how to come to it he is greatly reioyced because hee hath a sure hope to come to his resting place Euen so fareth it with vs who are Gods Children while in this Pilgrimage we are wandering absent from the Lord if wee neither knowe the place where the Lord is and where wee may find rest for our soules with him neither know the way how to come to it wee cannot but bee wonderfully discouraged but iâ— on the other part wee know both the place of our resting that permanent City that hath a foundation and also the way how to come to it it cannot bee possible but our soules must rest in hope to come there So yee see the knowledge of the place whither wee should goe to seeke the Lord and of the way that leadeth to that place furnisheth great comfort and ioye to the soule Whereas by the contrary the ignorance and miâ—kenning of the place and way is euer accompanied with great dolour and sadnesse Nowe to goe forwarde The Disciples when they heare these words that Christ vttereth of the way and the place they mistake him and vnderstand him not and therefore Thomas one of their number opponeth himselfe to the Lords words and whereas the Lorde had saide vnto them they knewe both the place whither hee vvas going and the vvaye Thomas opponeth himselfe to both affirming That they neyther knewe the place nor the vvaye For sayeth Thomas Wee knowe not whither thou goeâ—â—â— howe can wee then knowe the Waye As if Thomas had saidâ— LORDE thou sayest vvee knowe vvhither thou 〈◊〉 s and we know also the way but we know not whither thou goest and therfore we cannot know the way both the place and the way are vnknowne vnto vs. These wordes at the first face would seeme to haue a direct contradiction to the Lordes wordes but if wee weigh and consider the matter deeply as it becommeth wee will finde that in effect there is no contradiction but both may stand very well together for the Lord spake of a begun and a generall knowledge which the Lord communicateth to euery one that is a true member of his body And this knowledge how smal soeuer it be the Lord accepteth of it for it was prophesied of him that he should not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax Esay 42.3 But rather where he finds any knowledge begun he cherisheth it maketh the soule to grow from knowledge to knowledge till it come to perfection But Thomas mistaketh the Lord for hee thinketh that the Lord speaketh of a distinct and perfect knowledge and this maketh Thomas to oppone against the Lord and to affirme that they neither knew whither hee went nor yet the way And these two speakinges may very well stand together that they had a begun and confused knowledge both of the place whither the Lord went and of the way to that place of the which knowledge the Lord spake and neuerthelesse that they knew not distinctly perfectly neither the place nor the way of the which knowledge Thomas meaneth The like of this is to be vnderstood when wee speake of the knowledge the Prophets had of the calling of the Gentiles for with good reason wee may say that the Prophets knewe the calling of the Gentiles because they had it fore-told them in their prophesies Yet Paul saith that the calling of the Gentiles was a mystery which in other ages was not opened vp vnto the sonnes of men These two sayings stand very well together neither is there any contradiction in them for the one is to be vnderstood of a begun and imperfect knowledge the other of a distinct and perfect knowledge Againe wee may say Christ spake of the knowledge which the Disciples should haue had and might haue had if they had taken good enough heed to Christes doctrine and instructions for howe oft had the Lord preached to them of the kingdome of Heauen which was the place whither hee was first to goe and they next to follow him Howe oft spake hee vnto them of the Father who sent him for the Redemption of the Worlde Howe often spake hee vnto them of the right way that ledde to Heauen Yea hee pointed it out with his finger as when he said I am the light of the world IOH. 8. c. Therefore seeing the Lord spake of these things so many times and so clearly and was so carefull to instruct them the Disciples might well enough haue knowne both the place and the way and their negligence cannot bee excused who were so rude and ignorant and profited so little in these things And so Thomas by this his answering to the Lord letteth vs see how little knowledge he had attained vnto notwithstanding of all the trauell the Lord had taken to instruct them Alwayes out of these wordes of Thomas wee may take vp a profitable Lesson concerning the order of our knowledge of heauenly things Thomas saith first Wee know not the place where thou goest and vpon this hee gathereth Wee cannot knowe the waye Then the Lesson is Wee must first haue a knowledge of the place where we should goe to before wee can haue a knowledge of the way that leadeth vnto the place Wee must first haue a knowledge of Heauen and that there is life glorie and happinesse laide vp for the Sainctes there Wee must know what manner of glory wee haue to looke for and then it is time for vs to inquire what way wee may come to Heauen what way we may attaine to that glory and happinesse For there is no man that will take on a journey till he know where he would be and what should be the end of his labour He that runneth hee will set vp a marke before him that he would be at Paul saith of himselfe 1. Cor. 9.26 I so runne not as vncertainly so fight I not as one that beareth the aire that is I runne not nor I fight not for nought but I runne to get the crowne I fight that I may get the victory Hee raâ—ne with all his might towardes the marke for the prize of the high calling of God in Iesus Christ Philip. 3.14 So we must first haue the prize and the marke of the high calling set before our eyes and thereafter we must enter into the way that leadeth to that marke There are none of the Sainctes but they haue euer Heauen set before their eyes they desire they sigh and sobbe to bee there because they know that there in the presence of the Lord there is fulnesse of ioye and that at his right hand there are pleasures for euermore Psal 16.11 And therefore Paul saith of them that they haue their conuersation in Heauen from whence they looke for their Sauiour euen the Lord Iesus Christ who shall change their vile bodies that they may be fashioned like vnto his glorious body c. Philip. 3.20 And in the viii Chapter to the Rom. vers 23. hee saith that they who haue
of CHRIST To vvhome vvith the Father and vvith the Holie Spirite bee all prayse honour and glorie for euermore Amen THE FOVRTH LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xiiii VERS 11.12.13.14.15 11 Belieue me that I am in the Father and the Father in mee aâ— the least belieue mee for the verie workes sake 12 Verilie verilie I say unto you Hee that belieueth in mee the workes that J doe hee shall doe also and greater than these shall hee doe for J goâ— vnto my Father 13 And whatsoeuer yee aske in my Name that will I doe that the Father may bee glorified in the Sonne 14 If yee shall aske anie thing in my Name I will doe it 15 If yee loue mee keepe my Commandements WEE haue heard in this Chapter Beloued Brethren how Christ comforted his Disciples against the time hee should haue vvithdrawne his bodilie presence out of this vvorld hee began and saide to them Be not troubled let not your hearts be troubled As he vvould say When I goe away ye vvill find matter of trouble be not troubled with all the things ye shall find And thereafter he furnishes them arguments of comfort The first is Fayth in him Belieue in me howbeit yee will not haue my bodily presence in earth yet send your fayth to Heauen and fasten your selues vpon mee The seconde argument I goe away not for your hurt but for your weale to prepare a place for you in my Fathers house therefore be not troubled The third argument When I haue passed away I will not abide for euer away but I shal come againe and take you to my selfe and place you in Heauen with my selfe The fourth argument is Comfort your selues with the knowledge that ye know the place where I goe to and the way Pilgrimes that wander in a strange Countrey are comforted in the meane time of their Pilgrimage that they vnderstande the way and the place where they shall repose themselues Euen so the Lord would say Comfort your selues with this that yee know the place and the way while I come and take you with me After the Lord hath comforted his Disciples Thomas first and Philip next beginneth to doubt and vtter their ignorance chieflie concerning the place and the way Thomas beginneth and hee first vttereth his ignorance first of the way The Lord answereth him and instructeth him and sayth I am the Way the Verity and the Life no man coÌ„meth to the Father but by me Secondly coÌ„cerning the place to wit the Fathers dwelling place If ye had known me sayth he ye would haue known the Father in misknowing the Father ye vtter an ignorance of me Philip vttereth his ignorance and he sayth Let vs see the Father and that shall suffice vs. The Lord answereth Philip as hee answereth Thomas with a reproofe Philip sayth he hee that hath seene me hath seene the Father how then sayest thou Shew vs the Father Then hee proueth this that hee who hath seene the Sonne it behoued him to see the Father I am in the Father and the Father in me wee are but one in Maiesty substance and glory he therefore who hath seene me hath seene also the Father So the Lord hath brought his Disciples to the first ground of the knowledge of the Father the ground is The Sonne is one with the Father and he is the Image of the Father When hee hath reasoned this waye with them and comforted them in this Text we haue read hee entereth into an exhortation hee leaueth nothing off that may serue for their weale And in this Text hee exhorteth them to two thinges The first is to fayth in him to belieue him that God dwelleth in his manly nature the Majestie and the glorie of God dwelleth in him bodilie The seconde is in the last verse wee haue read and it is that they should keepe his Commaundementes if they loued him To come to the first Belieue mee sayeth the Lord that J am in the Father and hee in mee As if hee would saye Belieue this I haue beene speaking That I and the Father are one in nature in substance glorie and Majestie Let not this base and infirme nature of man that I am clad with in the world stay your fayth Looke in the thorowe the vaile of my flesh and see the Majestie of the great God The Lesson wee haue is this The Lorde is verie earnest with his Disciples in this pointing out of himselfe that vnder that vaile of the nature of man his Disciples shoulde see the glorious Majestie of the great God of Heauen This earnestnesse letteth vs see it is one of the hardest thinges in the worlde for man and woman to take vp and see that Majestie and Godhead that dwelleth in IESVS CHRIST And it is harde for fleshe and bloode yea it passeth the reach of all men to belieue it except there bee another waye than by the eyes of nature by the eye of nature the soule will neuer perceiue nor take vp the glorious GOD to dwell in so base a lodging The LORD sayeth to Peter in the sixteenth Chapter of the Euangel of saint Matthew and the seuenteenth verse when hee confessed him to bee the Sonne of the liuing OOD Blessed art thou Simon the sonne of Iona flesh and blood hath not reuealed that to thee but my Father which is in Heauen So I saye to see the Majestie of GOD dwelling in earth it behooueth man and woman to bee raysed aboue nature to the Heauens to haue a Spirituall eye and the Spirite of the great GOD to see that glorious Majestie Now another thing foloweth here on this earnestnesse to wit A necessitie to knowe the Father that wee maye gette saluation Had not the LORD knowne that it was a needefull thing for his Disciples and for the vvhole vvorlde that they might get life to know that the nature of God dwelt in him hee would not haue bene so earnest in this point It is a thing that the world must knowe or then there is no saluation The third thing followeth seeing it is so harde a thing to a naturall man to see the glory of God in Iesus Christ and seeing it is so necessary a thing to saluation that except wee see him to bee God as well as man there shall bee no life If euer wee would enjoy life euerlasting and Heauen wee must bee lifted vp aboue nature and in a manner wee must be supernaturall and heauenly And this change be not made in this life let neuer man looke to see Heauen that is the necessitie that is laide vpon thee looke to it as thou wilt When he hath proponed his exhortation hee bringeth reasons to cause them belieue this The first argument hee vseth is in the ende of the verse At the least belieue me for the very works sake And there were not another argument to cause you to belieue this that God dwelleth in me looke to my workes and see if they passe nâ—t
is thy suffering shal be in the will of thine enemies BrethreÌ„ the most exquisite torments as racking burning such others wil not excuse thee if thou deny Christ for the paine therefore we should make vs for the most exquisit torments this is one comfort the Lord will not lay more vpon thee than thou mayst beare he will giue thee power to beare it out he who sends the tentation wil giue thee a faire joyfull out gate So Paul saith The momentaniall and light afflictions of this present life worketh out an euerlasting weight of glorie 2. Cor. 4.17 Looke 1. Pet. 1.7 Now followeth the cause of persecution They who will persecute you they shall thâ—nke they serue GOD. The forest persecution is vnder the cloake of Religion and seruice of God The fairest cloake to doe a wicked turne is the cloake of Religion and so the forest crueltie is vnder the cloake of Religion There was neuer such a crueltie as the Papistes vse vnder the pretence of Religion Inquire about that holy house of Spaine and that Massacre of Paris which shall neuer bee forgotten before God that blood of the Sainctes is crying for vengeance from the HeaueÌ„s all the pretences they can make shall not saue them from it Nowe marke the ground of their persecution These thinges they shall doe to you because they knew not the Father nor mee The ground of all well-doing is light when the eye of the soule is illuminate to see GOD and IESVS CHRIST and the Father in the face of the Lord Iesus when the mind is illuminat then the judgement is vpright when the judgement is vpright the hart the affections are wel inclined when the hart is well inclined then the hand and the outward instrumentes are well occupied Matth. 6. vers 22. Jf the eye see the whole body is lightened that is if the eye of the soule be lightened then the soule is wel disposed So when the mind is set vpon Iesus Christ lightned by that light it is a joyfull thing but if the mind which is the eye of the soule bee blinded and see not the face of Iesus Christ then all the powers of the soule are blinded the judgement is blind the hart is euill disposed the affections peruerse then the hand is doing euill a blind body is ay doing euil if the eye be blind the whole body is blind if the light bee put out then there is great darknesse if the eye of the soule bee put out then a man is but a lumpe of darknesse and nothing abideth that creature but that outward darknesse Wherfore serueth darknesse but to be casten into darknesse Therefore as thou wouldest haue an vpright iudgement striue to haue an illuminate soule and as thou wouldest doe well keepe aye a cleare eye in thy soule Neuer let the face of Iesus depart from thine eye for it is onely that face that holdeth the eye in a clearnesse and giueth light to the soule He is the light of the world and take him away there is nothing but darknesse in the world When he hath fore-warned them of the afflictions he sets downe the end wherefore he fore-warneth them to wit that they should remember the Lord had fore-warned them of afflictions therefore that they should prepare theÌ„selues for trouble But wheras they might haue said Wherfore forewarned thou vs no sooner he answers to this I fore-warned you not of this from the beginning because I was with you but now I am to depart therfore I forewarn you One of the best preparations wee can haue is to heare much for this preaching will not abide ay therefore let vs heare well so long as we haue occasion of hearing of the word which we preach to you for why in the day of affliction that holy Spirit shall call to thy rememberance that which thou hast heard and so comfort thee And in the day of affliction the holy Spirit will be more effectuall to call to thy rememberance that which thou hast hearde better than when thou first heardest it For why the worde of God and the Spirit of God hath not the speciall effect euer when the word is heard but when the body is in most necessity and of all times in the worlde in the time of affliction or in the houre of death the word will be most sweete Therefore heare in time if it were in the houre of death that at least in the hour of death thou mayst haue ioy in thine hearr Another thing here beholde how the Lord loued his Disciples in this world certainly so long as hee was with them he loued them wondrous tenderly and let be that he would not let them suffer he wold not once let them heare of the crosse And this is the thing that the Disciples of Iohn the Baptist come to Christ and complaine of Mat. 9. vers 14. saying Why do we and the Pharisees â—ast oft and thy Disciples fast not The Lord answereth Can the Children of the Marriage Chamber mourne so long as the Bridegrome is with them But the dayes will come when the Bridegrome shall bee taken from them and then they shall fast And nowe when the Lord is with them hee fore-warneth them of their afflictions and of death it selfe and so indeed they felt it when hee departed The ground of this is because the Disciples of Christ had a time of grouth granted to them into the worlde and so long as the Lord abode into the worlde they were not ripe and their strength was more outwarde than inwarde But now when hee goeth away they growe ripe he sent his Spirit vpon them as ye see Act. Chap. 2. they had a greater consolation by that Spirit in Christes absence than they had during all the time that Christ was with them So wee haue our owne time in growing and the Lord when hee seeth wee are not able to suffer hee will not lay the Crosse vpon vs but hee will spaâ—e vs. Then we haue a time when we come to ripenesse that is when wee get that Spirit and then the Lord will laye on the burden Nowe as for vs wee haue had a long time to ripen and it is a wonder that the Lord hath giuen vs so long a time and spared vs so long But Brethren the time is comming wherein wee shall suffer and afflictions abide vs for the Gospel And I praye the Lord that hee may finde some ripenesse and maturity and chiefely in vs the Ministers of the Gospel that we may seale vp the Gospel with our blood if need require He falleth out in the vers following in a gentle reproofe of his Apostles I am to depart and none of you asketh where I am to goe but saith hee your heartes are full of sorrowe The Disciples of Christ when hee was among them so acquiesced vpon his bodily presence and thought they had such an ease with him that they thought not of
and the leauing of this life that deat bee not so heauie to vs for howbeit nature abhorre it yet of a mortall bodie it maketh an immortall and it tendeth to take thee out of this Earth and to transport thee to that Heauenlie Paradise where Jesus Christ sitteth in glorie Yea and this I affirme There is no man nor woman that hath a desire to bee with Christ but hee groaneth vnder the burthen of mortalitie and would willingly imbrace death to bee with Christ yea the rememberance of his departure out of this life is ioyfull to him Fie vpon that man who hath his heart and affections knitee and glewed to the world euer seeking worldie honours or pleasures c. Thou souldest haue that disposition which Paul had looke what hee hee sayeth J desire to bee dissolued I haue confidence that J shall yet remaine with you but I choose rather to flitte out of this bodie and to goe and dwell with my Lord. Let vs not bee like Ethnickes who haue no blessednesse but beastlie blessednesse and looke for no blessednesse after his life If thou haue not an eye to Heaven and to that heauenlie blessednsse there is no blessednesse for thee This is to bee marked Who is it that will make this flitting from the Earth to Heauen Not euerie bodie but onelie so manie as the Father hath chosen from all eternitie Neuer one shall gette entrie to that Light and to that holie Sanctuarie but that soule whome the Father hath giuen to the Sonne If thou bee once giuen to the Sonne and once put into his handes howbeit thou bee a Pilgrime for while for thine inheritance is not heere howbeit thy bodie bee walking in sadnesse and heauinesse howbeit thou bee wandering farre from Christ on the Earth yet of necessitie thou shalt once dwell where Christ is This doctrine is verie common yet comfortable That bodie that is separated from his Lord and getteth not that fruition of his presence once hee shall goe where he shall get that presence howbeit not incontinent once hee shall bee lifted vp aboue the Earth and shall dwell in glorie with Iesus Christ The thing in the world that should be most perswaded of is That we are giuen to Iesus Christ There is no consolation for thee and thou needest not looke euer to dwell in Heauē with Iesus Christ if thou findest not this perswasion that Iesus Christ is become thy Lord and hath conquessed thee out of the handes of sinne and death There is none other consolation in life although thou shouldest liue ten thousande yeeres and much more in death without this thou shalt find no consolation but euen in death if thou findest this perswasion that thou lyest sleeping in the armes of Iesus Christ then thou shalt finde consolation and when the soule is departing out of the bodie it shall find in experience that joye Nowe yet the ende would bee marked There is the ende That they may see my glorie that thou hast giuen mee It is true indeede in this life the faythfull get a sight of the glorie of Iesus Christ for if there were not a sight of that glorie wherefore would all the pleasure of the worlde serue Thou wist neuer what joye meaned if thou gettest not a sight of that glorie But yet I say all the sight of Iesus Christ which wee haue in this life is as it were but in a mirrour and in a looking-glasse it is but a darke sight that thou hast of him This is by the Preaching of the Gospel wherein yee haue Christ first crucified and then glorified What is our Preaching but that Christ hath beene first crucified and nowe glorified at the right hande of the Father for the justification and sanctification of the worlde This is that darke sight which wee haue heere but one daye wee shall bee there where hee is and wee shall see him face to face and wee shall see such a glorious Majestie as wee would neuer haue looked for thou canst not looke for enough hope for as much as thou wilt when thou shalt bee with him it neuer entered into the heart of man that which once with the eyes of the bodie thou shalt see And therefore hee sayeth That they may see that glorie as though they sawe it neuer Wherefore shall it serue thee to see the glorie of Iesus Christ When once thou shalt see that Glorie face to face then perpetuallie tide and time thou shalt glorifie him What is the cause that wee cannot glorifie Christ in the Earth as wee shall doe in the Heauens Because wee haue not such a bright sight of his glorie in the Earth in this mortalitie as wee shall haue in the Heauens And if yee see a man yee will know him better than to heare speaking of him The greater sight thou hast of Christ the more thou shalt glorifie him A man that hath the smaller sight of him shall glorifie him the lesse but that man that hath no sight woe is him for hee will gette no glorie These dissolute men and women who haue no delight to glorifie him and haue gotten no sight of him shall gette no glorie Therefore when we shall gette the full sight euen that shining sight our delight shall bee to looke to our King and wee shall maruell that euer creature could see such a glorie and wee shall delight to glorifie him that sitteth vpon the Throne and when we shall see him then daye and night our Song shall bee as it is written in the Revelation Chap. 4. Vers 8. Holie holie holie is the Great GOD Almightie who was and who is and who is to come What is the cause of that Because of the brightnesse of the glorie which shall strike out from him vpon vs the crie shall neuer goe out of our mouth Well is that soule that will striue to glorifie him And that soule that can once studie to glorifie him that soule shall saye for euer Holie is the Lord. But shall wee not bee the better of it When thou lookest to a King in his glorie thou art neuer an haire the better But it shall bee farre otherwayes with thee when thou shalt see him So soone as wee shall see that glorie wee shall bee as soone transformed that bright face of the Sunne of Righteousnesse shall strike out the beames of his glory vpon thee and the beames shall goe to thine heart and shall illuminate thy soule and shall shoote out that darknesse and shall make thy bodie shine more brightlie that the Sunne So wee shall not so soone see him face to face after that glorious Resurrection but as soone thou shalt bee transformed to glorie and thou shalt shine like an Angel of Light Looke to the ende of the third Chapter of Paul in the 2. Epist to the Corinthians Wee with vncouered faces beholde as in a mirrour the glorie of the Lord and it transformeth vs into that same image from glorie to glorie The more that a man
pilgrimage and who hath honoured you with manie good turnes and namelie with loue and kindnesse towardes Gods Children for his cause make you more and more finde the loue of God shed abroad in your soule so that you neuer wearie in well-doing but that yee may daylie goe on forward in the course of sanctification that yee seeking fearing louing and alwayes seruing him and being comfortable to his Sainctes on Earth yee may bee assured when this short life is ended the Lord shall crowne you with eternall Glorie in Heauen with all his Saincts in JESVS AMEN Yours in the Lord H. C. W. A. THE FIRST LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xiiii VERS 1.2 LEt not your heart bee troubled yee belieue in God belieue also in mee 2 Jn my Fathers house are many dwelling places if it were not so J would haue told you I goe to preparé a place for you IN the CHAPTER immediately going before Brethren the LORD fore-warned his Disciples of his departure and taking away of his bodily presence out of the world that moued his Disciples exceedingly for they had no will hee should goe from them Therefore the Lord in this and in the next two CHAPT continueth in speaking to his Disciples to comfort and confirme them after his departure and taking away of his bodily presence from them And in the beginning of this CHAPTER hee layeth downe the proposition of this comfort Let not your heart bee troubled Thereafter hee subjoyneth sure argumentes to comfort strengthen an I confirme them when hee should goe away Hee saith Let not your hearts be troubled knowing well that when hee should depart they should be like as many Lambs among Wolues in the middest of this wicked world and so they would be troubled in mind when he should go away therefore the LORD warneth them before his departure that their hearts should not be troubled The Disciples faile in this that they thought that if the LORD had taken away his body and should absent himselfe out of their eyes they should haue no more comfort nor grace of him Ye see the Lesson ariseth here of their example As the presence of the LORD IESVS ministreth joye peace â—nd tranquillitie to the heart of the sinner euen so when he draweth away his presence from a sinner from a miserable creature then there is no joye no comfort no peace no rest to the heart It may be indeed and it coÌ„meth oft to passe that men and women will be lullud vp in a carnall security deliting themselues in the vain pleasures comforts of this world in eating and drinking c. It may be some be occupied they will haue a quite life they will lie downe and sleepe quietly they will rise and be wanton but in very trueth they haue no true peace if they finde not the Lord Iesus present in their heart when they lie downe and when they rise howbeit they had all the worlde they haue no peace No peace to the wicked saith the Lord Esay 57.21 Howbeit they seeme to haue peace they haue none As for the godly that haue once founde his presence and haue once tasted of that joye which is in his face of that light which commeth from his face and once he be taken from them giue them all this world and all the pleasures of this worlde they shall haue no pleasure they will neuer bee blythe till they get a sight of their Lord their soule dieth without his face and when he commeth againe it quickeneth and liueth This is the true joye thinke neuer yee haue true rest without the countenance of the Lord without the which all the pleasures and comforts of the world are but vaine for all shall leaue you and ye with them shall perish No question the Disciples when they began to feele that joye which they founde in his presence rather than they had wanted his company they would haue wanted all the world Now when he hath set downe this proposition of comfort hee leaueth them not so but knowing well how harde a thing it was to a comfortlesse heart to receiue comfort he subjoyneth sundrie arguments and reasons to hold them in a good courage and comfort And first he saith Yee belieue in God belieue also in mee There is an argument wherefore they should not bee troubled The first comfort hee ministreth to their comfortlesse heartes is Fayth in Christ The meaning is Howbeit when I goe away yee shall not see me yet settle your hearts vpon me follow me with the eye of your soule and looke afarre off to the Heauen and looke that ye rest and repose vpon mee by a true and liuely faith Well then yee see the first remedie against the taking away of the Lorde Iesus and withdrawing â—f his bodily presence is faith in him howbeit he were neuer so farre away let thy soule goe thorow the clouds and take holde on the Lord Iesus where hee sitteth at the right hand of God his Father sticke till him bee sure of him gripe him by the hand of faith and then in the middest of all the confusions of this world which ye see now fall out in these latter dayes thou shalt get comfort and ease to thy soule and it shall bee holden vp among all troubles of this world For why this is the nature of faith in Christ it will make things absent to be present As the Apostle saith to the Heb. 11.1 It maketh things hoped for to be present with vs it will let thee see that felicity that life that glorie which is laide vp in the Heauens for thee which we cannot see with the eyes of our mortall bodies so long as we are here Then so long as thou art absent from him belieue in him that thou mayeâ—t finde euer comfort till thy faith bee turned in sight and then thou shalt find that both sight of the soule the sight of the body into the Heauens shall be perfected then we shall see that clearly which we saw before obscurely and wee shall see him no sooner but our joy shall be full and wee shall bee into his glory with him and as his face shineth so shall ours shine also So ye see the chiefe thing that holdeth vs vp in all troubles of this world is the blinke we haue of Christ by faith Nowe hee proponeth not this argument barely but by way of comparison for he saith as Ye belieue in God so belieue in me for as he said I and the Father am one howbeit the Father and the Sonne be sundry persons yet they are but one blessed Majesty one God in one nature and one substance faith in one of them prejudgeth not another as thou belieuest in the Father so belieue in the Son so belieue in the holy Ghost because they are one in nature and substance they are coessentiall coequall coeternall if the Father and the Sonne were different in substance so that the Father were one
