the eternal Spirit be all honour and glory now and for ever Amen Christ glorified in his Ascention The Prooeme That our blessed Saviours Ascention is not so truly observed by our commemoration as by our imitation and the manner how to consider the History of his Ascention THere is no blessing of Christ but imposeth upon a Christian the necessity of commemorating it and withall affords him exceeding great joy in its commemoration if he so observe it with other Christians as also to imitate it with good Christians For at Saint Luke gives a full definition of Christs Gospel when he calleth it a Treatise of those things which Jesus did do and teach Acts 1. 1. as if he had said A Book that containeth Christs sayings and doings so may we give this definition of a true Gospeller or of a good Christian He is a lively representer of the sayings and doings of Christ of the sayings of Christ by his profession of the doings of Christ by his practise and imitation For that man alone hath a true faith in the Passion Resurrection and Ascention of Christ who sheweth his faith by his works dying with Christ that he may live to him rising with Christ that he may live with him and ascending to Christ that he may live in him who sheweth his faith in Christs Cross by crucifying his own sinful lusts in Christs resurrection by rising to newness of life and in Christs ascention by ascending thither in heart and mind whiher his Saviour is gone before him Thus did the holy Apostles follow their Master with their eyes and with their hearts when they could not follow him with their bodies They looked stedfastly towards heaven as he went up Acts 1. 10. Surely the more to fix their hearts on him when he was above And so must we too we must go up with him thither that we may tarry with him there accordingly as Christs own Church hath taught us to pray Grant we beseech thee Almighty God that like as we do believe thine only begotten Son our Lord to have ascended into the heavens so we may also in heart and mind thither ascend and with him continually dwell who liveth and raigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost one God world without end which is such an heavenly prayer That we are infinitely bound to bless God for putting it into our devotions but yet more bound to beseech him that he will also put it into our lives and conversations For which cause I will enlarge my considerations concerning the ascention of our blessed Saviour And as Binius in setting down that vast and voluminous Council of Ephesus digesteth his work into three Tomes in the first tome reciting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the acts before the Council in the second Tome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the acts done in the Council in the third Tome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the acts done after the Council So will I consider the history of our blessed Saviours Ascention first insisting upon those things which are recorded before it His apparitions his instructions his consolations and his benedictions Secondly insisting upon those things which are recorded concerning the manner of his ascending And lastly insisting upon that one thing which is recorded of him after he was ascended viz. his sitting at the right hand of God And I have warrant enough so to do from the two Pen-men of that very History For Saint Mark describeth the Ascention with reference to Christs Apparitions upon the very day of his resurrection though that was full fourty daies before he ascended for so we read Mar. 16. 14. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sate at meat and upbraided their unbelief and hardness of heart which apparition was clearly on the very day of his Resurrection unless we will say that unbelief and hardness of heart remained in the Apostles when it scarce remained in any of the other Disciples for he had appeared unto them no less then five several times on that very day for the confirmation of their faith And yet without any mention of more apparitions it followeth v. 19. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them he was received up into heaven But Saint Luke describeth the Ascention with the sending down of the Holy Ghost which was not till ten daies after our Saviour Christ was actually ascended as appears Acts 1. 8 9. But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you And when he had spoken these things he was taken up The Ascention is so placed in the narrations of these Evangelists as both to look backward to the Feast of Easter and forward to the Feast of Pentecost To look backward upon the Resurrection of God the Son to look forward upon the Descention of God the Holy Ghost Happily to teach all Christians That they must first arise from sin before they can ascend up to God there 's the Resurrection before the Ascention And that they must ascend up to God before they can receive the gifts and graces of his Holy Spirit there 's the Ascention before the coming of the Holy Ghost However this is ground enough for me to look a little backward and a little forward in my considerations of the Ascention because the Evangelists have thus related it with its antecedent apparitions and words and with its consequent exaltation or sitting on the right hand of God CAP. I. Christ Considered before his Ascention SECT I. Christ considered in his Apparitions before he ascended as to Mary Magdalen and to Saint Peter c. The wrong use that hath been made the right use that may be made of those Apparitions IT is much to be observed That since in the Gospel are mentioned but ten apparitions of Christ between his Resurrection and his Ascention yet no less then five of them are recorded on the very day of his Resurrection For he appeared five several times to several persons on that same day which Durand would perswade us the Latine Church did intimate in her very Church musick of that day singing that Invitatory Hymn The Lord is risen indeed in the fift musical tone Et est quinti toni propter quinque apparitiones Domini in ill◠die saith he This Anthymne Surrexit Dominus verè The Lord is risen indeed is sung in the fift Tone because the Lord appeared five times on that very day This is an elegant way of teaching mysteries by musical tones somewhat above that gross invention of turning pictures into Lay-mens books but yet whatsoever is to be said of the musick we are sure the thing it self is consonant to the Truth For our blessed Saviour did appear five several times on the very day of his resurrection that as soon as he had raised his own body from the Grave he might raise his Apostles souls from incredulity and prepare them to receive those Heavenly doctrines pertaining to the kingdom of God concerning which he resolved to speak with them
in relation to the people to those who have a great number to countenance any insolency and as great a power to continue it and to say it in the name of God is to say that which if it doth not make the people tractable will certainly make them inexcusable And this Saint Paul saith so frequently that we are bound to look upon it as his common dialect and therefore as our own special duty I will instance only in that Text which as it allows the necessity of Ecclesiastical Discipline so it allayes the severity of it for these times though they most shew the want or necessity of Church government yet will they least endure the severity of the same And that Text is in the second Epistle to the Thessalonians the third Chapter 14. and 15. Verses And if any men obey not our word by this Epistle note that man and have no company with him that he may be ashamed yet count him not as an enemy but admonish him as a brother T is without all doubt and therefore should be without all dispute that these words were not written occasionally but âoctrinally and consequently contain in them such a precept as now at this time concerns us no less then it did at that time concern the Thessalonians And our Church is no less intrusted with this precept then theirs was and as much bound to execute this command of observing admonishing avoiding such as obey not the Apostles Word or Doctrine whether by his own Epistles or by the Churches Sermons Whether by his writing or by her speaking whether by his Hand or by her mouth What remains then if I obey not but wilfully persist in disobeying the Apostles Doctrine taught me by this Church which God hath set over me but that I look upon my self as one excommunicated by this Canon of the Holy Ghost and consequently as one whose sins are bound and retained in heaven though possibly not so much as taken notice of here on Earth And therefore I have great reason to fear that sentence which a Bishop of this Church hath recorded upon this very Text though now I see no visible Judge to pronounce it In nomine Dei c. In the name of the living God and of Jesus Christ before whom I stand and before whom all flesh shall appear by the authority of his word and by the power of the Holy Ghost I divide thee from the fellowship of the Gospel and declare that thou art no more a member of the body of Christ Thy name is put out of the book of life Thou hast no part in the life to come thou art not in Christ and Christ is departed from thee I deliver thee to Satan the Prince of darkness thy reward shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone Thou shalt starve and wither and not abide The Grace of God is taken out of thy Heart The face of the Lord is against all them that do evil they shall not taste of his mercy Bishop Jewel in his Commentary on 2 Thes 3. This is a sentence that I have reason to fear if I be disobedient to the Doctrine and bid defiance to the worship of Almighty God which I have learned in this Church For rather then the Synagogue of Satan shall be confounded with the Church of God Christ himself will re-assume that Power which he hath given to his Ministers he will become the judge rather then obstinate sinners shall want the sentence of condemnation Nay it is to be feared that he is become the Judge already and hath moreover ratified his own sentence for surely men are divided from the fellowship of the Gospel Christ is departed from them and the grace of God is taken out of their hearts when they altogether delight in divisions and are as children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrine nay carried away with all deceivableness of unrighteousnesness because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved And indeed men are first generally carried away by the deceivableness of unrighteousness and after that by the deceivableness of untruth The deceivableness of unrighteousness will not let them receive the love of the truth and then the deceivableness of untruth will not let them retein the Doctrine of it as it follows For this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lye that they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes 2. 11 12. They first have pleasure in unrighteousness and will not believe the truth and from thence proceed to have pleasure in untruth that they may defend and maintain their unrighteousness First they will not give themselves to believe the truth then God gives them to belielieve a lye First they contemn those whom God hath sent then God sends them strong delusions First they believe not the truth because they have pleasure in their sins then they believe a lye that they may perish in their sins O the unspeakable mercy of God who hath given us this warning to day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts O the impartial Justice of God who hath given us this doom that if we hear not his voice to day we shall harden our hearts to morrow Let us consider how the Primitive Christians obeyed their spiritual guides and we shall never want the Method and much less lose the zeal of our obedience We will never let it be said that we have lived so many years to understand our Religion now mean to live the rest of our dayes to abandon it alwayes remembring that heavenly contemplation of the Angelical Doctor Ratio Aeternitatis consequitur Immutabilitatem sicut ratio temporis consequitur motum 1 par qu. 10. art 2. Eternity is founded upon unchangeableness as time is founded upon change Therefore we cannot lay a greater reproach upon Religion then to think or to shew it changeable as if it rather belonged to time then to eternity Secondly this obligation which binds us to our spiritual Pastors and Guides hath not lost its force of binding us because of the duty to which we are bound which is the publick practice of Religion A duty which we cannot perform without the direction of the Church for without that when we come together every one will have a Psalm a Doctrine a tongue a revelation an interpretation 1 Cor. 14 26. yet a duty which we cannot wilfully neglect without the danger if not the damnation of our souls For this comes neer that damnable sin of spiritual slothfulness which regards not Communion with God and he that regards not communion with God here how can he hope for the fruition of God hereafter T is the common course of men now to say are not Abana and Pharphar Rivers of Damascus better then all the Waters of Israel may I not wash in them aud be clean
Iew he would have been zealous to have proved his Sabbath before Moses could he have made good his proof and that these words seem to be spoken by way of anticipation to continue the history like that of the Saints rising at our Saviours death Saint Mat. 27. 52. which yet was not so till after his resurrection for Christ was to be the first that should rise from the dead Act. 26. 23. The reason of the name Sabbath depends upon the creation of which God repented soon after as saith Moses it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him at his heart Gen. 6. 6. when as the reason of the name Lords day depends upon the Redemption of which he cannot repent For Christ rising again from the dead now dieth not death from henceforth hath no power upon him for in that he died he died but once to put away sin but in that he liveth he liveth unto God Rom. 6. 9 10. And as Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more so neither can this Festival die which is consecrated to the memory of his resurrection but as long as the first day of the week shall last so long it must be our Lords day and not our own As is the mercy immortal so is the duty that recordeth it and as is the duty so is the day on which it is recorded As is the Lord himself so is his day as much as a day can be the same yesterday and to day and for ever The same in all ages and successions of the Church Not changeable now by the Authority of his present Catholick Church because that hath a power for edification not for destruction 1 Cor. 10. 8. and in this change the Church that is now would but pull down what the Church when it was under the master-builders hands did set up Not changeable by the Authority of Angeis for they in so doing would in effect preach another Gospel another Christ delivered for our offences and risen again for our Iustification and so being themselves under Saint Pauls anathema Gal. 1. 9. I dare further say and I hope it is no presumption sure it is intended with reverence not changeable by Christ himself according to his power of excellency whereby he is head of the Church and founder of all Christian Institutions because though the change be Metaphysically possible that is in its own nature for that all daies are alike in themselves as to Gods worship yet it is not morrally possible that is in the end and reason of the change because Christ cannot rise again from the dead and consequently there cannot be another day as a memorial of his resurrection More daies then this may be set apart for the honour of Christ by the example and from the reason or end of this for the duty is of extent large enough to employ many daies and God having consecrated time to his own service hath made it lawful or rather necessary for the Church to do so too and we find the Jews did ordain the feasts of Purim and Dedication without any peculiar precept from the text and yet are justified for so doing But this day must be set apart by the example of Christ himself who made it his free-will-offering to God by making on it the first ordination of the ministers of his Gospel Other daies are authorized by vertue of this but this day is authorized by vertue of Christ who chose it for the day whereon to ordain his Apostles the Teachers and Governors of his Church and also to give unto them the power of ordaining others So that both the circumstances of time and person the day and the Ministers of Gods publick worshp have no less then the chief corner stone for their foundation For they both are grounded upon the practise of Christ on the day of his resurrection though builded upon the practise and precepts of his Apostles So we read John 20. 19. The same day at evening being the first day of the week came Jesus and stood in the midst and saith unto them Peace be unto you the same day at evening the evening follows the morning in the Christian but went before it in the Iewish account of daies The evening and the morning made the first Sabbath but the morning and the evening made the first Lords day what other reason can we give of the change but because the Lord rose from death in the morning Being the first day of the week Why is the first day of the week so punctually named Surely not to tell the Apostles what day it was but to tell us that should be after them that we might know the very day on which Christ had purchased for and bestowed on his Church such unvaluable mercies and so know it as to keep it as it followeth ver 21. Theu said Jesus unto them again Peace be unto you Now it is more then an ordinary salutation it is certainly a most solemn benediction Peace be unto you as my Father hath sent me even so send I you and when he had said this he breathed on them and saith unto them receive ye the Holy Ghost We have here the practise and example of Christ for solemnizing the day of his resurrection and for the ordaining of his Ministers We have his example for the observation of the Lords day which as he made holy by his own rising so he kept holy by his blessing and ordaining the Apostles on it And we have his example for the ordination of the Lords Ministers and there is little reason why we should easily and much less slightly pass by the former since we are sure that the latter is to continue till the worlds end for this is the full meaning of the words As my Father sent me and endued me with the Holy Ghost or with spiritual authority to be the teacher and governor of his universal Church So I send you and endue you with the Holy Ghost or with spiritual authority and power to be teachers and governors of the Church after me And as the Father sent me with power and authority of sending others and of giving them the Holy Ghost or my spiritual power So do I send you with the power of sending others and giving unto them the Holy Ghost or this spiritual authority and power of sending others still after them even to the worlds end This is the full meaning of those words and therefore the antient Fathers particularly Saint Cyprian and Firmilian did rightly apply this Text to prove by it the authority of the Church in their daies and we may as rightly alledge it now to justifie the same authority For the Bishops are obliged by this Text to ordain a succession of Ministers even to the worlds end One must be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection saith Saint Peter Acts 1. 22. If God say One must be ordained it is not for
their profit but t is by a false Arithmetick an Arithmetick that is only in their own fansie by which they cast up that which is not and so must needs be out in their account For they cast up for the time to come making that a part of their reckoning and by that their life longer in their fansie then t is truely in it self or in Gods appointment which is so unimaginable folly that it causeth the Son of God to thwart his own instructions and though he much dislike the language of thou fool Matth. 5. 22. Yet here he useth it saying verse 20. Thou fool this night thy soul shsll be required of thee Thus are our carnal joys great in their proportion not so in their foundation but contrarywise our spiritual joys are greater in their foundation then in their proportion which shews that even the best of us do so live in the flesh as to live too much after it contrary to that profession which should be ours as well as Saint Pauls for though we walk in the flesh we do not war after the flesh 2 Cor. 10. 3. Hence it is that the cause or foundation of our joy in Christ is infinitely greater then the measure and proportion of it But yet the man after Gods own heart the Prophet David sets it out to the full He was a man after our hearts in his carnal failings but a man after Gods heart in his unfeigned repentance which caused his spiritual rejoycings And his spiritual joy was so great that he cals for company to rejoyce wirh him saying Rejoyce in the Lord O ye righteous for it becommeth well the just to be thankful Psal 33. 1. As if he had said since ye are truly righteous and just being made righteous by his propitiation and just by his satisfaction it becommeth you well to rejoyce in him that you may be thankful for this transcendent salvation So let me be just so let me be joyful SECT XI A zealous observation of this Christian Festival proceedeth from the true love of our Redeemer and thankfulness for our Redemption A set form of Praise fittest to express that thankfulness IT were a fowl shame for Christians who are most obliged to serve God to be least devoted to his service and therefore we must beware of shewing less zeal in our moral then the Jews shewed in their ceremonial worship When they celebrated their Passeover they did sing some Psalms of Repentance as a lamentation for the sinner other Psalms of thanksgiving as a triumph and rejoycing for the righteous Canebant quaedam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quaedam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Scal. lib. 6. de emend temp They did sing some Psalms for propitiation some for thanksgiving And this was their hymn for thanksgiving Blessed art thou O Lord our God King of heaven and earth who hast sanctified us by thy Commandments and hast commanded us in this manner to bless and praise thee which hymn of theirs holy Zachary seems to have imitated but withal to have amplified in his Benedictus Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people that we being delivered from the fear of our enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness all the daies of our life A main ground of his blessing God is this That God hath enabled his people to bless and praise him Which invaluable mercy the Greek Church alwaies thought worthy of a particular thanksgiving saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we give unto thee humble and hearty thanks that thou hast given us this Liturgie this good form of serving thee That thou hast called us to this duty of publick thanksgiving That thou hast vouchsafed us this great honour who are dust and ashes and greater mercy who are sinful dust and ashes to bless and praise thee and to call upon thy holy name And they have this reward of their thankfulness that in the middst of the greatest and bitterest enemies of the Christian Religion they do still enjoy their Liturgy groaning indeed under the bondage and oppression of their bodies but infinitely rejoycing in the liberty of their souls the Turks themselves thinking it too inhumane a tyrannie to bring that people into bondage both of body and of soul And as for the Jews they would have laughed at any man that should have offered them whimsies instead of certainties and would sooner have let their bread be taken out of their mouthes then this their hymn of blessing and praising God So great so fervent so constant was their zeal for that which they knew to be true godliness This I say was the general thanksgiving of the Iews at all their great Feasts to the which they added those particular forms of thanksgiving that most properly concerned the occasion And this was their spiritual manner of feasting God himself suggesting no less in that he commanded them to take their Lamb the tenth day of the moneth which was not to be slain till the fourteenth for why was the Lamb to be taken so long before hand but only that their souls might feed on the goodness of God before their bodies feasted on the Lamb And the Jewish Authors tell us that during those four daies the Lamb was tyed to their bed-posts that not only eating and drinking as Saint Paul requires of us 1 Cor. 10 31. but also sleeping and waking they might glorifie their God And so will we too if we have the true love and zeal of godliness saying with those three holy men for the same cause that they did even our deliverance from the fiery furnace not of temporary but of everlasting burnings O ye servant of the Lord bless ye the Lord praise him and magnifie him for ever O ye spirits and souls of the righteous bless ye the Lord praise him and magnifie him for ever O ye holy and humble men of heart bless ye the Lord praise him and magnifie him for ever So that unless we will profess that we serve our selves not our God that we are men whose spirits and souls are unrighteous and that we are unholy and proud of heart we must bless the Lord praise him and magnifie him for ever This is the zeal we should bring with us to this and all other our Christian Festivals as the Prophet requireth saying If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my holy day and call the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and shalt honour him not doing thine own waies nor finding thine own pleasure nor speaking thine own words Isa 58. 13. which text in Kimchies gloss is to be interpreted of the Sabbath in general for saith he the feast of expiation was strictly to be observed as a Sabbath though it was placed on the 10. day of September which might fall on any day of the week And he proveth a strict observation from the words themselves wherein are both a negative
or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He was received up as unto that which he had so fully merited and deserved Again the same twofold expression shews a twofold miracle if we consider Christ in the unity of his person as those two natures of God and man made but one Christ the first miracle was the conquest over earth in his body which was taught to ascend upwards contrary to the nature of Earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He went up in that body The second miracle was the conquest over heaven in his soul which for his singular piety was taught in some sort to descend downwards contrary to the nature of heaven in that the light clouds were made to come down that they might minister to his Ascension So that these must be our considerations of our blessed Saviour from the act and manner of his Ascending his twofold Title in claiming heaven and his twofold miracle in possessing it his first title to heaven was as the Son of God for so he claimed heaven by inheritance and the word used in the Apostles Creed intimates that claim or title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he went up sc to take possession of his own he went by his own power to enter upon his own right claiming heaven as his natural inheritance because he was the Son of God And this right of his Saint Paul exactly describes Heb. 1. 2 3. Where he saith God hath appointed his son heir of all things by whom also he made the world who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged our sins sate down on the right hand of the Majesty on high In which words the Apostle teacheth us to say to the son of God what the Son taught us to say unto the Father For thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory For he fully setteth forth unto us the Kingdom of Christ both as Redeemer and as Creator As Redeemer when he saith God appointed him heir of all things in which respect Christ himself saith All things are delivered unto me of my father Mat. 11. 27. and all power is given unto me Mat. 28. 18. and the Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into his hand John 3. 35. And he setteth forth unto us the Kingdom of Christ as Creator when he saith By whom also he made the worlds for in that respect our Saviour had all power in heaven and in earth without its being given or delivered unto him as he was the eternal Son of God coequal with his Father Which his coequality the Apostle expresseth from three particulars First in that he was the brightness of his glory that is the natural brightness of his glory by necessary generation not by voluntary communication even as the Sun naturally begets brightness and not voluntarily upon choice or deliberation Secondly In that he was the express Image or character of his person not only representing his essential glory as God of which representation it is said No man hath seen God at any time the only begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father he hath declared him John 1. 18. but also representing his personal glory as father because the person of the Father is wholly and fully expressed in the person of the Son as in a lively Image or Character thereof in which respect Christ himself saith If ye had known me ye should have known my Father also and from henceforth ye know him and have seen him John 14. 7. and again he that hath seen me hath seen the Father ver 9. Thirdly In that he upheld all things by the word of his power to wit by the same word by which he had made them ver 2. All this being said t is no wonder if it follow immediately after that he sate down on the right hand of the Majesty on high as taking that place in the nature of man which was his proper right as the Son of God But what comfort is this to us who are born the Sons of wrath and so have title only to the place of wrath and vengeance as to our inheritance T is true we have no title from our selves save only to hell such a title as we care not to claim though we labour to make good But we have also a title of inheritance to heaven from our blessed Saviour as saith the Apostle And if children then heirs heirs of God and joynt heirs with Christ Rom. 8. 17. For the Son by adoption is admitted to the inheritance as if he were a Son by nature And we being adopted in Christ cannot be denyed to have a title to his Inheritance But we were best take heed that we abuse not this title or at least mistake it not as some do who cry Abba Father and are no sons or who are so the Sons of God as not led by the Spirit of God or so led by the Spirit of God as not doing the works of the Spirit but of the flesh being guilty of hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murders such horrid murders as have out-faced heaven and amazed the earth and will not believe the Apostle though he tell it before and after though he say it and say it again that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Gal. 5. 21. Let the man after Gods own heart both ask and answer this question for us Psalm 24. ver 3 4. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord or who shall rise up in his holy place Even he that hath clean hands not defiled with blood and a pure heart not corrupted with Faction or Sedition and that hath not lift up his mind to vanity by taking fancie for faith or vain imaginations for holy inspirations nor sworn to deceive his neighbour convenanting for spoil and robbery to be not only impiously but also blasphemously guilty of theft He shall receive the blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation For such a man as hath clean hands and a pure heart is led by the Spirit of God and with his pure heart thinks the thoughts with his clean hands doth the works of the Spirit This man is heir to an inheritance in heaven because he is the Son of God and he is the Son of God because he is led not by his own private Spirit but by the Spirit of God for as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God Rom. 8. 14. He that saith as many doth in effect say no more they are and none but they are the Sons of God who are led by the Spirit of God He that lifts up his mind to vanity cannot lift up his mind to heaven he that hath sworn to deceive his neighbour is sure to deceive himself he that hath no share in the righteousness may not look
