bee our Father hee will provide for thee This therefore condemnes the scrapers and misers of this world that care not by what meanes they can get it or by what bad course they have it and therefore they doe not rest on God as a Father It is true indeed there is a provident care to bee had for the things of this life but this same carking and distrustfull care is that which the Scriptures condemne The fourth is that all the chastisements that come upon us we take as from the hand of a loving Father and patiently beare them so wee see Psal 39. 9. I was dumbe and said nothing because it was thy doing So 1 Sam. 3. 18. It is the Lord let him doe what seemeth him good And Luk. 22. 2. Father if thou wilt take away this cup from mee neverthelesse not my will but thy will bee done So every crosse and affliction we should take as a cup tempered and reached out by the hand of a loving Father and therefore wee should patiently beare it Wee see in experience if a stranger beat a child the child will murmur at it but if a Father correct it it will patiently beare that so if God bee a stranger to us then we will murmur at his corrections but if God be our Father then we will patiently beare his loving chastisements The fifth instruction hence is that seeing God is our Father we should bee content to part with any thing wee have to give unto Christ wee read in the story of Samson that when his Father and Mother was going to the wedding he went aside to looke on the carcase of the Lion which hee had killed where hee found a swarme of bees and hony whereof he did eate and gave to his Father and Mother so we should doe going to the heavenly wedding wee should give such good things as wee have seeing we cannot give them to Christs owne person let us give them to his needy members and Christ will accept it as done unto himselfe as Mat. 25. 45. Forsomuch saith he as ye have done it unto one of these little ones ye have done it unto mee Seeing God is our Father therefore all Christians are our brothers and wee should love them for our Fathers sake So Mal. 2. 10. Have wee not all one Father and hath not one God made us why doe wee transgresse every one against his brother and breake the covenant of our God and Father therefore seeing God is the Father of us all we must love them and regard them so Ioh. 8. 42. If God were your Father saith Christ then ye would love me so we may say if God were your Father then ye would love Christians but because yee hate and despise them therefore it is evident that God is not your Father The second thing that was observed was matter of comfort first that seeing God is our Father therefore wee are called to a greater dignity and honour than this world can afford us for it is the greatest preferment in the world to bee called the Sonnes of God and therefore 1 Ioh. 3. 1. hee bringeth it in with an ecce Behold what love the Father hath shewed on us that wee should bee called his Sonnes and therefore David to this purpose saith 1 Sam. 18. 23. Seemeth it a light thing unto you to bee the Sonne in law to a King Now then if it be such a matter to bee Sonne in law to a King what an honour is it to bee Son to the King of Kings to God if wee consider wee bee but dust and sinfull and the children of the divell therefore as David saith 1 Sam. 18. 18. Who am I and what is my life and the familie of my Father in Israel that I should bee Sonne in law to the King So wee may say Lord what am I or what is my Fathers house that this honour should bee put upon me to bee called thy Sonne And therefore whatsoever our estate be here in this world it is a great comfort to us to bee one of the Sonnes of God the greatest dignity that this world can afford I shewed you lately that it is the greatest goodnesse and mercy of God to put honour upon his servants that even Kings are glad of this favour and howsoever men cannot away with such now but despise and contemne them yet one day at the day of judgement or of their death to have honor with the meanest of Gods people they would bee glad if they could have but a looke and therefore it is a greater comfort to be one of Gods sonnes and daughters than to have all this world The second comfort is that seeing God is our Father therefore he will bee a Father to us as 2 Cor. 6. 18. I will bee a Father unto you and not in name but a Father in deed to us hee will performe the duty of a Father there
in danger of drowning and had laboured all night then did Christ come to them in the fourth watch towards morning so still Christ comes when things be at the worst with us It is not a time for Christ to come till Herod bee king till things bee at the worst and when we have little hope as soone as we are touched with Gods hand we would have ease and helpe but Christs time is not till we be past helpe when things bee at the worst as Iohn 2. Christs time was not till all the wine was spent then it was a time for him to shew his power The second particular time set downe Luke 2. was when Augustus Caesar caused the whole world to be taxed which was first to fulfill a prophesie Dan. 2. 44. it was fore-told that God would set up another kingdome in the daies of the Roman kings that should batter breake and destroy all those kings which kingdome should stand for ever therefore howsoever we be subjects of another kingdome and citizens of other cities yet let us labour to bee citizens of this citie and subjects of this kingdome because this shall batter downe all other kingdomes and shall stand for ever The Thiefe on the crosse hee desired to be a subject of this kingdome saying Lord remember mee when thou comest into thy kingdome so let us pray to God to make us subjects of this kingdome since this shall stand when all other kingdomes shall fall Secondly it was to shew that Christ for our sakes came under the taxe and not onely the money taxe but to be taxed in his soule to have the fear full wrath and displeasure of God powred upon him and to die for our sinnes as Esai 53. The chastisements of our peace were upon him As Gen. 22. 6. Abraham tooke the woode of the Asse and laid it on the shoulders of his sonne so we were the Asses that were burthened God was he that tooke it off of us and laid it on the shoulders of his Sonne not only the mony taxe but the taxe of Gods wrath and displeasure And therefore if Christ were taxed for us let us be contented to be taxed for him wee thinke it a great matter to bee taxed in our names or goods yet this is not that by a thousand parts which Christ suffered for us The third thing is the place where Christ was borne in Bethlem so saith the Evangelist It was not in the Royall citie of the kingdome Ierusalem but in a poore towne a place of no great respect neither was hee borne in the bravest house but in an Inne and not in the best roome thereof but in a stable But why was Christ thus basely borne seeing the best place had been too base for him to be borne in if we consider the dignity of his person I answere first to shew the guilt of our sinnes which was upon him for he was no sooner come into the world but our sinnes caught hold on him and stopped him of his glory and turned him into a stable Genesis 4. sinne is compared unto a curst Dog that lyeth at the doore that a man goes no sooner out but he is ready to fly upon him and rende out his throat so wee see that Christ was no sooner come into the world but our sinnes caught hold on him and turned him into a stable therefore hence we may see our guiltinesse to be such that wee are not worthy of the meanest place we live in Secondly to procure a better place for us to bee borne in he was laid in a manger that we might bee laid in our soft beds It is the wantonnesse of the world to despise him because hee was poore but Christ came poore into the world to make us rich to which purpose Saint Bernard saith well Lord saith he I am more beholding to thee for thy poverty in redeeming mee than for all the riches of thy power in creating me Thirdly that wee should bee contented with any estate that God should assigne unto us let us looke on the estate of Christ he was contented to be borne in a stable laid in a cratch O that the world would thinke of their sinnes how that by reason of them they are not worthy of the meanest place they live in and yet we murmure and grudge against it though our estates be better than his was Hee was contented with his estate but wee are not with our estates it is our sinne repent we for it Fourthly the manner of Christs birth and that is to bee considered three waies first after the common manner wee be borne for when things be extraordinary then the holy Ghost doth set them downe in extraordinary termes and when they be common and ordinary then hee doth use ordinary termes to expresse himselfe by Now in this place where the holy Ghost speakes of the birth of Christ he doth use no extraordinary but the same termes that is used in the birth of other of the holy men of God as of Iohn Baptist and the rest therefore Christ was borne after the common and ordinary manner as wee be borne Indeede the conception of Christ was miraculous and extraordinary therefore they say that Christ did passe from his Mother and came through her without opening her wombe but this is a meere fancie of theirs the Scripture is against it for Luk. 2. 23. Every manchilde that first openeth the wombe shall beholy unto the Lord therefore we see the birth of Christ was ordinary and as other children passe away from their mothers so did hee the Fathers are plaine for this as Tertullian saith this is the wombe for whose sake it is said that every one that openeth the wombe shall be holy to the Lord and Saint Ierome the law of first opening the wombe shall be holy to the Lord doth most especially belong to Christ yet ordinarily to others The Papists object against this and say How could His mother be a virgin if Christ were borne after the same manner as others are I answere that the Scripture is plaine that shee was not onely a Virgin when Christ was conceived but so when Christ was borne as Esai 7. A Virgin shall conceive and beare a Sonne so shee was a Virgin at his birth yea the Schoolemen say that the breaking and opening of her wombe did not take away her virginity Hence wee conclude that Christ was borne after the ordinary manner we be The Vse is first to see the strange humility of Christ that he would be borne as we are and come into the world as we come which this place is not fit to describe but the next childe that comes into the world and that you are at the birth of you may consider it with this short meditation Thus was Christ borne in this weake manner and stepped thus low for my salvation and therefore how justly shall I perish if I
the armes of Ioseph in the lap of Mary in the armes of the Preachers or of other good Christians but wee must labour to have him in our owne armes the armes of our faith for though we may see Christ in the armes of our teachers yet for all this wee may perish and therefore so much the rather ought wee to receive and get him into our armes and apply him into our hearts because hee comes to present himselfe to thee and to me therefore if we doe not receive him wee shall be guilty of his blood If we should bee in a roome and a childe should cry to come unto us would wee neglect the childe would not we cast away that which wee had in our hands and take the childe into our owne armes I doe not say if it were the childe of a king we would doe so but if it were the childe of an honest poore man and therefore much more should we receive the Childe Christ beloved this Chide Christ doth in a sort cry to come unto us and saith as it were thus O good people receive me into your hearts receive me into your soules I doe not desire it for my owne sake but you shall be the better for it therefore O good people why doe ye not receive me if we doe not wee are like to perish and we shall be guilty of his blood and therefore this is our duty when Christ doth offer himselfe unto us we should bee ready to receive him so old Simeon did for it is nothing to see him unlesse wee get him in our armes by our faith and embrace him therefore why doe we not fling away all things that doe hinder us and receive him into our hearts and lay hold on him which is life and salvation offered to us The second was that when he had seene Christ he praiseth God for it that although he had seene a great deale of trouble and felt a great deale of sorrow yet that he lived to see those happy daies wherein he might see Christ so howsoever we have lived to see a great deale of trouble and sorrow yet wee should praise God that hee hath let us live to see Christ in the face of the Gospell therefore wee have great cause to praise God that hee hath let us live till this time to repent us of our sinnes to get faith in Christ howsoever we have had a great deale of sorrow and trouble in this world yet the comfort is that we have repented of our sinnes and lived to make heaven and happinesse sure unto us Matth. 13. 16. saith our Saviour But blessed be your eyes for they see and your eares for they heare as if he should say O blessed be God for this happy time wherein we live to see that wee see and to heare that which we heare so Iohn 20. when the Disciples had seene Christ they told Thomas of it They were glad that after a great deale of trouble they had seene Christ at last so it is said Act. 8. 39. the Eunuch went away rejoycing when Christ was made knowne to him therefore whatsoever wee have beene before yet if wee can repent of our sinnes get Christ into our hearts by faith wee have great cause to praise and to thanke God that wee have lived to see these daies hast thou beene a swearer or a drunkard or a bad liver and repented of thy sinnes lay hold on Christ thou hast great cause to praise God and to thanke him that he hath let thee live to see these happy daies The third effect was that he did utter these speeches Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace c. Now this saying of Simeon was the first song in the new Testament that was sung in the Temple wherein foure things may be observed 1. His willingnesse and profession to dye 2. What account he made of death 3. In what disposition he doth desire to dye 4. The Reason why he was willing to dye The first is a profession of his willingnesse to dye Now Lord I am willing to dye I am well contented to depart in peace for I have seene enough I have seene the Saviour and redeemer of the world I have embraced him in my armes and therefore I am willing to dye now So when we have seene Christ we should bee willing to dye for wee have seene enough for our salvation as long as God would have us live wee should be willing to live and when he would have us dye we should be willing to depart we see if a master send his servant to trade and traffique beyond sea so long as his master will have him to trade and traffique so long hee will trade but when his master will have him come home hee will packe up all and come away so as long as God will have us trade and traffique heere we should be content but when hee will have us packe up all and come home wee should be contented to doe so In the Gospell we finde that Christ fled from death and danger when God would have him fly but when the time of his death came he went out to meete it so likewise Moses hee could have beene contented to passe over Iordan but when God told him that he should not but he must goe and dye in the mount Nebo hee went as willingly up as any man goeth to a feast or banquet therefore it is a pitifull thing to see how men doe hang upon the world at that time when God would have them dye Secondly what account he made of death men make much adoe about it are afraid of it but Simeon accounteth it but a departing out of this one roome into another a departing from men to God from earth to heaven from mortality to immortality therefore wee may see what account wee should make of it The Philosophers say that death is the most terrible thing that may be because they thinke it is an utter destruction of nature but Simeon accounts of it as of a remooving or departure from one place to another therefore he is not afraid of it but embraceth it as a doore or gate to passe from earth to heaven from men to God from mortality to immortality and this is the account that all men should make of death Gen. 15. 15. saith the Lord to Abraham but thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace and shalt be buried in a good old age so that death is nothing but a going to the holy men those that have died in faith before and Christ accounts of it Ioh. 17. 13. but as a going to God to the blessed Angels and holy Spirits departed so also Paul in one of his epistles Neverthelesse wee are bold and love rather to remoove out of this body and to dwell with the Lord. Ahasuerus Hester 2. 13 14. had two houses for his women one was the house of sweete perfumes and odors that they might bee
