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
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
of reverence for it includeth a mixt affection of fear and love And it is an affection of an inferior to a superior He is great therefore we ought to fear him He is good therefore we ought to love him There is with him beams of Majesty and bowels of compassion As there is beams of Majesty we ought to fear him as bowels of compassion we ought to love him so that fear and love mixt together is the affection we owe to God as our Father If we tremble and are afraid to go to him we know not he is loving If we go to him over boldly and sawcily we forget that he is great therefore we must think of his greatness that we forget not his goodness We must so think of his goodness that we forget not his greatness therefore go boldly to him with reverence to the Throne of Christ In the word Father there is more saving power then in ten thousand it toucheth his very bowels when a Child wanteth any thing and is in distress let it but say Father or Mother and the bowels of the Parents yearn upon him If God be our Father go to him boldly but with reverence go with affyance to his bowels Oh it is a perswasive word What cannot we look for from that Majesty that hath condescended to be called Father and to be a Father to us in all our necessities either we shall have what we want and lack or else we shall have that which is better he is a wise Father he answereth not alwayes according to our wills but alwayes according to our good He seeth it is for our good that we are not presently cōforted The Physitian giveth a sharp potion O I cannot indure the Chyrurgion lanceth oh I cannot indure it but the Chyrurgion knoweth it is not healing time even so we would be presently taken off from under crosses but God is a wise Father knoweth how long it is fit for us to continue under the Crosse Come to him boldly therefore under the name of a Father that he may move his bowels and surely will hear us For as in Psalm 27. when all forsook me my Father and Mother forsook me but the Lord took me up Fathers in the flesh and Mothers die but the Lord taketh us up he is an eternal Father and therefore a ground of eternal boldnesse with God and of everlasting comfort He was our Father before we had a Father in the world and he will be our Father when we shall cease to be in the world They be but Instruments under God to bring us into the world God is our true Father Our other Fathers are but under God to give us a being to fit us for Heaven He provideth the best inheritance and paternity for us in Heaven And therefore never be disconsolate but remember I go to my Father and your Father which is a word of eternal comfort He was our Father from eternity in election he will be our Father to eternity in glorification Can a Mother forget her Child yea though she should yet can I not forget thee thou art written in the palm of my hand God hath us alwayes in his eye A mother cannot alwayes think of her Child she sleepeth sometimes but God is a Father that never sleepeth The Keeper of Israel neither slumbereth nor sleepeth And this is our comfort in all times and for eternity And therefore we ought to carry our selves to God reverently and go boldly to him and alwayes make use of him And this we should learn likewise to maintain a sweet frame between God and us shall God open such an advantage to us shall God be our Father and bear the gracious eternal affection of a Father and shall not we by prayer and faith fetch from our Father all we stand in need of As our Saviour saith you that be earthly Fathers when your Children ask such a thing will you deny And have we a Father so rich so loving and shall not we have intercourse with him in all our daily necessities What a Trade is open to us if we know what a comfort is laid up in the sweet relation of a Father Your Father knoweth what we stand in need of and he will give thee the spring of all graces not only a broken heart a spirit of life and vigor in his service but go to God and he will give thee his holy spirit which is the best thing next Christ that can be And therefore be incouraged to make intercourse between thee and God considering we have a Brother in Heaven our nature is there and our spirit is below we have the best things in Heaven next Christ on earth and God hath our flesh in Heaven by Christ and therefore why should we not be much in prayer and much in prayses in all our necessities Beloved it is a comfort of that largeness that I cannot express it I rather leave it to your admiration that you may see what use to make of this sweet relation of Father 1. But we must know that every one cannot say my Father for there are a company of men in the world that may say in some respects our Father but in other respects they cannot As our Saviour Christ saith peremptorily John 8. 