word is as Peter saith 1. Epist. Chap. 2. vers 1.2 This place letteth vs see that it was not onely a part of the trueth that was committed to the Ministerie they receiued not an imperfect doctrine but the whole Mysterie of saluation was reuealed and laid before them and that which they receiued they deliuered againe faithfully Paul saith Act. 20. vers 27. I haue not hid any thing from you but I haue showne you the whole counsell of God And whatsoeuer thinges the Apostles preached in the world with their mouth all in effect and substance they wrote with their hands to the weale of the Kirke and there is not one point which either concerneth Gods glory or mans saluation but in effect we haue it registrated in the Olde and New Testament Away with the vnwritten verities whatsoeuer was preached all is registrated to the weale of the people And If all the Apostles were this daye preaching they woulde not preach one worde in effect but that which wee haue already registrated I will affirme that before God the holy Spirite will not teach any thing to the heart but that which is written in the Old and Newe Testament Yea more true fayth will drinke in none other thing but that which is within this compasse of the worde and if thou drinkest in any other thing than this I affirme before God thou neuer hadst true fayth Let no Spirit bee pretended to this let no fayth be pretended to this Away with those Papists who commend so highly the vaine traditions of men and vnwritten verities they haue no true fayth It is only the Spirit who leadeth vs in all verity Then he giueth them the reason Because that Spirit shall not speake of himselfe but whatsoeuer hee shall heare that shall hee speake As if hee had said Yee will credite me and I assure you that Spirite will speake nothing but that which hee hath receiued of mee Whatsoeuer the Spirite of God teacheth the world while as hee is in the Heauen hee receiueth it out of the mouth of Iesus Christ And farder whatsoeuer thing the Lord spake during the time he was in the world hee receiued it out of the mouth of the Father Looke this harmonie of teaching among the glorious persons of the Trinitie He saith not one thing and he another as men doe The Father beginneth and hee speaketh then the Sonne speaketh the same and the holy Spirit speaketh nothing but that which the Father and the Sonne haue spoken Looke the worde and decreet of our saluation It is a conclusion giuen out by all the three persons of the Godhead If it bee so certainly the worde of the Gospel of Iesus Christ it must be a thing of great authoritie For that decree which is laide in the Kings Counsell hath a great authoritie among the Subiectes and the worde of the Counsell is greater than the word of the King only If this be among Kinges in the earth of what authority should this be that commeth from the decree of the glorious Counsell of that blessed Trinitie in respect whereof all the Kinges of the earth are but drosse Nowe would to God the heartes of men could see this great authority of this worde So this worde must craue a great fayth The King would be angry if his decree were not credited then what judgement shall abide vs wormes if wee belieue not the decree of the glorious Trinitie I saye this before God The contempt of the Gospel of Iesus Christ bringeth on with it the heauiest iudgement in the worlde And if such a contempt of the worde in this Land continue an heauy iudgement no question shall light vpon them who haue not credited such a decree Iohn 12. vers 44. Therefore seeing the word of the Gospel is of such authoritie let all men who would see Heauen striue to belieue it in their hearts or else if they belieue not an heauie judgement shall ouer-take them let them beware In the ende of the vers hee bringeth in more particularly what the Spirit shall teach Hee saieth Hee shall shew you the thinges to come that is The thinges which shall followe after my departure mine ascension and glorification the thinges which were acquired by his death and applied by his resurrection as remission of sinnes justification and life eternall hee shall teach you them inwardlie and hee shall seale them vp into your heartes For after the Lord had suffered in the earth then grace came downe then remission of sinnes came downe that free righteousnesse of Christ came downe and life euerlasting came downe as also extraordinarie gifts came downe as the gift of Prophesie the gift of healing of working of miracles of speaking sundry languages c. for why when the Lord Iesus was filled with glory of that fulnesse the members heere in the earth receiued their part and grace for grace came downe as it was prophesied Hee went vp on high and led captiuitie captiue and gaue giftes vnto men And all these things gaue he by the holy Spirit illuminating the mind and working powerfull in the heart for other wayes what auaileth it to haue remission of sinnes life glory and happinesse for euer effected Except the Spirit of Iesus Christ accompany the word illuminate and mollifie the heart all shall bee of none auaile Therefore againe I bid you as yee would liue striue to feele that Spirite working into you Now in the next vers hee taketh vp summarily the effect of all that the Spirit shall teach them He shall glorifie me What is it the Spirit is doing and what is it wee are doing and whereto is all this preaching All is to glorifie Christ If thou bee not an instrument to glorifie Christ Iesus thou shalt haue no part of glorie with him He giueth the reason wherefore the Spirit shall glorifie him Because the thing hee shall shew you hee shall haue it in commission from me If the speaches of an Ambassadour be not to the honour of his Prince hee is but a Traitor The Sonne was sent as an Ambassadour from the Father therefore hee glorified the Father as he speaketh Chap. 17. vers 7. So the holy Spirit is sent from the Sonne therefore hee speaketh all to the glory of the Sonne But this would be well vnderstood how the Spirit of Christ glorifieth Christ vpon the earth Who giueth the Spirite who seeth him or who heareth his voyce How then glorifieth the Spirit the Lord The Spirit glorifieth the Lord Iesus by the Ministerie of the Gospel and by the mouthes of simple men thinke of them as yee will except by the mouthes of men yee shall neuer finde the Spirit glorifying the Sonne seeke where yee will If wee speake anie thing wherein God is not glorified say wee are but liars and the Spirit of Christ is not into vs. If wee begin to speake of Purgatorie and of the merites of men of intercession of Sainctes saye wee are but lyars If wee drawe you from
Ascension had hope that they should receiue the holy Spirite and his graces and so they did in effect And if thou find that thou hast not gotten the Spirit in no measure no illumination no reformation of thy corrupt nature sore may thine heart be for in respect of thee in vaine is hee risen and glorified Therefore as thou wouldest bee partaker of his glory striue to gette his holie Spirite ere thou goest out of this worlde or else thou shalt neuer get light nor life in the world to come Farder hence wee may see the Lord leaueth neuer altogether his owne Kirke for if hee giue not his bodilie presence yet hee will giue his spirituall presence for without his presence his Kirke his Sainctes on earth cannot â—aue a being for by reason of his presence the Kirke hath her beginning for what I pray you is the Kirke else but a societie of men and women seuered from the rest of the worlde by the presence of that holie Spirit whereby they are sealed Thus farre hath he partlie fore-warned them of his departure partly comforted them It followeth in the Text Then saâ—d some of his Disciples amongst themselues What is this that hee sayeth vnto vs A little while and yee shall not see me c. They are mooued at these wordes and some of them begin to whisper amongst themselues at the wordes which the Lord spake Yee see here a marueilous ignorance of the Disciples of Christ hee hath beene speaking to them so long and yet they vtter a great ignorance It is a wonderfull thing to see how blinded and how hardened a man will be before hee haue receiued the holie Spirit at the preaching of the Gospel euen at such voyces as would pierce stocks and stones Yet a man hearing with reason sense will conceiue no more of things heauenly than the stockes and stones I tell you this that no wordes no preaching if there be no more but wordes and preaching can make any man to conceiue heauenly thinges yea no admonition no threatning no iudgement if there be no more shall make the hardned heart to be the better The blindest thing in the world is the heart of man So except the inward Teacher come out of the Heauens illuminate mollify the heart al the preaching of the world shall do the hart no good but rather euil so that thou mayst see this to be true that the naturall man is not capable of the things that are of the Spirit of God but wheÌ„ it pleases the Lord t' accoÌ„pany his word with his Spirit theÌ„ two words shall do more good than a whole preaching before th' Apostles of Christ after they got this Spirit profited more in one day than all their dayes before So albeit thou heare many preachings except thou haue that inward Doctor into thine heart all auails not Therfore carry that inward teacher into thine hart chaÌ„ge him neuer so if thou want him run to this preacher or that if thou wast hardned before thou shalt be so still A sound in the eare wil do no more good than a blast of wind without the Spirit It follows Now Iesus knew c. He perceiues them wel enough and of what thing they were debating He answereth them gentlie I know would he say what ye are thinking and inquiring and then hee teacheth them more gently Might not the Lord haue bene angry with them who vnderstood him not at the end of the Preaching But the Lord as it was prophesied of him Isay 42. hee quenched neuer the smoaking Flaxe nor brake the bruised Reede he was euer about to intertaine grace and not to put it out All Teachers may take their Lesson here they ought not to cast off people howbeit they get no fruit of Preachinges let euer that worde bee driuen into their eares and let aye that seede bee sowne for he hath the Spirit and he will giue him when hee pleaseth and let both the auditor and the Preacher pray to God to giue the Spirit It is true indeede the seede of the worde of God will lie long lurking into the heart but at last the Spirit will put to his hand to the worde as yee heard Iohn 14. vers 16. and will make the worde to fructifie and to bud out not onely to the illumination of the soule inwardly but also to good workes outwardly Bee thou euer sowing that blessed seede bee euer preaching and then commit the successe of all to God When hee hath made a preface to them yee see thereafter with what great lenitie hee instructeth them both concerning his departing and concerning his returning Hee instructeth them by the effects both of the one and the other and they are these The first is Yee shall weepe and lament The other is The worlde shall rejoyce These are the effects of his departing Then he declareth his returning by the effect But your mourning shall bee turned into ioye That is I shall come againe and then ye shall haue matter of joye Ye see here a very effectuall kinde of teaching Hee spake this of before but nowe hee speaketh the same thing more effectually To speake of things barely and to propone them simply it is not so effectuall to mooue the mindes of the hearers as to declare the same by the effectes following that taketh a greater roote and impression in the heart As for example When wee are fore-telling that by all appearances the Lord Iesus is to depart out of this Land for wee are not worthie of him albeit this mooue vs yet this mooueth vs more when it is said It shall come to passe that thou shalt mourne thy selfe thou shalt weepe nowe laugh on as thou wilt woâ—full shall be thine ende and shame and confusion shall light vpon thee I denounce this to thee in the Name of God And againe yee thinke it a light thing to saye The Lord Iesus shall come but to saye Thou who mournest shalt rejoyce when hee shall come that mooueth more But nowe to come to the matter Yee shall weepe and lament and the world shall rejoyce Some shall be weeping and some laughing this is the difference Yee see the departure of Iesus Christ is a sorrowfull thing to the godly when Christ is awaye the godly are in sorrowe the pleasure of the godly is aye in the presence of Iesus Christ and therefore when they see that they want his presence they see nothing but matter of sorrowe and giue them all the pleasures of the worlde if they misse the Lord awaye they will haue no joye And by the contrary place them in all the sorrowes in the worlde if they get a sight of Iesus Christ they gette joye enough But on the other side the wicked and the vngodly who neuer tasted how sweet the Lord was neuer rejoyce but when they want the Lord Iesus out of their sight they haue no pleasure in his presence they haue neuer pleasure to heare of Christ
liâ—e and in the life to come for all this preaching and hearing of the Gospel of Iesus Christ is not for nothing and the Lord neuer calleth man nor woman by the preaching of the Gospel for nothing by calling he vttereth that he wil keepe them as this day if hee call on you inwardly by his Spirit hee vttereth that he will keepe and saue you both in this life and in the life to come So that when one findeth that the Lord calleth them and offereth this Gospel vnto them they may conceiue an hope into their heart that the Lord will saue them Why Because the Lord is calling on them by his word This is a token say thou that hee will keepe mee in this life and in the life to come And if Brethren any that is called in this life man or woman attaine not to saluation and that the Lord keepe them not the fault is in themselues because when the Lord called on them they would not answere No not one of you wee saye shall perishe for fault of preaching but because ye made your selues vnworthie when the Lord cried yee would not heare him Ingrate and foolish soule thou shalt perishe because thou wouldest not obeye the Lord so fairelie and gentlie calling on thee But if when thou art called to life by the preaching of the Gospel wilt say Lord I am here if the heart will resound and say Lord I am here if thou wilt answere that is belieue the word preached and bee ready to obey the same that is as sure an angument that the Lord will saue thee euerlastinglie as euer was in the world Now to goe forward to the rest of the arguments I haue sayth he manifested thy Name to thesâ— men whom thou gauest mee being chosen out of the worlde There is the second reason Father thou hast chosen them for thy selfe from all eternitie therefore good reason is it that thou shouldest keepe them Why should hee not keepe his owne Elect. Well then if the Lord vse this argument to the Father to moue him to keepe and saue his Disciples nowe certainly that person that seeth himselfe one of the chosen and elect of God to that life from all eternitie that person who findeth in his heart that he is one of that number hath a sure and infallible warrand that that God who hath chosen him shall warrand him Seeke aye to know your election for if ye be sure of your election ye haue a sâ—ale of your eternall saluation It is vnpossible that a man or woman who is chosen to life can perishe and that hee whose name is once written vp in the decree of God should be lost Ye may aske at mee Seeing it is vnpossible that the Chosen from all eternitie can perish or be lost wherefore then prayeth the Sonne to the Father that hee should keepe his Disciples chosen to life from all eternitie if of necessitie the Chosen must liue though all the world had sworne it wherefore is it then that the Sonne prayeth the Father so earnestly to keepe those who were chosen what neede had hee to pray for them seeing the Chosen must be saued The answere is easie It is true indeede that those who are chosen from all eternity must be safe liue of necessity but it is also true again Brethren he who chooses them to life ordaines them to liue of necessity the same very God from all eternity ordained such middles as prayer sayth good works such other meanes that by them we should attaine to life He who ordaineth life hee ordaineth prayer if thou want the meanes thou shalt neuer enter into life if thou want faith and prayer and good works say with thy selfe thou wast neuer ordained to life deceiue not your selues So Brethren we should take heed to these middles as necessarilie as the Lord hath appointed thee to life as necessarily thou must belieue as euer thou wouldest liue after this life for as necessarily the Lord hath chosen thee to doe good works from all eternitie as he hath chosen thee to life And then when we finde these middles and an heart to pray take heed he will keepe vs saue vs both in this life and in the life to come And when we finde good turns in our hands and faith in Iesus Christ then sayth Peter we confirme our election all these middles confirme our election for the Lord hath chosen vs to these aswell as to the end it selfe If we want these means we haue no warrand that euer the Lord appointed vs to life I will leaue this He coms forward heapeth arguments together to the Father that he would keepe saue them Thine they werâ— there is the reason they were thine own property by vertue of election whomsoeuer the Lord chooseth from all eternity they are the propertie of the Lorde by vertue of election So sayeth the Sonne to the Father They were thine by vertue of election therefore keepe and saue thine owne Whome wilt thou keepe if thou keepe not thine owne whome thou hast chosen Therefore keepe them Well Brethren vseth the Sonne of God these argumentes to mooue his Father to keepe and saue his Disciples now surely that man or that woman who findeth that they belong to God and that they are chosen from all eternity that may saye I am Gods I am his inheritance and property that person hath a sure warrand that God to whome they appertaine will keepe and saue them euerlastingly Get me this knowledge once that thou art Gods and thou shalt knowe assuredly in thine heart that God whome to thou appertainest shall neuer let thee bee lost yea Heauen and Earth shall goe together ere thou perish But yee will say Howe shall I knowe that I am Gods Marke it Brethren The man or the woman that appertaineth to God that God whome to they appertaine ere they slit out of this worlde hee will giue them aduertisement and will let them knowe and feele either one time or other early or late that they are his Paul in the eight Chapter to the Romanes vers 9. hath a notable saying Those who haue not the Spirite of Iesus they are not his On the contrary the man or woman who feeleth this Spirite are his Wouldest thou knowe whether thou be Gods or not If thou findest in thine heart that blessed Spirit that worketh redemption grace mortification of sinne quickening of the newe life and all blessednesse if thou findest him saye I am Gods for God will giue to none his holy Spirite but to his owne secret ones who are chosen from all eternity and so made the property of God Wouldest thou know the Spirite I shall giue thee a token which the Apostle setteth downe Rom. 5. vers 5. If the Spirit dwell in thee he will shed abroade and powre out that sweet loue of God into thine heart he will let thee feele sensibly in thine heart that God loueth thee and testifie to thee that
I to you That euerie one of you loue another Being to depart out of this vvorlde this is the speciall Commandement hee leaueth to his Disciples That in his absence euerie one of them shoulde loue one another So this is the chiefe Commaundement the LORD hath left vs till his comming againe That euerie one of vs shoulde loue one another and euerie one of vs shoulde beare the burthen of another If vvee doe not this in the absence of the LORD vvhen hee commeth againe vvee shall not bee able to abide a triall of him or to render an account to him of our doing But to come to the Commaund The meaning is as the Lord would say As ye would protest before the worlde yee loue mee make it knowne in mine absence by keeping my Commaundementes Nowe Brethren to insist vpon this matter more at large Yee knowe this A seruant who loueth his Master well hee will bee about to doe all thinges that can pleasure his Master his vvhole endeuour will bee to doe the will of his Master and chiefely in the absence of his Master when hee hath gone farre from home at that time chiefely hee will kythe his loue to his Master in doing his turnes with pleasure Howbeit loue as the Apostle sayeth 1. Thessal 13. bee painfull yet if a man haue a true loue in his heart hee will haue a great pleasure also Loue hath paine but with the paine it hath pleasure It will not take care what paine or what tribulation it haue So this seruant doing the will of his Master in his absence will testifie to the worlde that hee loueth his Master To draw this to our purpose Brethren The Lord Iesus the Lord of the worlde is gone out of the worlde as it were to a farre Countrey to the Heauen and hath left vs all behinde him yea hee hath left vs here in the Earth and hee is absent from vs in the Heauen Hee is a gracious Master and woe to him vvho is not his seruant Then wee being his seruants and we loue him there will bee nothing that is his will but wee will bee about to doe it and hee that loueth him heere in the Earth because the LORD is absent according to his bodie in the Heauen hee will bee the more earnest to pleasure him in his calling and to doe the turnes of the Lord Iesus in his absence Hee who loueth him will employe his whole senses and force and power to pleasure him as Paul sayd 2 Cor. 5.14 The loue of the Lord Iesus constraineth mee and bindeth vp my soule I say more In suffering all extreamities for the Lord the Fire the Sworde and it were a thousande deathes hee will haue a greater joye and pleasure than anie man will haue in doing anie turne for a man whome hee loueth well Then woulde anie man kythe that loue hee heareth to the Lord Iesus in his absence And vvho amongst vs vvill not saye Wee loue the Lord Iesus Wouldest thou then kythe this loue Doe heartilie his will It is not enough to loue in worde but indeede Loue not in worde onelie sayth the Apostle Iohn in his first Epistle Chap. 3. Vers 18. for it is the heart must doe the Lord seruice So and thou wouldest loue the Lord Iesus doe his will and that is Loue thy neighbour And thou bee a murderer of thy neighbour and then saye I loue the LORD IESVS I saye thou lyest and the Lord sayeth it also Wilt thou oppresse the poore members of the Lord Iesus and say thou louest the Lord Iesus I say thou art a lyar Good works kythe the loue in the heart The groūd of Murder hatred c. that is betwixt man man is the hatred of the Lord Iesus So the groūd of all sin is the hatred of the Lord in the heart Matth. 24.40 vvhere the Lord speaketh of good seruants and euill seruants hee sayth The good seruant who in the absence of his Master preassed to doe all thinges to pleasure his Master when his Master commeth home at that houre he knew not so the Lord will come when we looke not for him and findeth the good seruant doing his will will blesse him and make him Ruler of all his goods Blessed is hee who serueth the Lord in a small vocation What doeth the other seruant He is striking the rest of the Familie Woe to that seruant saith hee he will bee casten out and his part will bee with the hypocrites who was but an hypocrite in his Masters house If we bee well occupied and wayting aye for the home-comming of the Lord Iesus if we be well occupied in directing our life to him and his glory blessed shall wee be and wee shall get a portion with him in glory But if we be euill occupied in oppression and in wickednesse he shall cast vs out of his Familie To put an end to this mater In any vocation we should al go about to pleasure our Master in the Heauen and preasse to kythe it in our workes that in our hearts we haue loued the Lord Iesus Wordes will not auaile and thou couldest tell all the Scriptures it auaileth not without doing Let vs all therefore striue to make manifest that wee haue not only an outward shew and profession of loue but that it is fixed and setled in our hearts as euer wee would desire to finde comfort and joye in that great day of the appearance of our Lord Iesus To whome with the Father and the Holy Spirite bee all prayse honour and glory now and foreuer Amen THE FIFT LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xiiii VERS 16.17.18 16 And I will pray the Father and hee shall giue you another Comforter that hee may abide with you for euer 17 Euen the Spirit of Trueth whome the worlde cannot receiue because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but yee knowe him for hee dwelleth with you and shall bee in you 18 I will not leaue you comfortlesse but I will come to you WEE haue heard Beloued Brethren in this Chapter how the Lord Iesus being to leaue the world to ascend to his Father hath set himselfe partly to comfort his Disciples who were sad for his departure and sundry argumentes of consolation hath hee giuen them and partly to exhort them The first exhortation ye heard was That they should belieue in him and that the Father was in him and hee in the Father That is that hee and the Father were one in substance glory and Maiestie and that the Godhead dwelt in the nature of man bodilie And to proue this hee vsed an argument taken from the workes that hee wrought At least belieue mee sayeth hee for the verie workes sake which I worke That is Supposing there vvere none other argument to mooue you to belieue that I am in the Father and the Father in mee yet let the verie workes wherein the properties of God are so clearlie manifested mooue you to belieue Another
useth is taken from the glorie of the Father In this is my Father glorified that yee bring out much fruite Surelie a moouing argument at least it shoulde mooue all soules to doe well seeing God is glorified in my well doing for I am set in the worlde to glorifie God Take vp the grounde Whome will this argument mooue Not euerie man Tell to a man who hath no zeale to God nor no sight of the glorie of God Doe well and glorifie God hee will not care for it But to tell a man who loueth God alace whome can hee loue and if hee loue not God tell him if hee will doe manie good workes hee will glorifie God hee will doe all that lieth in his power yea hee will suffer that he may glorifie God as Moyses and Paul wished to renounce Heauen to get their God glorified And if Paul could gette God glorified he cared neither for life nor death Then when wee come to the hearing of the word where such exhortations are giuen vs we shold bring hearts filled with zeale to the glory of God and if thou bring such an heart when thou hearest such an argument it will bee verie sweete to thee Yee see here in these wordes a faire effect following on good workes when a man doeth well the fairest effect that euer was followeth to wit the glory of God thy Creator The Papists think there can folow no gooâ— of good works except a man merit and get life by his works as though the Prophet had said The just shall liue by his good works No he said not so but The iust shall liue by faith Habac. 2.4 May not this serue them that God is glorified in well doing Yee see the wordes that are heere are borrowed from the Vine tree Then let vs take vp the comparison to make the matter more cleare Wee see by experience that the branches of the Vine tree doe not liue vpon the fruite nor take no sappe from the Berries the Berries doe not furnishe life to the branches Therefore can they conclude heereof that the Berries auaile nothing because they giue no sap nor food to the vine tree Hath not the berrie none other vse Yes it hath a better vse for it serueth chiefely to refresh and make chearfull the heart of man It is euen so with our good workes the good workes are not causes of our justification or life they are but the fruites of justification A man doeth not good workes to bee justified but is â—ustified to bring out good workes they haue their owne vse they are not onelie comfortable to them who worke them to confirme their election calling justification and life but also those who stand by and looke to them the Apostle sayeth they are edified by their on-looking as yee may reade in the first Epistle of Peter and the first Chapted Yea more edified by one worke than by a thousand wordes And not onelie are men edified but thereby God is glorified Christ sayeth Matth. Chap. 5. vers 16. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and maye glorifie your Father which is in Heauen So by good workes the God of Heauen is glorified and men are holpen The second argument Ye shall bee my Disciples As hee would say God shall not onlie be glorified but ye shall get good your selues yee shall bee my Disciples It is the same in effect with that which he said Chap. 13. vers 35. By this a man or woman is knowne to be the Disciple of Christ by mutuall loue Then let vs see what doctrine is taught in the Schoole of Christ there is the summe of the doctrine Doe well bring out much good fruite bring out many good workes All the doctrine that is taught of fayth is to the ende that a man may do well The Apostle to Titus chap. 2. vers 11. telleth vs what is the end of the Gospel to wit that the grace of Iesus Christ hath shined in the worlde that wee may liue soberlie temperatelie and godlilie in this present world So the end of the Gospel is that men and women should liue an holy and sanctified life and he who liueth an holy life he is indeed a disciple of Christ not he who knowes most but he who doth most is the best scholler and he who doth euill and deliteth in mischiefe hath no more to doe with Christ than the Deuill hath Ephes 4.20 After that hee hath set downe the life of the Gentiles that they gaue themselues to wantonnes and to commit wickednes with all kinde of griedinesse he turneth to the Ephesians and he saith Ye haue not learned Christ so whosoeuer leadeth an euill life vnder the name of a Christian they haue neuer heard Christ speaking to them by his Spirite in their soule Thou hast not learned at Christ to bee a murderer an adulterer and drunkard Then if thou wouldest shewe to the worlde that thou hast learned at Christ striue to doe much and not to speake much In one worde As thou wouldest shew thy selfe to bee a Scholler in the Schoole of Christ doe euer many good workes Then when hee hath exhorted to good works he commeth to the grounds of good works the grounds are two the loue of God and the loue of thy neighbour the whole Commandements are grounded on these two Then hee exhorteth his Disciples to loue It is not enough to begin to loue Christ but to continue Hee giueth the argumentes J haue loued you wherefore then should ye not loue me The best thing we can doe is to meete him with loue in some measure who hath loued vs so wel so dearlie and tenderlie I haue loued you therefore loue ye me And that they should not thinke this a common loue hee saith As the Father hath loued me so loue I you I loue you not as men loue men but as the Father loueth mee Then wee see here that Iesus Christ is not onlie aye the first louer for if we loue him it is because hee loueth vs first loue aye beginneth on the part of Christ ere wee beginne to thinke to loue him hee loueth vs but also wee learne more heere What kinde of loue Christ beareth to vs. 1. John Chap. 3. vers 1. What a loue hath the Father borne to vs that hath called vs his sonnes So the loue of Christ to vs is a tender loue such as the loue of the Father is to him what tongue can expresse the loue of the Father to the Sonne So all the tendernesse of the worlde is nothing to that loue that Christ hath to vs it is passing in tendernesse and passing in measure Indeede the Apostle speaketh of a great sense of this loue to men Rom. 5. where he sayth This loue of God is powred out from the Heauens and powred out in the hearts of men women Who doeth it The holy Spirit sheddeth it abroade in our heartes and indeede a man will feele the loue of
Turkes c. that will say they will get a sight of the Father without the Sonne no no man shall see him without the Sonne For why neuer man sawe the Father at any time it is the onely begotten Sonne who is in the bosome of the Father who hath reuealed him Iohn 1. vers 18. Except we gette a sight of the Sonne who is the splendor of the Father and the ingrauen forme of his person wee shall neuer see that glorie Hebr. 1. vers 3. So except wee see the Sonne of God the seconde person of the glorious Trinitie there shall bee no life for man nor woman in this world And there is no sight of that glorious person of the Sonne who dwelleth in that light vnaccessable as hee is God hee is as incomprehensible as his Father hee is not seene I saye but vnder a cloude wee must see him thorowe this nature of ours There is no Angell in Heauen that dare abide to looke on the Son but thorow a vaile and this is the vaile of our fleshe if thou takest awaye that vaile the sight of that Majestie shall deuour thee No if thou gottest a sight of the Sonne of God without the sight of his manlie nature wherein hee died for our sinnes and rose for our justification thou wouldest bee destroyed and confounded thereby But by the contrary that is the pleasandest sight that euer thou sawest when thou seest that tabernacle of thy nature that glorious person cloathed with the nature of man The knowledge of Christ must be first as he is sent next as he is Iesus and last as he is Christ His sending is as hee is manifested in the flesh And hee is Iesus and Christ as hee is God and man So wee must looke thorowe that vaile of man and thorowe that tabernacle of our nature ere wee see that glorious Majestie And this is joye and life and our heauen into this earth Yee shall marke a notable lesson of this which I haue spoken See howe knowledge goeth vp thorowe to the Father and see by what degrees life commeth downe from the Father There are the degrees and order of our knowledge and howe it passeth vp thorowe First our eye striketh on the vaile of our nature wherein that glorious Majestie sitteth Then thorowe the vaile the soule pierceth in to that glorious Sonne of God and then when the soule hath gotten that sight of the Sonne it passeth forwarde to the glorious sight of the Father and then our knowledge resteth there for it is the Fountaine of life Faith neuer resteth till it come to the Father and then it resteth on him and there is the joye of it Nowe looke howe wee gette life As soone as our soule commeth to that Fountaine the Father that Fountaine breaketh out in liuing waters Looke the power of Fayth Fayth breaketh vp that Fountaine and then spirite and life beginneth to flow Life commeth first from the Father to the Sonne of GOD and then it commeth from the Sonne to our nature and thorowe our nature that Spirit and that life floweth into our soules There is the difference knowledge beginneth at the nature of man in Christ but life beginneth at the Father Againe knowledge passeth vp and life commeth downe from the Father Well then if life euerlasting stand in knowledge of GOD in Iesus Christ then it must follow first as a man or a woman groweth in knowledge and in fayth so they growe in life euerlasting and as they growe in life so they grow in fayth and in what measure thy knowledge is in that measure thy life is and in what measure thy life is in that measure thy fayth is And when that day shall come when we shall see the Lord Iesus face to face as our knowledge shall be perfected so shall our life and joye and in one word our Heauen shall be perfected The perfection of life euerlasting and knowledge standeth in the sight of the face of Iesus Christ And if our life euerlasting stand in knowledge then death euerlasting standeth in ignorance and where there is ignorance of God in Iesus Christ there death taketh place and their Hell is begunne here and that darknesse which is in thy soule shall bee turned into vtter darknesse and the more ignorant thou bee of God in Iesus Christ the greater shall thy damnation bee Paul to the Ephes Chap. 4. vers 18. joyneth these two together speaking of the Gentiles and their estate before Christ came into the worlde sayeth hee they had their mindes darkened with a cloude of ignorance and they were aliantes from the life of God Meaning that when as ignorance reigned amongst the Gentiles they were all casten out from the light of Heauen Where there is nothing but darknesse there is not a sponke of the life of Christ there Though thou werest a King and hast but a naturall life I count thee worse than a Dogge howbeit thou canst passe the time and hunt and haulke and eate thy meate c. thou art deader than a Carrion Seeing then life standeth in the sight of God through Iesus Christ and seeing death standeth in the ignorance of the soule this shoulde bee our care night and daye to warble thorowe that cloude of darknesse which hideth vs from that Sonne of God and â—o get away this foule vaile for if it be not put away it groweth aye till it come to an hard scroofe There is no standing for thee but thou shalt either grow in light or in darknesse This should be our care to put awaye darknesse and get light Wee should aye labour to cast off this vaile vnder the which wee lie till the Lord deliuer vs fully from that blindnesse of the minde which is a blacke and cloudy couering The way to bee fredde of this is to holde vp thine eye to gette a sight of the face of Iesus Christ In the face of Iesus thou seest the glory of the Father Knowest thou how thou shalt gette it in this life Seeke it in the worde All the sight that we haue here is but in a mirrour and by an aenigma as th'Apostle sayth or by a parable in respect of the sight which wee shall haue in the life to come And this mirrour is the glorious Gospel To end in a worde As thou wouldest see Iesus and bee quite of darknesse as thou wouldest haue life and be quite of death set thine heart to heare the Gospel of Iesus Christ that is the only way for thee to gette a sight of him in this life Striue to heare this worde preached Ye shall haue Christ crucified in the Gospel and Christ glorified in the Gospel And begin once to take pleasure in hearing and I shall promise thee in the Name of God Heauen and Earth and all shall goe together ere thou gettest not light and consequently Heauen in this life otherwayes I giue thee ouer Now seeing Christ is our light and our life the Lord giue vs grace to
