but Christ ascended to Heaven that his departure from them might not be prejudicial to them but that they might have comfort through the God of comfort the spirit of comfort the Holy Ghost I will send the Comforter And though there was no losse by the ascension of Christ they might fear by losing of Christ that all their comfort was gone I but Christ telleth them I go to prepare a place for you He goeth to take up Heaven for his Church and then to send his spirit What a blessed intercourse is there now since Christs ascension between Heaven and Earth Our body is in heaven and the spirit of God is here on earth The flesh that he hath taken into heaven is a pledge that all our flesh and bodies shall be where he is ere long In the mean time we have the spirit to comfort us and never to leave us till we be brought to the place where Christ is This is great comfort and this is the main end why Christ ascended to the Father that he might send the comforter And comfort might well come now in more abundance then before because by the death of Christ all enemies were conquered and by the Resurrection of Christ it was discovered that God was appeased The Resurrection of Christ manifested to the world what was done by death and now all enemies being conquered and God being appeased what remains but the sweetest gift next Christ the Holy Ghost And that is the reason why the holy Ghost was more abundant after Christs Resurrection because God was fully satisfied and declared by the rising of Christ to be fully satisfied and all enemies to be conquered 4. One end likewise of his Resurrection was to make a shew of his Conquest There is a double victory over the Enemy There is a victory in the field and triumph together with it And then there is triumphing in Civitate Regia a triumphing in the Kingly City So Christ did conquer in his death and shewed his Conquest by resurrection but he did not lead captivity captive and make shew thereof till he ascended and then he made open shew of his victorious triumph in Civitate Regia 5. One special end likewise why he would have this Message sent that he was to ascend was that he might appear there in Heaven for us as Heb. 9. He appears for ever in Heaven for us and maketh intercession for us When the high Priest was to enter into the holy of holies which was a type of Heaven he carried the names of the twelve Tribes ingraven in stones upon his brest Christ our true high Priest being entred into the true Holy of Holies carried the names of all his Elect in his breast into Heaven and there appeareth before God for us He carrieth us in his heart Christ doth fulfill that which in John 17. he prayeth for appearing in heaven before his Father by virtue of his blood-shed and that blood that speaketh better things then the blood of Abel it speaks mercy pardon the blood of Abel crieth for vengeance justice but the blood of Christ saith here is one that I shed my blood for And when we pray to God God accepts of our prayers and by virtue of Christs blood-shed there is mercy and pardon and favour procured which is sprinkled by faith upon the soul God manifesting to the soul by his spirit that Christ dyed in particular for such a soul which soul praying to God in the name of Christ that blood not only in Heaven but sprinkled upon the soul speaketh peace there The spirit saith that to the soul which Christ doth in Heaven Christ saith in Heaven I dyed for such a soul the spirit saith in the soul Christ dyed for me and the blood of Christ is sprinkled on every particular soul As Christ in Heaven appears and intercedeth for me so the spirit intercedeth in mine own guilty heart that always speaks discomfort till it be satisfied with particular assurance Christ dyed for me and God is mine and Christ is mine Thus particular faith sprinkleth the blood of Christ upon the soul So that now my sins are not only pardoned in Heaven but in my soul There is not only intercession in Heaven but in my soul My soul goeth to God for pardon and for mercy and rejoyceth in all the mercies it hath and hopeth to have What is done in Heaven is done in a mans soul by the spirit in some measure 6. The last end is that he might shew that our salvation is exactly wrought that God is perfectly satisfied to the full else he should never have risen much lesse ascended to Heaven And therefore if we once believe in Christ for forgiveness of sins and yet say I doubt of salvation it is all one as if you should go about to pluck Christ from Heaven The doubtful distrustful heart till it be subdued by a spirit of faith saith who shall ascend to Heaven to tell me whether I shall go to Heaven or who shall enter into the deep to tell me I am freed from hell I am afraid I shall be damned saith the guilty heart till the spirit of God hath brought it under and perswaded it of Gods love in Christ Say not who shall ascend up to Heaven for that is to bring Christ down from Heaven And what an injurious thing is it to bring Christ from heaven to suffer on the Crosse This is a great indignity though we think not of it to doubt of our salvation and not cast our selves on his mercy For as verily as he is there we shall be there He is gone to take up a place for us he is there in our name as the Husband taketh a place for his spouse And if we doubt whether we shall come there or no we doubt whether he be there or no. And if we doubt of that we doubt whether he hath wrought salvation or no and so we bring him down to the Crosse again Who shall descend to the deep that is to bring Christ from the dead again such is the danger of a distrustful heart So that by Christs ascending into Heaven we may know all is done and accomplished all our enemies are subdued God is appeased and fully satisfied Heaven is taken up in our room and therefore labor for a large heart answerable to the large unchangeable grounds we have for faith to pitch and bottom it self upon Therefore make this further use of this ascension of Christ and thereupon his intercession in Heaven for us He is there to plead our cause he is there as our surety to appear for us and not only so but as a Councellor to plead for us and not only so but one of us as if a Brother should plead for a Brother and not only so but a favorite there too all favorites are not so excellent at counselling perhaps but we have one that is favorite in Heaven
into Christ by a spirit of adoption and have the stamp of the Father upon them The likeness of the Father and of Christ whom God begetsto his own likeness that are in a word like Christ Christ is the first Son and in him and for his sake we are Sons He is the natural Son and they may say our Father that labor to express the disposition of Christ who is the first Son See this disposition of Christ in the Gospel how marvellously patient he was under the hand of his Father obedienâ— to the death of his Crosse humbled full of love full of goodness He went about doing good Do we thâ—n walk as Christ did carry we the image of the second Adam have we the patient humble meek disposition of Christ in our measure do we love Christ in his members God in his Image do we love the Ordinances and the power of Reâ—igion this sheweth what we are and is our conversation sutable to our inward disposition do we walk in light do we shew by our conversation whose Children we are do our speeches give a Character of the inward man If this be in us though in never so small a measure with comfort we may say our Father But may not another man that is not in Christ come to God under the sweet name of our Father yea he may come to him as his Father by creation and providence or sacramentally a Father or as brought into the Church and having God to create him and to provide for him Lord thou hast shewed thy self a gracious Father thus far though I cannot from any inward perswasion say My Father Thus far as I can I say my Father strive against our spiritual infidelity believe God and cast our selves on his gracious promises in Christ God will meet us at the same time and he will send us his spirit to make us his Sons And therefore let no man that hath been a wicked liver be discouraged from going to God in the name of a Father in that wherein he is a Father Lord thou hast created me and preserved me and it is thy mercy I am not in Hell yet thou offer'st to be my Father in Christ thou hast made gracious promises and invited me and upon this when the heart yieldeth to the gracious apprehensions of God as a Father there is a spirit of faith wrought in the heart presently therefore think of the name of a Father and the very thoughts of it will bring the spirit of adoption Only it speaks no comfort to the bitter malicious satanical enemies of Christ and the power of Religion they be Children of the Devil But now poor souls that groan under the burden of sin let them think that God is a Father and of the mercies of God though they do not see they be interested in them By the very contemplation of the mercies of God in Christ and his inviting them to receive them the spirit of God will be wrought in the soul whereby they may have confidence to come to God as a Father I desire you therefore to remember this it is the first Sermon of our Saviour Christ after his Resurrection and therefore forget not to think of God as a Father and Christ as a Brother Indeed whatsoever comfort is in any relation God and Christ have taken it on them A Father is more comprehensive then any other Title Christ is Father and Husband and Spouse And