to maladies he will presently open a veine and take away the corrupter blood so God this same skilfull Physitian seeing that abundance of ease wealth and health would doe us hurt many times takes away from us our ease our health our wealth and our worldly comforts so David saith Psalm 119. 71. It is good for mee that I have been afflicted that I might learne thy statutes therefore although a man may be forsaken in the life of nature yet if hee may have the more strength in the life of grace and can feele it so with him or as Paul speakes that although he dieth daily yet his comfort and consolation in God increaseth then it is good for that man to bee thus forsaken of God The second desertion is in the life of grace which consists in the power of the Spirit and in the comfort of the Spirit it is nothing to be forsaken in the life of nature to have our sight or our wealth or our health or ease taken from us if God doe not take away his Spirit but if God doe not onely forsake us in the life of nature but also in the life of grace this is the greatest and the heaviest conflict that may befall a Christian and therefore wee had need pray to God for this that although he forsake us in the life of nature yet that hee would not take away his Spirit and grace from us so David prayeth Psalm 51. Take not away from mee thy holy Spirit as if he should say though thou take away from me my crown my kingdom or my life yet take not away from me thy Spirit so we should pray to God that although he take away from us our health goods wife children or worldly ease yet Lord take not from mee thy Spirit Here wee are to take notice of an errour in the world that if men be forsaken in the life of nature then they complaine but never are mooved when God takes away sanctified graces from them Saul complained when God had forsaken him in the life of nature as 1 Sam. 28. 15. The Philistines make warre against me and God is departed from mee and yet never was moved when the Spirit of the Lord departed from him and an evill spirit from the Lord was sent to trouble him as we may reade 1 Sam. 16. 14. Thus we can complaine when God hath forsaken us in the life of nature but are not troubled when we have lost any sanctified grace therefore howsoever poverty blindnesse of lamenesse be upon us yet let us pray to God as David did Psal 51. that Hee would not take away from us his Spirit and grace Now since we are fallen upon this point how farre forth a Christian may be forsaken in the life of grace wee will proceed in it a little farther for the satisfaction of every mans conscience and therefore chiefly take notice of these two things for the better understanding thereof That there is 1. The comfortable feeling of the Spirit 2. The grace or power of the Spirit For the first God is said to forsake a Christian when he takes away the comfortable feeling of his Spirit thus a Christian may be forsaken when he feeleth not the love and favour of God on him being so cast downe as if he should never be saved yet for that time he may have the power and grace of the Spirit Thus Christ was forsaken in the life of grace that he had no feeling of the Spirit or of Gods favour yet neverthelesse he had the grace and power of the Spirit Wee have many examples in the Scriptures that the people of God have wanted this same sweet feeling of Gods favour we see how David complaines I said in mine haste I am cleane cast out of thy sight So the Church in the Canticles Cant. 5. 7 8. being as it were forsaken went up and downe to seeke Christ yet the Church in that hard time did not want the operation and power of the Spirit though she wanted the sweet feeling therof and the joyfull and delightfull presence of Christ even so a Christian hath not alwayes a like feeling of it but when a man wants it then he must sustaine himselfe by faith as we shall heare hereafter Now if question be made how farre forth God may forsake a true Christian I answer in knowne termes That he doth not forsake totally and finally This I will first prove by certaine grounds secondly I will explaine it and thirdly I will make use of it First I will prove it by these foure grounds The first is drawne from the promise of God There is a promise made Iosh 1. 5. I will not faile thee nor forsake thee this promise made to Ioshua Saint Paul applyes to all the faithfull people of God Heb. 13. Now if God will not forsake his faithfull people then wee may have comfort that God will not forsake us if we be faithfull The second is drawne from the nature of God Now the nature of God is not changed for them whom he loveth he loveth to the end Ioh. 13. 1. And Rom. 11. 28. The gifts and graces of God are without repentance The third is drawne from the power of God 1 Pet. 1. 3. We are kept by the power of God to salvation And Iohn 10. 29. My Father that gave them me is greater than all and none is able to take them out of his hands The fourth is from the vertue of Christs Prayer Ioh. 17. 11. Holy Father keepe through thine owne name those whom thou hast given me So he prayed that Peters faith might not faile him Now as the prayer of Christ sustained and upheld Peter in his fals so it shall uphold and sustaine all the godly in their fals And these be the grounds Now I will explaine the same First that in all the fals of Gods people they fall not totally from grace and goodnesse they fall but in part for as it is 1 Ioh. 3. 9. There is a seed in them a seed and a root of goodnesse and grace remaining in them in all their fals as we see in David when he had fallen grievously Psal 51. Lord saith hee take not thy holy Spirit from me And so in his going astray he cries and cals to God Psal 119. 178. I have gone astray like a lost sheepe seeke thy servant for I have not forgotten thy Commandements So Matth. 26. 15. when Peter had denied his Master he crept away from the bad company and was not at rest till he had wept bitterly thus we may see that God doth not totally forsake his people And therefore Act. 20. 10. as Paul said of Eutichus when he fell out at the window Trouble not your selves his life is in him So we may say in all the fals of Gods people trouble not your selves nor be discouraged for there is life in them there is the Spirit of grace although men
Esai 53. wee are all like sheepe that are gone out of the way To this purpose is that of Chrysostome If thou wilt be a Iudge set up a throne in thine owne heart and arraigne thy selfe God hath not made thee a Iudge of another man but of thy owne life thus the arraignment of Christ should teach us to arraigne our selves Thirdly the manner how judicially under a colour of law as if they did intend justice whereas they intended nothing lesse under this colour they condemne the innocent and I would it were not so still in the world that under the shew of law they destroy the innocent that it was so of old appeares 1 King 21. where Ahab killed Naboth under colour of law and Act. 7. 23. Steven was before Ananias yea and now also are there a number of such Caiphas's in the world that will say they doe nothing but law and yet under the colour thereof destroy the innocent but this may be a comfort to a Christian that though he be condemned in the court of man yet hee is cleare in the great court of God where he shall be acquitted from all unjust taxations Now there be foure testimonies of Christs innocency First that they sought picked matter against Him they had none before they had taken him now they seeke matter against him and therefore they examine him of his Disciples and of his Doctrine thinking thereby to picke out something that they might lay to his charge and finde him guilty thereupon but hee who was the wisedome of the Father staves them off and keepes them from taking any occasion from his words by his wise and discreet answer as shall appeare if we take into consideration these two things 1. His holy concealement 2. His holy defence First for His holy concealement he doth not discover his Disciples but answers onely for his Doctrine not a word of them hee might have said One of them betraied him and another had denied him and that they all fled from him and ranne away but because he could not speake any good of them therefore Hee rather would say nothing would to God men would thinke of this when they speake of their neighbours if they cannot speake any good of them rather not to speake at all but it is a corruption in nature that men had rather speake of their neighbours vices than of their vertues contrary to that precept Tit. 2. to speake evill of no man Secondly His holy defence he defends his doctrine and sends them to al the common people that they might testifie of it saith hee I spake openly to the world I ever taught openly in the Synagogues and in the Temple whither the Iewes resorted continually And in secret places have I said nothing aske them that heard me he cared not who should judge him though if were his enemies which should teach us that wee should so live as that our enemies can have no just cause against us so Paul carried himselfe 1 Thes 2. 10. Yee are witnesses and God also how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved our selves amongst you and the Prophet 1 Sam. 12. 3. Behold saith hee here am I witnesse against me before the Lord and before his annointed whose exe have I taken c Secondly that they sought for witnesses against him there were enow of witnesses for him but they seeke for witnesses against him if they had asked Nicodemus he could have told that no man could have done those miracles except God were with him So if they had asked the blinde man Ioh. 9. 33. or the people Mark 7. 37. they would have told them Hee hath done all things well or the officers and sergeants and they would have answered Never man spake like this man Ioh. 7. 46. they might have found enough to cleare Christs innocency but they were bent the other way The third was that they got witnesses but their witnesses did not agree for howsoever the Priests had plotted the matter and put into their mouths yet they disagreed so let men take heed how they bee false witnesses they may plot the matter and yet be confounded in their speech and so bring a reproch to themselves and let such remember what is written Prov. 19. 9. That a false witnesse shall not be unpunished c. Now the Evangelists declare the matter further by an example of two false witnesses that came in against him the one alleaging this man said I can destroy the Temple of God and build it againe in three daies Marke relates it we heard him say I will destroy this Temple that is made with hands and in three daies I will build another made without hands Now the Spirit of God calleth them false witnesses for though Christ spake some such words yet it was contrary to this sense and meaning for they spake of the materiall Temple and Hee of the Temple of his body And this must make us take heed how we report the words of Christ lest wee be false witnesses against him as the Papists are who literally taking these words This is my body say that the bread is the reall body of Christ as he was borne of the Virgin Mary Christ meaneth spiritually that it is a signe of his body though they take it for the materiall body of Christ so also the Arrians are false witnesses because Christ saith My father is greater than I they say Christ is not equall with the Father but he spake in regard of his humanity The fourth testimony of his innocencie was that Hee was condemned for the truth for he said he was the Sonne of God as he was indeed and so he died an innocent man But why doth Christ inlarge this answer for two causes 1. To comfort himselfe 2. To terrifie his enemies First to comfort himselfe that howsoever hee stood now as a poore prisoner arraigned and condemned at their barre yet one day they shall come before him to be arraigned of him there he doth comfort himselfe with future glory now as Christ did comfort himselfe even so should all Christians in the time of their afflictions when they be sicke poore and in distresse whatsoever thy estate be meane or poore yet one day thinke I shall be with God where I shall not want anything thus Christ comforts his Disciples Matth. 19. Verely I say unto you that when the Sonne of man shall sit in the throne of his majesty ye which have followed mee in the regeneration shall sit upon twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel so Stephen comforts himselfe when a showre of stones came about him in that he saw heaven open and Christ standing at Gods right hand ready to helpe him and receive his soule Secondly to terrifie his enemies for howsoever they thought themselves great men yet one day they were to have Christ to bee their Iudge even this same poore Iesus O that the world would thinke