that band of perfection of charitie and loue And howe As thou and I am one Thou art in mee and I am in thee so they may bee one in vs that is Through their fayth in vs and that to this ende that the worlde may belieue in mee that thou hast sent mee Yee see howe this Prayer of Christ extendeth it selfe it beginneth narrowlie and then piece and piece it groweth It beginneth first at himselfe onelie and hee prayeth That the Father would glorifie him And then farther hee maketh his petition for his Disciples That hee would first keepe them and then sanctifie them Then he extendeth it farther out to the whole belieuers that shall belieue in him to the ende of the worlde So Brethren it is not contained within that Age in the which Christ was in the Earth this is a great consolation it pertaineth not onelie to those Iewes and Gentiles that were at that time but the Prayer of Iesus Christ euen this same Prayer wherewith hee did consecrate himselfe to the death of the Crosse it reacheth out to vs in this Age And looke howe manie of vs hath fayth in Iesus Christ wee may bee assured that that Prayer which Christ made was made for vs and euerie one that belieueth And when wee reade this Prayer and these wordes I pray not for them onelie but for them that shall belieue there is not one who findeth a sponke of fayth but hee may saye Christ made this Prayer for mee as assuredly as hee prayed for Peter and Iames and the rest of the Apostles For when the Lord prayed his eye was vpon euerie soule that should belieue in him to the ende of the worlde hee recommended euerie soule to his Father in this Prayer Not generallie but the Lord Iesus being God and man hee had euerie soule before his eye that euer was chosen and called or shall bee called to the ende of the worlde and he prayed particularlie for euerie soule So if thou findest fayth in thine heart thou mayest say The Lord made intercession for me as well as hee did for Peter and Paul or the rest But Brethren this is well to bee marked for whom it is that hee prayed not for euerie man and woman but for them who haue fayth for those that belieue in him Neuer soule got part of that Prayer or of his death or of his blessed resurrection or of that glorie that belieueth not Therefore let vs belieue as euer wee would haue anie grace for no grace shall euer appertaine to any soule but to that soule that belieueth It is not for scant of grace that the worlde perisheth The Prayer of Iesus Christ might extende it selfe to a thousande worldes Howe falleth it out then if hee might saue a thousande worldes that the worlde perisheth It is not for scant of vertue in the Prayer or in the death of Christ that the worlde perished but for want of fayth wee are not capable of the vertue of his death no soule is capable of that death but that soule that is faythfull that man that is faythfull is made partaker of all the Prayers of Iesus Christ and the vertue of that death shall strike out to his saluation Onelie belieue and thou shalt finde the effect of that Prayer but if thou belieuest not that Prayer shall not serue to thy saluation But this is to be marked How is this fayth gotten Those sayth hee who shall belieue in mee through their worde Fayth in Iesus Christ is ***** not gotten by euerie worde and euerie dreame and euerie vnwritten verity and fantasie of man The enemies haue filled the world with dreames and giue out fantasies and dreames to bee belieued The inuentions of the Pope and Cardinalls will not breede fayth in thine heart Looke the wordes They who belieue in mee through their worde No worde will breede fayth but the worde of the Apostles Christ will so honour them that hee will neuer worke fayth in the heart of man but by their worde onelie And so to the ende of the worlde no worde is to bee belieued but the worde of the Apostles and Prophets For this excludeth not the worde of the Prophets but the traditions of me If thou settest thine heart to seeke fayth by the worde of the Antichrist thou shalt neuer gette fayth in thine heart If thou wilt haue fayth heare this worde of the Apostles and if thou turnest thine eare from it all the wordes in the worlde shall not worke fayth in thine heart The thing which hee requireth would bee marked What requireth hee Hee requireth That they all may bee one So the thing which hee asketh for vs all to the ende of the worlde it is That wee bee joyned together in that conjunction of loue and made vp in one bodie and one newe man whereof the Head is the LORD IESVS and knitte vp with that band of perfection which is loue Without IESVS CHRIST there is no bodie there is no coniunction with the members no the sibbest conjunction in the worlde is not worth a pennie without IESVS CHRIST No the conjunction of man and woman which is a neare conjunction and the conjunction betwixt brother and sister and in a word all conjunction is nothing but a dispersion which is without Iesus Christ it is nothing but a variance This naturall life is nothing without Iesus Christ I might drawe this matter from the grounde After Adam had fallen and was seuered from God Adam and Eue had no true conjunction nor none of their posterie after them Then Brethren howe get wee our conjunction againe Euen by Iesus Christ and by that vertue in him for except in him nature and all these bandes bee sanctified by them men cannot bee joyned together amongst themselues For in him there is made a gathering together of all thinges both which are in Heauen and which are in Earth Ephes 1. vers 10. Coloss 1. vers 20. He insisteth vpon that vnion and he recommendeth it vnto vs and amplifieth it from the similitude between the Father and the Sonne The Father is in the Sonne and the Sonne is in the Father that is they are one by a wonderful and vnspeakable conjunction in a diuine nature and essence The thing in the world wherein we resemble moste that glorious Trinitie the Father the Sonne and the holie Spirit is this vnion Wouldest thou bee like the Father and like the Sonne and like the holie Ghost then bee vnited in heart and loue with the members of Iesus Christ There is no likenesse with the Father without this vnion A man full of malice in the heart is no more like to Iesus Christ and to the Father than the Deuill is and that is the thing which the Deuill seeketh moste of all to make men vnlike to God For as vnion with God bringeth life euerlasting so vnlikenesse with God and disseuering from him bringeth death euerlasting None shall bee safe in that Great daye but so manie as are vnited with
bee the sense of the loue of God Therefore let vs striue to feele the sense chiefelie of that mercie and that loue and then our knowledge shall bee joyfull and pleasant vnto vs. But heere I aske a question Beganne God to loue vs then onelie when wee beganne to knowe him Beganne not God to loue euerie one of vs before wee knewe him Appearinglie in this place as it would seeme hee maketh the loue of God to beginne and flowe of the knowledge of God The aunswere is easie Looke the wordes hee sayeth That thy loue may bee in them It is true from all eternitie ere euer wee were in the worlde I speake of the Chosen hee loued vs and of loue hee choosed vs and hee loued vs after wee came into the worlde When wee were enemies to him hee loued vs. But marke againe Brethren The loue of God is neuer in vs but without vs till wee knowe him and haue fayth in Iesus Christ That is the meaning Neuer one feeleth in their heart that God loueth them but hee who knoweth God Hee loueth thee but thou feelest it not till thou hast gotten knowledge and then when thou hast gotten knowledge thou beginnest to feele it and to haue a sense of that loue in thine heart And this is it that the Apostle sayeth Rom. 5. vers 5. The loue of God is shed abroade in our heartes through that holie Spirite which is giuen vs. Before wee gette that knowledge there is no shedding abroade of that loue in the heart But when thou gettest the knowledge of God and fayth in Iesus Christ then thou feelest that loue with a sweetnesse and joye vnspeakeable Experience may tell vs this Thou that hast not gotten fayth in Iesus Christ at anie time and knowest not God I appeale thy conscience if euer thou hast felt the loue of God Sayest thou that thou feelest Gods loue I dare saye that thou feelest it not And by the contrarie when men and women knowe God and finde fayth in Iesus Christ from whome all grace floweth and distilleth into our soules they shall finde in experience with the knowledge such a sweete sense of loue that the tongue of man nor Angel cannot expresse And therefore as euer thou wouldest feele the loue of God What pleasure canst thou haue without that sense as euer thou wouldest haue joye and comfort in thine heart in the middest of the miseries of this world learne to know God assuring thy selfe that before thou get the sight and knowledge of God in Iesus Christ thou shalt neuer get the sense of loue Striue to see God haue faith in Iesus Christ and the farther sight thou gettest of him thy delight shall bee to pierce in more and more into the mysterie of thy saluation and I promise thee in his Name that sense and feeling shall increase and the more thou seest and knowest the more thou shalt feele that loue of God So wouldest thou haue joye and comfort striue to see Christ and thinke not that thou canst see enough Now would to God wee had the halfe of that desire to looke into the face of Iesus Christ that we haue of worldly things For al our blessednes and comfort standeth in this to look into the face of Iesus Christ that the beams which strike out from him may shine in our souls In the last words he sayth And I in them He commendeth this presence of the loue of God in their harts by the presence of Christ himselfe who accompanieth it as if hee had sayde So shall it bee seene if thy loue bee in them that I am in them These two are inseparable Companions the loue of the Father and the presence of the Sonne in the heart Is the loue of the Father in thine heart Then IESES CHRIST is there And by the contrarie is IESVS CHRIST into thine heart then the loue of the Father is into thine heart these two goe inseparable together and where the one lodgeth the other must bee there also Blessed are they that feele the loue of God for Christ is with them in their heartes for one grace draweth on another And if thy God loue thee the glorious Spirite shall bee with thee A question here may bee moued There are two Companions heere the loue of the Father and the presence of the Sonne but which of them is first Whether is the presence of the Sonne or the loue of God in thine heart first I answere Howbeit they bee in thine heart together in one moment of time yet the one in order is before the other And first Iesus Christ taketh possession in thine heart ere the loue of the Father bee in thine heart And because Iesus Christ is entered into thine heart therefore the loue of the Father is into thine heart Before Christ came into thine heart there was neuer grace in it all the grace all the peace and all the joy and all the comfort that is in the heart of a sinner followeth on Christ Christ commeth first and then all grace commeth in after him Hee is neuer him alone but peace joye and gladnesse accompany him then followeth that joye when hee commeth Looke Rom. 5. vers 5. hee telleth vs this order when hee hath said Because when wee were enemies Christ died for vs Because Christ died for thee hee loued thee And thinkest thou that thou wouldest feele that loue of God if Christ had not died for thee and except thou imbrace in thine heart that death by a liuelie fayth Goe to experience What is hee or shee that will feele that loue of God that endlesse comfort or that peace or joye who belieueth not in Iesus Christ It shall passe thy power to feele anie joye before thou feele that Christ died for thee Therefore I beseech thee gripe greedilie to Iesus Christ that hee may dwell in thine heart Nowe yee may aske at mee Howe is Christ in the heart Is not Christ bodilie present at the right hand of the Father How then sayeth hee And I in them Howe can thine heart gette him vvho is in Heauen The answere is easie The Lord Iesus dwelleth in the heart of man and woman by fayth Belieuest thou in him Reacheth thine heart thorowe the Heauens to get a gripe of him If thou belieue as Paul sayeth Ephes 3. vers 17. Christ dwelleth in thee if thine heart bee set on him and if thou belieue that hee died and is risen for thee thou hast him dwelling in thee And thinke yee Brethren that CHRIST can bee in any man or woman but they feele him No where CHRIST is hee is liuing in the heart and that is a glorious life If hee bee in thine heart by fayth there hee is liuing and as hee is liuing in thee so shall hee make thee to liue another life than this life hee shall make thee to liue an Heauenlie and Spirituall life as the Apostle PAVL saith in the second CHAPTER to the GALATIANS and the twentieth VERS I liue no more sayeth hee it is not I that liueth I am dead but IESVS CHRIST liueth in mee And what more The life that I liue in the fleshe and in this mortall bodie I liue it by fayth in the Sonne of GOD who hath loued mee and giuen his owne selfe for mee Is IESVS CHRIST in thine heart by fayth looke the effectes first thou art dead this mortall life is mortified the olde man is slaine If IESVS CHRIST bee in thee hee will slaye this sinfull life for our life naturallie is but a pudling in sinne and wickednesse when hee liueth within thee hee beareth the rule and not the olde man And what more As hee liueth within thee so hee giueth thee another life an Heauenlie and a glorious life Hee beginneth within thee that life which thou shalt liue with him in the Heauens where there is no more mortalitie nor no corruption So all tendeth to this Wouldest thou haue life wouldest thou haue grace in thine heart wouldest thou feele that vnspeakeable loue in thy vaine heart For that is a vaine heart which is not reformed and lieth dead in sinne and is not reuiued and quickened with the life of IESVS CHRIST Wouldest thou haue all this in this life and in that life euerlasting In a worde Wouldest thou reigne in glorie Striue to gette IESVS CHRIST in thine heart and when thou hast gotten him keepe him well and if once thou gettest him thou shalt gette one of the moste glorious thinges that euer was euen the loue of the Father wherein is all sweetnesse That loue of the Father shall flowe downe to thee and with the same loue wherewith the Father loueth the Sonne the Father of IESES CHRIST shall loue thee Well howe commeth all grace vnto vs Euen by IESVS CHRIST the Father powreth on all grace vpon the Sonne our Head Nowe hee bieng the Head and wee the bodie that precious ointment and fulnesse of all grace which is on him floweth downe on vs. So that grace is first powred out on the Sonne thine Head and then it floweth from the Head to the members so that there is not one member of that bodie but it getteth a share though it were neuer so sober a member and if it were but a foote Nowe blessed is hee or shee that is a member of that bodie And blessed is the soule that hath in it the loue of the FATHER in IESVS CHRIST To whom with the FATHER and the Holy SPIRIT bee all Honour and Prayse for euermore AMEN ΤΩ ΘΕΩ ΔΟΞΑ A H
most precious sacrifice that euer was in the world hee entered not with the blood of beasts but with his own precious blood he carried there his owne bloody wounds and that blood slokned that burning wrath So that so soone as that justice findeth that blood the justice is satisfied then there is place to mercy So it followeth there is no entry to Heauen but by the Lord Iesus his blood and as he entered into Heauen by his own blood so there is neuer one of vs man or woman shall enter into HeaueÌ„ except we carry with vs that blood if thou wilt go into HeaueÌ„ be sprinkled with that blood or else the wrath of God shall burne thee vp But how shalt thou get this By faith in him that hath gone before thee with his blood that shall prepare for thee a rowm thou shalt follow thy Head So yee see how needfull it is to belieue in Christ if we would get entry into HeaueÌ„ it was not for his own cause he entred into Heauen but for vs he passed with his blood before vs to get vs an entry Before he lay down the argument he layes downe the ground therâ—f In my Fathers house are many dwelling places I go to prepare them Brethren Heauen is a very faire place there â—re many dwelling places into it there is great honour into it What is Heauen but the glory of God Whereto go we to Heauen but that we may be partakers of that glory who now without Christ are depriued of the glory of God Who is able to measure his glory for he is infinit he dwelleth into a light wherto there is no accesse And as the glory of God is infinit so there are infinit dwelling places in Heauen Before the Ascention of Christ there were rowms enough but they were al vnprepared closed vp til he entred By vertue of his Ascension al the yates were dong vp Then what good doth th' Ascension of Christ It opens all the doors of Heauen to vs there are dwelling places in HeaueÌ„ for a thousaÌ„d worlds for infinit worlds mo worlds than tong can tell There is no scarcity in HeaueÌ„ but as the glory of God is there is infinit can neuer be contained so there are infinit places I say more the Ascension of Iesus Christ vp to Heauen is of such force that it is able to prepare a place for a thousaÌ„d worlds for euery reprobat What is then the cause that euery one goes not to HeaueÌ„ seeing the HeaueÌ„s are able to contain so many There are many called saith the Lord but few elect What is the cause of this What is it but this No want of Mansions there is no want in Iesus Christ but the cause is in men women who want faith in Iesus Christ Who euer hath faith they goe in and who wants it albeit there be many MaÌ„sions there yet there is none for them WheÌ„ thou hearest there are so many dwelling places in Heauen say with thy selfe Lord prepare mee for grace as grace is prepared for me Lord giue me faith into this blood that I by vertue therof may haue a place in HeaueÌ„ Striue therfore rather to throng in to haue a part of that life than to haue all the commodities of the world for if thou hast not this all the coÌ„modities of the world shall go away thou shalt be shot in Hell No striue rather to get a part of that inheritaÌ„ce it were the least Mansion than the whole earth for there is more joye there than in all the world Hee saieth And it were otherwise J would haue tolde you As hee would say I am not boune to beguile you and feed you with faire wordes and there were not many dwelling places in my Fathers house I would haue told you the promise of the Lord Iesus is not like the promise of the world for men will promise mountaines of gold All men of all estates yea Princes are liars but the Lord Iesus will promise nothing but that which he will performe There was neuer such promise made as the Lorde Iesus made Looke how he speaketâ— of the joy of Heauen and of that immortall inheritance thinkâ—st thou he beguileth thee No no thinke not so for and it were nâ—â—â—o the Lorde would neuer haue spoken so of it to thee thou shalt find it so thou shalt see it with thine eys there is none that belieueth but thâ—y shall find in experience the trueth of that promise There was neuer a faithfull soule yet who departed as Abraham Isaac and Iaakob c. but they now find that joy which was promised them in this world Yea more yee shall finde more than euer was spoken of All the words of the world cannot expresse the greatnesse of that joy in Heauen yea all the words in the worlde cannot expresse the thousand part of that ioye As the Queene of Saba when she heard the wordes of Solomon and saw his pompe she began to coÌ„mend them said It was a true word that I heard in mine own land of thy sayings of thy wisdome but lo the one halfe was not told me for thou hast more than I heard by report Euen so belieue all these reports and thou shalt find greater things in Heauen than any thou heardest tell of in the world thou shalt wonder at them It is true that the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 2.9 The eye of man hath not seene nor the eare of man hâ—ard neither hath it entered into the heart of man touching the things which the Lord hath laide vp for them who loue him Hope for greater things and belieue greater thinges than thou canst feele Hope for infinite glory thou canst not hope enough and thou shalt finde in that great day greater joye than euer thou hopedst for that through Iesus Christ To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all praise honour and glory for euermore Amen THE SECOND LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xiiii VERS 3.4.5.6 3 And if I goe to prepare a place for you I will come againe and receiue you vnto my selfe that where J am there may yee bee also 4 And whither I goe yee know and the way yee know 5 Thomas said vnto him Lord wee know not whither thou goest how can wee then know the way 6 Iesus said vnto him J am that Way and that Trueth and that Life No man commeth to the Father but by mee HAving heard already welbeloued Brethren two arguments whereby the Lord comforteth his Disciples who were heauily casten downe for his departing and taking away of his bodily presence from them The first is Faith in Christ Howbeit when I goe away ye shall not see me yet settle your hearts vpon me follow mee with the eyes of your soule rest vpon me with a true faith then in the midst of all troubles ye shal get comfort ease to your soule
a sight of the Son looke that thou passe not by him Wilt thou doe as the Iew does The Iewes got not a sight of him because they passed by the Messias So let all thy trauell be to get the Lord Iesus But ye vvill say The Disciples might easily see him because hee vvas vvith them bodily and sensibly but howe can I see him I answere There are two kindes of sights the one is the Spirituall sight of the eye of the soule vvhich vve call Fayth vvhen thou hearest the glorious Euangel of Iesus and beliuest into it The other sight is vvith â—hy bodily eyes and thou vvho seest him heere vvith the eye of the soule by fayth thou shalt see him hereafter vvith thy bodily eyes Then vvee must not be so grosse as to thinke except vvee see the Lord Iesus vvith the eyes of the body that vvee get no sight of him for the sight vve haue vvith the eye of fayth is a precious sight and this sight maketh his members here to loue him exceedingly Iohn 20.29 hee sayth Thomas because thou hast seene mee thou belieuest but blessed shall they bee vvho hath not seene mee and yet belieueth Belieue but a short vvhile and thou shalt see the fairest sight that euer creature saw and in the meane time thou shalt get joye in belieuing vvhile thy fayth bee turned in sight 1. Pet. 1.8 he sayth Though vvee see him not yet belieuing in him vve rejoyce vvith a joy that is vnspeakable and glorious O then vvhat shall that joy be when thou shalt see his face But howe is it that in Christ vvee see the Father There is the ground The Father and the Sonne are one in glory in power in wisdome justice mercy c. Marke vvell this grounde When yee come to heare of Christ bring it vvith you and settle it into your heart The Father and the Sonne are one and the Sonne is the Image of his Father And this grounde being settled into your soule then the sinner shall rest in hope and shall haue joy and shall reach in to the Father and then the creature findeth the selfe sure and fast and it vvere in the fire and thou vvere in the denne vvith the Lyons and in the middest of death and extremity thy soule shall get rest for vvhat shall separate thee from the loue of God Yea as Paul saith Rom. 8. Thou shalt find thy selfe more than victorious And vvithout this security in Christ Iesus I vvill not giue a pennie for all the security of men and for all the remission of the Prince the Lord shal bruise thee down for al thy remission Well vvell the Lord be mercifull to vs and to our Prince c. When hee hath laide downe this last ground hee vseth sensible arguments to conuince them That they behoued to say That the Father vvas in him and hee in the Father that is that the â—od-head dwelt bodily in him The first argument is from the â—ordes he spake The second from the vvorkes hee vvrought So vvould he say vvould yee haue sure argumentes that the Father and I am one take heed to my vvords take heed to my works and in them yee shall see that I vvho speaketh am the Sonne of God The vvordes that the Lord spake in the vvorlde and the vvorkes hee vvrought bare vvitnesse to them that sawe him and hearde him that hee vvas God Hee spake vvith such a grace and vvith such authoritie and such a Majestie that they who hearde wondered at his doctrine In a worde hee was such a Man as neuer was Looke what the seruantes of the Pharisees said when they had no power to touch him Neuer man spake as this man Iohn 7. vers 46. The Pharisees themselues vnderstanding the worke that hee wrought in giuing sight to the man that was borne blinde were forced to saye It cannot bee but this man is of God Chap. 9. vers 16. But Brethren come to his Disciples The enemies were astonished but his Disciples were not so but they felt the sweetnesse that was in him as Peter confesseth Where shall wee goe to thou hast the wordes of eternall life Chap. 6 vers 68. Hee saide The wordes of Iesus had power to life So the two Disciples when they were going to Emmaus after hee had left speaking to them and was gone away they saide Did not our heartes burne within vs while hee talked with vs by the waye and when hee opened to vs the Scriptures Luke 24.32 The worde of the Lord hath power to burne vp the drosse of the heart Wee also by the preaching of the Gospel finde by experience that life is conuoyed to our soule What meaneth this It meaneth that the Lord who spake was life and that the Godhead dwelt in him Set mee vp a Philosopher vvill his vvordes giue life No the vvordes of man can giue thee no life but the vvordes of the Author of Life giueth life It is true vvee haue not the Lord himselfe outwardlie speaking vnto vs but all that is spoken of him nowe it is spoken by infirme men and sinners vveake sillie bodies and this is the cause vvhy the vvorlde contemneth the Gospel It pleaseth the Lord so to confound the vvisdome of the vvorlde But it is also true If they vvho preach the Gospel seeke the glorie of the Lorde Iesus and the saluation of man they shall haue this vantage The Lord will accompanie the worde spoken by them so powerfullie by his Spirite that it shall furnish life to the hearers Yee see this in experience and all the Sainctes vvho haue anie sight of Iesus Christ vvitnesse it And it vvere but a sillie base man vvho is speaking the vvorde that same vvorde vvill haue power to life And this is the meane the Lorde vseth vvhile his comming againe And albeit the vvorde of the Crosse of Iesus to speake of an hanged man dying a death vvhich vvas cursed by God himselfe of Iesus nayled on the Crosse be the basest thing and the most foolish thing in the vvorlde yet Paul sayeth The vvorde of the same Crosse of IESVS is the power of GOD to Life to them vvho belieue It is the power of GOD and the vvisedome of GOD The greatest wisedome and power that anie faythfull soule can feele is the Crosse vvhich is foolishnesse to the vvorlde and they thinke all the vvisedome of men to bee but foolishnesse in respect of the meanest portion of that vvisdome What meaneth this vvisedome preached by vveake men of the Crosse of a crucified man vvhich conuoyeth life into the soule It meaneth this that the crucified man is the GOD of glorie Therefore holde fast this grounde and then thou shalt finde power comming from him to quicken thy dead soule and through his death thou shalt get life If hee had not died thou hadst neuer seene Life So all our life and all our joye is in his death And therefore let this bee all our glorie and our joye to rest vpon the Crosse
the power of any creature What Angel or what man can worke such thinges If my works bee not aboue all works belieue not in â—ee but if it be otherwise belieue in mee And there were nonâ— other argumâ—nt in the worlde to moue men to belieue that the Lorde â—esus is the God of glory and that in his Manhood the Godhead dwelleth the very effects the words the works the deed testifie and â—hee is able to conuict all the conscienceâ— of men and Angels and make them say The Lord Iesus is the God of glory Yea Brethren and there were no more to peswade vs that Iesus is the God of glorie but the word wee haue of Iesus this power of the word of the Crosse and this grace and Majesty that shines in the Scriptures it testifieth plainly that the Lord the Author of that worde is the God of Heauen for it hath such a power in the soules of men and women that either it conuicteth them or else it conuerteth them and therefore it is called the power of God And it were the word of man that worde coulde neuer haue such power to conuict the worlde or to bring the soules of men to saluation So the effectes that come from the Lord testifie to the world that he is God and is able to conuict the consciences of all the enemies in the worlde yea euen of the Deuill himselfe But and there bee no more they will neuer bring thee to saluation Therefore if thou wouldest haue that solide fayth in Iesus Christ and that taste of his sweetnesse in thine heart thou must haue another witnesse â— the holy Spirite must concur with the outwarde worde and the outwarde works drawing alluring and perswading thee by renewing thine heart and that bringeth with it the greatest joye and sweetnesse in the world When the Spirit is inwardly in the heart draweth it to Christ as the eye seeth the workes the soule beginneth to rest and repose vpon the Lord with a joy vnspeakeable Therfore euer preasse to get the presence of that Spirite or otherwise the works will but conuict vs and make vs inexcusable in that great day Yet he insists he bringeth another argument to allure them to belieue Verilie verilie sayth the Lord belieue mee that I am in the Father if ye belieue this it shall be for your owne weale it shall not only bee for my glory but for your weale Yee thinke my workes great but belieue in me and I shall make you worke these workes and greater than these So this argument is taken for their owne weale Who getteth greatest vantage in the honouring of God Who getteth greatest vantage in belieuing Is it the Lorde No he may want thee and all thy well-doing and not an haire the more bee impaired of his glory All the vantage commeth to the creature and the glory of the creature standeth in glorifying the Creator The felicity of man and woman in earth is in belieuing Christ Iesus So wilt thou be blessed belieue In a word and thou belieue the best is thine owne and all the profite redoundeth to thee What vantage bringeth fayth with it There is not a man or a woman that will once belieue in the Lord Iesus but as soone his heart will be filled with that Spirit and with all good things and with power to worke all manner of good works surmounting all the powers of nature So a poore body belieuing in Christ Iesus will haue more power to doe good than all the Kinges in the world that haue no more but nature So it is saide of Steuen that he was full of fayth and of the Spirit and of power And what followeth he was so powerful in reasoning that the Pharisees could not resist him he had a wonderous working with him And in the Primitiue Kirke after the Lorde had suffered and when hee was glorified they who did belieue in him got such a power that was marueilous to the world Looke the Actes and the last Chapter of Marke So they who belieue in Christ surpasse the worlde It is true those extraordinary and miraculous workes cease now but yet the power that followeth on the fayth in Christ abideth effectuall if not in such miraculous works as were to cast out Deuils to speake with Tongues c. which were in the Primitiue Kirke Yet in such workes as the worlde cannot worke The wordes of a sinfull man are powerfull to regeneration and to renewe a dead soule And it is no lesse wonder to raise vp a dead soule than to raise a dead man out of the graue yea it is a greater work And if ye wil go to works fayth maketh vs meete to work the works of charity And I say it is better to worke a charitable worke than such miraculous workes the one is more excellent and precious than the other Iudas wrought wonders but hee could not worke the works of charitie These works of charity are as as many witnesses of our election and they bring greater joye with them than all miraculous works When the Disciples returned to Christ rejoycing that they had wrought great miracles through his Name the Lord saieth vnto them Rejoyce rather in this that your names are written in the Heauens Luke 10.17 If vvee finde the power of fayth in working charitable workes wee may thinke vs well for we are lifted aboue this world and are become Citizens in Heauen awaiting for that redemption to come So I say fayth is powerfull in worde and deede and hee who wanteth this fayth hee wanteth power in word and deede and so blessed is he who hath this fayth Now there ariseth a question in the words Some would thinke this a marueilous thing that the Lorde will giue power to his Disciples to worke greater workes than himselfe wrought I answere It is true indeed the Disciples of Iesus Christ after his Ascension wrought greater workes than the Lord did in his owne person but it was not so much the Disciples as it was the Lorde of glory that wrought these works by the Disciples hee vttered his power vsing them as ministers Yet should not the Lorde haue wrought greater workes himselfe in his owne person than hee wrought by his Disciples Should he not himselfe haue wrought greater works when he was in the earth than hee wrought by his Disciples when he was in Heauen I answere No for the Lord so long as he was in the earth was but humble that diuine power did keep it self close vttered not it selfe in the full measure and so it behoued to be that the Godhead should not vtter the selfe in his humiliation Buâ— when he is glorified in the nature of man in the Heauen then the power of that Godhead in him vttered it self in greater power than in the earth And if there were no more to proue that Christ glorified wrought greater thinges by his Apostles than he did in his owne person when hee was humbled this one
