Christ may withdraw himselfe and bee gone in regard of any comfortable and sensible fruition of his fellowship and in that case the soule may faile and seeke him but not finde him and call upon him but receive no answere Cant. 5.6 A man may feare the Lord and yet be in darkenesse and have no light Esai 50.10 Secondly there may bee a great feare even of performing spirituall duties A broken and dejected man may tremble in Gods service and upon a deepe apprehension of his owne unworthinesse and erroneous applying of that sad expostulation of God with wicked men What hast thou to doe to tâ—ke my Covenant in thy mouth Psalm 50.16 And what hath my beloved to doe in mine house seeing she hath wrought lewdnesse with many Ier. 11.15 he may be startled and not dare adventure upon such holy and sacred things without much reluctancie and shame of spirit O my God saith Ezra I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee my God for our iniquities are increased over our heads Ezra 9.6 Thus it is said of the poore woman who upon the touch of Christs garment had beene healed of her bloudy issue That shee came fearing and trembling and fell downe before Christ and told him the truth Mark 5.33 But yet great difference there is betweene this feare of the Saints and of the wicked The feare of the wicked ariseth out of the evidences of the guilt of sinne but the feare of the Saints from a tender apprehension of the majestie of God and his most pure eyes which cannot endure to behold uncleannesse which made Moses himselfe to tremble Act. 7.32 and out of a deepe sense of their owne unworthinesse to meddle with holy things And such a feare as this may bring much uncomfortablenesse and distraction of spirit but never at all any dislike or hatred of God or any stomacke-full disobedience against him for as the feare of the soule deterres so the necessity of the precept drives him to an endeavour of obedience and well-pleasing slavish feare forceth a man to doe the dutie some way or other without any eye or respect unto the manner of doing it But this other which is indeed a filiall but yet withall an uncomfortable feare rather disswades from the dutie it selfe the heart being so vile and unfit to performe so pretious a duty in so holy a manner as becomes it Thirdly as the Saints may have feare and uncomfortablenesse which are contrary to a free spirit so they may have a wearinesse and some kinde of unwillingnesse in Gods service Their spirits like the hands of Moses in the mount may faint and hang downe may bee damp'd with carnall affections or tired with the difficulty of the worke or pluck'd back by the importunitie of temptations so that though they beginne in the spirit yet they may be bewitched and transported from a through-obedience to the truth Gal. 3.1 3. A deadnesse heavinesse insensibilitie unactivenesse confusednesse of heart unpreparednesse of affections insinuation of worldly lusts and earthly cares may distract the hearts and abate the cheerefulnesse of the best of us And hence come those frequent exhortations to stirre up our selves to prepare our hearts to seeke the Lord to whet the Law upon our children to exhort one another lest the deceitfulnesse of sinne harden us to bee strong in the Grace of Christ not to faint or be weary of well-doing and the like All which and sundry like intimate a sluggishnesse of disposition and naturall bearing backe of the will from Gods service Fourthly the Proportion of this discomfort and wearinesse ariseth from these grounds First from the strength of these corruptions which remaine within us for ever so much fleshlinesse as the heart retaines so much bias a man hath to turne him from God and his wayes so much clog and encumbrance in holy duties And this remainder of flesh is in the will as wel as in any other facultie to indispose it unto spirituall actions as it is in our members that we cannot doe the things which wee would Gal. 5.17 so in proportion it is in our wills that wee cannot with all our strength desire the things which wee should and therefore David praiseth God for this especiall Grace Who am I and what is my people that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort for all things come of thee and of thine owne have we given thee 1 Chro. 29.14 Secondly from the dulnesse or sleepinesse of Grace in the heart which without daily reviving husbanding and handling will bee apt to contract a rust and to bee over-growne with that bitter roote of corruption within As a bowle will not move without many rubs and stops in a place overgrowne with grasse so the will cannot move with readinesse towards God when the Graces which should actuate it are growne dull and heavie A rustie key will not easily open the locke unto which it was first fitted nor a neglected Grace easily open or enlarge the heart Thirdly from the violent importunity and immodesty of some strong temptation and unexpellible suggestions which frequently presenting themselves to the spirit doe there beget jealousies to disquiet the peace of the heart for Satans first end is to rob us of grace for which purpose he hearteneth our lusts against us but his second is to rob us of Comfort and to tosse us up and downe betweene our owne feares and suspicions for unwearied and violent contradictions are apt to beget wearinesse in the best Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himselfe saith the Apostle lest ye be wearied and faint in your mindes Heb. 12.3 Fourthly from the present weight of some heavie fresh sinne which will utterly indispose the heart unto any good As we see how long securitie did surprize David after his murther and adulterie Thus as Ionah after his flight from God fell asleepe in the ship so stupiditie and unaptnesse to worke is ever the child of any notable and revolting sinne When the conscience lieth bleeding under any fresh sinne it hath first a hard taske to goe through in a more bitter renewing the teares of repentance And hard works have for the most part some feares and reluctancies in the performing of them Secondly it hath not such boldnesse and assurance to bee welcome to God It comes with shame horror blushing and want of peace and so cannot but finde the greater conflict in it selfe Thirdly sinne diswonts a man from God carries him to thickets and bushes The soule loves not to be deprehended by God in the company of Satan or any sinfull lust That childe cannot but feele some strugglings of shame and unwillingnesse to come unto his father who is sure when he comes to be upbraided with the companions which he more delights in Fifthly from the proportions of the desertions of the spirit for the Spirit of God bloweth where and how he listeth and it is hee that worketh our wils
unto obedience If he be grieved and made retire for he is of a delicate and jealous disposition if hee turne his wind from our sailes alas how slow and sluggish will our motion be How poore our progresse Vpon these and severall other the like grounds may the best of us bee possessed with feares discomforts and unwillingnesse in Gods service But yet Fifthly none of all this takes off the will a Toto though it doe a Tanto but that the faithfull in their greatest heavinesse and unfitnesse of spirit have yet a stronger by as towards God than any wicked man when he is at best for it is true of them in their lowest condition that they Desire to feare Gods name Nehem. 1.11 That the desire of their soule is towards the remembrance of him Esay 26.8 that they are seriously displeased with the distempers and uncomfortablenesse of their spirit Psal. 42.5 that they long to be enlarged that they may run the way of Gods Commandements Psal. 119.32 That they set their affection unto God and his service 1 Chron. 29.3 That they prepare their heart to seeke the Lord God 2 Chron. 30.19 That they strive grone wrestle and are unquiet in their dumpes and dulnesse earnestly contending for joy and freedome of Spirit Psal. 51.8.11.12 In one word that they dare not omit those duties which yet they have no readinesse and disposednesse of heart to performe but when they cannot doe them in alacrity yet they doe them in obedience and serve the Lord when he hideth his face from them I said I am cast out of thy sight yet I will looke againe towards thy holy Temple Ionah 2.4 He that feareth the Lord will obey his voice though he walke in darknesse and have no light Esay 50.10 So then the faithfull have still thus much ground of comfort that God hath their wils alwaies devoted and resign'd unto him though thus much likewise they have to humble them too the daily experience of a back-sliding and tired spirit in his service and should therefore be exhorted to stirre up the spirit of grace in themselves to keepe fresh and frequent their communion with Christ. The more acquaintance and experience the heart hath of him the more abundantly it will delight in him and make haste unto him that it may with Saint Paul apprehend him in fruition by whom it is already apprehended and carried up unto heavenly places in assurance and representation As long as wee are here there will be something lacking to our faith some mixture of unbeleefe and distrust with it 1 Thess. 3.10 Marke 9.24 corruptions temptations afflictions trials will be apt to beget some feares discomforts wearinesse and indisposednesse towards Gods service The sense whereof should make us long after our home with the Apostle grone and wait for the adoption even the redemption of our bodies for the manifestation of the sons of God for though we are now sonnes yet it doth not appeare what we shall be 1 Ioh. 3.2 should make us pray for the accomplishment of his promises for the hastening of his Kingdome where we shall be changed into an universall spiritualnesse or purity of nature where those relickes of corruption those strugglings of the law of the members against the law of the minde shall be ended those languishings decayes ebbes and blemishes of grace shall be removed where all deficiencies of grace shall be made up and that measure and first fruits of the Spirit which we here receive shall be crowned with fulnesse and everlasting perfection Here we are like the stones and other materials of Salomons Temple but in the act of fitting and preparation no marvell if we be here crooked knottie uneven and therefore subject to the hammer under blowes and buffets But when we shall be carried to the heavenly building which is above and there laid in there shall be nothing but smoothnesse and glory upon us no noise of hammers or axes no dispensation of Word or Sacraments no application of censures and severity but every man shall bee filled with the fulnesse of God Faith turned into sight Hope turned into fruition and Love everlastingly ravished with the presence of God with the face of Iesus Christ with the fulnesse of the holy Spirit and with the communion and societie of all the Saints And so much for the first observation out of the third particular concerning the willingnesse of Christs people There was further therein observed the Principle of this Willingnesse In the day of thy power or of thine armies that is when thou shalt send abroad Apostles and Prophets and Evangelists and Doctours and Teachers for evidencing the Word and Spirit unto the consciences of men Whence we may secondly observe that the Heart of Christs people is made willing to obey him by an act of Power or by the strength of the Word and Spirit It is not barely enticed but it is conquered by the Gospell of Christ 2 Cor. 10.4 5. And yet this is not a compulsory conquest which is utterly contrary to the nature of a reasonable will which would cease to be it selfe if it could be compell'd but it is an effectuall conquest The will as all other faculties is dead naturally in trespasses and sins And a dead man is not raised to life againe by any enticements nor yet compell'd unto a condition of such exact complacencie and suteablenesse to nature by any act of violence So then a man is made willingly subject unto Christ neither by meere morall perswasions nor by any violent impulsions but by a power in it selfe supernaturall spirituall or Divine and in its manner of working sweetly tempered to the disposition of the will which is never by grace destroyed but perfected Therefore the Apostle saith that it is God who worketh in us to will and to doe Phil. 2.13 first he frameth our will according to his owne as David was said to be a man after Gods owne heart and secondly by that will and the imperate acts thereof thus sanctified and still assisted by the Spirit of grace he setteth the other powers of nature on worke in further obedience unto his will And therefore the Prophet David praised God that had enabled him and his people to offer willingly unto the service of Gods house and prayeth him that he would ever keepe that willing disposition in the imaginations and thoughts of the hearts of his people 1 Chron. 29.14.18 Therefore the Apostle saith that Our faith standeth not in the wisdome of men but in the power of God 1 Cor. 4.5 Therefore likewise it is called The faith of the operation of God who raised Christ from the dead Col. 2.12 For the more distinct opening and evidencing this point how Christs people are made Willing by his power I will onely lay together some briefe positions which I conceive to be thereunto pertinent and proceed to that which is more plaine and profitable First let us consider the nature of the will which is to
fulnesse for themselves only Eph. 4.7 1 Cor. 12.11 Rom. 1â— 3 But a fulnesse without measure like the fulnesse of light in the Sun or water in the Sea which hath an unsearchable sufficiency and redundancie for the whole Church Ioh. 3.34 Eph. 3.8 Mal. 4.2 So that as hee was furnished with all Spirituall Endowments of Wisedome judgment power love holinesse for the dispensation of his owne Office Esai 11.2.61.1 So from his fulnesse did there runne over a share and portion of all his graces unto his Church Ioh. 1.16 Col. 2.19 3 He did by a solemne and publike promulgation proclaime the Kingdome of Christ unto the Church and declare the decree in that heavenly voice which came unto him from the excellent glorie This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased heare yee him Psal. 2.7 Matth. 3.17.17.5 2 Pet. 1.17 4 Hee hath given him a Scepter of Righteousnesse hath put a sword in his mouth and a rodde of iron in his hand made him a Preacher and an Apostle to reveale the secrets of his bosome and to testifie the things which hee hath seen and heard Heb. 1.8 Revel 1.16.2.16 Psal. 2.9 Esai 16.1 Heb. 3.1 Ioh. 1.18 Ioh. 3.11 12.32 34. 5 Hee hath honoured him with many Ambassadors and servants to negotiate the affaires of his Kingdome some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the Ministerie and for the Edifying of his Bodie 2 Cor. 5.20 Eph. 4.11 12. 6 Hee hath given him the soules and consciences of men even to the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession and for the territories of his Kingdome Psal. 2.8 Ioh. 17.6 7 Hee hath given him a power concerning the Lawes of his Church A power to make Lawes the Law of Faith as S. Paul cals it Rom. 3.27 Mark 16.15 16. A power to expound Lawes as the morall Law Matt. 5. A power to abrogate Lawes as the Law of Ordinances Col. 2.14 8 Hee hath given him a power of judging and condemning enemies Ioh. 5.27 Luk. 19.27 Lastly hee hath given him a power of remitting sinnes and sealing pardons which is a roiall prerogative Matth. 9.6 Ioh. 20.23 And these things belong unto him as hee is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well Man as God Ioh. 5.27 For the workes of Christs mediation were of two sorts Opera ministerii workes of service and ministerie for he tooke upon himselfe the forme of a servant and was a Minister of the Circumcision Phil. 2.8 Rom. 15.8 and Opera Potestatis workes of Authoritie and government in the Church All power is given unto me in heaven and earth Matth. 28.18 The Qualitie of this Kingdome is not Temporall or Secular over the naturall lives or civill negotiations of men He came not to be ministred unto but to minister his Kingdome was not of this World he disclaimed any civill power in the distribution of lands and possessions he with-drew himselfe from the people when by force they would have made him a King and himselfe that in this point hee might give none offence payed tribute unto Cesar Matth. 20.28 Ioh. 18.36 Luk. 12.13 14. Ioh. 6.15 Matth. 17.27 But his Kingdome is Spirituall and heavenly over the soules of men to binde and loose the conscience to remit and retaine sinnes to awe and over-rule the hearts to captivate the affections to bring into obedience the thoughts to subdue and pull downe strong holds to breake in pieces his enemies with an iron rod to hew and slay them with the words of his mouth to implant fearfulnesse and astonishment in the hearts of hypocrites and to give peace securitie protection and assurance to his people The way wherby hee enters upon his Kingdome is ever by way of Conquest For though the Soules of the Elect are his yet his enemies have the first possession as Canaan was Abrahams by Promise but his seeds by Victorie Not but that Christ proclaimes peace first but because men will not come over nor submit to him without warre The strong man will not yeeld to bee utterly spoiled and crucified upon termes of peace Hence then wee may first learne the great Authoritie and Power of this King who holds his Crowne by immediate tenure from heaven and was after a more excellent manner than any other Kings therunto decreed and anointed by God himselfe Much then are they to blame who finde out wayes to diminish the Kingdome of Christ and boldly affirme that though a King hee could not but bee yet hee might have been a King without a Kingdome a King in personall right without subjects or territories to exercise his regall power in A King onely to punish enemies but not a King to governe or to feed a people But shall God give his Sonne the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession and shall men withhold it shall God give men unto Christ Thine they were thou gavest them unto me Ioh. 17.6 and shall they detaine themselves from him what is it that he gives unto his Sonne but the soules the hearts the very thoughts of men to bee made obedient unto his Scepter 2 Cor. 10.5 and shall it then bee within the compasse of humane power to effect as it is in their pride to maintaine fieri posse ut nulla sit Ecclesia We know one principall part of the Kingdome and power of Christ is to cast downe imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God and that not onely unto conviction but unto obedience as the Apostle shewes to send such gifts of the Spirit unto men as should benefit the very Rebellious that God might dwell amongst them Psal. 68.18 for in as much as Christ came to destroy the workes of the devill that is sinne as the Apostle shewes 1 Ioh. 3.8 Ioh. 8.41.44 and in their place to bring in the worke of God which is faith in him for so that grace is frequently stiled Ioh. 6.29 Phil. 1.29 Col. 2.12 Therfore it is requisite that none of Satans instruments and confederates such as the hearts of naturall men are should be to strong for the grace of Christ. But what then doth Christ compell men against their wills to become subiect unto him No in no wise He hath ordered to bring them in by a way of voluntarinesse and obedience And herein is the wisedome of his power seen that his grace shall mightily produce those effects in men which their hearts shall most obediently and willingly consent unto that hee is able to use the proper and genuine motions of second causes to the producing of his owne most holy wise and mercifull purposes As wee see humane wisedome can so order moderate and make use of naturall motions that by them artificiall effects shall be produced as in a clock the naturall moâ—ion of the weight or plummet causeth the artificiall distribution of houres and minutes and in a mill the
in dying rising and reviving he became Lord both of the dead and living Rom. 14.9 Revel 5.12 And thus he is Lord in two respects First A Lord in Power and strength Power to forgive sinnes Power to quicken whom hee will Power to cleanse justifie and sanctifie Power to succor in temptations Power to raise from the dead Power to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him Power to hold fast his sheepe Power to cast out the accuser of the brethren Power to put downe all his enemies and to subdue all things unto himselfe Secondly A Lord in Authoritie To judge to anoint to imploy to command whom and what hee will He onely is Lord over our persons over our faith over our consciences To him onely we must say Lord save us lest wee perish to him onely wee must say Lord what will thou have me to doe And such a Lord Christ was to his owne fore-fathers They all did eate of the same Spirituall meate and all dranke of the same Spirituall drinke even of that rock which was Christ 1 Cor. 10.3 4. He was the substance of the Ceremonies the Doctrine of the Prophets the accomplishment of the Promises the joy and salvation of Patriarchs and Princes the desire and expectation of all flesh The Gospell to us a History and narration and therefore delivered by the hand of witnesses to them a promise and prediction and therefore delivered by the hand of Prophets The Apostles entered into the Prophets Labours and were servants in the same common salvation these as sowers and they as reapers these as preachers of the seed hoped and they as preachers of the same seed exhibited The ancient Iewes then were not saved by bare temporall promises neither was their faith ultimately fixed upon Ceremonies or earthly things but as their preachers had the same Spirit of Christ with ours so the Doctrine which they preached the faith and obedience which they required the salvation which they foretold was the same with ours As the same Sun illightens the starres above and the earth beneath so the same Christ was the Righteousnesse and salvation both of his fore-fathers and of his seed They without us could not be made perfect that is as I conceive their faith had nothing actually extant amongst themselves to perfect it but received all its forme and accomplishment from that better thing which was provided for and exhibited unto us For the Law that is the carnall Commandement and outward Ceremonies therein prescribed made nothing no grace no person perfect but the bringing in of a better hope that is of Christ who as hee is unto us the hope of glory so hee was unto them the hope of deliverance for he alone it is by whom wee draw nigh unto God doth perfect for ever those that are sanctified Heb. 7.19 Heb. 10.14 If Christ then be our Lord wee must trust in him and depend upon him for all our present subsistence and our future expectations For he never faileth those that wait upon him He that beleeveth in him shall not bee ashamed And indeed faith is necessary to call Christ Lord. No man can call Iesus Lord but by the Spirit Because other Lords are present with us they doe with their own eye oversee and by their owne visible power order and direct us in their service But Christ is absent from our senses Though I have knowne Christ after the flesh yet henceforth saith the Apostle know I him no more Therefore to feare and honor and serve him with all fidelity to yeeld more absolute and universall obedience to his commands though absent though tenderd unto us by the Ministerie of meane and despicable persons than to the threates and Scepters of the greatest Princes to labour that not only present but absent we may bee accepted of him to doe his hardest workes of selfe-deniall of overcomming and rejecting the assaults of the World of standing out against principalities powers and spirituall wickednes of suffering and dying in his service needs must there bee faith in the hart to see him present by his Spirit to set to our seale to the truth authoritie and Majesty of all his commands to heare the Lord speaking from heaven and to finde by the secret and powerfull revelations of his Spirit out of the word to the soule evident and invincible proofes of his living by the power of God and speaking mightily in the Ministery of his Word to our consciences Therefore when the Apostle had said Wee are absent from the Lord hee presently addes We walk by faith That is we labor to yeeld all service and obedience to this our Lord though absent because by faith which giveth presence to things unseen and subsistence to things that are yet but hoped wee know that hee is and that hee is a rewarder of those that diligently seeke him And indeed though every man call him Lord yet no man doth in truth and sincerity of heart so esteeme him but those who doe in this manner serve him and by faith walke after him If I be a Master saith the Lord where is my feare Malach. 1.6 It is not every one that saith Lord Lord but hee that doth my will that trembleth at my word that laboureth in my service who declares himselfe to be mine indeed For the heart of man cannot have two Masters because which way ever it goes it goes whole and undivided Wee cannot serve Christ and any thing else which stands in Competition with him First because they are Contrary Masters one cannot bee pleased or served without the disallowance of the other The Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy that is grudgeth and cannot endure that any service should be done to the Lord. For the Friendship of the World is enmitie against God Iam. 4.4 5. And therefore saith the Apostle If any man love the World the love of the Father is not in him and the reason is because they are contrarie principles and have contrary Spirits and lusts and therefore must needs over-rule unto contrary services Secondly because both Masters have employments enough to take up a whole man Satan and the World have lusts to fill the whole head and heart of their most active and industrious servants for the Apostle saith that all which is in the World is lusts And the heart of man is wholy or most greedily set in him to doe that evill which it is tasked withall Eccle. 8.11 The all that is in man all his faculties all his affections the whole Compasse of his created abilities are all gone aside or turned backward there is no man no part in man that doth any good no not one Psal. 14.3.53.3 Christ likewise is a great Lord hath much more businesse than all the time or strength of his Servants can bring about Hee requireth the obedience of every thought of the heart 2 Cor. 10.5 Grace and edification and profit in all the words
knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea Esai 11.9 Our Saviour told his Disciples that all things which he had heard of his Father he had made knowne unto them Ioh. 15.15 and yet a little after he telleth them that many other things he had to say unto them which they could not beare till the Spirit of truth came who should guide them into all truth Ioh. 16.12 13. noting that the Spirit when hee came should enlarge their hearts to a capacity of more heavenly wisedome than they could comprehend before For we may observe before how ignorant they were of many things though they conversed with Christ in the flesh Philip ignorant of the Father Ioh. 14.8 Thomas of the way unto the Father Ioh. 14.5 Peter of the necessity of his sufferings Matth. 16.22 The two Disciples of his resurrection Luk. 24.45 all of them of the quality of his Kingdome Act. 1.6 Thus before the sending of the Holy Ghost the Lord did not require so plentifull knowledge unto salvation as after as in the valuations of money that which was plentie two or three hundred years since is but penurie now Secondly in a greater measure of strength for Spirituall obedience They who before fled from the company of Christ in his sufferings did after rejoyce to be counted worthy of suffring shame for his name or as the elegancie of the originall words import to be dignified with that dishonor of Christians Act. 5.41 For suffering of persecution for Christ and the triall of faith by diverse temptations is in the Scriptures reckoned up amongst the gifts and hundred fold compensations of God to his people Mark 10.30 Phil. 1.29 Heb. 11.26 Iam. 1.2 1 Pet. 1.6 7. No man saith our Saviour putteth new wine into old bottles that is exacteth rigid and heavie services of weake and unqualified Disciples and therefore my Disciples fast not while I am amongst them in the flesh But the dayes will come when I shall be taken from them in body and shall send them my holy Spirit to strengthen and prepare them for hard service and then they shall fast and performe those parts of more difficult obedience unto me Matth. 9.15 17. Now farther touching this sending of the Holy Spirit which together with Christs intercession was one of the principall ends of his ascending up unto the right hand of power it may be here demanded why the Holy Spirit was not before this exaltation of Christ sent forth in such abundance upon the Church The maine reason wherof next unto the purpose and decree of God into which all the acts of his wil are to be resolv'd Eph. 1.11 is given by our Savior Ioh. 14.16 Ioh. 16.7 Because he was to supply the corporall absence of Christ and to be another comforter to the Church Of which Office of the Spirit because it was one of the maine ends of his mission and that one of the chiefe workes of Christs sitting at Gods right hand I shall here without any unprofitable or impertinent digression speake a little First then the Spirit is a comforter because an Advocate to his people for so much the word signifies and is else where rendered 1 Ioh. 2.1 Now he is called another comforter or Advocate to note the difference betweene Christ and the Spirit in this particular There is then an Advocate by Office when one person takes upon himselfe the cause of another and in his name pleads it Thus Christ by the Office of his Mediation and intercession is an Advocate for his Church and doth in his owne person in heaven apply his merits and further the cause of our salvation with his Father There is likewise an Advocate by energie and operation by instruction and assistance which is not when a worke is done by one person in the behalfe of another but when one by his counsell inspiration and assistance enableth another to manage his owne businesse and to plead his owne cause And such an Advocate the Spirit is who doth not intercede nor appeare before God in person for us as Christ doth but maketh interpellation for men in and by themselves giving them an accesse unto the Father emboldning them in their feares and helping them in their infirmities when they know not what to pray Eph. 2.18 Heb. 10.15.19 Rom. 8.26 Eph. 3.16 First then the Spirit as our Advocate justifieth our persons and pleadeth our causes against the accusations of our spirituall enemies For as Christ is our Advocate at the tribunall of Gods justice to plead our cause against the severitie of his Law and that most Righteous and undeniable charge of sinne which he layeth upon us so the Holy Spirit is our Advocate at the tribunall of Gods mercie enabling us there to cleere our selves against the temptations and murtherous assaults of our Spirituall enemies The world accuseth us by false and slanderous calumniations laying to our charge things which we never did the Spirit in this case maketh us not onely plead our innocencie but to rejoyce in our fellowship with the Prophets which were before us to esteeme the reproaches of Christ greater riches than the treasures of the world to count our selves happy in this that it is not such low markes as we are which the malice of the world aimeth at but the Spirit of glory and of God which resteth upon us who is on their part evill spoken of 1 Pet. 4.14 Satan that grand accuser of the brethren doth not onely load my sinnes upon my conscience but further endeavoreth to exclude me from the benefit of Christ by charging me with impenitencie and unbeliefe But here the Spirit enableth me to cleere my selfe against the Father of lies It is true indeed I have a naughty flesh the seeds of all mischiefe in my nature but the first means which brought me hereunto was the beleeving of thy lies and therefore I will no longer entertaine thy hellish reasonings against mine owne peace I have a Spirit which teacheth me to bewaile the frowardnesse of mine owne heart to denie mine owne will workes to long and aspire after perfection in Christ to adhere with delight and purpose of heart unto his Law to lay hold with all my strength upon that plaâ—ck of salvation which in this shipwrack of my soule is cast out unto me These affections of my heart come not from the earthly Adam for whatsoever is earthly is sensuall and devillish too And if they be holy and heavenly I will not beleeve that God will put any thing of heaven into a vessell of Hell Sure I am he that died for me when I did not desire him will in no wise cast me away when I come unto him He that hath given me a will to love his service and to leane upon his promises will in mercy accept the will for the deed and in due time accomplish the worke of holinesse which he hath begun Thus the Spirit like an Advocate secureth his clients title against the