44. You be of your Father the Devil They bragged of God their Father and they were of their Father the Devil Therefore consider who is fit to take this name into their mouths My Father mark the disposition of the Scribes and Pharisees and then you shall see who be fit to bragg of God as their Father They be very formal men look to their outward devotion who so devout as they They studied it but what were they for the inside they were malitious men they were satanical men men opposite to the power of Religion arrant Hypocrites painted Sepulchres It is no matter for Complement or formality an Hypocrite may have much of that in the eys of the world yet may be a Child of the Devil for all that and a Pharisee for all that Thou maist be malitious against the truth as the Pharisees sought Christs blood A man may be like Herod seeking the blood of Christ in his Members persecuting Christ as all cruel men do They seek to devour Christ in his professors what they can they disparage and dishearten them they are enemies to the power of Religion and to the Ordinances of God they be the Children of the Devil and therefore have no reason at all to bragg that God is their Father Indeed an inward bitter disposition against the power of Religion though under any formality is a Character of a satanical spirit such cannot say Our Father If they do it is an usurpation for their true Father is the Devil ◠Who then can say our Father those that by the spirit of the Father and the Son by the Holy Ghost are ingraffed
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
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
Comfort in that Christ is our Brother Christ in glory owns his Churches Cause Use of exhortation by faith to labor to be one with Christ John 1. 16 Faiths usual work Christs calling his Disciples brethren adds much to our comfort Faith presents things to come as present Love teacheth what it knowes Humility will be instructed in what it knowes not Christ ascended into glory forgets not his people in debasement It is the highâ—st honor to be a member of Christ By faith in Christ both sin death and hell are overcome The freedom of a Christian The Christians dignity Satans Objection The Christians Reply Christ to be believed and not Satan Mother and brother in spirit is preferred before mother and brother in the flesh Christians are fruitful Trees of righteousnesse The world knowes not the excellency of Gods people and therefore regards them not The constancy and humility of Christ Christ speedy in comforting Object Christ takes his owâ— time to comfort the humble soul Christs love constant Question Resol Gods love is constant because grounded on his own eternall purpose Fuâ—damenta taâ—en stant inconcussâ— Syoâ—is Christ by death reconciles us by his life he saves us Obj. Answ Trusting in Christ takes off trouble The links of salvation hold firm on Gods part Gods love â—n Iterable In darkest times Christ is near to comfort Simile Note The Churches care to find her beloved Christs sweet and comfortab e spâ—ech â—o his beloved Christs high commendations of his spouâ—e Note Reason 1 Kindnesse shewed after dejection is very seasonable Reason 2. Christ deals not with us after our deserts Reason 3 Satan by laying guilt to our charge labors to carry us further fâ—om God Comfort to those that sh me themselves John 2â— 15 16 17 We are not so ready to come as Christ is to receive Well mâ— when Christ and the soul mâ—et together Presumptuous sinners The most humble Christian most subject to be discouraged Rom. 5. 20. Object Answ Jer. â— 1. Comforts against great sins Our comforts fail not because he is God and not man Note Difference between a carnal and a gratious heart Sin imputed to Christ as our surety Faith makes things absent present Saints look forward as Christ did Till we come to Heaven our desires are unsatisfied Simile Notes of our spiritual Resurrection Heavenly mindednesse Converse with the world be not defiled with the world Heaven injoyed on earth Quaere Reasons of Christs ascension Our enemies conquered and God appeased by Christs resurrection Victory triumph Heb. 9. 24 Christs blood speaks mercy and pardon The spirit hâ—râ— and Christ in Heaven here together His Resurrection ascension declares the Father to be satisfied to the utmost Rom. 10 6. 7. Christs intercession Apoc. 12. 9 Christ more skilful to save then Satan is to destroy The super excellent advantage of Gods people above the world 1 Joh. 21. Rom. 8. All Scriptures are for consolation The flighting of the Ministry is the havock of conscience Faith makes all present Fath the Christians priviledge Think on Christ as ascended with him Ephes 5. 20. 1 Joh. 2. 1. Mat. 6. 12. Go to God for pardon of sinners in the name of Christ To rely on Christ is to feed upon him God is first Christs God and Father and then our God Father How God is the Father of Christ Christ coequal with his Father Joh. 20. 