most precious sacrifice that euer was in the world hee entered not with the blood of beasts but with his own precious blood he carried there his owne bloody wounds and that blood slokned that burning wrath So that so soone as that justice findeth that blood the justice is satisfied then there is place to mercy So it followeth there is no entry to Heauen but by the Lord Iesus his blood and as he entered into Heauen by his own blood so there is neuer one of vs man or woman shall enter into HeaueÌ„ except we carry with vs that blood if thou wilt go into HeaueÌ„ be sprinkled with that blood or else the wrath of God shall burne thee vp But how shalt thou get this By faith in him that hath gone before thee with his blood that shall prepare for thee a rowm thou shalt follow thy Head So yee see how needfull it is to belieue in Christ if we would get entry into HeaueÌ„ it was not for his own cause he entred into Heauen but for vs he passed with his blood before vs to get vs an entry Before he lay down the argument he layes downe the ground therâ—f In my Fathers house are many dwelling places I go to prepare them Brethren Heauen is a very faire place there â—re many dwelling places into it there is great honour into it What is Heauen but the glory of God Whereto go we to Heauen but that we may be partakers of that glory who now without Christ are depriued of the glory of God Who is able to measure his glory for he is infinit he dwelleth into a light wherto there is no accesse And as the glory of God is infinit so there are infinit dwelling places in Heauen Before the Ascention of Christ there were rowms enough but they were al vnprepared closed vp til he entred By vertue of his Ascension al the yates were dong vp Then what good doth th' Ascension of Christ It opens all the doors of Heauen to vs there are dwelling places in HeaueÌ„ for a thousaÌ„d worlds for infinit worlds mo worlds than tong can tell There is no scarcity in HeaueÌ„ but as the glory of God is there is infinit can neuer be contained so there are infinit places I say more the Ascension of Iesus Christ vp to Heauen is of such force that it is able to prepare a place for a thousaÌ„d worlds for euery reprobat What is then the cause that euery one goes not to HeaueÌ„ seeing the HeaueÌ„s are able to contain so many There are many called saith the Lord but few elect What is the cause of this What is it but this No want of Mansions there is no want in Iesus Christ but the cause is in men women who want faith in Iesus Christ Who euer hath faith they goe in and who wants it albeit there be many MaÌ„sions there yet there is none for them WheÌ„ thou hearest there are so many dwelling places in Heauen say with thy selfe Lord prepare mee for grace as grace is prepared for me Lord giue me faith into this blood that I by vertue therof may haue a place in HeaueÌ„ Striue therfore rather to throng in to haue a part of that life than to haue all the commodities of the world for if thou hast not this all the coÌ„modities of the world shall go away thou shalt be shot in Hell No striue rather to get a part of that inheritaÌ„ce it were the least Mansion than the whole earth for there is more joye there than in all the world Hee saieth And it were otherwise J would haue tolde you As hee would say I am not boune to beguile you and feed you with faire wordes and there were not many dwelling places in my Fathers house I would haue told you the promise of the Lord Iesus is not like the promise of the world for men will promise mountaines of gold All men of all estates yea Princes are liars but the Lord Iesus will promise nothing but that which he will performe There was neuer such promise made as the Lorde Iesus made Looke how he speaketâ— of the joy of Heauen and of that immortall inheritance thinkâ—st thou he beguileth thee No no thinke not so for and it were nâ—â—â—o the Lorde would neuer haue spoken so of it to thee thou shalt find it so thou shalt see it with thine eys there is none that belieueth but thâ—y shall find in experience the trueth of that promise There was neuer a faithfull soule yet who departed as Abraham Isaac and Iaakob c. but they now find that joy which was promised them in this world Yea more yee shall finde more than euer was spoken of All the words of the world cannot expresse the greatnesse of that joy in Heauen yea all the words in the worlde cannot expresse the thousand part of that ioye As the Queene of Saba when she heard the wordes of Solomon and saw his pompe she began to coÌ„mend them said It was a true word that I heard in mine own land of thy sayings of thy wisdome but lo the one halfe was not told me for thou hast more than I heard by report Euen so belieue all these reports and thou shalt find greater things in Heauen than any thou heardest tell of in the world thou shalt wonder at them It is true that the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 2.9 The eye of man hath not seene nor the eare of man hâ—ard neither hath it entered into the heart of man touching the things which the Lord hath laide vp for them who loue him Hope for greater things and belieue greater thinges than thou canst feele Hope for infinite glory thou canst not hope enough and thou shalt finde in that great day greater joye than euer thou hopedst for that through Iesus Christ To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all praise honour and glory for euermore Amen THE SECOND LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xiiii VERS 3.4.5.6 3 And if I goe to prepare a place for you I will come againe and receiue you vnto my selfe that where J am there may yee bee also 4 And whither I goe yee know and the way yee know 5 Thomas said vnto him Lord wee know not whither thou goest how can wee then know the way 6 Iesus said vnto him J am that Way and that Trueth and that Life No man commeth to the Father but by mee HAving heard already welbeloued Brethren two arguments whereby the Lord comforteth his Disciples who were heauily casten downe for his departing and taking away of his bodily presence from them The first is Faith in Christ Howbeit when I goe away ye shall not see me yet settle your hearts vpon me follow mee with the eyes of your soule rest vpon me with a true faith then in the midst of all troubles ye shal get comfort ease to your soule
The second argument is taken from their owne weale My departure is to prepare a place for you in Heauen if I goe not before you yee can get no place there for neuer man either got getteth or shall get place there but onely by the vertue of the Ascension of Christ It was not for his owne cause he entered into Heauen but for vs he passed with blood before vs to get vs an entry by his blood He by his Ascension opened vp to vs all the yates of Heauen that we might goe in there His Ascension to Heauen is of such force that it is able to prepare a dwelling place and it were for a thousand worldes if men could haue faith in him Now I come to the third argument wherby he comfortes them which is taken from the second coÌ„ming to Christ to glorify them fully And this of all other argumeÌ„ts brings greatest comfort to the soule The former arguments are indeede very comfortable faith worketh a great joy in the heart of a sinner because faith makes Iesus to bee present to the soule euen then when it is absent from the Lord and walking yet in this pilgrimage here on the earth Againe it is a greater comfort to the soule when we heare that Christ hath prepared a place for vs in Heauen wherein faith shall be changed in sight we shall see him face to face and glorifie him without any stay or intermission yet none of these wil furnish vs perfect ioy if there be no more for the conscience of our owne weaknesse and the sight and feeling of sinne within vs maketh vs oftentimes to doubt brangleth our faith and stayeth our full consolation And albeit we heare that Christ hath prepared a place for vs and opened the Heauen to vs yet our own weaknesse and infirmity telleth vs we cannot be able to come there to enter into the possession of the inheritance prepared for vs But here is matter of perfect ioy and full consolation when we heare that Christ will come again in his own person take vs to the HeaueÌ„s to the place hee hath prepared for vs whereunto otherwise in respect of our weaknes we could neuer come Jf saith Christ I goe to prepare a place for you I will come again receiue you vnto my self that where J am there may ye be also As if he had said I depart not from you to remain absent from you for euer I purpose not so to do but I will come again to you to take you vp to the place that I haue prepared that ye may remain with me in the Heauens be partakers of my glory for euer No question this was a great matter of comfort and ioy to the Disciplis when they heard that Christ would come again to them take them with himself to glory doubtles this made them after Christs Ascension to haue their eys hearts affections lift vp to Heauen waiting for his blessed appearance Brethren it is the coÌ„mon custome of all the Saincts when they heare belieue that Christ is to come again out of the Heauens to take them to that place of joy which he hath prepared for them te reâ—oyce vnder the hope of that glory with a joy vnspakeable gloâ—ious to set their hearts aboue to haue their conuersation in Heauen from whence they looke for our Sauiour to come to change our vile bodies that they may be like his glorious body c. Indeede it is true our hope waiting for Christ is ay coÌ„joyned with sighing sobbing because we haue not as yet gotteÌ„ the ful fruitioÌ„ of our inheritaÌ„ce And therfore Paul saith Wee who haue gotten the first fruits of the Spirit euen we sigh in our selues waiting for the adoption euen the redemption of our bodie Rom. 8.23 There ye see with waiting he conjoyns sighing indeed the sorow sighing of the godly is exceeding great while as they are absent froÌ„ their Lord But it is also true that with this sighing sadnes they find a ioy vnspeakable glorious yea such a ioy as all the ioyes and outward comforts in the world cannot be able to furnish vnto men The naturall man who seeks to haue ioy in outward thinges neuer wist what true ioye meaned thou that seeks ioy in thy riches thou neuer knew true ioy thou who seekes ioy in honour or preserment thou finds but a shadow of ioy thou who seeks ioy in the pleasurs of the flesh thou finds nothing in the end but displeasure in stead of ioye But the godly in waiting for the comming of their Sauiour find such a ioy that the heart of no naturall man is able to conceiue and if thou found but one sparke of this ioy into thy heart thou would count nothing of all worldâ—ie ioyes in respect of it yea thou would bee content to renounce all worldly pleasures that thou might bruik it Now Brethren if our ioy be so great euen now while we are absent froÌ„ the Lord and are only waiting for his blessed appearance O how great shall our ioy be when our faith shall be turned in sight when we shall see him face to face and when hee shall put vs in the full possession of that inheritance which now wee are hoping and longing for But leauing this I goe forwarde to the fourth argument of their consolation which hee taketh from the knowledge they had both of the place where he was going to likewise of the way which led them to that place For saith he whither I goe ye know and the way ye know As if he had said In the mean time while I am come again to you let this comfort you that both ye know the place wherevnto now I am going first and wherevnto next ye shall follow me and also that ye know the way wherein ye shal walke that ye may come to that place yee knowe both the one and the other And if there were none other thing but this knowledge it may serue to comfort you the time of mine absence from you while I come againe and take you to that place with my selfe Marke the Lesson Brethren It is a great comfort to a man who is absent from the Lorde and woulde faine bee present with him to knowe the place where the Lord is and likewise to knowe the way howe hee may come to that place where hee may find the Lord and enioye his blessed presence Ye know this by experience that if a Pilgrime bee wandering in his iourney and in the meane time knowe no place where at length hee maye come to rest in it will bee a sore griefe to him and againe yee knowe howbeit hee knewe a place where to find rest and yet knew not the way how to come to that place he will be very based and exceedingly casten downe But by the contrary if the Pilgrime in his iourneying knowe both the place wherin to rest and likewise the way
there is any good in vs there is aye a piece of imperfection in the best of vs all Then that which in Philip is to be commended is this that hee hath a desire to see God one of the greatest graces that euer was for Christ sayeth Matth. 5.6 Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousnesse Woe to that soule that neither hath seene the Father neither yet hath any desire to see him Another thing is commendable Hee thought if once he could get a sight of God hee woulde bee contented Indeede the onely contentment that man or woman hath in this world is into the sight of God All the thinges in the worlde will not giue a contentation to the soule but the more thou hast of an earthly thing as Riches Honour and pleasure the more euer shalt thou craue But and once thou seest the face of God in the which there is satietie of all joye there shalt thou finde full rest to thy soule and thou shalt haue such a joye and contentation that thou shalt craue no more for all fulnesse is in his face and hee filleth the creature with the beames of his glory And this Philip speaketh Wee shall then bee contented getting a sight of that glorious Majestie There are other thinges discommendable Hee vttereth a great ignorance euen of this grounde That the Sonne is the Image of the Father The Sonne and the Father are but one in nature essence and Majestie He misknew this ground without the which there is no comfort There is another thing discommendable in him Christ was instructing them in this grounde and hee vttereth a dulnesse in the meane time as if Christ had not spoken one worde These are two faultes Ignorance is a fault and the ignorance of God chiefly And their dulnesse and stupidity of heart is another fault whereby men and women are so senselesse and blockish that they are neyther moued with the thing that they heare nor able to conceiue the same as for the first and thou shouldest knowe all the worlde and misknowe God thou hast no knowledge Paul Philipp 3. professeth he would misknow all the thinges in the worlde for the knowledge of that eminence of Christ Hee was a great Scholler and a wise man yet in respect of that knowledge of Christ hee counted all but dammage yea hee counted all but dirt but hee calleth it Eminence because it surmounteth all the knowledge in the worlde it reacheth farther than Heauen yea aboue the thirde Heauen So ignorance is an euill thing and ignorance of God is the worst thing in the world It is not so great a miserie to bee in a darke pitte as to bee wrapped in such darknesse that they cannot see the Lorde Iesus If an ignorant creature who knoweth nothing of the Creator haue a desire and an hunger and thirst to bee fred out of that pit of ignorance there is grace and it must followe of necessitie that that creature who faine woulde knowe the Lorde Iesus must get knowledge the Lorde shall drawe him out of that darknesse which is the beginning of Hell Christ sayeth They who hunger and thirst for righteousnesse shall bee filled Blessed are they who hunger for God for of necessitie that creature must bee filled And on the other parte a man or a woman who knoweth not God and then in the meane time hath no desire to knowe God as alace ouer manie there bee who desire not to knowe God as if there were no Heauen nor Hell after this life It is a sure token they will bee casten into vtter darknesse a worlde of all miserie If there be anie of you who is ignorant and hath no desire to be fredde thereof I say to you and yee continue so and die so your soule shall goe to that darknesse of Hell If anie bodie bee in darkenesse and taketh a delectation therein and if hee were a King Emperour or Monarch howbeeit hee had all the knowledge in the worlde hee is but a miserable catiue For what is all the wisedome of this worlde without the knowledge of IESVS CHRIST But meere follie And the LORD shall make that wisedome which the Great men of this Lande count much of to be a snare to trappe them into All the thinges that they haue and the fauour of men shall not saue them from judgement because of the ignorance of IESVS CHRIST So yee see in Philip what was commendable and what was discommendable If wee bee in ignorance let vs desire to bee fredde from it And if wee bee dull and senselesse let vs bee carefull to vnderstande the worde of the LORD Let vs laye it vp in our heart and meditate on it day and night with prayer to GOD to giue vs vnderstanding heartes for to him that knocketh it shall bee opened Nowe the LORDE answereth to Philip Indeede considering howe hee had instructed them from the beginning He might haue reproued him and said I haue instructed you and as I perceiue yee haue profited nothing But the Lord yet tyreth not nor casteth them not off but teacheth them vvith patience and vvith lenity because he knew vvhat vvas in man There is not a Teacher vvho is vnperfect in himselfe vvho vvill teach vvith such lenity as the Lord did vvho had no ignorance in him but the fulnesse of all knowledge He leaueth his example to bee followed that all Teachers may teach vvith lenity after him So Paul biddeth Timothie being a young man teach vvith lenity 2. Timoth 4.2 It vvas not for nothing heâ— bore vvith them but that they should beare vvith others afterward when they should teach others for they vvho feele the hardnesse and dulnesse of nature best they haue greatest compassion vpon others The doctrine he vseth is by vvay of rebuke and it is but a gentle rebuke for hee sayth How sayest thou Shew vs the Father As if hee vvould say How is this Philip that thou sayst Shew me the Father He is not content vvith this but hee rebuketh and teacheth Philip in the grounds of the knowledge of God and he sayth He who knoweth me and seeth mee hee seeth the Father but so it is thou seest mee it is a shame to thee to misken me therefore how askest thou at mee Shew me the Father Yet he sayth Belieuest thou not Philip that the Father is in mee and J in him One in essence glory and Majesty howbeit diuerse in persons Philip belieuest thou not that I am the splendor of his glory For hee is the expresse forme of him vvho cannot bee seene Therefore vvouldest thou see the Father to thy comfort that thou mayest be transchanged to the like glorie Wee may see men yea Kings in glory and vve vvill get none of it but vvhen we see that Maiesty the beames that strike on vs shall transchange vs. So I saye vvouldest thou see thy felicity vvouldest thou see God and as thou vvouldest desire to liue thou must desire to see him then preasse to get
difference of men it is not by nature for by nature all men refuse this Spirite The Lord of Heauen who offereth this Spirite to the worlde in some hee will make him to worke effectually with ioy in others when he offereth the Spirit he maketh the heart hard and vvhen the worde beateth at it it will resist and fight with both the handes to holde backe the worde So Steuen Act. 7. vers 51. saith of the Iewes Yee resist euer the holy Spirit The multitude euer striueth to holde out the Spirite out of their heartes and the more the Spirit bee offered the harder is their heartes Well it lieth in no mans hand to giue this Spirite or to take it There is no free will in the heart but it is of the free will of God So when wee heare the worde our whole endeuour shoulde bee to looke to him from whom the Spirit commeth and say Lord it lieth not in my power of my selfe to receiue this Spirit but Lord open thou mine heart as thou openedst the heart of Lydia to receiue this Spirit Now to goe forwarde Hee setteth downe the cause wherefore the world was not able to receiue this Spirit Hee sayth The world cannot receiue him because it seeth him not not knoweth him not When wee know a thing perfectly it is good for vs the knowledge will waken a desire in our heartes to haue it and to brooke it Againe by the contrary And it were neuer so good a thing and neuer so meete for vs and we haue no knowledge of it wee will not haue a desire of it yea and it were Heauen it selfe for the common saying is true Ignoti nulla cupido The Lord sayth to the Samaritane woman Iohn 4.10 And thou knewest that gift of God that is offered to thee this day and thou knewest him who asketh thee drinke thou wouldest seeke of him the water of life The Lord meaned shee asked not the water of life because shee knew it not but when she knew the sweetnesse of that water and tasted of it that Well of Iaakob which shee thought so precious before she left it behind her and ran into the Towne and proclaimed that grace But to come to the particular And a man knew how great a grace the Spirit were he would giue all the things in the worlde for a gripe of him and for a taste of his sweetnesse But a man who knoweth not the Spirit of Christ for the worlde knoweth not what grace is in that Spirite of Christ so the misknowledge of the Spirit maketh the contempt of the Spirit that man hath no desire of him Woe to that soule that cannot saye Lord indue mee with thine holy Spirit for it is a sure thing that those who want this Spirite they haue not Christ for Christ is possessed by his Spirite and when hee is out of the heart there Christ is away Euer seeke knowledge of God and of Iesus Christ and of the holy Spirit as yee would bee saued hereafter And euer when yee heare any speaking of this blessed Trinitie bee busie to vnderstand what is spoken Knowledge worketh a thirst of grace and sayeth the Lord Matth. 5.6 Blessed is hee who hungereth and thirsteth for righteousnesse for he shall be filled What would a man seeke but his fill In this life they shall get a taste of that water of life and heereafter they shall get a satietie For as Dauid sayth Psal 16.11 In thy face is fulnesse of joy and at thy right hand are pleasures for euermore So striue to get a knowledge for it worketh a desire and knowledge growe not desire cannot grow When hee hath laide downe the grounde wherefore they were not able to receiue the Spirit of God the Disciples who looked to the estate of the worlde might haue saide This estate of the world is miserable What Lord is our estate Lie we in blindnesse and ignorance as the worlde doeth The Lord meeteth this and sayeth Yee knowe him and the worlde knoweth him not And hee addeth the reason He bideth with you And he then maketh a promise to them of a farder acquaintance of the Spirit of God with them he sayeth Hee shall bee in you And then in the verse following to confirme vs hee repeateth it and sayth J shall not leaue you comfortlesse That is I shall come againe to you in my Spirit The first thing wee haue to marke When the Disciples haue heard of the miserable estate of the worlde they are carefull to vnderstand their estate whether they bee like to the worlde or not and as they are carefull to vnderstand so the Lord is carefull to make them vnderstand it This vvorld is miserable now the multitude is hardened lying without the sheepe-folde of the Lord So when we heare of the darknesse of the worlde as of the Iewes the Turkes and Pagans yea euen to amplifie and extende this to the kingdome of Antichrist and of the Papistes also for they are but miserable I say and I proclaime in the Name of the great God of Heauen and in the ende they shall see it glory in their knowledge as they will they shall be casten out in darknesse When wee heare of this I say should we heare of it securely as if it belonged not to vs Or should wee set our eyes only vpon the worlde No wee should set our eyes vpon our selues and trie our owne estate and saye Lord what am I Haue I sought grace Shall I get Heauen This should be our care to see that we be not like the world And if we be carefull as the Disciples were to search our estate and to trie our knowledge of the holy Spirit the Lord will be ready to answere as he answered them he will speake to thee by thy conscience Thou art not like to the worlde Blessed art thou thou hast the knowledge of the holy Spirit When we heare of the world all is but misery multitudes lying in blindnesse and ignorance when we heare of this wee should not rejoyce of this but wee should bee carefull of our selues and say Lord let me not bee like the world but let mee haue a knowledge of the Lord. No wee should not rejoyce in the misery of the multitude but lament for it The second thing I marke is the waye to come to the knowledge of the Spirit of Christ Wee know all this Brethren when a man is acquainted with another man and haunteth with him the man will knowe his familiar and knowe his power and let them speake they will know other So acquaintance will make knowledge Well wouldest thou know the Spirit of Iesus Christ be acquainted with him for there is no knowledge without familiaritie and hee must dwell with thee night and day ere thou knowe him Barrest thou him out thou wilt neuer know him So the way to know him is onely dwelling with thee hee must dwell in thine heart and then he will let thee see such a power
the like whereof thou neuer sawest euen the illumination of the soule So he dwelling and working within thee thou shalt know him Our Lesson is Dwell with vs who so will and let vs dwell with whome wee vvill in this worlde and if it were with Kinges and wee dwell not with the Spirite of CHRIST and hee dwell not into vs againe vvee are but miserable in our dwelling So let men looke what euer they bee doing that the Spirite of CHRIST bee with them sleepe they vvake they goe they to their bedde looke that hee bee with them And in one worde looke that hee bee a companion with thee for otherwayes and thou hadst all the vvorld with thee thou art but a miserable solitary body The wordes following I will not leaue you Fatherlesse but I will come to you It is the same thing in effect hee spake of before to confirme them I will not leaue you like Fatherlesse Children And man wanted Father and Mother and all his Kinne and all moyen worldly look how precious a thing it is to haue the Spirit of Christ and hee were casten out into the Wildernesse and he haue the Spirit of God hee is not alone hee wanteth not a good guide in this worlde the Spirit of Iesus is with him and hee shall loue him that in the greatest dangers in the worlde hee shall saue him and suppose hee lose his life hee shall get a better life and suppose hee haue a battell hee shall triumph and suppose hee die and the body bee dissolued into dust the Spirit shall not leaue the dust till hee lift vp the body and place it in the Heauen Dauid Psal 146. vers 5. sayeth Blessed is he who hath the God of Iaakob for his helpe vvhose hope is in the Lord his God It followeth not thou hast not a Father therefore God will bee thy Father or thou wantest a Mother therefore God will bee thy Mother It will not followe It will not bee vvant that will make GOD to bee thy Defender this must bee that Dauid sayeth Ere euer GOD bee the GOD of the Fatherlesse the Fatherlesse must hope in him and the Widdow must leane to him Woulde the Stranger and the Fatherlesse haue God with them let them leane vpon God and the Heauen shall fall ere this leaning stocke fall Our hope must bee in God Now on the other part Brethren this riseth on these vvordes Let a man haue his Father and his Mother and all the vvorld yet vvant he this companion the Spirit of Christ to accompany him to goe with him hee is euer Fatherlesse And hee were a King and hee were riding in the middest of his troupe and Gunnes and Canons about him hee is but solitary and Fatherlesse and vvithout a Guarde and a preye to the Deuill and to his enemies Experience teacheth vs this in all ages the greatest men haue fallen down miserably vvho vvanted this Spirit to be their guarde In one vvorde Let all the vvorlde guarde a man and GOD guarde him not hee hath no guarde All thinges are nothing vvithout GOD and GOD is all thinges As yee vvould bee saued in this life and in that life to come neuer rest night nor day vvithout yee finde the companie of this Spirite and say and it vvere but this vvorde vvhen yee rise LORD let thy Spirit rise vvith mee and accompany mee the vvhole daye and LORD let mee haue his blessed society that I may bee defended from mine enemies In this broken band should vvee not take vs to him vvho hath power to defende vs and should vvee not bee acquainted vvith him vvho vvill not leaue vs And seeing there is none of vs vvho findeth not in our selues a thousand vvantes and that vvee are subject to many dangers and seeing hee hath promised the presence of his Spirite to all vvho vvanteth and crieth for grace vve ought euery one in these troublesome dayes to seeke the presence of this Spirit to supplie all our vvantes To this Spirit vvith the Father and the Sonne bee all honour and glory for euermore Amen THE SIXT LECTVRE OF CHRISTES BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xiiii VERS 19.20 19 Yet a little while and the world shall see mee no more but yee shall see mee because J liue yee shall liue also 20 At that day shall yee know that I am in my Father and you in mee and J in you WEE heard Beloued in Christ the Lord beeing shortly to leaue this worlde and to take his bodily presence from it and from his Disciples hee not onely comforteth them against that time but hee exhorteth them to doe their duety in his absence The first exhortation was to fayth Belieue mee sayeth hee that I am in the Father and the Father in mee The seconde was to the keeping of his Commaundementes The argument was first in keeping his Commandementes they should testifie before the worlde that they loued him in his absence None loueth the Lord Iesus in his absence but they who striue to keepe his Commandements till his comming The next was a mouing argument If they should keep his Cōmandements he should recompense his absence and whereas when hee was present with them he was their Comforter if they should keepe his Commandements in his absence hee should send them another Comforter out of the Heauens who should abide with them He calleth him the Spirit of Trueth whom the worlde could not receiue because it knew him not nor saw him not but they knew him because they were familiar with him Then hee maketh a farder promise to them that the Spirit should be in an higher measure present with them after his Ascension than euer hee was before his Ascension Then hee repeateth this same promise in other wordes and hee sayeth I shall not leaue you comfortlesse but I shal returne againe to you Not as hee shall come in the daye of judgement but in his Spirit and in his power So if yee marke well yee will see the Lord hath promised three times his Spirite to comfort them and to abide with them First he said That he should pray the Father and he should giue them another Comforter Secondly That that Spirit should bee into them Thirdly That that Spirit should not leaue them In the beginning of the Text wee haue read hee repeateth the fourth time the same promise in effect Yet a little while and the world shall not see mee but yee shall see mee That is in my Spirit and in that Spirite yee shall see mee more effectually than euer I vvas of before during the time of my bodily presence What meaneth this oft repetition of the promises of the Spirit Had it not bene enough once to haue promised this Spirit Brethren it is an hard matter for sinners to receiue comfort to miserable creatures to look for grace or mercy they will be casten in such perplexitie difficulty that in a maner they will see no outgate all the words in the world will