God is our Rock and Shield and whatsoever is comfortable he hath taken on him and in Christ we may command him to be so And if we had ten thousand Worlds they could not be compared to the comforts that arise from hence that we can call God Father It is more to us if we could improve it in our spiritual Trade for Heaven then if we had a thousand worlds especially in dayes of affliction and in the hour of death For it improveth whatsoev er is in the bowels of God for poor distressed souls When nothing else will comfort this will comfort if we can say to God Father Though we cannot make a distinct prayer yet if we can say Father God can pick matter out of our broken Language Now Christ is ascended up to Heaven he doth us more good then he did when he was upon the earth The Sun in the Firmament yieldeth us heat and comfort but if it were nearer it would do us hurt or if further off it would not do us so much good God hath placed it being a common light of the world high to inlighten inferior bodies and to convey influence by means into them And so Christ the Son of righteousness being ascended and advanced to Heaven doth more good then on earth And therefore saith he it is for your good that I ascend It is for our good that we have Christ in Heaven to appear there for us I ascend to my Father and to your Father Father is here taken personally not essentially though it be true in that sense to my Father as the first person of the Trinity especially Christ might well say I ascend to my Father now for he was risen again and was mightily declared to be the Son of God by his Resurrection from the dead Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee that is this day have I declared thee It is said of things fiunt cum pate fiunt they are done when they be open and declared to be done Christ was the Son of God when he rose again because he was discovered by his glorious Resurrection to be so indeed And therefore Christ may well say after his Resurrection I go to my Father and your Father Observe from hence That God in Christ is our Father We say Relations are Minimae entitatis they are little entities founded on others but they are maximae consequentiae of great concernment I beseech you before I leave the point give me leave to go on a little further in this to shew that wonderful mercy that admirable goodness which the tongues and hearts of all the men in the world and Angels in Heaven are not able to express that love of God which is contained in the Relation he hath taken on him in Christ to be our Father 1. Consider who and whom Who the great God that hath the Son to solace himself in he did not adopt us because he wanted Sons he had Sons of his own and Sons of his love to sollace himself in what need he have took Traitors Rebels enemies to make them his Sons Oh it is a marvellous advancement of our nature that God should in Christ become our Father It is said Psalm 113. God abaseth himself to behold things below and indeed so he doth with reverence be it spoken to his great Majesty he abaseth himself in regard of things below In regard of us worms of the earth that be enemies yea Devils by nature For
up in believers reverence and obedience Let us sin because grace abounds is the Devils application of Christs Doctrine These and several other particulars are with much brevity spirituality and perspicuity handled in this Treatise and with that liveliness that they shew they come from one whose own heart savored what he taught to others The largest part of this Book is spent upon that sweet Doctrine viz. A Believers interest in God as a Father and the comforts that flowe from that sweet relation The foundation of our relation to God is here handled and how God is first a Father to Christ and in him to us What can be more comfortable in this earthly interest shaking disjoynting confounding age then to clear up to our souls an interest in God Tolle meum tolle Deum as he said it were better for me there were no God then that he should not be my God this will be thy comfort that when thou canst not say my state my liberty my House my Land my friend my Trade thou may'st be able to say my Father my God If therefore thou savorest the things of God this subject will be acceptable and grateful to thee and if this Treatise may be any wayes instrumental for putting thee upon study how to get it or upon practice how to improve it or in casethy soulsits in darknes how to endeare and clear thy interest the publishers shal have much of their aim and thou wilt have no cause to repent thy cost in buying or thy pains in reading We shall adde no more but this Blessed is that man or woman that hath an interest in him who is the Father of Jesus Christ by eternal Generation and of all believers in Christ by adoption and regeneration in which inheritance and portion that thou may'st have a share shall be the prayer of Thy souls and thy faiths Servants in the work of the Ministery for Jesus sake Simeon Ash James Nalton Joseph Church A heavenly Discourse between Christ and Mary after his Resurrection JOHN 20. 16. Jesus said unto her Mary she turned her self and said to him Rabboni that is to say Master And Jesus said to her touch me not for I am not yet ascended to my Father but go to my Brethren and say to them I ascend to my Father and your Father to my God and your God THe same love of Christ that drew him from Heaven to the womb of the Virgin from the womb of the Virgin to the Crosse and from the Crosse to the grave the same love of Christ moved him to discover himself after he was risen from the grave to them that he knew did intirely and wonderfully love him And therefore before he would ascend to Heaven he did vouchsafe many apparitions and discoveries of himself partly to instruct them in the certainty of his Resurrection and partly but especially to comfort them Those that he knew did love him His first apparition of all was made to Mary the woman out of whom he had cast seven Devils She was much beholding to him and therefore loved much No Sex may discourage any sinner from Christ She expresseth her love to Christ by her desire of finding him by her seeking weeping notwithstanding all impediments before she found him As she wept she stooped down and looked into the Sepulchre and there saw two Angels in white a colour of glory purity and joy because it was a time of joy they were one at the head and the other at the feet As in the Law when the Mercy-Seat was made two Cherubims were also fram'd and placed one at the one end and the other at the other end thereof with their faces looking one towards another And when Christ was risen there were two Angels one at the head another at the feet to shew that peace was to be expected in the true propitiatory Jesus Christ One at the head the other at the feet of the body of Jesus And they sate there it was a time of peace peace was made between Heaven and Earth God and man and here is a posture of peace They sate quietly In Christ Angels and we are at one God and we and all There is a recapitulation and gathering of all things in Heaven and Earth The Angels they attended on Christ in all the passages of his life death till they brought him to heaven They brought news of his birth comforted him in his agony they were at his resurrection and you see here they attend At his ascension they accompany him And as they did to the head so they will to the Members In our Infancy they take charge of our tender years in our dangers they pitch their tents about us in our deaths they carry our souls to Abrahams bosome a place of happiness At our Resurrection their Office is to gather our bodies together That service and attendance they afforded the head they afford to the Members to mysticall Christ as well as naturall Therefore let us comfort our selves in the service they did to Christ Now besides the apparition of the Angells here is the speech of the Angels Woman why weepest thou they knew she had no cause of weeping for Christ whom she sought was ris n again She answereth because they have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him If it had been as she supposed there had been cause enough of her weeping if her Lord had been taken away for when the Lord is taken away what remaineth that is comfortable And if the Lord be not taken away it matters not what is taken away for he is all in all Carnall people so they have their wealth and friends and comforts in the world they care not what is taken away But she is of another mind They have taken away my Lord and what comfort can I have if my Lord be taken away But it was but the speech of an opinion she did but think it And there were two things might lead her truth and probability which is the foundation of opinion Probability he is not here therefore he is taken away Truth Christ promised he would rise again therefore he would take away himself There was certain truth to ground faith and weak probability to ground opinion yet such is the nature of weak persons in distress if there be probability certain truth yet they will be sure to cleave to their probabilities Oh their 's be great sins I but there is greater mercy for faith to lay hold upon So the presumptuous sinner faith God is mercifull I but God hath excluded thee from Heaven thou art an adulterer a swearer a filthy person thy opinion is grounded scarce upon probability God is mercifull but not to such sinners as live in sins against reconciliation as thou dost Therefore when one hath but probability to ground opinion and the other certain truth to ground faith be so wise for our souls