unto me saith Christ not go from me there 's the temper of charity to invite and embrace not to repell and reject others for I am meek and lowly in heart there 's the temper of humility lowly in heart and cannot be of that pride as to forget my self meek in heart and cannot be of that presumption as to disdain and reproach my brother where you find not this temper there you may not seek for Christ where you do find the contrary distemper in the forenamed works of the flesh there you are sure not to find the Spirit of Christ and therefore must come with your libera nos Domine though you care not to have the Letanie and say Good Lord deliver me from such professors and from such a profession of the Christian Religion where I can neither find the temper nor the Spirit of Christ SECT IV. Vnsetledness in Religion shews we have not learned it from our heavenly Master or from Gods Exapostole The Holy Ghost being given us from the Father by the Son sheweth there is no salvation to them who believe not the Trinity The mixture of Praises with Prayers in the Psalms was the Abba Father of the Old Testament and proceeded from joy in the Holy Ghost which is a Joy both unsequestrable and unspeakable The Sacrifices and Hymns answerable to that joy IT is very easie for a man to depart and fall away from God but not so easie to return and to cleave unto him No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him saith our blessed Saviour John 6. 44. The Father draws us before we go unto his Son and he draws us with loving-kindness Jer. 31. 3. with bands of love Hos 11. 4. that is by the power of the Holy Ghost who is the Spirit of love The Father draws by his Spirit to his Son He that believes not the Trinity cannot hope to be thus drawn and he that is not thus drawn cannot hope to come unto God which is plainly shewed by the Apostle when he saith God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father Gal. 4. 6. The Greek word is very observable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for here 's another Exapostle even God the Holy Ghost as in the fourth verse we had before one Exapostle God the Son There it was God sent forth his Son here it is God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son that is He sent such a Messenger as was not only an Apostle one sent from God but also an Exapostle One sent out of God There was one Exapostle to plant the Christian Religion in the world God sent forth his Son and there is another Exapostle to plant it in our hearts God hath sent forth the Spirit of his son into your hearts the same word is used in both places 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God made use of Exapostles as well as of Apostles for the planting of the true Religion Messengers sent from God would not have served the turn to make men believe the truth much less to love and practise it unless there had been also Messengers sent out of God Therefore God sent forth his Son and the Spirit of his Son that he might settle and stablish our hearts in the Christian faith So that if we be unsettled in our Religion and carried away with every blast of vain Doctrine as being not firmly established in the truth of the holy Gospel it is a plain case we have not inclined our ears and much less our hearts to those two Messengers who came immediately out of God even his own Son and his own Spirit and therefore it is no wonder if we slightly esteem of all Gods other Messengers God the Father hath sent out God the Son And God the Father and Son hath sent out God the Holy Ghost The salvation of one is the work of three the salvation of one sinful soul is the work of all three persons of the blessed Trinity The Father sending the Son the Father and Son sending the Holy Ghost which of these three persons can we lose or let go and not withall lose or let go our own Salvation which of these three needs not work as God a work of All-mighty power of All seeing wisdom of All-sufficient and All-saving goodness to turn us from our evil waies that we may be sanctified and to keep us in the waies of righteousness that we may be saved God the Son sent out of the Father into your flesh and God the Holy Ghost sent out of the Father and the Son into your hearts His Son and your flesh his Spirit and your hearts both certainly most miraculous conjunctions the one the cause of the other For his Spirit and your hearts could never have met in man had not his Son your flesh met together in God And this produceth yet another miraculous conjunction a conjunction of Prayer and of praise both together in the same mouth and from the same heart and at the same time that a righteous man cannot be so over-burdened with sorrow in himself as not to be relieved and refreshed with joy in his Saviour Thus Hannah was was in bitterness of soul and prayed unto the Lord and wept sore but she found that joy and comfort in her prayer that the Text saith She went her way and did eat and her countenance was no more sad So that in effect she was so of a sorrowful Spirit as also of a joyful Spirit and as her sorrow afforded matter of Prayer so her joy afforded matter of Praise Her own spirit made her sorrowful but Gods Spirit made her joyful And this was indeed the Abba Father of those in the Old Testament who had but dark promises of a Saviour yet did with joy draw water out of the wells of salvation Isa 12. 3. who had scarce any knowledge or revelation of the person yet were very well acquainted with the joyes of the Holy Ghost Hence it is that most of the Psalms as they are exceeding devout prayers wherein Gods own Spirit teacheth us to pray and helpeth our infirmities in praying so they are also most thankful praises wherein the same spirit teacheth us to rejoyce in God for hearing our prayers They are not only prayers but they are also praises concerning the same deliverance whether it be corporal or spiritual whether it be from bodily or from Ghostly enemies as for example The 30. Psalm is a prayer to be delivered from sickness and death and damnation as that noble Champion of Christ both for his Church and for his Truth and for his Authority hath piously and judiciously stated it in his Book of Collects upon the Psalms which should never be out of the hands of good Christians till it be fully imprinted in their hearts I say the 30. Psalm is a Prayer to be delivered from sickness and death and damnation three such sad considerations as were enough to make
know not a man Luke 1. 34. I answer then according to this distinction First If the doubt concerning our being in the state of true Christianity proceed from piety or admiration it is exceeding commendable we have an excellent president for it the man after Gods own heart who twice spoke these words from Gods own mouth for surely with his spirit What is man that thou hast such respect unto him or the son of man that thou so regardest him Psalm 8. 4. and 144. 3. Nor is it possible for any one that hath indeed the Spirit of God when he considers the immensity of Gods goodness and of his own unworthiness not to make this doubt of admiration unto his own soul What is man what am I a sinful man in my person that thou hast such respect unto me or What is the son of man what am I a sinful man in my nature that thou so regardest me Secondly If the doubt concerning our being in the state of true Christianity proceed from infirmity it is at all times excusable because though the spirit be willing yet the flesh is weak Mat. 26. 41. and at sometimes almost commendable when either by our omissions of piety we have quenched or by our commissions of impiety we have grieved the Holy Spirit of God whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption In this case of spiritual leprosie Gods answer to Moses concerning Miriam may be taken as a full determination concerning us If her Father had but spit in her face should she not be ashamed seven days Let her be shut out of the camp seven days and after that let her be received in again Numb 12. 14. Si pater terrenus aliquod gravis in eam irae signum edidisset puderet eam saltem septem Dies redire in conspectum ejus saith Junius If her father on earth had shewed some great sign of anger against her she would for shame not presently rush into his sight but would forbear to come before him for one seven days The explanation is very punctual and we cannot but see that in God Almighties own Logick the argument is good from our Father on earth to our Father in heaven Hence that prayer of sorrowful David Cast me not away from thy presence He confesseth he durst not come into his sight and prays that he might not be for ever banished from it Psal 51. 11. and again redde mihi laetitiam salutaris tui Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation Having grievously offended his God he could not but discover in his own soul the signs and tokens of that offence therefore he prayes God to restore unto him the joy of his salvation For had he not in his blood-guiltiness lost the joy of his salvation he might in his impenitency have lost the enjoyment of it Good Lord that we should so out-strip this holy man in our sin and come so short of him in our repentance This is certainly a ready way not to strengthen our faith but to weaken it not to lessen our doubtings but to increase them yea to turn our doubtings into distresses and our distresses into despair and our despair into damnation Thirdly and lastly if the doubt concerning our being in the state of true Christianity proceed from infidelity it is neither commendable nor excusable in any nay it is so far from being commendable in any that t is altogether inexcusable in all For such a doubt supposeth not a weakness but a want of faith and consequently sheweth the man that hath it to distrust his Saviour not himself and to remain still in the state of infidelity notwithstanding God calleth him so earnestly to the state of faith Wherefore since without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. 6. such a doubting of infidelity must needs leave him that hath it under Gods most heavy and more just displeasure under his most heavy displeasure because he embraceth not reconciliation when it is offered under his most just displeasure because he believeth not him that offereth it This is the reason of the Apostles exceeding pathetical exhortation Take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God Heb. 3. 12. The heart is made evil by unbelief and shews it is so by departing from the living God so that we are advised and exhorted to take heed of unbelief as we would take heed of an evil heart and of departing from the living God T is at first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an evil heart oâ—â—nfidelity t is at last 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an evil heart of apoâ—tacy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in apostatizing from the living God But we must here take heed that we confound not together the doubtings of infirmity and of infidelity The one saith Lord I believe help thou my unbelief the other cannot say Lord I believe The one dare not trust himself but the other will not trust his Saviour a doubting of infidelity rejecteth faith but a doubting of infirmity desireth it For though doubting cannot be in faith yet it may be in him that hath faith Saint Peters faith could not doubt yet himself doubted so saith the text when he saw the wind boistrous he was afraid and beginning to sink he cryed saying Lord save me Mat. 14. 13. Though he was full of fear yet he was not empty of faith For he cryed saying Lord save me And therefore we may not say of any other in his case more then our Saviour Christ did say of him O thou of little faith wherefore didst thou doubt Mat. 14. 31. O thou of little faith not O thou of no faith for he did fully believe in Christ and did only misdoubt himself And surely it would not be much amiss if every confident man would do so too and ask himself the question which Christ asks Saint Peter Lovest thou me John 21. 17. and ask it again and again and not be grieved at the often asking it dost thou indeed love thy Saviour lovest thou him who died for thee lovest thou him who loved thee with an everlasting love For the more you are assured in your own heart that you love your Saviour the more will he assure you of his everlasting love CAP. II. Of the knowledge of the state of true Christianity SECT I. The knowledge of our being in the state of true Christianity is from our keeping the words of Christ And that Antinomians cannot truly be and much less know they be in the state of true Christianity HE that is in the state of true Christianity cannot but desire to know it and he that knows himself to be so cannot but exceedingly rejoyce and triumph in that knowledge Accordingly after the discourse of the state of true Christianity in the next place we ought to enquire concerning our own knowledge of that state for that man can scarce be thought to believe the life everlasting who labours not
we may be souldiers under Christs banner I say if this trumpet give an uncertain sound who shall prepare himself to the battle So likewise you except ye utter by the tongue words easie to be understood how shall it be known what is spoken for ye shall speak into the air 1 Cor. 14. 8 9. The Argument hath as much force against the Spirit of God as against the Ministers of God if he hath no uttered significant words hath he not spoken into the air For shame let us leave off such objections least we indeed force him to speak into the air whiles he intends and desires to speak unto our stony hearts So little doth it become any Divine to set the Law of the Church in a competition with the law of God much less in a perfection above it as if that were plain and sure this were uncertain and obscure For mens consciences must first be directed before they can be obliged and therefore to suppose Gods law to be defective in its direction is to make it defective in its obligation And if Gods law be imperfect how can the Churches law be perfect either to direct or to oblige our consciences The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul Psalm 19. 7. If it were not for its own perfection it could not produce our conversion nor can we oppose the perfection of Gods law without opposing the conversion of our own souls Therefore we must above all things be carefull to vindicate the Rule of our Religion if we would engage mens consciences to receive it and much more to practise it for it is impossible they should be religious without their consciences and much more against them He that searcheth the heart may not be served without the heart and he that most requiquireth the Heart in his service will not be served against the the Heart Therefore every man must worship God with the knowledge of his understanding and with the consent of his will and consequently we may not deny That there is evidence of Truth in the rule of Gods worship to iustruct the understanding and certainty of goodness in it to fix and settle the will i. e. to establish the heart unless we will have men Religious either without their consciences for want of knowledge or against their consciences for want of consent For if a man doth the best act of Religion without his conscience that act is to him little less then brutish if against his conscience t is to him less then damnable and therefore we have great reason to abominate such a Tenent as may either suppose a man to be a Brute in his Religion by acting without his conscience or suppose a man to be a Devil in his Religion by acting against his conscience SECT VII The trust of each particular Church is sufficient for the peoples salvation if she take heed to her self and to the Doctrine God hath given her in his written word and in the antient Creeds of the Catholick Church OUR blessed Saviour bidding us seek the Kingdom of God and his righteousness Mat. 6. 33. plainly sheweth that we have no hopes of finding Gods righteousness and much less of enjoying it till we have found out Gods Kingdom and are become faithful subjects of the same And what is Gods Kingdom but his Church wherein he exerciseth dominion in the hearts of his faithful people having established his Throne upon these two pillars of Truth and Holiness by Truth enlightning their understandings by Holiness inflaming their wills and affections and sanctifying their lives and conversations so that it is no hard matter to find out the Kingdom of God and to distinguish it from all the Kingdoms of the world since it is to be discerned by its Truth and by its Holiness For it is Truth and Holiness that makes a Church though it is power and pomp that makes a state There is no coming to Gods Kingdom but by these no tarrying in it but with these no going from it but by forsaking these so that any Christian people or nation in the world may thus plead for it self Tell me not of departing from the Church of Christ unless you can shew me wherein I have departed from Truth and Holiness which two make and constitute his Church If I believe all the Articles of Faith as he hath revealed them and practise all the duties of life as he hath commanded them sure I am though you may deny me yours yet my Saviour will not deny me his Communion though you may not esteem me a member of yours yet he will esteem me a member of his Body This is all that Saint Paul requires to the constitution of a Christian Church when he saith Rom. 10. 10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness there 's the truth most chiefly fixed in the heart and with the mouth confession is mad unto salvation there 's the holiness most chiefly expressed by the mouth Again Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed there 's the truth received by Faith And Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved there 's the holiness exercised by prayer shall he believe and shall he call upon the name of the Lord and not belong unto the Lord here Shall he not be ashamed shall he be saved and not belong to the Lord hereafter And what else is the Church but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That which belongeth to the Lord here whilst Militant hereafter when Triumphant And how shall any people that believeth and calleth upon the Lord be excluded from belonging to the Lord or from being his Church when it is said so generally Whosoever believeth on him and whosoever shall call upon his name Therefore in every Nation that believeth on Christ and calleth on his name for they are inseparable the faith is not without the confession the belief is not without the prayer the truth is not without the holiness Christ hath his Church and that Church hath the means of salvation Faith and prayer or truth and holiness and the promise of salvation 1. Privatively He shall not be ashamed 2. Positively He shall be saved and we cannot deny it the salvation it self without detracting from Gods mercy which hath made good the means and from Gods truth which will make good the promise And therefore Saint Paul having planted a particular Church in Ephesus saith concerning the Presbyters there The Holy Ghost had made them Overseers of that people Act. 20. 28. He could have said no more of himself and of his fellow-Apostles who had an extraordinary calling but that the Holy Ghost had made them overseers and he saith no less of those Ministers who had only an ordinary calling And what doth he intimate by saying so But that the Ephesians had still the same hopes and means of salvation as before whilst himself instructed and governed them For that the Holy Ghost the Lord and giver of life could and
Christ and his Church OR Christianity Explained Vnder seven Evangelical and Ecclesiastical Heads VIZ. CHRIST I. Welcomed in his Nativity II. Admired in his Passion III. Adored in his Resurrection IV. Glorified in his Ascension V. Communicated in the coming of the Holy Ghost VI. Received in the state of true Christianity VII Reteined in the true Christian Communion WITH A Justification of the Church of England according to the true Principles of Christian Religion and of Christian Communion Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 13. 14. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain Phil. 1. 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S. Cyril in Ep. ad Coelest Papam in act Concil Ephes par 1. If Christ be evil spoken of how shall we that are his Ministers hold our Peace And if we hold our Peace now what shall we say in the day of Judgement By Ed. Hyde Dr. of Divinity sometimes fellow of Trinity Colledge in Cambridge and late Rector Resident at Brightwell in Berks. Printed by R. W. for Rich. Davis in Oxford 1658. To the Christian Reader WHen conscientious Ministers cannot officiate in the Church and conscientious Christians cannot go to Church and customary Christians go thither either to little purpose because to no true worship or to great shame because to no true Ministers t is fit the Church should come to private houses that 's reason enough for this Treatise of Christianity to see the Press But t is in vain for the Church to come to any man till he come to himself and desire to come to his Saviour that 's caution enough for them who shall see this Treatise of Christianity For unless they have Christ in their hearts they cannot have him in their eyes They will scarce find him in the writings of his own infallible Apostles and much less of his unworthy Ministers Do not then complain of these Vnchristian times though there was never greater reason for that complaint but take heed your own heart be not Vnchristian Then will God in worse times then these if worse can be never let you be destitute of those means which will be able to root and build you up in your Saviour If as you have received Christ Iesus the Lord so you do also walk in him Col. 2. 6 7. For this is the only way to have true faith in Christ even to have stedfastness in that faith since that Faith cannot be true which cares not to be stedfast Without doubt there is nothing more sure in it self then the Truth of Christian Religion and therefore there should be nothing more sure to us Domine si error est a Te decepti sumus Scot. Prol. in sent If our Christian Religion be a device or a deceit as too many men now make it or use it t is Thou O Lord hast deceived us said that acute Divine most boldly and yet more truly And we must be as ready to say Because Thou Lord canst not deceive us we are sure in what we have from Thee we are not we cannot be deceived As the certainty of the object is so the certainty of the subject should be the greatest in matters of Religion Since it is undenyable on all hands That man is much more bound by the obligations both of Nature and of Grace to look to the certainty and to compass the assurance of his internal then of his external tenure of his eternal then of his temporal of his spiritual then o◠his corporal good estate and condition For if Christ be indeed our author for what we do and suffer then will he also be our Advocate in all our doings and all our sufferings And so will our cause be certainly justifiable both in this world and in the next as having a twofold goodness one from it self the other from its Advocate The first goodness of our cause will justifie us before men but the latter will also justifie us before God The first will keep men that though they may oppress us yet they shall not be able to condemn us The latter will keep us from the sentence of Gods eternal condemnation So happy is it with that man who knows he serves Christ and will not for any fear or love whatsoever start aside from his service Yet now a daies we take a quite contrary course which cannot be observed without bitterness of soul and ought to be reproved with bitterness of words for when there is dead flesh on the heart the stile ought to be very sharp at least to pierce it if not to cut it off most men making sure of their salvation before they have made sure of their Religion and not at all desiring to make sure of their Repentance that they may have either Religion or Salvation They will needs be walking upon the Battlements of Heaven before they have found out the true Iacobs ladder to climb up thither I speak to and of those men especially who are so ready not only to forsake but also to contemn their poor Mother This distressed Church of England once flourishing to the envy of her friends now seemingly withered for extirpated she cannot be to the joy and scorn of her enemies And I ask them seriously Were they sure of their Religion heretofore or no For not the perswasion and knowledge but the profession and practise of Religion is Religion according to that of Saint Iames Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only deceiving your own souls Iam. 1. 22. If they were not sure of their Religion why did they then serve God without their consciences as Hypocrites If they were why are they since fallen from that service against their consciences as Apostates Here seems yet to be a very bad certainty of their Religion and how can there be a better certainty of their salvation unless that we may gratifie their singularity more then our own Veracity we will say There may be a company of good Christians out of the Communion of Saints or a Communion of Saints out of Christs Catholick Church Whereas in truth a man that goes alone in a perswasion by himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like Ajax in the Tragedian is in the Poets sense One out of his wits in the Casuists sense One out of his Conscience and must be in the good Christians sense One out of his Religion Pude◠haec opprobria nobis dici potuisse non potuisse refelli The intent of this Treatise of Christianity which labours for such a Zeal as may enflame devotion and for such a simplicity as may satisfie it is To bring these men back again to their Saviour Christ and to the ordinary way of their salvation His Church To Christ their Saviour whiles it sets out the Christians knowledge of and joy in Christ To Christs Church the ordinary way of their salvation whiles it keeps in memory the antient festivals of the Church not only professing that knowledge but also embracing and expressing