up with joy Mal. 2.13 and of all Sacrifices a broken heart is that which God most delighteth in Psal. 51.16 17. there is joy in heaven at the repentance of a sinner and therefore there must needs be joy in the heart it selfe which repenteth in as much as it hath heavenly affections begunne in it Therefore as the Apostle saith Let a man become a foole that he may be wise so may I truly say let a man become a mourner that he may rejoyce If it be objected how one contrary affection can be the ground and inducement of another and that he who feeleth the weight of sinne and displeasure of God can have little reason to boast of much joy To this I answere First that we doe not speake of those extraordinary combates and grapplings with the sense of the wrath of God breaking of bones and burning of bowels which some have felt but of the ordinary humiliations and courses of repentance which are common to all Secondly that such Spirituall mourning and joy are not contrary in regard of the Spirit nor doe one extinguish or expell the other As black and white are contrary in the wall but meete without any repugnancie in the eye because though as qualities they fight yet as objects they agree in communi conceptu visibilis so joy and mourning though contrary in regard of their immediate impressions upon the sense doe not onely agree in the same principle the grace of Christ and in the same end the salvation of man but may also be subordinated to each other as a darke and muddie color is a fit ground to lay gold upon so a tender and mourning heart is the best preparation unto spirituall joy Therefore our Savior compareth Spirituall sorrow unto the paines of a woman in travell other paines growing out of sicknesse and distempers have none but bitter ingredients and anguish in them but that paine groweth out of the matter of joy and leadeth unto joy so though godly sorrow have some paine in it yet that paine hath ever joy both for the roote and fruit of it Ioh. 16.21 and though for the present it may haply intercept the exercise yet it doth strengthen the habit and ground of joy as those flowers in the spring rise highest and with greatest beautie which in winter shrinke lowest into the earth I trembled saith the Prophet in my selfe that I might rest in the day of trouble Hab. 3.16 Secondly the Spirit doth not onely Discover but heale the corruptions of the soule and there is no joy to the joy of a saved and cured man The lame man when he was restored by Peter expressed the abundant exultation of his heart by leaping and praising God Act. 3.8 for this cause therefore amongst others the Spirit is called the oile of gladnesse because by that healing vertue which is in him he maketh glad the hearts of men The Spirit of the Lord saith Christ is upon me because the Lord anointed me to preach good tydings to the meeke he hath sent me to binde the broken hearted Esai 61.6 and againe I will binde that which was broken and will strengthen that which was sick Ezek. 34.16 Now this healing vertue of Christ is in the dispensation of his word and Spirit and therefore the Prophet saith the Sunne of Righteousnesse shall arise with healing in his wings Mal. 4.2 where the Spirit in the word by the which he commeth and preacheth unto men Eph. 2.17 1 Pet. 3.19 is called the wing of the Sunne because he proceedeth from him and was sent to supply his absence as the beame doth the Suns and this Spirit the Apostle calleth the strengthner of the inner man Eph. 3.16 Thirdly the Spirit doth not onely heale but renew and revive againe when an eye is smitten with a sword there is a double mischiefe a wound made and a faculty perished and here though a Chirurgian can heale the wound yet he can never restore the faculty because totall privations admit no regresse or recovery but the Spirit doth not onely heale and repaire but renew and reedifie the spirits of men As he healeth that which was torne and bindeth up that which was smitten so he reviveth and raiseth up that which was dead before Hos. 6.1 2. and this the Apostle cals the Renovation of the Spirit Tit. 3.5 whereby old things are not mended and put together againe for our fall made us all over unprofitable and little worth Rom. 3.12 Prov. 10.20 but are done quite away and all things made new againe 2 Cor. 5.17 The heart minde affections judgment conscience members changed from stone to flesh from earthly to heavenly from the image of Adam to the image of Christ Ezek. 11.19 1 Cor. 15.49 Now this renovation must needs be matter of great joy For so the Lord comforteth his afflicted people Esai 54.11 12 13. Fourthly the Spirit doth not renew and set the frame of the heart right and then leave it to its owne care and hazards againe but being thus restored he abideth with it to preserve and support it against all Tempests and batteries And this further multiplieth the joy and comfort of the Church that it is established in Righteousnesse so that no weapon which is formed against it can prosper Esai 54.14.17 Victory is ever the ground of joy Esai 9.3 And the Spirit of God is a victorious Spirit His judgment in the heart is sent forth unto victory Matth. 12.20 and before him mountaines shall be made a plaine and every high thing shall be pulled downe till he bring forth the head stone with shoutings Ezek. 4.6 7. To Stephen he was a Spirit of Victory against the disputers of the World Act. 6.10 To the Apostles a Spirit of liberty in the prison Act. 16.25 26. To all the faithfull a Spirit of joy and glory in the midst of persecutions 1 Pet. 4.13 14. Fifthly the Spirit doth not onely preserve the heart which he hath renewed but maketh it fruitfull and abundant in the workes of the Lord Gal. 5.22 Rom. 7.4 And fruitfulnesse is a ground of rejoycing Esai 54.1 Therefore they which are borne of God cannot commit sinne that is they are not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 workers or artificers or finishers of iniquity because they have the seed of God that is his Spirit in them which fitteth them as seed doth the wombe or the earth to bring forth fruite unto God Partly by teaching the heart and casting it as it were in the mould of the world fashioning such thoughts apprehensions affections judgements in the soule as are answerable to the will and Spirit of God in the word so that a man cannot but set his seale and say Amen to the written Law partly by moving animating applying and most sweetly leading the heart unto the Obedience of that Law which is thus written therein Lastly those whom he hath thus fitteth he sealeth up unto a finall and full redemption by the Testimony
And therfore it is called the fulfilling of the Law True love unto Christ keepes the whole heart together and carries it all one way and so makes it universall uniforme and constant in all its affections unto God for unstedfastnesse of life proceeds from a divided or double heart Iam. 1.8 As in the motions of the heavens there is one common circumvolution which ex aequo carrieth the whole frame daily unto one point from east to west though each severall spheare hath a severall crosse way of its owne wherin some move with a swifter and others with a slower motion So though severall Saints may have their severall corruptions and those likewise in some stronger than in others yet being all animated by one and the same Spirit they all agree in a steddy and uniforme motion unto Christ. If a stone were placed under the concave of the moone though there bee fire and aire and water between yet through them all it would hasten to its owne place so bee the obstacles never so many or the conditions never so various through which a man must passe through evill report and good report through terrors and temptations through a sea and a wildernesse through firy Serpents and sons of Anak yet if the heart love Christ indeed and conclude that heaven is its home nothing shall bee able totally to discourage it from hastning thither whither Christ the forerunner is gone before Secondly the true Love of Christ is grounded upon the evidence of that Proprietie which the soule hath unto him And of that mutuall inhabitation and possession which is between them So that our love unto him in this regard is a kinde of selfe love and therefore very strong because Christ and a Christian are but one And the more perswasion the soule hath of this unity the more must it needs love Christ. For wee love him because hee loved us first 1 Ioh. 4.16.19 And therefore our Saviour from the womans apprehension of Gods more abundant love in the remission of her many and great sinnes concludeth the measure and proportion of her love to him But saith he To whom little is forgiven the same loveth little Luke 7.47 Now True Love of Christ and his Kingdome thus grounded will undoubtedly manifest it selfe first in an universall extent unto any thing wherin Christ is present unto his Church First the soule in this case will abundantly love and cherish the Spirit of Christ. Entertaine with dearest embraces as worthy of all acceptation the motions and dictates and secret illapses of him into the soule will bee carefull to heare his voice alwayes behinde him prompting and directing him in the way he should walke will endevour with all readinesse and pliablenesse of heart to receive the impression of his seale and the testimonie which hee giveth in the inner man unto all Gods promises will feare and suspect nothing more than the frowardnesse of his owne nature which daily endevoureth to quench grieve resist rebel against this Holy Spirit and to fling off from his conduct againe Secondly the soule in this case will abundantly love the Ordinances of God in which by his Spirit hee is still walking in the midst of the Churches for the Law is written in it by the finger of God so that there is a suteablenesse and coincidencie betweene the Law of God and the heart of such a man He will receive the word in the puritie thereof and not give way to those humane inventions which adulterate it to that spirituall treason of wit and fancie or of heresie and contradiction which would stampe the private image and superscription of a man upon Gods owne coine and torture the Scriptures to confesse that which was never in them Hee will receive the word in the power majestie and authority thereof suffering it like thunder to discover the forrest and to drive out all those secret corruptions which shelterd themselves in the corners or deceit of his heart He will delight to have his imaginations humbled and his fleshly reasonings non plus'd al his thoughts subdued unto the obedience of Christ. Hee will receive the word as a wholsome potion to that very end that it may search his secret places and purge out those tough and incorporated lusts which hitherto hee had not prevailed against Hee will take heed of hardning his heart that hee may not heare of rejecting the counsell of God against himselfe of thrusting away the word from him of setting up a resolved will of his owne against the call of Christ as of most dangerous down-fals to the soule Lastly he will receive the word in the spiritualnesse thereof subscribing to the closest precepts of the Law suffering it to clense his heart unto the bottome hee will let the consideration of Gods command preponderate and over-rule all respects of feare love profit pleasure credit compliancy or any other charme to disobedience hee will bee contented to bee led in the narrowest way to have his secretest corruption reveal'd and remov'd to expose his conscience with patience under the saving though severest blowes of this spirituall sword In one word hee will deny the pride of his owne wit and if it bee the evident truth of God which is taught him though it come naked and without any dressings or contributions of humane fancie hee will distinguish betweene the author and the instrument betweene the treasure and the vessell in which it comes and from any hand receive it with such awefull submission of heart as becommeth Gods owne word Thirdly the soule in this case will most dearly love every member of Christ. For these two the love of Christ and of his members doe infallibly accompany one another For though there bee a farre higher proportion of love due unto Christ than unto men yet our love to our brethren is quoad nos and à posteriori not onely the evidences but even the measure of our love to Christ. He that loveth not his brother whom hee hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seene saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 4.20 hee that hath not love enough in him for a man like himselfe how can hee love God whose goodnesse being above our knowledge requireth a transcendency in our love This then is a sure rule He that loveth not a member of Christ loveth not him and hee who groweth in his love to his brethren groweth likewise in his love to Christ. For as there is the same proportion of one to five as there is of twenty to an hundred though the numbers be farre lesse as the motion of the shadow upon the diall answereth exactly to that proportion of motion and distance which the Sunne hath in the firmament though the Sunne goeth many millions of miles when the shadow it may bee moveth not the breadth of a hand so though our love to Christ ought to be a far more abundant love than to any of his members yet certaine it is that the measure
of the worke but onely the willingnesse the loving and obedient disposition of the heart and therefore I passe over those failings and weaknesses which discover themselves for want of skill or strength and not of love praising the endevours and pardoning the miscarriages Thus doth the Lord deale with his children Fourthly if we be Christs he will pray for us I pray not for the world but for them which thou hast given me for they are thine and all mine are thine and thine are mine c. so that wee shall be sure to have helpe in all times of need because we know that tho Father heareth his Sonne alwayes and those things which in much feare weaknesse and ignorance we aske for our selves if it bee according to Gods will and by the dictate and mouth of the Spirit in our heart Christ himselfe in his intercession demandeth for us the same things And this is the ground of that confidence which we have in him that if wee aske any thing according to his will hee heareth us and we have the petitions that we desire of him For as the world hateth us because it hateth him first so the Father loveth and heareth us because he loveth and heareth him first Fifthly if wee be Christs then hee will teach us and commune with us and reveale himselfe unto us and lead us with his voice He calleth his owne sheepe by name and leadeth them and putteth them forth and goeth before them Because Israel was his owne people therefore he shewed them his words The Law was theirs and the Oracles theirs when hee entreth into covenant with a people that they become his then he writeth his Law in their hearts and teacheth them This is the Prophet Davids argument I am thy servant give me understanding Because I am thine in a speciall relation therefore acquaint me with thee in an especiall manner The earth is full of thy mercy there is much of thy goodnesse revealed to all the nations of the world even to those that are not called by thy name but as for mee whom thou hast made thine owne by a neerer relation let mee have experience of a greater mercy Teach mee thy Statutes Sixthly if we be his he will chastise us in mercy and not in fury though he leave us not altogether unpunished yet he will punish us lesse than our iniquities deserve he will not deale with us as with others Though I make a full end of all nations whither I have driven thee yet I will not make a full end of thee but I will correct thee in measure I will correct thee to cure but not to ruine thee The second thing considered in the words was the Present condition of the people of Christ which was to be military men to joyne with the armies of Christ against all his enemies As he was so must we be in this world no sooner was Christ consecrated by his solemne Baptisme unto the worke of a Mediatour but presently hee was assaulted by the Tempter And no sooner doth any man give up his name to Christ and breake loose from that hellish power under which hee was held but presently Pharaoh and his hoasts Satan and his confederates pursue him with deadly fury and powre out flouds of malice and rage against him Hell and death are at truce with wicked men there is a covenant and agreement betwixt them Satan holdeth his possession in peace but when a stronger than he commeth upon and overcommeth him there is from that time implacable venomâ— and hostility against such a soule the malice power policie stratagems and machianations of Satan the lusts and vanities the pleasures honours profits persecutions frownes flatteries snares of the wicked world the affections desires inclinations deceits of our owne fleshly hearts will ever plie the soule of a Christian and force it to perpetuall combates There is in Satan an everlasting enmitie against the glory mercy and truth of God against the power and mystery of the Gospel of Christ. This malice of his exerciseth it selfe against all those that have given themselves to Christ whose Kingdome he mightily laboureth to demolish by his power persecuting it by his craftinesse and wily insinuations undermining it by his vast knowledge and experience in palliating altering mixing proportioning and measuring his temptations and spirituall wickednesse in such manner as that he may subvert the Church of Christ either in the purity thereof by corrupting the doctrine of Christ with heresie and his worship with idolatrie and superstition or in the unity thereof by pestering it with schisme and distraction or in the liberty thereof by bondage of conscience or in the progresse and inlargement thereof endevouring to blast and make fruitlesse the ministery of the Gospell And this malice of Satan is wonderfully set on and encouraged both by the corruption of our nature those armies of lusts and affections which swarme within us entertaining joyning force and co-operating with all his suggestions disheartning reclaiming and pulling backe the soule when it offers to make any opposition and also by the men and materials of this evill world By the examples the threats the interests the power the intimacie the wit the tongues the hands the exprobrations the persecutions the insinuations and seductions of wicked men By the profits the pleasures the preferments the acceptation credit and applause of the world By all which meanes Satan most importunately pursueth one of these two ends either to subvert the godly by drawing them away from Christ to apostacie formalitie hypocrisie spirituall pride and the like or else to Discomfort them with diffidence doubts sight of sinne opposition of the times vexation of spirit and the like afflictions And these oppositions of Satan meet with a Christian in every respect or consideration under which he may be conceiv'd consider him in his spirituall estate in his severall parts in his temporall relations in his Actions or imployments and in all these Satan is busie to overturne the Kingdome of Christ in him In his spirituall estate if he be a weake Christian he assaulteth him with perpetuall doubts and feares touching his election conversion adoption perseverance christian liberty strength against corruptions companies temptations persecutions c. if he be a strong Christian he laboureth to draw him unto selfe-confidence spirituall pride contempt of the weake neglect of further proficiencie and the like There is no naturall part or facultie which is not aimed at likewise by the malice of Satan for Christ when hee comes takes possession of the whole man and therefore Satan sets himselfe against the whole man Corporeall and sensitive faculties tempted either to sinfull representations letting in and transmitting the provisions of lust unto the heart by gazing and glutting themselves on the objects of the world or to sinfull executions finishing and letting out those lusts which have beene conceived in the heart The phantasie tempted
to love him againe for who can be perswaded of so great a benefit as the remission of sinnes and not be most deeply inflamed with the love of him by whom they are remitted 1 Ioh. 4.19 Luk. 7.47 and lastly by this reciprocall love of the heart to Christ faith becommeth effectuall to worke obedience and conformitie to his will Love is the fulfilling of the Law he that loves God would with all joyfulnesse fulfill every jot of Gods Law if it were possible This is the love of God saith the Apostle that we keepe his Commandements and his Commandements are not grievous True love overcomes all difficulties is not apt to pretend occasions for neglecting any service of God nor to conceive any prejudices against it but puts an edge and alacritie upon the spirit of a man he can no more be said to love Christ who doth not willingly undergoe his yoke than that woman to love her husband who is ever griev'd at his presence and delighteth more in the societie of strangers Fifthly this willingnesse of Christs people ariseth from the beauty and pretiousnesse of those ample Promises which by the love of Christ are made unto us It is said of Moses that he did chuse and that is the greatest act of willingnesse rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sinne for a season and the ground of this willingnesse was he had a respect unto the recompence of the reward Heb. 11.25 26. so Christ endured the Crosse and despised the shame that is the shame which would much have stagger'd and disheartened an unresolved man was no prejudice or discouragement unto him to abate any of his most willing obedience and the motive was for the joy that was set before him Heb. 12.2 And Saint Paul professeth of himselfe that he pressed forward hee was not onely willing but importunate and contentious to put forth all his spirits and like riders in a race to rouse up himselfe in a holy fervour and emulation and all this was for the Price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus which was as it were before his face in the Promises thereof Phil. 3.14 so the Apostle assureth us That a Christians Hope to be like unto Christ hereafter will cause him to purifie himselfe even as hee is pure 1 Ioh. 3.3 when a man shall sit downe and recount with David what God hath done for him already Who am I O Lord God and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto And what God hath further promised to doe for him more Thou hast also spoken of thy servants house for a great while to come Of a childe of wrath thou hast called mee to an inheritance of the Saints in light and into the fellowship of more glory than can be shadowed forth by all the lights of heaven though every Star were turned into a Sunne I say when the soule shall thus recount the goodnesse of God how can it but bee wonderfully enlarged with thoughts of thankfulnesse and grieved at the slow and narrow abilities of the other parts to answer the urgent and wide desires of a willing soule Sixthly this willingnesse of Christs people ariseth from the experience of that peace comfort life liberty triumph and securitie which accompanieth the Spirit and the service of Christ. Nothing makes a man more fearefull of warres than the dangers and hazards which are incident thereunto But if a man can serve under such a Prince whose imployments are not onely honourable but safe if he who is able and faithfull to make good his words promise us that none either of the stratagems or forces of the enemie shall doe us hurt but that they shall flie before us while wee resist them who would not be a Voluntary in such services as are not liable to the casualties and vicissitudes which usually attend other warres wherein he might fight with safetie and come off with honour David had experience of Gods power in delivering him from the Lion and the Beare and was well assured that that God who was carefull of sheepe would be more pitiful to his people Israel and that made him with much willingnesse ready to encounter Goliah whose assurance was onely in himselfe and not in God When a man shall consider what God might have done with him he might have sent him from the wombe to hell depriv'd him of the meanes of grace left him to the rebellion and hardnesse of his evill heart and to the rage of Satan burnt his bones and dried up his bowels with the view of that wrath which is due to sinne and what he hath done with him he hath called him to the knowledge of his will refreshed him with the light of his countenance heard his prayers given an issue to his temptations and a reviving out of bondage fastned him as a naile in his holy place given him his favour which is better than light and spoken of his servant for a long time to come O how readily will the spirit of such a man conclude Lord according to thine owne heart hast thou done all this unto me and I have found so much sweetnesse in thy service above all mine owne thoughts or expectations that now O Lord my heart is prepared my heart is prepared I will sing and rejoyce in thy service Lastly this willingnesse of Christs people ariseth from that excellent beauty and attractive vertue which is in holinesse Thy Law is pure therefore thy servant loveth it And therefore we finde Christ and his Church doe kindle the coales of love and stirre up those flames of mutuall dearenesse towards one another doe cherish those longing languishing and ravished affections and susspirings of hearts by the frequenting contemplations of each others beautie Behold thou art faire my love behold thou art faire thou hast doves eyes Behold thou art faire my beloved yea pleasant c. Cant. 1.15 16. These are the principles of that great devotion and willingnesse which is in the people of Christ unto his service And hereby we may make triall of the truth of that profession subjection and obedience which we all pretend unto the Gospell of Christ. It is then onely sound when it proceeds from a willing and devoted heart from purpose fervour and earnestnesse of Spirit for as God in mercy accounts the will for the deed because where there is a willing minde there will certainly be all answerable endevours to execute that will and reduce it into act so he esteemes the deed nothing without the will Cain and Abel did both sacrifice it was the heart which made the difference betweene them let the outward conversation be what it will yet if a man regard iniquitie in his heart God will not heare him Gravius est diligere peccatum quam facere It is a worse token saith Gregory of an evill man to love sinne than to commit it for it may be committed out of
