of the commandements as worship praise obedience adoration they are all performed in heaven by the Saints and Angels it is in heaven the commandements put them together since the commandement was in heaven David looks after it there he knew there was but an imperfect custody of it in earth It is that that we pray for daily thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven When we look to the commandements let us look to heaven there they are perfect Holy David when he stretched out his hands to the commandements he reached not forward but upward and since they were in heaven he directs his affection and the strength of his resolution thither there is the reason of the first word the verbe is set with an Emphasis elevabo I will lift up But there is another emphasis upon the other my hands take it figuratively my hands that is my heart the hand is put for the affections because they are the instruments whereby the heart and affections work love is seen in the hand as well as in other parts he might very well put them for the whole man My hands will I lift up that is my selfe my heart Or take it properly he therefore mentions his hands as the excitements or signe or testimony of lifting up his heart because the heart that works in the outward man Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh the eye seeth and the hand worketh to shew that his heart was lift up to Gods commandements he saiâ—h he will lift up his hands so here is now the summe it is nothing but thus much the expression of the welcome the great welcome and dutifull entertainment that he gives to the commandements of God he presents God to his heart here as publishing the commandements offering them as a gift and hee reacheth out his hand to accept and take them as Galen saith well the hand is not only the instrument of invention but of assumption we take all by the hand he would take it of God a great gift that hee would bestow his commandements God offers and David accepts the dutifull welcome that he gives to the commandements of God may be parallel'd Heb. 12. Lift up the feeble knees and the hands that hang down so make streight steps to your paths Take all those parts in a spirituall sense the soule hath hands and feete as well as the body the feet of the soule are the affections the hands of the soule is reason the same that is the eye is the hand Holy David pursues it in the same impression he rouzeth up himselfe and strengthneth himselfe to keep Gods commandements he quickens every part after in other parts of the Psalm he hath taken order for other parts Hee takes order for his eyes Open mine eyes and I shall see wonders in thy law He takes order for his feet I remembred my wayes and turned my feet to thy testimonies That hee might shew that there was a dedication of his whole selfe to God he passeth by the strength of no part he served him with all his soule with all his heart and with all his strength he gives God the strength of every part he sets down his hands not my eyes or my heart only it is not only the ordering of his feet affections but the strength of the whole man I will lift up my hands to thy commandements which I have loved here is the sum and pattern that David sets forth it is a good pattern for us to imitate and in what should we imitate him Immitate David in resolution the reason we come so short in piety is because we are not armed with resolution we goe weakly and carelesly about the work of God we doe the work of salvation that concerns our souls negligently nothing will keep the soule in a better temper and keep a man more out of the way of sinne then oft to fortifie and strengthen the heart with resolution and what resolutions shall wee take the same that David takes what is that I will lift up my hands how doth he lift up his hands to Gods commandements To lift up our hands to Gods commandements is to apply our selves to the keeping and exercise of them the hands are the instruments of action and exercise not but that it must be done by the heart and every part but therefore he refers it to the hand because action is the life of Christianity that to keep the commandements of God there must be action and the hands are the instruments of action Origen well we lift up our hands when we lift up the works of our hands to the commandements of God and when doe wee lift up the workes of our hands saith he when we walk worthy of God and live according to his prescripts and rules this is to lift up our hands to Gods commandements I but our hands are feeble our hands are weak as Moses were Exod. 17. We read that Moses hands were heavy he could not hold them up so it is with many of us when we would walke in the ways of Gods commandements our feet are dull and feeble when we would work the works of God our hands are feeble heavy hands in worse case then Moses his hands were heavy through corporall infirmitie ours through spirituall the palsie hand through the decay of faith the withered hand by the declining of love and the hands manacled and pinioned and clog'd with the lusts of the flesh and the enticements of sin how then shall we doe to lift up our hands we must say as David in another place pray to God to strengthen us I will run the wayes of thy commandements when thou hast set my heart at liberty I will labour to keepe thy commandements to lift up my hands when thou shalt release me and enlarge me I will wash my hands in innocency because our hands are clog'd with sinne we must wash them in innocency bring clean and pure hands they are the only hands we can lift up we must not come with hands defiled with sinne Here is the resolution of David when he speaks of his hands they are to be understood by way of Idea that is pure hands clean hands holy hands charitable hands these were the hands that he would hold up to God I have done with the first part of his resolution I will lift up my hands to thy commandements the other that is behind in the last words I will meditate in thy statutes This is his second resolution the second branch and it is partly the same in effect with the former but it is varied and otherwise expressed Here is another name given to the word of God then in the former part there it was the Commandements here it is the Statutes Statute is more then precept the second name hee gives not for variety but as a word that is more emphatical it serves better for the expression of his purpose The commandements of
growth nor that without life nor that without being in Christ So being is the first step and strength is the pitch because it is either perfection it selfe or the next step to perfection So here is the Use that we are to make of this point to labour to understand our need of strength we are those that must set this aime of getting spirituall strength and so we would if we understood our selves for we are most of us in a condition of weaknesse and those that are of a stronger growth yet they are as a man of a good constitution subject many times to infirmities stronger Christians have many weaknesses and infirmities There is no weaknesse or infirmity that is pleasing to a Christian or that can be pleasing to God Paul tells us of infirmities and he gloried in them but they tended not to sin but were those that the World accounted infirmities tribulations whereby he brought glory to God but if they be infirmities of sin if we did know the danger of making ship-wrack it would make us love strength to overcome these infirmities As Maximus Terens sayth every thing would have commendations if the use of it were knowne if we did know the use and benefit by spirituall strength how neare it brings us to God and stablisheth our hearts in his feare it would make us endeavour and groane after it to attaine it To sum up those Uses they are briefly these two they are accomodate to two sorts of Christians The first state is Travellers we are Viatores we have a journey to take and as the Angell said to Elias it is a long Journey that brings to Everlasting life it is a long Journey from Earth to Heaven but that God hath shortened the way to grace though it seem long to sence and be extreame long to nature and for ought we know we have but a little time to dispatch that long Journey in we know not how short our life is It is not onely a long Journey but full of difficulties It is not onely a long journey but the way lies upward it is hard to get forward there must not onely be moving but climbing It is Jerusalem that is above there is our Countrey A man that goes to an upper Roome he goes by steps and stairs There are these spirituall staires that are the ascensions of God In whose heart are thy wayes or thy ascensions There must be breathing of our selves by ascending and climbing up It being so long a Journey and lying upward and so many difficulties we have need of strength Strength is needfull to Travellers or else they will faint by the way David understood it well therefore as in one Psalme he bâ—moanes himselfe for the want of strength in his Journey He hath brought downe my strength in my Journey So in another he Prayes for strength in his Journey Spare a little that I may recover my strength for the going on in my Journey What are the encumbrances of those that are much in Travells Many feares and dangers meet us oft in the way hunger and thirst and heat and cold many encumbrances Paul sets them downe when he speaks of his spirituall journey 2 Cor. 11. he was In hunger and thirst and cold and nakednesse in perill of Robbers in perills every where A man that would encounter all these had need have strength as Plutarch sayth of the Scythians they boasted that they did fight against men Good Souldiers are so well disciplined that they can fight not onely against men but against hunger and cold and thirst against all Enemies So a Christian that he may be enabled so to doe he must get spirituall strength that he may fight not onely with Beasts after the manner of men at Ephesus but with hunger and thirst and cold and impediments in his Journey because we are Viatores we must have strength to accommodate us to that journey Then another estate we are in here we are not onely as Travellers but Souldiers and our Enemies are many not onely Companies but Armies as many as there are Tribulations and Afflictions to be endured in the World as many as there are Temptations to seduce us to sin as many as there are severall sins to be committed for these are the great Enemies as many as there are Spirits in the Aire and Devills in Hell and these are great and many Enemies To let us see that they are strong Enemies they are called Principallities and Powers and to shew that they are many they are called Legions Besides these the multitude of sins that a man must take heed of that are like the Hydra's heads cut off one and another starts up Cyprian well describes it saith he if a man be so happy as to cut off one Hidra's head Coveteousnesse another will come in the roome of it if he take not heede there will come Lust and Wantonnesse and if he cut off that if he take not heed there will come malice and pride and ambition and if he cut off these if he take not heed there wil come up more all these are to be encountered with spirituall strength Besides these there are many Tribulations in the World and which is the worst affliction in the World the many delights and pleasures and vanities of the World which we account not Enemies but friends yet these are to be overcome There is more danger in these then in the hardnesse and Tribulations of the World We have more cause to feare the baits of the World then the threatnings the allurements then the discouragements of the World It deales with us both wayes If the World plant Thornes in our way the danger is not great because it is seene but if it strew flowers it is not observed it is more dangerous It takes hold of both the Devill layes both to keep us from piety Sometimes the World le ts fall a golden Apple Sometimes it layes Snares and sets pits in the way Sometimes it persues a man with clamours Sometimes it sings a Syrenean Song that lulls him a sleep in security here is the greatest danger but there is danger in both and we have need of strength to overcome both as Cyrill sayth well he had need be a strong Christian that must overcome the rough hewne way but I tell you he had need be a stronger Christian that will overcome the pleasures and delights and enticements of the World strength is specially required for that Put it together having so many Enemies so strong and so busie we have need not onely of store of spirituall wisdome but of strength and that strengh comes by growth Having now put all these together I hope I need not use any Exhortation to make you in love with that which is the improvement of all other graces Perseverance I told you before strength enableth to persevere and that we may persevere we must get strength the one enableth to the other by perseverance we get strength and
every passage of our redemption When he was conceived by the holy ghost that is a sublime speculation he came then leaping on the Mountaines then when he was Baptised in Jordan then when he was tempted in the Desart he came leaping over the Mountaines when he laid downe his life upon the Crosse and sent out that comfortable word of Consummatum est he came then leaping on the Mountaines sayth Gregory all these speculations are sublime To teach us that mankind may learne to admire what they cannot comprehend because that all these are things that Angells converse about and study they are things transcendent they are beyond our reach They are sublime speculations Secondly as they are things sublime so they are delightfull speculations The Angells they doe not busie themselves with any sad subject Angells they think of no heavy subject because the beatificall state is not capable of any sorrow However we read of some writing of Angells of the griefe of Angells for sin and it is the Observation of Macherius and Jerome and Ambrose that as Angells rejoyce at the Conversion of sinners so they grieve at their sin and impenitency and sufferings When ever there is any sin committed by any Christian by any Servant of God sayth Macherius there is a great deale of sorrow and crying in Heaven And Jerome and Ambrose very plainly as they rejoyce at the Conversion and redemption of sinners so they mourne and lament and weep at the miseries they suffer and at their continuing in their sins But this must be understood with a graine of Salt for when we read of the greife of Angells we must so understand it as of greiving the Spirit of God not that the holy Spirit is capable of such an affection as griefe so the Angells in that beatificall estate are not capable of sorrow in that place there is not one drop of sorrow comes in Heaven there are no tears in Heaven they shall never see tears in their eyes But the greife of Angells is thus much to expresse their sympathie with us when we suffer and their distast and dislike of sin when we continue in it they are said to greive at it as we are said to greive the Spirit of God But properly Heaven is not receptive of sorrow but capable onely of joy all the objects of Saints and Angells they are all objects of joy And what could be a more delightfull object for Angells to be conversant about what more delightfull then the Mysteries of our redemption There is nothing answerable to this in sweetnesse to this consideration the goodnesse of God revealed in Christ there is no such sweet and comfortable meditation that brings so much comfort to men or to Angells It is part of the Angells happinesse to think of Gods goodnesss manifested to man in Christ Christ is an object so delightfull that not onely Angells but God himselfe delights to look on Christ as Mediator he looks on him aâ— Mediator and through Christ to sinners And that brings the delightfull beames of Gods gracious aspect upon the Church when he looks upon sinners in and through Christ It is so delightfull an object Christ that God never satisfieth himselfe with looking enough upon Christ If God delight to look upon him Angells may well imploy their eyes in this service to look upon Christ And if Angells make it their meditation Beloved we may well make it ours our eyes may twinkle when it dazles the