place and Element The perfection of the soul is in Heaven to see Christ face to face and God in Christ Heaven is the Element of a Christian it is his proper Region he is never well till there and there is his rest his solace and contentment and there all his desires are satiated to the utmost Till we be in Heaven we be under desires for we be under imperfections All the while we are in imperfections we are in an uncomfortable estate and while we be so we are not as we would be And therefore wheresoever any are partakers of Christs Resurrection they mind the ascension as present Where any grace is there the thoughts are for Heaven presently Let us take a scantling of our dispositions from hence There be many that think it good to be here alwayes they never think of ascending If they could live here alwayes they would with all their heart but it is not so with a Christian it is his desire to be where his happiness his Saviour his God and Father is where his Country and inheritance is and therefore he mindeth ascension and things to come When any thing is done he thinks that what is done is not yet enough As your great Conquerours in the world they forget what they have conquered and remember what they have yet to do So Christ having got conquest over death he thinks now of ascension to conquer in the eyes of all for it is not enough to conquer in the field but he will conquer in the City he will conquer to Heaven and make shew of his Conquest I ascend to lead captivity captive to make a shew as it is exprest Colos 2. 15. While any thing is to do or receive our souls should not be satisfied but still stretched out to desire further and further still more and more still till we be there where our souls shall be fill'd to the uttermost and there is no place of further deâ—ire as Heaven is the place to satiate and fill all the corners of the soul Quest But how shall we know whether we be risen with Christ or no Resol Partly we may know it by our former courses Christ when he was risen all the Clothes were laid together in the grave he left him behind and rose with an Earth-quake there was a commotion and after his Resurrection he minded Heaven So if ye be risen with Christ your former vile courses lie in the grave your Oaths are gone prophaness and wickedness of life gone Tell you me you are risen while you carry the bonds of your sins about you your prophane wretched swearing ungodly persons filthy speakers that have an heart more filthy vile in body and soul can they have any part in Christ where is that that bound you before you carry it about still therefore you be in the bonds of the Devill you be in the grave of sin there is no rising Resurrection is with commotion there was an Earth-quake when Christ arose and there is an heart-quake when the soul riseth can the soul rise from sin without commotion In the inward man there will be division between flesh and spirit without any adoe at all and therefore they that find nothing to do in their spirits where is their rising again But that which is proper to the occasion in hand is the third where grace is begun there will be an inward proceeding and ascending with Christ How shall I know therefore whether I ascend First by minding things above the Apostle telleth us directly Col. 3. 1. Mind things above be heavenly minded in some sort live the life that Christ did after his Resurrection all his discourse was after his Resurrection of the Kingdom of Heaven and his mind was on the place whither he was to go and so a true Christian indeed that is truly risen his thoughts and discourse is when he is himself heavenly Other things he useth as if he did not as while we be in the world we must deal with worldly things but we must deal with them as that which is not our proper Element 1 Cor. 7. 37. They used the world as if they used it not and they married as if they did not for they knew the fashion of this world passeth away And therefore they that affect earthly glory carnal affections and delights they cannot think of these things with any comfort They be moles which grovel in the Earth Some make a profession and they ascend higher as Kites do but they look lowe they make high professions but their aims are low The true Eagles that ascend to Christ as they ascend so they look upward and upward still they do not mind things below they do not take a high pitch and still continued arthly minded but they look high as well as ascend high therefore let us not deceive our selves 2. Yet more particularly those that ascend with Christ they that are in Heaven and they that are on earth do the same things though in different degrees and measure What do they in Heaven there they meddle not with defilements of the world and so though a Christian be on earth he defileth himself not with the world or ill Company He will converse with them but not defile himself with them They that be in Heaven are praysing of God and so be they much in praysing of God here They that be in Heaven love to see the face of God they joy in it And they that be heavenly-minded here joy in the presence of God in the world the Sacraments and his Children If they be ascended in any degree and measure this they will do And then they will joy in communion with God all they can as they do in Heaven you have some carnal dispositions that are never themselves but in carnal Company like themselves If ever we mean to be in Heaven we must joy in Heaven on Earth that is in them that be heavenly in their dispositions If we cannot indure them here how shall we ever live with them in Heaven What was Christ to ascend for what is the end of his ascension The end of his ascension was to take possession of Heaven in his body which had never been there before 1. And he was to take possession of Heaven in his body for his Church that is his mystical body So he ascended to Heaven carried his blessed body that he took in the Virgins womb with him 2. And likewise he ascended to Heaven to take up Heaven in behalf of his Spouse his Church as the Husband takes up Land in another Countrey in behalf of his Wife therefore he did ascend 3. And likewise he ascended to leave us his spirit that he might send the Comforter He taketh away himself that was the great Comforter while he was below He was the Bridegroom and while the Bride-groom was present they had not such a measure of the spirit Christs presence supplyed all
every thing by name he knows every thing of a man to the very hair he knowes their parts and their very excrements of their parts he knew her and acknowledged her too Mary 1. It is a word of knowledg and familiar acquaintance and acknowledgment 2. It is a word of compassion because he had held her long and now could not longer He pittieth the state she was in he saw her ready to â—ink for grief and melt for sorrow and therefore he said Mary 3. As it is a word of compassion so it is a word full of exceeding love 4. And it is a word of peculiar appropriation Mary whom I have so much respected heretofore And a word of satisfaction on his part out of his pitty and out of his love and former familiarity acquaintance Mary I am the man thou seekest I know what all thy seekings tend to thou wantest him whom thou lovest thou wantest me I am he whom thou seekest She answered him again Rabboni which is interpreted Master She returned him an answer again she spake to him he first began then she follows she found the virtue of his speech in her heart there was an influence of it to her heart and his love witnessing to her heart raised her love to him again So it was an answer of Christs speech and from the same affection an answer of love and an answer of exceeding large affection and satisfaction to her soul Oh my Rabboni the soul of my soule the life of my life my joy my rock my all that can be dear to me Rabboni I have enough As he desired to give her satisfaction so she takes satisfaction in the word And yet it was not full satisfaction for after she claspes about him and would not let him go It was an affection that stirred up much desire more and more to have communion with him so that he was fain to check her afterward Touch me not for I am not yet ascended to my Father she had not enough as indeed a believing affectionate soul hath never enough till it be in Heaven And thus you see the sweet intercourse upon the apparition and first discovery of Christ to Mary He spake to her and she answered him again with the same affection And it is a word of dependance as it is fit Rabboni my Master it is not only a word of honour not any superior but a superior in way of teaching there was submission of conscience to the Rabboni as the Rabboni labouring to sit in the consciences of people It is a Syriack word which signifieth in the originall Multiplication of knowledge in him that speaketh that laboureth to breed much knowledg in him that is spoken to and therefore it is a word of great respect and dependance She might well call him Rabboni for he was Master of Masters Rabboni of Rabbonies the Angel of the Covenant the great Doctor of the Church the great Gamaliel at whose feet all must fit and be taught So ye see what sense and affections are in these little words The fulness of heart that was in this Couple cannot be exprest were it possible to say all that could be said And therefore we leave the Hypothesis and come to make application of it to our selves First we may