of Israel through the red sea and had drowned their enemies then they sung a song of thankes-giving for their deliverance Exod. 15. And so likewise Deborah and Barak Iudges 3. 1. when they had overcome Sisera sang a song of thankes-giving so also the holy people Revel 15. when they had passed through the glassy sea mingled with fire and were delivered out of trouble then they sang a song of thankes-giving to the Lord in like maner here Christ when he had conquered all our spirituall enemies death hell sinne and the devill sung this song on the crosse to the joy of the world It is finished Now is mans salvation accomplished and perfected As if he should say All this while it hath beene but a working out For this cause was I nine moneths in the wombe of the Virgin borne in a stable laid in a â—anger fasted forty dayes together prayed on the mount swet in the garden and did hang three houres together on the crosse in paines and torments but now I have finished and perfected mans salvation now it is at an end sinne is abolished death is destroyed hell is conquered the devill is subdued heaven is opened God is pacified and pleased this is that hee uttered in these words Now for the better understanding of them we are to consider three things 1. What he meant when he saith It is finished 2. The time when he saith It is finished 3. By what actions it was finished First what he meant when he saith It is finished The full meaning is not expressed in this place but it was some secret and close action that was in the minde and thought of Christ that he had an eye to the perfecting and fulfilling of Now what was that all these Scriptures shew us Luk 19. 10. The Sonne of man is come to seâ—ke and to save that which was lost Mat. 20. 28. The Sonne of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life for the râ—nsome of many and Hebr. 9. 12. Neither by the blood of Goats and â—alves but by his owne blood entered he once into the holy place and obtained eternall salvation and redemption for us these were in the heart and minde of Christ therefore it is out of question that Christ by saying It is finished meant the finishing and perfecting of the great worke of mans Redemption which the Apostle intimates Hebr. 10. 14. With one oblation and offering hath bee consecrated for ever them that are sanctified Alluding to this very action of Christ so that by this saying of Christ It is finished is to bee understood the finishing and perfecting of mans salvation and redemption Now besides this consummation or finishing there is another consummation that is spoken of Gen. 2. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all the â—ost of them which finishing is of the worke of Creation but what comfort could a manhave that God hath made the heavens to cover us and the earth to beare us sea and land to feede us the sunne and moone and the starres to give us light if Christ also had not finished and perfected mans salvation and redemption on the crosse There is also another consummation and finishing which is spoken of Revel 10. 7. That the mysterie of God shall be finished as he hath declared to his servants the Prophets Now what is this mysterie of God It is the end of the world But alas what availes it us for the world to have an end if this redemption and salvation be not finished and perfected by Christ therefore all other consummation is nothing without this for what is it to finish a great building or to finish ones estate in greatnesse or to finish all his dayes in joy and delights unlesse hee have finished his salvation and applied Christ unto himselfe This is the happiest consummation that is this is the joy and content of a Christian when he lyeth on his death-bed he can say Lord I thanke thee I know my salvation is finished in Christ I have applied him unto my selfe and I finde by the merit of his death and passion my salvation to be perfected Therefore into thy hands will I commend my spirit stedfastly beleeving that at the latter resurrection I shall enjoy the blessed presence of my Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ Happie yea thrice happy is the estate of such a man that shall thus depart in the Lord. The uses to be made hereof are these following First seeing our salvation and redemption is perfected and finished in Christ as the Apostle concludes Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to those that be in Christ Iesus Why because Christ hath answered the justice of God and hath beene condemned already therefore hee that is in Christ shall not be condemned As Esay 53. 5. It is said the chastisements of our peace is upon him and with his stripes we are healed and vers 6. All wee like sheepe have gone astray we have turned every one to his owne way and the Lord hath laid upon him the iniquitie of us all Wee see Iohn 18. when the souldiers came to take Christ saith he If yee seeke for me let these goe let me suffer and let these goe free So Christ doth interpose himselfe to the Iustice of God and saith Father let my people goe free let me suffer that which they should suffer and beare that which they should beare Thus we see our salvation is made sure in the holy Person of Christ and there is no condemnation belongs to them who are in him therefore let us labor to be in Christ that wee may say with the Apostle The life which I live now in the flesh I live by the faith of the Sonne of God c. and then there is no condemnation belongs to us but life and salvation is sure because all is finished in the holy person of Christ Secondly seeing our salvation is perfected and finished in Christ all our care must be to apply and to lay hold on Christ for though hee hath purchased salvation for us yet if wee doe not apply him and lay hold on him we are never the better for it If a man should stand in the cold starke naked and one come by and see him who should show compassion to him and get clothes and put it to make for him how would this man carry his eye all the while to the workeman and when hee saw it all was finished would lay hold of it with both his hands and put it on his backe to cover his nakednesse so we ought to carrâ—e our eyes on Christ seeing salvation is wrought in the midst of us as the Psalmist saith therefore we ought to put forth both our hands and to lay hold on this salvation finished and perfected by Christ It is a strange corruption that many know it and heare of it that it is finished but they so attend their pleasures profits and
death will draw out all his members with him It is said by one of the ancient Fathers that Christ did enter into heaven at the narrow passage of his passion by which way we must also enter into heaven Now by the power and vertue of Christs resurrection we finde others to be raised as if the cleaving of the rockes asunder and the quaking and trembling of the earth had awaked them out of their sleepe for it is said And the graves were opened and many bodies of Saints that slept arose c. In which story wee may take notice of divers things worthy our consideration 1. who they were that did rise with Christ the Saints 2. What number did rise with him a multitude 3. What time after Christs resurrection 4. What they did they went into the holy Citie and did appeare to many 5. What became of them whether they went into the grave or into heaven First Who they were that did rise it is said the Saints they were sanctified and holy people not one wicked man did rise when Christ did rise to teach us that the Saints onely shall rise properly by the vertue and power of Christs rising there is not a wicked man that shall be an halfe-peny the better for Christs rising as 1 Thess 3. 4. it is said Those who sleep in Iesus will God bring with him and 1 Corinth 15. it is said Christ is the first fruits of them that sleepe therefore they that be in Christ onely shall partake of Christs rising none shall feele the benefit and comfort of it but the Saints onely and therefore wouldest thou finde benefit and comfort by Christs rising labour then to be a sanctified man or woman sanctified in speech sanctified in thy actions and life and then as Christ rose so thou shalt rise but if thou be not a sanctified man or woman he shall rise and let thee alone thou shalt lye in the grave and rot well thou mayest rise with Cain Iudas Herod Pilate and Pharaoh but thou shalt not arise with Christ nor with the Saints thou shalt not rise in that ranke It cannot be denied but that all shall rise by the power of Christ as Iohn 5. it is said The houre shall come in the which all that are in the graves shall heare the voice of the Sonne of God and come forth so all shall be raised by the voice of the sonne of God but there is a great difference for he shall riase his servants and Saints being as a head to them a mercifull Saviour and Redeemer but he shall raise the wicked as a terrible Iudge to be revenged of them for their sinnes O it were wel with them that the mountaines might fall upon them and hide them from the presence of God we see in experience that if there be two men cast in the Gaole the one an innocent man and the other a theefe murtherer or traitour when the Assizes come the prison dore is opened and the innocent man comes forth and the theefe the one comes forth an innocent man to be so proclaimed by the Iudge in the hearing of the countrey the other to receive sentence of condemnation for his vile facts the prison doore indeed is opened to both but there is great difference the one comes forth to be set at libertie the other to be executed so the graves are opened to all but yet there is a great difference for the Saints rise to possesse eternall life the wicked to possesse eternall death therefore although we know we shall all rise againe yet if we doe not rise Saints it were better for us that we did never rise at all Secondly What number â—se with Christ a multitude whereof there be two reasons First That we might see that the benefit of Christs rising is not confined to some few but to many and therefore it is to set out the large hand and liberalitie of God in Christ as Matth. 8. it is said That many shall come from the East and West and shall sit downe with Abraham Isaak and Iaakob in the kingdome of heaven So Heb. 2. 10. it is said For it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons unto glory to make the Captaine of their salvation perfect through sufferings Therefore Christ rose with so many to shew that he is willing to communicate his goodnesse to many Esau complained of the narrownesse of his fathers blessings but wee cannot doe so by Gods blessings for hee extends them largely Secondly he rose with so many that there might be many witnesses of his resurrection for the rising of Christ from the dead being a maine pillar of our Christian faith therefore it was requisite that our faith might rest on a strong foundation there should be many witnesses of his resurrection I but there may a question be moved what was the reason that all the Saints did not rise with Christ as well as some It is a strange thing that Abraham lay still in the grave the father of the faithfull and Isaak and Iaakob and all the Prophets and David and a number of other holy men all which died in faith what was the reason then they did not rise aswel as the rest To this I answer that it was the wise counsell of God so to appoint it for if all should have risen againe then there might have beene some doubt whether we that have died since Christs rising should have rose againe or not for 2 Tim. 2. 18. Hymeneus and Philetus said that the resurrection was past already Now if all had risen then much more Christians might have doubted of the matter and therefore to take away this doubt this is the reason why they did not all rise for looke how many dead Patriarks and Prophets and holy men there be that rose not so many pledges and pawnes there be of our resurrection for howsoever wee might doubt it in regard of our selves because of our sinnes yet because there be so many dead Saints lye still in the dust whom hee will one day raise we have comfortable hope that we shall rise with them for looke how many dead bodies of the Saints there be amongst us so many pledges and pawnes there be to us that our bodies shall one day rise againe Secondly seeing thaâ— some of the Saints did rise and not others which were left in the grave and yet as good and holy men as they nay it may be holier This may teach us a worthy point that there is a speciall dispensation of God in the dealing with some of the Saints therefore every one must labour to bee contented with that God doth assigne him So Numbers 12. 7. saith the Lord My servant Moses is not so who is faithfull in all my house unto him will I speake mouth to mouth where was a speicall favour that God did shew to Moses more than he shewed to
power of Christ and had tasted of his sweet graces and of the excellencie that was in him so if men had tasted of the sweete things that are in Christ they would long after him therefore Christ sayes to the woman of Samaria Iohn 4. If thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith unto thee Give me drinke thou wouldest have asked of him and hee would have given thee living water This was the reason why the two Disciples constrained Christ to tarrie with them because they had felt of the goodnesse and of the excellency that was in him Secondly it is said the doors were shut for feare of the Iewes this is a strange thing that they shut the Doore for feare of the Iewes they were bold to confesse the name of of Christ before all men and now they are afraid of the Iewes and no marvell for they had killed and crucified him and therefore they would make no scruple to kill them which may teach us two things First that we should bee carefull to avoid all needlesse dangers as Matth. 16. Our Saviour saith If any man will follow mee let him deny himselfe take up his crosse and follow mee If it bee a crosse that God layes upon us we must take it up with both hands but wee must take heed of making crosses to our selves We read Luke 22. That Christ prayes that this cup might passe away so we must pray that this trouble and affliction may passe away but if it be the will of God that it shall abide with us then we must willingly yeeld to it Indeede the crosse is needfull when God layes it upon us but we must take heed how we bring needlesse crosses upon our selves If a Physitian should give us ranke poyson hee would so temper and qualifie it as that it should doe us good but if wee take it our selves it may poyson us So God this same skilfull Physitian if he lay the crosse and trouble upon us it will turne to our good but if we take it our selves it may trouble and hurt us therefore it is good to avoyde all needlesse dangers or crosses The second thing that it doth teach us is that Every man must measure his owne actions by his strength the more strength a man hath the more courage and the lesse strength the lesse courage so it was with the Disciples the more strength the more courage they had in the cause of Christ and the lesse strength the lesse courage here is the question answered by that which hath beene spoken of before whether it be lawfull to flie in the time of persecution If one hath strength and courage to stand then hee were best to abide it but if he have not strength then he were better to fly as Marke 15. There was a yong man that did follow Christ in a linnen garment whom they caught hold on and hee left the linnen cloth and fled from them naked But did he well to flie from Christ I answere he did well to flie for he had not strength to resist nor meanes to prevaile The second thing is The manner how hee did appeare and that was when the Doores were shut Hence wee learne no Doores can keepe out Christ when Paul was in prison and the Doores shut he came to Paul so that all the Doores could not keepe out Christ There bee diverse opinions how this could be some be of the minde that the Doores gave way to Christ and did open as the iron gates opend when the Angell did fetch Peter out of prison as S. Ierome saith that the Creature gave place to the Creator A schooleman saith that the Doore did open so softly and shut again as that they did not perceive it others think that he did so attenuate his body and make it so subtile as that it could passe through the Doore or any little chinke or Crevise as the Sun passeth through the glasse window Others againe thinke there is such power in a glorified body as that it is able to passe through any solid body as a man may passe through water or the Aire Therefore Christs body rising a glorified body was able to passe through the Doore so our bodies glorified if they were in an Iron or Steele Chest in a Marble stone or Tombe it could not hold them a glorified body is able to passe through them Hence the Papists would prove their transubstantiation that seeing he could make his body passe through the Doore he could make it passe into the bread and wine To this I answer there is great difference between them for although he passed through the Door yet he was in the same proportion figure dimension that he had before but in the Sacrament there are not the same proportions nor the same figures nor the same dimension so there is a great difference between them Thirdly the Effect of this appearing when Christ came amongst them hee said Peace bee unto you this is a strange speech of Christ to say to them peace bee unto you seeing some of them had betrayed him some denied him and all had fled away from him yet hee sayes Peace be unto you as if they had not offended him the cause was they had repented of their sinnes condemned and judged themselves therefore Christ brings peace unto them So though we sinne against God and offend him yet if wee weepe for our sinnes repent of them and condemne and judge our selves hee will bring peace unto us Here wee may see what Christ brought out of the grave with him to his Disciples even as when a father is absent from his childe hee comes home comfortably so Christ being absent from his Disciples brings out of the dens of death and out of the Grave peace with God with the holy Angels with all the Creatures and peace of their owne conscience with him Therefore if any man shall demand and say Christ indeede was crucified and he died and was laid into the Grave but what good have wee by these things To this I answere that he hath brought the greatest good with him that may be for he hath brought peace with God with the holy Angels with all the Creatures and peace with our Consciences this is a great comfort to a Christian for though hee bee not a great man in the world nor one of the brave gallants yet he is a happy man because Christ hath brought a peace with him unto him Further this may teach us where we are to seeke our peace no where but in the death of Christ therefore if thou wouldest have peace with God and in thy owne conscience seeke it in the death of Christ there thou mayest have it if thou hast peace which doth not arise from hence it cannot bee true peace nor the peace of conscience till thou canst see by the eye of faith Christ dying upon the crosse bleeding in the Garden