too much of our time in those Christian Duties and Devotions which tend immediatly to the Honour of our Saviour Christ that so we may not be defective either in our preparation before them or in our Affections in them or in our Thanksgivings after them First That we be not defective in our preparation before our Christian devotions for this is a main cause of our great shame and greater sin that we have been hitherto so bad Christians in so good a state of Christianity that whereas Christ hath been so long and so powerfully applyed unto us both in Prayers and Word and Sacraments yet we have been so little benefited by that Application as scarce to perceive the loss of it or at least scarce to grieve for that loss A shrewd sign of Edomites rather then of Israelites to be content to lose our Prayers our true spiritual Birth-right that we might keep our Pottage our Temporal interests of which we may now truly say as he did Gen. 25. 30. Feed me with that Red with that Red for the just vengeance of God hath lately made it so with our own Blood or at least a shrewd sign of Ephraimites if not of Edomites for they being armed and carrying bows turned back in the day of battle Psalm 78. 9. The reason is given in the verse before they were a generation that prepared not their heart and whose spirit was not stedfast with God They did not set their heart right by preparation and therefore could not keep their spirit stedfast by perseverance and it is to be feared this is our case For it had scarce been possible for so admirable a form of publike Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments which had in it the most pithy Devotions both of Greek and Latine Churches and the superstitions of neither to have been so long amongst us to so little advantage of our souls had there been good things found in us and had we prepared our hearts to seek our God as that good King did 2 Chron. 19. 3. and hath left his example as a mandate for us so to do since no Scripture is of private Interpretation and much less of private Jurisdiction The old Testament in all precepts and precedents of morality no less commanding the Christian then it did the Jew but if any be contentious touching the Old Testament though we have no such custome nor the Churches of God yet we have both a Precept and a Precedent in the New Testament to reprove and to reproach his contention and the fittest that can be alledged for this Argument even that of Saint John Baptist the forerunner of Christ For he came preaching saith the Text and his Sermon consisted so much of this doctrine of Preparation that he was chiefly to be known by this character The Voice of one crying in the wilderness Prepare ye the way of the Lord Mat. 3. Secondly We need imploy our time readily and carefully in those Christian duties which immediately concern the honour of Christ that we be not defective in our Affections whiles we are at our Christian Devotions actually conversing with our blessed Saviour For our Affections have been so long standing on the lees and dregs of the earth that they are not to be refined and much less to be elevated and lifted up to Heaven without multiplied Essays of most holy meditations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Priest to the people in the Greek Liturgie And they answer him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let us lift up our hearts we lift them up unto the Lord so we in our Liturgy from theirs But it is observable that neither Greek Church nor ours used these words till after many prayers were past in which the Communicants had poured out their souls before God to be sanctified by his Grace And so likewise the Apostle requiring us to seek those things which are above doth as it were pass through all the Creed to the Article of the Resurrection before he hopes throughly to raise our Affections Col. 3. 1 2. If ye be then risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right Hand of God set your Affection on things above c. He doth not only say Christ is risen but also if ye be risen with Christ he is fain to presuppose and as it were to antedate the day of the Resurrection of the bodies that so he may perswade them to a Resurrection of their souls O God work in us this great miracle of thy Grace to raise our souls that we may all rejoyce in that great miracle of thy power which thou wilt at the last day work on us in the raising of our bodies Thirdly and lastly we need imploy our time readily and carefully in those Christian Duties which immediately concern the honour of Christ that we be not defective in our thankfulness after our Devotions after we have had the honour and the happiness to converse with our blessed Saviour For if I may not give mine alms without a full purpose of my heart 2 Cor. 9. 7. Shall I think that I may give my self without it or doth God indeed love a cheerful giver of the hand and not much rather a cheerful giver of the Heart To what purpose is ihis wast Mat. 26. 8 9. seems in it self a question of Piety and in its reason For this ointment might have been sold for much and given to the poor a question of charity yet St. John brands him that made it That for his Piety he was a Traytor ready to betray Christ And for his Charity he was a Thief not ready to relieve but to pillage his poor members John 12. 4 6. so dangerous a thing is it for men to begrutch any expence either of Time or of Pains or of Patrimony that is bestowed upon Christ and much more to disturb the woman the Church that bestoweth it For wheresoever this Gospel of the great condescention and greater goodness of the Son of God shall be Preached in the whole world there also shall this be told for a memorial of her Duty that wrought the good work upon her Saviour but of their undutifulness who opposed her in working it Mat. 26. 10 13. Gods mercies in our Saviour Christ are too many and great to come all Ex tempore to us so should our Devotions be to thank him for their coming since it is every jot as good Divinity for our Prayers and Sermons which we offer up for the parts of Gods publick worship as it was for Davids sacrifice Neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing 2 Sam. 24. 24. For what can I profess by the unworthiness of my offering but either That I have a less worthy esteem of God then David had to whom I offer that which he would not offer or that I have a more worthy esteem of my self then he had as if forsooth God would at
teach and redeem us The title of the chief corner stone blasphemously applyed to the Pope Christ was not an Apostle one sent from God but an Exapostle one sent out of God I must needs confess that being in this Eden of God in this Paradise contemplating the tree of life I am unwilling to divert my eyes from that tree and much more my heart from that contemplation but am desious to perswade my self that I see the Prophet Isaiahs vision turned into action and God acting it in heaven no less then the Prophet acting it on earth Isa 6. 8. Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying whom shall I send or who will go for us then I said here am I send me For God the Father did as it were consult with himself saying whom shall I send and God the Son did forthwith answer him Here am I send me For as there was faciamus hominem Gen. 1. 26. God consulting and deliberating with his Son his eternal wisdom and with his Spirit his eternal power about our creation so there was redimamus hominem God consulting and deliberating with his Son his eternal righteousness and with his spirit his eternal love about our redemption For Gods goodness is as infinite as himself and that hath made him impart to man not only his goodness but also himself Hence that saying of the sublime Areopagite quod ipse Deus propter amorem est exstasin passus That love made God as it were go out of himself For great love is never without some kind of exstasie and therefore as it makes man go out of himself and be not where he lives but where he loves so it also made God the Son as it were go out of himself and come and be in man whom he had loved with an eternal love Thus hath love brought God from God to be in man and thus should it also bring man from man to be in God For this is the end of that blessed Mysterie and more blessed mercy which we commemorate when we celebrate the incarnation of the Son of God he was made of us that we might be new made by him he made one flesh with us that we should be one spirit with him Saint Peter accounted it a great mercy that God had sent his Angel to deliver him from the hand of Herod Act. 12. 11. How much more ought we to account it a great mercy that he hath sent his only Son to deliver us from the power of sin and Satan which persued us much more fiercely and would have wounded us much more desperately He considers his deliverance ver 12. and shall not we especially since the Apostle hath shewed us the way how to enlarge this consideration Heb. 1. 1 2. God who at sundry times and in divers maaners spake in time past unto the Fathers by the Prophets hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son It was a great mercy that he spake to the Fathers by holy men a greater that he spake to them by the holy Angels for that was one of the divers manners of his speaking But the greatest mercy of all was that he hath spoken to us by his son and the reason is intimated in the following words for in time past was the beginning the inchoation of his love when he spake by his Prophets and Angels but in these last dayes hath been the accomplishment and consummation of it when he spake to us by his Son Before he had made the world and upheld all things by the word of his power but now he hath redeemed the world and having purged our sins upholds it by the hand of his mercy For till our sins were purged it was only the power of God upheld the world that he might purge it But now our sins are purged t is the mercy of God upholds the world that he may save it This is the only reason Saint Peter gives us why the last day that shall destroy all things by fire is so long in coming 2 Pet. 3. 9. The Lord is not slack but is long-suffering to us-ward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance The same mercy that made him hasten his first coming makes him delay his second And was it not a mercy not only beyond our expression but also beyond our admiration that the Son of God who was the brightness of his glory should become the brightness of his enemies and the glory of his people Yet so saith Saint Luke 2. 32. to be a light to lighten the Gentiles there he was the Bridegroom of his enemies and to be the glory of thy people Israel there he was the glory of his own people It was a mercy that we could never deserve and therefore must ever acknowledge that God was pleased to send his Apostles to teach us his saving truth and to shew the way of salvation for they were the pillars of the Church Gal. 2. 9. But infinitely greater was the mercy that he pleased to send his own Son to teach the Apostles for he is the cheif corner stone 1 Pet. 2. 5. For it is observable that Saint Peter himself was content to be accounted a pillar of the Church and leaves it only for Christ to be called the chief corner stone And therefore that Preface of Bellarmine which he once made in the Roman Schools Praefatio habita in gymnasio Romano and hath since prefixed before the third general controversie of his first Tome which is de summo Pontifice had need of all the waters of Tiber to wash it from gross flattery if not from detestable blasphemy since he is pleased therein to wrest those words of the Prophet Isaiah Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone a tryed stone a precious corner stone a sure foundation and to apply them to Saint Peters Successor which Saint Peter durst not apply unto himself but leaves them only for Christ the eternal Son of God We cannot too much prize the voice of the Apostles as for example Saint Pauls Epistles cannot be in too great esteem which saith Saint Hierom bring him every day more glory as Christ more converts But the voice of the eternal word calling to Saint Paul from heaven Act. 9. 4 5. and in him to us who can ever hear with sufficient care and attention who can embrace with sufficient reverence and estimation who can follow with sufficient alacrity and devotion Saint Paul was but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one sent from God and yet how greatly doth he magnifie that office in every one of his Epistles but our Saviour Christ was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one sent out of God to man for so saith Paul Gal. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God sent forth his son that is God sent him not only from himself as he sent the Apostles but also out of himself as he sent none but only his beloved Son SECT VIII The Mother of Christ so
to man in teaching him how to rejoyce for his Redemption Hymns expressing that joy may be only to the honour of God and directed to him The evil spirit silenced at the coming of Christ but the mouth of the good Spirit was opened THere is no man but naturally desires joy and delight as a remedy against his labours naturaliter appetit delectationes medicinas contra labores sensuum motuum saith Aquinas The reason why the natural man looks so much after his delights is because he looks upon them as medicines to heal his sicknesses or as remedies against the continual labours of his sense and of his motion And for this reason the spiritual man ought much more to look after his spiritual delights because he is much more under the labours of sense and motion then is the natural man for there is no sense so irksom as the sense of Gods wrath and of mans unworthiness and no motion so toilsom as that which seeks to climb up from earth to heaven and this is the sense this is the motion of the spiritual man he is continually feeling the burden of flesh and much more of sin upon his soul there 's his sense He is continually panting and â—ighing after God for rest there 's his motion In so great a labour both of his sense and of his motion how should he be able to subsist if it were not for the comfort of spiritual delight which proceeds only from Gods Holy Spirit For delight cannot be but from some good that is convenient and present and known to be so Ad delectationem duo requiruntur conjunctio boni convenientis cognitio hujus conjunctionis saith the same Aquinas A man cannot have delight without two things first the conjunction or acquisition of some convenient good then the knowledge of that conjunction so is it in this case The Redemption of our souls from death is undoubtedly both a convenient and a present good and yet few men have true joy and delight from it because few apprehend it as actually present Wherefore it is the singular gift and love of God the Holy Ghost to any man to give him the true knowledge of his Saviour that he may give him the true joy of his salvation For this indeed is the joy in the Holy Ghost and comes only from him It is he that teacheth the Church Militant to sing a new song on earth for her joy in Christ it is he that teacheth the Church Triumphant to sing a new song in heaven for the same joy O sing unto the Lord a new song saith the Psalmist Psal 98. and that Psalm is nothing else but a song of Joy and Thanksgiving for the Redemption of mankind by Jesus Christ there 's the new song on earth and again Rev. 5. 9. They sung a new song saying Thou art worthy to take the Book and to open the seals thereof for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood there 's the new song in heaven to express the joy of the same Redemption For the Holy Spirit teacheth them to practise this new song in earth who are to sing their part of it in heaven For those men are not like to come to Abrahams bosom who are not Abrahams sons and those men are not yet Abrahams sons who have not his faith and do not his works Now this was the Faith of Abraham to see the day of Christ and this was his work to joy in that sight John 8. 56. Your Father Abraham rejoyced to see my day and he saw it and was glad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exultavit gestivit He rejoyced and he desired to express his joy His desire encreased his joy and his joy inflamed his desire He did see it a far off by faith the eye of his soul and he desired to see it nearer by sense with the eye of his body the joy of the one did not hinder but advance the joy of the other for if the heart of them must rejoice that seeke the Lord Psal 105. 3. then much more must the heart of them rejoce that have found him Accordingly good Christians do indeede shew no other then Abrahams faith by desiring to looke on Christ and no other then Abrahams worke by rejoycing in that vision which we may well suppose was the cause that the Latine Church antiently used and still useth some such peculiar hymns before the nativity of Christ as it is hard to determine whether they have more of desire in them to see his day comming or of joy to see it come our Calander still retains the memory of the first of those hymns which was O sapientia on the 17 of December but the hymns themselves in the Latine Church hold out till Christmas eve I will give you a short scheme of them 1. O Sapientia veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae O Thou who art the eternal wisdom of God come and Teach us the way of true wisedom 2. O Adonai veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento O thou who art the Lord of might come and redeem us by thy mighty hand 3. O radix Jesse veni ad liberandum nos O thou root of Jesse come and deliver us 4. O Clavis David veni educ vinctum de domo carceris O thou Key of David come and open the prison doors and let out the Prisoners 5. O oriens splendor lucis aeternae veni illumina sedentes in tenebris umbrâ mortis O thou Day-spring of eternal light come and enlighten us who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death 6. O Rex gentium salva hominem quem de limo formasti O thou who art the King of the Nations come and save man whom thou hast formed of the dust of the earth 7. O Emanuel veni ad salvandum nos Domine Deus noster O thou who art God with us be also a God to us and save us O Lord our God These greater and more solemn hymns called Antiphone majores were at first made only in the honour of Christ though in process of time after the Invocation of Saints had crept into the Church there were two more added to them O Thoma Didyme and O virgo Virginum as Hugo testifieth in his Commentary upon the 38. Psalm which now the office it self of the blessed Virgin blusheth at and taketh no notice of at all and it were to be wished it had left out other prayers to the Blsseed Virgin which are as grosly superstitious as were those Hymns For they that believe Christ to be God must confess him to be a jealous God and that he hath said I am the Lord that is my name and my glory will I not give to another Isa 42. 8. and what is his glory but that of Prayer and of Praise Accordingly it is observable that at the time of his coming in the flesh the Oracles of Jupiter Apollo Hecate were
habits as by its instruments and therefore these have the least reason to boast of grace who least regard the virtuous habits whereby it worketh and so cry up Faith in Christ as in effect to beat down the cheifest duties of Christianity For grace is the beginning of spiritual actions by the mediation of virtuous habits even as the soul is the beginning of vital actions by the mediation of its powers and faculties And as the soul works not immediately from it self the actions of the natural life so neither doth grace work immediately of it self the actions of the spiritual life For grace indeed hath two acts in regard of the soul as the soul hath in regard of the body Primus ad esse Secundus ad operari The first act is to give life and that is immediate from it self the second act is to give the operations of life and that is mediate by virtuous qualities and dispositions so neerly doth it concern every Christian that desires to be under grace to lead his life in all Godliness and vertue for there can be no assurance of life but from the operations of life no assurance of the spiritual being but from the evidence of the spiritual working Excellently Aquinas Potest aliquis cognoscere se habere gratiam in quantum percipit se delectari in Deo contemnit res mundanas non est conscius sibi alicujus mortalis peccati 1a 2ae 112. 5. cap. A man may know himself to be in grace if he find that he delights in God and contemns this world and is not conscious to himself of any grievous or mortal sin There are but few signs or tokens but they are infallible And we must conclude that those men who care not what sins they commit against God their brethren and their own consciences either to get or to keep the advantages of this world as they shew but little contempt of the world so they shew a great contempt of God And they that contemn God cannot be said to delight in him and they that do not delight in him cannot receive comfort from him wherefore it is an evil spirit not the spirit of God which doth witness to such men that they are the Sons of God when their own consciences cannot but witness that they are his enemies SECT IV. The great joy of Christians for being under grace or for being adopted in Christ and how that joy is to be moderated by the consideration of our own frailty and of Gods impartial Justice in the judgement to come MAny men have a cheerful countenance that have but a sorrowful heart The yong man seems to be of this temper whom Solomon so sharply reproves or rather so plainly derides Eccles 11. 9. Rejoyce O yong man in thy youth and walk in the wayes of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes there is cheerfulness enough as to the outward man but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgement There 's sorrowfulness more then enough as to the inward man whilst walking in his own wayes makes him lift up his face the thought of judgement cannot but cast down his heart therefore they alone do truly rejoyce who have such a joy as cannot end in sorrow not a joy for being the Lords over their Brethren but a joy for being the servants of their God not a joy for overcoming others but for overcoming themselves not a joy for having gained an inheritance on earth but a joy for being assured of an inheritance in heaven Our Saviour said to his own Disciple Notwithstanding in this rejoyce not that the Spirits are subject unto you but rather rejoyce because your names are written in Heaven Luke 10. 20. If it be not the cause of a true Christians joy to have power and dominion over evil spirits which is the peculiar priviledge of Christs own Church much less can it be the cause of a true Christian joy to have dominion and power over good men which is the common priviledge of Christs enemies The joy then of a Christian is not for having his name far spread on earth but for having his name written in heaven not for overcoming his Brother but for overcoming his lusts And to him that thus overcometh will he that holdeth the seven Stars in his right hand and walketh in the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks give to eat of the hidden Manna Rev. 2. which without doubt affords a marvellous sweetness to all those that eat of it But who can eat of this heavenly Manna save only they who have their names written in heaven for it is not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it unto the dogs Mark 7 27. Nor can the dogs eat so much as the crumbs that fall from this heavenly table We must be children before we can eat of this bread and then may we not always expect to eat our fill of it least that Scripture be fulfilled of us the second time He that eateth bread with me hath lift up his heel against me John 13. 18. For Jesurun waxed fat and kicked then he forsook God which made him and lightly esteemed the rock of his salvation Deut. 32. 15. Therefore do the most judicious Divines advise us that though we stedfastly believe our selves to be Gods adopted Sons yet we may not too suddenly make sure of our inheritance but must work out our salvation with fear and trembling Phil. 2. 12. And though we be indeed the called of Jesus Christ Rom. 1. 6. yet we must give diligence to make our calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1. 10. Saint Peter is very zealous in this point as by his own sad experience having known the mischeif of too much confidence And therefore although in Saint Pauls words there be reason enough for our fear and trembling because our salvation is to be worked out before it can be enjoyed for no man but hath cause more then enough to suspect his own works and much more the continuance of his good working yet Saint Peter gives us another reason of our fear because we must all be judged before we can be saved 1 Pet. 1. 17. And if ye call on the Father who â—…hout respect of persons judgeth according to every mans work pass the time of your sojourning here in fear Here is supposed an adopted child for he cals on the Father but he is not supposed to be puffed up with his adoption for he is to pass his time of sojourning in fear and the reason is because his Father is to be his Judge and will judge him according to his works for which one reason are alledged three reasons by Aquinas when he saith Expedit quandoque praesentiam Dei in nobis per gratiam ignorare ut timor Divini judicii nos humiliet ne praesumpta securitas nos praecipitet ut desideranter Gratiam Dei expetamus It is expedient for us sometimes to be ignorant of Gods
end a more perfect establishment of Christianity which before was not rightly practised This was truly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a time of rectification or direction for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is properly said of them who are directed immediately to their journeys end whereas before they were going the farthest way about and such indeed was the Jews way to heaven God leading them about through the wilderness into Canaan as well in the Mysterie as in the History as well in regard of the Coelestial as of the Terrestrial Hierusalem SECT VII A particular time appointed for rejoycing in Christ not by way of restriction but by way of Application The Christians Joy far above the Jews both for his Redemption and for his Adoption The priviledge of true Faith And how the Redemption by Christ is larger then the Adoption by him And the Adoption greater in his giving then in our receiving TO be glad in the Lord and to rejoyce in him makes Christmass last all the year yet is that no better reason why we should not keep Christmass-Day then our rest and contentation in God which we have or may have all the week is a reason why we should not keep the Sabbath or the Lords own day for it is very bad Logick and worse Divinity which argues from the position of the Duty to the eversion of the Day wherein we ought to exercise it for if the Duty must be exercised how can we reasonably deny the time of its exercise Yet do I not think that a particular time is to be allotted to rejoyce in Christ by way of restriction or limitation as if we should not rejoyce in him at other times for that is the malignant gloss which some of late have put upon the fourth Commandement confining Gods solemn publick worship only to the Sabbath not considering that the Jews had other grand festivals not prescribed in the Law and yet were more strictly bound to the letter of that Commandment then we Christians but I say that a particular Time ought to be allotted to rejoyce in Christ by way of application or of specification that we may more eminently and notoriously rejoyce in him at some time though our joy in him is to be confined to no time For the spiritual joy of the Jew was unconfined and much more the spiritual joy of the Christian who in a larger proportion hath received the Spirit of joy And therefore its observable that though in the Old Testament we are earnestly called upon to rejoyce in God yet are we not called upon for so much joy as in the New Testament let this one instance serve for all Be glad in the Lord and rejoyce ye righteous and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart so the Prophet concludeth the 32. Psalm and in the same strain beginneth the 33. saying Rejoyce in the Lord O ye righteous for praise is comely for the upright calling for a very great proportion of Joy from the Jew but yet the Apostle in saying Rejoyce in the Lord alway again I say rejoyce Phil. 4. 4. hath called for a far greater proportion of joy from the Christian For here is not only the same joy that was before to wit joy in the Lord but here is the same joy in a greater degree of extension for he saith rejoyce in the Lord alway and in a greater degree of intension for he saith again I say rejoyce And if we further consider who are called the just and righteous and upon what terms they are called so we shall find also a greater degree of extension for that where is the greatest measure and diffusion of righteousness there must needs be the greatest measure and diffusion of joy And it is evident that they who trust in the Lord not in themselves are by the Psalmist called the just and the righteous or the upright For it is the priviledge of true faith not only to make us just but also to make us upright not only to justifie us but also to rectifie us it justifies us in that it absolves from sin it rectifies us in that it directs in righteousness and therefore the disobedient as well as the unbelieving heart the stubborn as well as the faithless generation is said not to trust in God Psal 78. 7 8 and the faithless generation is there known as well by this Character that set not their heart aright as by this whose spirit was not stedfast with God For true faith hath the priviledge first to set the heart to God then to settle it in God first to make the spirit right then to make it stedfast The heart is made right when it points directly towards God moving as a line from the circumference to the Center and the heart is thus made right or set towards God by the same faith that it is made stedfast or settled in God Wherefore since true faith at the same time both Rectifies and Justifies the soul of man it is no wonder if it cause its unspeakable as well as its unmoveable joy And where shall we look for this true faith if not in Christians for though the act of faith is as expresly set down in the Old Testament as in the New yet the object of faith is much more plainly declared in the New Testament So that Christians having a more perfect faith in Christ then had the Jews must needs have a greater joy in Christ then they could have And indeed what joy like the joy of the Redeemed by Christ or rather what joy like the joy of the adopted in Christ Since the joy of the Redemption is not to be had without the joy of the Adoption For many more have been Redeemed by Christ then do truly rejoyce in him because many more have been Redeemed then are adopted For the Redemption which man hath by Christ is of a greater latitude then is the Adoption because the Redemption concerns all mankind in general but the Adoption is restrained to some particular persons sc to those only within the Pale of the Church and that not only in their number and outward profession but also in their merit or inward affection as Aquinas hath laid the ground of that distinction 22◠qu. 1. art 9. ad tertium in these words Talis enim fides sc formata invenitur in omnibus illis qui sunt numero merito de Ecclesia A true and lively faith is found in all those who are meritoriously as well as numerically members of the Church And where the true faith is found there and there only is the true joy in Christ or the joy of adoption And these two may very well agree that the Redemption it selfe should be universal and concern the whole nature of man which Christ assumed and therefore redeemed but yet the benefit thereof in the adoption of sons should be onely particular that is concerne those alone to whom God doth give special grace to make a right