say it is a foolish question I will bee there as soone as any Minister of them all howbeit they contemne this worde and this presence of the Lord. This is like to prophane Esau who solde his part of Heauen for the filling of the belly of him vvhat doeth he in the meane time passeth ouer the time and thinketh he hath his Birth-right hee looketh for that blessing but vvhen it commeth to the blessing it is taken from him and it is giuen to Iaakob So men will not thinke that this contempt of the Spirit will close Heauen from them vntill that latter sentence Esau mourned and wept when the blessing was giuen to Iaakob but mourne as he would hee could not get that blessing but lay still with the curse on him So at that day sore shall the lamenting be and we shall heare them roaring howling and crying vvho contemne this worde But let them howle and they were kinges they shall neuer mend themselues or free themselues from that eternall fire So as wee would see Christ comming in that day to our joye let vs make much of this worde in the which Christ is present Or else I giue thee doome and thou do it not thou shalt neuer see him but to thy shame When hee hath set downe the estate of them who contemne him next hee layeth downe the estate of his Disciples who contemned him not But sayth he yee shall see mee Howbeit that this sight that now yee haue bee taken away yet shall yee get another sight more comfortable This sight is the sight of Iesus in his Spirit thorowe his worde The Spirit is not without the worde And there bee no word there is no Spirit Contemnest thou the word thou contemnest the meane that the Lord hath appointed to get that Spirit Then the word of the Gospel and the Spirit that followeth on the word letteth a man or woman see Christ Hast thou heard the worde preached and by the worde hast found consolation thou hast seene Christ thou hast felt and griped him The Spirit of Christ by the worde and Sacramentes entereth into the soule of man and woman and filleth the soule and bringeth Christ into the soule and filleth the whole senses with him The hands wil feele him the eyes will see him Get this Spirite thou shalt get himselfe and when thou hearest that worde out of the mouth of a weake instrument thou shalt heare his owne voyce and thine heart shall gripe him euen as sensibly as thine handes will gripe a sensible body and thou shalt haue more joy sweetnesse and peace than all the world can giue thee Haue ye euer heard him or tasted him then haue yee felt this joy Howbeit wee see him not yet as Peter sayth wee belieue and rejoyce with a joye that is vnspeakable So this fayth wee speake of and this Gospel is not vaine wordes that passe away not a superficiall thing but the moste effectuall thin◠〈◊〉 the world to our consolation The Christian Religion is the most solide and most joyfull thing of all thinges in the worlde all other Professions are but vanity they haue no solidity But to belieue in CHRIST both in life and death is most comfortable And once thou get that Spirite thou mayest feele that Spirite better than all the things in the world And we want this joy the fault is not in the Spirit but in vs who cannot apprehend him He subjoynes the reason why they should see him this is it There is nothing that can slay this sight but death and hee prooueth that death cannot staye it If death could staye it it must bee either your death or my death but so it is I liue and yee shall lâ—ue yee shall not die therefore death shall not staye it as for me I haue life eternally I haue the life of God aâ— for you yee shall liue by the life which is in mee The manner of speaking would be marked Ye shall liue because I liue He sayth not I shall liue but J liue This is a weighty speach the meaning is I liue from all eternity my life had neuer a beginning The forme of speaking importeth a life from all eternity a life by gone a life present and a life to come And the Lord liueth not as the creatures but he is life it selfe and the Fountaine of all life therefore he liueth by himselfe In the end of the eight Chapter hee speaketh such like Ere Abraham was I am that is I had my beginning from all eternity As in the Reuelation Chap. 1 vers 4. I am hee who is was and shall bee And there were no more to testifie that Christ is God and one with the Father this is an argument to tell vs that our Lord is God There is no creature man nor Angel can say I am it is proper to God Exod. 3.14 This phrase importeth a being by himselfe and by him we liue moue and are Act. 17.28 No creature can saye I liue onely the Lord can say it So this word importeth necessarily that the Lord is God of Heauen The thing I note on this argument is Wee may see the ground of sight is life and no man can see except hee bee liuing What can the eye of a dead body see The ground of the naturall sight is naturall life So they who would see heauenly thinges must haue life A dead man will neuer see Heauen This life what a life must it be Must it be a naturall life Noâ— And thou hadst ten thousand naturall liues thou wilt neuer see Christ without another life I say more This life naturall is so defiled with sinne that it hindereth vs from the sight of Heauen And the more powerfull the natural man be in his own sight the more are his eyes closed froÌ„ Heauen As Paul sayth The naturall man is not capable of Spirituall things for they are foolishnesse to him The naturall man will thinke the Crosse of Christ is but scorne It is an harde thing for a naturall witted man to receiue Christ because his head is full of naturall wit So ere a man get a sight of that life there must be a mortification of this corrupt nature and wisdome of the flesh And thou wouldest be heauenly wise be a foole to the world that thou mayest be wise 1. Cor. 3.18 Thou must learne to make this worldly wit a seruant to this Heauenly knowledge So this life which is the cause of sight must be the life of Christ there shall neuer one see Christ but he who hath this life into him in some measure A man who hath gotten a sponke of the life of Christ hee will see Christ for hee liueth not by himselfe as Paul sayeth but hee liueth by Christ Gal. 2.20 As yee would see Iesus Christ bee not content to haue a naturall life occupied in the things of the world but see thou find that life of Iesus be in thee Rest not night nor day as thou wouldest liue
I charge thee till thou gettest that life without the which there is no quietnesse thou mayest be quiet for a while but blacke shall bee thy wakening and say thou Lord liue in my soule for and he liue not heere in thy soule thou shalt not get that life to come Now to draw to an ende Hee letteth them see what vantage they shall haue of that sight It is no small vantage to see Christ In that day would the Lord say what shall yee see vvhen yee see mee Yee shall see two thinges two vnions in the sight of which standeth the joye of the creature The first is the vnion betwixt me and the Father J am in the Father that is I am God with the Father And next ye shal see yourselues to stand in this societie That is That yee are in mee and I in you to your joye and comfort One may aske Howe shalt thou see him vnited with the Father A man or vvoman shall not so soone set the eye of the soule vpon Iesus Christ shall not so soone belieue in him but as soone they shall knowe and belieue the vnity of the essence and glory of the Father and of the Sonne By fayth in Christ they shall gripe an infinite power Who is he that belieueth in Iesus Christ vvho findeth not in his heart an infinite power and an infinite mercy And vve feele not this vvee feele nothing And vvee feele not by fayth an vnspeakeable loue vvee feele nothing In one vvord vvhen one belieueth in Christ they shall see in him an infinit Majesty othervvayes fayth could not rest on him for fayth can rest on nothing but on God I remember Paul to the Ephesians Chap. 1. Vers 18.19 hee prayeth the Lord to illuminate the hearts of the Ephesians to see heauenly thinges and among the rest to see that excellent greatnesse of power There is none that belieueth in Christ but they finde an excellent power Then if fayth finde the Majesty of God in him the man vvill lay this conclusion and say I see my Sauiour is God and is one vvith the Father And there the soule getteth a sweet repose to rest vpon So ye see as soone as the soule belieueth in Christ it feeleth an vnspeakeable power and Majesty and so gathereth hee is God and one vvith the Father Except hee were God and one with the Father it coulde not bee that one belieuing in Christ coulde haue such joye and peace in the heart This is the Trueth and hee were not God mine heart could not haue joye in belieuing in him So this power wee finde striking from the Lord in belieuing telleth vs that the Lord is God Nowe to speake of the second vnion Howe is this that when wee looke to Christ by fayth wee finde vs joyned with him in that blessed society The eye shall not so soone bee set on Christ and gette a blinke of him but in him it shall finde the satiety of joye In the face of Christ is all light and joye as Paul sayeth Turne the heart till him the vaile shall vanish awaye and the minde shall bee illuminated because the Lord is a Spirit 2. Cor. Chap. 3. vers 16.17 When thou belieuest in him his face shall shine in thy soule thou shalt see no light but in him Is this the effect of fayth What then shouldest thou gather Thou vvouldest neuer finde ioye except the Spirit had vnited thee and him All this light power and ioye which is in our soules floweth from that vnion of Christ with vs. Then Brethren the sight of Christ will let vs see the two ioyfullest sightes that euer wee saw First that vnion betwixt him and his Father and so thou wilt see thy Sauiour to bee God equall with the Father in glory and Maiesty The next is Thou shalt see thy selfe to stand in that societie with the Father and the Sonne Men would be in honest societie What more gracious yea what more blessed societie woldest thou haue than to be in societie with the blessed Trinitie in glory for euer For this is the felicitie of man to bee ioyned with that blessed Trinitie euen with the Father with the Sonne and with the holy Spirit To whom be praise and honour foreuer and euer Amen THE SEVENTH LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xiiii VERS 21.22.23.24.25.26 21 Hee that hath my Commandements and keepeth them is hee that loueth mee and hâ—e that loueth mee shall bee loued of my Father and I will loue him and will shew mine owne selfe to him 22 Judas saide vnto him not Iscariot Lord what is the cause that thou wilt shew thy selfe vnto vs and not vnto the world 23 Jesus answered and said vnto him If any man loue mee hee will keepe my word and my Father will loue him and wee will come vnto him and will dwell with him 24 Hee that loueth mee not keepeth not my words and the word which yee heare is not mine but the Fathers which sent mee 25 These thinges have I spoken vnto you being present with you 26 But the Comforter which is the holy Ghoste whome the Father will send in my Name hee shall teach you in all thinges and bring all thinges to your remembrance which I haue tolde you WEE haue heard welbeloued Brethren how Christ hath insisted much with his Disciples to assure them that after his departure out of this world he would giue them another Comforter to wit the holy Spirit the Spirit of Trueth and he would giue them his presence from the Heauen Hee hath repeated his promise often to assure them of the trueth thereof Nowe hee returneth vnto that seconde exhortation and exhorteth his Disciples of newe to keepe his Commandementes in his absence Hee sayeth the Lord who hath my Commandements and keepeth them is hee who loueth mee As he would say Wouldest thou know the man who loueth me when I am in the Heauens It is hee who keepeth my CoÌ„mandements here on earth Ye see the Lord is very earnest to exhort his Disciples to keep his CoÌ„mandemeÌ„ts as they vvould testifie to the vvorld that they loue him The Lord knew vvell enough the hypocrisie of this vvorlde and in this latter age chiefely that men vvomen vvould haue a pretence of loue and faith and haue none indeed in their heart and therfore he insisteth vvith his Disciples that men should kythe it indeede The babler and the speaker onely is not the louer but the doer Iohn in his first Epistle Chap. 3. vers 18. saith My little Children let vs not loue in word neither in tounge but in deed and trueth They who belieue are not those who speake most but those who doe most James Chap. 2 vers 18. saith Let me see thy fayth by thy workes and I will shew thee my fayth by my works Christ is not a voyce or a sound sounding in mens eares but the Lord Iesus is in deede and effect and there are none who haue Christ
any other felicity and therefore they were woe at such speaches for they were more carnall than spirituall and tooke more heede to that carnall than spirituall ioy So this is our nature that if we can get in the world such aboundance of riches pleasure honour and such companie as we would we would neuer desire to goe out of this world but ay to remaine And when wee heare tell that wee must slit out of this worlde the rememberance of death will sting vs to the heart the Disciples were sad because the Lord was to goe from them It is the hardest thing in the worlde to gette the soule disseuered from the world and to get the eye set vpon Heauen and to get an hope of that Life Woe to that soule that getteth not hope to reach aboue this worlde that soule is in an euill estate And the Lord knowing this hee will take awaye from vs that companie that will drawe vs from him and piece and piece hee will take vs vnto himselfe for no man getteth the desire of Heauen in a moment but a man piece and piece stealeth out of the worlde and goeth to Heauen Thinke not thou therefore them happie who haue the worlde at their will No no it is well for that creature whom the Lord draweth out of the worlde by taking from them the thinges of the worlde For miserable are wee if ou◠hope bee not extended beyonde all earthlie yea spirituall comfortes that euen can befall vs in this life as Paul saieth Of all men wee are moste miserable if in this life onely wee haue hope in Christ 1. Cor. 1. vers 19. I goe forward As before hee gently reprooued them so in the next vers hee comforteth them Jt is expedient for you that J goe away for it J goe not away the Comforter shall not come to you but if J goe away I will sende him to you Heereby wee see that the holie Spirit commeth by the Resurrection and Glorification of IESVS CHRIST and therefore it is saide The holie Spirite was not giuen because Iesus was not as yet glorified Chap. 7. vers 39. And whatsoeuer grace was of the holie Spirite into the worlde was by vertue of that Resurrection of Christ to come and all this consolation wee haue floweth out of his Resurrection Glorification for out of his fulnesse we receiue a part he is full of glorie his soule is repleat and passeth all the Angels in glorie and so out of his fulnesse all grace floweth vnto vs and euerie one of the members of Christ hath a measure of that Spirit as hee thinketh meete and therefore Paul saieth Hee ascended on high and gaue giftes to men Ephes 4. vers ◠And so wouldest thou haue joy cast vp thine eye to heauē and fasten thy faith on Iesus Christ thou shalt find a portion of that Spirit Wee see two sortes of the presence of Christ One bodilie as the Disciples saw another spirituall Howbeit hee bee distant from vs in the Heauen yet he sendeth down his holie Spirit by that Spirit he worketh a feeling in the hearts of his owne and they will heare his voyce and will see him with the eyes of their soule And they will haue this sense with such a joye that the tongue of him who findeth that joye is not able to expresse the thousand part of it Both these presences are very good and they who saw him had a great benefit Many Kings longed to see him but they saw him not as Dauid and Abraham The men who saw him when hee was an Infant thought they gotte a greater grace than if all the worlde had beene giuen them But for all this the other presence is better for hee saieth Jt is good that I goe away from you It had beene good for the Iewes that they had neuer had his bodily presence because they had not the spirituall presence of the Lord in their hearts But as for that spiritual presence in all respectes it is to bee preferred to his bodily presence in the dayes of his humiliation because by vertue of that presence albeit so farre distant from vs wee receiue the holy Spirite and all his graces Looke to Heauen and see him glorified that presence is the chiefe presence and as soone as wee see that glory in that day the beames of his glory shall transforme vs and catch vs vp in the clouds So great is the glory of the Lord that it will not remaine within the Heauens with our Head but of necessity it must flowe to his members vpon earth Nowe when thou findest grace and joye and pleasure into thine heart And thinke not thou hast joy enough howbeit thou hadst all the pleasures in the world except thou haue that joye of Christ then assure thy selfe that Iesus Christ thine Head is glorified in the Heauens And if wee finde such a pleasure that wee will bee rauished aboue the worlde being now so farre distant from Christ what shall bee that joy and pleasure wee shall conceiue in our heart when wee shall see him face to face The tongue cannot tell it but the heart that hath felt it can best testifie it The Lord grant that while as wee are in the earth wee may walke as Citizens in the Heauens euer waiting that these vile bodies may bee transformed and made conformable to that glorious body of Iesus Christ Now to goe forward After he hath fore-warned his Disciples of the afflictions which after his departure they shold suffer That they should bee excommunicate and also slaine And after hee hath set downe the ende wherefore hee fore-warned them to wit that they should not be offended but confirmed And after he hath reproued them gently that they rejoyced not when he tolde them that he was to depart And after he hath begun to comfort them by letting the◠see that is was for their weale that hee was to depart from them For thorow his blessed Ascension they should bee partakers of the holy Spirit and his graces which if hee did not ascend to his Father they would not get In the words following he falleth out vpon another head of doctrine instructeth them concerning the office of the Spirite which hee was to discharge in the worlde during the time of his absence and this office is in respect of the world and chiefely of the obstinate Iewes who would not belieue in Christ when hee was present with them When hee shall come that is when that Spirite of trueth shall come after that I am gone away he shall rebuke the world that is the faythlesse and obstinate in the worlde hee shall conuict them But yee may saye No man heareth the voyce of the Spirite speaking with his owne mouth howe shall the Spirite then rebuke the worlde The meaning is The Disciples whome that Spirite shall comfort shall by their Ministerie rebuke the worlde Wee haue then two effectes of the Spirite heere The first is in respect
vnto you that in mee yee might haue peace All tendeth to this ende that yee maye enjoye that peace and rest that gladnesse and joye thorowe the holie Spirite This joye bringeth with it a verie great ease and quietnesse Well there are manie eases in the worlde but neuer one wist what ease was in the soule but hee who findeth this ease that is thorowe a good conscience in CHRIST and that peace which commeth of the forgiuenesse of sinnes Woulde yee haue the true estate of a Christian man or vvoman There it is in one word That they are peaceable hearted and they are joyfull hearted The true Christian man hath the wonderfullest peace and joye in the soule that can be And this was the end of all the speaking of the Lord Iesus to his Disciples and this is the ende of the Gospel and of all our preaching to haue a good conscience and that peace and rest in the soule Nowe they neuer knew what rest and peace was but they who knowe what it is to haue a sore heart for sinne And O howe sore the conscience will bee tossed when it hath the taste of the judgement of God â— that body would giue a thousand worlds for a word of that peace for what is the peace in Iesus Christ It is the beginning of Heauen if thou beginnest not that peace heere thou shalt neuer see peace hereafter And this is the ende of all our sanctification and justification to get this peace in Christ And what is Heauen It is peace and rest with God that is our Heauen So that if thou haue no peace and rest in the soule and neuer findest that true peace in Iesus Christ and that Spirit of joye all this preaching is vaine to thee all is vaine to thee if thou gettest not that peace Take heed to it as yee would see this life in Christ and when thou hearest of this worde of peace looke thou preasse to goe home with a peaceable soule and if thou canst not get this peace bee sadde and mourne for it and thou shalt get it another time Bee this wayes exercised that thou mayest feele the fruites of this word Nowe lest they should thinke that this peace which hee promised them should want sorrow and that they should neuer be troubled he putteth this out of their mind and sayeth In the worlde yee shall haue affliction your peace shall be without peace The rest of a Christian is no rest your joye shall bee with sadnesse and your comfort with heauinesse inwardly yee shall haue joye but outwardly ye shall haue heauinesse This heauinesse which the godlie haue is so farre from that that it taketh away their pleasure that their joye riseth of tribulation and then they haue greatest joye when they are sorest vexed and in greatest tribulations Take heed to it came not the same to passe in the Disciples they had neuer such a joye as they had then when as soone after Christ departed and was glorified in the Heauens they were brought in before the Councill and scourged for the Name of Iesus Christ and commanded straitly that they should neuer speake in the Name of Iesus then they went out with joye that they were counted worthie to suffer for that Name They had not such ioye all the time that they were with Christ in the world Yet he giueth them a comfort against these tribulations Yet bâ—â— of good comfort all these afflâ—ctions shall haue an ende they shall ende with victory to you J haue ouercome the world If we looked not for an ende of these troubles howbeit wee had aye this peace with troubles yet it would be heauy to vs therefore the Lord comforteth them with this that in the end they shall haue a solide joy and all teares shall bee wiped away and they shall get the victory not in themselues but in him that hath gotten the victory The Lord Iesus is the only Conquerour and he it is that is only victorious and hath ouercome the worlde and the Deuil But as for vs his members 1. Epist Iohn Chap. 5. vers 4. this is the victory that hath ouercome this worlde euen our fayth Fasten thee on him who hath gotten the victory and then the Battell is perfected To speake it properly we haue not a battell with the Deuill to get the victory but to keepe Christ by fayth for the Deuill and all our enemies are ouercome and the battell is stricken and the fielde is wonne Christ sitting on the Crosse vanquished the Deuil and tooke him and ledde him captiue in a triumph all the Deuils are reserued in chaines to that great day So we haue not a battell for the victorie is wonne already but all our victory is to keepe fayth in him who hath ouercome our enemies and purchased the victory to vs and all the battels of the Deuill are to twin vs and Christ and all the battels wee haue with him are about fayth for if the Deuill be able to twin vs and this fayth we haue done with Christ and therefore al the exhortations of the Apostles are to stand in faith Looke the 6. Chap. to the Ephesians What then should I exhort you to or what shoulde bee our exhortations to them who are fighting And woe to them who are not fighting against these deadly enemies wee should all bee sweating in the battell Let euery one crie to another Sticke fast to Christ hold the gripe and let it not goe and hold on the way and striue on a little while and thou shalt brooke Iesus Christ and all his graces and thou shalt leaue ouer and repose and rest vpon him sweetly vntill that daye that he come and deliuer thee from all trouble then thou shalt be crowned with that Crowne of glory which hee hath purchased with his blood To him therefore with the Father and the holy Spirit be all praise honour and glory for euermore AMEN THE XVII LECTVRE OF CHRISTS PRAYER BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xvii VERS 1. THese thinges spake Iesus and lift vp his eyes to Heauen and saide Father that houre is come glorifie thy Sonne that thy Sonne also may glorifie thee WEE heard Welbeloued in the Lord Iesus Christ the large Sermon which the Lord hath to his Disciples from the beginning of the fourteenth Chapter of this Gospel to this present Chap. which is the seuenteenth Now in the seuenteenth Chap. he endeth his Sermon with an earnest Prayer to the Father For the better vnderstanding of this Prayer wee haue to know thus farre The Lord Iesus when he was in this world manifested in the fleshe abiding amongst the Iewes and conuersant with his Disciples he abode amongst them as an high Priest that eternall high Priest of whome all the high Priestes amongst the Iewes before his comming were onely but types and figures and when he came he put an end to all the types being the very bodie it selfe Nowe as it became the high Priest to make intercession
for the people so he being high Priest made intercession for his own people The intercession which the Lord made for his owne consisteth in two points to wit in prayer and in offering vp of a sacrifice Then as for the first part of this intercession when the Lord was in the world he prayed continually for the people hee neuer ceased night nor daye from prayer As for the other part of his intercession when he had bene in the world awhile at the last hee offereth vp that sweete Sacrifice of his owne body to the Father and so hee putteth an ende to all those sacrifices which were but types of him the true Sacrifice As for the Prayers whereby the Lord interceded betwixt God and man they were manie and made at sundry times But amongst all the rest it may bee easilie seene that this prayer in this Chapter was one of the moste excellent and so it hath pleased the holy Spirite to register this Prayer especially and to recommend it to the posteritie to the end of the worlde First this Prayer is no able in respect of the time in the which hee made it it was euen about that time when hee offered himselfe vp to the Father Next in respect of the vse it is notable because by this prayer he did consecrate and dedicate that blessed Sacrifice to the Father for sacrifices were dedicated to Goâ— by prayer Thirdly in respect of the subject and matter of it for as ye may see in the Chapter it selfe first the Lord prayeth for himselfe and for that eternall glory which he had with the Father from all eternity the fairest thing and the greatest matter that euer was was that which hee prayed for and this hee doeth in the first fiue Verses Then he commeth on and prayeth for his Disciples which he should leaue behinde him in the worlde that the Lord would take the custody of them after his Ascension vnto the Heauens and would preserue them from all perill and this hee doeth from the fifth Verse to the twenty And last hee prayeth for the whole Kirke for life euerlasting and justification and this he doeth to the ende of this Chapter So yee s ee it is a notable subiect Last of all will ye looke to the force of this Prayer yee shall see the excellencie of it The force was not for the present or for a time but the force of it abideth continually to the ende of the worlde And this same Prayer is a meane whereby all men and women who are safe and shall bee safe to the ende of the world obtaine saluation And so this Prayer may bee well called A ground wherevpon the Kirke standeth And as our saluation standeth on the Sacrifice of Iesus Christ so it standeth on that Prayer that was offered to his Father But to come to the Text When Jesus sayeth John the writer of the Gospel had spoken these thinges hee lifted vp his eyes to the Heauen and he said as followeth This is the entrie to the Prayer wherein Iohn first concludeth the Sermon which the Lord made to his Disciples When Iesus had spoken these thinges to his Disciples Then hee proponeth the Prayer that followeth Hee lifted vp his eyes to Heauen and said There is the proposition of the Prayer In the proposition he noteth narrowly the behauiour of Christ in his Prayer Hee lifted vp his eyes to Heauen So in the eleuenth Chapter of this Gospel he noteth this behauiour in praying when hee thanketh his Father that he heard him before he raise â— Lazarus from the dead he lifted vp his eyes to Heauen Nowe Brethren to speake of gesture in Prayer it needeth not much will ye reade the Scriptures yee shall reade these gestures to bee in prayer First Godly men haue humbled themselues before that Majesty It becommeth the best of vs all to bow vs before God They signified by the bowing of their knees the humbling of the heart Offer not if ye haue a proude heart to come before that Throne Then they were wont to haue their handes and their eyes lift vp to the Heauens that signified the lifting vp of the eye of the soule to God to looke to him and to see him thorowe all these cloudes and these visible heauens to come to that light that hath none accesse and this agreeth with the other There are many who shall see Heauen but with an humbled heart when the heart is humbled and brought lowe then it is conuoyed thorowe these heauens euen to that light of God It becommeth all Christians to bee humbled on their knees and to lift vp their eyes to Heauen but all standeth in the heart What recks of the outward disposition if the soule be not heauenly disposed If it haue a sense of Heauen then the outwarde gesture will followe then wee will bowe our knees and humble vs before that Maiesty An humbled heart will fall downe but a proude sinner who is not touched with a sense of his sinnes will hardly bow his knee Nowe wee come to the Prayer first hee maketh his petition for himselfe and why not the most precious thing in the worlde is the glory of Iesus Christ Hee sayeth Father glorifie thy Sonne There is his petition Marke the style it is a very warme and hearty stile that he giueth him speaking familiarly to God the heart of him warmeth sweetly with him and as a Sonne he calleth him Father The stile which he giueth him vttereth that he had a sense of that fatherly loue and affection towards him While as he nameth him Father hee vttereth that Sonly affection and loue that hee bare to him A Sonly loue craueth a Fatherly loue and conciliateth a Fatherly affection from Heauen Why should we not striue to be like the Lord Iesus and in Prayer chiefly Woulde any man or woman finde the Fatherly affection of God Would they haue that loue that Fathers beare to their Children Let them vtter in Prayer that affection that a Sonne or a Daughter shoulde haue to their Father If thou wouldest haue the Fatherly loue of God the sweetest thing in the worlde looke that the Names which thou gluest him testifie that thou louest him as a deare Childe loueth his Parentes and looke aye wee pray with that Spirite which is the Spirite of Adoption that testifieth to our soules that wee are adopted to bee the Sonnes and Daughters of God for it is that Spirite that giueth libertie to the heart and openeth the mouth and causeth thee as the Apostle sayeth to crie Abba Father And if thou haue not this holie Spirite of Adoption and if that Spirite open not thine heart and lowse thy tongue call him Father as thou wilt hee is nothing else to thee but a terrible Iudge to take vengeance on thee and thou art nothing els but a slaue to him and not a Sonne Looke aye therefore that thou haue that Spirite that shall testifie to thee that thou art not the childe of wrath