gives them to performe their charge 4 The Authoritie First before Christ sends his Disciples He armes them saith he Peace be unto you It is a strange thing that seeing there is such great good offered in the Gospell that it should be so unwelcome one would have thought it would have beene entertained and received joyfully but Christ knew that of all messages this is unwelcomest and therefore Christ faies Behold I send you as sheepe among wolves though yee bee as sheepe yet yee shall meete with wolves and what is that he comforts thē with that God is at peace with them this is all the armor he fences them with against the unkindnesse and hard dealings of the world to know that God is at peace with them and loves them by the meanes of Christ so Ioh. 16. he saith In the world ye shall have trouble but in me ye shall have peace be of good comfort for I have overcome the world this may teach us that if a Christian bee at peace with God and knowes that his sinnes bee pardoned and that God loves him by the meanes of Christ here is enough to beare him out against al the encounters and unkindnesses that the world affords therefore when a Christian man is in any trouble or affliction let him descend into his owne heart and see if God be at peace with him by the meanes of Christ that his sinnes are pardoned and that he knowes he shall bee saved this will give a man comfort so we see Lam. 3. the Church did and Ier. 14. saith he in the greatest distresse that might be The Lord is my portion saith my soule therefore will I hope in him I have shewed you heretofore that if a man fall into the hands of theeves and robbers and they robbe him and take away his goods or his money if hee hath a jewell of infinite price about him and they leave him that hee will say Lord I thanke thee I have my jewell still howsoever I have lost my goods and my money so a man may say though sicknesse had taken away my health and bad neighbours my money yet Lord I thanke thee I have my jewell I have my peace with thee and assurance that my sinnes bee pardoned Heb. 10. 34. it is said of the good people That they suffered with joy the spoyling of their goods knowing that they had in heaven a better and an enduring substance so as long as a man hath peace of conscience pardon of his sinnes hope of Heaven he is armed and fenced against all troubles and all the unkindnesses the world can offer unto him The second is the Commission As the Father sent me so send I you here are two things to be considered 1. Who it is that sends 2. To what end he sends First by whom they were sent by Christ As my Father sent me so send I you thence we learne It is Christ that is the Authour of all Ministery he it is that sends Ministers to the Church as Matt. 23. 34. Behold I send unto you Prophets and wise men Scribes c. so Esay saith The Lord God and his Spirit hath sent me so it is Christ that is the Author of all Ministery as Ephes. 4. 14. When he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men And these were the gifts He therfore gave some to be Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists some Pastors and some Teachers so it is Christ that sends Ministers at this day but yet there is a difference for he sent the Apostles immediately by himselfe and hee sends Ministers at this day mediatly by the meanes and authority of the Church Now there are good uses to be made of this point some that do concerne us Ministers and some that doe concerne you First seeing it is Christ that sends us hee will assist and blesse us in our labours as Matth. 28. Goe and teach all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost And loe I am with you alwayes to the end of the world Secondly seeing it is Christ that sends us we must doe the businesse and the worke he sends us to doe so Christ saith of himselfe Iohn 5. 30. Because I seeke not mine owne will but the will of my Father that sent mee If a Merchant should send his servant beyond sea to bee a Factor for him who should apply himselfe to gather money and to make an estate to himselfe neglecting his master hee may looke for a cold welcome home so seeing he hath sent us to bee Factors for him and to doe his businesse if wee shall apply our selves to get money and to make an estate to our selves and so leave the Lords businesse undone wee may looke for a cold welcome home when we shall goe to God Thirdly seeing it is Christ that sent us we must give our accompt to him at the day of judgement for every man must give account to him that sends him we see Luke 10. that the Disciples being sent of Christ to preach they returne againe and give account of that they have done And so in Iob. 2. the divell being sent of God returnes againe to tell what he hath done Now the uses that concerne you be these First seeing it is Christ that sends Preachers yee must learne to acknowledge the great goodnesse of Christ that he would make any sending to such as ye be it had beene much if he had sent to us men when we had sought him and turned to him but that he should send when we had not a thought of him but were sinning against him this is a farre greater mercy therefore how thankefull should we be to Christ that he sends to us Daniel chap. 6. 22. doth acknowledge this as a great blessing saith he My God hath sent his Angell and hath shut the mouthes of the Lions that they have not hurt me so wee are to acknowledge it a great mercy and kindnesse of God to send his Preachers and Ministers not when wee lay bound in the Lions denne but when wee lay fast bound with the divels and hath preserved us from them It was a great kindnesse and favour that Ioseph would send to his father and to his brethren and bade them leave all and come into the land of Egypt and willed them that they should not care for their stuffe for they should have the best of the land notwithstanding the unkindenesse of his brethren Iosephs brethren were not so unkinde to him as wee bee to Christ and yet wee may see the goodnesse and the mercy of the Lord Iesus that hee should send to such as we be Secondly seeing Christ sent Preachers and Teachers then it is your duties to receive them Esay saith The Lord sent me and Ieremie said so when the people would have stoned him one would thinke it were enough to
the Mount was but a type and figure of the glory that shall be on Christ at the day of judgement and this glory and brightnesse that shall appeare before his comming I take to be the signe of the Sonne of Man Thirdly what the effects shall bee of the signe of the Sonne of man and surely fearefull shall they bee to the wicked and comfortable to the godly for when the signe of the Sonne of man shall appeare then all the wicked shall mourne weepe and cry out of their sinnes that they have not loved Christ but despised him have not obeyed his Lawes but contemned and set light by them therefore it will bee a fearefull time to the wicked but to the godly it shall bee great comfort for Christ telleth the Iewes Matth. 23. 29. Ye shall see me no more till that ye say Blessed be he that commeth in the name of the Lord the very reprobate shall say these be the happy and blessed men howsoever wee have hated and despised them O that wee had lived as they did then wee should have beene happy too I have instanced often before in the example of Ioseph Gen. 45. 5. and because it is apt to the purpose I cannot passe it at this present for when Ioseph did discover himselfe to his brethren thren they were abashed and ashamed because their conscience told him that they had betrayed and sold him for a slave before nay some of them would have killed him if they had loved him and used him well then it might have beene a comfort to them when he did discover himselfe and say I am your brother Ioseph so I say of Christ what a terrour will it be to the wicked and ungodly because they have despised and condemned him if they had used him well they might have had comfort at his appearing wee read likewise 2 Sam. 2. 22. when Asahel prest upon Abner Abner said to him depart from me wherefore should I smite thee to the ground how then shall I bee able to hold up my face to Ioab thy brother so when wee shall sinne and offend Christ how shall wee hold up our faces at that day So then we see it shall be a terrour to the wicked and to such as have not repented them of their sinnes but unto the godly Christs comming shall be greatly comfortable as Augustine saith we see in reason if two men should be beyond sea and their lord and master should send for them the one to bee honoured for his good service the other to be punished for his offences though it may bee they both come home in one sâ—ip eate at one table lye in one bed arrive at one haven and come to one place yet their thoughts would be diverse for the one would thinke now is the time that I shall bee honoured for my good service therefore it is a comfortable time to him the other would thinke now is the time that I shall be punished for my offences therefore it must be a time of discomfort to him this is the direct case betweene the godly and the wicked that they may eate at one table lye in one bed dye all one kinde of death and yet their thoughts bee divers for the godly they shall rejoyce when that time commeth because they shall bee honoured and advanced and it shall bee a terrour to the wicked because they shall be punished for their offences as Iohn 20. when Christ appeared to Mary being grieved and dejected for the losse of him and said Mary she turned about and said Rabboni Master as if shee should say I am glad that I have found thee Heaven and earth could not make her so glad as she was when she found Christ so when a Christian hath looked out at his windowes and doores to see Christ many a time and at last shall see him come in glory and breaking the clouds and comming to Iudgement he may say as Mary did Rabbâ—ni Master I am glad to have found thee so they may say O Lord Iesus art thou come Thou art Hee that I have longed for a long time and blessed be God that this day is come therefore seeing Christians are desirous of Christs comming this should teach them to prepare for it we see a loving wife in the absence of her husband when she lookes for his returne shee will trimme up her house garden and walkes to have all things handsome so wee that bee Christians when we heare that Christ will come we must trimme up our houses that is our hearts and our consciences and make all fit to entertaine Christ Having declared the signes that goe before and also such as joyne with the comming of Christ wee proceede to the next thing which is the manner of his comming and that is glorious attended on by Angels hee shall come in the greatest glory that Heaven and Earth can afford There is great difference betweene the first and the second comming of Christ His first comming was base and meane contemned and despised of all sorts of men and wee see how unkindly hee was used at the hands of men in that they condemned him the Souldiers set a crowne of Thornes on his head they did mocke at him buffet him and crucifie him and why Because hee was apparelled and clothed with our sins which may teach us that the noblest and greatest one that is if sinne be upon him it will disgrace and put him downe therefore as Christ did cast away sinne and did put it off and then entred into glory so wee must labour to doe as Christ did to put off sinne to kill it to make a grave for it and to bury it and then as Christ comes in glory so wee shall come in glory also But if we do not put off sin nor cast the filthy ragges of it from us Christ will come in glory and wee fall to shame disgrace and contempt Now in the manner of Christs comming to judgement we may observe three things 1. How he shall come in glory 2. Wherein this glory consists 3. What Benefit we shall have by it First how he shall come it shall be in glory as we have heard a little before so also it is said Matth. 16. 27. For the Sonne of Man shall come in the glory of his Father with his Angels and then shall hee give to every man according to his deeds and againe Luke 9. 26. For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my Words of him shall the Sonne of Man be ashamed when hee shall come in his glory and in the glory of his Father and of the holy Angels So then Christ shall come in all the glory that Heaven and Earth can afford and therefore it is manifest there is great difference betweene his first comming and his second comming For his first comming was in the estate of humilitie he was despised and rejected of men Hee was a man full of