difference of men it is not by nature for by nature all men refuse this Spirite The Lord of Heauen who offereth this Spirite to the worlde in some hee will make him to worke effectually with ioy in others when he offereth the Spirit he maketh the heart hard and vvhen the worde beateth at it it will resist and fight with both the handes to holde backe the worde So Steuen Act. 7. vers 51. saith of the Iewes Yee resist euer the holy Spirit The multitude euer striueth to holde out the Spirite out of their heartes and the more the Spirit bee offered the harder is their heartes Well it lieth in no mans hand to giue this Spirite or to take it There is no free will in the heart but it is of the free will of God So when wee heare the worde our whole endeuour shoulde bee to looke to him from whom the Spirit commeth and say Lord it lieth not in my power of my selfe to receiue this Spirit but Lord open thou mine heart as thou openedst the heart of Lydia to receiue this Spirit Now to goe forwarde Hee setteth downe the cause wherefore the world was not able to receiue this Spirit Hee sayth The world cannot receiue him because it seeth him not not knoweth him not When wee know a thing perfectly it is good for vs the knowledge will waken a desire in our heartes to haue it and to brooke it Againe by the contrary And it were neuer so good a thing and neuer so meete for vs and we haue no knowledge of it wee will not haue a desire of it yea and it were Heauen it selfe for the common saying is true Ignoti nulla cupido The Lord sayth to the Samaritane woman Iohn 4.10 And thou knewest that gift of God that is offered to thee this day and thou knewest him who asketh thee drinke thou wouldest seeke of him the water of life The Lord meaned shee asked not the water of life because shee knew it not but when she knew the sweetnesse of that water and tasted of it that Well of Iaakob which shee thought so precious before she left it behind her and ran into the Towne and proclaimed that grace But to come to the particular And a man knew how great a grace the Spirit were he would giue all the things in the worlde for a gripe of him and for a taste of his sweetnesse But a man who knoweth not the Spirit of Christ for the worlde knoweth not what grace is in that Spirite of Christ so the misknowledge of the Spirit maketh the contempt of the Spirit that man hath no desire of him Woe to that soule that cannot saye Lord indue mee with thine holy Spirit for it is a sure thing that those who want this Spirite they haue not Christ for Christ is possessed by his Spirite and when hee is out of the heart there Christ is away Euer seeke knowledge of God and of Iesus Christ and of the holy Spirit as yee would bee saued hereafter And euer when yee heare any speaking of this blessed Trinitie bee busie to vnderstand what is spoken Knowledge worketh a thirst of grace and sayeth the Lord Matth. 5.6 Blessed is hee who hungereth and thirsteth for righteousnesse for he shall be filled What would a man seeke but his fill In this life they shall get a taste of that water of life and heereafter they shall get a satietie For as Dauid sayth Psal 16.11 In thy face is fulnesse of joy and at thy right hand are pleasures for euermore So striue to get a knowledge for it worketh a desire and knowledge growe not desire cannot grow When hee hath laide downe the grounde wherefore they were not able to receiue the Spirit of God the Disciples who looked to the estate of the worlde might haue saide This estate of the world is miserable What Lord is our estate Lie we in blindnesse and ignorance as the worlde doeth The Lord meeteth this and sayeth Yee knowe him and the worlde knoweth him not And hee addeth the reason He bideth with you And he then maketh a promise to them of a farder acquaintance of the Spirit of God with them he sayeth Hee shall bee in you And then in the verse following to confirme vs hee repeateth it and sayth J shall not leaue you comfortlesse That is I shall come againe to you in my Spirit The first thing wee haue to marke When the Disciples haue heard of the miserable estate of the worlde they are carefull to vnderstand their estate whether they bee like to the worlde or not and as they are carefull to vnderstand so the Lord is carefull to make them vnderstand it This vvorld is miserable now the multitude is hardened lying without the sheepe-folde of the Lord So when we heare of the darknesse of the worlde as of the Iewes the Turkes and Pagans yea euen to amplifie and extende this to the kingdome of Antichrist and of the Papistes also for they are but miserable I say and I proclaime in the Name of the great God of Heauen and in the ende they shall see it glory in their knowledge as they will they shall be casten out in darknesse When wee heare of this I say should we heare of it securely as if it belonged not to vs Or should wee set our eyes only vpon the worlde No wee should set our eyes vpon our selues and trie our owne estate and saye Lord what am I Haue I sought grace Shall I get Heauen This should be our care to see that we be not like the world And if we be carefull as the Disciples were to search our estate and to trie our knowledge of the holy Spirit the Lord will be ready to answere as he answered them he will speake to thee by thy conscience Thou art not like to the worlde Blessed art thou thou hast the knowledge of the holy Spirit When we heare of the world all is but misery multitudes lying in blindnesse and ignorance when we heare of this wee should not rejoyce of this but wee should bee carefull of our selues and say Lord let me not bee like the world but let mee haue a knowledge of the Lord. No wee should not rejoyce in the misery of the multitude but lament for it The second thing I marke is the waye to come to the knowledge of the Spirit of Christ Wee know all this Brethren when a man is acquainted with another man and haunteth with him the man will knowe his familiar and knowe his power and let them speake they will know other So acquaintance will make knowledge Well wouldest thou know the Spirit of Iesus Christ be acquainted with him for there is no knowledge without familiaritie and hee must dwell with thee night and day ere thou knowe him Barrest thou him out thou wilt neuer know him So the way to know him is onely dwelling with thee hee must dwell in thine heart and then he will let thee see such a power
I charge thee till thou gettest that life without the which there is no quietnesse thou mayest be quiet for a while but blacke shall bee thy wakening and say thou Lord liue in my soule for and he liue not heere in thy soule thou shalt not get that life to come Now to draw to an ende Hee letteth them see what vantage they shall haue of that sight It is no small vantage to see Christ In that day would the Lord say what shall yee see vvhen yee see mee Yee shall see two thinges two vnions in the sight of which standeth the joye of the creature The first is the vnion betwixt me and the Father J am in the Father that is I am God with the Father And next ye shal see yourselues to stand in this societie That is That yee are in mee and I in you to your joye and comfort One may aske Howe shalt thou see him vnited with the Father A man or vvoman shall not so soone set the eye of the soule vpon Iesus Christ shall not so soone belieue in him but as soone they shall knowe and belieue the vnity of the essence and glory of the Father and of the Sonne By fayth in Christ they shall gripe an infinite power Who is he that belieueth in Iesus Christ vvho findeth not in his heart an infinite power and an infinite mercy And vve feele not this vvee feele nothing And vvee feele not by fayth an vnspeakeable loue vvee feele nothing In one vvord vvhen one belieueth in Christ they shall see in him an infinit Majesty othervvayes fayth could not rest on him for fayth can rest on nothing but on God I remember Paul to the Ephesians Chap. 1. Vers 18.19 hee prayeth the Lord to illuminate the hearts of the Ephesians to see heauenly thinges and among the rest to see that excellent greatnesse of power There is none that belieueth in Christ but they finde an excellent power Then if fayth finde the Majesty of God in him the man vvill lay this conclusion and say I see my Sauiour is God and is one vvith the Father And there the soule getteth a sweet repose to rest vpon So ye see as soone as the soule belieueth in Christ it feeleth an vnspeakeable power and Majesty and so gathereth hee is God and one vvith the Father Except hee were God and one with the Father it coulde not bee that one belieuing in Christ coulde haue such joye and peace in the heart This is the Trueth and hee were not God mine heart could not haue joye in belieuing in him So this power wee finde striking from the Lord in belieuing telleth vs that the Lord is God Nowe to speake of the second vnion Howe is this that when wee looke to Christ by fayth wee finde vs joyned with him in that blessed society The eye shall not so soone bee set on Christ and gette a blinke of him but in him it shall finde the satiety of joye In the face of Christ is all light and joye as Paul sayeth Turne the heart till him the vaile shall vanish awaye and the minde shall bee illuminated because the Lord is a Spirit 2. Cor. Chap. 3. vers 16.17 When thou belieuest in him his face shall shine in thy soule thou shalt see no light but in him Is this the effect of fayth What then shouldest thou gather Thou vvouldest neuer finde ioye except the Spirit had vnited thee and him All this light power and ioye which is in our soules floweth from that vnion of Christ with vs. Then Brethren the sight of Christ will let vs see the two ioyfullest sightes that euer wee saw First that vnion betwixt him and his Father and so thou wilt see thy Sauiour to bee God equall with the Father in glory and Maiesty The next is Thou shalt see thy selfe to stand in that societie with the Father and the Sonne Men would be in honest societie What more gracious yea what more blessed societie woldest thou haue than to be in societie with the blessed Trinitie in glory for euer For this is the felicitie of man to bee ioyned with that blessed Trinitie euen with the Father with the Sonne and with the holy Spirit To whom be praise and honour foreuer and euer Amen THE SEVENTH LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xiiii VERS 21.22.23.24.25.26 21 Hee that hath my Commandements and keepeth them is hee that loueth mee and hâ—e that loueth mee shall bee loued of my Father and I will loue him and will shew mine owne selfe to him 22 Judas saide vnto him not Iscariot Lord what is the cause that thou wilt shew thy selfe vnto vs and not vnto the world 23 Jesus answered and said vnto him If any man loue mee hee will keepe my word and my Father will loue him and wee will come vnto him and will dwell with him 24 Hee that loueth mee not keepeth not my words and the word which yee heare is not mine but the Fathers which sent mee 25 These thinges have I spoken vnto you being present with you 26 But the Comforter which is the holy Ghoste whome the Father will send in my Name hee shall teach you in all thinges and bring all thinges to your remembrance which I haue tolde you WEE haue heard welbeloued Brethren how Christ hath insisted much with his Disciples to assure them that after his departure out of this world he would giue them another Comforter to wit the holy Spirit the Spirit of Trueth and he would giue them his presence from the Heauen Hee hath repeated his promise often to assure them of the trueth thereof Nowe hee returneth vnto that seconde exhortation and exhorteth his Disciples of newe to keepe his Commandementes in his absence Hee sayeth the Lord who hath my Commandements and keepeth them is hee who loueth mee As he would say Wouldest thou know the man who loueth me when I am in the Heauens It is hee who keepeth my CoÌ„mandements here on earth Ye see the Lord is very earnest to exhort his Disciples to keep his CoÌ„mandemeÌ„ts as they vvould testifie to the vvorld that they loue him The Lord knew vvell enough the hypocrisie of this vvorlde and in this latter age chiefely that men vvomen vvould haue a pretence of loue and faith and haue none indeed in their heart and therfore he insisteth vvith his Disciples that men should kythe it indeede The babler and the speaker onely is not the louer but the doer Iohn in his first Epistle Chap. 3. vers 18. saith My little Children let vs not loue in word neither in tounge but in deed and trueth They who belieue are not those who speake most but those who doe most James Chap. 2 vers 18. saith Let me see thy fayth by thy workes and I will shew thee my fayth by my works Christ is not a voyce or a sound sounding in mens eares but the Lord Iesus is in deede and effect and there are none who haue Christ
but they will bee fectfull There is not a man or a woman who deliteth in euill that hath Christ dwelling within them When the Lord hath pointed out the man who loueth him the Disciples might haue thought What vantage shal men then haue to loue thee for wee will doe nothing without vantage thy loue appeareth to be a burden till vs because thou chargest vs to keepe thy Commandements The Lord meeteth this and hee saieth Hee that loueth me shall be loued of my Father he shall not loue me for nothing my Father shall meet him with loue Whosoever loueth the Lord Iesus the Father loueth him vvhosoever hateth the Lord Iesus the Father hateth him There is nothing but hatred in God against the Iewes and Pagans vvho loueth not the Lord Iesus let him be Anathema It vvould seeme by these vvords Brethren that our loue preceedeth and passeth before the loue of God and because wee loue him first therefore hee loueth vs But this is not the beginning of loue that is meant here God beginneth the loue and then we loue him Thereafter hee meeteth vs with loue God loueth vs ay first vvhen we were his enemies he loued vs he loued vs ere euer we were or had any being and because he loued vs he chose vs. In this standeth loue fayth Iohn 1. Epist Chap. 4. vers 10. not that wee loued him first but that hee loued vs first to kythe this hee sent his only begotten Sonne to bee a propitiation for our sinnes So God beginneth first to loue vs ere euer wee begin to loue him Paul saith Rom. 5. The loue of God must bee shed abroad in our hearts the holy Spirit must testifie vnto vs of that fauour that God hath till vs and hee must water our drie heartes vvith a sense of that loue and then when the Lord letteth vs see that hee loueth vs and hath assured vs of the remission of our sinnes by the death of Christ then wee begin to meete him with loue So the loue vvee haue to God is nothing but like a little spring of vvater flowing from that great Fountaine of his loue Now vvhen the Lord seeth vs begin to loue him in some measure vve begin not to loue him so soone but as he began to loue vs hee commeth about and compasseth our loue He is euer the first louer and the last There is none heart able to comprehende the loue of the Lord The loue of the Lord to his owne is endlesse Paul sayeth to the Ephesians Chap. 3. vers 18. Yee being rooted and grounded vpon the loue of God there is our roote and our foundation vve stand vpon yee may be able to comprehend with all the Saincts vvhat is the breadth and length and depth and height of that loue The loue of God is infinite The heart vvill feele the loue of God But the heart of the sinner cannot comprehend it in full measure But to speake of our loue it is very sober it is nothing to speake of and except God meete this sponke of loue continually vvith that passing loue that sponke vvould soone be quenched except he continued his grace vpon vs our loue would soone vanish away Wee may finde this all by experience For vvhen God hath heaped his benefites vpon vs vvee meete him not aye vvith loue but our loue is like to die and euanish out of our heartes When God hath giuen a benefite vvho is it that at the recept of it hath his heart drawne to God When thou hast eaten and drunken and slept hast thou thine heart drawne to God The vvorlde forgetteth God vvhen it hath gotten the benefites of God In a worde Our loue is so small and weake that albeit hee preasse to intertaine it it is like to die and dwine awaye It should not bee so For it vvill not bee vvel vvith them and they vvere Kinges Lordes or Earles vvhen they gette the benefites of GOD vvho will not acknowledge him for them And thinke once of the loue of GOD thou shalt not loue him so soone but thou shalt finde that loue of GOD in thine heart Preasse to loue the LORDE and hee shall striue to loue thee and shall not rest to loue thee till hee glorifie thee in the Heauens Hee addeth to and hee sayeth Not onlie shall the Father loue him but the Son shall loue him also The loue of the Father and of the Son is vnseparable whom the Father loueth the Son loueth on the contrary whom the Father hateth the Sonne hateth also So and thou wouldest haue the loue of the Father haue the loue of the Sonne Howbeit these two loues bee set downe as sundry loues as though the Father had one loue and the Sonne another loue as wee see amongst men it is not so with the Father of Heauen and with the Sonne of God As there is but one essence of the Father and of the Sonne and one Majestie and as there is but one power and justice and wisdome so there is but one and that selfe same loue of the Father and of the Sonne and that same loue vvhich is the Sonnes is also the Fathers the nature of God is loue if there be but one nature of the Father and of the Sonne it must therefore followe there is but one loue of the Father and of the Sonne How then get wee the sense and feeling of this loue of God Experience telleth vs that all the sense of loue that is in the Father is all thorow the Sonne Neuer man yet got a sight or sense of the loue of the Father but by the Sonne Hee who neuer saw the Lord Iesus sawe neuer the loue of God because hee is the splendor of his glory and the image of the inuisible God The Iewes may striue to see the Father but neuer shall they see him till they turne them to the Sonne What man is hee that euer felt the loue of God without Christ And what dow a sinner without a sense of loue and mercy Looke if it will not passe thy power to haue any sense of the loue of God without Iesus Christ but when the heart is drawne to looke to him by fayth in Christ then thou shalt get such a sweetnesse rest and joy as cannot be vttered What meaneth this It meaneth that the mercy that is layed vp for sinners it is layed vp in Christ So let vs addresse our selues to Christ and thorowe him wee shall haue accesse to the deepnesse of that grace in God That then is the vantage they shall get who loueth him to wit they shall be met with a two-fold loue Now lest they should think this loue but fectlesse as is the loue of the creature he telleth them what fruit shall come to them there thorow If the Father shall loue you I then I shall show mine owne selfe to you I shall giue you mine owne presence So there is the profit that redoundeth of the loue of the Father and of
for euer Wee shoulde enter into the way to get his presence Christian Religion standeth not so much in curiositie or in speaches as in the sense of the heart in a practising of that loue of the heart in the life and conuersation The Apostle Paul in the fourth Chap. to the Ephes vers 22.24 telleth vs what it is to learne Christ euen to put off the olde man and to put on the newe man This for the answere Yet hee insisteth in that that they should keepe his Commaundement No it cannot bee preached enough to keepe the Commandement of Christ because our nature is so backward And as before he pointed out the man who loued him so now he pointeth out the man who loueth him not and that is he who keepes not his Command and blessed word that he hath giuen for our weale Who is it then who loueth him not hee who keepeth not his Commandes Marke when yee see a man taking pleasure to displease God and leading a life directlie contrary to the will of God point out that man and saye This is a man who hateth God in his heart Iudge not of a man by his tongue and speaches for oftentimes hee vvho doeth vvorst speaketh best Aske at an hypocrite if hee bee a Christian or not hee will bee angrie with you because hee not seeing himselfe thinketh himselfe as good as any other It is an easie thing to the tongue to cloake the filth of the heart of the hypocrite And vvhat will his hand be doing then It will be vttering it selfe in a filthie life So take not vp the disposition of the heart of man or vvoman by the tongue but by the hand for the hand will saye to the tongue Tongue thou liest John 1. Epist Chap. 2. Vers 4. If any say I know God and keepe not his Command he is a lyar and the trueth is not in him And againe Chap. 4. Vers 20. If any man say I loue God and hateth his brother he is but a lyar Who is it that controlleth the tongue and testifieth before the world that the heart is but false It is the hande and the worke the tongue is but a cloake of falsenesse Marke a faythfull man by his hâ—nde and not by his tongue Our Lord sayeth in the seuenth Chap. of Matth. and the eighteenth vers It is vnpossible that an euill Tree can bring foorth good fruit Yet he insisteth in this matter for hee is very earnest to recommende this obedience to his Disciples and to vs all and hee furnisheth the last argument whereby they should be moued to keep his Commandement and he leadeth them vnto that Fountaine of all his wordes vvhich was that glorious Majestie of his Father The word sayth he vvhich yee heare is not mine but the Fathers vvhich sent mee Would yee haue the ground and fountaine of all fayth of all obedience of all well-doing and of all securitie in this life The ground of all is the onely mouth of the Father So that when a man vnderstandeth that word that hee should belieue into it is not the worde of man but that Verity that floweth from the mouth of the Majesty of God then the heart gripeth vnto it belieueth then the hand executeth it then there followeth obedience But when the heart is not perswaded that the word flowes from that mouth of God but from man then the heart will draw abacke it cannot belieue and the life will not follow it Then Christ learneth vs here If wee would haue the people belieuing and obeying his worde to drawe their eares to heare the Lord speaking and then the hearts of the faythfull will receiue it vvith joye and practise it Away with all the wordes of men of all creatures of all Angels they cannot bee a solide grounde to our fayth neither can the authoritv of the Kirke bee a ground to our fayth albeit the foolish Papists affirme that the cause wherefore vve belieue the Scripture is because the Kirke sayth it is the word of God for except the Scripture bare witnesse of the selfe that it vvere of God and the word of God truely the authoritie of the Kirke could neuer make vs belieue nor perswade vs the same For the ground of our fayth must bee the voyce and testimony of God himselfe speaking to vs. Onely this word of the Olde and Newe Testament vvherein God himselfe speaketh is able to establish our fayth The Lord when hee hath exhorted them perceiuing that his vvorde tooke not that effect in the heartes of his Disciples that it should haue done notwithstanding all his gracious speaking for he knew their hearts he meeteth this and he sayth J haue spoken these thinges being present with you And howbeit they bee not so effectuall in you for the present bee not discouraged for when I shall passe to the Heauen the Comforter which is the holy Ghost whome the Father will sende in my Name shall teach you all thinges and hee shall call these wordes to your remembrance which J haue tolde you We may learne here first the word hath none effect in the heart without the Spirit accompany it Let it bee the worde of God and flowe out of the mouth of God yet and hee concur not with the worde by his Spirit the word shall worke none effect in the heart There are two Doctors who teach vs one Doctor outwarde to the eare and another inwarde that is the Spirit vvho mollifieth the heart Let the outwarde Doctor sounde neuer so long in the eare if the inwarde concur not the worde shall doe no good And except that Spirite open the eye of the soule to see and open the heart as he opened the heart of Lydia Act. Chap. 16. vers 14. to receiue that seede of the worde the heart shall bee as a closed Booke and harder than it was of before Marke another thing The Spirit of the Lord Iesus will not accompany the worde at all times no not in the hearts of the faythfull themselues The Apostles were a proofe of this Howe much spake the Lord to them vvhen he was in the world and how little effect tooke it in them till he went to the Heauens In the 29. chap. of Esay vers 11. ye reade the word of the Lord is like a closed book to the vnfaithful Nowe this is true likewise the worde of God to the godly sometimes is like a closed booke and they will haue such a hardnesse at times that they will haue no sense of it not to indure them but to humble them And if euer there was maâ—ter of humiliation heere it is that when God speaketh thou wilt stande vp and not regarde him and receiue no fruite nor consolation of it Vpon this riseth the Lesson to vs all that the Lord Iesus gaue vnto his Disciples Howbeit at sometimes wee will finde an euill disposition of the soule a deafnesse a blindnesse and senselesnesse Take this consolation Be not discouraged altogether
Let not the Minister leaue off to preach and let not the people leaue off to heare but let euer the sâ—ede bee sowne and let euer the heart receiue the seede and holde euer vp the eare and in despite of thine heart when thine heart would loathe it euer heare and striue to holde vp thine eares and abide in patience till the Lord send better Peter in his first Epist chap. 1. vers 23. he calleth the seed of the word an immortall seed It will neuer die it may be choaked holden down It can no more die saith Peter than God can die So of necessity in the ende when it shall please God to waken that word by his holy Spirit in the heart then it shall afford solide joy and consolation till vs these sentences shal be called to our remembrance which wee heard before without fruit and edification We haue found this in experience wheÌ„ man or woman hath most adoe in affliction this same very Comforter will come to the heart and renew the remembrance and will cause them to haue a joy in that word which they heard before with deafe eares And this is true that at the last hee shall comfort his owne with that worde which they hearde with deafe eares for the worde cannot passe awaye without some effect Hee sayeth The holy Spirite shall teach them all things We know he who teacheth is called a Teacher yet when he sayth The holy Spirit shall teach he calleth him not a Teacher but a Comforter because al his doctrine tendeth to consolation There is no comfortable doctrine but that doctrine of the holy Spirit inwardly working in the soule We will say Men will teach comfortable doctrine but all the comfortable doctrine we heare proceedeth of this that the holy Spirit accompanieth their doctrine and worketh comfort inwardly If thou hast anie consolation inwardlie by teaching thou mayest rejoyce and bee assured that thou hast a glorious Doctour euen the third person of the Trinitie in thine heart There is no consolation in the outwarde Teacher without him whome the Father shall sende in my Name The Father sendeth the holie Spirite in the Name of the Sonne and sendeth that Spirit by his Sonne as Mediator The Spirite and all his graces floweth till vs from the Father but mediatelie thorowe the Sonne as a mediate person There commeth not a grace till vs but thorow the Sonne All power is giuen to him and thorow him immediately all joye is conuoyed to the creature The Iewes and Paganes passe ouer this and thinke to climbe vp to God the Father without the Messias but they shall neuer see him for the God of Heauen hath placed in him as in a store-house all grace vvhich he shall bestow vpon the vvorld as Iustice Mercy Sanctification Ioye Peace and tranquility of Conscience and hee hath bought them by no lesse price than by his Blood they are all bought by the blood of the immaculate Lambe of God Thou vvho hast gotten a sponke of that grace thou hast gotten a greater grace than if thou hadst gotten all the Kingdomes of the vvorlde But what shall he teach you All things Not all the fantasies of men not the inuentions of the Pope but all things J haue tolde you The Lord be mercifull to this worlde vvhich wandereth after the inuentions of men And blessed art thou who restest vpon that vvord which the Spirit hath told Marke hath the vvorde preached none effect but by the Spirit conuoying it Not Euen so on the other part the Spirit will teach nothing but that which hath come out of the mouth of Iesus Christ Bee not deceiued What call I the word of Christ That is the word of Christ that â—he Prophets spake of olde as Peter testifieth for the Prophets spake by the Spirit of Christ Next I call the word of Christ that which he spake himselfe in the worlde Thirdly that which the Apostles spake Last I call the worde of God the Scriptures of the Olde and New Testament vvhich the Lord hath registrated in his mercie And take it awaye miserable darknesse shall come vpon the vvorlde Let it stand giue it the owne power it shall shine like light vnto the worlde They will saye it hath not all that Christ spake and that the Apostles spake I answere The Lord Iesus spake nothing nor his Apostles spake nothing but all in effect is contained in this written word There is not a word that the Spirit of Iesus shall speake vnto thy soule but onely that which is registrated in the Olde and New Testament That Trueth shall stand inspite of the world This place therefore confuteth all them that are enemies to the Scriptures Mahomet began said the Scripture was imperfect The Pope brought in mens Traditions to supply the wants of the Scriptures Others as the Anabaptistes awaite on that reuelation of the Spirit besides that reuelation of Iesus Christ in his worde But inspite of them they shall get none other reuelation nor the Spirit shall accompany no word but that which Iesus hath spoken left in register Now Lord if we with whome hee hath let his light remaine shoulde praise him The Lord accompany his worde with the presence of his Spirite that Comforter in our soules inwardly till his comming in the Cloudes and we see him face to face To whom bee praise honour and glory for euer and euer Amen THE EIGHT LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xiiii VERS 27.28.29.30.31 27 Peace J leaue with you my peace I giue vnto you not as the world giueth giue I vnto you Let not your heart bee troubled nor feare 28 Yee haue heard howe I saide vnto you I goe away and will come vnto you Jf yee loued mee yee would verily reioyce because J saide I goe vnto the Father for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I haue spoken vnto you before it come that when it is come to passe yee might belieue 30 Heereafter will J not speake manie thinges vnto you for the prince of this world commeth and hath nought in mee 31 But it is that the worlde may knowe that I loue my Father and as the Father hath commanded mee so I doe Arise let vs goe hence IN the beginning of this Chapter Brethren Christ began to comfort his Disciples against the time hee was to with-drawe his bodily presence from them and he continued a while in comforting them and then after he beginneth to exhort them First to belieue in him and next to obedience to keepe his Commaundementes and hee insisted chiefely in this That they should keepe the worde hee spake vnto them in his absence Now in the beginning of these wordes wee haue read the Lord returneth againe to that consolation that he began with to wit That they should not bee troubled in his absence The arguâ—ent is taken from that peace hee leaueth with them Seeing I leaue peace with you what need yee to bee troubled