28 1 Col. 20. God a Father All comfort is from God reconciled to us in Christ Mal. 3. 17. Father is a tearm of indulgence Luk. 15. 18 Gods infinite love to a sinful man Heb. 12. 6. A name of provision Luk. 12. 32 Luk 12 30 Father is a name of protection Pro. 18. 20 What we owe to God as a Father Fear God for his greatness love him for his goodness Gods wisdom and love God keeps the best things till the last Esay 49. 15 16. Psal 121. 4. Faith and prayer fetcheth all from God Mat. 7. 9. 10. Mat. 6. 8. God not a Father in Christ to the wicked The Hypocrite disposition To whom God is a Father Christs disposition The Character of a gratious Christian Quaere Solution No sin should hinder us from going to God as our Father The name of Father speaks no comfort to the malitious enemies of Christ Simile Rom. 1. 4. Heb. 1. 5. Gods unexpressible and wonderful love to mankind Psal 113. 6. Our nature advanced in Christ as high as can be God a Father to his discâ—nsolate Disciples Psal 117. 11. Job 42. 6. 8 Gods love to us is from his own bowels not from our goodnesâ— If mercy were not shewed to sinners none could be saved Comfort in afflictions Mat. 27. 46 God Christs Father in all his persecâ—tions The Law necessary to be teached Contentation in all conditions to be laboured for Humility a lesson to be learned from Brotherhood 2 Cor. 5. 16. Love to the Saints the highest mark of sincerity Notes of adoption God may be our God though we cannot alwayes make it Even sighs groans pierce through thick Clouds get to God Good things connatural to good men How to go to God in prayer Ephes 1. 3. 1 John 17 Mans insinite happiness by Christ Clay and dust taken into unity of the person of God Ephes 2 6. All we have or can expect to have must be obtained through Christ Use Blesse God for Christ as well as for our selves Luk. â— â—8 Christ as man the object of Gods love and predestination as well as we 1 Pet. 1. 4. How God is Christs God God our God in the state of grace 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. The Covenant of grace founded on Christ By vertue of Christs resurrection God is not only our Father but our God God our God in covenant with Christ Interest in God great comfort Even afflictions Satan himself conspires to make us happy Eccles 1. 2. Eccles 2. 17. Never rest till God be made our portion God our joy our comfort our Rock our all Examine our hearts what we make our God It is of eternalconcernment to make God our God Exo. 20. 2. Do all for God in obedience God gives us our being and wel being and doth all for us till we come to Heaven Humane nature nearer to Christ then the nature of the Angels Doct. What God is whâ—t he is able to do what he hath all is ours Answ Want it self is for the good of Gods people God all in all immediatly in Heaven Use Simile Pro. 18. 20 Go to God in things of extremity by faith and prayer Exo. 9. 28. The wicked outwardly make a shew to feaâ— God but hate him in their hearts A carnal man professes hiâ— own safety before the advancement of Religion Rom. 7. 8. The fearful condition of a wicked man at the hour of death Who are Gods enemiâ—t A Christian is a good man in his own particular Quest Answ The humble man more excellent then the proud Peace of conscience inward joy and comfort signs of love Mark 9. 24 Psal 73. 25. Arguments of Gods shining upon the soul Caution To call God our God when he is not so is an usurpation full of danger Psal 50. 16 17. Simile Propriety by â—itting our natures for communion with God Heb. 12. 29 Esa 33. 14 Comfort in our interest in God Particular exigencie supplyed by his all-sufficiency Religion is to know God â—nd to make use of him for good to honor him and to be thankful Sacrament seals God to be ours Man by some sins worse then the Devil Gods spirit both a severing spirit and an uniting spirit Friendship in mutual office of duty Doct. God to be apprehended as he offers himself Particular application of Christ how grounded Sacraments seal a particular faith Failings do not cut uâ— off from Christ If Christ hath satisfied for us notwithstanding our infirmities we may call God our God Heb. 12. 24. Mercy part of our mariage portion Object Answ Use Assurance Joy springs from knowledg Luk. 10. 20 Gods service must be performed with chearfulnesse No worldly comforts can satisfie the soul Assurance earnestly to be labored for 3 Col. 12. Grounds of assurance Assurance maintained to us on Gods part John 13. 1. Heb. 13. 20 Hos 2. 18. Ruleâ— to know how God is our God Simile God and Christ the Objects of faiâ—h and love Interest in God an argument against sin The flesh a Devil within us That God is our God â—nd our Father is ground of infinite comfort Assurance that God is our God wrought by the sealing of the spirit and the spirits sanctifying Conscience is a little God within us 1 Joh. 3. Respect with God preserved with much industry holiness 2 Pet. 1. 20 Psal 2. 11. The fearful condition of those that have not God to be their God The office of the Ministry is to prâ—ach life to all repentant sinners God preventeth us by his mercies God our comfort in the losse of all things 1. Glorie under hope of glory 2. Glory in affl ctions 3. Glory in God 2 Pet. 1. 10