judgments of this world for the world counts him a blessed and a happy man that is rich that hath his barnes full of corne that hath a great deale of Land and money O but indeed he is the blessed and happy man that is in favour with God hath repented of his sinnes made conscience of his wayes and therefore why doe men so dote on this world to rake and gather together a deale of pelfe that will not stand them in stead at that day Then they shall see that the godly man is the blessed and happy man and that a dramme of Religion and of true saving faith is better than all the world besides and will doe them more good If a man were to goe into France and did heare that the coine in this Land would not goe there he would goe and change all his money for the coine of that country so seeing we are to goe into another countrey where our goods lands and money will not goe let us labour to change all that we have for that which will passe at that day let us get repentance faith and sanctified grace and then we shall finde comfort when this whole world will afford us none Now when the godly be pronounced happy and blessed by Christ then all the wicked shall be driven to Hell where they shall goe to paines and torments and this shall make their happinesse the greater Matth. 28. 4 5. when the Angel of God came downe from heaven and appeared in glory the keepers were astonied and became as dead men But the Angel answered and said to the women Bee not afraid for I know that ye seeke Iesus that was cruciâ—â—ed Even so when Christ shall appeare to judge the world they shall be as dead men before him but he shall say to the holy people be not afraid for I know whom ye seeke ye seeke Iesus that was crucified and now him that ye have so long looked for ye shall enjoy as 2 Kings 10. 15. when Iohn was in a great fury and had killed the two Kings yâ—t meeting with 〈◊〉 the Sonne of Rechab he tooke him by the hand and lifts him up into his chariot even so Christ shall doe when he hath driven all the wicked into Hell and meets with a good man he will say You are a good 〈◊〉 you are a blessed man and he wil take him up into his Throne to sit in glory with him And this is the glory that the Saints shall have when all the wicked shall be driven into Hell Thirdly The assignation wherein we are to observe two things 1. What is assigned a Kingdome 2. By what Title by Inheritance First what it is that is assigned it is no lesse than a Kingdome that God hath promised his people as Luk. 12. Feare not little flocke for it is your Fathers pleasure to give you a Kingdome so Dan. 7. 27. it is said and the Kingdome and Dominion and the greatnesse of the Kingdome â—â—dee the whole â—eaven shall be given to the holy people of the most high whose Kingdome is everlasting Earthly Kings and Princes though they bâ—stow great gifts on their subjects yet they keepe the Kingdome to themselves meaner matters serve than a Kingdome so wee see although Pharoah did bestow great honor on Ioseph and did advance him yet he kept the Kingdome to himselfe none might sit on the Throne but the King but here is the bounty of Christ that hee bestowes a Kingdome on his servants It was a large proffer that Ahashuerosh made Hester 5. 6. in that hee would give Hester one halfe of his Kingdome but God hath made a larger promise to us not that wee shall have one halfe of his Kingdome but he will give us his whole Kingdome We read Luk. 12. 13. There was a Man that came to Christ and said unto him Master bid my brother divide the inheritance with me but Christ will not divide his Kingdome to his servants but will give it whole and the glory of it to them therefore men must labour to become converted and bee the servants of God because he will bestow a Kingdome on them Most men will labour and toyle in this world for lesse matters than a Kingdome some are scattered all the world over to gather straw and stubble as the children of Israel were and therefore how much more should men labour to repent of their sinnes to get faith in Christ to become one of Gods servants and then he will bestow a Kingdome on them But some man may be ready to say although it be a Kingdome that God will give his people yet it may be so meane as it is not worth the labour of obtaining therefore Christ tels us what a Kingdome it is it is an heavenly Kingdome a Kingdome prepared of God So it is such a Kingdome as is worth all our labour and paines Now this Kingdome is set out to us by three properties 1 It is a Kingdome prepared of God 2 It is prepared for his elect and chosen 3 It was prepared before the foundation of the world First it is a Kingdome prepared of God Therefore it is a most glorious Kingdome Saint Paul saith of it 1 Cor. 2. 9. The things which the eye hath not seene neither eare heard neither came into mans hart is that which God hath prepared for them that love him No tongue is able to expresse nor heart of man to conceive of the glory and excellency of this Kingdome so it is Psal. 31. 19. O how great is thy goodnesse which thou hast layd up for them that feare thee done to them that trust in thee before the Sonnes of Men We may well thinke it is no small matter that all Gods attributes are set aâ—worke to furnish this Kingdome his wisedome power mercy and justice Therefore we may will conceive thereby the excellency and glory of it We see the more magnificent wise and potent that the first founders were of Kingdomes and cities the more famous excellent and noble were the Kingdomes founded by them Therefore it is said Genes 10. 10. of Nimrod that the beginning of his Kingdome was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calâ—eh in the Land of Shinar that is famous and noble cities and so likewise Nabuchadnezzar was a golden head in regard of the other Kings that did follow him Salomon also was a wise King and of great power of whose Kingdome it is said 1 Kings 10. 17. That he gave Silver as stones and Cedars as the wild figtrees that grow abundantly in the plaine that is as the crabtrees amongst us So then the more magnificent wise and potent the first founders were the more excellent were their countries and Kingdomes which granted it must necessarily follow that because no mans wisedome is able to compare with Gods wisedome no power with his power therefore as much as he wisedome of God goes beyond the wisedome of men and his power beyond the
the true glasse of the Word of God there sinne will appeare in his true proportion and right quantitie But why is the neglect of doing good to his poore members so great a sinne I answere because in neglecting of them wee condemne Christ for they be the members of Christ and so Saint Paul saith 1 Corinth 8. 12. Now when ye sinne against the bretheren and wound their consciences yee sinne against Christ the contempt of Christ is lapped up in the contempt of his servants It is a good thing therefore for a man to bee mercifull and pittifull especially to the poore Saints and people of God and to relieve them in their wants and necessities so farre forth as a man is able and occasion shall be offered Saint Iames tels us that there shall be judgement mercilesse to him that shewes no mercy and Matth. 3. It is said Blessed art the mercifull for they shall obtaine mercie therefore it is a good thing for a man to shew mercie to the Saints and People of God and thus much of the reason Now we come to the last point and that is what shall become of Christ and what be shall doe when he bee hath finished up the last judgement This Saint Paul shewes us 1 Cor. 15. from the 24. verse to the 28. the sâ—mme whereof is this He shall render up his kingdome to God that he may be all in all In which two things offer themselves to be observed 1. What he shall doe He shall render up his Kingdome to God 2. The End of it that God may be all in all First what â—e shall doe he shall render up the Kingdome to God Now this may be conceived two wayes First he shall render up the Kingdome that is all the Children of God the Elect and chosen hee shall bring them to God and deliver them to him that hee may blesse them and receive them into Heaven that he may be made partaker of all the glory that is prepared for them and he shall present them to God in the merits of his death and say Father these bee they that I have prayed for in the Mount swet in the Garden dyed for on the crosse and shed my most pretious blood for Therefore Father râ—â—eive them and blesse them hitherto have I kept them in thy Name thus hee shall render up the kingdome unto God when hee shall bring all the godly and holy people to the contemplation and beholding of the great glory prepared for them We heard out of Gen. 27. 3. how Ioseph tooke certaine of his brethren and did present them to Pharaoh so the true Ioseph Iesus Christ shall carry all the Elect and chosen people of God present them before him and desire him to receive them into glory and to bestow the best of Heaven upon them so Christ shall render up the Kingdome Wee read in Philemon when Onesimus had runne away from his master Saint Paul meets with him and sends him backe againe to his Master with a letter in his hand to the end his Master might receive him but Christ will doe much more for us hee will not onely send us with a letter in our hands to God but hee will take us by the hand and present us to God in the merits of his death that God may receive and blesse us Secondly he shall render up the kingdome that is his governement and office Now we cannot come to God without a Mediator all that we doe now is by meanes of a spokes-man but when Christ shall bring us home to God when we shall bee brought to Heaven then wee shall have recourse unto God without a spokes-man then we shall not need a Mediator and thus Christ shall render up the kingdome that is hee shall give up his office and his government into the hands of God A learned man thus expresseth it there is a number of Rebels that bee up in Armes against the king who makes his sonne Generall and sends him out to subdue the Rebels to shew mercy to those that would submit themselves to him and to execute and put to death them that would not which when the kings sonne hath done he returnes home againe to his father and tels him that he had done what hee was sent for and then renders up his Generalship to live with his father as he did before so God hath sent his Sonne here into the World to reconcile unto himselfe all his Elect people and to subdue his enemies when Christ hath performed this then he delivers up his office and lives with the Father as before Adam in the time of his innocency and Communion with God was without a Mediator so when wee are all brought home to God againe into Heaven then wee shall have communion with God without a Mediator Now because this is a hard point and that which some Divines stumble at therefore I will make it as plaine as I can A man that hath sore eyes he will have silke to hang before them or he must have a glasse to see by but when his eyes bee well hee will take away the glasse and lay aside his silkes so as long as wee were in our sinnes wee could not deale with God but wee must have our silkes it must bee by a Mediator but when our sinnes shall be healed then wee may lay aside our silkes and we shall see the face of God without a Mediator But here a question may be made some may may say How shall Christ render up the Kingdome seeing it is said Luk. 1. 33. that of his kingdome there shall be no end so Daniel 2. it is said His Kingdome shall not passe to another To this I answere His Kingdome shall continue still but not in the same forme the forme shall be altered for now he raignes as Man then as God now the glory of the Godhead is shadowed by the Manhood and then the glory of the Manhood shall be darkened by the Godhead not that the Manhood of Christ shall noâ— remaine or that the glory of it shall bee lesse than now but it shall be obscured as it were by a greater light I will make it plaine by a similitude light a candle in a darke night and it shines and giveth light but bring it into the bright Sunne-shine and the brightnesse and splendor of the Sunne darkens the light of the candle though it have the same light that it had before so though there bee the same glory in the Manhood of Christ that was before yet the glory and splendor of the Godhead shall so farre goe beyond the Manhood of Christs former manifestation as it shall darken that glory and thus much for the first point Secondly The End why he shall render up his kingdome to God that he may be all in all Here God is not all in all for there are many excellencies in the World Angels
desired to die the death of the righteous and secondly Matth. 19. 16. of the young man that came to Christ and said unto him Master what shall I doe to be saved so a man may have a desire to be saved and to be in heaven and happinesse and yet want the spirit of God Here therefore as before so now let us see what the defect is I answer it is in three things First It is a fleeting desire not constant and setled Balaam had a good desire but it was but in a mood or a fit he desired hee might die the death of the righteous and it was but once that he did so that we reade of and that also when hee saw the glory of the Saints this is the first defect that their desires are but for a fit Secondly they were idle desires they desired heaven but were loth to take any paines as it is said of the Sluggard Prov. 13. 4. The sluggard lusteth but his soule hath nought though hee desire such and such things yet he goes without them because he would not take pains for them therefore we must see that our desires be such as will put us upon any paines and labour so we may be saved Thirdly Such have not earnest desires but those that every little matter will put over we see if a childe askes the brest or meat the mother sometimes will give him a booke into his hand when this quiets the childe it shewes that it was but a flight desire that the childe had for if it had beene an earnest desire nothing would quiet the childe till it had the brest or some meat So it is with many men they desire to be saved and to have heaven and then the devill puts as it were a booke into their hands matter of pleasure and profit which quiets them this shewes that their desires were but slight for if they had beene earnest nothing would content them till they had had the thing that they desired And thus much of the false markes SERMON LVI ROMANS 8. 9. But yee are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ hee is none of his NOw the point of inquiry is how a man may know whether the Spirit of God and the Spirit grace be in him or no because it is the Spirit of God that seales our redemption as Saint Paul saith Ephes 4. 30. and all our hope of heaven hangs on the Spirit therefore it will be very necessary and profitable for every man to know what be the true markes and signes of the holy Ghost his being in us And this we may discover by considering it two wayes 1. Generally 2. Particularly First Wheresoever the holy Ghost is in what man soever he makes a sensible and a through change and alters him in his will affections and in every part as Matth. 8. Christ saith unto the Centurion If I come I will heale thy servant I will not be idle and doe nothing but if I come I will heale him so if the holy Ghost come into a man hee will not be idle but hee will heale him of his sinnes and make a sensible and a through change in him in all parts So Iohn 3. 7. Christ shewes that no man can enter into the kingdome of heaven unlesse there be a second birth of the holy Ghost in him and 2 Cor. 5. 17. Paul saith that every one that is in Christ must be a new creature So then there must be a second birth of the Spirit people must become new men and women It is a ground in nature that the generation of one thing is the corruption of another as Ice when it turnes to water there is corruption of the Ice so when Christ turned water into wine there was corruption of the water even so it is in the worke of the Spirit as there is encrease of holinesse wrought in a man so there is a decrease of sinne and corruption Wee see in the Gospell that those that were brought to Christ who lay and wanted their feet went away with them such as were blinde went away with their eyes opened such as were deafe and dumbe went away speaking and hearing and such as were dead went away alive so when the Spirit of God comes into a man though hee were lame and not able to walke in the wayes of God yet that will inable him if he were blinde and ignorant that will open his understanding and give him heavenly knowledge if he were dead in sinnes that will put the life of grace and holines into him thus the holy Ghost will make a through change therefore every man must labour to see whether this change be wrought in him or no as 1 Cor. 6. 10 11. it is said that no theeves covetous persons drunkards railers nor extortioners shall inherit the Kingdome of God and such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Iesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God Here was a change indeed wrought in these men So also 1 Tim. 1. 13. Saint Paul saith Before I was a blasphemer and a persecuter and an oppressour but I was received to mercy because I did it ignorantly now I thanke God it is otherwise with me when a man can feele this change and alteration in him that he can say indeed I have beene a bad liver I have beene a swearer and a lyar and a drunkard but now Lord I thanke thee it is otherwise with me I am changed and altered this is a good evidence that the holy Ghost is in him but if a man be not changed and altered but remaines the same man that ever he was the holy Ghost is not in him for where the holy Ghost is there he makes a sensible and a through change Secondly If the Spirit of God come into a man it will stirre and move a man to good things as Act. 2. when the Spirit of God came downe upon the Apostles in firy tongues they began to speake with new tongues the holy Ghost did worke in their hearts and on their tongues so Gal. 4. 6. saith the Apostle God hath sent the Spirit of his Sonne into our hearts which crieth Abba Father even so if a man hath the Spirit of God in him it will stirre him to repentance and to the duties of prayer and holinesse therefore we are to consider no man can have the Spirit of God but he shall feele movings and stirrings of the Spirit for as it is in the naturall life that there cannot be life in us but it will be seene by breathing or panting stirring or moving there will be operations of life so it is in the life of grace there cannot be the Spirit of God in a man but there