are espoused unto him Such a righteousness as will keep off sin from causing a Divorce He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness such a salvation as will keep off death from causing a dissolution in their marriage He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation Therefore I will greatly rejoyce in the Lord my soul shall be joyful in my God for neither shall my sins disturb this joy since I am covered with his righteousness nor shall my death diminish it since I am cloathed with his salvation To him be glory for this righteousness and for this salvation for evermore Amen Christ adored in his Resurrection CAP. I. That Christ is to be adored chiefly in his Resurrection SECT I. The resurrection of Christ the grand cause of joy to Christià ns but strongly opposed by the Jews whose Commentaries are not to be followed on those texts which concern our Saviour Christ though even those texts have not been corrupted by them WHat is the sorrow of the soul for sin we may partly see by every true penitent who cannot but say for his sins as our Saviour once said for them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My soul is exceeding sorrowful even to the death Mat. 26. 38. But what is the sorrow of the soul for death the wages of sin God make us such true penitents that we may never see for if we are so unfit by reason of our impatience and so unable by râ—â—son of our infirmity to pass over the momentary sorâ—oâ—â— of the earth it must needs fill our souls with astonishment and confusion but once seriously to think of the sorrows the everlasting sorrows of hell Wherefore most welcom to the Christian soul is that joy which delivers it from this sorrow and that is the joy of Christs resurrection whereby we have been delivered from the sting and mischief of the temporal from the pangs horrours of the eternal death Accordingly it hath been observed by Christian Chronologers that our blessed Saviour did rise from the dead on that very same day of the year on which Moses and the children of Israel had almost two thousand years before passed safely through the red Sea And indeed as their deliverance by Moses from the Egyptians was a type of our deliverance by Christ from our spiritual bondage so their joy may well be in our hearts and their Song in our mouths only heightned by a greater measure of thankfulness and of thanksgiving for as much as ours hath of the two been infinitely the greater deliverance Therefore let me say as they did but let me say it with a more thankfull heart and with a more cheerfull voice for greater is my duty though lesser is my ability I will sing unto the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously Exod. 15. 1. Never was so glorious a triumph as this which triumphed over the grave that devours all this worlds triumphs nay over Hell which makes the bare memory of them odious and detestable either that they were gained unjustly or used immoderately or abused intemperately The Lord is my strength and song and he is become my Salvation ver 2. What can my soul say more what should it say less for being delivered from the pangs and horrours of the temporal and eternal death but that the Lord is my Song for being my strength to rescue and to redeem me much more for being my salvation to receive me and to crown me Again Who is like unto thee O Lord amongst the Gods who is like unto thee glorious in holiness fearfull in praises doing wonders ver 11. Let me but think of the Son of God dying for my sins and rising from the dead to make me righteous and I must needs say he was glorious in holiness and ought to be fearfull in praises for doing such wonders as to bring glory out of shame holiness out of Sin and life out of death Lastly Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed Thou hast guided them in thy strength to thy holy habitation ver 13. All those Saints that did rise from the dead when our Saviour Christ arose to go along with him into heaven and all those Saints that shall rise hereafter by vertue of his resurrection to follow him thither can say no more then this to express their joy and thankfulness Thou hast led us forth from the grave thou hast redeemed us from death thou hast guided us in thy strength to thy holy habitation there to see and bless and enjoy thee for ever So that those late Hebr. Criticks are too much in love with the glosses of the Jews who oppose them against the Judgement of the whole Catholick Church that they may enervate one of the soundest proofs of the Resurrection that is to be found in all the Old Testament And that proof is Job 19. 25 26 27. I know that my redeemer liveth and that I shall rise out of the earth at the last day and shall be covered again with my skin and shall see God in my flesh Yea and my self shall behold him not with other but with these same eyes Words so expresly spoken of the resurrection that the Church hath thought fit to use them at the burial of the dead as the chiefest comfort and consolation against death yet upon these words thus saith the Learned Mercer Nostri ferè omnes tam veteres quà m recentiores hunc versiculum cum duobus sequentibus ad resurrectionem referunt sâ—d ego cum Hebraeis aliter accipio Quod si de resurrectione futura hic loqueretur Job non erant haud dubie id praetermissuri Hebraei qui ipsi resurrectionem credunt At ne unum quidem ex sex aut septem Hebraeorum commentariis invenies qui eò referat Almost all Christian writers ancient and modern do expound these three verses of the Resurrection but I with the Jews do expound them otherwise For if Job had here spoken of the resurrection to come doubtless the Hebrew doctors would not have pretermitted it in their Commentaries since they also believed this Doctrine but in six or seven of their Expositors there is not one that expounds these words of the resurrection This reason is unsound in it self and therefore unsatisfactory in its Proof For the Jewish expositors labour after nothing more then not to see Christ in the Old Testament And their Doctors knowing that the Christians did believe and profess the Resurrection of the dead by vertue of Christs resurrection had rather leave the doctrine of the resurrection out of their glosses then allow it to be by vertue of our blessed Saviour whom their fathers had crucified and whom themselves not only hated but also accursed and blasphemed every day Thus Saint Mathew tells us plainly that the Jews gave the Souldiers mony to say that our Saviours disciples came by night and stole him away And they that were so willing to put a lye in other mens mouths were as
momento aeternitas as we spend our time here so we shall find our eternity hereafter For God who hath given us time only to prepare and provide for eternity will certainly call us to a strict account for all our time but to the strictest account for that time which he hath more immediately allotted and consigned us to make that preparation SECT IX The fourth commandment was not given to limit the first and therefore excludes not other Festivals shewing our true love of Christ but rather commands them The true manner of ob serving any Christian festival particularly Easter is to account and make it a day of Observations by observing our selves and our Saviour our selves what we have been what we are what we desire to be Our Saviour what he was in his humiliation what he is in his exaltation what he will in his retribution CHristian Feasts were not ordained not so much for the outward as for the inward man Hence excellently the divine Nazianzen or at 44. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 No beauty doth so much enamour and delight the most affectionate lover of beauties as our spiritual keeping of publike assemblies doth delight a Christian lover of Festivals We will therefore enquire how a good Christian may best keep a spiritual feast unto the Lord and we hope thereby not to overthrow but rather to establish our set temporal Festivals And indeed we cannot better keep a spiritual feast unto the Lord then by accounting it a day of observations as Moses said of the feast of the Passeover that it was a night of observations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Salomon Jarchi gives this gloss upon the place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because the Lord observed himself that night and watched that he might deliver Israel according to his promise And sure we are that our blessed Saviour thus observed and watched himself that he might deliver us from sin and death and as sure that this day of our deliverance ought be a day for every good Christian most especially to observe himself and yet much more to observe his Saviour That sabbath day was an high day to the Jew whereon was celebrated the Passeover John 19. 31 And since there is much greater reason it should be so to the Christian t is not possible there should be greater supestition in it For reason and superstition could never yet agree so well together that what was truly Rational could by the wit of man be proved superstitious We must then account this day an high day and not confine our devotions so to our weekly Festival as if that alone were within the compass of the fourth commandment For we may not limit the first commandment by the fourth since the first is the great commandment to which all the rest in that Table are to be reduced according to our blessed Saviours own determination Mat. 22. 37 38. Jesus said unto him Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul and with all thy mind this is the first and great commandment By which his determination our infallible Doctor hath concluded the fourth commandment to be moral in that he maketh it reducible to the first but withall to have its chiefest morality meerly by vertue of that reduction And in this respect we may pray in faith Incline our hearts to keep this law as well as any of the rest in the Decalogue looking on the duty as moral for it self on the day as moral for its duty for the duty is clearly reducible to the love of God and consequently to be most religiously observed for it self by vertue of that comes in the day with its other adjuncts to be most religiously observed for the duty We have a Theological certainty concerning the duty which is the rest of our souls in God we can have but a moral certainty concerning the day as set apart for that rest yet we need not fear a mistake in the day being sure of no mistake in the duty and consequently observing the day for the duty we cannot but pray in faith for mercy because we have transgressed for who did ever rest in God as he was bound to do and for grace that we may not transgress but may still more and more rest in him till we come to our eternal rest Therefore we may not limit or restrain the end of the fourth Commandment by the letter of it advancing the day above the duty for that is the way not to pray in faith that we may keep this Law much less may we limit and restrain the first Commandment by the fourth for that is the way not to be able to pray in faith that we may keep any other Law since it is evident that the love of God is the foundation of faith in all our prayers and that Love is required in the first Commandment so that to restrain that Commandment is to restrain our love of God and to restrain our love of God is to restrain our faith in God Again we may not limit the first Commandment by the fourth for that were to limit the greater by the lesser and t is evident the fourth was given to establish the exercise of the first not to enfeeble its obligation since then the first commands us to love God with all our hearts and with all our souls we may not think that the fourth was given to confine this love in any one particular member of Christ much less in his whole mystical body as if Christians were bound to make use of their hearts and souls in the publike exercise and profession of their love to God only upon Sunday or upon one day in seven Accordingly we must account every Christian Festival that is truly in honour and for love of Christ and particularly this of the Passover An high day and to shew that we account it so our best way is to endeavour to make it so by making it a day of observations Now observations cannot be less then two and that two may indeed serve our turns one of these observations must be of our selves another of our Saviour The observation of our selves must be three-fold what we have been what we are what we resolve to be First what we have been miserable sinners Thus the Psalmist observed himself when he said for innumerable troubles are come about me my sins have taken such hold upon me that I am not able to look up yea they are more in number then the hairs of my head and my heart hath failed me O Lord let it be thy pleasure to deliver me make haste O Lord to help me Psalm 40 I have been hitherto a miserable sinner but I beseech thee to deliver me both from my misery and from my sin Secondly what we are penitent sinners Thus holy Job observed himself when he said wherefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes Job 42. 6. T is in the Origin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
and an affirmative Precept which betwixt them do comprize the obligation of the whole Law There 's a negative Precept 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in that he saith You may not do your own pleasure nor speak your own words And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an affirmative Precept in that he saith you must call the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and must accordingly honour him therein Nor can we reasonably think our selves unconcerned in this Precept unless we will think or make our selves unconcerned in the promise that is annexed to it of delighting our selves in the Lord and being fed with he heritage of Jacob v. 14. so that this text was without doubt written also for our instruction though not as Iews yet as Christians And therefore as the Apostle hath said We have an Altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle Heb. 13. 10. So may we say we have a Sabbath whereof they have no right to be observers who serve the Tabernacle And this text of the Prophet will as much concern our Sabbaths as it did theirs For we must turn away our feet that is our affections from these Sabbaths not seeking on them any rest or delight in our selves but only in our God Thus did the primitive Christians keep their feasts as is affirmed by Nazianzene orat 44. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We also keep holy day but as it seemeth good to the Holy Ghost either saying or doing something of our duty So that our keeping of a Feast is nothing else but laying up treasure for our souls or laying in provision upon which we may live in another world Wherefore it shall be my labour and my prayer so to keep all the Feasts which are kept truly in honour of my Saviour That I may at last be a guest at his own wedding Feast and be numbred among those of whom it is written Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage Supper of the Lamb Rev. 19. 9. And though I cannot deserve it by my service yet I will hope by being his constant and faithful servant That he who maketh the marriage Supper will bestow on me the wedding garment and clothe me with his own righteousness that I may be a guest prepared to come to and set at his heavenly table to keep one everlasting Feast with him and his world without end Amen CAP. II. That God is to be adored only in Christ SECT I. That no man whiles he is in the state of sin cares to come near God and that Adam after his sin could not have adored God rightly if Christ had not been revealed to him as the propitiation for his sins IT is the property of a sinner to run from God and therefore no man that is a sinner and looketh upon God as angry for his sins can truly worship him For he that will worship God must come unto him but he that looks upon God as angry will be sure to flie from him And it is much to be observed that after Saul knew God had rejected him for his disobedience he desired to worship him only in shew not in reality 1 Sam. 15. 30. Then he said I have sinned yet honour me now I pray thee before the Elders of my people and before Israel and turn again with me that I may worship the Lord thy God Here was a worshipper but such an one as worshipped more to honour himself then to honour his Maker Honour me now I pray thee before my people not a word of honouring God by his worship which is still the practise of such wicked miscreants and will be to the worlds end to make a shew of Religion not for Gods sake but for their own not to serve him but to serve themselves For where is much of sin there must be little of Religion little in truth though perhaps not in shew it being the property of sin to drive us from God but of Religion to draw us to him And accordingly Saul being in the state of sin professeth in effect that he was desirous to keep at a distance from God saying unto Samuel Turn again with me that I may worship the Lord thy God He durst not say the Lord my God for he had too much provoked him by his sin and too little sought to be reconciled to him by repentance to claim any interest in his mercy Sin wilfully committed drives a man from God sin carelesly unrepented keeps a man from him so that whiles the man is in sin whether it be willfully or carelesly he cannot come near God but is either driven or at least kept from him yea let him come never so near to God yet by his sin he is sure to be kept far from him for he so draweth near him with his lips as to be far from him with his heart It is not to be doubted but David made many a fair shew of worshipping God during that year that he continued in the guiltiness of his murder and of his adultery And yet it is not to be thought much less believed that during that guiltiness he was a true worshipper for it is plain from his own mouth that sin had shut up his lips because he prayed God to open them and as plain that sin shutteth not up the lips but where it hath first shut up the heart since the heart is the first mover in the order of Religion and consequently the first stander-still in the neglect of that order No wonder then if the Text saith God heareth not sinners John 9. 31. for how can he hear those that do not speak or if they do speak yet they do not pray because they have only Verbum oris non verbum mentis because they speak only with their lips not with their hearts God is not as man to be approached unto by outward addresses and applications if the tongue move without the heart the man sits still and doth not at all draw near in Gods account whatever he may do in his own Therefore the Apostle ascribeth it to one and the same faith that we please God and that we come unto him Heb. 11. 6. Without faith it is impossible to please God for he that cometh to God must believe The words will afford this Syllogism He that doth come to God doth alone please God he that hath not faith doth not come unto God Therefore he that hath not faith doth not or cannot please God And this Syllogism will afford us this Doctrine That we must come to God if we will please him and must have faith if he will come unto him For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him That he is God the fountain of all goodness and that they who thirst after shall drink deep of this fountain Nay yet more as the words are alledged to prove Enoch had faith they must have this
that the more it busieth the head the less it setleth and establisheth the heart wherefore if that benediction was Apostolical The Lord Jesus Christ himself stablish you in every good word 2 Thes 2. 17 Then this practice must be Apostatical which doth unstablish and unsettle the People in their Prayers the very best words Then was Egypt in a sad case when the locusts did eat up what the hail and thunder had left Exod. 10. And is it not so with Israel when locusts out of the bottomless pit devour that small pittance of Religion which the hail that is their own chill and frozen dispositions or the thunder and lightning that is the tempestuous terrours and troubles of war had left in the Peoples hearts When God suffers such devourers of piety and Religion to come into a land he either looks upon it as Egypt or t is to be feared he intends to make it so The death of the first born is then sure not far off and the drowning of all the rest is not like to belong after it For what can we expect but that the read sea even a sea of blood should cover us all when we persecute the Israel of God for desiring to serve him and say unto those who are zealous for such prayers as they know are either in Gods word or agreeable with it ye are idle ye are idle therefore ye say Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord Exod. 5. 17. as if Praying in known and approved forms were rather a pretence for idleness then a help to devotion This is not only to reproach the Church for teaching us to pray by her Liturgies but also to reproach God himself for teaching the Church to pray by his Scriptures and by this argument we may throw away not only the dictates of the Church but also the dictates of the Spirit of God Sure this is not the part of Christians by one and the same wicked practice to oppose both the authority and the doctrine of Christ the authority of Christ in his Church the doctrine of Christ in his word They pretend to have the spirit of God but yet contemn the word of God They will needs have the spirit of his Son in their hearts and yet care not to have the language of his Son in their mouths giving their Pater noster a quietus est a writ of ease as if the Holy spirit had supplied the servants above the son and taught us better prayers then it had taught our Saviour or as if it were not one and the same spirit that once directed him and still directeth us to call upon the Father Doubless such men cannot take it unkindly that we abstain from communicating with their prayers since they by rejecting the Lords own holy prayer do at the same time reject commnnion not only with all the servants but also with the Spirit and with the Son of God for the Servants of God alwayes used it the Spirit of God indited it the Son of God commanded it T is no wonder if such men be not only Sacrilegious but also perswade themselves there is no such sin as sacriledge and consequently that whatsoever hath been consecrated to Gods Holy name is still unholy and prophane though it hath been conscrated according to Gods own express command in the fourth commandment which is the commandment of consecrations and requires the sanctification of place and of persons and of our substance to Gods publike worship as well as of time Time cannot be sanctified or kept holy to Gods publick worship without these And besides we find these also expresly commanded in other parts of the Bible and since they are all commanded for one and the same end we must reduce the Texts concerning them to one and the same commandment for the ten commandments are Decem summa genera as it were ten predicaments or ten general heads to which is to be reduced whatsoever is commanded as a moral duty in the whole word of God wherefore since it is a moral duty that men should publikely and solemnly call upon the name of God and time alone without place and persons and the maintenance of these cannot serve for the discharge of that duty we must allow the rest of these outward requisites to be commanded in this of time And consequently what of all these alike was common and unholy before it was sanctified to Gods publike worship being once sanctified thereunto is made peculiar and proper to God and therefore to rob or pillage or take away any of these is sacrilegiously to invade Gods property which is a sin of so heavy a burden to press down the soul that the Apostle hath put it in the scale against Idolatry and seems to make this at least to balance if not to out-weigh the other Thou that abhorrest Idols dost thou commit Sacriledge Rom. 2. 22. The argument would be of little consequence if Sacriledge were not a sin at least equal to Idolatry And truly so it is whatever we please to think or to make of it For whereas there are two kinds of Idolatry the one to take an Idol for God the other to make God himself for an Idol the sacrilegious person is in effect guilty of them both For it is impossible that any man should rob God if he did not make money his God there 's taking the Idol for God or if he did not take God for one to be mocked rather then worshipped there 's taking God for an Idol And t is no wonder if they can do all this who can contemn the Lords most holy prayer for the three first petitions of that prayer contain all the Duty of the first table and the least part we can shew of dutifullness is to pray that we may be dutifull and consequently he that will not say Our father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name cannot be troubled at that Sin of Sacriledge whose property it is to invade and profane all that is dedicated to the hallowing of the name of God For they that can swallow the Camel have little reason to strain at the gnat they that can be guilty of the greater cannot stick at the lesser Sacriledge they that can rob God of his publike worship cannot easily make any scruple of robbing his Church and to take away such publike prayers as do undoubtedly glorifie the name of God what is it else but to rob God of his worship or of the honour due unto his name For he that doth forbid us to take his name in vain doth withall command us to glorifie his name and consequently to make use of such forms of prayer and of praise as we are sure do most glorifie him These forms being accordingly made for the honour of God after the rule of the two first and in obedience to the third Commandment are set apart for this use in obedience to the fourth and to take away these forms is in effect to
therefore this is not so truly a priviledge as t is a property for Gods Sons to be his heirs Accordingly all our care must be to keep our selves in the obedience that we may be in the acceptance of sons for then we shall have no cause to doubt of our inheritance And the best way to keep our selves in the obedience of Sons is to keep our selves in the communion of his Spirit for if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8. 9. And this is indeed another priviledge of the Saints that being made the Sons of God they have the Spirit of his Son And that Spirit is sent forth into their hearts to testifie unto them his fatherly care and kindness For the tongue could not truly say Abba Father if the heart did not truly believe it We must therefore observe the Apostles Doctrine concerning the Spirit of adoption that it so moveth in the tongue as much rather in the heart Ye have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father there 's Abba Father in the mouth and The spirit it self beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God there 's Abba Father in the heart Rom. 8. 15 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Saint Chrysostome When the spirit of God is our witness who can misdoubt the testimony All the fault in truth is that we do not so devote our selves to the love of God and the practice of piety and godliness as that the Spirit either will or can be our witness For we often gâ—eve the Holy Spirit of God by our multiplied transgressions and hence it is we do not see that he hath sealed us to the day of redemption Ephes 5. 30. His seal is alwayes sure and good though not alwayes clear and visible He doth still imprint it though we do not still perceive it the reason is because our sins do cast a mist before our eyes nay more a dismal darkness upon our hearts and this mist this darkness interposeth it self betwixt us and the everlasting light Therefore saith the Apostle And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure 1 John 3 3. Every man that hath this hope in him viz. truly and really not presumptuously and phantastically purifieth himself even as he is pure and t is no more then needs because he cannot have this hope in him unless he purifie himself For the same Holy Spirit that maketh the Son of God dwell in us by consolation doth also make us dwell in him by affection and no longer then we dwell in him can we be assured that he dwelleth in us hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us they go both together because he hath given us of his spirit 1 John 4. 13. And that holy Spirit as it maketh him dwel in us by consolation so it maketh us dwell in him by affection God hath joyned these two together and we may not separate them even walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost Act. 9. 31. Thus doth our own Church teach us to pray That we may evermore dwell in him and he in us which when it shall be fully brought to pass we shall fully understand and more fully enjoy that benediction of the Psalmist Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and receivest unto thee he shall dwell in thy Courts and shall be satisfied with the pleasures of thy house even of thy holy Temple Psal 65. 4. Nay his dwelling shall be much bettered for he shall dwell not in thy Court but in thy self and be satisfied with the pleasures not of thy house but of thy Son nor of thy holy Temple but of thy holy Spirit Thus doth Hierusalem get up thither indeed whieher Babel got up only in design even to heaven Nay yet much higher Is there any thing higher then heaven Yes there is The God of heaven A true Citizen of Hierusalem never leaves ascending in heart and mind till he get up to God And this makes him so given to his deâ—otions that he cares to say nothing else but Abba Father which is yet another priviledge of the Saints of Gods not of their own making for they though called Saints here will be found sinners hereafter that having the Spirit of his Son they have also the language of his Son and cry Abba Father For the priviledge of Gods Sons who have the Spirit of his Son in their hearts is also to have the same Spirit in their mouths crying Abba Father as their heart is true to God by inward affection so their mouth is true unto their heart by outward profession and consequently that mans religion is not true which wants either part of this truth for if his heart be false to his God he is an hypocrite If his tongue be false to his heart he is little less then an Apostate So hath the irrefragable Doctor determined concerning one that lives among the Turks or Saracens who still retaineth the Faith in his heart but not the confession of it in his mouth Potest tamen dici Apostata communi nomine quia à confessione fidei retrocedit Alensis par 2. qu. 153. memb 2. He may in a general sense be called an Apostate because he is fallen away from the confession of his Faith So then a true believer hath not only his heart true to God by affection but also his tongue true to his heart by profession being bound to the one by the first to the other by the third Commandment of the decalogue If his heart be false to his God he will one day be ashamed of himself If his tongue be false to his heart his Saviour will one day be ashamed of him so himself hath told us Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy Angels Mar. 8 38. of him shall the Son of man be ashamed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He shall blush for the shame of him O our blessed Redeemer let us never put thee to the blush let us never force that precious blood into thy lovely face which thou camest to bestow upon our sinful souls But as with our hearts we beleive unto righteousness so with our mouths let us make confession to salvation This is Saint Pauls definition of a true Christian A man that with the heart believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confesseth to salvation Rom. 10. 10. The heart believing brings the righteousness the mouth confessing brings the salvation As t is vain to have a Faith without righteousness for that is the hypocrites faith so t is vain to have a righteousness without salvation for that may be an Apostates righteousness But the true and constant Christian hath both the heart to believe and the mouth