learn here that till Christ himself discovers himself no teaching will serve the turn No the teaching of Angels will not serve turn till Christ himself by his holy spirit discovers himself when Christ doth it it is done And therefore it should teach us so to attend upon the ministery as to look up to the great Doctor that hath his Chair in Heaven and teacheth the heart If he teach it is no matter how dull the Scholar is He is able to make any Scholar if he instruct I will not inlarge the point because there be particular places wherein they will be inlarged The second thing I will observe is this That Christ when he teacheth he doth it by words not by Crucifixes not by sights We lost our salvation and all our happiness by the ear and we must come to it by the ear again Adam by hearkening to Eve and Eve to the Serpent lost all and we must recover salvation therefore by the ear As we have heard so we shall see We must first hear and then see Life cometh in at the eare as well as death Faith ye know is the quickning of a Christian the spirituall life of a Christian now faith comes by hearing And therefore I beseech you in the bowels of Christ set aside prejudice and meekly attend Gods Ordinances Do not conâ—ider who we are we are but poor Ministers frail men as your selves But consider the Lord that is pleased to convey life and salvation and grace and whatsoever is fit to bring to Heaven this way therefore they that despise this way set light by salvation as the Apostle saith Acts 14. They judge themselves unworthy of the Kingdom of Heaven They can read at home but is that the way God hath sanctified Did not the Manna stink when gathered on the Sabbath day There is a curse upon all private industry and devotion when it is with neglect of publick Ordinances She could have no comfort till Christ spake Nay the very sight of Christ could not comfort her Let this I pray you be enough that I may not inlarge the point any further This is the way for comfort We must hear him in his Ministers here if we 〈…〉 him comfortably 〈…〉 after Come ye blessed oâ— m◠〈◊〉 c. 3. It was but one word Mary and is there so much force in one word yea when it is uttered by Christ One word coming from Christ and set on the heart by the spirit of Christ hath a mighty efficacy The word had an efficacy in creating all things fiat fuit Let it be done it was done Let there be light there was light So let there be light in the understanding and there it shall be presently So in all Christs cures he said the word and it was done So in all spirituall cures let him say the word it is done Nay a very look of Christ if the spirit go along with it is able to convert the soul Respexit Christus flevit Petrus amare Christ lookt on Peter he wept bitterly what will his word do when his look will do so much It was but a word and but one word say but the word saith he in the Gospel and my Servant shall be healed This should make us desire that Christ would speak though but few words to the soul That he would cloath the words of men mightily with his word and with his spirit and then they will be mighty in operatioâ—â—nd works One word but it was a prâ—gnant word It was full of affection she knew it well enough Mary What to call her so familiarly so sweetly by her accustomed name it wrought on her bowels
presently 4. But to go on you see here again that Christ must begin to us before we can answer him He began to Mary and then she said Rabbony all the passages of salvation are done by way of Covenant by way of commerce and entercourse between God and man but God begins first In election indeed we choose him but he chuseth us first And he knoweth who are his and we know him but he knows us first And in calling we answer I but he calleth first and we do but eccho to his call in justification forgivness of sins we accept of justification and submit to the righteousness of Christ and Gods purpose of saving man that way but he giveth faith first for faith is the gift of God We glorifie him here on earth but it is from a result of Gods glorifying us in Heaven some earnests we have but they are of Gods giving All we do is but reflexion of his love first or his knowledge first The Christian soul saith thou art my God I but he saith first I am thy salvation As Augustine saith non frustra dicit anima Deus salus tua when God saith I am thy salvation it is eaâ—ie for the soul to say thou art my God And this may teach us in our devotions when we are to deal with God when we are to bring to him any request to desire him first to reveal himself to us desire Christ to reveal himsâ—lf by his spirit to us It is an errour in he case of mens devotions they think to bring something of their own strength and to break in as it were upon God without his discovery first But Paul saith Gal. 4. 9. We know God or rather are known of him We must desire that he would make known his heart to us first and then we shall know him again that the would speak to us by his spirit and then we shall answer to him again That he would say to our souls he is our salvation and then we may lay claim to him he is our God Desire the spirit of revelation to reveal his bowels and love to us in Christ by his holy spirit for certainly in every return of ours to Christ God begins to us all in all though not so sensibly but we ought to pray every day more and more for a sensible revelation that God would reveal his love to us in Christ And we cannot but answer if Christ saith Mary Mary cannot but answer Rabboni But you will say then it is not our fault but Christs fault if he must begin If God begins we shall answer I answer briefly That God doth alwayes begin to us and is before-hand with us in all dealings with our selves He giveth us many motions and never withdraweth himself from us but when he is despised and slighted first therefore let us take heed that we labour to answer Christs call vvhen he doth call If vve slight it then in a judicious course he ceaseth to speak further to us if vve slight his beginnings of revelations There be many degrees and passages to faith and assurance if vve do not observe the beginning hovv God begins to reveal himself to us by little and little speaking to us by his spirit in our hearts vvhen he begins then in a spirituall judgement sometimes he leaves us to our selves And therefore let us regard all the motions of the spirit and all the speeches of the spirit of Christ for he begins by little and little else our consciences will say afterward we are not saved because we would not be saved We would not yield to all the passages of salvation but when he was beforehand with us and offered many sweet motions yet we loved our sins better then our souls and so repelled all Therefore I beseech you do not refuse the sweet messages from Heaven the gracious and sweet motions of the spirit of Christ make much of them God hath begun to you be sure to answer Learn it of Mary when Christ began she set not her heart and infidelity against it but she opened her heart and said Rabboni learn therefore the duty of spirituall obedience when God speaks speak Lord for thy Servant heareth Do not shut your eares to the motions of Gods blessed spirit do not harden your hearts against his voice but open your hearts as she did Rabboni Our Saviour Christ here saith Mary but when after he had concealed himself from her a long time It is not presently Mary nor Rabboni He had coÌ„cealed himself a great while Christ doth not usually open himself fully at first though at first he doth in some degree but he observeth degrees as in the church in generall You see how that he discovers himself in his gracious promises by little and little darkly at first and at last the Sun of righteousness ariseth clearly So the day-Starre ariseth in our hearts by degrees It is a great while before Mary heareth the satisfying speech of Christ Mary But why doth Christ thus conceal himself in regard of his fuller manifestation It is partly to try and exercise our faith and other graces and therefore God doth seem to withdraw himself in the sence of his love 1. To see whether we can live by faith or whether we be all together addicted to sense as the world is who live altogether by sense and not by faith 2. He would have our patience tryed to the utmost he would have patience have its perfect work she had much patience to indure all this but her patience had not a perfect work till Christ spake 3. Christ will stir up and quicken zeal and fervency in his Children and therefore he seemed to deny the woman of Cnnaan first he giveth no answer but a harsh answer A Dogge And she works upon it though I am a Dogge yet Dogs have crumbs All which denyal was only to stir up zeal and earnestness And therefore though Christ doth not manifest himself to us at first yet it is to stir up zeal and affection to seek after him more earnestly A notable passage there is of this Cant. 3. 16. The soul sought Christ and sought long and sought in the use of all means but at length she waited and in waiting she found him 4. Christ doth this for to set a greater price upon his presence when he comes to make his presence highly valued when he doth discover himsâ—lf Desiderata diu magis placent Things long desired please more sweetly And things when wanted are ingratiated to us as warmth after cold and meat after hunger and so in every particular of this life And therefore God to set a greater price on his presence and that he would be held more strongly when he doth reveal himself he defers a long time That is one reason why he did defer revealing himself to Mary that she might have the more sweet contentment in him when he did reveal