as occasion shall be offered to doe them good it is the Holy Ghost that doth put it in us as Paul saith Galath 4. 6. he hath sent the Spirit of his Sonne into our hearts whereby wee cry Abba Father Hence wee see it is the Spirit of God that stirres us up to the duties of prayer and holinesse The fourth benefit is To give us power and ability to performe Christian duties and services for the Spirit of God doth not onely open our hearts to understand the Scripture excite and stirre us up to good duties but doth also enable us to doe them to repent of our sinnes to pray to God to love our brethren to rest and relye on God in the time of trouble In the story of Sampson we see that he did shake himselfe and did thinke to have done great maters yet for his life he could not because his strength was gone in like manner when wee see other men can pray repent of their sins when thou canst not doe so know it is the Holy Ghost that doth inable thee for there be a number of Christian duties that we are no more able in the estate of nature to doe than a dead man can remove a mountaine as when a man is truely humbled for sinne and cast downe that a naturall man should looke up to God by the eyes of faith to rest and to rely on him for the saving of his soule this hee is no more able to doe than a dead man to remove a mountaine so likewise for a man to resist a temptation agreeable to his nature he is no more able to doe it than a dead man to remoove a mountaine againe when a man is in want and in need then to rest and rely on God for the feeding of his body that as he hath trusted God with the saving of his soule so hee will rely on God for things needfull a naturall man is no more able to doe this than a dead man to remove a mountaine but the Spirit of God inables a man to doe that for that which is impossible to nature is made possible by the Spirit of God The fift benefit is to comfort in distresse although a Man wants house or land and a number of outward comforts yet if hee have the Holy Ghost to comfort and assist him hee neede not care for any thing else Therefore Christ saith to his Disciples I will send you a Comforter in the World ye shall have trouble but he shall mitigate and asswage all your troubles So Acts 9. 31. it is said Then had the Churches rest throughout all Iudea Galile and Samaria and were edified walking in the feare of God and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost were multiplyed Therefore whatsoever our trouble is yet it is a great stay that we shall have comfort in the Holy Ghost and not be driven to take up the complaint which David doth in the Person of Christ I looked for some to have pittie on mee but there was none and for comfort but I found none for though it be true of Christians that in their trouble they looke for some to pitty and comfort them but they finde none yet neverthelesse in their extremity the Holy Ghost doth comfort them therefore if men want comfort in the time of trouble what shall they doe send for fidlers and merry company to comfort them as Saul did and fall into relapses no but wee must labour to get the Holy Ghost to comfort us for the comfort of the Holy Ghost goes beyond all worldly comforts First because all worldly comforts may be taken from us let it bee in our goods or friends or whatsoever else these comforts may faile us because the ground of them is not good wee may be taken from them and they from us but the comfort of the Holy Ghost can never be taken from us because it is grounded on Gods Love and favour and hope of Heaven therefore the Divell and all the World shall never be able to take away this comfort Secondly because all the comforts in this life be not pure and intire comforts but have alwayes some sorrowes in them as wee see Hest 5. when Haman had all the glory that Ahashuerosh could afford him yet he was not at quiet because Mordecai sate at the kings gate the cup of our comfort here in this world is a mixed cup like to Christs cup mingled with wine and Myrrh much bitternesse so all our worldly comfort is mixed with gall But the comfort that we have by the Holy Ghost is pure and intire it comforts us in all the distresses that befall us It made Paul and Silas sing in Prison Acts 16. It made the Apostles goe away rejoycing that they had suffered rebuke for the Name of Christ Thirdly because all worldly comfort failes and leaves us at the day of death when the more comfort we have had by it the more griefe it will bee to part from it Therefore Christ saith Luk. 12. to the rich man Thou foole this night shall thy soule be pulled away from thee but the comfort of the Holy Ghost is most beneficiall and refreshing at the day of death because then we draw neere to the accomplishment of Gods promises as Paul saith 2 Tim. 4. 7. I have fought a good fight and have finished my course I have kept the faith from henceforth is laid up for mee the Crowne of righteousnesse which the righteous Iudge shall give at that day hence we conclude all worldly comfort is not comparale to it And here I thinke there is none but will assent with me to pray to God to give us the Holy Ghost as David prayes Psal 4. That God would lift up the light of his countenance upon him howsoever others desire other things let us pray to God though wee want many outward comforts yet that wee may have the holy Ghost to comfort us Now there are three speciall times that the Holy Ghost doth comfort in 1. In trouble and affliction 2. In the distresse of Conscience 3. In the day of death The Holy Ghost doth comfort us in trouble and affliction three wayes First by perswading us that God is our Father and that he will not leave us but will stand by us in the time of our trouble as Psal 23. 4. David saith Yea though I should walke through the valley of the shadow of death yet I will feare no evill for thou art with me So Psal 27. The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I feare The Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I bee afraid this is one meanes whereby the Holy Ghost doth comfort therefore if a man have the holy Ghost he neede not care because that will comfort and uphold him in all the trouble that doth befall him Secondly by turning all things to our good as Rom. 8.
calling that a man can take in hand that he is able to perform till he be fitted for it by the holy Ghost There is a common complaint amongst men in regard of their servants and many disorders the reason of it is because men want the holy Ghost for if men had the holy spirit he would make a supply of our wants and amend all disorders The generall Vse that wee are to make of this doctrine is that men pray for this blessing of the holy Ghost when Elias was taken into Heaven from Elisha saith Elias to him What shall I doe for thee unto whom Elisha said I pray thee that thy Spirit may be doubled upon me And so Christ going to Heaven saith what shall I doe for thee our request must be that his Spirit may bee doubled upon us to comfort us in any distresse but specially in the great distresse of conscience at the time of death and that it may inable us to performe the speciall calling that wee bee now set to performe and live by SERMON LVIII 1 THESS 5. 19 20. Quench not the Spirit Despise not Prophesying HAving spoken of the benefits that wee have by the Holy Ghost in the next place wee are to consider whether we may lose the Holy Ghost or the grace that is once given us of God worldly blessings a man may lose he may lose riches favour of friends his lands and life his skinne and teeth he may lose his riches as Salomon saith that riches have wings like an Eagle hee may lose favour of friends as Iob 5. 15. Christ saith to the rich man Luke 12. This night will I come and take away thy soule and so of all other worldly blessings but if a man have once the Holy Ghost given him hee shall never lose the same therefore to have his comforts is a greater blessing than all worldly blessings whatsoever as Ioh. 14. Christ saith I will pray the Father and he will give you another Comforter another manner of Comforter than I am For I must leave the world and goe home to my Father I cannot tarry with you but this Comforter shall tarry and abide with you to end and shall not leave you till you are brought home to God therefore above all blessings let us desire this blessing and pray to God for it Now for the better clearing of this wee will lay downe these three conclusions The first conclusion is that nature is ready to quench and to expell the Spirit as much as may be I meane corrupt nature as it is tainted and corrupted with sinne and hereof we have two grounds The first is in that two contrary things comming together doe labour to destroy each other as fire and water the one being hot and the other cold doe make opposition so the Spirit and our nature are two contraries flat opposites one to another as the Apostle saith Gal. 5. The flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so as yee cannot doe what yee would so because they bee flat opposites one against another therefore they labour to destroy and seeke the overthrow one of another as much as may be so Rom. 7. we may see how the Spirit and the flesh bustle one with another for saith hee I delight in the law of God concerning the inner man But I see another law in my members rebelling against the law of my minde and leading mee captive unto the law of sinne which is in my members here is the flesh labouring to subdue and weaken the Spirit The second ground is that nature seekes to returne and to recover nature as much as may be as it is the nature of a stone to lye below in a low place therefore if ye take a stone and lay it on a shelfe it will abide as long as the shelfe holds it but take away the shelfe and the stone fals downe againe because it is the nature of it to lye below in like manner also it is the nature of many fowles to live in the water therefore as sonne as they be hatched almost they will runne into the water even so though Grace restraine nature for a little time yet it doth labour to returne againe as much as may be therefore Psal 88. 11. David prayes knit my heart unto thy Law so prone and apt was hee though a man after Gods owne heart to bee carried away from God to corruption and to slippe from him that hee prayes to God to uphold him and Paul exhorts Christians in this place that they doe not quench the Spirit the Spirit may be quenched but take heed that you doe not quench it Now because the Spirit is compared to fire therefore looke how many wayes a man may quench fire so many wayes a man may quench the Spirit First by with drawing the matter that should nourish the fire when men doe not bring fewell to nourish the fire the fire will quench and goe out therefore the Priests in the Law were commanded to bring fresh wood every morning and evening Levit. 5. 12. so the Spirit of God will quench in us if we withdraw that which should nourish it if wee doe not heare the Word preached pray and read the Scripture and conferre of good things for the Apostle joynes these two together quench not the Spirit despise not prophesying meaning when men despise prophesying they take the course to quench the Spirit and to decay it Secondly by powring on of cold water this will quench and put out the fire so the contrary motions of the Spirit will quench the Spirit for every sinne wee commit is as a bucket of water flung on the Spirit to quench and to put it out Iudg. 16. wee see that Sampson through loosenesse and wantonnesse keeping company with Delilah the Spirit of God was decaied in him and his strength for hee shooke himselfe and thought to have done as he did at other times but could not thus Sampson did quench the Spirit of God in him by his bad life so our sinnes being contrary motions to the Spirit doe quench the Spirit Thirdly by smothering out the fire for although a man doth not withdraw the matter that should nourish the fire or powre cold water on to quench it yet a man may quench fire by heaping on of earth and mold yea even the bare weight and burthen of greene wood will smother out the fire after the same manner though a man doth not withdraw himselfe from the use of good meanes nor doth commit grosse sinnes yet overmuch care for the World and the things of this life will quench the Spirit of God when a man spends all his time about his worldly businesse and hath no time to serve God this is a great meanes to quench the spirit Christ tels us Matth. 13. 22. that the thornes choake the good