naturall motion of the winde or water causeth an artificiall effect in grinding the corne How much more then shall the wisedome of Almighty God whose weaknesse is stronger and whose foolishnesse is wiser than men be able so to use incline and order the wils of men without destroying either them or their liberty as that thereby the Kingdome of his Sonne shall be set up amongst them so that though there be still an habituall radicall fundamentall indetermination and indifferencie unto severall wayes unto none of which there can bee a Compulsion yet by the secret ineffâ—ble and most sweete operation of the Spirit of grace opening the eyes convincing the judgment perswading the affections enclining the heart giving an understanding quickning and knocking the conscience a man shall be swayed unto the Obedience of Christ and shall come unto him so certainely as if he were Drawen and yet so freely as if he were left unto himselfe For in the calling of men by the word there is a Trahere and a Venire The Father draweth and the man commeth Ioh. 6.44 That notes the efficacie of grace and this the sweetnesse of grace Grace worketh strongly and therefore God is said To Draw and it worketh sweetly too and therefore man is said to Come Againe from hence wee learne our Dutie unto this King the honor and subjection which is due unto him The Father committeth all Iudgment to the Sonne that is hath anointed him with the office and abilities of a King for judgment stands for the whole duty of a King Psal. 72.1 and is therefore frequently attributed unto the Messias Esai 42.1.4 Ier. 23.5 Ier. 33.15 And from thence our Saviour inferres that all men should honour the Sonne even as they honour the Father Iob. 2.22 23. with the same worship reverence subjection For God hath highly exalted him and given him a name above every name That at the name of Iesus that is unto that holy thing unto the power and Scepter of that divine Person which is unto us so comfortably manifested in a name of salvation Every knee should bow c. Phil. 2.9 10. This Dutie the Psalmist expresseth by kissing the Sonne Which denoteth unto us 3 things I Love For a kisse is a symbole and expression of love and therefore used by the primitive Christians in their Feasts of Love and after prayer unto God and oftentimes enjoyned by S. Paul as an Expression of Christian Love Insomuch that it was a proverbiall speech amongst the Heathen see how these Christians doe love one another And this is a Dutie which the Apostle requires under paine of the extremest curse that can light upon a man to Love the Lord Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 16.22 Eph. 6.24 And if any man saith our Savior Loveth Father or mother more than me he is not worthy of me or Sonne or Daughter more than me hee is not worthy of me Matth. 10.37 That is hee is utterly unqualified for the benefit of my mediation For hee that hath good by me cannot choose but love me Luk. 7.47 2 To kisse in the Scripture phrase noteth Worship and Service Let the men that Sacrifice kisse the Calves Hos. 13.2 Iob 31.26 27. And thus wee finde the foure beasts and the foure and twentie Elders and every Creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth worshipping the Lambe and ascribing blessing honor glorie and power unto him Revel 5.8.14 3 To kisse is an expression of Loialtie and Obedience thus Samuel kissed Saul when hee had anointed him King over Israel 1 Sam. 10.1 And therefore the Septuagint and Hierom and from them our Translators render the word which signifieth to kisse by being obedient or ruled by the words of Ioseph Gen. 41.40 And this likewise is a dutie which wee owe unto Christ to be obedient to him to bee ruled by his mouth and by the Scepter of his mouth that is by his word which is therefore called the Law of Christ because it hath a binding power in it Wee are commanded from heaven to heare him Matt. 17.5 And that too under paine of a curse every soule which will not heare that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the people Act. 3.23 Wee should learne therefore to take his Commands as from God for he speaketh his Fathers words and in his name Deut. 18.19 Ioh. 3.34 When Ahasuerus Commanded Haman to put on the Crowne upon Mordecai hee presently executed the Kings pleasure and honored his greatest enemie because the King required it Now God hath made Christ our King and hath crowned him with honor and Majestie as the Apostle speakes and requires of us to kisse this his Sonne and to bow unto his name and therefore bee wee what wee will Princes or Judges or great men of the world who rejoyce in nothing more than in the name of wisedome this is our Wisedome and dutie Psal. 2.10 12. It is too ordinary with great men to bee regardlesse of God and of his waies Yet wee see the wrath of God in his creatures fire tempest pestilence sword sicknesse makes no distinction between them and others how much lesse will God himselfe make when all crownes and scepters and dignities shall be resigned to him and all men shall stand in an equall distance and condition before the tribunall of Christ when no titles of honor no eminencie of station no treasures of wealth no strength of dependencies no retinue traine of servants will accompany a man into the presence of the Lamb or stand betweene him and the judgment of that great day Wee know hee was a King that feared the presence of a persecuted Prophet and hee was a Prince that trembled at the preaching of an Apostle in chaines The word of God cannot bee bound nor limited it is the Scepter which his Father hath given him and wee cannot without opeÌ„ contestation against God resist his government therein over us Hee that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me saith our Saviour It is Christ himselfe whose Ambassadors wee are and with whom men have to doe in our ministerie And hee will have it so First For our Peace If God should speake againe by the Ministerie of Angels in thunder and fire as he did on mount Sina we would quickly call for Moses Ministers againe Exod. 20.19 Secondly For his owne glorie that the Excellencie may be of God and not of men 2 Cor. 4.7 That it may not be in him that planteth nor in him that watereth but in God which giveth the blessing and increase 1 Cor. 3.7 That it may not bee in him which willeth nor in him which runneth but in God which sheweth mercy Rom. 9.16 That the service cooperation and helpe of the Churches joy might bee ours but the Dominion over mens faith and the teaching of their inner man might be Christs 2 Cor. 1.24 Eph. 4.20 21. Very bold therefore and desperate is the contumacie of
of their adoption which is the hansell and earnest of their inheritance and thereby begetteth a lively hope an earnest expectation a confident attendance upon the promises and an unspeakable peace and security thereupon by which fruits of faith and hope there is a glorious joy shed abroad into the soule so ful and so intimately mingled with the same that it is as possible for man to annihilate the one as to take away the other For according to the evidence of hope and excellencie of the thing hoped must needs the joy there from resulting receive its sweetnesse and stability By all this which hath been spoken of the mission of the Spirit in such abundance after Christs sitting at the right hand of God wee should learne with what affections to receive the Gospel of salvation for the teaching whereof this Holy Spirit was shed abroad abundantly on the Embassadors of Christ and with what heavenly conversations to expresse the power which our hearts have felt therin to walke as children of the light and as becommeth the Gospell of Christ to adorne our high profession and not to receive the grace of God in vaine Consider first that the word thus quickned will have an operation either to convince unto Righteousnesse or to seale unto condemnation as the Sunne either to melt or to harden as the raine either to ripen corne or weeds as the Scepter of a King either to rule subjects or to subdue enemies as the fire of a Goldsmith either to purge gold or devoure drosse as the waters of the sanctuary either to heale places or to turne them into salt pits Ezek. 47.11 Secondly according to the proportion of the Spirit of Christ in his word revealed shall be the proportion of their judgment who despise it The contempt of a great salvation and glorious Ministery shall bring a sorer condemnation Heb. 2.2.4 If I had not come and spoken unto them saith our Savior they had not had sinne Ioh. 15.22 Sins against the light of nature are no sins in comparison of those against the Gospell The earth which drinketh in the raine that fals often on it and yet beareth nothing but thornes and briars is rejected and nigh unto cursing Heb. 6.7 8. Thirdly even here God will not alwayes suffer his Spirit to strive with flesh there is a Day of Peace which he calleth our day a day wherein he entreateth and beseecheth us to be reconciled but if we therein judge our selves unworthy of eternall life and goe obstinately on till there be no remedy he can easily draw in his Spirit and give us over to the infatuation of our owne hearts that we may not be cleansed any more till he have caused his fury to rest upon us Ezek. 24.13 We see likewise by this Doctrine wherupon the comforts of the Church are founded namely upon Christ as the first comforter by working our Reconciliation with God and upon the Spirit as another comforter testifying and applying the same unto our soules And the continuall supply and assistance of this Spirit is the onely comfort the Church hath against the dominion and growth of sinne For though the motions of lust which are in our members are so close so working so full of vigor and life that we can see no power nor probabilities of prevailing against them yet we know Christ hath a greater fulnesse of Spirit than we can have of sinne and it is the great promise of the new covenant that God will put his Spirit into us and thereby save us from all our uncleanesses Ezek. 36.27 29. for though we be full of sin and have but a seed a sparkle of the Spirit put into us and upheld and fed by further though small supplies yet that little is stronger than legions of lust as a little salt or leven seasoneth a great lump or a few drops of Spirits strengthen a whole glasse full of water Therefore the Spirit is called a Spirit of judgment and of burning because as one Iudge is able to condemne a thousand prisoners and a little fire to consume abundance of drosse so the Spirit of God in and present with us though received and supplied but in measure though but a smoaking and suppressed fire shall yet breake forth in victory and judgment against all that resist it In us indeed there is nothing that feeds but onely that which resists and quencheth it But this is the wonderfull vertue of the Spirit of Christ in his members that it nourisheth it selfe Therefore sometimes the Spirit is called fire Esai 4.4 Matth. 3.11 and sometimes Oyle Heb. 1.9 1 Ioh. 2.27 to note that the Spirit is nutriment unto it selfe that that grace which we have received already is preserved and excited by new supplies of the same grace Which supplies we are sure shall be given to all that aske them by the vertue of Christs prayer Ioh. 14.16 by the vertue of his and his Fathers promise Ioh. 16.7 Act. 1.4 and by the vertue of that Office which he still beares which is to be the head or vitall principle of all holinesse and grace unto the Church And all these are permanent things and therefore the vertue of them abideth their effects are never totally interrupted Fiftly and lastly this sitting of Christ at the right hand of God noteth his intercession in the behalfe of the whole Church and each member thereof Who is he that condemneth saith the Apostle it is Christ that is dead yea rather that is risen againe who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Rom. 8.34 But of this Doctrine I shall speake more fitly in the fourth verse it being a great part of the Priesthood of Christ. I now proceed to the last thing in this first verse the continuance and Victories of Christs Kingdome in these words untill I make thy foes thy footstoole Wherin every word is full of weight For though ordinarily subdivisions of holy Scripture and crumbling of the bread of life be rather a loosing than an expounding of it yet in such parts of it as were of purpose intended for models and summaries of fundamentall Doctrine of which sort this Psalme is one of the fullest and briefest in the whole Scriptures as in little maps of large countries there is no word wherupon some point of weighty consequence may not depend Here then is considerable the terme of duration or measure of Christs Kingdome Vntill The Author of subduing Christs enemies under him I the Lord. The manner thereof ponam and ponam scabellum Put thy foes as a stoole under thy feete Victory is a relative word and presupposeth enemies and they are expressed in the text I will but touch that particular because I have handled it more largely upon another Scripture and their enmitie is here not described but onely presupposed It shews it selfe against Christ in all the Offices of his Mediation There is enmity against him as a Prophet Enmity against his Truth
they but have an exemption from his spirituall government and a dispensation to live according to their owne lusts stil no man should be more greedily desirous As Sampson met the Lion as an enemie when hee was alive but after he was slaine he went unto him as to a table there was onely terrour while he lived but honey when hee was dead so doubtlesse many men to whom the bodily presence of Christ and the mighty power and penetration of his heavenly preaching whereby hee smote sinners unto the ground and spake with such authoritie as never man spake would have beene unsufferably irkesome and full of terrour as it was unto the Scribes and Pharisees can yet now that he is out of their sight and doth not in person but onely by those who are his witnesses torment the inhabitants of the earth pretend much admiration and thankfull remembrance of that death of his which was so full of hony for all that come unto him for as particular dependencies and expectations may make a man flatter and adore the greatnesse of some living Potentate whose very image notwithstanding the same man doth professedly abominate in other tyrants of the world who are dead or upon whom he hath not the same ends so the selfe-same reason may make men in hypocriticall expressions flatter fawne upon Christ himselfe who is absent and yet hate with a perfect hatred the very image of his Spirit in the power of his Word and in the lives of his people The very Scribes and Pharisees who blasphemed his Spirit and contrived his death could yet be contented to be gainers thereby for see they confesse It is expedient for us that one die for the people Lastly a false love to Christ may be grounded upon a false conceit of love to his ordinances For as it is certaine that he who loves the Word and worship of Christ as his doth love him too who is the Author of them so it is certaine likewise that that love which is sometimes pretended unto them may indeed in them fix upon nothing but accidentall and by-respects This people saith the Lord to his Prophet come and sit before thee as my people and they heare thy words but they will not doe them for with their mouth they shew much love but their heart goeth after their covetousnesse Here is love in pretence but falshood in the heart what then was it which in the Prophet they did thus love That presently followes Thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument Ezek. 33.31 32. that is it is not my will which in thy ministery they at all regard but onely those circumstantiall ornaments of gracefull action and elocution which they attend with just alike proportion of sensuall delight as an eare doth the harmony of a well tuned instrument for as a man may be much affected with the picture of his enemie if drawne by a skilfull hand and yet therein love nothing of the person but only the cunning of the workman who drew the peece So a man who hates the life and Spirit of the Word of God it selfe as being diametrically contrary to that spirit of lust and of the world which rules in him may yet be so wonderfully taken with that dexteritie of wit or delicacie of expression or variety of learning or sweetnesse of speech and action or whatsoever other perfection of nature or industry in the dispencers of that Word are most sutable to his naturall affections as that he may from thence easily cheat his owne conscience and ground a misperswasion of his love to Gods Word which yet indeed admireth nothing but the perfections of a man Nay suppose he meete not with such lenocinia to entice his affection yet the very pacification of the conscience which by a notorious neglect of Gods ordinances would haply be disquieted or the credit of bearing conformity to Ecclesiasticall orders and the established service of God in his Church or some other the like sinister respect may hold a man to such an externall faire correspondence as by a deceitfull heart may easily be misconstrued a love of Gods ordinances Nay further a man may externally glory in the priviledge of Gods oracles hee may distinctly beleeve and subscribe to the truth of them he may therin heare many things gladly and escape many pollutions of the world and yet here hence conclude no cleerer evidence of his love to Christ in his word than the unbeleeving Iews or Herod or Ahab or Simon Magus or the foolish Virgins and apostates all which have attained to some of these degrees could have done For the cleering then of this great case touching the evidence of a mans love to Christ wee must first know that this is not a flower of our owne garden for every man by nature is an enemie to Christ and his Kingdome of the Iews minde wee will not have this man to raigne over us and the reason is because the image of the old Adam which we beare is extremely contrary to the heavenly image of the second Adam unto which wee are not borne but must bee renewed And this is certaine our love is according to our likenesse he who hath not the nature and Spirit of Christ can never love him or move towards him For love is like fire congregat homogenea it carrieth things of a nature to one another Our love then unto Christ must bee of a spirituall generation and it is grounded upon two causes First upon the Proportion which is in him unto all our desires or capacities upon the evidence of that unsearchable and bottomlesse goodnesse which is in him which makes him the fairest often thousand even altogether lovely For that heart which hath a spirituall view of Christ will bee able by faith to observe more dimensions of love and sweetnesse in him than the knowledge of any creature is able to measure In all worldly things though of never so curious and delicate an extraction yet still even those hearts which swimme in them and glut upon them can easily discover more dregs than Spirits nothing was ever so exactly fitted to the soule of man wherein there was not some defect or excesse something which the heart could wish were away or something which it could desire were tempered with it But in Christ and his kingdome there is nothing unlovely For as in man the all that is is full of corruption so in Christ the all that hee is is nothing but perfection His fulnesse is the center and treasure of the soule of man and therefore that love which is therupon grounded must needs be in the soule as an universall habit and principle to facilitate every service whereby we move unto this center for love is the weight or spring of the soule which sets every facultie on worke neither are any of those commandments grievous which are obeyed in Love
soule did before shelter whole flocks of evill affections when hee came out the tide was driven back the streame turned the center of his heart altered his forrest discovered his lusts scattered and subdued What ailes this man Hee hath but heard an houres discourse the same which others heare and their tide riseth the higher by it Certainly these Devils were not cast out these streames were not turned back but by the finger of God himselfe When the minister of Christ shall whisper in the ears of a dead man whom no thunder could have awakened and hee shall immediatly rise up and give glory to God when Christ shall call men to denie themselves to get above themselves to hate Father and Mother and Wife and Children and their owne life to sell all that they have to crucifie and be cruell to their owne members to pull out their right eyes to cut off their right hands to part from those sinnes which before they esteemed their choicest ornaments and from those too which before they made their chiefest support and subsistence to stand at defiance with the allurements or discouragements of the world to bee set up for signes and wonders for very proverbs of skorne and objects of hatred to those of their owne house to receive persecutions as rewards and entertaine them not with patience onely but with thankfulnesse and rejoicing to bee all their life long in the midst of enemies put to tedious conflicts with the powers of the world and of darknesse to beleeve things which they have not seen and to hope for things which they doe not know and yet maugre all this to refuse to consult with flesh and bloud to stand still more in awe of Gods word than of any other thing certainly that which with the voice of a weake man bringeth such great things to passe must needs bee Virga virtutis a Rod of strength A Rod like the Rod of Moses which can lead us through such seas as these to one whom wee have never seen nor knowen before Esai 55.5 Secondly the Gospell of Christ is a Rod of strength in the justification of men as it is Sceptrum Iustitiae a Scepter of Righteousnesse a word of reconciliation a Gospell of salvation a Law of the Spirit of life a ministration of the Spirit of life and of Righteousnesse an opening of prisons and a proclaiming of liberty unto captives in these respects likewise it is full of power There was a mighty power in the Law of God typified in those thundrings and terrors with which it was administred upon mount Sina the Apostle calleth it a Schoolmaster to scourge and drive us unto Christ and the Psalmist an iron Rod able to breake in pieces all the potsherds of the earth And we know boies in a Schoole doe not apprehend so much terror in the King as in their Master Yet in comparison of the Power of the Gospell the Law it selfe was very weake and unprofitable able to make nothing perfect The Power of the Law was onely to destruction the Power of the Gospell for edification The Law could onely hold under him that was downe before it could never raise him up againe Now the power is farre greater to raise than to kill to forgive sinnes than to bind them Herein is the mighty strength of Gods mercy seen that it can passe by iniquities transgressions and sinnes To preach the Gospell of Christ in his name and authority is an evident argument of that plenary power which is given unto him both in heaven and earth And the very dispensing of this word of reconciliation which is committed unto the Ministers of the Gospell how basely soever the ungratefull world may esteeme of them hath honored them with a title of as great power as a man is capable of to bee called Saviors to have the custodie of the keyes of heaven ministerially and instrumentally under Christ and his Spirit to save the soules and to cover the sinnes of men Now then that word which from the mouth of a weake man is able to reconcile a child of wrath unto God and by the words of one houre to cover and wipe out the sinnes of many yeares which were scattered as thick in the soules of men as the starres in the firmament must needs bee virga virtutis a Rod of strength Thirdly the Gospell of Christ is a Rod of strength in the sanctification of men as it is Sceptrum cum unctione a Scepter which hath ever an unction accompanying it As it is a Sanctifying Truth an heavenly teaching a forming of Christ in the soule a making of the heart as it were his Epistle by writing the Law therein and manifesting the power and image of Christ in the conscience If a man should touch a marble or adamant stone with a seale and taking it off should see the print of it left behinde hee could not but conceive some wonderfull and secret vertue to have wrought so strange an effect Now our hearts are of themselves as hard as the nether milstone when then a holy word so meekly and gently laid on upon them shall leave there an impression of its own puritie when so small a thing as a graine of mustard-seed shall transforme an earthy soule into its owne nature when the eyes and hands and mouth of Christ being in the ministerie of his word spread upon the eyes and hands and mouth of a Childe shall revive the same from death when by looking into a glasse wee shall not onely have a view of our owne faces but shall see them changed into the image of another face which from thence shineth upon us how can wee but conclude that certainly that word by which such wonders as these are effected is indeed virga virtutis a Rod of strength Fourthly the Gospell of Christ is a Rod of strength in the Perservation and Perseverance of the Saints as it is Virga germinans a Rod like Aarons Rod which blossomed and the blossomes perished not but remained in the Ark for a Testimony of Gods power For as those buds or the Manna in the Ark did not perish so neither doth the word of the Gospell in the hearts of the faithfull The Apostle saith that wee are kept by the power of God unto salvation and S. Iude that Gods power keepeth the Saints from falling and presenteth them faultlesse before the presence of his glory and what is this power of God whereby hee doth it but the Gospell of Christ which S. Peter calleth semen incorruptibile uncorruptible seed and the Spirit of Christ which S. Iohn calleth semen manens an abiding seed If I should see a tree with perpetuall fruit without any variation from the difference of seasons a tree like that in S. Iohns Paradise which every moneth did bring forth fruite of twelve severall kindes I should conclude that it had an extraordinary vitall power in it so
estate which shall be tendred unto them To admire adore and greedily embrace any termes of peace and reconciliation which shall be offered them To submit unto the righteousnesse and with all willing and meeke affection to bend the heart to the Scepter of Christ and to whatsoever forme of judicature and spirituall government he shall please to erect therein And this magnifies the strength of this Rod of Christs Kingdome that it maketh men yeeld upon any termes when we see the little stone grow into a mightie mountaine and eat into all the Kingdomes of the world when wee see Emperours and Princes submit their necks and scepters to a doctrine at first every where spoken against and that upon the words of a few despicable peâ—sons and that such a doctrine too as is diametrally contrary to the naturall constitution of the hearts of men and teacheth nothing but selfe-deniall and this for hope of reward from one whom they never saw and whom if they had seene they should have found by a naturall eye no beauty in him for which hee should bee desired and this reward too what-ever it be deferred for a long time and in the interim no ground of assurance to expect it but onely faith in himselfe that promiseth it and in the meane time a world of afflictions for his names sake How can we think that a world of wise and of great men should give eare most willingly unto such termes as these if there were not a demonstrative and constraining evidence of truth and goodnesse therein able to stop the mouths and to answer the objections of all gain sayers Of this point I have spoken more copiously upon another Scripture Secondly there is a Conviction unto condemnation of those who stand out against this saving power of the Gospell and Spirit of grace driving them from all their strong holds and constraining them perforce to acknowledge the truth which they doe not love Thus wee finde our Saviour disputing with the Jewes till no man was able to answer him a word and as he did so himselfe so hee promised that his messengers should doe so too I will give you a mouth and wisdome which all your adversaries shall not be able to gain-say nor resist And this promise wee finde made good the enemies of Steven were not able to resist the Spirit by which hee spake And Apollos mightily convinced the Jews shewing by the Scriptures that Jesus was Christ And this the Apostle numbreth amongst the qualifications of a Bishop that he should be able by sound doctrine to convince the gain-sayers and to stop the mouthes of those unruly deceivers whose businesse it is to subvert men for this is the excellent vertue of Gods Word that it concludeth or shutteth men in and leaveth not any gap or evasion of corrupted reason unanswered or unprevented Thus wee finde how the Prophets in their ministery did still drive the Jewes from their shifts and presse them with Dilemma's the inconveniences whereof they could on no side escape either there must be a fault in you or else in God who rebuketh you but now what iniquity saith the Lord have your fathers found in me that they are gone far from me Have I beene a wildernesse unto Israel or a land of darknesse wherefore say my people we are lords we will come no more unto thee O my people what have I done unto thee and wherein have I wearied thee testifie against mee I raised up of your sonnes for Prophets and of your young men for Nazarites Is it not even thus O yee children of Israel Here the Scripture useth that figure which is called by the Rhetoritians Communicatio a debating and deliberation with the adverse party an evidencing of a cause so cleerely as that at last a man can challenge the adversary himselfe to make such a determination as himselfe shall in reason judge the merits of the cause to require How shall I pardon thee for this and how shall I doe for the daughters of my people Set me in a way determine the controversie your selves and I will stand to the issue which your owne consciences shall make O inhabitants of Ierusalem and men of Iudah judge I pray you betweene me and my Vineyard that is doe you your selves undertake the deciding of your owne cause When a band of armed men came against Christ to attach him and at the pronouncing but of two words I am he fell all downe backward to the earth we must needs confesse that there was some mightie power and evidence of Majesty in him that uttered them what thinke wee can he doe when hee raigneth and judgeth the world who did let out so much power when he was to die and to be judged by the world Now Christ raigneth and judgeth the world by his Word and that more mightily after his ascending up on high and therefore he promiseth his Apostles that they should doe greater workes than himselfe had done When I shall see a man armed with scorne against Christ in his Word standing proudly upon the defence of his owne wayes by his owne wisdome and wrapping up himselfe in the mud of his owne carnall reasonings by a few postulata and deductions from Gods Word to bee enforced to stoppe his owne mouth to be condemned by his owne witnesse to betray his owne succours and to bee shut up in a prison without barres when I shall force such a man by the mighty penetration and invincible evidence of Gods Word to see in his owne conscience a hand subscribing to the truth which condemnes him and belying all those delusions which he had fram'd to deceive himselfe withall who can deny but that the rod of Gods mouth is indeed Virga virtutis a rod of strength an iron rod able to deale with all humane reasonings as a hammer with a potsherd which though to the hand of a man it may feele as hard as a rocke yet is too brittle to endure the blow of an iron rod Strange it is to observe how boldly men venture on sinnes under the names of custome or fashions or some other pretences of corrupted reason contrary to the cleere and literal evidence of holy Scriptures the most immediate and grammaticall sense whereof is ever soundest where there doth not some apparant and unavoidable errour in doctrine or mischiefe in manners follow thereupon Men will justifie the cause of the wicked for reward and by dexterity of wit put a better colour upon a worser businesse as hath beene observed of Protagoras and Carneades and yet the Lord saith expressely Thou shalt not speake in a cause to wrest judgement thou shalt keepe thee far from a false matter for God whom thou oughtest to imitate will not justifie the wicked Men will follow the sinfull fashions of the world in strange apparell in prodigious haire in lustfull and unprofitable expence of that pretious