offer thy sacrifice As if he would have his own sacrifice neglected rather then we should not be reconciled to others And so a work of charity and love is preferred before an officium and complement to himself Let us shew our love to the first Table in the second our love to God by our love to man Every thing hath its measure and time Away therefore with this over-much imbracing and touching Go thy way thou hast another work to do Go to my Brethren And so you see as I take it the full meaning of the words Observe the circumstances Who must go Here is a Commission and command And to whom To the Disciples of Christ And when doth Christ bid her go when he was risen and in the first estate of glory What is the Message Tell my Brethren I am ascending to my Fathâ—â— and your Father to my God and your God It is worth your considering a little 1. Who is sent A woman a woman to be the Apostle of the Apostles to bethe Teacher of the great Teachers of the world Mary Magdalen vvas sent to instruct the Apostles in the great Articles of Christs Resurrection and Ascension to Heaven By a Woman death came into the vvorld and by a woman life was preached to the Apostles because indeed she was more affectionate and affection taketh all And that makes that sex more addicted to Religion by the advantage of their affection for Religion is meerly a matter of affection though it must have judgement shine before it yet it is especially in the heart and affections And she had shewed a great deal of affection she stood out when the rest went away John 19. 25. She was constant and broke through all difficulties and then God honoured her to be the first preacher of his Resurrection Gods course is to trust secrets in earthen Vessels that earthen Vessels should carry heavenly treasure and therefore stick not at the Vessel but look to the Treasure A woman may teach the greatest Apostle Look not to the man but to the Message Elias will not refuse the meat because the Raven brought it And a condemned man will not refuse a pardon because a mean man bringeth it Take off pride in spirituall respects When God honours any man to bring news of reconciliation stoop to him of what condition soever he be 2. To whom must she go Go tell my Brethren the Apostles Go to the Apostles that are disconsolate men now Orphans deprived of their Master and Lord. Disconsolate men and not in vain so not without cause for they had reason to be discomforted not only for their want of Christ but for their own ill carriage towards Christ One of them denyeth him and the rest forsake him and yet my Brethren go tell my Brethren When did he speak this after his Resurrection in the state of glory in the beginning of it and when he is ascending to Heaven and yet he owneth them as Brethren though such Brethren as had dealt most unbrotherly with him But how came they to be his Brethren And how come we to be Christs Brother Christ is the first born of many Brethren He is the Son of God by Nature and all others now by grace and adoption Christ is the Primo-genitus amongst many brethren and in Christ we have one Father with Christ We have one honour we shall be all Kings and Heirs of Heaven as he is If Sons then Heirs the Apostle makes the coherence Now we are all in Christ Sons of God Heirs with him To go to the condition of nature that he took our nature and therefore having our flesh he is our Brother The â—â—ry Reprobate may say so Yet that is a ground of comfort that he is a man as we are but that is not the main thing considerable He is our Brother in a spirituall respect in regard of adoption He is the first Son of God and we in him Sonnes He is the first Heir of God and we in him are Heirs And therefore go to my Brethren Beloved It is a point of marvellous comfort that Christ was not ashamed to call them Brethren Psal 22. 22. I will declare thy name amongst by brethren saith Christ Our Saviour Christ alludeth to that Psalm in this passage and so it is read 2 Heb. out of that Psalm Christ hath taken all relations that are comfortable upon him towards us He is the everlasting Father Isai 9. The Prince of peace He is a second Adam and therefore a Father in that regard The first Adam is the Father of all that perish The second Adam is the Father of all that shall be saved As he is our Brother so our Husband He could not be our Husband except he were our Brother He must take our nature and be one with us before we can be one with him He is our friend before this time he called them friends As you see in John I will call you friends But here is a sweeter tearm Brethren There is no relation that hath any comfort in it but Christ hath taken it on him He is our head Husband friend Father Brother and whatsoever can convey comfort to us And the truth of it is he is these things more truly then any Relation is made true on earth For these Relations of Husband and Wife and Brother and Sister and Father and Child are but shadows of that everlasting relation that Christ hath taken upon him the reality and truth it self is in Christ We think there is no Brother but the Brother in flesh no Father but Father in flesh Alas these are but shadows and quickly cease the fashion of the world passeth away Brother is another Relation whereof these are but shadows These do but represent the best things that are in Heaven Christ is the Father Brother Friend and whatsoever is comfortable in Heaven therefore go tell my brethren I but saith the poor soul I that have been so sinfull and so unworthy a wretch shall I have comfort in this that Christ is my Brother and I am Christs I cannot do it I profess thou canst not do it flesh and blood must not teach it thee thou must be taught by the spirit of Christ but consider how the Apostles used Christ Thou canst not call Christ Brother because thou hast been a sinner and hast carried thy self unkindly to Christ And did not the Disciples so did not they leave him and one of them deny him and that with Oaths Therefore whatsoever our sins have been deny not our relation to Christ The poor Prodigal said I am not worthy to be called a Sonne I am not worthy to be called a Servant He denyed not that he was a Sonne but he was unworthy of it And so I aâ— unworthy to be a spouse and brother of Christ yet do not our unfaithfull hearts to much pleasure as to deny our relation The Apostles were
ever it is fit for him he will come If he should come sooner he would come too soon if afterward it would be too late He is the best discerner of times and seasons that can be and therefore wait his leasure If thou want comfort humble soul whatsoever thou art wait his leasure certainly he knoweth the best time and when the time is come he will come He that will come shall come there is no question of that Now as he sent her in all hast preferring it before any Complement to his own person so it is a constant love as it is a quick love that God bears to his Children so it is a constant invincible love They had dealt most unbrotherly with him for every one had forsaken him and Peter had denyed him yet go tell my Brethren One would think this water would have quenched this fire this unkind and unbrotherly dealing would have quenched this love in Christs breast It is true if it had been the meer love of man it had been something but it was the love of an infinite person that took our nature out of love and therefore it was a constant and invincible love nothing could conquer it not the thoughts of their unkind dealings no not their denying and forsaking of him But still go tell my Brethren Love is strong as death Death could not hold Christ in the grave but love held him on the Crosse When he came to the work of our Redemption love then held him on earth but when he was in the grave it brake through all there Indeed it was stronger then death in Christ Why is Christs love so constant so invincible that nothing can alter it The ground of it is it is free love He fetcheth the ground of his love from his own heart not from our worthiness or unworthiness but from his own freedom and Gods eternal purpose God hath purposed to save so many and those and no more he giveth to Christ to save And God looketh on his own purpose and Christs free love and that is the ground of all And therefore whom he loveth he loveth to the end because he looked on us in his election The Lord knoweth who are his the foundation is so sure if once we be Gods we are ever Gods For Christ looks on us in Gods election therefore if ever he sheweth his love to us once his love and for ever his love If any thing in man could hinder it it would have hindered it at our first conversion when we were at worst even enemies if nothing could hinder it then what can hinder it afterwards as the Apostle reasoneth strongly Rom. 5. 