Weigh the wordes for they are weighty Peace I leaue you sayeth the Lord No question hee alludeth to that common fashion of salutation that was vsed amongst the Iewest in their meetinges and departinges wherein they wished peace one to another by the which word they vnderstood all kind of prosperitie in thinges earthly and heauenly So the Lord would say I am now to depart from you but I leaue something behind mee to you to wit my blessing prosperity for euer Now least it should haue bene thought that he left peace vnto them no other wayes than the men of this world vse to do he subjoyneth My peace I giue you There is an emphasis in these wordes My peace and I giue you it As the Lord would saye Men may well wish peace to men but it lieth in no mans hands to giue peace there is no Angel in Heauen able to giue peace but I sayeth the Lord shall giue you it I am not only sayth the Lord a wisher but a giuer There is no man able to giue his owne peace because no man hath peace to giue Men may wish peace from God as to the Philipp 4.7 It is called the peace of God None of the Apostles will say My peace but the peace of God and therefore hee is called the God of peace Rom. 16.20 The Lord Iesus hath peace to giue as the Father hath peace Yea more he would signifie by this peace not a common sort of peace but an inwarde peace of conscience the rest to the soule of a sinner that peace that passeth all vnderstanding Philipp Chap. 4. Vers 7. The rest of the soule as ye may reade in Matthewes Gospel Chap. 11. Vers 29. where Christ sayeth Come vnto mee all yee that are weary and laden and I will ease you and yee shall finde rest to your soules Take this peace away there is no rest to the soule This peace is called Christes peace because it floweth from him immediately till vs that wee may haue a good conscience that we may haue assurance of the remission of our sinnes for herein standeth chiefelv a good conscience when it sayeth thy sinnes are freely forgiuen thee Wee knowe this good conscience standeth in fayth thorow the blood of CHRIST Take awaye the blood of CHRIST there is no conscience that is good Heb. 9.14 The blood of Christ purgeth our conscience from dead works to serue the liuing God that is it purgeth vs from our sins So ye see this that all the joy of the soule floweth from the blood of Christ Iesus and therefore worthily he calleth it his peace because it commeth thorow his blood vvithout the which peace there is no rest howbeit yee had all the peace of all the Princes of the worlde Let the Traytors haue the Kinges peace and let them vvant this peace let them passe as they will they haue no peace Yet he insisteth the third time and subjoyneth Not as the worlâ—e giueth giue I it He marketh the manner of the giuing and maketh an exposition of the giuing of it Worldly men will take vpon them to giue peace but the worldes peace is but for a fashion the mouth will wish peace and the heart will curse this is the peace of the world That peace of the world is so fectlesse that scarcelie vvill a man wish that peace from his heart As the Lord woulde say I speake not only with my mouth but from mine heart I wish it and I shall effectuate it indeede A man may wish well but it vvanteth effect Yee see now this three-folde repetition Will yee vveigh the words yee shall finde a wonderfull intier loue and vnspeakeable heartinesse vttered by the Lord in his Farewell These vvords let vs see that he not only leaueth peace and loue behinde him but his very heart Besides all the grace wee haue of Iesus Christ they who loue Christ they haue his heart Looke how tenderly he loueth faythfull men howbeit hee bee in the Heauen yet he leaueth them his very heart and inwarde affection there is an vnspeakeable loue Now when he hath taken his good-night he concludes Seeing I haue left you peace and I giue you it vvhat then needeth you to bee troubled Marke then this conclusion Where the peace of the Lord is not there the soule of man hath no rest there is nothing but trouble and griefe there It is true great sinners vvho vvill haue no part of Iesus Christ vvill haue some kind of rest and who vvill bee so merry as they Bloody murderers vvicked blasphemers and vile adulterers vvill by appearance haue peace But Brethren this is but a false peace and assuredly it is better a thousand times to haue an vnquiet and restlesse soule than to haue a secure life for a senselesse carnall security is a sure token of a sudden judgement to come Paul in his first Epistle to the Thessalonians Chap. 5. Vers 3. sayeth When they say there is peace and safety then shall come vpon them sudden destruction as the trauell vpon a vvoman with child and they shall not escape The loune will bid cloze the yates and bid watch let him bid as hee vvill the judgement of God shall not passe by him and his yates shall not holde out the wrath of God but it shall come on him as the paine commeth on a woman in the time of her birth So in one vvorde they who want this peace they haue no peace No peace to the wicked Isai 57. By the contrary vvhen the Lord Iesus giueth peace to the heart of a sinfull man or woman vvhose heart is troubled then the heart of a sinner hath peace I put the case that a man were in great danger euen at deaths doore yea and he were in the fire and the Lord Iesus giue him his peace and saye I giue thee my peace then the soule shall be in exceeding joye Tyrantes haue marueiled that the Martyres who suffered for Iesus should haue had such a joye as they had So if the Lord Iesus will once say My peace I giue you then the soule will rest on him with such a joye as is vnspeakeable So the Apostles felt this indeede In one vvorde the peace of Iesus Christ guardeth the soule and maketh it sure as Paul sayeth to the Philipp Cha. 4. Vers 7. Thus farre now hath the Lord comforted his Disciples Nowe in the next Verse hee beginneth to speake more sharply and hee as it were findeth fault with them that they loued him not well enough and they vttered it in that they were so grieued and displeased at his departure This forme that the Lord vseth teacheth vs this that in comforting of heauy hearted sinners Who should bee comforted but the heauy hearted thou vse gentle reproofes for the heart that is heauy and sad vvill hardly take consolation but will delite in sadnesse Looke howe yee shall comfort them not to holde vp the heart aye with comfort but reproue it with some piece
of sharpnesse as it were So Dauid in the 42. Psal vers 11. vvhen he findeth himselfe carried away with a vehement affection of sorrowe and ouer farre casten downe in his exile he sayth Why art thou casten downe my soule and why art thou disquieted within mee vvait on God for I will yet giue him thankes c. So wee should presse downe the affection with a reproofe as the Lord doth here Hee layeth downe the ground of his reproofe I tolde you J would goe away and I tolde you I would come againe in my Spirit and now I am to depart to my Father Now he saith yee loue me not because ye rejoyce not that I am to goe to glorie vvith my Father for my Father is greater than I that is I goe to be partaker of that glory which the Father hath and when as yee are sad at my departure ye vtter that yee enuy my glory Marke the wordes Heretickes who aâ—leadged that Christ was a God but created in time and not equall with the Father Though they got a great vantage out of this place The Father is greater than J The Fathers of olde exponed this place well That it was to be vnderstood of the humane nature and not of the diuine Yet there is another exposition of this that is That this place is not so much to bee vnderstood of the nature of Christ as of his office The Godhead of the Lord Iesus the Sonne being equall with the Father taketh an office vpon him by the which he becoÌ„meth inferiour to the Father to wit hee becoÌ„meth Mediator The office standeth in this He taketh vpon him the flesh of a seruant Next he becoÌ„meth obedient yea euen to the death of the Crosse in that nature so in respect of this office he maketh himselfe inferior to the Father By this we must not gather that he was inferior to the Father in person Majesty or essence howbeit in office hee was vnequall inferior to the Father For as that reuerent Father Cyrillus sayeth Missiò obedientia non tollunt aequalitatem potentiae essentiae Therefore ye see the Heretickes as namely Arrius out of this place haue no ground for that blasphemous heresie But consider yet more narrowly what the Lord saith And ye loued me ye would haue reioyced in that I said J would depart As he would say The very wordes that yee turne to your discomfort sorrow should haue bene mater of joy and comfort There is neuer a word that the Lord speaketh to his owne no neuer one but in them all is matter of joye howbeit the words will seeme sharpe yet all the words of the Lord that he speaketh to his tende to their joye and consolation and all they that loue the Lord Iesus should construct all the deeds words of the Lord to their comfort let him take away worldly riches honour health friendes life it selfe c. all should work comfort to them But brethren we are so corrupt blind by nature that we see not the Lords purpose what he is doing to vs we make the words of the Lord wherin we should take pleasure ioy to be mater of displeasure I speak not this to take away sense of the sharpnesse of the Lord to coÌ„mend Stoâ—ke senslesnes but herin we fail that sadnes is without ioy coÌ„solatioÌ„ Now the Lord craues this that with bitternes we should taste sweetnes indeed heauines is the comliest thing that can be in a Christian sadnes becoÌ„meth a sinner well but in the mean time there should be joy in the soule 1. Thes 5.16 Reioyce euermore He findeth no fault with them that they were sad but because they would receiue no comfort He saith Jf ye loued me ye wold reioyce because I said I go to the Father One who loueth another truly will reioyce in the weale of the other Loue bringes a rejoycing he or she that loues Christ that gets greatest joy in the hart as enuy eats vp the hart of man or woman in whom it is one who loues another will reioyce at the good estate of the other at his prosperity riches honor one who loues the Lord Iesus well rejoyces to see him glorified that shold be our joy to see the Lord Iesus glorified his kingdome aduanced cursed be thou who laughs at the down-throwing of the kingdom of the Lord Iesus no they who loues God will curse all their kin as he sayes here himself they who loue the Lord Iesus their delite shall bee to see him glorified Th' Apostles not taking such ioy as they oght to see him glorified their loue was preposterous no doubt they loued him intierly Peter loued him Iohn loued him the rest loued him yet the Lord shewes that their loue was with a great ignorance the flesh was mixed with it it was not sincere So let vs tak heed to our loue not only to that loue we beare to Christ but euen to men man to wife parents to children we should take heed that it be a true loue and not a preposterous loue I call it not a true loue that hath nothing but sadnes with it for the death of another wheÌ„ a Christian goes to ioy and when we are sad for them then we vtter an enuy in our heartes of their glory Indeede wee should not want naturall affection and wee may haue displeasure for the want of our brother but looke that displeasure bee not for thy brothers joye and that hee is participant of that glorie with Christ and the hope of that Resurrection The remembrance of the assembling of the Sainctes of God to meete their Head in the Cloudes should cause thee rejoyce The Lord lift vp our heartes to the Heauen from this earth whereon we are so fixed and make vs to waite continually for that blessed assembly of the Sainctes that when hee commeth in the cloudes we may be carried to remaine with him in ioy for euer Now in the words following the Lord setteth downe the ende of his speaking to his Disciples and chiefely of this that he forewarneth them that hee was to depart Heere is the chiefe ende That they should belieuâ— in him that hee was that promised Messias the Sonne of God when they should see the accomplishment of all his sayings that they should belieue The whole word of God leads vs to this that men should belieue in Iesus Christ there is not a word spoken in the Scripture but it leads vs to Christ whether the Lord speak of things to come as in the Prophets or of things done as in the Evangels all tendeth to this to leade vs to Iesus Christ to belieue in him They who get not this end in the word they get no fruit of the word Hee sayth not These things I tolde you before the hand that ye should belieue But he addeth I haue told you them before the hand that when they come to passe ye should
Christ was obedience to the Father When a man doeth a thing willingly because it is the will of God offereth vp his life willingly and dieth willingly there is obedience But let him die ten thousand deaths if he doe it not willingly it is none obedience I suppone that the Son of God had not suffered willingly wee would haue had no saluation the obedience standeth not only in suffering but in that he died so gladly suffered so willingly with such a loue to powre out his life for the world as yee may reade in the 53. Chap. of Esay Hee was like a Lambe before the Shearers So when wee looke to the death of Christ let vs not looke to his death so much as to his patience willingnesse In the last verse the Lord setteth downe the ende of his suffering wherefore he putteth himselfe into the handes of the executers I doe this that the worlde may know that I loue the Father This is the end Wee see first in this end the ground of the obedience and suffering of Iesus Christ What needed him to be so obedient and to deject himselfe so farre Yee may take it vp in one worde All this obedience proceeded of an vnspeakeable loue he bare to the Father It is true the loue of the saluation of man moued the Lord to this obedience also no doubt and this vnspeakeable loue moued him to giue his life for them But marke yet this place letteth vs see the chiefe ground of his obedience was not the loue of the world but the loue of the Father Paul 2. Philipp 5.6.7.8 speaking of the obedience of Iesus Christ letteth vs see and pointeth out that humiliation of Christ as proceeding of that loue he bare to the Father Let that affection sayth he be in you that was in Christ Iesus who being in the forme of God thought it no robbery to bee equall with God but hee manited himselfe and made himselfe of no reputation in taking vpon him the shape of a seruant and in that shape hee became obedient to the Father to the death of the Crosse That obedience then flowed from the loue he bare to the Father Yee would thinke it a great matter to two kinges the one of them as great as the other if one woulde serue the other in a worldly seruice yee woulde thinke it a great loue the one bare to the other The Lord Iesus being equall with the Father in glory humbled himselfe to the Father What followed on this obedience As hee dejecteth himselfe thorow loue to obey the Father so the Father loueth him vnspeakeably Paul 2. Philipp vers 9.10.11 letteth vs see the effect of this loue hee exalteth him to a wonderfull sublimitie and hee giueth him a Name aboue all the names of the worlde That at the Name of IESVS all thinges in Heauen and in Earth and vnder the Earth should bow their knee or else if they will not bow they should bee broken Now Brethren to draw this example to our selues wee haue this lesson to learne What is the ground of true humilitie I speake not of fained humilitie but of true lowlinesse which is the best vertue in a Christian man Learne of mee sayeth Christ that I am humble and lowly in heart Matth. 11.29 not only of obedience to Superiors for Christ biddeth thee bee obedient and seruiceable not onely to Superiors and equals but to inferiors and each one to another What is the ground of this humilitie Euen the loue of the heart and a man haue true loue in the heart hee will not care how lowlie he be in the world So when ye see a sober Christian point him out and say There is a louing hearted Christian Would yee knowe what followeth on humilitie and lowlinesse Obedience What followeth vpon obedience They who in loue humble themselues to exalt others and obey them shall find that God will meet them with loue and exalt them Wherein standeth the band of loue When euery one preferreth another to himselfe Heerein standeth humilitie humilitie beginneth with loue and endeth with loue By the contrarie What is the ground of pride A foolish selfe-loue when a man taketh pleasure in his owne corruptions and hath a conceit of himselfe and an hatred and disdaining of others Wherewith is it met With a mutuall hatred and disdaine That man who is proude stinketh both in Gods nose and mans and as humility intertaineth peace amongst men so pride breaketh the amitie and loue and rents the body of Christ so that pride is the most vnseemly thing in any man and it is a note of them who perteine not to Christ Striue euer to be like Christ in being humble and haue loue in thine heart But what is the chiefe ende of the suffring of Christ Iesus and of his humiliation The Lord sets it down in these words That the world may know that the Sonne loueth the Father Indeed this is one end yea the chiefest which we should all consider Another is that we may know that Iesus Christ hath loued vs. Looke in thorowe the body of Christ into the heart looke not to the nailes and to the woundes of his side but to that heart of his and chiefely to that infinit loue that the Sonne hath borne to the Father Thou mayst say What aduantage is it to mee to know that obedience of the Sonne to the Father and that loue When thou seest that Sonne of God equal with the Father how hee humbled himself so lowly that no creature in Heauen or in earth Angel or man euer humbled himselfe so as the Sonne It serueth thee to this ende to learne thee who is a creature and who is but a seruant to humble thy selfe before God and to glorifie thy God And indeede albeit there be many thinges to moue vs to humilitie yet and a man get not the sight of that humiliation of Iesus Christ he shall neuer be truely humbled Paul in his second Chap. to the Philipp to stirre vs vp to humilitie he bringeth in the example of the humilitie of the Sonne to the Father Ye will aske Haue we any profit of this that we be humbled to the Father Hast thou no profit in glorifying God Neuer one serued such a Master and neuer one got such a glory as they shall get who glorifie God Was Christ exalted highly Thou shalt bee also exalted I aske then Wherein standeth thy misery and wherein standeth thine happinesse There is the only joy that the creature hath when it hath humbled it selfe to the Father it obeyeth him it glorifieth the great God the Creator And herein standeth the happinesse of man euen to haue his heart loosed to glorifie the Lord The godly finde this in experience And by the contrary when the faythfull soule is locked vp and hath no pleasure to glorifie God for his graces albeit it had neuer so great aboundance of all things in the world yet it counteth the selfe to be in great misery Paul
Iesus but the Father hath them all numbred they are all in his eyes Ye remember in the parable of the Marriage banquet Mat. 22.11 it is said when they were all come in the King commeth in also to view the banquâ—t what meaneth this but the care of the Father that he hath of his branches who are ingraffed in Christ The King is the Father of Heauen he who is married is the Son they who are called are the branches The eye of the Father is vpon all the members good bad yea that hypocrit who wanted the wedding garment was soone seene by him Let him be an hypocrit who wil king or beggar the Lord wil point him out in his own time Now last the husbandman in the own time will dresse the vine tree he taketh away the vnfruitfull and purgeth the fruitful Euen so the Father of our Lord Iesus goeth to his vine tree vieweth the branches in his own time wil come with his snedding knife will cut off the hypocrit he will purge the fruitfull the next yeere it will bring forth more fruit The Father cutteth off hypocrits this we haue seene And then againe in the faithfull he augments regeneration and grace Mark this Text well ye shall see the pleasandest vine tree that euer was in the worlde with the roote the body of the tree the branches the fruits budding forth in euery branch the root of this vine tree is the Father who is the Fountain of all life the body of the vine tree is the Son the braÌ„ches are men women ingraffed by faith in the body the fruit of the tree is good works the sap of life is in the Father he is the grouÌ„d of al grace sendes this his sap to the body of the tree the Son the Son hath all the grace that is in the root then the body of the tree sendes sap to the branches then the braÌ„ches being filled with sap bring forth fruit as necessarily as a vine tree can bring foorth fruite So if yee would take vp the nature of these works ye shal vnderstand that good works spring not from flesh and blood they come not from the power of men women from nature and free-wil So foolish Papists will say that men will doe good workes of nature and of free-will No no these works proceede not of nature no there is not a good worke but it floweth from that life which is in the Father and is communicated to the Sonne there is not so much as a charitable or a good thought but it floweth from the life of God So all the good we doe is as fruits flowing from that roote And thou were not imped in Christ and so as a wild Oliue partaker of the sappe of that true Oliue it would passe thy power to thinke a good thought and thou wouldst do no more good than a withered stocke can Now marke this When as it pleaseth the Lord to transport vs from that rotten roote of Adam and to set vs in Iesus Christ the seconde Adam then whereas before wee brought foorth but stinking fruit and dead workes as the Apostle calleth them all is but filth and stinke without the life of God in Christ let be all these workes which are forbidden in the Law and it were a good worke hee polluteth it because hee medleth with it and there be nothing but nature being once ingraffed in Iesus Christ then the creature beginneth to drawe out so fruitfull sappe and so delicate that all the sappe of the Vine tree is nothing in comparison thereof And when wee haue gotten of that sappe then the fruit commeth out and floweth with a sweet smelling sauour fra once the heart begin to sucke of that life the verie smelling of the life of Iesus Christ wil appeare in the works in the words It is true indeed we may find it al there is euer in all our fruites in all our deeds and wordes that proceede out of our mouth some bitternesse sournesse in the best of vs all the cause is howbeit we be ingraffed in Christ yet that old life abideth intill vs all so the fruit we bring out as it hath a sauour of Christ so it stinketh of the old man the best worke that wee bring out is partly sweete and partly soure and the worde sauoureth of bitternesse but and we be highly displeased for the bitternesse then wee haue this comfort We may bee assured the Father is purging vs and this hope That when we shall bee with Christ our fruits shall all sauour of that life of God in Christ and this should augment our joye Next wee see whaâ— neede wee haue euen to bee purged and to make a perpetuall progresse in regeneration if the Father should leaue off to cleanse the liuely branches that are in the Lord Iesus as soone the liueliest should turne in rottennesse and then the naturall corruption should ouer-goe vs except hee were euer snedding vs and of liuely members wee should become dead All our standing and perseuerance is of him Another thing as vnpossible as it is that the Father of the Lord Iesus Christ should leaue off to purge the members of Christ euen as vnpossible is it that that meÌ„ber can fal away if it were possible that the Father should leaue off his office then it might be possible that men should fall away No the Father can neuer leaue off his office they who are once ingraffed in Iesus Christ shall neuer be cut off It is a false doctrine of the Papists who say that a man once sanctified may become vnsanctified it is an horrible blasphemie and a lie against the holie Ghost The last thing I marke Looke how needfull is it that the Father play the part of an husbandman in purging as needfull it is that euery branch grow in holinesse sanctification the Father cannot purge the branches in vain but as he purgeth the branches from their own nature so the branches must bring out berries So if they who professe themselues to be Christians make no grouth neuer mend in holinesse it is a tokeÌ„ that the Father of our Lord Iesus purgeth them not and then they are not branches So take heed Men will hunt greedily after honor riches and pleasure but this is the thing thou shouldest chiefely striue to That thou make much grouth in Iesus that thou find thy soule in better disposition this yere than it was the last that thou may be a true member of Iesus Christ This for the denunciation of the sentence against the branches that bring foorth no fruit and the promise to them that bring foorth fruit These words might haue moued his Disciples to be feared and to haue heauy hearts therfore the Lord who saw all their cogitations meeteth them to comfort them Howbeit he speake not to vs he comforteth vs by his holy Spirit and he letteth them know
that that denunciation perteined not to them because they were liuely members they were cleane through the worde which hee had spoken to them Our lesson is When thou hearest a denunciation of judgemeÌ„t or promise of mercy make euer application to thy selfe and say Lord perteineth this judgement to me and O Lord perteineth this mercy to mee Without this application there is no generall doctrine can do good or edifie thee So when we heare of this that some are liuing branches some dead we shold enter in triall with our selues whether we are to abide with Christ or to be cut off and casten into the fire It is true we haue not Christ to speak with vs and to resolue vs of such doubts yet the Lord hath neuer left anie faithful man or woman so destitute but he gets a certification assurance that he is a liuely member The Lord if he be in any man or woman he shall make that person know that he liueth in them The most sensible thing in the worlde is the life of Christ as sensibly wâ—l the creature feele the life of Christ in their harts as they wil feel this natural life Besides this if the sap of Christ be in a ma the fruit wil burst out if thou wouldst know a man look to his life good works let his life testify whether he be a liuely meÌ„ber or not if their life testify otherways I testify to thee in the Name of God they are no liuely meÌ„bers Certainly Christ caÌ„not dwel within one but he must vtter himself in the hand tong Now hereafter he subjoynes the reason wherfore they are clean how they are made cleane By the words saith he that J haue spoken ye are made cleane wherefore spake I so much to you but to make liuelie members of you who were drie branches The way to make a man a liuely branch is the worde of Iesus it cleanseth the soule which is foule My word is Spirit and Life John 6. vers 63. It is the force of the Spirit to purge the soule The worde sayeth Peter is that immortall seede of regeneration 1. Epist Chap. 1. vers 23. Our seede is mortall and so if wee haue not another seede of God wee are but dead It is no maruell that the word of God purgeth because it is Life and Spirit Looke but to that experience that godlie men haue in hearing the worde of Iesus Christ and that joye that riseth in the heart What meaneth this Will the vvordes of anie man worke this joye in the heart No but when men heare these promises of life and of grace and consolation O what consolation what peace what rest what joye will the sinner get And this testifieth that the worde is powerfull to worke in the soule that life of God The houre shall come sayeth the Lord that the dead shall heare the voyce of the Sonne of God and they that shall heare shall liue John 5. vers 25. 1 Pet. 1. vers 22. Our soules are purged by the hearing of the worde If this bee the meane the Lord hath ordained to get life let vs take pleasure to heare the worde And I saye that man that hath not a pleasure in some mâ—asure to heare the word but coÌ„temneth it is no meÌ„ber of Christ and hath neuer beene truely ingraffed in Christ nor got neuer of that sappe which is in Christ and neuer wist what Iesus Christ was As thou therefore wouldest liue and as thou wouldest bee sanctified in this life glorified with the Lord in the HeaueÌ„s take pleasure to heare this word if thou would taste any sweetnes of Christ grow in holinesse and chiefely seeing thou must leaue this world begin to liue this life which neuer shall haue an end Now in the next words after he hath laide down the grounds he commeth to the first exhortation Abide in mee and I in you The meaning of the exhortation is this Ye haue begun to be joyned with me in Spirit and in fayth as yee haue begun so continue in that vnion to the ende He sayth not Abide still with me and I with you but abide in mee These wordes haue a greater signification than the other they signifie a straiter vnion with Christ for Brethren yee must marke the members of Iesus Christ not onelie abide with him here and dwell with him but euery one of them abideth in him and dwelleth in him as yee sâ—e the branches of the tree they are not sayde so much to abide with the tree as to abide in the tree so are we in him And on the other part the Lord Iesus is not said only to abide with his Kirke on the earth but howbeit hee bee in the Heauens to dwell in his Kirke and in euery member who belieueth in him yea in all their hearts euen as yee see the tree abideth in her branches so the Lord Iesus the Vine tree abideth in his branches This place requireth that wee speake somewhat of this vnion the members haue with Christ and hee with them This conjunction betwixt Christ and his members who are faythfull ye must not imaginate to be a bodily and naturall conjunction as ye see is betwixt creatures as the head with the body it is not so grosse a conjunction there is no conjunction bodily so neare so strait as that conjunction of Iesus Christ nowe in the Heauens with his members the heade is not so surely joyned with the body by nearnes as the Lord Iesus our Head is joyned with euery member who belieueth in him vpon this earth The body and the head may bee seuered but the members of Iesus Christ once truely ingraffed in him by his Spirit and by fayth shall neuer be cut off all the powers of Heauen and Hell shall not separate them What shall separate vs from the loue of Iesus Christ shall hunger and sworde c. yea in these wee are more than victorious Rom. 1.35.37 So yee see this conjunction is not to bee imagined to bee a grosse conjunction as the Papistes imagine but I leaue them But this conjunction is spirituall and mysticall I call that a spirituall vnion and conjunction that we haue with him because it is wrought after an heauenly and spirituall manner and is made not with bodily bandes as ligamentes and sinewes but with spirituall and heauenly bandes the one of them is called the Spirit of Iesus Christ the other is called Fayth To make that coniunction betwixt vs and him hee sendeth out of the Heauens his holy Spirit into our hearts and wee getting that Spirit sende vp to the Heauens againe to him our fayth Then yee see two bands to make this conjunction this conjunction must be mutuall so that as hee sendeth downe his Spirite to vs so wee must sende vp our fayth to him The order of the working of these two bandes would bee considered Wee neuer begin first no man beginneth first to gripe Christ but
his life for his friendes 14 Yee are my friendes if yee doe whatsoeuer J commaund you YEE heard the last day Beloued in the Lord Iesus the first exhortation of the Chapter was That his Disciples should abide in that vnion with him and he with them Wee haue sundry arguments of this purpose The first Except yee abide in mee and in that vnion with me yee can bring foorth no fruit nor doe no good in this world The second is That if yee abide in me and I in you ye shall bee full of good workes The third If a man abide not in mee and I in him hee shall bee casten out of the Kirke and once being casten out he shal wither for out of Christ there is no sap of life and then being dried vp hee shall bee gathered vp like a drie sticke and casten into the fire to burne So the argument in this Hee who cannot abide in Christ he shall bee casten into the fire of Hell these arguments wee haue heard Now in this Text the Lord goeth forwarde in the argumentes and first he giueth the fourth reason wherefore they should abide in him then he passeth to other exhortations Then the fourth and last argument is this If ye abide in me and my words in you then what euer ye aske or seeke ye shall haue it Note the wordes If yee abide in me and my words in you Before hee sayd If I abide in you But all is alike the Lord Iesus abideth in the heart by the worde and by fayth so all is alike But to come to the argument What euer shall be your desire aske and ye shall haue it that is If ye abide in me all your petitions shall be granted This argument is very alluring to tell a man what euer he desireth he shall haue Before hee threatned now he allureth Ye see how the Lord tempereth his arguments But Brethren marke this in respect of whom is this argument alluring and whom moueth it Not euery one tell this to a man or woman who hath no sense of their need they will answere when they heare this Wee haue no need to aske tell this to a senselesse sinner he will answere he hath no need what need hath the whole of the Phisicion but tell it to them who haue felt the weight of sinne and who haue felt their want and knowe they are depriued of the glory of God and strangers from the life of God as the Apostle sayth it shall be the joyfullest and sweetest hearing that euer they heard hee will be moued when he heareth this sweete promise Then when wee come to heare of the promises of grace in Christ let vs prepare our selues this way and say I am voyde of al grace therefore I will goe heare these faire promises of grace Now the thing I marke here Yee see how a sinner getteth grace and yee see by what degrees hee commeth to grace The first and immediate meane to get grace and mercy is to seeke aske and thou shalt haue Heauen is little worth and if it bee not worth the asking beg Heauen and thou shalt haue it But who is it can doe this Can all men doe it Looke what must goe before asking ere a man can aske grace there must bee a thirst and a desire looke that the heart bee hungry Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousnesse for they shall bee filled The worlde is full of want yet they haue not a sense of want or an heart to seeke Howe riseth the desire in the heart The desire riseth of a feeling in the heart of a wonderfull inlacke and misery when a sinner feeleth hee is voyde of all grace with this sense together with a sadnesse godly sorrow for it hath euer sadnesse for who wanteth these earthly things but they will bee sad So the want of these Heauenly things hath a sadnesse with it Paul sayth 2. Corinth 5. vers 4. Wee being burthened with sinne wee sigh for sadnesse Whosoâ—uer feeleth this burthen of sinne and mortality will sigh and sob But from whence commeth the feeling and dolour The sinner cannot haue it of himselfe for flesh and blood that is the corrupt nature will not feele this sense but it commeth of the Siprit of God Paul Rom. 8. â—ers 26. saith The Spirit of God intercedeth for vs with sighs vnspeakable And againe We who haue gotten the first fruits of the Spirit sigh So it is the Spirit who raiseth vp these sighes in the heart and without the Spirit thou canst not once giue a sigh Thou mayst sigh like a man but not like a Spirituall man And how gette wee the Spirit Belieue in Iesus Christ faith in Christ furnisheth vs the Spirit Ephes 1. vers 13. After yee haue belieued yee are sealed vp with the holy Spirit of promise for faith draweth out of Christ into the heart that Spirit The grace of all grace is to belieue in Iesus Christ and hauing him thou shalt get the Spirit I grant the Spirite must goe before and worke faith but it is true also that by faith wee gette a fuller measure of the Spirit So faith in the blood of Iesus is the fountaine of all grace for all grace floweth from that blood and the merit therof and by the power of the Spirit which accompanieth that blood grace is applied till vs. Then yee see that faith is the beginning of grace the holy Spirit followeth faith after the holy Spirite followeth a sense of our misery and want vpon this sense followeth an earnest desire vpon the desire followeth asking by asking grace is obtained So looke thou stand in Christ if thou wouldest haue grace Out of this place yee may aske this question Will a man get all that hee seeketh of Christ Hee answereth here If yee abide in mee and my wordes abide in you aske conforme to this worde and thou shalt obtaine it if thou aske any Spirituall grace thou shalt get it Vndoubtedly Heauen and Earth shall perish ere thou want it As for earthly thinges he will not aye giue them according to thy desire but as hee thinketh meet for his owne glory and thy weale And howe can they want who getteth the Kingdome of Heauen The Lord shall giue them so much as shall content them The Lord shall giue thee so much as is necessary to a Pilgrime Nowe wee goe to the seconâ—e exhortation which is to good workes The first was to stande in that vnion with Christ The second is to bring out good works Herein is my Father glorified that ye beare much fruit and in this ye shall be knowne to be my Disciples There are the two thinges hee sayeth not Bring out fruite but Bring out much fruite that is doe much A man should striue not to bring out fruite but much fruite and indeede if wee continue in that vnion with Christ wee shall grow in that regeneration and so wee growe in good workes The first argument hee