eyes of Angells If Angells be imployed in these speculations O let Christians much more they have more particular benefite by it They are the most delightfull speculations That is the second property they are delightfull Thirdly as they are delightfull so they are not fruitlesse but saving speculations The sum of all the speculation of Angells is Salvation they seldome think of any other thing but Salvation When they look upon their owne happinesse and behold it in God their thought is of Salvation When they looke for the happinesse that â—e expect that is to be fullfilled in Heaven and they are imployed in in their Ministery upon Earth they think of Salvation all the parts of the Angells Ministery and their thoughts have reference to Salvation because they think of the Mysteries of our redemption there is Salvation stamped upon all the parts of them upon the death of Christ upon the birth upon the Resurrection of Christ It should be an incitement to us to make it the matter of our meditation what should we delight in What should our hearts run to What should we busie our heads with Take it in one word Salvation it will be our delight and meditation in Heaven shall we not make it our best meditation on Earth It should be the onely thing we should think of Angells make it not onely their chiefe but their onely meditation He that truely makes this the sum of his thoughts he will not be busie he will not delight in other things If Angells doe it we should much more the Angells are comprehenders they enjoy Salvation already we are Viatores Pilgrims in the way if they in the Country consider and look upon these things that are to be accomplished in the way shall not we much more in the way make those things our speculation that belong to the Country That is if Angells that have Salvation already make it their meditation shall not we make it ours that want it If Angells make their meditations upon those things that concerne men upon Earth shall not we upon Earth busie our thoughts about the things of Heaven In that the Angells make these things their study it is a good excitement to us as they are sublime and delightfull so they are saving speculations that is the third property Fourthly they are good things common to us with the Angells they are good things that concerne them not alone they concerne us as well as them and us more then them All the custody of Angells is imployed about the keeping of men all the speculations that Angells are imployed about is the Salvation of men they delight to look upon those things that concerne us with them and us more then them for they have it already They are brotherly Spectators it shews that as they are Creatures of happinesse so they are Creatures of love that make our good things their meditation Therefore the Apostle Jude Vers 3. he calls this Salvation Common Salvation He might well doe so for it hath a great extent it is so common that it is not onely common to all men but common to us with Angells It reacheth very far from the beginning of the World to the end of it that is a great extent those are the two poles of time It reacheth from East to West from North to South that is a great distance those are the two Poles of locall distance It reacheth to all the Patriarchs and Prophets and Believers to all of all ages and sexes and sorts of men
this is a great extent this is the pole of Persons Further it reacheth not onely to the Visible Earth and the visible Heavens but to the invisible Heavens not onely to men but to Angells there are no poles of that Heaven there is no extent It is Salvation common to men with men and common to men with Angells being the common worke they make it their common beatificall or salvificall object these things of redemption of Salvation these things that are so delectable and salvificall that concerne our good as well as Angells it is into these things that they desire to looke Now I have done with the second thing I have shewed you who the persons are and what the good things are There is onely one behind that is the maine what kind of desire it is and what is the root of this desire and the cause of this inspection But thus much for this time SERMON II. 1 PETER 1.12 Which things the Angells desire to looke into HOWSOEVER the method of nature and the method of Art be justly in themselves distinguishable yet it falls out oft times that there is the same Proceedings in both and as nature goes before so Doctrine follows after such is the method that I have set to my selfe in picking out scriptures for you during the time of this solemnitie which is still continued to me though it be ended in it selfe if wee looke to the method of nature we shall find that the Creatures they are so ordered that man he is the horizon of all things visible and Angells they are the horizon simply of all Creatures Angells are the top and man is next to them therefore if we ascend in this order where man ends there it is that the Angelicall nature begins so man is in the confines of Angells above and other Creatures below In his body he partakes of Earthly things in his soule he hath affinity with the Angelicall nature man being the next Creature under Angells and Angells the onely Creature above man therefore I say where it is the humane nature ends there the Angelicall nature begins in order of ascending so in those Scriptures that I have propounded to you all the other Texts that I have chosen have beene for you that I might shew to you in what manner you are to entertaine the Declaration of these great benefits that this solemne time hath presented to us but now where man ends there the Angells begin and as I shewed you what your inspection should be so now I will shew you what entertainment the Angells give these tidings and great blessings and what their inspection is that as they desire to looke upon us when we are seemly conversant in the worship of God so now we may goe forward to look on them in this Text as the Scripture presents them to us and see how they are conversant in the admiring and entertaining of these Mysteries of Salvation they sayth Nazianzen keepe Christmasse with us I am verily perswaded sayth he the Angells keep this Feast this very day speaking of the Nativity of Christ I will goe a little further for I am not onely perswaded but I am sure that they keep not onely one day but every day for this their inspection is the keeping of the Angells Christmass the inspection into the incarnation of our blessed Saviour which because it is a great Mystery in it selfe and because the Text of Scripture that I handle wants not its difficulties therefore I am resolved to goe on in the course that the Lord set Ezekiel Ezek. 20. Son of man drop thy words Abstruse things are not to be cast downe by whole Buckets but by drops so there are three drops three things in it two I have gone over in the forenoone First who these Angells are I shewed at large Negatively not the evill Spirits Affirmatively that it must of necessity be understood of the good Angells the other Angells have no delight to look into the Mysteries of Salvation except it be for their wicked advantage they look to Mysteries but they are Mysteries of iniquity not to the Mysteries of redemption they find no sweetnesse in them it must be the good Angells those that were attendant and imployed and their service required and their ministration used to the Law in the publication of it and to the Saints of God in the making knowne and declaring those Mysteries they have benefite in them as well as we it is the good Angells Because these Mysteries of redemption are Angelicall speculations we need not to be ashamed to be conversant in the study of them it is an honourable study Because it is fit for Angelicall study we must look on them with sobriety the Angells set them bounds we must not goe too far That was the first-drop The second thing was what these things are in particular that the Angells desire to looke into I shewed in what Coppies the Singular number is used into whome the Greeke into which the same good things that are set downe in the foregoing words the good things testified by the Holy Ghost from Heaven certified by the Prophets before and reported by Christ that is in one word summarily the Mysteries of the Gospell those are the things they desire to looke into In particular they are high speculations that the Angells looke into They are delightfull and plausible arguments there are no sad thoughts come into the Angells hearts they study no sorrowfull subject whatsoever Thirdly they are all things that concerne Salvation the Angells thoughts run upon nothing else though they enjoy Salvation either in the glorifying of God for their owne or in striving to be serviceable to God in the furthering of others their thoughts are upon Salvation Lastly they are brotherly speculations The Angells have the good things they looke to with us they are theirs and ours nay more properly ours then theirs they are not drawne by these meanes they were confirmed in an instant we are drawne by degrees This is the sum of the two first parts in the forenoone There is but one behind which is the maine and will prove the longest that is to see Quae radix desiderij what is the Originall and ground of this holy desire that the Angells have to looke into these sublime and glorious Mysteries to make them the object of their speculation except we find out this we find out nothing Because there are many things questionable seeing oft times inquisition comes from curiosity or from want of desire or from ignorance and the Angelicall nature is not subject to these defects they are not curious to enquire into that that is concealed from them and they are not defective in the knowledge of any thing that is necessary for them to know therefore upon this Wheele the whole frame will turne to find out the ground and Originall of the desire of the Angells why they are carried with so holy and impetuous motion to looke to those Mysteries
to one all things both things in Heaven and things in Earth that is men and Angells The Apostle shews it more plainly Colos 1. It pleased him by the blood of his Crosse to reconcile to himselfe the things in Heaven and things in Earth to reconcile to himselfe Christ is a Medium of reconciliation to Angells how is it to be understood To reconcile to himselfe things in Heaven and things in Earth that is men and Angells For howsoever if reconciliation be properly taken it is onely understood of men that fell those that were out of Gods favour were onely reconciled reconciliation is a bringing into the favour of God those are said to be brought into Gods favour that were out of it man was out of it by sin therefore properly it belongs to man but analogically it extends to Angells their confirmation is to them as reconciliation they are confirmed in the favour of God and in a beatificall Vision and in glory confirmation to them is as reconciliation to us therfore the Apostle joyns both under one word To reconcile all things to himselfe things in Heaven and things in Earth that is men and Angells Therefore they desire to look into the Doctrine of reconciliation they have benefite by it Therefore St. Paul 1 Tim. 5. he calls them Elect Angells now Election is in Christ in that he calls them Elect Angells it is plain that their confirmation in this glory is in Christ Christ works it hence it is that Collos 2. the Apostle calls Christ the head of principallities and powers If Christ be the head then the Angells must needs be supposed to be part of the body if they be part of the body then the other part is man men and Angells make up the tryumphant body the mysticall body of Christ and Christ is the head of theâ— then it must follow that Christ is a Saviour even to Angells in respect of Confirmation for the Apostle sayth that Christ is the Saviour of the whole body therefore he of every one that is part of the body and he is head of principallities and powers St. Bernard layes it downe clearly and St. Austin for all layes that as a ground St. Austin excellently stated this point that it is agreed on by all that the Angells estate in blisse and confirmation it is not connaturall to them they brought it not into the World in the first Creation but they had it after from the grace of God bestowed upon them if by grace then by Christ for he is the Pipe of all grace St. Bernard I say sets it well downe when he puts together men and Angells how they come into one reconciliation he that raised man when he was fallen kept the Angells that they should not fall and so he was a Mediator of Redemption to them both sayth Bernard because he confirmed the one and erected and raised the other he loosed our bands from us and preserved the Angells therefore because the Angells have benefite in the Mystery of redemption they have part and share as well as man therefore they rejoyce in the work and because they rejoyce they desire to make further inspection in regard of Exultation That is the first reason Secondly that is not all for as their inspection comes from joy in their owne happinesse so secondly from the abundance of joy that they conceive of our happinesse because we are taken into their fellowship whereas a gap was in the order of Angells now in the conversion of a Sinner they rejoyce that he is brought in to make up that gap for the making up of the tryumphant body that was without an Arme till supply be made by the Salvation of men and that they may shew they rejoyce abundantly in the Salvation of man as well as their owne they disdaine not therefore that men should be accounted their fellow-heirs and to be Keepers of the Saints and minister to them because they know they are fallen Members brought into the same beatitude And it must needs be so for if the Angells rejoyce at the conversion of one sinner much more at the gathering of all at the redemption of mankind The Use that we are to make of it is this if there be such joy in Angells that are in these Mysteries that are in the fruition of them it should stir us up if they rejoyce for us let us for our selves we are nearer our selves then any other let us imitate them we cannot have a better patterne they are confirmed in grace Imitate them in admiration admire Gods goodnes in that wondrous work let us carry our souls out of themselves into a holy rapture that we may blesse God sufficiently for that imitate them in holy expectation that as we have experience of Gods goodnesse in fullfilling the first promise so rest in hope for them that are behind rest on God waite upon God till he bring all to a period say with those under the Altar How long Lord How long Imitate them in hope imitate them in joy in desire in inspection there is one holy knowledge common to us with the Angells the knowledge of Heaven and Salvation there is one place of happinesse common to us with them Heaven is the happiness and inheritance of both As there is then common blessedness so let there be common joy and common study and common thankfullnesse and common desire to look into there Mysteries to cast an assiduous eye upon them as they doe to make all the returns that we give to God again of praise and thanks make them such as the Angells It is well said of Turtullian we are those that are in Albo inrolled to the number of Angells let us tread in their steps in those works in which we are to have our fellowship with them Let us for the great work of redemption for the incarnation of Christ let all that we returne to God be Heavenly and Angelicall Our joy Angelicall when is it so When it is spirituall and not carnall secular joy away with that Glory to God on high these are Angelicall Songs and Psalmes the Songs of the Angells let us follow these Mysteries with Angelicall Meditations what are those Heavenly Meditations that are Angells Meditations O to get Heavenly hearts often to think of the great Comfort that comes by Christ and the knowledge of Salvation Make these things our study and our Meditation matter of our studies and matter of our thankfullnesse and desire matter of study we may well make it who would not be content to study those things that the Angells are busie about to be Fellow Students with the Angells Make them the matter of our thankfullnesse also who would not blesse God for that for which the Angells admire Lastly make them the matter of our desire Who would not long to enjoy the Vnion in that place where Angells are and where Angells though they be yet they desire still to injoy the comfort of the meditation of