10. If we be reconciled by his death much more will he save us by his life If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son now much more being reconciled shall we be saved by his life If when we had no goodness but opposition and rebellion in us we were saved by his death Christ is much more able to save us now by his life triumphing over death and being glorious in the Heavens Oh but saith the poor soul I am a poor weak Creature and ready to fall away every day I but Christs love is constant whom he loveth he loveth to the end What saith the Apostle Rom. 8. neither things present nor things to come shall be able to separate us from the love of Christ and therefore be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might do not trust to your selves nor trouble your selves for things to come If thou be free from guilt of former sins never question time to come God is unchangeable in his nature unchangeable in his love He is Jehovah I am alwayes not I was or will be but I am alwayes If ever he loved thee he will love thee for ever You see the constancy of Christs love go tell my Brethren now when they had most deeply offended him they were Renegadoes having all left him and then when he had most need of their comfort being in greatest extremity and yet go tell my Brethren Beloved let us not lose the comfort of the constancy and immutability of Christs love Let us conceive that all the sweet links of salvation are held on Gods part strong not on ours the firmness is on Gods part not on ours Election is firm on Gods part not on ours We chuse indeed as he chuseth us but the firmness is of his chusing so he calleth us we answer but the firmness is of his action He justifieth we are made righteous but the firmness is of his imputation Will he forgive sins to day and bring us into Court and damn us to morrow no the firmnesse is of his action We are ready to run into new debts every day but whom he justifieth he will glorifie The whole chain so holdeth that all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth cannot break a link of it whom he calleth he will justifie and glorifie therefore never doubt of continuance for it holds firm on Gods part not thine God imbraceth us in the arms of his everlasting love not that we imbraced him first When the Child falleth not it is from the Mothers holding the Child and not from the Childs holding the Mother So it is Gods holding of us knowing of us imbracing of us and justifying of us that maketh the state firm and not ours for ours is but a reflexion and result of his which is unvariable The sight of the Sun varieth but the Sun in the Firmament keepeth alwayes his constant course so Gods love is as the Sun invariable and for ever the same I only touch it as the foundation of wonderful comfort which they undermine that hold the contrary The next point is that Christ chose Mary to go tell his Brethren and under the sweet title of Brethren to deliver this sweet message I am going to my Father and your Father to my God and your God He telleth them the sweetest words in the worst times This point differeth from the former thus The former was that Christs love is constant and alwayes the same but now Christ most sheweth his love when we are most cast down in the worst times if our casting down be with repentance He never said Brethren before but reserved the tearm of Brethren for the worst time of all The sweetest discoveries of Christ are in the worst times of all to his Children Mothers will bring out any thing to their Children that is sweet comfortable to them in their sicknesse though they frowned on them before yet the exigency of the Child requires it when there is need any thing cometh out that may please the Child The poor Disciples were not only in affliction being the scorn of the world the Shepheard being smitten and the sheep scattered but their inward grief was greater they were inwardly confounded and
and is excellent at pleading that can non-suit all accusations laid against us by the Devil He is the Son of God and he is one of us he appeareth not as a stranger for a stranger as the Councellor is perhaps for his Clyent but he appears as our Brother Let us think of the comforts of it He appears for us to plead our Cause with acception of his person and Cause For he before whom he pleadeth God the Father sent him to take our nature die and ascend into Heaven for us to sustain the persons of particular offenders He must needs hear Christ thaâ— sent him for that purpose Where the Judge appoints a Councel it is a sign he favoureth the cause Perhaps we cannot pray are disconsolate and vexed with Satans temptations the poor Clyent hath a good cause but cannot make a good cause of it but if he get a skilful Lawyer that is favourable to him and before a favourable Judge his comfort is his Advocate can make his Cause good If we would confess our sins as that we must do we must take shame to our selves in all our distress and disconsolation of spirit we must lay open our estates to God and complain and then desire God to look upon us and Christ to plead our cause for us and answer Satan and when Satan is very malicious and subtle as he is a very cunning enemy to alledge all advantages against us to make us despair remember this we have one in heaven that is more skilful then he that is the accuser of the Brethren That accuseth us to God and to our own souls that accuseth every man to himself and maketh him an enemy to himself But we have a pleader in heaven that will take our part against the Accuser of our Brethren and quiet us at length in our Consciences Perhaps we may be troubled a while to humble us but remember that he is in Heaven purposely to plead our Cause It is a good plea to God Lord I know not what to say my sins are more then the hairs on mine head Satan layeth hard to me I cannot answer one of a thousand I confess all my sins hear me and hear thy Sonne for my sake he is now at thy right hand and pleadeth for me And desire Christ to plead for us We have not only all the Church to pray for us Our Father but we have Christ himself to plead for us and make our cause good If Christ saith I shed my blood for this person and appear now by virtue of my redemption and the condition of the Covenant is if we confess our sins he is merciful to forgive and if we sin we have an Advocate in Heaven to whom we must lay claim the party hath confest the debt and therefore the bond must be cancelled He hath performed the conditions on his part and therefore make iâ— good on thine own part And being the spirit hath shamed thee for thy sins what can the Devil say What saith Paul It is God that justifieth who shall condemn If God the party offended do justifie who shall condemn It is Christ that dyed that is not enough that is risen again that is not enough it is Christ that rose again and sitteth at the right hand of God for us and maketh intercession for us who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect let the Devil accuse what he will Christ is risen to shew that he hath satisfied and is now in heaven there appearing for us Oh that we had hearts large enough for these comforts then should we never yield to base temptations It is against the pleasure of God that we should be disconsolate therefore we wrong our own souls and sin against our own comfort when we let the rains loose by inordinate and extream sorrow We lose that sweetnesse that we might injoy by giving way to discomfortable thoughts Indeed if a man examine his life from the beginning of his conversion to the end thereof he may thank himself for all his trouble The sin against the holy Gospel is a kind of rebellion against God though we think not so when we will not be comforted nor imbrace grounds of comfort when we have them The comforts of God ought not to be of small esteem to us the sweet comforts large exceeding eternal comforts of God we ought to esteem of them as they be and therefore our Saviour Christ sendeth to them speedily All Scripture is to this end for consolation even the Scripture that tendeth to instruction and direction that so men may be in a state of comfort for Cordials are not good but where there is purgation before So all Scriptures that are purging to tell us our faults they be to bring us into a comfortable condition Other Scriptures that tend to instruct our judgements and settle us in faith what is the end of all if we walk not comfortably towards God and strongly in our places Therefore when we look not to comfort and joy in all conditions we abuse the intendments of God But I beseech you make not a bad use of it for if you know it to be so if it worketh not gratiously on you and winneth you to respect God the more and love him that is thus indulgent and gratious but go on in offending conscience and break peace off then at length conscience will admit of no comfort Many that have had excellent comforts have made havock of their consciences and will go on in spight oâ— Ministers in spight of their consciences and Gods spirit joyned with conscience at length it is just with God to give them up to despair wicked sinners that trample the blood of Christ under their feet But for all other that strive against corruption and would be better it is a ground of marvellous comfort I shall come to the Message it self tell them I ascend He speaketh of that as present which was surely to be So we should think of our future Estate as if we were presently to go to heaven Faith hath this force to make things to come present If we could keep it in us and exercise it could we live in any sin but that it is distant that is the cause of sinning we put off things in a distance if it be at the day of judgement that is far off and therefore they will not leave their present pleasure for that that shall not be they know not when But look on things in the word of a God that is Jehovah that giveth a being to all who hath spoken of things to come as if present and then you will be of another mind Faith is the priviledge of a Christian which maketh things a far off present No wicked man but would leave his swearing and prophaness if he saw the joyes of Heaven and pains of Hell and it were no thanks to him but to believe God on his word that