of the Booke of God and he that obeyeth not doth despise for the Lord calleth disobedience rebellion stubbornenesse and a rejecting of his word 1 Sam. 15.22 23. He that persisteth in any knowne sinne or in the constant omission of any evident dutie fighteth against Christ himselfe throweth away his owne mercy stoppeth his eares at the entreaties of the Lord and committeth a sinne directly against Heaven And if he so persist God will make him know that there is flaming fire prepared for those that obey not the Gospell of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Thes. 1.8 Therefore whensoever we come unto the Word read or preached wee should come with an expectation to heare Christ himselfe speaking from heaven unto us and bring such affections of submission and obedience as becommeth his presence Let him that hath an eare heare what the spirit saith unto the Churches I will heare what God the Lord will speake for he will speake peace unto his people Christs sheepe discerne his voyce in the dispensation of the Gospell and will not know the voice of strangers And this was the honour of the Thessalonians and the men of Berea that in the preaching of the Word they did set themselves as in Gods presence expecting in it his authoritie and receiving it in his name Dareth any man to rush with a naked weapon into the presence of his prince and with scorne to throw backe his owne personall commands into his face againe And shall wee dare to come armed with high thoughts and proud reasonings and stubborne resolutions against the majesty of the Lord himselfe who speaketh from heaven unto us Receive with meeknesse saith the Apostle the ingrafted Word which is able to save your soules The word doth not mingle nor incorporate and by consequence doth not change nor save the soule but when it is received with meeknesse that is when a man commeth with a resolution to lay downe his weapons to fall downe on his face and give glory to God he that is swift to wrath that is to set up stout and fretfull affections against the purity and power of the Word to snuffe against it and to fall backward like pettish children which will not be led will be very slow to heare or to obey it for the wrath of man doth not worke the righteousnesse of God A proud hearer will be an unprofitable liver Ever therefore come unto the word with this conclusion It may be this day will God strike me in my master veine I am an usuall profaner of his glorious name a name which I should feare for the greatnesse and love for the goodnesse and adore for the holinesse of it hee will peradventure lay close to my conscience that guilt which himselfe hath declared to be in this great sinne that whatsoever is more than yea and nay is sinne unto me and whatsoever is sin is Hell to my soule I am a vaine person a companion of loose and riotous men It may bee the Lord will urge upon my conscience the charge of his owne word not to companie with fornicators to have no fellowship with the unfruitfull workes of darkenesse not to follow a multitude to doe evill and that though hand joyne in hand yet sinne shall not goe unpunished I am unprofitable loose and rotten in my discourse and hee will ply mee with his owne authority that for every idle word I must render an account I am full of oppression and unjust gain and the Lord will now urge the instructions of Nehemiah the restitution of Zacheus upon me In these or any other the like cases if a man can come with Saint Pauls temper of hart not to consult with flesh and bloud but Lord what wilt thou have me to doe or with the answer of Samuel Speake Lord for thy servant heareth or with the resolution of Cornelius I am here present before God to heare all things that shall bee commanded of God I am come with a purpose of heart to cleave unto thy holy will in all things Here I am in my sinnes strike where thou wilt cut off which of mine earthly members thou wilt I will not arme it I will not extenuate it I will not dispute with thee I will not rebell against thee I will second thee in it I will praise thee for it This is to give God the glorie of his owne Gospell It is not to part from a little monie towards the maintenance of the word or to vouchsafe a little countenance to the dispencers of it and yet alas how few are there who repay unto the ministers of the Gospell that double honor which God and not they hath given unto them but to part from our lusts and to suffer our old man to be crucified which giveth honour to the Word If a man had thousands of rammes and tenne thousand rivers of oyle and would bee content to part from them all for Gods worship If a man had children enough and in a famine of the word would buy every sermon which hee heareth with the sacrifice of a Sonne yet all this would not give glorie enough to the ordinance of God Men naturally love their lusts the issue of their evill hearts better than their lands or the children of their body if Herods son stand in the way of his ambitious security it were better to be his Hog than his childe The losse of cattell and fruits and water and light and the first-borne of all the land was not enough to make Pharaoh let goe his sinne hee will once more rush into the midst of a wonderfull deliverance of Israel and venture his owne and his peoples lives for but the bondage of his enemies and the satisfaction of his lust To doe justly then to love mercy and to walke humbly before God to acknowledge his name in the voyce of the minister and to put away the treasures of wickednesse out of our hands this onely is to give God the glory which is due unto his Word Mic. 6.6 10. Secondly the Gospell is glorious in the promulgation publishing of it unto the world And this may appeare whether we consider the initiall Promulgation in Christs owne personall preaching Or the plenary Revelation thereof in the sending of the holy Ghost to those selected vessels who were to carry abroad this treasure unto all the world For the former wee may note that there was a resemblance of state and glory observ'd in the preaching of Christ. A Forerunner sent to prepare his way and to beare his sword before him as a Herald to proclaime his approach and then at last is revealed the Glory of the Lord. And thus we may observe how we sent his Harbingers before his face into every Citie and place whither he himselfe would come that so men might prepare themselves and lift up their everlasting gates against this Prince of Glory should enter in When one poore ordinary man
these considerations we should labor to walke worthy of so glorious a Gospell and of so great a salvation Thus have we at large spoken of the Rod of Christs strength as it is Insigne regium or Sceptrum majestatis an Ensigne and Rod of Majestie we are now to speake a little of it as it is Pedum pastorale an episcopall Rod which denoteth much heedfulnesse and tender care This is the Precept which the Apostle giveth unto the Pastors of the Church that they should 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Take speciall heed to all the flocke over which the holy Ghost had made them overseers And the Apostle againe reckoneth Vigilancie or care over the flocke amongst the principall characters of a bishop and hee professeth of himselfe that there did daily lye upon him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Care of all the Churches And this consideration affordeth us another note out of the words namely That Christ in the ministerie of his Gospell and dispensation of his spirit is full of care and tendernesse towards his Church This Christ maketh one maine point of opposition betweene himselfe and hirelings that these Care not for the flock but suffer the Woolfe to come and to scatter them while they fly away whereas hee keepeth them that none may bee lost and prayeth unto the Father to keepe them through his owne name The Lord committed the Church unto Christ as their Head gave them into his hands not as an ordinary gift wherein he did relinquish his owne interest in them or care of them for hee careth for them still but as a blessed depositum entrusted them with him as the choicest of his Iewels as the most pretious casket amongst all the treasures of the Creation that he should polish preserve present them faultlesse and without spot before the presence of his glory at the last day And for this purpose hee gave him a Commandement of the greatest care and tendernesse that ever the world knew that hee should lay downe his life for his sheepe and should lose nothing of all that was given him but should raise it up at the last day So that now want of care or compassion of Christ towards his Church would be an argument of unfaithfulnesse If he had not been a mercifull high priest neither could he have beene faithfull to him that appointed him for he was appointed to bee mercifull and was by the Spirit of God filled with most tender affections and qualified with an heart fuller of compassion than the sea is of waters that he might commiserate the distresses of his people and take care of their salvations Notably doth this Care of Christ shew it selfe First in the apportioning and measuring forth to every oâ—e his due dimensum and in the midst of those infinite occasions and exigencies of his severall members in providing such particular passages of his Word as may be thereunto most exactly sutable for this sheweth that his Care reacheth unto particular men It is the dutie of a faithfull bishop 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to make such a difference betweene men and so to divide or distribute the word aright as that every one may have the portion which is due unto him some are but Lambes in Christs flocke young tender weake easily offended or affrighted others sheepe growne up to more strength and maturity some in his garner are but Cummin seede others Fitches and some harder corne some can but beare a little Rod others a greater staffe or flaile and some the pressure of a Cart wheele that which doth but cleanse some would batter and breake others into pieces some are great with young in the pangs of a loaded conscience in the travaile under some sore affliction or in the throwes of a bitter repentance as it were in fits of breeding or new forming of Christ in their soule and these hee leadeth with a gentle hand Others are as it were new borne past their paines but yet very tender weake and fearefull and these he gathers with his arme and carries in his bosome shewes them that his care doth not onely reach unto the least of his kingdome but that his compassions are most enlarged to those that are too weake to helpe themselves that hee hath brests of consolation to satisfie and delight with abundance the smallest infant of his kingdome Some are broken-hearted and those he bindeth some are captives to those hee proclaimeth liberty some are mourners in Sion and for them he hath beautie and oile of joy and garments of praise some are bruized reedes whom every curse or commination is able to crush and some are smoaking flax whom every temptation is able to discourage and yet even these doth hee so carefully tend and furnish with such proportionable supplies of his Spirit of grace as makes that seede and sparkle of holinesse which hee began in them get up above all their owne feares or their enemies machinations and grow from a judgement of truth and sincerity as it is called by the Prophet unto a judgement of victory and perfection as it is turned by the Evangelist In one word some are strong and others are weake the strong hee feedeth the weake he cureth the strong hee confirmeth the weake hee restoreth hee hath trials for the strong to exercise their graces and hee hath cordials for the weake to strengthen theirs According unto the severall estates and unto the secret demands of each members condition so doth the Care of Christ severally shew it selfe towards the same in his Word there is provision for any want medicine for any disease comforts for any distresse promises for any faith answeres to any doubt directions in any difficulty weapons against any temptation preservatives against any sinne restoratives against lapse garments to cover my nakednesse meate to satisfie my hunger physicke to cure my diseases armour to protect my person a treasure to provide for my posteritie If I am rich I have there the wisedome of God to instruct me and if I am poore I have there the obligations of God to enrich mee If I am honourable I have there the sight of my sins to make me vile and rules of moderation to make me humble If I am of low degree I have there the Communion and consanguinitie of Christ the participation of the divine nature the adoption of God the Father to make me noble If I am learned I have there a law of charitie to order it unto edification and if I am unlearned I have there a Spirit which searcheth the deepe things of God which can give wisedome unto the simple which can reveale secrets unto babes which can command light to shine out of darknes which can give the light of the knowledge of the glory fulnesse and love of God in the face of Iesus Christ which can make me though ignorant of all other things to learne Christ in whom there is more
wisdome more various and admirable curiositie more filling and plentifull satisfaction more proportion to the boundlesse desires of a soule once rectified more fruit and salvation which should bee the end of every Christian mans learning than in all other knowledge which either past or present ages can afford In one word every where and in all things I am there taught how to want and how to abound and how to do all things through Christ that strengthens me A Christian can be set in no estate wherein the abundant Care of Christ over him is not in the Gospell wonderfully magnified And commonly in the greatest straits he sheweth the greatest care as waters runne strongest in the narrowest passages when we walk in darknesse and have no light when we seeke water and there is none and our tongue faileth for thirst then is his fittest time to helpe us and then is our fittest time to stay upon him Israel were deliverd by miracles of mercy from their Egyptian bondage and in the wildernesse conducted by a miraculous presence and fed with Angels food Isaak was upon the Altar and then in the mount was the Lord seene and his mercy stepped in betweene the knife and the sacrifice Iacob in great feare of his brother Esau and then comforted by prevailing with an Angell which was stronger than Esau. Peter in sorest distresse for denying Christ and he the first man to whom Christ sent newes of his Resurrection Paul in the shippe visited by an Angell Peter in prison delivered by an Angell The distressed woman at Christs Sepulcher comforted by an Angell Such as the extremities of the Saints are such is Christs care for their deliverances And this Care is further commended that it proceedeth solely from the grace and compassion of Christ there is no affection naturally in us to desire it there is no vertue in us to deserve it when we were in our bloud well pleased with our owne pollution hee doubled his goodnesse and used a kinde of violence and importunitie of mercy to make us live when we did not seeke after him when wee did not so much as aske whether hee were fit to bee sought when wee were aliens from his Covenant and strangers to his name hee even then multiplied his invitations unto us I said behold mee behold me unto a people that were not called by my name When we were weake full of impotencie when wee were sinners full of antipathy when we were enemies full of obstinacie and rebellion when wee cared not for him but turned our backes and stopped our eares and suffered him to throw away in vaine so many Sermons so many Sacraments so many mercies so many afflictions upon us when we cared not for our selves no man repented or said what have I done even then did hee magnifie his compassion towards us hee cared for us when we neglected our selves and despised him he bestowed his mercy not onely upon the unthankfull but upon the injurious But then a little compassion is enough for those that had deserved none for those that had provoked scorne and displeasure against themselves but herein is the care and tendernesse of Christ abundantly magnified that it hath in it all the ingredients of a most soveraigne mercy that nothing more could have beene done than he hath done for us First for the foundation and original of al mercy there is in him an overflowing of love without stint or measure a turning of heart a rouling and sounding of bowels a love which surpasseth all knowledge which is aâ— much beyond the thoughts or comprehensions as it is above the merits of men Secondly there is a studie and inquisitivenesse how to doe good a debating within himselfe a consulting and projecting how to shew mercy an arguing as it were of his grace with mans sinne and his owne severitie How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Israel How shall I make thee as Admah How shall I set thee as Zeboim mine heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together True it is thou hast beene unto me as the Rulers of Sodome and as the people of Gomorrah But shall I be unto thee as I have beene unto them Am I not God and not man shall I change my Covenant because thou hast multiplied thy backslidings The Lord useth such humane expressions of his proceedings with men as if their sinnes had put him to a stand and brought him to difficulties in shewing mercy I said how shall I put thee amongst the children and give thee a pleasant Land c. Thy case is very desperate and thou hast stopped up the courses of my mercy towards thy selfe how then shall I make good my resolutions of compassion towards those that reject and nullifie it to themselves surely there is no way but one to over-rule the hearts of obstinate sinners that they may not turne away any more Thou shalt call mee my Father that is I will put filial affections awful thoughts constant resolutions into thy heart and thou shalt not turne away from mee I will melt them and trie them saith the Lord for how shall I doe for the daughter of my people The Lord setteth himselfe to study and contrive mercie for his people that as they set up their sinnes as it were in pride to pose his Covenant so he gathereth together his thoughts of mercy as it were to conquer their sinnes Thirdly there is constancie and continuance in this his Care His mercy endureth his compassions faile not but are renewed every morning And therefore the mercies of David that is of Christ for so he is called or the mercies of the Covenant made with David are called Sure mercies they have a foundation the everlasting love and counsell of God upon which they are built they have many seales by which they are confirmed the faithfulnesse the immutabilitie and the oath of God If there were not continuance in his mercies if he were not the same yesterday and to day and for ever in his truth and fidelitie to his Church if hee should change and turne from us as oft as we forsake him if he should leave us in the hand of our owne counsell and not afford us such daily supplies of his Spirit as might support us against the ruinous disposition of our owne nature wee should be children of wrath every day anew But herein doth the abundant care of Christ in the Gospell declare it selfe unto us that though we are wormes in our selves full of weaknesse and of earthly affections yet God hath a right-hand of righteousnesse which can uphold us that though we are bent to back-sliding yet he is God and not man unchangeable in his Covenant with the Persons almighty in his power and mercy towards the sinnes of men both to cover them with his righteousnesse and to cure them by his Spirit both to forgive for the time past
libertie and made himselfe a servant unto all to the Jew as a Jew to the Greeke as a Greeke to the weake as weake and all things to all that by all meanes he might save some and so further the Gospell One while he used Circumcision that he might thereby gaine the weake Jewes another while hee forbade Circumcision that he might not misguide the converted Gentiles nor give place by subjection unto false brethren Who is weake saith he and I am not weake who is offended and I burne not His care of mens soules made him take upon him every mans affection and accommodate himselfe unto every mans temper that hee might not offend the weake nor exasperate the mightie nor dis-hearten the beginner nor affright those which were without from comming in but be All unto All for their salvation The same love is due unto all but the same method of cure is not requisite for all With some Love travelleth in paine with others it rejoyceth in hope some it laboureth to edifie and others it fearâ—th to offend unto the weake it stoopeth unto the strong it raiseth it selfe to some it is compassionate to others severe to none an enemy to all a mother But all this it doth non mentiendo sed compatiendo not by belying the truth but by pitying the sinner It is not the wisedome of the flesh nor to bee learned of men The Scripture alone is able to make the man of God wise unto the worke of Salvation Thirdly with meeknesse for that is the childe of wisedome Who is a wise man saith Saint Iames let him shew out of a good conversation his workes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with meeknesse of wisedome and againe the wisedome which is from above is pure peaceable gentle easie to be intreated full of mercie The Gospell is Christs Gospell and it must be preached with Christs spirit which was very meeke and lowly When the Disciples would have called for fire from heaven upon the Samaritanes for their indignitie done unto Christ hee rebuked them in a milde and compassionate manner Ye know not what spirit ye are of A right Evangelicall Spirit is ever a meeke and a mercifull Spirit If a man saith the Apostle be overtaken in a fault ye which are spirituall restore such an one in the spirit of meekenesse and againe In meekenesse saith the Apostle instruct those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth Lastly with faithfulnesse in as much as the Gospell is none of ours but Christs whose servants and stewards we are Christ was faithfull though hee were a Son over his owne house and therefore might in reason have assum'd the more liberty to doe his owne will much more doth it become us who are but his Officers to be faithfull too not to dissemble any thing which the estate and exigence of those soules committed to our charge shall require us to speake not to adde diminish or deviate from our commission preaching one Gospell in one place and another in another but to deliver onely the Counsell of God and to watch over the soules of men as they that must give an account Againe since the Gospell is Christs owne Power wee must all learne from thence two duties first to receive it as from him with the affections of subjects which have been bought by him that is first in hearing of the word to expect principally his voyce and to seeke him speaking from heaven This is the nature of Christs sheep to turne away their eares from the voyce of strangers and to heare him Two things principally there are which discover the voice of Christ in the ministerie of the word First it is a spirituall and heavenly doctrine full of purity righteousnesse and peace touching the soule with a kind of secret and magneticall vertue whereby the thoughts affections conscience and conversation are turned from their earthly center and drawne up unto him as Eagles to a carcasse Secondly it is a powerfull an edged a piercing doctrine If the word thou hearest speak unto thy conscience if it search thy hart if it discover thy lusts if it make thy spirit burne within thee if it cast thee upon thy face and convince and judge thee for thy transgressions if it bind up thy sores and clense away thy corruptions then it is certainly Christs word and then it must bee received with such affections as becommeth the word of Christ. First with Faith if we conferre with flesh and bloud we shall be apt ever to cavill against the truth For hee that rejecteth Christ doth never receive his word A fleshly heart cannot submit unto a heavenly Doctrine Christ and his Apostles did every where endure the contradiction of sinners But yet hee claimeth this honour over the consciences of men to over-rule their assents against all the mists and sophisticall reasonings of the flesh The Apostles themselves preached nothing but either by immediate commission from him or out of the Law and the Prophets But his usuall forme was Verily I say unto you noting that hee onely was unto the Church the Author and fountaine of all heavenly Doctrine that unto him onely belongeth that authoritative and infallible Spirit which can command the subscription and assent of the conscience that hee onely can say with boldnesse to the soule as hee did to the Samaritan woman Beleeve mee And that therefore no authority either of men or Churches either Episcopall Papall or Synodicall can without open sacrilege usurpe power to over-rule the faith of men or impose any immediate and Doctrinall necessity upon the conscience in any points which are not ultimately and distinctly resolv'd into the evident authority of Christ in his word S. Paul himselfe durst not assume Dominion over the faith of men nor S. Peter neither suffer any Elders amongst whom hee reckoneth himselfe as an Elder also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to over-rule or prescribe unto the heritage of God It is onely Christs word which the hearts of men must stoope and attend unto and which they must mingle with faith that it may bee profitable unto them that is they must let it into their hearts with this assurance that it is not the breath of a man but the message of Christ who is true in all his threatnings and faithfull in all his promises and pure in all his precepts that hee sendeth this ministerie abroad for the perfection of the Saints the edification of his Church and therefore if they bee not hereby cleansed and built up in his body they doe as much as in them lieth make void the holy ordinance of God which yet must never returne in vaine The word of God doth effectually worke onely in those that beleeve It worketh in hypocrites and wicked hearers according to the measure of that imperfect faith which they have but it worketh not
effectually that is it doth not consummate nor accomplish any perfect worke but onely in those that beleeve in the rest it proves but an abortion and withers in the blade Secondly with love and readinesse of minde without despising or rejecting it No man can bee saved who doth not receive the truth in love who doth not receive it as the primitive Saints did with gladnesse and readinesse of minde as Eli though from the hand of Samuel a Child as David though from the hand of Abigail a woman as the Galatians though from the hand of Paul an infirme and persecuted Apostle For herein is our homage to Christ the more apparent when we suffer a little childe to lead us Thirdly with meeknesse and submission of heart reverencing and yeelding unto it in all things Wresting shifting evading perverting the word is as great an indignity unto Christ as altering interlining or rasing a patent which the King hath drawen with his owne royall hand is an offence against him Patience and effectuall obedience even in affliction is an argument that a man esteemes the word to bee indeed Gods owne word and so receives it Hee onely who putteth off the old man the corrupt deceitfull lusts of his former conversation and is renewed in the Spirit of his minde is the man that hath heard and been taught by Christ that hath received the Truth in him Againe in as much as the Gospell is the Rod of Christs owne strength or the instrument of his arme who hath beleeved our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed and the instrument is no further operative or effectuall than according to the measure of that impressed vertue which it receiveth from the superior cause therefore wee should learne alwayes to repaire unto Christ for the successe of his word For he onely is the teacher of mens hearts and the author of their faith To him onely it belongeth to call men out of their graves and to quicken whom hee will Wee have nothing but the ministerie he keepeth the power in his own hands that men might learne to waite upon him and to have to doe with him who onely can send a blessing with his word and teach his people to profit thereby Another ground of the power of the word is that it is sent from God The Lord shall send forth the Rod of thy strength From which particular likewise wee may note some usefull observations as First that Gods appointment and ordination is that which gives being life majesty and successe to his owne word authority boldnesse and protection to his servants When hee sendeth his word hee will make it prosper When Moses disputed against his going down into Egypt to deliver his brethren sometimes alleaging his owne unfitnesse and infirmity sometimes the unbeliefe of the people this was still the warrant with which God encouraged him I will bee with thee I have sent thee doe not I make mans mouth I will bee with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say I was no Prophet neither was I a Prophets Sonne saith Amos but I was an heardsman a gatherer of sycamore fruit And the Lord tooke me as I followed the flock and said unto mee Goe prophecie unto my people Israel And this made him peremptory in his office to prophecie against the idolatry of the Kings Court and against the flattery of the Priest of Bethel And this made the Apostles bold though otherwise unlearned and ignorant men to stand against the learned councill of Priests and Doctors of the Law Wee ought to obey God rather than men Vpon which Grave was the advice of Gamaliel If this counsell or worke bee of men it will come to nought But if it bee of God yee cannot overthrow it lest haply yee bee found even to fight against God For to withstand the power or progresse of the Gospell is to set a mans face against God himselfe Secondly in as much as the Gospell is sent forth by God that is revealed and published out of Sion wee may observe That Evangelicall learning came not into the world by humane discovery or observation but it is utterly above the compasse of all reason or naturall disquisition neither men nor Angels ever knew it but by divine revelation And therfore the Apostle every where calleth it a Mystery a great and a hidden Mystery which was kept secret since the world began There is a Naturall Theologie without the world gathered out of the workes of God out of the resolution of causes and effects into their first originals and out of the Law of nature written in the heart But there is no naturall Christianity Nature is so farre from finding it out by her owne inquiries that shee cannot yeeld unto it when it is revealed without a Spirit of faith to assist it The Iewes stumbled at it as dishonorable to their Law and the Gentiles derided it as absurd in their Philosophy It was a Hidden and secret wisedome the execution and publication whereof was committed onely to Christ. In God it was an Eternall Gospell for Christ was a lambe slaine from before the foundations of the world namely in the predeterminate counsell decree of his father but revealed it was not till the dispensation of the fulnesse of time wherein he gathered together in one all things in Christ. The purpose and ordination of it was eternall but the preaching and manifestation of it reserved untill the time of Christs solemne inauguration into his Kingdome and of the obstinacy of the Iewes upon whose defection the Gentiles were called in Which might teach us to adore the unsearchablenesse of Gods judgements unto former ages of the world whom hee suffered to walke in their owne wayes and to live in times of utter ignorance destitute of any knowledge of the Gospell or of any naturall parts or abilities to finde it out For if these things bee true First that without the knowledge of Christ there is no salvation This is eternall life to know thee and him whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifye many Secondly that Christ cannot bee knowen by naturall but Evangelicall and revealed light The naturall man cannot know the things of the Spirit of God because they are spiritually discerend The light shined in darknesse and the darknesse was so thick and fixed that it did not let in the light nor apprehend it Thirdly that this light was at the first sent onely unto the Iewes as to the first borne-people excepting onely some particular extraordinary dispensations and priviledges to some few first fruits and preludes of the Gentiles He sheweth his word unto Iacob his statutes and his judgements unto Israel Hee hath not dealt so with any nation Hee hath not afforded the meanes of salvation ordinarily unto any other people the world by wisedome knew him not Fourthly that this severall