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
go on in sinful desperate courses as the fashion of the world is speak what we can if we speak out our lungs many will not leave an oath nor their prophane base courses and filthy wayes ill they have been already and ill they will be till they come to Hell Some such there be but better we are to speak to whosoever thou art that are weary of thy prophane base godless courses be humbled for them When thou art humbled and broken-hearted then think of Christ as he offers himself think of nothing but love nothing but mercy Satan will picture him thus and thus but when thou beâ—st humbled and broken hearted he is readier to entertain thee then thou art to fly to him And therefore at such times consider how Christ offereth himself to thee He that dyed for his enemies and seeks them that never sought him that is found of them that sought him not will he refuse them that seek him If thou hast an heart humbled and hast a desire of favour will he refuse thee that receiveth many in the world therefore do not despair We as Ambassadors beseech you saith the Apostle Thou desirest Gods savour and Christs love thou desirest them and Christ intreateth thee and then thou art well met Thou wouldst fain have pardon and mercy so would Christ fain bestow it upon thee therefore joine not to Satan take heed of temptations in such a case as this is take heed of refusing our own mercies when God offers mercy in the bowels of his compassion râ—fuse it not Christ is ready to shew great kindnesse in our greatest unkindnesse if we be humbled for it But this belongeth to them that be broken hearted that can prize and value Christ They that go on in presumptuous courses shall find Christ in another manner of Majesty they shall find him as a Judge whom they despised as a Brother and they that will not come in and subject themselves to his mercy they shall find his justice If they will not come under this Scepter they shall find his rod of Iron to crush them to pieces And therefore let no corrupt carelesse person that will go on fortifie their presumption from hence It belongeth only to them that be humbled and abased with the sight of sin and consideration of their unkindness and unworthy dealings with Christ I know such are not subject to discouragement and Satan is most ready to close with them in strong temptations above all Oh but let them never despair but consider what the Apostle saith while sin aboundeth grace aboundeth much more If there be height depth and breadth of sin in us there is now more height and depth and breadth of mercy in Christ yea more then we can receive I have fallen from God saith the soul what if thou hast but God is not fallen from thee Peter denyed Christ but did Christ deny Pete no Christ hath not denyed thee What saith the Lord in Jeremy VVill the Husband take the VVife when she hath been naught no yet return to me O Israel But say thou hast been false and committed such and such sins whatsoever they be though Adultery yet return to me Quest Oh but is it possible God should do it Resol Yea it is possible with him His thoughts are not as thy thoughts his thoughts are as far above thine as Heaven is above Earth Obj. Why no man will do it Answ I but here is the mercy of a God I am God and not man therefore his comforts fail not If he were so he would not regard one that hath been so unkind but he is God and not man Go to my Brethren I come now to the matter of the Commission tell them I ascend to my Father and your Father to my God and your God which is all included in Brethren for if we be Gods in Christ then God is our Father But we must not deal in few words with disconsolate souls but come again and again with the same words As how many times have you the comfort of the Mâ—ssiah in Isaiah and the rest of the Prophets again and again Our hearts are so prone to doubt of Gods mercy of Christs love especially after guilt that all is little enough and therefore our Saviour studieth to speak sweetly to the heart Go tell my Brethren that which a carnall heart and curious head would count Tautologie and superfluity of words a gracious heart thinks to be scantness oh more of that still I have not enough This is the pride of men that will have all things to satisfie a curious ear but a gracious heart hath never enough And therefore Christ addeth comfort to comfort Go tell my Brethren I ascend to my Father and their Father to my God and their God The Message it self is Christs ascension The place whither is to the Father a common Father to him and them every word