in such a caset and the path of Piety in comforts Spirituall Yea happy is that people which have the LORD for their God In the handling of the first without any further subdivision I will onely shew what it is the Psalmist treats of and that shall be by way of Gradation in these three particulars It is De FELICITATE De Felicitate POPULI De HAC felicitate populi Of happinesse Of the peoples happinesse Of the peoples happinesse as in such a case Happinesse is the generall and the first a noble argument and worthy of an inspired pen especially the Psalmists Of all other there can be none better to speak of popular happinesse then such a King nor of celestiall then such a Prophet Yet I mean not to discourse of it in the full latitude but only as it hath a peculiar positure in this Psalme very various and different from the order of other psalmes In this Psalme it is reserved to the end as the close of the foregoing meditations In other Psalmes it is set in the front or first place of all as in the 32 in the 112 in the 119 and in the 128. Again in this the Psalmist ends with our blessednesse and begins with God's BLESSED BE THE LORD MY STRENGTH In the 41 Psalme contrary he makes his exordium from mans BLESSED IS HE THAT CONSIDERETH THE POOR his conclusion with God's BLESSED BE THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL I therefore observe these variations because they are helpfull to the understanding both of the essence and splendour of true happinesse To the knowledge of the essence they help because they demonstrate how our own happinesse is enfolded in the glory of God and subordinate unto it As we cannot begin with Beatus unlesse we end with Benedictus so we must begin with Benedictus that we may end with Beatus The reason is this Because the glory of God it is as well the consummation as the introduction to a Christians happinesse Therefore as in the other Psalm he begins below and ends upwards so in this having begun from above with that which is principall Blessed be the Lord he fixeth his second thoughts upon the subordinate Blessed or happy are the people He could not proceed in a better order he first looks up to Gods kingdome then reflects upon his own as not meaning to take blessednesse before he had given it There is no man can think but this is the best method It is the method of Saints as we see 1. Sam. 25.32 33. and 2. Chron. 31.8 First Blessed be the God of Israel then Blessed be the people of Israel Nay it is the method of Angels Luke 2.14 they first sing Glorie to God then Good will towards men It must also be the method of every Christian whensoever we are about the wishing of blessednesse either to our selves or others to begin from heaven and ascribe it first to the LORD That we may receive we must give give what we have and give what we mean to have To give is the way to get both to get the thing and to get the greater degree It is an undeniable consequence If beatitude be the ultimate end of man and the glorie of God the ultimate end of our very beatification then it followes necessarily That by giving more glorie to God we gain more of beatitude to our selves because more of the supreme and beatificall end So that he who will attain to the Psalmist's comfort must observe also the Psalmist's order that he may end assuredly with BEATUS he must learn to begin with BENEDICTUS That 's the first considerable thing in the order as touching the essence of true happinesse The other is concerning the splendour which flowes from the other part of the variation in that the Psalmist doth end this psalme as he begins divers of the rest with Happy or Blessed to represent as it were unto us utramquesplendoris paginam the two great excellencies of blessednesse by the double situation of it Happinesse is both the bonum Primum and the bonum Vltimum of a Christian the spring of all good things and the crown the spire and the basis the first and the last of things to be desired the first for eminence the last for fruition In the descents of Christianitie the first because we move from it to inferiour ends happinesse giveth law to all our actions we move from it that we may in time come to the possession of it In the order of ascent it is the last for having climbed once thither we go no further but set up our rest It hath this resemblance with God himself who is the Donour of it That it is both the beginning and the end before which nothing should be loved and after which nothing can be desired Answerable to these two respects are the positures of happinesse in the Psalmes As in military affairs it is the custome of Emperours to promise the Donative to their souldiers when they go forth to warre that they may encourage them but not to give it till the warre be ended that they may reward them for their service In like manner saith S. Ambrose doth the Psalmist velut praeco magni Imperatoris he disposeth of beatitude both wayes he prefixeth it to the beginning of some Psalmes that thereby we might be invited to pietie he annexeth it to the end of others to teach us not to look for it before our work be done So even by this we may learn how to order and dispose of our selves to happinesse Since it hath the double reference it must have also the double honour and the double esteem yea and our double endeavours for the attaining of it Then we give it the double when we set it in both places make it both our first and our last the prime of our life and the perseverance We must look through all things upon happinesse and through happinesse upon all through all upon it as not resting in any thing else and through it upon all as seasoning every act of our life with the thought of happinesse Otherwise if we think to give it our last respects without our first pretend what we will there is no hope to overtake it Thus farre even worldly men will go they are willing enough to heare that they must make it their last work and they fulfill it in a sort to the letter but not to the meaning The love the hope the care of their own happinesse they put them off all to the last A very preposterous course for a man to begin where and when he should have ended and to defer his first of motion to his last of rest It is too late for the foolish Virgins to cry Matth. 25.10 11. Lord open when the doore is shut and a vain thing to expect happinesse as our end unlesse we make it our beginning and give it the same place in our hearts and actions which holy David affords it in his meditations the first
think before hand Thirdly He shewes what kinde of words the humble soule brings before God in prayer These three things I will breifly touch First The necessity of vocall prayer Take to you words Thinke it not enough to turne your hearts to God It is true importunity of affection moves God more then importunity of speech for he looks to the heart and reines and requires truth in the inward parts But though the heart be principall in the sacrifice yet it is not the sole agent All prayer is not included in conceived prayer God will have honour of the lips as well as of the heart he did not make man all soule and spirit as he made him part body and part soule so he will have honour of both Honour him in the heart that is the cheife else the other will not prevaile when we draw neere him with our lips if our hearts be farr from him But the heart is not the onely thing though it be the cheife get words to your selves get a good expression For this purpose God hath given man the use of speech not onely that he should converse with Men but wiâ—h God he converseth with men by intercourse of speech with God by prayer Prayer is the language of the heart God is delighted with that God is delighted with the language of prayer or else hee would not have set us so many formes in Scripture and all those dictates God could worke grace in the heart without Preaching but he useth outward meanes because men have bodies and soules and God can accept the prayer of the heart but God will have both parts Seek to God with the inward man and with the outward man David calls his tongue his glory for that end for the tongue is the interpreter of the heart the tongue is the Secretary of the minde it is that Ambassador that every poor contrite soule sends to God Those words that flye to Heaven and passe the Clouds are delivered and dictated by the tongue Therefore it is that God hath made some part of the body the interpreter to all the duties of piety Mourning is one part of repentance the interpreter of that affection of sorrow is the eye if the heart mourne the eye will weep Humiliation and dejection of spirit the casting downe of the soule that is another grace within and there is another interpreter without the knee is the interpreter of that grace if the heart be cast downe the body will the knee will bow Charity is another grace of the heart within the interpreter without is the hand if the heart be inlarged to wish well the hand will be inlarged to give to the poore And if the heart be inlarged with devotion the hands will spread the hand and eye move as the heart dictates and the knees bow as the heart dictates every part of the body is the interpreter of the soule Lastly Prayer it is a grace of the heart but it hath an interpreter without the tongue is the interpreter it is the Angell or Messenger of the understanding Clemens Alexandrinus calls it the Trumpet of the soule The tongue it is not onely the interpreter but the sollicitor The tongue is the sollicitor that the heart sends to Heaven God requires not the prayer of the lips because he cannot heare the prayer of the heart God forbid we should think so he knowes our thoughts before they are A mans silence is a cry to God he heard Moses when hee said nothing he heares the silence of prayer as well as the voice Tertullian well expresseth it he is not onely the beholder of the heart but the hearer of the heart The heart hath its language and every part of the body hath its language the eyes language is weeping and the hands language is lifting up and the knees language it is bowing and all comes from the language of the heart God understands the language of each part if the heart speake though the tongue be silent he understands that When a man lyes upon his death-bed and his speech is gone the hands are lifted up God heares that A man may pray with his eyes with his hands with his knees but he must not confine his prayer to these he may pray with his heart but hee must not confine prayer to the heart God will not onely have us say we pray within we pray to God and we wish well and never consider that God is over our heads we send up ejaculations but take to you words where is the witnesse of your mentall prayer Take to you words The point is this I will but name it Vocall Prayer is a great helpe to the ejaculations of the minde It hath great advantage in publike and in private prayer In publike prayer it is simply necessary there cannot be a combination of affections except there be vocall prayer we cannot read the language of the heart one of another There cannot be union of affections except there be one voice for all Nothing commends prayer more to God then unity if it be the prayer of unity the harmony of prayer cannot be preserved in a Congregation without vocall prayer except it be expressed by words and formes they are necessary that I shall shew after There must be vocall prayer used that the Congregation may be joyned together Therefore we pray in the last prayer We make our common supplications I take occasion because people take occasion to mistake it is not common because they are ordinary supplications but thus common supplications that concerne us all It is needfull also in private prayer it hath these three advantages First Prayer of the tongue it makes prayer a perfect burnt Sacrifice when the tongue joynes in words Prayer is a dart zeale points it and words feather it when it is poynted by zeale and feathered by words it flyes home when the inward and the outward man agree together when the strings of the heart and the language of the tongue speake one thing then there is a perfect Sacrifice offered to God Pray to him with the heart and with the lips Secondly The language of prayer is needfull to be exprest by the lips because words are as bellows to the affections they are a meanes to kindle good affections Words restraine affections that they shall not rove they confine the affections to holy and heavenly desires they not onely confine but as I sayd they kindle affections They are as bellows Prayer is as Incense zeale puts to the fire in prayer and words are the bellows that blow it up to make it flame they make this Incense not onely sume but flame If words be wanting prayer will coole of it selfe it is impossible that a man should continue and persevere in prayer except he use words because the affections will rove The heart is able to expresse pious ejaculations but to persevere in prayer without consining to formed words or where there is a habite of prayer without
great reward so any love if it be but little shall have some God will not quench the smoaking flax if it be but a spark of love he will cherrish that If it be lesse then a spark a smoake of love he will cherrish that Yet labour to get abundance it must not be a weak remisse love that is bestowed on God the object is infinite the act must answer the object We must make our love we cannot make it infinite we must extend it as neare infinite as we can come It must not be Amor remissus or Intermissus but perfectus and assiduus True love observe no meane it keeps no measure no bounds can be set to true love the love of God will enlarge and break out more and more We should love him wholly and solely we should love him so as to love nothing besides we should love him so as to love all things in him and for him and without him nothing We should love him with all our heart and soul and mind and strength there are foure things that is to love him with every faculty and with the strength of every faculty If I had foure souls as some Philosophers dreamed that we had 3. all those foure were too little were a man all soul all love all that were too little to be bestowed on God It is a high reach it is true indeed but we need not despaire though it be a high reach it is attainable by us because it hath beene attained by others The Saints before are magnified in Scripture for their love of God We have the same meanes the same helps and motives and the same encouragements If love be wanting as it is very much in the World the reason is because men doe not labour to thrive and grow in the love of God God deprives us of the comfort of the love of himselfe because we have no more love one to another But yet if we will apply our selves to the meanes love is recoverable it is not all dead nor all the sparks of love it may be blowne to a greater flame The meanes are various One way whereby we may profite in the love of God is this to empty our hearts of all carnall love whither it be the love of the World or of our selves There is nothing that stands more betweene the love of God and the heart then carnall Worldly love and above all this doting love of our selves Every man is for himselfe we all seeke our selves and not the things that are Christs sayth the Apostle and we all love our selves and not the things that belong to God it is very rare to be found the love of God in sincerity The reason is the love of our selves is so ingrafted and Printed in our hearts that it cannot be gotten out As he that will take his hand full of Corne must first empty his hand if it be full of Sand or Earth or Gravell So if we will replenish our hearts with the love of God there must first be an evacuation an emptying an expulsing and carrying out of carnall love the love of the great World about us and the love of the little World the love of our selves If any man be a lover of the World the love of the Father is not in him sayth St. John The love of the World and the love of God cannot consist together