to confess his belief and therefore so hath the Faith as that also he hath both the righteousness and the salvation For not being guilty of hypocrisie in confessing his faith whereby to lose the righteousness he will not be guilty of Apostacy in falling away from his confession whereby to lose the salvation SECT VI. The having the Spirit and language of the Son further explained by three questions 1. How Abba father is called the language of the Son and whether Saint Mark borrowed not that expression from Saint Paul 2. Who it is that cryes Abba Father or prayes by the Spirit whether he that hath most cordial affections or he that hath most voluble effusions 3. Whether the spirit may be in the heart believing whilst t is not in the mouth crying Abba Father or whether the Spirit of adoption once truly had be not retained to the end SAint Paul saying to the Galatians and because ye are Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father Gal. 4. 6. hath joyned three eminent priviledges of the Saints altogether in few words And because ye are sons there 's their first priviledge that of enemies they are made servants of servants they are made sons God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts there 's their second priviledge that being made Sons they have the Spirit of his Son whereby we cry Abba Father there 's their third priviledge that having the Spirit of his Son they have also the language of his Son But it may not unfitly be demanded how Abba Father is called the language of the Son I answer because Christ himself used it in his prayer to the Father and he said Abba Father all things are possible unto thee Mar. 14. 36. And the Spirit of Christ teacheth us to use it as appears Rom. 8. 15. Ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father and Gal. 4. 6. God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father And it is to be observed that this kind of expression is never at all used in the Old Testament as if it had been reserved of purpose for our Saviour Christ and but thrice used in the new Testament in the places forecited as if it could not rightly be used but only by some few very good Christians who having entirely devoted themselves to all dutifulness and obedience can hope for a greater portion of love and kindness from God then other men as if he were more a Father to them then to others For so would Syrus interpres have us understand the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Abba Pater mi O Father my Father Father of all in general but my Father in particular which is doubtless the application of a true and lively faith and cannot belong unto those who have not applied themselves to this Father as most dutiful and obedient children But why 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Abba Father the one is Syriack the other in Greek was our blessed Saviour at so much leasure in his agony as to look after variety of languages in his prayer That 's not to be supposed but t is most probable that our Saviour used only the Syriake word Abba when he prayed because he commonly used that language and he doubled that word to express the zeal and earnestness of his affection in his prayer So Grotius duplex autem vox posita est affectus testandi causâ simile illud 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apoc. 1. There is a double word set down to shew the strength of his affection as Revel 1. 7. Even so Amen This may happily be a reason of the duplication but t is not a reason of the variety that doubt still remains why Abba Father in two several languages I answer happily to teach us that Christ and the good Christian do call upon God with one and the same Spirit and therefore Saint Mark agreeth with Saint Paul in the use of one and the same expression For though Saint Mark writ his Gospel from Saint Peter yet t is probable he borrowed this emphatical expression from Saint Paul since it is undeniable that Saint Paul had written his Epistles to the Romans and to the Galatians in which two he useth this Abba Father long before Saint Mark published his Gospel For Saint Chrysostome in the argument or Hypothesis before the Epistle to the Romans wherein he takes great pains to shew in what order Saint Pauls Epistles were written and that by observations collected out of the Epistles themselves plainly saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It seems to me that the Epistle to the Galatians was writ before the Epistle to the Romans and t is past all doubt that the Epistle to the Romans was writ long before Saint Paul was carried prisoner to Rome but the Gospel of Saint Mark was writ af-after that as may be gathered out of Epiphanius his words in Haer Alog. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 next after S. Mathew comes S. Mark who following S. Peter to Rome was there permitted to write his Gospel But Saint Peter came not to Rome till after Saint Pauls first answer under Nero unless you will comprize him amongst those of whom Saint Paul complains 2 Tim. 4. 16. At my first answer no man stood with me but all men forsooke me I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge That Saint Peter came soon enough to Rome to die there with Saint Paul for the Gospel of Christ we may not doubt since all antiquity asserteth it But that he sate there as Bishop 25. years sc from the second year of Claudius to the 13. year of Nero in which he was put to death seems an unreasonable assertion for if he were then Bishop of Rome when Saint Paul was brought to his first answer before Nero he did plainly forsake Saint Paul and t is more just to say he had rather forsake his Bishoprick nay indeed his life And this being laid for a ground that Saint Peter did not forsake Saint Paul at his first answer it must needs follow that he came not to Rome till after it and by consequent Saint Mark writ not his Gospel till after Saint Pauls first answer that is long after Saint Paul had writ his two Epistles to the Romans and to the Galatians So that Saint Marks Abba Father may not improbably seem to have been derived from Saint Pauls Abba Father and that for this reason to assure us that good Christians have the same Father that Christ had and call upon God with the very same spirit that he did nay in the very same words as having their prayers both exemplified and sanctified through his intercession For as some Protestant Divines are willing to believe that the Baptism of John and of Christ were both one because else we now say they should not be baptized with the same baptism wherewith Christ was baptized and we
cannot be too desirous to receive our Baptism in our Saviours communion for what is communicated from him is also sanctified by him So is it in our prayers we may very comfortably perswade our selves that Saint Mark used the same Abba Father for Christ which Saint Paul had used for us Christians least any man should think we Christians â—ad not the same right to pray or at least not the same spirit of prayer that was in Christ therefore to assure us that both do pray in the communion of the same Spirit both are set down praying in the communion of the same words But yet whether S. Mark borrowed this from S. Paul or not the doubt still remains why this Abba Father is in two several languages when as the reduplication might happily have been as emphatical in one tongue as in two I answer with Saint Augustine Abba propter illorum linguam pater propter nostram Aug. in Psal 78. To shew that Christ did no less belong to the Gentiles then he did to the Jews he useth a Greek word that signifies father for the Gentiles as well as a Syriack word that signifies father for the Jews for at that time the Jews themselves commonly spake Syriack having in the Babylonian captivity learned to mix Chaldee with Hebrew which mixture begat the Syriack The effect of Saint Augustines answer is this Syriack and Greek are both joined together to shew the communion of Jew and Gentile in Christ we may add and not only so but also to shew the cause of that communion even the communication of the same spirit to them both which when it descended visibly upon the Apostles endued them with the gift of tongues and the scripture still retaining the variety of languages in this Abba Father doth not only commemorate that miraculous discent of the Holy Ghost upon them but doth also confirm his continual descending upon us with as good success though not with as great a miracle For he teacheth us no less then he taught them to cry Abba Father which puts me upon a second question who it is that cries Abba Father is it his spirit or our own I answer t is his Spirit not our own t is indeed our voice but t is his breath for we cannot say Abba Father by the breath and power of our own but only by the breath and power of his Spirit and by that we can say it with an undaunted courage and do say it with an immortal comfort because with a hope full of immortality T is then his Spirit that crieth Abba Father though in our mouths And this crying Abba Father is more fully expressed Rom. 8. 26. The spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered whence it may be gathered that the gift of prayer is more in groans then in words more in groans which cannot then in words which can be uttered for Moses cried unto the Lord when he spake not one word And the Lord said unto Moses Wherefore criest thou unto me Exod. 14. 15. So that he prayed by the Spirit whiles his tongue stood still and consequently the gift or spirit of prayer here meant by crying Abba Father may not be placed in voluble effusions but in strong affections not so much in the tongue as in the heart for else many adopted Sons must be denied to have the Spirit of Christ who cannot pour out their conceptions in multiplicity of words And which is as bad many must be affirmed to have the Spirit of Christ who are enemies to the cross of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their belly and whose glory is in their shame who mind earthly things for many of these men may and do attain to a great perfection in extemporary effusions we dare not then say that all those who take upon them to be eminent in the gift of prayer do truly cry Abba Father or do pray by the Spirit of Christ because we see that many of them by their works do oppose the name and blaspheme the truth of Christ and bring themselves under that terrible reproof and more terrible reproach They profess that they know God but in works they deny him being abominable and disobedient and unto every good work reprobate Tit. 1. 16. But there are doubtless many others more concerned in the gift though less in the pretence of the Spirit who make not so many words but yet make more prayers even whiles they make use of those prayers which their Church hath made for them for these bring their groans though not their words and those groans are the groans of the Spirit which without doubt may as well if not better accompany a prayer that we are sure is according to the mind of Christ as a prayer that we cannot tell whether it will be so or no However we cannot deny but every one who truly prayeth by the spirit of Christ may say what holy David hath put into his mouth and the Holy Spirit put into the mouth of David Oh come hither and hearken all ye that fear God and I will tell you what he hath done for my soul I called upon him with my mouth and gave him praises with my tongue If I incline unto wickedness with my heart the Lord will not hear me But God hath heard me and considered the voice of my prayer praised be God which hath not cast out my prayer nor turned his mercy from me Psal 66. v. 14 c. As if he had said This great miracle of mercy hath God done for my soul which I cannot but speak all you that fear him shall do well to hear he gave me his spirit to call upon him with my mouth to give him praises with my tongue and because praise is not commonly in the mouth of a sinner and cannot be acceptable from it he gave me his spirit also to sanctifie my heart that it should not incline to wickedness hence it is that I do heartily praise him for enabling me to pray because praying in the spirit of his Son I can pray in comfort that he will not cast away my prayer because he cannot cast away his only Son nor turn away his mercy from me because he cannot turn away froÌ„ his own Spirit which by his mercy is now becoÌ„e mine Thus it is said The spirit of the Lord cloatheth Amasai 1 Chro. 12. 18. t is in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Septuagint translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Saint Hierom induit that is The spirit of the Lord cloathed Amasai not barely came upon him but also stuck close to him and covered him all over And indeed so doth the spirit come upon us to cloath our souls as our garments do our bodies that there be neither chilness nor nakedness neither want of zeal nor of holiness in our
of dignities ver 8. such a licentiousness as hates to be controuled and much more to be confined and therefore hates the dominion and dignities which God hath ordained to controul and to confine it Or we are lovers of our profits as in ver 11. They have gon in the way of Cain and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward and perished in the gain saying of Core where Balaam though put in the Second place yet is clearly the first mover in the way of unrighteousness for Cain and Core both do homage unto him For Cain is ready to kill and Core is ready to rebell if Balaam once run greedily after reward Such are we whiles we are manifested to our selves even lovers of our selves in our pleasures to all abominable licentiousness in our profits to all abominable out-rages and such are the cursed effects of our self-love even murders and seditions So that in truth we are self-haters whiles we are self-lovers for we have our woe denounced against us Woe unto them v. 11. Praedicit eorum exitium quoniam Cainum impudenti malitia Balaamum turpi avaritia Core dâ—nique factioso ambitioso ingenio referunt saith Beza in his short notes He foretelleth the destruction of such men because they follow Cain in his impudent malice Balaam in his filthy coveteousness and Core in his factious and ambitious unruliness But if Christ be manifested unto us our love is wholly of him and we will never think that we can sufficiently express that love We will labour to build up our selves in our most holy faith delighting in those things that are for Edification not for destruction and being afraid of that faith which is more for pulling down then for seeting up of holiness for we may not so build up our selves as to throw down others Praying in the holy Ghost that is praying in such a manner as that he may pray in us and in such a form as that he may pray with us not pinning those prayers upon the spirit of God which a sober man would be ashamed to speak and a conscientious man must be afraid to hear Keeping our selves in the love of God and loving whatsoever may be a means to keep us in his love as his word because it instructs us his authority because it restrains us his ordinances because they confirm and strengthen us having our eyes and our hearts alwayes lifted up to heaven looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life This is the only way to be assured that Christ is manifested unto our souls if indeed we thus entirely love him For our faith makes us accepted in Christ not so much from the strength of its perswasion as from the sincerity of its affection and is therefore called by Saint Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a faith which worketh by love Gal. 5. 16. There is no moral certainty to others of our being in Christ without this love In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the devill whosoever loveth not righteousness is not of God neither he that loveth not his brother 1 Iohn 3. 10. There can be no theological certainty to our selves of being in Christ without this same love as it follows v. 14. We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren He that loveth not his brother abideth in death And again cap. 4. v. 13. Hereby know we that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his spirit and sure we are that spirit is the Spirit of love Thus if we love we shall be assured of love and the more we find that we do love the more we shall find that we are beloved What have we then to do who profess our selves Christians but to walk in love as Christ also hath loved us Eph. 5. 2. and by this love to give our selves unto him who hath given himself for us So shall we also in him be made an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling Savour being made partakers of the greatest glory that is incident to the creature even to be an offering and a sacrifice to the Greator and of the greatest blessing that is incident to that glory even to be an offering and a sacrifice for a sweet smelling Savour unto him That he smelling the smell of the Goodly raiment which we have borrowed from our Elder brother may bless us and say See the smell of my Son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed Gen. 27. 27. God the Son hath blessed that soul to which he hath given this sweet smelling Savour and God the Father will bless it and God the Holy Ghost will continue the blessing for ever more Amen CAP. III. Of the Comforts that arise from the knowledge of our being in the state of true Christianity SECT I. The first comfort arising from the knowledge of our being in the state of true Christianity is That we are thereby assured of the love of God MANY are the comforts of those who know they are in the state of true Christianity but they are all reducible to these three Heads That they are assured of love from God of communion with God and the continuance of that communion Three such comforts the least whereof is able to outweigh all that can be put against it not only in the balance of the Sanctuary but also in the scales of right reason For man naturally doth love God above his life and doth desire communion where he loveth and doth exceedingly delight in the continuance of that communion So that the comfort which ariseth from the knowledge of our being in the state of true Christianity consists of these three degrees 1. That we are thereby assured of the love of God 2. That we are thereby assured of communion with God 3. That we are thereby on Gods part assured of the continuance of that communion which must needs bring heaven down to us if not carry us up to heaven The first degree of this comfort is that we are assured of the Love of God in whose presence is the fulness of joy and at whose right hand there is pleasure for evermore Psal 16. 12. For God is not as man that he should be changeable in his love but his love is like himself without beginning or ending He loves not more or less in process of time as men do and if he did we should have but small comfort of his love For love that is in time is but for a time not for all times it will be sure to choose the best time If Gods love were such woe would be to us upon whom are come the last and the worst times of this wicked world and therefore the last because the worst The worst as farthest from God and for that reason the last as neerest their own destruction Were Gods love to have a beginning in such times
make their abode with us Hence that Apostolical benediction The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all Amen 2 Cor. 13. 14. The grace is of God the Son the love is of God the Father but the communication both of grace and love is of God the Holy Ghost communicatio Spiritus Sancti saith the Vulgar Latine The communication of the holy Spirit be with you all For our communion with the Father and with the Son is by the holy Ghost Thus we see the cause of our communion with God is God Let us now consider the communion it self that we may know our own happiness in continuing and abiding with God This communion is heartily desired and fully expressed by the Psalmist when he saith One thing have I desired of the Lord which I will seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his Temple Psalm 27. 4. Non dicit simpliciter potii à Domino sed unum petii à Domino quibus verbis ostendit se prae omnibus bonis quibus liceat in hac vita frisi unum hoc extollere si detur pacifice in domo Dei habitare saith Musculus He saith not simply I have desired of the Lord but one thing have I desired of the Lord whereby he sheweth this one thing is to him above all other things that he might live peaceably in the house of God And of this he saith which I will seek after that is I will never give over seeking till I have found it and there is cause enough for this longing desire for this indesatigable diligence for it is to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his temple Ad contemplandum ad consulendum Deum That he might contemplate God or behold the beauties of the Lord and that he might consult with God to enquire in his Temple Tell me what can a sanctified ou◠desire more in earth tell we what can a glorified soul enjoy more in heaven then the contemplation of God and consultation with God ut videam voluntatem Domini saith the Vulgar Latine that I may see the good will and pleasure of the Lord ut videam pulchritudinem ejus saith Saint Hierom that I may see his beauty and thence Hugo inferres that in the contemplation of God is a double vision Visio pulchritudinis visio voluntatis The vision of his beauty the vision of his will for the first he alledgeth the words of the Prophet Isaiah Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty Isa 33. 17. For the second he alledgeth that saying of Saint Gregory supernae curiae cives dum supra se voluntatem sui Conditoris semper aspiciunt quod obtinere non valent nunquam volunt The Citizens of the heavenly Hterusalem whilst they alwayes see the will of God are ready to conform their wills to his will and never desire what they cannot attain This is the blessing they have who contemplate God whether in earth or in heaven and they who are in his communion do not only contemplate him but also consult with him as they see his beauty so also they enquire in his Temple They consult with God as with their friend hearing him and asking him questions maintaining familiar colloquies with him whilst they are in his communion that as they are delighted by their contemplation of God so they may be directed by their consultation with him And this appears in that heavenly dialogue which we find in the eighth verse My heart hath talked of thee seek ye my save thy face Lord will I seek that is my heart communing with it self and with thee makes me often hear thee saying seek ye my face and I cannot but answer thy face Lord will I seek here is a spiritual dialogue God speaking to the soul seek ye my face and the soul answering him thy face Lord will I seek So Hugo Benè dicit tibi dixit cor meum quiaquaedam familiaris colloquutio delectabilis confabulatio est inter Deum cor justi He well said My heart hath talked of thee or to thee for there is a kind of familiar colloquie and a delightful discourse betwixt God and the heart of a righteous man No tyranny can forbid this communion for t is of the heart no outrage can disturb it for t is in the heart no pleasure can divert or distract it for t is the delight of the heart My heart hath talked of thee or with thee desiring no other company to converse withall He desires to hear no other voice talking with him but that which saith Seek ye my face and as he desires it earnestly so he answers it readily Thy face Lord will I seek Facies Dei est praesentia ejus saith Alensis par 1. qu. 2. memb 1. The face of God is his presence that is the presence of his Grace for by that alone do we in this life enjoy his communion His natural presence in our souls may be by knowledge and understanding whereby he makes man know him and so he is present with many wicked men with whom he will not communicate but his gracious presence is in the will and affections whereby he makes men love him and so he is present only with good men to whom by this his presence he doth also afford his communion agreeable to this is Saint Augustines Doctrine concerning the inhabitation of God in the souls of men Inhabitator quorundam est Deus nondum cognoscentium Deum ut parvulorum quorundam vero inhabitator est cognoscentium diligentium quorundam autem inhabitator non est qui sc sunt cognoscentes non diligentes de quibus Rom. 1. Qui quùm Deum cognovissent non sicut Deum glorificaverunt Aug. ad Dardanum God dwels in some who know him not as in regenerated Infants He dwels in others who know him and love him as in religious men but he dwels in none who know him and do not love him of whom the Apostle speaketh Rom. 1. 21. When they knew God they glorified him not as God He is naturally present with those that know him or else they could not know him but he is graciously present only with those that love him Many have found his gracious presence that knew him not but none ever found it who loved him not For love as it is the cause of union so also is it the cause of communion which is indeed but a reciprocal or interchangeable union God may be present where he doth not dwell for whither shall I flee from thy presence Psalm 139. 7. and such a presence of God is without his communion But where he is so present as to make his abode or dwelling there he hath communion with the soul For this presence of God is in truth nothing else but his
it either to prevent it from coming upon us or to redress it when it is come For it calleth us to unity against division to constancy against distraction since there can be no constancy where there is no unity It calleth us to a communion with Christ and with his Church which communion must have unity from the nature and constancy from the author of it For our Saviour Christ is the same yesterday to day and for ever Heb. 13. 8. and as he is unchangeable in himself so he desires to be found unchangeable in his members He will have them the same yesterday and to day and for ever And indeed so they are for they do partake of the constancy who were real partakers of the unity in the Christian communion which is betwixt Christ and his Church Those Christians do shew forth a kind of immutability or unchangeableness by their constancy in religion who truly have communion with Christ in the unity of his Church For they cannot run a gadding after other mens phansies who are really established in their own consciences They know they have met with the true Christ already and therefore look not after false Christs and regard not them who say loe he is here or loe he is there They have found him in his Church and will not look for him in the desert or in the secret chambers For Christ having said to his Church Loe I am with you alwayès even to the end of the world would not have us think that we can be with him if we will not be with his Church Therefore we must look for Christian communion in Christs Church though we must not look for it only in his Church but also much rather in himself For in truth Christ and his Church do make but one true Christian communion Accordingly it will be necessary to consider this communion first in its authority for that Christ calleth us thereto by his own authority as the head and the Church calleth us thereto by the authority of Christ as his body After that we shall consider the same communion in its excellency for authority and excellency are reciprocal in Gods commands He commonly commaning that with the greatest authority on which he hath bestowed the greatest excellency And lastly we shall consider the same Christian communion in its sincerity for in spiritual exercises or duties of the soul such as is the desire and practice of this communion the greatest part of the excellency consisteth in the sincerity for God the seer and searcher and judge of hearts accounteth nothing excellent in his service but what proceeds from the heart Lord make me earnestly desire this Christian communion for its authority as proceeding from Christ the eternal Son of God make me highly admire this communion for its excellency as continuing with Christ make me cordially embrace this communion for its sincerity as wholly ending in Christ A true Christian communion indeed which hath its beginning from Christ its continuance with Christ its end in Christ which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ex ipso per ipsum in ipsum which is of him and through him and to him as the Apostle speaks Rom. 11. 36. Because it is of him it hath great authority because it is with him it hath great excellency because it is to him it hath great sincerity CAP. I. Of Christian Communion in its Authority SECT I. Christ requires our Communion by his own authority as our Head which hath the most noble and most powerfull influence upon the members The nature the reasons the cause the proofs of our communion with Christ COmmunion with Christ is the only way to Salvation by Christ for if we embrace not his Communion here we shall not enjoy his Salvation hereafter For Christ as man is the head of our Christian Communion though as God he be not only the commander of it by his word but also the defender and maintainer of it by his power so that the gates of hell are not able to prevail against it And this is Saint Augustines Judgement upon those words of our blessed Saviour John 1. 5. I am the true Vine That our Saviour spake those words Secundum quod caput Ecclesiae as he was the Head of the Church that is according to his humanity whereby he is of the same nature with us men as a Vine is of the same nature with its branches Nor can there be a fitter similitude to express the communion of Christ with his Church then is this of a Vine with its branches For as a Vine in the winter is without its branches so was Christ in his passion without his disciples for they all forsook him and fled Mark 14. 50. And as a Vine when it is without its branches is without it is beauty so it is said of Christ whiles he was yet without its disciples hanging upon his cross He hath no form nor comeliness and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him Isa 53. 2. And as a Vine is first planted in the earth before it brings forth branches So was our Saviour first laid in the earth before his Church was increased and multiplied And as the Vine is the basis and foundation which sustaineth the branches so is Christ the foundation of his Church Other foundation can no man lay then that is laied which is Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 3. 11. The fellow-labourers with God spoken of in the ninth verse may help under prop the branches but t is only the Vine that can sustain them And as the branches have all their greeness and growth and fruit from the Vine So hath the Church all its beauty and nourishment and increase from Christ and as the Vine doth transfuse its nature and therewith its vertue into the branches so doth Christ communicate to his members his name whereby they are called Christians his vertue whereby they are made Christians nay the very nature and being of his filiation or Son-ship as far as it is communicable in that he makes them the Sons of God with himself though not by nature yet by adoption and Grace Lastly which is Saint Augustines observation As the branches are the most contemptible of all sorts of wood when they are off from the Vine but the most glorious whiles they are on it so is it with men whiles they are without Christ they are most base and contemptible Saint Peter can liken them to nothing but to dogs or swine But it is hapned to them according to the true proverb the Dog is turned to his own vomit again and the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire 2 Pet. 2. 22. But whiles they are in Christ they are glorious and excellent above all others the same Saint Pteer labours for variety of titles to express their excellency But ye are a chosen generation a royall Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar People 1. Pet. 2. 9 Nay yet more
Partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust 2 Pet. 1. 4. In his first list of titles he makes them much more then other men but in his Second he supposes them little less then God Christ as man communicating to his members the excellencies of his humanity making them a chosen a holy a peculiar people and as God communicating to them the excellencies of his Divinity making them partakers of the divine nature In capite tria possumus considerare saith Aqu. tertia par qu. 8. ar 1. Ordinem perfectionem virtutem we must consider in the Head these three things That it is the highest part in order The noblest part in perfection and the chiefest part in operation And so is Christ to be considered as Head of the Church 1. That he is the highest part in order for he is neerest the most high in whom alone men and angels are brought near unto God For the distance betwixt finite and infinite must needs be infinite The Angels then being finite no less then men are in the same parallel or equi-distance from infinity and cannot be Mediators to bring us unto God Only he that hath joined finite and infinite in one person can join them together by his mediation 2. That he is the noblest part in perfection because he alone had the fulness of Grace and truth all others have received from him and of his fulness have all we received John 1 16. Quo propinquius est receptivum causae influenti eò abundantius recipit The neerer that which receives the influence is to that which gives it the more plentifully it is supplied thus Astronomy teacheth us that the Moon in its conjunction with the Sun hath in truth more light in it self though in the opposition when it is farthest from the Sun it seem more enlightned in regard of us So the Soul of Christ received most Grace because it was neerest God the fountain and giver of grace as being joined to him in person whereas the spirits of the best men and Angels are joined to him only in affection and those are the best of either sort who are the neerest God in this conjunction 3. That he is the chiefest part in operation For as the virtue and motion â—f all other members dependeth on the Head So the vertue and motion of religious Souls dependeth on Christ Hence the Apostle is more willing to glory in his infirmities then we can be to glory in our supposed strength for t is but a supposed strength and that by an unlogicall much more by an untheological supposition which we do challenge to our selves without our Saviour t is a supposed strength by a supponis quod non est supponendum A man that supposeth himself to have strength from himself supposeth what is not to be be supposed logically because it is against reason much more theologically because it is against religion for he hath said without me you can do nothing Sine me nihil potestis facere John 15. 5. Nec mirum quia nec Deus sine ipso aliquid fecit saith Aquinas and t is no wonder if we can do nothing without him For God himself did nothing without him as appears John 1. 3. Sine ipso factum est nihil quod factum est without him was not any thing made that was made Accordingly Saint Augustine tells us that by this saying our blessed Saviour hath instructed the hearts of the humble and stopped the mouths of the proud In quo corda instruit humilium ora obstruit superborum I had rather be one of the humble to have my heart instructed then one of the proud to have my mouth stopped and will therefore say unto my Saviour O Lord my strength and my redeemer Psal 19. 14. Or I will say of him I take pleasure in infirmities for Christs sake for when I am weak then am I strong 2 Cor. 12. 10. that is though I am weak in my self yet I have a sufficient strength to glory in and to trust to being strong in my Saviour therefore let me follow Saint Pauls humility and say Most gladly will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me 2 Cor. 12. 9. Power is accounted matter of glory in the man who desireth to rely upon himself But Weakness is matter of glory in the Christian who desireth to rely wholly upon his Saviour Hence Saint Bernard Quis dabit mihi non solum infirmari sed destitui ac dificere penitus à memet ipso ut Domini virtutum virtute stabiliar Serm. 25. super Cant. O that I could be more and more in firme and defective even to a swowning fit in my self that I might be strengthned and revived by his power who is the Lord of power and strength He comes very neer Saint Pauls expression 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ut tanquam in tabernaculo inhabitet in me virtus Christi That the power of Christ may rest in me as in a tabernacle not for the shortness of continuance or the uncertainty of abode that is in tabernacles for he could never have too much of Christs company but for the slenderness of entertainment that was used to be in them for he could never enough bewail his own unworthiness to entertain such a heavenly guest But this Communion with Christ as with our Head will be better understood from our Saviours own mouth who maketh a whole Sermon concerning it in the fore-quoted 15. Chapter of Saint John in the eleven first verses and we shall best learn this doctrine by considering the chief heads of that Sermon For therein our blessed Saviour sheweth us the nature the reasons the cause and the proofs or evidences of our Communion with him First The nature of this communion Abide in me and I in you v. 4. It is that whereby we abide in him and he in us as our own Church hath taught us to pray That we may evermore dwell in him and he in us we dwell in him by faith believing his promises by love obeying his commands and by desire hungring and thirsting after his presence He dwells in us by his spirit enlightning our understandings that we may believe inflaming our affections that we may love and satisfying our desires that we may delight and rejoyce in the presence of his Grace till we may be admitted to the presence of his Glory Secondly The reasons of this communion for although his command be enough to compell us yet he is pleased to use reasons to perswade us to have communion with himself And those reasons are five whereof four are positive arguments the fift is privative The first positive argument why we should communicate with our Saviour is our own Sanctification set forth by two words of Purging ver 2. and of cleansing v. 3. by abiding in him we are purged from the guilt and cleansed from the pollution of our
sins The Second positive argument why we should communicate with our Saviour is our fruitfulness in all good works ver 5. He that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit that is fruits of piety and religion towards God fruits of temperance and sobriety towards himself fruits of justice and charity towards his neighbour for he is like a tree planted by the water side bringing forth at all times and seasons the fruits of a holy a chaste and an upright conversation The third reason why we should communicate with our Saviour Christ is our own contentation ver 7. Ye shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you For he that abideth in Christ conformeth his will to the will of Christ and is sure to obtain what he asketh because he asketh such things as please him according to that excellent prayer of our own Church That they may obtain their petitions make them to ask such things as shall please thee Collect for 10. Sunday after Trin. So Saint Augustine glosseth the words Manendo quippe in Christo quid velle possunt nisi quod convenit Christo quid velle possunt manendo in salvatore nisi quod alienum non est à salute He that abideth in Christ what can he ask against Christ He that abideth in his Saviour what can he ask that is destructive of salvation Therefore if he beg any thing of God that is not granted him he begs it as he is in himself not as he is in his Saviour so the same Father Quia si hoc petimus quod non fit non hoe petimus quod habet mansâ—o in Christo sed quod habet cupiditas aut infirmitas carnis If we ask that which God will not do for us we ask not according to our being and abiding in Christ but according to our being and abiding in our own fleshly lusts and infirmities Wherefore this being a certain truth that the good Christian desires to live rather according to the will of Christ then his own will he can never be discontented for whatsoever befals him because he knows that though God hear him not according to his prayer yet he heareth him according to his profit si non audit ad voluntatem audit ad utilitatem as saith Saint Augustine and being perswaded that all things work together for good to them that love God Rom. 8. 28. he resolves to be thankful for what God gives him and for what he denies him and he that resolves to be thankfull is sure not to be miserable The fourth reason why we should communicate with our Saviour Christ is Gods glory ver 8. Herein is my father glorified that ye bear much fruit which is agreeable with that Doctrine in his first Sermon upon the Mount Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in heaven Mat. 5. 16. An argument so powerfull that we may call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or violentum because it offereth force or violence to our consciences which cannot but tell us that unless we do glorifie our God here we may not hope to be glorified by him hereafter The fifth reason why we should communicate with our blessed Saviour is rather privative then positive because it is taken from the punishment of those who are not in his communion and that reason is urged in the sixth ver If a man abide not in me he is cast forth as a branch and is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned Where the punishment of those who abide not in Christ is the same which those endure that are in hell For it is a punishment of loss and a punishment of sense The punishment of loss is twofold 1. The loss of glory he is cast forth 2. The loss of nourishment he is withered The punishment of sense is also twofold 1. He is confined to ill company men gather them he is gathered together with other branches as rotten as himself he can have no other company but of wicked men and of evil spirits which we cannot but see in our late outrages was a most unsufferable mischeif and if it be so tedious for an hour what is it for ever 2 He is cast into a place of torment to be there tormented and cast them into the fire and they are burned Hence Saint Augustine most excellently Vnum è duobus Palmiti congruit aut vitis aut ignis si in vite non est in igne erit ut ergo in igne non sit maneat in vite One of those two things must needs befall every branch either he is in the Vine or he is in the fire therefore that he may not be in the fire he were best abide in the Vine Thirdly the cause of this communion ver 9. As the Father hath loved me so I have loved you continue ye in my love Gods love to us in Christ is the first efficient cause of our communion with Christ even as his grace is the secundary or instrumental cause of it and Saint Augustine hath found that also in these words manete in dilectione mea id est in gratia mea saith he continue ye in my love that is in my grace He that is an enemy to the grace of God is not yet fitted for communion with Christ Fourthly and lastly our blessed Saviour sheweth the proofs or evidences of our communion with him that we may rejoyce when we have it and repent when we have it not and those proofs are three The first proof of our communion with Christ is this that Christs words abide in us ver 7. If ye abide in me and my words abide in you the one alwayes accompanies the other so that those men give an ill proof of their communion with Christ who make it their business to revile and reproach his word Tunc dicenda sunt verba ejus in nobis manere quando facimus qua praecepit diligimus que promisit saith Saint Augustine Then is it to be said that his words do abide in us when we do what he hath commanded and desire what he hath promised But Aquinas tells us that Christs words do abide in us when we believe them when we love them when we consider them and when we obey them Amando credendo meditando implendo And he proves this his Exposition from Prov. 4. 20 21. My son attend to my words that you may believe them Encline thine ear unto my sayings that you may obey and fulfill them Let them not depart from thine eyes that you may consider and meditate upon them Keep them in the midst of thine heart that you may entirely affect and love them If the words of Christ do thus abide in us by faith by love by meditation and by obedience then we have a sure token that we our selves do abide in him so saith Saint Bern. Serm.
Halleluiah doth not close a part of a Hymn but breaks off a doctrinal exhortation surely not to distract our attentions but to enflame our affections and to possess our souls wholly with the joy and love of Christ without which neither our praying nor our preaching is acceptable unto God or available unto us And the Church seemeth to have borrowed this practice from the Apostles for it is much to be observed that Saint Paul delivers not any one Doctrine of the Christian verity without his Halleluiah that is without a peculiar doxology to God in Christ So in his Epistle to the Romans 1. 8. First I thank my God through Jesus Christ So to the Corinthians 1. 1. 4. I thank my God alwayes on your behalf So to the Galatians 1. 5. To God and our Father be glory for ever and ever Amen So to the Ephesians 1. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ And so in the rest of his Epistles Nay he doth not only prefix his Halleluiah and lay it as the foundation and bottom of his work but he doth also familiarly interweave it whilst he is working as it were some choice and eminent thred to checquer and adorn the whole piece Thus in the Doctrine of Christian regeneration Rom. 7. 25. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord speaks little or nothing to the argument but more to the soul of him that earnestly desires truly to understand it then the tongue of men and Angels is able to express Thus also in the Doctrine of the resurrection 1 Cor. 15. 57. Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ are such words as do more then perswade the belief they do also enforce the love of that Christian truth which of it self is able to make not only one Foelix but also all mankinde to quake and tremble For Christ raising us from the death by vertue of his resurrection will also uphold us in the judgement by vertue of his satisfaction Lastly thus also in the Doctrine of Christian patience and preseverance concerning our being strengthned with might by the Spirit of God in the inward man and Christs dwelling in our hearts by faith and our own being rooted and grounded in love Ephes 3. He begins with prayer to God before it ver 14. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and he ends with praises after it ver 21. Vnto him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages world without end Which manner of teaching by prayer and praise must needs make a deeper impression upon the soul then all the arguments of Logick or perswasions of Rhetorick that have been or can be invented by the art of man And indeed the same is also the Method of Saint Peter and of the rest of the Apostles to intermingle prayers and praises to God in all their writings and may not unfitly be called the Method of grace And Alensis gives this reason for it Alius est modus scientiae ad informationem affectus secundum pietatem Alius ad informationem intellectus secundum veritatem Alex. Ale qu. 1. mem 4. There is one method of teaching the will how to embrace piety another method of teaching the understanding how to embrace truth For the understanding is best informed by the evidence of demonstration but the will is best enflamed by the power of devotion And again sunt principia veritatis ut veritatis sunt principia veritatis ut bonitatis There are principles of truth which are to be learned as they are true and there are principles of truth which are to be learned as they are good other sciences proceed from principles of truth which are to be learned as they are true because their truth is most notoriously evident But Divinity proceeds from principles of truth which are to be learned as they are good because their goodness is more notoriously evident then their truth Vnde hec scientia magis est virtutis quam Artis sapientia magis quam scientia magis enim consistit virtute efficacia quam in contemplatione notitia Alen. ibid. in respon 2. Therefore is Divinity rather a science of power then of Art and consequently rather a Sapience then a Science for both in its being and in its knowing it consists more of virtue and power then of contemplation or knowledge Accordingly the Apostle himself saith Alensis professeth that his preaching was not with enticing words of mans wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power 1 Cor. 2. 4. which is such a demonstration as is more fitted to the will then to the understanding because it hath more of piety then of evidence mans wisdom teaching the understanding but Gods wisdom rather teaching the will and affections The one working more upon the head but the other working more upon the heart And therefore the Method which Gods wisdom useth in teaching man is not unfitly called the Method of grace For it is a Method that neither nature nor Art can teach us but only the Spirit of Grace and is accordingly used in no other science but only in Divinity In teaching other sciences he that should break out into a prayer or ejulation would either forget his principle or mistake his conclusion But in teaching Divinity this is the only way to strengthen both our memories against forgetfulness and our judgements against mistakes Here it is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod demonstrandum erat nor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod faciendum erat but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod orandum erat Not what we can shew nor what we can do but what we can pray makes us the best proficients in the School of Christ For doubtless we may best learn soul-saving Divinity in the way the Apostles taught it that is by intermingling prayers and praises with our endeavours since this is the only way to learn Christ for Christ cannot be learned till he be received and cannot be received in a soul not prepared by piety and devotion to entertain him This occasioned that expression of Saint Paul As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him Col. 2. 6. In other sciences we need learn but the Doctrine that is taught no matter for the author that teacheth it But in Christian Divinity we must learn and receive Christ the author or we cannot rightly learn and receive the Doctrine Haec cloquentia quaedam est Doctrinae salutaris movendo affectus discentium accommodata saith Saint Augustine Epist 119. ad Januarium Whence we may gather the true definition of Christian eloquence It is that which most moveth our affections and raiseth them up to Christ this is the reason why the Apostles used this new kind of method in their writings not for the want of knowledge but for the abundance of love and charity which was wholly enamored on Christ
I am sure I have the true Christian Religion for I cannot oppose such a Communion because of its authority but I shall be guilty of faction nor because of its excellency but I shall be guilty of Blasphemy nor because of its sincerity but I shall be guilty of Irreligion And I cannot be either Factious or Blasphemous or Irreligious much less all three together but I shall sin grievously against the glory of my God scandalously against the good of my neighbour dangerously against the salvation of mine own soul In a word since God of his infinite goodness which I could not deserve may not abuse hath made me an Israelite I will not strive to make my self an Idumaean a Babylonian or an Aegyptian Saint Bernard finds all these three in one persecutor or opposer of that Church which professeth and practiceth the true Christian Religion saying thus Herodiana malitia Babylonica crudelitas est nascentem extinguere velle Religionem allidere parvulos Israel Si quid enim ad salutem pertinens si quid Religionis oritur quicunque resistit quicunque repugnat planè cum Aegyptiis parvulos Israelitici germinis necare conatur imo cum Herode nascentem persequitur salvatorem It is the malice of a Herod who was an Idumaean and no less then Babylonian cruelty to labour to suppress Religion and to dash the children of Israel against the stones For if indeed what is brought forth doth conduce to salvation or belong to true piety who ever resisteth or opposeth it doth plainly endeavour with the Aegyptians to slay the young children of Israel nay with Herod he doth seek out his new born Saviour to destroy him And he that doth this forgets all the curses denounced against Edom in the Prophets for persecuting his brother Jacob particularly that of Obadiah v. 10. For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee and thou shalt be cut off for ever A Text the fittest that can be alledged in this case because the Jews tell us that this Obadiah from being Ahabs Steward was made a Prophet of the Lord for the kindness which he had shewed to the Lords Prophets when they were persecuted by Jezebel Hic igitur quia centum Prophetas paverat accepit gratiam Prophetalem de duce exercitus fit dux Ecclesiae Tunc in Samaria parvum gregem paverat nunc in toto orbe Christi pascit Ecclesias saith Saint Hierom prol in Abdian Proph. This man because he fed an hundred Prophets received the Grace of Prophecy and from being a Captain under Ahab was made a Captain under Christ Then he fed but a small number in Samaria now he feedeth many millions in all the world and I doubt not but God hath still reserved the same blessing for all those who have hitherto sustained his persecuted Prophets not to give them the Spirit of Prophecy for he will not violate his own orders and institutions but to give them the Spirit of Grace in this ungracious the Spirit of perseverance in this backsliding age of ours So that we may be truly say The reason why they have not lost their faith as well as others is because they would not lose their Charity whereas many that were of an other temper as at first they lost their charity so now at last they have lost their faith and know not whither to go to seek it but may truly say with Mary Magdalen and so much the more truly by how much the less sorrowfully for they would with her have more tears in their eyes if they had grace in their hearts They have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him John 20. 13. They who were among the head-men of Tekoa Amos 1. 1. and taught to keep cattell from their youth Zach. 13. 5. and so made themselves Prophets without the Lord Nay they who were among Sauls messengers sent to take David 1 Sam. 1. 20. and so made themselves Prophets against the Lord They have taken away my Lord my Saviour from me and I know not where they have laid him A very sad complaint which they now least make who have most reason who from their Sedition and privy conspiracy have fallen into false doctrine and heresie and from their hardness of heart towards men have fallen into contempt of Gods word and commandments from which we pray God to deliver them and to keep us For since his mercy hath made us Christians we may not let our own Unthankfulness make us Antichristian and such are all they who will needs be of a Religion fitter to serve themselves then to serve their God It is Musculus his observation upon Ps 52. Saul hic typum gerit â—ntichristi qui habet in regno suo Sacerdotes tabernaculum cultum Dei verum haec omnia vult sui Juris esse sib ministrare Vult Sacerdotes Domini esse iniquitatis suae Ministres Non indicastis mihi inquit quod David venerit ad vos Saul was the very type of Antcâ—hrist who had indeed Priests and Tabernacle and the worship of God in his kingdom but would have them all under his command and would make them all serve his designs He would have the Priests of the Lord become Ministers of his wickedness and destroyed them because they had not been so Turn and slay the Priests of the Lord saith he because their hand also is with David and because they knew when he fled and did not shew it to me 1 Sam. 22. 17. This Sin of Antichrist in striving to make Religion stoop to Interest that is in effect to make God serve Mammon to make Christ serve Belial being most directly against the end of the fourth Commandment plainly shews that the end of that Commandment is chiefly to set up the honour of Christ the eternal Son of God All the Jews service did all the Christians service should tend only to this end Do this in remembrance of me concerned their Sacrifices no less then our Sacraments Their Sabbaths no less then our Lords dayes their weekly on less then our weekly their anniversary no less then our anniversary festivals and all by vertue of the fourth commandment Do this in remembrance of me concerned the Jews in the general reason of it no less then it concerneth us Christians only it concerned them in types and shadows it concerneth us in body and substance So saith Saint Paul of their Sabbaths which are a shaddow of things to come but the body is of Christ Col. 2. 17. They were to look after the shaddow but we are to look after the Body they were to look after the types but we are to look after Christ They were to be zealous for the Sabbath Day but we are to be most zealous for the Sabbath Duty which is to do all in remembrance of Christ to magnifie our Redeemer in the first place and for his sake to magnifie the memorials of our Redemption
admit the stamp and impression of Christ upon our stony hearts t is because we have been as Iron when we should have been as wax and not having received nor desirous to receive the seal of our Lord do question the authority of his Embassadour of his Apostle not having in us the image of Christ do contemn the authority and forsake the communion of his Church For as the want of natural affection discovered the harlot not to have been the true mother of the child 1 King 3. 26. So the want of filial obedience discovereth us not to have been true children but by no means our Church to have been a false mother There is great reason and greater necessity why all true sons of this distressed and despised Church should now especially insist upon this Doctrine since at this time the contumacy of the children hath made disputable nay almost desperate the authority of the Mother Wherein as we have S. Pauls example to invite us so we have his authority to justifie us for questionless he did therefore so much magnifie his own Apostleship that we should learn to magnifie it much more Thus we find in the beginning of every Epistle so many large Encomiums and high commendations of his office as if he had taken that for his Text Rom. 11. 13. Quamdiu quidem ego sum gentium Apostolus ministerium meum honorificabo As long as I am the Apostle of the Gentiles I will magnifie mine office There needs but one instance for all Gal. 1. 1. Paul an Apostle not of man neither by man but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead where Saint Chrysostome gives us this remarkable gloss 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Because they sc who went about to pervert the Galatians did undervalue his Doctrine saying it was from men but that S. Peters Doctrine was from Christ therefore in the first place he withstands that objection viz. by affirming that he was an Apostle not of men neither by man but by Jesus Christ and God the Father as well as S. Peter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In that he saith he was not an Apostle of men he saith what was common to all the Ministers of the Gospel for both their authority of preaching and the doctrine which they preached was from heaven But in that he saith neither by man he saith what was proper only to the Apostles for our blessed Saviour did not call them by other men but only by himself We do not seek now for such an Apostleship in any Christian Church as is not by man we only say it is not of man and that is enough to procure sober mens attention and conscientious mens obedience for in that it is not of men it is clearly of God And as it was not arrogancy but necessity in Saint Paul which made him stand so much upon his authority so is it not the pride of the Clergy a string which they most harp upon who are most guilty of it but their duty which maketh them stand so stiffly for the authority of the Church Let him speak for both whose modesty and humility was greater then his learning and yet whose learning was greater in reality then our new Divines is now in shew or pretence and that was the late Bishop of Salisbury Bishop Davenant in his most excellent Commentary upon the Colossians where almost at the beginning sc in the fifth page you shall find these words Paulus non arrogantiae causa sed ne in detrimentum Ecclesiae vilesceret illius autoritas Apostolicam dignitatem sibi vendicat Ita etiam oportet in Ecclesiastica dignitate constitutos officii sui autoritatem atque existimationem tueri contra contemptores schismaticos Saint Paul doth not out of arrogancy challenge to himself the dignity and honour of an Apostle but for fear lest otherwise the Church of God should suffer detriment or loss by the contempt of his authority And so likewise it still behoveth those who are placed in Ecclesiastical dignity to maintain the repute and authority of their office against despisers and schismaticks And truly this is but a reasonable position both in regard of those in authority who do only maintain their own unless we will deny that to be their own which God hath so manifestly given them and in regard of those under authority who cannot be willing to obey what they are not desirous to maintain and yet must either obey or be guilty of hainous impiety such as now joyns them in communion with the Devil by their sin for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft 1 Sam. 15. 23. and without doubt all witches are the Devils communicants and such as will hereafter keep them in communion with the Devil by their punishment They that resist shall receive to themselves damnation Rom. 13. 2. And questionless it is a most reasonable probleme What communion hath light with darkness and what concord hath Christ with Belial 2 Cor. 6. 15 16. And yet a more reasonable demand I would not that ye who are Christians should have fellowship with Devils 1 Cor. 10. 20. Not in their sin for Christs sake not in their punishment for your own sakes Again there may be yet further alledged these reasons why we should zealously maintain and carefully obey the power and authority of our own particular Church 1. Because reverence and suspition cannot consist together and therefore I may not lightly suspect those whom I am bound to reverence such as are my spiritual Pastors and Teachers whom for this reason I may not lightly suspect in respect of their integrity much less of their authority 2. Because else there must be perplexitas facti a perplexity in point of fact that private men will not easily know with whom they are bound to keep their Christian Communion in the publick worship and service of God which yet is an undeniable and should be an undoubted duty of the Text. 3. Because else there must be perplexitas juris a perplexity in point of Law which is such a perplexity as God will not endure and man may not endure for then the conscience can never be at quiet when it must so keep one Law as to break another And that perplexity cannot be avoided if we allow two several Churches to have power from God to order and command the duties of our Religion for then they may lay upon us at the same time quite contrary commands and consequently whilst we are obeying the one we must be disobeying the other But it is past all dispute that our own Church hath power from God over us in matters of Religion because the Apostle saith expresly Obey them that have the rule over you Heb. 13. 17. Which cannot be understood of those who are at a distance from us in another Country because it follows For they watch for your souls as they that must give an account But t is against reason to say or think that