dispensation toward one and other the giving of saving knowledge to one people and with-holding it from others was not grounded upon any preceding differences and dispositions thereunto in the people but onely in the Love of God The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to bee a speciall people unto himselfe above all people that are upon the face of the earth The Lord did not set his love upon you nor choose you because yee were more in number than any people for ye were the fewest of all people but because the Lord loved you c. The Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possesse it for thy righteousnesse for you art a stiffe-necked people Your Fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood mold time and they served other gods There was no difference betweene them and the Gentiles from whom I gathered them Fiftly that the Gospell was hidden from others in God his owne will and counsell was the cause of it Hee forbad men to goe into the cities of the Gentiles neither were they to goe unto them without a speciall gift and commission The same Beneplacitum was the reason of revealing it to some and of hiding it from others Even so ô father for so it seemed good in thy sight If all these particulars bee true needs must we both admire the inscrutablenesse of Gods judgments towards the Gentiles of old for no humane presumptions are a fit measure of the wayes and severities of God towards sinners And also everlastingly adore his Compassions towards us whom hee hath reserved for these times of light and out of the alone unsearchable riches of his grace hath together with principalities and powers in heavenly places made us to see what is the fellowship of that great mysterie which from the beginning of the world was hidden in himselfe Thirdly in that the Lord doth send forth the Gospell of Christ out of Sion into the world wee may further observe that the Gospell is a Message and an invitation from heaven unto men For for that end was it sent that thereby men might bee invited and perswaded to salvation The Lord sendeth his Sonne up and down carrieth him from place to place he is set forth before mens eyes he comes and stands and calls knocks at their doores and beseecheth them to bee reconciled Hee setteth his word before us at our doores and in our mouths and eares He hath not erected any standing sanctuary or city of refuge for men to fly for their salvations unto but hath appointed Ambassadors to carry this treasure unto mens houses where hee inviteth them and intreateth them and requireth them and commandeth them and compelleth them to come into his feast of mercy And this must needs bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an unsearchable riches of grace for mercy pardon preferment life salvation to goe a begging and sue for acceptance and very unsearchable likewise must needs bee the love of sinne and madnesse of folly in wicked men to trample upon such pearles and to neglect so great salvation when it is tendered unto them O what a heavy charge will it bee for men at the last day to have the mercy of God the humility of Christ the entreaties of his Spirit the proclamations of pardon the approches of salvation the dayes the years the ages of peace the ministers of the word the booke of God the great Mysterie of Godlinesse to rise up in judgement and to testifie against their soules Lastly in that the Gospell is sent from God the Dispencers thereof must looke unto their mission and not intrude upon so sacred a businesse before they are thereunto called by God Now this call is twofold Extraordinary by immediate instinct and revelation from God which is ever accompanied with immediate and infused gifts of this wee doe not now speake And Ordinary by imposition of hands and Ecclesiasticall designation Whereunto there are to concurre three things First an Act of Gods providence casting a man upon such a course of studies and fashioning his minde unto such affections towards learning and disposing of him in such Schooles and Colleges of the Prophets as are congruons preparations and were appointed for nurseries and seminaries of Gods Church It is true many things fall under Gods providence which are not within his allowance and therefore it is no sufficient argument to conclude Gods consent or commission in this office because his wisedome hath cast mee upon a collegiate education But when therewithall hee in whose hands the hearts of all men are as clay or wax to bee moulded into such shapes as the counsell of his will shall order hath bended the desires of my heart to serve him in his Church and hath set the strongest delight of my minde upon those kindes of learning which are unto that service most proper and conducent when measuring either the good will of my heart or the appliablenesse of my parts by this and other professions of learning I can cleerly conclude that that measure and proportion which the Lord hath given mee is more suteable unto this than other learned callings I suppose other qualifications herewith concurring a man may safely from thence conclude that God who will have every man live in some profitable calling doth not onely by his providence permit but by his secret direction lead him unto that service whereunto the measure of gifts which he hath conferred upon him are most suteable and proper And therefore secondly there is to bee respected in this Ordinary mission the meet qualification of the person who shall bee ordained unto this ministerie For if no Prince will send a mechanick from his loome or his sheers in an honorable Embassage to some other forraigne Prince shall wee thinke that the Lord will send forth stupid and unprepared instruments about so great a worke as the perfecting of the Saints and Edification of the Church It is registred for the perpetuall dishonor of that wicked King Ieroboam who made no other use of any Religion but as a secondary bye thing to bee the supplement of policie that he made of the Lowest of the People those who were really such as the Apostles were falsly esteemed to be the scumme and offscouring of men to bee Priests unto the Lord. Now the Qualities more directly and essentially belonging unto this office are these two Fidelitie and Abilitie The things saith the Apostle which thou hast heard of amongst many witnesses the same commit thou to Faithfull men who shall bee able to teach others also Wee are stewards of no meaner a gift than the Grace of God and the Wisedome of God that grace which by S. Peter is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a manifold Grace and that wisedome which by S. Paul is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the manifold wisedome of God Wee are the depositaries and dispencers of the most pretious treasures which were ever opened unto the
first workes lest so excellent a priviledge be removed from us There is no wrath that is wrath to the uttermost but that which depriveth a people of the Gospell and taketh away their Candlesticke from them Thirdly it notes unto us the difference of the two covenants the one out of Sinai and the other out of Sion At first the Law proceeded out of Sinai wherein though the end were merciful yet the manner was terrible and therfore the effect nothing but bondage but after it was sent out of Sion with the Spirit of grace and adoption observed with cheerefulnesse and libertie as by those that know God will spare them as a man spareth his childe that serveth him for in my bond-slave I looke to the perfection of the worke but in my son to the affection and disposition of the heart Lastly it notes unto us that the seat of saving truth the custodie of the promises and Gospell of salvation doth still belong unto Sion to the Church of God Out of the Church there is no Gospell and therefore out of the Church there is no salvation The Apostle saith of children which are borne out of the Church that they are uncleane unto the Church above all congregations of men belongeth this excellent priviledge to be the Treasurer of the riches of Christ and to hold forth the Word of life unto men In which sense the Apostle saith that it is the pillar and the ground of truth not that which giveth being to the Church for the Law must not faile nor perish nor that which giveth authoritie imposeth a sense canonizeth and maketh authenticall is a judge or absolute determiner of the truth for in that sense the Church is held up by the Word and not that by it for the Church is built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles namely upon that fundamentall doctrine which they have laid But the Church is the depositary of the truth that orbe out of which this glorious light shines forth unto it appertaines the Covenants and the giving of the Law and the service of God and the promises Her office and her honour it is to be the Candlesticke which holdeth up the Word of truth to set to her seale unto the evidence and excellencie thereof by her ministery authority consent and countenance to conciliate respect thereunto in the mindes of aliens and to confirme it in the mindes of beleevers to fasten the nailes and points thereof like masters of the assemblies under one principall Shepherd which is Christ in the hearts of men not to dishonour it by their usurped authority above it for by that meanes all controversies of religions are turned not into contentions of doctrine that that may be rested in which doth appeare to have in it most intrinsecall majestie spiritualnesse and evidence but into factions and emulations of men that that sect may bee rested in who can with most impudence and ostentation arrogate an usurped authority to themselves but by their willing submission thereunto to credit it in the affections of men and to establish others in the love and obedience thereunto for the authoritie of the Church is not Autoritas jurisdictionis an authority of jurisdiction above the Scriptures but onely Autoritas muneris an authoritie of dispensation and of trust to proclaime exhibite present the truth of God unto the people to point to the starre which is directed unto by the finger but is seene by the evidence of its owne light To hold forth as a pasquill or pillar that Law and Proclamation of Christ the contents whereof we discover out of it selfe In one word that place sheweth the duty of the Church to preserve knowledge and to shew forth the truth of sacred Scriptures out of themselves but not any infallibilitie in it selfe or authority over others to binde their consciences to assent unto such expositions of Scripture as derive not their evidence from the harmonie and analogie of the Scriptures themselves but only from Ipse dixit because the Church hath spoken it To conclude this point we are to note for the cleere understanding of the office of the Church concerning the holy Scriptures First that some things therein are Hard to be understood as Saint Peter speakes either by reason of their allegoricall and figurative expressions as the visions of Ezekiel Daniel Zechary c. or by reason of the obscure and strange connexion of one part with another or of the dependance thereof upon forren learning or the like but then we must note that the knowledge of such things as these are not of absolute necessitie unto salvation for though the perverting of hard places be damnable as Saint Peter telleth us yet that ignorance of them which groweth out of their owne obscurity and not out of our neglect is not damnable Secondly some things have evidence enough in the termes that expresse them but yet are Hard to be beleeved by reason of the supernaturall quality of them As when we say that Christ was the Sonne of a Virgin or that he died and rose againe there is no difficultie in the sense of these things it is easily understood what he that affirmeth them doth meane by them All the difficultie is to bring the minde to give assent unto them Thirdly some things though easie in their sense to be understood and it may be easie likewise in their nature to be beleeved are yet Hard to be obeyed and practised as repentance and forsaking of sinne c. Now according unto these differences wee may conceive of the office and power which the Church hath in matters of holy Scripture First for hard places in regard of the sense and meaning of the place it is the dutie of the Church to open them to Gods people with modestie and moderation and therein God alloweth the learned a Christian libertie with submission of their opinions alwayes to the spirits of the Prophets so long as they doe therein nothing contrary to the Analogie of faith to the generall peace and unity of the Church to the rules of charitie pietie loyaltie and sobrietie to abound in their owne sense and to declare for the further edifying of the Church what they conceive to be in such difficult places principally intended And further than this no Church nor person can goe for if unto any man or chaire there were annexed an infallible spirit enabling him to give such a cleere and indubitate exposition of all holy Scriptures as should leave no inevidence in the Text nor hesitancie in the mindes of men how comes it to passe that hitherto so many difficulties remaine wherein even our Adversaries amongst themselves doe give severall conjectures and explications and how can that man to whom so excellent a gift of infallibilitie is bestowed cleere himselfe of envie and abuse of the grace of God who maketh not use thereof to expound the Scriptures
faine to confesse and declare to the world in their Councell of Trent Onely herein is the difference The Councell pretended a Reformation in points of Discipline and manners and wee made a Reformation in points of Doctrine too When Christ purged the Temple of buyers and sellers it was the same Temple after which before When a man separateth the wheate from the chaffe it is the same corne which before In these corrupter ages then the pure Professour of Christ who denied not his faith did dwell where Satan had his seate The members of Christ were amongst the Rulers of Antichrist Wee are not another Church newly started up but the same which before from the Apostles times held the common and necessarie grounds of Faith and Salvation which grounds being in latter ages perverted and over-turned by Antichristianisme have beene by valiant Champions for the faith of Christ therefrom vindicated who have onely pruned the Lords Vine and picked out the stones and driven out the bores out of his Vineyard but have not made either one or other new Now this point that Christ ruleth in the midst of his enemies is ground of great confidence in his Church in as much as shee subsisteth not upon any corruptible strength of her owne but upon the Promise decree oath power and love of God things invincible by all the Powers of darkenesse Let the enemies rage never so much they cannot dis-throne Christ nor extinguish his Gospell for it is an everlasting Gospell It is but as the comming forth of a Shepheard against a Lion as the Prophet compareth it For either Christ is unable to protect his people and that is against Saint Iude Hee is able to keepe you from falling and to present you faultlesse c. or else he is unwilling and that is against Saint Paul This is the will of God even your sanctification Or else both his Power and his will are suspended upon expectation of humane concurrence or nullified and disappointed by us and that is against the influence of his Grace which giveth us both the will and the deed against the mercie of his gracious promise I will be mercifull to their unrighteousnesse and their sinnes and their iniquities will I remember no more I will heale their back-slidings I will save them freely against the immutabilitie of his Covenant and holy nature I am God and not man I change not therefore the sonnes of Iacob are not destroied Now besides this generall observation the words afford some particular notes which I will but briefly touch As first That Christs kingdome in this world is Regnum Crucis a Kingdome beset with enemies of all other the most hated and opposed They that submit unto it must resolve to be herein conformable to their head a Crosse was his Throne and Thornes were his Crowne and every one which will live godly must suffer persecution and through many afflictions enter into his Masters Kingdome Quod erat Christus erimus Christiani No marvell if the world hate the Church of Christ for it hated him first In his word he is resisted disobeyed belied and if it were possible silenced and corrupted in his officers mocked and misused in his subjects persecuted and reviled in his Spirit thrust away and grieved in his worship neglected and polluted in all his wayes slandered and blasphemed The Reasons of which strange entertainement of the Kingdome of Christ are first because it is a New Kingdome which enters into the world by way of chalenge and dispossession of former lords and therefore no wonder if it finde opposition Secondly it is an invisible unconspicuous unattended desolate and in appearance ignoble kingdome It began in the forme of a servant in the ignominie of a Crosse none of the Princes of this world none of the learned of this world to countenance or helpe set it up but amongst them all esteemed as an offensive and foolish thing Thirdly it is an universall kingdome Nec parem patitur nec superiorem Christ will admit of no Consorts or Corrivals in his Government Body and Soule and Spirit hee will have wholly and throughout unto himselfe And this amongst others is given for the reason why when Tiberius proposed Christ unto the Romane Senate with the priviledge of his owne suffrage to be worshipped they rejected him because hee would be a God alone If hee would exempt some of the earthly members from his subjection let lust have the eye or folly the eare or violence the hand or covetousnesse the heart or any other evill affection share with him he would be the easier tolerated but when he will be absolute and nothing must remaine in our hearts but as his vassall to be spoiled subdued condemned and crucified by him if the whole state of sinne must bee ruined and the body destroied no wonder if the world cannot away with him Fourthly which is the Summe of all It is a heavenly Kingdome a spirituall Kingdome My Kingdome is not of this world and therefore no marvell if the divels of hell and the lusts of the flesh doe set themselves against him Note secondly even there where Christs Throne and Kingdome is set up hee hath enemies Satan hath his seate even where Christ dwelleth Men may say they are Jewes and are not but of the Synagogue of Satan and men may say they are Christians and are not but of the kingdome of Satan too A Wenne in the body seemeth to belong unto the integrity of the whole when indeed it is an enemie and thiefe therein Ivie about a tree seemeth to embrace it with much affection when indeed it doth but kill and choake it Men may take upon them the profession of Christians and like a Wenne bee skinned over with the same out-side which the true members have may pretend much submission worship and ceremony unto him and yet such is the hellish hypocrisie of the heart the same men may haply inwardly swell and rancle against the power of his truth and Spirit This people saith the Lord draw neere me with their mouth and honour mee with their lips but have removed their heart farre from me and their feare towards mee is taught by the precepts of men In the Apostles times there were false brethren and false teachers who crept in to spie out and betray the libertie of the Church and privily to bring in damnable heresies and to speake lies in hypocrisie that is under the pretext of devotion and carnall humilitie to corrupt the Doctrine of Christ and under a forme of Godlinesse to denie the Power thereof Therefore Antichrist is called a Whore because hee should seduce the Christian world with much expression of love and creepe peaceably and by flatteries into the kingdome of Christ of these severall enemies of Christ under the profession of his name and worship some are Christians but not in purity as heretikes some not in unity as schismatikes some not
in sincerity as hypocrites some not so much as in externall conformity as evill workers The heretike corrupteth Christ the schismatike divideth him the hypocrite mocketh him the prophane person dishonoreth him and all deny him Let us then learne to look unto our hearts for we may slatter Christ when we doe not love him we may inquire and seeke early after him and yet have no desire to finde him wee may come unto his schoole as untoward children not for love of his Doctrine but for feare of his rod we may call him husband and yet bee wedded to our owne lusts we may be baptized in his name so was Simon Magus we may preach him so did the false brethren we may flocke after him so did the multitude who followed him not for his words or miracles but for the loaves we may bow unto him so did his crucifiers wee may call upon his name so did the hypocrites that said Lord Lord and yet did not enter into the kingdome of heaven we may confesse and beleeve him so doe the very divels in hell we may give him our lips our eyes our tongues our knees our hands and yet still our kingdome our throne our hearts may bee Satans And all this is to make him but a mock-king as the Jewes did when indeed we crucifie him Note thirdly Christs Word and Spirit are stronger than all adverse opposition This is his Glory that his kingdome commeth in unto him by way of Conquest as Canaan unto Israel Therefore at the very first erecting of his kingdome when in all presumption it might most easily have beene crushed he suffer'd his enemies to vent their utmost malice and to glut themselves with the bloud of his people that so it might appeare that though they did fight against him they could not prevaile against him but that his counsell should still stand and flourish and should consume and breake in pieces all the kingdomes which set themselves against it that they all should be affraid of the Ensigne of the Gospell and should fly from it This jealousie of God for his Church may be seene in frustrating the attempts and pulling off the wheeles on which the projects which are cast against his Church doe move as hee dealt with Pharaoh Hee can dissolve the confederacies shatter the counsels cast a spirit of treachery unfaithfulnesse and mutinous affections into the hearts of his enemies as hee did into the Midianites and into the children of Ammon Moab and Edom when they gathered together against his people He can infatuate their counsels and make them the contrivers and artificers of their owne ruine as we see in the consultation of Rehoboam with his young men and of Ieroboam in his idolatrous policy and of Haman in his gallowes He can defeat their expectations and disannull their decrees and make his owne Counsell alone to stand But when all this is done this is onely to rule in spight of his enemies But besides this his Kingdome fetcheth his enemies under and in some sort ruleth over their consciences and striketh them to the ground maketh the divels in hell the stoutest of all sinners to tremble breaketh the rockes asunder affrighteth judgeth sealeth hardeneth thresheth revengeth the pride of men and maketh them before-hand to taste the bitternesse of that damnation which waketh over them and commeth swiftly against them Let us take heed then of being Christs enemies in opposing the power and progresse of his word the evidence and purity of his Spirit in the lives of men It is but to make a combination to pull the Sunne out of heaven or for a wave to contend with a rocke for as the ruines of a house are broken on the things upon which they fall so are the enemies of Christ which gather together against his Church and fall upon the rocke at length ruined by their owne malice Sampsons foxes were themselves burnt amongst the corne which they fired The land brought forth corne the next yeere againe and it may be more plentifully by reason of that fire but the foxes never came up any more Even so can the Lord deale with those enemies which waste and depopulate his Church make them the authors of their owne utter confusion and bring forth his Church with shouting and with doubled graces Who then is the man that desireth tranquillitie of life and securitie against all evill Let him become a subject in this conquering kingdome and cast himselfe under the banner and protection of Christ and he cannot miscarrie He that walketh uprightly walketh surely The Name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous flieth unto it and is safe The Lord is a Sunne and a shield a Fountaine of all good Grace and Glorie will hee give and no good thing will hee with-hold from them that walke uprightly and a protection against all evill I will not be affraid of ten thousand of men saith the Prophet David that compasse me about When there is no light nor issue nor in nature possibility of escape he can open a doore of deliverance to relieve his Church As a man in the kings high-way is under the kings protection so in Christs way we are under his protection Let us then never repine at the miscarriages of the world nor murmure against the wise proceedings of God in the severall dispensation towaâ—ds his Church on earth when he punisheth he doth it in measure lesse than our sinnes deserved and when we search and try our wayes and returne unto him hee knoweth how to worke his owne glory in our deliverance Those stones which are appointed for a glorious building are first under the saw and the hammer to be hewed and squared and those Christians in whom the Lord will take most delight he usually thereunto fitteth by trials and extremities Hee that is brought to tremble in himselfe may with most confidence expect to rejoyce in God Note fourthly this is the honour of Christs kingdome to be a peaceable quiet and secure kingdome not onely after the victory but in the midst of enemies This man saith the Prophet of Christ shall be the peace when the Assyrian the enemie is in the land Wee have peace in him when wee have tribulation in the world Christ saith of himselfe I came not to send peace but a sword and yet the Apostle saith That hee came and preached peace to those which were afarre off and to them which were neere How shall these things be reconcil'd Surely as a man may say of a Rocke Nothing more quiet because it is never stirr'd and yet nothing more unquiet because it is ever assaulted so wee may say of the Church Nothing more peaceable because it is established upon a Rocke and yet nothing more unpeaceable because that rocke is in the midst of seas windes enemies persecutions But yet still the Prophets Conclusion is certaine The worke of righteousnesse is