That is the first step to be taken to love God to put the World out of our hearts and to goe out of our selves Christ therefore gives that rule He that will come after me let him deny himselve He that will love God must unlove himselfe We dote upon our selves we are all for our selves therefore we are nothing for God That is one step to love God When we have emptied our hearts of all carnall selfe-love and Worldly love then there is another meanes to consider with our selves oft to call ourselves to those meditations what those motives are that make God so amiable how much beauty and goodnesse there is in God So much beauty that all the beauty of the creatures even of the Angells further then there is somthing of God in them is deformity to the excellency of God all the glory of Heaven further then it is a reflexion of Gods glory it is nothing to Gods beauty And the goodnesse of God how great it is and how great to us to love us and to love us when we were Enemies and in so great a measure to love us as to give his Son to die for us to love us so much as to prepare a place for us If his love reflect upon our hearts it will beget love againe if we come once to think how much God loves us how will it reflect love back One reason we love him so little is we doe not consider how he hath loved us and how Beautifull and Amiable his presence is When we have brought our selves to these meditations another step is to be frequent and conversant in the word of God it is the lively picture of the love of God There are veines and passages of Gods love and incentives to love him in every part we shall not meet with any peice of Scripture but it will kindle some part of love to God He that would Print love let him Print the Bible in his heart if we converse with the word of God that gives documents everywhere of the love of God That is another step Then the fourth that is the step and ascent of prayer A man cannot love God without divine prayer He that loves God will knock at the gate of love love is not to be had but from the God of love Sayth St. Austin pray if you will get the love of God that he would open the door Prayer will fetch every grace so prayer will fetch love for prayer is an argument of love We cannot have recourse to God in prayer but there will be the flight and ascent of love when any Love-suite is sent to God it is not lost he that begs love begs all Lord that I may love thee How much love will this prayer fetch That is another step to attaine the love of God Then when we have made this step there is one more the oft inquisition that we make into our owne hearts and blame our selves that we love him so little O when a man is offended with himselfe for any thing that is contrary it makes him diligent to attaine it A Christian that knowes what belongs to the love of God how doth he blame and condemne himselfe that he loves God so little That he began to love him so late How doth he grudg that any thing should carry any part of his heart or of his love from God He thinks the love lost that is cast upon the Creature he thinks himselfe a thiefe that he should steale any love from God that we should rob God of our love and obedience
and that his rejoycing is to be picked out of the word of God and that will appeare to us by three Propositions that are here contained The first is this that a Christian in this world hath his rejoycing he hath his rejoycing here his life even while it is a life of sorrow is a life of rejoycing Though they be creatures of mortification though they be Creatures daily excercised in repentance though they be daily tried by afflictions and tribulations yet Christianity is such an excellent estate that in the middest of tribulation they find comfort in the middest of mortification it administers rejoycing St. Paul found it not onely in tribulation but in other failings therefore he sayth of all godly sorrow causeth rejoycing It must needs be that there must be rejoycing in godly sorrow for godly sorrow produceth and raiseth joy therefore he sets it downe in another place As sorrowing but yet alway rejoycing He sets it downe with advantage he gives sorrow but a Siâ—ut as sorrowing As if the sorrow of a Christian in the world were not worthy the name of sorrow It is Sicut but Vera gaudenti alway rejoycing True rejoycing It is a slander and an evill report that men bring on Piety to think it makes men sullen and discontented alway in an afflicted estate There is nothing makes the heart more chearfull then a good Conscience there is nothing brings a good conscience so much as the favour of God a constant walking in the wayes of Gods Commandements a keeping to the rules and wayes of piety Christianity is not so stoicall as to grudge us of our joy A Christian is so far from being deprived of joy that he is the onely Creature indeed that hath the true title to it It doth not take away this affection it takes away none it improves none more then this Non lollit c. It doth not take it away but rightly tempers it it teacheth us to place it on the right object to keep the due bounds the right compasse That we may see that it doth not sequester or exclude the comfort or joy of the heart the Scripture calls upon them most of all and gives them Commands and in junctions of rejoycing and it doth it by reduplication Rejoyce in the Lord O yee righteous and least they should not be ready to take the first admonition Againe I say rejoyce there is an injunction from that St. Austin observes well the Saints in the World are tied to rejoyce to rejoyce in the Lord Si non c. If we doe not make use of this affection to Gods glory and our owne comfort we should repugne the Command of God and more then a single Command too there is a reduplication And St. Basile observes from that that the word is doubled Rejoyce and againe rejoyce it notes the encrease and augmentation of their joy they should not onely rejoyce a little but much not once but oft they should make it a continuall work There is good reason to stir us up to joy all the blisse of Heaven is set downe by joy Enter into thy Masters joy And not onely glory but the first fruits in this World are called by that name the joy in the holy Ghost To this purpose God encourageth us to it by the best examples the example of the Prophets and Apostles and if that be too little by the example of Angells and if that be too little by the example of God himselfe There is joy in Heaven joy among the Angells of God when it is said that there is joy in Heaven for one sinner that is converted there is joy with God Joy it is the affection that God honoureth because he will be sure to Invite us to take our fill of joy if it be right and spirituall joy There are none of all the Saints if we look to them but they had their time of rejoycing even those that were most depressed and afflicted Holy David Abraham Job Paul all these had their times of rejoycing Christianity it is a state of rejoycing and the Saints of God have their times to rejoyce in this world That is the first Proposition Secondly there is another that ariseth from this as they have a true title to joy so they have the onely title to true joy it is not superficiall joy that they are affected with it is substantiall joy substantiall joy is that that is upon true grounds and when joy is rightly seated The right Seat where is it The Spirit the heart of a man It is joy of heart they are the rejoycing of my heart Otherwise joy is not substantiall if it be out of its place from the Teeth outward in the outward man it is not true joy unlesse it be inward If it be outward onely it may be mirth as Tully saith yet not true joy joy is that that is in the heart and springs from the heart Even carnall men will be full of mirth they will have all the expressions of joy that are possible in the outward thing but it is onely superficiall dissembled joy it is not that joy that is truly within For in the middest of that mirth the heart is sorry The joy of the Hypocrite is short for a moment as holy Job sayth It is as the crackling of Thornes In the middest of that mirth there is the Worme of Conscience that damps all that is as the Hand-writing upon the Wall to Bellshazzar when it came to be read it filled him full of horrour and anguish and discomfort and vexation there are none of these outward things that can breed cordiall substantiall joy On the other side a godly man in the middest of sorrow can preserve joy of heart It is true a godly man is not alway as the wicked Jocund and joviall they are not loud in their mirth it may be they laugh not much but a godly man is still joyfull when he laughs not for there is the true mirth and joy that is within As the Poet sayd of the running of Nilus the running of Nilus is very still yet it is very swift though it make not any appearance of motion the excellency sayth he of the River is in this that it seems little to move and yet it moves apace So it is with the joy of a godly man the joy of a Christian moves not outwardly there is no revelling he doth not make boast of his joy but then within he hath it he hath the Feast of a good Conscience and there is the voyce of the Bridegroome and of the Bride The voyce of the Bridegroome must needs be there when the voyce of Christ is there when the voyce of the Spirit is there There is the pipeing and dancing in a spirituall sence and all those concommitants of mirth that attend the Feast of a good conscience A godly man onely hath true joy he onely hath cause to be so therefore David expresseth it in Psal 4. Thou hast put
God are called Statutes because they are immoveable they cannot be altered and changed thereupon it is that you have this Epithite anexed oft in Scripture they are sure and stedfast and faithfull The statutes of the Lord are sure Psal 19. A more sure word of prophecie saith Peter Stedfast promises Rom. 4. Sure and stedfast commandements Heb. 2. It is an epithite still given to shew the surenesse they are called Statutes the Latine word signifies stability the Hebrew signifies visitation that God visits for breaking them yet this is proper they are called Statutes because they are ratified they are firm the things that God hath established Every thing is said to be ratified that stands My counsell shall stand saith God in Isa and out of the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established therefore we stand to it it is the rule and summe of our faith that cannot be abolished it is a thing ratified thy Statutes Statutes is more then precepts they are unabrogable precepts they are Statutes Sanctions Decrees Constitutions If I would enlarge my selfe from this particular I could shew that hence there is an obligation laid to observe Gods lawes because they are Statutes that that God by his decree hath established we cannot nullifie them by our transgressions wee nullifie Gods commandements as much as lies in us as oft as we break them to transgresse the commandements is as much as in us is to cancell that that God hath confirmed and to nullifie that that God hath ratified it is not only to break it by sinne but to break it in the validity There is no man that transgresseth but he wisheth there were no commandements no rule of obedience and piety It is not so with other creatures all other creatures have a law and it is a statute-law because it is a law that they have not broken they all keepe those Statutes that God hath given them and they have nothing but the instinct of nature not only animate but inanimate creatures the Stars keep their courses and the Earth and the Sea keeps it's course and motion of ebbing and flowing as the impression was first made in them when they were created it is a firmer law that is given to man not only that law but the law of Gods commandements He hath given him that law that shall stand more firme for that law of nature shall be abrogated when there shall be a dissolution of all Heaven and earth shall passe the law of nature the law of the creatures shall cease then there shal be a cessation of that but though heaven and earth passe not one jot or tittle not one jot of Christs word shall passe it is Austins observation jod is the least of all letters and the affix is the little dash of it Our blessed Saviour saith there shall not an iota not an affix passe but the least part of Gods commandements shall be kept Then if other creatures keep their law shall not wee much more labour to observe that that God hath given us If wee labour not to keep them as statutes we shal as judgments if they be not done a nobis they shall be executed de nobis if they be not done by us they shall be executed upon us but I will not prosecute the word that that he calls before commandements he calls here statutes A stationary exercise he useth a stationary object I will dwell or stand upon the exercise of thy Statutes The first was for the exercise this for the meditation he contents not himselfe with one resolution or with the second this whole Psalm is nothing but a multitude of holy resolutions and ejaculations take but this one part of the Psalm this one division that my Text is out of see how resolutions come one on the necke of another In vers 46. there is one I will speake of thy testimonies before Kings In the 47th there is another I will delight my self in thy commandements After that he is not content he gives a third I will lift up my hands to thy commandements which I have loved And in the latter part he closeth with a fourth I will meditate in thy Statutes He arms himselfe with resolutions and these two resolutions are subservient one to another the preparatorie act to meditation in Gods statutes I will lift up my hands to thy commandements He first prepares before he falls to meditate he doth not rush upon the sudden as we do in prayer uncivily when we come into the house of God hee fits and tunes his heart he sets the parts in order before he goes to meditate he composeth himselfe his eyes his hands his heart all the whole man before he goes to meditate I will first lift up my hands to thy commandements and then meditate on thy statutes as it is in Psal 51. Before he will sing he will tune Awake my Lute Harp awake my glory and my selfe will awake right early David would not sing before he was prepared he tunes before he sings Psal 45. My heart is enditing of a good matter I speake of the things which I have made touching the King He prepares his heart that hee may get Gods approbation so here before he sets seriously to meditation he puts every affection in a right key and tune and then when he had set all right after he had composed his very gesture his eyes fixed to heaven his hands lifted to Gods throne then I will meditate in thy statutes He sets the most heavenly act on an heavenly object there is no object fitter for meditation then the Commandements there is no act fitter for the commandements then meditation Meditation is the improving of all other exercises spirituall whatsoever meditation is an Angelicall exercise the only exercise or the chiefe that we know of that the Angels exercise in heaven is the meditating of Gods will and wayes and works If we would conform our selves nay if we would attain to the height of Angels it must be by meditation yet we generally the most of us are very negligent and backward in this duty few men know what belongs to meditation or what is the comfort of it those that professe they love God and delight in his commandements though they read sometime and heare sometime they labour not to improve that that they read hear by meditation meditation is come to be the scorn of the world I account meditation is scorned because conference about holy things repetition is a thing in reproach in the world It is true I know those things may be done sometimes as they are out of faction and under pretence of repetition oft times conventicles are made but a modest humble soule will not do things for applause or offence but if we look to benefit our selves by the word of God we will take all helps to remember what we hear and apply it to our selves and we cannot do it without meditation and repetition