hath comfort I ascend I ascend to the Father and to my Father and your Father too now I have quitted my self of death and sin imputed to me as a surety I am going to Heaven to make an end of all there I ascend to God to my God and to your God We have all one common Father and one common God First for his ascension he did not yet ascend Why then doth he speak for the present I ascend that is I am shortly so to do And it was in his mind it was certainly so to be and therefore he speaks of it in present It is the phrase of faith to speak of things to come as if they were present faith makes them so to the soul for it looketh on the word and all things as they are in that word who will make good whatsoever he saith And therefore it is the evidence of things that are not yet yet they be evident to a faithfull soul If we could learn this aright to make things to come present what kind of people should we be could we think of our Resurrection and ascension and glory to come as present they would be present to our faith the things present or sense could not withdraw us If we could set Hell before us could the pleasures of Hell bewitch us if the time to come were present could any thing in the world withdraw us it could not be And therefore it is an excellent skill of faith to set things to come before us as present He ascendeth he implyeth that he was risen that was past and therefore he nameth it not All Christs mind was on ascending Those that are risen together with Christ their mind is all on ascension all on Heaven And this is one main reason because where any thing is imperfect there the spirit resteth not till it attaineth to that perfection that it is destinated unto When any thing hath a proper element and place where it must rest it resteth not till it be in its proper
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
be severe I but that is the greatest part of their weakness if they have any goodness in them For who was more indulgent to the Disciples then Christ who saw their weakness He bore with all their infirmities Where we see any goodness let us bear with many weaknesses we ought to be peaceable men Beati sunt pacifici they that be appeased in their consciences in sense of their own pardon are ready to shew mercy to others Busie contentions quarrelsom dispositions argue they never found comfort from God himself If God be a Father and we are Brethren it is a levelling word it bringeth Mountains down and filleth up vallies All are Brethren take them in what condition you will if they be great in the world Brethren of an high degree yet brother levelleth thē If they be of low degree yet it filleth them up raiseth thē to the height in this brotherhood And therefore go tel my Brethren tell them all for they be all equally Brethren If I were to speak to persons of quality and great parts as I am to speak to mean let them be put in mind of their condition Nothing should raise us up so high as to forget the everlasting relation of Brother Infirmity should not so far prevail with us as to forget that which the Children of God have to eternity And for other persons more eminent if he be a King let him not so mind that as to forget all other For all relations determine in death and must be laid in the dust all must stand on equal ground before Gods Barre and they that have most to answer for have the highest accompt of all and therefore it is ground of humility to all Let them that are in greatest eminency consider this Paul after conversion could say henceforth know I no man after the flesh There is a great deal of humanity in the World complement is very ordinary which is the Picture and out-side of humanity but Christian love which is a degree above humanity the Apostle calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 brotherly love that is the scorn of the world They will own a Brother in office but owning them in the sweet bonds of Brotherhood as they are the Sons of God here is Heaven make much of them in that kind that is a strange thing in the world but we must know what it meaneth before we come to Heaven we must respect a Christian be he what he will be under all his infirmities if he hath a good spirit in him which God the Father seeth and Christ seeth We must bear love to all Saints Some will make much of an eminent man that hath excellent parts because there may be some countenance from such persons but here is sincerity that beareth love to all Saints He wraps them up all in the general tearm Go tell Peter amongst the rest that hath offended more then the rest If you will know whether you be true Brethren or no or Sons of God or no make a use of tryal by what is formerly delivered I shall inlarge my self in that point because all dependeth upon it God is the Father of all by creation he is the Father in a general Covenant of all that receive the Sacrament and are baptized But if they have