ordained is the Remembrance of God And consequently they best keep the Sabbath who best remember God and without doubt they remember him best who serve him best who have an established publick worship most befitting his glorious Majesty Others though they make never so much noise of God yet if they remember his name they forget his nature The Seraphims durst not do so when they came to praise him They agreed before hand what should be the set form of their Praise for one cryed unto another and said Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts the whole earth is full of his glory Isaiah 6. 3. They cryed one unto another to shew they all were agreed upon the same anthymn that they had prepared their song of praise before they came to sing it And Saint Ambrose tells us they still continue the same song To thee Cherubims and Seraphims continually do cry Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabbath There is no true singing Holy Holy Holy unto God without preparing the song before hand and a song that is well prepared is as well continued Let us imitate the Seraphims in our care of preparation that we may imitate them in our ardency of affection for we shall little less then lye to God if we say The whole earth is full of his glory whiles our own hearts are empty SECT X. Certainty is more to be regarded in the publick exercise of Religion then Variety Hence the Creed the Lords Prayer and the Decalogue righteously taken into our Liturgie but unrighteously omitted by Innovators who vainly obtrude Variety to mens consciences instead of Certainty THE ready way to make men irreligious is to bring them to an uncertainty in Religion For Constancy is founded upon Certainty and therefore those men who are most uncertain what to do must needs be most unconstant in their doings For this cause the Church which is Gods Trustee for Religion thinks it a great part of her trust to deal therein altogether upon Certainties not upon Varieties and to have such a publick worship of God as should first make the people certain of their Religion then zealous and constant in it Hence was the Creed the Lords Prayer and the Ten Commandments taken in as parts of our Liturgie because they are not only the compleat summes but also the certain rules of all those duties of Faith Hope and Charity in which consists the very body and substance of Religion For as they are the compleat summes of those Religious duties so they must fully declare the glory of God These short abridgements of Gods own making shewing more of the Truth then all the copious enlargements which we can make And as they are the certain rules of those duties so they most readily advance the edification of men whose souls are more truly edified by adhering to these fundamental certainties then by cleaving to all our additional varieties which are but additions of hay and â—tubble unless they be grounded upon these Wherefore those men who are so furiously bent against the publick use of these in our Liturgies were best seriously to consider whether or no they do not grosly oppose the glory of God in rejecting such unparalleld summes of Piety but surely they do grievously oppose the edification of men in rejecting such undoubted rules of certainty For their work is though I hope their aim be not to bring all the world to an uncertainty in Religion To an uncertainty in Believing for all Doctrine to novelty to an uncertainty in Praying for all Devotion to Phancie to an uncertainty in Doing for all practice to Inconstancy Hence that heavenly Creed which was the Rule of the Apostles Preaching is willingly if not purposely omitted in their Assemblies lest it should discover the nakedness and novelty of their Doctrine Hence the Lords most holy Prayer which was not only the Rule but also the chiefest part of antient Liturgies as willingly omitted by them lest it should discover the emptiness the levity the uncharitableness the irregularity and in one word the phantasticalness of their Prayers Lastly Hence the Decalogue which is the short rule of life and morality as willingly omitted as the rest lest it should discover the impiety and check the inconstancy of their doings for this is the readiest if not the best reason we can give why they should quarrel with Gods own hand-writing in our Liturgy denying us to repeat each Commandment with a solemn invocation for mercy testifying our repentance the best part of our innocency and as solemn an invocation for Grace imploring the amendment of our sinful lives the best part of our repentance This is too too palpable That they generally preach such Doctrines vent I cannot say make such prayers and use such practises as are not agreeable with these rules and therefore they may judiciously if not justly be thought to leave out the rules lest they should be checked from their own mouths and thereby awaken the yet sleeping checks of their hearts for such Preachings such Prayings and such Doings And if any of them take this for an uncharitable gloss let him know it is more charitable for us to question their superstructions then for them to condemn our foundations For if one man sin against another the Judge shall judge him but if a man sin against God who shall intreat for him 1 Sam. 2. 25. As if the good old Priest had said No man ought to speak the least word for him that sins against God with an high hand and no man can speak too much against him But I hear a great noise of Variety making more then ample amends for that Certainty in the publick exercise of Religion which we think is diminished if not destroyed but they say is only changed and by its change augmented I could easily answer Quid verba audio dum facta videam To what purpose do men offer good words in excuse for bad deeds As if they could prove that others eyes are shut because they say their own are opened Or as if men came to Church rather for curiosity then for conscience rather like Athenians only to hear and to hear some new things to please their curiosities then like Christians to pray for so it was in Christs time Two men went up into the Temple to pray Luke 18. 10. Or if to hear yet not to hear such solid Truths as might nourish their souls and such fundamental Truths as might establish their consciences But because they will needs say with Saul I have performed the commandment of the Lord I have done nothing but according to his Holy Word I will also answer with Samuel What meaneth then this bleating of sheep in mine cars and the lowing of the Oxen which I hear 1 Sam. 15. What meaneth this Bleating and Lowing instead of Praying and Preaching not bleating of sheep and lowing of Oxen for thence might come an acceptable sacrifice at last though nothing but an hideous noise at first but
in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils and in thy name have done many wonderful works And then will I profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity Mat. 7. See here how Gifted men may be Hypocrites not only gifted for Praying Many will say unto me Lord Lord which repetition shews a familiarity they thought they had contracted with him by their frequent addresses in Prayer but also gifted for Preaching Have we not prophesied in thy name Nay gifted for casting out Devils out of others though not out of themselves And in thy name have cast out Devils And yet to these gifted men will our blessed Saviour return this answer I never knew you whence we may justly infer they never truly knew him Depart from me ye that work iniquity whence we may as justly infer that they did never really come near him by piety but only seemingly by hypocrisie God forbid but we should firmly believe and willingly confess that the Spirit and the Gift of Prayer though separated in Hypocrites are often joyned together in good Christians for in truth the gift of Prayer is not perfect and compleat so as to be worth the looking after without the Spirit of it For then only is the gift of Prayer compleat when not only natural abilities are improved by study or industry and personal abilities are acquired by art or exercise which two alone do properly constitute the very essence of the Gift of Prayer But also the heart is sanctified by Grace which properly belongs only to the Spirit of Prayer so that in truth the Gift of prayer which makes all the noise is perfected only by the Spirit of Prayer which saith nothing or speaketh so softly that none can hear its voice but he that searcheth the hearts and knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit Rom. 8. 27. The word of the mind Verbum mentis may be without the word of the mouth Verbum oris So Hannah continued praying before the Lord and yet she spake in her heart only her lips moved but her voice was not heard 1 Sam. 1. 13 14. So Moses cryed unto the Lord when yet he did not speak nor so much as move his lips Exod. 14. 15 Again the word of the mouth may be without the word of the mind for they must needs make many words who make many prayers and yet they could not be said to utter one prayer from their hearts to whom God did say When ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when ye make many prayers I will not hear your hands are full of blood Isa 1. 15. For when the Text hath set this down as a proper compellation of God O thou that hearest prayer Psal 65. 2. it is most evident that from his saying he would not hear we may safely conclude they did not Pray though they did make never so many prayers But we will suppose such a gifted man as hath the compleat gift of prayer that is the Spirit and the Gift of Prayer both together yet even such a man is not thereby qualified to be the mouth of others in publick Assemblies because publick prayer is to have a publick Person to perform it And none can be a publick Person in Gods service but whom God himself hath made so by some notorious and undoubted Commission such as others are bound to acknowledge and therefore bound not to usurp For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain but they most take his name in vain who speak in his name without his allowance They are most properly said to take his name because he hath not given it and to take it in vain because they take it rather to serve themselves then to serve him 'T is all one for strange Persons to offer themselves before the Lord instead of the sons of Aaron and for the sons of Aaron to offer strange fire before the Lord instead of that from his own Altar for of both alike it may be said which he commanded them not Numb 10. 1. and for both alike it hath been said And they dyed before the Lord Ver. 2. and again This is it that the Lord spake saying I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me and before all the people I will be glorified Ver. 3. If he be not sanctified in them that come nigh him he is not like to be glorified before all the people If the Priests be unsanctified the Lord will be unglorified for his Majesty will be contemned as if it were lawful for any that are not sanctified to come nigh him Therefore his Priests were first sanctified to the Priesthood then sanctified by it They were first sanctified by being called then sanctified by their calling And so ought their successors to be till the worlds end for it is an universal negative which denies as well for all times as for all persons No man taketh this honour unto himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron Heb. 5. 4. Now Aaron was called not only internally to satisfie himself but also externally to satisfie all the Congregation that he was called of God For God is the God of order not of confusion and consequently forbids those men to officiate as his Ministers though of never so great abilities whom he hath not outwardly called to the Ministry For he will have order not confusion in his Church whereas if any one might officiate in the Ministry upon any pretence whatsoever without Gods outward call others might as well as he and so we must needs have an irremediable confusion both in the Ministers and in their ministrations Dares any man to be a Princes Ambassador though most able to do him service without his appointment But the Ministers are Gods Ambassadors 2 Cor. 5. 20. There needs no variety of arguments in this case for till earthly Potentates shall declare it to be no rebellion against themselves for men to turn uncommissioned souldiers under pretence of fighting their battles they must acknowledge it to be grand rebellion against the King of heaven for men to turn uncommissioned Ministers under pretence of doing him service For Saint Paul having said The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds 2 Cor. 10. 4. hath in effect told us that the Minister is Gods souldier and therefore is sure of his Commission But let us further examine this gift of Prayer in relation to the publick worship of God and as we find no just reason to admit them to the work of the Ministry who are not Ministers because they have that gift so we shall find no just reason to reject those that are true Ministers as insufficient or unfit for the work of the Ministry because they have it not nor to allow such Ministers who have it to reject the set forms established and approved by the Church
For if any reason may be given why ungifted men should be thought not sufficiently qualified for the Ministry or set Prayers not sufficiently qualified for gifted men That reason must relate either to God or to the People or to the Ministers But they who consult with their consciences before they speak and then speak according to the result of those consultations are not afraid to averr That in all these respects it is most requisite that the publick worship of God should not rely upon the personal abilities of the Ministers in praying but should be performed and discharged by constant set forms of Prayer not by uncertain and much less by premeditated effusions 1. In respect of God whose name is by set forms glorified more truly because they are deliberate and judicious more zealously because they are propper and efficacious more univerly because they are known to all both as judicious and as efficacious And what can be desired more in Gods publick worship then that it be truly Christian in it self without heresie truly Christian in us without hypocrisie and truly Christian in us all without singularity For if it be so it will certainly not be defective either for want of truth and verity or for want of zeal and sincerity which are both to be in it as it is a duty of Christian Religion Nor yet for want of extent or universality which is to be in it as it is a duty of Christian Communion 2. It is requisite that the publick worship of God should not rely upon the personal abilities of the Ministers in praying but should be performed by constant set forms of prayer in regard of the people because they are thereby more truly edified being edified in their understandings not led on hood-winckt by an implicite saith to blind obedience in the greatest performances of Religion Being edified in their wills not distracted by attention when they should be united in affection for the soul being finite cannot be wholly busied in the one but it must partly neglect the other And also being edified in their memories for by often hearing the same prayers they are taught to pray when their occasions will not permit them to resort to the house of prayer In a word being edified in their consciences in that they are taught and inured to come to the holy work of Religion not as Judges to make them proud and censorious nor as spies to make them peevish and captious but as communicants to make them devout and Religious For whilst the Minister is praying what the people know not beforehand they are in truth but as Judges unless you will have them resign their souls upon uncertainties But whilst they are praying with him in a known form of prayer they are certainly as Communicants Therefore it is an unsufferable injury to the people to be tied to speak to God in prayer only by the mouth of their Minister First because it doth not satisfie their consciences which cannot be satisfied but with certainty as well as piety for though the will or affection may assent to a desire in a prayer not known before yet not with the same full assent as if it had been known partly because the soul is assenting whilst it is praying and so what it bestows upon one act it takes from the other and partly because the soul cannot assent so fully nor so firmly upon the suddain as it can upon deliberation not so fully because not upon the same evidence not so firmly because not upon the same assurance of faith Secondly because it doth disturb if not destroy their Communion with Christ which is the chief end that Christians ought to aim at in all their prayers For not being sure that their prayer will be such as to joyn their Saviour with them in the same intercession they cannot be sure it will be such as to joyn them with their Saviour in the same Communion and so they are in danger of losing both the benefit and the comfort of all their publick prayers for the benefit of them depends altogether upon Christs intercession the comfort of them depends altogether upon Christs Communion Thirdly because it doth disturb if not destroy their Communion one with another which destructive way ought to be most carefully avoided and most hatefully detested by all good Christians For next to the breach of piety in Religion they ought to abominate the breach of charity in Communion For love and concord is the very soul of Christianity By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have love one to another Joh. 13. 35. And it was the Characteristical note of the first and best Christians And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul Act. 4. 32. And doubtless nothing doth more immediately nor more powerfully conduce to unity in affection then unity in Religion Wherefore since the same common devotions are the most effectual means to produce and to preserve this unity they who are implacable enemies to the one cannot be cordial friends to the other It is reported of Julian the Apostate that after he had conceived an inveterate hatred against the Christians he had no readier way to execute his hatred against them but by endeavouring to make them hate one another And so gathering the most dissenting Christian Bishops and the most factious of the people into his own Palace he advised them to lay aside all Civil discords and to keep the peace of the State but every one securely to follow his own Religion without any regard to the peace of the Church Vt civilibus discordiis consopitis suae quisque Religioni sâ—rviret intrepidus saith Ammianâ—s Marcellinus But what his intent was by this advice Saint Augustine as a Divine more clearly explaineth then their Historian Eo modo â—â—â—abat Christianorum nomen posse perire de terris si unitati Ecclesiae de qua lapsus fuerat inâ—ideret sacrilegas dissensiones liberas esse permitteret He thought that by this means the very name of Christians would perish from the earth if according to his envy against the Church from which he had fallen he should permit the Priests and the people a free liberty of sacrilegious dissentions If we turn this Thesis into an Hypothesis it may not be amiss to say that a free liberty of maintaining what doctrines and of exercising what Devotions every man thinks fit is a liberty of sacrilegious dissentions for consent in Doctrine and in devotion commonly go together and this is indeed a sacrilegious liberty because it robs God of his chiefest glory even of his publick worship and Gods Church of her best Patrimony even of her truth and peace Which may be a liberty of mans taking but sure not of Gods giving for Gods intent in giving us a written word was that all Christians might have the grounds of One Religion And his intent in giving so many patterns of prayer in
that written word was that all Christians might have the grounds of One Communion And the right way of edification for all Churches is certainly to lay their foundation upon these grounds which God hath given them that is to establish a set form of Doctrine whereby to maintain the Truth of Religion and a set form of devotion whereby to maintain the Peace of Communion 3. It is requisite that the publick worship of God should not relie upon the personal abilities of the Ministers in praying but should be performed by constant set forms of prayer in regard of the Ministers themselves that they be not led into temptation either through pride vilifying others or through vain glory magnifying themselves and that they be not led into sin particularly the sins of heresie and schism which are desperate sins in private men but damnable sins in Ministers yet must needs be incident to those who rely upon their own gifts in praying more then upon Gods or their Churches prayers For if their gift forsake them as who dares promise its certain continuance they may easily fall into an erroneous expression which rather then recant they may as stiffly maintain by perverse argumentation there 's the danger of heresie And if they abuse their gift they may easily fall into the humour and love of ostentation and so scorn to be regulated and confined by their Church upholding their abominable ostentation by a more abominable separation there 's the danger of schism Besides such men commonly refuse to tie themselves so precisely to any particular form of words though it be of their own making but they may sometimes add alwayes alter according as any emergen occasion offered or affection suggested shall require so that they can never truly say with the Psalmist Paratum cor meum Deus Paratum cor meum O God my heart is ready my heart is ready which yet the Psalmist thought twice worth his saying sc Psal 57. ver 7. Psal 108. ver 1. And much less can they say O God my tongue is ready my tongue is ready though that be the readiness they most labour for and most glory in for every new affection may unsettle their heart and every new phansie may unsettle their tongue so that either the heart must be false to its own preparation because it may be changed by a new affection or the tongue must be false to the heart because it may take a new expression I have a very good precedent though a bad occasion to put the gift of prayer in the lowest forms of Gods gifts that concern the exercise of Religion For Saint Paul in effect hath done it before me who put diversitie of tongues not only after the gift of healing but also after helps in government 1 Cor. 12. 28. or helps and governments that is lay-Elders and Deacons if some late glosses may be embraced and surely the gift of prayer must come under the gift of tongues as comprehended in it or come below the gift of tongues as outpassed by it so I may well put it below the Desk when Saint Paul according to them puts it below the poor mens Box And Saint Chrysostome gives this reason for it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost hom 29. 32. in Corinth Because they thought so highly of themselves for the gift of tongues therefore Saint Paul alwayes nameth that in the last place after all the rest There is the same reason now why Saint Pauls Successors in the Ministry should do the like concerning the gift of prayer yet I would have laid my hand upon my mouth before I would have spoken so unkindly to or of my brethren were it not to make them lay their hands upon their hearts before they speak so confidently nay indeed so uncomely to Our Father For as it were better my tongue should cleave to the roof of my mouth then I should disparage the gift of prayer so it were better their tongues should cleave to the roofs of their mouths then they should abuse that gift either to ostentation or to faction or which is yet worse to Irreligion For by such abuse not only man is grosly deceived but also God is grievously dishonoured Doubtless he that bids both Priests and people keep their feet when they go to the house of God that they may be more ready to hear then to give the sacrifices of fools doth much more bid the Priests keep their hearts and their mouths that they may not tempt the people to give the fools sacrifice for want either of such affections or of such expressions as may truly be fit to be offered upon Gods Altar And this is plain from the ensuing words Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God Eccles 5. 1. 2. Hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Al Tebahal gnal Pica ne feâ—tines super tuo ore Do not make haste upon your mouth Here may easily be much more haste then good speed For your mouth may make haste upon your heart uttering what is scarce yet suggested and you may make haste upon your mouth uttering what is scarce yet digested The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bahal is sometimes to be fearful sometimes to be hasty and thence signifies to make such haste as men use to make in frights when fear hath wholly surprized their wits And such a haste as goes without wit perchance without fear too for men who are audacious are seldom timorous is in a mans own house great imprudence but in Gods house t is moreover great impiety And let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God The better to keep us from the haste of the tongue he disswades us from the haste of the heart for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh therefore if the heart be fraught with hasty affections the tongue will soon be fraught with hasty expressions For he that will permit his heart to love without deliberation will also permit his mouth to speak without it since it is very easie for the heart to come into the mouth when once the assent is come into the heart Therefore he saith Let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing though utterance belongs properly to the mouth the reason is because if the heart hath once spoken it within the mouth will hardly refrain from speaking it without Accordingly the Psalmist when he prayed set a watch O Lord before my mouth and keep the door of â—y lips he did also pray Incline not mine heart to any evil thing Psal 141. 3 4. for there could be no watch set upon his mouth unless it were first set upon his heart And indeed here is such a reason alledged as is enough to set a watch both upon all our mouths and upon all our hearts in that it is said For God is in heaven thou upon earth therefore let thy words be few Were he on earth with thee