is a great help he will not profit by the word of God that calls not himselfe to account for his memory and his life and lays them according to the levell of the things he heares The world is full of imagination meditation is scarce it is a wonder to see how men weary themselves with imagination suffer their hearts to run after every vanity they think imagination is meditation when their hearts have wild roving thoughts sometimes sinful alway vain that is not meditation but vanity meditation is that act whereby the heart pours it self forth to God and is fixed on heavenly things and makes an impression of that heavenly act whatsoever it is upon upon it selfe by a reflexion of the soul upon it selfe in the exercise of those duties that are meditated Therefore if we will benefit by reading and hearing of the word let us oft times call our selves to account by meditation If we would be well acquainted with God conversant in heaven it must be done by meditation Meditation is that that makes the seede of the word take root in the heart that â—â—gests and incorporates it and turns all to blood and spirits we can never profit and edifie by Sermons unlesse by meditation and rumination we chew the cudd after Admit it be but a weak Sermon that we hear some will say what should I meditate on that though it be a weake one there is matter still of meditation A man that hath love to another man will love every thing that belong to him if we have a love to the word of God there will be a love of all that belongs to it A love of that place where the Ordinances are handled a love of the time when the Ordinances are handled a love of the weake hand the earthen vessel that dispenseth it though through much infirmities and weakness Gregory Nazianzen observes of St. Bazile they loved him â—o much in his time they reverenced his vertues so much that they would imitate him in his infirmities it is true there are no infirmities or errours in the word of God to be loved there but if we have true love to the word of God we will imbrace it from an infirm hand though it be dispensed in a weake manner Always something may be gotten to edification and the application of it must be made by meditation it is that that is an excellent supply of privacy it is the sole companion of a retired heart A man addicted to meditation can leave earth and goe up to heaven and walk and converse with God with all the commandements of God he needs no booke he needs no teacher that can addict himselfe to meditation Meditation is that heavenly exercise that is the improvement of every grace if we would thrive in all we must addict our selves to it that was Davids order he was conversant in reading and hearing too but meditation is the act that he resolves on to improve both and as he would give God his outward man so he will his inward The testification of the outward man is in these words I will lift up my hands to thy commandements which I have loved And then because neither tongue nor hand nor feet nor eye can be acceptable to God without the heart the inward man he seconds his first resolution with another as I will lift up my hands to thy commandements so I will meditate in thy statutes THE Saints Progresse DELIVERED IN TVVO SERMONS BY That Learned reverend Divine RICHARD HOLSWORTH Doctor in Divinity somtimes Vice-Chancellour of Cambridge Master of Emmanuel Colledge and late Preacher at PETERS POORE in LONDON 2 Pet. 3.18 But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ LONDON Printed by M. Simmons in Alders-gate-streete 1650. SERMON I. PSAL. 84.7 They goe from strength to strength untill and every one of them appeare before God in Zion THEY goe from Company to company from Mansion to Mansion so some Translations read it as alluding to the solemn journeys of the Children of Israel to the Land of Promise Or to the annuall Travell of the Jews to appeare before God for the worship of his name in Jerusalem And if I should read the words so now to you it would be a faire and proper Lesson to us to learne that we are now in the state of Pilgrims We have here no abiding Citty As the Patriarchs of old we still look for a Countrey There is removing and Mansions and going from Countrey to Countrey It would very well fit my selfe too and be a good entrance to this new removing from Mansion to Mansion from Company to Company But I will not read the words so but take them as they are exprest in the Text From strength to strength So it is a short but an accurate modell of the spirituall growth of a Christian in this world from one degree of righteousnesse to another so breathing after perfection and it is a part of that excellent Psalme that the Prophet David made to let us understand the great comfort and benefit and priviledge that comes to us by our frequent repairing to the House of God One great priviledge is this that here it is that we get spirituall strength Here we not onely had our initiation to Christ and the first seeds of Piety sowne and the first Foundation laid but we get growth and goe on and make progresse in piety There are many excellent passages in the Psalme yet this is one of the most remarkable for there is somthing in it more then in the whole Psalme it selfe The Psalme it selfe is none of those that are called the Psalmes of degrees yet this is a Text or Verse of Degrees And those degrees are not such as relate to the steps of the materiall Tabernacle but shew the steps of our ascention the ascent that we make up to Heaven There are two passages in the Psalme that point at it One in Vers 5. In whose heart are thy wayes or as some read it thy ascentions the degrees of proficiency whereby Christians come to stature or great growth of piety are Gods ascentions Gods ascentions because they lead to him and ours because they carry us up to God Another place that points to these degrees or ascentions is in the Title of the Psalme it is one of those Psalmes that is ascribed To him that excelleth or to the End shewing that the onely way to excell is to hold out to the end and he that holds out to the end of all others will be the most excellent and both these are stamped and graved upon this Verse One part is to him that excelleth They grow from strength to strength Another part that is to the End Till every one appeare before God in Zion According to these two there are two parts There is the motion of Christianity And the rest The rest that is God in the last words Every one of them appeares before
opportunity and meanes to thrive and yet as I said before we are Dwarfs to them that were before us and yet we stand upon their Shoulders A Dwarfe that stands upon a Giants shoulders may see further then the Giant can we stand upon their Shoulders and yet we see not halfe so far as they notwithstanding all the meanes of grace we come to nothing in growth and perfection But lastly though our nourishment be plentifull our temper and constitution is not so good God hath not given it to us as he did to them Nay our stomacks are as sharp and as great I will make it plaine in other things here we are forward and zealous of growing in worldly things there we have appetite enough but misplaced VVho puts a pitch or period to his ambitious thoughts They would grow still in honour and preferment Ambition many times looks after honour and never looks behind it Men complaine then that they are not Elephants and Coâ—â—â—h's their stature is nothing In Worldly things they 〈◊〉 be Collossa's The covetous man for Riches hath Appetite enough he would grow on from Riches to Riches there are no bounds that he sets â—o himselfe As he in Plato he was called Grando because he would have every thing great he would have a great Hat and great Shoes and great Garments so we would have every thing great but grace there any pittance contents us any modicum is enough nay it may be too much In other things we are insatiable in plenty in grace and vertue we are insensible in wâ—nt Poverty doth not pinch us in grace and plenty doth not satisfie us in worldly things therefore it is plaine we doe not want Appetite if we had the same Appetite to grace as we have to the VVorld there would be growth But the true reason is we care not for growing we set not our minds on it if we did we would doe those things that men that labour after stature doe Men that would be of high stature they feed hard and oft and take measure of their stature how they grow and if a man find after convenient nourishment that he doth not batten he thinks there is some impediment and labours to remove it We should doe so with our souls if we did take measure and see how we have profited since the last Sermon or since the last yeare or the last receiving of the Mysteries then we would find since our spirituall growth is so little that there is some distemper our meat goes through us it stayes not with us it doth not turne to spirituall nourishment If we did take account of our stature it might be had it is not harder in grace nay it is easier for we cannot add a Cubit to our corporall man but we may add more in our spirituall But it is carelessnesse here is the true reason Here is ground for Exhortation where there is defect there is ground for Exhortation let this be it make it the work the good and benefit of this dayes service lay up this resolution to look after growth in strength An Exhortation a man would think might be spared as the Oratour well observes in another case There are somethings beyond Exhortation they need it not things that are by the instinct of nature that men doe of themselves who needs to be Exhorted to be willing to live long or to be strong and in Health Every man naturally enclines to it every man is willing to have a comely stature therefore it is a wonder that we should stand in need of these Exhortations in point of grace yet we are so dead and lumpish and insensible that Exhortations will not work upon us Let this be the Exhortation that we may remember this one and it is a duty that conteins all because I cannot stand on it there are but these two motives that I will use It is necessary for us to grow necessary in regard of it selfe and necessary in regard of God In regard of God he hath given us all things that lead to perfection and growth he would have us walk in the practise of every grace to bring forth fruit in the practise of every virtue he would have us yeild obedience to the Commands he gives those many Commands in the Book of God that should make us produce these severall graces and come to these severall degrees VVe had need to grow when we look upon the work we have to doe in the VVorld that God will call us to account for after Then it is necessary also in regard of the state and pitch that God hath set us Take it in it selfe or comparatively In it selfe it is the state of perfection we are called to be perfect to labour after perfection Now how should a a man labour to grow that hath the state of perfection set him It is true our perfection here is in proficiency and acknowledging our imperfection and advancing to perfection But this is the greatest perfection because this is an inducement to grow perfection is set that is far from us Then comparatively the stature that is set us is the state of Angells and of Heaven we pray to doe Gods will as the Angells and Saints in Heaven If we pray we must practise and labour to doe it O! How had he need to grow that must come to the perfection of Angells How high must he grow that must grow as high as Heaven The Poets when they would set things high they doe it by an Hyperbole as high as Heaven So every one of us as in our affections and desires of virtue must grow as high as Heaven or else we shall never come there This should not discourage us a low stature may reach Heaven if we cannot come to it it will come to us in every grace there is somwhat of Heaven But there is a higher pitch then Heaven set us The increase of God and The stature of Christ How high must men grow that must grow according to our proportion to the similitude of God Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect be mercifull as your Heavenly Father is mercifull How should a man grow that will grow to be mercifull as God is VVe cannot come to that pitch yet we may in similitude though not in equallity though not in his proportion yet in ours we may come to be perfect men according to the measure of the stature of Christ You know what an infinite height of wisdome there was in the stature of Christ as man In him is all the fullnesse of wisdome and the treasures of knowledge full of grace and truth all grace was full and perfect Therefore as Christ had the most absolute pitch and stature that is possible for Angells to conceive so Christians that make the mysticall stature of Christ must labour to grow to a high pitch that they may not seeme unworthy Members of so glorious and excellent a body It is necessary therefore that
we grow and a great deale of need because of these pitches that are set us Then it is not onely a necessary but an honourable thing It is observed of the Ancients for corporall stature and it is a good Opinion of them Homer alway brought in his Heroes his worthies he presented them in tall high stature Hector and Vlisses and Agamemnon these that were Prinâ—es men of renoune he made them come in tall stature Plinie sayth that tall stature used to be a portment fit for Princes Therefore Augustus is commended for that and Cornelius for the same and Procopius concerning Beresebius And the Scripture gives the same commendation of Joseph Gen. 39. Joseph was a goodly person And Saul was higher then all the people from the Shoulders upward And Herodotus observes that the Ethiopians use to choose their Kings of the highest stature And in Plutarch it is observed that the Lacedemonians set a Mulct upon one because he had married a little wife because they thought it would be a disparagement of the Princes that should be brought forth If they had so good respect to the stature of the outward man how goodly is it to be so spiritually to God For corporall stature sometimes is not an Ornament for if the mind be not answerable it is rather a disgrace and it may be beyond those proportions that are required in Decency of stature But we cannot exceed in the spirituall no measure can exceed Therefore if it be a thing so honourable and so lovely with men and of God he that is so comes neare the similitude of Christ and of God and is nearest the state of Tryumphants and most out of the millitant state he is most in Heaven and hath most of God in him Then I will shut up this point with the Exhortation of St. Jerome in one of his Epistles that we all take care as we grow in dayes and yeares so to grow in the knowledge of God in grace and virtue in the strength of virtue that it may be said of us as Paul saith of the Thessalonians that their faith did grow exceedingly and their love one towards another abounded That is to grow from strength to strength I have done with that There is a peice behind another generall part almost halfe the Text but it will not now beare a generall handling It is the rest of all it takes away the objection From strength to strength but when shall we rest When we appeare before God in Zion There is the time of remuneration and rest There are three passages remarkable I will but mention them The glorious place Zion And a glorious presence there They appeare before God in Zion And then Every one of them appeare I will but touch them breifly for there is a double signification of all these three First Zion hath a double signification in Scripture There is Zion in the Mount There is Zion in the Valley Though the low Zion be called Mount Zion in Scripture it is but a Valley to Heaven but there is spirituall Zion that is misticall that in the proper ordinary acception signifies the House of God below but in a more sublime acception the Church of God above the place of bliss The Lamb upon Mount Zion Revel 14. Heb. 12. We are come to an innumerable company of Angels to the Church of the first borne in Heaven to Mount Zion Mount Zion is taken for Heaven it selfe Then answerable to these two acceptions of Zion there is a double appearing before God mentioned The appearing before God in glory And the appearing in the Courts of his presence in the House of his worship below The appearing before God in the Mount of Vision when we shall see Face to face when we shall see as we are seene and know as we are