these things shall be that is the commendations of a man and the excellency of a Christian above another man Another man doth all by sense but the Christian will trust God on his word I ascend saith Christ We must not think of the ascâ—nsion of Christ as a severed thing from us but if we would have the comfort of it we must think of it as our selves ascending with him Think of Christ as a publick person and a surety for us and then we shall have great comfort in that that he saith I ascend God prepared paradise before he made the Creature he would have him to come into a place of honour and pleasure And so God before ever we were born provided a place and paradise for us in Heaven that we might end our dayes with greater comfort We may be streightned here many a good Christian hath scarce where to lay his head but Christ is gone to prepare a place for them in Heaven And this may comfort us in the consideration of all our sins for sin past and for corruption present and for any sin that we may commit for time to come for any thing that is past if we confesse our sins to God he will forgive them the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sins even for the present corruptions that attend on us We have one that stands between God and us as a surety he will give us his spirit to subdue our corruptions and at length make us like himself a glorious spouse If we were perfect men we needed not a Mediator and this may teach us comfort rather because we are sinners and daily subject to offend God We have one to make our peace for time to come if we sin we have an Advocate When Christ taught us to pray forgive us our daily tuespasses he supposed we would daily run into sins We have an Advocate in Heaven every day to stand between God and us to answer God to undertake that at length we should cease to offend him and for the present we are such as he shed his pretious blood for and he appeareth for us by vertue of his death which is a marvellous comfort We think if we commit sin there is no hope but what needs a Mediator but to make peace between the parties disagreeing If all things were made up between God and us what need of an intercessor but God knoweth well enough we run into daily sins by reason of a spring of corruption in us which is never idle And therefore we may daily go to God in the name of our Advocate and desire God for Christs sake to pardon and desire Christ to intercede for us let us therefore shame our selves There is not a Christian but will be in himself apprehensive of being thrown into Hell every day There is a spring of corruption in him and should God take a forfeiture of his daily rebellions his conscience tells him it were just And therefore we must every day live upon this branch of his priestly office his mediation We must live by faith in this branch of Christ and make use of it continually for this will keep us from hell And therefore if we sin every day go to God in the name of Christ and desire him to pardon us This is to feed on Christ and therefore we should more willingly come to the Sacrament When we be in heaven we shall need a Mediator no longer for we shall be perfectly holy We cannot think of these things too much they be the life of Religion and of comforts and it may teach us to make a true use of Christ in all our conditions Poor souls that are not acquainted with the Gospel they think God will cast them into hell for every sin and they live as if they had not an high Priest in Heaven to appear for them The matter of the message is Christ ascendeth to God as a common Father and God to him and them He doth not say I ascend to the Father that were no great comfort for what were that to them or to my Father only neither doth he say I ascend to our Father for that is true in the order of it for he is not in equal respect the God and Father of Christ and the God and Father of us And therefore he speaks of himself in the first place I go to my God and your God For he is first and specially Christs Father and Christs God and then ours as we shall see in the particulars We have a common Father and a common God with Christ God the Father is Christs Father by eternal generatioÌ„ as he is God and man we have therefore the nature of Christ ashe is God and man There is this difference between Gods being Christs Father and the Father of any else First of all God is Christs Father from eternity God had a being and was a Father from all eternity There is no man of equal standing with his Father he is born after his Father cometh to be a man but Christ is of God from all eternity his generation is eternall and therefore there is a grand difference Then Christ is coequal with the Father in glory and majesty every way The Sun is not coequal with the Father but Christ is with his Father Again the Son in other Generations comes of the Father and is like the Father taken out of his substance but of a different substance from the Father but Christ and the Father both the persons are in one substance in one essence The essence of the Father differeth not from the essence of the Son We must remember this to give Christ the prerogative and preheminency that God is his Father in another manner then ours He is his Father by nature ours by adoption What he is by nature we are by grace though Christ was intent upon his ascension yet he forgetteth not this grand differrnce here but mentioneth it Go to my Brethren We must not call him brother again we may think of him as our Brother but my God and my Lord as Thomas saith If the greatest person should call us Brother yet it is most behoveful for the inferior to say my God my Lord to acknowledge Christ as a great person and to make use of his love to strengthen our faith not to diminish our respect to him in any way It is his infinite mercy to tearm us Brethren but when we go to him we must have other tearms Thus we see how to conceive of Christ after his Resurrection When he hath triumphed over all his enemies and reconciled God by his death then I go to my Father and your Father Then he is a common Father by virtue of Christs satisfaction to divine wrath and justice and victory and triumphing over all his enemies So we must not conceive of God as our Father but in reference to Christs victory over death God is our
to hear all the comforts spoken of before For all to whom he is a God in the Covenant of grace and have hearts to make him so the spirit raiseth up their affections to make him a God to themselves Amor tuus Deus tuus as it is said of old what we love most is our God What we joy most in is our God what we relie and trust in most is our God as it was said of the wedge of gold And therefore if any thing hath our affections more then God or equal with God that we make our God It is a quaere of the greatest concernment in the world to put to our hearts What do I make my God as David putteth the quaere to himself now Lord what is my hope is it not in thee And so put this quaere to our selves Lord what is my joy what is my hope what is my trust what is my comfort is it not in thee If our hearts cannot make an answer to this in some sincerity surely as yet we have not made God our God Time may be that he may be so but till by the spirit of God we be brought to see an emptiness and vanity in the Creature and a nothingnesse in all in comparison of God that we can say whom have I in Heaven but thee We have not comfort because we do not make him ours by a spirit of mutuallity Where there is a Covenant of grace there must be a mutual making of God our God as he maketh himself to us Alas we may be ashamed of it the best do often forget themselves Oh how do men value the favours of a man and the promises of a man the seal of a man for such and such a benifice and how doth it grieve them to have the frowns of flesh and blood the frowns of greatness but when their Consciences tell them they are under guilt of many sins and God is not in good tearms with them how doth this affect them and when their consciences cannot say they have promises sealed in Christ of the favours and mercies of God here and hereafter alas it is dead comfort 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 give me that which is present and take you that which is to come is the Language of both How few can say from sincerity of heart that they make good to be their God And therefore it is of greater concernment then we take it Vse 2. As it is a ground and foundation of comfort so of all obedience to God as it is prefixed before the Commandements I am the Lord your God you shall have no other Gods but me do all in obedience to me from this ground But much more now then he was the Lord God that brought them out of Egypt But now God may prefix I am your Lord God in Christ that have brought you from hell and damnation that intend you Heaven and happiness and therefore do so and so Since this is the spring of all obedience we ought to labor to make it good and often to examine our selves as before what we make our God and what we pitch our affections on Alas is our soul for any thing but God hath not God made us for himself and will our hearts rest in any thing but God why then should we love vanity and besot our selves when death comes they may say as Saul said The Philistins are upon me and God hath forsaken me Death is on me trouble