had giuen them him he was the more carefull of them and therefore it followeth that none was lost but Iudas Now let vs come to the conclusion Therefore Father I speake these thinges that is I recommende them vnto thee that thou shouldest keep them I come to thee I leaue them now here It would seeme that Christ when hee went out of this worlde hee left his owne so in the worlde that hee had no more the keeping and custodie of them and that as it were that hee denudeth his hands of them this would mooue anie man Now Brethren the Lord Iesus neuer denuded his hands of his Disciples he neuer gaue quite ouer them whom he once kept but this is the meaning of his wordes when hee died hee ceased to keepe them in that manner that hee kept them before when hee was in the worlde for when hee was with them in the world he kept them by his bodily presence and went before them and they followed after him This keeping ceased when Christ went out of the worlde but as for that keeping which is the spirituall keeping it neuer ceaseth to the ende of the world And the Lord now in the Heauen hee keepeth more surely his owne by his Spirit than he kept his Disciples when he was in the worlde with them And all this keeping that hee requireth at the Fathers hand is That he should keepe them by him No keeping of the Father but by the Sonne who is glorified in the Heauen at the right hand of the Father Wel Brethrē we see of this argument thus far They whom the Lord Iesus died for and they whom he kept in this world the Father of Iesus Christ keepeth them in the absence of Iesus Christ till the Lord come againe in his body Looke whome to the Lord had an eye when hee was in the earth humbled whosoeuer they were to whome hee had an eye the Father from his vp-going to the Heauen till his comming againe hath an eye to them and watcheth ouer them It is true wee who liue this day I meane the Elect wee were not then with Iesus Christ as his Disciples were and he kept not vs after the manner that he kept his Disciples because wee were not Yet there is not so much as one of the Elect that nowe are or yet shall bee heereafter to the ende of the worlde but Iesus Christ euen humbled had his eye vpon them and before they came into the world many yeeres he loued them and therefore it followeth if thy conscience will testifie to thee that Iesus Christ our Lorde when hee was humbled in the earth when hee prayed for sinners and when hee died in the earth if I say thy conscience will testifie vnto thee and say My Lord had an eye to mee as well as to Peter in his death and as hee had to Iohn Iames Matthew c. certainly thou mayest bee assured that the eye of the Father of Iesus Christ watcheth ouer thee till Iesus Christ come againe Paul was not conuersant with Christ as the rest were into the earth for Paul was called after the Ascension of Christ when he was glorified yet Paul sayeth The Sonne of God in whom he belieued loued him and gaue himselfe for him Galat. Chap. 2. vers 20. Meaning that Christ when he died hee had a respect to him The respect which Christ had in his death to Paul the same he had to euery chosen man and woman to the end of the world And therefore say thou that when Christ died he died for me and he loued me and his eye was vpon me If thou canst say this thou art in the custody and keeping of the Father till Iesus Christ come againe There is another thing to be marked here What maketh the Sonne so bold to stand vp before the Father and desire him to keepe his Disciples whom he should leaue behind him when he was going vp to Heauen Looke the argument I haue kept them faythfully therefore Father in mine absence keepe thou them Who dare be so bold to face God once to bid him keep them whom he hath concredited vnto them What King in the world dare be so bold to pray for his Subjects the King is bound aswell to pray for his Subjects as the Subjects are for the King or as a Minister is for his Flock say O Lord keep these Subjects And what Minister dare be bold to say Lord keep my Flock or Family None but he who hath a conscience that he did his duety and was diligent night day in keeping them No man dare recōmend any to God who hath not a care to keep them whom God hath cōcredited vnto him And therfore these careles bodies who rule Kirks Kingdoms or Families cannot pray And if they pray they scorne God in praying they are nothing but hypocrits with fained voyces What mooued Christ to pray for his Disciples A solicitude he had night day of their weale No ere any of them had died thorow his default he had rather died himself This made Dauid to watch so carefully ouer the people And Paul 2. Cor. chap. 12. when he hath recounted th' afflictions he suffered All is but outwarde saith he but there is one inward which presseth me like an army and that was a solicitude carefulnes he had for the Kirke of God planted in his time Who is afflicted saith he but J am afflicted that is No man is afflicted but I am also afflicted Who is offended but I am also burnt The offence of the Kirke is a skauding and burning to mee Of this care proceedeth prayer for the Kirke of God But as for vs in this Land we are like to lose the Kirke The King hath no care the Nobilitie are gone backe and haue no care the people and the whole estate are carelesse If this way we lie stil in security be carelesse of the weale of the Kirke what can we looke for at length but that the Kirke shall be wracked and come to confusion But to what end is it that he would haue the Father to keep them Look the words he saith That my ioy may be full in them Before he spake of another end to wit That they might bee one as the Father and the Sonne are one Then whomsoeuer the Father taketh into his custody he keepeth them to the end that both they may haue peace with others also in their own soules and consciences for this peace of conscience is that joye whereof now he speaketh But wherfore is it that he calleth this their joy his joy In what respect is it called the joy of Iesus Because this joy and peace of conscience that passeth all vnderstanding could neuer come into the soules of the Apostles or of any of GODS children since then but thorow the sprinkling of the blood of Iesus the Mediator betwixt God and man So there is no solide joy nor peace of conscience vntill the
loued the faythfull as thou hast loued mee Wouldest thou knowe that God loueth the faythfull and that hee showeth mercie joyne thee to the bodie There are the two endes of the conjunction and joyning together of the members The first is the glorie of the Sonne the second is the glorie of the Father for by this conjunction it is knowne howe dearelie the Father hath loued the Sonne and by this it is knowne that the Father hath loued the world not with a common loue hee hath not loued the worlde onelie as a workeman loueth his worke-man-ship but as the Father hath loued the Sonne that is with a Fatherlie loue that is another sort of loue than a common loue What auaileth it to thee to knowe that God loueth thee as his creature if thou bee not assured that hee loueth thee with that entire loue wherewith he loued his Sonne and that hee loueth thee with that Fatherlie loue and with the bowels of pittie And if he loue thee as his Son he sheweth it in this That hee gaue his Sonne for thee for except the Father had loued thee as his Sonne with that Fatherlie loue hee had neuer sent Iesus Christ to redeeme thee The sending of Iesus Christ testifieth that hee loued thee with a Fatherlie loue Wee see heere wherefore God hath a Kirke in this worlde Wherefore is there a communion and conjunction of soules heere in this Earth Thinke not that a Kirke is gathered for none end Wherefore is it then that there is a Kirke In a worde It is that the glorie of the Father should shine in that societie and coniunction of the Sainctes in the Earth Iesus Christ is glorified in his Kirke and the Father of Iesus Christ is also glorified in it They who diuide and disseuer the Kirke of Iesus Christ in the Earth they doe nothing else but to deface the glorie of Iesus Christ and the glorie of the Father Wilt thou slay and persecute the Kirke of Christ What doest thou Nothing but defacest and scornest the glorie of Iesus Christ What are these men doing that persecute the Kirke that the Lord hath gathered in this Land Nothing but smoaring the glorie of the Father and the Sonne and the Lord shall turne their glorie to shame and confusion I giue them their doome The Father of Heauen shall turne them and all that shall conioyne with them to shame and confusion Marke the order howe the glorie of the Father and of the Sonne is knowne First wee knowe that the Sonne is sent from the Father for vs and our redemption Next by the sending of the Sonne for vs wee knowe tne vnspeakeable loue of the Father towardes vs. Nowe I goe forwarde When hee hath prayed for this coniunction and vnitie of the faythfull on the Earth that they may bee ioyned in one bodie hee is not content with this but hee seeketh more Father sayeth hee where I am I will that they bee there that they may see that glorie that thou hast giuen mee The Lord seeketh not onelie glorie to the faythfull in this life but glorie in the life to come Hee intercedeth not onelie for thee that thou mayest haue glorie in this life but also that thou bee glorified in the Heauens after this life For Brethren the Lord Iesus considered very well that our felicitie is not bounded within the compasse of this Earth That is a miserable happinesse that is bounded within this life thou art but a catiue if thou lockest for none other happinesse as PAVI sayeth in the first Epistle to the Corinthians Chap. 15. Vers 19. Jf our fayth bee onelie in this worlde of all men in the worlde wee are the most miserable So if thou hast this grace onelie in this life thou art miserable for all the graces that thou gettest if thy felicitie reach not beyonde this worlde and beyond all eternitie thou art miserable Felicitie hath none ende the blessednesse of the faythfull man or woman hath none ende it is not drawne within the compasse of this Earth but it passeth aboue the Heauens and extendeth it to all eternitie Nowe our happinesse standeth in this coniunction and vnion partlie with our Head and our God and with our Neighbour to make one bodie to Iesus Christ In these two partes standenth our felicitie Thou beginnest this coniunction in this life but it shall neuer bee ended the perfection shall bee in Heauen when wee shall come to Heauen meete with him there then our coniunction with Christ and with the members of his body men and Angels shall be perfect The thing that worketh this coniunction and bringeth out charitie and ioyneth thee with thy neighbour is faith in Christ for we liue by faith and not by sight when thou castest thine eye afarre off to Christ for he is as farre from thee as the Earth is from the Heauen howbeit thou be in heauinesse and languor thou shalt once get peace and ioye when thou lookest to Heauen It is but a farre sight to looke thorowe the clowdes to see thy Redeemeer at the right hande of the Father but this is not the perfection the accomplishment is by a full and cleare sight when wee shall pierce the Heauens and shall see him not in a mirrour but face to face then the members shall bee perfected when wee shall see him and the glorie that the Father hath giuen vnto him This is common But O that thou couldest feele it sensiblie in thine heart to thy ioy and consolation J will that they be where I am that they may see the glorie that thou hast given mee before the foundation of the worlde Ere euer wee gette the presence of IESVS CHRIST ere wee see him face to face wee must chaunge our dwelling place wee will not gette the sight of Christ heere in this Earth Looke not to gette the sight of that glorie heere in the Earth thou must flitte out of the Earth to the Heauen Whatsoeuer soule would see his glorie that soule must flitte and before euer wee chaunge our dwelling place wee must first be chaunged wee must haue a chaunge of our selues There is neuer anie man nor woman that shall gette entrie into that SAnctuarie where the LORD IESVS sitteth in glorie but hee who is chaunged in himselfe It is impossible for a man or a woman to enter into Heauen with this mortalitie or with this death or with this corruption What are vvee but dead and mortall creatures Then thou must chaunge corruption into corruption and thou must chaunge thy mortall bodie into a glorious bodie Nowe this chaunge of man and woman cannot bee but by death What striketh more terrour to thine heart than death Yet there is no chaunge but by death or else that which shall stande vs in steade of death as when Christ shall come the clowdes in the latter day wee must bee chaunged in the twinkling of an eye This doctrine tendeth to this that wee abhorre not death altogether
God and the Sonne another then in very deede faith in the one would prejudge the other for why faith in the heart cannot leane on two things or vpon two Gods or three So that we note here that faith must bee on one thing only if thou wilt put thy trust in any thing in this worlde on riches or honour c. it shall passe thy power to belieue in God if thou make many Gods it shall passe thy power to put thy trust in them all and it were no more but this that faith must be grounded on one only it is a sufficient argument to beare thee witnesse that there is but one God in substance the Father Sonne and holy Ghost So it is no prejudice to the Father that wee belieue in the Sonne yea I say more there is no fayth in the Father but thorowe the Sonne And if thy fayth reach not thorow the Sonne and thorow the nature of man in him it shall passe thy power to belieue in the Father for God dwelleth in a light without accesse no creature can come there no not the Angels without the Sonne there is no sight of that Majestie but in the Sonne the LORD IESVS Men trowes the Iewes trowes to get a sight of that Father and to pierce the cloudes without the Sonne No there is no sight of him without Christ Iesus and him crucified for in him only shineth the glorie justice mercy and power of his Father because he is the Image of the Father and the in-grauen forme of his person So wouldest thou belieue in God thou must passe thorow the Sonne to the Father This is the trueth search and see if it can bee possible to thee to get any grip of God or if thou canst get any joy without Iesus No thou canst not but when thou apprehendest Iesus Christ thou piercest in to that light and tastest of that joye This is the way to belieue in God The next argument he vseth to comfort them when hee should depart is this Jn my Fathers House are many dwelling places if it were not so I would haue tolde you I would not lie to you and now saith he I goe to prepare a place for you As though the Lord would say Be not troubled at my departure for why my departure is for your weale my departure is to prepare a place in Heauen for you and if I go not before you ye can haue no place there intill There was neuer yet since the beginning of the world and since the fall of Adam man or woman that euer entered into Heauen or shall enter there and get a place there but by the vertue of the Ascension of Iesus Christ The Fathers Adam Abraham Isaac and Iaakob neuer one of them entered into Heauen but by vertue of his Ascension and neuer one shall enter at that great day but by vertue of his Ascension Looke how we should belieue that Article of our Creede the Ascension of the Lord Iesus Before the Lord Iesus came into the world in the nature of man all the Fathers that liued before him from the beginning of the worlde after they departed this life came to Heauen onely by vertue of the Ascension of Christ It is true their soules went to Heauen immediately the soules of Abraham Isaac and Iaakob went to Heauen immediatlie But how By the vertue of Iesus Christ that was to come in the flesh and by the vertue of his Ascension that was to come What euer the good they got they got it all thorow him that was to come their soules went vp to the Heauen by fayth in him that was to come As for vs who liue now in this worlde after his manifestation neuer one of vs goeth to Heauen or seeth him or getteth any place in Heauen but by vertue of his glorious Ascension past already as the Fathers got entry into Heauen by vertue of his Ascension to come What euer grace hath bene and what euer shall come into the world all hath bene thorow Iesus Christ There is a difference here to be vnderstood betwixt the measure of grace the Fathers got before the Ascension and the grace wee get now since the manifestation of Iesus Christ Wee haue a great vantage of these Fathers all the grace they got was by vertue of Christ to come but wee get grace by vertue of Christ already come The vertue of him before his comming was not so great as it was at his comming and after he passed vp to Heauen Why should wee haue such a benefite and not knowe it Albeit the soules of mea went vp to Heauen before his comming yet not so many as nowe goe since hee came and since hee hath taken place in Heauen himselfe before there were but few got entry into Heauen there was but a little doore of Heauen open the great multitude got not entry there Therefore the Apostle Hebr. 9.8 saieth So long as that olde Tabernacle stoode the waye to the Sanctuary was not open But nowe what grace what mercy is showne to vs that are borne since the comming of Christ if wee get a sight of him But woe to vs if we belieue not The vertue of his comming into the world hath a thousand times greater force to open Heauen than of before Nowe all the yates of Heauen since hee ascended stand wide open and so the Lord saith Violence is come to the Heauen and it is violently reaft vp Matth. 11.12 As hee would say Whereas few entered into the Heauen before nowe they rush in since the Lord Iesus is come and the yates shall stand vp aye and till the multitude of soules and bodies shall enter in Seeing wee haue this grace therefore miserable is the man who would not enter in when the yates are open and patent to let him in and well is that soule that will enter there But yee will say Why is there not entry into Heauen but by the vertue of Iesus Christ I thinke ye would know the reason of this There is none that can enter into Heauen but with an offering of blood Heauen is won by blood It is vnpossible for a sinner to enter into Heauen but by a Sacrifice So there is no remission of sinne but by shedding of blood Hebr. 9.22 The hight Priest of olde who was a Type of Christ durst not enter into the earthly Sanctuary which was a figure of Heauen where the glorious Arke was but with a Sacrifice with an offering and blood otherwise he would haue bene striken to death This meaned there is none entry to the Heauen to that Sanctuary which is not made with mens handes but by the Sonne of God himselfe and by his blood and sacrifice And why Because the wrath of God is against sinners that wrath cannot bee satisfied but by blood his mercy cannot prejudge his justice This ground being laid The Lord Iesus entereth into Heauen by blood hee entereth not there without a Sacrifice hee taketh the
gotten the first fruits of the Spirit they sigh in themselues waiting for the adoption euen the redemption of their bodies And Tit. 2.13 he saith We looke for that blessed hope and appearing of that glory of that mighty God our Sauiour Iesus Christ And therefore seeing their eyes are alwayes set vpon Heauen and vpon that glory that is there the Scripture especially insisteth in the way wherby we may come there our Preaching for the most part is all of that way to wit of Iesus Christ and of that grace that we haue of him And so the Lord Iesus heeâ—e in his answere that he maketh to Thomas speaketh nothing of the place neither of the Father to whom he was to goe but presupponing that they had some knowledge thereof he passeth by them for the present albeit heereafter hee will speake of them And in his answere to Thomas hee insisteth vpon the way and he saith J am that Way And then he telleth more plainly how he is the Way when hee saith in the words following that hee is that Trueth and that Life So that if wee would come to the Father we must come by him for No man saith he commeth vnto the Father but by me And therefore wee shall see first how Christ is called the Trueth and the Life that wee may see the better howe hee is the Way He is called the Trueth in sundry respects as first he is called Trueth because he is true as Iohn speaketh of him in his first Epistle Chap. 5. vers 20. We know that that Son of God is come and hath giuen vnto vs a minde to know him which is true and wee are in him that is true that is in that his Sonne Iesus Christ Next hee is called the Trueth because hee is full of trueth yea of his owne essence and nature he is Trueth it selfe Iohn said before of him Wee saw him full of grace and trueth Iohn 1.14 And Paul saieth that the fulnesse of the Godhead dwelleth in him bodily Coloss 2.9 Thirdly hee is called Trueth because from him as the Author and Fountaine all trueth doeth flowe and proceede And therefore Iohn saide Chap. 1. vers 17. The law is giuen by Moses but grace and trueth by Iesus Christ Fourthly hee is called the â—â—ueth because hee is the matter and subject of all trueth and all trueth is grounded vpon him And in this respect Iohn saieth Euery spirite which confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God and euery spirite that confesseth not that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God but is the spirite of the Antichrist Iohn 4.2 And Paul saith Another foundation can no man lay than that which is laid which is Iesus Christ 1. Cor. 3.11 Fiftly hee is called the Trueth because all trueth is in himâ— that is ratified confirmed and established in him for as the Apostle Paul saieth in his seconde Epistle to the Corinthians Chap. 1. vers 20. All the promises of God are Yea and Amen in him that is all haue their foundation and ground and all haue their accomplishment in him For and if thou bee not in Christ thou canst haue no right to any of the promises of Grace Thou shalt neuer find the power and vertue of them to bee communicated to thy soule No the blood of Iesus must bee first shed and next thy conscience must bee sprinkled therewith before that euer thou find the force and power of any of these promises conuoyed to thy soule So all are grounded vpon his blood Then ye see it is not without good cause that Christ claimeth this Style as proper to himselfe That he is the Trueth because he is true because he is full of trueth because from him is all trueth because of him as the proper subject is all trueth and last because in him all the promises of God haue their trueth and accomplishment Now let vs see how hee is called Life and this Style the Lord taketh to himselfe for sundry respects And first because he liueth and liueth eternally yea he is Life it selfe Secondly because hee liueth by himselfe he liueth not by another as creatures doe for he saith of himselfe As the Father hath life in himselfe so hath hee likewise giuen to the Sonne to haue life in himselfe Iohn 5.26 Thirdly because through him and by him all thinges that haue life liue Yea this same naturall life that wee liue heere on the earth wee liue it by him For Iohn speaking of him saieth Iohn Chap. 1. vers 4. In it that is the Worde IESVS CHRIST was Life and that Life was the light of men That is hee gaue life to men euen in the very first creation and not onely liue wee this naturall life by him but also by him wee liue a supernaturall life I am crucified with Christ sayeth the Apostle Paule to the Galatians Chap. 2. vers 20. but I liue yet not I anie more but Christ liueth in mee and that that I nowe liue in the flesh I liue by Fayth in the Sonne of God who hath loued mee and giuen himselfe for mee There yee see clearely that the Apostle Paule affirmeth that the Spirituall Life is onely the benefite of CHRIST And Iohn testifieth the same in the first Chapter of his Euangel and the fift verse where hee sayeth That Light shineth in darknesse That is â—â—ter that through our Fall and defection from GOD â— wonderfull and horrible great Darknesse had entered in and ouer-gone the soule of man so that there was nothing to be looked for of man but vtter darknesse and eternall death then he illuminated the soule of man with spirituall light that hee might be restored againe to eternall life Therefore seeing Christ liueth seeing hee liueth by himselfe seeing all thinges liue by him good reason hath hee to call himselfe that life Now hitherto wee haue let you see in what respectes Christ is called the Trueth and the Life whereby wee may easily perceiue howe Christ is called the Way Christ is called the way to the Father in two respects First he is the Way as hee is the Trueth Next hee is the Way as hee is the Life for we must first goe to the Father by Christ as he is the Trueth and thereafter we must goe to the Father by him as he is the Life for this way to the Father hath two parts The first part is Trueth the second Life and therefore if we would come to the Father we must begin at the Trueth wee must enter into the way to him by Trueth Now howe enter wee into this way to the Father by the Trueth Howe is the Trueth the beginning of the way I will tell you Whilest we addresse our selues to God to the Father wee must first of all perswade ourselues and haue full assurance that Christ is the Trueth that all his wordes are true that all the promises of God are true and are accomplished in him After we
haue entered into this way to the Father by Christ as he is the Trueth wee must next enter into the way to the Father by Christ as he is Life But how enter we into this way by him as he is Life How bringeth Christ vs to the Father as he is Life I answere Whilest we are going to the Father wee must stedfastly belieue and bee fully assured that Christ is Life and that all life is from him as from the Fountaine and that whatsoeuer life wee haue we haue it through him Then ye see Christ is the way to the Father first because he is the Trueth next because he is the Life If thou wouldest come to Life begin at the Trueth for the first leadeth vs to the second For this word of Trueth euen the Gospel of the Lord Iesus when it is preached if we heare it reuerentlie and stedfastly belieue it and let it settle deeply in our soules it will bee powerfull at the last to bring foorth life in vs Were thy soule neuer so dead in sinnes and trespasses yet receiuing this Word of Trueth thou shalt rise from death and liue The Lord in the sixt Chapter of Iohn and the 63. verse letteth vs see this great force of this Word when he saith The words that I speake to you are Spirit and Life that is they are a most powerfull meane to minister and furnish vnto vs that Spirite and that Life of God And in that same Chapter also vvhen the Lord asketh at the Apostles If they would leaue him as many of them did who had followed him before Peter answereth in the name of the rest To whom shall we goe thou hast the words of eternall life where ye see Peter out of his own experience affirmeth that the vvords vvhich hee heard of Christ vvere effectuall to vvorke eternall life vvhich made him and the rest of the Apostles vvith pleasure to remaine vvith Christ Thou that by the hearing of the vvord findest the life of God to bee conuoyed to thy soule vvilt easily bee perswaded that hee vvho is the Author of that vvord is life himselfe for how vvere it possible that there could be such a power in that vvorde to giue life except hee vvhose vvorde it is vvere the Fountaine and Well-spring of all life Then ye see by vvhat order vve come to the Father Wee must first begin at the Trueth then by the vvord of Trueth vve must be led to Life and then we must goe on piece and piece in that Life vvee must continue and perseuer in it and so doing it is not possible but at last vvee shall come into that eternall Life vvhich is hid vp in God and shall bee reuealed in that great day Then in a vvord vvouldest thou haue the summe of all that vve haue spoken in this matter This is it Euen that vvee belieue in the Lord Iesus Christ The vvay to the Father is Christ vvhen vvee belieue in him vvee are vvalking in this vvay vvhen our fayth increaseth piece and piece vvee goe on forward vve continue and perseuer in that vvay Now in the ende of the verse he preuenteth and answereth the thing that some might haue objected against this doctrine That he was the way for it might haue bene said to Christ Albeit thou bee the way to the Father yet thou art not the only way there are many other wayes beside thee To this the Lord answereth I am the onelie waye to come to the Father for sayeth hee None commeth to the Father but by mee That is I am so the waye to the Father that there is none other waye to come to the Father beside me And whosoeuer seeketh to come to the Father by another way beside me or whosoeuer seeketh to come to the Father any other way but by me he shall be disappointed he shall neuer find the Father thou that seeks to come to HeaueÌ„ another way nor by Christ I giue thee that doome thou shalt neuer see Heauen Men dreame to themselues another way to come to Heauen nor by Christ the Papists deceiue themselues and the whole worlde teaching them to seeke Heauen by their owne merits by their own works and to come to the Father by the mediation intercession of Angels of the Saincts departed c. But all this is folly for there is one only way to Heauen and that a very strait and narrow way by Iesus Christ Indeed the way to Hell is a very broade way that is there are many wayes that leade to damnation for there is not a sinne that thou committest against God but it leadeth thee to Hell Whoredome leadeth a man to Hell Murder leadeth a man to Hell Drunkennesse leadeth a man to Hell all the foule affections of thine heart leade thee to Hell But there is one only way to come to Heauen Fayth in Iesus Christ Therefore thou who wouldest come to Heauen and dwell with the Father for euer leaue all other wayes for they are but pathes that leade to damnation and take thee to that only one way belieue in the Lord Iesus Christ and through him thou shalt bee assured to get life and glory To this Lord Iesus with the Father and the holy Spirit be all prayse and honour for euer Amen THE THIRD LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xiiii VERS 7.8.9.10 7 Jf yee had knowne mee yee should haue knowne my Father also and from hencefoorth yee know him and haue seene him 8 Philip said vnto him Lord shew vs thy Father and it sufficeth vs. 9 Iesus said vnto him J haue beene so long time with you and hast thou not knowne mee Philip Hee that hath seene mee hath seene the Father how then sayest thâ—u Shew vs thy Father 10 Belieuest thou not that J am in the Father and the Father is in mee The wordes that I speake vnto you I speake not of my selfe but the Father that dwelleth in mee hee doeth the workes YEE heard Welbeloued in the Lord Iesus among the rest of the comforts that the Lord furnished to his Disciples that they should not bee troubled when hee should depart this was one and the last Yee knowe the place whither I am to goe first and where yee are to goe next in your time and also yee knowe the waye Therefore woulde hee saye comfort your selues with this knowledge while I come againe and take you to that place Vpon this last argument the conference falleth out betwixt Christ and his Disciples and first Thomas one of his Disciples speaketh and vttereth as it were a contradiction to the worde of the Lord Wee know not the place where thou art to goe sayeth hee and howe then can wee knowe the waye Vpon this speach of Thomas the â—ord taketh occasion to instruct Thomas and the rest in these pointes whereof they were ignorant concerning the place where hee was to goe and concerning the waye and first hee pointeth out the waye vnto them hee pointeth the waye
to bee Himselfe I am the Waye the Veritie and the Lâ—fe In a worde the waye to Heauen and the waye to the Father is the Lord Iesus and that because hee is the Trueth and Veritie and because hee is the Life Therefore all who would haue accesse to Heauen must enter in by the Lord Iesus first as he is Veritie and then as hee is Life they must belieue that the Lord Iesus the Sonne of God is Trueth and Life it selfe and that all our life spirituall floweth from him as from a Fountaine and we belieue not these two let vs neuer looke to see Heauen Then hee sayeth Except they enter in by this way they shall neuer come to the Father and thou goe in by another by-path besides the Lorde Iesus thou shalt neuer see Heauen with thine eyes This is thy doome No man from the King to the Beggar shall come to the Father but by him Now when he hath pointed out the way then hee beginneth and instructeth Thomas and the rest concerning the place where hee was to goe and these instructions are giuen by way of reproofe Hee findeth fault with Thomas and the rest that being so long with him they knew not the Father they might haue knowne the Father in him for they who see the Sonne may perceiue in him the Father If saith hee yee had knowne me ye should haue knowne my Father also As he would say Ye neuer knew me because ye know not the Father There is a necessitie that is laide on euery soule that commeth into this world if euer they would haue joy in this worlde and if euer they would dwell in Heauen that the creature knowe the glorious Creator Thou must know God if euer thou wouldest dwell with him Thou must know God not only the Creator but also the Redeemer of the lost world This necessity and burden is laide vpon our backe wee are straited to knowe God the Father for heerein standeth our felicitâ—i Now Brethren it is an hard thing to get a sight of that Majestie The Lord dwelleth in a light that hath none accesse 1 Tim. 6.16 Neuer man saw him Paul sayth He is a God that cannot bee seene the eye of the creature cannot be able to look vpon that passing glory So it is an hard thing to see God to know him therfore let neither man nor woman who preasseth to get a sight of God striue to pierce immediately thorowe that light Then howe shall wee see him The Lord perceiuing our infirmity hath prepared a way wee founde it not out but the Lord hath found it out What is the waye to see the Lorde in his infinite justice power wisedome glory and chiefely in his mercy And thou see him not in his mercy all is but in vaine and thou seest nothing howbeit thou shouldest see all the worlde The Lord hath found out the meane The Lord Iesus his owne Sonne his owne Image representeth vnto vs all the glorie of his Father and hee is the Image of the inuisible God the splendor of his glorie and the imprinted marke of his person Col. 1.15 and Heb. 1.3 The Lord hath ordained that in the Son euen in the nature of man humbled in the flesh wee should see that glory And this is the ende wherfore the Lord Iesus came into the world euen that we might see the glory of the Father in him This is so true that hee who seeth the Sonne seeth also the Father that when in the Gospel thou hearest and seest Iesus Christ humbled and glorified except in him thou see the Father his nature his justice his power his wisedome and his mercie thou canst not bee saide to haue a sufficient knowledge of the Sonne himselfe for hee himselfe sayeth heere If ye had knowne me yee should haue knowne my Father also Then he saith by way of correction No saith he Thomas thou knowest the Father and so I speake of the rest and thou hast seene him say what thou wilt say there is the meaning Vpon this speach two things arise The first the Apostles disciples of Iesus Christ they knew the Father The secoÌ„d they wist not that they knew him How can these two stand They knew him and saw him for Iohn saith We saw him vvith our eyes but they vvist it not What is the grounde of this ignorance that seeing the Sonne they knewe the Father and yet they wist it not It riseth on this they were ignorant that the Father and the Sonne were one in substance essence glory and Majesty And howbeit they sawe the Father and and the glory of God in the Sonne yet being ignorant of this ground they wist not that they knew the Father Nowe Brethren as concerning this seeing there is no solide comfort nor rest in the heart but in the sight of God keepe this sight night and day and sleepe on it for it vvill bee a blacke vvakening and vve rest not on him Wee may vvell rest on these pleasures on these Kingdomes c. but yet miserable shall be thy vvakening vvhen the soule shall bee taken from the body it shall tell thee that there is no rest but in him and thou shalt curse the time that euer thou restedst on any thing in the world There is no joy but in the sight of God Next except a man or woman knowe God to bee God vvhen they see his power and verity to appeare in the world aboue all things his mercy to sinners except they take vp God in these thinges and chiefely in his mercy except they knowe him to be God they vvill neuer haue solide comfort A man vvho hath bene out of his Fathers sight long vvhen hee seeth him and knoweth him not he vvill haue no comfort But then vvhen vvee see him and knowe him to bee our mercifull Father there is our joye When the sinner seeth God in Iesus Christ and knoweth him to bee his Father there is the chiefe joye But how shall we come to the knowledge of this We must know first of all that the Sonne is the splendor of his Father thou vvilt get no accesse to the Father but by the Sonne and therefore seeing the glory of the Father shineth in the Sonne vvhen thou commest to heare the Lord Iesus preached say thus In the Lorde Iesus vvhose Euangel I am to heare I shal see the glory of the Father And vvhen euer ye heare the Euangel striue to get that sight of the Father through the Sonne and then thine heart shall get exceeding joy into it This must euery one of vs doe if vve vvould goe to Heauen When Thomas hath spoken and the Lord hath answered him another of the Disciples spake for they vvere ignorant till the Lordes resurrection Philip speaketh next Lord saith he once shew vs the Father As he vvould say Once let vs see him and vve shall be contented Marke in this question there is one thing commendable and another thing discommendable not that