knowne And the appearing before God in the Valley of Vision the Valley of tears the Church below That so oft as we present holy performances more especially when we come into his Courts and enter into the Gates of his presence The Church of God is the Chamber of his presence there we make our appearing St. Paul tells us of our appearing before God in the Mount of vision above not onely in that place We shall all apeare before the judgement seat of Christ but in Collos 3. When Christ who is our life shall appeare we shall appeare with him in glory The fruition of glory is called our appearing before God in glory Of the other David speaks when he complaines O when shall I come and appeare before God! It is the Speech of an Exile David was a banished man from the House of God he had not free accesse to repaire thither therefore that made his great complaint When shall I appeare That is when shall I enter into thy presence and tread in thy â—ourts It is worthy our consideration that we come to the Church especially to appeare before God we should take this consideration to make us come with reverence and preparednesse because we come into a glorious presence It should make us take heed how we behave our selves here in these places of Divine service because we are in the presence of God If we be convâ—rsant in Prayer we appeare in a speciall manner before God fall low before his Foot-stoole If we heare the word of God we appeare before his presence When we come to heare the word read or Preached we are at the foot of the Mount as the People received the Law When we repaire to the Table of the Lord we come in a speciall manner into Gods presence we appeare before him because Christ is present there he gives himselfe for food and God is present for he accepts us in Christ Therefore if we so fit our selves to come into the presence of a man that is better then our selves that we may come with sobriety and acceptation how should we fit our selves to come before God in these inferiour places of our appearing It is true we are alway present to him and he to us but his eye though it be alwayes upon us ours is not alwayes upon him but then our eyes are directed to him when we come into his Courts it is called therefore appearing before God Lastly there is the illation that knits both together in those two words Every one That is then every one There is one word that is a word of connexion and Then what time Then when we are growne to stature when we have gotten from one degree of strength to another We must not offer to come into Gods presence unlesse we bring the Wedding Garment some stature this cloathing of Vertue and grace When we come to appeare before him there will be an account taken of each mans strength how he hath profitted by each of these severall Ordinances of grace God will look that we give account of our proficiency by all the meanes of Salvation When we come to the House of God and to
that would take up almost the whole houre for a man to name the Authors that bring out variety of interpretations Therefore I will not trouble you with that I will not so much as gather them up together it will be but an unusefull point least I seeme to handle Commentaries and not the Text. I will onely touch at them in the last part as they come in my way and as they are usefull for the understanding of this Scripture Now we look to the second thing these good things there is no difficulty in the rest The desire here is an ardent desire the inspection is an accurate inspection to penetrate with a mans eyes so to looke as to look through to make a good inspection The Angells that are here spoken of I shewed to you and made it plaine that they are the good Angells there is no difficulty in any of these three words Well the onely difficulty is in this word Into which The word is Plurall yet all the Latine not onely Coppies and Translations of the Bible all but some that are later and there is no Writing of all the Latine Fathers excepting one or two that is Ireneus it is still read In quem in the Singular number Vpon whom So the Rhemists Translation reads it following the vulgar Latine they read On whome the Angells desire to looke We read Into which the Angells desire to looke Thereupon Gregory applies this Scripture to God himselfe that the object of the Angells inspection it is God understanding the three persons of the Sacred Trinity De deo c. sayth Gregory these things are uttered concerning God that it is upon him that the Angells desire to look Others apply it not to the three persons in the sacred Trinity but to the Holy Ghost in particular that there is so great glory such câ—equall and coessentiall glory of the Holy Ghost with the Father and the Son that the Angells desire to blesse their spirituall eyes with the continuall looking on it And indeed there is some probability for this reading for the Holy Ghost for the comming of the Holy Ghost is the immediate antecedent before the Text the Holy Ghost came downe from Heaven and then followes according to their reading Vpon whome the Angells desire to look Venerable Bede applies it by a way himselfe in particular he applies it in the Singular number but to the second person in Trinity Christ and Christ considered especially in his humane nature and the reason is somewhat probable because in the Verse before there is twice mention of Christ the Spirit of Christ and the Sufferings of Christ and then followes according to his reading Vpon whome the Angells desire to looke And if I should follow now this reading and take it in the Singular number and doe that injury and wrong to the Greeke Copy it would afford one or two very good points of instruction and the reading is not at all dissonant to the Articles of faith For certainly the Angells desire to look upon God and to behold the humane nature of Christ and to look upon the three persons in the sacred Trinity And if we should applie it to Christ it would afford a good point of Instruction whether we apply it to his humane nature or his divine If to his humane nature so the point is this that Christs humane nature at the right hand of God is made so glorious that the very Angells themselves as venerable Bede sayth not onely desire to fill their eyes with the glorious beams of his Divine nature but with that far transcendent excellency of glory wherewith his humane nature is cloathed They desire to see the glory of his humane nature It must needs argue a great deale of glory as much as it is capable of that is laid upon the humane nature of Christ more then on the Angelicall nature though it be not a Spirit that though in it selfe a body is not capable of so much glory as a Spirit yet the humane nature of Christ by reason of the hypostaticall union is capable of more glory then the Angells are And it must needs be a greater glory because the Angells desire to looke into it It is a point of great comfort to us to consider that our nature hath received already so much glory in Christ our head We know that our nature is capable of beatificall glory in the Members since it hath received already in such abundance in Christ our head it shall receive in an unspeakable manner there shall be a great deale of beatificall glory upon the Saints our nature in Christ is capable of glory already That is the first point if we apply it to the humane nature of Christ Againe if we apply it to the Divinity of Christ that the Angells look on Christ as God it affords us a point of Instruction that is this There is one essentiall beatitude of Angells and Saints in Heaven of men and Angells There is no essentiall difference in the beatitude of Saints and Angells Christ sayth in the Gospell we shall be like the Angells and be as they are What is the essentiall beatitude of Angells To look upon the Son of God Christ is as Basile speaks the delight of Angells And what is the beatitude of Saints To look upon the Son of God We know when we shall appeare we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is There is our happinesse in looking to Christ What is the beatitude essentiall of Angells Christ tells us Mat. 18. There Angells behold the face of your heavenly Father The face of God the beatificall Vision is their beatitude And what is the essentiall beatitude of the Saints Christ tells us Mat. 5.6 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Then here is no difference at all in the essentiall beatitude of the one and of the other Therefore the Scripture as in one place it calls Angells our fellow Servants Rev. 19. See thou doe it not for I am thy fellow Servant Angells are fellow Servants with Apostles and fellow Ministers and Ministers are fellow-Angells for so Ministers are called As they are called our fellow Servants so the Saints are their fellow Angells Heirs of the same Salvation Heb. 12. We are come to the first borne that are written in Heaven and to an innumerable company of Angells to enjoy the society of Angells we are fellow Heirs of the same Salvation there is the same-same-Heaven for both the same happinesse for both the same glory for both the same inheritance for both therefore the same happinesse because the same inheritance There is sayth St. Austin well one and the same inheritance of glory for them and us that is the Heavenly immortall inheritance sayth he sweetly Heaven is the inheritance of both which is as great to every one as to all and as great and full of Roome for many as to few Every one hath all Heaven that is all blisse all
the inheritance yet every man hath his share and all pertake of it There is but one Heaven for both and one inheritance for both and that consists in the Vision of the Son of God because the Angells desire to look upon the Son of God that is the second deduction that is cleare that the Angells and Saints have one beatitude But I may not stand upon this because this is the forced meaning yet I would not be deprived of it for this reading goes not upon a good bottome because the Interpretation follows the reading of the Singular number and that is not to be found in any Greeke Coppy As it is not so as it may have reference to the Holy Ghost nor so that it may have reference to the word Christ or to the word God it is not Singular In quem To whome but Plurall To which things We must find it out as well as we can it must be read Plurally all the Greek Coppies are so though the meaning be Orthodox and good yet the reading will not suffer it to be read in the Singular there must be a plurall antecedent for this plurall relative Now you will aske as the Disciples of Christ when he told them of the famous things that were done at Jerusalem What things So here when it is said The Angells desire to looke into these things What things How shall we find a plurall antecedent Yes well enough there is one plurall antecedent in the Verse before the sufferings of Christ which the Angells desire to behold It stands in the Verse before but it may have reference to that that the Angells when the sufferings of Christ were transacted they desired to see it and doe now study it Not that they delighted to see the Son of God brought so low they had no pleasure in the sufferings of Christ as sufferings but to see him suffer patiently and victoriously and to lay downe that meritorious blood to offer that all sufficient Sacrifice for the whole World that was the joy and delight of Angells they desired to look to the sufferings of Christ Therefore St. Cyprian extends it also to the sufferings of the Members of Christ the Martyrs for Christ when we are in the combate and conflict eyther of temptation or suffering for the name of Christ God looks on us Christ looks on us the Angells look on us The Apostle Paul alludes to it We are made a Theatre a Spectacle to God to Angells and to men It is a great support in all our sufferings in all the afflictions that we undergoe that in these afflictions the Angells are Spectators they give their applause and they are delighted It is the joy of Angells to see the Saints of God suffer patiently and constantly and with confidence and so as to bring glory to the name of Christ If we therefore refer it to the sufferings of Christ it is a plurall antecedent and well agrees with the plurall relative Yet this is too strait though this be part of the object yet this is not all Come a little nearer there is another plurall antecedent in this Text and it is more generall and more long the things that were Preached and reported the things that were spoken Into which things the Angells desire to looke Here now we have it take this clause and put it to the former clause then there is the latitude of the object in the full extent the Mysteries of redemption that the Prophets searched into and the Apostles Preached those the Angells desire to looke into The things that were Preached by the Apostles are the same that the Angells desire to make inspection into Of all the Latine Fathers Ireneus onely he pitcheth upon this for so I call him though there be Greek fragments that goe under his name I know his Countrey yet I reckon him so He comes home and applies it thus into which things All those good and excellent things that God conveys to us by Christ all those things salvificall those are the things the Angells desire to look into Sophronius goes further to apply it not onely to the good things of Redemption by Christ but circumstances and places and the like Unto the Nativity of Christ to the death of Christ to the place of his birth into these things the Angells desire to looke I will not presse it so farr as he to put forward to goe to the place of his birth There are hardly any footsteps left for Angells to behold or discerne where that place stood where the Manger was But thus far we may extend it to all those saving actions and passions that are the streams and branches of the work of our redemption The whole work of our redemption in the active and passive part of it wrought by the birth and death and resurrection and ascention of Christ these are the things which the Angells desire to behold That I may not give it barely upon trust though there be enough said to make it cleare that these must be so understood I will shew it plainly in Vers 12. there is mention of it the things Preached by the Apostles In Vers 1â— the things testified by the discent of the Holy Ghost from Heaven in Vers 10. the things searched into by the Prophets What are all these things the things searched by the Prophets preached by the Apostles and testified by the Holy Ghost from Heaven what were they The Mysteries of our redemption in the severall parts of it the Mysteries of the Gospell as in this Verse that I have read and the Mysteries of our redemption as in the two Verses before these are the things that the Angells desire to looke into Now we have gotten the full meaning we see in generall what the things are Now to make the point full there are these four properties of these things that may serve for our instruction that the Angells desire to looke into The first property is this that they are sublime speculations of Angells Eagles stoop not to Flies but where the Carkasse is where the Mysteries of Christ are there are the speculations of Angells Angells stoop not to meane inferiour contemplation And are there any speculations more sublime then the Mysteries of our redâ—mption That great Mystery of Christs incarnation of his Passion of his Session at the right hand of God of his intercession there is nothing that belongs to the work of redemption but are sublime montanous speculations It is Gregories word upon those words Cant. 3. He comes leaping by the Mountaines and skipping by the Hills These leaps that are taken there upon the Mountaines he makes to be the severall passages of the work of our redemption There was a leap from Heaven to the Virgins womb another to Jordan another to the Desart another to the Crosse another to the Grave another up in the resurrection upon Earth and then another to Heaven there was a leap There is somwhat montanous sublime in