by Satanicall injections and immutations to be the forge of loose vaine unprofitable and uncleane thoughts The understanding to earthly wisdome vanity infidelity prejudices misperswasions fleshly reasonings vaine speculations and curiosities c. The will to stiffenesse resistance dislike of holy things and pursuite of the world The conscience to deadnesse immobilitie and a stupid benummednesse to slavish terrours and evidences of hell to superstitious bondage to carnall securitie to desperate conclusions The affections to independence distraction excesse precipitancie c. In temporall conditions there is no estate of health wealth peace honor estimation or the contraries unto these no relation of husband father magistrate subject c. unto which Satan hath not such suteable suggestions as by the advantage of fleshly corruptions may take from them occasion to draw a man from God Lastly in regard of our actions and imployments whether they be Divine such as respect God as acts of pietie in reading hearing meditating and studying his Word in calling upon his name and the like or such as respect our selves as acts of temperance and sobriety personall examinations and more particular acquaintance with our owne hearts or such as respect others as acts of righteousnesse charity and edification Or whether they be actions naturall such as are requisite to the preservation of our being as sleepe and diet or actions civill in our callings or recreations in all these Satan laboureth either to pervert us in the performance of them or to divert us from it There is then no condition facultie relation or action of a Christian man the which is not alwayes under the eye and envy of a most raging wise and industrious enemie And therefore great reason there is that Christians should be Military men well instructed in the whole armour of God that they may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devill and to quench all his firy darts It is our calling to wrestle against principalities and powers and spirituall wickednesses in high places to resist the devill to strive against sinne to mortifie earthly members to destroy the body of sinne to denie our selves to contradict the reasonings of the flesh to checke and controule the stirrings of concupiscence to resist and subdue the desires of our evill hearts to withstand and answere the assaults of Satan to out-face the scornes and despise the flatteries of the present world in all things to endure hardnesse as the souldiers of Iesus Christ. Our cause is righteous our captaine is wise and puissant our service honourable our victory certaine our reward massie and eternall so that in all respects great encouragements we have to be voluntaries in such warre the issue whereof is our enemies perdition our Masters honour and our owne Salvation The third thing observed was the through and universall Resignation and devotednesse of Christs people unto him Thy people shall be willing or a people of great devotion in the day of thy Power From whence I shall gather two observations First They that belong unto Christ as his people are most throughly and willingly subject unto his government doe consecrate resigne and yeeld up their whole soules and bodies to serve in his warres against all his enemies For the distinct understanding of which point we are to observe first that by nature wee are utterly unwilling to be subject unto Christ. The carnall minde is enmitie against God it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can bee For if Christ be over us the body of sinne must dye it once crucified him and he will be reveng'd upon it By nature wee are willingly subject unto no Law but the Law of our members nor to no will but the will of the flesh full of contumacie rebellion and stoutnesse of spirit against the truth and beauty of the word or wayes of God The Love of corrupted nature is wholly set upon our owne wayes as an untamed heifer or a wilde asse men wander and goe about and wearie themselves in their full compasse and swinge of lust and will not be turned And therefore it is that they bid God depart from them and desire not the knowledge of his wayes that they leave the paths of uprightnesse that having crooked hearts of their owne they labour likewise to pervert and make crooked the Gospell of Christ that they may from thence steale countenance to their sinnes contrary to that holy affection of David Make my way strait before me that they snuffe and rage and pull away the shoulder and fall backward and thrust away God from them And hence it is that men are so apt to cavill and foolishly to charge the wayes of God first as grievous wayes too full of austerity narrownesse and restraint I knew that thou wert an austere man and this is an hard saying who can beare it The land is not able to beare all his words There is a Lion in the way a certaine damage and unavoidable mischiefe will follow me if I keepe in it Thus as Israel when they heard of Giants and sonnes of Anak had no heart to Canaan but cried and whined and rebelled and mutined and in their heart turned back into Egypt that is had more will to their owne bondage than to Gods Promise so when a naturall man heares of walking in a narrow way with much exactnesse and circumspection that come what baite of preferment pleasure profit or advantage will yet hee must not turne to the right hand or to the left nor commit the least evill for the greatest good that as the people in the wildernesse were to goe onely where the cloud and pillar of Gods presence led them though hee carried them through giants terrours and temptations so a Christian must resolve to follow the Lambe whither soever he goeth He then turneth backe to his iniquities and refuseth to heare the words of the Lord. Secondly as unprofitable wayes for who will shew us any good is the onely language of carnall men What can the Almighty doe for us say the wicked in Iob It is in vaine to serve God what profit have we that we have kept his ordinances c If we must take our conscience along in all the businesses of our life there will be no living in the world notwithstanding the Lord saith that his words doe good to those that walke uprightly that godlinesse hath the Promises even of this life that God will honour those that honor him Thirdly as unequall and unreasonable wayes as a strange a mad and a foolish strictnesse rather the meteor of a speculative braine than a thing of any reall existence rather votum than veritas a wish or figment than a solid truth And from such prejudices as these men grow to wrestle with the Spirit of Christ to withstand his motions to quench his suggestions
and to dispute against him This people are as they that strive with the priest such a bitter and unreconcileable enmity there is betweene the two seeds Secondly we may observe that notwithstanding this naturall aversenesse yet many by the Power of the Word are wrought violently and compulsorily to tender some unwilling services to Christ by the spirit of bondage by the feare of wrath by the evidences of the curse due to sinne and by the wakefulnesse of the conscience They have turned their backe unto me and not their face saith the Lord that notes the disposition of their will But in the time of their trouble they will say Arise and save us that notes their compulsorie and unnaturall devotion They shall goe with their flockes and their heards that is with their pretended sacrifices and externall ceremonies to seeke the Lord but they shall not finde him hee hath withdrawne himselfe As when the Lord sent Lions amongst the Samaritanes then they sent to enquire after the manner of his worship fearing him but yet still serving their owne Gods But this compulsory obedience doth not proceed from a feare of sinne but a feare of hell And that plainely appeares in the readinesse of such men to apprehend all advantages for enlarging themselves and in making pretences to flinch away and steale from the Word of Grace in consulting with carnall reason to silence the doubts to untie the knots and to breake the bonds of the conscience asunder and to turne into every diverticle which a corrupted heart can shape in taking every occasion and pretext to put God off and delay the payment of their service unto him Thus Felix when he was frighted with the discourse of Saint Paul put it off with pretence of some further convenient season and the unwilling Jewes in the time of reedifying the temple at Jerusalem This people say the time is not come the time that the Lords house should bee built in slighting the warnings and distinguishing the words of Scripture out of their spirituall and genuine puritie and so belying the Lord and saying It is not he The word of the Lord saith the Prophet is to them a reproach they have no delight in it that is they esteeme me when I preach thy words unto them rather as a slanderer than as a Prophet Wouldest thou then know the nature of thy devotion Abstract all conceits of danger all workings of the spirit of bondage the feare of wrath the preoccupations of hell the estuations and sweatings of a troubled conscience and if all these being secluded thou canst still afford to dedicate thy selfe to Christ and be greedily ambitious of his image that is an evident assurance of an upright heart Thirdly we may observe that by the Power of the Word there may yet be further wrought in naturall men a certaine Velleitâ—e a languide and incomplete will bounded with secret reservations exceptions and conditions of its owne which maketh it upon every new occasion mutable and inconstant When the hypocriticall Iewes came with such a solemne protestation unto the Prophet Ieremie The Lord bee a true and faithfull witnesse betweene us if we doe not according to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee unto us c. I suppose they then meant as they spake and yet this appeares in the end to have beene but a velleitie and incomplete resolution a zealous pang of that secret hypocrisie which in the end discover'd it selfe and brake forth into manifest contradiction when Hazael answered the Prophet Is thy servant a dog that hee should doe thus and thus he then meant no otherwise than hee spake upon the first representation of those bloudie facts he abhorred them as belluine and prodigious villanies and yet this was but a velleitie and fit of good nature for the time which did easily weare out with the alteration of occasions When Iudas asked Christ Master is it I that shall betray thee though a man can conceive no hypocrisie too blacke to come out of the hell of Iudas his heart yet possible and peradventure probable it may be that hearing at that time and beleeving that wofull judgement pronounced by Christ against his betrayer It had beene good for that man if he had never beene borne he might then upon the pang and surprizall of so fearefull a doome secretly and suddenly relent and resolve to forsake his purpose of treason which yet when that storme was over and his covetous heart was tempted with a bribe did fearefully returne and gather strength againe When the people returned and inquired early and remembred God their Maker they were in good earnest for the time and yet that was a velleity and ungrounded devotion their heart was not right towards him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant When Saul out of the force of naturall ingenuity did upon the evidence of Davids integritie who slew him not when the Lord had delivered him into his hands relent for the time and weepe and acknowledge his righteousnesse above his owne he spake all this in earnest as he thought and yet wee finde that hee afterwards return'd to pursue him againe and was once more by the experience of Davids innocencie reduc'd unto the same acknowledgement The people in one place would have made Christ a King so much did they seeme to honour him and yet at another time when their over-pliable and unresolved affections were wrought upon by the subtile Pharises they cried against him as against a slave Crucifie him crucifie him so may it be in the generall services of God men may have wishings and wouldings and good liking of the truth and some faint and floating resolutions to pursue it which yet having no firme roote nor proceeding from the whole bent of the heart from a through mortification of sinne and evidence of Grace but from such weake and wavering principles as may bee perturbed by every new temptation like letters written in sand they vanish away like a morning dew and leave the heart as hard and scorched as it was before The young man whom for his ingenuity and forwardnesse Christ loved came in a sad and serious manner to learne of Christ the way to heaven and yet wee finde there were secret reservations which he had not discerned in himselfe upon discoverie whereof by Christ he was discouraged and made repent of his resolution Markâ— 10.21 22. The Apostle speaketh of a Repentance not to be repented of 2 Cor. 7.10 which hath firme solid and permanent reasons to support it therein secretly intimating that there is likewise a Repentance which rising out of an incomplete will and admitting certaine secret and undiscerned reservations doth upon the appearance of them flag and fall away and leave the unfaithfull heart to repent of its repentance Saint Iames tels us that a double-minded man is unstable in all his wayes Iam. 1.8 never uniforme nor
constant to any rules Now this division of the minde stands thus The heart on the one side is taken up with the pleasures of sinne for the present and on the other with the desires of salvation for the future and now according as the workings and representations of the one or other are at the time more fresh and predominant in like maner is sinne for that time either cherished or suppressed Many men at a good Sermon when the matter is fresh and newly presented while they are looking on their face in the glasse or in any extremitie of sicknesse when the provisions of lust doe not relish for the present when they have none but thoughts of salvation to depend upon are very resolute to make promises vowes and professions of better living but when the pleasures of sin grow strong to present themselves again they returne like a man recover'd of an ague with more stomacke and greedinesse to their lusts againe As water which hath been stop'd for a while rusheth with the more violence when its passages are opened A double heart is like the boles of a Scale according as more weight is put into one or other so are they indifferently over-rul'd unto either motion up or downe When I see a vapour ascend out of the earth into the aire why should I not thinke that it will never leave rising till it get up to heaven and yet because the motion is not naturall but caused either by expulsion from a heat within or by attraction from a heat without when the cause of that ascent is abated and the matter gathers together into a thicker consistence it growes heavie and fals downe againe Even such is the affection of those faint unresolved desires of men who like Agrippa are but halfe-perswaded to believe in Christ. But now lastly wee must observe that in the day of Christs power when he by his word and Spirit worketh effectually in the hearts of men they are then made free-will offerings Totally willing to obey and serve him in all conditions The heart of every one stirreth him up and his Spirit maketh him willing for the worke and service of the Lord Exod. 35.21 They yeeld themselves unto the Lord and their members as weapons of righteousnesse unto him 2 Chron. 30.8 Rom. 6.19 They offer and present themselves to God as a living Sacrifice and therefore they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an oblation sanctified by the Holy Ghost Rom. 12.1 Rom. 15.16 Therefore they are said to come unto Christ by the vertue of his Fathers teaching Ioh. 6.45 To runne unto him Esai 55.5 To gather themselves together under him as a common head and to flow or flock together with much mutuall encouragement unto the mountaine of the Lord Hos. 1.11 Esai 2.2 3. To waite upon him in his Law Esai 42.4 To enter into a sure covenant and to write and seale it Nehem. 9.38 In one word To serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing minde 1 Chron. 28.9 when the heart is perfect undivided and goeth all together the minde will bee willing to serve the Lord. This willingnesse of Christs people sheweth it selfe in two things First in begetting most cordiall and constant Enmitie against all the enemies of Christ never holding any league or intelligence with them but being alwayes ready to answere the Lord as David did Saul Thy servant will goe and fight with this Philistime Hee that is a voluntary in Christs armies is not disheartned with the potencie policie malice subtlety or prevailing faction of any of his adversaries Hee is contented to deny himselfe to renounce the friendship of the world to bid defiance to the allurements of Satan to smile upon the face of danger to hate father and mother and land and life to be cruel to himselfe and regardlesse of others for his masters service Through honor and dishonor through evill report and good report through a Sea and a wildernesse through the hottest services and strongest oppositions will hee follow the Lambe whither soever he goeth though he receive the word in much affliction yet hee will receive it with joy too Secondly in begetting most loving constant and deare affections to the mercy grace glory and wayes of God an universall conformity unto Christ our head who was contented to take upon him the forme of a servant to have his eare bored and his will subjected unto the will of his Father I delight to doe thy will ô my God yea thy Law is within my heart Psal. 40.8 And as hee was so are all his in this world of the same minde judgement Spirit conversation and therefore of the same will too Now this deare and melting affection of the heart toward Christ and his wayes whereby the soule longeth after him and hasteth unto him is wrought by severall principles First by the Conviction of our naturall Estate and a through humiliation for the same Pride is ever the principle of disobedience They were the proud men who said unto Ieremie thou speakest falsly the Lord hath not sent thee Ier. 43.2 And they were the proud men who hardned their necks and withdrew the shoulder and would not heare and refused to obey Nehem. 9.16 17 29. A man must bee first brought to denie himselfe before hee will bee willing to follow Christ and to lug a crosse after him A man must first humble himselfe before he will walke with God Mic. 6.8 The poore onely receive the Gospell The hungrie onely finde sweetnesse in bitter things Extremities will make any man not onely willing but thankfull to take any course wherin hee may recover himselfe and subsist againe when the soule findes it selfe in darknesse and hath no light and begins to consider whither darknesse leads it that it is even now in the mouth of Hell under the paw of the roaring lion under the guilt of sinne the curse of the Law and the hatred and wrath of God it cannot chuse but most willingly pursue any probability and with most inlarged affections meete any tender of deliverance Suppose wee that a Prince should cause some bloudy malefactor to bee brought forth should set before his eyes all the racks and tortures which the wit of man can invent to punish prodigions offenders withall and should cause him to tast some of those extremities and then in the middest of his howling and anguish should not onely reach out a hand of mercy to deliver him but should further promise him upon his submission to advance him like Ioseph from the iron which enters into his soule unto publike honor and service in the state would not the heart of such a man bee melted into thankfulnesse and with all submission resigne it selfe unto the mercy and service of so gracious a Prince Now the Lord doth not onely deale thus with sinners doth not onely cause them by the report of his word and by the experience of their own guilty hearts to feel the weight fruitlesnesse
and shame of sinne and the first fruits of that eternall vengeance which is thereunto due not onely set forth Christ before them as a rock of redemption reaching out a hand to save and offering great and pretious promises of an exceeding eternall abundant weight of glory but besides all this doth inwardly touch the heart by the finger of his Spirit framing it to a spirituall and divine conformity unto Christ. How can the soule of such a man in these present extremities of horror which yet are but the pledges of infinite more which must ensue and in the evidence of so wonderfull and sweete promises the seales of the eternall favor and fellowship of God choose but with much importunity of affection to lay hold on so great a hope which is set before it and with all readinesse and ambition of so high a service yeild up it selfe into the hands of so gracious a Lord to bee by him ordered and over-ruled unto any obedience Secondly this willingnesse of Christs People is wrought by a spirituall illumination of minde And therefore the Conversion of sinners is called a Conviction because it is ever wrought in us Secundum modum judicii as wee are reasonable and intelligent creatures I take it under favor and submission to better judgements for a firme truth that if the minde of a man were once throughly and in a spirituall manner as it becommeth such objects as are altogether spirituall possessed of the adequate goodnesse and truth which is in grace and glory the heart could not utterly reject them for humane liberty is not a brutish but a reasonable thing it consisteth not in contumacie or headstrongnesse but in such a manner of working as is apt to bee regulated varied or suspended by the dictates of right reason The onely cause why men are not willing to submit unto Christ is because they are not throughly and in a manner suteable to the spirituall excellency of the things illightned in their minde The Apostle often maketh mention of fulfilling and making full proofe of our ministery and of preaching the Gospell fully namely with the evidence of the Spirit and of power and with such a manifestation of the truth as doth commend it selfe unto the conscience of a man The Word of God saith the Apostle is not yea and nay that is a thing which may bee admitted or denied at pleasure but such a word as hath no inevidence in it selfe nor leaveth any uncertainty or hesitancie in a minde sitted to receive it And as wee may thus distinguish of preaching that there is an imperfect and a full preaching so may wee distinguish of understanding the things preached in some it is full and in others but superficiall for there is a Twofold illumination of the minde the one Theoreticall and meerly Notionall consisting in knowledge the other Practicall Experimentall and spirituall consisting in the irradiation of the soule by the light of Gods countenance in such an apprehension of the truth as maketh the heart to burne therby when we know things as wee ought to know them that is when the manner and life of our knowledge is answerable to the nature and excellencie of the things knowne when the eye is spiritually opened to beleeve and seriously conclude that the things spoken are of most pretious and everlasting consequence to the soule as things that concerne our peace with God This is the Learning of Christ the teaching of the Father the knowing of things which passe knowledge the setting to the seale of our owne hearts that God is true the evidence of spirituall things not to the braine but to the conscience In one word this is that which the Apostle calleth a spirituall Demonstration And surely in this case the heart is never over-ruled contrary to the full spirituall and infallible evidence of divine truths unto a practicall judgement Therefore the Apostle saith that Eve being Deceived was in the transgression and there is frequent mention made of the deceitfulnesse of sinne to note that sinne got into the world by error â—nd seduction For certainly the will is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Rationall Appetite and therefore as I conceive doth not stirre from such a good as is fully and spiritually represented thereunto as the most universall adequate and unquestionable object of the desires and capacities of a humane soule for the freedome and willing consent of the heart is not lawlesse or without rules to moderate it but it is therefore said to bee free because whether out of a true judgement it move one way or out of a false another yet in both it moveth naturally secundum modum sibi competentem in a manner suteable to its owne condition If it bee objected that the heart being unregenerate is utterly averse unto any good and therefore is not likely to bee made willing by the illumination of the minde To this I answere that it is true the will must not onely bee movâ—d but also renewed and changed before it can yeeld to Christ. But withall that God doth never so fully and spiritually convince the judgement in that manner of which I have spoken without a speciall worke of grace thereupon opening the eye and removing all naturall ignorance prejudice hesitancie inadvertency misperswasion or any other distemper of the minde which might hinder the evidence of spirituall truth By which meanes hee also frameth and fashioneth the will to accept embrace and love those good things of which the minde is thus prepossessed Thirdly this willingnesse of Christs people is wrought by the Communion and adspiration of the spirit of Grace which is a free spirit a spirit of love and a spirit of liberty a spirit which is in every faculty of man as the soule and principle of its Christianity or heavenly being and working And therefore it makes every faculty secundum modum sibi proprium to worke unto spirituall ends and objects As the soule in the eye causeth that to see and in the eare to heare and in the tongue to speake so the spirit of Grace in the minde causeth it rightly to understand and in the will causeth it freely to desire heavenly things and in every facultie causeth it to move towards Christ in such a way and maner of working as is suteable to its nature Fourthly this willingnesse of Christs people ariseth from the apprehension of Gods deare love bowels of mercy and riches of most unsearchable grace revealed in the face of Iesus Christ to every broken and penitent spirit Love is naturally when it is once apprehended an Attractive of love And therefore it is that the Apostle saith Faith worketh by love that is By faith first the heart is perswaded and affected with Gods Love unto us in Christ. I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himselfe for me Gal. 2.20 Eph. 3.17 18. Being thus perswaded of his love to us the heart is framed
temptation and infirmitie and so may be either in part the sin of another that tempteth us or at least not the sinne of our whole selves but of those remainders of corruption which dwel within us But our love is all our owne Satan can but offer a temptation the heart it selfe must love it and love is strong as death it worketh by the strength of the whole man and therefore ever such as the will is which is the seat of love such is the service too And the reason is First because the will is the first mover and the master-wheele in spirituall workes that which regulateth all the rest and keepeth them right and constant that which holdeth together all the faculties of the soule and bodie in the execution of Gods will In which sense amongst others I understand that of the Apostle That love is the bond of perfection because when love resideth in the heart it will put together every facultie to doe that worke of God perfectly which it goes about And therefore by a like expression it is called The fulfilling of the Law because love aimes still at the highest and at the best in that thing which it loves it is ever an enemie to defects He that loves learning will never stop and say I have enough in this likewise love is as death And he that loves grace will be still Ambitious to abound in the worke of the Lord and to presse forward unto perfection to make up that which is wanting to his faith to be sanctified throughout to bring forth more fruit to walke in all pleasing to be holy and unblameable and unreproveable without spot or wrinkle It is an absurd thing in religion to dote upon mediocrities of grace in eo non potest esse nimium quod esse maximum debet Hee that with all the exactnesse and rigour of his heart can never gather together all grace can surely never have too much In false religions no man so much magnified as he that is strictest that Papist which is most cruel to his flesh most assiduous at his beads most canonicall in his houres most macerated with superstitious penance most frequently prostrated before his idols is of all other most admired for the greatest Saint O why should not an holy strictnesse be as much honoured as a superstitious why should not exactnesse purity and a contending unto perfection be as much pursued in a true as in a false religion Why should not every man strive to be filled with grace since he can never have enough till hee have it all till he is brimme-full Hee that truely loves wealth would be the richest and he that loves honour would be the highest of any other certainly grace is in it selfe more lovely than any of these things Why then should not every man strive to be most unlike the evill world and to be more excellent than his neighbour to be holy as God is holy to be as Christ himselfe was in this world to grow up in unity of faith and in the knowledge of him unto a perfect man Certainely if a man once set his will and his heart upon grace he will never rest in mediocrities he will labour to abound more and more he will never think himselfe to have apprehended but forgetting the things which are behinde hee will reach forth to those things which are before him for all the desires of the heart are strong and will over-rule any other naturall desire The griefe of Davids heart made him forget to eat his bread The desire of Christs heart to convert the Samaritan woman made him carelesse of his owne hunger It is my meate to doe the will of him that sent me and to finish his worke A true heart will goe on to finish the worke which it hath begunne The wicked sâ—eepe not saith Salomon except they have done mischiefe And the enemies of Saint Paul provided to to stop the clamors and demands of an empty stomack with a solemne vow that they would neither eate nor drinke till they had slaine Paul Lust never gives over till it finish sin and therefore the Love of Christ should never give over till it finish Grace Secondly because God is more honoured in the obedience of the will than of the outward man Humane restraints may rule this but nothing but Grace can rule the other for herein we acknowledge God to bee the searcher of hearts the discerner of secret thoughts the Iudge and Lord over our consciences Whatsoever ye doe saith the Apostle doe it heartily as to the Lord and not to men Noting unto us that a man doth never respect the Lord in any service which commeth not willingly and from the inner man Now he worketh in vaine and loseth all that he hath wrought who doth not worke for him who is master of the businesse he goes about and who onely doth reward it Therefore saith the Apostle Doe it heartily as to the Lord knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the Reward of the inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ. He onely is the pay-master of such kinde of worke and therefore doe it onely as to him so that he may approve and reward it Before I leave this point touching the willingnesse of Christs people here is a great case and of frequent occurrence to be resolved Whether those who are truely of Christs people may not have feares torments uncomfortablenesse wearinesse unwillingnesse in the wayes of God Saint Iohn in generall states the case There is no feare in love but perfect love casteth out feare Because feare hath torment 1 Ioh. 4.18 so that it seemes where there is torment and wearinesse there is no love for the cleering of this case I shall set downe some few positions First in generall where there is true obedience there is ever a willing and a free spirit in this degree at the least a most deepe desire of the heart and serious endevour of the spirit of a man to walke in all well-pleasing towards God a longing for such fulnesse of Grace and enlargement of soule as may make a man fit to runne the way of Gods Commandements Secondly where there is this will yet there may upon other reasons be such a feare as hath paine and torment in it and that in two respects First there may be a feare of Gods wrath the soule of a righteous man may be surpriz'd with some glimpses and apprehensions of his most heavie displeasure he may conceive himselfe set up as Gods mark to shoot at Iob 7.20 that the poisoned arrowes and terrors of the wrath of God doe sticke fast upon him Iob 6.4 that his transgressions are sealed up and reserv'd against him Iob 14.17 The hot displeasure of the Lord may even vexe his bones and make his soule sore within him Psal. 6.1 2 3. Hee may conceive himselfe forgotten and cast out by God surprized with fearefulnesse trembling and the horrour of death Psal. 13.1 Psal. 55.4 5.