so long as he liueth Amongst all the Armour he saith Euer pray with all manner of prayer There cannot be a standing without there be a continuance in prayer night and day There is nothing more requisite if thou wouldest doe well than to continue in prayer for why all grace is in Heauen except wee gette grace drawne out of Heauen from God wee cannot doe any good turne and the only way to draw grace from Christ for hee is full of grace is first to belieue in him and to bee grounded on him then next with open mouth and heart to pray in his Name to the Father centainly Heauē earth shal go together ere thou want grace ere God deny thee thy prayer al shal be turned vpside down thou shalt get that grace he thinks meet for thee in this life and Heauen at length In the next verse as before he hath enarmed his Disciples whom hee was to send out to the world with a piece of armour to wit prayer so here he enarms them with another I command you to loue euery one another How needful it is that euery man woman who would do wel should haue loue Paul 1. Cor. 13. shews Let a man do all the things in the world yea giue his body to be burnt if there be no loue in the heart alauailes not But chiefly to come to a Minister of all men it is most requisite that a Minister haue loue in his hart otherways all is nothing all his language preaching auailes nought if the heart haue not a loue of the saluation of man and woman So the thing he regardeth is that loue be in their heart Yee knowe what a loue Paul had he had so great a loue to the safety of his kinsmen that he would haue wished to be Anathema for them looke what a loue he vttereth 2. Cor. 6. vers 11. he saith O Corinthians our mouth is open to you our heart is made large yee are not kept straite in vs but yee are kept straite in your owne bowels So there are manie graces required in a Minister but chiefelie loue and if hee haue no loue hee will not care by howe manie perishe Yet farder they should not onelie haue loue to their people but also Pastors should haue mutuall loue amongst themselues they shoulde haue vnitie of heart goe where they will There is nothing that serueth more for making vp of that bodie of CHRIST than the sweete agreeing of the Labourers when they agree the worke of the Lord goeth forward as workemen when they worke together in one vnion the worke goeth forwarde And a man who carrieth enuie in his heart hee shall neuer preach Christ truelie but hypocriticallie Paul in the first Chapter to the Philippians vers 15. hee speaketh of two sortes of Preachers Some saith he preach to increase mine affliction some of loue Then he saith What then yet CHRIST is preached all maner of wayes whether it be vnder a pretence or sincerely and I therein joy yea will joy He speaks this in his bands So whosoeuer hath contention against his fellow-labourer preach as they will preach they make the Gospel a cloake to couer their malice and hypocrisie Vpon the other part they onely who haue intiere loue to their fellow-labourers teach Christ sincerely Wee see the Apostles when they make mention of their fellow-labourers howe honourably they stile them what great affection they vtter vnto them as Paul when hee speaketh of Timothie Titu◠and others Now I goe forward If the world hate you yee know that it hated mee before you This is the third part of the Chapter wherein he comforteth them against the hatred and persecution of the world and so hee warneth them to goe out after his departure I knowe well enough the world will hate you Then he comforteth them with his example Haue they not hated mee before you There is the ground The seruant is not greater than his Master The Lord Iesus is worth all the Apostles and Ministers that euer were Shall the seruant start and runne when he is hated seeing the great hatred and malice the Lord suffered No man in the worlde suffered so great persecution as the Lord and so patiently And had it not beene that the Lord Iesus tooke on that euill thou shouldest haue suffered more than the hatred of the world that is the very wrath of God So to moue them to patience hee layeth downe his owne example as before he proponed his example to loue God to keep his Commandements and loue their neighbour So hee commendeth neuer a thing to them without his owne example There is nothing that the Lord will bid thee doe but hee will let thee see that same first done by him Hee setteth himselfe before vs as a patterne And as concerning this patience in suffering it is needefull that this example of Iesus Christ bee euer before the eyes of any that woulde suffer for it is against our nature to suffer anie waye Yea it is so needefull that there was neuer a man or woman who suffered if they had not had that suffering of Iesus before them that could suffer patiently The example of all the patience in the worlde will not cause one to suffer patiently except thou get a sense of that suffering for faith in Christ Iesus is the ground of all well doing Iesus Christ must be in thine heart ere there bee any good vertue in thine heart for it is faith in Christ Iesus that reformeth the heart Except wee haue him in the heart there is no good in it Therefore Paul when he recommendeth any vertue vnto vs hee vseth to set before vs the example of Christ as a moste forcible argument as when hee exhorteth vs to modestie hee saieth Let the same minde bee in you which was in Iesus Christ Philip. Chap. 2. verse 5. And when hee commendeth patience in bearing the infirmities of weake brethren hee bringeth his example For Christ also saieth hee would not please himselfe Rom. Chap. 15. vers 3. Then if thou wouldest haue loue or meeknesse or anie vertue into thine heart haue the Lord into thine heart and cast thine eye vpon him In one word belieue in Iesus Christ and getting a sight of him thou shalt finde a sweete change of thy nature then thou shalt bee an holie liuer and a patient sufferer and thou shalt growe in all good vertue and that through Christ Iesus To whom with the Father and the Spirit of Trueth bee all praise honour and glorie foreuermore AMEN THE TWELFTH LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xv VERS 19.20.21.22.23.24.25.26.27 19 Jf yee were of the world the world would loue his owne but because yee are not of the world but I haue chosen you out of the world therefore the world hateth you 20 Remember the word that I saide vnto you The seruant is not greater than his Master if they haue persecuted mee they will persecute
you also if they haue kept my word they will also keepe yours 21 But all these thinges will they doe vnto you for my Names sake because they haue not knowne him that sent mee 22 If I had not come and spoken vnto them they should not haue had sinne but now haue they no cloake for their sinne 23 Hee that hateth mee hateth my Father also 24 Jf J had not done workes among them which none other man did they had not had sinne but now haue they both seene and haue hated both mee and my Father 25 But it is that the worde might bee fulfilled that is written in their Law They hated mee without a cause 26 But when that Comforter shall come whome I will sende vnto you from my Father euen the Spirit of trueth which proceedeth of the Father hee shall testifie of mee 27 And yee shall witnesse also because yee haue beene with mee from the beginning AFter the Lord Iesus beloued in him hath giuen sundry exhortations to his Disciples at last in the 16. vers he giueth a direction to them that after his ascension to Heauen they should passe out into the world and teach all Nations baptize them The words here are that they should go bring out fâ—uit that is win soules to the kingdome of Heauen Secondly he sets down the ground of his ordinance he sets downe what right he hath to giue it I haue chosen you ye haue not chosen me saith he I preuented you when there was no such thing in your mind therfore I haue just right to giue you this ordinance After he hath giuen this ordinance he begins to furnish them inarme theÌ„ against the time they shold passe out the first piece of armour was prayer they shold pray to the Father But how In his Name Look they heart in prayer be grouÌ„ded by faith in Iesus Christ The next piece of their armour is loue chiefly that loue which euery one should beare to another they ought not only loue him whom they teach but the fellow labourers should loue mutually when the fellow-labourers agree among themselues then the work of the Lord goes forward pleasantly The third piece of armour is patience that they should suffer patiently all the hatred of the world Now he insisteth vpon this place and vseth sundry arguments The first he had was from his owne example hee saieth Haue they not hated mee before you then why should yee take it heauily that the worlde hate you for the seruant is not greater than his Master I goe forward In the beginning of this Text we haue the second argument whereby the Lord moueth his Disciples to beare patiently the hatred of the world If yee were of the world the world would loue his owne saith he but because ye are not of the worlde but I haue chosen you out of the worlde therefore the worlde hateth you The meaning is this in effect If the world hate you it is a good token that I haue chosen you out of the vvorlde and relieued you from that damnation which ye were subject to Ye see in this argument when the world loueth any man certainlie it is a token that there is little good in that man for the wicked worlde ordained for damnation will loue no man without a cause except it find a conformitie with it And as Paul saieth Rom. 12. vers 2. except it find a likenesse in humour and affection it will not loue a man It is true wicked men will loue a good man but neuer for any good neuer for Gods cause but for some particular respect as kinred alliance blood or some policie But for a good cause wicked men will neuer loue a good man By the contrarie when the worlde hateth a man it is a token there is some good in that man Ere euer the worlde beginne to hate a man God loueth him Ere euer the worlde beginne to shoote that man out of the worlde the Lord hath exempted him out of the worlde It is true indeede the worlde will hate a wicked man as a man who doeth great and horrible murders committeth adulterie and incest c. but the worlde will neuer hate wickednesse for wickednesse cause because it is an offence to God but for some priuate hurt and dammage as because he is noysome to the Common-wealth and troublesome to the peace of the Countrey and such like This same which I speake of men may bee well drawne to Religion That Religion which the multitude of the worlde runneth after is not most to be approued No the Lord saue me from it Neither that Religion which the world detesteth is to be rejected No the hatred of the Deuill and of the world is a good to ken When the world hateth godly men there is matter of patience and of joye and it is a sure token the hatred of the worlde shall not so soone touch the heart but as soone the Lord shall meet it with his loue and the greater the hatred bee the greater shall the loue of God be Rom. 5. vers 3. Faith worketh patience patience experience to wit of the fauour and loue of God which hee saith afterward is shed abroad by his holy Spirit into our hearts I goe forward The third argument Remember saieth the Lord the word that I saide to you The seruant is not greater than his Master Looke what they did to me they will doe the same to you As hee would say It may suffice you to be in that estate that I was in before you for why yee are but seruantes and I am the Lord and therefore it may suffice you well to bee in that estate that I haue bene in before you He calleth them to remembrance of that word which he spake before in the 13. Chap. and 16. vers when he exhorted them to humilitie Would any man or woman after the example of Christ be humbled lowly and obedient and patient let them euer holde their eyes vpon Iesus Christ and vpon that highnesse and Lordship wherein hee sitteth at the right hand of the Father and then when thou seest howe high hee is looke downe to thy selfe and thou shalt see the fardest that thou canst claime to is this To be but his seruant though thou werest a King and woe be to thee if thou be not a seruant of Christs Then looking vp to Christ and downe to thy selfe reason thus Hath my Lord who is aboue me suffered many things patiently shall not I who am a seruant suffer something patiently And then the soule shall say Suffer patiently for him and I shall count it honour to be partaker of his suffering for of all the honours of the world it is the greatest to suffer for Christ Were not the Apostles blythe while they suffered for Christ Reade Act. 5. vers 41. there it is said They departed from the Councill reioycing that they were counted worthie to suffer rebuke for his Name Paul Phillip
There is neuer a soule that is condemned or goeth to Hell that can pretende ignorance because their ignorance is voluntary It is true that ere euer a man goe to Hell he is blinded and the eyes of him are taken away by his owne corruption But it is also true that ere euer a man die his mouth shall bee closed and hee shall not haue a worde to speake in the daye of judgement No damned soule shall haue a word to speake in that day when that voyce is pronounced against them they shall passe awaye with the greatest shout that euer was because they dare not pretende ignorance for his ignorance shall bee inexcusable Any man would thinke that if any were excused for ignorance that the Gentiles would be excused yet the Apostle saieth Rom. 1. vers 21. There is not a Gentile that died but their conscience shall make them inexcusable because of the light of nature that they had into them Looke then to the sharpnesse of the judgement of God And if thou hadst no more but the light of nature all these creatures shall stande vp against thee condemne thee though there were no more to condemne thee If that light of nature make men inexcusable in that great day let vs take heed how we heare the Scriptures for if the Gentiles were inexcusable what shall bee the estate of the people who haue not onely the light of nature but that spirituall light from Heauen reuealed by the mouth of Iesus Christ Shall that soule speake a word in that day Therefore I beseech you in the bowels of Iesus Christ to receiue knowledge or else it were better for vs that wee had neuer heard of Christ and better shall it be with the Gentiles and with Sodome and Gomorrha than with vs the greater light the greater condemnation Therefore as wee would see Heauen let this light shine in our heartes that wee may bee transformed from the course of the world and shine before Christ in newnesse of life Nowe in the next wordes hee giueth the seconde argument of that hatred and aggreageth it more They who hate mee hate the Father also And he is speaking of the obstinate Iewes who pretended a loue to God We heard heretofore that the hatred of the world against the Disciples of Christ was against Christ himselfe the hatred that extended to the one part extended also to the other Now we heare that the hatred of the world against Christ extendeth to the Father also and that hee who hateth Christ hateth God also And euen as the Iewes hated the Disciples because they sawe some grace of Christ in them and because they were indued with his Spirite for the worlde will neuer hate one that is his owne so for that same cause hateth the world Christs members yea the hatred of the world against Christ himselfe was for none other cause but because they saw God dwelling in him bodily they saw that glorious Godhead dwelling in the nature of man howbeit they cast vp his kinred to him yet they hated him not because of the fleshe but because God dwelt in him The thing that the men of this world hate most is the God of Heauen if they hate any creature of God it is for Gods cause It is a wonderfull thing that such a thought can be in the hart of the creature against the Creator Let vs then see the cause God is light saith Iohn 1. epist 1. vers 5. And whatsoeuer man in the world doth wickedly he hateth the light deadly yea if it were but the day light and the light of the Sun hee hateth it because it craueth a decent behauiour Rom. 13. vers 13. And the wicked soule craueth aye filthinesse and much more they hate the light of the worde of God because it pierceth into the consciences of men it stingeth them and then most of all they hate God himselfe who is the light when hee beginneth to shine vpon their consciences they find such an horror dread our that they would wishe him out of the worlde so vehementlie they hate him they can abide to see the Deuil or any creature but they cannot abide the sight of God Now looke our nature darknes light sight not so much heat cold fight not so much together as God and our nature and this battell shall neuer haue an ende no not when the miserable catiue is in Hell Whereon riseth Hell but vpon the dissention betwixt the Creator and the creature So this battell shall neuer take an ende except it please God of his grace who made light to shine out of darknesse to inlighten and to reforme the soule and to scatter this palpable darknesse wherein wee are wrapped I goe forwarde to the thirde argument If I had not wrought such works among them which none other man in this world did they wold not haue had sinne The argument then is taken from his workes They sawe Iesus Christ to bee such a man as there was neuer the like of him They sawe that diuinitie in him and this sight aggreageth their hatred By the workes I vnderstand all the prooues the Lord gaue of his Diuinitie to the worlde whether they were the miraculous workes in restoring the blinde to sight the lame to limmes the deafe to eares or it was his holy life in the worlde Neuer man liued so holily and heauenly as he for he saith Iohn 5. vers 36. My works testifie of â—e that I am not a man only And indeede not only those who were his friendes and his Disciples and seruantes tooke this vp Iohn saith We saw him full of grace and veritie and wee saw his glorie like the glorie of the onely begotten Sonne of God John 1. vers 14. but also his very enemies saw it when as the souldiours came to take him they said Neuer one spake as he speaketh John 7. vers 46. His words bound the mens hands and the Pharisees who were his enemies were compelled to say If he had beene a sinner he could not haue healed the blind John 9. vers 16. And so we who now liue howbeit we see him not bodily working wonders in the world thereby to perswade or to conuince vs yet by this worde of the Crosse preached which to his owne is the power and wisdome of God we are perswaded that Christ is the only Sonne of God there is such a Majesty in it And so if there were no more to testifie vnto vs but this word of the Gospel it conuinceth the consciences of all men that the Lord of whom it is spoken is not man only but God also Then hee saieth They haue both seene and haue hated both mee and my Father There is a maruell that they knowing God they hated God it would seeme tollerable if they knewe not God to hate him but to know him and hate him it is a thing not to bee comporteth with It was saide of before that the worlde who hated
him knewe not the Father Howe can these two stand They stand both well for first of all there is a certaine knowledge of God by the which the most wicked in the worlde knoweth God but then the canker of the heart expelleth this knowledge and on this commeth ignorance and on ignorance commeth hatred Marke by what degrees sinne riseth vp and euery one of vs may finde this in some measure there is no sinner who doeth a great sinne but first they haue a knowledge of God of good and of euill Paul Rom. 1. vers 21. speaking of the Gentiles saieth they knew God There is such a bitternesse and maliciousnesse in the heart that that maliciousnesse blotteth out the knowledge in the heart A wicked man will stoppe both his fingers in his eyes that he should not see The Apostle afterward says They not taking pleasure to intertain the knowledge of God they put out knowledge knowledge departed blacke ignorance coÌ„meth in by the judgement of God then farewell conscience then they lose all feeling and being blind and past sense they run headlonges to all mischiefe And that is it the Apostle speaketh Ephes 4.19 So yee see that all this mischiefe that men committeth in the world falleth out immediatly of blindnes ere euer one go to doe wickednes ignorance coÌ„meth in first then commeth in a want of conscience Durst a man goe out so boldly before God to doe wickednesse if hee had a conscience And thinke yee that wicked men in this Countrey who take pastime in murder in filthinesse c. and aboue all those men who haue committed such hainous things against God against Religion against their owne natiue Countreye and the Crowne thinke yee they woulde haue such a boldnesse if they stopped not their fingers in their eyes and blunted the conscience I pronounce in the Name of God they are bound in the chaines of darnesse loose them who will if they repent not The last thing I mark what is the thing that maketh all sinne inexcusable Knowledge closeth the mouth of the sinner knowledge taketh away all excuses it taketh awaye ignorance and ignorance shall excuse no man in the daye of the Lord and the greater the knowledge bee the lesse excuse is there for sinne I saye more Knowledge not onely maketh sinne inexcusable but knowledge doubleth sinne Murder is sinne but murder with knowledge is double sinne and the greater the knowledge is the greater the sinne shall bee in the daye of Iudgement And if thou hadst but the knowledge of the elements thou shalt be inexcusable And if the Lord speake out of Heauen to thee thy sinne shall bee tripled and well were it with thee who nowe sinnest vnder the light of the Gospel without repentance that thou hadst bene one of Sodome in that great day and thou thy selfe shalt wish in that daye that so it had beene There is no tongue can tell the judgement that shall fall vpon that man who heareth this worde and abideth in sinne Yet the worlde will not bee wakened Crie on them they are not the better Thus much for the second argument In the verse following lest it shoulde bee thought or objected that the obstinate Iewes should haue done this in despite of God the Lord meeteth this saith All this is done that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their Lawe They hated mee without a cause The place is in the 35. Psalme vers 19. It is called the Lawe because all Prophecie is a pendicle to Moyses Lawe and all the Prophets were vnder the Law This is a complaint of Dauid of his enemies who hated him without a cause There was a great cause of loue in Christ and not of hatred Then this yee will see commonly that when the Spirit in the Scripture maketh mention of crosses troubles and persecution of Christ which are euill things he speaketh so warily of them that nothing bee derogate to Gods glorie hee saith The Lord ordained them from all eternitie And there is not a thing yea not the moste vnworthie thing that is done to the faythfull of Christ this daye but it commeth by that eternall Decree it was preordained and if it had not beene so the godly had cause to sorrowe and the God of Heauen woulde bee disgraced And marke this that the ordinance of God shall not excuse thee who is the instrument when thou doest anie thing against his reuealed will The Murderer may saye What haue I done but the will of God O murderer say I thou art not to bee excused thou hast not done the will of God reuealed and so say I to the Adulterer and to all others that commit sinnes which God hath forbidden After that he hath aggreaged this hatred of the Iewes against his Disciples he leaueth it and returneth to his Disciples to comfort them The last thing hee comforteth them with Hee shall sende them that Comforter from the Father for hee commeth first from the Father and the Father sendeth him by the Sonne he calleth him the Spirit of trueth and He shall testifie into your heart of mee As if hee would saye The testimony these Iewes got it was but outwardly but to you I shall sende my Spirit an inward witnesse The Lesson is Wee see heere two sortes of witnesses the one outwarde the other inwarde to wit the Spirit The first is his word his miracles and it is good to heare the worde but and if the Spirite bee not present it were better for thee neuer to haue heard the worde And supposing wee had CHRIST with vs euen in the middest of vs as hee was amongst the Iewes if it pleased him not to sende his Spirite into our heartes it woulde doe vs no good And therefore thinke it not enough to saye And if wee had CHRIST as the Iewes had him wee woulde belieue and wee woulde bee well No no If thou hadst not the Spirite all woulde not auaile thee Bee not content to bee hearers onelie for all that will serue but to daâ—nation except thou feelest that Comforter to worke in thine heart to reforme thine heart and to worke fayth into thee And therefore let this bee thy prayer in hearing that worde LORD let thy Spirit worke into mine heart And if hee bee into thine heart hee will let thee feele such a comfort and such a peace and such a rest into thine heart that the worlde cannot tell what it meaneth This is to be considered that he saith he will send the Comforter to them from the Father for it importeth That the Spirit floweth first from the Father then from himselfe So he said in the Chapter preceeding thaâ— the Father should sende the Spirit in his Name for the Father sendeth the Spirit by the Sonne ere the Sonne sende him from the Father Seeing then he proceedeth from them both he must beare witnesse both of the Father and of the Sonne but of the Father by the Sonne in whom the Father
manifesteth himself visibly Thereafter he comforteth them another way for he sayth Yee shall also witnesse of mee So he honoureth them to make them witnesse-bearers to him The greatest honour in the world when a man is sent to beare witnesse to Christ howbeit thou shouldest die into the message thou hast gotten an honour aboue all honours It is true this cause wherefore they bare witnesse of him was because they saw him and heard him and handled him with their handes and this was a great helpe But take vp heere the chiefe ground in bearing witnesse of Christ when he sendeth into the heart the Spirit of comfort And I say suppose neuer a man saw Christ as we this day see him not bodily or neuer handled him yet if it please the Lord to sende that Spirit into the heart he will demonstrate Christ vnto him as euidently as though he had beene in Heauen to see that grace Not onelie Ministers must doe this but all men must confesse Christ and so let vs preasse to gette that Spirit for as Paul sayde No man is able to name the Lord without that Spirit 1. Corinth Chap. 12. vers 3. At the Name of IESVS all knees should bee bowed and the tongue shoulde bee loosed with such a grace of the heart that the heartes of men who heare should bee edified at the hearing of the worde And wee shoulde aye bee edified more and more till in the ende wee growe to perfection in Christ To whome with the Father and the Holie Spirite bee all prayse honour glorie power and dominion for euermore AMEN THE XIII LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xvi VERS 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.12 THese thinges haue J saide vnto you that yee should not bee offended 2 They shall excommunicate you yea the time shall come that whosoeuer killeth you will thâ—â—ke that hee doeth God seruice 3 And these things will they doe vnto you because they haue not knowne the Father nor mee 4 But these thinges haue J tolde you that when the houre shall come ye might remember that I tolde you them And these thinges saide I not vnto you from the beginning because J was with you 5 But now I goe my way to him that sent mee and none of you asketh mee Whither goest thou 6 But because I haue saide these thinges vnto you your heartes are full of sorrowe 7 Yet J tell you the trueth Jt is expedient for you that J goe away for if I goe not away that Comforter will not come vnto you but if I depart J will sende him vnto you 8 And when hee is come hee will reprooue the worlde of sinne and of righteousnesse and of judgement 9 Of sinne because they belieue not in mee 10 Of righteousnesse because I goe to my Father and yee shall see mee no more 11 Of judgement because the prince of this world is judged 12 I haue yee manie thinges to saye vnto you but yee cannot beare them nowe THe Lord being shortly to depart out of this world Beloued in the Lord Iesus continueth his speach with his Disciples from the beginning of the fourteenth Chapter to the seuenteenth exhorting them comforting them and instructing them in all things they should do after he was departed Now in the sixteenth Chapter he continueth in the same purpose In the beginning of the Chapter he concludeth that doctrine which he had in the latter part of the former Chapter that exhortation he gaue his Disciples to patience These things haue J spoken vnto you that ye should not be offended that is I haue spoken to you of the hatred of the world and of the persecution of the worlde for my cause that yee should not be offended at mee and at my Crosse The Lesson is Brethren Christ Iesus and the Crosse are things vnseparable Affliction followeth vpon the Euangel 1. Timoth. Chap. 1. vers 8. they are called the afflictions of the Euangel Bee not ashamed of the afflictions of the Euangel Now the thing in the worlde that nature abhorreth and can abide worst is the Crosse So if wee will looke to nature there is no accesse to Christ It is vnpossible for vs by nature to attaine to Christ except by an heauenly power we be sustained that we may passe thorow the sire of the Crosse wherewith hee is compassed The Lord Iesus is in a fire and without we passe thorow this fire wee cannot bee partakers of Christ and ere wee goe thorow the fire we must be raised vp by an heauenly grace for as fayth to belieue in Christ is of grace so affliction and suffering for Christ is of grace Philipp Chap. 1. vers 29. Vnto you it is giuen for Christ that not onelie yee should belieue in him but also to suffer for his sake Except a man be holden vp he is not able to abide the afflictions of the Euangel Well then in the time of calmnesse and while the Lord giuâ—th vs time to drawe our breath this should bee the chiefe thing wee should study to prepare ourselues for affliction knowing that affliction followeth on the Gospel Yea euery one who professeth the Lord and his Gospel should bee ready when it pleaseth the Lord to lay on the burden And chiefly this appertaineth to Preachers ay to fore-warne that affliction is to come that at that day of affliction men women may be ready to suffer what the Lord will lay on them for as it is said Hee who is fore-warned is halfe armed And thou shouldest say euery day Lord as I professe thy Gospel so I am ready to suffer for it knowing that the ende of affliction is joy When he hath concluded the speach he hath had with them generally he commeth in particularly and fore-telleth of some afflictions which they should suffer The first is They shall excommunicate you The second The time shall come when they shall slay you and they shall thinke they serue God Hee layeth downe the ground Because they know not the Father nor me The Text is easie It is not one or two sorts of afflictions only that is joyned with Christ his Gospel but all kinde of affliction and at last it will come to death it selfe and what reck of a common death but death with exquisite torments Reade the Bookes of the Martyres the Apostles had experience of this they passed forwarde after Christ went away from affliction to affliction till at last they lost their liues they were scourged shot out of the Synagogue at last slain the afflictioÌ„s that follow on the Gospel are all kind of afflictions So if any man would suffer let him prepare himselfe to suffer though it were all the torments of the world Look what the Lord spake to Peter Ioh. 21.18 When thou wast a young man thou girdedst thy self walkedst whither thou wouldest but when thou shalt be old thou shalt stretch foorth thine hands and another shall gird thee and leade thee whither thou wouldest not That