died for us as Saint Paul saith Rom. 5. 8. It was love and a great love too that made Iaakob serve seven yeeres for a wife in Syria which hee thought nothing much more it was love and great love in Christ that hee would be contented to bee borne in a Stable to bee laid in a Manger to sweat blood and water in the garden to die that accursed death of the crosse and to bee laid in the ground for us all which Christ accounts as nothing so we may be saved and brought home to God Esay 53. 11. it is said He shall see the travell of his soule and shall be satisfied so we may be saved and brought home to God this will satisfie Christ he will thinke all his paines as nothing Secondly Christ hath made declaration of his Love in that he doth wash away our sins from day to day in his blood for whereas nothing in this world can wash away our sins but his blood it hath pleased him to dippe a handkerchiefe as it were in his blood to wipe away our sinnes this is another evidence that he loveth us as Revel 1. 5. it is said that he hath loved us and washed away our sins in his blood therefore whosoever doth not feele his soule and conscience to be cleansed and the blood of Christ to eate out the venome of his sinne Christ hath not declared his love unto him as yet in any comfortable manner Thirdly Christ declares his love to the Church in that hee sends love tokens unto her which are the gifts and graces of his Spirit A loving husband if hee bee in a farre Countrie will send love tokens to his wife there is never a messenger that comes but he will send some Iewell or peece of gold so Christ doth to his Church send love tokens from day to day as Ephes 4. 8. it is said When he ascended up on high he led captivitie captive and gave gifts unto men so when he came at the highest top of glory hee did not forget his poore Church but sent gifts to it as Acts 2. 35. it is said Since then that he by the right hand of God hath beene exalted and hath received of his Father the Holy Ghost hee hath shewed forth this which you now see and heare This is a plaine evidence that his heart is upon us and that he doth not onely love us but makes declaration of his love that we may see and feele it from day to day Hence we may inferre though Christians bee despised in the eyes of the world and not regarded yet they be deare in the eyes of Christ he regardeth and loveth them Wee see a good wife if her husband love her shee cares not who hates her so her husband bee pleased shee cares not who is displeased so it should bee with a Christian if Christ love him hee should not care though the world hate him so Christ be pleased hee need not care who be displeased with him Secondly seeing the Church is the Spouse and Body of Christ therefore he will richly indue the Church Wee see when a man marrieth with a woman the marriage deeds be made he gives her an interest in his lands and indowes her with his goods so Christ doth indue the Church with his righteousnesse holinesse with his merits Thus Phil. â— 9. Paul desireth that he might be found in Christ that is not having his owne righteousnesse which is of the law but that which is through faith in Christ So also 1 Cor. 1. 30. saith the Apostle But yee are of him in Christ Iesus who of God is made unto us wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption that according as it is written Hee that rejoyceth let him rejoyce in the Lord this is another comfort to a Christian that though he be poore in himselfe yet he shall be rich in Christ If a poore Maid marry with a rich Husband though her father left her nothing nor never a friend yet she thinkes her selfe well provided for so though we bee poore in our selves our father Adam having left us nothing but sinne yet if weâ— can marry with Christ hee will richly indow us with all his Graces Thirdly seeing the Church is the Spouse and the Bride of Christ therefore hee will adorne it with all his graces It is said Esai 61. 10. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord and my soule shall bee joyfull in my God for he hath cloathed mee with the garments of salvation and covered mee with the Robe of Righteousnesse hee hath decked me as a Bridegroome and as a Bride tireth her self with her Iewels And to the same effect wee read Revel 19. 8. unto her was granted that shee should bee arayed with pure fine linnen and shining for the fine linnen is the Righteousnesse of Saints so then the Lord will not leave the Church naked but will beautifie and adorne it with his graces therefore wee must labour to feele this and see it for if our conscience shall tell us that wee are naked not having one grace of his Spirit then wee doe not belong to him for without this golden garment of Christs righteousnesse wee shall not bee set at the right hand of Christ as it is Psal 45. 9. but as long as wee bee naked and have not this golden garment on wee doe not belong to Christ for if wee did hee would adorne and beautifie us with all his graces in some measure Fourthly seeing the Church is the bodie and spouse of Christ therefore hee will discharge the Churches duties A woman that is in debt when she is maried to a man all her debts are devolved unto her Husband she shall not answer the debt but her husband because shee is under his covert so the Church shall not answer for her debts but Christ shall as 1 Pet. 2. 24. it is said Who his own selfe bare our sinnes in his own bodie on the tree and Rom 8. 3. saith the Apostle for that which was unpossible to the law in as much as it was weake because of the flesh God sending his owne Sonne in the similitude of sinnefull flesh and for sinne condemned sinne in the flesh Therefore seeing Christ hath discharged our debt and tooke it upon him it is a comfort to the Church that they shall not answere for it Hence wee may learne that when the Divell shall impleade us for our sinnes and debts wee must not deny the debt and say it is not so but answer him wee bee not the parties that are loiable to the Law but hee must goe to our he band Christ hee hath taken our debt upon him and will answere whatsoever can be required of us To make this plaine as wee reade 2 King 4. there was a poore Widow that was impleaded for her debt who comes to the Prophet and tels him of it Hee askes her what shee had
left she replies that shee had nothing left but a little cruse and a little oyle in it where upon the Prophet bids her goe and borrow vessels of her neighbours then shut the doores to her selfe and powre into those vessels and fill them which she did and so payed her creditours and lived of the rest This is the Churches case the Divell impleade her for debt and the Church hath nothing left but as it were a little Pitcher the body of Christ and yet out of this there hath runne out such a deale of oyle as that it hath sufficiently discharged all the debt of the Church and this is another comfort to her that hee will discharge all her debts Fiftly seeing the Church is the body and the spouse of Christ that one day wee shall bee brought home unto him to live with him for ever as Psal 45. 14 it is said shee shall bee brought to the King in â—aâ—ment of needle worke and in the next verse With gladnesse and rejoicing shall they be brought they shall enter into the Kings Palace Therefore this is a comfort to the Church that although she cannot see him because she lives here on earth and Christ in Heaven yet there will be a time when shee shall live for ever with him in glorie and happinesse It was Christs request Iohn 17. 24. Father I will that those which thou hast given mee bee with mee even where I am that they may behold my glorie which thou hast given mee it was one of Christ last suits to his father that we should be brought home unto him This is another comfort to the Church that one day they shall enjoy Christ and live with him for ever in glory howsoever they may have a great deale of trouble and affliction here as Revel 19. 6 7. there was a great voyce like a clap of Thunder saying Halleluiah for our Lord God Almighty hath raigned let us bee glad and rejoice and give glorie to him for the mariage of the Lambe is come and his Wife hath made her sâ—lfe ready All harts should bee filled with joy for this and all soules should bee replenished with glâ—dnesse for that one day the marriage shall bee solemnized when wee shall bee brought home unto him to live with him for ever Lastly seeing the Church is the Bride and the Spouse of Christ therefore he will not bee ashamed of us no good man will be ashamed of his wife though she be but meane in any place nor before any company no more will Christ be ashamed of us but will confesse us before God though we be but meane as Heb. 2. 11. For both he that sanctifieth and they which are sanctified are all of one wherefore hee is not ashamed to call them brethren saying I will declare thy Name unto my brethren in the midst of the Church will I sing praises unto thee And againe behold here am I and the children that thou hast given me so Luk. 12. 8. Whosoever shall confesse me before men him shall the Sonne of Man confesse before God and his Angels As Ioseph confessed his father and brethren before Pharoah and was not affraid of them so will Christ one day acknowledge his Brethren the Elect of God this is another comfort that Christ will not be ashamed of us howsoever wee are not respected and regarded here yet one day we shall be highly promoted Christ will say to us Come ye blessed of my Father receive the Kingdome prepared for you before the beginning of the World Therefore beloved brethren sequester your thoughts from things present and think on the things to come think upon this joyfull meeting of Christ and all the holy people of God consider how great will our comfort be at that time therefore love Iesus Christ be carefull to passe your time here in holinesse and feare labour to repent of your sinnes and to get faith in Christ that yee may finde favour with God at that time Now there is another thing that I would commend unto you in regard of the time That seeing Christ is such a comfortable Husband to us let us take heed we doe not displease him we see a good wife will be loth to displease her husband at any time if she hath given him any occasion of offence she will not be at rest till she be reconciled and her husband pacified and pleased with her so seeing it is manifest at this present by evident tokens that our loving Husband is displeased by taking away the comforts of the Earth for what a thing is it that wee should live on the Earth and yet not see the fruits of it comfortably but be strangers from it in regard of the multitude of our sinnes therefore I say seeing we see him displeased with us let us not be at rest till we be reconciled unto him let us repent us of our sinnes pray unto him and never give over till he be pacified and pleased with us SERMON LXIV 1 TIMOTHY 3. 15. That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thy selfe in the House of God which is the Church of the Living God the Pillar and ground of the Truth THe greater the Church of God is the more is our comfort to be members of it therefore I hope it will not be tedious to any to speake further of the dignities and priviledges of the Church for if one have a stately House or a fruitfull Field hee will not bee weary to heare one tell him of the goodly Scituation and Commodities that doth belong unto it so because the glory of the Church is our glory therefore it shall not be amisse nor I hope tedious to any that I insist to speake of the dignities of the Church of God Fourthly the dignitie of the Church is conspicuous in that it is called the Pillar and ground of Truth A metaphor taken from building that as a Pillar sustaines and upholds the house from falling so the Church of God is a Pillar to uphold the Scripture and the Gospell which otherwise the prophane multitude of the World would let fall and it cannot stand with another Societie but only with the Church of God because there God is knowne so we see Psal 76. It is said God is knowne is Iuda his Name is great in Israel For in Salem is his Tabernacle and his dwelling in Zion So also Psal 147. 19. Hee sheweth his Word unto Iaakob His Statutes and his Iudgements unto Israel He hath not dealt so with any Nation neither have they knowne his Iudgements so then it is an honour peculiar belonging to the Church of God to uphold and maintaine the doctrine of saving truth which otherwise would bee extinguished by the prophane multitude of the World Now two wayes the Church is the Ground and Pillar of Truth 1. Because it doth preserve and keepe the Tables of Truth 2. Because it doth deliver the doctrine of Truth
all one house and familie and appertaine to one Lord and master many times they all meet together and when they bee parted there is but a floore or a loft between them so the Church of God is a great house wherein there bee many lodgings some lodge in the upper Roome that is in Heaven and some in the lower the earth and yet they have but one Lord and Master and bee all of one familie there is but a floore as it were between them and that is the veile of this flesh which shall be taken away one day they shall come together one day They that are in the upper Roome shall come down into this lower to receive their bodies and they which are in this lower shall goe up into the upper Roome to receive their glorie and immortalitie The People of God in old time dwelled in Tents the husband had his Tent and the wife had hers as wee see Gen. 18. that Abraham had his Tent by himselfe and Sara had her Tent and yet there was Communion between them they met sometimes and conversed together and when they were asunder there was but a thinne canvase or cloath between them so the Saints departed live in one place a-part by themselves and the living Saints by themselves and yet there is a neere conjunction between them because they all meet together in the adoration of the true God when they are asunder there being as it were but a thinne cloth between them the veile of this flesh Therefore little doe men know what they doe deprive themselves of by their sinnes for they doe not onely lose Communion with weake and fraile men such as wee bee but with Angells and Archangells and all the Saints departed and blessed People of Heaven above Therefore pittie the madnesse and folly of men to deprive themselves of so great a blessing Thirdly the Communion of the dead with the dead consisting in two things First in desire that they may be buried lye together in the grave that they may rise together in glorie and happinesse We see Gen. 23. that Abraham might have buried Sarah when shee was dead in the best of the Sepulchers of the Heathen people but hee bought a peece of ground of them to burie her in And Gen. 49. 29. Iacob gave a charge to his Sonnes concerning the place of his buriall saying I am gathered unto my people bury mee with my Fathers in the cave that is in the fields of Ephron the Hittite in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah besides Mamre in the Land of Canaan which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession to burie in there they layd Abraham and Sarah and there they buried Isaak and Rebecca his wife and there I buried Leah and let mee lye amongst Gods Saints so 1. King 30. 