purpose of God who had so ordained Act. 4.28 God would not suffer a bone of Christs to be broken and yet he did not disable the souldiers from doing it for they had still as much strength and libertie to have broken his as the others who were crucified with him but that which in regard of the truth and prediction of holy Scriptures was most certainly to be fulfilled in regard of the second causes by whom it was fulfilled was most free and voluntary Wee finde what a chaine of meere casualties and contingencies if we looke onely upon second causes did concurre in the offence of Vâ—sâ—ti in the promotion of Esther in the treason of the two Chamberlaines in the wakefulnesse of the King in the opening of the Chronicles in the acceptance of Esthers request and in the favour of the King unto her and all this ordered by the immutable and efficacious providence of God which moderates and guides causes and effects of all sorts to his owne fore-appointed ends for the deliverance of his people from that intended slaughter determined against them the execution whereof would evidently have voided that great promise of their returning out of captivitie after seventie yeares with relation unto which promise their deliverance at this time was in regard of Gods truth and purpose necessary though in regard of second causes brought about by a cumulation of contingencies In like maner when the hearts of men do voluntarily dedicate and submit themselves to the kingdome of Christ if we look upon it with relation unto the Spirit of grace which is the principium quo the formall vertue whereby it is wrought so it is an effect of power and as it were an act of conquest and yet looke upon it with relation unto the heart it selfe which is Principium quod the materiall efficient cause thereof and so it is a most free sweet connaturall action exactly temper'd to the exigencie of the second cause and proceeding there-from with most exact delight answerably to the measure of the grace of illumination or spirituall evidence in the minde whereby our naturall blindnesse prejudices and misperswasions may be remov'd and to the measure of the grace of excitation assistance and co-operation in the heart whereby the naturall frowardnesse and reluctancy thereof may be subdued In one word there are but three things requisite to make up a free and voluntary action First it must be cum judicio rationis with a preceding judgment Secondly it must be cum indifferentia there must be an internall indeterminatenesse and equall disposition of it selfe unto severall extremes Thirdly it must be cum dominio actus the will must have the power of her owne worke And all these three doe sweetly consist with the point of the Text That the heart is made willing to obey Christ by an act of power For first this power we speake of is onely the power of the Word and Spirit both which doe alwayes worke in the ordinary course of Gods proceeding by them with men secundum judicium by a way of judgement and conviction by a way of teaching and demonstration which is suteable to a rationall facultie Secondly which way soever the will is by the Spirit of grace directed and perswaded to move it still retaines an habituall or internall habitude unto the extremes so that if it should have moved towards them that motion would have beene as naturall and suteable to its condition as this which it followeth for the determination of the act is no extinguishment of the libertie thereunto Thirdly when the Spirit by the power of the word of grace doth work the will in us yet still the will hath the dominion of its owne act that is it is not servilely or compulsorily thereunto overswayed but worketâ— ex motu proprio by a selfe-motion unto which it is quickned and actuated by the sweetnesse of divine grace as the seed of that action according to that excellent knowne speech of Saint Augustine Certum est nos velle cum volumus sed Deus facit ut velimus Thus we see how the subjection of Christs people unto his kingdome is a voluntary act in regard of mans will and an act of power in regard of Gods Spirit inwardly â—llightning the minde with the spirituall evidence not only of the truth but the excellencie and superlative goodnesse of the Gospell of Christ and inwardly touching the heart and framing it to a lovely conformitie and obedience therunto The ground of this point why there is an act of power required to conquer the wils of sinners unto Christ is that notable enmitie stoutnesse reluctancie rebellion wearinesse aversenesse in one word fleshlinesse which possesseth the wils of men by nature such forwardnesse unto evill so much frowardnesse against good such a spring and byas from private ends and worldly objects such feares without such fightings within such allurements on the right hand such frownes and affrightments on the left such depths of Satan such hellish and unsearchable plots of principalities and powers to keepe fast and faithfull to themselves this chiefe mistris of the soule of man such slie and soaking such furious and firy temptations to flatter or to fright it away from Christ such strong prejudices such deepe reasonings such high imâ—ginations such scornefull and meane conceits of the purity and power of the wayes of Christ such deceitfulnesse of heart such misperswasions and presumptious of our present peace or at least of the easinesse of our future reformation such strong surmises of carnall hopes which will be prevented or worldly dangers incurred or private ends disappointed such lusts to be denied such members to be hewed off such friends to be forsaken such passions to be subdued such certaine persecutions from the world such endlesse solicitations of Satan such irreconcilable contentions with the flesh in the midst of all these pull-backes how can we thinke the will should escape and breake thorow if God did not send his Spirit as once the Angell unto Lot Gen. 19.16 to lay hands upon it while it lingers and hankers after its wonted course to use a mercifull conquest over it and as the Scriptures expresse it to lead it to draw it to take it by the arme to carry it in his bosome to beare it as an Eagle her young ones on her wings nay by the terrours of the Lord and the power of his Word and wrath to pull and snatch it as a brand out of the fire Certainly there is so much extreme perversenesse so much hellishnesse and devillish antipathy to God and his service in the heart by nature that if it were left to its owne stubbornenesse to kicke and rebell and fall backe and harden it selfe and were not set upon by the grace of Christ no man living would turne unto him or make use of his bloud by the same reason that any one man perisheth every man would too because in all there is as fundamentall and originall enmity
to the wayes of grace as there is in any The consideration whereof may justly humble us in our reflexion upon our selves whom neither the promises of heaven can allure nor the bloud and passions of Christ perswade nor the flames of hell affright from our sinnes till the Lord by the sweet and gracious power of his holy â—â—irit subdue and conquer the soule unto himselfe If a man should rise from the dead and truly relate unto the conscience the woefull and everlasting horrors of hell if a mans naturall capacity were made as wide to apprehend the wrath fury and vengeance of a provoked God the foulenesse guilt and venome of a soule fuller of sins than the heavens of stars as the most intelligent divels of hell doe conceive them If an Archangell or Seraphim should be sent from heaven to reveale unto the soule of a naturall man the infinite glory of Gods presence the full pleasures of his right hand the admirable beauty of his wayes the intimate conformity and resemblance between his divine nature in himselfe the Image of his holinesse in the creature the unsearchable and bottomlesse love of Christ in his Incarnation and sufferings the endlesse incomprehensible vertue pretiousnesse of his bloud and prayers yet so desperately evill is the heart of man that if after all this God should not afford the blessed operation and concurrence of his owne gratious Spirit the revelation of his own arme and power upon the soule to set on those instrumentall causes it would be invincible by any evidence which all the cries and flames of hell which all the armies and hosts of heaven were able to beget There is no might or power able to snatch a man out of the hands of his sin but onely Gods Spirit Notable are the expressions which the holy Ghost every where useth to set forth this wretched condition of the heart by nature wilfulnesse and selfe-willednesse We will not hearken we will not have this man to raigne over us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 many wils in one Rebellion and stubbornenesse stoutnesse of heart contestation with God and gain-saying his Word Impudence stiffenesse and hard-heartednesse mischievous profoundnes and deepe reasonings against the Law of God pertinacie resolvednesse and abiding in mischiefe they hold fast deceit obstinacie and selfe-obduration They have hardned their neckes that they might not heare Impotencie immoveablenesse and undocilenesse their heart is uncircumcised they cannot heare there is none that understandeth or seeketh after God scorne and slighting of the messages of the Lord where is his Word Where is the promise of his comming Incredulity and belying the Lord in his Word saying it is not he Who hath beleeved our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed Wrestling resisting and fighting with the Word rejecting the counsell of God vexing and striving with his holy Spirit ye have alwayes resisted the holy Ghost Rage and fiercenesse of disordred affections despising of goodnesse trayterous heady and high-minded thoughts Brutishnes of immoderate lust the untamed madnesse of an enraged beast without any restraint of reason or moderation In one word a hell and gulfe of unsearchable mischiefe which is never satisfied It is impossible that any reasonable man duly considering all these difficulties should conceive such an heart as this to be overcome with meere morall perswasions or by any thing lesse than the mightie power of Gods owne grace To him therefore we should willingly acknowledge all our conversion and salvation So extremely impotent are we O Lord unto any good so utterly unprofitable and unmeet for our Masters use and yet so strongly hurried by the impulsion of our owne lust towards hell that no precipice nor danger no hope nor reward no man or Angell is able to stop us without thine owne immediate power and therefore Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy name onely be attributed the glory of our conversion Againe by this consideration we should be provoked to stirre up and call together all our strength in the Lords service to recover our mispent time to use the more contention and violence for the kingdome of heaven when wee consider how abundant wee have beene in the workes of sinne in the pursuing of vast desires which had neither end nor hope in them O how happie a thing would it be if men could serve God with the same proportion of vigour and willingnesse of mind as they served Satan and themselves before I was never tired in that way I went on indefatigably towards hell like a swift Dromedary or an untamed heifer I pursued those evill desires which had vanity for their object and misery for their end no fruit but shame and no wages but death But in the service of Christ I have a price before mee an abiding Citie an enduring substance an immarcescible crowne to fix the highest of my thoughts upon I have the promises of Christ to strengthen me his Angels to guard his Spirit to lead his Word to illighten me In one word I have a soule to save and a God to honour And why should not I apply my power to serve him who did reach forth his owne power to convert me A long way I have to goe and I must doe it in a spanne of time so many temptations to overcome so many corruptions to shake off so many promises to beleeve so many precepts to obey so many mysteries to study so many workes to finish and so little time for all my weaknesses on one side my businesses on another mine enemies and my sinnes round about me take away so much that I have scarce any left to give to God And yet alas if I could serve God on earth as he is served in heaven if I had the strength of Angels and glorified Saints to doe his will it would come infinitely short of that good will of God in my redemption or of his power in my conversion If God should have said to all the Angels in heaven there is such a poore wretch posting with full strength towards hell goe stand in his way and drive him back againe all those glorious armies would have beene too few to blocke up the passageâ— betweene sin and heâ— without the concurrence of Gods owne Spirit and power they could have returned none other answer but this we have done all we can to perswade and turne him but he will not be turned If then the Lord did put to his owne power to save me great reason there is that I should set my weake and impotent faculties to honour him especially since hee hath beene pleased both to mingle with his service great joy liberty and tranquillity here and also to set before it a full a sure and a great reward for my further animation and encouragement thereunto The fourth thing observed in this Verse was the attire wherein Christs people should attend
Nature of Holinesse it must needs be very Beautifull In generall it consists in a Relation of conformitie as all Goodnesse save that of God doth for no Creature is so absolute as to have its being from it selfe and therefore its Goodnesse cannot consist in any thing which hath its originall in it selfe It is the Rule and End which denominateth the Goodnesse of any created thing that therefore which ought not to worke for its owne end ought not to worke by its owne Rule for he who is Lord of an end must needs be Lord of the meanes and directions which lead unto that end And this is indeed the ground of all sinne when men make themselves their owne will wit reason or resolutions to bee the spring and fountaine of all their actions Therefore sinne is called our owne wayes and the lusts of our owne hearts and our owne counsels because it is absolutely from our selves and hath no constituted rule to moderate or direct it Impossible it is for any Creature as it comes out of Gods hands to bee without a Law or to be an originall law unto it selfe for as hee who hath none over him cannot possibly be subject unto any Law in as much as a Law is but the declaration of a Superiours will what he requires to bee done and what he threatneth on default thereof to inflict so hee that is under the wisedome and ends of another must needs likewise bee subject to the Lawes which his will prescribes for advancing and compassing his owne ends who if he bee in his owne nature and ends most holy must needs be holy in the Lawes which he enacts By all which we may observe that Holinesse consisteth in conformity so that according to the excellencie of the patterne whereunto it referres so is the measure of its beautie to be conjectured And the patterne of our Holinesse is God himselfe Be you holy as your father which is in heaven is Holy Other Creatures have some prints and paths of God in them and so are all beautifull in their time but man had the image of God created in him his will was set up in our heart as a Law of nature most pure right holy good wise and perfect and that Law did beare the same relation to mans life as his soule doth unto his members to animate forme and organize every motion of the heart every word of the mouth every action of the soule and bodie according unto the will of God When after this man threw away this Image and God was pleased in mercy again to renue Holinesse in him he did it againe by another patterne or rather the same exhibited in another maner He made him then conformable to the Image of his Son the heavenly Adam who is himselfe the Image of the invisible God the expresse Character of his Fathers brightnesse a Sunne of righteousnesse a morning starre the light of the world the fairest of ten thousand so that compare Holinesse with the first originall draught thereof in Paradise the nature of Adam as it came new out of Gods fashioning or that with the Law of God written in his heart or that with the Holinesse of God of which it was a ray shining into the soule or that Image of God with it selfe in Christ the second Adam and every way Holinesse in its nature consists in a Conformity and Commensuration to the most beautifull things Thirdly if we consider some of the chiefe Properties of Holinesse wee shall finde it in that regard likewise very Beautifull First Rectitude and Vprightnesse sinceritie and simplicitie of heart God made man upright but they have found out many inventions that is have sought up and downe through many turnings and by-wayes to satisfie crooked affections It was Davids Prayer Make thy way strait before my face and it is the Apostles instruction Make strait paths for your feet lest that which is lame be turned out of the way True Holinesse is a plaine and an even thing without falsehood guile perversenesse of Spirit deceitfulnesse of heart or starting aside It hath one end one rule one way one heart whereas hypocrites are in the Scripture called Double minded men because they pretend to God and follow the world And crooked men like the swelling of a wall whose parts are not perpendicular nor levell to their foundation Now rectitude sincerity and singlenesse of heart is ever both in the eyes of God and man a beautifull thing Secondly Harmonie and Vniformity within it selfe The Philosopher saith of a Iust man that he is like a Dye which is every way even and like it selfe turne it how you will it fals upon an equall bottome And so Holilinesse keepes the heart like its selfe in all conditions as a watch though all together it may bee tossed up and downe with the agitation of him that carrieth it about him yet that motion doth no way perturbe the frame or disorder the workings of the spring and wheeles within so though the man may bee many wayes tempted and disquieted yet the frame of his heart the order of his affections the governement of the spirit within him is not thereby stopped but holdeth on in the same tenour We know in the body if any part doe exceed the due proportion it destroies the beautie and acceptablenesse of the rest Symmetrie and fitnesse of the parts unto one another is that which commends a body Now Holinesse consisteth in this proportion there is in it an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an exactnesse of obedience an equall respect unto all Gods Commandements an hatred of every false way an universall worke upon the whole spirit soule and body a supply made unto every joynt a measure dispenced unto every part not a grace due unto Christian integritie which is not in some proportion fashioned in a man Christ hath no Monsters begotten by his spirituall seed for Monsters are ever caused either by an excesse or by a defect of seed in the one case nature being overcharged is forc'd to labour that which remaines and will not be laid aside into some superfluous members and in the other for want of materials to leave her worke unfinished and destitute of some necessary parts But now first wee are to note that a man can have no superfluitie of Grace we can never have too much of that the fulnesse whereof we should labour to get and for the other danger wee know Christ hath a Residue of spirit to supply any defect and to make up whatsoever is away for the fashioning of Christ in us so then Holinesse fashioneth the whole man Hee that leaves any one faculty of his soule neglected or any one part of the Service or Law of God disobeyed I speake of a totall and constant neglect is undoubtedly an Hypocrite and disobeyes all Iam. 2.10 11. As David with a little stone slew Goliah because his forehead was open so can our enemie easily deale with us
mans whole selfe to be consecrated as a kinde of first fruit unto God being sanctified by the Holy Ghost There is no man actually belonging unto the Kingdome of Christ who hath not all these holy affections wrought in him and maketh conscience of them as of his calling and the duties of his life Wee see then that Holinesse is the badge of Christs subjects they are called The people of his Holinesse Israel was holinesse unto the Lord and the first fruits of his increase consecrated unto him and his service as a kinde of first fruits The livery of Christs servants is a parcell of the same holy Spirit with which his owne humane nature was clothed All the vessels and ministeriall instruments of the Tabernacle were anointed with the holy oyle and the house of the Lord was an house of holinesse to signifie that every Christian should bee by the Spirit of God sanctified because he is a Temple and every member because it is a vessell and instrument for the Masters use The Spirit of holinesse is that which distinguisheth and as it were marketh the sheepe of Christ from the wicked of the world yee are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise yee have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God Holinesse setteth us apart for Gods service for his presence and fruition protecteth and priviledgeth us from the wrath to come in the day when he shall separate betweene the pretious and the vile and make up his jewels without this no man can either serve or see or escape God either doe his will enjoy his favour or decline his fury All our services without this are but Dung and who would thanke that man for his service who with wonderfull officiousnesse should bring nothing but heapes of dung into his house If a man could powre out of his veines rivers of bloud and offer up every day as many prayers as thoughts unto God if his eyes were melted into teares and his knees hardned into horne with devotion yet all this if it be not the fruit of holinesse but of will-worship or superstition or opinion of merit and righteousnesse it is but as dung in Gods sight Wherefore lyest thou upon thy face there is an accursed thing in the campe What-ever sinne thy conscience tels thee lyeth next thy heart and warmes it so that thou art unwilling to part from it take heed of bringing it into Gods presence or provoking him with thy services for he will throw them backe like dung into thy face What hath my beloved to doe in mine house seeing shee hath wrought lewdnesse with many What hast thou to doe to take my Covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest instruction Who hath required this at your hands to tread in my Courts Bring no more vaine oblations incense is an abomination unto mee c. Till a man put away the evill of his doings and cleanse himselfe all his worship of God is but mocking of him and prophaning his ordinances In vaine did the Marriners pray while Ionah was in the ship in vaine did Ioshua intercede while the accursed thing was in the campe A man shall lose all which he hath wrought in Gods worship and have neither thankes nor reward for it so long as he harboureth any uncleane affection in his heart and will not yeeld to part from it Any sinne which wasteth the conscience as every great and presumptuous sinne doth in whomsoever it is unqualifieth that person for the kingdome of heaven Grace maketh a beleever sure of salvation but it doth not make him wretchlesse or secure in living though there be not an extinguishment yet there is a suspension of his right upon any black and notorious fall that man must not dare to lay claime to heaven that hath dared in a presumptuous manner to provoke the Lord. Our holinesse is not the cause of our salvation but yet it is the way thereunto he which by any wasting and presumptuous sin putteth himselfe out of that way must by repentance turne into it againe before hee can hope to finde out heaven for without holinesse no man shall see the Lord. He that is an hundred miles from his owne house notwithstanding his proprietie thereunto shall yet never actually enter therein till he have travelled over the right way which leads unto it There is an Order à primo ad ultimum in the salvation of men many intermediate passages betweene their vocation and their glory Justification repentance sanctification as a scale or ladder betwixt earth and heaven he that fals from his holinesse and purity of conscience though hee be not quite downe the ladder and hath the whole worke to begin againe as much as ever yet doubtlesse he shall never get to the top till he recover the step from which he fell And if in this case it be true that the righteous shall scarcely be saved O then where shall that man appeare whom God at the last shall finde without this garment and seale upon him When there was a tempest he who slept and least thought of it was throwne into the sea and when the day of wrath shall come those that have neglected their estate most shall doubtlesse be in the greatest danger And therefore we should labour to goe to Gods throne with our garments and our marke upon us for all other endowments our learning our honours our parts our preferments our earthly hopes and dependencies will none follow us but wee shall live to see either them or the comforts of them depart Achitophel had wisdome like an oracle of God but he liv'd to see it bid him quite farewell for hee died like a very foole or childe who when he may not have his owne will will be reveng'd upon himselfe Haman had more honour than the ambition of a subject usually aspires unto and yet he liv'd to see it bid him farewell and died the basest death which himselfe could devise for his most hated and despised enemie Iehoiakim a King liv'd to see his Crowne take its leave and was buried with the buriall of an Asse and drag'd like carrion out of the gates of the Citie There will be nothing at last left for any man to cast his trust upon but God or Angels or our fellowes and if then God be against us though all which remains were on our side alas what is an handfull of stubble to a world full of fire but yet there will not be that advantage but the combate must be single betweene God and a sinner The good Angels rejoyce to doe Gods will and the wicked will rejoyce to doe man any mischiefe these will be only readie to accuse and those to gather the wicked together unto the wrath of him that sitteth on the Throne O what would a man give then for that holinesse which hee now despiseth what covenants would such a man be content to