is thy suffering shal be in the will of thine enemies BrethreÌ„ the most exquisite torments as racking burning such others wil not excuse thee if thou deny Christ for the paine therefore we should make vs for the most exquisit torments this is one comfort the Lord will not lay more vpon thee than thou mayst beare he will giue thee power to beare it out he who sends the tentation wil giue thee a faire joyfull out gate So Paul saith The momentaniall and light afflictions of this present life worketh out an euerlasting weight of glorie 2. Cor. 4.17 Looke 1. Pet. 1.7 Now followeth the cause of persecution They who will persecute you they shall thâ—nke they serue GOD. The forest persecution is vnder the cloake of Religion and seruice of God The fairest cloake to doe a wicked turne is the cloake of Religion and so the forest crueltie is vnder the cloake of Religion There was neuer such a crueltie as the Papistes vse vnder the pretence of Religion Inquire about that holy house of Spaine and that Massacre of Paris which shall neuer bee forgotten before God that blood of the Sainctes is crying for vengeance from the HeaueÌ„s all the pretences they can make shall not saue them from it Nowe marke the ground of their persecution These thinges they shall doe to you because they knew not the Father nor mee The ground of all well-doing is light when the eye of the soule is illuminate to see GOD and IESVS CHRIST and the Father in the face of the Lord Iesus when the mind is illuminat then the judgement is vpright when the judgement is vpright the hart the affections are wel inclined when the hart is well inclined then the hand and the outward instrumentes are well occupied Matth. 6. vers 22. Jf the eye see the whole body is lightened that is if the eye of the soule be lightened then the soule is wel disposed So when the mind is set vpon Iesus Christ lightned by that light it is a joyfull thing but if the mind which is the eye of the soule bee blinded and see not the face of Iesus Christ then all the powers of the soule are blinded the judgement is blind the hart is euill disposed the affections peruerse then the hand is doing euill a blind body is ay doing euil if the eye be blind the whole body is blind if the light bee put out then there is great darknesse if the eye of the soule bee put out then a man is but a lumpe of darknesse and nothing abideth that creature but that outward darknesse Wherfore serueth darknesse but to be casten into darknesse Therefore as thou wouldest haue an vpright iudgement striue to haue an illuminate soule and as thou wouldest doe well keepe aye a cleare eye in thy soule Neuer let the face of Iesus depart from thine eye for it is onely that face that holdeth the eye in a clearnesse and giueth light to the soule He is the light of the world and take him away there is nothing but darknesse in the world When he hath fore-warned them of the afflictions he sets downe the end wherefore he fore-warneth them to wit that they should remember the Lord had fore-warned them of afflictions therefore that they should prepare theÌ„selues for trouble But wheras they might haue said Wherfore forewarned thou vs no sooner he answers to this I fore-warned you not of this from the beginning because I was with you but now I am to depart therfore I forewarn you One of the best preparations wee can haue is to heare much for this preaching will not abide ay therefore let vs heare well so long as we haue occasion of hearing of the word which we preach to you for why in the day of affliction that holy Spirit shall call to thy rememberance that which thou hast heard and so comfort thee And in the day of affliction the holy Spirit will be more effectuall to call to thy rememberance that which thou hast hearde better than when thou first heardest it For why the worde of God and the Spirit of God hath not the speciall effect euer when the word is heard but when the body is in most necessity and of all times in the worlde in the time of affliction or in the houre of death the word will be most sweete Therefore heare in time if it were in the houre of death that at least in the hour of death thou mayst haue ioy in thine hearr Another thing here beholde how the Lord loued his Disciples in this world certainly so long as hee was with them he loued them wondrous tenderly and let be that he would not let them suffer he wold not once let them heare of the crosse And this is the thing that the Disciples of Iohn the Baptist come to Christ and complaine of Mat. 9. vers 14. saying Why do we and the Pharisees â—ast oft and thy Disciples fast not The Lord answereth Can the Children of the Marriage Chamber mourne so long as the Bridegrome is with them But the dayes will come when the Bridegrome shall bee taken from them and then they shall fast And nowe when the Lord is with them hee fore-warneth them of their afflictions and of death it selfe and so indeed they felt it when hee departed The ground of this is because the Disciples of Christ had a time of grouth granted to them into the worlde and so long as the Lord abode into the worlde they were not ripe and their strength was more outwarde than inwarde But now when hee goeth away they growe ripe he sent his Spirit vpon them as ye see Act. Chap. 2. they had a greater consolation by that Spirit in Christes absence than they had during all the time that Christ was with them So wee haue our owne time in growing and the Lord when hee seeth wee are not able to suffer hee will not lay the Crosse vpon vs but hee will spaâ—e vs. Then we haue a time when we come to ripenesse that is when wee get that Spirit and then the Lord will laye on the burden Nowe as for vs wee haue had a long time to ripen and it is a wonder that the Lord hath giuen vs so long a time and spared vs so long But Brethren the time is comming wherein wee shall suffer and afflictions abide vs for the Gospel And I praye the Lord that hee may finde some ripenesse and maturity and chiefely in vs the Ministers of the Gospel that we may seale vp the Gospel with our blood if need require He falleth out in the vers following in a gentle reproofe of his Apostles I am to depart and none of you asketh where I am to goe but saith hee your heartes are full of sorrowe The Disciples of Christ when hee was among them so acquiesced vpon his bodily presence and thought they had such an ease with him that they thought not of
come 14 Hee shall glorifie me for hee shall receiue of mine and shall shewe it vnto you 15 All thinges that the Father hath are mine therefore saide I that hee shall take of mine and shew it vnto you 16 A little while and yee shall not see mee and againe a little while and yee shall see for I goe to the Father 17 Then saide some of his Disciples among themselues What is that hee sayeth vnto vs A little while and yee shall not see mee and againe a little while and yee shall see mee and For J goe to my Father 18 They saide therefore What is this that hee sayeth A little while wee know not what hee sayeth 19 Now Iesus knewe that they would aske him and saide vnto them Doe yee inquire among your selues of that I saide A little while and yee shall not see mee and againe a little while and yee shall see mee 20 Verily verily I say vnto you that yee shall weepe and lament and the world shall reioyce and yee shall sorrow but your sorrow shall bee turned into ioye 21 A woman when shee trauelleth hath sorrowe because her houre is come but as soone as shee is deliuered of the childe shee remembreth no more the anguish for ioye that a man is borne into the world 22 And yee now therefore are in sorrow but J will see you againe and your heartes shall reioyce and your ioye shall no man take from you WEE heard the last daye Beloued Brethren howe the Lord in that long discourse and speach which he continueth with his Disciples a little before his departure out of this worlde after hee had forewarned them of their afflictions and had gentlie reprooued them and comforted them by telling them that it was good for them that hee did ascend for then hee should send them the holy Spirit hee entered into a profound doctrine concerning the holy Spirit whome hee was to sende to his Disciples after his departure to Heauen Hee shewed them what the Spirite should doe chiefely in respect of the obstinate worlde and the Iewes who would not belieue when hee shall come hee shall conuict them of three thinges The first is of that sinne the greatest sinne in the worlde the sinne of Infidelitie The next is that Iesus Christ whome they esteemed to bee an vnjust man the holy Spirit shall conuict them that that Christ is the holiest in the world The third thing that he is not only just and holy but he is the glorious Iudge of the worlde And that shall appeare in this chiefely that he hath condemned the Deuils When he hath dipped into this doctrine hee cutteth it off saying I haue manie things to speake to you whereof ye are not capable Then lest the Disciples should haue beene offended with him that hee would not goe forwarde in teaching them in the first wordes of this Text the Lord meeteth this and hee comforteth them with a promise That when that Spirit shall come which is the Spirit of trueth he should leade them in all kind of trueth and instruct them in all those thinges which the Lord spake not to them In this Text the Lord continueth his speach of the holie Spirite and of those thinges hee should doe in the worlde This appeareth of the first wordes wee haue read that the Lord would haue his Disciples to vnderstand that the holy Spirit should be a more profitable Teacher to them than Christ himselfe was by his owne voyce before his Passion and therefore hee remitteth farder doctrine to the Spirite It is better to haue the Spirite of Christ without Christes bodilie presence than to haue the presence of Christ not teaching thee inwardlie by the Spirite Yea I saye more It is better to haue the voyce of a poore simple man speaking to thee in the Name of Iesus Christ together with the holie Spirit than to haue the presence of Iesus Christ himselfe and his outward voyce if thou haue not the Spirite What auailed it to the obstinate Iewes who belieued not into him that they sawe him and heard him It had bene better that they had neuer knowne him It is not the voyce that doeth the turne but the powerfull working of the holie Spirite the holie Spirite reformeth the mindes If the voyce of CHRIST were sounding among you this daye as sweete as it is it would doe you no good without the Spirit Therefore take not so much heede to the man who teacheth outwardlie as to the Spirite and as yee would be safe as yee heare that outwarde teaching striue to feele the Spirit of Christ instructing illuminating and mollifying your hearts other wayes it were far better for you neuer to heare a word Yet to marke the words more narrowlie hee saieth That Spirit which is the Spirite of trueth shall leade you in all trueth that is Concerning your saluation In stiling the Spirite hee giueth an argument wherefore hee shall teach them the trueth Because he is the Spirite of trueth the true Spirite can teach nothing but the trueth If a man or woman therefore woulde bee instructed by that Spirite of Trueth and woulde bee ledde into all Trueth then let this bee setled into their heartes That that Spirite which speaketh is true Yee knowe that no man will credite another in weightie matters without hee knowe hee bee true Euen so if this opinion bee not setled into thine heart that he is true thou will neuer belieue the Scriptures of God To goe to an higher ground If one would be instructed in the trueth by the Spirite hee must haue a loue to the verity and desire to knowe the verity where there is no loue of the trueth there must be an hatred of the trueth Hee who is not with mee is against mee And where the Deuill findeth such an heart hee is effectuall in it in all vanities because as Paul saieth 2. Thessal 2. vers 9. where men haue not a loue of the trueth God giueth them ouer to belieue lies that they might bee condemned and carried into perdition So as thou wouldest liue hunger for the trueth as a man hungereth for temporall foode then when this appetite is wakened settle this perswasion in thine heart that that holy Spirit who speaketh is true then the heart of man and woman will drinke in the doctrine of the trueth with greater sweetnesse and joye than euer any hungry man hath had in eating Meat Yet the words would be better marked He saith not simply he shall leade them in the trueth but in all trueth there shall bee no point of trueth but hee shall instruct you therein It will not bee a piece of the trueth that will fill the heart but the sinner that wold be safe would vnderstand the whole way to saluation hee can neuer be satisfied to drinke in the trueth and the more hee drinketh in he desireth aye to drinke more This is the disposition of a sinner who hath tasted how sweete that Milke of the
harder till thou bee so hardened and obdured that thou canst feele nothing at all Brethren yee may thinke it a wonderfull thing that a bodie who sitteth hearing continuallie and who hath so cleare a light glancing aye before him should get no light at all but should go out of the Kirke more blind than when he came in and yet indeed it is so for many come in to heare but because they come in with colde and euill disposed heartes hauing no delight to heare the worde of God they goe away more prophane and worse than when they came in And therefore for lacke of this the miserable worlde perisheth the multitude goeth wholly to destruction Therefore for Christes sake Brethren learne to haue a pleasure and ioye in hearing and take in that Spirit into your soules Wee haue hearde of the seconde part of the blessednesse which Christ promiseth to his Disciples after his glorious Ascension to the Heauen to wit the light and knowledge of the holy Spirit Nowe to come to the thirde benefite or the thirde part of their happinesse wherein all grace is promised to them who aske Hee beginneth very grauely Verily verily Amen Amen J saye to you that is It is a true saying and yee shall finde it true indeed essay it when yee will Whatsoeuer thing ye shall aske the Father in my Name hee will giue it you In one word this is the third part of their blessednesse All grace and mercy is to bee had for the asking not by buying for all grace is bought by the price of the blood of the Lambe onely seeing that is so precious a ransome no man hath neede to buy any thing at the handes of God we haue no neede to buy any grace of God by our merites for by that only merite and blood of Christ all grace is bought We haue need of asking and if wee aske not in his Name wee shall neuer get grace for there is not another Name vnder Heauen sayeth the Apostle by whome there is saluation but onely by the Name of Iesus Christ Act. 4. vers 12. So there is the third part of their blessednesse that is promised them Euen all grace shall bee giuen them for the asking To drawe this to our selues And the Lord giue vs grace to doe it As by the Spirite all joye all knowledge and light abideth in his Kirke on earth till the Lord IESVS come againe Euen so all grace all mercy abideth in this Kirke militant till the Lord come againe for if that Spirit of grace abide in this Kirke of necessity all grace must abide with that Spirite The faythfull in the Kirke who are Christians in heart and not in worde onely they will finde in experience that when they aske any grace as righteousnesse and sanctification life euerlasting and glorification they will not so soone open their mouth to aske it but they will get it And when they say Lord renewe mine affections the word will not so soone bee spoken but as soone they will finde the soule opened with ioye and when they saye Lord giue mee that life for Christes sake with the worde the life of Iesus will bee felt in the soule sensiblie Therefore preasse aye to finde by experience that the presence of Christ is no emptie winde By the contrarie if a man or woman finde in no measure no grace or no sense of grace in their soules let them blame themselues for they want grace for plaine fault of asking Alace that wee should lose such grace for fault of seeking Is hee not a foolish man that will lose life for a worde But it is not so light a thing to aske as so for euerie man and euerie woman hath not the gift of prayer Except thou bee the sonne of GOD thou shalt haue no power to open thy mouth to call GOD Father If thou bee a slaue thou shalt haue no power to praye to GOD for prayer is the proper note of the Childe of GOD and except the Spirite of Adoption testifie vnto thee that thou art the sonne of GOD thou shalt haue no power to praye but thy mouth shall bee closed But when the Spirite will testifie to thee that thou art the sonne of GOD then the heart will open and the tongue wil say sweetly O Father Therefore the ground of all grace is the grace to aske get once grace to praye and then thou hast all grace And therefore when the Lord sayth Knocke and it shall be opened aske and thou shalt haue c. say Lord giue mee grace to aske Take aye heed to the gift of prayer for wee lose all for fault of prayer and for fault of begging So I beseech you all Brethren to pray as euer ye would see Heauen or be partakers of life In the words following when hee hath set downe the thirde parte of their felicitie That they should praye vnto the Father for grace knowing the great necessitie they had to praye and their great sluggishnesse on the other part hee beginneth to allure them to pray and to stir them vp to aske at the handes of the Father And lest they should haue obiected We haue asked but we haue not beene answered hee answereth to this Hitherto ye haue sought nothing at the Father in my Name but in times comming aske boldly and looke for an answeee and yee shall get grace heaped vpon grace till your grace bee perfect and the greater grace thou askest the greater thou gettest and the more thou gettest the greater is thy ioye that thou hast when thou perceiuest that grace and thou who hast gotten it wouldest not giue it for all the worlde This is the meaning of the wordes Take vp heere what necessitie wee haue to praye for if wee had no neede the Lord would not haue stirred vp his Disciples to praye No no wee haue so great neede to praye that except wee praye wee gette nothing A Beggar who hath nothing but that which he beggeth if he leaue off his begging he shall die at dike side If thou leaue off thy spirituall begging yea though thou were a King and hadst all the worlde thou shalt die for euer For what is a King in this life but a Beggar And woe be to him if he be not a Beggar at the handes of Iesus Christ Then marke the sluggishnesse in euery man and woman and how vnable we are to beg A Beggar who hath nought ere hee die hee will crie and shout but a poore sinner who is the poorest man and the silliest creature in the world who wanteth all grace hath not a mouth to aske though he should die Now to stirre vs vp to pray the Lord sayeth Aske at the Father and essay if ye get a deniall Wee know all this yet wee lie sleeping in sinne and seeke no grace to be fred of it howbeit grace be so freely offered to vs by Iesus Christ It is a sore thing to bee a poore body and to lie still
and seeke nothing We are poore bodies sleeping in a dead sleep and except we be wakened we will not rise out of it or once open our mothes to say God helpe mee And then when wee haue opened our mouthes to speake a word it will be coldly and wearshlie saide this is our nature Then marke last what mercifull care the Lord hath ouer vs we would for euer lie still and die in pouertie if the Lord saide not Waken waken The Lord Iesus not onely wakened his Disciples but to the end of the world he is euer wakening his owne sometimes by faire wordes and sometimes by boasting and sometimes by afflictions to moue them to pray in his Name Sometimes outwardly the Lord will come and strike thee what reckes of all the strokes in the world though thou shouldest be buffetted and beaten yea and pulled in pieces and if it bee to free thee from Hell Sometimes inwardly hee will pricke thee and stirre vp thy conscience to accuse thee and he will open the eyes of thy soule to see thine owne miserie and want And when the Lord hath wakened thee that thou beginnest once to sigh for grace hee will bee at thy right hand and stirre thee vp to praye and then the sigh for grace shall not so soone come out but it shall ascende to God for that same sigh though it were neuer so small being raised from the heart by his owne holy Spirit he cannot mis know it but hee must sende thee an answere and then thine heart is kindled vp with a sweet sense of thy God But shouldest thou then leaue off to pray No no but then thou shouldest praye fastest for a poore bodie who hath gotten a pennie will be very well content and will giue many thankes And thou who hast gotten a part of Spirituall grace wilt thou not giue thanks Yea thanke and thanke againe for there is no time to leaue off prayer but aye to praye and giue thankes There are two thinges thou hast either a sense of thine own misery or els a sense of the grace of God bestowed vpō thee and then shouldest thou not praye There is not an houre but wee should praye for Paul Ephes 6. vers 18. recommendeth prayer vnto them in this manner Praying with all kinde of supplication and at all times Wee must bee aye fighting with our inwarde enemies and those spirituall powers of darknesse there should bee no rest no not a moment and as the battel hath no rest so wee should neuer leaue off to praye for and if thou leaue off to praye thou shalt not stande but yeelde and giue thy selfe ouer to thine enemies In one word there is no time granted vnto vs to be voyde of an heauenlie disposition and if thine heart bee well disposed to praye and thinke not that this will hinder thee of any worldly exercises bee aye communing with God in whatsoeuer thing thou doest for it shall bee so farre from hindering thee that it shall further thee and when thou goest to doe any worke saye Lord blesse this worke and when thou enterprizest any thing seeke aye the blessing of God let thine heart be euer spiritually disposed This is the cause why the worlde is so prophane and hath so little minde of God and hath so foule heartes that will speake so foule blasphemies and filthie purposes the Adulterer will worke his vile adulterie and the foule Murderer his murders c. because they want prayer and then the Lord leaueth them and letteth them wallow in their mischiefe till at the last he giueth them ouer to the hands of the Deuill Now when he hath wakened them hee commeth to the fourth part of the blessednesse they shall haue when hee shall returne Hitherto sayeth hee I haue spoken in parables that is in obscure and darke sentences But when J shall come againe I shall speake nothing in parables but mith a great euidence that ye shall not neede to doubt of one worde Brethren vnderstand this for when the Lord was into the worlde amongst the Iewes for the most part hee spake in parables and his speaches and preachings were obscure so it was harde to take vp his speaches and therefore yee may reade in the thirteenth Chap. of Matth. that commonly he spake in parables that is all which he spake was not euident and not only were his speaches obscure to the multitude but to his Disciples also as this A little while and yee shall not see mee and againe a little while and yee shall see mee Yet he expounded the parables to his Disciples as ye reade in that same Chap. of Matth. And till he came againe out of the Heauēs to them by his Spirit it was hard to vnderstand him What was the cause of this that hee woulde speake so obscurelie not onely to the multitude but also to his owne Disciples When Christ was in the world the worke of the redemption of man was not wrought Christ had not suffered nor risen againe nor passed vp to the Heauen he was not glorified and therefore the speaches of the redemption of man being a thing to come could not bee so plaine but nowe all is past and there are no more parables but all are cleare speaches of the redemption the speaches of the thinges to come cannot bee so cleare as the speaches of a thing done and ended The Lord spake more clearly by the mouth of his Apostles of the worke of our redemption than hee did himselfe with his owne mouth To drawe this to our selues As the Lord hath giuen to vs to haue that ioye and that knowledge which was promised to the Disciples and all grace and mercy for the asking Euen so we haue in the Kirke of Iesus Christ this daye the same plainnesse in speaking of the Crosse and as the Apostle sayeth The Lord Jesus is crucified before our eyes Speake not the Apostles clearly vnto vs in these Writs which are left Haue wee not the foure Euangels the best Booke that euer was make of it as yee will and those Epistles of Paul and the rest of the Apostles written in such euidencie and plainnesse euen the same thing in effect which they preached And in a manner wee haue the Apostles speaking vnto vs in that euidencie wherein they spake when they liued And if a man woulde take those Writs in his handes and espy them well he would perceiue the Spirite of God in them And nowe also the Lord raiseth vp men to speake with liuely words and to builde on that foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Not Hay nor Stubbles but the Lord raiseth vp men to builde on the foundation as the Apostle sayeth Siluer and Golde and precious stones and as Paul sayth of himselfe and the rest of the Apostles 2. Corinth 4. vers 3. Hee who worketh light out of darknesse the same God causeth the light of his presence to shine in our hearts thorow Iesus Christ to giue the light of knowledge
of the worlde Now by them there is no doubt but the LORD shineth into the heartes of some men that they may giue light vnto others light aboundantlie shineth into the worlde so that none haue cause to bee darkened for fault of light but as the Apostle Paul sayeth in the seconde Epistle to the Corinthians the fourth Chapter and thirde vers If the Gospel bee hid it is hid to them that perish So saye I if thou bee not lightened thou shalt die and if thou gettest not illumination by these same men count of them as thou wilt and lightlie them as thou pleasest die shalt thou euerlastinglie and saye with thy selfe And if I gette not illumination I will die without remedie And I denounce against thee that if thou gettest not illumination by this same Ministerie count of it as thou wilt thou shalt die for euer The last part of that felicitie is this A readinesse and easinesse of GOD to heare their prayers night and daye Yee shall aske in my Name sayeth the LORD and J saye not that I shall praye the Father for you Indeede would hee saye I praye continuallie And no doubt the LORD IESVS in the daye of his humiliation prayed and neuer one prayed as he prayed with such a faith such a zeale and such a sense No let him haue the degree aboue all that euer prayed from the beginning of the worlde Hee felt best the miserie of man and pittied it And when hee went thorowe the Streetes of HIERVSALEM or wheresoeuer he went hee behelde the miserable bodies and hee prayed for them vnto his Father And thou likewise therefore when thou goest thorowe the streetes of EDINBVRGH looke about thee vnto the miserable multitude and see if thou hast not cause to praye to GOD for them that hee would bee mercifull to them This should bee thine exercise and no doubt CHRIST was so exercised heere on earth but nowe when CHRIST is exalted to his glorie to saye that hee will kneele downe on his knees and praye to the Father as the Papistes saye it is but a dreame for all that was a parte of his humiliation The LORD IESVS is an euerlasting Mediatour and there is none ende thereof And that Crosse is as liuelie before the Father as that same night wherein hee was crucified and so are his prayers for hee is an Aduocate not like our Aduocates hee is a crucified Aduocate Looke to him for there is no life but in the sight of him And as for his praying and humbling himselfe thinke not that all is vanished no all abideth euerlastinglie for that Prayer which yee shall heare in the CHAPTER following and all his Prayers which hee made to his Father abideth yet and shall abide euerlastinglie Then sayeth hee thinke not that I shall praye then for you as I was wont to doe but yee shall bee hearde Because the Father loueth you Yee see a man who loueth another hee will heare him willinglie And wherefore loueth hee you Because sayeth hee yee loue mee GOD will requite loue with loue yea GOD will preuent thy loue with his infinite loue and then thine heart is drawne to him And looke howe often thou wilt loue him hee will as often compasse thy loue with his loue and what is thy loue but a sorie thing in respect of that infinite loue of his Then hee sayeth Yee haue belieued that I am come out from GOD. Yee see the grounde of this readinesse is fayth in IESVS CHRIST I will ende in one worde and woulde to GOD this loue could enter into our heartes Wilt thou loue the Sonne of GOD from thine heart and not in worde onelie For loue standeth not in a worde and wilt thou belieue him that hee hath died for thy sinnes and risen for thy glorie Then euerie daye and houre his eare shall bee readie to heare thy prayer A man will thinke it no small matter to haue the eare of a King patent and readie when hee calleth The LORD shall bowe his eare to thee night and day if thou belieue in IESVS CHRIST Is this anie small thing that the LORD of Heauen shall heare thee when thou shalt call vpon him So his eare through loue by faith in IESVS CHRIST is euer patent to heare his owne Yet there is an higher grounde of this to wit that wonderfull loue which the Father beareth to the Sonne If thou louest him hee will loue thee and if thou bee an enemie to him hee will bee an open enemie to thee If there bee anie man who loueth not the LORD IESVS let him bee Anathema and Anathema Maranatha 1. Corinth Chap. 16. Vers 12. That is Cursed for euer Hee who loueth the LORD IESVS is blessed for euer and he who hateth the LORD IESVS is cursed for euer Nowe would to GOD wee had an heart to saye with Paul The man who loueth not CHRIST let him be Anathema From whence rose this From a wonderfull loue which the Apostle bare to the LORD IESVS And from whence rose this loue to CHRIST Looke what the Apostle sayeth in the second Epistle to the Corinthians in the fifth Chapter and the fourteenth Vers The loue of CHRIST constraineth mee Nowe woulde to GOD that wee had the halfe of this loue and if it were so wee woulde haue little patience to see thinges as they are and to see the enemies of CHRIST IESVS set vp the Altar of the Deuill against the Altar of CHRIST wee woulde not onelie make imprecations against theâ— but wee woulde by all meanes hinder them And this carelesnesse which wee haue testifieth that wee loue not CHRIST and if wee loue him not an heauie judgement shall light vpon vs. Nowe therefore seeing all grace is from the loue of CHRIST the LORD fill our heartes with that loue that wee may bee partakers of grace heere and heereafter bee glorified with CHRIST To whome with the Father and the holie Spirite bee all praise honour and glorie for euermore AMEN THE XVI LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xvi VERS 28.29.30.31.32.33 28 I am come out from the Father and came into the world againe J leaue the world and goe to the Father 29 His Disciples said vnto him Loe now speakest thou plainly and thou speakest no parable 30 Now know we that thou knowest all things and needest not that anie man should aske thee By this we belieue that thou art come out from God 31 Jesus answered them Doe you belieue now 32 Beholde the houre commeth and is alreadie come that yee shall bee scattered euerie man into his owne and shall leaue mee alone But I am not alone for the Father is with mee 33 These thinges haue J spoken vnto you that in mee yee might haue peace in the world yee shall haue affliction but bee of good comfort J haue ouercome the world BEfore in this Chapter Brethren the Lord fore-warned his Disciples that hee was to depart but hee spake to them in a parable
and obscurely Yet a little while and yee shall â—oâ— see mee and againe yee shall see me they vnderstoode him not nor wist not what hee spake Nowe the Lord warneth them of his departure in plaine speaking and hee sayeth in plaine wordes I am come out from the Father and came into the world againe J leaue the world and go to the Father Nowe Brethren take heede and yee shall marke a difference betwixt this fore-warning of the Disciples which is plaine and euident to their vnderstanding and the former forewarning which was obscure and not plaine to their vnderstanding Before hee proponed the matter in plaine talke hee proponeth sundrie consolations to prepare them against his departure that they might heare of his departure the more gladlie for it was an heauie thing for them to heare of his departure with whome they were so well and had such joye and such intertainment in this earth The Lord is verie loath Brethren to make the heartes of the Godlie sadde Hee is not onelie loath to make their heartes sadde and grieue them by death by afflictions and by crosses but hee is loath to speake the worde that would grieue them though it were but a worde to make them heauie hee is loath to vtter it vnto them and therefore ere euer hee doe to them anie thing grieuous sadde or heauie the Lord vseth to prepare their heartes to beare with it patientlie and to furnishe their heartes with comfort against crosses and tribulations that when persecution and affliction and sadde and heauie wordes should come they should beare all thinges the more patientlie and gladlie This is the Lordes custome So all men should beware to grieue the heart of anie man and chiefelie of the Godlie I warne thee bee loath to make the Godlie sadde rather we should incline to make the heart of the miserable creature joyfull than sadde I see euer thorow Paul in his writs this illumination hee euer inclineth to stirre vp the Godlie to rejoyce Reade him and yee shall see this Ye haue a notable example of him in the 2. Epistle to the Corinthians Chap. 1. vers 23. they accuse him verie sharplie that hee came not to them Hee answereth them with a great attestation Nowe the LORDE beare witnesse against my soule that I woulde not come to you to spare you And in the next CHAPTER hee sayeth That J should not make you sad for there was great matter of sadnesse amongst the Corinthians by reason of their euill behauiour for if I should make you sad who is there to make mee to reioyce So in a word we should incline to make the heart of a sinner joyfull and if wee should bee inforced to speake sad words as oftentimes wee are in this Countrey by reason of the manifolde and grosse sinnes reigning in it yet they should bee throwne out of vs Let them all bee in lenitie that in the matter of sadnesse they who heare them may finde loue in them Paul in the Epistles to the Corinthians and to the Galatians seemeth to bee sharpe against them at the beginning and progresse but in the end of the Epistles he vttereth a marueilous loue to them to raise vp their heartes to rejoycing Now to marke the forme how he proponeth this sad newes of his departure Hee sayeth not barely I will goe my way but first I come downe from the Father being equall with him in glory And nowe I goe to him againe to take vp my glory which I had with him before all beginning and it shall be for your good that I goe my way to Heauen to my Father for I shall sende you that Comforter In telling them this hee giueth them withall to vnderstand that they shall bee so farre from dammage and sadnesse when the Lord shall goe his waye that they shall rejoyce for hee shall goe to Heauen to the Father and bee more busie to doe them good than when he was with them in the earth So we learne here a forme of proponing sad newes vnto the godly we should propone them with such a conuoy that euen in sad wordes wee should present to the hearers some matter of joye and in reproofe loue and lenitie should appeare I will vse a familiare example now certainly we haue this day an occasion to tell heauy tidings and as Christ told to his Disciples that he was to depart shortly so wee may tell for ought wee see the glorious tidinges of the Euangel is to depart The Gospel is to depart there is sad tidings but howe shall I tell them in this forme that I haue saide for the comfort of the godlie The glorious Gospel of Christ shall shortly depart for the ingratitude of this Land there is sad newes But well is them who loueth Christ and is sad and mourneth for his departure for they shall rejoyce And so on the contrary woe is them who is not sad at the departure of Iesus Christ and woe to them who loueth not this glorious Euangel and woe to them who putteth it away and are the authors thereof Woe to the Noble men and lords of this Land howbeit they bee leaping through senselesse securitie in their pride yet their judgement was neuer so neare them for pride goeth before destruction Now thus much for the words of the Lord. In the words following we haue the answere of the Disciples vnto the Lord He hath spoken plainly to them that hee will goe his way Now say they thou speakest plainly thou speakest no parable thou speakest plainly that thou wilt goe thy waye that any man may vnderstand This is the first part of the answere They vnderstand nowe when hee speaketh plainly but they wist not what hee spake before when he spake in parables Well Brethren it is good to speake of Christ and of the waye to saluation plainly that the poorest that heareth may vnderstand It is not enough that thou takest heed to deliuer sound and true doctrine but plain doctrine and that this doctrine which is sound and true bee spoken in such words as becoÌ„meth Thou oughtest not only to look that the mater bee sound but also to take heede to the words as Paul 1. Cor. 2. We speake those things that God hath gratified in Jesus Christ we speak them not in humane words but in powerful words of the Spirit The Spirit hath ay his own mater as the mater is heauenly so the words must sauour of HeaueÌ„ of the Spirit for as the Spirit hath his own mater so hath he his own words The words must be euident plain that the vnlearned may be capable of them We haue many places of Paul agreeing to this In that Chap. vers 4. going before What was my language wheÌ„ I came to you saith he it was not in humane eloqueÌ„ce but in spirituall power that is I spake so that I made an oculare demonstration And 2. Cor. 3. vers 12. Hauing such confidence we speak plainlie And Chap.