argument were sufficient that after his Ascension by their Ministerie the vvhole vvorlde vvas conuerted vvhich came not to passe vvhilest hee himselfe was on the Earth because the Godhead kept the selfe close But to come to the wordes following The Lord layeth downe the ground of this I goe to my glory and I am passing to the Father and therefore my glory shall vtter it selfe The power of Iesus Christ must appeare in the vvorlde at that time of his Ascension vvhen hee went to his Father to Heauen then the power striketh wonderfully vpon the Earth from the Heauen When we haue the Lord Iesus nowe glorified in the Heauen wee haue a more glorious power of the Lord Iesus than the Iewes who had his bodily presence So the reason is Because hee was to passe vp to the Father So ye see Brethren this gift the Disciples should get that they should worke greater workes than hee did is nothing prejudiciall to the glorie of our Sauiour Howbeit it pleaseth the Lord to worke more glorious works by such vveake instrumentes than hee did in his owne person it is not prejudiciall to his power If the instrumentes of themselues had done these workes it would haue prejudged his glorie but seeing they did them by his power it hindereth nothing his glorie Yea I say his glorie seemed the more in the worlde by their working because it testified that hee who was so base in the worlde had such a power in him when hee ascended Hee commeth to another ground of working of greater workes What euer yee shall aske in my Name yee shall get it That is Sende vp your prayers to mee to the Heauen when I am glorified and what yee shall aske in my Name it shall be granted So this is another ground wherfore the Apostles wrought greater works after his Ascension They prayed to him and drew downe his power out of Heauen by prayer It is a power incomprehensible that is in the Lord Iesus Now if any man or woman would bee partaker of that power hee must sende vp his prayer to Heauē by faith in him to draw down that power to the world Wee see the Apostles Act. 4. pray earnestly that by their handes hee would worke signes and wonders and they obtained it It is a pittie that there should bee so great a power in IESVS CHRIST to life and we miserable creatures hauing so great need and want of it should haue no part of it the fault lieth not in CHRIST for there is power and vertue enough in him to saue a thousand worldes But this is the fault Men and women cannot pray because they want faith So all the want that is in vs that vvee vvant Heauen and life euerlasting all the fault is in our selues that cannot praye and saye Lorde there is a vvonderfull power in thee and thou canst saue a thousande vvorldes Therefore Lord by thy power saue mee It is a foule shame that this should inlake on our parte that vve cannot open our mouthes to seeke grace seeing such aboundance such an infinite power and treasure is in him And if there vvere a great treasure to bee dealt so that euerie man might haue his parte hee vvoulde condemne himselfe vvho vvent not to gette a share Nowe there vvas neuer such a treasure as is life eternall and hee vvho getteth not a share of it but lieth behinde sleeping hauing no care to gette it hee is vvorthie a thousand deathes So vve should seeke this grace by prayer and chiefelie that vvee maye haue the Spirite of prayer for all men cannot seeke Heauen It is a sore thing to vs to vvant a share of that rich treasure for fault of heartes to seeke it Hee repeateth this promise twise Jf yee aske anie thing in my Name I will doe it And indeede hee did it in effect for vvhen the Lord had ascended they pray that they should worke miracles and so they did So hee is true in all his promises And marke it Brethren hee sayeth hee will doe it and not they shall doe it for Christ by his owne power worketh miracles the which power he communicateth not to his instruments but hee reserueth it to himselfe and by the ministery of men powreth foorth his giftes vpon others Then hee setteth downe the end of all the wonders That the Father may be glorified All the power of the Lord serueth to the glory of his Father All the power hee hath gotten it diminisheth not the glory of his Father but augmenteth it and the glory of the Father standeth in the power of the Sonne because he is the splendor of his glory And the Sonne bee not glorified the Father wanteth glory and hee who will not glorifie the Sonne hee will not glorifie the Father This is not to be omitted While hee is speaking of the vttering of his power forgetteth he the Father No he setteth downe the Fathers glory as the end of his power When the Lord Iesus was in the world he spake neuer a word but he had a respect to glorifie the Father And so hee sayth when hee was to goe out of the world Father glorifie me for I haue glorified thee Blessed is he that can with a good cōscience protest this that he euer had an eye to the glory of God can say Thou wast mine only But and whether I ate or I dranke or what euer I did it was all to thy glory Wee should preasse to doe this howbeit wee cannot come to a full perfection certainly that man shall bee partaker of his glory that in all his actions can holde his eye on the glory of God By the contrary that man what euer hee bee and hee were a King or a Prince who desireth not to glorifie God if hee continue so hee shall neuer see that glory This shall stande and all the worlde shall not bring it backe Let this bee our marke in all our callinges that wee may haue power to glorifie God in them And if wee doe not this and though wee should make all the vantage in the worlde and heape vp great riches gold and treasures c. wee shall perish miserably Therefore the Lord giue vs grace since there is no vantage but in the God of glory that wee may glorifie him and bee glorified with him through Iesus Christ Now wee come to the next exhortation which is contained in these wordes Jf yee loue mee keepe my Commaundementes As hee exhorted them before to belieue in him so now hee exhorteth them to bee obedient to him or to doe his will Fayth and obedience are chiefe groundes of Christianitie If one woulde bee a Christian first hee must belieue in the LORD IESVS Then next this fayth must not bee ydle but it must burst foorth in the effectes they must striue to doe his vvill to bee charitable that is the LORDES vvill In the thirteenth Chapter and the thirty foure verse the Lord spake these vvordes to his Disciples A newe Commaundement giue
argument hee subjoyneth more perswasiue If yee belieue in mee sayeth the LORD yee shall worke the workes that I worke And I saye more Yee shall worke greater workes than yee haue seene mee working Thereafter hee layde downe the grounde of this For I goe sayeth hee to my Father and I shall come againe in my full power to you and so worke greater workes by you than I wrought by my selfe Then hee layde downe another grounde of the great and wonderous workes that they shoulde worke The grounde is Prayer whereby they should draw out of Heauen that wonderfull power and whatsoeuer they shoulde aâ—ke of him they shoulde gette it Thereafter hee came to the next exhortation To obey him and keepe his Commandements Now when he hath craued obedience at the handes of his Disciples hee letteth them see in the wordes which we haue read that they shall not serue him for nought No man serueth the Lord for nothing but hee getteth a thousande times better than hee giueth What shall I doe to you sayeth the Lord when ye shall be doing this I shall meete you and I shall pray my Father and hee shall giue you a Comforter to comfort you euen the Spirit of Trueth and that not for a daye or a yeere but for euermore to abide with you while I come againe Then he telleth who it is that comfortes them It is the Spirit of God Now because these are great and weighty wordes let vs consider them I marke first here that these words import this The Lord Iesus so long as hee abode with his Disciples and gaue them his bodily presence comforted his Disciples they had consolation in the sight of his bodily presence Ioh 6.67 vvhen the multitude had fallen away the Lord saith Will ye leaue me also Peter said Lord vvhere shall vve go to for thou hast the words of eternal life So it appeareth that all the joye the Disciples had in the worlde vvas the sight of their Lord because they saw more than other men in him Iohn sayeth chap. 1. vers 14. We saw him full of grace truth And his words were so sweete that they conceiued an vnspeakeable joye vvhen they heard him speake So I say he vvas their comfort so long as hee vvas among them What did hee more It appeareth vvell hee kept them as they had beene Children from the assaultes of the Deuill and from the malice and affliction of men This appeareth well in the ninth Chapter of Matthew and the fifteenth verse in the complaint of the Disciples of Iohn the Baptist We say they fast and mourne continually but your Disciples are in joye The Lord answereth Can it bee that the Children of the Marriage Chamber can mourne so long as they see the Bridegroome That is so long as they haue mee they shall not mourne they shall haue joye and they shall feele no persecution Another thing yee maye see heere When the Lord Iesus vvas taken out of the vvorlde the Disciples beganne to bee afflicted and to bee tossed to and froe for the vvordes importe this They shall gette another Comforter than mee So if they shall get another Comforter they shall haue neede of another Comforter The time shall come sayeth the Lord vvhen the Bridegroome shall depart and then they shall gette leaue to fast and mourne And to drawe this to vs Nowe vvhen the Lord is absent the Deuill and the Wicked in the vvorlde maketh their vantage of it The Deuill seeing the Lord Iesus in the Heauen and his poore members heere in the Earth goeth about like a roaring Lyon to deuour them And the Wicked of the vvorlde striue to cutte off the members of the Lord Iesus before his comming And the Deuill vvas neuer more busie than nowe hee is and howe farre hee hath preuailed in the absence of the Lord miserable experience can testifie nowe in the dayes of Antichrist when darknesse hath croppen in so into the Kirke of Iesus Christ And this Age telleth vs howe busilie the Deuill worketh by his members to suppresse the Gospel of Iesus Christ in his absence But we learne this comfort out of this place Howbeit the Lord bee absent from vs according to his bodily presence yea hee is as farre from vs as the Heauen is from the Earth yet the Lord leaueth not his owne without a Comforter This is generall There are none that appertaineth to him but if hee take one comfort from them hee will giue them another This is vnpossible That the members of the Lord can want all comfort if he take away one he shall giue thee another and if hee take away thy Children or Wife or Husband or Friends hee shall giue thee another comfort as the Lord comforted his Disciples in his absence So I say howbeit he be in the Heauen he will not leaue his owne without comfort but hee sendeth downe his Spirite to worke joye in the heartes of men and women and the more glorious he is sitting at the right hand of the Father the more powerfull will his Spirite bee When the Lord was in the Earth his glorious power appeared not but as soone as the Lord Iesus passed vp to Heauen and entered into that place of Majesty then it mightily appeared So nowe the power that commeth out from the Lord Iesus is more powerfull than when he was in the Earth And as the force of his holy Spirit becommeth greater it must followe that that consolation that commeth from him nowe must bee greater than the comfort that the Disciples found when he was walking with them bodily To open this more deeply All comfort that commeth from Christ it is all by his Holy Spirit This is a sure ground The comfort that al the Fathers had before the Lord came in the nature of man it was all by the holy Spirit That Spirit of Christ gaue that comfort to Abraham to Dauid and to the rest Come to the time when hee came into the worlde The comfort the Disciples had was by his Spirite and Doctrine and they in whome the Spirite wrought not had no comfort in his sight The Iewes the Pharisees had no comfort in him Come on yet After his Ascension we knowe all this by experience The comfort wee all haue is by his holy Spirite and none haue joye but they that haue this Spirite And to come on yet farder When wee shall come to Heauen the joy we shall haue shall be by the working of his holy Spirit In a word All the joye of the creature shall bee by the holy Spirit It is not so much the presence of the Lord as it is the holy Spirit that worketh joye in the heart Then this must followe The greater force and effect the Spirite hath the greater is the joye This is true But after the passing vp of the Lord Iesus to Heauen in full glory his Spirite had a greater force than before For before it was saide The Spirit was not yet giuen And
after hee saieth It is good I depart for otherwayes ye shall not get the Comforter So I say the Spirit hath greater force now than he had then because the Lord is in his full glory in the Heauen Brethren all this consolation we haue by the holy Spirit now shall be nothing in comparison of that that we shall get when we shall bee drawne neare hand him Then those beames of grace those glances of glory that shall strike from him vvhen wee shall get a sight of his glorious Majesty that ioye that shall shine from him shall surpasse a thousand times all the ioy we shall get in this world Lord how great a thing it is to be beside Christ glorified nowe in the Heauen The Lord vvill transforme the creature in that same glory as Paul speaketh 2. Cor. 3.18 So this is our joy to awaite on the fulfilling of that same ioye and it ministreth ioye vnto vs to vvaite for that perfection of glory and blessed is hee that hath this exspectation I vvarne you to looke for his comming and blessed is hee vvho looketh for his comming in glory Wee haue to note in the Text vvho it is that shall giue this Comforter Hee saith The Father shall giue another Comforter It is said in the next Chap. vers 26. The Sonne giueth the Comforter Howe is it then saide The Father shall giue him There is no contradiction for both these stand vvell together The holy Spirit commeth from the Father and from the Sonne but this is the difference the holy Spirit commeth from the Father as from the Fountaine for the Father is the Fountaine of the Godhead Next the holy Spirite commeth from the Sonne as the seconde person both the Father and the Sonne are at the giuiâ—◠〈…〉 Spirite but they differ in order and therefore the Lord himselfe saith That hee vvill send his Comforter from his Father It is to be marked heere The Lord attributeth to the Father the sending of the holy Spirit Yea I say farder Ye shall see in the vvhole Gospel the Lord speaking of the Redemption of man to ascribe it to the Father as to the Fountaine All the graces that proceede from him hee ascribeth them to the Father That is to learne the world All our Redemption and all our grace is from the Father Wee must vnderstand that all grace commeth from the Father as from the Fountaine that wee shoulde giue the glorie of all to him for hee vvho is the beginner of all grace hee must bee the ender The Apostle considering this hee sayeth Of him and thorow him and for him are all thinges to him be glorie and praise and honour for euer Rom. 11.36 The Lord Iesus goeth before and giueth the glory to the Father and biddeth vs giue the glorie of our Redemption to the Father but not forgetting the Sonne for the Father and the Sonne and the holy Spirite haue their owne glory in all their workes The Father as the Fountaine the Sonne as the Mediator the Holy Spirit as the Comforter Nowe let vs see howe the Spirit is giuen and howe hee is gotten Hee is gotten by the meanes of the Lord Iesus when hee was in the worlde hee was euer praying for grace and mercy to the world And in the seuenteenth Chap. ye shall see his prayer to the Father and that prayer shall remaine to the end of the world and it shall neuer goe out of the minde of the Father This grace of the Holy Spirite is gotten first by the death of Iesus Christ and next by the earnest prayer and intercession of IESVS Ere euer man or woman gotte that Spirite it behooued the Lord IESVS to buye him vvith his precious bloode And if God had not died the vvorlde had not gotten the Spirite What dow a man and hee vvere a King and hee gette not that Spirite The LORD meriteth that Spirite by his death Ere euer we gette that Spirite hee hath merited it yea and CHRIST must rise againe and must passe vp to Heauen and bee glorified and there hee must bee an Aduocate and there sitte at the right hande of the Father and make intercession to his Father to giue this Spirite to his owne Chosen before they can gette him So yee see howe harde a thing it is to gette the Spirite of GOD the vvorlde thinketh it none harde thing to gette that Spirite The Spirite of GOD vvill not come vpon a man sleeping No before that Spirite enter into the soule there must bee a seeking morning and euening to gette him So sayeth the LORD Blessed bee they who hunger and thirst for righteousnesse for they shall bee filled Matth. 5.6 Nowe to goe forwarde Hee commaundeth his Spirite to abide with them for euer As hee woulde saye Hee shall bee vvith you not for a daye or a weeke or a yeere onely but in all your temptations and in all your afflictions this Spirite shall bee vvith you hee shall neuer leaue you All the thinges in the vvorlde shall not separate thee from CHRIST and if thou haue this Spirite Howe shalt thou finde this None shall take your joye from you Iohn Chapter 16. Vers 22. If thou findest joye in thy calamitie that is a token of the presence of the Spirite There is no death can separate thee from CHRIST but the greater oppression thou lyest vnder and the greater the paine bee the more sure shalt thou bee of the Spirite the more shall hee comfort thee the greater shall thy joye bee The Martyres vvho haue beene burned in the fire haue felt this This is a false Doctrine that the Spirite of Christ can departe cleane awaye from them who haue once gotten him for as it is vnpossible that the death and intercession of Christ can bee of none effect so as vnpossible is it that the Spirite of God can bee taken awaye from them that haue once receiued him And as Iesus Christ vvho is that foundation vvherevpon all grace is builded for in him all the promises of God are Yea and Amen 2. Cor. Chap. 1 vers 20. cannot bee ouer-throwne no more can these graces that are builded vpon him be taken away The Spirit when he is angered and grieued in any person hee will hide and with-drawe himselfe for a while but neuer fully nor finally for thereafter by repentance he will vtter himselfe againe As wee may see in the person of Dauid Psal 51. This then is our comfort that the Spirit will neuer leaue vs And therefore let vs seeke to be in Iesus that thorow him wee may haue this Comforter to abide vvith vs for euer Nowe in the next vvordes the Lord sheweth to them who is this Conforter whome they shoulde haue in his absence and hee pointeth him out in his proper name and hee calleth him the Spirit of Trueth The Spirite of God is called the Spirite of Trueth because as wee haue heereafter hee instructeth men and women in all trueth And in the 16. Chap. vers 13. Hee
not giue them comfort But to ripe vp the mater more deeply to cleare how he is said to come there appeares in this Chap. in other places three coÌ„mings of the Lord Iesus The first was when he came into the world humbled into the nature of man a very base coÌ„ming into the world this was the coÌ„ming that the Fathers of old looked for All the Fathers froÌ„ Adam till Christ looked ay for that first coÌ„ming of the Messias and it was a very hard thing to the Fathers to look for such a grace to come in the worlde All the grace of the worlde is in the comming of the Lord Iesus his presence bringeth joye into the vvorlde And take him awaye there is no grace in the vvorlde The thing in the vvorlde that Abraham vvould fainest haue seene was Christ and it is saide hee longed to see that daye and hee sawe him and hee rejoyced but hee sawe him but afarre off Faine vvoulde the Kinges and the Prophets of olde haue seene him Now considering this hardnesse they had in looking for such a grace the Lord had respect to it In time of olde and from the beginning till his comming the promise of his comming vvas repeated to Adam Abraham and Iaakob to the people by the Prophets it was driuen into their eares continually till the Lord came and put an ende till all and fulfilled all the promises The second comming is the comming in his Spirit After his glorious Ascension he came to his Disciples in the full measure of his Spirit Act. 2. Now as it appeareth in this place the Disciples thought it hard enough to looke for this second comming of the Lord in his Spirite and therefore this promise is oft repeated to them J shall pray the Father and hee shall giue you another Comforter The Spirit shall be in you I shall not leaue you comfortles the worlde shal see me no more but ye shal see me What meanes this This frequent repetition means that it was an hard thing to cause the Disciples to look for this secoÌ„d coÌ„ming of the Lord in his Spirit there are two coÌ„mings past done the coÌ„ming of the Lord in his body the coÌ„ming of him in his Spirit is nowe come to passe for all the grace we haue is froÌ„ him in his Spirit Rests his last coÌ„ming when he shal come in proper person perfectly glorified not coÌ„ming like the first for then hee came in humility but hee shall come more glorious than any King Emperor or Monarch or any creature in heaueÌ„ or in earth Yee see by experience in so many miseries it is a very hard thing to looke for so great a grace and deliuerance for he shall bring with him that rich reward and euerlasting redemption and a thousand impediments will bee casten in to stay vs to looke for that comming to cause vs misbelieue it There is no man that euer hath set his mind on that comming who findeth not these impediments No there is none who will set their eyes on that comming but they shall find a cloud of darknesse to couer their eyes to cause them misbelieue that glorious comming The Lord hath considering this well and knowing this hardnesse hee hath doubled tripled the promises of his comming in the New Testament And it is the will of the Lorde that they who preach this Gospel to the world should driue in the eares of the people that the Lord Iesus shall come once in glory Let scorners saye what they will one day he shall come againe and when hee commeth hee shall bring the full redemption of his owne In a worde all our preaching should bee of the last comming of the Lord Iesus to cause the faythfull raise vp their hearts to heauen to await for that comming For in that second comming standeth the full joye and felicity of the faythfull So wee should euer keepe in our hearts this promise that the Lord Iesus will come and take vs to himselfe that we may haue joy And he who hath not this joy in waiting for the comming of the Lord he wanteth the true joye And this should be the joy of a Christian and hee should sigh and long for it Now to come to the Text Ere he come to the repeating of the promises of the comming of the Spirite hee setteth downe what shall be the estate of the world The world sayth hee shall see mee no more let me once go out of the world the Iewes the Pharises who contemned me shall neuer see me againe but ye shall see me This is an accustomable thing to the Spirit of God to the end the grace of God should appeare the greater to set it downe in opposition to the world so that when we see that wee get a grace that the worlde getteth not wee should make much of it Wee shoulâ—â— make much of this Gospel for the world hath not gotten it great Nations want it it should make vs very loath to want this light and to be carefull that it slip not away Woe to our Princes and to our lordes and woe to all the estates of this Land and they let this light goe out seeing the Lord hath beautified vs with such grace and light as he hath denied to other Nations better than wee are wee are vnworthie of it To come to the words The world shall see me no more meaning the Scribes Pharisees malicious Iewes As he would say They haue seene me once contemned me Well for this contempt when I shall goe away they shall neuer see me again Once contemne any presence of Christ when that presence shall bee taken out of thy sight thou shalt neuer get another presence The Iewes had him amongst them and might haue seene him howbeit hee was base yet full of grace and verity if they had looked well to him they might haue seene him the God of glorie but they would not looke to him but contemned him fra once he was taken away they neuer got a sight of him againe This is the thing wherewith hee threatneth the Pharisees so oft Yee would faine haue mee away Well I shall goe but where I goe yee shall not come Brethren we haue a presence of the Lord Iesus howbeit not in his body yet in Spirit he shines in his word wee find that power and Majesty to come downe from the Heauen and worke in vs by his worde wilt thou contemne this presence darest thou contemne it Be thou King Lorde Barron c. I shall giue thee this wearde Thou shalt neuer see his last presence in his glory but to thy shame Brethren the worlde beguiles themselues they will contemne the word and that base kind of the presence of Christ in the Gospel and they will not deinzie the word with their presence and if they will be present they comtemne it and will driue ouer their dayes in security and if ye aske at them if they will goe to Heauen they will
Weigh the wordes for they are weighty Peace I leaue you sayeth the Lord No question hee alludeth to that common fashion of salutation that was vsed amongst the Iewest in their meetinges and departinges wherein they wished peace one to another by the which word they vnderstood all kind of prosperitie in thinges earthly and heauenly So the Lord would say I am now to depart from you but I leaue something behind mee to you to wit my blessing prosperity for euer Now least it should haue bene thought that he left peace vnto them no other wayes than the men of this world vse to do he subjoyneth My peace I giue you There is an emphasis in these wordes My peace and I giue you it As the Lord would saye Men may well wish peace to men but it lieth in no mans hands to giue peace there is no Angel in Heauen able to giue peace but I sayeth the Lord shall giue you it I am not only sayth the Lord a wisher but a giuer There is no man able to giue his owne peace because no man hath peace to giue Men may wish peace from God as to the Philipp 4.7 It is called the peace of God None of the Apostles will say My peace but the peace of God and therefore hee is called the God of peace Rom. 16.20 The Lord Iesus hath peace to giue as the Father hath peace Yea more he would signifie by this peace not a common sort of peace but an inwarde peace of conscience the rest to the soule of a sinner that peace that passeth all vnderstanding Philipp Chap. 4. Vers 7. The rest of the soule as ye may reade in Matthewes Gospel Chap. 11. Vers 29. where Christ sayeth Come vnto mee all yee that are weary and laden and I will ease you and yee shall finde rest to your soules Take this peace away there is no rest to the soule This peace is called Christes peace because it floweth from him immediately till vs that wee may haue a good conscience that we may haue assurance of the remission of our sinnes for herein standeth chiefelv a good conscience when it sayeth thy sinnes are freely forgiuen thee Wee knowe this good conscience standeth in fayth thorow the blood of CHRIST Take awaye the blood of CHRIST there is no conscience that is good Heb. 9.14 The blood of Christ purgeth our conscience from dead works to serue the liuing God that is it purgeth vs from our sins So ye see this that all the joy of the soule floweth from the blood of Christ Iesus and therefore worthily he calleth it his peace because it commeth thorow his blood vvithout the which peace there is no rest howbeit yee had all the peace of all the Princes of the worlde Let the Traytors haue the Kinges peace and let them vvant this peace let them passe as they will they haue no peace Yet he insisteth the third time and subjoyneth Not as the worlâ—e giueth giue I it He marketh the manner of the giuing and maketh an exposition of the giuing of it Worldly men will take vpon them to giue peace but the worldes peace is but for a fashion the mouth will wish peace and the heart will curse this is the peace of the world That peace of the world is so fectlesse that scarcelie vvill a man wish that peace from his heart As the Lord woulde say I speake not only with my mouth but from mine heart I wish it and I shall effectuate it indeede A man may wish well but it vvanteth effect Yee see now this three-folde repetition Will yee vveigh the words yee shall finde a wonderfull intier loue and vnspeakeable heartinesse vttered by the Lord in his Farewell These vvords let vs see that he not only leaueth peace and loue behinde him but his very heart Besides all the grace wee haue of Iesus Christ they who loue Christ they haue his heart Looke how tenderly he loueth faythfull men howbeit hee bee in the Heauen yet he leaueth them his very heart and inwarde affection there is an vnspeakeable loue Now when he hath taken his good-night he concludes Seeing I haue left you peace and I giue you it vvhat then needeth you to bee troubled Marke then this conclusion Where the peace of the Lord is not there the soule of man hath no rest there is nothing but trouble and griefe there It is true great sinners vvho vvill haue no part of Iesus Christ vvill haue some kind of rest and who vvill bee so merry as they Bloody murderers vvicked blasphemers and vile adulterers vvill by appearance haue peace But Brethren this is but a false peace and assuredly it is better a thousand times to haue an vnquiet and restlesse soule than to haue a secure life for a senselesse carnall security is a sure token of a sudden judgement to come Paul in his first Epistle to the Thessalonians Chap. 5. Vers 3. sayeth When they say there is peace and safety then shall come vpon them sudden destruction as the trauell vpon a vvoman with child and they shall not escape The loune will bid cloze the yates and bid watch let him bid as hee vvill the judgement of God shall not passe by him and his yates shall not holde out the wrath of God but it shall come on him as the paine commeth on a woman in the time of her birth So in one vvorde they who want this peace they haue no peace No peace to the wicked Isai 57. By the contrary vvhen the Lord Iesus giueth peace to the heart of a sinfull man or woman vvhose heart is troubled then the heart of a sinner hath peace I put the case that a man were in great danger euen at deaths doore yea and he were in the fire and the Lord Iesus giue him his peace and saye I giue thee my peace then the soule shall be in exceeding joye Tyrantes haue marueiled that the Martyres who suffered for Iesus should haue had such a joye as they had So if the Lord Iesus will once say My peace I giue you then the soule will rest on him with such a joye as is vnspeakeable So the Apostles felt this indeede In one vvorde the peace of Iesus Christ guardeth the soule and maketh it sure as Paul sayeth to the Philipp Cha. 4. Vers 7. Thus farre now hath the Lord comforted his Disciples Nowe in the next Verse hee beginneth to speake more sharply and hee as it were findeth fault with them that they loued him not well enough and they vttered it in that they were so grieued and displeased at his departure This forme that the Lord vseth teacheth vs this that in comforting of heauy hearted sinners Who should bee comforted but the heauy hearted thou vse gentle reproofes for the heart that is heauy and sad vvill hardly take consolation but will delite in sadnesse Looke howe yee shall comfort them not to holde vp the heart aye with comfort but reproue it with some piece