Consider the Church in it selfe and so it is a very vast body but yet consider it comparatively with the other more prevailing malignant part of the world so it is but a little flock as many graines and measures of corne may lie hid under a greater heape of chaffe Secondly the Church now is many comparatively with the old church of the Iewes more are the Children of the desolate than of the married wife Esai 54.1 But not comparatively with the adversaries of the Church in generall Wee see of thirtie parts of the world nineteene are either idolatrous or Mahumetan and the other eleven serving Christ in so different a manner as if there were many Christs or many Gospels or many wayes to the same end Thirdly though Christ alwayes have a numerous offspring yet in severall ages there is observable a different purity and conspicuousnesse according to the different administrations and breathings of the Spirit upon his garden In some ages the Doctrine more uncorrupt the profession and acceptation more universall than in others In the Apostles times there were many borne unto Christ by reason of the more abundant measure of Spirit which was shed abroad upon them Tit. 3.6 In the times of the Primitive persecutions there were many likewise born because God would glorifie the foundations of his Church and the power of his Spirit above the pride of men In the first countenancing of it by Imperiall Laws and favors it was very generall and conspicuous because professed by the obedience and introduced by the power of those great emperors whom the world followed But after that long peace and great dignities had corrupted the mindes of the chiefe in the Church and made them looke more after the pompe than the purity thereof the mystery of iniquity like a weed grew apace and overspread the Corne first abusing and after that subjecting the power of princes and bewitching the Kings of the earth with its fornications Hence likewise wee may learne to acknowledge Gods mercy in the worst times in those ages wherin the Church was most oppressed yet many have yeelded themselves unto Christ. The woman was with Childe and was delivered even when the Dragon did persecute her Revel 12.1.4 and even then God found out in the wildernesse a place of refuge defence and feeding for his Church As in those cruell times of Arrianisme when heresie had invaded the world and in those blinde and miserable ages wherin Satan was loosed God still stirred up some notable instruments by whom hee did defend his truth and amongst whom hee did preserve his Church though they were driven into solitary places and forced to avoid the assemblies of Hereticall and Antichristian Teachers Wee learne likewise not to censure persons places or times God had seven thousand in Israel when Elias thought none but himselfe had been left all are not alike venturous or confident of their strength Nicodemus came to Christ by night and yet even then Christ did not reject him Therefore we must not presently censure our neighbours as cold or dead if they discover not immediatly the same measure of courage and publike stoutnesse in the profession of Christ with our selves some men are by nature more retir'd silent unsociable unactive men some by the engagement of their places persons and callings wherein they are of more publike and necessary use in the Church are put upon more abundant caution and circumspection in the moderate carriage of themselves than other men Paul was of himselfe very zealous and earnest in that great confusion when Gaius and Aristarchus were haled into the theater to have gone in unto the people in that their outrage and distemper but the wisedome of the Disciples and some of his chiefe friends is herin commended that they sent unto him desiring him that hee would not adventure into the theater and that they suffered him not Act. 19.30 31. It is a grave observation which Gregorie Nazianzen makes of that great champian and universall agent for composing the differences and distractions of the Church S. Basil that pro temporis ratione Haereticorum principatu by reason of the prevalencie of adversaries and condition of the times hee did in the controversies concerning the Deitie of the Holy Ghost abstaine from some words which others of an inferior ranke did with liberty and boldnesse use and that this hee did in much wisedome and upon necessary reasons because it was not fit for so eminent a person and one who had such generall influence by the quality of his place and greatnesse of his parts in the welfare of the Church by the envie of words or phrases to exasperate a countenanced enemie and to draw upon himselfe and in him upon the Church of God any inevitable and unnecessary danger And surely if the wisedome and moderation of that holy man were with the same pious affection generally observed that men when they doe earnestly contend for the truth once delivered which is the duty of every Christian did not in heate of argument load the truth they maintaine with such hard and severe though it may bee true expressions as beget more obstinacie in the adversarie and it may bee suspition in the weake or unresolved looker on differences amongst men might bee more soberly composed and the truth with more assurance entertained Againe wee have from hence an encouragement to goe on in the wayes of Christ because wee goe in great and in good Company many wee have to suffer with us many wee have to comfort and to encourage us As the people of Israel when they went solemnely up to meete the Lord in Sion went on from troope to troope the further they went the more companie they were mixed withall going to the same purpose so when the Saints goe towards heaven to meete the Lord there they doe not onely goe unto an innumerable Company of Angells and just men but they meete with troopes in their way to encourage one another All the discouragement that Elias had was that hee was alone but we have no such plea for our unwillingnesse to professe the truth and power of Religion now Wee are not like a lambe in a wide place without comfort or company but wee are sure to have an excellent guard and convoy unto Christs Kingdome And this use the Apostle makes of the multitudes of beleevers that wee should by so great a Cloud of witnesses bee the more encouraged in our patient running of that race which is set before us Heb. 12.1 Lastly It should teach us to love the multitudes the assemblies and the Communion of the Saints to speak often to one another to encourage strengthen one another not to forsake the assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is to concurre in mutuall desires to conspire in the same holy thoughts and affections to bee of one heart of one soule of one judgement to walke by one the same
him in his publike Relation as a mediator a surety a mercifull and faithfull high Priest and so hee most willingly and obediently submitted unto it And this willingnesse ratione officii was much the greater because ratione naturae his will could not but shrinke from it It is easie to bee willing in such a service as is suteable to our naturall condition and affections but when nature shall necessarily shrinke sweate startle and stand amazed at a service then not to repent nor decline nor fling off the burden but with submission of heart to lie downe under it this is of all other the greatest obedience It was the voyce of nature and the presentation of the just and implanted desires of the flesh to say Transeat let it passe from me It was the retractation of mercy and duty to say Glorifie thy selfe What-ever my nature desires what-ever my will declines what-ever becomes of me yet still glorifie thy selfe and save thy Church If it cannot otherwise bee than by my drinking this bitter Cup Thy will bee done The second Act in the worke of Christs Priesthood is the act of Application or virtuall continuation of this Sacrifice to the end of the world and that is in the Intercession of Christ unto which there is prerequired a power and prevalency over all his enemies to breake through the guilt of sinne the Curse of the Law and the chaines of death with which it was impossible that hee should bee held The vision which Moses had of the burning bush was an excellent resemblance of the Sacrifice of Christ. The Bush noted the Sacrifice the fire the suffering the continuance and prevailing of the bush against the fire the victorie of Christ and breaking through all those sufferings which would utterly have devoured any other man And this power of Christ was shewed in his Resurrection wherein hee was declared to bee the Sonne of God with power Rom. 1.4 and in his ascension when hee led all his Enemies captive Eph. 4.8 and in his sitting at the right hand of God farre above all principalities and powers Eph. 1.19 20. All which did make way to the presenting of his Sacrifice before the mercy-seate which is the consummation thereof and without which hee had not been a Priest Wee have such an high Priest saith the Apostle as is set downe on the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens for if hee were on earth hee should not bee a Priest seeing that there are Priests which offer gifts according to the Law Heb. 8.1.4 It was the same continued action whereby the Priest did offer without the Holy place and did then bring the bloud into the holiest of all Heb. 13.11 For the reason why it was shed was to present it to the mercy-seate and to shew it unto the Lord there So Christs act or office was not ended nor fit to denominate him a complete Priest till hee did enter with bloud and present his offering in the holiest of all not made with hands Heb. 9.24 And therefore he had not been a Priest if hee should have continued on the earth for there was another Priesthood there which was not to give place but upon the accomplishment of his for the whole figure was to passe away when the whole truth was come Now Christs Oblation was the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Truth prefigured in the Priests Sacrificing of the Beast and his entrance into heaven was the Truth prefigured in the Priests carrying of the bloud into the holiest of all And therefore both these were to bee accomplished before the Leviticall Priesthood did give place Here then it will bee needfull for the more full unfolding of the Priesthood of Christ to open the Doctrine of his Intercession at the right hand of his Father The Apostle calleth it the Appearing of Christ for us Heb. 9.24 which is verbum forense an expression borrowed from the custome of humane courts for as in them when the plaintiffe or defendant is called their Aâ—turnie appeareth in their name and behalfe so when we are summoned by the justice of God to defend our selves against those exceptions and complaints which it preferreth against us wee have an Advocate with the Father even Iesus Christ the righteous who standeth out and appeareth for us 1 Ioh. 2.2 As the high Priest went into the sanctuary with the names of the twelve Tribes upon his breast so Christ entred into the holiest of all with our persons and in our behalfe in which respect the Apostle saith that he was Apprehended of Christ Phil. 3.12 and that we doe sit together in heavenly places with him Eph. 2.6 Merit and Efficacie are the two things which set forth the vertue of Christs Sacrifice by which hee hath reconciled us to his Father The Merit of Christ being a Redundant merit and having in it a plentifull redemption and a sufficient salvation hath in it two things First there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an expiation or satisfaction by way of price Secondly there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Inheritance by way of purchase and acquisition Eph. 1.14 Hee was made of a woman made under the Law for two ends 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that hee might redeeme us from the curse under which wee lay and that hee might purchase for us the inheritance which we had forfeited before for so by adoption in that place I understand in a complexed and generall sense every good thing which belongs unto us in the right of our sonship with Christ and that is the Inheritance of glory Rom. 8.17.23 Now all this effected by the obedience of Christs death for in that was the act of impetration or procurement consisting in the treaty betweene God and Christ. But there is yet further required an execution a reall effectualnesse and actuall application of these to us As it must bee in regard of God a satisfaction and a purchase so it must bee likewise in regard of us an actuall redemption and inheritance And this is done by the intercession of Christ which is the commemoration or rather continuation of his Sacrifice He offered it but once and yet hee is a Priest for ever because the Sacrifice once offered doth for ever remaine before the mercy-seate Thus as in many of the Legall Oblations there was first mactatio and then Ostensio First the beast was slaine on the Altar and then the bloud was together with incense brought before the mercy-seate Levit. 16 11-15 So Christ was first slasnâ— and then by his owne bloud hee entred into the holy place Heb. 9.12.10.12 That was done on the earth without the gate this in heaven Heb. 13.11 12. That the Sacrifice or obtaining of redemption this the Application or conferring of redemption The Sacrifice consisted in the Death of Christ alone the application thereof is grounded upon Christs death as its merit but effected by the Life of Christ as its immediate cause
separate from sinners Heb. 7.26 Hee came not into the world but for us and therefore hee neither suffered nor did any thing but for us As the colour of the glasse is by the favor of the Sunne-beame shining through it made the color of the wall not inherent in it but relucent upon it by an extrinsecall affection so the righteousnesse of Christ by the favor of God is so imputed unto us as that wee are quoad gratiosum Dei conspectum righteous too In which sense I understand those words Hee hath not beheld iniquitie in Iacob neither hath he seen perversenesse in Israel Num. 23.21 Though it is indeed in him yet the Lord looketh on him as cloathed with the righteousnesse of Christ and so is said not to see it as the eye seeth the color of the glasse in the wall and therefore cannot behold that other inherent color of its owne which yet it knoweth to bee in it Now of this Doctrine of Iustification by Christs righteousnesse imputed wee may make a double use First it may teach us that great dutie of selfe-deniall wee see no righteousnesse will justifie us but Christs and his will not consist but with the deniall of our owne And surely what-ever the professions of men in word may bee there is not any one dutie in all Christian Religion of more difficultie than this to trust Christ onely with our salvation To doe holy duties of hearing reading praying meditating almesgiving or any other actions of charity or devotion and yet still to abhorre our selves and our workes to esteeme our selves after wee have done all unprofitable servants and worthy of many stâ—ipes to doe good things and not to rest in them to owne the shame and dung of our solemne services when we have done all the good workes wee can to say with Nehemiah Remember mee ô my God concerning this and spare me according to the greatnesse of thy mercie Nehem. 13.22 and with David To thee ô Lord belongeth mercie for thou renderest to every man according to his worke Psal. 62.12 It is thy mercy to reward us according to the uprightnesse of our workes who mightest in judgement confound us for the imperfection of our workes To give God the praise of our working and to take to ourselves the shame of polluting his workes in us There is no Doctrine so diametrally contrary to the merits of Christ and the redemption of the world thereby as justification by workes No Papist in the world is or can bee more contentious for good workes than wee both in our Doctrine and in our prayers and in our exhortations to the people We say no faith justifieth us before God but a working faith no man is righteous in the sight of men nor to bee so esteemed but by workes of holinesse without holinesse no man shall see God hee that is Christs is zealous of good workes purifieth himselfe even as hee is pure and walketh as hee did in this world Here onely is the difference we doe them because they are our Dutie and testifications of our love and thankfulnesse to Christ and of the workings of his Spirit in our hearts but wee dare not trust in them as that by which wee hope to stand or fall before the tribunall of Gods Iustice because they are at best mingled with our corruptions and therefore doe themselves stand in need of a high Priest to take off their iniquity Wee know enough in Christ to depend on we never can finde enough in our selves And this confidence wee have if God would ever have had us justified by workes hee would have given us grace enough to fulfill the whole Law and not have left a Prayer upon publike record for us every day to repeat and to regulate all our owne Prayers by forgive us our trespasses For how dares that man say I shall be justified by my workes who must every day say Lord forgive mee my sinnes and bee mercifull unto mee a sinner Nay though wee could fulfill the whole Law perfectly yet from the guilt of sinnes formerly contracted wee could no other way bee justified than by laying hold by faith on the satisfaction and sufferings of Christ. Secondly it may teach us confidence against all sinnes corruptions and temptations Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died c. Satan is the blackest enemie and sinne is the worst thing hee can alleage against mee or my soule is or can bee subject unto for Hell is not so evill as sinne In as much as Hell is of Gods making but sinne onely of mine Hell is made against mee but sinne is committed against God Now I know Christ came to destroy the workes and to answer the arguments and reasonings of the Devill Thou canst not stand before God saith Satan for thou art a grievous sinner and he is a devouring fire But faith can answere Christ is able both to cover and to cure my sinne to make it vanish as a miste and to put it as farre out of mine owne sight as the East is from the West But thou hast nothing to doe with Christ thy sinnes are so many and so foule surely the bloud of Christ is more acceptable to my soule and much more honourable and pretious in it selfe when it covereth a multitude of sinnes Paul was a persecutor a Blasphemer and injurious the greatest of all sinners and yet hee obtained mercy that hee might be for a patterne of all long-suffering to those that should after beleeve in Christ. If I had as much sinne upon my soule as thou hast yet faith could unlade them all upon Christ Christ could swallow them all up in his mercy But thou hast still nothing to doe with him because thou continuest in thy sinne But doth hee not call mee invite me beseech mee command me to come unto him If then I have a heart to answer his call hee hath a hand to draw me to himselfe though all the gates of Hell and powers of darknesse or sinnes of the world stood betweene But thou obeyest not this call True indeed and pittifull it is that I am dull of hearing and slow of following the voice of Christ I want much faith but yet Lord thou dost not use to quench the smoaking flax or to breake the bruized reed I beleeve and thou art able to helpe mine unbeleefe I am resolved to venture my soule upon thy mercy to throw away all mine owne loading and to cleave onely to this planck of salvation But faith purifieth the heart whereas thou art uncleane still True indeed and miserable man I am therefore that the motions of sinne doe worke in my members But yet Lord I hate every false heart I delight in thy Law with mine innerman I doe that which I would not but I consent to thy Law that it is good I desire to know thy will to feare thy name to
when I finde Christ in his word promising and by the planting and watering of his Laborers in the vineyard making good that promise unto his Church That every branch bringing forth fruit in him shall not onely bee as Aarons Rod have his fruit preserved upon him but shall bring forth more fruit and shall have life more abundantly how can I but conclude that that word which is the Instrument of so unperishable a condition is indeed Virga virtutis a Rod of strength a Rod cut out of the tree of life it selfe Fifthly the Gospell of Christ is a Rod of strength in comforting and supporting of the faithfull as it is Virga pulchritudinis colligationis a Rod of Beauty and of Binding as it is a word which doth binde that which was broken and give unto them which mourne in Sion beauty for ashes and the garment of praise for the Spirit of heavinesse as it quencheth all the firie darts and answereth all the bloudy reasonings of Satan against the soule as it is a staffe which giveth comfort and subsistence in the very vallie of the shadow of death The shadow of death is an usuall expressioÌ„ in the Scripture for all feares terrors affrightments or any dreadfull calamities either of soule or body The whole misery of our naturall condition is thereby signified Luk. 1.79 Many wayes doth the Prophet David set forth the extremities hee had been driven unto my bones are vexed and dried like a potsheard and turned into the drought of summer my couch swimmeth with teares mine eye is consumed and waxen old with griefe I am powred out like water all my bones are out of joint my heart is like melted wax in the mids of my bowels Thine arrowes stick fast in mee thine hand presseth me sore there is no soundnesse in my flesh my wounds stinke and are corrupt I am feeble and fore broken I have roared by reason of the disquietnesse of my heart Innumerable evils compasse mee about I am not able to looke up Fearfulnesse and trembling are come upon me and horror hath overwhelmed mee My soule is among lions I lie amongst them that are set on fire The waters are come in unto my soule I sinke in deepe mire the flouds overflow mee c. These all and the like are comprehended in that one word The shadow of death And in that it was onely the word and the Spirit of God which did support him This is my comfort in my affliction saith hee for thy word hath quickned mee When my afflictions had brought me to the very brinke and darknesse of the grave thy word revived mee againe and made me flourish Vnlesse thy Law had been my delights I should have perished in mine affliction Now then when I see a man upon whom so many heavie pressures doe meete the weight of sinne the weight of Gods heavie displeasure the weight of a wounded Spirit the weight of a decaied body the weight of skorne and temptations from Satan and the world in the mids of all this not to turne unto lying vanities not to consult with flesh and bloud nor to rely on the wisedome or helpe of man but to leane onely on this word to trust in it at all times and to cast all his expectations upon it to make it his onely Rod and staffe to comfort him in such sore extremities how can I but confesse that this word is indeed Virga virtutis a Rod of strength Lastly the Gospell of Christ is a Rod of strength in sanctifying and blessing of our Temporall things As it is Baculus Panis A staffe of bread Man liveth not by bread alone but by the word which proceedeth out of Gods mouth not by the creature but by the blessing which prepareth the creature for our use Now it is the word of God namely his promises in Christ of things concerning this life as well as that which is to come that doth sanctifie the creatures of God to those whâ— with thankfulnesse receive them The fall of man bâ—ought a pollution upon the creatures a curse upon the stone and timber of a mans house a snare upon his table a poison and bitternesse upon his meat distractions and terrors upon his bed emptinesse and vexation upon all his estate which cleaves as fast therunto as blacknesse to the skinne of an Ethiopian or sinne to the soule of man For all the creatures of God are by sinne mischievously converted into the instruments and provisions of lust The Sunne and all the glorious lights of nature but instruments to serve the pride covetousnesse adultery vanity of a lustfull eye All the delicacies which the earth aire or Sea can affoord but materials to feed the luxurie and intemperance of a lustfull body All the honors and promotions of the world but fuell to satisfie the haughtinesse and ambition of a lustfull heart That word then which can fetch out this leprosie from the creatures and put life strength and comfort into them againe must needs bee Virga virtutis a Rod of strength Secondly the Gospell and Spirit of Christ is a rod of strength in regard of his and his Churches enemies Able both to repell and to revenge all their injuries to disappoint the ends and machinations of Satan to triumph and get above the persecutions of men to get a treasure which no malice nor fury of the enemy can take away a noblenesse of minde which no insultation of the adversary can abate a security of condition and calmenesse of spirit where no worldly tempests can any more extinguish than the darknesse of a cloud or the boisterousnesse of a wind can blot out the lustre or perturbe the order of celestiall bodies a heavenly wisdome able to prevaile against the gates of hell and to stop the mouthes of every gain-sayer The Word hath ever a Readinesse to revenge disobedience as the Apostle speaks it hardens the faces of men and armes them that they may breake all those who fall upon them This power of the Word towards wicked men sheweth it selfe in many particulars First in a mighty worke of Conviction The Spirit was therefore sent into the world to convince it by the ministery of the Gospell which one word containeth the ground of the whole strength here spoken of for all which the word bringeth to passe it doth it by the conviction of the Spirit This Conviction is two-fold A Conviction unto conversion whereby the hearts of men are wonderfully over-ruled ruled by that invincible evidence of the Spirit of truth to feele acknowledge their wofull condition by reason of sinne so long as they continue in unbeleefe to take unto themselves the just shame and confusion of face which belongs unto them to give unto God the glory of his righteous and just severity if hee should destroy them and hereupon to be secondly by the terror of the Lord perswaded to count worthy of all acceptation any deliverance out of that