the sins of the evill Angells that is set downe by the joynt consent of all ancient Writers St. Austin may speake for all they envied man standing or raised because themselves were fallen Sayth St. Austin againe they envied that man should be made after the Image of God Pride and envy were the sins of the evill Angells shall any be so unworthy as to think that the good Angells are incident to those ill affections that did cast the bad Angells out of Heaven Therefore the third ground and Originall falls of it selfe too As it was not out of curiosity so it was not out of envy at the good of man They rejoyce at the good of man and at the conversion of sinners they could not have an envious disposition for any good to him I am almost at an end of this first part there is one thing behind that is The fourth pretended false Originall that it might be out of ignorance because these Mysteries of Salvation were concealed from the Angells a long time before and even now in a great part therefore out of the sence and apprehension of their want in this particular they labour more and more to looke into these Mysteries As if those glorious Creatures that are and alway have beene from their first confirmation in actuall fruition of everlasting beatitude should be subject to any want of knowledge and happinesse every way answerable to their estate and nature Yet this misconstruction diverse of the Fathers made of these words Though it be an obliquity yet there is a little respect to be given to their obliquities because they were such excellent lights yet in matter of inspection I know nothing that they erre more in For it is worth observing there are two Opinions concerning the knowledge of the Angells of the Mysteries of Salvation One was this that the Angells knew not the Mysteries of Redemption before the things were accomplished Jerome Ambrose and Chrysostome Nulli angelo c. sayth Chrysostome it is a thing that was not revealed to any Angell or Ark-Angell or any power created before it was brought to passe and they ground it upon Ephes 1. and Collos 1. Where the Apostle sayth that God since hath make knowne the Mystery that was hid from Ages and Generations Whereas if a man consider of the place well he shall find that place rather refutes it then assents to it The Apostle sayth These Mysteries were had from the beginning of the World from Ages and Generations He speaks of men Angells are not subject to Ages and Generations it is out of the Angelicall spheare ages and Generations they wax not old there is no distinction there is no Child-hood or old age of Angells there are no Generations neyther every Angell makes a species the whole number of Angells was created at once the Apostle saith it was hid from Ages and Generations that is from men yet not altogether from men they had so much that they might ground upon it was not revealed fully but that speaks not of Angells at all but yet out of that respect to men that were learned Doctor Thomas Aquinas distinction will help that is the Angells did not understand these Mysteries by a naturall concreated knowledge but by a supernaturall super-infused they had not the knowledge from the first instant of their Creation but from the first instant of their confirmation in grace it is super-added Againe though they knew these things in substance yet not every particular circumstance till they were accomplished because their experimentall knowledge receives degrees it is intended and growes greater they improve it by experience it growes greater that is the first opinion of the Ancients concerning the knowledge of the Angells The second thing is this as they knew not the Mysteries of redemption so they learned by the Church of God that they learned the knowledge of these Mysteries from the Apostles that Preached and daily now from the Preachers so all the streame of the Ancient run St. Chrysostome sayth they are Auditors with us and learne the Mysteries of Salvation they learne it by the knowledge they get in the Church Jerome Gregory Nycene to name no more they ground it upon Ephes 3. where the Apostle Paul speaking of the Mysteries of Salvation that were hidden before about Vers 10. To the end that to principallities and powers might be made knowne in the Church the wonderfull wisdome of God Hence they infer that therefore because the Apostle sayth that those Mysteries are made knowne to principallities in the Church that they were present at those Sermons to learne further in those Mysteries especially at the Sermons of the Apostles that they might be instructed in the profundity and height and depth and speculation of them so they come to Sermons as Auditors But indeed St. Austin that handles the question and the place well he shews that that place cannot be wrested to such a construction though he gives three Interpretations Sayth St. Austin it is worth observing that the Apostle sayth to make knowne to the Angells in the Church he sayth not in our Church In the Church tryumphant there they make knowne there is St. Austins owne interpretation Againe sayth he one word expounds another they were hid from men but so as they were knowne to An-Angells so as they were made knowne by God to Angells but not just then when they were made knowne to men But if this will not suffice the place it selfe makes it cleare that there cannot be such a construction wrung out of those words the Apostle speaks of the accomplishment of the Mysteries they indeed are made knowne to Angells by the Church he speaks not of the speculation the Angells could not see Christ borne till he was borne and a Sinner converted till he be converted so the Angells they see daily in the Church the accomplishment of these Mysteries so there is an addition to their experimentall knowledge not to their intuitive they saw by the Preaching of the Apostles that the fullnesse of the Gentiles was comming in that the Mystery of Salvation was to be accomplished that it was done in the Church by the Apostles they saw that sinners were converted and that the number of the Saints was to be consummate because God cast out the Net and brought them home daily doe they therefore learne at our Sermons No it is too high an hyperbole and abasing of the Angelicall nature the Saints in Heaven that have not that full measure of the beatitude that they shall at the last the Saints that have a lesse measure of knowledge then the Angells for they are not capable of so much yet their knowledge is far more perfect then ours is nay then the knowledge of any of the Apostles though they had the gifts of the holy Ghost The knowledge of the Saints in Heaven is such that they need not come to learne of us and shall the Angells The Angells are those that God alway
learne to admire Gods goodnesse revealed to man in Christ we are called upon in Scripture to be thankfull and to walk answerable to it and they are good Uses but we cannot make you unlesse we be stricken with admiration If a man doe not first admire Gods goodnesse in the dispensation of Christ to the Church he cannot be thankfull and the reason why there is so little thankfullnesse is because there is so little admiration that that dazles the eyes of Angells is but ordinary in our eyes because these things are daily propounded therefore since the Scripture calls upon us to celebrate Gods goodnesse and we cannot celebrate it without thankfullnesse and we cannot be thankfull without admiration if we admire we shall draw our eyes after it if we admire Gods goodnesse our eyes will be lift to those Hills so to blesse him and to pray that we may have the Comfort in our owne hearts That is the first ground and there is the first Lesson to us it was and is out of admiration the Angells desire to look into those Mysteries as they desired in the Apostles time so still and to the Worlds end The second Radix whence this desire comes is from expectation for expectation is the Whetstone of desire so it is that Didimus Alexandrinus Expounds these words that the Angells being abundantly well pleased and contented and rejoycing in the accomplishment of those Mysteries that are already past they look to these Mysteries still out of expectation of that is behind for there is somewhat to be accomplished which till it be done the Angells themselves have not the highest pitch of their happinesse till all be gathered to the tryumphant body there is somewhat to be accomplished and that the Angells are in expectation of and out of expectation they desire looking to those things sayth Didimus that are to be done and brought to passe in the end of the World and St. Barnard expounds these words the Angells desire to look to the time of restitution that that time may hasten and come about that there may be an accomplishment of the number of the elect and all the gracious promises that God hath revealed in his word this they desire and looke to so Calvin well they desire to see the accomplishment of all those good things they have seen accomplished in the greatest part In the part that is behind they desire the accomplishment of that and out of that expectation they looke into these Mysteries That is another ground And it goes upon good reason for expectation will alway carry the eye as well as admiration alway longing breeds looking So in Judg. 5. the Mother of Sisera shee expected her Sons tryumphant returne shee looked out of the Window and said why is his Chariot so long in comming Therefore shee looked to see if shee could spie him So in that place John 8. concerning Abraham Abraham desired to see my day and saw it and rejoyced The expectation of the accomplishment of the promise made to Abraham made Abraham looke still to be carried with a holy desire that it might be accomplished So Symeon Luke 2. when Christ was present in the Temple Symeon had long waited for the consolation of Israel therefore when he came and saw Christ he could not turne his eyes off him the reason why he fixed his eyes on Christ was because he had long waited for the accomplishment of that day therefore expectation made him set his eyes on him so because the Angells are still in expectation of the accomplishment of that that is not yet finished therefore they looke to these Mysteries And the point is this it shall be the Excellency of the grace of hope that hope though it be the grace of the way yet hope in part is a grace of the Countrey hope is a glorious grace in common to us with the Patriarchs for the Patriarchs were stil in expectation of the first comming of Christ as we are of his second Nay it 's a grace common to us not onely with Patriarchs but to us with Angells the Angells themselves are still in hope there is something that is the object of hope in Angells that is the fullfilling of those Promises that Christ hath reserved to be fullfilled to the last times the second comming of Christ to Judgement that shall put an end and period to these secular days of misery in this World and turne all days into one that glorious day the Saints and Angells in Heaven are still in expectation of therefore because that is the complement the Consummatum est of all the Mysteries of Salvation therefore the Angells desire to look into them that as Christ said it is finished on the Crosse before he gave up the Ghost to the work of our redemption passive so to the worke of faith there shall be such a word pronounced at the last day till then we live by hope and we need not be ashamed Hope maketh not ashamed it is an excellent grace common with us to Angells It is a thing to be deplored in Christianity and I will take order to remedy it as much as I can that among all other graces in Christianity the grace of hope is so little spoken of when did you heare in a Sermon hope spoken of to purpose One of the three Sisters is almost jusâ—led out of the World it is the twine ofaith they hang upon each others shoulders faith makes present hope staies with patience all the comfort of a Christian depends upon hope it is lamentable that so eminent a grace should never be thought of we know not what it is to live by hope faith is that grace it is true that is to be magnified but the setting up of that excellent grace of faith hath almost drowned this grace of hope while there is any thing to be fullfilled we live by hope and we need not be ashamed it is common to us with Angells Nay it is proper to us more then to them for when we come to fruition perfect fruition hope ceaseth when there is no expectation there cannot possible be any hope there Therefore here is the Use we are to make of the point that as the Angells are in expectation and live by hope so we should labour to put in this drop of Balsome into all our comforts to know that our life is a life of expectation and much more of expectation then the Angells they are in fruition and perfect blisse there are onely some accessories to be accomplished for them yet they live by hope If they live by hope in Vision shall not we much more that are in the state of mortality and breath after fruition But this is the very ground of the Angells desire and inspection into these Mysteries hope and expectation because they are in expectation of the accomplishment of the rest that God will fullfill the remnant of the Elect and the remainder of the Promises that are not yet fullfilled This
is that that breeds inspection this is the second true ground from expectation The third ground or Radix whence this desire comes it is from contentation whereas in humane things contentation makes desire to cease in celestiall things it increaseth desire and from contentation they desire to behold they are ravished with the great mercy of God in the work of redemption O they desire to be more ravished they are satisfied and would be more they are full yet they desire as if they were empty they have all and yet they desire as if they had nothing sayth Gregory they alway see these Mysteries yet they alway desire to see them I joine these two together least any man should have mistaken the nature of Angelicall desire how it stands and though this desire be a bar to contentation when we understand and conceive of desire that comes from want we are onely to limit it to humane things so St. Austin defines desire it is a longing after those things that we have not no man desireth that that he hath when he comes to fruition desire ceaseth but Thomas Aquinas shews well by a good distinction how desire may well stand with contentation and fruition Desiderium habendum c. Desire of things that we have not that we may have it that argues want but desire of the things that we have already that it may be continued that argues not a necessity and want so the Appetite and desire of the Angells what is it not of want but complacency not an Appetite and desire of more but a desire of the continuance of that they have there is desire and there is fruition in their saciety there is no dstiast and in their desire there is no want sayth Gregory well So now it shews us the excellent beatificall estate in Heaven in what it consists in that glory and joy there shall be fullnesse and yet desire there shall be the fruition of all good things promised and yet an earnest longing after the continuation of it Isidore sets it out sweetly there shall be thirst in Heaven and saciety A man would wonder that there should be thirst in Heaven yes sayth he the Saints shall alway be full and shall alway long and thirst but it is not a thirst of necessity and there is no loathing and distast in that fullnesse It shews us an excellent difference between Heavenly and Earthly things the nature of Earthly things how is it Why thus Earthly things are alway desired when we want them desire ceaseth when we have them And againe Earthly things we love them most when we want them and lesse when we have them looke over all Earthly things and you shall find that it is so meat and drink they naâ—ciate after fullnesse all pleasures whatsoever after a man hath taken his fill of pleasure he disgusts them they are unsavory I those very fashions you are so much delighted in that no Preaching Heaven it selfe cannot fetch you out of If Christ himselfe were on Earth I am confident he would not prevaile with you I say those fashions that Heaven it selfe cannot fetch you out of your folly yet after you have used them a while use makes you sick of them and your owne humours make you weary because all things Earthly make weary and happy we are that when we have them we begin to loath and distast them and be sick of them but it is otherwise with