Iesus but the Father hath them all numbred they are all in his eyes Ye remember in the parable of the Marriage banquet Mat. 22.11 it is said when they were all come in the King commeth in also to view the banquâ—t what meaneth this but the care of the Father that he hath of his branches who are ingraffed in Christ The King is the Father of Heauen he who is married is the Son they who are called are the branches The eye of the Father is vpon all the members good bad yea that hypocrit who wanted the wedding garment was soone seene by him Let him be an hypocrit who wil king or beggar the Lord wil point him out in his own time Now last the husbandman in the own time will dresse the vine tree he taketh away the vnfruitfull and purgeth the fruitful Euen so the Father of our Lord Iesus goeth to his vine tree vieweth the branches in his own time wil come with his snedding knife will cut off the hypocrit he will purge the fruitfull the next yeere it will bring forth more fruit The Father cutteth off hypocrits this we haue seene And then againe in the faithfull he augments regeneration and grace Mark this Text well ye shall see the pleasandest vine tree that euer was in the worlde with the roote the body of the tree the branches the fruits budding forth in euery branch the root of this vine tree is the Father who is the Fountain of all life the body of the vine tree is the Son the braÌ„ches are men women ingraffed by faith in the body the fruit of the tree is good works the sap of life is in the Father he is the grouÌ„d of al grace sendes this his sap to the body of the tree the Son the Son hath all the grace that is in the root then the body of the tree sendes sap to the branches then the braÌ„ches being filled with sap bring forth fruit as necessarily as a vine tree can bring foorth fruite So if yee would take vp the nature of these works ye shal vnderstand that good works spring not from flesh and blood they come not from the power of men women from nature and free-wil So foolish Papists will say that men will doe good workes of nature and of free-will No no these works proceede not of nature no there is not a good worke but it floweth from that life which is in the Father and is communicated to the Sonne there is not so much as a charitable or a good thought but it floweth from the life of God So all the good we doe is as fruits flowing from that roote And thou were not imped in Christ and so as a wild Oliue partaker of the sappe of that true Oliue it would passe thy power to thinke a good thought and thou wouldst do no more good than a withered stocke can Now marke this When as it pleaseth the Lord to transport vs from that rotten roote of Adam and to set vs in Iesus Christ the seconde Adam then whereas before wee brought foorth but stinking fruit and dead workes as the Apostle calleth them all is but filth and stinke without the life of God in Christ let be all these workes which are forbidden in the Law and it were a good worke hee polluteth it because hee medleth with it and there be nothing but nature being once ingraffed in Iesus Christ then the creature beginneth to drawe out so fruitfull sappe and so delicate that all the sappe of the Vine tree is nothing in comparison thereof And when wee haue gotten of that sappe then the fruit commeth out and floweth with a sweet smelling sauour fra once the heart begin to sucke of that life the verie smelling of the life of Iesus Christ wil appeare in the works in the words It is true indeed we may find it al there is euer in all our fruites in all our deeds and wordes that proceede out of our mouth some bitternesse sournesse in the best of vs all the cause is howbeit we be ingraffed in Christ yet that old life abideth intill vs all so the fruit we bring out as it hath a sauour of Christ so it stinketh of the old man the best worke that wee bring out is partly sweete and partly soure and the worde sauoureth of bitternesse but and we be highly displeased for the bitternesse then wee haue this comfort We may bee assured the Father is purging vs and this hope That when we shall bee with Christ our fruits shall all sauour of that life of God in Christ and this should augment our joye Next wee see whaâ— neede wee haue euen to bee purged and to make a perpetuall progresse in regeneration if the Father should leaue off to cleanse the liuely branches that are in the Lord Iesus as soone the liueliest should turne in rottennesse and then the naturall corruption should ouer-goe vs except hee were euer snedding vs and of liuely members wee should become dead All our standing and perseuerance is of him Another thing as vnpossible as it is that the Father of the Lord Iesus Christ should leaue off to purge the members of Christ euen as vnpossible is it that that meÌ„ber can fal away if it were possible that the Father should leaue off his office then it might be possible that men should fall away No the Father can neuer leaue off his office they who are once ingraffed in Iesus Christ shall neuer be cut off It is a false doctrine of the Papists who say that a man once sanctified may become vnsanctified it is an horrible blasphemie and a lie against the holie Ghost The last thing I marke Looke how needfull is it that the Father play the part of an husbandman in purging as needfull it is that euery branch grow in holinesse sanctification the Father cannot purge the branches in vain but as he purgeth the branches from their own nature so the branches must bring out berries So if they who professe themselues to be Christians make no grouth neuer mend in holinesse it is a tokeÌ„ that the Father of our Lord Iesus purgeth them not and then they are not branches So take heed Men will hunt greedily after honor riches and pleasure but this is the thing thou shouldest chiefely striue to That thou make much grouth in Iesus that thou find thy soule in better disposition this yere than it was the last that thou may be a true member of Iesus Christ This for the denunciation of the sentence against the branches that bring foorth no fruit and the promise to them that bring foorth fruit These words might haue moued his Disciples to be feared and to haue heauy hearts therfore the Lord who saw all their cogitations meeteth them to comfort them Howbeit he speake not to vs he comforteth vs by his holy Spirit and he letteth them know
that that denunciation perteined not to them because they were liuely members they were cleane through the worde which hee had spoken to them Our lesson is When thou hearest a denunciation of judgemeÌ„t or promise of mercy make euer application to thy selfe and say Lord perteineth this judgement to me and O Lord perteineth this mercy to mee Without this application there is no generall doctrine can do good or edifie thee So when we heare of this that some are liuing branches some dead we shold enter in triall with our selues whether we are to abide with Christ or to be cut off and casten into the fire It is true we haue not Christ to speak with vs and to resolue vs of such doubts yet the Lord hath neuer left anie faithful man or woman so destitute but he gets a certification assurance that he is a liuely member The Lord if he be in any man or woman he shall make that person know that he liueth in them The most sensible thing in the worlde is the life of Christ as sensibly wâ—l the creature feele the life of Christ in their harts as they wil feel this natural life Besides this if the sap of Christ be in a ma the fruit wil burst out if thou wouldst know a man look to his life good works let his life testify whether he be a liuely meÌ„ber or not if their life testify otherways I testify to thee in the Name of God they are no liuely meÌ„bers Certainly Christ caÌ„not dwel within one but he must vtter himself in the hand tong Now hereafter he subjoynes the reason wherfore they are clean how they are made cleane By the words saith he that J haue spoken ye are made cleane wherefore spake I so much to you but to make liuelie members of you who were drie branches The way to make a man a liuely branch is the worde of Iesus it cleanseth the soule which is foule My word is Spirit and Life John 6. vers 63. It is the force of the Spirit to purge the soule The worde sayeth Peter is that immortall seede of regeneration 1. Epist Chap. 1. vers 23. Our seede is mortall and so if wee haue not another seede of God wee are but dead It is no maruell that the word of God purgeth because it is Life and Spirit Looke but to that experience that godlie men haue in hearing the worde of Iesus Christ and that joye that riseth in the heart What meaneth this Will the vvordes of anie man worke this joye in the heart No but when men heare these promises of life and of grace and consolation O what consolation what peace what rest what joye will the sinner get And this testifieth that the worde is powerfull to worke in the soule that life of God The houre shall come sayeth the Lord that the dead shall heare the voyce of the Sonne of God and they that shall heare shall liue John 5. vers 25. 1 Pet. 1. vers 22. Our soules are purged by the hearing of the worde If this bee the meane the Lord hath ordained to get life let vs take pleasure to heare the worde And I saye that man that hath not a pleasure in some mâ—asure to heare the word but coÌ„temneth it is no meÌ„ber of Christ and hath neuer beene truely ingraffed in Christ nor got neuer of that sappe which is in Christ and neuer wist what Iesus Christ was As thou therefore wouldest liue and as thou wouldest bee sanctified in this life glorified with the Lord in the HeaueÌ„s take pleasure to heare this word if thou would taste any sweetnes of Christ grow in holinesse and chiefely seeing thou must leaue this world begin to liue this life which neuer shall haue an end Now in the next words after he hath laide down the grounds he commeth to the first exhortation Abide in mee and I in you The meaning of the exhortation is this Ye haue begun to be joyned with me in Spirit and in fayth as yee haue begun so continue in that vnion to the ende He sayth not Abide still with me and I with you but abide in mee These wordes haue a greater signification than the other they signifie a straiter vnion with Christ for Brethren yee must marke the members of Iesus Christ not onelie abide with him here and dwell with him but euery one of them abideth in him and dwelleth in him as yee sâ—e the branches of the tree they are not sayde so much to abide with the tree as to abide in the tree so are we in him And on the other part the Lord Iesus is not said only to abide with his Kirke on the earth but howbeit hee bee in the Heauens to dwell in his Kirke and in euery member who belieueth in him yea in all their hearts euen as yee see the tree abideth in her branches so the Lord Iesus the Vine tree abideth in his branches This place requireth that wee speake somewhat of this vnion the members haue with Christ and hee with them This conjunction betwixt Christ and his members who are faythfull ye must not imaginate to be a bodily and naturall conjunction as ye see is betwixt creatures as the head with the body it is not so grosse a conjunction there is no conjunction bodily so neare so strait as that conjunction of Iesus Christ nowe in the Heauens with his members the heade is not so surely joyned with the body by nearnes as the Lord Iesus our Head is joyned with euery member who belieueth in him vpon this earth The body and the head may bee seuered but the members of Iesus Christ once truely ingraffed in him by his Spirit and by fayth shall neuer be cut off all the powers of Heauen and Hell shall not separate them What shall separate vs from the loue of Iesus Christ shall hunger and sworde c. yea in these wee are more than victorious Rom. 1.35.37 So yee see this conjunction is not to bee imagined to bee a grosse conjunction as the Papistes imagine but I leaue them But this conjunction is spirituall and mysticall I call that a spirituall vnion and conjunction that we haue with him because it is wrought after an heauenly and spirituall manner and is made not with bodily bandes as ligamentes and sinewes but with spirituall and heauenly bandes the one of them is called the Spirit of Iesus Christ the other is called Fayth To make that coniunction betwixt vs and him hee sendeth out of the Heauens his holy Spirit into our hearts and wee getting that Spirit sende vp to the Heauens againe to him our fayth Then yee see two bands to make this conjunction this conjunction must be mutuall so that as hee sendeth downe his Spirite to vs so wee must sende vp our fayth to him The order of the working of these two bandes would bee considered Wee neuer begin first no man beginneth first to gripe Christ but
loue the Lord and thou shalt finde such a joye as the worlde knoweth not loue Christ and thou shalt haue a good conscience and a good conscience bringeth with it joye rest and peace So the ende of all is joye to the heart of a sinner the vnion with Christ bringeth with it an vnspeakeable joy Reade 1. John 1. vers 4. After he hath beene speaking of the communion with the Father and the Sonne hee subjoyneth These things write I vnto you that your ioye might bee full And if wee bee not in societie with that blessed Trinitie wee haue no matter of ioye and therefore we should euer striue to get a communion with that blessed Trinitie for therein standeth the happinesse of man Nowe to marke the wordes more narrowly hee tearmeth it first His joye then hee tearmeth it Their joye so it is both the ioye of Christ and also of his Disciples but in diuerse respectes It is the ioye of Christ because hee is the giuer of it all ioye proceedeth of Iesus Christ It is our ioye because it belongeth to vs and is giuen vs. So then what is the ioye of a Christian man Learne it heere It is nothing but the participation of that heauenly ioye that is in God God is full of ioye and his whole nature is ioye the ioye that one hath who belieueth in Christ is a part of that diuine nature 2. Epist of Peter Chap. 1. vers 4. of that ioye that passeth all vnderstanding there is the felicitie of man to get apart of that infinite ioye The Philosophers disputed much about the felicitie of man some of them placed it in pleasure the generall is not euill but here they failed that they placed it in a beastly pleasure Indeede it standeth in the participation of that ioye of God begun in this life and perfected in the Heauen when wee shall see Christ Iesus face to face The ioy we haue here is mingled with sorrow and for one ioyfull houre we haue aye ten sad but then all teares shall be wiped away from our eyes when God shall bee all in all and shall be filling the soules of his owne with ioye In the next verse hee commeth to the other grounde of good works The loue to man the first was the loue of God thinke not that thou canst doe a good thing and if thou loue not thy neighbour The wordes are This is my Commandement That yee loue one another as I haue loued you Loue will not stand on one side onely but it must bee mutuall otherwayes thou canst not stand in that societie either with God or with man Yee heard before this of the Lord If ye abide in my Commandements ye shall abide in my loue So the loue of Iesus Christ is to keep his Commandements This Commandement is not so much the CoÌ„mandement of the first Table as the CoÌ„mandement of the second Table The true touch-stone whereby is tried whether thou louest God or not in thine heart as is coÌ„manded in the first Table is the loue to thy neighbour which is coÌ„manded in the second Table so that if thou wilt stand vp say I loue God God will answere Louest thou thy neighbour if â—e find an hatred in thine heart to thy neighbour he will answere Thou louest me not Hee who hateth his neighbour hateth God Well let men continue on in murder wrongfull dealing stand vp say We loue God they lie Mark another thing there appears here a wonderfull loue the Lord beares to his members on earth no tong can expresse it That loue the creature would vtter to him he will haue it turned ouer on his members in the earth I meane not as though the Lord would haue none of our loue to himselfe or regarded it not so bade vs loue one another No for he deliteth exceedinglie to be loued by vs But that loue wee beare to him hee biddeth vs kythe it on his members and doe good to them And what is the cause that the Lord biddeth vs loue his members The Lord himselfe is perfect Our Head is full of all felicitie but as for the members they haue great need of things spirituall and temporal So the Head is not to bee benefited by vs but the best member though hee were a King hath neede to be holpen and the beggar may helpe him And so seeing He hath no need he turneth the benefite of our loue ouer to vs his members who haue need therof Dauid professeth this Psal 16. vers 2.3 Help me Lord he saith And lest the Lord should answere What good canst thou doe mee he meeteth this I cannot doe thee good my well-doing extendeth not to thee thou art all sufficient but Lord keepe mee to thy Sainctes on the earth howbeit my good cannot helpe thee yet Lord keepe me to thy Saincts Farder ye see he requireth mutuall loue for except loue be mutuall men cannot bee united the members of that body are conjoyned with loue albeit thou bee loued yet if thou loue not againe thou art not of the body When he hath exhorted them to loue one another hee setteth downe his owne example As I haue loued you euery one of you loue another Seeing hee loued them so well why should not they loue one another As before when he exhorted them to loue him that is to loue God hee laide downe before them his owne example so now hee exhorteth them to loue their neighbour by his example Wee learne by this the Lord Iesus is the liuely example of all true loue either to God or to man and the example of the loue of Christ is needefull to moue vs to loue man in this worlde so that except we sensibly find that loue of his in our heartes there shall bee no spunke of true loue to man in the heart for why all this loue we beare to God and to man ariseth vpon the feeling of that loue of Christ shed abroad in our hearts hee must warme our heartes by his loue and then shall arise the loue of God and of man Except a man feele that God loue him hee cannot loue for our loue is but a repercution of that loue wherewith hee striketh on our hearts Then in the next verse he layeth out the loue he bare to them in the owne greatnesse and that by comparison No man can haue a greater loue than this that he lay downe his life for his friend but I haue laide downe my life for you there yee see what a loue I beare to you The greatest token of loue in the worlde is when a man is content to lay downe his life for another Indeede it is a great token of loue when a tender friende will laye downe his life for his friend Rom. 5. vers 7. Scarcely will a man lay downe his life for the just but when a man will be content to giue his life for his enemy that is a greater token of loue there is not such a token
There is neuer a soule that is condemned or goeth to Hell that can pretende ignorance because their ignorance is voluntary It is true that ere euer a man goe to Hell he is blinded and the eyes of him are taken away by his owne corruption But it is also true that ere euer a man die his mouth shall bee closed and hee shall not haue a worde to speake in the daye of judgement No damned soule shall haue a word to speake in that day when that voyce is pronounced against them they shall passe awaye with the greatest shout that euer was because they dare not pretende ignorance for his ignorance shall bee inexcusable Any man would thinke that if any were excused for ignorance that the Gentiles would be excused yet the Apostle saieth Rom. 1. vers 21. There is not a Gentile that died but their conscience shall make them inexcusable because of the light of nature that they had into them Looke then to the sharpnesse of the judgement of God And if thou hadst no more but the light of nature all these creatures shall stande vp against thee condemne thee though there were no more to condemne thee If that light of nature make men inexcusable in that great day let vs take heed how we heare the Scriptures for if the Gentiles were inexcusable what shall bee the estate of the people who haue not onely the light of nature but that spirituall light from Heauen reuealed by the mouth of Iesus Christ Shall that soule speake a word in that day Therefore I beseech you in the bowels of Iesus Christ to receiue knowledge or else it were better for vs that wee had neuer heard of Christ and better shall it be with the Gentiles and with Sodome and Gomorrha than with vs the greater light the greater condemnation Therefore as wee would see Heauen let this light shine in our heartes that wee may bee transformed from the course of the world and shine before Christ in newnesse of life Nowe in the next wordes hee giueth the seconde argument of that hatred and aggreageth it more They who hate mee hate the Father also And he is speaking of the obstinate Iewes who pretended a loue to God We heard heretofore that the hatred of the world against the Disciples of Christ was against Christ himselfe the hatred that extended to the one part extended also to the other Now we heare that the hatred of the world against Christ extendeth to the Father also and that hee who hateth Christ hateth God also And euen as the Iewes hated the Disciples because they sawe some grace of Christ in them and because they were indued with his Spirite for the worlde will neuer hate one that is his owne so for that same cause hateth the world Christs members yea the hatred of the world against Christ himselfe was for none other cause but because they saw God dwelling in him bodily they saw that glorious Godhead dwelling in the nature of man howbeit they cast vp his kinred to him yet they hated him not because of the fleshe but because God dwelt in him The thing that the men of this world hate most is the God of Heauen if they hate any creature of God it is for Gods cause It is a wonderfull thing that such a thought can be in the hart of the creature against the Creator Let vs then see the cause God is light saith Iohn 1. epist 1. vers 5. And whatsoeuer man in the world doth wickedly he hateth the light deadly yea if it were but the day light and the light of the Sun hee hateth it because it craueth a decent behauiour Rom. 13. vers 13. And the wicked soule craueth aye filthinesse and much more they hate the light of the worde of God because it pierceth into the consciences of men it stingeth them and then most of all they hate God himselfe who is the light when hee beginneth to shine vpon their consciences they find such an horror dread our that they would wishe him out of the worlde so vehementlie they hate him they can abide to see the Deuil or any creature but they cannot abide the sight of God Now looke our nature darknes light sight not so much heat cold fight not so much together as God and our nature and this battell shall neuer haue an ende no not when the miserable catiue is in Hell Whereon riseth Hell but vpon the dissention betwixt the Creator and the creature So this battell shall neuer take an ende except it please God of his grace who made light to shine out of darknesse to inlighten and to reforme the soule and to scatter this palpable darknesse wherein wee are wrapped I goe forwarde to the thirde argument If I had not wrought such works among them which none other man in this world did they wold not haue had sinne The argument then is taken from his workes They sawe Iesus Christ to bee such a man as there was neuer the like of him They sawe that diuinitie in him and this sight aggreageth their hatred By the workes I vnderstand all the prooues the Lord gaue of his Diuinitie to the worlde whether they were the miraculous workes in restoring the blinde to sight the lame to limmes the deafe to eares or it was his holy life in the worlde Neuer man liued so holily and heauenly as he for he saith Iohn 5. vers 36. My works testifie of â—e that I am not a man only And indeede not only those who were his friendes and his Disciples and seruantes tooke this vp Iohn saith We saw him full of grace and veritie and wee saw his glorie like the glorie of the onely begotten Sonne of God John 1. vers 14. but also his very enemies saw it when as the souldiours came to take him they said Neuer one spake as he speaketh John 7. vers 46. His words bound the mens hands and the Pharisees who were his enemies were compelled to say If he had beene a sinner he could not haue healed the blind John 9. vers 16. And so we who now liue howbeit we see him not bodily working wonders in the world thereby to perswade or to conuince vs yet by this worde of the Crosse preached which to his owne is the power and wisdome of God we are perswaded that Christ is the only Sonne of God there is such a Majesty in it And so if there were no more to testifie vnto vs but this word of the Gospel it conuinceth the consciences of all men that the Lord of whom it is spoken is not man only but God also Then hee saieth They haue both seene and haue hated both mee and my Father There is a maruell that they knowing God they hated God it would seeme tollerable if they knewe not God to hate him but to know him and hate him it is a thing not to bee comporteth with It was saide of before that the worlde who hated
manifesteth himself visibly Thereafter he comforteth them another way for he sayth Yee shall also witnesse of mee So he honoureth them to make them witnesse-bearers to him The greatest honour in the world when a man is sent to beare witnesse to Christ howbeit thou shouldest die into the message thou hast gotten an honour aboue all honours It is true this cause wherefore they bare witnesse of him was because they saw him and heard him and handled him with their handes and this was a great helpe But take vp heere the chiefe ground in bearing witnesse of Christ when he sendeth into the heart the Spirit of comfort And I say suppose neuer a man saw Christ as we this day see him not bodily or neuer handled him yet if it please the Lord to sende that Spirit into the heart he will demonstrate Christ vnto him as euidently as though he had beene in Heauen to see that grace Not onelie Ministers must doe this but all men must confesse Christ and so let vs preasse to gette that Spirit for as Paul sayde No man is able to name the Lord without that Spirit 1. Corinth Chap. 12. vers 3. At the Name of IESVS all knees should bee bowed and the tongue shoulde bee loosed with such a grace of the heart that the heartes of men who heare should bee edified at the hearing of the worde And wee shoulde aye bee edified more and more till in the ende wee growe to perfection in Christ To whome with the Father and the Holie Spirite bee all prayse honour glorie power and dominion for euermore AMEN THE XIII LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xvi VERS 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.12 THese thinges haue J saide vnto you that yee should not bee offended 2 They shall excommunicate you yea the time shall come that whosoeuer killeth you will thâ—â—ke that hee doeth God seruice 3 And these things will they doe vnto you because they haue not knowne the Father nor mee 4 But these thinges haue J tolde you that when the houre shall come ye might remember that I tolde you them And these thinges saide I not vnto you from the beginning because J was with you 5 But now I goe my way to him that sent mee and none of you asketh mee Whither goest thou 6 But because I haue saide these thinges vnto you your heartes are full of sorrowe 7 Yet J tell you the trueth Jt is expedient for you that J goe away for if I goe not away that Comforter will not come vnto you but if I depart J will sende him vnto you 8 And when hee is come hee will reprooue the worlde of sinne and of righteousnesse and of judgement 9 Of sinne because they belieue not in mee 10 Of righteousnesse because I goe to my Father and yee shall see mee no more 11 Of judgement because the prince of this world is judged 12 I haue yee manie thinges to saye vnto you but yee cannot beare them nowe THe Lord being shortly to depart out of this world Beloued in the Lord Iesus continueth his speach with his Disciples from the beginning of the fourteenth Chapter to the seuenteenth exhorting them comforting them and instructing them in all things they should do after he was departed Now in the sixteenth Chapter he continueth in the same purpose In the beginning of the Chapter he concludeth that doctrine which he had in the latter part of the former Chapter that exhortation he gaue his Disciples to patience These things haue J spoken vnto you that ye should not be offended that is I haue spoken to you of the hatred of the world and of the persecution of the worlde for my cause that yee should not be offended at mee and at my Crosse The Lesson is Brethren Christ Iesus and the Crosse are things vnseparable Affliction followeth vpon the Euangel 1. Timoth. Chap. 1. vers 8. they are called the afflictions of the Euangel Bee not ashamed of the afflictions of the Euangel Now the thing in the worlde that nature abhorreth and can abide worst is the Crosse So if wee will looke to nature there is no accesse to Christ It is vnpossible for vs by nature to attaine to Christ except by an heauenly power we be sustained that we may passe thorow the sire of the Crosse wherewith hee is compassed The Lord Iesus is in a fire and without we passe thorow this fire wee cannot bee partakers of Christ and ere wee goe thorow the fire we must be raised vp by an heauenly grace for as fayth to belieue in Christ is of grace so affliction and suffering for Christ is of grace Philipp Chap. 1. vers 29. Vnto you it is giuen for Christ that not onelie yee should belieue in him but also to suffer for his sake Except a man be holden vp he is not able to abide the afflictions of the Euangel Well then in the time of calmnesse and while the Lord giuâ—th vs time to drawe our breath this should bee the chiefe thing wee should study to prepare ourselues for affliction knowing that affliction followeth on the Gospel Yea euery one who professeth the Lord and his Gospel should bee ready when it pleaseth the Lord to lay on the burden And chiefly this appertaineth to Preachers ay to fore-warne that affliction is to come that at that day of affliction men women may be ready to suffer what the Lord will lay on them for as it is said Hee who is fore-warned is halfe armed And thou shouldest say euery day Lord as I professe thy Gospel so I am ready to suffer for it knowing that the ende of affliction is joy When he hath concluded the speach he hath had with them generally he commeth in particularly and fore-telleth of some afflictions which they should suffer The first is They shall excommunicate you The second The time shall come when they shall slay you and they shall thinke they serue God Hee layeth downe the ground Because they know not the Father nor me The Text is easie It is not one or two sorts of afflictions only that is joyned with Christ his Gospel but all kinde of affliction and at last it will come to death it selfe and what reck of a common death but death with exquisite torments Reade the Bookes of the Martyres the Apostles had experience of this they passed forwarde after Christ went away from affliction to affliction till at last they lost their liues they were scourged shot out of the Synagogue at last slain the afflictioÌ„s that follow on the Gospel are all kind of afflictions So if any man would suffer let him prepare himselfe to suffer though it were all the torments of the world Look what the Lord spake to Peter Ioh. 21.18 When thou wast a young man thou girdedst thy self walkedst whither thou wouldest but when thou shalt be old thou shalt stretch foorth thine hands and another shall gird thee and leade thee whither thou wouldest not That