4. vers 3. If this Gospel bee hid it is hid to them that perish So say I this day if this Gospel be hid it is hid to them who goe to perdition and thy perdition is sealed vp if thou seest not this light into thy soule vnderstandest it not Into the 3. Chap. to the Galatians he saith he preached so plainly that in a manner hee crucified Christ before their eyes that is hee made such an oculare demonstration of the crucified man Christ that they might haue perceiued him euen as he was crucified on the Crosse So say I Brethren as we should striue to sinceritie of doctrine in the light so wee should striue to deliuer it so euidently and to tell it in such plainnesse that it may be plaine to the most vnlearned for it is no small joye that commeth to the heart of them who would faine vnderstand and see that light when they heare the word and doctrine deliuered plainly And on the contrary when the doctrine is not plaine it intangleth them who haue will to vnderstand and they get no joy thereof but they are left in heauinesse sadnesse Paul saith 1. Cor. 14. vers 19. J had rather speake fiue wordes with mine vnderstanding than ten thousand in a strange tongue to none edification But I goe forward In the next part of their answere they professe a wonderfull knowledge to be in the Lord and that hee was the searcher of heartes Nowe say they wee knowe that thou knowest all things and needest not that any man should aske thee This they saide because that in that parable which hee spake of before Vers 16. A little while and yee shall not see mee and againe a little while and yee shall see mee they wiâ—t not what hee spake but doubted amongst themselues and they thought to aske at him what was the meaning of it Yet he preuented them and tolde them that which they would haue asked at him Thou not onely answerest say they when thou art asked at but also thou answerest when none asketh at thee What gather they of this That hee is the searcher of the heartes of men and women Wee belieue therefore say they that thou art come out from the Father because say they wee see thou art more than a man thou knowest our mindes and what is in our heartes and that no man knoweth and therefore of necessitie thou must come from the Father Wee haue to try a little this faith of the Disciples it would seeme at the first face to be a good faith a good confession they giue but surely will yee looke the answere of Christ subjoyned in the next Vers yee shall finde it not to haue beene a firme and solide faith They got little thanke for that faith And if yee marke the ground of this faith ye shall find it of little auaile Indeede if they had said thus Because thou tellest vs thou came from the Father we will belieue thee it had bene better but we belieue thee Why Because thou hast told vs what was in our mindes and thoughts So this faith is grounded more vpon a wonder than on the words of Christ This matter offereth vs large occasion of speaking but I will be short for the present Wonders and miracles may well prepare thee to belieue and may confirme faith when it is gotten but all the wonders in the world cannot worke faith All the works of God both ordinarie and extraordinarie of his infinit wisdome power and justice woulde neuer make thine heart to settle on him and belieue in him truelie and if thou gettest no more The Gentiles in the worlde before CHRIST came they sawe GOD his power wisdome justice prouidence c. by the workes of his creation yet they cast him off and belieued not Paul sayeth 1. Cor. Chap. 1. vers 21. Like as it pleaseth not the world to know God in the wisedome of God that is to saye in the creation a wonderfull and infinite wisedome it pleased God to saue them that belieue by the foolishnesse of preaching for what is this word and this preaching of the Crosse of Iesus Christ to the worlde and to them that perish but a foolish and idle speach But what is it that worketh faith in the heart of man and woman None outward thing no such power as is vttered in miracles but it is the worde of the Crosse of Christ that worketh fayth which illuminateth and openeth our heartes Hee that was borne blind Chap. 9. vers 1. thorowe the miracle of getting his sight beganne indeede to thinke well and reuerently of Christ but yet hee belieued not till Christ instructed him by his word saying Belieuest thou in the Sonne of God Now we come to Christes answere he refuteth this their faith whereof they bragged so greatly Doe yee belieue now As hee would say Yee thinke nowe that yee haue faith enough but yee deceiue your selues for the time shall come that ye shall all leaue me how then can your faith bee sure Then marke heere it is an vnstable and vanishing faith that is grounded and leaneth on miracles for such a faith cannot abide the persecution Yea I say farder oftentimes it turneth to persecution Wee haue an example of this Chap. 2. vers 23. where it is said Manie belieued in his Name when they saw the wonders that hee wrought but what followeth Did Christ trust to them No it is saide hee would not commit himselfe to them because hee knewe them well enough hee knewe what was within them they were not to trust to A question may bee heere moued whether if the faith of the Apostles was grounded on miracles only or not To this I answere Their faith was not grounded onely on miracles but also on the worde their faith was not euanishing and temporall but a true and justifying faith for when Christ saide to his Disciples Whom say yee that I am Peter in the name of the rest answered Thou art the Christ the Sonne of the liuing God Matthâ— 16. vers 16. But it is also true that their faith was mixed with corruption and earthly conceites they trusted in him for some carnall respects for so long as he was with them they liued in ease they were subject to no crosses nor they sawe no cause of sorrowe or mourning for when the Disciples of John the Baptist came to him and asked him why his Disciples fasted not as they and the Pharisees did The Lord answered them Howe can it bee that the Children of the Bridegroome should mourne so long as they are in the Bridegroomâ— Chamber And besides this they looked that he should be a worâ—â—lie King and haue great honours into this worlde So I 〈…〉 worde that their faith and confidence for a great parte 〈…〉 worldly respect That he should be a King in Hierusalem and whâ— so great Courteours as they Though there were no more to tâ—stifie that their faith for the moste parte was fleshly but
vnto you that in mee yee might haue peace All tendeth to this ende that yee maye enjoye that peace and rest that gladnesse and joye thorowe the holie Spirite This joye bringeth with it a verie great ease and quietnesse Well there are manie eases in the worlde but neuer one wist what ease was in the soule but hee who findeth this ease that is thorowe a good conscience in CHRIST and that peace which commeth of the forgiuenesse of sinnes Woulde yee haue the true estate of a Christian man or vvoman There it is in one word That they are peaceable hearted and they are joyfull hearted The true Christian man hath the wonderfullest peace and joye in the soule that can be And this was the end of all the speaking of the Lord Iesus to his Disciples and this is the ende of the Gospel and of all our preaching to haue a good conscience and that peace and rest in the soule Nowe they neuer knew what rest and peace was but they who knowe what it is to haue a sore heart for sinne And O howe sore the conscience will bee tossed when it hath the taste of the judgement of God â— that body would giue a thousand worlds for a word of that peace for what is the peace in Iesus Christ It is the beginning of Heauen if thou beginnest not that peace heere thou shalt neuer see peace hereafter And this is the ende of all our sanctification and justification to get this peace in Christ And what is Heauen It is peace and rest with God that is our Heauen So that if thou haue no peace and rest in the soule and neuer findest that true peace in Iesus Christ and that Spirit of joye all this preaching is vaine to thee all is vaine to thee if thou gettest not that peace Take heed to it as yee would see this life in Christ and when thou hearest of this worde of peace looke thou preasse to goe home with a peaceable soule and if thou canst not get this peace bee sadde and mourne for it and thou shalt get it another time Bee this wayes exercised that thou mayest feele the fruites of this word Nowe lest they should thinke that this peace which hee promised them should want sorrow and that they should neuer be troubled he putteth this out of their mind and sayeth In the worlde yee shall haue affliction your peace shall be without peace The rest of a Christian is no rest your joye shall bee with sadnesse and your comfort with heauinesse inwardly yee shall haue joye but outwardly ye shall haue heauinesse This heauinesse which the godlie haue is so farre from that that it taketh away their pleasure that their joye riseth of tribulation and then they haue greatest joye when they are sorest vexed and in greatest tribulations Take heed to it came not the same to passe in the Disciples they had neuer such a joye as they had then when as soone after Christ departed and was glorified in the Heauens they were brought in before the Councill and scourged for the Name of Iesus Christ and commanded straitly that they should neuer speake in the Name of Iesus then they went out with joye that they were counted worthie to suffer for that Name They had not such ioye all the time that they were with Christ in the world Yet he giueth them a comfort against these tribulations Yet bâ—â— of good comfort all these afflâ—ctions shall haue an ende they shall ende with victory to you J haue ouercome the world If we looked not for an ende of these troubles howbeit wee had aye this peace with troubles yet it would be heauy to vs therefore the Lord comforteth them with this that in the end they shall haue a solide joy and all teares shall bee wiped away and they shall get the victory not in themselues but in him that hath gotten the victory The Lord Iesus is the only Conquerour and he it is that is only victorious and hath ouercome the worlde and the Deuil But as for vs his members 1. Epist Iohn Chap. 5. vers 4. this is the victory that hath ouercome this worlde euen our fayth Fasten thee on him who hath gotten the victory and then the Battell is perfected To speake it properly we haue not a battell with the Deuill to get the victory but to keepe Christ by fayth for the Deuill and all our enemies are ouercome and the battell is stricken and the fielde is wonne Christ sitting on the Crosse vanquished the Deuil and tooke him and ledde him captiue in a triumph all the Deuils are reserued in chaines to that great day So we haue not a battell for the victorie is wonne already but all our victory is to keepe fayth in him who hath ouercome our enemies and purchased the victory to vs and all the battels of the Deuill are to twin vs and Christ and all the battels wee haue with him are about fayth for if the Deuill be able to twin vs and this fayth we haue done with Christ and therefore al the exhortations of the Apostles are to stand in faith Looke the 6. Chap. to the Ephesians What then should I exhort you to or what shoulde bee our exhortations to them who are fighting And woe to them who are not fighting against these deadly enemies wee should all bee sweating in the battell Let euery one crie to another Sticke fast to Christ hold the gripe and let it not goe and hold on the way and striue on a little while and thou shalt brooke Iesus Christ and all his graces and thou shalt leaue ouer and repose and rest vpon him sweetly vntill that daye that he come and deliuer thee from all trouble then thou shalt be crowned with that Crowne of glory which hee hath purchased with his blood To him therefore with the Father and the holy Spirit be all praise honour and glory for euermore AMEN THE XVII LECTVRE OF CHRISTS PRAYER BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xvii VERS 1. THese thinges spake Iesus and lift vp his eyes to Heauen and saide Father that houre is come glorifie thy Sonne that thy Sonne also may glorifie thee WEE heard Welbeloued in the Lord Iesus Christ the large Sermon which the Lord hath to his Disciples from the beginning of the fourteenth Chapter of this Gospel to this present Chap. which is the seuenteenth Now in the seuenteenth Chap. he endeth his Sermon with an earnest Prayer to the Father For the better vnderstanding of this Prayer wee haue to know thus farre The Lord Iesus when he was in this world manifested in the fleshe abiding amongst the Iewes and conuersant with his Disciples he abode amongst them as an high Priest that eternall high Priest of whome all the high Priestes amongst the Iewes before his comming were onely but types and figures and when he came he put an end to all the types being the very bodie it selfe Nowe as it became the high Priest to make intercession
for the people so he being high Priest made intercession for his own people The intercession which the Lord made for his owne consisteth in two points to wit in prayer and in offering vp of a sacrifice Then as for the first part of this intercession when the Lord was in the world he prayed continually for the people hee neuer ceased night nor daye from prayer As for the other part of his intercession when he had bene in the world awhile at the last hee offereth vp that sweete Sacrifice of his owne body to the Father and so hee putteth an ende to all those sacrifices which were but types of him the true Sacrifice As for the Prayers whereby the Lord interceded betwixt God and man they were manie and made at sundry times But amongst all the rest it may bee easilie seene that this prayer in this Chapter was one of the moste excellent and so it hath pleased the holy Spirite to register this Prayer especially and to recommend it to the posteritie to the end of the worlde First this Prayer is no able in respect of the time in the which hee made it it was euen about that time when hee offered himselfe vp to the Father Next in respect of the vse it is notable because by this prayer he did consecrate and dedicate that blessed Sacrifice to the Father for sacrifices were dedicated to Goâ— by prayer Thirdly in respect of the subject and matter of it for as ye may see in the Chapter it selfe first the Lord prayeth for himselfe and for that eternall glory which he had with the Father from all eternity the fairest thing and the greatest matter that euer was was that which hee prayed for and this hee doeth in the first fiue Verses Then he commeth on and prayeth for his Disciples which he should leaue behinde him in the worlde that the Lord would take the custody of them after his Ascension vnto the Heauens and would preserue them from all perill and this hee doeth from the fifth Verse to the twenty And last hee prayeth for the whole Kirke for life euerlasting and justification and this he doeth to the ende of this Chapter So yee s ee it is a notable subiect Last of all will ye looke to the force of this Prayer yee shall see the excellencie of it The force was not for the present or for a time but the force of it abideth continually to the ende of the worlde And this same Prayer is a meane whereby all men and women who are safe and shall bee safe to the ende of the world obtaine saluation And so this Prayer may bee well called A ground wherevpon the Kirke standeth And as our saluation standeth on the Sacrifice of Iesus Christ so it standeth on that Prayer that was offered to his Father But to come to the Text When Jesus sayeth John the writer of the Gospel had spoken these thinges hee lifted vp his eyes to the Heauen and he said as followeth This is the entrie to the Prayer wherein Iohn first concludeth the Sermon which the Lord made to his Disciples When Iesus had spoken these thinges to his Disciples Then hee proponeth the Prayer that followeth Hee lifted vp his eyes to Heauen and said There is the proposition of the Prayer In the proposition he noteth narrowly the behauiour of Christ in his Prayer Hee lifted vp his eyes to Heauen So in the eleuenth Chapter of this Gospel he noteth this behauiour in praying when hee thanketh his Father that he heard him before he raise â— Lazarus from the dead he lifted vp his eyes to Heauen Nowe Brethren to speake of gesture in Prayer it needeth not much will ye reade the Scriptures yee shall reade these gestures to bee in prayer First Godly men haue humbled themselues before that Majesty It becommeth the best of vs all to bow vs before God They signified by the bowing of their knees the humbling of the heart Offer not if ye haue a proude heart to come before that Throne Then they were wont to haue their handes and their eyes lift vp to the Heauens that signified the lifting vp of the eye of the soule to God to looke to him and to see him thorowe all these cloudes and these visible heauens to come to that light that hath none accesse and this agreeth with the other There are many who shall see Heauen but with an humbled heart when the heart is humbled and brought lowe then it is conuoyed thorowe these heauens euen to that light of God It becommeth all Christians to bee humbled on their knees and to lift vp their eyes to Heauen but all standeth in the heart What recks of the outward disposition if the soule be not heauenly disposed If it haue a sense of Heauen then the outwarde gesture will followe then wee will bowe our knees and humble vs before that Maiesty An humbled heart will fall downe but a proude sinner who is not touched with a sense of his sinnes will hardly bow his knee Nowe wee come to the Prayer first hee maketh his petition for himselfe and why not the most precious thing in the worlde is the glory of Iesus Christ Hee sayeth Father glorifie thy Sonne There is his petition Marke the style it is a very warme and hearty stile that he giueth him speaking familiarly to God the heart of him warmeth sweetly with him and as a Sonne he calleth him Father The stile which he giueth him vttereth that he had a sense of that fatherly loue and affection towards him While as he nameth him Father hee vttereth that Sonly affection and loue that hee bare to him A Sonly loue craueth a Fatherly loue and conciliateth a Fatherly affection from Heauen Why should we not striue to be like the Lord Iesus and in Prayer chiefly Woulde any man or woman finde the Fatherly affection of God Would they haue that loue that Fathers beare to their Children Let them vtter in Prayer that affection that a Sonne or a Daughter shoulde haue to their Father If thou wouldest haue the Fatherly loue of God the sweetest thing in the worlde looke that the Names which thou gluest him testifie that thou louest him as a deare Childe loueth his Parentes and looke aye wee pray with that Spirite which is the Spirite of Adoption that testifieth to our soules that wee are adopted to bee the Sonnes and Daughters of God for it is that Spirite that giueth libertie to the heart and openeth the mouth and causeth thee as the Apostle sayeth to crie Abba Father And if thou haue not this holie Spirite of Adoption and if that Spirite open not thine heart and lowse thy tongue call him Father as thou wilt hee is nothing else to thee but a terrible Iudge to take vengeance on thee and thou art nothing els but a slaue to him and not a Sonne Looke aye therefore that thou haue that Spirite that shall testifie to thee that thou art not the childe of wrath
mirrour And seeing there is a sight and a knowledge required in faith the Lord passeth not ouer this but hee sayeth They haue knowne that all thinges which thou hast giuen mee are of thee There is the first the knowledge And that I came from thee there is the sight Nowe goe forwarde and yee shall see faith painted out It is not enough to knowe and to see if thou hast no more if thou hast but a knowledge and a sight of Iesus Christ onelie thou art not the nearer but the heart of man and woman must drawe in into it that thing which thou knowest and seest Thou seest and knowest Christ to bee the Redeemer the verie heart must gette out the arme and pull him in And therefore hee passeth not by this The wordes which thou gauest mee J haue giuen them vnto them Haue they knowne them onelie No but they haue also receiued them Is it enough to receiue them No that is not enough Then what must thou doe Thou must not haue Christ to night and bid him farewell to morrowe but as thou hast knowne him and receiued him so thou must keepe Christ euer in thine heart and thou must keepe all his graces thou must neuer lose him keepe him still dislodge him not dislodge rather all the worlde than thou dislodge him keepe him and let him not goe the happiest guest that euer came is when the Lord Iesus is in the heart hee is full of all joye hee is full of all peace and consolation the last that thou must keepe in thine heart is Iesus Christ So make vp faith of all these partes there are the partes of it To knowe God in Iesus Christ to vnderstand him in his worde and that which thou knowest to take it within thine heart Wee should not bee content of this onlie wee shoulde not bee content to gette CHRIST into our heartes by a piece of knowledge but sensiblie to feele him And last to keepe him who is the Treasure of all treasures and who hath giuen the treasure of all knowledge the most precious treasure in the worlde Yee will keepe vp Treasures and Hoordes in your Kistes nowe keepe rather CHRIST into your heartes than all the Hoordes in the worlde Marke againe in the argument the diuersitie of the thinges which wee belieue which are the objectes of fayth If yee marke the wordes well yee shall see this First wee must belieue in IESVS CHRIST and ere wee belieue in him wee must haue a sight and a knowledge of him and then wee must receiue IESVS CHRIST himselfe and this hee declareth when as hee sayeth Therefore haue they knowne that I came from thee And againe That I am sent from thee Wee must belieue the Mediatour the LORD IESVS to haue come from his Father And againe what is the next They haue knowne these thinges which thou hast giuen mee The next thing that they belieue is That all store of grace is in IESVS CHRIST The next thing that thy fayth shoulde reach vnto is That thou gripe into thine heart that store of grace and glorie that is in IESVS CHRIST The last thing that they belieue is the worde of GOD concerning CHRIST The Apostle Paul to the Corinthians Epist 2. Chap. 5. vers 7. sayeth Wee liue nowe by fayth and not by sight So long as wee liue Pilgrimes in this Earth and dwell in this tabernacle wee will not see the LORD IESVS face to face but when wee are once flitted out of this earthlie bodie wee shall see him face to face All the sight that wee haue of IESVS CHRIST in this life is but as in a mirrour euen as one woulde see a mans face in a mirrour And what is the mirrour wherein we see IESVS CHRIST It is nothing but this word of the Gospel and this glorious Euangel of the blessed GOD the fairest mirrour that euer man or woman looked in There they shall see the fairest sight that euer was Therefore the LORD he passeth not by this mirrour when he setteth out fayth to his Disciples They haue receiued those wordes sayeth hee which thou gauest to mee and they haue kept thy wordes The whole thing that is to bee belieued is First IESVS CHRIST and next That all joye is in him and that all store of grace is in him Last the worde of Iesus Christ in the which his glorious face is seene and shineth Contemne not this mirrour contemne not this Gospel preached for if thou contemne it it shall passe thy power to gette grace contemnest thou it thou shalt neuer taste of life in this life nor in the life to come Woe to the contemners of the Gospel they shall neuer see Christ in whome is all life all joye and all comfort c. Marke well Brethren when hee setteth out the fayth of the Disciples to the Father hee speaketh thereof in such sorte that he directeth all to the glorie of the Father Lord so deare the glorie of the Father was to the Sonne When hee speaketh of the Father hee attributeth all the glorie to the Father They haue knowne well sayeth hee that I am come from thee O Father Then againe They haue knowne that whatsoeuer thing thou hast giuen mee it is from thee There is the true knowledge of the grace of Iesus Christ when thou attributest all glorie to the Father when thou belieuest in Christ belieue that the Father sent him and that the Father gaue him to redeeme thee from death and that hee is risen and ascended to the Father belieue that the Father raised him The whole praise of faith in Christ redoundeth to the Father Whatsoeuer wee belieue in Christ as when wee belieue his death or his resurrection his glory in all fulnesse is the glory of the Father Wee knowe this by experience the faith that striketh on Christ passeth immediatly thorow that man the Lord Iesus thorow that glorious person neuer resteth till it leane on that Fountaine of all mercy and grace the Father of our Lord Iesus The Fountaine is the Father of our Lord. To speake it in one worde All this faith in Iesus Christ that wee haue redoundeth to the glory of the Father And therfore the last exhortation is That our faith be in Iesus Christ for when we belieue in the Mediator and leane vs ouer on him then the heart passeth into that light wherevnto there is none accesse where that glorious person doth dwell the Father of Iesus Christ Let not thy faith rest till it gette that sweete apprehension of that glorious person the Father and hee will saue thee and giue thee to his Sonne To whome bee alâ— honour and glorie for euermore AMEN THE XXI LECTVRE OF CHRISTES PRAYER BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xvii VERS 9.10.11 9 I praye for them I praye not for the worlde but for them which thou hast giuen mee for they are thine 10 And all mine are thine and thine are mine and I am glorified in them 11 And
followeth that whosoeuer findeth in their heartes that they haue glorified the Sonne in belieuing in him in confessing of him and in their life and conuersation that man or that woman may bee assured in their heart and saye The Father keepeth me and I am in his custodie I am assured that the Father hath a speciall care ouer mee because I finde my delite and pleasure to be set on Christ No no if the Father had not mee in his custodie I should not haue such a pleasure and delite to glorifie him The heart that findeth no delite nor pleasure to glorifie Christ Iesus in this life hath no warrand that it is in the keeping and custodie of the Father if thou findest no faith at no time and if thy life in some measure answere not to thy profession saye The care of the Father is not ouer me I am desolate I am not in Gods handes that is the most desolate creature in the worlde whome the Father hath not in his custodie yea though all the worlde should compasse him and guard him round about And by the contrarie whome the Father hath a care of they are better guarded than if all the Kings of the Earth were about them for Brethren yee may well know that the Father loueth that person well that loueth his welbeloued for he who loueth the Sonne the Lord Iesus he loueth the Father also and the Father loueth him and hee who honoureth the Sonne the Father shall honour him And by the contrary he who dishonoureth the Sonne the Father shall dishonour him and shame him in despite of all the worlde albeit all the world should honour him he will haue him shamed he shal set him vp to be an open shame to man and Angel he shall be Anathema yea and Anathema Maranatha that is cursed for euer who loueth not the Lord Iesus There is such a strait and narrow conjunction betwixt the Father and the Son that the honour of the Father is the honour of the Sonne and the honour of the Sonne is the honour of the Father and that the dishonour of the Sonne is the dishonour of the Father and the hatred of the Sonne is the hatred of the Father also Ye heard what Christ said Hee who honoureth me he honoureth him who sent me A Prince will thinke that his Ambassadour shoulde bee as well reuerenced as himselfe for all the honour that the Ambassadour receiueth commeth to the Prince who sent him Now the Sonne of God is more than an Ambassadour sent by the Father for he is not a simple Ambassador but also the Sonne of God equall with the Father who is more than all the Ambassadours in the world Will not then the Father thinke that the honour done to the Sonne whom hee hath sent is done to himselfe Yes certainlie But to leaue this Yet he continueth on and bringeth other arguments heapeth argument vpon argument to shew that great desire which he had that the Father should keepe and saue his Disciples who were in the world J am no more in the world I goe away and concerning my bodily presence I am no more with them they will abide still in the world therfore O Father keepe them in respect that I leaue them to thee and I am to goe out of the worlde and that shortlie therefore take thou the care of them Euen as a man dying leaueth them whom he loueth well to tender friendes Euen so the Lord Iesus leaueth his Disciples to his Father that he should take them in his custodie When I was with them saith hee I kept them but nowe I am going out of the worlde and I leaue them vnto thee therefore Father keepe them Brethren this absence of Christ in his bodie and our absence from him it is so farre from that to bee an argument that God hath left vs that by the contrarie this absence of Iesus Christ in his bodilie presence and the leauing of vs behinde him now in the Earth it is an argument to euerie one of vs that God is with vs and that the Father of Iesust Christ hath a speciall care of vs for looke the farder that Iesus Christ bee from vs in his bodilie presence the nearer is the Father vnto vs by his holie Spirite that Comforter So that yee woulde thinke it a wonderfull thing to consider the care that the Father hath of vs in the absence of Iesus Christ from vs. It is good for vs that Iesus Christ our Lord went to the Heauens in glorie And Christ sayeth himselfe If I goe not awaye that Comforter the Holie Spirite shall not come And this is sure the more desolate that anie bee in this Earth as the Fatherlesse Widdowes and Strangers c. if they bee Christes the greater is the care of God ouer them So yee will finde in the SCRIPTVRES hee will take into his hande and haue a speciall care of the Widdowes and Fatherlesse so that they bee Iesus Christes and once giuen to him If thou bee desolate looke that thou bee Iesus Christes and if thou wouldest not want the societie of Iesus Christ aboue all beware of Infidelitie which is nothing but the beginning of that euerlasting desolation Woulde wee haue joye or consolation in anie desolate estate in the worlde Woulde wee haue that presence of God and that consolation of the Holie Spirite No more but this See that thou bee Christes for Heauen and Earth shall goe together and all shall turne to nothing ere the Lorde bee not with thee to keepe thee and to guarde thy soule as the Apostle sayeth to the PHILIPPIANS with that peace with passeth all vnderstanding Hee will set that peace into thine heart when thou art in trouble and hee will set thine heart at rest and giue thee a greater peace than all the peace in the worlde Nowe when hee hath repeated these argumentes hee concludeth shortlie Holie Father keepe them in thy NAME them whome thou hast giuen mee that they maye bee one with vs as wee are one Marke Brethren these wordes which the LORD vttereth haue a great weight and also this petition which hee maketh to the Father it is full of affection and loue And it is full of affection first to the Father then to the Disciples for whom he prayeth It is full of affection to him whom to hee prayeth to them for whose cause he prayeth Looke when thou prayest that thy affectiō be to thy God to them also for whom thou prayest Hee sayeth Holie Father keepe them Will yee consider euerie worde and first these wordes Holie Father yee shall perceiue a great affection in the Sonne to the Father These wordes rise on two motiues the one is loue that is an affection which the Sonne bare to the Father When he calleth him Father he vttreth that wonderfull loue which he bare to the Father And then the other riseth on a great reuerence that Iesus Christ our Lord bare to his Father when