sickness vexation of conscience is on me and God hath forsaken me I have no God to go to what a miserable estate is this And therefore I beseech you let us labor to have interest in the Covenant of grace to make it good that God is our God in Jesus Christ Who giveth us a being to be Christians to have a new nature to have a good being but God who maintaineth and preserveth that being but God and who keepeth and preserveth us till we get into a glorious being in Heaven but God who is all-sufficient self-sufficient sole-sufficient only sufficient this God is our God now in Christ God is to us in a more special singular manner then to other Creatures because he hath raised us to a more excellent being not only as men we being in the highest rank of Creatures next the Angels and so he is a God to us more then to inferior Creatures that have a more circumscrib'd and narrow being Man hath a large being a reasonable soul and is fitted by nature to have communion with God who is wisdom it self and with Angels but all this were little comfort unless we had higher degrees of being then this If God be our God in Christ we have a spiritual being which is as much above the dignity and prerogative of our ordinary being as our being by nature is above the basest Creature in the world And so God setteth a stile upon us sutable to the excellency of our spirituall being there is nothing excellent in the world but we are learned by it Now to let out the advancement and excellency of the dignity we have from God in a special manner to be Sons Jewels his Portion his diadem to be whatsoever you can imagine that is glorious and excellent An excellent condition though spiritual and concealed from the world Gods Children are concealed men as you shall see afterward they be hidden men the world taketh no notice of them because their excellency is seen with another eye then the world hath The God of the world blindeth the eyes of worldlings They cannot see into the excellency of Gods Children no more then they can know God himself and Christ himself So you see what it is to be a God in nature and in grace to be all in all unto us to have our whole subsistance and dependence in him in him we live and move and have our being and well-being In this our excellency consisteth that God is our God in Christ who was God and that he might bring God and us to good tearms together that he might make God our God he was Emanuel God with us to make God with us in favour and love The God-head is nearest the humane nature of Christ of any Creature it is nearer to Christ then to the Angels for God hath not taken the Angels into hypostatical union to be in the same person but God in Christ is so near our nature that there is an hypostatical union they make one person our nature being taken into the second person By reason of this near union of the God-head to our nature cometh that comfort and near union between God and our nature whereby God hath sweet communion with us in Christ God by his spirit though not hypostatically yet gratiously is one with us and hath communion with us now as his Children so that sweet entercourse between God and us now is founded upon the nearness of the god-head to our nature in Christ
of God whatsoever is peculiar to our present condition for considering he hath made himself a God to us he is all-sufficient for every turn therefore out of his all-sufficiency take out whatsoever is fit for any particular exigency Lord I am now in a straight and want wisdom thou in Christ hast abundance of wisdom Christ hath in him all treasures I now want friends I want counsel I want help I want strength God hath a fulness of all this for his Children He hath it not only to content himself and look on his own happiness but for his friends that be in covenant with him that be in covenant with him that be so near him that he will own him to be their God If you aske what is Religion it is to know God to have all-sufficiency in him for my good and then to make use of him by dependance on him for that good and by advancing of him in giving him the due honour and thanks of it And therefore we deserve not the names of religious persons if we do not study what he is to his Creatures in the Covenant of grace Then make use of it by a spirit of dependency and alwayes giving praise and thanks This is our whole man and what is all else nothing but trouble and vanity Get our bonds sealed that he is our God and then break with all the world beside come what can come or what will come we are sure to be safe It is a comâ—ort of wonderful large extent The use of the Sacrament is to seal that God is our God in particular and that Christ is ours as verily as the Bread and Wine are ours And let us desire the Lord to seal to every one of our souls that are to have communion with him in particular that he in Christ is ours Christ with all his merits and the fruits of them forgiveness of sin and life everlasting as verily as the outward man partakes of the outward seals and then we shall come and go away with comfort and be made partakers of that end and use of the Sacrament for which our blessed Saviour instituted it Having spoken before of common favours which Devils and Castawayes may have as well as we I shall inlarge my self a little in this because it is a point of concernment As in other sins we be like the Devil so in this sin a man is worse then the Devil himself if a man will be a common swearer and opposer and malitious against goodness being only in love with some idle conceipt of his own which he will have God himself stoop to else he will not to Heaven he will not be saved but by his own foolery A man that hath a bitter spirit against the power of grace that is a common blasphemer that carrieth a spight against Religion for him to say God is his God the Devil will as well say so He will say of Paul and Sylas these are the people of God but he will not say himself is For a man to live in sins against Conscience defend them oppose all that opposeth his sins and yet claim an interest while that disposition standeth in him it is more then satanical impudency and it is extream hardening of the heart against all goodness for how many thousands in the Church perish and sink to Hell under this presumptuous conceipt I am Gods and God is mine when the title is false and the evidence false And therefore is is a point deserving throughly to be examined continually what those evidences of graces be that we venture our souls and salvation upon I will not stand much to presse the point But you see the necessity of it consider therefore I beseech you whaâ— I have sâ—id If God be ours there will be a separation where there is an owning of God for our God There will be a separation from all that is not his as well as a gathering to them that be his The work of Gods spirit in his Children is like fire which hath two properties to sever all heterogeneal and strange stuffe and drosse and the like and gather all the homogeneal stuffe of one nature And so the works of the spirit gathereth to the soul so much as is good and refines that and severeth that which is contrary That spirit of God that telleth them that they be Gods it is is a severing spirit and a uniting spirit it severs contraries and it uniteth things of the same nature there is a joyning to what is good and a separating of what is evil I will add this farther that wheresoever on good title we can say I am Gods there is a reflect act of the soul to say God is mine God hath put a light of reason and friendship into man Now friendship standeth in mutual office of duty and gift where this is not there is no friendship no reconciliation no owning on good tearms The end why God saveth a company of men and bringeth them to Heaven the body of Christ which we call the Church it is that he may have eternal communion with them in the Heavens as he hath with the blessed Angels and in Christ a nearer communion then he hath with them Now how can this communion be unless we turn to God unless we have something to answer Gods love Again note God is ours because Christ is ours the Covenant is first made with Christ and then with us Whence we see a ground of particular application of that which we call particular faith a ground of particular application by a spirit of faith of God to us and Christ to us that God in Christ is my God and your God The ground of this is as God offereth himself we must apprehend him but Christ offers God and he knoweth how to offer him He teacheth us how God is to be presented and he presenteth him as our God and our Father and therefore let us entertain him as ours Thus you see a good ground of particular application of God the Father and Christ to us in particular in two respects not only that every one in particular ought to have a particular faith and not to think a general faith is enough to believe as the Church believeth but to have a particular faith of the object not only of the subject but of the object that that is his in particular I go to my Father and your Father God is the Father and the God of all the Elect and only the Elect and of every one of the Elect as we say in solidum that is said to be in solidum when every one applieth the whole to himself without diminution of any part The sum is in solidum to every one that will make use of it to inlighten every Creature that shutteth not his eyes As a common Fountain is no mans in particular for no man can say this is my Fountain alone and yet every man