31. the old Prophet said When I am dead bury mee also in the Sepulcher wherein the man of God is buried lay my bones by his bones and my body by his body c. So it is the desire of the Saints to lye together in the grave to have their ashes mingled together and their dust never separated that so they may rise to eternall glorie together Some thinke it is no matter where a man is buried when hee is dead and indeed all is one in regard of salvation but a man would bee loth to rise with whoremasters drunkards theeves and villaines therefore hee would hee loth to lye amongst them Secondly In that they shall meete together in the communion of the mysticall body of Christ for as in a circumference there are many points and lines all which come to one center so there be many bodies of the Saints scattered and severed some in the land some in another some in the Sea concavities and hollow places of the Earth yet all these shall meet at the Center in the body of Christ for howsoever the body may bee sundered by death from the soule for a time yet soule and body cannot be sundred from Christ Some thinke that the dead bodies of the Saints doe truely belong to Christ and are under the care of God because Christ saith that God is the God of Abraham Isaak and Iaakob but they doe not thinke that they have communion with Christ when they bee dead because they have communion with Christ by meanes of the Spirit onely but to this I answere that the dead bodies bee not onely members with Christ but they have communion with him for looke how it was with the materiall body of Christ when the soule and body was sundred by death yet it was alwayes united to the Godhead so the faithfull people though they bee dead yet are united to Christ. Againe I answere that all communion wee have is by the Spirit of Christ for our dead bodies doe communicate by his Spirit not according to all the effects of it but some namely that hee doth preserve and keepe their dust and one day will raise and quicken them againe to live in glory and happinesse so Saint Paul saith Rom. 8. 11. But if the spirit of him that raised up Iesus from the dead dwelleth in you hee that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies because his Spirit dwelleth in you Secondly the dead have communion one with another in regard of their soules for all the soules of the Saints when they leave this world shall bee gathered to the Saints that be departed so Gen. 15. 15. saith God But thou shalt goe to thy fathers in peace and shalt be buried in a good old age Now it could not bee meant of the bodies of his fathers for they were buried in another Countrie nor could it be meant of the soules of his fathers for they were idolaters but it was meant of the fathers of his faith to such as he was to holy and good men for looke what a man is to the same he shal be gathered to and such as a man converseth with whilest he liveth here on the earth unto such he shall bee gathered in the life to come Therefore to shut up all if thou wouldest not be gathered to whoremasters drunkards murtherers theeves villains and such like doe not converse with them nor partake with them in their sinnes but if thou have repented of thy sinnes got faith in Christ and made conscience of thy wayes conversing with good men then thou shalt bee gathered to Abraham Isaak and Iaakob and all the holy men therefore every man must so live in this life as that hee may live for ever in the life to come SERMON LXX HEBREVVES 10. 24 25. And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good workes Not forsaking the assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another and so much the more as yee see the day approaching IN Christian
things I write unto you that yee sinne not but if any man sinne wee have an advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the just therefore let our sins be what they will if we can repent of them God will forgive them without limitation of the number or the greatnesse of them There is but one sinne only that shall not be forgiven the sinne against the Holy Ghost which is spoken of Matth. 12. 31. Every sinne and blasphemy shall bee forgiven unto men but the blasphemie against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto them So 1 Iohn 5. 16. saith he there is a sin unto death I doe not say that thou shalt pray for it and Heb. 6. 6. it is said If a man hath tasted of the Word of God and of the powers of the world to come if he fall away it is impossible he should be renewed againe by repentance Now the reason why the Lord will not pardon it is not because his mercie cannot reach it for his mercy is infinite but because there is a defect in men that they cannot repent of it for this sinne is against all the beginnings of grace in them therefore they cannot relent for it nor repent so the defect is not in God but in men for if it were possible that men could repent this sinne God would forgive it The use of this is seeing God will forgive our sinnes though they be in number never so many and in measure never so great if we repent truely therefore we should repent and humble our selves before God that he may forgive us We see that David had committed two grosse and great sinnes yet he saith Psal 32. I said I will confesse against my selfe my owne wickednesse and thou forgavest the punishment of them and Saint Paul was a great sinner who faith of himselfe 1 Cor. 15. 9. I am not worthy to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of God and 1 Tim. 1. 13. saith he I was a blasphemer a persecuter and an oppressor but I was received to mercy c. Therefore let no man despaire though his sinnes bee never so many or so great if they can repent they shall finde mercy at Gods hands Augustine saith well upon Psal 81. speaking of the Iewes how that they killed and crucified Christ and yet many of them were saved this saith he is left for an example for us that no man should despaire though his sins were never so great and so many yet if he can repent of them God will forgive them for if the greatest sinnes were forgiven that were committed in this world which was the killing of Christ then doe not doubt but the Lord will forgive thee thy sinnes if thou canst repent of them This is the condition as we shall heare more hereafter if we will repent our sinnes God will forgive them but if we will not accept of this condition but still live in them from day to day and nourish and keepe them in our bosomes then doe not marvell though God will not forgive us The fifth thing is That none but God can forgive sinnes hee that raises up our bodies at the day of judgement and giveth everlasting life hee it is that must forgive us our sinnes and therefore they are placed together in the Articles of our Christian faith wee doe beleeve that God will forgive us our sinnes here that hee will raise our bodies at the last day and give us life everlasting so it is God onely that must forgive us our sinnes this is cleere both by the Scripture and by Reason First by Scriptures as Esay 43. 25. I am he that putteth away thine iniquities for mine owne sake and will remember thy sinnes no more so Ieremiah 31. 34. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know ye the Lords for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them saith the Lord for I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sinnes no more and 2 Sam. 12. 13. Nathan saith to David the Lord also hath put away thy sinnes thou shalt not die David Psal 32. saith I confessed my sinnes and thou forgavâ—st me the punishment of them so there can be no question about this but that it is God only that doth forgive sinnes This was a knowne truth amongst the Pharises as wee see Luke 5. for say they None but God can forgive sinnes A learned man speaking of this place saith that the ground was good that none but God can forgive but they failed in their application for they tooke Christ to be but a bare man And it is Augustines assertion The Donatists say that men may forgive sinnes but saith he in this they are worse than the Pharises for they say none but God can forgive sinnes Secondly by Reason and that first Because sinne is an infinite offence against God therefore it must be an infinite power that must take it away for as the Schoolemen say The thing that worketh must be of greater power and vertue than the thing that is wrought upon but all the power that is in man is finite and hath his bounds and limits therefore no man is able to forgive sinne For as a pecke cannot hold a thousand bushels so man being finite cannot have infinite power and threfore no man is able to take away sinne but God onely Secondly it is cleare from the doctrine of their owne Schoolemen who say that no man can take away sin unlesse he be able to infuse grace so Aquinas faith that there is no forgivenesse of sins but there must be therewith infusion of grace but there is no man that can infuse grace into any therefore there is no man that can take away sin or we may frame a reason thus He that justifieth a man he only it is that can forgive sins but there is none but God that can justifie a man therefore none but God can forgive sinnes Thirdly He that takes away the punishment of sinne Hee it is that must take away sinne as Christ promised to the man sicke of the Palsey Matth. 9. 6. for when Christ forgave him his sinnes hee forgave him the punishment of them also for saith hee unto him Take up thy bed and walke this he giveth him as a token that his sinnes are pardoned so if a man can take away the punishment of sinne with a word and say to a blinde man receive thy sight to a lame man goe then a man may pardon sinnes but there is no man that can take away the punishment of sinne therefore he cannot take away sinnes For if Man cannot take away the effect which is the lesser he cannot take away the cause which is the greater hence then it is manifest that none but God can take away sinne Some object if there is none but God that can forgive sinnes why then doth S.
hinder a man from Christ 121. * How a strong Christian weakned by sinne may know whether the holy Ghost bee in him or no. 505. Christians of all men most happy because Christ is their Lord. 99. ¶ Good is to be done to Christians as they are Christians 461. †What the Church of God is 525. The Church Triumphant Militant 520. 530. No member of the Triumphant that is not of the Militant Church 530. The great blessing it is to be a member of the Church 566. ¶ Wee must beleeve a not in the Church 523. ¶ The Church a mixed company of good and bad 537. How the Church is one 534. The diverse estates of the Church here in this world 534. The Church sometimes hidden 535. ¶ The Church power at one time than another 537. Of cleaving to the Church 537. ¶ The blessings that proceed from the peace of the Church 536. ¶ The dignities of the Church 539. The Church as the Citie of God excels all other cities in foure respects 539. The Church the Body of Christ 542. * Christ Loveth Indoweth Adorneth Acquitteth Bringeth home Glorifieth the Church his Spouse 544. Vniversality a property of the Church 574. The Church the pillar and ground of truth 549. The Church preserves the Letters Canon Authority of the Scripture 550. Holinesse a property of the Church 569. Iudgement of the world mixture of good and bad remainder of sinne seeme to take away the holinesse of the Church 569. The Church said to bee Holy by 1. Faith and good conversation 2. Impâ—tation of Christs righteousnesse 3. Inherent holinesse in the true members 4. Having the means of holinesse 570. Reasons why there is no salvation without the Church 565. ¶ The Church Betâ—lehem thither we must goe to finde Christ 126. * All things tend to the good of the Church as crosse wheeles in a clocke 88. ¶ The come unto me in glory depends on the come unto me in grace 446. ¶ Christ comes to a man when things bee at the worst 115. ¶ The comfort of the Holy Ghost excels all other comforts 511. To appropriate Christs merit a great comfort 124. †Two times to commend our soules to God In danger every day 258. 3. grounds of coÌ„mending our selves to God because hee is the Father of Spirits our Father in Christ hath afforded us former favours 258. Why Christ gives signes of his comming 402. God communicates his wisdome c. to us we our griefes to him 583. Christ communicates to us Himselfe right of his death merit Power of Spirituall life Dignity of his owne estate 584 We communicate to Christ our Nature Sinnes Troubles and dangers 383. Christ communicates his graces to his Church 341. Of the communion of the Saints 579. By the communion of Saints a Christian hath a thousand helps 597. ¶ The communion of Saints consists in communion with God with Christ one with another 582 Foure lets of the communion of saints 605. The communion one with another consists in the commmuion of the 1. Living with the living 587 c. 2. Living and the Dead in wishing well to conversing with one another 598 3. Dead with the dead in 1. Lying together in the Grave 2. Being members of Christ 3. Being gathered to the Saints departed 599. The communion of the living with the living stands in community of Affection 587. Graces 588. Spirituall sacrifices ibid. Temporall blessings 590. Bearing one with another 594. The communitie of goods is limited in the Excesse Defect 592. Communions of the wicked 579. Christs company a great comfort 243. †Christs complaint on the crosse 168. Christ conceived of the flesh of the Virgin 105. †by the power of the holy Ghost how 106. Christ conceived by the Holy Ghost that he might be pure and without sin 107. †The stirre that was at Christs conception 108. * Of the condemnation of Christ 197. Conscience compared to a Booke wherein all things are written 207. ¶ To sin against conscience a fearefull thing 205. †207. †The property of a good conscience to be moved at Gods judgements 206. ¶ Bad consciences troubled at Christs comming 132. ¶ Wicked mens consciences may be sealed for a time but one day they shall be opened 184. ¶ No flying from an evill conscience 205. ¶ An evill conscience the worst accuser 207. ¶ A Christian though contemn'd in his life is honoured in his grave 278. ¶ Constancie in a good course requisite thogh without successe 199. * Of the conviction at the last day 437. Conversion makes men labour to draw others to the same estate 238. * Confession of sinne Cleering the Iustice of God Zeale for the honour of God a signe of conversion 238. No man knowes the instant of his conversion 305. No cost to be spared for Christ 280. ¶ Covetousnesse moved Iudas to betray Christ 181. †The workes of the Creation not to be lookt on but with due consideration 65. ¶ The Author Substance Manner Subject Estate Time Order End of the Creation c. 64. The motion multitude of the Creatures prove a Deitie 43. ¶ The Creature not God cause of sinne and defect 67. †We ought not to abuse the Creatures seeing God made them 65. Wee ought to pray for restauration to the creatures 68. * Christ died the death of the Crosse because it was most Accursed Shamefull Painefull Apparent 211. Christs behaviour on the Crosse 224. The seven last words of Christ on the Crosse 224. c. The scandall of the Crosse weakens faith 321. Christs Disciples must bee carriers of the Crosse 214. ¶ No man must make a Crosse to himselfe but bee contented if God lay it on him 214. ¶ All Crosses must be borne ibid. The place where Christ was crucified 215. Why Christ was crucified aloft 213. * How Christ was led to be crucified 213. What torments are expressed in the word crucified 219. ¶ Vses from Christs crucifying 220. c. Five falsehoods in Popish crucifixes 223. Christs Cup what it is 160. * Sinne brings Gods curse upon 〈◊〉 467. * D ALL needlesse dangers are carefully to be shunned 338. †Whether the darkenesse of the Sunne at Christs passion was all the world over 165. †The horrid darknesse of wicked men at the last day 165. ¶ The holy Ghost illuminates as a window in a darke house 509. Dead bodies members of Christ having communion with him 600. Incertainty of death should stirre us up to conscionable walking 237. †At the day of death most care is to bee had of our soules 238. ¶ 257. ¶ 258. * Death but a departing 143. * The good change a Christian makes by death 242. ¶ The greatest extremitie befals Christians at the time of their deaths 169. ¶ We ought to prepare for death 179. †Christs Death 261. Voluntarie 265. The manifestation thereof 266. The Power thereof 269. ¶ The fruits of Christs Death are to us freedome from the Eternall Death Seing of Death Curse of Death Power of