no other relation to God but so they may go to Hell as Judas and others did therefore we must know whether we may claim this relation of Father on good grounds or no else it is an usurpation 1. Those that belong to God the spirit of God witnesseth to them that they are Sons They that are adopted have the spirit of adoption in some degree God sendeth his spirit into their hearts that assures them that they be Gods Children And howsoever this is the first yet God giveth some intimation by his spirit that they look to God in another familiar manner then before and he looks on them in a Fatherly manner so there be some intimations and insinuations and hints though the spirit of adoption witnesseth not fully and gloriously to the soul always because we are not fitted for it but sometimes in great afflictions and desertions Where the spirit of God is there is Communion with God in the spirit of adoption And when the voice of the spirit of adoption speaks not lowdly yet there is a work of the spirit there is something in us renewed by the spirit there is something of the new Creature When a Christian cannot hear God say to his soul I am thy salvation yet a man may see a work of grace there is a love to God to the Ordinances to the people of God a mourning because he cannot mourn a sighing because he hath not an heart plyable He is discordant with his condition when he is disconsolate so that there is a work of the spirit helpeth him in his worst condition Besides there is a spirit of supplication in some measure though he cannot make set discourses to God yet he can in a sweet manner lay open his sorrow and grief to God and leave them in his bosom They be broken words perhaps but God can pluck sense out of them God knoweth the meaning of the sighing of his own spirit though broken speeches So that where there is any tongue for God in a man there is a spirit of prayer there is not a strangeness of God to go altogether by but the spirit hath a kind of acquaintance with God and it goeth to God in a familiarity and layeth forth grief and putteth forth Petitions in another manner then the World doth Again a Christian in the worst condition God not only shineth on him through the Cloud but there is a spirit in him that sigheth to go through all thick Clouds to God There is a spirit of supplication and of love in some degree for that is promised The spirit shall help our infirmities when we know not how to pray the intercourse and Communion with God is never broken off where there is any spirit of adoption Therefore Jonas and David and the rest though they could not pray yet they sighed to God and would not leave him If they could not imbrace Christ they would touch the hem of his garment They will not yield to the stream altogether but strive against it And though they be carried away with the strength of the stream and see no goodness in themselves yet they that be with them shall see a spirit striving to another condition then they are in Something of Christs something of Gods spirit there will be in them And take them at the worst they will appear better then the civil man that thinks himself a glorious man though he hath nothing but for shew and fashion who would be in such a mans condition without some brokenness of heart some sighs 2. Likewise we may know it by our sympathy and Antipathy Our sympathy with them that be good and antipathy
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
to your own souls if you do not And therefore I beseech you if you be not yet come in adde this more you be sacrilegious persons if you be not Christians in earnest have not you given your selves to God in baptisme and have not you in your lives given your selves to lusts which you renounced at your baptisme now you have alienated your selves from God to whom you were dedicated Did not you ingage your selves to God in your Baptisme and is not he willing to receive you He thought of you when you could not think of your selves And therefore as it bindeth you over to greater punishment if you will not come in but continue sacrilegious persons from God to whom you have dedicated your selves so God preventeth you with mercy He incourageth by the seal of election in Baptisme to make it good by faith without which it will do no good being but a seal to a blank therefore how many incouragements have you to come in Take Gods gracious offer he giveth you time to make your peace it is nothing but wilful rebellion to stand out against God For they that have given themselves to God and now renewed their interest in him by the Sacraments let them conceive what a word of comfort they have in this That Christ is theirs and God is theirs What an ocean of comfort is it when all things leave you as all things will yeâ— we have God that will be a God for evermore At the time of death what comfort will it be to say God is mine Christ is mine Life is mine no