that onelie merite of Christ saye that the Spirit of God speaketh not by vs but the spirite of Antichrist for heereby are the spirites discerned hee that teacheth Christ onelie speaketh by the Spirit of Christ but hee who teacheth anie thing besides Christ hath the spirit of the Antichrist 1. Ioh. 4. vers 2.3 And this is the spirit that teacheth the Pope and his Clergie and therefore goe away from them or else yee will bee deceiued and one day yee shall see this justified and this day yee should heare with your eares the Lord crying Away out of Babylon as thou wouldest bee safe and see Heauen I haue cryed this oftentimes It might haue beene saide Shall not the Spirit reueale that doctrine hee hath receiued of the Father Hee meeteth that now and saith Whatsoeuer things the Father hath are mine Marke this It appeareth verie well out of this place that the holy Spirit is sent immediatelie of the Sonne and that he hath his direction of the Sonne our Sauiour this may comfort vs indeed the Father sendeth him but by the Sonne and therefore it is saide Hee shall sende him in my Name and againe Whom I shall send from the Father Now that which I speake of the Spirit of Iesus Christ I vnderstand it of the Apostles and of all the faithfull Ministers in the Kirke Wee haue all our commission immediatelie from our Lord Iesus Christ so the silliest Minister that is faythfull hath not his calling from the Father immediatelie but from the Sonne Ephes Chap. 4. vers 11. Hee therefore gaue some to bee Apostles and some Prophets and some Euangelistes and some Pastours and some Teachers And Paul speaking of himselfe calleth himselfe the Apostle of Jesus Christ and he addeth to by the will of the Father whereby hee telleth vs that hee was sent immediatelie from the Sonne and mediatelie from the Father What is the grounde of this The Father hath giuen his Sonne all power in Heauen and in Earth hee hath kept nothing from him All thine is mine as it is said in the next Chap. vers 10. And vpon this it commeth to passe that the holie Spirite commeth immediately from the Sonne and all the Apostles and Ministers in the Kirke are immediately from him and euen now hee sitteth like a King at the right hande of the Father I speake not this as if I affirmed that the Father had put off all power from himselfe wee must not thinke so no no for afterwardes hee saith All mine is thine so this hurteth not the Father And therefore these thinges which are giuen to the Sonne remaine in the Fathers handes But the Sonne is the Store-house of all grace and when the Father would giue grace hee taketh it out of the treasure of the Sonne and giueth it to vs by the hand of the Sonne The Father hath his glorie the Sonne hath his glorie and the holie Ghost hath his glorie but wee glorifie the Father as the Fountaine of all benefites the Sonne as Mediatour and the holie Spirite as our Sanctifier and wee giue them all one equall glorie amongst themselues because they are equall in Glorie and Majestie Therefore let vs glorifie the Father the Sonne and the holie Ghost in this blessed Trinitie who liueth and reigneth world without ende Nowe to goe forwarde After hee hath fore-warned his Disciples of his departure and hath comforted them against that time promising that after his departure they should receiue the Comforter to wit the holie Spirite and therefore hee hath spoken much of the holie Spirite that shoulde come vnto them Nowe in these wordes hee continueth on in the same purpose and hee fore-warneth them of his departure and hee sayeth A little while and yee shall not see mee meaning that hee was to depart out of this worlde Then hee comforteth them in the next wordes Againe a little while and yee shall see mee meaning that after his departure hee should come againe in his Spirite and by his Spirite hee should giue them his presence and hee giueth the reason of this his presence for saieth hee J goe to my Father that is I am to passe vp to the Heauen and am to bee glorified and the Heauen shall not containe my glorie but it shall come downe to the Earth my Spirit wherewith I shall be filled shall come downe to you For albeit that Christ merited by his death all benefites to vs yet they come not to vs but by vertue of his Resurrection Ascension and Glorification for hee merited all thinges to vs as a Priest humbled on the earth but hee communicateth to vs the benefites which hee merited as a glorious King Nowe Brethren yee may see this of these wordes That the LORD hee neuer taketh his presence from his owne altogether if hee will take awaye his bodilie presence as indeede presentlie wee haue not his bodilie presence hee will recompence it with his spirituall presence for this is a sure thing The Godlie heere on the Earth cannot want some sight of CHRIST they cannot liue without some presence of IESVS CHRIST No there cannot bee a Kirke without some presence of him For first Howe is the Kirke made heere vpon the Earth Who maketh the separation Who but IESVS CHRIST Hee letteth such a number haue his presence and sanctifieth them by his holie Spirite and so maketh a Kirke And if there were not a continuance of his presence the Kirke coulde not stande There is not a member of the Kirke that coulde stand in holinesse if it pleased the LORD to withdrawe his presence Wee haue holinesse not of our selues but of the Spirite of the LORD IESVS CHRIST and if hee withdraw his Spirit from vs wee would become as prophane as the most wicked of this worlde So all our grace and all our standing commeth of the Spirit of Iesus Then marke this By what vertue receiue wee the Spirit of Iesus and that presence of Christ by his Spirit Wee receiue it in a word by vertue of his glorious Resurrection Ascension and Glorification in the Heauens for nowe being in the Heauens hee is full of glorie All the Angels in Heauen are nothing comparable to him in glory the Heauens are not able to containe his glory Now the head being full of glory a portion commeth downe from him and in some measure glorifieth the members And as Iohn sayeth Of his fulnesse wee all receiue a part Chap. 1. vers 16. And to the Ephesians Chap. 4. vers 8. Hee passed vp to the Heauens and filled vs all with his grace and so by the passing vp of Christ to the Heauen wee receiue the holy Spirit Therefore when thou considerest the Resurrection and Ascension of Iesus Christ it should moue thee to take a triall whether thou hast gotten the fruit of his Resurrection and glorification to see if thou hast gotten his holy Spirite in some measure or the graces of his holy Spirite for the Apostles by his Resurrection and
Ascension had hope that they should receiue the holy Spirite and his graces and so they did in effect And if thou find that thou hast not gotten the Spirit in no measure no illumination no reformation of thy corrupt nature sore may thine heart be for in respect of thee in vaine is hee risen and glorified Therefore as thou wouldest bee partaker of his glory striue to gette his holie Spirite ere thou goest out of this worlde or else thou shalt neuer get light nor life in the world to come Farder hence wee may see the Lord leaueth neuer altogether his owne Kirke for if hee giue not his bodilie presence yet hee will giue his spirituall presence for without his presence his Kirke his Sainctes on earth cannot â—aue a being for by reason of his presence the Kirke hath her beginning for what I pray you is the Kirke else but a societie of men and women seuered from the rest of the worlde by the presence of that holie Spirit whereby they are sealed Thus farre hath he partlie fore-warned them of his departure partly comforted them It followeth in the Text Then saâ—d some of his Disciples amongst themselues What is this that hee sayeth vnto vs A little while and yee shall not see me c. They are mooued at these wordes and some of them begin to whisper amongst themselues at the wordes which the Lord spake Yee see here a marueilous ignorance of the Disciples of Christ hee hath beene speaking to them so long and yet they vtter a great ignorance It is a wonderfull thing to see how blinded and how hardened a man will be before hee haue receiued the holie Spirit at the preaching of the Gospel euen at such voyces as would pierce stocks and stones Yet a man hearing with reason sense will conceiue no more of things heauenly than the stockes and stones I tell you this that no wordes no preaching if there be no more but wordes and preaching can make any man to conceiue heauenly thinges yea no admonition no threatning no iudgement if there be no more shall make the hardned heart to be the better The blindest thing in the world is the heart of man So except the inward Teacher come out of the Heauens illuminate mollify the heart al the preaching of the world shall do the hart no good but rather euil so that thou mayst see this to be true that the naturall man is not capable of the things that are of the Spirit of God but wheÌ„ it pleases the Lord t' accoÌ„pany his word with his Spirit theÌ„ two words shall do more good than a whole preaching before th' Apostles of Christ after they got this Spirit profited more in one day than all their dayes before So albeit thou heare many preachings except thou haue that inward Doctor into thine heart all auails not Therfore carry that inward teacher into thine hart chaÌ„ge him neuer so if thou want him run to this preacher or that if thou wast hardned before thou shalt be so still A sound in the eare wil do no more good than a blast of wind without the Spirit It follows Now Iesus knew c. He perceiues them wel enough and of what thing they were debating He answereth them gentlie I know would he say what ye are thinking and inquiring and then hee teacheth them more gently Might not the Lord haue bene angry with them who vnderstood him not at the end of the Preaching But the Lord as it was prophesied of him Isay 42. hee quenched neuer the smoaking Flaxe nor brake the bruised Reede he was euer about to intertaine grace and not to put it out All Teachers may take their Lesson here they ought not to cast off people howbeit they get no fruit of Preachinges let euer that worde bee driuen into their eares and let aye that seede bee sowne for he hath the Spirit and he will giue him when hee pleaseth and let both the auditor and the Preacher pray to God to giue the Spirit It is true indeede the seede of the worde of God will lie long lurking into the heart but at last the Spirit will put to his hand to the worde as yee heard Iohn 14. vers 16. and will make the worde to fructifie and to bud out not onely to the illumination of the soule inwardly but also to good workes outwardly Bee thou euer sowing that blessed seede bee euer preaching and then commit the successe of all to God When hee hath made a preface to them yee see thereafter with what great lenitie hee instructeth them both concerning his departing and concerning his returning Hee instructeth them by the effects both of the one and the other and they are these The first is Yee shall weepe and lament The other is The worlde shall rejoyce These are the effects of his departing Then he declareth his returning by the effect But your mourning shall bee turned into ioye That is I shall come againe and then ye shall haue matter of joye Ye see here a very effectuall kinde of teaching Hee spake this of before but nowe hee speaketh the same thing more effectually To speake of things barely and to propone them simply it is not so effectuall to mooue the mindes of the hearers as to declare the same by the effectes following that taketh a greater roote and impression in the heart As for example When wee are fore-telling that by all appearances the Lord Iesus is to depart out of this Land for wee are not worthie of him albeit this mooue vs yet this mooueth vs more when it is said It shall come to passe that thou shalt mourne thy selfe thou shalt weepe nowe laugh on as thou wilt woâ—full shall be thine ende and shame and confusion shall light vpon thee I denounce this to thee in the Name of God And againe yee thinke it a light thing to saye The Lord Iesus shall come but to saye Thou who mournest shalt rejoyce when hee shall come that mooueth more But nowe to come to the matter Yee shall weepe and lament and the world shall rejoyce Some shall be weeping and some laughing this is the difference Yee see the departure of Iesus Christ is a sorrowfull thing to the godly when Christ is awaye the godly are in sorrowe the pleasure of the godly is aye in the presence of Iesus Christ and therefore when they see that they want his presence they see nothing but matter of sorrowe and giue them all the pleasures of the worlde if they misse the Lord awaye they will haue no joye And by the contrary place them in all the sorrowes in the worlde if they get a sight of Iesus Christ they gette joye enough But on the other side the wicked and the vngodly who neuer tasted how sweet the Lord was neuer rejoyce but when they want the Lord Iesus out of their sight they haue no pleasure in his presence they haue neuer pleasure to heare of Christ
What is the cause of this They neuer wist what Christ meaned they neuer wist what the Lord was and neuer felt of his sweetnesse and of the joye that is in his presence and therefore they haue no pleasure but when they want him And because they cannot gette their wicked will when Christ is present they hate him for where Christ is because he is the light of the world hee layeth open all wickednesse and maketh it manifest All the happinesse in the worlde is in the face of Christ therefore rest neuer till thou taste of him if thou wouldest be happy And againe miserable is that man who hath not tasted of that sweetnesse and of that grace that is in the Lord. Therefore as thou wouldest come to Heauen I warne thee yet againe rest neuer till thou gette that rest in Christ and that sweetnesse that is in him Let vs see the effect that followeth on his presence he saith Your sorrow shall be turned into joy He speaketh of that presence by his Spirit for after that Spirit is once entered into the soule hee worketh faith and openeth the eyes of the darke soule to see Christ as in a mirrour when the face of Christ is borne vp in the worde howbeit saith Pet. 1. Epist. Chap. 1. vers 8. we see him not yet belieuing we rejoyce with a ioye vnspeakeable and glorious So that darke sight of him worketh into the soule an exceeding joye when wee belieue I graunt indeede that as there is no joye in this life but it hath sorrowe with it so our joye in Christ hath heauinesse with it it is imperfect heere but it is better for thee to haue a meane portion of that joye than all the joyes in the worlde yea the very displeasure of the faythfull is so farre from that to hinder the joye that by the contrary it wakeneth vp the joye in the soule Looke the 2. Epist to the Cor. Chap. 5. when the soule is heauiest for sinne then it findeth such joye as they would not giue for all the joyes in the worlde and when this joye is wakened it swalloweth vp all sorrowes as in the 8. Chap. to the Rom. And in the end of the 15. Chap. of the 1. Epist to the Cor. saith the Apostle After this life mortalitie shall be swallowed vp of immortalitie and death shall be swallowed vp in victorie and all teares shall bee wiped away from their eyes Reuel 7. vers 17. And then they who haue sorrowe with joye heere shall haue joye without sorrowe for euer Looke about you looke within you or without you yee shall see nothing but matter of joye So yee see the effects of the departure of the Lord and of his returning againe Nowe heereafter hee maketh this doctrine of the sorrowe and joye of the godly more sensible by a familiare similitude and it is taken from a woman trauelling A woman when shee trauelleth sayth hee is in dolour because her houre is come but when shee is deliuered of the Childe shee remembereth no more her dolour for ioye that a man is borne into the worlde Then in the last vers hee applieth it Nowe yee are in heauinesse and yee are trauelling and that is because I am to depart from you The Disciples tooke heauilie with the away-going of CHRIST But I shall see you againe and yee shall see mee and get my presence by my Spirite and yee shall reioyce and it shall bee such a ioye that all the worlde shall not bee able to take it awaye The worlde maye take thy life from thee but neuer shall they take that joye from thee Who shall separate vs from the loue of Christ Two thinges are heere to bee marked the nature of the dolour of the godlie into this worlde wandring from their Lorde as Pilgrimes and the nature of their ioye The nature of their displeasure is like the dolour which a woman hath in trauelling So the Apostle Rom. Chap. 8. vers 21. he compareth the languor of the dumbe creatures and elementes after the comming of the Lorde Iesus to a woman trauelling The dolour of a woman trauelling is verie painfull but yet it is profitable Why Because that paine bringeth out a birth So a woman in trauell hath hope not onelie to bee saued from that paine but also to haue a Childe So hope in paine will haue joye mixed with it To applye this It is euen so with the displeasure of the godlie into this their Pilgrimage awaiting for their life which CHRIST will bring downe to them at his comming 2. Corinth Chap. 5. Looke what dolour Paul vttereth hee sighed vnder a burden hee desired to slit away and to goe to dwell with the Lord Albeit it be but a paine yet it tendeth to a pleasure in the ende to a birth and in the middest of dolour they haue an hope and with the hope they haue joye So a godly man in sorrowe will haue the greatest joye in the worlde albeit the joye of the godly bee with heauinesse yet that joye is vnspeakeable The displeasure of the vngodly is not so indeede the Scripture as in the first Epistle to the Thessal Chap. 5. compareth it vnto a woman trauelling but this is an hopelesse paine What recke if that soule had hope that that paine should cease but they shall neuer looke for a birth well were it to that soule that that body could bee turned to nothing after so manie thousand yeeres The sorrow of the godly is with hope and joye but the sorrowe of the wicked is without hope Iest not with Hell it is an horrible thing to fall into the handes of a consuming fire Hee sayeth When shee hath borne her birth shee remembereth not her trauell because shee hath borne her birth Euen so when wee addresse our selues to Heauen thronging thorowe this worlde wee must prepare our selues to goe thorowe thornes and brieres thorow temptations outwarde and inwarde a man who would goe to Heauen he shall not put downe his foote without a thorne or some offence But when wee are come to the Heauens then wee shall get such a birth of joye that wee shall remember no more the temptations of the worlde and then wee shall finde that saying of Paul to bee true 2. Corinth 4. vers 17. The momentaniall light afflictions shall worke an infinite weight of glorie the soule shall bee so occupied with joye into the Heauens that wee shall count nothing of all afflictions by-past This is true howbeit wee cannot feele it now sensiblie but once wee shall finde it in a full measure if wee appertaine to Christ The Lord therefore in the meane time graunt vs a fore-tasting of it that wee may ouercome all temptations and difficulties till wee obtaine the full possession thereof in Iesus Christ To whome with the Father and the holie Spirit bee all honour praise and glorie for euermore AMEN THE XV. LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xvi VERS 22.23.24.25.26.27 22
And yee nowe therefore are in sorrowe but J will see you againe and your heartes shall reioyce and your ioye shall no man take from you 23 And in that daye shall yee aske mee nothing Verilie verilie I saye vnto you Whatsoeuer yee shall aske the Father in my Name hee will giue it you 24 Hitherto haue yee asked nothing in my Name aske and yee shall receiue that your ioye may bee full 25 These thinges haue I spoken vnto you in parables but the time will come when J shall no more speake to you in parables but I shall shewe you plainly of the Father 26 At that day shall yee aske in my Name and I saye not vnto you that I will pray vnto the Father for you 27 For the Father himselfe loueth you because yee haue loued mee and haue belieued that J came out from God FRom the thirteenth Chapter of this Gospel Brethren to the seuenteenth the Lord holdeth purpose only with his Disciples and Apostles for hee had now ended all his speaking and doing with the people of the Iewes Hee hath hitherto giuen sundrie exhortations vnto them and hee hath giuen them Cammandements and instructed them and giuen them sundrie argumentes of consolation because they were heauie for his departure and so prepared them against the time hee was to goe his way and to leaue them Nowe his conference and speach draweth to an ende for it endeth with this present Chapter In the ende of his speach and conference he recounteth to them particularlie part by part that felicitie and blessing that they shall haue after hee is gone away from them to his Father to be glorified in the Heauens by his comming again to them not in the bodie but in his Spirit He hath said immediately in the vers going before When ye shall see mee againe that is when I shall come againe to you in my Spirite after my glorious ascension to the Heauen then your heart shall reioyce and no man shall take your ioye from you all the world shall not bee able to twinne you and that joye which my Spirite shall furnish you So then Brethren there is the joy which they shall haue when the Lord shall come againe they shall haue ioye and ioye euerlastinglie and spirituall ioy and that for euermore This is the first part of their blessednesse the wordes are easie and I spake of them before onely this for the present Wee must not thinke that this ioye which Christ promised to his Disciples by his Spirite went awaye and died with the Apostles when they departed out of this worlde but it abideth in the Kirke of Iesus Christ to the ende of the world Euen as that holy Spirite whome the Lord sent downe to the world abideth in his Kirke till Christ come againe and supplieth as it were the bodily presence of Iesus Christ for the Spirite of Christ is the Vicare of Christ in the earth and not the Pope as the Papists say Euen so I say by that Spirit abideth here in the Kirke of God solide ioye to the ende of the world for wheresoeuer the Spirit is there is ioye and inward consolation and that soule in whom the Spirite of God dwelleth feeleth as sensibly as one feeleth with their hands the ioy peace of the holy Spirit for that Spirit is the Spirit of ioy peace and they who feele not the sense of this ioye alace they want this Spirit They who feele not spirituall ioy at anie time hath matter of sorrow and mourning for they haue not the Spirit of Iesus Christ and they who want his Spirite haue not adoe with Christ Rom. 8. vers 9. and consequently neuer shall taste of ioye but thou who hast felt this ioy hast cause to reioyce yea as Paul sayeth to reioyce euermore 1. Thes 5. vers 16. Paul recommendeth ioye vnto vs not for an houre or a day or a moneth or a yeere but perpetually meaning that there is great matter of continuall ioy offered by that Spirit who graciously lighteneth our soules assureth vs of saluation What should mooue thee to ioy Should not good tidings mooue thee to reioyce Yet we reioyce not this want of ioy declareth that we make resistance to the holy Spirit wee will not suffer the Spirit to come in when he cōmeth in we giue him sober intertainment but by our euill life we cause him to depart with sadnes Now to goe to that second part of that blessednesse which they shall haue when the Lord shall returne to them by his holie Spirit Jn that day yee shall aske mee nothing that is Yee shall not aye doubt for yee heard before when hee saide Yet a little while and yee shall not see mee and againe ye shall see mee there they doubted what he meaned Now would he say ye shall not doubt then but the holy Spirit shall teach you he shall inlighten the darknes of your soules make you to belieue To apply this to our selues Euē as I said before of the first part of the blessednes promised to the Apostles so I say of the second part of their blessednes for what recks vs what light or what knowledge the Apostles got if we get not a part of it which stands in the inward teaching of the holy Spirit by taking away the vaile from them opening vp of their blind eyes to see saluation This Spirit went not away out of the world with th' Apostles but he abideth stil in the world till Christ come again Euen as the Spirit abides so the inward teaching of the soul by the Spirit abides in the Kirke for as the Spirit is the Spirit of ioye so he is the Spirit of knowledge he opens the eye of the soule which is dark mollifies the hart that with such a sweetnes to receiue grace as the tong neither of man nor Angel can expresse And the godly no doubt at the preaching of the Gospel of Christ will feele that inward operatiō of the Spirit in their soule Study ay to feele this by experiēce for what auails Christ to vs if we feel him not they will feele a light shining in their soules as the shining of the Sunne they will feele their heart that was hardned before with a sweet consolation to be mollified as it is said of Lydia the Purple seller that by the preaching of the Gospel her hart was opened Act. 16. And on the contrary let the man or woman who wants this sense who seeth no light nor finds no opening of the soule blame thēselues and not the light for Christ offereth himselfe to all alike the inlacke thereof proceedeth of the contempt of the word of that light that shineth so brightlie without thy soule and goeth not in And surelie it is a fearefull thing to contemne this Light for if thou contemne this light I tell thee long shalt thou sit hearing and shalt not bee the better but shalt growe aye the
hee rose from the dead So that Godhead declared it selfe that it left him not after this life was exspired but raised him from corruption Then hee commeth to his argumentes to mooue his Father the first is Father the houre is come therefore Father glorifie thy Sonne the houre of death appointed from all eternitie that I should offer vp the Sacrifice for the redemption of man seeing this death approacheth neare let glorie follow that ignominious death my death will bee verie offensiue both to the multitude and to my Disciples as hee saide This night yee will all bee offended at mee and as hee would say O my Father leaue mee not in that ignominious death but out of death raise mee to glorie Christ Iesus all the time that hee was in the worlde the onlie thing which he sought was the glorie of Heauen for our life standeth in that Resurrection And if CHRIST had not beene raysed sayeth Paul all our preaching should bee in vaine and yee should lie still in your sinnes So during all the time that hee was in this worlde this was aye his prayer to his Father and chiefelie when hee sawe the houre of death hee was instant and earnest in seeking that glorie Wee may learne heere a lesson The nearer and the nearer wee are to death deceiue not our selues with a false life the more earnest wee should bee with GOD that hee would giue vs life and men and women as they growe in age and drawe nearer death they should bee the more instant to seeke life and when they growe to graye haires it is a great shame to see an olde bodie prophane they should prepare themselues for the houre of death for death is a dangerous thing death is not to bee jested with All men will say I will die but if thou diest once woe is to thee if thou gettest not life for why death is a port whereby wee either passe to that euerlasting death or then to euerlasting life Looke for no Purgatorie when as the soule is loosed from the bodie it seeth an horrible darknesse if in this present life it had not a fore-tasting of a better life Therefore during the time of grace when â—â— wee haue space in our life let vs seeke that life of Heauen not onâ—â—ie in our olde age but euen in our youthhood we should cast vs to seek life and happie is that young bodie that entereth into that race to life and aye goeth forwardes with the Apostle Paul neuer sitting downe but aye striuing to apprehende that Butte and Marke which is the Crowne of glorie in IESVS CHRIST Whether thou bee man or woman happie art thou who lookest for that life and sayest before the death drawe neare I must flitte So during this life heere wee shoulde aye groane to feele that life and fasten heart and hande to finde that life but then chiefely when we are drawing neare the doore of death and daylie we gette manie warnings to flitte and remooue out of this life And the Lord sayeth by these sicknesses and calamities Flitte flit but then greedily wee should gripe to Iesus Christ and fasten to him who is life and if wee gette a gripe of him that death which is terrible otherwayes it will bee turned to a sweet sleepe Paul sayeth Those who sleepe in him he shall rayse them vp there death is but a sweete sleepe Woe to them that haue no gripe of Christ for at the last houre death shall bee terrible vnto them Euen as I beganne so I ende Thinke not lightlie of death and if thou bestowest thy life looke that thou bestowe it well and for a good cause and if thou flittest and if thou changest this house of claye bee sure that thou gette a better and if this tabernacle of the bodie bee dissolued bee thou assured in thy soule that thou shalt bee cloathed with the glorie of Iesus Christ Paul in the seconde Epist to the Corinthians and the fifth Chapter was sure of this after the dissolution of his bodie from the soule when as hee sayeth I knowe perfectlie if once the earthlie house of this tabernacle were dissolued I shall gette a lodging not made with the handes of men but eternall in the Heauens Before yee flitte out of an house heere yee will bee sure of another to dwell in O foole art thou so wise in the thinges of this worlde and art not sure to bee cloathed with that building of the Heauens Therefore before thou losest this life see howe thou bestowest it and see that thou diest in a good cause and looke that thou haue a gripe of Iesus Christ and if thou wouldest die giue this life to him who is able to giue thee a better life And seeing the time of triall draweth neare for ought we see and the time will declare who will die with Iesus Christ and offer their liues vp to him the Lord giue euerie one of vs grace to die for Iesus Christ and saye in thy selfe Lord if it shall please thee to bring on that triall prepare mee to giue thee this life which thou hast giuen mee for I knowe assuredlie that I shall receiue a better of thee Well is the soule which is this wayes prepared And well is them who die for the cause of Iesus Christ for this glorious Gospel And woe is them who die in the contrarie parte The second argument is That thy Sonne may glorifie thee also This is the reason If thou glorifie mee Father I shall glorifie thee for the knowledge of thee standeth in the knowledge of mee if the worlde see not mee they cannot glorifie thee If the creature see not the glorie of the Sonne hee will neuer see the Father Yee see a sweete meeting heere betwixt the Father and the Sonne howe euerie one of them joyneth together in glorie the Father who is the Fountaine of all glorie beginneth and communicateth his glorie with the Sonne and the holie Spirite the Father hath not his glorie of them but he beginneth and communicateth his glorie with the Sonne and the holie Spirit the glorie of the Sonne and the holie Spirit redoundeth backe againe to the Father And that glorious Trinitie deliteth in glorifying one another for the glorie commeth from the Father vpon the Sonne and from the Sonne to the holie Spirit and back againe from the holie Ghost to the Sonne from the Sonne to the Father euen as the Sunne maketh reflexe from a mirrour towardes himselfe againe No words are able to expresse this for it is a thing incomprehensible to see that glorie betwixt the Father the Sonne and the holie Ghost The consideration of this woulde confounde all the creatures both men and Angels howe the Father putteth on the beames of his glorie vpon the Sonne and from the Sonne to the holie Spirit and then it coÌ„meth about from the holie Spirit and striketh on the Son on the Father Of this we are not capable nor no Angel can sufficientlie