celestiall things they are most loved when we enjoy them are most desired when they are had there is no Heavenly thing that nauciates a man is never sick of any thing that is Heavenly there is no loathing of that it is not so with grace and glory the Angells as Peâ—rus Damianus he makes the Observation sayth he they are alway full of that they alway desire and they alway desire that they are alway full of glory cannot be distastfull nay grace is not so how far grace is from being distastfull it is of that sweetnesse that a man never thinks he wants it till he hath it O how sweet is it that grace is of such a Heavenly relish that a man is so far from thinking he hath too much when he enjoys it that he never thinks he hath enough nay he never thinks he hath it till he hath it this is a holy Coveteousnesse as the Apostle sayth the very temper of a Coveteous man is the more he hath the more he desires it is the onely temper commendable in grace the more a man hath the more he longs and thirsts Spirituall things the more they are enjoyed the more they are desired this should more stir up our desire O how should we long for Heaven that are out of it when the Angells long so that injoy it When they long that are in fruition how should not we long for the fruition Yet Heaven we cast behind our backs therefore we should stir up our souls as David As the hart panteth after the Rivers of Water nay let us change the phrase and turne it to a more sublime example not as the hart but as the very Angells pant and long and breath and desire to looke into those Mysteries so doth my soul after thee O God after the place where the Angells are say againe with David O that any would give me to drink of the Water of Bethell Nay save the labour God hath given us to drink of Christ the Water of the Well of Bethell say againe with David O that I had Wings like a Dove that I might fly away and be at rest Nay save the labour he hath given thee Wings of the Dove the holy Ghost descended in fire upon the Apostles the gifts and graces that descended are the Wings of the Dove and you may save that labour Therefore to shut up all with the holy desire of the Angells they are alway conversant about spectacles of happinesse and yet never weary of their speculation and the more they have the more they thirst and the more they are satisfied the lesse they are satisfied and though they have fullnesse yet they desire to have it continued That is the third ground The fourth and last ground that is the Radix of the desire of the Angells it grows from exultation from abundance of joy that they rejoyce in the revelation of those Mysteries and they desire that they may alway rejoyce they alway desire the continuance that they may rejoyce They rejoyce both in respect of Themselves and in respect of Vs There are these two reasons of their joy and so of their inspection and these are the two most proper reasons of all the rest One reason of their joy is a respect they have to themselves they rejoyce in the Mysteries of Salvation because they have the benefite of them the benefite of Christs meditorious work extends to Angells The Apostle Paul shews plainly Ephes 1. It pleased God to recapitulate or gather to one to sum up
resolves to keep all therefore he saith he loves all If we will get his resolution to keepe them we must get it to love them here is the first thing what he had done for the time past I have loved it is but transient and occasionall therefore I will not stand longer on it The second is not onely a testification of what he had done but of what he would doe set downe by two resolutions First in the first part of the words My hands will I lift up to thy Commandements which I have loved here is love the Load-stone and the hands though they be feeble will follow after love the Proverb is now altered it is not Vbi amor ibi oculus I will lift up mine eyes but my hands his heart was enlarged and his hands were lift up he shews his love in the outward parts as well as in his affections I will lift up my hands to thy Commandements which I have loved A new expression and hath not a paralell that I know of in all the Scripture therefore it will not be so easie to give the proper and true grounded meaning of it why it is set in this forme I will lift up my hands to thy Commandements There are other wayes it might have beene varied and then the meaning would be easie if it had beene thus I will lift up my eyes to thy Commandements to lift our eyes to Gods Commandements is to apply our selves to the reading and learning of them and to study of the mysteries of the Kingdome of Heaven Or if it had run thus I will lift up my heart to thy Commandements there are many paralell places for it To thee O Lord will I lift up my soule he that sets his heart upon God sets his heart upon Gods Commandements the heart will be lift up though it move not in the body it can goe up to Heaven and ascend to the place from which the Commandements come to the â—hrone of God but it is not so I lift mine heart or I lift mine eyes if it had run thus I will stretch forth my hands to thy Commandements there might have beene a faire account to stretch out our hands to thy Commandements to apply our selves to practise for a man to imploy himselfe to and imbrace it and delight in it The 〈◊〉 Land shall stretch forth their hands to God that 〈◊〉 a phrase paralell in that sence but it is no◠〈…〉 Lastly if it had run thus the sence had been easie I will lift up mine hands unto thee we lift up our hands to God in prayer and the proper gesture of Prayer is to spread and lift up our hands even Aristotle himselfe foresaw so much and it was the practise of the Heathens as appeares in Homer Horace Virgill and other Poets but Aristotle heare him for all when we goe about to make our Prayers we stretch forth our hands to Heaven or lift them up the proper gesture of prayer is to lift up the hands Paul shews it 1 Tim. 2. I will that men pray in every place lifting up pure hands The lifting up of the hands is put in Scripture for Prayer but it will not beare it so it is not good sence I will lift my hands in prayer to thy Commandements The Commandements are not the object for prayer to be directed to but God I will pray to thy Commandements we cannot doe so unlesse it be by insinuation we may take it so as a gesture of prayer I will lift up my hands to thy Commandements that is to thee in thy Commandements in the custody of thy Commandements Obedience is a forcible Prayer to God it selfe A man that comes to God in Prayer must bring obedience and so lift up his hands to the Commandements Or else thus I will lift up my hands to thee for the keeping of thy Commandements no man can keep the Commandements but by Prayer it is grace that must come from God and be fetched by Prayer by insinuation We may take it as a gesture but that is not the proper meaning in all these variations the meaning had been easie but there is an Emphasis in both words I will lift up and I will lift up my hands to thy Commandements both words are remarkable Sometimes the lifting up of the hands doth not betoken supplication sometimes it betokeneth admiration the lifting up of the hands when men are astonished and ravished with an object it might be so well there was no mans soule more taken and ravished then Davids when he was in contemplation of Gods commands I will lift up my hands admiring the excellency of the commandements We lift up our hands sometimes when we betake our selves to refuge and David might well consider it as his refuge hee looked over all outward helps he was in affliction and distresse hee leaves all inferiour helps and hath recourse to God and he goes the right way in the way of his commandements The hands are lift up sometimes for comprehension when men lay hold of a thing that is the meaning I have lift up my haands to thy commandements for the laying hold and practising of them both words have an Emphasis First upon the word Elevabo I will lift up it implies thus much the commandements of God are sublime A man lifts up his hand to that that is above him they are of a sublime nature they are sublime commandements they are all above us they are sublime and high in many respects Sublime in respect of the originall they come downe from God The doctrine of John Baptist it was from heaven all the commandements they were given from the mount they are higher then so they are given from heaven from God himselfe they are sublime in the Originall Sublime in the matter of them heavenly oracles dictats of divine wisdome And sublime in regard of the difficulty in keeping of them they exceed humane strength too nature cannot reach them nay nor grace according to that small proportion we receive in this world grace is infirme but nature is altogether impotent Lastly in respect of the scituation of the commandements In truth and in deed we have them in the booke of God but they are written also in heaven Lord saith David thy word endures for ever in heaven Moses Deut. 30. he tels the people the commandement is not farre it is not in heaven but in thee in thy heart and in thy mouth not as if it were excluded from heaven for that is the proper place of it but he speaks by way of dispensation because God made it neere to men when he gave it so he saith it is not in heaven or else it is properly in heaven because it is the Idea of the divine mind will and counsell of God it is in heaven because it is imprinted and graven perfectly in the hearts of the Saints and Angels it is not only perfectly written there but perfectly kept there all the essentiall parts
that though they be Mysteries of Heaven and so above them yet as they are things tending to Salvation so they are beneath them why the Angells are carried with such affection to bestow their speculations upon these Mysteries that is the thing I am to speake of at this time That I may doe it throughly I will goe in the Philosophers method he that will fill his hand must empty it and he that will set downe the true causes must remove all false pretended causes there must be a paring away of all weake and tottering foundations that there may be a firme foundation laid therefore this method I will proceed in I will first shew those false grounds and Originalls that are pretended and there I shall touch though I would not dwell upon them the misconstructions that are made of this Scripture And then I will set downe in order briefly the true grounds and Originalls and they are more then one In this method I will goe And first I will remove that that is vile to seperate it as Jeremie speaks to Winnow the Chaffe from the Wheate Looke first upon the Chaffe there are false grounds and Originalls pretended and they may be reduced to foure heads otherwise I can hardly find a fifth I thinke Either curiosity that that might be a ground to desire to looke further then was revealed to them Or feare that might be the ground they were afraid they should not be found faithfull in their service and speculation Or envy that might be the ground that they look to them as maligning the happy estate of man that he was placed in that all this excellent provision should be for the Salvation of man onely Or ignorance that might be the cause that because they are barred of some knowledge that it may be was necessary therefore desiring to come to the improvement of this excellent knowledge they desire to know these things Looke upon them once againe more particularly The first false ground pretended is feare that they should not be found faithfull in their ministration that was the fancy of Origen though a very learned man and of great antiquity and of noble memoriall yet it was the fancy he propounded to himselfe in his 11. Homilie on the Booke of Numbers The Angells desire to looke into the Mysteries of Salvation for this reason because they feare that else they should be found negligent and since they are put in trust to Minister to those that are heires of Salvation and that they in their kind were to cooperate to mans Salvation and that the Apostles and Prophets had taken so great pains the Apostles in making knowne the Mysteries of the Gospell hence came the Angells inspection they were afraid they should be exceeded in their service and imployment by the Apostles and they should be found sloathfull and not so dilligent every way as God required of them and so they should come to be judged by the Apostles and Saints at the last day according to that place Know ye not that ye shall judge the Angells I call this a meere fancy because there are two rotten Pillars it stands on One that it supposeth that the Angells that are confirmed in grace can possibly be sloathfull and idle in their performance Another that it supposeth thus much that the holy Angells that as they are confirmed in grace so in happinesse that they can be called to account at the last day and be subject to any judgement these things are supposed of all and granted and demonstrated out of Scripture that gives them the title of holy and elect Angells and Angells of light they are grounds demonstrable in Scripture the Angells as they are confirmed in grace so in happinesse being confirmed in happinesse they are not liable to account being confirmed in grace there is no feare that they should be unfaithfull Nay howsoever the Prophets and Apostles were the most faithfull Servants of Christ and went beyond all men whatsoever yet their fidelity comes far short of the Angells for there was humane frailty mingled with them St. Paul acknowledgeth it that laboured more abundantly then all There was no feare of the Angells that they should be judged by the Apostles because they were lesse faithfull then they This is a meere fancy and dreame therefore the first ground cannot stand that is wronge Secondly let us looke on another The second Originall or ground pretended is that it might be out of â—uriosity that being knowing Spirits very inquisitive to know somwhat further then was revealed to them To this head we may refer that other fancy of Turian and Salmer that were both Birds of a Popish feather that are of opinion that the things that the Angells desire to looke into so much they are the mysteries of Christs presence in the Eucharist they look into the Mysteries of the Eucharist to see Christs Body carnally present there under the Elements of Bread and Wine Sameron the Jesuite quotes Gregory for it there is nothing tending to that purpose there Indeed he speaks as other of the Fathers of the presence of the Angells in the Church of God when we are conversant about mysteries but not to looke to that especially that is not that the Angells make the object of their speculation a non entitie the Angells are not so ignorant the Angells rejoyce when they see the true adoration sincere worship given to God but one the other side they greive and shut their eyes when they see Gods glory given to Creatures as it is by them The Angells are not curious to looke into things secret they will not greatly be delighted with superstitions that will vanish That could not be the ground curiosity I call that not onely a fancy but a folly A third pretended ground is that it must be out of envie or malignity they had to man because that all this excellent provision was onely for mans Salvation Howsoever the Angells are confirmed in grace and so had by one communication all those good things that are dispensed to us by many yet there is more manifestation of Gods goodnesse to man then appeared to Angells more manifestation in regard of the effect And that it is that that was Phillippus Solitarius one of the Ancients the reason why the Angells make inspection into the Mysteries of Salvation it is this because they are not well pleased that all those priviledges should be bestowed upon man Therefore sayth he we must interpret it thus they desire to looke into that is to enter into these things to partake of them they desire that Christ would honour and assume their nature as he is in mans nature they desire that they may have the power of the keys given them as it was to the Apostles This is the greatest evill of the rest to suppose such an irregularity that they should desire more honour then God hath given them and that they should envy man No these two envy and pride were