longer world is mine no longer friends forsake me but I am interessed in God and have made Covenant with God who is a God for ever the Covenant I have made is an everlasting Covenant It is of that largeness the comfort is that the Angels themselves admire it the Devils envie it and it is a matter of glory and praise in Heaven for ever Therefore make much of such a priviledge that is the envy of Devils the admiration of Angels that is the joy of a Christians heart here and matter of glorifying God for ever world without end That God in Christ is become his God here and for ever it is a ravishing consideration It is larger then our hearts here be comforts larger then the capacity of our hearts Cor vestrum soli Deo patere debet our hearts ought all to lie open to divine things for they have more in them then the heart can contain If we will shut them shut them to worldly things Oh the comfort of a Christian that hath made his state sure let him glory in the Lord. There be three degrees of glory in all let him glory under hope of glory glory in afflictions and glory in God that is we glory in God to be our God That in the sharing and dividing of all things God hath given himself to us and what an offer is this that when God divideth the world to the Children of men you shall have this and that but you shall not have me But to his Children he hath given himself and he hath nothing better to give and indeed there is nothing else needs for there is more in it then we can speak but that when God divideth all things he should give such a share as himself is not this a glory that a poor Creature should have God to be his and all he hath to be his to make use of it in life and in death it is worth all the world It is worth our endeavors to make our Calling and Election sure when we may have this comfort from it FINIS Prutitus disputandi scabies ecclesiae Sir H. VVotton Ideo conversa est quia angeli assurrexerunt praesentiae Christi Gerfon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. se domum versus praeter virum suum qui subsequebatur ipsam Junius in anal in Gen Exodo 25. 20 Col. 1. 20. Ministery of Angels towards Christ Luke 2. 9. 10. Luke 22. 4â— John 10. 12. Act. 1. 10. Heb. 1. 14. Psal 34. 7. Luke 16. 22. Mat. 24. 31 Presence of Christ comfortable weaknesse of faith now seen 1 Cor. 6. 9. When Christ speaks the Angels are silent Christs first words after his Resurrection Misapprehensions of Christ in good men Mat. 11. 28 Passion clouds understanding Act. 17. 81 Mat. 11. 28. Esay 40. 11. Love a willing grace Cant. 8. 6. Nothing can comfort the grieved soul till it heares the voice of Christ Ingâ—ntes dâ—lores stupent Christ takes notice of all 〈◊〉 Rabboni The believing soul is never satisfied till it comes to Heaven Obser 1. Cathedraâ— habet in caelis qui cordâ— dâ—cet Observ 2. Necessity of hearing Note Christ can easily comfort God is the beginner of all saving works Object Answ The motions of the spirit must not be slighted Alloquenti Christâ— fideles respondent 1 Sam. 3. 10. Grace a graduall work Quest Reasons why God defers mercy James 1. 4. Mat. 15. Mark 7. 27. 28. Communion with Christ is the Christians life Directions to re injoy Christ Gen. 45 3. Psal 63. Caution Mat. 28. 1. Mark 16. 9 Luk. 24. 1. Joh. 20. 1. Where to find him Luk. 2. 46. Christ conveyeth himself to us by the ear and by the eye first by the word and Sacraments The excellency of the Sacrament â— Cor 6. 2. Caveat The teachings of Christ by his spirit are powerful and cannot be resisted General promises must be particularly applied Christâ— dying for sinners is no comfort to the soul but by a particular application Spiritus Dei Dei hominis secreta cognoscit John 20. 27. Love to Christ cannot be satisfied without the injoyment of Christ Sense much affects carnal men Christ after his Resurrection is to be touched by faith and not by sense The Regenerate knoweth no man no not Christ himself after the flesh Joh. 4. 24. Externâ— dei placere nequtunt Hos 10. 11. â—rduum difficile est in fide vivere Christ not to be touched because not ascended non solum significat tangere sed ad haeâ—ere coÌ„glutinari Esa 52. 11. 2 Cor. 6. 17. A tabernaculo im piorum hominum recedite Num. 16. 27. Mitte fidâ—m in caelum tetigisti Christs care of mourning souls Charity Mat. 5. 24. God uses weak instruments to effect great matters 2 Cor. 4. 7. 1 King 17. 4. Quest Answ Rom. 8. 29 Rom. 8. 17 Heb. â— 14. Christ not ashamed to be neerly related to us Joh. 15. 15 1 Cor. 11. 3 1 Cor. 12. 27. Ephes 5. 23. John 2. Revel 22. Object Answ Relation to Christ must not be denyed because of sin Luk. 15. 21 Tentatio est ad Christum eundi opportunitas ut nobis succurrat Vanity of Popery Popish Orders Mark 9. 24 Relyance on Christs comforts The consideration of Christs free gracâ— and love keeps from desperation A Christian is Confessor Mark 8 18 Deserting of Christ is betraying of him