reprobate Looke the fifth Chapter of this Gospel The Father hath giuen the Sonne all authoritie and judgement and by him doeth adjudge to life the chosen and to death the reprobate So there is neuer a soule exempted from his judgement The Lord himselfe in the 28. Chapter of Matth. vers 18. hee extendeth his authority larger The Father sayth he hath giuen mee all authoritie in Heauen and in Earth So that Iesus Christ hath not only authority ouer man and woman but ouer the Angels in Heauen he hath power ouer them all and ouer the Deuils and at the Name of IESVS all knees must bow of things Heauenlie and Earthlie if they bow not they shall bee broken I shall tell you more which is very comfortable This authority which the Lord hath gotten in Heauen and in Earth is not as he is God onlie bowbeit principally it be as he is God but this power that hee hath gotten ouer the Angels is euen as hee is man howbeit they bee glorious and farre more glorious that men yet they are not so glorious as the man the Lord Iesus So I saye euen as he is man he is head and King of the Angels Looke the 5. Chapter of Iohn vers 27. The Father hath giuen the Sonne all authoritie and judgement as he is the Sonne of man not onely hath hee this power as he is God but euen that nature of ours wherewith he is clad hath this power It is a worthie thing to bee marked what the Lord gathereth of this authoritie In the 28. Chap. of Matth. vers 18. The Father hath giuen mee all authoritie in Heauen and Earth Theâ—fore goe out saith he and preach and baptize all Nations in the Name of the Father of the Son and of the holie Ghost So ye see on that princelie authoritie which the Sonne hath he sendeth out his Disciples to preach And all that the Apostles did in the worlde in preaching and baptizing they did it on the authoritie of Christ Iesus their Lord. There was neuer an Ambassadour that went with such a power as the Apostles of Iesus Christ had in the world And Brethren to come to our selues I say euen this day all this preaching of the Gospel and all this ministring of the Sacraments and Discipline all proceedeth of this princely and kingly authority of the Lord Iesus Marke it The closing vp of Heauen and the opening vp of Heauen to penitent sinners whether it bee by word or discipline all is grounded on an higher authoritie than all the authoritie of the worlde There was neuer a King or Prince that had so great authoritie as this whereon the Discipline according to the worde of GOD and exercise of Religion is grounded And they who contemne this preaching of the Gospel and ministring of the sacramentes and Discipline they contemne not the ordinance of man it were better for them to contemne all the authoritie of Kinges but they contemne the authoritie of the great GOD for in the Kirke there is none authoritie but Christes authoritie and all that is done is founded on this auâ—hority We say not on the authority of Kings or of the Pope The Lord hath not translated this authority to any creature and therefore the Pope hath but an vsurped authority As for the Minister he hath no authority in his own person but onlie in the Lord Iesus And this is the difference betwixt the Kirke and the Policie The Lord Iesus hath giuen a part of his authority to the King or to the Magistrate but the Lord Iesus hath not giuen any part of his authoritie to any of the Kirke In the Policie there are Kinges but in the Kirke there is none but the Lord Iesus And all that tyrannie in the kingdome of the Antichrist is but vsurped there is not a minute of the word of GOD that can be a ground to it When he hath layde downe the ground of life hee telleth who will get this life Will euery one get this life No no neuer one getteth this life from him but the soule that the Father hath pulled out of this world and put into his hand The Lord will know well to whom he will giue this life euerlasting It may be he will throw a Kingdome to a man and giue him these earthly things in great aboundance but hee will not giue to euery one the Kingdome of Heauen If ye will weigh the words ye shall see distinctlie the part of the Father and of the Sonne in the worke of saluation The Father giueth men to the Sonne that is the part of the Father J will giue them life euerlasting that is the part of the sonne First the Father of the Lord Iesus choosed out so manie as hee would haue safe in his Sonne Christ Iesus and then in time hee calleth on them whome hee hath chosen hee knoweth them well enough hee calleth them by his worde and draweth the soules of them vnto him for if they bee not drawne they will not come as hee sayeth in the sixt Chapter of this Gospel vers 44. No man commeth to mee but them whome the Father draweth Hee draweth them by his holie Spirite to the Sonne and then hee and the Sonne keepeth them to the daye of their full redemption and giueth them life euerlasting So yee may see in this place and in the Epistle of Iude at the beginning that all who are safe in Iesus Christ are first called by the Father To them sayeth Iude who are called and sanctified by GOD and are saued by IESVS CHRIST I marke on this what is the grounde of this authoritie where hee sayeth These a home thou hast giuen mee J will giue them life euerlasting Hee ascribeth this authoritie to the Father and hee sayeth hee will saue none but these whome the Father hath giuen him All the Brethren reade of IESVS CHRIST the Sonne of GOD in this Euangel and thorowe out the whole Gospel yee shall neuer reade of him where hee speaketh of anie thing that hee is doing hath done or shall doe but hee giueth the whole glorie of it to the Father What meaneth this This is the ground of it He had his commission from the Father He came from the Heauen to the Earth out of the bosome of the Father he was an Ambassadour sent from his Father Nowe it is good reason that an Ambassadour sent in an Ambassadrie not only in deed but also in worde honour his Prince otherwayes hee is but a traytor The LORD IESVS was an Ambassadour sent from the Father therefore in all his actions and in all his wordes hee honoureth his Father There is not one of vs all but wee haue a commission from GOD and is placed in a calling and there is not one of vs high nor lowe but wee are borne to doe some thing Then if the Sonne of God equall with God hauing a calling of his Father sought to glorifie God so let vs also in word and deed
Turkes c. that will say they will get a sight of the Father without the Sonne no no man shall see him without the Sonne For why neuer man sawe the Father at any time it is the onely begotten Sonne who is in the bosome of the Father who hath reuealed him Iohn 1. vers 18. Except we gette a sight of the Sonne who is the splendor of the Father and the ingrauen forme of his person wee shall neuer see that glorie Hebr. 1. vers 3. So except wee see the Sonne of God the seconde person of the glorious Trinitie there shall bee no life for man nor woman in this world And there is no sight of that glorious person of the Sonne who dwelleth in that light vnaccessable as hee is God hee is as incomprehensible as his Father hee is not seene I saye but vnder a cloude wee must see him thorowe this nature of ours There is no Angell in Heauen that dare abide to looke on the Son but thorow a vaile and this is the vaile of our fleshe if thou takest awaye that vaile the sight of that Majestie shall deuour thee No if thou gottest a sight of the Sonne of God without the sight of his manlie nature wherein hee died for our sinnes and rose for our justification thou wouldest bee destroyed and confounded thereby But by the contrary that is the pleasandest sight that euer thou sawest when thou seest that tabernacle of thy nature that glorious person cloathed with the nature of man The knowledge of Christ must be first as he is sent next as he is Iesus and last as he is Christ His sending is as hee is manifested in the flesh And hee is Iesus and Christ as hee is God and man So wee must looke thorowe that vaile of man and thorowe that tabernacle of our nature ere wee see that glorious Majestie And this is joye and life and our heauen into this earth Yee shall marke a notable lesson of this which I haue spoken See howe knowledge goeth vp thorowe to the Father and see by what degrees life commeth downe from the Father There are the degrees and order of our knowledge and howe it passeth vp thorowe First our eye striketh on the vaile of our nature wherein that glorious Majestie sitteth Then thorowe the vaile the soule pierceth in to that glorious Sonne of God and then when the soule hath gotten that sight of the Sonne it passeth forwarde to the glorious sight of the Father and then our knowledge resteth there for it is the Fountaine of life Faith neuer resteth till it come to the Father and then it resteth on him and there is the joye of it Nowe looke howe wee gette life As soone as our soule commeth to that Fountaine the Father that Fountaine breaketh out in liuing waters Looke the power of Fayth Fayth breaketh vp that Fountaine and then spirite and life beginneth to flow Life commeth first from the Father to the Sonne of GOD and then it commeth from the Sonne to our nature and thorowe our nature that Spirit and that life floweth into our soules There is the difference knowledge beginneth at the nature of man in Christ but life beginneth at the Father Againe knowledge passeth vp and life commeth downe from the Father Well then if life euerlasting stand in knowledge of GOD in Iesus Christ then it must follow first as a man or a woman groweth in knowledge and in fayth so they growe in life euerlasting and as they growe in life so they grow in fayth and in what measure thy knowledge is in that measure thy life is and in what measure thy life is in that measure thy fayth is And when that day shall come when we shall see the Lord Iesus face to face as our knowledge shall be perfected so shall our life and joye and in one word our Heauen shall be perfected The perfection of life euerlasting and knowledge standeth in the sight of the face of Iesus Christ And if our life euerlasting stand in knowledge then death euerlasting standeth in ignorance and where there is ignorance of God in Iesus Christ there death taketh place and their Hell is begunne here and that darknesse which is in thy soule shall bee turned into vtter darknesse and the more ignorant thou bee of God in Iesus Christ the greater shall thy damnation bee Paul to the Ephes Chap. 4. vers 18. joyneth these two together speaking of the Gentiles and their estate before Christ came into the worlde sayeth hee they had their mindes darkened with a cloude of ignorance and they were aliantes from the life of God Meaning that when as ignorance reigned amongst the Gentiles they were all casten out from the light of Heauen Where there is nothing but darknesse there is not a sponke of the life of Christ there Though thou werest a King and hast but a naturall life I count thee worse than a Dogge howbeit thou canst passe the time and hunt and haulke and eate thy meate c. thou art deader than a Carrion Seeing then life standeth in the sight of God through Iesus Christ and seeing death standeth in the ignorance of the soule this shoulde bee our care night and daye to warble thorowe that cloude of darknesse which hideth vs from that Sonne of God and â—o get away this foule vaile for if it be not put away it groweth aye till it come to an hard scroofe There is no standing for thee but thou shalt either grow in light or in darknesse This should be our care to put awaye darknesse and get light Wee should aye labour to cast off this vaile vnder the which wee lie till the Lord deliuer vs fully from that blindnesse of the minde which is a blacke and cloudy couering The way to bee fredde of this is to holde vp thine eye to gette a sight of the face of Iesus Christ In the face of Iesus thou seest the glory of the Father Knowest thou how thou shalt gette it in this life Seeke it in the worde All the sight that we haue here is but in a mirrour and by an aenigma as th'Apostle sayth or by a parable in respect of the sight which wee shall haue in the life to come And this mirrour is the glorious Gospel To end in a worde As thou wouldest see Iesus and bee quite of darknesse as thou wouldest haue life and be quite of death set thine heart to heare the Gospel of Iesus Christ that is the only way for thee to gette a sight of him in this life Striue to heare this worde preached Ye shall haue Christ crucified in the Gospel and Christ glorified in the Gospel And begin once to take pleasure in hearing and I shall promise thee in the Name of God Heauen and Earth and all shall goe together ere thou gettest not light and consequently Heauen in this life otherwayes I giue thee ouer Now seeing Christ is our light and our life the Lord giue vs grace to
thou art the Sonne of God by Adoption and that thou art an Heire of Heauen and shalt reigne with God as an Heire of God and as a fellow-Heire with Iesus Christ Take heede the Sonne of God loueth vs in his heart when he findeth that we haue his Spirit and that we are chosen to life In these things wee should bee occupied most if euer wee would gette life wee should be busie to seeke our warrand of Heauen Alace he that hath a bit of Heritage or a bit of Land hee will bee busie night and daye to seeke a warrand for it and yet wee will not bestowe any time to seeke a warrand for life euerlasting But nowe I shall goe forwarde to the fourth argument The fourth argument is in these wordes Thou hast giuen mee them therefore Father saue and keepe thine owne gift Father thou hast giuen them to mee not to lose but to saue Well then Brethren as I saide before if this bee a reason that the Lord vseth to mooue his Father to keepe and saue his Disciples certainlie then euery soule who findeth that the Father hath giuen them ouer into the handes of the Sonne that God hath put them in the hands of the Mediator the Lord Iesus hath a sure argument that the Father will keepe them euerlastingly If thou bee giuen once to the Mediator it is a thing vnpossible that thou canst bee lost The gift of the Father is not like the gift of men When they haue giuen the gift they care not for it what to doe haue they with it it is not theirs But when the Father giueth the Chosen once to the Sonne his eye will be euer vpon that gift and he will see that that gift of the Sonne be kept and saued Ye must vnderstand this that when the Father resigneth vs ouer to the Sonne he hath a care of vs and we are still the Fathers as wel as the Sonnes and this is euident by Christes wordes is this same Chapter All mine is thine and thine is mine sayth Christ he resigneth vs not whollie as though he had no care of vs for we are his gift and his property and he quiteth him neuer of vs but euen when hee hath giuen vs to the Sonne wee remaine the Sonnes gift and the Fathers property and that gift neuer impareth that loue which the Father beareth towards vs nor his carefull prouidence ouer vs Yea by the contrary this is a meane to saue vs. Wherefore putteth hee thee in the hands of the Sonne Euen to the end that he should redeeme thee and saue thee with his blood So this is the meane yea the only meane to saue thee euerlastingly But marke this Brethren See how mutually the Father and the Sonne recommende the Chosen one to another the heart of man is not able to comprehende this care which the Father and the Sonne haue ouer the Chosen First the Father giueth them to the Sonne that hee should redeeme them and then when the Sonne hath gotten them hee maketh intercession to the Father that the Father would keepe them and saue them And whome the Father hath giuen he hath a care of them Seest thou not the groundes of thy saluation which is the mutuall recommending of thee from the Father to the Sonne and from the Sonne to the Father The Father giueth vs to the Sonne the Sonne againe maketh intercession for vs to the Father Howe can it bee possible that those can perish whom both the Father and the Sonne haue such a care of If thou be chosen how can it bee possible that thou canst perishe Seeing our saluation is so wonderfully grounded that all the power of Heauen and Earth is not able to shake off the groundes of it But alace Brethren heere is all the fault There is such a blindnesse and doubtfulnesse in our hearts that we cannot see nor feele the established groundes whereon our saluation standeth and therefore we haue not yet solide joye and consolation for all the joye of this life is the confidence of these groundes of our saluation for except a man or a woman gripe into that saluation they haue no joye Now would to God we could learne to see and feele our saluatiō we shold feel see wonderful things we shold find such a solidnes that we wold defy al the deuils of hel Now hitherto we haue heard four very strōg reasons wherby the Father shold be moued to saue the Disciples both in this life and in the life to come Now Brethrē mark these reasōs which we haue heard they are all without vs the manner of our vocation is without vs our election is without vs that that wee belong to God is without vs that we are giuen to Iesus Christ by the Father is without vs Yet all these outward graces of God will neuer auaile thee to life and saluation if thou gettest not the inwarde feeling of them in thine heart before thou be taken out of this life if thou gettest not the inwarde grace in thine heart to apprehende thy vocation and thine election if thou gripe not in thine heart first that thou art Gods property secondly that thou art Iesus Christs all the grace that thou shalt get in this life shall serue thee for nothing Nowe Brethren this feeling of grace in the heart is nothing but faith What is this faith that euery man hath in his mouth but that feeling of the grace of God The feeling of our vocation of our election and of that mercy which God giueth vs in Iesus Christ is nothing but an inwarde sight and apprehension of them all therefore the Lord leaueth all outwarde graces and commeth to the inwarde apprehension that is to faith and sayeth O Father they belieue all that J spake vnto them and therefore O Father keepe them Ye see Brethren amongst many arguments which we haue there is the most speciall when God stampeth in our heartes a feeling of grace getting once that stampe that wee are called by faith in God and in Iesus Christ then the Charter of our election is sealed for our election is but a Charter then wee haue our warrande in our bosome that wee shall neuer perishe but haue life euerlasting It is vnpossible that anie man or woman who findeth this can perishe for they haue the earnest-pennie of their saluation who haue once gotten fayth But Brethren if wee would marke the wordes which the Lord Iesus vseth in setting downe this faith they are many and weightie and great consolation in them faith must haue a knowledge for if thou hast no knowledge and sayest then that thou hast faith thou liest if thou bee an ignorant bodie and knowest not Iesus Christ and wilt stande vp and saye I haue faith thou liest faith must haue an eye a sight and a knowledge The first thing in faith is sight thou must see God and that in that glorious face of his Sonne Iesus Christ howbeit afarre off as in a
the meanest thing whatsoeuer There is no flesh that hath power to keepe the least in their Family No a King hath no power to keepe a poore body in his Common-wealth except the LORD look down from Heauen and wait vpon that body which he hath concredited to his keeping And therefore seeing none of vs hath power to keep one except we haue power of God from Heauen then let euery man take heed to his speaking Let Kings take heed to their speaking let those that haue Families take heed to their speaking let them who are set ouer the Kirke take heed to their speaking let none say I haue done this let no flesh stand vp and say I haue brought such and such good works to perfection by my fore-sight wisedome and power The LORD shall take all power from thee and turne it into shame if thou glorifiest not him who hath giuen thee power and sayest not I haue kept them by the power of GOD. PAVL sayth I haue laboured more than they all But not I but the grace of GOD in mee So beware of your speaking blaspheme not the LORD in speaking when ye haue done it say GOD hath done it what was I but a poore Instrument raised vp by the power of GOD I go forward to the third circumstance whereby he amplifieth this keeping It is from the cause moouing him These whome thou gauest mee J kept The cause was The Father had put them into his hands that was the chiefest respect that he had in keping his Disciples Well Brethren there are many causes wherfore we should keep them whom GOD hath concredited vnto vs but surely this should be the chiefest that should mooue vs to wait on them and night and day to care for them because GOD hath put them into our hands deliuered them to vs to be kept by vs. We should ay remember on this The Lord hath put them in my hand and I must make answere for them at the Great day of the Lord. Yea if the least one of them perish through thy default the blood shall be required at thy hand Look the Acts of th'Apostles Chap. 20. vers 28. where Paul when he had called the Kirke together he coÌ„meth to the Elders of Ephesus and sayth Take heede to your selues and to all the flocke whereof the holie Ghost hath made you ouer-seers to feede the Kirke of God c. This is his exhortation The first band that he binds them with is this The holy Ghost hath made you ouer-seers for them and ye must make answere for euery one of them Night and day therefore take heed to them Another band which he binds them with is Hee hath shed his blood for them So if we would be carefull to keepe them whom GOD hath giuen vs this must be the first GOD hath concredited these and these to me therefore as I shall answere at that Great day I must keep them No thou darest not stand vp before that terrible Tribunall seat if thou keep them not faythfully whom the LORD hath concredited vnto thee It is no small matter for a King to keep a Common-wealth or for a Magistrat to keep them who are concredited vnto him Yea will the King make his pastime of it that he hath gotten such a care Will a Minister take his pastime who hath gotten the care of a Kirke Or a man or a woman who hath gotten a Family shall they take their pastime without regard Is this the end wherfore God hath concredited those to them No heauy shall thy judgement be if one perish through thy default the blood of that one shall be required at thy hands Now we come to the fourth circumstance The fourth circumstance is the effect that followed this carefull keeping of his Disciples The effect was this Neuer one was lost who was giuen to him of his Disciples who were twelue except one Judas the son of perdition that is a man addicted to destruction and wrack to the end that the Scripture might be fulfilled There is an higher cause than this that is To the end that that decree which God made concerning Iudas his perdition should stand The Scripture was but a reuelation of that Decree for as GOD is immutable so his Decree should stand that Iudas should be condemned Well Brethren ye see a faire effect that followeth a careful keeping None are lost because the Sonne keepeth them he glorifieth the Father in his keeping because the Father had concredited them vnto him and therfore it followeth wel that seeing he kept them none was lost but Iudas Where a man is faithfull in keping careful night day to preserue them who are concredited vnto him because God hath giuen them vnto him first he glorifies God in keeping them next by his faithfull keeping he procures the eye of God to be ay watching ouer them and last of all certainly that man will see a faire effect of his care keeping None shal be lost except those who are separate to be sons of perdition as Iudas was that is who are ordained to destruction from all eternity For Brethren those who are ordained to destruction made vessels of wrath perdition who are appointed to hell euerlastingly all the keeping in the world will not keep them all the careful attendaÌ„ce in the world wil not saue them Al the keeping of Christ who was more careful than any man in the world could not keep Iudas from destruction So who are ordained to destruction no keeping shall serue them but they shall perish euerlastingly It may be that the sonnes of perdition may be kept in an outward Discipline but at last they shall be manifested to be but hypocrites they seeme to be the Children of Light and who will put a difference betwixt them and those who are ordained to saluation Who will put a difference betwixt Iudas and the rest of the Disciples for a time Judas seemed an Apostle for the time as well as Matthew James and Iohn and the rest So for a time they who are ordained for death will seeme to be kept and they will heare the Preaching and who will be so earnest to take heed as they But howbeit they giue a faire show outwardly in their behauiour in the end behold there shall a shamefull destruction befall them and let them show to the world what they will they shall show themselues to be Apostates from Iesus Christ Therefore Brethren â—e neuer content of an outward profession till that ye find your selues on a sure ground and rest not till that by fayth and regeneration ye get an assurance of your election and till that ye be sure that God hath made a decree that ye shall haue life euerlasting And when ye see men and women who seeme to stand fall away make a foule defection it is an euill token This for the foure circumstances He kept them carefully and in the Name of his Father because the Father
will mourne and groane vnder the burthen as Paul did when he sayth J choose rather to flitte out of this bodie and to goe dwell with the Lord yet the Lord will haue him abyding a while Yea howbeit a man will haue an heauy heart in this his Pilgrimage yet the Lord will haue him to remaine a while here and in the meane time he will aboundantly comfort him and will hold vp his head as he did to Paul when he deliuered him out of the Lyons mouth that is from the bloody Tyrant Nero J am assured sayth he and I haue a confidence that the Lord shall deliuer mee and keepe me to his heauenly Kingdome There is the remedy he wil let thee bide still in the world yet an haire of thine head shall not fall without his will but he will keepe thee to that heauenly Kingdome and when he hath ended his worke with thee he shall make thee to rest in peace and shall bring thee to himselfe in his Kingdome Let no man thinke that so long as the Lord hath any worke adoe with any of his owne that he will let them be taken out of the world It is a vaine speaking when any man is taken out of the Common-wealth or taken away by death If this man had bene liuing this had not bene done and this euill had not come to passe Vnderstand this when the Lord taketh him the Lord hath done his worke with him the Lord knoweth there is no more adoe with him and therefore he taketh him The enemies of the trueth thinke that they get a great victory when a good man is taken out of the world O Fooles is not this the last deliuerance of the godly who glorified God in their mortall bodies For he shall glorifie them in despite of the world they shall triumph ouer the world No the sword the fire c. cannot hinder this their triumph Let wicked men come on their way let them essay and proue on their way they shall find in end that the godly shall triumph and in that Great day they shall see them glorified and then they shall say Thought we not once that these men were vtterly wracked whom now we see so glorious So not only shame and confusion shall light on them for their wickednes but also this shall wonderfully aggreadge their condemnation when they shall see them glorified whom they persecuted in the world Let vs rest in this hope and let vs labour in this world howbeit with hatred and with contempt and we shall get the last remedy the Lord shall take vs to himselfe and we shall cease from all labour and shall be glorified with him in the Heauens thorow Iesus Christ To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all honour praise and glory for euermore AMEN THE XXIII LECTVRE OF CHRISTES PRAYER BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xvii VERS 16.17.18.19.20.21 16 They are not of the world as I am not of the world 17 Sanctifie them with thy trueth thy word is trueth 18 As thou diddest sende mee into the worlde so haue I sent them into the worlde 19 And for their sakes sanctifie J my selfe that they also may bee sanctified through the trueth 20 I pray not for these alone but for them also which shall belieue in mee through their word 21 That they all may bee one as thou O Father art in mee and I in thee euen that they may bee also one in vs that the worlde may belieue that thou hast sent mee THE LORD vsed sundry arguments welbeloued in the Lord Iesus to mooue his Father to keepe and preserue his Disciples and Apostles whom he was to leaue in the world behind him Hitherto we haue nine of them which we recounted the last day Now in the beginning of this Text we haue the tenth and last argument which he vseth in his petition which he maketh That the Father would keepe and preserue his Disciples Shortly to come to the words They are not of the worlde Then would he conclude Therefore Father keepe them What is this Not to be of the world Not to be of the world is To be borne againe to be regenerate and separate from the pollution and wickednesse of this world By what meanes this is done vnto vs we heard the last day to wit by the word of God For as Peter sayth the word of God is that immortall seed of the eternall God who liueth euerlastingly wherewith he begets vs of new again separates vs froÌ„ the world from the ignominie filthinesse and wickednesse wherein the worlde lieth naturallie for the worlde is drowned in filthinesse and wickednesse Then he recommendeth to the Father the estate of them who were separated from the world by a comparison with himselfe As I am not of the worlde so are they not of the world Looke this matter in the seuenth Chapter to the Hebrewes vers 26. Our high Priest is vndefiled that is The Lord Iesus is vndefiled separated from sinners and made higher than the Heauen Indeed it is true it is vnpossible for vs so long as we liue in this mortall body to be altogether separated from sinne and vncleannesse but he was out of measure holy and equall with the Father in glory Yet we are in some measure like vnto him Alwayes ye see in this that this recommendeth our estate that we are like the Sonne of God and this commendeth our separation from the world in that that in this separation from the world and the pollution thereof we are like the Sonne of God Brethren whatsoeuer our estate be so that in it we resemble him howbeit for his sake it be shamefull and ignominious in the sight of the world it is glorious if we be like to him in ignominie we shall be like to him in glory Our shame is neuer so great in the sight of the world if it be for his sake but it is better than all the honour and glory in the world But to leaue this The thing which I vnderstand is this shortly The farther that we be from the world the Lord hath the greater care ouer vs and keepeth vs the better And the nearer that we are to it the lesse is the care of our God ouer vs and we are the worse kept What is the keeping of God else but the drawing of vs out of this world and the seuering of vs from the company of it And when he hath drawne vs out of the world the keeping of vs out of it againe â—hat we meddle not with it and that we may be quite of it and deliuered from it This is not my meaning that any man should draw himselfe to liue as an Heremite and in the Wildernesse separated from the society of men as the Monkes doe This is nothing but the craft of the Deuill that men should draw to Cloysters liuing in Harlotry and in a Den of wickednesse liuing in a vaine speculation feeding their bellies and doing no good to