particular supplication that they may be remedied and yet none are more averse from particular Confession then those that are most angry with the Church for the want of such particular Petitions But to say the truth The Church hath sufficiently provided for such particulars in that she hath taken the Psalms of David into her publick Devotions which Book is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or to use Epiphanius his word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arcula medica a Box of Medicines for all diseases Here he that hath a dead heart shall find affections to enliven it he that hath a slow tongue expressions to quicken it Nor is it possible for that man to want either faith or repentance or thankfulness or any other true spiritual good to comfort and strengthen him either against the evil of sin or the evil of punishment who can truly apply the prayers of the Psalmist to his own heart and truly apply his heart to God and no Prayer whatsoever can either comfort or strengthen him without this twofold application viz. of the Prayer to his own heart and of his heart to God And as for variety of words let him not trouble himself for he were better cordially say with David Have mercy upon me O God after thy great goodness or In thee O Lord have I put my trust let me never be put to confusion then verbally expatiate in greater discourses but lesser desires of this Mercy or of this Trust He will find more true contentment to his soul from the use of one short ejaculation of Gods then in the use of many enlargements of his own making And he were better in brief say with the Publican God be merciful to me a sinner which equally concerns any other true Penitent then make a long prayer with the Pharisee which may only concern himself For it is more like Heathen then like Christians for men to think they shall be heard for their much speaking Mat. 6. 7. and yet if they will needs speak much it is more probable God will hear them speaking in his words then in their own So that if God hath sufficiently provided for our occasional necessities in the holy Scriptures our Church hath likewise sufficiently provided for the same in translating those holy Scriptures and making them a great part of her publick service that we may know how to use them upon and how to apply them to our several occasions For as that general promise whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed Rom. 10. 11. doth warrant every good Christian to make particular application of Gods promises to his own soul by special faith so that other general promise whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved Rom. 10. 13. doth warrant every good Christian to make particular application of his own soul to God by special Prayer And as the holy Scriptures are most abundantly sufficient in the rules and examples of special faith so also in the rules and examples of special prayers And as we justly say That the holy Scriptures do shew their original to have been from God because they speak so much in so little containing so many Truths in so few words for only he that understood all things at once was able to intend and comprize so many things together so we as justly say The Church hath taken the best course she could to improve our understandings in those divine Truths in that she hath made it easie for us to understand the holy Scriptures And consequently though she had devised millions of particular prayers for no other purpose but to instruct us to pray upon particular occasions yet she could not have instructed us half so well as now she hath meerly by imparting to us Gods own Instructions And till the Church of Rome shall do the same it will be vain for her Champions to object that she hath out-gone the Protestant Churches in the care of the peoples souls but this by the way to shew the grounds we go upon in our Religion are equally good against the Papists and against the Enthusiasts But neither is this all that we can say for our Church in this behalf for in truth she hath provided such admirable prayers as are not only according to the Rule of Gods holy Word but also very much according to the Genius of it comprizing much in little having more of Faith Hope and Charity in one of her little collects then is to be found in many of their long prayers who either revile her Devotions or renounce her Communion So that if we will not be as wasps good for nothing but to buz and sting but rather as Bees ready to gather honey even from weeds and much more from the roses of Sharon we shall easily find to the joy of our own hearts and the stopping of others mouths That our Church in her Common-Prayers hath taught us such Generals as may sufficiently supply for all particulars And hath taught us such eternals as ought to be in our account as they are in themselves infinitely beyond all Occasionals our blessed Saviour himself hath taught us this lesson concerning the manner of our prayers Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him Mat. 6. 8. as if he had said you need not ask your heavenly Father as you need your earthly parents in many words but only with true and upright hearts this made our Church delight in short prayers because she rather desired to shew a relenting heart then an over-flowing tongue as praying to him that weigheth only hearts not words in the ballance of his Sanctuary A short prayer best suits with an hearty desire which is too earnest to be long in uttering and also with the desires of our hearts in regard of heavenly things which most commonly are too weak to be long in desiring The Church in her short prayers hath taken a great care for our earnestness and withal provided a certain cure for our weakness and if any man think that Through Jesus Christ our Lord comes in too soon because the Prayers are short or too often because they are many let him know That this one single observation in these five words speaks more to God for us then we by thousands of continued Periods in our longest prayers are able to speak for our own selves and if there were no other reason but this yet for this reason alone were many short prayers to be preferred before one long prayer both in our private and in our publick Devotions Again our blessed Saviour hath also taught us this lesson concerning the matter of our Prayers Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you Mat. 6. 33. as if he had said Regard chiefly your Continual not your Occasional your Spiritual not your Temporal necessities in your Prayers be earnest with God to give you Faith Hope Charity Religion Repentance Obedience
belonging to the holy Communion be carefully maintained cap. 12. art 12. and upon this ground doth our Church think it fit to maintain kneeling rather then standing at the holy Communion the better to maintain and to improve that due reverence In a word we make that profession concerning this blessed Sacrament which the Primitive Christians made as it is recorded by Iustine Martyr towards the end of his second Apologie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. For we receive not these elements as common bread or as common wine But as by the Word of God Iesus Christ our Saviour being incarnate had both flesh and blood for our salvation So that food over which the Word that came from God hath prayed and given thanks whence our flesh and blood are nourished after it is changed we are taught in the flesh and blood of that Incarnate Iesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Incarnati illius Iesu carnem sanguinem esse edocti sumus These words have been much urged both for Transubstantiation and for Consubstantiation but since they have been urged to prove both we may safely conclude they can prove neither Two proofs are taken from them The first is That he saith we receive it not as common bread but that proves it is bread though not common bread The second that he saith The bread is the flesh of the incarnate Jesus that is such flesh as Christ took in his incarnation But that proves it is not flesh under the appearance of bread or in conjunction with bread besides he saith Our flesh and blood are nourished by it but sure our flesh is nourished by bread not by the body of Christ that is only the nourishment of our souls And yet still though we embrace neither of these opinions we do most willingly profess with that holy Martyr That we receive these elements not as common bread nor as common wine but as the very flesh and blood of our incarnate Iesus And therefore we desire to use such reverence in receiving this holy Eucharist as may be suitable with this profession For what Saint Paul said would come to pass among the Corinthians upon a right use of Preaching will we hope much more come to pass amongst us upon a right use of Administring If there comes in one that believeth not or one unlearned he is convinced of all he is judged of all And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest and so falling down on his face he will worship God and report That God is in you of a Truth 1 Cor. 14. 24 25. He is not like to fall on his face whiles he seeth us either sit or stand Our outward reverence if used may convince and condemn him if not used will convince and condemn our selves For if he seeth us not true worshippers he will not think us true Believers We will therefore kneel that we may worship and we will therefore worship that we may make an Alient a true Believer and much more shew our selves to be true Believers CAP. III. That the Communion of the Church of England is conscionably embraced and retained by All the people of this Nation and not rejected much less renounced by any of them but against the Rules of Conscience SECT I. Every particular man ought to labour to be of such a Communion as he is sure is truly Christian both in Doctrine and in Devotion The Rule whereby to choose such a Christian Communion the Proofs whereby to maintain it THAT man cannot be truly said to believe the Communion of Saints who doth not labour to make himself one of that Communion This he cannot attempt without joyning himself to those who profess to know and to worship God in Christ and this he cannot attain without joyning himself to those who do truly so know and rightly so worship God So that although the Communion of Saints may be sought among all sorts of Christians yet is it not to be found but only among good Christians such as are publickly known to be true believers and right worshippers For Christian Communion is founded both in Doctrine and in Devotion In Doctrine to make men of one mind in Devotion to make men of one mouth And since Doctrine and Devotion are the two integral Parts of Religion the one â—anctifying the understanding the other sanctifying the will that so Religion may fully do its work in knitting or binding the whole soul unto God it is manifest that Christian Communion is founded in Christian Religion and the truest Christian Communion in the truest Christian Religion Accordingly every particular man is bound to joyn himself to that Church which doth profess the truest Christian Religion both in Doctrine and in Devotion that so he may embrace the truest Christian Communion And because all Churches do alike magnifie themselves and vilifie others it is necessary that in the choice of our Christian Communion we observe the Apostles general Axiom Not he that commendeth himself is approved but whom the Lord commendeth 2 Cor. 10. 18. In the business of Religion and of eternal Salvation we may not rely upon our own judgements or the judgements of any other men but only upon the judgement and approbation of God who is the Author of Religion and the Giver of Salvation Therefore it is not for any man to be of this or that Church because it commendeth it self but because God commendeth it And where should we seek where can we find Gods commendation but in his word So it is plain I must choose my Church from Gods word or I can never be sure that God doth commend my choice and this consideration alone must needs make a conscientious man afraid of choosing that Church for the guide of his Communion which refuseth to take Gods word for the guide of her Religion For the Churches power concerning Religion in the Apostles times was but ministerial and how should it come in our times to be magisterial For so it is said Who is Paul and who is Apollo but Ministers by whom ye believed even as the Lord gave to every man 1 Cor. 3. 5. They are Ministers of your faith not Lords and Masters of it Nay in that they are Ministers it is evident they cannot be Masters of your Faith for there is a direct opposition between a Minister and a Master you are bound to have a special regard to their Ministry that you may believe but not to depend or rely upon their authority in your belief For thus hath Christ our Lord appointed That your Faith should come by the Churches Ministry but from his own Authority 〈…〉 And therefore you must go to his Church for your Communion that you may go to himself for your Religion Christs Church hath not a co-ordinate authority that she may command with Christ in matters of Religion for so she might also command against him but only a subordinace Authority to command in and for him in his name and for his
mente super Altare offero quam in primo publico consistorio solenniter repetam Concil Basil sess 40. I made this digression only to shew That unless the Holy Scriptures be taken for the foundation of our faith we are like to have none For a general Council is not this foundation saith Bellarmine The Pope is not say these two Councils and the Pope himself swears on their side So Bellarmine defines against the Councils the Councils define against the Pope and the Pope not only defines but also swears against himself And we conceive that Saint Paul defined against them all when he said He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord 1 Cor. 1. 31. and again That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God 1 Cor. 2. 5. T is only Gods truth which can be the foundation of our faith whether propounded by the Scriptures or by the Church as saith Aquinas Formale objectum Fidei est veritas prima secundum quod manifestatur in Scripturis sacris Doctrina Ecclesiae quae procedit ex veritate prima The formal object of faith is the first truth according as it is manifested in the holy Scriptures and in the doctrine of the Church which proceedeth from the first truth He is willing to take in the Church but he is not willing to leave out the Scriptures nay indeed he preferreth the Scriptures above the Church in the manifestation of Gods truth when he saith Doctrina Ecclesiae quae procedit ex veritate prima in Scripturis sacris manifestata 22ae qu. 5. art 3. c. The Doctrine of the Church which proceedeth from the first truth manifested in the holy Scriptures So that according to Aquinas Gods truth first cometh to the Scriptures from them to the Church That truth the Scriptures propound to the Church by way of definition That same truth the Church propoundeth to us by way of declaration Shall we think the declaration may overthrow the definition of truth or the Church may overthrow the Scripture This were in effect to allow that we as Christians do glory in men more then in God and that our faith in Christ doth more stand in the wisdom of man then in the power of God Such a foundation of faith as this which relyes upon man is laid upon the sand or upon grass For all flesh is grass But the foundation of faith which relyes upon the Scriptures is laid upon a Rock The word of the Lord endureth for ever and this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you 1 Pet. 1. 24 25. This foundation which is laid upon Gods word is as firm and as infallible as God himself for all Scripture is given by inspiration of God 2. Tim. 3. 16. And this is the foundation of our faith not as Protestants but as Christians we vindicate it as Protestants but we hold it as Christians For no Christian Church or Council did lay any other foundation of faith before that unhappy Council of Trent which began not till the year of our Lord 1545. and ended not till the year 1563. All the cavils that have been raised against the holy Scriptures have been raised since that time to the great dishonour of Christ the great disturbance of Christendom the great discontent of good Christians the great disadvantage of the Christian Faith For the foundation cannot possibly give that firmness to the building which is not in it self therefore there cannot be a greater disadvantage to the Christian Faith then to ground it upon an infirm and an unsure foundation And such a foundation is the word of man instead of the word of God For he that believeth the most Divine truths only upon humane authority can have but an humane an infirm an uncertain Faith Therefore Divine truths must be believed upon Divine authority that we may have a Divine faith concerning them For t is absurd in Reason impious in Religion to have but a humane faith of Divine Truths because the habit and act are infinitely unproportionable to the Object For there may be a twofold errour in our faith the one materially when we believe what God hath not revealed And so they only are erroneous in the faith who believe falsities or uncertainties The other formally when we believe what God hath revealed but not upon the authority of his revelation and so they also may be erroneous in the faith who believe the most sure and certain Truths The ready way to avoid both these errors is to take the written word of God for the foundation of our faith wherein we are sure to meet with Gods truth or verity for the matter of our belief and with Gods Authority or Testimony for the cause of our believing And since our Church teacheth this and no other faith no man can say she is guilty of Heresie that will not make himself guilty of Blasphemy For the Communion of our Church is free from Heresie not only Materially in that she believes no untruths or uncertainties but also Formally in that she believeth Gods truths upon Gods own authority So that to call such a faith Heresie which is wholly of God and through God must needs be blasphemy For my part I confess that I do not see how I can be sufficiently thankful to God for making me a member of such a Communion and therefore am sure I cannot be too zealous for it nor too constant in it A Communion which neither hath Heresie in the Doctrine of faith nor the cause of Heresie in the foundation of faith And truly to be rid of Heresie in its self and in its cause are both very great blessing but yet the latter is the greater of the two For a true reason of believing which rids us from Heresie in its cause may partly excuse even a falsity in the belief when a man believes what is not true because he thinks God hath revealed it But a false reason of believing can scarce justifie a truth in the belief when a man believes what is true but not upon the authority of Gods revelation The one desires to be a true believer in a false article the other resolves to be a false believer in a true article of faith The one in the cause of his faith believes the truth whilst in the doctrine of it he believes an errour the other in the cause of his faith believes an errour for every man is a lyar and may suggest a lye whilst in the Doctrine of it he believes a truth the one in the uprightness of his heart cleaves to God when in his mouth he departs from him the other in the perversness of his heart departs from God when in his lips he draws neer unto him The uprightness of heart makes the one a true man in his errour as S. Cyprian in his false Tenent of rebaptiz ation the perversness of heart makes the other a false man in his truth as
give an ear to the holy Prophets Exhortation O Praise the Lord with me and let us magnifie his name together Psal 34. 3. For where God is praised and magnified in the Religion I am very strictly bound to joyn my self in the Communion Nay more Let me alwaies give my heart to the holy Prophets resolution I was glad when they said unto me We will go into the house of the Lord Psal 122. 1. where God calleth to the practice of godliness t is not for another to say to me You shall not go nor for me to say to my self I will not For I must be glad of the Call and much more of the Practice Now Christ the eternal Son of God calleth us to the practice of the true Christian Religion three several waies By his Word by his Example and by his Communion By his Word for he commandeth us to perform all the duties of Religion By his Example for himself whiles he was upon earth did perform them And by his Communion for now he is in heaven he recommendeth to his Father all our Religious performances so making intercession to God for us as also with us How shall I answer him at the last day if I neglect his Word if I reject his Example if I renounce his Communion His Word pierceth mine Ear his Example pierceth mine Eye but his Communion pierceth my Heart His Word and his Example pierce my sense but his Communion pierceth my soul For if it were said of Sauls Messengers nay of Saul himself when they saw the company of the Prophets prophecying and Samuel standing as appointed over them that the Spirit of God was upon them and they also prophesied 1 Sam. 19. 20. Then surely when I see a company of Christians praying and Christ himself standing as appointed over them for so himself hath avowed where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them Mat. 18. 20. if the Spirit of God be in me I will also pray with them and it must be some evil Spirit in me that makes me either reject or renounce their prayers For if there be indeed The Communion of Saints saying unto me We will go into the house of the Lord I am bound to have the affection which is due to that Communion and say I was glad when they said unto me we will go for this indefinite Particle When not defining one set time will suffer me to exclude no time T is like a general Commission which not prescribing what day to do the business leaves it to be done any day and to neglect no opportunity of doing it Indefinitum in materià necessarià aequipollet universali when the duty it self is absolutely necessary though it be set down as indifinite yet we must look upon it as universal for though the Casuists do tell us concerning affirmative precepts Ligant semper sed non ad semper That they bind us at all times but not to all times yet we must understand their meaning only of our actual exercise and performance of those duties not of our habitual disposition and desire to perform them For there is not one minute of our life wherein we are not bound to be in a disposition and desire of serving God And thus doth Solomon Jarchi expound the Prophets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shamacti Laetatus sum I was glad I did hear saith he the sons of men saying When will this David die that his son Solomon may succeed and build the Temple that so we may go to the house of the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vaani Shomeach And I was very glad to hear them say so Thus saith he David preferred Gods service before his life And so will every man who knoweth he hath such a Religion as if he rightly follow it will bring him to salvation Aben Ezra goes further in his gloss and saith That All the people of Israel was of Davids mind and that every one of them did say as well as he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I was glad when they said unto me we will go into the house of the Lord Why should we Christians have a worse Zeal upon better Hopes For he that will not be glad when others say unto him We will go into the house of the Lord may live to be sorry That there is not a house of God for him to go to But O Thou who camest to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death Remove not the Candlestick away from us because we have neglected and abused the light of Grace But let the Priests of the Lord still serve the Lord between the Porch and the Altar weeping and saying Be favourable O Lord be favourable unto thy People Let not thine heritage be brought to such confusion lest the Heathen be Lords thereof Wherefore should they say among the Heathen where is now their God And let us thy undutiful unthankful unworthy people still enjoy the inestimable freedom of thy Gospel Publick Communions in thy Church and Publick Prayers and Praises in thy Name Heal our back-slidings and repair those great and wide breaches which we have lately made in our Piety in our Fidelity and in our Charity And amidst the many inconstancies and many more impieties of this wicked world make thine own sheep still hear thy voice and thine own people still secure and glad in thee That notwithstanding all obstacles and oppositions they shall yet more and more worthily praise and adore thy most holy and Reverend name among the faithful in this life and in the great Congregation of Saints and Angels in the life to come being all of us joyned now in affection hereafter in possession with that heavenly consort and holy Communion which is alwaies saying Hallelujah Salvation and glory and honour and power unto the Lord our God Father Son and Holy Ghost world without end Amen Una est in trepida mihi re medicina Jehovae Cor patrium Os verax omnipotensque manus FINIS Deo Trinuni Gloria in aeternum
it a most disconsolate and doleful prayer yet it begins with praise I will magnifie thee O Lord for thou hast set me up and it ends with praise O my God I will give thanks unto thee for ever And it is the peculiar observation concerning the 88. Psalm nullâ consolatione clauditur saith Musculus that it hath in it no clause of comfort and consolation and yet even this Psalm hath in it some shaddow or dark representation of Abba Father in that it is said O Lord God of my salvation and O let my prayer enter into thy presence even as our blessed Saviour when he thought himself most forsaken of God yet even then laid hold on him by a true and lively Faith saying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me This we are sure It is the same Spirit of adoption that inditeth the most uncomfortable prayer and the most comfortable praise Only the prayer proceedeth from the great apprehension and constant necessity of our own manifold wants and imperfections even in our best condition But the praise proceedeth from the comfortable enjoyment of Gods undeserved goodness in mercies received and more comfortable assurance of his everlasting mercies in blessings promised So that the uncomfortableness of the prayer is from the testimony of our own spirits concerning our miseries and sorrows in our selves but the comfortableness of the praise is from the testimony of Gods Holy Spirit concerning the blessings and joys treasured up for us in our Redeemer Accordingly there is no gift or comfort of the Spirit which we can now pray for in our distresses which was not prayed for by the Psalmist in his greatest distress Psal 51. Renew a right spirit within me take not thy holy spirit from me stablish me with thy free spirit He prayeth for a right spirit against the perversness for an holy spirit against the profaness and uncleanness for a free spirit against the dulness and deadness of his heart And what can we say more of that spirit which teacheth us to cry Abba Father but that it is a right spirit to rectifie us when we are out of order but that it is an holy spirit to sanctifie us that we may be kept in order and that it is a free spirit to testifie unto us that being rectified and sanctified we shall doubtless be accepted as beloved in the beloved Accordingly Saint Hierom thus translateth the words Et spiritu principali confirma me and confirm or stablish me with thy principal spirit which in Saint Pauls phrase is the spirit of thy Son or the spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father So that we find these Psalms of David as necessary and as useful devotions for us Christians as they were for the Jews for that one and the same spirit cryed Abba Father in them which cryeth Abba Father in us Wherefore he so prayeth as that he also praiseth and so praiseth as that he also prayeth He praiseth for the joy of his Saviour he prayeth for the joy of his salvation Redde mihi laetitiam salutaris tui restore unto me the joy of thy salvation So restore it when it is lost as also preserve and increase it when it is restored This is a joy which all the delights of this world cannot give and therefore sure all the sorrows of this world cannot take away Although the figg tree shall not blossom neither shall fruit be in the vines the labour of the Olive shall fail and the fields shall yield no meat the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation Hab. 3. 17 18. The Prophets festival doth not depend upon the joy and mirth of the times his good chear doth not hang upon the fig-tree nor upon the vine it ariseth not out of the fields nor out of the flocks God may sequester all these from man or man may sequester them all from Gods Prophet yet still he will keep his solemn feast he will rejoyce in the Lord he will joy in the God of his salvation and the reason is because God will not and man cannot sequester the true Prophet from his God Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword as it is written For thy sake we are killed all the day long we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter nay in all these things we are more then conquerors through him that loved us Rom. 8. 35. And as this joy of the good Christian is unsequestrable not to be taken from him so is it also unspeakable not to be expressed by him thus saith Saint Peter speaking of our blessed Saviour Whom having not seen ye love in whom though now ye see him not yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 Pet. 1. 8. You that love him from your soul cannot but rejoyce in him from your soul If your love of him be with all your soul with all your might with all your strength your joy in him will be so too you love him with all your might because he is your Saviour you rejoyce in him with all your might because of his salvation Who can sufficiently admire the goodness of God in giving the gift of faith unto men thereby in some sort to antedate the beatifical vision and to let us into heaven whiles we live here on earth For the Apostle describes to us such a faith as is to be known not by its pretences but by its power and that power is threefold A power of believing in Christ yet believing A power of loving Christ whom having not seen ye love A power of rejoycing in Christ in whom ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable Whosoever hath not this threefold power of believing of loving and of rejoycing in Christ hath not true Faith in Christ but a phansie in stead of Faith So inseparable are these three Sisters the three Theological vertues Faith Hope and Charity that whosoever hath one hath All whosoever doth believe doth also love whosoever doth love doth also rejoyce rejoyce in hope of the glory of God Rom. 5. 2. A joy not to be expressed to others by our speaking but by our doing not by our words but by our works It is fit they should see us offer the sacrifice of righteousness and from thence know that we put our trust in the Lord Psalm 4. 4. For we Christians also have an Altar Heb. 13. 10. and we have a two fold sacrifice to offer upon that Altar 1. A Sacrifice of thanksgiving let us offer the Sacrifice of praise to God continually v. 15. 2. A Sacrifice of Almsgiving to do good and to communicate forget not for with such Sacrifices God is well pleased ver 16. These our sacrifices as they do express our joy in Christ so they should also answer it