hee calleth him Holie for as hee loued him so hee reuerenced him Holinesse craueth reuerence And that holie God what reuerence ought hee to haue Hee should not bee named nor thought on but with reuerence of the heart Then hee sayeth And keepe them in thy Name that is by thy diuine power This worde riseth on a confidence of a wonderfull power in the Father that hee was able to defende and keepe them in none other Name but in his owne Nowe looke the disposition of the heart of Iesus Christ In praying the heart is disposed with a wonderfull reuerence and loue to his Father And Brethren I count this argument of all the argumentes that yee haue hearde howbeit they were verie manie mightie and strong this same disposition of the heart I say to bee one of the most forciblest to mooue the Father The inwarde disposition of the heart of the Lord Iesus in loue and reuerence is moste forcible to mooue the Father to keepe his Disciples Looke in prayer to the disposition of thine heart for when wee praye to God what do we all argumentes Wherefore auaileth it to heape on argumentes to mooue God if thou hast no good disposition in thine heart in prayer Wherefore vsest thou wordes when thou hast an vnbelieuing heart and when thou hast no loue nor reuerence nor no confidence in God And then againe when the heart of man or woman is well disposed in praying with an holie affection to God in Iesus Christ with a reuerence and with a confidence in him then fewe wordes and fewe argumentes will serue It is better to haue fewe wordes in praying with loue and faith and with an holie disposition than to praye all the daye without the inwarde disposition James sayeth Chap. 5. vers 16. The prayer of a faithfull man auaileth much if it bee seruent He sayeth not If hee vse manie reasons or wordes but if hee haue a zeale to the glorie of God in prayer then it is acceptable This is knowne by experience they who knowe the disposition of the heart they will account more of it than of all the worlde So yee see this disposition in the heart of Iesus Christ is the chiefe argument to mooue the Father hee had no sinne in him his heart was cleane and his loue was perfect without anie mixture of hatred or anie other sinfull infirmitie All our affection our loue and our confidence is full of sinne and all is troubled in our heartes and if wee gette anie libertie it is but small Alace this is the foulenesse of our soule but well is that soule that getteth anie loue or anie confidence or anie reuerence c. Nowe to come to the affection to them for whome the Lord prayeth J praye euen for them whome thou hast giuen mee No question when hee sayeth Whome thou hast giuen mee hee taketh them into his heart hee imbraceth them into the affection of the heart the affection gripeth to them when as hee calleth them his No if the Lord Iesus call thee his hee will take thee into his heart and his affection will gripe thee Nowe certainelie as the affection to his Father was a great argument in the sight of the Father so when wee praye to God for others the affection towardes others is a great argument to mooue God And as wee respect the one hauing a zeale and an affection to God so wee should respect the other hauing true loue towardes others Looke that thine heart hate not the person of him for whome thou prayest otherwayes thou scornest God in thy prayer and when thou prayest for anie looke that thou loue that person for the loue of God and the loue of the person for whome thou prayest is aye joyned together If thou louest not the person for whome thou prayest it is sure thou louest not God Farder it is to bee considered heere that since the beginning of this prayer this argument is oft repeated Them whome thou hast giuen mee This is the thirde time that it is repeated The first is in these wordes J haue declared thy Name vnto the men which thou gauest mee out of the worlde And then I praye not for the worlde but for them whome thou hast giuen mee And againe Holie Father keepe them in thy Name euen them whome thou hast giuen mee c. Hee hath not so often repeated anie other argument as this They are thy Chosen they are called by the preaching of the Gospel but hee hath doubled and tripled this argument there is some grounde of this this must bee the moste speciall thing that mooued the LORD to praye for his Disciples because they were giuen to him and the Father had concredited them vnto him and put them into his handes And therefore hee letteth it neuer goe out of his heart that the Father had giuen them vnto him Father sayeth hee thou hast giuen them vnto mee therefore Father keepe them There is not a faythfull man or woman but if GOD will concredite anie to their care and protection the moste speciall thing that will mooue them to haue a care of them is That GOD hath concredited them vnto them Therefore they will praye vnto GOD for them And euen by the contrarie they who haue not a respect to them who are concredited vnto them for this cause that GOD hath put such persons into their handes to prouide for them that person sayeth the Apostle Paul is worse than an Infidell That person who hath gotten a Familie to care for and neglecteth it is worse than an Infidell So this shoulde mooue vs to care for others because the LORD hath concredited them vnto vs And in the daye of Iudgement it shall bee asked at thee Where is the care that thou hadst of them whome I concredited vnto thy charge And then terrible shall it bee for them who haue neglected those whome the LORD hath giuen vnto them As hee vseth this argument to mooue the Father so the Father must haue a care on that which hee hath giuen to CHRIST And that person that will take care of their Familie or of the Kirke or Common-wealth the LORD shall meete him and haue a care ouer him So that whosoeuer hath gotten the charge of soules or of Families or of Common-wealthes they shoulde haue a care ouer them for let bee that it is vngodlie not to bee carefull it is an vnnaturall thing Woe to the men that will runne out and drinke and leaue their Familie and runne and rashe and fill themselues and haue no care of them whom GOD hath put vnder their handes Woe to them that runne and leaue their Kirke Woe to that man that hath no care ouer them that GOD hath concredited vnto his charge Hee sayeth That they may bee one as wee are one Keepe them that they may bee like vs. No all our blessednesse is to bee like the Father the Sonne and that Holie Spirite Wherein standeth it It standeth in an vnitie to wit
That as the Father and the Sonne are one not onelie in that mutuall loue but in that verie Godhead substance and essence that is that vnitie one GOD the Father the Sonne and the Holie Spirite so wee also are one Nowe it is not required that wee bee one in essence but one in heartes and soules that is to saye Let euerie one of vs loue another let peace bee amongst vs and in this point wee must represent GOD and this is that vnitie that our heartes bee joyned with others in loue No man is knitte to CHRIST or yet to the Father but in loue and when wee are knitte vnto them our heartes are knitte euerie one to another So in one worde when wee see loue amongst men and especiallie amongst Christians when wee see their heartes joyned in loue wee may saye The Father keepeth these because they are in vnitie one with another and hee hath a care ouer them or else they coulde neuer haue this vnitie of minds in loue And where there is nothing but dissention and euerie one byting and backe-byting another they are not in the custodie of GOD for if they were in his keeping they woulde bee one as the Father and the Sonne are one So in one worde the LORDES care is not ouer those Therefore as euer yee woulde bee sure that the LORD hath a care ouer you looke that yee haue an vnitie amongst your selues And this is it that the Apostle Paul moste recommendeth vnto vs an vnitie of minde So as wee woulde testifie vs to bee the members of IESVS CHRIST let vs bee in vnitie with our neighbour for by this wee testifie to the worlde that wee are GODS and giuen to IESVS CHRIST and where there is no loue no amitie there the members are not joyned with the Head and wee haue no part with CHRIST for where fayth is there is loue and where fayth is there the members will concur together in vnitie of minde The LORD giue vs fayth in IESVS CHRIST in whome standeth all our happinesse and felicitie and to whome with the Father and the Holie Spirite bee all honour prayse power and dominion for euermore AMEN THE XXII LECTVRE OF CHRISTES PRAYER BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xvii VERS 12.13.14.15 12 While J was with them in the worlde I kept them in my Name those that thou giuest mee haue I kept and none of them is lost but the childe of perdition that the Scripture might bee fulfilled 13 And nowe come J to thee and these thinges speake I in the worlde that they might haue my joye fulfilled in themselues 14 I haue giuen them thy worde and the worlde hath hated them because they are not of the world as I am not of the world 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the worlde but that thou keepe them from euill IN the second part of this Prayer Welbeloued in the Lord Iesus the Lord being to depart out of this life and to rise againe and to ascend vp to the Heauens he recommendeth his Disciples whome he was to leaue behinde him to the keeping and preseruation of the Father To this purpose hee hath sundry arguments and reasons First sayeth he I haue manifested thy Name to them therefore Father keepe them Then Thou hast chosen them out of the worlde from all eternitie therefore Father keepe them Then They were thine therefore Father keepe thine owne And againe Thou hast giuen them to mee therefore keepe them And againe They haue kept thy worde and belieued in mee that thou hast sent mee therefore keepe them And againe I am glorified in them therefore keepe them And last of all I am to leaue them behinde mee in the worlde therefore keepe them These arguments and reasons wee haue heard Nowe hee goeth forwarde and addeth to the eight reason beginning at the Text which wee haue read The eight reason is from his owne keeping of his Disciples while hee abode with them in the world While J was with them in the worlde I kept them in thy Name and saued them And those whome thou gauest to mee I haue kept so that there is not one of them lost saue one the sonne of perdition meaning Iudas that the Scripture might mee fulfilled euen that Scripture which fore-tolde of his destruction therefore I kept them so long as I was with them Now Father I recommende them vnto thee and I put them into thine hand Yet the words would bee better weighed This keeping of his Disciples he amplifieth by sundry circumstances The first circumstance is A carefulnesse diligence and earnestnesse in keeping them This carefulnesse appeareth in doubling of the words hee is not content to say once J haue kept them but he sayth it ouer again The Sonne of God the Lord Iesus whom he keepeth hee keepeth them faithfully and carefully not slackly but diligently night and day his eye is vpon them and as hee himselfe sayth O Hierusalem as the Henne gathereth her Birdes vnder her winges so would I haue done to thee And no doubt the Lord gathereth his owne vnder the wings of his grace and keepeth them after a most tender and intiere fashion of keeping So wee may learne at his example those whom God hath concredited vnto vs to be kept in this world by vs whether they bee in our Familie whether they be in the Kirke of God or whether they bee in the Policie or Commonwealth wheresoeuer they be one or moe how many or how few they be who are concredited vnto vs and giuen out of the hand of God to be kept and defended in this world by vs. Wee learne heere by the example of Christ to keepe them so carefullie and faithfullie that they lose not in our hand The Prophet sayeth Woe to them that doeth the worke of the Lord negligentlie and slacklie Ierem. 48. vers 10. There hee meaneth Who slayeth not and wracketh not as the Lord commandeth to slay and wracke Therefore much more shall woe curse appertaine vnto them who keepeth not them faithfully whom the Lord hath concredited vnto them and commandeth them to keepe If woe was denounced against them who slewe not and wracked not at the commandement of the Lord a double woe shall appertaine vnto them who neglecteth them whom the Lord hath concredited to their charge Nowe I come to the seconde circumstance J haue kept them in they Name that is to say By thy vertue and power All the power that the Sonne hath hee hath it giuen him of the Father and all the power that the Sonne hath is the power of the Father and therefore he acknowledgeth the keeping of these Disciples to be by the power of the Father and so he glorifieth his Father in Heauen The Sonne in any thing that he doth he euer glorifieth the Father Who is he in this world who is able to keepe a soule by his owne power Who hath power in his own hand to keepe a body or a Child or
gaue some to be his Apostles some to be Euangelists some to be Pastors and some to be Doctors The ground of all is this The Father hath giuen all power in Heauen and in Earth to the Sonne Thou shouldest vnderstand this well What is the Sonne of God He is the Treasure-house of all the grace and mercy of the Father Whosoeuer would haue grace and mercy from the Father let him addresse himselfe vnto him for in him is the fulnesse of all grace and passing knowledge and wisedome in him is the deepnesse and fulnesse of the Godhead bodily as Paul sayth to the Coloss Chap. 2. vers 9. and all grace immediately is powred out from him on the Kirke Let him that would haue any grace addresse himselfe to the Sonne and desire him that the Father would giue some portion of grace out of that Treasure-house Iesus Christ If thou passest by him thou shalt neuer taste of grace Seeke grace where there is fulnesse of all grace in the world The thing which I marke of this argument is this shortly To mooue his Father to sanctifie his Disciples he vseth this argument Father I send them out to the world Now ye see the Lesson that riseth Whosoeuer commeth to the world to draw this world out of that pollution and filthinesse wherein it lieth to sanctifie the world and to make this world holy of an vncleane world to make it cleane of necessity hee must bee sanctified Alace Brethren an vnfaithfull and vnholy man let him bee a Minister as for Apostles we haue none not separated from the world but in all things like the world is vnmeet to preach and to be an Instrument or Minister of God to sanctifie the wicked worlde or to win soules to Heauen An vnholy man and in no measure separated from the world but in life and conuersation like the worlde in all vanity let him not open his mouth to speake of Christ There is not one that the Lord Iesus sendeth but in some measure hee will make them holy and therefore that man that liueth like this worlde and hath his conuersation in all pointes like the worlde I say and I assure thee the Lord neuer sent that man So if a Minister would haue a good conscience in his calling and would goe out to the worlde to draw men to Heauen let him try himselfe if he be separated from the world or no And if hee finde that hee is separated from the world then with the better conscience hee may speake of Iesus Christ and then hee may put out his hand to miserable men and draw them piece and piece out of this sinful world otherwayes he can haue no boldnesse Nowe let vs come to the seconde argument The seconde argument which hee vseth is from the ende of his sanctification For their sakes I haue sanctifie my selfe To what end That they may be sanctified through thy trueth I haue sanctified my self that is I haue consecrated my selfe to the death to bee a Sacrifice that by my death and thorow it they should be made holy and that by the ministerie of the Crosse The ground of all our sanctification is the Crosse and death of Iesus Christ It is that blood and that Sacrifice that maketh vs holy and which is that meritorious cause that hath procured holinesse to euerie one of vs. Well Brethren as little as men will count of holinesse our holinesse is deare bought there is not one that hath a sponke of holinesse little or much but it is bought by the precious blood of the immaculate Lambe it is the dearest Merchandize that euer was bought in the worlde So the ground of holinesse is the blood of God But I say againe except that the Crosse of Christ and his blood and his death and Sacrifice be made thine and applied to thee and apprehended to thee and except so to speake it the Crosse of Iesus Christ bee in thine heart and thy conscience sprinkled with his blood the Crosse of Iesus shall neuer doe thee good to make thee holy Now yee see the meane and instrument whereby the death of Christ is made ours It is the worde of Christ euen the worde of the Crosse This same Gospel of Iesus Christ wherein the Lord in a manner is crucified and painted out to thine eye that is the meane which applyeth to thy soule that death that it may bee effectuall in thee to sanctification and holinesse of life It will not bee Christ and his Crosse without thee that will sanctifie thee except thou belieue in him and by fayth drawe Christ and his blood into thine heart thou mayest well bee worse and the Crosse of Christ may condemne thee but thou shalt neuer bee the better of him But if thou belieuest this worde of the Crosse and so make Iesus Christ and his Crosse thine by fayth then the blood of Iesus Christ shall gushe out to thy sanctification It cannot bee ydle but it must sanctifie and separate thee from the worlde and make thee an Heire of Life Looke howe yee should haue a sight of the Crosse of Christ thinke it not enough that Christ suffered and died for sinners except when thou hearest this worde of the Crosse thine heart griedilie gripe and drawe Christ in to thy selfe and this aye should bee our exercise in the hearing of the word of the Crosse of Iesus Christ to get such a solide apprehension of the Crosse that thou mayest say The Lord Iesus died for me the greatest sinner in the world Look that thou find the effect and fruit to flow of that Crosse to the sanctification of thy soule mortification slaughter of thy sinfull nature day night So heare not with the eares only but with the apprehension of the heart or els that Crosse shal neuer be effectual to saue thee but for all this benefit of the word of the Crosse of Iesus Christ euerlasting death and damnation shall be thine ende Bee not secure in hearing but drawe in to thy selfe Iesus Christ and there shall followe such a joye and consolation that all the tongues of men nor Angels cannot expresse there is no pleasure comparable to that pleasure which the heart of a faythfull man will finde Now hitherto hee hath prayed for himselfe first That the Father would glorifie him and next for his Disciples eleuen in number for Iudas hath no part of that Prayer Now last he extendeth his Prayer farder out beyonde all the Apostles to the whole faythfull that shall belieue in him to the ende of the worlde And this is the third part of this Prayer a Prayer for the whole faythfull that should belieue in him to the ende of the worlde But to come to the wordes Not for them onelie that is Not for my Disciples alone doe I pray But J praye also for all them that shall belieue in me through their Worde And vvhat prayeth hee for them That they may bee made vp in one bodie joyned with
maketh it plaine I in them The glorie that the Sonne hath giuen vs is nothing but himselfe it standeth in this That the Sonne is in euerie one of the faythfull To make it more plaine In our Regeneration and newe birth the Sonne of God Iesus Christ communicateth to euerie one of the faythfull borne anewe againe his holie Spirit and so as Peter speaketh 2. Epist Chap. 1. vers 4. he maketh vs partakers of that diuine-nature There is not one of vs that hath gotten that holie Spirit of Iesus Christ but in a manner wee are made partakers of that diuine nature Yea in our Regeneration the Sonne of God giueth vnto vs himselfe This is a great prerogatiue to thy soule to get God to dwell in thee for where the holy Spirite is there is fayth for the Spirite breedeth fayth in the heart and where fayth is there is Iesus Christ Hast thou fayth thou hast Christ The saying of the Apostle PAVL to the Ephesians must bee true Christ dwelleth in the heart by fayth Hast thou fayth in Iesus Christ thou hast Iesus Christ the Sonne of God and if thou hast fayth thou hast the holie Spirite in thine heart and if thou haue the Sonne thou hast the Father and if thou haue the Father thou hast the glorious Trinitie in thee the Father the Sonne and the holie Spirite Well then Brethren consider this giuing of Christ wherein hee giueth himselfe vnto vs by this Regeneration the Lord is in euerie faythfull man and woman that is the meaning As the Father communicateth himselfe to the Sonne so the Sonne communicateth himselfe to euerie one of vs and as it were hee communicateth that diuine nature vnto vs in this life and much more in the life euerlasting But to come to the ende of the glorie that the Father giueth to the Sonne and that the Sonne giueth to the faythfull that is That they may bee one as wee are one The Father being in the Sonne the Father and the Sonne becommeth one in that glorious substance and nature and then the Sonne the Lord Iesus Christ being in vs there riseth not onelie a conjunction of vs and him together a conjunction of the bodie and the head but there riseth also another to wit a conjunction with the rest of the members of his bodie in the Earth For Brethren where the Spirite of Iesus is where Fayth is where Christ is in the heart of anie man or woman there of neede force loue must bee fayth and charitie are vnseparable Where that bande of perfection is as the Apostle PAVL calleth it in the third Chapter to the Colossians Vers 14. Where fayth in Christ is in thine heart thou must bee joyned with the Kirke of God and with thy neighbour And this is our perfection that euerie one of vs is joyned with another in this bande of loue There is no perfection of a member in this worlde when it is sundered from the rest of the members Cutte off a member from the bodie it doeth no good but perisheth Cut off the hand from the bodie whereto serueth it Or cut off the foote what perfection shall it haue Take the eye out of the head whereto serueth it So the perfection of euerie one of vs standeth in the conjunction of vs together in the bodie of Iesus Christ Wouldest thou bee perfect Bee thou an hande or a foote or some member yea if it were but a little Toâ— of the bodie of Iesus Christ that is of the Kirke or elsâ— thou art but a rotten member If hee were a King if hee bee separated from the Kirke of God hee is but a stinking vilde member and serueth for no vse and in ende shall bee casten into the fire The doctrine which wee see heere Brethren is That vertue which commeth from Iesus Christ For all grace and life floweth from him and commeth to vs by vertue of that conjunction betwixt him and vs the vertue is not to make a man perfect in himselfe and absolute with all sorte of graces that is not the vertue of IESVS CHRIST to make anie man so absolutelie perfect that hee shall not haue neede to begge anie thing at his neighbour But this is the vertue that commeth from IeSVS CHRIST our Head to make all one man and not to make one member the whole bodie but to make one an eye in the bodie and another an hande and another a foote c. And not to set vp anie one man no not the Emperour nor the King to make him the whole bodie Then Brethren this grace of IESVS CHRIST is to make a conjunction amongst the members and not to giue vnto him or her all grace Yea though it were the Emperour or the King the LORD will giue him but parte of grace And hee will giue that grace to the soberest Subject in the Lande which hee will not giue vnto the King And againe hee will giue vnto the King that which hee will not giue vnto the Subiect For hee will giue to one to doe the office of a Foote and to another to doe the office of an Eye and to some other to doe the office of the Hande c. Nowe the Foote cannot bee the Hande nor the Hande the Foote So it is with the members of IESVS CHRIST And wee see by experience yee shall neuer see that one man hath gotten all graces but hee who hath gotten one grace hee wanteth another and his neighbour hath gotten that which he wanteth This the Lord doth that there may be a conjunction of the members to make thee ioyne with thy neighbour because hee hath the grace that thou wantest for if euerie man had all graces euerie man would misknow another The man that will stand vp in a prowde conceit of himselfe and will mount aboue the Kirke and contemne anie member of that bodie howbeit it were the silliest member of Iesus Christ hee is nothing and hee shall haue no portion of grace If thou joynest not thy selfe with thy neighbours and with the members of Iesus Christ thou hast no grace Yet he insisteth in the commendation of this conjunction for it is a blessed conjunction to bee joyned with the Kirke of Iesus Christ in this world of all blessinges it is the greatest if thou be a true member in the Kirke if it were but the foote thou hast gotten a greater blessing than thou hadst gotten all the Kingdomes of the worlde As therefore thou wouldest bee partaker of that life to come looke that thou be a member of the bodie of Iesus Christ if thou bee not the eye thinke it a great thing to bee the foote or to bee a Toe of that glorious bodie Hee commendeth it from two endes the first is The worlde shall knowe that J am sent from thee as hee saide Vers 21. Wouldest thou know that Iesus Christ is the Messias bee conjoyned in that bodie of Iesus Christ Another is The worlde shall knowe that thou hast
that onelie merite of Christ saye that the Spirit of God speaketh not by vs but the spirite of Antichrist for heereby are the spirites discerned hee that teacheth Christ onelie speaketh by the Spirit of Christ but hee who teacheth anie thing besides Christ hath the spirit of the Antichrist 1. Ioh. 4. vers 2.3 And this is the spirit that teacheth the Pope and his Clergie and therefore goe away from them or else yee will bee deceiued and one day yee shall see this justified and this day yee should heare with your eares the Lord crying Away out of Babylon as thou wouldest bee safe and see Heauen I haue cryed this oftentimes It might haue beene saide Shall not the Spirit reueale that doctrine hee hath receiued of the Father Hee meeteth that now and saith Whatsoeuer things the Father hath are mine Marke this It appeareth verie well out of this place that the holy Spirit is sent immediatelie of the Sonne and that he hath his direction of the Sonne our Sauiour this may comfort vs indeed the Father sendeth him but by the Sonne and therefore it is saide Hee shall sende him in my Name and againe Whom I shall send from the Father Now that which I speake of the Spirit of Iesus Christ I vnderstand it of the Apostles and of all the faithfull Ministers in the Kirke Wee haue all our commission immediatelie from our Lord Iesus Christ so the silliest Minister that is faythfull hath not his calling from the Father immediatelie but from the Sonne Ephes Chap. 4. vers 11. Hee therefore gaue some to bee Apostles and some Prophets and some Euangelistes and some Pastours and some Teachers And Paul speaking of himselfe calleth himselfe the Apostle of Jesus Christ and he addeth to by the will of the Father whereby hee telleth vs that hee was sent immediatelie from the Sonne and mediatelie from the Father What is the grounde of this The Father hath giuen his Sonne all power in Heauen and in Earth hee hath kept nothing from him All thine is mine as it is said in the next Chap. vers 10. And vpon this it commeth to passe that the holie Spirite commeth immediately from the Sonne and all the Apostles and Ministers in the Kirke are immediately from him and euen now hee sitteth like a King at the right hande of the Father I speake not this as if I affirmed that the Father had put off all power from himselfe wee must not thinke so no no for afterwardes hee saith All mine is thine so this hurteth not the Father And therefore these thinges which are giuen to the Sonne remaine in the Fathers handes But the Sonne is the Store-house of all grace and when the Father would giue grace hee taketh it out of the treasure of the Sonne and giueth it to vs by the hand of the Sonne The Father hath his glorie the Sonne hath his glorie and the holie Ghost hath his glorie but wee glorifie the Father as the Fountaine of all benefites the Sonne as Mediatour and the holie Spirite as our Sanctifier and wee giue them all one equall glorie amongst themselues because they are equall in Glorie and Majestie Therefore let vs glorifie the Father the Sonne and the holie Ghost in this blessed Trinitie who liueth and reigneth world without ende Nowe to goe forwarde After hee hath fore-warned his Disciples of his departure and hath comforted them against that time promising that after his departure they should receiue the Comforter to wit the holie Spirite and therefore hee hath spoken much of the holie Spirite that shoulde come vnto them Nowe in these wordes hee continueth on in the same purpose and hee fore-warneth them of his departure and hee sayeth A little while and yee shall not see mee meaning that hee was to depart out of this worlde Then hee comforteth them in the next wordes Againe a little while and yee shall see mee meaning that after his departure hee should come againe in his Spirite and by his Spirite hee should giue them his presence and hee giueth the reason of this his presence for saieth hee J goe to my Father that is I am to passe vp to the Heauen and am to bee glorified and the Heauen shall not containe my glorie but it shall come downe to the Earth my Spirit wherewith I shall be filled shall come downe to you For albeit that Christ merited by his death all benefites to vs yet they come not to vs but by vertue of his Resurrection Ascension and Glorification for hee merited all thinges to vs as a Priest humbled on the earth but hee communicateth to vs the benefites which hee merited as a glorious King Nowe Brethren yee may see this of these wordes That the LORD hee neuer taketh his presence from his owne altogether if hee will take awaye his bodilie presence as indeede presentlie wee haue not his bodilie presence hee will recompence it with his spirituall presence for this is a sure thing The Godlie heere on the Earth cannot want some sight of CHRIST they cannot liue without some presence of IESVS CHRIST No there cannot bee a Kirke without some presence of him For first Howe is the Kirke made heere vpon the Earth Who maketh the separation Who but IESVS CHRIST Hee letteth such a number haue his presence and sanctifieth them by his holie Spirite and so maketh a Kirke And if there were not a continuance of his presence the Kirke coulde not stande There is not a member of the Kirke that coulde stand in holinesse if it pleased the LORD to withdrawe his presence Wee haue holinesse not of our selues but of the Spirite of the LORD IESVS CHRIST and if hee withdraw his Spirit from vs wee would become as prophane as the most wicked of this worlde So all our grace and all our standing commeth of the Spirit of Iesus Then marke this By what vertue receiue wee the Spirit of Iesus and that presence of Christ by his Spirit Wee receiue it in a word by vertue of his glorious Resurrection Ascension and Glorification in the Heauens for nowe being in the Heauens hee is full of glorie All the Angels in Heauen are nothing comparable to him in glory the Heauens are not able to containe his glory Now the head being full of glory a portion commeth downe from him and in some measure glorifieth the members And as Iohn sayeth Of his fulnesse wee all receiue a part Chap. 1. vers 16. And to the Ephesians Chap. 4. vers 8. Hee passed vp to the Heauens and filled vs all with his grace and so by the passing vp of Christ to the Heauen wee receiue the holy Spirit Therefore when thou considerest the Resurrection and Ascension of Iesus Christ it should moue thee to take a triall whether thou hast gotten the fruit of his Resurrection and glorification to see if thou hast gotten his holy Spirite in some measure or the graces of his holy Spirite for the Apostles by his Resurrection and